Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
These two stories are connected, however tenuously. Let’s start with the festival report:
this weekend, the VIRGINIA FILM FESTIVAL was held in charlottesville. i live in that little city and attended a number of screenings, including a sold out showing of UNDERTOW. david gordon green was present and engaged in a Q&A after the movie. i'm simply writing to encourage the site's readers to see it if they get the oppurtuinity. i doubt i can say anything that hasn't been said about green or his film, but i really enjoyed the talk afterwards. green was patient with a barrage of pretentious questions loaded with filmspeak from an enthusiastic audience (although the woman in the front row, who unsuccessfully tried to get her friends to walk out with her during a scene of violence, chose to keep her opinions to herself). I was struck by the filmmaker's obvious passion for all of cinema, with favorites and influences that run the gamut from malick's days of heaven (he even contributed to a shot by shot workshop of that film) to the macon county line and dukes of hazard. as has been noted by many critics, the wide variety of narrative styles that inform this movie give it life, excitement, and a unique beauty. now i suppose i'm the one using pretentious filmspeak, but most films of this caliber tend to inspire that sort of thing. i still refuse to use the phrase "southern gothic." in any case, undertow and it's creator were the highlight of the festival for me.
the following night, appropriately enough, we were treated to the feature film from the makers of the oscar winning short, the accountant. CHRYSTAL is, like undertow, set and filmed in the south. as i was raised in the south, i was particularly interested in this movie. actually, it is highly region specific - this is a tale about the ozarks, and the setting is part of the story. the filmmakers (who were there for a Q&A) described it as another character.
i don't know how to review a film like this succinctly - there are elements of sheer greatness, and there are also some misfires. as a whole, however, chrystal demands attention. primarily, we are in awe of the locations, as well as of most of the performances. LISA BLOUNT'S portrayal of the titular character is so honest in some scenes that it runs the risk of being overlooked by critics and audiences - we simply forget that we're watching an actress (although, not always). and ray mackinnon (also the writer and director) has conjured up one of the most evil bastards in recent screen history in his role as snake. the story is about, well, a lot of things, which is one of the problems with the movie. a few of the subplots and characters are just not needed or desired here (the mother, for instance, and the two yankee intellectuals who come to write a book about the music from the ozarks). basically, BILLY BOB THORNTON is a drug dealer who returns to his wife, chrystal, after 20 years in the cage. he was arrested after a police chase that resulted in a car accident, that in turn resulted in a broken neck for chrystal and the disappearance of their baby boy.
this film, when it isn't clunky or awkward, is filled with beauty and emotional truth, which makes it even more disappointing that it doesn't completely succeed. nevertheless, with this movie and undertow, it is encouraging to see the south finally getting the quality of cinematic attention that it deserves. are we witnessing the coming of a new genre - one more authentic and literary than those gleeful "hicksploitation films" (as david gordon green affectionately called them) that followed the success of deliverance? there are tales and spirits occupying the woods, rivers, porches and junkyards of the south that are ready to be heard. are we ready for them?
ps - one more bit of info- billy weber, terrance malick's editor, was participating in the shot by shot workshop of days of heaven via a speakerphone sitting next to a mic (he had jury duty and could not be there physically). he mentioned malick's next movie and called it the "pocohantas thing." not sure if that's news or not but i thought i would throw it your way. also, david gordon green said that a confederacy of dunces got too bogged down in production concerns and financial problems due to the fact that it would be a period piece. green said with a finality of tone that the creativity of the project was sufferring under these pressures and that's why it didn't come together.
What is that “pocohantas thing”? Well, it’s New Line’s new Malick film THE NEW WORLD, and here’s a quick report from someone who saw the cameras rolling on one of the movies I’m most looking forward to as of this particular moment:
Hi,
Got woken up this morning by the peculiar mix of horse-hooves and someone shouting over a tannoy. Looked out of my window, and on the street below I saw lots of people dressed up in Ye Olde Fashione clothes, with those silly soft-cap hats and large walking sticks, meandering up and down in front of the building opposite's (the Bodleain library) large wooden front door. Later a carriage pulled by two white horses pulled up. Turns out they're filming part of 'The New World' with Colin Farrell and Christian Bale in Oxford.
No sign of Bale or Farrell as yet, however, just a street covered in imported mud (and the occasional peppering of horse-exhaust) and lots of extras being filmed walking past and around the carriage. I've got loads of photos and some video footage which I'll send if you're interested. Right now my main concern is getting to breakfast: currently they're blocking the entrance to my college.
PS. Fairly certain that Christopher Plummer just walked out the front door and past the carriage, wearing a long-haired grey wig and slightly silly trouers; also: several more horses and carts have pulled up now.
I know, I know... it’s not much. But maybe we can kick the floodgates loose on information on this one. More importantly, it’s just nice to know that Terrence Malick really is filming somewhere on Earth right now. I remember a long stretch of time where that seemed like it would never happen again, and it’s just plain good news in my book.
"Moriarty" out.
