MIFF Day 14
A sequel that's not exactly a sequel, mumblemumblemumble, a thriller...
LIFE DURING WARTIME
Todd Solondz has his shtick down perfectly these days, awkward and blackly funny character interactions full of horrific people being mundanely awful to each other. It's what he does, and he does it well. But where do you go when everyone knows what to expect? Apparently he makes a sequel to his most famous film, Happiness, with an entirely new cast playing the character. Philip Seymour Hoffman's phone pervert Allen is played by a thin black man (Michael Kenneth Williams), now married to Joy (Shirley Henderson, and originally played by Jane Adams). She's "taking a break" from the marriage after discovering he's still secretly menacing women over the phone, his shame and fear both funny and deeply touching. She's also menaced by the ghost of her ex-boyfriend Andy, while her sister Trish (Allison Janney) is trying to move on with her life after her husband went to prison for child molesting, she's met a new man she intends to marry. Her son Timmy, now about the age of Billy back in Happiness, discovers his dad isn't dead like he was told, and learns he's the son of a convicted paedophile. The confusion and fear that all the characters experience as they struggle with ideas of forgiveness and reconciliation is fully exploited for humour as abrasive as paint stripper, but damn if it isn't funny. But Solondz is still stuck with his problem, he's doing what people expect of him. How do you shock your audience when they know all your tricks? He pulls off a brilliant move, which initially annoyed me but now I'm starting to admire it. He stops being nasty, and ends with a sad and genuine moment of lostness and grief. The end is abrupt, giving no closure, leaving your with nothing but the overwhelming sadness of the characters and not a single laugh to let out the tension. From exploiting the evils of the world for pitch black comedy, Solondz suddenly renders it starkly as the awful human tragedy that it is. It's new territory for Solondz, and I'm impressed.
BEESWAX
Why the hell did I book this film? I hate mumblecore films. I really really really really hate them. Why did I book it? Because I saw Funny Ha Ha a few years ago by accident when it was a last-minute replacement for another film I'd planned to see. Andrew Bujalski impressed me then, because for its many flaws, I really enjoyed it. This film isn't as good, though it has its moments. Mostly it just wears on you however, as the um/uh/hmm/yeah/iknow dialogue delivery method has long since worn out its welcome. Mumblecore is the new Dogma, a way of pretending crap filmmaking has merit. Though I'll be fair, Beeswax has some good moments, engaging characters, and a semblance of a plot. But it runs too long, and the end is crap. I'm disappointed, Bujalski has done better in the past.
BLAME
A fun little aussie thriller, as a bunch of school friends attempt to murder their dead friend's piano teacher. Apparently he'd had an affair with her when she was sixteen, and three years later she's suicided, and they're out for revenge. The plan is simple, attack him, fake a suicide and then be on their way. But what starts out looking fairly straightforward becomes more and more complex as the truth of the situation is teased out, and the poor bastard just won't die. The real villain is easy to pick from the get go, but the tension is whether the other characters will work this out. It's not gonna rock your world, but it's the best made aussie entry to the festival I've seen, and beats the more hyped Red Hill and The Tree for solid craftsmanship and genuinely good storytelling.
LIFE DURING WARTIME
Todd Solondz has his shtick down perfectly these days, awkward and blackly funny character interactions full of horrific people being mundanely awful to each other. It's what he does, and he does it well. But where do you go when everyone knows what to expect? Apparently he makes a sequel to his most famous film, Happiness, with an entirely new cast playing the character. Philip Seymour Hoffman's phone pervert Allen is played by a thin black man (Michael Kenneth Williams), now married to Joy (Shirley Henderson, and originally played by Jane Adams). She's "taking a break" from the marriage after discovering he's still secretly menacing women over the phone, his shame and fear both funny and deeply touching. She's also menaced by the ghost of her ex-boyfriend Andy, while her sister Trish (Allison Janney) is trying to move on with her life after her husband went to prison for child molesting, she's met a new man she intends to marry. Her son Timmy, now about the age of Billy back in Happiness, discovers his dad isn't dead like he was told, and learns he's the son of a convicted paedophile. The confusion and fear that all the characters experience as they struggle with ideas of forgiveness and reconciliation is fully exploited for humour as abrasive as paint stripper, but damn if it isn't funny. But Solondz is still stuck with his problem, he's doing what people expect of him. How do you shock your audience when they know all your tricks? He pulls off a brilliant move, which initially annoyed me but now I'm starting to admire it. He stops being nasty, and ends with a sad and genuine moment of lostness and grief. The end is abrupt, giving no closure, leaving your with nothing but the overwhelming sadness of the characters and not a single laugh to let out the tension. From exploiting the evils of the world for pitch black comedy, Solondz suddenly renders it starkly as the awful human tragedy that it is. It's new territory for Solondz, and I'm impressed.
BEESWAX
Why the hell did I book this film? I hate mumblecore films. I really really really really hate them. Why did I book it? Because I saw Funny Ha Ha a few years ago by accident when it was a last-minute replacement for another film I'd planned to see. Andrew Bujalski impressed me then, because for its many flaws, I really enjoyed it. This film isn't as good, though it has its moments. Mostly it just wears on you however, as the um/uh/hmm/yeah/iknow dialogue delivery method has long since worn out its welcome. Mumblecore is the new Dogma, a way of pretending crap filmmaking has merit. Though I'll be fair, Beeswax has some good moments, engaging characters, and a semblance of a plot. But it runs too long, and the end is crap. I'm disappointed, Bujalski has done better in the past.
BLAME
A fun little aussie thriller, as a bunch of school friends attempt to murder their dead friend's piano teacher. Apparently he'd had an affair with her when she was sixteen, and three years later she's suicided, and they're out for revenge. The plan is simple, attack him, fake a suicide and then be on their way. But what starts out looking fairly straightforward becomes more and more complex as the truth of the situation is teased out, and the poor bastard just won't die. The real villain is easy to pick from the get go, but the tension is whether the other characters will work this out. It's not gonna rock your world, but it's the best made aussie entry to the festival I've seen, and beats the more hyped Red Hill and The Tree for solid craftsmanship and genuinely good storytelling.
posted by Andrew Lee at 11:48 PM
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