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picklefuzzy
Reviews
Jimmy and Judy (2006)
Not bad, but should be better...
Jimmy and Judy,a well-made semi-remake of "Badlands" with some "Natural Born Killers" thrown in for good measure, isn't a bad time at the movies, to be sure, but also isn't near as good as it should be.
I caught the world premiere of this movie at SF Indie, and I can certainly see why they picked it - edgy, counterculture, chock full of sex and violence. It's also very well acted, particularly by Furlong, and has terrific sound design. But ultimately, the film goes nowhere, with characters that neither illicit compassion nor interest, and a story which seems to meander, predictability, to a place that has nothing really to do with either Jimmy or Judy. We never really understand their "angst" the way we should. Apparently, just because they're young, sweaty, unkempt, swear and screw a lot, they get to be angry and rebellious.
The one moderately original thing about the film is that Jimmy videotapes everything (this is not a spoiler - it's evident in the trailer and from frame 1 of the movie), and this is used as a narrative device ala "Blair Witch". Kinda nifty, but still, nothing else in the movie - either Furlong's character nor the story, pay this off in any way, and ultimately, it doesn't make sense.
If you like angst for angst's sake, this is for you. But if you want to be engaged by story or character, you may do best to look elsewhere.
Façade (2005)
Sadly, not very good...
"Facade" is a fact-based account of a young man's suicide, made with a tremendous amount of emotion and pain by his best friend. While all of this is evident when watching the movie, the sad truth is that it doesn't mean the film is any good. And it really isn't.
The movie has decent tech credits - it's shot on actual film, features solid but not spectacular performances, and has some good music. The direction shows some mild promise. But none of that can hide a script that goes absolutely nowhere, ill-defined characters, and shapeless scenes full of endless, meaningless dialog. The film seems to stretch on forever, and the ultimate suicide doesn't feel justified at all.
I would assume that few people would say to the writer-director-star of this movie that "Facade" sucks because of what it obviously means to him, and as a result the film has probably gotten further than it might have otherwise. But don't be fooled - this movie has little beyond it's good intentions.
Ten 'til Noon (2006)
Tremendous Indie Thriller
I caught this at SF Indiefest and didn't know what to expect beyond a tired retreat of "Momento" or "Pulp Fiction". But I was extremely surprised and impressed - "Ten 'til Noon" is a true original, a terrifically involving, funny thriller that is able to consistently surprise the audience.
Well-acted, well-shot, and much slicker than the other low-budget fair at the festival, this movie is actually able to reinvent itself every ten minutes with significant shifts in tone, yet it never feels jarring or that somehow we've wandered into a different film. The result is a brilliant, wide-ranging view of a very small event (a 10 minute crime), and how it both effects and is effected by the players involved.
One should be warned that the movie has it's fair share of potentially offensive stuff - sex, violence, language, and homosexuality, all presented in somewhat extreme fashion, which is a surprise given the overly mature, sober tone and pace of much of the film.
If you have a chance to catch this film, do so. We, as an audience, aren't lucky enough to have a lot of movies like this out there.
Fuck (2005)
Terrific, lively documentary!
I was lucky enough to catch this tremendous documentary at the San Francisco Independent Film Festival, and OH MY GOD, was it fun! Sadly, the director told the audience the cut may need to change based on getting final clearance for a lot of the clips and interviews, but if it remains intact, and can find a brave distributor who's savvy enough to market this film, "F%ck" could have a very good theatrical life before making an even bigger splash on home video.
Extremely hilarious, refreshingly vulgar, and surprisingly political, "F%ck" not only examines the root and use of the word but the entire culturally-charged issue of swearing. I don't want to say more, but its almost impossible to watch even a few moments of this film without getting the giggles.
Terrific stuff, and as long as you're not easily offended, a MUST SEE!