FilmMonthly » pietrandrea.david

BuzzKill

pietrandrea.david — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 07:42:48 +0000

Second City player Daniel Raymont plays Ray Wyatt, a struggling screenwriter trying to dig his way to the surface. The apartment he lives in smells like death – that’s because there’s a dead animal in the walls and a former tenant recently died there. His agent advises that he should give up on his indulgent labor of love and write a sure thing – like a script about a black Santa Claus. Ray gets a boost of confidence when he meets perky waitress Krysten Ritter, who thinks it would be fun to drop everything and take off to Cali to sell Ray’s script. Instead, Ray’s painfully swollen testicle ruins the fun, and she takes off with the only copy of his script.
Then comes the Karaoke Killer (Darrell Hammond), a cerebral murderer who uses Ray’s script to inspire his murders. Everything wraps up a little too much like The Player, but only after things get all weird and Barton Finkish.
Under the banner of Second City, some of the comedy troupe’s alumni pop in (Martin Short as the agent we never see), but it’s not enough to save this uneven and poorly produced satire. The performances are fine enough, with Krysten Ritter as cute as ever, and Reiko Aylesworth giving life to an otherwise typical exhausted soon-to-be ex-girlfriend. The problem mostly lies with the script by Matt Smollon and Steven Kampmann (who also directed), which doesn’t do much to develop the characters beyond the usual. Hammond pulls off some creepy moments, but it’s from his own guts, not the script or direction. They even pull out writer clichés, like putting Raymont sitting at a card table with an old skool typewriter — something really a man of Raymont’s age wouldn’t even glamorize as a writer’s tool.
And herein lies the whole film…a lot of old fair weather gags that aren’t given new life.

Geek Charming

pietrandrea.david — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:09:43 +0000

Geek Charming is another in the long list of Disney Channel movies peddling materialism and beauty, while providing a cute pouty-faced moral lesson of acceptance and tolerance. Disney, in their official released synopsis (which is cribbed from the back cover of the Robin Palmer book, from which the film is based), explains the story like this:
“Dylan Shoenfield [Sarah Hyland of Modern Family] is the princess of L.A.’s posh Castle Heights High. She has the coolest boyfriend, the most popular friends, and a brand-new “it” bag that everyone covets. But when she accidentally tosses her bag into a fountain, this princess comes face-to-face with her own personal frog: selfprofessed film geek Josh Rosen [Matt Prokop from Disney’s High School Musical franchise]. In return for rescuing Dylan’s bag, Josh convinces Dylan to let him film her for his documentary on high school popularity. Reluctantly, Dylan lets F-list Josh into her A-list world, and is shocked to realize that sometimes nerds can be pretty cool. But when Dylan’s so-called prince charming of a boyfriend dumps her flat, her life – and her social status – comes to a crashing halt. Can Dylan – with Josh’s help – pull the pieces together to create her own happily-ever-after?”
Dylan bases everything in her life on a scale of popularity – she pegs every cafeteria table with a clique label, chooses friends based upon looks and fashion, selects a beau based on athletic prowess and swoop of blonde bangs. Most of all, her entire world revolves around winning the crown of Blossom Queen. But oh! She misses her dead mother (how Bambi!), so all is forgiven. She’s earned her shallow and vapid degree in the school of hard knocks, with a minor in pity. She’s jut hurting, is all – give her a break!
In the hands of director Jeffrey Hornaday (whose chief listing in IMDB is choreographer), and first time scribes Hilary Galanoy and Elizabeth Hackett, Geek Charming never rises above the cookie cutout teen tropes, where the kids learn about how it’s cruel to be all judgey and stuff… but, only when the judgey kids have kicked you out of their elite club. And also the kids will learn that being wrapped up in beauty and image is cured by – what else! — a good makeover! The story, decidedly very light fare, is suppose to be a lesson about individuality and tolerance. The problem is, everyone in the film is a stereotype, every situation is wrought with cliché, and the morality lessons are decided and resolved by the keyboard of the writer, not by the natural progression of the characters. It’s like a light switch is flipped and the characters suddenly are cured.
The worst offense is the proffered image of young girls. There doesn’t seem to be a proper female portrayal in the bunch. They’re all there at the behest of the males in the script. Dylan slaves hard to keep the interest of her aloof jock beau, until she realizes it’s the geek she really needs to pine over. Then there’s her two-gal entourage who tag along so they can be a part of the boy hungry clique, and Josh’s film geek group’s only female member, who is smitten with him, and makes a buffoon of herself trying to please him. And let’s not forget the pretty young thing who smiles and swishes her hair in slo-mo for Josh, and only Josh… until she unselfishly sacrifices her happiness to allow him to take Dylan’s love instead. All wonderful role models for our daughters to emulate.
The DVD package is topped off with a bonus disc of 10 episodes of the Disney Channel sitcom Shake it Up, about two fame-starved tweens (Bella Thorne and Zendaya), who dance on a local TV show and lie to each other and make judgey remarks about people who don’t act like them and also girls with eating disorders… until they learn a moral lesson that will be conveniently forgotten before the next weeks episode. Thank goodness se have Disney to help our kids out.

Murder by Proxy: How America Went Postal

pietrandrea.david — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:45:22 +0000

Back in the day, the Mailman was an icon as American as baseball and apple pie. Praised as one of the hardest working members of the community, who would deliver your mail “through rain, or snow, or sleet, or hail.” Nowadays, that catchy credo has been replaced by a term altogether ugly and demeaning: “going postal.” The once well respected mailman is now often depicted as a pop culture punch line; a stereotype of unchecked anger and mental instability.
In 1986 Patrick Sherrill, a letter carrier at the Edmond, Oklahoma Post Office, went on a violent rampage, shooting 14 fellow postal workers to death, and wounding 6 others, before taking his own life. Since that massacre, in the following 25 years, there have been close to a dozen other violent incidents – some equally as horrific and some much smaller and not so widely-publicized – in Post Office facilities across America. A new documentary Murder by Proxy: How America Went Postal explores the series of infamous post office massacres, and how they’ve changed the way we view violence and the workplace.
From these massacres came a new pop culture slang – “going postal.” The news media, following the lead of the US Postal Service, latched on to the term, and the rogue postal killers were portrayed as madmen, unstable and powder kegs about to blow. Murder by Proxy director and writer Emil Chiaberi would argue that these postal massacres are not simply isolated acts of madmen, but are the systemic result of a hostile work environment. He exposes that it had been documented that postal management was allowed to belittle and terrorize their workers, in order to get more work out of them. It was no coincidence, it appears, that the management team were always among the victims of these massacres. This is not an endorsement of the killer’s acts, but an observation that the news media decided to overlook.
At the center of Murder by Proxy is the story of Charlie Withers, a 39 year veteran of the postal service – still delivering the mail in Royal Oaks, Michigan. After the Edmond, Oklahoma massacre, and a handful of other PO massacres (not all covered in this doc), Withers, who was also the union steward in Royal Oaks, had begun to take the grievances filed by postal workers more seriously. On November 14, 1991 – just a month after the latest PO massacre in Ridgewood, New Jersey – Withers visited the Royal Oaks Post Office, where a carrier by the name of Thomas McIlvane had complained he was unfairly fired just a week previous. Unbeknownst to Withers, Thomas McIlvane was planning a visit that day, as well. McIlvane returned, armed with a sawed-off rifle, and shot 9 people, killing 4. The dead included his former boss, and the labor arbitrator who turned him away when he asked for support. Withers, and others, were spared when McIlvane walked past their locked door. Since that day, Withers has been speaking out about the unfair work conditions his fellow postal workers are subjected to.
Through a series of interviews with fellow workers and massacre survivors, along with analysis from experts in the history of the evolving workplace, and in workplace violence, Chiaberi opens a discussion that even though these individuals may have their own problems, the environment where they work and make their living is where they find the pressure that put them over the edge. And just as the phenomenon of these massacres has moved out of the post office, and into general workplace (as well as in schools and colleges), the discussion expands outward, eventually asking that if the corporate interests towards profit and productivity eclipses the needs of the workers, how far will the violence spread?
At the film’s conclusion, Wither’s attempts to develop laws to protect workers against a hostile workplace fell on deaf ears, demonstrating how numbed we are, as a society, to these terrible acts of violence. 25 years ago, the massacre in the Edmond, Oklahoma Post Office was a complete shock to the American people. It had unsettled us to our core. We no longer saw the workplace as a safe haven. When the massacres spread to schools and malls and workplaces, we no longer felt safe out in public. And now, frighteningly, these massacres have become regular events in our lives, occurring all over the world.
Chiaberi’s film does what the news media has failed to do for decades, and goes inside the story, exploring the growth of the postal service itself, and the fact that, like most corporations do, it had put productivity ahead of the well being of the workers.
America has gone postal, and Murder by Proxy is an unsettling wake up call. Chiaberi’s first-hand accounts of the massacres, with vivid details from the mouths of the victims, and horrific workplace video footage, Murder by Proxy is meant to shock and move us – “us” the people who have grown much too accustomed to horror stories of workplace violence, and who have trivialized it all down to a pop culture stereotype. In the “occupy” climate of today, Murder by Proxy moves beyond these post office massacres, and examines how the interests of profit and productivity eclipses the value and well-being of the workers. Chiaberi anxiously reminds us of how quickly “going postal” moved from the post offices and out into the workplace in general… and then into public places, into the schools and malls. Then, with visions of nuclear power plants coupled with news stories of lax security in vital areas – we can’t help but ask: where will it go postal next?

Best Films You Didn’t See in 2011

pietrandrea.david — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:21:07 +0000

I don’t see much in the theaters any more, so I can’t provide a Best Movies of the Year list. We have two little girls running about, who keep us very occupied at home. But, that’s just a lame excuse, because if’n I could go to the theater more, I probably wouldn’t anyway. I’ve fallen out of love with the films that generally go into theatrical release. Hollywood and me… we’ve broken up. I still text her once in a while. And I’ll slip out to the local megaplex to share a popcorn, if she has a good story to tell. But not much. I’ve got a new mistress… the straight to video/on-demand independent movies. Yeah. She’s much wilder, less predictable. And she speaks different languages. And… there’ a whole lot of her. Here’s the ones I liked best.
#10 — RUBBER
A winner, already, just in concept: a common tire comes to life and goes on a killing spree. What makes the film work is how ingeniously filmmaker Quentin Dupieux takes such a ridiculous idea – that of a killer radial tire — and makes the audience interested about it. He does this, in part, by breaking down the fourth wall and bringing in an “audience” to sit in on the filming of the movie, and actually question and comment on why someone would make a movie out of such a silly idea.
#9 — TROLL HUNTER
The gimmick that this is yet another found footage mockumentary is a tired one. But, don’t let that turn you away. The film follows a team of student filmmakers, as they make a documentary on some strange killings in the Norwegian countryside. They come upon a lone Government worker, who claims to be charged with keeping the trolls in check. Of course, they don’t believe the strange man… until they witness the gigantic trolls with their own eyes. The plot is simple and easy, and fun. But, the real treat is witnessing the fantastic CG trolls… or are they real trolls!!
#8 — THE MYTH OF THE AMERICAN SLEEPOVER
I’m a great fan of subtlety in films. I love understated performances, nuanced characters, and real situations. Sleepover plays in the vein of those classic end-of-summer teen comedies from the 70s and 80s – most notably American Graffiti – but skirts the comedic trappings of those that it so closely resembles. Instead, Sleepover offers up situations that are more true, and surprisingly less cynical, than most teen movies. The excessive amount of mubling in this teen mumblecore’s first 15 minutes, almost made me switch it off. I’m glad I didn’t, or I’d have missed out on some great characters (most notably Claire Sloma’s fresh take on the so typically misunderstood bad girl).
#7 – SUDOR FRIO
I’m always glad to see a Adrian Garcia Bogliano movie. They’re like the craziest exploitation flicks you’ve ever seen, but cleverly filled with sound socio-political commentary. This one plays out like a typical horror scenario, with some kids getting tortured and killed in a strange old house. But, the Bogliano twist casts the killers as a pair of decrepit old men, who can barely walk. These two washed up old skool militant revolutionaries have become bored over the past few decades, so they now spend their time luring thrill seeking young ladies to their house, where they force them to solve insane mathematical problems, and douse them in nitro glycerin (which prompts the fantastic scene, in which an old boyfriend must save his ex, by slowly cutting off her nitro saturated clothing, before it ignites all over her).
#6 – ATTACK THE BLOCK
I saw this one before I had the opportunity to see Super 8, and couldn’t help but wonder how embarrassed JJ Abrams must feel, being bettered by a low budget (about $13 milion) British sci-fi action flick. Like Super 8, ATB follows the adventures of a group of young kids who find themselves in the middle of an alien attack. However, these kids aren’t your usual Hardy Boys and Nancy Drews, who set out to solve the mystery and save the community. Instead, they’re mostly made up of a pack of violent, gun-totting, weed smoking delinquints, who’d incited the invasion when they cornered an alien in a shed (an nod to E.T.), and bitch-slapped it for interrupting their muggings.
#5 – DOG TOOTH (Kynodontas)
This Greek film is as bizarre as it gets. A set of parents keep their three children (2 girls and 1 boy, all young adults) imprisoned in their secluded compound, set apart from the rest of the world. The kids have been home schooled by their parents, but their education is full of misleadings and lies (they’re taught that sea means chair, or that planes overhead are just toys, like the ones they find in the grass out back). They have no clue what a telephone is, or a TV, and sex is something that the girls provide, as a duty, for their brother. When a girl, from the father’s factory, is introduced to the household as a security guard, the children are exposed to things outside their secluded world.
#4 – A SERBIAN FILM
By far, one of the most unsettling films you will ever see. Milos, a washed up porn star, leading the straight life with a wife and six year old boy, is approached to break retirement to do one last movie. Having no other prospects, Milos agrees, and settles up for a huge financial pay-off. In return, he must agree to a highly improvised method of filming, and he must never question the motives of the filmmaker (a very well placed children’s TV producer and state security team member). Milos does as he is told, even when the film’s content starts to dip into very taboo subject matter (stuff that got the filmmaker into legal troubles). Though Milos is never directly involved in any of that stuff, he still moves ahead with the movie, and collects his generous salary. The film is an allegory for the political situation in Serbia, as addressed in the dialogue from the dangerous filmmaker, who tells Milos that he’s no better than the leaders of the country, whom systematically rape and destroy their own country.
#3 – DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK
This aptly named Canadian action flick comes from a red hot pair of twin filmmakers, the Soska Sisters, who also star in their twisted, bloody, speeding bullet of fun. All hell breaks loose when the twins, along with a couple friends, set out for an average errand trip, only to find… you guessed it – a dead hooker in the trunk of their car. What separates this micro budgeted, straight to video movie from the rest of the fanboy fare in its genre, is the Soska’s sense of complete fun. The energy and style and balls-out joyous action of this flick would make Quentin Tarantino snap a woody.
#2 – THE WOMAN
The combination of author Jack Ketchum and filmmaker Lucky McKee is shear genius. Ketchum’s style of sheer madness and McKee’s style of well etched, bizarre characterizations blends wonderfully. It also helps that they both favor strong and positive female storylines. Polly McIntosh breaks out as a wild woman, captured by a hunter, who feels it’s his God-given duty to civilize her. Enlisting the help of his skeptical family, the demented Henry Higgins shackles his Eliza Doolittle in the fruit cellar, and uses brute force to tame the nature girl. The controversial film was thrust into the spotlight at last year’s Sundance Fest, when an irate viewer misinterpreted the film’s anti-misogynic message for actual full blown misogyny.
#1 – MY NAME IS “A” by ANONYMOUS
Still without a distributor, this no budget film, made by controversial filmmaker Shane Ryan, is both disturbing and heartbreaking. Ryan made a name for himself with his self-starring film Amateur Porn Star Killer, a found footage depiction of a Ted Bundy like killer’s seduction and murder of a young woman (he went on to create two sequels to this film). The movie set up Ryan as a filmmaker who would take risks to tell a convincing and honest film. In his latest film, Ryan continues pushing the boundaries and taking risks, but this time develops his ability to create characters and situations that are painfully honest. Stepping away from the found footage style of his APSK flicks, My Name is A is shot with the immediacy of a documentary film, telling the story based on the true crimes of Alyssa Bustamante, a fifteen year old girl who confessed to the thrill kill murder of a 9 year old neighbor girl. We’ve watched this story before __ teenage girls gone bad — dozens of time on the Lifetime Channel, where we see the point of view of the distraught parents and terrified community. But Ryan turns the camera inward, onto the accused, focusing on the events that lead up to the murder. Following a group of four teenage girls (Alyssa, the Sidekick, the Performer, and the Angst), all from different backgrounds, and with different interests, but whose paths will lead them to stand over the dead body of the little girl, holding the knife that killed her. He doesn’t make excuses for them, nor does he attempt to defend them. My Name is A is just a raw and honest and poetic portrayal of life gone wrong.

Interview with Haunted Sunshine Girl

pietrandrea.david — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 10:33:44 +0000

A Girl. A Camera. A Ghost.
Haunted Sunshine Vlog
There’s a crud load of pretty young things all over the Internets, vlogging their miseries and joys, and occasional guitar strummings — thanks lonelygirl15! And some of them have become quite famous — no thanks Biebs! As usual, much of the stuff is pure nose goblins. So many people looking for stardom, and none of them with near enough talent to get on the local carpeting store’s cable TV commercial. But then, sometimes you run across something that sticks out.
Sunshine Girl (no real name given) is a 16 year old girl (now 17), who has decided to start a YouTube video blog (titled The Haunting of Sunshine Girl), to try and convince her Mom, and everyone else who will listen, that she has ghosts in her house. What follows is a list of video entries, totaling near 300 in a 10 month time frame, where Sunshine encounters a strange neighbor, Creepy Lady, who shows up unexpectedly with foreboding, eerie warnings; strange messages and photos of people with pillow cases over their heads; a Creepy Man who attacks her, while she investigates her estranged father’s house; haunted house busting; and a cult-like sacrifice on a rainy, stormy night.
But, let’s not jump the gun here! This is no Blair Witch or Paranormal Activity. This ain’t no creepy, scare the skinnies off you type of ghost story. It’s really all quite unique. And that can be attributed to two factors. First, is show creator Nick Hagen (along with Sunshine’s Mom) who has crafted an idea about a Gilmore Girls like mother and daughter, who are just so having some paranormal activity around their home unit. The show is primarily spun from the POV of Sunshine and her Flip-style phone. And what is genius about it isn’t all the ghostly activity, but rather the relaxed pacing. It takes several episodes (all about 2.5 minutes in length, with some a bit longer) before we ever encounter anything remotely strange. And when Sunshine finally does share some of the activity with the viewers, it’s all pretty much — whatevs! It’s like, hey there, I’m Sunshine, blah blah blah… This is my life, and stuff, and oh yeah — I have ghosts.
This is the second — and key factor — that Sunshine isn’t your average TV show material. Yes, she’s wonderfully adorable and very cute — but she’s not the latte chugging fashion slave (or a booze guzzling teen mom in the making), who is boy bait for the all the floppy-haired high school Casanovas (or rather, Troy Boltons) who we find on every other teenage show. No, Sunshine is holding to no one, but herself… and her Mom, who she adores. She’s an individual. Strong, but flawed. And with a mind of her own. When she speaks to the camera (usually held at her own arm’s length), she has a geeky, bubbly confidence, and a quick wit, that is endearing not just to the boys, but as well to the girls. She’s like the protagonist in a Judy Blume novel, or that friend of the kid in those 70s After School Specials, who the boy has a secret crush on, but will never tell her, because she has no real interest in anything but having a good time with her friends. It’s terribly refreshing to find a girl on a show that is just fine with who she is, with no need or desire to be defined by anyone else but herself (now, that’s “girl power” for you Spice Girls!).
The Haunting of Sunshine Girl is a gem of a show… and yeah — it’s a show. Part of the experience of watching and enjoying Sunshine Girl is the wild response it gets from some viewers. Like Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, and the many caught-on-tape shockers, it doesn’t announce itself as a fictional piece of work. It also doesn’t announce that it’s real, either. And this, of course, is by design. Part of the fun of these mockumentaries is the acceptance that they are not real, along with the giddy hidden desire that maybe, just maybe, they are!! Hell, no one went and saw Avatar and came out all steaming mad, because it looked so damn real, but was all animated. But, really, for a few good yucks, you should check out some of the, umm… non-fans of Sunshine Girl who work so diligently — with blogs and other YouTube channels — to “debunk” the fictional world of Sunshine.
I had the brilliant opportunity to sit and chat with Sunshine and her Mom, to have a behind-the-scenes look at their little show (that I predict will blow up soon enough!!) We talk about ghosts, h8rs, Cheetos, and how to be a good role model…
BadRonald – I know there are still a few people out there who have not seen your show. So, can you give them a tantalizing summery?
Mom – The way we usually explain it is Paranormal Activity meets Gilmore Girls, with a little Easy A thrown in. It’s a girl who sets out to prove her house is haunted. And decides to record the videos and throw them up on YouTube, and low and behold, people are interested.
BR – You know, I admire how you guys paced the show. You didn’t jump in, with the early episodes, with ghosts jumping out all over. It’s like a regular teen girl blog, and “Oh, yeah… I have ghosts…”
Mom – Yeah, we rally wanted it to seem authentic, and very much like people would be watching a friend. We didn’t want to complicate it. We just wanted to keep it really simple, and that’s what are formula was. Nothing about it has been accidental. It’s all been very specific and on purpose. We like to call it “unscripted fictional reality.” It’s not scripted. It’s all ad-libed. There’s a story and plot lines, but Sunshine does not have (written) lines.
Sunshine – Nope… I make everything up.
BR – No dialogue is scripted? It’s all you?
Sunshine – Yes.
Mom – Yup. (to Sunshine) You’re a genius!
She gives her a high-five. Then air-fives me.
Mom — A Skype high-five!
BR—Ah! Skype five. Our timing is off so, I’m swatting at thin air.
Mom – It’s all good.
BR – So, the idea behind this all comes from the show’s creator, Nick Hagen.
Mom—Yes, Nick Hagen. The genius behind the curtain.
Sunshine – He’s Oz.
Mom – He is Oz. And we were talking about this earlier, that he is totally cool with staying behind the scenes on this. You know, doesn’t feel like he needs credit for everything. Although, anyone who knows anything about the show, knows that… you now – it’s a show. So, he likes to let it be that.
BR—Speaking of that it’s just a show (and not reality), some people have really gotten testy when they figure it out.
Mom—Little bit.
BR—Does that bother you – people who get mad when they discover that it’s fiction – but still need to debunk it? Or do you see it as part of the whole thing?
Suddenly, Mom moves to the computer on another desk, and lets Sunshine take center stage. She taps away quickly on the keyboard, with Sunshine trying to peek over her shoulder.
Mom—I’m gonna let Sunshine handle that. I actually have to delete something off the wall that somebody just said that’s… been posted (coincidentally) as we’re talking about this.
Sunshine— Yeah, it’s just part of it. For me, it’s kinda like, I don’t get too invested in what people say about me, because they don’t know me as well – They think they do, but they don’t.
BR—It’s very easy to be brave and write nasty things – like call you fake – while safely under the anonymity of the Interwebs.
Sunshine— Exactly.
Mom—We actually filter the comments, so Sunshine doesn’t see the really nasty stuff. She knows it’s out there, but you know – she’s seventeen. Let’s let her be seventeen a little longer. And honesty, we were shocked that anybody really believed it was real. We understand that very early, like maybe in the first five or so videos… But, since unicorn levitated…? Really? Really?
They both have a chuckle at this.
Mom—We never set out for people to think that it was anything other than Paranormal Activity. It’s the Blair Witch Project. So, when people started getting really angry about it… You know, we didn’t put it out there that we were actors or any of that. Nobody would have heard about Blair Witch if they had come out and said “This is just a story…” So, when it came down to people saying “This is fake,” and “You suck,” “You’re all liars,” — we say — hey we’re actors. We’re playing a part.
BR—So, as actors, what then is next for Sunshine Girl?
Mom—We have a ton of plans. Halloween is going to be busy for us. We have more channels. We just launched more channels. We’ve got Uncle Tommy’s YouTube Confessions.
BR—I saw that. Good stuff.
[Uncle Tommy is a recurring character from Haunting of Sunshine Girl, and friend of Mom and Sunshine]
Mom—Yeah, it turned out that people really loved Tommy.
Sunshine – I love Tommy!
Mom—We were like – yes! We were thrilled! So we’ve got lots of big plans. Maybe, taking Sunshine to new mediums. Maybe see Sunshine in other forms… that’s all we’ll say about that.
BR—Oh, no secrets revealed to me?
Mom—Just a tease, there.
BR—How about you, Sunshine. Would you, or are you, thinking of moving outside of Sunshine and maybe taking a try at other projects or possibilities?
Sunshine—College is next year, so that’s exciting. But, with Sunshine, as far as that goes, we’re gonna keep going with that until people get tired of it.
Mom—“Til their sick of Sunshine.
Sunshine—Yeah, until they’re tired of me – which doesn’t seem to be anytime too soon, thankfully.
BR—And you’ve been at this for nearly a year?
Sunshine—This December it’ll be a year.
BR—So, you’ve got another whole year to do this, and then it’s off to College?
Sunshine—Yes.
BR—A haunted college? Are there any?
Sunshine—Yeah! I’ll have to look into that.
Mom—The plan is to keep right on going. If the audience is liking it, then we’re having a great time. We love it. We’re having so much fun. We love working together. We’re best friends. We’re having a blast!
BR –What’s the schedule like on your show – shooting wise. Do you come up with an idea, and shoot? Or do you block off a bunch?
Mom – We usually go a couple times a month, and shoot somewhere between 15 to 30 episodes at a time. It depends on how complicated the scenes are. Like the sacrifice scene was all in one night. Kind of a big production – we actually brought in rain towers. We hired a special FX artist to come in – who was also the stunt guy — that Sunshine hits with the car [In another episode]. We had a special FX makeup artist who came is, as well, to turn me into the demon. That was not a mask, but makeup.
BR – Nice! Real production value!
Sunshine – Yes.
Mom—And that’s where all the money goes to. The money we get goes right back in, to pay for these people who are willing to come in and use their skills to make it all work. You know, it’s not easy to get a guy to let your 17 year old daughter hit him with a car.
Sunshine – Yeah… Hadn’t even had my permit for a year.
Mom – Hey Jerry! How’d you like to have my daughter, who hasn’t been driving yet for a year, hit you with a car? You cool with that? He’s like “yeah!” And we’ll pay you for it! “Yeah, wohoo!!”
BR – How many times did he get run over?
Mom — Yeah. Exactly! We’re really proud that we’ve been able to pay all of our actors and our crew. That’s a big deal. That’s where all of our money goes. You know, people say it’s really cheesy, and over the top. But, whatever it is – we’re trying to make a good webseries that breaks out and entertains people, and gets people to watch. We’re not out to say, you know… ghosts are going to hurt you. Or, that cults are “good.” We’re not trying to lead any children astray.
Sunshine – Well… maybe.
Mom – Yeah! Sunshine was!
BR – That’s one of the qualities I like about Sunshine – that it’s generally good clean fun.
Mom – Yeah BadRonald! High five!! Yeah, we really try. We try at making this as family-friendly as it can be, while still keeping it creepy. You know… Sunshine here – she won’t even wear a tank top. I’ve tried.
Sunshine – She does try…
Mom – You know, if I could get her in a bikini – I would!
Sunshine – She does… try…
BR – There was even a time, on one of the trip episodes, where an OMG slipped out. And you called her on it.
Mom – Mhmm! There’s a lot of people who watch the show, together, as a family. And we love that! We love that moms and daughters are sitting down to watch it together.
BR – Do you, Sunshine, see yourself as a role model, at all? I don’t mean that you set out to, or that you have established yourself as one. But, do you accept the idea that you could be a role model?
Sunshine – Me! I didn’t expect to be a role model. But, then, this happens and I’m like “Yeah! I’m okay with being a role model.” I’ll be like Lady Ga-Ga. I’ll be cool like that. Yeah.
BR – Good. It’s good to see that, in this market that’s saturated with all the Disney stuff, or Nickelodeon stuff, that you’re doing some good straight forward… you know… girl power stuff.
They both get a nice chuckle at that.
Mom – It’s been a happy accident. And she’s become a good role model. She’s brave, and she’s out-going, and she’s… different. You know, what you see is this girl – Sunshine. And it’s not fake. The ghost? Okay… okay, there’s no ghost in her house – you don’t have to print that if you don’t want to! Actually – who knows! There may be a ghost in our house. There have been a couple EVPs that we did not put in.
Sunshine – It’s been weird, yeah…
Mom – Not gonna lie to ya. Yeah! So, it is actually very possible that house is haunted… But, the real people seem so drawn to (The Haunting of Sunshine Girl) is because Sunshine is so genuine. The relationship that you see on the show is really the relationship that we have. [Looking to Sunshine and joking] You know, we’d look at each other and wonder why a camera crew isn’t always following us around!
Sunshine – All the time.
Mom – We’re hilarious! We should have out own reality show.
Sunshine – We’re so funny, it’s ridiculous.
Mom – And modest.
Sunshine – Yes. So humble.
Mom – Yeah, humble. And you can see, we’re both so much alike.
BR – I’m seeing the Gilmore Girls. You guys are fans?
They both nod their heads delightedly, and pump fists.
Mom – We love Gilmore Girls. And Veronica Mars.
Sunshine – [sing songy] Veronica Maaaars! For three. Short. Seasons!
Mom – Our two favorite comments we get a lot is that no mother and daughter has that relationship. And we’re like, yeah, none.
Sunshine – Yeah… none.
Smile… Oh, uh nevermind
Mom – And the other is that – couldn’t you find actors that look more a like?
To this, they put their heads together to demonstrate the point.
Sunshine – Really. My mother.
Mom – I am.
Sunshine – She gave birth to me.
Mom – Yeah… painful, too!
Sunshine – Oh my god. I wasn’t even that big. I was 6 pounds.
Mom – But I didn’t have drugs, though.
Sunshine – Well, that’s not my fault you didn’t get there fast enough. Jeez.
Mom – We tried.
BR – Yeah, see… you guys are so faking it.
Laugh.
BR – What shows do you like now?
Mom – [To Sunshine] Go!
Sunshine – Oh! NCIS. Nikita. Project Runway.
Mom – That’s just her, because I don’t watch NCIS or Nikita.
Sunshine – Nikita’s so good!
Mom – We like the new Pan Am.
Sunshine – Pan Am!!
BR – I agree!
Mom – We’re loving Pan Am. We’re still trying to catch up on Friday Night Lights.
Sunshine – We’re so behind.
Mom – We’re busy. She’s busy.
BR – Chasing ghosts.
Sunshine – Yup.
Howdy Neighbor
BR – So… Cheetos or Cheez-its?
Sunshine – I’m gluten free. So – Cheetos. They’re made of corn. So, Cheez-its, I can’t. Made with gluten, so… and Cheese Nips – the off brand. Same thing. Can’t eat them.
BR – Forget Cheese Nips. Cheez-its are the way to go. How about Cheese Doodles?
Sunshine – I’ve never heard of those. What are those?
Mom – That must be a NY thing.
Sunshine – Oh, NY… I want me some Cheese Doodles!
BR – So, you guys are not Horror fans, I understand?
Mom – No!! Not the scary stuff!
Sunshine – I’ve watched one horror movie, and it scared the heck out of me.
BR – Just one!
Sunshine – Haunting in Connecticut. “There’s bodies in the wall! There’s bodies in the wall!”
Mom – No, we don’t watch that stuff — that scary stuff.
Sunshine – She didn’t even see it.
Mom – I didn’t even see it. I saw Sixth Sense. That was scary.
Sunshine – No it wasn’t.
Mom – Yes, it was!
Sunshine – Like, three seconds of it was scary.
Mom – No, it was scary.
Sunshine – I didn’t even finish it.
BR – Because you were scared.
Sunshine – Because I got bored.
Mom – You should’ve finished it. Yeah – really, we wouldn’t have watched our own show!
Sunshine – No! No no.
BR – Okay — one thing we don’t know abut you?
Sunshine – One thing you don’t know about me…? Hmmm… [time killing sing song] I got nuthin’
BR – How about school – what’s you favorite class?
Sunshine – In school, now? Or favorite class I’ve ever taken?
BR – Ever taken.
Sunshine – Human Biology.
Mom — Isn’t she weird?
Sunshine – It was so good! It was amazing. I loved that class.
BR – Did you have to do frogs or anything like that?
Sunshine – We did a sheep’s heart… A cow’s eye…
BR – Wha!
Sunshine – Yeah, it was really gross. We had to take apart all these animal parts. We did a cat…
BR – Cat brain?
Sunshine – Yes, I think that might’ve been what it was. I don’t remember, but loved that class.
Such a nice lad…
BR – How about Literature. You like reading?
Sunshine – Love reading. Reading is super fun.
BR – What books?
Sunshine – Hmm… you see this is where – I like scary books! I like mysteries, and stories that twist and turn. Not necessarily like death and gore, but… yeah, I have a huge bookcase full of all my books.
BR – You’re a Jane Austin fan, right? Is she your favorite?
Sunshine – The movie Pride and Prejudice is my favorite. But, I love Neil Gaiman. He’s my favorite author. He’s amazing. Probably, Neverwhere is my favorite book.
BR – So, how many viewers does the Haunting of Sunshine Girl have now?
Mom – Over 11,000 subscribers. And, we also have a lot of viewers who don’t subscribe, but watch. It’s funny with that, because we think there may be sort of a secret shame for watching the show. We kinda think there’s a bunch a people who watch, but don’t tell, you know, their friends. Especially boys.
Sunshine – Yeah…
Mom – Oh, and speaking of boys… we’ve had a lot of trouble with boys hating Nolan [One of the newer teen characters, who helps Sunshine and Mom with some of the mystery and intrigue]. Boys of all age.
Sunshine – Adult men!
Mom – Yeah, so many will say “He sucks…” When the word they’re really looking for is jealous! The girls love him, though.
BR – Safe to say, there’ll be more of Nolan.
Mom – Yes, more Nolan. Also, more Uncle Tommy. We also have some great stuff coming up for Halloween. On the 29th (of October), we’ll have a special live event.
Sunshine – I’m wearing a costume!!
BR – You gonna tell me what it is?
Sunshine – No! You don’t get to see until you tune in. Gotta tune in.
Mom — October 29. Noon PST to see Sunshine’s Halloween costume. And…
Sunshine – And live Fan Appreciation Daaaay!
Mom – Sunshine will answer your questions – live. And! At the end, when she’s all tired and we log off, there will be a special… very creepy… scary video.
Sunshine – [Ghostly voice] Yup!
Mom – People will be able to write in their questions, whether it be via FaceBook, YouTube or Twitter. And Sunshine will take the questions and record her answers… Like, Barny asks…
Sunshine – Barny asks, from Jimmiestown, NY – what’s your favorite cereal? And I say — whatever it is!
BR – What is it?
Sunshine – Oh! Corn Chex. I’m so lame…
BR – Chex Party Mix at Christmas?
Sunshine – Except you can’t eat Chex Mix, ‘cause half of it’s not even gluten free. Pretzels. Full of gluten.
BR – How about substituting with something, like bagel bits. But no –
Sunshine – Yeah, bagel bits. Gluten, too. So hard being me.
Mom – I think you have the title of your blog post –
Sunshine – “Can’t Eat That Chex Mix.”
BR – Will there be any cross-over action with your other shows?
Sunshine – Well, two of the three are me, so the other is Uncle Tommy’s.
Mom – I’ve been on Uncle Tommy, But, we have some stuff planned that we can’t talk about yet, with some other channels. We’re starting to expand to outside of Sunshine’s universe, too.
BR – Now, Coat Tale Productions – was that previously established, or did that spring from Sunshine Girl?
Mom – When we decided that we were going to do more that Haunting of Sunshine Girl, Nick and I formed Coat Tale Productions. The idea behind it was that we wanted to do this and bring along all our friends along with us. Oregon film is a very tight knit group, and we have people who we love to work with. The reason we have Creepy Lady in our videos is because we love the actress Adrianne, who plays her.
Sunshine – I love Adrianne!
Mom – Originally Nick wrote Creepy Lady as an old woman. And I was like, “No You know who’s creepy? Adrianne. Adrianne’s creepy. Let’s put her in!” Uncle Tommy is a great friend in our lives, so we waited until we could bring him in, in a way that would work and we could keep him around. So, we saw Coat Tail Productions as more of a family thing. We formed an LLC and we’re looking to produce in new media.
Sunshine – And… what about your seventeen year old?
Mom – My seventeen year old?
Sunshine – Your seventeen year old producer. You forgot.
Mom – My seventeen year old is a producer, yes. She’s the third part of out little production group. She’s a producer – which is gonna come in handy when she’s applying for colleges. It’s gonna be like, “Yeah… producer. What’ve you done?”
BR – “World’s youngest producer – what’up? What’ve you done?”
Mom – “Four million views on YouTube – ba-da-doosh!”
Sunshine – [soto] “Ba-da-doosh?”
Mom – Yeah, this has been good for her. She’s learning a ton. She’s taken to it like a duck on water. She’s incredibly, incredibly professional. When we were at the creepy house location, with the Creepy Man –
Sunshine – Not be confused with Creepy Lady.
Mom – (At that location) it was the first time we had a crew, instead of just her and I and Nick. At one point, we were all sorta like goofing off, and we Sunshine here was like “C’mon, let’s get this shot!” She’s totally in this, making creative decisions. She helps with the casting. She’s definitely the one who had final call on casting Maxwell as Nolan – which wasn’t easy, to try and cast a boy who was cute and could keep up with Sunshine –
Sunshine – It’s very hard keeping up with me. I’m very riveting.
Mom – And could do the ad lib. Which, is not that easy. Oh! And to hold the camera!!
Sunshine – Not easy… Sometimes you get half the face, and other times you can’t even hear them. They forget that they had the camera, and suddenly [gesturing holding the camera at arm’s length] the hold it out and nobody’s there. No one’s in the shot.
Mom – It’s interesting bringing in other actors, because we’ve been doing this on our own for 8 months.
BR – Pros.
Sunshine – Yeah!
Mom – …At this style.
Sunshine – But, nothing else. We can’t do anything else.
Mom – I’ve been acting since I was a year old.
Sunshine – I’ve been since I was six.
Mom – So… we’ve been doing this for a while. She’s done a lot of modeling.
Sunshine – Foot model.
Mom – I’ve done a ton of voice over. Stuff for Nintendo – I’m the voice of Princess Rosalina, for Mario Cart and Super Mario Galaxy 1&2. Lot of film – What the Bleep Do We Know. Lots of local stuff – Oregon.
BR – Famous last words?
Mom – Thank you! You’ve touched on stuff that a lot of other people don’t get to. So… Please, everyone stick around for October 29th!! We’ve got some really cool surprises.
Sunshine – Thanks! Tune in!!

The Woman

pietrandrea.david — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:26:17 +0000

The Woman is one of those controversial films that you either love or hate. You love it because you get it. Because it speaks to you on a level that’s above the usual horror fare. You hate it because it scares you. Because, not only does it scare you, but you get it, and the message is what scares you. You hate it because it’s a mirror that reflects back the things you don’t want to think about.
And that’s the reason why I think this movie works, because it throws back in our face the very things we try to avoid. Because it makes me think and analyze my own thoughts and beliefs. I’m always up for that challenge…but too many people aren’t. That’s why they’ll hate this movie.
In Lucky McKee’s The Woman, the Cleek family of rural Maine, in first appearances, look to be your average, functional family, attending a local picnic. Chris Cleek (Sean Bridgers), the head of the household, is a successful small town lawyer, overseeing his family as they mingle. His wife, Belle, is the doting mom, keeping their children in check and out of their daddy’s hair. Middle child, Brian (Zack Rand), practices his hoops, while keeping an interested eye on the girl who’s getting teased by the other boys. Oldest child, Peggy (Lauren Ashley Carter), hides herself from the boys, behind old paperback novels. And little Darlin’ (Shyla Molhusen) is full of innocent mischief. They aren’t the Cleaver Family, but in Chris’ eyes, he’s got it made.
At home, for the rest of the family, Daddy’s ideal version of life isn’t so wonderful. Dad keeps Mom in check with the periodical backhand. Brian’s obsession with the perfect streak of foul shots is practiced out of fear that he’ll lose an ongoing playground challenge with a girl. And big sis Peggy’s baggy clothes hide a secret from the outside world, but maybe not a secret in her own household. The worst of it comes when Dad brings home a feral woman (Pollyanna McIntosh) that he’s found running half-naked through the woods, and cheerily announces that her domestication will be the next family project.The Woman is chained and locked in the hurricane cellar, where each and every Cleek is administered their duties to care and tame her.
The subject of “civilizing” a woman isn’t exactly new, but then again Chris Cleek ain’t no ‘enry ‘iggins, and the Woman is loads more unsophisticated than Eliza Doolittle. So, instead of linguistics and etiquette, Cleek utilizes more barbaric tools — power hoses, shackles and chains, and rape. Welcome to the age of enlightened man. Not even the feral males of the Woman’s former tribe (in the film’s prequel Offspring) were this cruel…and they were barbarians.
The shocking part of this film is not the ultraviolent climax (which art house crowds will surely wince at it, while gore fans will howl with delight), but in the everyday violence that goes on “right next door.” Chris Cleek is not the serial killer monster who stalks the city. He’s not the workmate that goes postal at the office. He’s just your neighbor…who happens to do bad things to his own blood an’ kin. These types, believe it or not, are far worse than the others, because their crimes are hidden and go unpunished. And worse, the scars they leave, the sad lessons they teach, run deep, and get passed on like a bad family heirloom.
The script by terror legend Jack Ketchum and co-written by the film’s director Lucky McKee, juxtaposes nuanced character build up and bravado moments of violence. The characters aren’t just loathsome, or simple victims, or mere enablers; they are — as usual in Ketchum’s works — real people. They may be doing unusual things. But, then again, they are caught up in unusual circumstances. But, outside of the circumstances, the Cleek family is basically a real family. No, they may not be like you and me, but that’s not to say they don’t exist. We’ve all known people who spoke about women the way Chris Cleek physically handles them. We’ve all known teenage girls who’ve hold deep dark secrets, like Peggy hides. We’ve all either known, or known of, a family from our old hometown, who had some real weird shit going on behind closed doors. A question that arises from viewing The Woman is: what’d you do about it?
I’ve known kids, from my own youth, who acted out like Brian Cleek, an impressionable son who tries so hard to follow his father’s lessons. Brian is certainly conflicted, but hell, it’s his Dad! Conflicted or not, he’s got trust in him. Then there are the hormones. Conflicting feelings once again, as Brian tries to be a “man” like his Daddy. He knows he shouldn’t be in the storm cellar, alone with the Woman, so that’s why he does it on the sly. And it doesn’t matter that he doesn’t have a clue about what to do with any woman, let alone a feral one. But that doesn’t stop him from trying to be the “man.”
Tell me these issues aren’t the least bit familiar. Daughter Peggy has similar conflicts. Her chore is to hold up a sheet while her daddy hoses down the feral woman, to prevent the neighbors or passers by from seeing the twisted bathing scene. She breaks down in tears, embarrassed and ashamed by her father’s task of civilizing the Woman. But, saddened and frightened as she is, she stays, and keeps her mouth shut.
Mother Belle is probably the most upsetting of the characters. She sits (not stands) by as her husband fills her boy’s head with the one sided view of the politics of the sexes, and subdues any ounce of self worth in her daughters. The lack of urgency that she has towards the well-being of her own children is just as horrifying as the physical and mental violence of her husband. Imagine, a mother who sits and sobs, but never raises a hand as her child is being harmed. Well…you don’t have to imagine it, just look in the papers.
This is what The Woman does best. On the surface, it’s a terrific shock thriller, but underneath, it’s an even greater dark satire. All the faults and foibles in each character are familiar to us. Chris Cleek’s bloated sense of masculinity, and Brian’s misconceptions of it, Belle’s complacency with being the submissive wife for the good of the family, and her daughter Peggy’s struggle with it. Even Peggy’s teacher, who fancies herself the heroine to her students, boldly (but misguidedly) ventures to the Cleek ranch to take matters in to her own hands. To this seeming impropriety, Chis Cleek mimics what has become the credo of many parents around the USA: “How dare you come into MY home and tell me how to run MY family.”
This is the statement that rings out loud and clear. We’ve all heard it. We’ve probably spoken it a few times. But, do we ever really mean it? Or is it just a defense mechanism to get people to stop analyzing our own shortcomings? It sure is easier to turn the blame on outside influences rather than to take a hard look at oneself. It’s easier to say “Hey, I’m not getting involved — it’s their business, not mine,” rather than stand up for what you know is right and good. And this is what baffled me about the now infamous Sundance angry man. He certainly appeared to be an open liberal minded person, defending the rights of women, and all. But, ironically, he was attacking the filmmakers as if they were the ones perpetrating the vile acts of misogyny and pain that ran up on the screen. He demanded the film be confiscated and never seen again, as if this film would somehow motivate males into becoming their own version of Chris or Brian Cleek.
I’d love to pawn this off on simply mistaking the author for the character, but that’s too easy. It goes deeper than that. What I believe happened was that this man was severely affected by the satire of this film — that societal complacency propagates these beliefs, that the male is superior over woman, nature and family — that he had to deny it, by simply believing that he, himself, would never do those vile acts, so “Hey, you can’t blame ME!”
Yes, it’s easier to sponge away the writing, than to act upon the words.
But, lest you think I justify my admiration for these kinds of films that exploit the current fascination with sexual captivity and violence because they serve up a dosage of nudity or sex, I have to tell you that you couldn’t be more wrong. Hostel, Captivity, the remake of I Spit on Your Grave, et al, all provide ample opportunity to gaze at their actresses. But, I wouldn’t recommend any of those films, because to be honest, they lack the sincerity in their commentary of violence and women. The filmmakers may express their good intentions, and critics may pull subtext from the cesspool of gore, but really, they’re just crying wolf. They didn’t think of anything but throwing some good ol’ sex and blood up on the screen.
The Woman is surely a disturbing and upsetting piece of film, but more importantly, it’s honest and powerful. You won’t be scared by The Woman because it’s shocking, but you’ll be frightened because it’s true. It holds the mirror to the face of society, and dares it to take a good look at how we view women, masculinity, and our duty as a community. It’s not for the weak-minded, because, frankly, that’s who this film satirizes. The viewer should remember that this is only a film (only a film, only a film), and the reality of the play is really right next door.

@UrFrenz

pietrandrea.david — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 09:51:05 +0000

@UrFrenz is a startling look at the real life perils that many of our teenage kids face. Inspired by the cyber-bullying case of Megan Meier, @UrFrenz isn’t content to be the formulaic “Wake up, parents!” Lifetime movie. Instead, it opens the front door and walks straight up to your kid’s room and shows you the real secret life of an American teenager.
The opening shot finds Catherine (Lily Holleman) running as fast as she can, trying to escape whatever is haunting her. She collapses to the ground, opening up her phone to read a text, and then lets out a guttural, tortured scream. Cut to Catherine, back in her room, before it all started. She’s a “cutter.” In front of her mirror she surveys self-inflicted scars across her stomach, arms, and thighs. The scars have healed, but she hasn’t. Her pain stems, in part, from her outsider status at school, but probably mostly from the breakup of a childhood friendship. Madison (Najarra Townsend) has joined the popular crowd, leaving her awkward friend behind as a minor casualty. This may be just a coming-of-age lesson for most kids, but Catherine’s lack of self worth has put her on edge, so much so that her mother, Beth (CaroleAnne Johnson), has locked all the knives, scissors, and sharp objects away in a heavy lock box.
Catherine’s a good kid. She tries to move on, forging a new friendship and taking her meds. But, after overhearing Madison’s ex brag about getting some post-breakup oral from Madison, Catherine thoughtlessly relays the gossip to her friend. And this is where the trouble starts. When Madison’s mom, Debbie (Gayla Goehl), gets wind of it, she secretly plots against her daughter’s former BFF for her supposed gossiping. With the help of Jacob (Michael Robert Kelly), her new young gofer at work, she creates a UrFrenz account (a fictional version of FaceBook/MySpace) under the pseudonym Brandon, a fake stud teen boy who will take an interest in the insecure loner (in Catharine’s fleshed out fantasy chat sessions, Brandon is played by James Maslow). Like a pissed off middle school girl with low blood sugar, Debbie created this persona to needle Catherine into confessing that she’d spread rumors about her daughter. But something else seems to be at play here, as Debbie’s tapped into her inner Mean Girl, and viciously aims to cause major damage to Catherine…and she succeeds. Possibly beyond her wildest intentions.
Director Jeff Phillips blends natural dialogue and performances with the dynamic handheld camera work of J. Soren Viuf to put the emphasis on character development. Working from his own screenplay, Phillips shrewdly avoids the preachy tone so familiar in the “scared straight” sub-genre and makes the message hard hitting and unmistakable. @UrFrenz is not just a one-note warning that “this could happen to your child!” In an age where parents become so overprotective and abuse the “kids will be kids” rhetoric, Phillips sends out @UrFrenz as a shoulder-shaking wake up call for parents to not just become more aware, but to take an active and responsible role in their children’s lives. Wide berth is given to the facts of the story, because really, the facts don’t matter once Debbie lets her wrecking ball swing. It doesn’t matter if Madison hooked up with her ex or not. It doesn’t matter if Catherine dropped the gossip out of spite or just as release. The facts won’t change the catastrophe that follows, once the momma bear lashes out to protect her cub.
Phillips has done a great job at making it accessible, because really, this movie needs to be seen! The kids in this film talk like kids, not with the pop culture eloquence of a John Hughes character. Their discussions are tempered, but urgent at the same time. They’re not gonna spill their beans at every turn. And the parents aren’t the wise, stern, but tender and loving kind, and they certainly don’t have all the answers. The teens in the audience will surely find much that is familiar: bullying, clique wars, sexting, suicide. The bonus is that they’ll get a look at these topics from a neutral and decidedly unglamorous standpoint. As well, the parents will get involved, and not just out of fear, but from the information available. Phillips’ script provides them a lesson, at the hands of Debbie’s office intern, Jacob, on the ins and outs of the cyber chat world: how kids talk and what they think, the hip Internet speak.
All of this, mashed up with some breakout performances by Lily Holleman and Najarra Townsend, make @UrFrenz a must see.

Sigmund and the Sea Monsters – Season One

pietrandrea.david — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:58:20 +0000

It’s oft been said that today’s kids demand more from their entertainment. This usually comes from producers and promoters, and all the others who profit from children’s’ entertainment… as well as the parents who consume it. They would have us all believe that our little Dakotas and Skylars and Hunters would never be caught watching the stuff we used to watch, because it’s so simple and booooring. Truth be told, kids are gonna watch what ever catches their eye, be it a black and white cartoon of Popeye, a Punch and Judy puppet show, or a flip book cartoon. And truth be told, it’s the parents who are demanding more from their kid’s entertainment. They want to see stuff in the programming that they can relate to, or that makes them laugh. And the producers are all too obliging, because they know who’s buying the stuff –it’s the parents, not the kids.
I like to prove the theory of theirs wrong. I regularly my li’l Pop Cereal flakes with a good dose of retro kid fun. And truth be told… they love it. Sure they love their My Little Pony and their Little Bear and Yo Gabba Gabba. They also love them some Groovie Goolies, and Double Deckers. And now their latest demand is for more Sigmund and the Sea Monsters.
Sigmund and the Sea Monsters was an early 1970s gem from those boys of Saturday Morning weirdness Sid & Marty Kroftt. It told the story of a young sea monster named Sigmund Ooze (played by the legendary Billy Barty), who ran away from his cave, because his family disowned him for not being mean enough. He befriends two California boys, Johnny and Scott (Johnny Whitaker and Scott Kolden), who he attempts to scare as they play out on the beach. The boys hide Sigmund in their cool backyard clubhouse, not only from their nosy housekeeper Zelda (the fabulous Mary Wikes), but from the dysfunctional Ooze family. It seems that every time Sigmund’s family get themselves into a bind, Big Daddy and Sweet Momma send out their remaining bumbling boys, Blurp and Slurp, to go fetch Sigmund to help straighten it all out.
The stories are simple and the dialogue is fun and unoffensive. The adventures are straight forward and loaded with silly slapstick action. A lot of the acting is corny, but that was the style of the Saturday morning program back in that era. It was all just plain fun. However, there was the right amount of cultural referencing to make it contemporary. Like Big Daddy’s parodying Archie Bunker with the voice and mannerisms — and a good ol’ Stifle it!” every so often. The comic action is absolute fun for the kids, and there are little tidbits of frights every so often, to make it exciting.
All this simple fun has made this DVD set a “demand” for my kids. They ask to watch it several times a week. They make up their own li’l Sigmund toys to play with, alongside their store bought Little Pony’s, and they’ve even announced that they’ll be Sigmund for Halloween (but then again, they’ve changed costume ideas like five times since).

Frat House Massacre

pietrandrea.david — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:51:33 +0000

Brothers Bobby (Rane Jameson) and Sean (Chris Prangley) have a falling out when Bobby decides to go out and party, rather than prepare for college. That night Bobby is in tragic car accident with a drunk driver, leaving him in a coma for several months. Sean has to return to college without his kid brother, who was to have joined his fraternity — Delta Iota Epsilon (DIE… get it!!). It’s probably a good thing, too, because the boys of DIE (who apparently have severe shirt allergies) have taken to the hobby of killing off their pledges… and not in some accidental hazing-gone-way-wrong way, but in all out brutal tortuous fashion. (I can only suspect that the fraternity’s alumni have questions about the low numbers of neophytes). When Sean questions the frat leader Mark (Jon Fleming), he finds himself next in line for the next fatal paddling (of the shirtless, sweaty variety). The untimely death of his older brother triggers Bobby to snap out of his coma, and thusly join the fraternity. Like a 70s gothic suspense TV movie, Bobby has no idea why he’s compelled to join the heinous brotherhood, but, as time goes by, he uncovers more and more of the frat house’s secrets. Soon, the frat brothers, and their, um girlfriends, wind up being stalked and killed by a faceless creep.
Director Alex Pucci, along with his Camp Slaughter sidekick writer Draven Gonzalez, were looking to craft an exploitation flick worthy of those of the old grindhouse days. Their intentions are very obvious on the screen — loads of blood, boobies, booze, and bare bodied boys(?). They also set the story in the 70s, but for no other reason, at least that I could find, than for the sake of making the flick more genuinely grindhouse. Therein lies a major problem with Frat House Massacre.
I can’t fault the boys’ ambitions. Exploitation films are the perfect choice for a small budget. But what Pucci and Gonzalez produced was more a fanboy homage to grindhouse, rather than a genuine exploitator. They worked very hard to try to get the look and feel of the 70s, complete with a breakout disco dance number (that comes off more like She’s All That than a Saturday Night Fever ripoff), and cars, and the era emulating clothes. [Kudos to some of the genuine sounding disco songs they created]. With all their endeavors to make the film look the part, they lacked real direction for their story. Granted, they kept it simple… kid digs for the dirt on his brother’s death, unseen killer seemingly does his bidding, bloody mayhem ensues. And that’s a good thing. Frat has all the ingredients, the problem is, they have the recipe all wrong. Plot points appear, and then disappear — like the supernatural element, introduced when Bobby awakes from his coma, right as his brother dies. And what other elements remain are paper thin. The revenge killings, of the frat brothers and their girls, are clearly motivated, stemming from death of Sean and the pledges. But the original crimes, those of the pledges, are questionable. Why’d they die, other than for simple thrills? Hey, I know frat boys are sometimes rude, crude and lewd, and make merriment of the passed out girl or two, and they enjoy belittling their pledges. But what’s the motivation behind the mass killing of pledges? And why doesn’t anybody question the multiple deaths? I get the whole trust fund bully thing, or the entitlement that comes with being the head frat guy. But what’s it all about? They’re no hazing-gone-wrong scenarios, but highly premeditated murder. But why? I have no idea, so I find myself caring less and less.
Everything turns into puzzlement, which would seem key for a whodunit slasher. Only the puzzlement isn’t in red herrings or proper suspense, it’s from lack of focus. There’s no point of view. No psychological playfulness. Just blood and gritty posturing. Characters are just fodder to move the (very thin) plot along. Worse is that the action is muddled and not very interesting (however, there is one kill scene which has to do with a butcher knife in someone’s mouth that is pure gold!). For a few minutes, however, I was getting the vibe of some underlying psycho-sexual subplot. As the film went along, the number of shirtless boys became more and more evident (either there was a heatwave that lasted the entire year that the story encompassed, or the wardrobe dept. severely miscounted the number of male cast members). And then there was the first pledgling’s murder. The scene was simply ripe with homoerotic energy. A young man stripped down to his Fruit o’ the Looms, bound and gagged, surrounded by his frat brothers, all shirtless and gnashing and prowling. At first I thought I was getting some not-so-subtle overtones of repressed sexual tensions, exploding in violence towards the male pledges, as well as in the terrible mistreatment of the sorority girlfriends (as well as with… well, every other female in the film). But as the plot trotted along, nothing more seemed to develop in this phase. In fact, the same scenarios — shirtless angry boys preying upon bound and gagged, helpless underwear models — ws repeated ad nauseam, with little variation, and to the point where I thought I might be watching a bad Victor Salva movie (a taught ology in itself). I was beginning to feel that the filmmakers weren’t using all the sweaty shirtlessness as a plot point, but rather for their own fetishistic pleasures. This is all fine and good, as long as they’re going somewhere with it. I mean, we are talking about exploitation here!!
The thing is… where is this film going? We’ve all seen a shitload of films with endless scenes of female nudity — which makes ‘em enjoyable in an eye candy way — but we don’t give two shits if’n there ain’t nothing else going on. It’s the point of view, or the emotional weight and attachment (or detachment if you’re Gasper Noe) that separates movies like I Spit on Your Grave or She Wolf of the SS from the other violent skin flicks that get cast off to Cinemax Latenight. Exploitation is not just skin and violence… well, at least good exploitation isn’t just sex and blood. But that’s what I ended up seeing with Frat House Massacre… lots of blood and flesh… but no meat.
I love the titles out of Synapse Films –one of my favorite distributors of good genre cinema — but this one was a disappointment.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

pietrandrea.david — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:44:46 +0000

I am a huge fan of the POTA films. Have been ever since I saw the original 1969 Planet of the Apes at the Central Drive-in when I was all of seven years old. Every since then, they’ve become a touchstone of my movie watching experience throughout the rest of my life. I’d always enjoyed the marvel and excitement of the Ape world, but, as well, I’ve come to deeply appreciated the commentary the films provide. Even as a 7 year-old I could see that something else, besides action and adventure, was going on in those stories. The imagery, the words, all looked and felt familiar. I may not have understood a lot what was going on at age 7, but with the wisdom of years, the older I got, the more I understood the deeper messages of the POTA films.
The huge POTA fan that I am, however, I am not wrapped up in the so-called mythology of the series. I don’t theorize how the Earth was taken over by Apes, or try to map out the genealogy to trace Cornelius back to modern day, or theorize on Ape history and culture. I never felt the need to wrap myself up within that world. I just love watching the movies and analyzing the commentary. The mythology aspect seems to be the hobby of the newer generations, where shows like Lost require mandatory Internet research, and true fanmanship is gauged by your CosPlay status. It’s this over-involvement in things other than the story that eventually eroded my overall enjoyment of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. So much attention is given to the invention of a new franchise backstory and hidden clues, and tying them together with the homages to the original POTA series, that it felt as if the actual story being told on the screen was second hand business.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes is not without its merits. Like the original film, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a visual treat. The cinematography is wonderful, and the visual effects are astounding. You may already know this about me — that I am not a big special effects kinda guy — so, for me to sit back and enjoy CG animation, it’s a big thing. I have always been fine with the rubber masked look of the original Apes — and the transparency of all the effects of those days — because I’ve always felt that it was all a part of the showmanship. The Harryhausen models never looked so real, but in my imagination. For me, that was the point of movie magic, that we understood it was all fake, yet we were still so taken. The updated effects of the 2011 film are surely a treat, though. Caesar was done with such CG artistry that I fell for him as a full on character. The only flaw in the CG effects came with some of the peripheral creatures. With much effort and attention given to the main Ape characters — Caesar, the gorilla, the orangutan… — the supporting cast of monkeys seemed wooden at times, their movements not jibing with the masterful animation of the main cast.
Story-wise, Rise of the Planet of the Apes did hint at some good ideas… or a good idea. Caesar, the central chimp of the story, asks “What is Caesar?” The simple question is asked of his owner, scientist Will Rodman, played by James Franco. Will has sneaked Caesar out of the labs at Gen-Sys, where he has developed a drug for Alzheimer’s called ALZ-112. Caesar’s mother was the primary lab animal being tested by Will’s team, who has discovered that the drug has improved the chimp’s brain functions. When the chimp, named Bright Eyes (get it?) goes ape in Will’s sales pitch meeting with the pharm companies, Bright Eyes has to be put down, with all the rest of the lab chimps. It’s at this point that Will discovers that Bright Eyes has been hiding something in her cage… a baby chimp. So, it wasn’t the ALZ-112 that made her violent! She was only trying to protect her baby. Wracked with guilt, and not prepared to put a baby chimp down, Will takes the chimp home to raise it on his own. Will’s father, played by John Lithgow, in the early stages of Alzheimer’s himself, names the chimp Caesar (another get-it?). Caesar becomes not just their secret pet, but more of a son and grandson. As Caesar grows older, he progresses in intelligence, even developing communication skills with Will through sign language. But then, when Will requests that Caesar wear a leash while on one of their regular visits to the Muir Woods, Caesar is saddened and confused, asking that disheartened, but all-encompassing question: What is Caesar?
The question is pointed at the fact that Caesar is confused as to whether he is a pet that needs to be collared and leashed, or is he something more… maybe Will’s “son”? The question also means something more: what are animals to humans? In the opening sequence we watch as men cruelly hunt down chimpanzees in the jungle, capturing them in boxes and exporting them to the labs at Gen-Sys, to be lab test animals. Is this the purpose of animals on Earth, to be whatever humans want them to be? A pet? A lab animal? Not only is Caesar asking about his own identity, but he is speaking to the greater arrogance of humankind — who are we humans, to take charge of creatures below us in the food chain, just because we can?
Caesar’s self-awareness question is unique to this movie, but the message of human arrogance is one that is borrowed from Rise’s POTA predecessors. In the 1968 film Heston’s character, Taylor, speaks quite boldly of his contempt for humankind, and the arrogance that humans display by going to war against their brothers, and starving others while building wealth and glory. However, unlike Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the original Planet of the Apes demonstrates its commentary with much more discussion, and sharper writing and skilled character development. The undeniable references to the social upheaval of the 60s — race relations, Vietnam, class struggles, the environment — are deftly interwoven into the story, adding an element of urgency — images of Taylor being hosed down mimic the news footage of black Civil Rights protesters being hosed by police; Zira’s words “All humans look alike…” mimic the words we’ve all heard from our friends or acquaintances — which, if only as a historical lesson, are still resonant today. Rise of the Planet of the Apes lacks this urgency. The message of how we treat animals is certainly a current issue, but it’s delivered with the biased punch of a PETA ad — bad people are being cruel to animals! Besides this message, there is nothing more that really resonates to the current events of the day.
And this is the major flaw of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, that it didn’t dig any deeper than that simple question. Just here, in this review, I’ve invested more into that little question of Caesar’s than the filmmakers did. Unlike the 1968 Planet of the Apes, there doesn’t seem to be any urgency to Rise of the Planet of the Apes. God knows, there’s so much that can be discussed related to the notion that humans arrogance has grown more intolerable since the 1970s. We’re in the midst of another tangled mess of a war. There’s global warming, and the “green” movement. Racism is still very much (and sadly) alive. There is so much that the original POTA films (along with the TV Drama and cartoon) tackled, that I can’t help but feel cheated by this latest re-imagining.
Instead of depth and conversation, Rise of the Planet of the Apes throws down a pile of characters who do nothing more than demonstrate that stale idea that humans can be assholes, or that humans can be complacent. The neighbor next door to Will is prime example. The man apparently lives for no other reason but to be a total and utterly un-compassionate prick. He threatens Will when Caesar breaks out of the house and winds up on his property, and then humiliates and berates Will father, when, in a cloud of confusion caused by his Alzheimer’s, he tries to drive off in his car. Oh, and he also yells at people who come to Will’s house and knock on his door. Then there’s the folks at the San Bruno Primate Shelter, where Caesar is sent after protecting his “grandfather” and assaulting the mean neighbor, after the whole incident with the car. What the purpose of the shelter is is pretty vague, but for some reason the family who runs the facility (headed up by Brian Cox) aren’t big fans of primates. They have elaborate dwellings for the primates in their care, decked out in trees and rocks and all kinds of things the primates love. And they show it all off with such pride to Will, when he comes to deliver Caesar. But them, when all the people leave, the primates are chased through a labyrinth of tunnels to be cruelly boxed up in tiny cages. But why? What’s worse is that one of the kids watching over the primates has an unsavory anger towards the monkeys. But, here’s the thing. The kid treats the primates as if he’s a bully in junior high. He yells insults at them and mocks them terribly… but, um, they’re monkeys. Insults and mockery don’t really come off as cruelty, when it’s animals who are being called names. But, with that aside, the vile anger this kid has towards the animals is never explained, so his cruelty towards them is shallow. Then there are the policeman, who have to deal with the rogue monkeys when they break out of the shelter. There never seems to be a moment of confusion or bewilderment from the officers. They simply attack the apes with impunity, mowing them down with machine guns and charging at them with helicopters. The anger towards the animals, in every aspct, is just plain confusing. People are bad…animals are good. Check. Here’s a bad human — he talks naughty to monkeys. Here’s a bad human — he talks nasty to his neighbors. Okay, we get the point… humans can be pricks. Now… what else you got?
What is frustrating about these stereotypes and their useless behavior, is that there are name actors in some roles that should really have had more meat on their bones. Why are award winning actors like Frieda Pinto and Brian Cox delegated to roles where their shining talents aren’t even used, let alone needed? Maybe they could’ve been used in the other roles, where they could’ve put some edge to the stereotypes? For some reason, I think these actors’ talents may come up in the already planned sequels. Let’s hope so. And let’s hope that the future new POTA franchise films will be stronger in commentary and story, as they are in visual wonders.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes is simply too wrapped up in the mythology of itself, painstakingly paying homage to the originals series and their creators, and fashioning a history for the new franchise. This is probably why Rise of the Planet of the Apes comes off as incomplete. Planet of the Apes was its own story, with a beginning, a middle, and and end. They didn’t tie their writers up with leaving room for a sequel, yet alone a franchise. But Rise of the Planet of the Apes seems to have dropped off after a third act that seemed more like a second act plot point. Instead of making a nice third act, one that would wrap the story up, we’re left, instead, with all but a to be continued tag on the screen.