The Renée Review

So – this is my film review journal. I realize it is a departure from the daily posts, but my final weeks of semester one were so crazy with production, filming and post - it's all I could do to write anything else :-).

“George Lucas in Love” was a fun farcical look at the creation of the Star Wars trilogy.  The ridiculous and bizarre events having a correlation to the films were a joy to see.  The short was an excellent parody. 

“Film Club” was a parody of “Fight Club” and made a horrible mess of the movie.  I really disliked this short.  I also felt the background music was at best, annoying.   The other irony was the minimum wage clerk working at Blockbuster, who could somehow afford super expensive camera equipment.  This production fell short with me.

“Evil Hill” was another parody of the Dr. Evil character in the Austin Powers / Mike Myers movie series.  It had excellent production values, but was very long and the screaming children were very staged and put on.  The film could have been edited into a shorter version and would perhaps have worked, but it was sad to see so much effort fail.

“Validation” was a wonderful short with a unique premise and an excellent plot and pay off.  I truly enjoyed this film about a parking validation attendant and his ability to make everyone feel good, enriching their lives.  I hope I can make a film as original and inspired one day.

I presented “Wasp” today based on our having viewed it in Writing The Short Script.  The film was an excellent short.  The talent brought a genuine desperateness to the screen and the situations were jarring and uncomfortable.  I found “Wasp” difficult to watch the first time and was able to be more analytical the more I viewed the content.  I spoke about the stasis and intrusion points in the film and how the filmmakers kept the forward momentum throughout.  Thanks for introducing this film to our class to me personally.  We spoke of the economic need that Zoe had, the responsibilities of caring for the children, the poor choices and decisions Zoe seemed prone to make, David as a not so shining knight in armor and the lack of any individual who could recreate stability for Zoe.  We discussed the frantic, unnerving, tense and uncomfortable pace and portrayal of the lower working class surroundings Zoe lives in.  The fact that Zoe wants to be taken out of her reality and the great fear we all had for the welfare of the children.  The filmmakers had an uncanny ability to make ordinary life feel more frightening with their gritty film style and camera work.  The camera language was stomach churning and the visual surroundings made you fear for the children’s safety.

I showed some friends “Spider” today.  I was interested in seeing their reaction to the accident and the payoff of the needle in the eye.  There wasn’t a still body among them.  No one seemed to think twice about the slate at the beginning of the film proclaiming “It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye.” 

The beginning with the couple fighting is rather long on second view and the stop at the gas station finally moves the story along. 

I think the station being run by two foreign men made for interesting cinema and the purchase of the variety of convenience store items was attention grabbing.  Naturally, the purchase of the spider was eye catching as it relates to the title. Naturally, the guy that takes things to far can’t resist throwing in a little prank with his forgiveness gifts. 

The first time I saw the film, I failed to notice where the spider was hidden, so the second viewing was more fascinating once I saw where the spider had been placed.  Although the fighting continues after leaving the service station, she finally forgives him. 

I loved the flowers on the dash and that as irritated the girlfriend was, she easily forgave him with the bribe of chocolate morsels.  Who wouldn’t forgive anyone anything for bits of chocolate???  Well…perhaps not anything, but some things J

The spider dropping from the visor seems to magically happen and is woven seamlessly into the film.  It never felt staged and the fright seemed genuine.  She is terrified and almost crashes.  She stops the car. 

When she pulls over and get’s out of the car, we immediately feel for her safety.  Although the boyfriend says the spider is a toy, he proceeds to again take things to far and tosses it at her causing her to jump back.  She is immediately struck by a car and pays an ultimate price by his taking things to far. 

Everyone watching JUMPED when this happened and let out audible sighs and gasps.  I knew it was coming and probably also jumped in spite of myself. 

At this point in the film, you are so horror struck by the events that have taken place that it’s easy to miss the reemergence of the spider.  I missed it the first go round and only saw the needle in the eye.  This time I saw all of the events and the paramedic reaction to the spider and the needle puncture were brilliant.  I need to watch those edits in slow motion to see how they were able to produce such an effective action scene. 

In the end, she may die and he maybe loses an eye.  I know some said he got his, but did he really….

“Truman” was a terrible short with what could have been a wonderful premise for a story.  The production values were excellent and someone spent real money to make this film.  Sadly the story wasn’t really presented well on the page and that definitely showed up on the screen.  It really is telling when you start with a poor script. 

We actually did a table read of the script and discussed problems we saw with it.  Those problems were magnified on screen and this was an interesting revelation.  Somehow I thought things could be fixed once the screenplay reached production…not so.  This was valuable for me to see.

I know every movie exists in 3 forms –

1. What is on the page
2. How it is shot
3. What is edited together

Though this seems to be the understood convention, component A carries a lot of weight.

The talent felt put on and staged and the suspension of disbelief never occurred. I never felt that Truman was pro active and therefore the ability to move the film forward was sorely lacking.

The visualization combined with the energy on screen was scattered and never gave a general sensibility to the piece.

The classmate’s sudden acceptance of Truman was to contrive and the kids were all much nicer than kids tend to be when paying for the failures of the underdog.  No way would the crowd of children cheer Truman on after they paid the price of his failure with laps around the track.  I believe they would reenter the gym and become upset that Truman could have climbed the rope and chose not to.  They would be pissed.  They would not suddenly rally for this kid.

When the coach questions Truman about his future, it was intensity without provocation…”It’s only a rope today, what’s it going to be in your future?”  Really… 

A noose was used for visual intimidation.  This was one of the only assets to the film that felt appropriate.  The civil war fantasy showcasing fear of the coach was very loose.  The fire fighter rescue fantasy was somewhat apt in showing Truman’s fear of heights.  The Robin Hood fantasy again showing fear of the coach was half-baked.

The film was trying to do to much in the span of a short and the little time it had to present Truman’s dilemma and the reaction to this dilemma became muddied with all the side story.  Now I understand how to many directions can obscure the road.

The end scene where Truman vomits was nothing more than a cheap attempt to have the audience laugh. 

The coach becomes a buffoon at the end and throwing balls around in a room that has recently been vomited in.  This is completely unrealistic.  Who the heck would hang around a vomit filled room and potentially touch a ball that has rolled through it. 

“Life Lessons” part of the New York Stories trilogy released in 1989 is a Martin Scorsese long short that I thoroughly enjoyed.  It was 44 minutes long and I’m not sure why this wasn’t slightly extended to create a feature.  The talent was marvelous.  The beginning scene brought you immediately into the action with beautiful inserts of a canvas, paint, brushes and expensive booze.  We then see the bad tempered artist “Lionel” as he argues with his agent. 

The twists and turns of the plot unfold when we learn that Lionel isn’t just picking up his assistant at the airport, this person is his love interest and she wants to leave him. 

She has had an affair while on holiday but is no longer involved with that individual. 

She is no longer interested in continuing the relationship with Lionel even though he doesn’t care that she has cheated on him. 

Lionel somehow convinces her to stay on as his assistant without any expectation for intimate involvement.  She agrees to stay on in her studio room with salary.

Paulette (the assistant) has an unconventional room in the artist’s studio.  It has no privacy whatsoever and there is a giant hole in the wall that serves as a window.  Lionel can bust into the room any time he wants and he is distracted by her presence.  Lionel bugs her, he enters her bedroom repeatedly, and he professes his love for her to her.  They have sex and he says he loves her.  She says that she will love him back.  He has his inspiration and can work.

The next day, Lionel looks at Paulette’s work and takes her down several notches.  He is not supportive and deflates her.  She calls her mother and says she wants to go back to school and asks to come home.  Paulette has again decided to leave.  She storms out to let Lionel know of this decision and watches him passionately painting with fierce strokes.  She sees the small details at the heart of his creativity.  She craves some of that brilliance within her own work.  She stays, though it is clear she no longer wants a romantic relationship with Lionel from this point.

Paulette and Lionel go to the opening of his art exhibit together.  He is very social and schmooze’s with everyone while completely ignoring Paulette.  While he’s doing the social thing, he’s constantly aware of where Paulette is and whom she is talking to. 

Paulette is flirting with a man who takes her across the room.  Lionel notices and becomes very jealous and possessive.  He locks Paulette in a closet after telling her that people are laughing at her for being taken in by the flirtatious man.  Paulette is not concerned about her social reputation and is only relieved that they are not laughing about her artistic capabilities.

It’s clear by the conversations within the socialites at the opening that no one is aware of the prior union between Lionel and Paulette.  While they are in public together, they keep the persona of artist and assistant, diminishing Paulette more.

Lionel and Paulette seem at an impasse.  She is finally released from the closet and hooks up with the man she had been flirting with earlier.  In spite, she takes him home – to the artist’s studio where they sleep together in the studio room.  Lionel gazes up to the hole in the wall window and reverently continues to paint his masterpiece while Paulette and the boy toy have sex.

Lionel is a crazy artist who wants Paulette.  Paulette is still hung up on the guy (a performance artist) who she cheated on Lionel with in the beginning of the film. 

Lionel suggests they go see him perform to prove she’s over him.  Lionel suggests she talk to him.  Paulette does and then is ignored by him at the event he showcases. 

Paulette is deflated and is extremely angry with Lionel for making the suggestion she talk to him in the first place. 

Lionel again professes his love and says he’ll do anything for her.  She pulls away and while walking home she asks him to prove he loves her by kissing a random man on the mouth.  He agrees and she selects a police officer.

Lionel actually goes up to the police car and attempts the kiss at great risk to his person.  He can’t go through with it and when he turns to look back at Paulette, sees she’s left the area.  He feels degraded.

Lionel returns to the studio where Paulette lounges dressed in underwear and a robe.  He’s pissed.  He says he is the invisible man.  He could do whatever he wants to her and no one would know.  Lionel feels dangerous at this moment and we, the audience wonder for Paulette’s safety.

Later Paulette is in a diner with her girlfriend and Lionel.  The performance artist shows up, a fight breaks out and Lionel stands up for Paulette’s dignity from the previous night. Paulette leaves, mortified and embarrassed.

Paulette returns to the studio and decides to leave.  She recognizes that she is needed to help Lionel as his muse and inspiration for him to work.  Paulette has called her brother and packed her bags.  She departs with her brother after final words with Lionel.

This new fight inspires yet more creativity for Lionel and he paints again, finally finishing his masterpiece.  He can now have his show.

At Lionel’s show, he meets an attractive woman who is an aspiring artist.  He offers her Paulette’s job.  We see that this new assistant is the bridge for the next masterpiece and the creativity needed to create it.

“Kosher” was part of a culmination of “Crafting Short Screenplays That Connect.”

It was a very cute premise that came out of Florida State’s Film School.  A little boy asks a girl to marry him.  She accepts.  They find another kid to marry them – they are 6 years old.  The other kids say it isn’t possible for them to get married because the girl (Rachel) is Jewish and the boy (Charles) is not. 

Charles decides to become Jewish for Rachel.  He refuses to eat the ham his mother makes for diner, which causes his mother some confusion.  The scene here got a little long and there could have been more conflict than the desire to forgo ham, but it was cute.

Anyway – the next day the kids are somehow able to get married and once the deed is done – Charles exclaims Hoy’Vay when he realizes he will have to kiss Rachel.

The film school at Florida State also put out another short on this DVD called “My Josephine.” 

This was done post 9-11 and the message was somehow tied to the post 9-11 American Arab tension.  I kept waiting for something to happen.  There was a great deal of tension and a lot of care in washing American flags.  The flag washing is done for free. 

There certainly was symbolism and I get that the female lead (Adella) was the male lead’s Josephine, but the story of Napoleon and Josephine were not the story of this short.  I found it confusing and thought the filmmakers were also confused.

“Mt. Head,” a Japanese animated short from 2005 was really weird.  It had a 3 dimensional quality to it and the subtitles did not seem to translate exactly???  The other thing that was interesting was the portrayal of the lead.  He is clearly NOT Asian and has round western eyes – hmmm.

He never throws anything away and is called the stingy man.  Why not frugal or environmentally friendly?  He finds glorious cherry’s fallen from a public cherry tree.  The man takes them home and enjoys eating them.  He is portrayed as being greedy and dirty.  Why is frugality dirty to the Japanese?  Obviously this is cultural, but the fact that he is portrayed as a westerner shows hostility that I was surprised by.

The man is one who cannot connect with others.  He never throws anything away.

When he swallows a cherry seed, a tree begins to sprout from his head.  The sprout grows into a tree on the top of his head.  A mini society of people picnic under the tree on his head.  They all abuse the resources and pollute the world of his head.  They publicly urinate at the base of the tree and throw trash everywhere. 

In the mini society, the view was sexist.  The men were all grouped as businessmen and the girls were all grouped as office girls. 

He finally realizes he must throw away the tree and pulls it from his head.  A giant hole is left atop his head that turns into a pond.  The party on his head continues and only gets worse. 

As he looks down at the pond to see the reflection, he sees reflection after reflection after reflection of himself and the pond in repetition. 

In the end, the message was confusing.  The man ultimately joins the collective by throwing himself into the pond, which becomes an abstract flag of Japan…

“Das Rod,” a 9-minute animated German short was lovely to watch. 

The film shows an ever-changing landscape of the world from the beginning of time from the prospective of two boulders on a hilltop. 

The future rushed past until the planet became great, then crumbled then regenerated. 

The rocks make comments on seeing things change.  They start out complaining about the moss growing on them and in the end are once again growing moss and proclaim that “That was lucky.” 

The rock conversation takes place really slowly while the progress moves at an extraordinary pace. 

This was a cool animated short.

The 2003 winner for Best Animated film was “The Chubb Chubbs.”  I loved this short!

There were various sci fi creatures in a bar that were spoofs from Alien, Star Wars, Lost in Space and the Wizard of Os. 

The cute little alien only wants to sing, but is doing the lowly job of mopping floors. While he dreams of singing, he pretends the mop is a mic pole and he begins dancing around and trips over cords plugged in for the stage entertainment.

The cute little alien gets kicked out for killing the electrical to the mic.  Everyone in the bar glares at him for his clumsiness.  They look at him like he’s a goof off.

Once outside, he learns that a dangerous enemy army called the Chubb Chubbs is on their way. 

Concerned for the other creatures in the bar, he makes his way back in to warn them.  He slams open the bar door and crushes the main stage entertainment. 

He is again booted from the bar.

His concern for these creatures is not rested.  He again tries to go in to warn them, but is barred from entering.  He makes his way to the roof and the ceiling caves in.  He lands on the main stage entertainment. 

We see his body soaring through the air as it lands outside in a puff of dirt with audible thud. 

He only wants acceptance and love, but has no one.  In the dirt, on the ground in front of the bar, 3 adorable little childlike creatures gather near him.  They bond just before a sentry comes and warns him that the Chubb Chubbs are coming.  The sentry looks down, screams and tears off.

The alien now concerned for the little creatures he’s bonded with gathers them up and makes for the bar.  Immediately behind him is the army of Chubb Chubbs.  Ironically they turn out to be many more of the sweet looking little creatures our cute alien has bonded with.

Suddenly, he has the acceptance he was looking for and because the entire planet is fearful of the Chubb Chubbs, our cute alien becomes the main stage entertainment while everyone looks fearfully on. 

The short was amazingly fun to watch and referenced many other films.  The fantasy sequence in the beginning alluded to our alien’s desires as he sang with the mop. 

He also gains our empathy when he’s booted out repeatedly and still cares for the creatures that want nothing to do with him. 

I loved it.