First I saw Adventures of Power, but I will come back to it.
I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A GANGSTER
This is why I love film festivals. Is this movie perfect...no. It is awesome despite it's flaws. It invokes many films- because it is about film. It revolves around a diner and some wannabe criminals whose paths cross only because of the diner an thematically because of their criminal elements. I hate the intersecting story as much as anyone else, but it doesn't really matter with this film. or not till the end. It got off to a shaky start. A bad site gag, some keys locked into a car, a gangster without a gun. The black an white photography though, was wonderful, so i thought i would be in capable hands. And the French diner waitress was pretty and in B&W-that always works for me. I shrugged off the first act, but got the nod that the movie is definitely about movies. There are tons of clues, it is blatant. There's a Brad Pitt hamburger on the menu and pictures of "real" gangsters on the walls. In the second, two goofy, good hearted criminals kidnap a rich girl and it is great. Not Savannah Smiles great, but really really funny dialogue and even a bit touching at one point. The next section is very well done and simple- about two old friends in the music business- but in the third story, the movie really came together. It is about 5 really old guys who used to be gangsters. In this section i realized that the film is about how there is no longer room in the world for the old cool gangsters, or how they can only exist in cinema, or how the cinema has changed because the world has changed. It is debatable and I really like that- that whole thinking at the movies thing. The movie should have ended there but there was an epilogue that wasn't needed. I really liked the film but I would like to see a shorter edit- I think that would elevate the film to something amazing; lose some plot and end on a note to make people ponder. If you get a chance, see the movie. Great editing, wonderful style and lighting, French women, great acting and a movie about movies-subtly, not in an agent's office or any of that.
Another thing I will do to review movies is kind of a star system, but we will use Katie's expression. Here is her reaction to said movie:
ADVENTURES OF POWER
The movie is about a geek who air drums. When you hear this, do you think it is a feature? I thought it could be, I was wrong. Think a movie that makes you say Napoleon Dynamite, crossed with a classic 80's style and storyline and a karate kid type, conquer the odds thing with air drumming. oh is there air drumming.
A guy Air Drums (i like capitalizing that) and no one understands him, not even his father, who is played by Michael McKean and is leader of the Copper Miner's union. The copper plant is run by an evil guy who has a son that is a really lame country music star (who has a hilarious video in the film). So our Air Drummer, Power (played by writer/director Ari Gold) goes off to Air Drum after he can't take part in the strike because he was fired for....Air Drumming. He randomly (and actually something I liked about the movie was that plot points just happened in a ridiculous way to try and keep it moving) finds a flyer and goes to an underground Air Drumming/gambling joint in Mexico. Really great cut-away of a chihuahua.
Adventure begins and involves more cliche' stereotype characters than a Mel Brooks movie (but Mr. Gold should take a page from Mr. Brooks and make fun of his own background, not just his main character, before doing everyone else)
This movie might be for some people- I am not those people, although I did like some things. Let me list a few things, good and bad,
-Lead actor wears a fanny pack, and other "funny" clothing gags-uhh
-approx. 14 montages mostly of air drumming- some haha mostly uhhh
-A funny scene about the history of a deaf girl (female love interest) an her 'praise jesus' mom.
-Another good gag with Deaf Girl/Air Drumming and a light cue
-Bad bad prat falls.
-a hilarious (to me) parrallel between strikers and strike breakers and the air drumming that goes into a great phone gag. Good job there.
-Random, silly (silly or just bad) performances that belong in a SNL movie. I mean that as an insult because almost every SNL movie is shit-turd terrible.
All in all. Not a good film. Maybe to a 13 year old, or a 60 year old- to me, it reinforces that a lot of broad bullshit passes for comedy to most people. Good use of Rush's Tom Sawyer...i guess... if you want a whole hell of a lot of Rush.
Katie Review:
more movies tomorrow!!!! and FYI- my 'd' key is not working well, so please excuse and/or insert any missing d's to nonsensical words.
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