Festival showcases avant–garde films
By MARY MANCHESS | Feb. 18, 2009Random blurs of colors and images. There is static. The screen goes blank. The audience is confused.
Random blurs of colors and images. There is static. The screen goes blank. The audience is confused.
Most weddings have those inevitable tense moments: the drunken toast from a distant relative, the mother-in-law's last ditch effort to abort the wedding, the clash of personalities that arise when families come together for the first time.
For many, the opportunity to study at NYU's School of Law on full scholarship epitomizes the term "no-brainer."
By Jack Benge
Unfortunate results tend to ensue when Hollywood moguls cast their significant others in leading roles.
Suri, Apple and Shiloh were sitting in their apartment in Los Angeles and decided instead of waiting to become famous, they were going to do it on their own. The actress, producer and singer combined their talents and created a show to document their journey in L.A.
Right around Thanksgiving it begins to happen. As we mindlessly stuff ourselves with turkey, the world outside transforms in a majestic way; front lawns become biblical light shows, toy stores become parental battle grounds, and repetitive, peppy music infuses every store, car and restaurant in America. Behind all this snowy wonderment, Hollywood plays a sinister trick, and all over the country cliché, sentimental family films pop up like blemishes on the face of the movie industry. One of these blackheads, "Four Christmases," smiles at you while you writhe in pain and feel the urge to punch someone out of boredom.
There's a new Bond in town, and "Quantum of Solace" doesn't hesitate to showcase this fact. Making a distinct move from the Pierce Brosnan era, "Quantum of Solace" has a more realistic James Bond, quick-moving action sequences and, to the disappointment of almost every guy in the theater, no sex scenes with the lead actress (Olga Kurylenko).
The latest trend in pop culture may never die out - that is, if vampires are really immortal. Pushing pirates and wizards aside, the release of books such as "Twilight" and television shows such as "True Blood" shows that vampires have seemingly reclaimed their spot in the entertainment industry.
From "Zach and Miri Make a Porno" to "High School Musical 3: Senior Year," there seems to be a lot of coming-of-age movies playing this fall. Though they all span different ages on the 18 to 39 range and have individual takes on the genre, they boil down to basically the same struggles, general plot points and quirky romantic involvements, which can get boring. But "Role Models" takes the conventions of the genre and somewhat reinvents them in a way that is both original and hysterical.
In "Zack and Miri Make a Porno," lifelong friends Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) find themselves on the verge of bankruptcy and can't seem to make the awkward newly adult years work for them. Barely able to keep a roof over their heads, the two find themselves working minimum wage jobs just to cover expenses. Left without any other option, they decide to make, as the title would suggest, a porno. With the help of a strangely assorted cast and crew assembled from the bottom tier of society, the two set to work, finding out along the way that they might have feelings for each other beyond friendship.
So let me "break this down for you": In "High School Musical 3: Senior Year," teen dreamboat Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) is dealing with a lot of problems. Gifted at both sports and theater (gasp), Troy doesn't know what to pursue. He wants to follow his best friend Chad (Corbin Bleu) and play basketball at the fictional University of Albuquerque, but his burning theatrical passions are keeping him back. To make matters worse, he's up for a Juilliard scholarship, and as if this weren't enough, Troy's heart beckons to a different call.
On his new show, David Alan Grier dares to ask the question that's been on everyone's mind: What the hell happened to hip-hop? When did "Fight the power" become "Wait 'til you see my dick"?
To be successful, an action film needs only to have two things: a plot that's somewhat interesting and lots of macho characters, memorable one-liners, explosions and weapon fights. "Max Payne" has none of the former and unfortunately lacks the latter.
"How to Lose Friends and Alienate People" is a strikingly clever movie title; not only because of its length but also because it manages to be somewhat ironic. The funny and friendly movie certainly doesn't alienate the audience but draws them into a big, warm bear hug of romantic humor.
A fantastical view of the world's sleazier characters, "Choke" is a surreal softcore porn movie where the story is better - and more appealing - than the sex but just as graphic. Self-proclaimed sex addict and medical school dropout Victor Mancini (Sam Rockwell), cons people into loving him by pretending to choke at restaurants and having others save him. He then uses these people for money to keep his dying mother, Ida Mancini (Anjelica Huston), in "nice" hospital facilities. Content in this wayward lifestyle, he meets his mother's new doctor, Paige Marshall (Kelly Macdonald), who, with an almost angelic demeanor, manages to turn Mancini's life upside down by telling him he might be Jesus's half clone forged from the ancient holy foreskin. It's pretty mind-boggling.
Michael Cera and Kat Dennings keep it cute and awkward as two teens getting to know each other in "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," a one-night, feel-good frolic through New York City. In between tickling and throwing things at each other, Cera and Dennings chatted in a national phone conference about their new movie, which opens Friday.
I'm going to bring my manhood into question here and say that "Ghost Town" is a cute movie. That's the only apt definition for something that's fun to watch and mildly romantic but doesn't offer the suspense, symbolism or surprise - unless you count the joyous physical proof that Cameron from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" is still around as surprising - the general population uses to classify a movie as good. But it's a nice movie and worth going to see if you're in the mood for something light.
The Latina Women's League wants to share the diverse stories of Latin America with the Gainesville community. With six independent films, it has organized the Fourth Annual Gainesville Latino Film Festival, which will be different than the past three in that two of the film's directors will make presentations and hold bilingual readings for young children.
Tania Hermida is an independent filmmaker with a vision to show truth and important stories. Best known for her role as second assistant director for the Oscar-nominated independent film "Maria Full of Grace," her first feature film "Que tan lejos" (How much further), which will be shown at the upcoming Gainesville Latino Film Festival, was a product of her desire to create a "road film."