What was the craziest thing I saw in “The Girl From Nagasaki”? Was it the modern sequences featuring women trussed up and hanging from cocoons in the ceiling, dripping gory red paint? Was it the slow motion 3D mushroom clouds that filled the screen? Or was it when the main character visits the American consulate in Japan, and the consul is played by legendary, leathery ‘70s film producer Robert Evans?
When Jill Soloway was a girl, she and her friends used to put on plays in the courtyard of their street, and charge their parents and neighbors 50 cents to watch. One day, a neighbor lady balked; why should she pay 50 cents to see a play she can watch for free from her living room window?
“God’s Pocket” reminded me of a book of interconnected short stories, the kind where each is written is written from the perspective of a different character in the same town, and together their stories weave together into a larger narrative that only the reader sees all the angles of.
Aaron Paul is really growing as an actor. Having played an emotionally anguished young man in “Breaking Bad” and an emotionally anguished young husband in “Smashed,” he now plays an emotionally anguished father in “Hellion.”
I kid, but Paul is actually very good as a blue-collar widower, Hollis Wilson, trying to raise his two young sons in Kat Candler’s familiar but well-acted drama. His blue eyes haunted behind a forest of beard, Paul effectively conveys the confusion and pain of a guy who thought he’d spend his life working all day and drinking beer in front of the TV all night, instead finding himself forced to clean up his act, get past his grief and be a single parent.
But “Hellion” really belongs to young Josh Wiggins, who plays Hollis’ 13-year-old son Jacob. A delinquent who is one more arrest away from juvie, Jacob hides his grief at his mother’s death (and, more subtly, his father’s emotional absence) behind a storm of heavy metal music and the whine of his dirt bike. Jacob often acts as kind of a second father to his sweet-natured younger brother, Wes, although he’s imperfect, as in a rare amusing scene where he makes whipped cream-and-sugar sandwiches for lunch.
The family’s troubles have caught the attention of both social workers and Hollis’ sister-in-law (Juliette Lewis), who gradually starts making moves to take custody of Wes herself. Lewis is good – she could be the villain of the piece, but she effectively projects good intentions, even as she is fulfilling a motherhood need in her own heart with Wes. Her actions force Jacob and Hollis both (each equally deserving of the title “Hellion”) to clean themselves up and start taking responsibility for their actions.
“Hellion” is a little slow-moving at times, moving like those dirt bikes in the same tight circles of despair, rage and tentative hope. But the performances are good, and Chandler definitely captures the feel of life in south Texas. A half-finished beach house in Galveston serves as a promise of a good life that never quite comes.
I like Jenny Slate. The former “Saturday Night Live” cast member is pretty bold about playing larger-than-life, often unlikable characters, such as Jean-Ralphio’s sister on “Parks and Recreation.”
Gillian Robespierre’s “Obvious Child,” which premiered Friday as part of the NEXT program for low-budget indie filmmaking, is a great showcase for Slate’s voice as well as giving her a more down-to-earth and human character to play. The banter is often fast and filthy, but still finds room for an underlying sweet tone. But the film’s fearlessness trips itself up when it moves into hot-button territory — abortion — and tries to maintain the same jokey say-anything spirit.
It was the Kleenex that saved me. I’m sure of it.
I had an early flight to Park City this morning, and my beautiful, fantastic girlfriend (sorry, but she’s way better than your girlfriend) was kind enough to drive me to the airport. I arrived in plenty of time for my flight, which would head west to Detroit for a tight layover of under an hour before I was able to wing it westward for Salt Lake City.
I’ve got some pretty exciting news this week — I’m going to Park City, Utah to cover the Sundance Film Festival!
I got confirmation just before Christmas that I had been approved for general press credentials, so I’ll be sloshing around in the snow at Park City covering movies for the Madison Movie blog (and may be writing some articles as well for the Cap Times — TBD). I had a great time covering Sundance for the Cap Times from 2010-2012, and since I missed last year, I’m very excited to go back.
I have my eye on a few movies I’d like to see while I’m there, but let’s face it, it’s largely a crapshoot what I get into. Sundance has both public screenings and special press/industry screenings, but both are mobbed on the festival’s opening weekend, which means picking the right line and getting in it early. (My low point at Sundance was one year where I spent Saturday going all over the city, getting into line after line only to never quite make it in the door, and the first movie I actually saw that day didn’t started until 9:30 p.m.)
But that’s part of the fun of it, I keep telling myself, and at least some of the lines are indoors or in heated tents. And you do really get in some great conversations with other moviegoers in those lines — I’m always amazed how many folks from Wisconsin I come across while in line or on the many shuttle buses that criss-cross Park City.
So anyway, here are some of the movies I’d certainly like to see while I’m there. If you’ve heard about any others that should be on my radar, let me know in comments. We’ll see what I actually get to see!
“Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter” — The premise of this film is irresistible to me. A lonely Japanese woman (Rinko Kikuchi) travels to Minnesota to try and find the money that Steve Buscemi hid at the end of “Fargo.” I’m sure that ice scraper’s still there, right?
“A Most Wanted Man” — One of the big prestige films at Sundance this year is Anton Corbijn’s (“The American”) adaptation of the John le Carre novel, starring Rachel McAdams and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Let’s be blunt — I don’t have a shot in hell of getting into this one.
“Life Itself” — As Indiegogo backer #1106, I’m extra excited to see Steve “Hoop Dreams” James’ documentary based on Roger Ebert’s terrific memoir. (James is also showing a 20th-anniversary screening of “Hoop Dreams” at Sundance this year.)
“The Ivory Tower” — Of special note to Madison residents is this documentary from the “Page One: Inside the New York Times” about the high cost of higher education.
“The Trip to Italy” — I loved “The Trip,” the riotous comedy starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon as themselves touring restaurants in Cornwall, so I can’t wait to see the follow-up.
“Appropriate Behavior” — I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about this comedy about an Iranian-American teenage girl dealing with pressures at both home and among her New York City friends.
“Land Ho!” — I loved actor Paul Eenhoorn in “This is Martin Bonner” at the Wisconsin Film Festival, so I’m very interested in this next film, a comedy where he travels to Iceland.
“Drunktown’s Finest” — Lots of buzz surrounding this Sundance Lab-generated low-budget drama about a Navajo transgender teen.
“God Help the Girl” — Stuart Murdoch of Belle & Sebastian wrote and directed this musical, which likely means Belle & Sebastian will be playing a secret show while in Park City, and I will probably not be able to get into that either.
“To be Takei” — Yes, I’m a “Star Trek” buff, but I think George Takei’s journey in the last 40 years has been fascinating even if you’re not a Trekkie.
Madison Movie 