MALADIES – The Review

Perhaps Natasha Leggero said it best on Comedy Central’s Roast, when attempting to explain James Franco’s choice in artistic endeavors…

First I was wondering why James Franco would do this roast, and then I saw Spring Breakers and I was like, “Oh! He’ll do anything!”

Being fully aware I was choosing to watch a film starring James Franco, I was entirely unprepared for what I was getting into, which is a conundrum commonly associated with watching anything starring James Franco.

MALADIES is written and directed by multimedia artist Carter. This is Carter’s first feature-length film. Combining the quirkiness of Spike Jonze — but more mellow — and complex philosophical musings like those of Charlie Kaufman — but less dizzying — MALADIES manages first to catch me off guard, then just as my interest slowly begins to dwindle I am captured in a random moment of realization that I am enjoying the film.

James Franco plays, well… himself. Not officially, but the film eludes to the presumption. James is an actor, retired early. Either by choice, or not. This detail remains up in the air the entire film. Now, James is a writer. He is writing a book. No, James is struggling, somewhat, to write his book. After a short, yet successful career as a Soap Opera star, James put away his thespian masks due to a perceived mental illness. Stricken with memory loss, confusion and spells of dizziness, James now resides in a small town along with his adorably deranged sister Patricia, played by Fallon Goodson, and his best friend Catherine, played by Catherine Keener. Together, we witness their lives and how each of their respective character flaws, or maladies, play out in each others’ company.

MALADIES begins with a long, slow opening sequence depicting two men in alternating shots, quietly walking or sitting in reflection. Meanwhile, we hear narration from a calm, familiar-sounding voice waxing poetically about our central character, James. Not until the narrator begins to verbally interact with James, do we truly realize something is different about this film. This is just one of the various unorthodox methods Carter uses to set his film apart from the crowd. At times, James himself even takes to narrating his own thought process.

The charm of MALADIES comes to fruition only through James’ interaction with his sister, his best friend, and another older man named Delmar, played by David Strathairn. Despite his obvious symptoms, James is perhaps the most grounded and stable of these four characters. Patricia is sweet, but absent-minded and completely at a loss for living within reality as we know it, while Catherine is a self-absorbed, often unlikable artist. Catherine does not particularly like Patricia, while Patricia really wouldn’t know it if it were painted in bright red 10-foot tall letters everywhere she looked. Delmar, on the other hand, is a very likable, albeit curiously eccentric character. Strathairn seems to conjure up a strong presence of Jimmy Stewart for his performance, but it works well. Together, these three do their best, in their own ways, to take care of James in his currently fractured state of mind.

MALADIES moves at a comfortably slow pace, establishing some depth to the characters. There is a spontaneity to the script that stands out, awkwardly tossing curve balls into the story to keep the viewer on their toes while inducing the occasional double-take. Wait, did he just say that? Or, those moments where you think you know what will happen, but then something completely different occurs. You go along at first as if you were right, then realize you were totally not right. MALADIES definitely maintains a slight hint of improvisation, but never so much that it feels winged or incoherent.

Meandering. This is a word that describes MALADIES. Seemingly shuffling along an uncertain path of aimless neurotic exposition, only to suddenly stumble upon a smile. This is how I experienced watching the film. This is not a happy film, but it will warm your heart and inspire some laughter. This is not a sad film, but there are reasons you will feel concern or empathy for the characters. Carter proves he has a cinematic vision worthy of an audience. Carter has not created a perfect film, by any sense of the word, but he has succeeded in making me think and allowing me to laugh. On any good day, this is a winning cinematic concoction.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Available on iTunes & VOD: March 25, 2014. Select theatrical release beginning: March 21, 2014.

THE BATTERY – Fantasia Review

Is there anything more American than baseball and zombies? Sure, that’s not how you’re normally used to hearing such a question, but since we’ve learned that neither applies or pie are truly American in their origin, we need to replace it with something. Anymore, it seems, zombies fit the bill fairly well.

I imagine asking myself, “what two things have never been put together on film,” and then I realize what writer and director Jeremy Gardner must have realized at some point when he developed the idea for making THE BATTERY. This is a film that combines these two very American things, baseball and zombies, doing so in a simplistic way that preserves the core essence of both. You won’t find any rage-induced superhuman zombies or off-the-wall pseudo-scientific explanations for the cause here.

Gardner sets out to tell a story about survival, not unlike that of THE WALKING DEAD, but with a much smaller cast of characters and a much smaller budget. The film centers around two baseball players, Mickey and Ben. They have found themselves wandering through rural Connecticut by foot, or, when the opportunity arises, by abandoned vehicle. Months ago, while in the midst of a baseball game, when the world succumbs to a zombie plague.

Mickey, played by Adam Cronheim, was a relief pitcher in his former life, now a whining, lazy crybaby who feels deprived of life’s amenities that disappeared along with so much of the human population. Mickey is weak, somewhat useless by choice and a liability to Ben, but they are all each other have in what’s left of the world. Ben, played by Jeremy Gardner, was a starting catcher, in control but wild and fun-loving. Ben is capable of taking care of them both, knowledgeable enough to live off the land and scavenge for the rest while Mickey mostly sits around and blows through precious batteries listing to his portable CD player.

THE BATTERY sets in with as much character development, portraying the two somewhat opposing personalities with a minimally confrontational mood. It quickly becomes apparent that they need each other for their own reason, whether they realize it or not, which ultimately proves to be the very heart of Gardner’s film. Only later on, when they encounter the first character outside themselves does the truth of this begin to set in for themselves and for the audience.

The film is shot (Christian Stella) mostly handheld, grainy and immersed in a sort of endless amber glow of the golden hour, as though to suggest the inevitable end of days. This fits splendidly with the backdrop of the rural landscape of Connecticut as Ben and Mickey venture blindly across fields and down lonely stretches of two-lane highway. Accompany this with an appropriately somber and folksy soundtrack and equivalent score (Ryan Winford) and you’ve got a very down home, personal approach to surviving a zombie apocalypse.

As the relationship between Ben and Mickey develops, like so many buddy comedies but with a bit more drama, the zombie epidemic is but a backdrop itself. Only on a few occasions are the zombies scene, until the end and even then as more of a visceral audio presence that serves as a psychological mind f*ck for our central characters. The special effects are minimalistic and far from groundbreaking, but effectively used in a story not truly about the undead to begin with. Armed only with a six-shooter revolver and a baseball bat, Ben and Mickey do their share of damage on the zombies while picking at each others’ nerves as well.

The game of baseball serves as a wonderful icebreaker, and binding agent and a metaphorical storytelling device for Gardner. THE BATTERY blends this in with the zombie survival story nicely, with moments often resembling those between BULL DURHAM’s Nuke and Crash, while others seem a bit more reminiscent of Shaun and Ed from SHAUN OF THE DEAD. Fully realizing a blend of baseball and zombies may seem too random and ridiculous to work, I suggest going into this film with an open mind. Accept the understandable absurdity of the concept and embrace it, then allow Gardner to show you just how well it works when the story itself has little to do with either baseball or zombies.

THE BATTERY is an official selection of the 2013 Fantasia Film Festival.

Tribeca Film Festival 2013: Preview

Yesterday the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival officially kicked off with opening night film, MISTAKEN FOR STRANGERS. Today is the first full day of programming; however, tomorrow will be my first day actually at the fest. Every year I post a preview of films & events I’m most looking forward to and every year my schedule changes drastically once the festival actually begins. But it works so why mess with the formula?

For this year’s preview, I simply took screen grabs straight from the official Tribeca guide. Lazy or incredibly smart, feel free to decide for yourself. I am posting these picks knowing full well that I will not make it to every one of them. For example, I really want to see BIG BAD WOLVES after Aharon Keshales & Navot Papushado’s film RABIES blew me away at Tribeca 2 years back. Unfortunately it looks like I will not be able to make a single screening of that film. The same can be said for V/H/S 2 & A SINGLE SHOT but I thought I’d mention them anyway. (Who knows, maybe a kind pr person could hook a buddy up with a screener)

I’ll be at the fest Friday April 19 – Monday April 22nd & again on Friday April 26th. If you see me around the festival, feel free to say hi. I may even have some free stuff on me to give away. My schedule is a bit shorter than last year’s but I will still bring you the same great (debatable) coverage that I’ve given the last few years. And if you want my most up to date thoughts on the festival, follow me on Twitter – @GetStuck

Now without further ado, here are some of the things I am most looking forward to at Tribeca this year:

FILMS

EVENTS

And free Magnum Ice Cream in the press lounge…

Jerry Cavallaro – @GetStuck – www.JerryCavallaro.com

Tribeca 2012 Daily Recap: April 25th

It is close to 2 am and I need to be out of my house before 8 to make my first screening tomorrow so I will try to make this quick. Rather than kick things off with a trip to the press lounge this morning, I went straight to the AMC Village 7 Theater for the first time this year.

Partially inspired by my Tribeca experience, I made a comment on Twitter the other night that the only comedies festivals seem to program are “authentic” dramedies about “real-world relationships” that tend to go nowhere. That is a fairly accurate description of YOUR SISTER’S SISTER except for one major exception; the film actually takes you on a bit of an emotional journey and it is quite a fun trip. I was surprised by how much I loved the film. This was a public screening and easily the most packed I had seen any theater at the festival thus far. I had not even planned to see this film but heard such good things from other press that I added it to my list. I’m so glad I did. This smart, funny and expertly crafted flick is easily one of the best films at Tribeca.

Following the screening, I checked into the film via GetGlue just like I’m programmed to do after constantly watching the ads telling us to share our Tribeca experience via the wonders of social media. I received a response on Twitter from @ConradHotels asking about my #TFF screening schedule. After a few tweets, they told me they’d have a surprise for me after my last screening of the day. Intrigued, I began my hike to the Clearview Cinemas Chelsea. Of course there were a few stops along the way: Best Buy for Blu-Rays I don’t really need, Press lounge for water & ice cream and a lunch break at 2 Bros. for $1 pizza slices! Tired, full and a little curious, I made it with plenty of time to spare to my second (and final) screening of the day.

THE GIANT MECHNICAL MAN was a bit of a letdown for me. While enjoyable as is, the film never lives up to its full comedic potential. It works best when dealing with the rom-com aspects of the story but falters a little with mostly unnecessary dramatic beats that feel too repetitive. I can’t help but feel like this film would have been far more entertaining if all the main characters were not so damn depressed. At least Topher Grace was spot on as a cocky motivational speaker.

The post-screening Q & A was equally disappointing. Not because Jenna Fischer wasn’t there (although that did suck) but because only a handful of fairly boring questions were thrown at writer/director Lee Kirk who seemed to have a lot more to say. On my way out, I received yet another tweet from @ConradHotels alerting me they’d be at the theater in less than 20 minutes. I waited outside for just a few before being met by the 2 lovely ladies I had apparently been tweeting with. And they came bearing gifts!

Courtesy of Conrad Hotels & the Pop-Up Conrad Concierge, I received a $100 gift card and a Mophie Juice Pack Plus iphone case. This was truly awesome and incredibly useful for many reasons. Whether you are at the festival or not, I suggest you follow @ConradHotels since they seem to be giving away a lot of cool stuff. (Please note: This is NOT an official endorsement on behalf of WAMG) They took a video of the entire thing which I will link to in a future update if they post it.

With my backpack a little fuller, I decided to stop by the filmmaker lounge for an Industry Cocktail party prior to hopping the bus home. Just like last time, a few minutes turned into 3 hours chatting with people like Alan LaFave (Festival Director of Hell’s Half Mile Film + Music Festival), Aaron Moorhead (co-director of RESOLUTION), and Matt Watkajtys & Jeff Hodges of Izkara distribution. Filling my backpack just a little bit more with free Smart water, I finally made my way home. And now I will finally get to bed!

Jerry Cavallaro – @GetStuck – JerryCavallaro.com

Tribeca 2011 Daily Recap: April 29th

For anyone that follows me on Twitter (@GetStuck), you know that I made a major error this morning. My final screening of the festival was going to be the 2 pm press screening of THE BLEEDING HOUSE. The only problem is that screening was actually at 12pm. Luckily I realized my error before I made the 90-minute commute to the festival. Since that was my only screening for the day and I had no interviews scheduled, I declared Thursday my last day actually at the festival. A few hours later, I was back on the bus to the city anyway.

I received an invite to the JANIE JONES after party and knew it would be fun to attend. Since I arrived at the festival about 45 minutes early, I decided to take one last walk around the Chelsea Theater, which is where I spent most of my Tribeca Film Festival experience. I walked around looking for more promo materials and didn’t find anything new. I mentioned it in a previous post but I am extremely disappointed in how filmmakers represented themselves and their films at this festival. I also thought I’d pick up a Tribeca Film Festival shirt that has been tempting me the entire festival. Then I saw the price and decided I already have plenty of shirts from smaller film festivals that I’d rather support anyway.

On my way out the door, I ran into the beautiful and talented Maria Rusolo. She is a NY based actress/producer that I am friends with and we have been trying to meet up the entire festival. It turns out we were in the same theater at least once and completely missed each other. We talked a little about the festival before I made my way over to the JANIE JONES party.

Rather than load this recap with photos, I created a separate post for the JANIE JONES party that you can view right HERE. The party turned out to be my final event of the festival and it was a perfect way to end it. While I am finished with the festival, my coverage will continue into next week. I have reviews to catch up on, as well as interviews to post. Be sure to keep an eye out for my continuing coverage and thank you for reading my daily updates on my festival experience.

Jerry Cavallaro – www.StuckLikeChuck.com

Tribeca 2011 Interview: Rider & Shiloh Strong

My favorite short film of the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival was a dark comedy called THE DUNGEON MASTER. Apparently it was your favorite as well because it won Best Short from the Tribeca (Online) Film Festival. Earlier this week I had the opportunity to sit down with Rider & Shiloh Strong to talk about the film, which they wrote and directed. I want to thank them for taking the time to speak with me and also for signing some Tribeca program guides, which we are giving away right HERE.

Below is a video of our full interview, in which we talk about making the film, Dungeons & Dragons, social media, embarrassing childhood magic shows and more. Enjoy!

BONUS VIDEO

Before the interview, I talked with Rider & Shiloh about a short film I made a few years ago that was also D & D inspired. It shares a similar theme with DUNGEON MASTER but their film is far better in every possible way. It was filmed in one afternoon for a contest so please forgive the terrible acting and low production values. Enjoy!

Jerry Cavallaro – www.StuckLikeChuck.com

Tribeca 2011 Daily Recap: April 28th

I’m willing to admit that today was a bit of a disappointment at the Tribeca Film Festival. I should have known something was up when it started pouring outside. The day started fine enough with a visit to the pressroom, where I happened to see Stephen Root. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to speak with him and that seems to be where things took a turn for the worse.

The first film I watched today was DETACHMENT, which stars Adrien Brody as a substitute teacher who is emotionally removed from the world, although he still wants to help seemingly every troubled young person he meets. If you think this sounds like a typical teacher reforms a class full of misfits flick, you are sorely mistaken. This film is absolutely bleak & would have left me quite depressed if I cared about the characters. I just couldn’t get into the film or the over-stylized experimental direction. Reactions were mixed with those I talked to after the screening and it seems like this is the sort of film people will either love or hate.

After grabbing a quick bite to eat with Alan LaFave (festival director for Hells Half Mile), we headed to our next screening. We opted to see HIGHER GROUND, by Vera Farmiga. This is another film that will likely divide audiences. I really enjoyed Joshua Leonard’s performance, as well as some of the more humorous moments, but overall this was just not a film for me. It offers brief satirical thoughts about religion but it is mostly an earnest look at someone struggling with faith over the course of her life. There is an absolutely huge audience out there for this film but I am not in it.

After the screening I made a final trip to the filmmaker lounge to check my email. Just one response to my many interview requests and it was a no because the talent had already left. With no more press screenings or any party invites, I headed home. I wouldn’t say it was a bad day, but it was definitely not what I expected.

Jerry Cavallaro – www.StuckLikeChuck.com

DAMN YOUR EYES – Short Film Review

For most of the general viewing audience, the phrase “Spaghetti Western” conjures on of two reactions: one of nostalgia for a relatively lost genre of filmmaking, prevalent in the 1960’s and 70’s; or one of befuddled curiosity with a side of amused disbelief spurred by the name alone. Younger generations may not even be aware of the sheer joy of the unique classics, both domestic and foreign, that the more seasoned movie lovers experienced from the likes of Sergio Leone and a young Clint Eastwood, just to name a couple.

A few attempts have been made by filmmakers over the past decade or so to reintroduce new fans to the genre, mostly being foreign filmmakers, such as Takashi Miike’s SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO, or Jee-woon Kim’s THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE WEIRD. Regrettably, the spaghetti western has somehow slipped the minds on American filmmakers… until now.

Writer and director David Guglielmo has taken the initiative to change that with his short film DAMN YOUR EYES, completed in 2009. The film stars Jakob Von Eichel (Short Film YOUR BEST VIOLENCE; LAW & ORDER TV Series) as Sam, a mysterious stranger that shows up in town, looking for a man who goes by the name “Scott,” played by Angelo Angrisani. During his visit to the town saloon, men fall victim to his quick draw, but only when provoked, leading him to befriend an abused prostitute named Louisa (played by Marisa Costa) whose honor Sam chose selflessly to protect. In return for his protection, Louisa tends Sam’s wounds and discovers his deadly and legendary identity.

DAMN YOUR EYES is as much a 20-minute sneak peak into the filmmaker’s vision as it is a short film on its own merit. Guglielmo is already in the early stages of expanding the short into a feature-length film, and that’s a good thing indeed. While the film does convey Guglielmo’s unique style, it most certainly also draws influence from and pays homage to multiple films, both of the spaghetti western genre and of grind house and exploitation film in general.

I don’t want to give anything away, but in one crucial scene Louisa refers to Sam by his name of legend. This is clearly a wink to perhaps the most recognizable of the spaghetti western films. From those same films, come an actor and filmmaker who we all know as Clint Eastwood. Von Eichel has unmistakably patterned his performance respectfully from the early gun slinging Eastwood, right down to his voice and mannerisms. The visual quality and performances are on par with what the spaghetti western genre is known for, which means this is a compliment. Even the music, used primarily as an audio segue between scenes, is a throwback to the undisputed kind of the spaghetti western score, Ennio Morricone, but is not overused.

While it makes logical sense to draw from the spaghetti westerns of the past when making such a film, DAMN YOUR EYES also draws from more modern cinema, most notably Quentin Tarantino’s KILL BILL. This relationship is most evident in the way Sam is involved with the man called “Scott” and also in the cinematography and editing styles chosen for the flashback scenes, depicting Sam’s motivation for seeking vengeance.

While this is a film that presumably takes place sometime in the late 1800’s, DAMN YOUR EYES does not hold true to the proper language and vocabulary of the period. That’s just fine. The difference between a traditional western and the spaghetti western is that the latter is less concerned with historical accuracy than it is with sensationalized violence and stylized storytelling. Likewise, the violence in DAMN YOUR EYES often takes on a more graphically over-the-top essence of the grind house films of the 70’s, complete with spurting and gushing blood effects that are less realistic than they are exaggerated and pleasantly humorous. These, combined with the more modern “adult” language, just make the film more fun and I am absolutely fine with that.

DAMN YOUR EYES is a bit of a tease, meaning the film ends at a key turning point in Sam’s story, leaving the viewer ferociously hungry for more. This is a brilliant strategic move on the part of the filmmaker in setting the audience up for demanding a feature film, a promise that I am eager to see followed through.

Tribeca 2011 Daily Recap: April 27th

Because I was running late today, I unfortunately had to skip my customary breakfast ice cream. Instead today started right up with an early screening of GRAVE ENCOUNTERS by The Vicious Brothers. I was thoroughly surprised by this very fun flick. While I love the found footage genre, I much prefer TV shows like GHOST HUNTERS to found footage ghost (or demon) films like PARANORMAL ACTIVITY. While there really isn’t anything original in GRAVE ENCOUNTERS, the execution really makes it worthwhile.

Following the screening, I made my way to the Doha Film Institute Filmmaker Lounge for an interview with Rider and Shiloh Strong. I was really looking forward to the interview, not just because I grew up watching BOY MEETS WORLD religiously but also because I truly loved their short, THE DUNGEON MASTER. In fact, in the 30+ minutes that we spoke, we never talked about any of their previous work except for their first short film, IRISH TWINS. (We didn’t even talk CABIN FEVER despite it being one of my favorite horror films)

It was an honor getting to speak with the brothers Strong and I want to thank them for being so gracious with their time. They were also kind enough to sign some Tribeca Film festival programs for us to give away. I’ve already posted a contest for it HERE so be sure to check it out.

Since the interview lasted longer than I thought it would, which is always cool, I missed the press screening for THE GUARD. Ironically, after the interview I ended up having a nice conversation with THE SECURUTY GUARD of the filmmaker lounge. After that, I made my way to the SVA Theater for the Tribeca Talks panel, THE BUSINESS OF ENTERTAINMENT.

It was an interesting panel but I expected something quite different. It was billed in the guide as a panel with a “focus on financing films in the 21st century.” I expected them to talk about modern film funding techniques like crowdfunding and what low-budget filmmakers struggling to raise money should do. Instead they talked mostly about VOD, how easy it is to get distribution nowadays because of the digital revolution and how that’s making it easier to get funding as well. As a no-budget indie filmmaker, I can say neither of those statements are true for filmmakers at my level. If you would like to see the panel yourself, it is available in the online screening room.

After the panel, I spent a few minutes in the press lounge before finally heading home. I will work on getting some more reviews up tomorrow, as well as at least one of the interview videos. I will also be sending in some questions to Dick Maas, the writer/director of SAINT, so if there is anything you want me to ask him, let me know. You can read my review for SAINT right HERE.

Jerry Cavallaro – www.StuckLikeChuck.com

Win a signed Tribeca program from Rider & Shiloh Strong!

If you have been following my coverage from the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, you already know that WAMG had a chance to sit down with Rider & Shiloh Strong to talk about their new film, THE DUNGEON MASTER. I absolutely loved this short and highly recommend you check it out.

To help promote the film, Rider & Shiloh have signed a few Tribeca Film Festival Official Guides for us to give away!

Want to win one plus a postcard for THE DUNGEON MASTER?

All you have to do is watch the film for free on the Tribeca Film Festival website and then come back here to let us know what you thought of it. Be sure to leave your comments on the TFF website as well.

Here’s a direct link to the DUNGEON MASTER screening room:

http://www.tribecafilm.com/tribecaonline/streaming-room/dungeon_master-film33955.html

The film is only available until the morning of May 1. We will choose a winner shortly after. Because the screening room is only available in the United States, this contest is only open to US residents. Sorry.

Keep checking back for the rest of our Tribeca 2011 coverage, including our interview with Rider & Shiloh Strong!

Jerry Cavallaro – www.StuckLikeChuck.com

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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