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Rav makes sweet love to David Gordon Green's SNOW ANGELS at Sundance!!!!
Heya Guys,
I didnt know what to expect this morning when I dragged myself out of bed this morning to see David Gordon Greens newest film Snow Angels. I adored his first film George Washington, and I like his other two films to a certain extent but found them disappointing. Even though they disappointed me that doesnt mean that I thought they were anywhere near bad films, he just happened to set the bar very damn high with his first feature. In a way I kind of feel like All the Real Girls and Undertow were just larger-budget training for this film, because with Snow Angels Green has hit the ball way out of the park, I dont think I will be seeing a better movie at sundance than his film.
With Snow Angels Greens back in small-town-america where he works so well, I dont know if there is any director alive today that can capture the feelings and characters that inhabit small towns. His films bring a real sense of community and solidarity among the areas where most seem to go with the stereotypical redneck, slightly stupid characters who have never driven thirty miles outside their area. I love greens characters they always feel realistic and quite easy to identify with and moreso very easy to fall in love with, well except for that psychotic night of the hunter meets cape fear character in Undertow.
Snow Angels begins with a high-school band rehearsal, the band teacher (Tom Noonan) is quite strict and comically serious about his instruction. Michael Angaranos character is a Tuba player, a cute little bespectacled girl waves at him from the stands. Two gunshots are heard in the distance stopping everyone in their tracks and silencing the band rehearsal, putting a grim feeling over everything. It cuts to black then the movie begins now quite earlier, Michael is a busboy at a Chinese restaurant that is owned by a Czech man, not one of those normal Chinese restaurants this is one of the backwoods small-town ones that hasnt seen an asian person in a long time.
Kate Beckinsale is a waitress at the restaurant and shes quite friendly with Angarano, shes known him since he was a little kid. Shes being accosted by her ex-husband played by Sam Rockwell, a reformed alcoholic who is trying to piece back together his life after it recently fell apart, a good friend of his has just hooked him up with a job at a carpet factory. Michaels parents are also in the middle of breaking up, his father (Griffin Dunne) is gearing up to move out. Everybodys lives are thrown about when a child in the town goes missing. Thats about as much as the plot that I can tell without spoiling anything.
I must say that Ive not really liked Kate Beckinsale for the past couple years, in most of her work lately shes seemed to be only capable of stiff-performances and looking really good in skintight leather while firing machine-guns in slow-motion shitty action sequences. Even in the aviator Martin Scorsese couldnt squeeze that much life out of her, but things seem to have changed as she gives a very wonderful emotional performance in Snow Angels, Shes a very confused woman, shes not certain what she wants out of life or for her family, or her feelings toward her ex-husband, but bad memories cloud her mind everytime he tries to bring himself back into her life.
Sam Rockwell gives the performance of his career here, his character is very complex, even though he seems like the nicest guy on earth there seems to be a violent person underneath just waiting to be set off. Theres a couple shots towards the end of the film of Sam looking at his reflection in a television set that keeps ringing in my mind now over a day since watching the film. This man deserves an oscar for this work, I hope someone picks it up and releases it this fall.
Angarano is quite a delight here, its really nice to see him get a role in a great movie as hes a really gifted actor and he was the only thing to bring any sort of life to One Last Thing earlier this year. This is the first time that I can recall seeing Olivia Thirlby, though IMDB tells me she was in United 93, but I cant recall her in it. In Snow Angels Olivia is unforgettable, shes a cute little high school girl that you cant help but fall in love with, her relationship with Angarano is the happy soul of the movie, their love brightens an otherwise very dark film.
As with every David Gordon Green film its the supporting characters that really make the film special. Perhaps one of the most wonderful characters is another waitress at the Chinese restaurant played by Amy Sedaris, she gives a very dramatic performance in this one that is quite a stretch from her strangers with candy work. Then theres Nicky Katt, whos an actor Ive always been a huge fan of but seems to rarely get work thats this good. Katt plays sedariss boyfriend who is cheating with beckinsales character, hes a really funny character, hes a total asshole, but his excuses for everything he does is so hilarious, very wonderful dialogue.
Okay Ive rambled enough about this picture now. Its a very grim and dark picture, but I think its quite a worthwhile trip. I also think its the best film that David Gordon Green has made to date. Im off to write about other stuff now from the greatest Chinese buffet in park city (and I say that because it has wi-fi and is next to the press screening theatres).
Rav
Ravkill@msn.com
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If I remember correctly, Christina Ricci was in serious talks to direct an adaptation of his book "The Speed Queen" around five years ago.
As for Green, I haven't seen "Undertow", but I completely agree about "All the Real Girls". Starts out very strong, but quickly degenerates into cliches (especially the groan-inducing relationship between the brother and sister). -
Great review...glad to hear this movie is Green's new one. Green might be my favorite young filmmaker right now, although I wasn't a huge fan of Undertow either. But his potential is enormous and to hear him talk...he's like the filmmaker many of us would like to think we would be if given the chance. Can't wait to see this, hope it gets picked up and released soon...also can't wait for his upcoming comedy projects. Should be interesting at the very least.
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He's a terrific writer. His dialogue rarely feels scripted. As for writers, I must admonish Rav for his atrocious butchering of English. If it's not your mother tongue, then I take it back. However, if English is your mother tongue, you should be ashamed of yourself. When a writer cannot be bothered to use correct punctuation and grammar, he shows a great disrespect for the reader. This is why Harry's excuse of not proofing his work is crap.
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Easily one of the best films of the past 5 years. Lots of people blast DGG as pretentious, but I find that the word is often used in place of "intelligent."
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It's easily one of the most real down to Earth love stories ever put to film. The performances are so good all around you can't even see the acting. I don't know what there is to be disappointed in. It's as good a film as could be made fromt eh subject material. Undertow on the other hand was a bit of a disappointment. I'm still not exactly sure what that movie was trying to be, but the visual flair once again didn't disappoint. WIth that said Snow Angels is easily the film I'm most looking forward to at Sundance this year, I hope they release it before fall.
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Man, you have a tough job! It must be so stressful and backbreaking to have to see several films every day and write about them. Woohwee, would not want to be you right now. Note the sarcasim. Sorry man, just pissed that I will have to wake up in a few hours so I can go to work at my shitty factory job, then get to class, then sleep, then work again, the cycle of shit goes on. So how the hell do you get a job like this? I do enjoy these Sundance things.
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Snow angels might have been my LEAST favorite film at sundance this year. It was merely "ok" I thought. Good performances, adequately done, just not that compelling. The title of "This year's Little Miss Sunshine" rests squarely on "Rocket Science".
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I’ve had mixed feelings with DGG’s movies. I think he captures the slow and quiet pace of a small town, but everything just seems a little off. I cannot stand his dialogue. It just doesn’t work for me.
I admire the beauty of his movies, the fact that they’re not the same old rehashed films that are playing everywhere else, and the effort that he puts in, but they always come up really short for me. I always feel disappointed with Green’s movies.
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