"Winner": Saw: 3D

No competition this week meant an instant victory for the modern horror franchise. Lets hope the makers stay true to their word and this is indeed the last one.

The National Film Challenge: Crashing

I had a blast this past weekend making a film for this year's National Film Challenge.

Myself and Steve Valdeck headed up a team of eight that trekked into the heart of a mountain snowstorm, had to reschedule our entire shoot, and ended up making a very good short film, Crashing.

The film deals with a married couple on their way to a marriage retreat who find themselves lost in the wilderness.

The required elements we were given at the beginning of the competition were:

1. Prop- a wooden spoon
2. Line- "I've never heard it put that way"
3. Character- Jesse or Jessie Samson, DJ

The genre our team drew was Drama, which we chose over Sci-Fi.

The shooting was very fun, stretching from Saturday into Sunday due to weather concerns closing our initial location. After lots and lots of post production work, we mailed the film with a half hour to spare.

It will be posted on the National Film Challenge website in a week or so, where it will be up to be voted on for Audience Choice award, so we will be counting on all of your support!

Winner: Hereafter

Okay, so while I was away, the Clint Eastwood drama completely dominated Paranormal Activity 2 in the weekly poll. Will be heading to see it soon.

The National Film Challenge

This upcoming weekend I am going to be participating in another film competition similar to the last one I did. This one however is a 72 hour contest. Just like last time, the contest will begin on Friday evening, where our team, this time led by myself and editor Steve Valdeck, will receive three story elements and the choice of two genres. The story elements are a character, a prop, and a line of dialogue, while genres range from such staples as comedy and drama to more specialized ones, such as film noir, buddy film, and road movie.

From that point, all writing, shooting, editing, and scoring must be completed by Monday, when the film will be mailed in to the contest organizers. Teams from around the world will be competing for cash prizes and the chance to have the film shown at prestigious film festivals.

Needless to say I am very excited about this, as our last film, Jack Staple and the Cubicles of Doom did very well, making it to the Best of Denver screening for the 48 Hour Film Project. We feel we can do even better this time around.

For those who haven't seen Jack Staple yet, here it is, an example of what can be accomplished in a few short days.

(elements were: Sharon Woods, administrative assistant; a lamp; and "he told me not to tell anyone"; genre: adventure serial)

Featured New Release Poll- 10/22

Another spooky Halloween movie comes out this Friday, with Paranormal Activity 2 storming into theaters. The first entry in the franchise was wildly popular despite its meager budget, akin to the infamous Blair Witch Project. Is the second as scary as the first? Well, I didn't see the first, but I will if you make me see this new one (did I mention that I love Halloween? Best holiday ever).

Also coming out this week is the latest Clint Eastwood project, Hereafter, starring Matt Damon and Richard Kind. The film tells of a psychic who can see the fate of everyone he meets. Looks to be an introspective and soul searching affair.

Winner: Red

Happily, Red came away the victor in last week's poll. not to say I don't enjoy the highjinks of the Jackass boys, but I am in the mood for some more sophisticated humor.

The Social Network

I remember when I first heard they were making a Facebook movie.

To call my reaction "mixed" would be a compliment. I was genuinely amused that such a trivial topic would be adapted to a film. "A movie about Facebook? HA!" (My exact words at the time).

But then details began trickling in. David Fincher was attached to direct Aaron Sorkin's screenplay. The trailer revealed the film to be more a biopic of Facebook head Mark Zuckerberg than anything else. Despite the apparent involvement of Justin Timberlake, The Social Network was starting to look like it had promise.

So I went into the theatre with a reasonable amount of expectation. Knowing Fincher's ouevre, it is hard to go into any of his films without expecting to be entertained. And happily, The Social Network delivered.

From the opening of the movie we are immediately clued into one glaring fact; Mark Zuckerberg is not the most socially adept person in the world. The irony that such an introverted person created the world's largest social networking site is prevalent throughout the film, as Zuckerberg manages to alienate his school, his family, and his friends all while on the quest for the millionth Facebook member.

In typical Fincher form, the cinematography is dark and brooding. Much of the action is confined to the dorm rooms and exclusive clubs of Harvard, with the occasional jaunt forward in time to the law office board rooms where litigations against Zuckerberg took place. The screenplay weaves in and out of the telling of Facebook's creation in the mid 2000's and the more recent legal actions against it by both the Winklevoss brothers, who claim Zuckerberg stole their idea for the massive social site, and former Facebook CFO Eduardo Saverin, claiming he was bilked out of his stock option when the company went public.

All the back story and intrigue makes for a fascinating account about how something that we now all take for granted came to be.

Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland) is a revelation as the wormish Zuckerberg. I was surprised at how well he performed the character's social isolation whilst becoming the corporate world's darling. The rest of the supporting cast is also well up to the task. Andrew Garfield (about to turn up as Peter Parker in the Spiderman reboot) was earnest in his portrayal of Saverin, and Armie Hammer provided many humorous moments in his dual roles as the somewhat foppish Winklevoss twins.

The film is of course not without its shortcomings. For those who want some real action in their films, look elsewhere. The Social Network consists of a bunch of nerds talking about nerdy things, and lawyers talking about lawyerly things, sometimes at the same time! But it was all interesting to me.

Also, forget about finding any strong female characters. The most prolific woman in the story begins her character arc performing sexual acts in a bar bathroom and ends it setting a fire in an apartment.

The Social Network has been called the Citizen Kane of our time. While it doesn't match the quality of the latter, Fincher's film is similar in its portrayal of a flawed but ultimately well meaning media mogul. The backstory of the making of Facebook proves to be worthy of a feature film. In a time when very few original movies are coming out, The Social Network is a welcome find at the theater.



Attendance: 2/5
Crazy Fan Boy Factor: 0/5
Crowd Response: 3/5

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Production Value: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Acting Performances: 4/5
Timberlake Douchiness Factor: 6/5



Overall: 8/10

Featured New Release Poll- 10/15

This week we have a break from the recent horror flick onslaught, and a relatively light offering from the major studios, as only two major releases are scheduled this coming week.

First is Jackass: 3D, featuring Johnny Knoxville's band of merry misfits partaking in yet another feature length episode of the decade old pranks and stunts show.

Also, Red storms into cinemas with guns blazing and Helen Mirren, Bruce Willis, and Morgan Freeman pulling the triggers.

Winner: My Soul to Take

Well it was pretty close but My Soul to Take came out on top this week. I think it is only available in 3D... ick.

Meet the Fockers

It was fun going back to poor Gaylord Focker's expolits this week with my viewing of Meet the Fockers, as well as the original Meet the Parents. I always appreciate when a comedy franchise stays true to the original in casting and in tone, but its always great to inject some new blood into the franchise. Meet the Fockers does this with the inclusion of Gaylord (heretofore known as Greg)'s parents, played with much gusto by Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand, as well as his cute-as-a-button nephew Baby Jack.

So Meet the Fockers did everything right in those terms. All the major players from the first return, add a few new zany ones and a cute baby, and you have the formula for a satisfying sequel.

Meet the Fockers has Greg (Ben Stiller) and fiancee Pam (Teri Polo) road tripping down to Florida with Pam's conservative and overbearing parents (Robert De Niro and Blythe Danner) to meet his own aforementioned parents, who are not quite from the same mindset as De Niro's Jack. The overall plot is actually domewhat reminiscent of one of my favorite comedies, The Birdcage.

Much of the humor in this film is derived from the conflict between the two families. The Fockers are over sharing, friendly and sexual, compared to Jack, who maintains his suspicious and cold demeanor seen in the first film. His devotion to Jinx the cat has been replaced by his grandfathering instinct. He insists on the "Ferber" method of child rearing, meaning no coddling and a strict dietary and educational regimen for Baby Jack. Naturally, things go horribly awry, of course thanks to Greg.

Ex CIA agent Jack has his own mission, putting it upon himself to prove without a doubt that Greg is not telling his fiancee the entire truth about his past. A revalation he as concerning Greg's ex nanny makes it appear perhaps Jack is on to something.

Granted, the movie is not as good as the first. But nonetheless, it maintains the tradition of the first while advancing the narrative of the hero Greg Focker, and remains funny while doing so. THe genius casting in no small part made the movie. Hoffman and Streisand were perfect for their roles, and provided many of the laughs with their bizarre behavior and parenting techniques.

Ultimately, Meet the Fockers is a satisfyingly funny followup to one of my favorite comedies. While it doesn't stray too far from familiar turf, it still has enough comic moments, and I would not be disappointed in the least to see Little Fockers when it comes out this holiday season.


Production Value: 3/5
Humor: 3/5
Acting Performances: 3/5
Culture Clash: 7/5


Overall: 6/10

You Again

I was somewhat reluctant to go see You Again. I mean, I had seen the trailer and already knew everything I needed to know. Small town girl is ridiculed in high school, goes on to become pretty and successful, and returns home only to find her brother marrying the girl who made her life miserable in high school, thus regressing back to her high school self. Oh, and Betty White shows up and some point, as she is going to do in every romantic comedy from here on out until she dies or her sudden unexplained popularity falls by the wayside.

I COULD have just written a half assed review, based on the trailer, and none of you would be the wiser. However, I am glad I actually went to see the film so that I can tell you all not to go see it, as it was a complete waste of time and the talent of everyone involved.

And there is a LOT of talent, here. Besides White, the cast includes both Jamie Lee Curtis and Sigourney Weaver, as well as the charming Kristin Bell in the lead as Marni. Add to that some impressive cameos and you could have had the makings of a real success.

Unfortunately, You Again falters out of the gate and never manages to gain back any ground. The film is uneven, unfunny, and implausible. A sloppily directed opening introduces Marni as an awkward teenager, speaking to a camera for the High School time capsule (new pet peeve- web cam shots which are popping up everywhere, from Avatar to Easy A). We see her being tormented, as the entire school, led by Odette Yustman's Joanna, singing "We Are the Champions", picks her up and puts her outside, locking the door. Huh? This scene was so weird and so unnatural, I never recovered. Did the writer/director/anyone actually get harassed in high school? Because it wouldn't appear so.

Anyway, years later Marni is revealed to be an attractive and successful publicist. She returns home to find out, to her horror, somehow her brother is marrying the girl who made her life a living hell and, no one has any clue about it at all. Even Joanna herself seems to have no memory of her actions.

She has the family around her little finger, too, all the more vexing to Marni, who decides the only course of action is to reveal Joanna for who she was, in high school. I know, makes no sense. Well, its not my fault.

The film relies on pratfalls and shenanigans of the basest form. Marni falling into an anthill (HA...) her mom getting sprayed in the face with water (ha....), or that dude Marni likes getting hit in the face (hmm). This would be ok, except NONE of the schtick is actually funny. I thought I was going to make it through the entire film without laughing once, but a brilliant cameo appearance (I'll keep it a secret to force you to go see this movie*) in the last five minutes saved the day. Too bad I had to slog through 100 minutes of sloppy and ridiculous You Again to get there.

Marni nearly succeeds in her devious plan, but the dream wedding does indeed happen, of course not before the bride and groom both befall their own "funny" injuries, landing them both in the hospital. So, the dream wedding takes place in a hospital cafeteria, complete with Hall and Oates. Yeah, ok.

Oh, and for the record, I didn't include Yustman in my discussion on talent because... well, you can figure that out for yourself.


Attendance: 2/5
Crazy Fan Boy Factor: 0/5
Crowd Response: 0/5

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Production Value: 3/5
Humor: 1/5
Plot: 2/5
(*Just Kidding): It was Cloris Leachman

Overall: 4/10

Featured New Release Poll- 10/8

This week we continue October's wickedly evil slate of releases with My Soul to Take, Wes Craven's first foray into 3D cinema.

Meanwhile, two heartwarming melodramas round off this week's major releases. First is Life as We Know It, a comedy about a mismatched couple forced to raise their deceased friends' baby together.

Finally is Secretariat, the true story of horse racing's last triple crown winner.

Winner: The Social Network

Somewhat predictably, David Fincher's biopic about Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg easily won this week's poll. The Social Network is being called a "modern day Rashomon" which is good, but they said the same thing about Vantage Point.

Next viewing assignment...

I dug into my pile of surveys and picked out Meet the Fockers, which was selected by family friend Jaime. She writes that she loves this film "because it is sooo happy!"

Meet the Parents is one of my favorite recent comedies, and I watch it every year at least once. I have only seen it's sequel one time that I can remember, so it will be good to watch again in anticipation of the third movie in the series, Little Fockers, coming out this holiday season.