Double feature of horrors at the Grindhouse Fest

I seriously love,love,love the Grindhouse film festival. Every single film has been amazing there. Well, maybe not the films themselves but the experience of watching them with this audience has been. I have seen everything from sexploitation to kung fu films to Grindhouse (the film) at this film fest and every single one has been nothing short of amazing. It's going to be a bummer seeing the film fest end and then being only able to go once a month. I really hope they do the film fest again next year.

I went to the Grindhouse fest the other night to watch a double bill of horror films. The first film was Slithis and the second one was Screams of a Winter Night. Both films were amazing in their own odd way. The audience was rowdy and tons of fun. Everything was just a lot of fun.

Nothing much can be said but this night was probably one of the funnest if not the funnest night I have had there.

Double Dare (2004, Amanda Micheli)

"A double-barreled, action-packed documentary about the struggles of two stuntwomen in male-dominated Tinseltown to stay working, stay thin, and stay sane."

This documentary follows two stuntwomen who are struggling in Hollywood. The first, Jeannie Epper, is a well established stuntwomen who is struggling to get work because of her age. The other, Zoe Bell, is a newcomer who is out of work and trying hard to get her name known. The documentary starts telling their stories separately but when the two stuntwomen meet the documentary really takes off. This is when it becomes another little hidden gem.

What makes this one so great to watch is the two women that we get to know. It's that simple. At first both stories that are being told are both interesting and at times tough to watch. Zoe Bell in New Zealand in her last days of doing Stunts for Xena and Jeannie Epper shuffling around Hollywood trying to get work. It's when Zoe Bell decides to leave New Zealand to come to Hollywood that thing get really interesting. When she comes to Hollywood the documentary crew decides to have Zoe and Jeannie meet and the documentary then transformers into something else.

Jeannie immediately takes Zoe under her wing and we get to see their friendship develop to the point where Jeannie treats Zoe just like her daughter. Everything from this point on feels really intimate and we really begin to see the troubles the two stuntwomen face in Hollywood. What is also fun is that we never feel like we are watching a documentary but instead a series of home videos. By this I mean we don't get a feeling of the two women acting phony or hiding their personalities. By the end of this documentary you truly get a feeling of having gone behind of the scenes of how Hollywood works. The final 20 minutes of the documentary are also great because of the paths we see both women take (especially Zoe) It truly feels like an ending that was preplanned. I mean this in a good way.

I wished I could have seen this documentary before seeing Grindhouse, Zoe's first film as an actress. After seeing the documentary I hope that the poor box office of Grindhouse doesn't affect her career too much. You really just feel like cheering for her after watching Double Dare. The only complaint I had with the documentary is that we don't get to see much of Jeannie Eppers work and very little is said about her past as a stuntwoman. Some more interviews from some filmmakers would have been great to see as well. It's really odd to see Spielberg or Tarantino pop out for just a minute and then never come out again.

- ***

One a Sidenote.....

I was exploring the special features on the DVD and found the (kind of) full Tarantino interview. This has to go down as one of my favorite special features ever. I may have some issues with Tarantino the director but I love Tarantino the person. When he is given the chance to rant by himself I find him hilarious. This interview is a perfect example of this. In this 20 minute or so interview we get to see Tarantino go on a huge rant about why Xena is amazing and we also get to see Tarantino begin to reenact movies and trailers all by himself. Whats even more fun is that he seems to be talking to himself since we only hear the person asking the question once and then hearing Tarantino go on and on and on about the question and almost never answering the question. The reason I put (kind of) is because believe it or not even the director chooses to cut him off by having edits when Tarantino starts ranting. I would seriously watch a whole movie of just Tarantino talking to himself and reenacting things by himself.

Midnight Run (1988, Martin Brest)

"An accountant is chased by bounty hunters, the FBI, and the Mafia after jumping bail."

I will seriously go as far as saying that this is a little hidden gem. I have never read of a person talking about this film. Sure, it's filled with cliches and it's nothing new and it's predictable but it has something that a lot of recent films fail to have. That certain thing is chemistry. With enough great chemistry between the actors any film can become a lot of fun, like this one.

The film not only has the great chemistry between the two main actors but it also has some great typecasting. I hate typecasting but sometimes it can also help out a film if it's played just right. Midnight Run is a perfect example of this. De Niro is the tight lipped bounty hunter with no sense of humor and Grodin is the wisecracking smartass white collar criminal he has to transport across America. They work great off eachother and the dialogue which could easily become annoying is fast, witty, and always fun. The action delivers also and also helps the film fly by really fast.

Once again it's nothing new but to put it simple, it's just a fun film. Nothing is too over the top and nothing is too serious. It's sad that we at least don't even get fun movies like these anymore. Instead we are treated to crap films like Hollywood Homicide or The Last Shot which try to have this fun chemistry between the actors and instead fall flat in every single way. It's also sad that they don't even make mainstream films like they used to.

- ***

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.

- ****

Stop Making Sense (1984, Jonathan Demme)

"An innovative concert movie for the rock group The Talking Heads"

I have never been that big of a Talking Heads fan. I only knew 3 songs from them and that was about it. I had long heard that they were an amazing band and one of the best things to come out of the 80's but I just never had that certain urge to hear and see more of their stuff.

Another thing that I had heard a lot about was their concert film, Stop Making Sense. This one along with The Last Waltz and Woodstock seem to top every "best concert films" list I have ever seen and Stop Making Sense and The Last Waltz seem to fight eachother for the top spot in those lists. A couple of nights ago I stumbled upon Stop Making Sense in a used DVD bin and decided to blind buy it and see what all the fuss was about.

Before the first solo performance with a boombox was over I knew that I was going to watch one amazing film. I stress the word film and not "concert film" because I think that this one is so good that it surpasses it's sub genre. Sure, it's a band doing a concert but there is much more to it. Although, the thing is that there really is not much more to it....or is there? Here lies the genius of watching Stop Making Sense.

When your watching the film at first it feels like a straight forward concert but as the band slowly begins to form and the performances become more and more eccentric and intense you get a certain feeling that you are no longer watching something but experiencing something. It seems that it's no accident and the film, as well as the bands performance, is designed like this. It truly feels as if you go on a weird journey through the mind of David Byrne and The Talking Heads. When it's over you are left speechless at what you saw. Well, at least I was.

The only flaw I can say the film has is that it feels too short. Sure, there is the odd song here and there that aren't so great but David Byrne is so gloriously eccentric and crazy that you are smiling your way through every song. If anything watch this one just to see him. He is by far one of the greatest lead singers I have ever seen. Watch it for his romantic dance with a lamp or his marathons around the stage or just for the infamous big suit. Seriously, just watch it to see him. No words can describe how awesome it is to watch him go wild in every song.

After watching Stop Making Sense I can see what all the fuss is about. It's something that you won't really get until you watch it and when you do you will somehow understand it's odd brilliance.

- ****

wow.

This might be the best animated short I have ever seen. I am in awe of it right now.

Notes on a Scandal (2006, Richard Eyre)

"A pottery teacher enters into an affair with one of her students, causing upheaval in her personal and professional lives."

I have never read about a person who hated this film. I have read of people not liking it too much but never a bad review. After seeing the film I can see why this one is hard not to like. The film has a lot of things going for it but the main thing that elevates this film a lot are the two powerful and intense performances by Dench and Blanchett. I am happy they got the recognition they truly deserved last year.

This film is another case of horrible advertising. The trailers and TV spots made it out to be a straight forward drama. This is not the case at all with Notes on a Scandal. This is one intense and to a certain point disturbing psychological thriller. It only lasts less than an hour and half but that hour and half will take you for a very dark journey and that will have you squirming a lot. Dench in particular is chilling and scary in this one, surprisingly. Out of all the nominated performances I have seen of last year she gives the best one by far.

The other thing that Notes has going for it is that it's a true psychological thriller. It feels like so long since I have seen a true thriller. It seems that nowadays everything seems to be labeled a thriller. Premonition is the latest example of this. A film that has car crashes and time travel is not my definition of a psychological thriller at all. Red Eye is another example of these modern "psychological thrillers" I also think that Red Eye is far from being a true thriller. However, Notes on a Scandal is the definition of a psychological thriller.

The film feels like it's action packed and very intense. You really do forget that the whole film is just people talking to each other. You also know that you are watching a great film when even the slightest sense of danger gets you glued on to the screen even more. Notes on a Scandal is filled with these kinds of scenes. The kind of scenes that leave you wanting to shout at the TV. When you combine this type of intense atmosphere with some even more intense performances and on top of all that some great direction you are guaranteed a memorable time.

I was truly loving the heck out of Notes on a Scandal until the very end. The film could easily fall into being classified as being too trashy or a little bit campy but yet it never does. Well, not until the ending. During the course of the film I kept wondering how the ending would be pulled off. I thought it could either go really extreme and take you out of the film or really subtle and just leave you wanting more. The ending had to be just right and the film called for a great ending that delivered everything you wanted it to deliver. Sadly the film goes the extreme route and completely takes you out of the film. I found the ending to be really over the top and felt too much like a typical Hollywood ending. It felt like the type of ending you would see in Premonition or Red Eye, not in a true psychological thriller like this one. I'll just say that I felt cheated in a small way.

Notes on a Scandal has it's share of flaws but they hard to really find. The great direction combined with the performances by the entire cast easily makes this one of the best films of 2006. I can't say that I loved all of it but I can say that I loved a great deal of it. It's worth watching just for Dame Judi Dench. I never thought I would say that, but seriously watch it just see her frightening performance.

- ***