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No Burgers for Bigfoot
No Burgers for Bigfoot is a mockumentary about a struggling, small-town filmmaker named Michael Justice with no budget trying to make a film called “Return of the Bigfoot.” He has bad brushed back 80’s hair, a creepy blond mustache and these utterly ridiculous flip-up sunglasses. He wears nothing but cut-off jean shorts with a Hawaiian shirt always open, exposing his pale, hairless chest. So half the joke in this film is watching a guy like this try to inspire those around him to help make his movie.
And it’s pretty damn funny at times. The guy playing Michael Justice is dead-pan to the point where I was actually uncomfortable for the other actors. He has these little moments where his character is just so dumbfounded by someone or something that he can’t even speak. He is by turns arrogant and cruel, slow-witted and naive. Read more
Hackers Are People Too
Hackers Are People Too is a documentary exploring the history and culture of individuals commonly know as “hackers.” The film sets out to debunk the myth of hackers as these sort of nefarious cyber-criminals and paint a more sympathetic picture of them as intelligent, respectable and hardworking citizens. The argument this film makes is that the strong majority of hackers are, in a sense, consumer advocates/watchdogs in the world of technology, constantly challenging companies to make better products, and in turn expediting and advancing technology as a whole. Where the film falls short is this almost Utopian vision of the hacker community we are given, where the only drama the director seems to find is a lack of women in the field.
Overall this was a satisfying glimpse into a world I don’t know much about. The editing was crisp and the characters all seemed to speak freely and naturally, the sign of a talented director. Read more
Be Kind Rewind
Not even close to the movie I expected to see after viewing the trailers, Be Kind Rewind is a sweet, heartfelt movie about community and friendship. Sure there are some weird plot twists, like Jack Black’s character becoming “magnetized,” and you are required, on several occasions, to suspend disbelief. But this is Michel Gondry, so why would you expect anything else? At its core, however, Be Kind Rewind is his perhaps his most accessible film. The characters are odd, eccentric even, but also warm and fuzzy. In fact they are downright innocent. Even the love subplots never come to fruition, but are merely insinuated. In these ways it takes after his last film, The Science of Sleep, only with friendship replacing the intensity and sadness Read more
4th and Long
First of all, I love the concept of a mockumentary about high school football fanatics. The subject is ripe for spoofing. In fact I’m surprised Rob Reiner hasn’t thought of it yet. 4th and Long is a sad and hilarious look at this uniquely American phenomenon.
When the New Hanover Wildcats lose their funding, a band of obsessive local weirdos pull together to save the season and the program. They come up with the idea of an adult flag football game with local celebrities to raise money. What ensues is a wonderfully deadpan, eerily believable, and overall well done film with some priceless moments and a cast that seems like they were born to play these roles. I would highly recommend checking this one out!
9 out of 10 rating
Attack of the Slime People
Attack of the Slime People is a spoof of Hollywood B Horror movies of the 1950’s. What makes this film so hilarious is its protagonist, Buddy Flavinoid, who’s roving eyebrows, wild eyes and murderous rage are unmistakably unique. He reminds me of Ren from Ren and Stimpy, with his stress and paranoia spilling over into all sorts of physical comedy. The film is also interesting in that it’s a film about a film that never gets made (in an odd way, this would make it akin to cult classic American Movie).
In Attack of the Slime People (directed by Martin King) Buddy Flavanoid is a washed up Hollywood director trying to make his big comeback and cement his place in history as one of the greats. He sets out to make a monster movie about slime people but ends up himself becoming a monster of sorts, murdering (with a baseball bat of all things) anyone who threatens to get in the way of his “uncompromising vision.” Read more
Control
Ian Curtis, frontman of 70’s British post-punk band Joy Division, is one of rock’s most tragic and elusive figures. In 1980 he committed suicide at the age of 23, at the height of his creative powers. While all this may provide good fodder for music fans and pop historians, it’s a slippery slope of a project for a film director to undertake. With mythology and lionization comes cliché and questionable truths.
Control, based off the memoir of Curtis’ wife Debbie (played here by Samantha Morton), is a beautiful, moving, but ultimately flawed elegy to the late singer. Music video legend turned feature film director Anton Corbijn (Nirvana, Depeche Mode, etc.) shot the entire film on location in stark black and white. Read more
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