Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
This event sounds like it must have been a blast, and I’m grateful to JOE CHIP for taking the time to write this report up and sent it in. You will be, too, after you check out what he has to say:
Dear AICN'ers,
I just returned from a long weekend in Lake Placid, NY where I attended the third annual Lake Placid Film Forum. I can't say enough good things about the event which was well-organized, had exceptional guests from many different areas in the film business and showed interesting movies. The little tourist town of Lake Placid has all the elements for a great film festival but despite all the activity, you feel like you are on vacation.
As I am sure many of you are aware, respected guests Ray Harryhausen and Guillermo Del Toro were on hand for panels, master classes and screenings of Jason and the Argonauts and Blade 2. I didn't get to cover as many of those events as I would have liked but I can tell you that after listening to Del Toro and Hellboy creater Mike Mignola on a panel about comic book movies, you can rest assured that Hellboy is in good hands. Without revealing too many details, the director told us that he has no intention of compromising Mignola's original vision. Del Toro also said that the material lends itself nicely to adaptation and that the script will focus on the superhero's origin but also include tidbits from the other stories to satisfy the diehard fans. Del Toro's enthusiasm and excitement about this project was evident. He also revealed that the budget will be about $60 million.
That being said, I had a chance to view a number of independent films that readers may want to keep a close eye on. Most didn't seem to have distribution deals in place (yet). Here are some of the highlights.
The most entertaining movie that I saw during the festival was MARTIN & ORLOFF, a comedy starring Matt Walsh and Ian Roberts, both formerly of the Upright Citizens Brigade. Matt is now a correspondent on Comedy Central's the Daily Show. This broad comedy was twisted, politically incorrect and brilliant! Many of the jokes made me think, 'did I just see that?' Walsh's natural delivery reminded me of Ben Stiller in Flirting With Disaster. If you like Walsh on the Daily Show with his deadpan and alarmist news commentaries, you will undoubtedly appreciate this take on advertising, psychiatry and chinese food. Cameos from SNL regulars Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch, Janeane Garofalo as well as Andy Richter put this one over the top for me. I hope that some wise distributor picks up this gem and it gets the attention that it deserves. I also want to give credit to first time feature director Larry Blume who captured the mood of this offbeat film wonderfully. You can check out the film's web site at www.martinandorloff.com .
Also saw THE DANGEROUS LIVES OF ALTAR BOYS starring Jodie Foster, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jena Malone, Emile Hirsch and Kieran Culkin. This interesting film tells the story of a group of catholic school boys who get caught up in a comic book fantasy and try to pull of a prank that will make them hometown legends. There are some very nice understated performances here. The film has an offbeat tone that made me wonder if it was a comedy or drama. Just seeing Jodie Foster play a nun made the whole thing worth it. There were some cool (and mostly relevant) animations by Todd McFarlane that tried to connect the boy's real-world with their superhero fantasies with modest success. The animations reminded me of a bad Saturday morning cartoon rather than adolescent comic book fantasy but they were interesting in that they broke up the sometimes serious dramatic scenes. This is a curious movie that I respect for it's independent nature and ability to attract such great actors. I'm nor sure how widespread the appeal is but it will be interesting to see what happens with the film is released theatrically.
THE YEAR THAT TREMBLED is a film by Vermonter Jay Craven based on the book by Scott Lax. It takes place in the months following the Kent State massacre. The story follows the lives of a group of young people who come to terms with the war and their involvement with the events on their campus. Part political drama, part coming of age story, the Year That Trembled is a touching and ultimately sad film that features an ensemble cast including Jonathan Brandis, Kiera Chaplin (Charlie's granddaughter), Henry Gibson, Martin Mull, Fred Willard and others. The story is told in an intelligent and practical manner by Craven. I hope that this film finds distribution in the months ahead when they will be holding industry screening in New York and L.A. It deserves to be seen by a wider audience of older folks who lived through the Vietnam War and younger people who will appreciate the struggles of those times. (website: www.tytt.com )
Gary Winick's TADPOLE was featured at Lake Placid. This digital feature was produced under the banner of InDigEnt which is also responsible for low-budget fare such as Ethan Hawke's Chelsea Walls and Rick Linklater's Tape. Like Altar Boys, Tadpole is a low-key comedy about a high school boy's conflicted sexual feelings. Borrowing heavy from The Graduate (including a few purposeful references), this film kept me entertained but failed to generate any big laughs. Sigourney Weaver played Aaron Stanford's stepmom and John Ritter was his father. Stanford's character is obsessed with Weaver and goes to all lengths to present himself in a favorable light even after he has an affair with her best friend. This leads to some humorous moments but doesn't deliver in a big way. The digital photography is interesting in Tadpole. Most of the time, it looked like a regular movie but at times (especially during the night scenes), definition was washed away and shadows overwhelmed the shot. I wouldn't say that the imagery really shined with the digital production but it didn't make one notice that they were watching a digital film (except for the scenes mentioned above). Not sure how far this one will go but with such a modest budget, the producers haven't taken a huge chance on Tadpole. Not particularly impressive but a solid effort nonetheless.
A film that I would not recommend is THE SLAUGHTER RULE by first time writer-directors Alex and Andrew Smith. This highly personal drama about a boy growing up in a small northern town may have been based directly on the film-maker's personal experiences. it revolves around Ryan Gosling's character talent as a football player and the brutal sandlot game of six-man. His coach, played competently enough by David Morse pushes Gosling's loyalty. There's a homo-erotic undertone to the movie that tries to address the complex relationship between men. But it became creepy and didn't seem to drive the story. An over-simplified love story between Gosling and Clea Duvall failed to redeem this film that will appeal to only a small group of northwestern small-town football player wanna-bes.
That being said, the Lake Placid Film Forum is a fantastic event that will only grow in size and reputation. More of a film-maker's festival than a marketplace, the Forum is a chance for film-makers and fans to meet some of their heros in an intimate setting and to see movies they couldn't see anywhere else. Not to mention the gorgeous natural scenery.
Humbly yours,
Joe Chip
It’s festivals like this one and the Ebert Overlooked where people can go to just see movies without being surrounded by slicksters trying to strike deals that really are for film lovers. Anytime I hear about one that seems to really work, it makes me happy.
"Moriarty" out.
