Hey folks, Harry here... This is one of the movies that will be premiering at SXSW, one of the films I'm most looking forward to out of this year's festival, and ya know it isn't an unqualified rave, in fact it is a bit more critical than I would have liked to have seen, but this is the case we're staring at. I should be seeing this, like Tuesday or Thursday I believe. Also there's tidbits on DREAMCATCHER, FLETCH and T3... Here ya go...
This is my first report for AICN. You can call me Alec Holland. So, I attended a screening last night for Christopher Guest's 'A Mighty Wind.' But let's chat a minute about the beforehand shenanigans. First off we were treated to a 15 minute promo reel for 'Dreamcatcher.' Lawrence Kasdan introduced the clips, describing the film as a cross between 'The Hours' and 'The Blob.' This got a hearty chuckle. The clips promise a well-crafted but unabashedly gross horror film with some spectacular CGI. I'm not sure how eager I am to see a film where the beasties burst out of the asses of their human hosts... and there appears to be the typical Stephen King childhood friendship dynamic (including the 'gifted' savant)... but the pedigree of the production is first rate.
Jason Lee showed up afterward to reluctantly answer questions. He didn't exactly win over the audience but he did offer up the hilarious 'shit weasel' moniker for the evil beasties and offered that Kevin Smith's bid to get 'Fletch' onto the screen isn't looking good. Kev wants Jason, the studio wants a bigger name, neither side is budging.
Next up was the new, not-quite-ready-for-primetime T3 trailer. The effects look cool. The action looks over the top. Arnold appears to take quite thrashing (including a head-stomp decapitation) and the audience seemed psyched. The Termanitrix appears to have the same liquid metal capabilities as the T1000 and the plot clearly involves the global network meltdown and ensuing take over by machines. It appears that the new terminator is somehow involved in this 'rise of the machines' and this bends my brain in all sorts of awkward positions with regard to time travel and cause and effect.
Nick Stahl and the terminator hottie took questions afterward but offered little in the way of insight. Still they were personable enough.
Third was 'Malibu something or another.' This is Jamie Kennedy's bid for the big time. The clip was amusing but a bit generic. Kennedy who showed up as his character, B-Rad, was funny as hell. This guy has talent to burn. If the film is half as funny as he was, it might be good. But I kinda doubt it. Nothing in the clip got more than a chuckle. The idea is that Kennedy is a rich, white, jewish Malibu kid who lives his life like he were a hip-hop badass. His parents concoct a scheme to have black actors pretend they're from the 'hood and "scare him straight" so to speak. Hilarity ensues. Or so we hope.
Finally, 'A Might Wind' hit the screen after two hours of Warner Brothers propoganda. If you're unfamiliar with 'Best In Show,' 'Spinal Tap' or 'Guffman' then my comments probably won't make a whole lot of sense. Of the four, 'A Mighty Wind' is certainly the weakest.
The film never finds the right balance the others had in presenting the characters and there's little in the way of tension or drama. 'Best In Show' & 'Guffman' succeeded so brilliantly because both films presented clear dramatic stakes for the characters. They were all striving toward something bigger and we found ourselves pulled into their bizarre world.
'A Mighty Wind,' which centers around a folk reunion has no real sense of drama. As a result we aren't invested in any particular outcome. Which isn't to say there aren't good moments. Fred Willard, as always, is brilliant... but not in the film nearly enough. Eugene Levy is amusing but not nearly as memorable as his character with two left feet in 'Best In Show.' Michael McKean and Harry Shearer do a good job with what amounts to pretty small roles. Christopher Guest seems to shrink his level of acting with each successive film. To be honest, there are no stand-out characters or situations in this comedy.
Certainly not on the level of the past movies. Still I was constantly amused by the eccentrics they introduced and the production's fealty to recreating the sound & feel of the folk movement is impressive. Ultimately, it felt like the movie missed a lot of great opportunities for humor. I mean, there isn't a single political idea presented or mocked in a film about folkies? No mention of Bob Dylan or the death of folk as a popular art form or, well, anything of substance. I kind of felt like the actors were doing a schtick they knew all too well.
I know this all sounds a bit negative... but you have to consider the films I'm comparing this to. Spinal Tap, Guffman and Best In Show are brilliant in my estimation. 'A Mighty Wind' is just pretty good. Which is to say, it's still better than a lot of the crap that hits the multiplex today.
Peace,
Alec Holland
