Hey folks, Harry here with Memento Man and his brief little summaries of the movies he's seen today. I suppose that this is the first day of his, that I wouldn't minded missing at Sundance. Nothing he describes here really sounds that wonderful... although... the pairing of of Tim Blake Nelson and David Arquette appeals to my wackily wacked sensibilities.... Heh... Here ya go...
Hi Harry,
I saw five films in a row today from 8:30am to about 11pm. It's like that almost every day up here. And silly talkbackers are concerned because I don't give them enough plot summary? Give me a break. You can read Ebert if you want that.
I did see a bunch of stars today: Anna Paquin, Jessica Lange, Tim Blake Nelson, and David Arquette were among the many who attended screenings today.
BOOKIES (Mark Issley) * * 1/2
By Mark Issley (who made 1999's HAPPY TEXAS), this cool little film with MTV-style editing is about three college students played by Nick Stahl (IN THE BEDROOM, BULLY, T-4: RISE OF THE MACHINES), Lukas Haas (WITNESS), and Johnny Galeki who get tired of losing while gambling and decide they can make more money if they become bookies. It quickly gets huge around campus until the mob steps in. A bit comic-bookie, but fun.
BUFFALO SOLDIERS (Gregor Jordan) * *
Australian Gregor Jordan makes a film about the corrupt soldiers (Joaquin Phoenix steals supplies [e.g. weapons from the base!], deals drugs, etc.) and the corrupt system (Scott Glenn is ready to kill him for doing this) in America's military. Marred by soggy writing. However, it was interesting that at the beginning of the Q&A for this film, a woman in the balcony (who didn't like the anti-military themes) screamed obscenities about the director's politics and threw a water bottle down into the audience. I think the Sundance police quickly grabbed her and locked her up with all the people who have parked illegally.
NORMAL (Jane Anderson) * * *
Jane Anderson adapts her play, LOOKING FOR NORMAL, into a pretty strong allegory about the importance of love and understanding in marriage. Roy (the brilliant Tom Wilkinson) decides after 25 years of marriage to Irma (the equally astounding Jessica Lange) that he will come forth with the secret he's been hiding all his life: he's really a woman trapped in a man's body. We watch as Irma goes from denial, to anger, to sadness, to understanding. We can feel Jane Anderson's love of this story and her concern about these characters througout the film.
IN AMERICA (Jim Sheridan) * * 1/2
Nice little film about an very poor Irish family that sneaks into America from Canada and lives up living in a broken down building in NYC surrounding by druggies and drag queens. Samantha Morton, the pre-cog in MINORITY REPORT, seems like she's still playing that role. Helped by strong performances by the two little girls and Dijmon Hounsou (AMISTAD), but hampered by characters who change too quickly.
A FOREIGN AFFAIR (Helmut Schleppi) * *
Fairly silly little film about two farm boys (Tim Blake Nelson and David Arquette) whose mother dies, thus leaving them no one to cook or clean for them. They decide to hook up with an online service that allows you two weeks in Russia to pick a bride. Not wanting to leave Mom behind, they bring her ashes along on the trip. (This may be the first film to ever feature an "urn's-eye-view" shot.)
Until tomorrow, this is Memento Man, a man who's willing to risk more than Ebert!
