I'm back for a new week full of new reviews (I hope). I bring you three right now. One for the so-so comedy Club Dread, one for the fantastic documentary Rivers and Tides and for the upcoming PBS mini-series The New Americans. Thank you very much to Steve James for bringing that to the Big Muddy Film Festival this year. It was a huge success and as you read you will see why. Don't miss it. A link to broadcast info is at the end there. Keep coming back. I have a lot to cover still including Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Party Monster. You don't want to miss it.
Club Dread
Review by Jon Waterman
**
Coconut Pete’s resort is a place where college kids can come and party to the extreme. The staff is instructed to sleep with the guests to make their visit more enjoyable. They even have fun police on duty. It’s a hedonistic island with no escape, so you might as well enjoy the festivities. Enjoyment becomes more difficult, because there’s a killer on the loose. One by one, the masked serial killer is picking off the nubile youth. Can he be stopped? Will we laugh as they try?
Comedy troupe Broken Lizard hopes you will laugh. Aside from the opening half hour or so, the jokes get killed pretty steadily. The film starts off with the first deaths. A guy and two girls that escape to do some drugs and have a three way in the jungle. We are treated to a bunch of funny jokes and unusually creative insults (which can’t be repeated here) before the plot even gets going. However, later on, after the scene with the maze, all of the intelligent yet vulgar humor dies down. They get too caught up with the story and don’t focus enough on keeping the oddball comedy feel to it.
Although the laughs pretty much stop after thirty minutes, the parody is consistently good throughout. Not great, but good. Unlike a movie such as “Freddy Vs. Jason” where the movie may or may not be making fun of itself, “Club Dread” is definitely satirizing the horror genre. In fact, sometimes it does a better job with it than the “real” scary movies. You may jump a couple times. And I was honestly surprised when I found out who the killer was. I expected something more quirky or unbelievable from this group. The ending was overdoing it and everyone could tell where it was going. Other than that, the film did a good job of sticking with the conventions and precedents set while at the same time exploiting them.
The acting of course is pretty bad, but part of that is on purpose. Occasionally the comic timing is off, but it’s still more effective than a lot of comedies in that respect. All in all, though, it just doesn’t have the same rapid-fire feel that “Super Troopers” has. The jokes don’t come very quick and they get lost near the end. The story is there, but not enough was done creatively to make it gut-bustingly funny. We know they’re capable of it, which makes the film more disappointing. I’m sure there are going to plenty of people that disagree with me on this, but I just wasn’t feeling it.
+++++++
The New Americans
Review by Jon Waterman
****
This new seven-part documentary series tells the story of five people over four years as they attempt to leave the homes they?ve known all their lives and start over in the United States. They come from all over the world and land in different cities. A Palestinian woman gets engaged to an American she met on his vacation. Nigerian refugees from the Ogoni tribe escape persecution as they make their new home in Chicago. Two young kids from the Dominican Republic hope to use baseball to gain a better life for their mothers. A Mexican immigrant tries to bring his family north so they can be together again. A man from India attempts to strike it rich in Silicon Valley.
The details of the stories may be different, but the underlying themes are consistent. All of them must deal with families and those that are left behind. All of them must deal with the immense differences in culture. Everything is new to them. Instantly they are bombarded with confusing paperwork. The food is unlike anything they?ve tasted. They find out how difficult it can be to make ends meet. It is culture shock caught on tape. Not all of them are excited about it, however. Sometimes it?s just what has to be done for love or for money or for safety.
The series does a great job of keeping our interest. The kinetic opening titles and the theme song jump-starts each episode, preparing you for the great visuals and fascinating storylines. In fact, sometimes the shots are composed so well, that you may ignore the subtitles. There are plenty of obstacles that come about along the way from visas to schooling to families to health problems. We want to see them succeed. Even though only a short time is spent on each story, we grow with them quickly. The personalities draw us in. We laugh at their silly problems and at the same things they find funny, which really shows the similarities of the entire human race.
Despite being about a potentially touchy issue like immigration, the series isn?t really politically charged. There is some in there, since it?s unavoidable. Most of the political discussion is about what is going on in their homelands. Even those back home that see the move abroad as a betrayal of their country is essentially glance over. Perceptions of immigrants in the United States become an issue, especially in how the Palestinians are treated after September 11. Largely, though, the movie focuses on how the various people adjust and adapt and become American. Some of the stories bring babies into the world and to me, these are the true new Americans raised by their American families.
The paradox is interesting. Normally those already in the United States move to another town or state whenever it?s necessary. Here the instinct is to move out of the country entirely. It?s a wonderful study of other cultures and traditions. It teaches us how ignorant we are of what is going on around us, but it does it in such a way to avoid making us look stupid. In the end, I felt there were either too many stories or too few episodes. I?d rather see more episodes to get an even better feel for them. The epilogue is too quick and it would be nice to see more closure.
All the series asks of you is seven hours of your time. This seems like a lot and it can be. I say watch the first episode or two and go from there. Most likely, you?ll be hooked and wanting more.
For show times or purchasing information visit http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/newamericans/index.html
++++++
Rivers and Tides
Review by Jon Waterman
****
This documentary shows artist Andy Goldsworthy doing what he does best. Andy works in nature. He uses things found (usually) in his home country of Scotland and creates various sculptures and other living art pieces. Some of them will be around for decades and centuries to come; others last only a few hours. They all exist in isolation, hidden from the civilized world, possibly never seen in person by anyone else?s eyes.
The film starts off with an ice sculpture. Andy takes pieces of icicles and weaves them ?through? a rock. We immediately get a sense of how painstaking the process is. He carefully connects the ice together with his bare hands, which appear to be frost bitten from the work, because gloves would prove to be too bulky and not intimate enough. When it?s all said (or not said as I?ll say later) and done, we see the result of the time, effort and pain. The ice seamlessly flows through the rock to create a piece of art that combines various aspects of nature in an absurd, yet magical way. As the sun comes up, the ice melts away and the toils of the morning disappear.
It is not unusual for his work to be taken apart. Many pieces are created for that specific purpose. Pictures are taken of each one for memory sake as well as to reassure those that provide grants to him. There are many instances in which the art melts, washes away, gets blown by the wind or dissolves back into the earth. It?s all part of nature correcting itself. Director Thomas Riedelsheimer does a wonderful job showing not only the beauty of the art created with nature, but also the beauty in nature that inspires Andy to begin with. We see the beautiful landscapes as well as close up shots of the lush vegetation.
Just like Andy, the film is not afraid of patience, but they both know their time limits. Often we get lingering shots of the art. From one still position, we see the art fade away over a period of hours. In one instance, we see weeds growing around cone made of rocks that was built in a field of dirt. Some of these shots seem impossible or just foolish to attempt. However, these shots not only represent the patience of the artist and showcase his work, but they also define a clear artistic value to the film itself and separate it from more conventional documentaries.
Movement is key not only in the art, but also in the film. Nature is ever moving and growing and flowing. Andy incorporates that into his work by working with the wind and the rivers and tides and everything else around him. He even uses wool from sheep and stretches it across a rock wall. No medium is out of bounds for him.
The film uses relatively little dialogue. Mostly it?s about watching him create things out of leaves, rocks, water, etc. The work doesn?t really need explanation. The visuals speak for themselves. When he does speak, it?s always insightful and very useful in understanding why he does what he does. The most he talks is during the brief sequence at home with the wife and kids. I got the impression that he has a disdain for his home life. Not necessarily because of the people, but because he is not out in nature. He knows how to manipulate nature, because he has studied it and worked with it for many years. His passion is truly with his art and the world around him. When his structures collapse in front of our eyes, it is heart breaking for us as well. His emotions are plain as day without so many words.
The film is fascinating. He is able to find incredible spots to conduct his efforts. Sometimes the work is not very complex, but it is always interesting and always incredible to look at. The music is unusual, but fun and the quirkiness adds a little something to the overall mood. I had never heard of Andy Goldsworthy before this film, and from what I?ve heard this film doesn?t even show his best work. But if this is the mediocre stuff, then I may not be ready for the cream of the crop. The art is incredible. The filmmaking is stunning and mind blowing. You can?t go wrong.
Club Dread
Review by Jon Waterman
**
Coconut Pete’s resort is a place where college kids can come and party to the extreme. The staff is instructed to sleep with the guests to make their visit more enjoyable. They even have fun police on duty. It’s a hedonistic island with no escape, so you might as well enjoy the festivities. Enjoyment becomes more difficult, because there’s a killer on the loose. One by one, the masked serial killer is picking off the nubile youth. Can he be stopped? Will we laugh as they try?
Comedy troupe Broken Lizard hopes you will laugh. Aside from the opening half hour or so, the jokes get killed pretty steadily. The film starts off with the first deaths. A guy and two girls that escape to do some drugs and have a three way in the jungle. We are treated to a bunch of funny jokes and unusually creative insults (which can’t be repeated here) before the plot even gets going. However, later on, after the scene with the maze, all of the intelligent yet vulgar humor dies down. They get too caught up with the story and don’t focus enough on keeping the oddball comedy feel to it.
Although the laughs pretty much stop after thirty minutes, the parody is consistently good throughout. Not great, but good. Unlike a movie such as “Freddy Vs. Jason” where the movie may or may not be making fun of itself, “Club Dread” is definitely satirizing the horror genre. In fact, sometimes it does a better job with it than the “real” scary movies. You may jump a couple times. And I was honestly surprised when I found out who the killer was. I expected something more quirky or unbelievable from this group. The ending was overdoing it and everyone could tell where it was going. Other than that, the film did a good job of sticking with the conventions and precedents set while at the same time exploiting them.
The acting of course is pretty bad, but part of that is on purpose. Occasionally the comic timing is off, but it’s still more effective than a lot of comedies in that respect. All in all, though, it just doesn’t have the same rapid-fire feel that “Super Troopers” has. The jokes don’t come very quick and they get lost near the end. The story is there, but not enough was done creatively to make it gut-bustingly funny. We know they’re capable of it, which makes the film more disappointing. I’m sure there are going to plenty of people that disagree with me on this, but I just wasn’t feeling it.
+++++++
The New Americans
Review by Jon Waterman
****
This new seven-part documentary series tells the story of five people over four years as they attempt to leave the homes they?ve known all their lives and start over in the United States. They come from all over the world and land in different cities. A Palestinian woman gets engaged to an American she met on his vacation. Nigerian refugees from the Ogoni tribe escape persecution as they make their new home in Chicago. Two young kids from the Dominican Republic hope to use baseball to gain a better life for their mothers. A Mexican immigrant tries to bring his family north so they can be together again. A man from India attempts to strike it rich in Silicon Valley.
The details of the stories may be different, but the underlying themes are consistent. All of them must deal with families and those that are left behind. All of them must deal with the immense differences in culture. Everything is new to them. Instantly they are bombarded with confusing paperwork. The food is unlike anything they?ve tasted. They find out how difficult it can be to make ends meet. It is culture shock caught on tape. Not all of them are excited about it, however. Sometimes it?s just what has to be done for love or for money or for safety.
The series does a great job of keeping our interest. The kinetic opening titles and the theme song jump-starts each episode, preparing you for the great visuals and fascinating storylines. In fact, sometimes the shots are composed so well, that you may ignore the subtitles. There are plenty of obstacles that come about along the way from visas to schooling to families to health problems. We want to see them succeed. Even though only a short time is spent on each story, we grow with them quickly. The personalities draw us in. We laugh at their silly problems and at the same things they find funny, which really shows the similarities of the entire human race.
Despite being about a potentially touchy issue like immigration, the series isn?t really politically charged. There is some in there, since it?s unavoidable. Most of the political discussion is about what is going on in their homelands. Even those back home that see the move abroad as a betrayal of their country is essentially glance over. Perceptions of immigrants in the United States become an issue, especially in how the Palestinians are treated after September 11. Largely, though, the movie focuses on how the various people adjust and adapt and become American. Some of the stories bring babies into the world and to me, these are the true new Americans raised by their American families.
The paradox is interesting. Normally those already in the United States move to another town or state whenever it?s necessary. Here the instinct is to move out of the country entirely. It?s a wonderful study of other cultures and traditions. It teaches us how ignorant we are of what is going on around us, but it does it in such a way to avoid making us look stupid. In the end, I felt there were either too many stories or too few episodes. I?d rather see more episodes to get an even better feel for them. The epilogue is too quick and it would be nice to see more closure.
All the series asks of you is seven hours of your time. This seems like a lot and it can be. I say watch the first episode or two and go from there. Most likely, you?ll be hooked and wanting more.
For show times or purchasing information visit http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/newamericans/index.html
++++++
Rivers and Tides
Review by Jon Waterman
****
This documentary shows artist Andy Goldsworthy doing what he does best. Andy works in nature. He uses things found (usually) in his home country of Scotland and creates various sculptures and other living art pieces. Some of them will be around for decades and centuries to come; others last only a few hours. They all exist in isolation, hidden from the civilized world, possibly never seen in person by anyone else?s eyes.
The film starts off with an ice sculpture. Andy takes pieces of icicles and weaves them ?through? a rock. We immediately get a sense of how painstaking the process is. He carefully connects the ice together with his bare hands, which appear to be frost bitten from the work, because gloves would prove to be too bulky and not intimate enough. When it?s all said (or not said as I?ll say later) and done, we see the result of the time, effort and pain. The ice seamlessly flows through the rock to create a piece of art that combines various aspects of nature in an absurd, yet magical way. As the sun comes up, the ice melts away and the toils of the morning disappear.
It is not unusual for his work to be taken apart. Many pieces are created for that specific purpose. Pictures are taken of each one for memory sake as well as to reassure those that provide grants to him. There are many instances in which the art melts, washes away, gets blown by the wind or dissolves back into the earth. It?s all part of nature correcting itself. Director Thomas Riedelsheimer does a wonderful job showing not only the beauty of the art created with nature, but also the beauty in nature that inspires Andy to begin with. We see the beautiful landscapes as well as close up shots of the lush vegetation.
Just like Andy, the film is not afraid of patience, but they both know their time limits. Often we get lingering shots of the art. From one still position, we see the art fade away over a period of hours. In one instance, we see weeds growing around cone made of rocks that was built in a field of dirt. Some of these shots seem impossible or just foolish to attempt. However, these shots not only represent the patience of the artist and showcase his work, but they also define a clear artistic value to the film itself and separate it from more conventional documentaries.
Movement is key not only in the art, but also in the film. Nature is ever moving and growing and flowing. Andy incorporates that into his work by working with the wind and the rivers and tides and everything else around him. He even uses wool from sheep and stretches it across a rock wall. No medium is out of bounds for him.
The film uses relatively little dialogue. Mostly it?s about watching him create things out of leaves, rocks, water, etc. The work doesn?t really need explanation. The visuals speak for themselves. When he does speak, it?s always insightful and very useful in understanding why he does what he does. The most he talks is during the brief sequence at home with the wife and kids. I got the impression that he has a disdain for his home life. Not necessarily because of the people, but because he is not out in nature. He knows how to manipulate nature, because he has studied it and worked with it for many years. His passion is truly with his art and the world around him. When his structures collapse in front of our eyes, it is heart breaking for us as well. His emotions are plain as day without so many words.
The film is fascinating. He is able to find incredible spots to conduct his efforts. Sometimes the work is not very complex, but it is always interesting and always incredible to look at. The music is unusual, but fun and the quirkiness adds a little something to the overall mood. I had never heard of Andy Goldsworthy before this film, and from what I?ve heard this film doesn?t even show his best work. But if this is the mediocre stuff, then I may not be ready for the cream of the crop. The art is incredible. The filmmaking is stunning and mind blowing. You can?t go wrong.
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