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filmbunny99
Reviews
The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019)
Formula One applies to the script more than racing
I didn't read the book so didn't know what to expect in this film. Was very disappointed because (A) it was a formulaic, obvious, Hallmark tearjerker story and (B) Milo Ventimiglia couldn't act if his life depended on it. Literally, when his wife was dying, his facial expression looked exactly the same as it did when he was sitting on the couch watching television with his dog. And, no matter what happened to him in the story, that's how his facial expression remained for the entire movie.
Six Letter Word (2012)
A clear-eyed look at a troubled mother's dedication to her special needs son.
I found myself thoroughly engaged in this short film. Not a lot of short films do that for me. That takes talent.
I loved the opening scene -- mysterious, compact and setting up a wonderful contrast between the hardcore hooker and the rather nice but mysterious customer. I also love the use of the bedroom mirror, the nice montage showing the hooker at work and the clever, touching way the hooker's other life as a dedicated mom of a special needs son was introduced. There was a wonderful plot twist with the mysterious customer and a sparse but effective depiction of the event that A) contradicted what Zoe (the hooker) said she doesn't do and that B) drove Zoe to accept help from her estranged mom.
In a short time, the writer/director managed to develop three dimensional characters and make them sympathetic. The acting was uniformly excellent with Rumer Willis and Rio Mangini effortlessly carrying the film.
I was rooting for Zoe to somehow succeed without resorting to help from her disagreeable mother who didn't make much effort to remember the correct name of her grandson. The dialog was excellent and very authentic. The story was never heavy handed with the sentimentality but managed in a natural way to elicit my sympathy. And, the editing was lean and well paced. Overall, a very well done short. I hope to see more from this talented writer/director and team.
Bernard Le Grand (2013)
A humorous and unusual act of rebellion
Just saw this at Cinequest (San Jose, CA) and found this gem to be a humorous and unusual take on childhood rebellion. The story is quirky, the POV is consistently from the child's perspective, the directing, cinematography and editing were top notch, the soundtrack was excellent and the acting was uniformly good.
I was most impressed with the director's skill at teasing out the humor. One only has to look at the mountain of comedy flops to know that it takes a special skill to write and direct comedy.
The production values were impressive. This looked like a short with a long budget which was a pleasant surprise considering the less than stellar shorts I had seen in previous festivals.
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
This is a stage play that Alejandro decided to film...
First let me say that this movie is not cinematic!! It's a stage play that Alejandro decided to film. That said, the cinematic choices were very weak. After the fifteenth time following Michael Keaton (with a steadicam) through the dingy maze of theater hallways, or looking again at his or someone else's depressing dressing room, I longed to see something genuinely cinematic. There was a brief respite when Riggan fantasized about reviving Birdman as a superhero movie which was actually intended to make fun of tent-pole pics. I'm not a fan of tent-pole pics, but I am a fan of good cinematic storytelling.
In addition, since the story starts with Riggan frantically preparing to open a Broadway play, the audience never has a chance to connect emotionally with him. For ninety minutes, we see him freaking out -- Yawn. We don't care because we didn't travel with him to this point in his life. He alludes to his past in bits of clever dialog, but that's not enough to get the audience rooting for him to succeed.
Since most critics are primarily writers and most actors honed their chops in traditional theater, I suspect the high praise for this film comes from a segment of the entertainment industry that reveres the art of literary prose and barely understands the art of cinematic prose.
This Is the End (2013)
What happened to the second half?!!
I gave this five stars only because in the first half of the movie, the dialog and interaction between the stars was genuinely funny. I'm sure the writers had a blast making fun of all the movies the main actors had collectively made, but about the halfway point, the movie went into a death dive.
The writing suddenly shifted to endless penis, don't come in my house and drinking urine jokes that WERE raunchy and WEREN'T funny. Hysteria and huge, head-splitting special effects took over. The story became a soup pot into which the writers threw "every crappy idea that popped into their drug addled heads".
What a shame. At the beginning of the movie, I thought we might be treated to a version of The Hollywood Hangover. Alas, no such luck.