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Scratch (2015)
Scratch is darkly humorous and pleasant to watch
I call them workhorse movies. It all starts with a script, then someone likes the script and works extra hard to get the movie made. Sometimes that's the same person; sometimes that's a few people. Anyway, it doesn't matter. I usually have fairly low expectations going into a workhorse movie. I've seen my fair share, from guys putting together abstract animated shorts to teams building action/adventure international romps. And sometimes, these are just the right vehicles to showcase a writer's style, or a director's edge, or an actor's chops.
Here we have Scratch, a full-length independent film that wants to be bigger than its budget and, for the most part, does pretty well. As a workhorse movie, it's top-notch. It's written and directed by a guy named Maninder Chana and it stars nobody you've heard of but maybe somebody you'll see one day. Sure there are a few plot holes here and there. Sure there are some editing hiccups. Sure some of the acting isn't DeNiro in Raging Bull. At the end of the day, though, none of that stuff really matters; it all really comes down to that ever-elusive, hard-to-define term 'entertainment.' If the audience laughs a little, or cries a little, or really just cares a little, then the film is a success. Scratch delivers. It's darkly funny and even a bit interesting, once you get over the aforementioned downfalls. The leading woman is attractive and holds her own. I really liked Gigi and the Russians; their interplay made the movie for me. The twist was OK. I guess I didn't see it coming, but I also think it was more of a trick than a twist.
Stuff blows up. People curse a lot and die. It looks like high-quality production. The score is on-point. The acting isn't terrible. The writing is good, and great in spots. The directing is clean and cool. It wants to be like Usual Suspects or Reservoir Dogs or even Snatch. But it isn't those. It's as close to those as National Treasure is to Raiders of the Lost Ark. In the end, that's pretty damn good.
First Anniversary (2016)
An excellent short that leaves the right things unsaid
First Anniversary (directed by James Huang and written by Chin Yu) is a heartbreaking short film that makes great use of Ernest Hemmingway's iceberg theory; that is, that what appears is only a small tip of what's happening. This adds impact to the story, giving the audience a greater role in the nuances of the story, and allowing deeper meanings to shine through implicitly.
In First Anniversary, we see Kate (played by Kate T. Billingsley) and Owen (played by Keith Chandler) reluctant to meet each other. They never say they are divorced; instead, we know they know each other because they instantly recognize each other, and we find out they are divorced because of their hesitancy towards each other and, ultimately, because they ask each other when they stopped wearing their respective wedding rings.
Kate and Owen are meeting for a reason that's also never stated explicitly, and I will try not to divulge too much here. Let's just say that something awful happened and it was nobody's fault, yet the two feel obliged to meet and visit a place together.
There are more conversations. There's talk of missing each other and of love. The wedding rings come up again. These two obviously have unresolved issues, as well as a lot of love towards each other. They agree to meet again in exactly a year. Maybe they can be together; maybe they can't. That's not the point, really. The point is, the audience gets to be entirely emotionally invested for 10 minutes of beautiful film. Thank goodness for all that is left unsaid in First Anniversary.
Crash Testing (2015)
Eerie and slow
When Yuting Hsueh sent me Crash Testing in exchange for an honest review, he described it as "a 4-minute experimental animated short." It's a pretty accurate description, especially when it comes to the ending of the 4-minute film. I would add a few other descriptive words, such as 'eerie' and 'slow.' Eerie and slow are common throughout, and they aren't really negative descriptions. The film starts off with shadows moving on some sort of warehouse ceiling with a high-pitched piano playing on the score. Soon, we see crash test dummies that seem to be suspended, like they're sitting on invisible chairs. It isn't until we see the dummies that we know this is computer animated. The shadows and the lighting in the opening warehouse ceiling look as real as anything. There are five dummies. Four are close together and a tan-ish color. The fifth dummy is further away and he lacks the tan; he's more of a dull gray.
Slowly, the piano plays as the gray dummy turns his head, also slowly, to see a bright and shiny convertible sports car. Or does he see it? Is it a dream? The shot is of the car with this dummy inside putting colors on his face: blue on one side and tan on the other. A buzzer sounds and the dummy readies himself at the wheel. In slow motion, he speeds the car head-first into a wall. In slower motion, the airbag deploys and the dummy's face hits it, leaving the imprint of the paint on the airbag: blue on one side and tan on the other. After the super-slow-mo car crash, the film cuts to flip-book-like image of many blue and tan faces with slight variations. As the flip book gets faster, the faces seem like one face in motion. There's a fade to what looks like red paint, and again the crash dummy is sitting. The dummy turns to the camera, then we see red paint, then the dummy, then red paint, dummy, and red paint.
Crash Testing does many things well. The animation is interesting. The textures on the dummies' faces are nice. These can best be seen when the dummy is putting the colors on his face. In low-budget animated shorts, movement sometimes looks fake and/or rushed. Not here. In this film, the movement is meticulous and fluid. Add pacing and the score to the on-point animation, and this film has a great eerie vibe.
There are some things missing though. When I watch a film, I like a narrative. I like a beginning, middle, and end. I like a plot. If there's a plot here, I didn't get it. I view this short as a few images meant to invoke certain emotions. Frankly, I think it could do more than that. The animation is so strong that it would've been nice to see a smoother narrative in the movie. I wanted to watch wonderful images and get lost in the story, but that didn't happen. There was no story.
He's Got Character (2016)
Short and utterly likable
He's Got Character is a cute, short comedy that is somehow familiar and unpredictable at the same time, which makes it utterly likable. Written, directed, and produced by W.D. Stevens, the film is easy to watch and manages to induce a few chuckles here and there in its short, 13-minute running time.
The movie starts off with what looks like an awkward ending to an awkward blind date. Allen is quiet but he's "working on it," he says, and Christine turns him down for a second date because she likes guys who are "more macho." At this point in the film, the acting looks forced, and I started to roll my eyes because bad acting runs rampant in these low-budget shorts.
But we quickly find out that we're watching actors rehearsing a scene in a play when Allen asks for his line. This is apparently the last dress rehearsal before opening night. Sweet and quiet Allen is really Harry, played well by Richard Pengelly. Christine is actually Dana, played by Lore Burns. The writer and director of the play is Suzie, played by Gen Guild.
Thankfully the acting in the movie isn't as bad as the acting in the play within the movie. That's just the actors acting like bad actors. Whew. If this all sounds complicated, don't worry. It's actually easy to watch and understand; it's just hard to explain it in writing. This is a testament to the writing and directing talents of W.D. Stevens. Hopefully we'll see more from him in the future.
Back to the movie: Dana leaves after rehearsal and it's just Harry and Suzie there. They sip champagne and talk about the play. Suzie reveals that she feels sorry for the character Allen and she even claims that she "could almost fall in love with him." "He's a bit young for you," Harry replies. Even though he plays Allen, Harry isn't really like Allen at all. Allen is sweet and sensitive and well-dressed. Harry is arrogant and messy and a bit of a jerk sometimes.
But that doesn't matter. All Suzie can see through champagne goggles is the sweet character she created for the stage. She gives Harry a seductive look. They flirt. Dana has forgotten her keys and walks back in to catch Harry and Suzie making out on the sofa.
The next day, Suzie and Dana chat before Harry arrives. Dana can't believe that Suzie would be into a guy like Harry and she warns Suzie that Suzie may be falling for the character Allen and not for the real-life Harry. After a few days, Suzie realizes Dana was right and comes up with a plan to get Harry out of her life without being too harsh.
The entertainment in the movie comes from more than just the comedy. Don't get me wrong; the comedy is there. It's subtle and cute – maybe too cute sometimes – but it's still funny. The credits even have outtakes, which are also funny. But there's more to the movie. Again, kudos to the writer/director, W.D. Stevens. He has put together a little gem that brings up all sorts of questions about life imitating art or the other way around, and about writers' connections to their characters, and about actors' projected image versus their real selves, and some other philosophical musings on society. All in 13ish minutes.
Race Across America (2013)
A good movie and easy to watch
Race Across America is a documentary about a British team of amateur cyclists who want to win the Race Across America, better known as RAAM. Director Leo De Hann's film is beautifully shot and it nicely captures the harshness of this race.
The film is good, even if it's not perfect. Viewers get a snippet of the RAAM Roses -- the cycling team -- before the race, but most of the documentary follows the Roses as they bike. The team consists of leader Ollie (the experienced one), Woodsy (the muscular one), Tim (the guy with the earring), and Anna (the rookie woman). The film offers magnificent scenery, first of all. The film also does a nice job of revealing the cyclists' hardships, both physical and mental. Saddle sores are a problem. Because of Woodsy's size, his seat shifts, which causes him to cramp up significantly. Sleep deprivation is grueling, making night-riding quite unpleasant.
All of these hardships are shown in the film; there's no doubt that the race is hard. This leads to a satisfying ending.
My main criticism of the film is that it seems to be missing a more personal connection to the RAAM Roses. They are a team of amateur cyclists, as the film tells the viewers, but when it's all over, viewers still don't know that much about the cyclists. At a brisk 40-minute running time, there was obviously room to reveal more about the riders' lives, why they decided to race, and maybe how the race affected their regular lives afterwords. Getting to know the cyclists better would have made their hardships and triumphs even more impactful. On a similar note, the documentary could've spent more time on those hardships. One particular piece of drama in the movie had Ollie racing an extra 13 miles. He was obviously angry, and it would've been nice to see a little follow-through on how he addressed the miscommunication with his teammates and crew. But, he just said he was angry and the film moved on.
All-in-all, though, the documentary gives an interesting and entertaining perspective on an interesting and entertaining event. It takes less than an hour to watch and viewers will learn something. There's really not much more you can ask from a documentary.
Straight Outta Oakland (2014)
Working for a better life
Set Me Free is one of those movies that's going to be hard for many to review. On the surface, it's about an experience in "the hood" that not many of us who've never lived in a poor, urban environment will relate to. Yet, there's an underlying theme of escape (which is where the title comes from, I presume) that many will be able to relate to. We make choices in hopes of a better life. Sometimes we make the wrong choices. Sometimes, those wrong choices, no matter how many times we try to get away from them, catch up to us.
It's important to remember that this is low-budget fare. There's low budget, then there's low budget. This seems like the latter. IMDb says the budget was $20,000. So you're just not going to have the production value of movies with money. What the filmmakers have to rely on, then, is writing, acting, directing, and all those other things that a movie needs. Again, some of those things are hard to come by with a low budget. With money, you can afford tried and true actors and hi-tech equipment. Without it, you use your connections, hope to get lucky, or work really hard making your movie.
Writer/Director Big Spence (his real name is Marcus D. Spencer) has somehow found powerful actors to bring his authentic words to life. Some of the acting is dry or forced, especially in some of the supporting roles, but overall the acting is good, the direction is solid, and the writing is solid as well.
On to the movie: It's about four young African-American friends who deal with the hardships of their socioeconomic upbringing, all looking for ways to escape. One of the nice things about this movie is that all four of these men are very different, yet it's not hard to believe that they are friends. The characterization is commendable. Keith is a talented musician who wants rap to be his escape. He's played by Skipper Elekwachi and he gives a powerful performance, and we may be looking at an up-and-coming star. Kevin, played by Alphonso Thompson, is the one who does whatever he can to make a dime, mostly by selling drugs. He's the "bad" one of the group, but I use that term loosely. And Thompson's performance is strong as well. Keith and Kevin are often at odds; one wants to get out in an honest way and one wants to get by via less honest means. Writer/director Big Spence plays Kenny, who wants college to be his out. He's a good father and might one day be a good provider, but he's also broke and has relationship troubles. Korey, played by Alan "A Wal" Walker, is perhaps the least interesting of the bunch. He is Keith's cousin and Kevin's best friend (and Kevin's punching bag).
As mentioned, the directing is well-done, but it's Big Spence's writing that's really on key. The dialogue seems authentic and the characters can never be confused for one another. The value of the script really comes in the interesting characters. Of the four, none are all good or all bad. Keith tries to be honest and do the right thing, but he also steals some equipment he needs to cut his demo. Kevin seems horrible most of the time, but he is also the sole caregiver for his ailing father. Korey is a follower and unsure of himself, but finds a bit of a path at the end of the movie. Kenny is a good dad and loves his girlfriend, but he's a little bit of a player with bad taste in women. Still in many ways, he's the glue of the group, although Keith wants to be.
Things go right and wrong for each of them, but it's the interaction between these lifelong friends that's at the heart of the movie. As one character says, "there's supposed to be a creed" between the friends.
Not everyone will relate to this movie right away, that's true. It has some language that many are only familiar with from popular hip hop, and the n-word will make many uncomfortable. But the theme of escaping a bad situation for a better life is a universal one. This move captures just how important and difficult escaping can be.