deproduction Reviews

Gimme Danger (2016)

For Iggy/Stooges fans only

[3/10 · 25 October 2016]

This is a shallow film about a shallow (albeit likable) man, full of shallow references to events that would only be interesting to people who are already fans of the band. As a documentary filmmaker myself, I would've left 75% of this film on the cutting room floor. Did you know Iggy once saw John Wayne driving down the street in LA? ...Well, he *thinks* it was John Wayne... I wouldn't put that drivel in a god damn Facebook post, much less a documentary film. I have to believe there was some depth to be found in the life and lessons of Iggy and the Stooges, but its all wasted on Jarmusch. This is nothing but a vanity piece made by fans for fans. It will be an utterly forgotten film with zero relevance for the world beyond Iggy/Stooges fans. This isn't to say that the Stooges weren't a very relevant band. I am convinced they were. But that doesn't make for an interesting film, and its essentially the only message conveyed. I enjoyed looking at Iggy's face for over an hour, but after 30 minutes being impressed at how well that man has aged, despite a lifetime of abusing his body, there was nothing left to ponder. Better to spend your time on films that don't simply elevate celebrity, but dig into deeper issues, like the "Friends Forever" documentary about a pair of musicians who never achieve any fame, unintentionally illustrating that life is about the journey, not the destination. That film was made by an auteur, not a fanboy, who exposes the emptiness of pursuing fame, sex, drugs, and everything else that Iggy and the Stooges seemingly glorified. Unless you're in the mood for a shallow fluff piece, that would be a better use of your time.

Sicario (2015)

As good as action films get

[8/10 · 21 October 2015]

This is as good as a film of this type gets. The easiest film to compare with Sicario is Traffic. Both were flawlessly acted and directed and revolve around the same subject-matter, though from different perspectives. I imagine Sicario is as clear, deep, and honest a view into the world of the Mexican/American drug trade and the USA's dysfunctional "war on drugs" as we can get. No simple good-guys or bad-guys. No master-plan. Just a bunch of flawed individuals and institutions doing the best they can to resist the ugly reality of the society we live in, where drugs are a symptom of larger problems that may never be resolved. The characters are magnetic and deep. The music is phenomenal and eerie. The story is brilliant and complex, and Benicio Del Toro is an absolute shoe-in for best supporting actor (again). Everyone else is equally good, but his role is a rare gem, and if he deserved it for his role in Traffic, he is a lock for his role in Sicario.

Sicario (2015)

As good as action films get

[8/10 · 21 October 2015]

This is as good as a film of this type gets. The easiest film to compare with Sicario is Traffic. Both were flawlessly acted and directed and revolve around the same subject-matter, though from different perspectives. I imagine Sicario is as clear, deep, and honest a view into the world of the Mexican/American drug trade and the USA's dysfunctional "war on drugs" as we can get. No simple good-guys or bad-guys. No master-plan. Just a bunch of flawed individuals and institutions doing the best they can to resist the ugly reality of the society we live in, where drugs are a symptom of larger problems that may never be resolved. The characters are magnetic and deep. The music is phenomenal and eerie. The story is brilliant and complex, and Benicio Del Toro is an absolute shoe-in for best supporting actor (again). Its not just that he is so good (like all of the cast), but also that this character is the gem of the script. If he deserved the Oscar for Traffic, this role merits it even more.

Ex Machina (2014)

Beautiful, but fell short

[6/10 · 27 April 2015]

I was so excited to see this film, but it really fell short for me, mainly in that the characters were poorly-developed. With 1 hr and 50 minutes, and only 3 or 4 characters in the entire story, there must be some serious script problems if a film fails to develop any of those parts into complex, sympathetic characters the audience can really connect with. In the end, I connected with none of them, and hungered for the film to to engage the deeper character issues that felt ripe for the taking, but were only touched-on at the surface. Visually, Ex Machina was a beautiful, well-made and well-acted piece of film, but the dialogue seemed to fail to develop interesting, complex, human characters we could really care about and empathize with. I easily get sucked-into characters and stories. Its my favorite part of the film-watching experience, but this film failed to make me feel that I deeply understood (or cared about) even one of the characters.

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

Ending, like the rest of the film, is perfect

[8/10 · 22 December 2011]

Don't read this if you haven't seen the film yet. Don't read any of these, just go see it! Though unresolved endings are nothing new in film, the abrupt ending to Martha Marcy May Marlene is one of the most apropos uses of an ambiguous ending I've ever seen. The film is designed to leave the viewer in the same state of mind as the title character throughout, wondering if we're experiencing the present or the past, dream or reality. The point of the ending is that the fear, instability, and un-easiness isn't going to fade for Martha. Her experience will not be wrapped-up nicely in some storybook ending, but will continue to haunt her for the rest of her life. She will always live in fear that her world is going to be ripped apart. Other comments have asked about the car at the end, the identity of the bartender, the appearance of Patrick at the lake, and I'm sure the Director could ask for nothing more than for them to be confused. Martha herself doesn't know the answers, and neither should the viewer. My personal opinion is that Martha imagined Patrick at the lake, the car at the end was just odd happenstance, and maybe even the SUV she damaged was unrelated to the Cult, but Martha is going to question those and countless other events for the rest of her life. She'll never hear creaks or rattles the same again... she'll never sleep soundly and consistently... she'll never trust her view of reality, and that's exactly the point of the ending. Great performances, great direction, great movie!

Blue Valentine (2010)

A heart-wrenching and cautionary tale of love

[8/10 · 17 January 2011]

I came away from this film more wary of love and relationships than any film I've ever seen. You look at Dean's character (Gosling's best role to-date) and wonder what it is that he did wrong. He fell for a beautiful, young woman (Williams), stepped-up to care for her and her yet-unborn daughter, and shifted his life to focus entirely on being a good husband and father. He was so charming in his interactions with his daughter, and was also loving towards his wife enduring more rejection from her than most could, trying to breathe love back into the relationship. Even his outbursts seemed attempts to give her what she wanted.

So many reviews talk about this being a story of falling in and out of love. My response is surely subjective, but I don't feel Cindy ever loved Dean. She was desperate, pregnant and facing life as a young parent, and Dean was there to hold her. As a mother and wife, I found her to be unlikeable and selfish, cold and unloving. Cindy was probably not intentionally manipulative, but from her initial reluctance to tell Dean about her pregnancy, to her secrecy around her job offer or the encounter in the grocery store, these are all subtle manipulations and lies, hiding the truth (and her true self) from Dean.

I heard the director say he was sympathetic to both characters. Any sympathy I had for Cindy as a young woman caught in a relationship and family she did not hope for was overshadowed by the fact that she made the choices that led her there, and dragged others in with her. I did not sense any growth in her character to indicate she'd move on to create a brighter future for herself and Frankie.

Dean, on the other hand, was a good person, eager to love, and all-too-willing to devote his life to Cindy and daughter Frankie (a sparse, but strong, performance by Faith Wladyka), and in the end, he's left with a broken heart and a broken home. I'd love to feel he's better-off without Cindy, if only it weren't so heartbreakingly clear that he loves her and her daughter immensely.

To me, the film served as a warning in love to be careful where you put your energy.

Wesley Willis's Joyrides (2008)

"Just a Weirdo"

[8/10 · 1 April 2010]

This is one of my favorite docs of all time (and I watch more docs than any healthy being should). The production quality is very high, and more importantly, it gives you a loving look into the complex-mind of a man so many of us knew only superficially. In the few shows I saw while he was alive, I dismissed many of Wesley's ramblings and rants and chalked him up as a big black package of innocent-yet-insane entertainment with a trademark head-butt cherry on top. This film digs so much deeper than the caricature I knew before and does not allow the viewers to see Wesley as a weirdo or single-serving performer existing only to entertain you or laugh at. It provides insight into the mental turmoil that Wesley expressed clearly though a a vocabulary he invented to express his bright "joyrides" and darker "hellrides" and "profanity demons". It lets the viewer understand Wesley on a level only a handful of friends could before. Like poetry that only reveals its deeper meaning once you get to know the author and their history, this film makes it clear that this man was not a mumbling moron, but a talented artist with a complex mind and unique perspective on the world. Like my other favorite Denver-based music doc, Friends Forever, the film takes an artist who may first appear as a jester only to reveal the guru inside through a deeper look at the wisdom these people and their lives have to offer. You can buy the DVD from their website: wesleywillissjoyrides.com (its more expensive on Amazon, with less money going to the filmmakers)

Gagma napiri (2009)

A beautiful story that needs to be told

[8/10 · 22 November 2009]

This film is stuck in my mind days after seeing it. The film was well-done and well-acted but viewing it was not a pleasant experience. It shares the story of Tedo, a 12 year-old Georgian refugee struggling with poverty, prejudice, and separation from his father, years after the war with Russia. In the US, we heard the headlines of Russia's invasion of Georgia, and perhaps a clip or two of Angelina Jolie visiting a refugee camp, but this kind of personal story demonstrates the lasting and long-term impact of such atrocities. The main character, Tedo is so endearing and lovable, your heart aches for him throughout. I would give anything to reach through the screen and give him the safety and love all children deserve. You wait for him to find that security and love, or to experience a moment of pure childhood joy, though you know that its unlikely. This is the kind of film that reminds you that film is insignificant except for its power to expose us to perspectives and experiences we could otherwise never see. This film will forever contribute to my perspective on war and refugees. It is a contribution to our collective morality and humanity, helping those few who will see it grow past the senseless hate and waste of war and prejudice.

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)

One of the Most Traumatic Films Ever Made

[7/10 · 25 August 2009]

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father is easily one of the most traumatic films I've ever seen. Its not technically the most impressive documentary film, but the subject matter is powerful-enough that you cannot help but be deeply impacted by the story. I've hesitated to suggest it to a few of my more fragile friends because it is one of those films that can leave you in an emotional funk for days afterward. Its that powerful of a film, but not for the faint of heart. I personally would not watch it again, though I'm grateful that the filmmaker stuck with the project through it all and did not give up, as many would have. I'm grateful this story was told, even if it was painful to experience.

Synecdoche, New York (2008)

If this film crashes Kaufman's career, it was worth it.

[9/10 · 28 March 2009]

This film was barely given a chance to succeed, but I'm so grateful it was given a chance to be made. Perhaps we can enjoy it all the more knowing that it is so widely unappreciated. There is room for art about exploring our minds and the meaning of life, and this film takes a deep and heart-breakingly beautiful dive into the human psyche and addresses the questions we all deal with when we aren't opting instead to get lost in the distraction of flashing lights. Someone who lacks the patience or interest it takes to understand or appreciate this movie lacks the patience or interest it takes to appreciate and understand themselves. i weep for a nation that only generates $3million for this film at the Box office.

Bottle Shock (2008)

shock-awful

[4/10 · 8 September 2008]

Perhaps the IMDb community is straying from my tastes, but I was surprised at the positive response this film has gotten here. The writing is flat, characters are flat, and this film falls flat. Like every film, characters are the most important thing, and the characters in this film are undeveloped, trite, and simple. The wine-trick in the film was recycled and contrived. The female lead/love-interest was clearly written by a shallow man who wrote nothing into her character besides prominent nipples and sexual availability to the male leads. That's all there is to say, and will someone ask IMDb to dump this "10 lines of text" minimum!?!? What is 10-lines anyway?

The Dark Knight (2008)

Bringing this conversation back down to earth

[8/10 · 20 July 2008]

Writing this review at the tail end of opening weekend, the Dark Knight has broken the record for opening weekend and deservedly so... this film is a step-above the standard summer blockbuster. However, the film also sits atop IMDb's top 250 films of all-time list, a ranking that won't last nearly as long as its box-office rank. Lines have been long to see this film, and many of those who are voting on this opening weekend are die-hards who waited in line and were ready to love this film regardless of what it offered. Of course, the fact that this film stands alone in its genre in terms of writing, cinematography, art design, and plot helps boost its ratings into the stratosphere, but when the non die-hards begin to watch and vote, we'll see this film settle into its rightful place, somewhere in the top 25 of all time. Its one of those few films that is entertaining and accessible enough to please the same people who went out in droves for Spiderman 3, while artistic and smart enough to please the more discerning cinematic audiences. Truly disturbing, the characters were far from cliché, as one would expect from the genre. No character is all-good or all-bad. Ledger's Joker comes close, but earns a touch of sympathy. None of the heroes are flawless, which is a sign of any good film. My single complaint (besides the various hard-to-believe falls Batman survives) is the rating. This film is far-too disturbing to garner a PG13 rating, and deals with the ugliest sides of humanity in a way that should probably be accompanied by a good conversation that can add some perspective... yet another reason why this film is so good.

Tora-san's Sunrise and Sunset (1976)

Wonderful, timeless, amusing, and heart-warming (Spoiler)

[8/10 · 19 May 2007]

Why these films are not widely available is beyond logic.

This is the first Tora-San film I've seen, and it did not feel like this was the 17th film in a series of 48. The plot, character development, and story were complete on their own. The film centers on Tora-San, an affable lomanesque salesman who returns to the home of his loving sister and brother-in-law. Following a light-hearted family argument, he goes out, gets drunk, and befriends and brings home an elderly drinking friend. The old souse awakes believing he is in a hotel, and begins ordering the "help" around.

After putting up with his condescension for two days, Tora-San confronts the guest on behalf of his family. Now sober, the guest, Ikenouchi, is abashed at his behavior, and makes amends by doodling a sketch and instructing Tora-San where he can go cash-in the artwork for money. As it turns out, Tora-San's new friend is one of Japan's most famous artists and the doodle sells for 70,000 Yen. Ikenouchi returns to his cushy home, and when the two meet again on a trip to Tokyo, the tables are turned, with Ikenouchi playing host and Tora-San over-stepping his bounds as guest (which is again met with minimal protest in the apparently overly-hospitable Japanese culture).

While in Tokyo with Ikenouchi and the Mayor of Tokyo, Tora-San runs into Botan, a geisha and old friend. Upon returning to his family home, Tora-San is visited by her and learns that she has come in an attempt to recover 2 Million Yen that a Tokyo businessman swindled from her. Empathetic and eager to battle inequity, Tora-San sets out to rectify the situation.

The highlight of the film is the subsequent exchange where Tora-San asks Ikenouchi to paint a piece that he can sell to recover 2Million Yen for Botan. Ikenouchi struggles to make Tora-San understand his unwillingness to use his art as currency and Tora-San feels his friend is selfishly placing this unfamiliar and seemingly petty artistic dogma ahead of the more obvious ideals of friendship and justice. Rejected and angry, Tora-San vows to never speak to his friend again.

In the end, Tora-San reunites with Botan, who proudly shows Tora-San the "Ikenouchi Original" she received in the mail. Unsure why it was sent, Botan explains that she refuses to sell the piece for 2Million Yen, as the letter which accompanied the painting suggested, but instead, chooses to treasure it forever.

Great writing, characters, humor, and pacing that can easily keep the attention of modern audiences, this film was an absolute treat. If you have the opportunity to see it, don't pass it up.

Cine Manifest (2006)

disappointing

[6/10 · 13 November 2006]

Cine Manifest manages to take a story about a group of very interesting people trying to do some interesting things, and turn it all into a waste of time.

Judy Irola, a member of Cine Manifest herself, made the understandable mistake of thinking that the story of the collective was interesting and monumental enough to engage an audience on its own. When you watch "The Weather Underground", or "Guerilla", the story is historically significant enough that the audience is engaged in hearing the facts. But with Cine Manifest, the truly interesting story lies in the societal experiment, the lessons learned, and larger issues of how ego and selfishness can lead to the downfall of a communist collective in the same way it does a capitalist company.

Judy fell well-short of providing this kind of analysis. The characters were poorly developed, their motivations and dreams were shallowly explored, and in the end, we were left with a bunch of old memos and interviews that felt more like old-friends screwing around, than a filmmaker trying to explore the deep philosophical and emotional issues that existed beneath the surface of this story.

Surplus: Terrorized Into Being Consumers (2003)

beautiful, if not compelling

[21 September 2004]

The critics of this film are right to criticize it for being light on information, compelling arguments, and data backing up its claims. The film focuses more on style and visual appeal, and as someone who watches hours of drab, informative, sterile activist videos, progressive films, and leftist propaganda each week, this film was a total breath of fresh air. If you want the facts, watch one of the thousands of great films out there that give you all the research and information you need... visit the media education foundation or read some chomsky. This film may have chosen style over substance, but for me, it had enough style to get away with it. Even for someone who hates property destruction and disagrees with the philosophies of violent opposition that this film promotes, I welcomed this film. 99% of what I see every day is all-style and no-substance and backs agendas I disagree with. At least this film presents a fresh and alternative opinion.

The Company (2003)

No plot, no interesting characters

[3/10 · 14 January 2004]

The Company is more like a documentary about a Ballet Company than it is like a film. Unfortunately, as a documentary filmmaker myself, I feel that much of this film would've ended up on the cutting room floor of a documentary, as most of the scenes were just boring and failed to advance any plot or even really develop the characters. Malcolm McDowell's character is the only one that seems to have any real attention in the script, which was apparently written by Neve Campbell, which should've been a red-flag.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

In the running for the cheesiest movie ever

[5/10 · 14 January 2004]

This was not the worst movie I've ever seen, but it is in the running for the cheesiest film ever made. A film is cheesey when the characters get all sappy and the audience isn't sucked-in due to poor character development or unbelievable circumstances. Its my opinion that the filmmakers here depended on the audience having read the book to learn to connect with the characters, because as someone who didn't read the book, I didn't care about any of the characters, many of whom were introduced and disappeared again without really advancing the story. This film ended at least 30 minutes before the credits ran, it just seemed like Peter Jackson wanted to construct this grandiose conclusion to the epic that would please all the die-hard tolkien fans. Save it for the two-dozen-DVD collector's edition set! This movie is crap. I want the 7 hours I gave to this trilogy back!

Friends Forever (2001)

One of the best art documentaries you'll ever see

[9/10 · 15 July 2003]

You start out laughing at Nate and Josh because they're so stupid, but after 90-minutes, you get reminded that their "naive" motivations and their tactless tactics are the way IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE DONE, and the reason they look like idiots is because they're motivated by pure enjoyment of their "art" and not by the money and drugs and groupies that the rest of the world has been convinced is supposed to be the goal of the Rock Star. Besides being incredibly well-done and entertaining, this is a doc with a great DIYorDIE message. This isn't "just another untalented band" that "just happened to have a doc made about them" as many would believe. This is an unfortunately all-too-unique story that needs to be told.

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

Unbalanced

[6/10 · 11 September 2002]

This film had the potential to be one of the all-time greats. The way the story drags the viewer along into the confused perspective of the main character is engaging and effective. However, with such poor dialogue, such forced acting, and such unbelievable characters, the end result is a film that is incapable of drawing-in much of its audience.

The dialogue was trite, unnatural, and forced, and the characters were developed in such a way that as a viewer, I felt I had seen each of them before in countless school-boy films. From the first second you were introduced to these characters, you knew what they represented. It is incomprehensible how a writer could develop such a multi-dimensional plot, but fill the story with such simple, stagnant characters.

Crowe's Nash came across much like all of Crowe's characters: aloof, unfeeling, and detached. Once again, I found it difficult to empathize with him.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)

Unique and utterly impressive

[10/10 · 8 August 2002]

If you're into fresh films with a unique feel, superb writing, and deep and well-developed characters, this one's for you. Hedwig far surpassed my expectations. It is more than a film, it is an experience, and film-goers rarely come across a character as intriguing, complete, and likeable as Hedwig.

Moulin Rouge! (2001)

deserving of praise

[8/10 · 6 August 2002]

For the simple reason that this film is a total breath of fresh air, Moulin Rouge! deserves a great deal of praise. Considering the fact that it is one of the most visually beautiful films ever made, that the acting is well done, and that the writing is innovative and deep, this film is destined to be remembered for a very long time.

Signs (2002)

Didn't like the message or the style

[6/10 · 5 August 2002]

The lone highlight of this film was the one spot I expected to deliver the least: Mel Gibson. Though nearly every character was fairly superficial and flat, Gibson's Graham Hess was well-developed, deep, engaging and likeable, despite the writer's lame attempts at trite humor. The rest of the film seemed to remain on the surface, with poor acting and worse character-development in most of the supporting roles, especially Officer Paski. Most of all, I was turned-off by the over-riding message of the film. I have never been a fan of those who subscribe to the ideology that there are no coincidences. There are countless millions of opportunities for wild coincidences every second, and to believe that when you are lucky, it is because God planned it that way, and when others are unlucky, it is, likewise, supposed to be that way. God simply does not wish to protect them? If God wanted to protect this family, he could've done it simply by having the aliens land in another field, as opposed to setting up this elaborate scheme of endless coincidences that contributed to their survival.

At least he Shyamalan has a message, which is more than I can say for 99% of the film-makers out there today. Still, his sense of humor and sense of emotion have never succeeded in drawing me in.

Crazy as Hell (2002)

Hard to criticize

[5/10 · 25 July 2002]

The first thing that struck me about this film was how trite and over-simplified much of the subject matter was. At first it bothered me; the characters were pretty two-dimensional and the patients in the mental ward seemed very unrealistic. The whole movie took on a superficial and untrue feel that left me uninvolved and failed to suspend my disbelief. However, as the film goes on, you realize this may be on purpose. The film takes on a Lynch-ian feel that culminates in an ending that clearly explains why everything was so simple, shallow, and "perfect". I appreciate Eriq for not shoving the ending down our throat. He is obviously talented and deserves recognition for following through with a film that failed to get support from Hollywood because it isn't a cookie-cutter re-make of the films that Black film-makers continue to crank out. On the other hand, the story wasn't particularly unique either. It very much reminded me of a low-budget "Jacob's Ladder" with a simpler story-line and much more limited production resources. Eriq LaSalle is a great human being with enormous talent and, more importantly, a great perspective on what is important in life. He isn't quite willing to play into the Hollywood system, and although you couldn't tell from this film, he seems to understand the powerful role his artform can play in lifting up (or keeping down) his people. I respect him immensely and I expect great things from him in the future.

Enough (I) (2002)

Violence is the answer

[29 May 2002]

This film is disgusting on several levels. The thing that most disturbs me is that we're all surrounded by so much violence that we view violence and even murder as justifiable solutions to our problems. I wonder if the film-makers gave any thought whatsoever to the effect this film might have on the audience.

Lesson: If you are facing oppression from someone who is physically stronger than you, the only answer is to find a way to get stronger and to escalate the violence. ...And we wonder where Eric Harris, Dylan Kliebold, Mohamed Atta, or Al-Shehri get these CRAZY ideas.

One Week (2000)

Unique and surprisingly impressive

[8/10 · 29 May 2002]

I was so utterly impressed with this film, I ended up spending half the time holding my head in my hands and taking deep breaths to try to calm down. This film was made for $30K! That just blows me away. It is well-shot and has great acting, but what makes it so amazing is the film is written so well. Reading the summary, the film had the potential to be trite and cheesey, but the story continually avoids the contrived, usual developments we've all come to expect from today's films. This team of film-makers is a production company's wet dream. If they can make a film this incredible for $30K, imagine what they could do with a "normal" budget.