El Cosmico Recommends WHAT HAPPENED TO TULLY, THE YARDS, and ALMOST FAMOUS
Published at: Sept. 8, 2000, 5:13 p.m. CST by staff
El Cosmico here, reflecting on the excellent day I had yesterday. Rarely do I get the chance to see three fine films in one day, driving to and fro across town whilst so doing. Yesterday, I had my way with the universe.
My day started with a fun phone call regarding business matters for AICN. "Fax me a spreadsheet, and I'll take a look at it," said I, and gracefully exiting the company of my cat, I set out, first to the Alamo Drafthouse, to examine the first of three fine films, happily forgetting that my life is really about numbers and bytes, not fun.
Amazingly, the first of these films, WHAT HAPPENED TO TULLY, doesn't have a distributor yet. Whoever has the sense to pick it up first will have a real gem on their hands. It'll be showing in Toronto on the 9th, 11th, and 12th, so those of you fortunate enough to be in town for the fest should really check it out.
WHAT HAPPENED TO TULLY is a tale of a small-town family, a father and his two sons, who run a small farm, and run into financial problems due to a lingering secret the father has been hiding from his sons. This film is a thoughtful, realistic, tender look at the nature of male affection and sentiment, so well done, I was really amazed. I honestly can't conceive of a film I've seen that conveys such a clear sense of the way males feel and express emotion in such serious situations. Add to this a female lead (Julianne Nicholson) with fiery-red hair that you just want to run through your fingers, who plays her part with a decency and expressiveness that many actresses could learn from, and finish it all off with some thoroughly beautiful cinematography, and there you have WHAT HAPPENED TO TULLY. It feels like moving, beautiful pictures of real people, who you learn to care about and feel for, and who you'd like to stick around with after the film is done. This is a movie that deserves to be seen by a great many people, and hopefully it will be picked up soon and come to your local theatre.
Thoroughly satisfied after watching TULLY, and bidding a very sleepy Tim League a fond farewell until my return tonight for OLD-SCHOOL HIP HOP NIGHT at the Drafthouse, I proceeded to the Metropolitan, that great metroplex, to see THE YARDS.
Further proof that Mark Wahlberg belongs in film and that his musical stint was a mere aberration from talent and judgment, THE YARDS is an ON THE WATERFRONT sort of film, about corruption, loyalty, family, and ultimately, how to deal with particularly troublesome situations. Okay, perhaps it is more accurately a warning against getting into those situations in the first place. Mark Wahlberg's character emerges from prison to receive a reception from his family and friends, which include his cousin, played very well by Charlize Theron, and her boyfriend, played by another actor on a winning streak, Joaquin Phoenix. Playing Ms.Theron's step-father is the man himself, JAMES CAAN. So, we have no casting problems here. When Wahlberg gets out of jail, he begins looking for a way to 1: make it up to his mom, 2: get some cash flow, and 3: just move on with his life. James Caan runs a company that contracts work for the transit authority, providing maintenance and repair, parts and such, for the railways. He tries to persuade Wahlberg to take a safe, respectable job, as a machinist, which will require a period of training, meaning less cash flow, and a great degree of patience. Phoenix, whose character has a gorgeous girlfriend and loads of cash, works in another part of the company, greasing the wheels of city hall, participating in the rampant corruption that goes along with the contract bid process in New York City. Persuading Wahlberg to come work with him, tradgedy ensues, and demands resolution.
Well-thought out plot twists, fine acting, and a gritty, involving atmosphere make THE YARDS well worth seeing. As I told the Miramax intern who was also at the screening, if this film doesn't do well, the studio can't blame the filmmakers, because they've done their job. They've created a thoroughly good movie. It's due out on October 20th, and you ought to plop yourself down in a seat and watch it.
Finalmente, I was able to watch ALMOST FAMOUS, the film I was probably looking forward to the least. Why, you ask? Because so many flicks starring young good looking folk that are about Rock music and cool stuff are usually...loads of crap. One man's opinion. Well, not only did Almost Famous show much better than usual taste in soundtrack selections, it actually IS COOL.
It's a fine look at the life of a ROCK journalist who hangs out with Stillwater in their later days, as the band is suffering internal turmoil related to typical rock band conflicts. It's as much about the groupies, "band-aids", and the journalist, though, as the band. More so, really. I don't suppose it really makes a great statement about life, teach a lesson in a tragic way like THE YARDS does, or have the genuine emotional impact and tenderness that WHAT HAPPENED TO TULLY has, but ALMOST FAMOUS is definitely one thing: fun to watch. Not another cliche rock-movie, this shows stars as the schmoes they are, includes one of the best sound mixes I've seen in a movie during the live performances, and includes a goodly lot of guilty pleasures, such as the ever-adorable Anna Paquin cavorting in her underwear.
Could one ask for more? Really? Well, yes. I'll say this for ALMOST FAMOUS, though, I didn't DISLIKE one moment of it, laughed a heck of a lot, found the performances all around to be satisfying, LOVED the music, and had a generally fun time. In other words, I left the theatre happy.
Such a fine day. May you all have such enjoyable days in your lives.
