Hey folks, Harry here... Well our ol buddy the Amazing Wonderguy has returned to the vunder of TORONTO for that great film festival and he's already scored a look at a couple of flicks of interest. First up is Ed Burns' SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK... and Ed is one of those filmmakers that both amuses and annoys me to no end... I think it is his dry uninvolving understated blase nature... He does it a bit too well for me, and at the same time he does manage to amuse at times as well. He still hasn't made a film I'd buy on DVD or Video yet... But maybe someday... I really dug Jill Sprecher's CLOCKWATCHERS and look forward to seeing her latest... as for the EVENT that transpired... Well... Shame on the festival for not stopping the screening...
Hello Harry and Co.,
Well, it has been roughly a year since I have last written to AICN -
but I have returned. I was
able to leave wonderland yesterday afternoon (simply by jumping over our
famous wonderwall - fuck Oasis for making it a bad joke) and arrived in
Toronto in the nick of time to see my first of two Friday night flicks.
This of course is Edward Burns' latest creation, Sidewalks of New York.
I have enjoyed Burns' work, but he isn't a filmmaker that I get all
worked up over. I like his earlier works, but was never mesmerized. I
don't want to imply that he is without talent, because I'd be lying, but
he hasn't made a film that has made me want to phone all of my wonder
friends and encourage them to run to the local wonder theater.
Sidewalks of New York
Sidewalks is an ensemble picture and uses its characters well. The performances were spot on and consistent throughout the film. I especially enjoyed Rosario Dawson and David Krumholtz. These are two younger actors whose work I've always been fond of. Needless to say, neither disappoints in this film. As can be presumed, this film is about relationships and human interaction. It follows a series of characters who seem to be as headstrong as Gary Condit and about as monogamous as Bill Clinton. Political jokes aside, the lives of these people intersect at various points and we see how relationships can exist in decay and, inversely, euphoria. Burns plays Tommy Riley, a man who is rejected by a woman because she feels he wants more than she is willing to offer (i.e. children). He then meets Dawson's character who, herself, is divorced from her husband (Krumholtz) because he needed to sleep with more than one woman. Krumholtz, in turn, is somewhat of a loser who is courting a ditsy waitress (Brittany Murphy) who is in the midst of an affair with a married man (Stanley Tucci). While at first oblivious to her husband's deceit, Heather Graham comes to realise that Tucci is being unfaithful and discovers that she no longer needs to be with him. Also of importance is Dennis Farina's mentor character who comes up with some brilliant machismo lines.
While all of that was confusing, the story seems to unfold seamlessly. In fact, the narrative is very direct, aided by documentary inspired interviews with all characters. Burns and his editor successfully use jump cuts to make the film tighter. Nevertheless, it did feel a little long. Some of the scenes with Tucci's character went on a little too long, as did some of the introductory scenes. Anyone familiar with Woody Allen (that is anyone who has an ounce of cinematic intellect) will definitely make comparisons between Sidewalks and Husbands and Wives, and even bits of Manhattan (perhaps the greatest film of all time - in Wonderland anyway). Although the latter films are superior, this shouldn't distract people from seeing it.
Kudos to Burns for conducting one of the best post Q&A's I've ever
seen at the fest. He answered all discussions and shared earlier
casting ideas and some of the improvising that made it to the screen.
Thirteen Conversations About One Thing
This is Jill Sprecher's second thing, following Clockwatchers, and is a profound/somewhat philosophical look at happiness. Now, later on I'll discuss the "thing that happened at the screening". Anyone reading this who was there will know what I'm talking about. The film is more or less divided into four stories. The first involves a man (Allan Arkin) who is separated from his wife, has a junky son, and a job that he performs without passion and with little praise. He is a cynical man who has abandoned all illusions of finding or achieving happiness, and has nothing but contempt for those who are happy. Another story is about a younger woman (Clea Duvall) who has gone through life believing that she was saved and that all people serve a purpose. This disposition is shattered when she is struck by a car and left for dead. The third story concerns an attorney (Matthew McConaughey) who, believing he has earned his happiness, is overcome with guilt after he is involved in a hit and run. The final story arc is about a compulsive/obsessive physics professor (aren't they all tight-asses? - no offense) who believes that changing his long-standing routine will bring him happiness. He discovers all too late that happiness can exist in complacency.
These stories, like Sidewalks, all intersect at different points. I enjoyed the film, with reservation. It was very drilling. The descent of some characters into madness or hate was a long process and, at times, dragged. To her credit, Sprecher uses her cast well and creates compelling tales about human misery. While Clockwatchers gave us a story that flowed smoothly, in this film there were intermittent moments of mild boredom. I enjoyed a character who was unbreakable. This, in the sense that he found the positive in everything, no matter the severity. These characters demonstrate that despite being miserable, a person can be good and sincere. It tells us that life generally isn't fair, but we do have choices. I liked the message, but felt that the delivery was heavy-handed. I may be the only person to find this idea funny, but since Michael Stipe produced this film, it would've been great to have included Shiny Happy People on the soundtrack.
Now for the "thing that happened". I personally found this to be distressing, and a little ironic considering the setting, but about two thirds through the movie, a woman underwent a medical emergency. It unfolded with another woman running up the aisle to get help, and a man jumping to his feet to yell for a doctor. At this time, many people jumped to their feet, and a doctor ran from the mezzanine. While many people yelled for the house lights, these were slow coming. Many people got on their cell phones and called 911. Fortunately, the woman was stable (I asked after the film ended), and there is a hospital literally next door from the theater. What was alarming was that the festival organizers refused to stop the film. Many film-goers (myself included), were upset by this. As this was all happening, the film continued screening. The room was calm after five minutes, but this was film-time that we missed. Added to this is genuine concern for the woman who (for all we knew) could've been near death. To the organizers' credit, had they stopped the show, they may have had a thousand people frantically running around, but something more certainly should have been done. I'd like to know what other people think. I mean, even the director, cast and crew were in the audience and endured this.
That's it for now, but there will be many more reviews forthcoming!
Cheers,
Wonderguy
