Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
This played at Sundance the year I went (2000), and it’s finally hitting theaters in limited release this coming month. Is it any good? Let’s see what these two readers think:
Hey guys.
I visit your site quite a bit, but this is the first time I've really ever gotten an opportunity like this, so this is also the first time I've ever tried contributing anything. You guys kick ass, btw.
Anyhoo, I was lucky enough to get into an advance screening of the new IFC flick Manic at Universal Studios last night. My new friend Bree Nogueira (who has a small, though excellent role in the movie) was kind enough to get my name on the list, so big props to her.
Anyhow, on to the flick itself (long story short, Joseph Levitt is a teen trying to cope with extreme anger issues in a juvenile Psych therapy ward). I'm not the best when it comes to reviews (especially while avoiding spoilers, so forgive any lapses I have)
First off, this is (probably obviously) not your typical entertainment movie. It screams of being festival fare, though it is definitely a service to the genre. It's extremely intense throughout, and the sense of realism you take away from it is very strong.
The film's plot is not exactly very complex, and in fact just a little slow. This is a film definitely carried by its premise and its acting (which I'll get to in a sec). However, that isn't to say that it isn't still well written.
While there are very few driving events in the story, the character development is still written pretty engagingly. The dialogue is dead on realistic (though, in the later Q&A, the writer did admit that a lot of it was improvised).
There are also a few symbolic elements in the story that are pretty unique and entertaining (watch for the painting and the cards).
There's also a fair amount of dark humor. It sounds a bit odd at first, but it still comes across as impressively realistic.
Acting wise, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Don Cheadle (who plays the Hospital councilor) both turn in outstanding performances. When you watch Cheadle on screen, you know just how much he cares for these kids. A really impressive performance. And JGL (who has an oddly annoying name to spell out), as Cheadle's character points out, is just oozing anger and frustration.
Actually, it wouldn't be fair just to single out those two, because the entire cast here does a friggin' incredible job. Literally, there is not one bad performance in this film. Whether it's Elden Henson's dangerously over the top "gangsta" character or Zooey Deschanel's subdued depression or co-writer Michael Bacall's fucking incredible downward spiral, it's all good.
On a visual standpoint, the film is shot entirely in handheld digital. Remember how I said that the plot was a little slow? Well, I think most people won't really notice because our view of the story seems like it never stops moving.
I imagine "kinetic" would be a good word to describe this film. The camera never stops moving. Literally. The cuts come fast and furious in this one (and there are some pretty unique/interesting angles too. It's pretty heavy on the extreme close-ups.) Even when it's not changing angles, the camera is still moving. It seems to lose focus and shake and shimmy a lot, even for a handheld. So much so, that I have to believe that it does so for artistic reasons. I over heard a few people complaining about that, but generally the audience seemed to like it.
The audience I was with reacted really well to it, but I later found out that most of the people there were kids and parents of places that had been used in reference for this movie, so it might have been slightly biased.
Still, I thought it was a movie really worth watching, and heavily recommend it to anyone. Not just the Indy crowd either. I think this is literally one of those kind of movies that everyone should see for the mental and emotional stimulation alone.
Like I said, there was a Q&A afterwards. Guests were co-writer and performer Blayne Weaver, Elden Henson, and two people who's names/jobs I didn't catch (they weren't using mics for some reason), though I think one lady may have been a co-producer.
There wasn't exactly much questioning so much as accolades coming from the crowd, and I couldn't really hear too well. The most interesting thing I heard was that they're heavily depending on "grassroots word-of-mouth" promotion for this film, and didn't get quite as much advertising as they were hoping for. They asked us all to spread the word as much as possible, which I don't really have a problem with as it really was a very good film.
Anyhoo, like I said, I heartily recommend that everyone go see it. I think you'll be glad you did.
JJBRWESQ
Nice. Does this next guy agree?
Harry -
Saw an advance preview of Manic, a film by Jordan Melamed and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Manic is opening in limited release on May 16th, and the director is keen to get word of mouth out on the picture. I figured AICN was just the place to do it.
It centers on Gordon-Levitt's characer of Lyle, a young man filled with anger who is prone to violent outburts. It's his attack with a baseball bat on a fellow player that lands him in Don Cheadle's care.
While Manic's main character is Lyle, the story is about the group of characters, all played wonderfully by their respective actors, including Zooey Deschanel, Sara Rivas, Michael Bacall, Elden Hanson, and Cody Lightning. Don Cheadle portrays Dr. Monroe, the characer of the facility.
The screenwriters (Bacall and Blayne Weaver, who also plays Charlie, one of the guards) and Melamed are very careful to keep their story on track and not let it get lost in the individual reasons for their kids' incarceration nor the politics of the concept. It's simply about their collective illnesses and how they recover - or not.
It's takes a very blunt, honest look at a difficult subject without blinking or preaching. And that deserves the most credit.
If I had to make one gripe it'd be with the camera work. I understand what they were going for but at times (particularly in the first 30 minutes) it almost came off like an episode of The Real World on acid. There is a lot of handheld work, and it's very unsettling on a technical aspect and not on the story level, which I think they were going for.
There was a talkback at the end of the screening where Melamed and Gordon-Levitt talked about the making of the film and the processes that they followed - and their research clearly is seen on the screen.
Lastly, if this movie is ANY indication, there is A LOT more to Gordon-Levitt than Third Rock - he almost comes off as a young Edward Norton - and he is someone to watch. This project proves he's more interested in acting and story-telling than playing to the public's perception of who he is. Bravo.
See this movie. It's a wonderfully acted, written and directed story about a difficult subject that doesn't preach, insult, or dumb down for mass consumption.
You can call me Yorrick's Skull.
Levitt’s one of the genuinely talented guys in his age group, so I hope this film really is this good, and that it opens doors for him in other roles. I’ll look forward to checking this one out myself in the weeks ahead...
"Moriarty" out.
