checkacheck Reviews

Slingshot (2005)

Good indie movie

[7/10 · 26 April 2007]

Glad to see this is finally out on DVD. It's nice to see these actors on screen and in roles that suit them well. Gotta love Arquette, Birch, Marquiles and Getty. I wish more movies like this were made these days. It felt, to me, like a movie in the vein of the great indie dramas of the early 90s - the ones that also had a good amount of real life humor but also had real characters. Hopefully it's not a dying breed. I don't mean to imply that this movie is a talky, unplotted movie like Clerks or Pompetus of Love (nothing against those films). This is absolutely a genre film - a con film - it's just done in a sort of different tone than others.

I don't know how this movie did theatrically but it's a definitely worth a rent. I think of it as a hang out movie, to use a Quentin Tarantino phrase, the kind of movie where you really enjoy hanging out with the characters.

Pinkerton (2005)

Terrific film!

[10/10 · 26 April 2007]

I found this remarkable short film on a DVD on the free shelf at Vidiots or Cinefile - can't remember which (both are indie video stores in LA). I've been to a ton of festivals, seen shorts programs at Sundance and the like. I'm usually disappointed on a number of levels (concept, writing, directing, cinematography). I'm glad to report that Pinkerton is a true exception. And it didn't cost me a dime!

The concept is a wonderful blend of the familiar and striking originality. The writing is sharp. The actors well cast (and they deliver great performances). And the movie is directed with great emotion and precision. And - thank god - it's short. Why so many film schools tell kids to make 25 minute short film is beyond me. If you're calling it a short film it should be short. Pinkerton is 10 minutes. Yet it has a complete story. It shows mastery of genre by its writer/director. And, most importantly, it elicits genuine emotion from the viewer.

If you live in LA, go looking for this short film at Vidiots/Cinefile. It's on a DVD collection called Spotlight on UCLA. There's a bunch of other films on the disk - haven't watched them yet - but this one caught my eye and I was rewarded with a gem.