Hey folks, Harry here with the first report from The Psychedelic and the Las Vegas Film Festival known to the world as Cinevegas. I was a judge at this festival last year where I got to discover such jewels like POOLHALL JUNKIES and SPUN. Looks like there's some good stuff this year, read on...
Hey Harry, Moriarty, and the rest of the gang,
I’m typing to you from the bleary-eyed set of compulsions that is the Cinevegas 2003 film festival. The constant jangling of slot machines mixes with pumping oxygen and shuffling cards leading to some of the best cinematic highlights so far as I drag myself from the floor after nights of partying.
The Fittest (Work In Progress)
The Crook Brothers, Jeff and Josh, have cooked up a hysterical black comedy about a couple trying to adopt a child due to infertility problems. The husband’s inadequacies and frustrations lead him to have an affair with a secretary at the small car tire business where he works. Things rapidly go to hell. With a superb cast, The Crook Brothers mine emotional nuances out of sadistic seduction and payback against the backdrop of a small town in Ohio. Look out Neil LaBute because a couple Crooks just came into town.
Games People Play
Reality TV meets Candid Camera meets Star Search meets Therapy Sessions meets NC-17 pranks in James Ronald Whitney’s documentary-entertainment blend. An overlong casting call in NYC leads to a 72-hour game where everything is not what it seems. Naked bodies and emotions are plentiful in this cleaver concept. Contestants lure unsuspecting bystanders into revealing skin, personal information, and in one mini-game: urine. All this happens while contestants spill their guts to the cameras a little too often. A Hollywood edition is being completed with a Bible Belt chapter in the works.
Keep Your Eyes Open
Would you believe Tamra Davis, the director of Britney Spears’s “Crossroads”, made an in your face, flying down an adrenalized mountain documentary about extreme sports? The rush is mesmerizing as we meet some of the country’s best surfers, motorcyclists, bicyclists, surfboarders, and skiers. Jaws drop as they defy death. We see the scars, wipeouts, and broken bones that go along with the euphoric glories. They live life to the max. Fear is strangled at any cost. Some fictional segments are awkward though there is a good payoff. Sit back and ride the waves, slopes, and ramps with them.
This Girl’s Life
James Woods gives one of the best performances of his career in Ash’s latest work. Newcomer Juliette Marquis makes an impressive debut in the starring role as an internet porn actress. The slightly slow paced story chronicles her day-to-day life including such travails as dating a non-porn guy, coping with her Parkinson’s afflicted father (Woods), and her entry into a new business as a Sex Investigator of possibly unfaithful husbands. Ash continues to be a provocative director challenging society’s morals while adapting his visual style to match his subject matter.
Break A Leg
A desperate actor in Hollywood resorts to murder to get ahead in Monika Mitchell’s very funny film. A top-of-his-game John Cassini plays the lead role in a script he co-wrote with his brother Frank. The entire cast turns in excellent performances. The direction is crisp and clean. Frustrations and agonies of the audition process, and general life in L.A., bubble over with cutting sarcasm and irony. The movie runs out of gas a little in its last third despite a final scene whose concept is interesting but doesn’t quite gel. Otherwise, a warm congenial glow masks despair underneath.
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Having already been written up here at AICN, let my voice join the chorus of praise. Kim Bartley’s and Donnacha O’Briain’s incisive documentary takes you to the pulsing heart of an in progress coup. The energy pulses off the screen. During April 2002 in Venezuela, Hugo Chavez was ejected from office by force and within days was back in by a greater push from his supporters. Rarely has a power struggle been captured so vividly. The directors also take the Bush Administration to task for their role in the coup—Venezuela is one of the world’s largest oil exporters. Do not miss.
The walls are singing to me from the last hit I took. The streaking has started! The streaking has started! Yes! Yes! It’s gonna be one trippy night. Time to go see another movie.
Call me—Psychedelic.
