Independent Film Reviews » Dean’s Reviews

No Burgers for Bigfoot

Dean — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:00:48 +0000

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. What’s funny is not that he’s making the worst movie ever, it’s that the people around him are actually humoring him and taking the project seriously. It’s similar to a Christopher Guest vehicle in that sense. The laughter comes from awkwardly ignorant or self-absorbed characters.

No Burgers for Bigfoot works on many levels, and falls short on others. I don’t think all the actors were talented enough to pull off their archetype in a half-way believable way. Most error on the side of cartoonish absurdity. Yet overall this is a pretty clever film that should find its home on the Indie shelves at video stores around the county, the passionate recommendation of the quirkiest of employees! I give it 3 our of 5 stars.

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Hackers Are People Too

Dean — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:00:41 +0000

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. The film runs in at about 45 minutes, but doesn’t feel too short. Most of the footage obtained is from a recent Defcon conference, which is an annual conference where hackers convene for a big tech fair and party. I would recommend this film to just about anyone. It was fun, full of colorful characters and really interesting. 4 out of 5 stars.

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Be Kind Rewind

Dean — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:50:01 +0000

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 of unrequited love. I need to remind myself sometimes that Gondry wasn’t the sole writer behind Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Charlie Kaufman co-wrote). Just because that film’s charachters were so brutally real doesn’t mean that was all his doing. When Michel Gondry is running the show he has a tendancy to be much more sentimental, as if he’s telling a fairy tale or bedtime story.

Be Kind Rewind is just that, a fairy tale of a film, and it’s certainly a wonderfully ride. Michel Gondry’s world is always imaginative and beautiful, and this is no exception. In the scope of his career, I would put this below Eternal Sunshine but above The Science of Sleep. This film is most definitely worth seeing!

8 out of 10 rating

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4th and Long

Dean — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:12:43 +0000

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