Hey folks, Harry here - Well here's two for the tablet of films to hunt for... PIECES OF APRIL and LEVITY. Both by exceptional screenwriters enjoying the freedom of independence and making sure that only they change the words and scenes.... muahahahahaha, the power of DIRECTING ONE'S OWN SCRIPT!!! Gone are their days for hire, from here on out, tyrannical dictatorship! You'll see! They'll make other lowly screenwriters suffer their addle-minded revisions and notes!!!
Hey Harry,
So far I've only seen two feature films and what a great festival it already
is. In the past 2 years I have written reviews for you at Sundance I can't
think of a better start that this. So here are my reviews of Pieces of April.
Pieces of April (4.5 out of 5)
Writer/Director - Peter Hedges
Starring - Katie Holmes, Patricia Clarkson, Derek Luke, Allison Pill, Sean Hayes, and Oliver Platt
I wanted to write this review as fast as possible to be the one with the first slice on Pieces of April. Judging by the reaction from it's premiere, this may very well be one film you will hear more and more about as the year rolls along, or being one of the big winners this year. In short, Pieces of April is quite fantastic.
April (Katie Holmes) is the oldest daughter in her family, living with her boyfriend Bobby (Derek Luke) in a horrible district of New York. She can barely wake up on Thanksgiving morning even though her family is making the drive up to her apartment for dinner. As the day starts, she begins to cook and decorate for people she is not even sure will show since the family seems to despise her with only bad memories. But her mother Joy (Patricia Clarkson) is dying and would like to spend the holiday with the entire family, no matter how she feels or what the rest of the family thinks. As the day continues, the family is well on their way and April faces the trouble of an unworkable kitchen and mostly unwelcoming neighbors in hopes to make the day meaningful for all of them.
Peter Hedges wrote and directed this film with the goal of making one of the most beautiful and heartful films for his mother, and he mostly succeeds. Hedges is known very well for his outstanding screenplays (What's Eating Gilbert Grape, About A Boy) and this one is just as good as his work in the past. As a director, he makes a few mistakes along the way by giving the audience a few misunderstood vibes and scenes that don't flow as well as others. Being shot on DV, some could be turned off by the look or camerawork (which wasn't a problem for myself) as it doesn't look nearly as good as it would on film. But in the end, Hedges has made such an emotionally accomplished film that creeps up on you until the very end when you realize how great the movie truly is.
The entire cast is great here. Oliver Platt and Patricia Clarkson are the perfect choice for the father and mother, and the chemistry between them is very believable and moving. Derek Luke is a rising star with Antwone Fisher and he is every bit as important to this film as he is there. The scene when he meets April's family for the first time is just priceless. Then there is Katie Holmes. This could be one of the best performances people may see in all the films at Sundance. Katie has proven herself as a talented actress in the past in films that aren't even that good. Here, Peter Hedges has given her wonderful material that can really show off her talent, and her talent is well above most actresses at her age. Many critics have already stated that her possibilities in her acting career are endless and, after seeing her perform this well, I hope that remains true.
Pieces of April is a fine piece of cinema and one of those gems at the
Sundance Film Festival that is worth waiting in line for hours to see.
Levity (4 out of 5)
Writer/Director – Ed Solomon
Cast – Billy Bob Thornton, Morgan Freeman, Holly Hunter, and Kirsten Dunst
Levity is the premiere film to launch the 2003 Sundance Film Festival and, if this film is any sign of what is to come, this will be one hell of a festival.
Emanuel Jordan (Thornton) is a murderer. Back when he was 16 he took part in a robbery and decided to shoot the teenage clerk in the head. The result led him to serve a year and a half in DH and then spending the rest of his adult life in prison. The kids face stays in his mind throughout his life, carrying a newspaper clipping of the kid and having it hung up in his cell as a reminder of why he is there. Emanuel does not want anyone to feel sympathy for him and he knows very well that he deserves his place in jail. However, after serving 19 years, he is released as a free man.
Upon leaving, Emanuel stumbles himself into doing community work with a mysterious minister, Miles Evans (Morgan Freeman), and lives in a small complex in the middle of a rough neighborhood. He sees the same girl, Sophia (Kirsten Dunst) repeatedly carried out of the nightclub he serves as a parking attendant and, even after driving her home, she can’t seem to remember him from any night before. Adele (Holly Hunter) is a woman he sees in need of help and finds her son in the same kind of trouble he was once into before. All of these characters need to be understood, helped, and find redemption for they’re past sins.
Ed Solomon proves himself as an accomplished director and turns in a screenplay that is truly brilliant. The majority of the film is spent in very dark suburbs but it also brings along scenes that are both haunting and dreamy. The dialogue is very fresh and surprisingly witty with memorable lines throughout the entire picture. Necessary humor is added at just the right spots with moments throughout the film that had the entire theatre laughing out loud.
The cast here is equally impressive. Billy Bob Thornton continues his winning streak of performances from Monster’s Ball and The Man Who Wasn’t There to this. Morgan Freeman and Holly Hunter did great jobs as always. The surprise for me was Kirsten Dunst. I recognized her as a great actress back when she was just a little girl in Interview with the Vampire but haven’t really cared for much of anything she has done recently. Having said that, she is fantastic here. This is a role for her that can really show her range at being both dramatic and funny when it’s called for.
In the end, Levity is a great little film to start off Sundance. For those of you around the area, get in a standby line and try to get in, it really is worth it. For all others, expect to see this in April.
Morgan Freeman, Holly Hunter, Katie Holmes, Patrica Clarkson, Oliver Platt, and Alison Pill were all present at these screenings. Morgan Freeman didn't say much but to see him in person was a gift of its own. Holly Hunter takes the cake as probably the coolest person during a Q&A, giving long and thoughtful answers to any questions directed at her. Patrica Clarkson was also equally nice here. And yes, Katie Holmes is every bit as beautiful in person as she is in the movies. I'll be back very soon with many more reviews. Expect The Singing Detective and People I Know reviewed sometime tomorrow.
Best,
('Castor')
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