Windy City Heat (2003, Bobcat Goldthwait)

"A man caught up in the glamor of being a Hollywood celebrity has no idea that the production he's in is a fake."

On the paper slip that this dvd came in the description started off with "This made-for-cable movie may well stand the test of time as one of the most elaborate practical jokes ever televised -- or, at the very least, one of the cruelest." After viewing the film it really deserves to go down as the most elaborate and cruel prank for sure.

The "film" deals with a delusional arrogant comedian/actor/band producer named Perry. He thinks hes a genius and is without a doubt one of the best actors ever. For the past 10 years his "manager" and "best friend" (both just comedians in character) have been messing with him and creating a fake world around him. A fake world where even a Russian Pimp from time to time terrorizes Perry. This whole fake world reaches its peek when they decide to create a huge prank around him and film as it as a movie for Comedy Central. Keep in mind that this is all 100 percent true.

The main prank of the film deals with Perry finally being hired to star in his own cop film where he will play a "Sports P.I." named Stone Fury. They make Perry believe that he beat out every other actor for this role and that it will make him a star. They also tell him that Susan B Anthony, Hiroshima Nagasaki, and Roman Polanski are investors in the film. Perry, who is in his own odd world, fails to catch any of this at all.

From the point where Perry gets the role to the credit sequence, it is non stop comedy gold. Every gag works perfectly and every interview that Perry gives to the camera is also rich with hilarious lines. The film is just hilarious and really deserves more of an audience. One of the funniest things I have seen in a long time.

- ***1/2

Overnight (2003, Tony Montana & Mark Brian Smith)

"A documentary on the rise and stumble of Troy Duffy, the bartender-cum-filmmaker who was swept up by Miramax's Harvey Weinstein to turn his script for The Boondock Saints into a feature film. "

The plot summary up above this sentence sums up the film perfectly. We get a behind the scenes story of one of the greatest falls from stardom that is painful to watch but doesnt make you feel bad at all for the "victim" since he deserved everything that happened to him.

Troy Duffy is a dick and we find out how much of a dick he can actually be in an hour and 20 minutes. It's good to at least watch it once in order to find out that a person so dillusional can actually exist, but thats about it. Nothing too special but nothing bad at all.

This is basically it. Yup, this is my full write up.

- **1/2

Save the Green Planet! (2003, Joon-Hwan Jang)

"Byeong-gu believes that the world is on the verge of an alien invasion, and sets out to save the world."

Just looking at this DVD cover/poster makes me mad. This film is nothing and I really do mean nothing like how the poster portrays it as. This is one dark and extremely unique film.

I used to bump into this DVD all the time at my library. I used to see the cover and just brush it off because it just looked bad. However based on some great word of mouth I decided to see what all the fuss was about and I was not let down at all. I am glad to spread the word of mouth just a little tiny bit more that way more people see past the horrible cover and check this film out.

Save the Green Planet! is a tough film to write about. It's such a unique film that you can't really explain it and it's such a crazy journey that it's hard to write about it without spoiling anything or implying anything that will spil anything. This is one of those films that the less you know about it the better. All I am going to do is post the trailer that way you can get a feeling of how this film is....



It shouldn't work at all and yet it does. You shouldn't care for some characters and yet you do. You should be thinking that the film is too over the top and ridiculous but you never think this. This is just a great film. That simple. It takes something that could very easily become bad and makes it charming,quirky,smart and tons of fun. This really is one great film that deserves the cult following it so desperately needs. Nevermind films like Slither that try hard to be an immediate cult film. This is the cult film everyone is looking for but few know about.

Just please give this one a chance. It's a one of a kind film.

- ****

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2003, Judy Irving)

"A homeless musician finds meaning to his life when he starts a friendship with dozens of parrots."

This is a beautiful and heartbreaking film about Mark Bittner who over the years has grown to love the wild birds that live around his house. The story it tells is a simple one but it's a beautiful and sometimes very intimate one that pulls on your heartstrings a lot.

Everything you see in this documentary feels so natural and innocent that you also get swept into this perspective where by the end of the documentary you see the birds as Mark Bittner does. So much so that the final 20 minutes will leave you beyond heartbroken and maybe a little bit depressed. I love this one because of this.

Every documentary that comes out, at least to me lately, seems to be about 9/11 or Iraq or some other event or situation which is causing a profound effect on our culture. I'm all for this but sometimes I get tired of these documentaries that set out to tackle such an extreme subject. I'm all for it but sometimes I feel that I am no longer watching a documentarian but rather a journalist behind the camera. The best documentaries I have ever seen have always been about a personal subject matter to the filmmaker or something that he finds interesting. The best documentaries also seem to tell a story. It's these "true life stories" which make documentaries so memorable. That's why no matter what Michael Moore does in the future his best film will still be Roger and Me. It has that emotional connection that most other documentaries, including his later efforts, seem to lack.

This is also why Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill feels like a breath of fresh air. It feels like so long ago that I have seen a documentary that was about something simple but yet told a profound story. The simple story this film tells about a man and his parrots will get to you more than any other documentary you have seen in a long time. I guarantee it.

There is not much more to say about this one. Just go watch it. It's a beautiful little documentary.

- ****

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring (2003, Kim Ki-Duk)

"This film takes place in an isolated lake, where an old monk lives on a small floating temple. The wise master has also a young boy with him that teaches to become a monk. And we watch as seasons and years pass by"

This is my first exposure to Kim Ki-Duk and I can see why he is so deeply loved by a lot film buffs and critics. This film is just so beautiful and captivating that it's really hard to not fully immerse yourself in the story and characters.

The film is told through 5 segments. Each being a season and each taking place in a different point in the life of these characters. Also, the film is mostly told through visuals and little to no dialogue. You would think that this would make the film seem slow and boring but instead adds a sense of loneliness,beauty, and intensity to everything. Since the story is told through visuals and seasons nature and animals also play a huge part in the film.

The thing that I loved about Spring,Summer,Fall,Winter...and Spring is the sense of depth we get to these characters when there really is no actual depth. Well, at least not the type we are used to. Any and all depth is mainly told through the actors faces and these 5 short windows we get into the lives of these people. It all works perfectly though. Kim Ki-Duk is somehow able to create fully fleshed out characters who we actually care for and feel for.

I simply just loved the film. I find visual filmmaking to be some of the hardest to pull off without becoming boring or losing the viewers connection to the film. This is the frequent problem I have had with Terrence Malick, arguably the most famous visual filmmaker right now. I feel that most of his films, except for Badlands, are visually breathtaking but feel empty and at the end of the movie I find myself respecting the film but not really enjoying it.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring however manages to avoid all these flaws. It's a film that takes chances and it's a film that sounds like it might be too artsy or boring but comes off as anything but those two things. It's a captivating film that will stay with you for a very long time.

- ****