Film School Rejects » Bethany Perryman

Bethany’s Austin Film Festival Diary: Day 4

Bethany Perryman — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:49:38 +0000

Sunday was supposed to be a day of sports and soldiers. I was planning on seeing a documentary called Facing Ali, a feature film about soldiers called The Messenger, and another documentary called Warrior Champions, which showcases some severely wounded veterans competing in the Paraolympic Games in Beijing in 2008. Instead, Sunday was a day of sports and scene kids.

Facing Ali

My day began again at the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz. Those Alamojitos make it easy to find myself at this place about three times a day.

It’s no secret that boxing is my favorite sport. It’s also no secret that Muhammad Ali is my favorite (non-fictional) sports figure. So, for me, this otherwise minor documentary turned into one of the festival highlights thus far. Lionsgate Films and Spike TV present this great documentary about Muhammad Ali, told from the vantage point of his opponents. In Facing Ali, there’s certainly a historical picture of Ali, and some reflections of his greatest bouts. For Ali enthusiasts, there’s plenty here. Archival footage mixed with a two-camera set-up interview system, and several Ali quotes flash across the screen during beats.

More interesting to me, however, is the boxers themselves. Some of the names include Joe Frazier, Leon Spinks, Ernie Terrell, Earnie Shavers, George Foreman, George Chuvalo, and Ron Lyle. These greats have their own stories, and Facing Ali provides a venue for these athletes to showcase that. We learn about Chuvalo’s personal and family struggles, and we see Lyle working in a soup kitchen. Norton and Shavers damn near steals the show, and Cooper’s soft accent (he was a British Empire Champ) and quick wit make for several huge laughs. We hear Foreman talk about his conversion to Christianity amidst a conversation about Ali’s conversion to Nation of Islam. And don’t forget the fights. We hear about the fights. The doc covers issues of race, religion, war, friendship, family, fights, and even the Phantom Punch — and it makes all boxers look like champs.

It’s not hard to get me to like a documentary, and it’s really not hard to get to me like one about boxing. I knew I was going to love it coming in, so my A-triple-plus rating might be a little skewed. Besides for Frazier (and a few others, including Ron Lyle) being subtitled (it comes off as a bit rude, and is entirely unnecessary for boxing enthusiasts — though, perhaps understandable for those who aren’t accustomed to retired-fighter-slur), this film is a first-round knock-out.

Interesting factoid: The live-wire fighter George Chuvalo was Stallone’s inspiration for the first Rocky. He fought 90-some-odd times, and was never knocked out. Ali beat the crap out of him, but didn’t knock him out (to quote my dad). Rocky mirrors Chuvalo, and Apollo obviously borrows from Ali.

Bait and Switch

Next up, I snuck in the back of The Messenger at the Paramount. The filmmakers were stuck in a famous Austin traffic jam, and couldn’t get there on time to announce the film at 7PM, so a full theater was delayed. Woody Harrelson, portraying a sent-home injured soldier whose new post includes notifying families of military casualties, was also supposed to be in attendance. Judging from the party last night, and from some whispers about his behavior at the press day (nothing shocking, just Woody being Woody), I wouldn’t be surprised if he was a bit late, too. Either way, I met a few folks and ducked out before the show at my editor’s suggestion — heading back down Sixth Street to the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz.

I had a few minutes, and figured I could talk my way to the front of the line (I always do), so I stalled in front of an open-air blues bar where a really great Son House cover was underway. Finally, I made it back to the Ritz where, seated next to those oh-so-gravy Slackerwood gals and FSR Editor Neil Miller, I settled in for The Scenesters.

The Scenesters

Introduced by Todd Berger its director and one of the stars, The Scenesters has so far been a festival favorite. But I didn’t see it. What could have easily been a pretty cool indie noir murder mystery/serial killer flick was more of a lesson in what precisely the filmmakers want me to know that they know about filmmaking. While moving between the courtroom and flashbacks of an unfolding mystery about a series of similar murders could have worked fine, the amount of internal commentary about the film during the film was almost intolerable.

I understand the gimmick (the film itself knowing that it’s a film), and there’s a way to do it that it would have worked — but the Vacationeers (the troupe that made the flick) ultimately fail. It’s okay to be meta, and to be excited about filmmaking, and to showcase that in your film — but the ultra-bourgeois and incessantly meta gets old, fast. I was constantly taken out of the story — or the story about the film that has to do with the murder mystery — because of the near compulsory eye-rolling that comes with someone telling you what they know about art instead of just making it. The audience completely ate it up — and there are a few really great laughs (none of which are accomplished by the filler commentary about film, all of which come from smartly written dialogue that has to do with the actual mystery), but, on top of laboring through the graduate school level filmmaking commentary, I found the mystery’s endgame to be weak.

Several Alamojitos and a $5 shake couldn’t even make it worth skipping both The Messenger and Warrior Champions. I was audibly upset, bitching to anyone who would listen on the Reject HQ Party Bus, and arrived back at Reject HQ ready to vent. Instead, I found Reject Radio in medias res and several wonderful people and fellow film journos partying inside and out. Talking, laughing, broadcasting, screeening: this was more my scene.

Sunday Discussion: Early Oscar Predictions

Bethany Perryman — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:40:32 +0000

Have you seen anything this year worthy of next year’s Oscars? If so, what? What do you think should get nominated?

I’ve been thinking about Cristoph Waltz. He was fantastic in Inglourious Basterds. Scary, disgusting, evil, genteel. I’m sure he’ll get a nod for Best Supporting Actor. Also on my list is Monique for Best Supporting Actress for Precious. Carey Mulligan and Peter Sarsgaard were fantastic leads in An Education, and I think Alfred Molina should get at least a nomination for his supporting role as well. Costumes and art direction should give a nod to all the period pieces of the year — Inglorious and An Education, and maybe The Young Victoria (does that one count for this year?). The technical achievement and special effects in Star Trek and Transformers 2 (say what you will, those robots are amazing) will be worthy of awards, but I’m afraid they may get passed up for films such as Where The Wild Things Are.

With 10 Best Picture nominations, I’m sure Precious, A Serious Man, Up in the Air, and maybe An Education will be in the running — with Precious having the “Slumdog effect” at this year’s festivals. George Clooney (Up in the Air) and Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia) will almost certainly get, at the very least, nominations.

Who will get nominated for Best Director? Will District 9 get any recognition? What am I forgetting? You tell me…

Bethany’s Austin Film Festival Diary: Day 3

Bethany Perryman — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:35:38 +0000

The problem with getting robbed in Houston a few weeks ago is that your sunglasses get robbed, too. There are other problems, sure, but when you wake up in a badgeholder’s line at the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz at noon on a Saturday with a bunch of friendly people trying to shake hands, it’s hard to fake like you’re blind. Faced with this problem, I did what any fake blind person would do: I made friends.

An Education

By now, you’re probably sick of hearing about An Education. Too bad. I saw it yesterday, and I liked it. It’s a beautiful movie with great performances, and it’s hard not to fall in love with this film. While I’ll cover it deeper in my Monday sex column, for now I’ll say that, even though the story unfolds pretty predictably, it is the the interestingly-named Lone Sherfig’s direction and supporting performances that make this film. Peter Sarsgaard and Audrey Hepburnesque Carey Mulligan are intimate, vulnerable, charming — but Olivia Williams and Alfred Molina (and, of course, the ever-so-smashing Emma Thompson) absolutely steal every scene that they’re in. Mulligan is good, but she would be lacking without Sarsgaard’s gentle prompting, Molina’s grumpy outbreaks, and the wise, frank discussions of her schoolmarms. Also deserving of praise is the makeup and wardrobe department (and, again, Sherfig) — there are moments when we are convinced the young schoolgirl is emotionally competent, male-savvy, and all grown up, and other times where she, appropriately and simply, looks like a made-up doll.

Afterwards, I head again to the old-fashioned Driskill Hotel, where the fatigue of the volunteers is beginning to show. Pointed in the wrong direction several times, and unaware of a room change, I slipped into a Battlestar Galactica: Caprica panel a few minutes late. Breathless and settling in next to a kind SyFy rep, a truly remarkable afternoon and evening of science (fiction and non) begins.

Caprica Panel

Esai Morales (Joseph Adams/Adama) and pilot director Jeff Reiner (Friday Night Lights) spoke intimately with a tiny crowd of BSG fans, as well as a few members of the press (including me). While a more comprehensive write-up is in the works (a lot of great things were said), this was a fun and educational moment with these guys. We talked about the pilot, about the BSG universe, about how to balance using derivations of the series while maintaining originality. A shy, contemplative Jeff Reiner spoke succinctly and intelligently about three-camera setups, monotheism vs. polytheism, and the like. It was certainly enough to make me at least somewhat care about Caprica. So far I’ve been losing that battle.

After a nice hour, and some great material, I took a moment and a telephone call out on one of the Driskill’s balconies. It was lovely, and fun to see the hustle and bustle of downtown Austin for at least a few minutes. After flirting with the idea of going to a Roberto Orci panel, I decided instead to head over to the lovely vaudevillian Paramount for a storytelling session with Ron Howard, Steve Zaillian, and Mitch Hurwitz.

The Art of Storytelling

You heard it hear first: Arrested Development creator Mitchell Hurwitz thinks that the “lobster aliens” from District 9 sound delicious. I settled in for an hour of laughs and lessons — just a candid conversation, really — with these three men. Ron Howard talked Happy Days, The Andy Griffith Show, and Apollo 13. He’s a nice guy — earlier in the week fraternizing with the unwashed masses at a good ol’ Texas BBQ — and he tells some funny stories. Most people seem interested in Hurwitz’s talks about the Arrested Development Movie, but I’m interested in a quiet, brooding Steve Zaillian. He has little to say, but he’s jam-packed with knowledge and clearly an artist. Wishing I’d heard more about Schindler’s List and Don Knotts, I’ve got to go. I’m late for a date at Hickory Street.

Apollo 13

After dinner, FSR Executive Editor Neil Miller and I head back to the Paramount for a special screening of Ron Howard’s Apollo 13. And I do mean special. Captain Jim Lovell — in great humor, and sporting a tie that looked like the surface of the moon — is in attendance, as well as Ron Howard, Clint Howard, the screenwriters, and several members of the original NASA flight crew that lived through Apollo 13. Ron Howard introduces the movie, Neil (a huge space nerd) is gripping the chair arms with excitement.

We watch several minutes of previously unseen mission footage, which was breathtaking and more compelling than any movie could be. We see the crew’s broadcast and learn that, 8 minutes later, the explosion occurred. It’s an emotional moment. We see them get home safely, we see lots of NASA footage, too. All in all, a great short documentary.

Apollo 13 stands up really, really well. It’s such a great movie, and it was exciting seeing it on the big screen again. Someone should fire the projectionist at the Paramount.

Afterward, we listen to a panel featuring Ron & Clint Howard, Bill Broyle, Jr. and Al Reinart, original mission control members Jerry Bostick, Sy Leibergot, John Aaron, and Lovell himself. Multiple nerdgasms. Probably one of the most amazing nights of my life. And back to the Alamo.

Caprica

A crowd of nerds has gathered for a late-night screening of the 95 minute Caprica pilot with a Drafthouse founder Tim League-hosted Q&A with Morales and Reiner afterward. I settle in amongst friends and fellow geeks, and once again watch Caprica, this time on the big screen, and not at home. Margaritas, macaroni, and my people. I love the Drafthouse. Morales and Reiner were obviously tired, and I’d gotten all my material earlier in the day. Most memorable about the Q&A was Tim’s CHAOS REIGNS t-shirt.

Hearing that the closing party is overcrowded and overloud, Neil and I decide to skip in favor of other locations, and he’s once again driving the Reject HQ Party Bus. It’s a beautiful night in downtown Austin. My day at the Science Fair is over, and a rousing success. Tomorrow (Sunday) will focus on sports and soldiers.

Because You Asked For It: Stallone Wants To Make Rocky 7

Bethany Perryman — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:15:55 +0000

Several sites are reporting that, according to an interview with Tele5 Germany, Sly Stallone wants to make a seventh Rocky movie. But can it make up for Rocky IV? Will it be better than Rocky IV? Doubtful, on both accounts.

But what more could you ask for? Rocky Balboa was surprisingly solid, and the Rocky franchise is one of sports movies’ greatest. So, go learn German, read the interview, and report back to us. Translated from Babel Fish, the text looks like this:

I know people would laugh at it, as I would if someone were making The Godfather Part 10. Enough! But I also know that if I succeed, it will be because this is a film about aging, not about boxing. I know it will provoke criticism. Even my wife said to me, Leave it. You’ll embarrass the children. But I said, if I do not try, I an a very unfortunate man. One must do it. Artists must go again and again through the dark.

I’m not really sure why Stallone must “go again and again through the dark”, and I don’t care. Another Rocky movie is exciting, and sure to be a trip. Also, it’s a good excuse to break out my “Eye of the Tiger” record and start calling my boyfriend “Stallion”. As if I didn’t do that already.

Are you excited about Rocky 7? What about Rambo 5? We totally are, and hope you are too.

Scream 4 Will Be In 3D, But Will Wes Craven Direct?

Bethany Perryman — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 05:16:19 +0000

Bloody Disgusting is reporting tonight that Scream IV will be shot in 3D. They’ve got a tip-off from the Weinstein company, but who’s to say what’s true? I guess this 3D fad is in full-force, even with the genre films.

Another rumor from the same source says that Wes Craven is “closer than ever” to returning to the franchise to direct. With confirmed roles (although maybe not more than cameos, we don’t know for sure) for Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette, a return to Craven would be well worth it. Currently, Scream IV is slated to focus on a younger generation of characters.

Wes Craven recently wrapped direction on the serial-killer-birthday-party-horror-thriller 25/8.

What do you think? Wanna start any other good rumors?

Neill Blomkamp Already Taking Credit For His Next Film

Bethany Perryman — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 05:09:41 +0000

The bar is set high, and the world awaits Neill Blomkamp’s next move. Will he order pizza? Will he have a brew? Will he make another movie? He should, I’m sure he will, and yes. Yes!

According to the folks over at Variety, there’s a new Neill Blomkamp feature in the works. With QED CEO Bill Block producing (he was the first to commit funds to District 9), the yet-untitled sci-fi film will begin production next year. MRC committed to the project based on Blomkamp’s pitch, and will give the South African filmmaker complete creative control.

Already starting to write and figure out the special effects, Blomkamp tells Daily Variety that “MRC is letting me make the film I want to make, and that is by far the most important thing here. The film will hopefully be commercial, but it is very much a singular film, (one) that comes directly from me.”

He’s already claiming all the credit, so we’re pretty sure that it’s an out-there concept and we’re hoping it’ll be good. A runaway summer sci-fi hit and FSR 2009 favorite, District 9 set the bar insanely high, which Blomkamp — under the wing of Peter Jackson, made for less than $30 million. The film grossed $184+ million worldwide.

Bethany’s Austin Film Festival Diary: Day 1

Bethany Perryman — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:03:01 +0000

Today is my first official day as on-the-ground geek press. I’ve never covered a film festival before, and now I’m part of FSR’s eyes and ears at this prestigious, exciting fest. I’m nervous.

Getting There

I woke up extremely late. Embarrassingly late. I had all of these plans to get my badge, hobknob for hours in the beautiful, 19th century Driskill Hotel. I had visions of invites to secret special parties and panels that no one else gets to see. But, instead, I’m towel-drying my hair and sticking my toes out my window to see if I need a jacket. Let’s roll.

Thanks to my editor, I read Slackerwood’s Guide to the Austin Film Festival. It would be massively helpful, I think. If I could read. I also found some random girl named Shawna’s rules for surviving AFF. I like her #4. She’s got spunk.

After screening student short films at Reject HQ, I am finally ready to retrieve my badge and begin my official coverage of AFF. Here goes nothin’.

Being There

Shit. Traffic. I’ve already missed my chance to see Serious Moonlight. I had big plans to charm the pants off of Cheryl Hines. Ten minutes and two miles later, and I realize that I’m not even going to make the psychedelic music doc Cowtown Ballroom…Sweet Jesus. But when I arrive at the Driskill, I immediately forget all of these problems. I have stepped into the glory days of the Old West. There’s beautiful architecture, Tiffany lighting, ballrooms. This place is beautiful. They do not offer hourly rates.

Geek Press

As I check in, I am treated like the semi-famous geek that I am. They took my picture! (Sure, it was because I’d slacked off and not submitted one prior to the festival so they had to print my badge on the fly, but whatever. Semantics.) I get my Producer’s Badge, which guarantees me admission to any movie, and gains me access to all the VIP parties. Also I get an AFF bag of swag. I am only interested in the Tootsie Roll.

Pleased with the smooth check-in process and kind folks working the place, I start to wander around. Some no-account creeper corners me about The Scenesters. He tells me it’s a noir tale. I think he’s talking about Precious, and am highly confused. FSR’s Executive Editor Neil Miller saves me from a sure demise. I am out of Tootsie Rolls.

Iron Cactus

Leaving the Driskill, we walk up and down Austin’s famous aisle of sin-n-fun, 6th Street, and decide to have dinner and drinks at Iron Cactus. It was a beautiful night, so we went upstairs to enjoy the atmosphere at the semi-outdoors bar. We’re discussing directorial near-misses. The margaritas flow like wine.

We are seated for dinner and serendipitously joined by Slackerwood’s own Jenn Brown. She tells us that she saw Tom Skerritt at the Driskill’s Bar. I laugh on the outside, but on the inside, I immediately want to go home and marathon Picket Fences. I am nervous. More margaritas.

Two floors below us on 6th Street, a chorus of crazy religious nuts holds up large banners, playing hymns on a trumpet and yelling Bible verses about the dangers of drinking, being gay, and generally having fun. We toast them. Later, while discussing feminism in films (read: we were all disappointed with Amelia) and beyond, we hear “Pour Some Sugar On Me” from the bar across the way. I decide that this is a really great night.

The Paramount

We head to the Paramount Theater for my first visit and screening there. Tonight, we are seeing Youth In Revolt. The Paramount Theater is another old-style beauty. She may have creaky orchestra seats, but a lovely facade and grand entrance hall just about makes my night. I hear a tale about the famous “Houdini Hole” in the ceiling (Houdini performed at the Paramount during the days of vaudeville). Simultaneously, I’m crafting seven or eight Houdini Hole jokes in my head. Finally, I sit down to see a film. I am punch-drunk with excitement, and regular drunk too. For good measure. AFF Film director Kelly Williams kicks off the fest, with a rousing introduction that I now can’t remember.

Youth In Revolt

Youth In Revolt proves to be funnier than I expected. The audience completely ate it up. Coming in at only 84 minutes, it’s a charming tale about first love and adolescent rebellion. Michael Cera plays Nick Twisp, which is the most Michael-Cera’s-stock-character sounding name I’ve ever heard. Twisp, at all of 16, has a bothersome lack of a life and falls in love with an interesting girl, Sheeni, while staying at a trailer park.

Armed with cute direction and a rock-solid screenplay, Twisp is put into hilarious and embarrassing situations that his alter ego, Francois (also played hilariously by Michael Cera), is charged with fixing. There’s sex, drugs, and arson — and a bevy of great supporting cast: Justin Long, Steve Buscemi, Zach Galifianakis, Jean Smart, Fred Willard, Ray Liotta, and Mary Kay Place. I can’t find a thing I didn’t like about this absurd film. This movie is what Fantastic Fest’s Gentlemen Broncos should have been. Several sight gags, smart dialogues, and gut laughs later, and I am officially digging the light-hearted tone of AFF.

ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction

Fellow Geek Press members and I dart out of the theater before the masses, and I am dizzy with excitement. Or maybe it’s a combination of tequila and a sugar high. I don’t know, but we book it to the Alamo Drafthouse Theater on 6th Street, called The Ritz, for our second and final film of the day, Zombies of Mass Destruction. Two things I will say about ZMD: 1) it’s terrible, and 2) do not text, tweet, and have conversations at movies – even bad movies.

ZMD’s concept is one I was totally behind: zombies run amok in a small, conservative town. For a B-movie, I expected to enjoy it and have a few laughs. Even a shared bottle of Prosecco couldn’t make this film good. We tried. There are a few jump scares, and lots of blood. One or two times I did giggle, but as soon as we got our check, we were out of there. We brushed past the filmmakers on the way out. I kept my eyes down.

Worst crowd ever, and leftist musings that (even speaking as a Democrat) are flat-out stupid, oddly placed, and highly unnecessary. The fact that this movie was made during an economic recession proves to me that America’s priorities are extremely out of line. But I don’t care about that. There’s work to be done.

There and Back Again

We’re down 6th Street one more time — this time at a late-night private party where I get more free drinks, meet documentary filmmaker Hillary Pierce, and am flat-out tired. We see guys with dreadlocks and filmmakers galore, but I can’t recognize anyone, and I’m convinced that this is a terrible time to act like press. Time to call it a night.

Heading home via the designated driver, we see idiot coeds, girls in bikinis, girls in less than that, and two guys making out in the back of a police car. They don’t call it Austin Film Fest for nothin’. I marvel at the beautiful skyline as we drive across the river, and into the night.

Review: Amelia

Bethany Perryman — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:12:26 +0000

Amelia Earhart’s accomplishments include:

Woman’s world altitude record: 14,000 ft (1922)
First woman to fly the Atlantic (1928)
Speed records for 100 km (and with 500 lb (230 kg) cargo) (1931)
First woman to fly an autogyro (1931)
Altitude record for autogyros: 15,000 ft (1931)
First person to cross the U.S. in an autogyro (1932)
First woman to fly the Atlantic solo (1932)
First person to fly the Atlantic twice (1932)
First woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross (1932)
First woman to fly non-stop, coast-to-coast across the U.S. (1933)
Woman’s speed transcontinental record (1933)
First person to fly solo between Honolulu, Hawaii and Oakland, California (1935)
First person to fly solo from Los Angeles, California to Mexico City, Mexico (1935)
First person to fly solo nonstop from Mexico City, Mexico to Newark, New Jersey (1935)
Speed record for east-to-west flight from Oakland, California to Honolulu, Hawaii (1937)

And now, 72 years later, we can add to this litany of acheivement:

Terrible Biopic (2009)

All of the elements of a good film are there: money, accomplished director (Mira Nair, The Namesake), one of the great American stories, Academy Award winning principal cast (Hillary Swank, Richard Gere), the unmistakable styles of roaring ’20s (and early ’30s), and several scenes with a child version of Gore Vidal. What could possibly go wrong? Plenty, as it turns out.

I’m not sure who to blame here. Is it the screenwriters, the producers, or director Mira Nair herself? No matter. Whomever decided which elements of Earhart’s life to feature in this Oscar-grab-of-a-biopic should find work at Lifetime Movie Network. Instead of exposing to us Earhart’s motivations for flying, we’re given a one-dimensional love story about an open marriage, and a flat tale of celebrity. We learn nothing about why she must fly, how she got interested in aviation, why exactly Earhart is a pioneer. We aren’t left with a message about women breaking boundaries, or even with a renewed appreciation for aviation. The relationship between aviation and Earhart is severely lacking — and that’s the only reason that anyone cares about her today. We came to the theater to fly, but Amelia never gets off the ground.

The dialogue, adapted from two separate Earhart biographies, is overly calculated and unworthy of its subject or its deliverers. Swank, Gere, and Ewan McGregor (whose character spends most of his screen time being seen and not heard — and not in a good way) do well with what they are given, but it’s just not much. Gere’s accent is a bit cartoony, but Swank clearly studied and practiced Earhart’s accent. She lands both her tenor and the timing of the era. It’s too bad that the dialogue she’s given to work with is dry as dirt.

With flat characters, unclear motivations, and blank words, you’d expect the score to be memorable or the movie itself to be beautiful. Not so. While there are sparse few moments of hope — a tickertape parade for Earhart that’s particularly well-shot, some magnificient roving landscape shots of blue whale families in the ocean, a cool thunderstorm in the clouds, Victoria Falls, and the Masai Mara — most of the scenes are just bland, with the obvious, clamoring score only serving to make things worse.

Most offensive is the insult to our intelligence, and the lack of any lesson learned by or about Ms. Earhart. I want a story to take home from this movie, but I’m fed a tacky montage of newspaper headlines that quickly coast through Earhart’s celebrity and career. Throughout the film, I couldn’t help but think Wow, I want to see what I just read in that fake newspaper actually happening on-screen, and Why am I reading about The New Deal? Instead, I’m given Earhart cheating on her husband, hanging out with a young Gore Vidal (I’m sorry, that was just stupid, historically inaccurate, and weird), and inappropriately having a “let them eat cake” moment concerning The Great Depression. We want inspiring, we’ll take beautiful. What we get is aggressively schmaltzy.

The Upside: Two standout performances: A convincingly tragic Christopher Eccleston as Earhart’s navigator Fred Noonan, and Earhart’s Lockheed Electra. It’s a damn shame that beautiful bird was never found.

The Downside: 89% of the movie.

On The Side: Joining the Film School Rejects crew at the screening were the Austin, Texas chapter of the Ninety-Nines, an organization for female pilots whose founder and first president was Amelia Earhart.

Watch the Amelia trailer:

31 Days of Horror: [REC]

Bethany Perryman — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:00:37 +0000

[REC] (2007)

Synopsis: [REC] is another 2007 import (as was this week’s 31 Days feature Inside), but this time: 1) it’s from Spain, 2) it’s the mother-film of the 2008 American remake, Quarantine (which, for the record, I haven’t seen), and 3) it is straight-up terrifying. Television reporter Ángela Vidal and her cameraman, Pablo, get trapped in a Barcelona apartment building with its tenants, a cop, and some firemen. A woman that the firemen are there to help becomes aggressive, and awfully bite-y. Then, slowly but surely, almost everyone becomes a ravenous zombie. How and why the woman became a zombie in the first place is uncovered by the diminishing number of survivors, and it’s sufficiently creepy to turn this shakey-cam zombie-suspense film into a bona fide horror.

Killer Scene: Any one of several moments could go here, but I’m picking the last two scares of the movie. Everything is scarier in nightvision.

KillSheet

Violence: [REC] is not a violent movie, per se. There are spurts of violence, and it’s good, but this movie stakes its claim as a genre film by its suspense and terror. No copious buckets of blood, but the zombies are highly convincing. The gore is there, and balanced — exactly when and where you need it. And as an added bonus, the first-person perspective enhances the spectacle, because you’re thrust in the thick of it all. Or running the fuck away.

Sex: None. Sorry, nerds. You won’t miss it. Really.

Scares: The Barcelona building has a foyer, six units, and a penthouse. And everyone is stuck. The building is surrounded — quarantined. No way in or out without a SWAT team shooting you into tiny bits. The people are in a truly desparate and terrifying situation, and they’re smart. No dumb moves, and they are still in a brutal mess. Then there are the jump scares. I think I jumped a good two feet out of my chair, about 4 times. Mabe a few more. So: a handful of jumping, terrible situation, shakey-cam goodness, and an eerie building. Win, win, scary, win.

Final Thoughts: The movie is shot in Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield shakey-cam style, from the vantage point of an unseen Pablo. While this may sound cheap or amateur, I encourage you to give it a shot here. It makes the movie, as you’re absolutely caught up in the violence and sheer terror and confusion of what the hell is going on in and outside of this place. [REC] didn’t get a theatrical release in the US, but was released on DVD in 2009. Worth the buy if you’re a horror fan. Worth the rent if you’re a zombie fan. Also worth the rent if you’re just a movie fan.

Your Turn: Where The Wild Things Are, 7 Word Reviews

Bethany Perryman — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:00:42 +0000

If we’ve heard it once, we’ve heard it a thousand times: you’re not on the internet to read. Here at FSR, we celebrate the economy of language. Where The Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak’s 338-word masterpiece, is now a Spike Jonze movie. And it can be summed up… in seven words.

If you’ve seen the movie, you’ll recall that Max has a chance to ask two seemingly wise owls a question, but he should be able to do it in seven words. How do I make everyone O.K.? While the owls have their own answer to this ultimate relational query, our official seven words look like this: booze, gettin’ freaky, and lots of movies.

Here’s where you come in: leave us a comment with your seven word review of Where The Wild Things Are. Can’t come up with anything? We assume you have some friends. Get them in on the action. Ask them to submit theirs first. Then outdo them.

Or try commenting, then tweeting or Facebooking your seven words. Include this link (it goes right back here, we’ve just shortened it for your twitterfeed): http://su.pr/8Nsgkd, then beg for replies. The more the merrier, but follow the rules. Seven words. It’s harder than you think.

Here’s mine: Sweet, with dashes of dark. Lovely film.

Review: Where The Wild Things Are

Bethany Perryman — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 03:20:36 +0000

The plot is simple: Max (brilliantly personified by Max Records) has a fight with his family, sails off to a foreign land, becomes a king and builds a fort, has a fight with the Wild Things, stops being king, and then goes back home to his family. No spoilers there. The message of this movie is clear, and perfectly voiced by a melancholy K.W. (a Wild Thing voiced by Lauren Ambrose): It’s hard to be a family. And it is.

Armed with that knowledge, my thoughts on Where The Wild Things Are tinkle in my head like a distant wind-chime. Hard to pin down exactly where the noises come from, but I do believe that’s part of the magic. I am an adult who is still a child and, fundamentally, I think that many of us are. Does the world amaze you, even though you get frustrated by things that you don’t understand? Don’t you want to create your own communal utopia? Does it sting when you get hurt, and moreso when you hurt others? Is life confusing, the world big, and do you ever just need to escape? Then this movie will speak to you. Is it perfect? No. But nothing is. And maybe that’s the most perfect thing about it.

For the Young

For children, there’s plenty to like about Where The Wild Things Are. The creatures are essentially large muppets, obviously humans in animal suits. While some see this as a weakness, I like that analog effects, while minding their CGI-enhanced expressions, are still offered up to an audience as a legitimate method of bringing iconic children’s illustrations to life. I think it should have been done that way, and I’m glad it was. Children will enjoy the Wild Things, the visuals, the grand, sprawling landscapes and buildings, the humor, the heart, the fun. I don’t think that a child would be disappointed in this movie, but they may find it a bit obtuse at times, perhaps boring. I believe that most children, bless them, will understand the film better than you’d expect.

For children, the movie may be a bit frightening at moments — Carol, Max’s Wild Thing BFF (voiced by James Gandolfini) has a bit of a temper problem. Surrounding the characters’ conflicts, there are some dark moments in the film. There’s a general melancholia about the tale, and it can’t be helped. It’s beautiful, and it works, but that may not be what children are expecting.

Another quick concern for the very young: Max — understanding though we are — basically throws a temper tantrum, and then runs away. In real life, that is not okay, or an acceptable way to behave. We are caught up for an hour or so in the Wild Things’ world, and he does get home safely to his mother, but I felt as if I was almost asked to forget that a child ran away from his home on a dark night. Not a problem for most, probably, as movies are about suspending belief and real-world rules for a few moments, but the element is there nonetheless.

For the Young At Heart

With each successive movie, we’re learning about the cinematic mission of Spike Jonze. Jonze takes on really ambitious, difficult stories to tell — layered, nuanced, complex, motivated stories — and then he tells them. Unpretentiously and without comment, Jonze just lets you in on the mess of who-or-whatever’s life and world he’s having us peek into. His movies have a meek quality to them, but a power within them to extract a specific emotion. Where The Wild Things Are is no different. This movie is beautiful, successful in its task, and moving. But you might not like it. It’s darker than it is whimsical, sadder than it is sweet.

The movie explores, with each Wild Thing, a different child-like character trait: there’s the shy, mute, lumbering one; the searching, wise K.W. (Lauren Ambrose); Forest Whittaker voices lovestruck Ira, who is simple, but talented; his love, Judith (Catherine O’Hara) the pessimist; Alexander, who no one listens to; Douglas (Chris Cooper), the loyal friend; and Carol. Carol is an overgrown kid: he’s idealistic, sensitive, and cannot control his wild emotions. He longs for freedom, but also for guidance. He wants to know things, but doesn’t understand why he has to worry about them. In his frustrations, Carol — like all of us — destroys things, and only things that he loves.

For the Mothers

I’m afraid that this will be overlooked, but Catherine Keener’s role as Max’s mom is heavenly. From a perfect picture of many a mom’s simultaneous parenting and working in her office, to having to do the nurturing and the disciplining all alone and sometimes all at once, to her gentle-yet-undeniably-tough softly wearing face, she is perfect. One expression — while she is at her computer, and Max is looking up at her while tugging at her pantyhose — was especially haunting. She looked just like my mother. I had seen that exact face. It’s beautiful, and sad — mostly just tired from wearing an infinite number of hats.

If you grew up with a mother, especially a single one, the last shot of her face — go see the movie, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about — redeems any sadness that the movie provokes in you, and leaves a sweet taste in your mouth.

The Upside: Beautiful story, beautiful effects, lulling soundtrack. Perfect casting, especially in the voice acting. Unpretentiously layered; sweet.

The Downside: Not necessarily for children, and the Wild Things are — at times — a tad clunky.

On The Side: Authentic though it may be, this movie will appeal to douchey hipsters. If you are upper-middle-class, liked I Heart Huckabees, have Buddy Holly glasses, listen to rap ironically, and/or believe yourself to be an undiscovered genius or otherwise tortured and unique person, this is right in your wheelhouse for Movie of the Year.

Do The Mario, Remember Captain Lou Albano

Bethany Perryman — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:06:42 +0000

The New York Daily News just reported that Captain Lou Albano — permanent fixture of the wrestling world, father figure to Girls who Just Wanna Have Fun, and most importantly, the human incarnation of Mario (Super Mario Bros. Super Show) — has warped to the great World 8 in the sky. He was 76.

Albano, whose repeated self-tagline was “often imitated, never duplicated,” brought beloved video game character and plumber to life for Nintendo product enthusiasts the world over. He also appeared in several films, and a few episodes of Miami Vice.

Captain Lou was inducted in the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Hame in 1996. In 2008, his 75th birthday party at a Yonkers restaurant turned into a “drunken battle royale”. At Reject HQ, we’re paying homage to Captain Lou today in three ways: 1) another, more teary Super Mario Brothers Super Show marathon (interestingly enough, Dr. Abaius blasted through these a few weeks ago), 2) several rounds of co-ed string bikini wrestling, and 3) our own drunken battle royale.

Join us in honoring the good Captain by doing the Mario at home/cubicle:

30th American Film Market Will ‘Get Low’, Do the ‘Unthinkable’

Bethany Perryman — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:07:49 +0000

Need another reason to move to California? It’s not all bikinis, surfing, and an auspicious lack of glaucoma — now there’s a veritable crapload of movies premiering at the 30th Annual AFM, a few of which we can turn into innuendo-laden post titles. Nope. We are not kidding.

The American Film Market recently announced its lineup. AFM, to be held in Santa Monica the week of November 4th, has 445 films in its lineup. 73 of these (16.4 percent, if you’re counting) are world premieres. 311 of the 445 are market premieres. Any bets on how many of those are gonna be good?

Here’s what we do know:

Get Low, starring Bill Murray, and Unthinkable, which features Samuel L. Jackson, will be premiering at AFM. So far, so good. And according to managing director Jonathon Wolf, AFM is a buyer’s market. More than 8,000 film buyers and industry folk from 70 countries are expected to attend.

And if all that weren’t enough, you can check out the copious amounts of sponsorship logos or the full lineup of films over at AFM’s official (and officially crappy-looking) website.

Casting: Sweet Lorraine, It’s Tatum O’Neal

Bethany Perryman — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:03:36 +0000

For Tatum O’Neal, most famous for winning an Oscar at the ripe old age of 10, things just keep getting sweeter. Sure, she has a role on FX’s great drama (and Reject HQ favorite) Rescue Me. Adding to her indie cred (she just finished shooting The Runaways with Twilight princess Kristen Stewart and all-around princess Dakota Fanning), O’Neal has just landed the title role in an new indie drama called Sweet Lorraine.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, O’Neal will play a former NYC scene-queen that moves to New Jersey. Sounds like a reverse Meadow Soprano to me. Except that, apparently, this “sweet” Lorraine gets all muddled up in some cutthroat New Jersey municipality’s political scene, because her ex-boyfriend runs for mayor. Or something. I don’t know, you had me at Tatum O’Neal. And the word Lorraine. And now I’m hungry for some quiche.

Duncan Jones’s Moon Wins Triple Threat at Sitges

Bethany Perryman — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:32:36 +0000

It’s obviously the pre-cursor to the big awards season. Film festival news is popping up everywhere. This week, Variety has reported that Duncan Jones’s starkly elegant sci-fi character piece Moon has taken three awards at Spain’s Sitges Film Festival. Moon took the awards for Best Screenplay (Nathan Parker), Best Actor (Sam Rockwell), and Best Picture. Does this bode well for Oscar season, or is Moon just the little film that could? (And Sitges the little festival that rules?)

Even though Zombieland was an obvious crowd favorite, it looks like Moon was the most-liked film overall. This is exciting to me, because 1) Moon beat out films with a solid fan base showing up to the fest, and 2) because Moon is a beautiful and downright haunting film. Director Duncan Jones says his next feature, Mute, will also be sci-fi. It’s set in Berlin, and is loosely related to Moon. “One of them’s about loneliness on the far side of the moon, the other’s about maintaining your individuality in a city that’s so populated that it’s difficult to be an individual,” Jones said, at Sitges.

The festival, which ended Sunday, closed with the post-apocalyptic feature The Road.

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