The Red Band KINGS OF SUMMER Trailer Wants You To Know The Italian Word For Snake

While I was not too keen on the previous KINGS OF SUMMER trailer. It definitely seemed to catering to the standard indie arthouse theater crowd. This new trailer, courtesy of Funny or Die, is the closest thing that replicates the experience of watching this movie. I particularly love the way it takes the beat that kids are banging on the pipes and transitions to a rap song. But enough of me talking. Check out the totes NSFW trailer below.

DIFF Review Documentary Shorts - He Said

In the last few weeks, my partner and I have become very big fans of shorts.  Between doing preliminary screenings of shorts in this year’s USA Film Festival, and watching the Oscar nominated ones, I made myself make sure that I could check out as many of the shorts competitions as I could.  With that said here are my impressions of this year’s Documentary Shorts Competition. Even thought it won’t be screened again as of today, it doesn’t harm to look up the directors and their work.

TUSSILAGO

Directed by: Jonas Odell

This short tells the story of the ex-girlfriend of a West German terrorist Norbert Krocher as she meets, dates and is eventually arrested because of her connection with the terrorist.  It is stylishly animated which made it very entertaining, and the story becomes a very well known tale of an abusive relationship, and how you can’t let go of the most destructive person in the world due to love.  Unfortunately, the last few minutes of the movie shift to a more preachy tone, it sort of killed the interesting momentum the movie had going for it. It was still one of the more enjoyable shorts.

GRANDPA’S WET DREAM

Directed by: Chihiro Amemiya

This was the big reason as to why I was watching this particular block of movies.  Twitter’s own ZOMBIEFREAK talked to me about it in the weeks prior to the show. The story follows a 75-year old porn star that has been acting since 1993, and yet his family doesn't knows.  What is unfortunate is that once you get past the premise of it, the novelty wore off, and I realized there was very little to tell of this story.  The subject is barely likable, there’s no real reason for him to be in this situation, and it just becomes tedious to watch.  Finally the short has no sense of direction.   Most disappointing indeed. 

39-A: A TRAVEL TALE OF INTERMINABLE

Directed by: Evan Mather

I hated this one.  I get that it was trying to tell something or the other about a family’s trip to Florida, but between the spastic editing, the super fast narration, and random interludes of scenes that make no sense, made this a great chore to get through. Add the pretentious Swedish lettering for no real reason, it was really the worst short I've seen this whole festival. 

JUST ABOUT FAMOUS

Directed by: Matt Mamula, Jason Kovascev

Probably the funniest of the shorts; this movie follows a few professional celebrity impersonators during an annual convention.  While I don’t care for the subject matter (I find them a little sad), it was really entertaining and had a very funny consistent tone through the whole thing.  Very recommended.

CLOSED FOR STORM: SIX FLAGS NEW ORLEANS

Directed by: Teddy Smith

This was a rather moving short with no dialogue and a haunting score.  It its 7 minutes of seeing the Six Flags in New Orleans, which never opened after Hurricane Katrina, and the deterioration it experienced.  Something about the fact that the place looks so torn, and desolate and yet it hasn’t’ been torn down moved quite a bit.  The final shots of the short deliver more emotion than I’ve seen in most mainstream movies this year.

THE HIGH LEVEL BRIDGE

Directed by: Trevor Anderson

A hilarious history of Edmonton’s High Level Bridge, which apparently has a knack for making people want to jump over it.  The narrator Trevor is hilarious in depicting such a somber topic such as a mass suicide spot.  He finishes the film by throwing the camera over the bridge in memory of those that died.  Very well written and some of the shots of the bridge are really interesting.  

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DIFF Review BOY WONDER - He Said

BOY WONDER

Directed by: Michael Morrissey

Written by: Michael Morrissey

Starring: Caleb Steinmeyer, Bill Sage, James Russo, and Zulay Heno

This was my first movie in this year’s edition of the Dallas International Film Festival, and after reading the synopsis, which touted the movie as a comic book influenced movie, I couldn’t help but think of KICK ASS from last year. But instead of getting McLovin’ and a cursing hyper-violent girl, in BOY WONDER we get more of a real portrayal of what happens when you try to take justice into your own hands. If you think of a more realistic outcome to the Batman origins tale, you'll get a sense of what you could expect from BOY WONDER

All of these comic book references aside, the movie does a great job of establishing the character. The film starts off with Sean Donovan (Steinmeyer) witnessing the murder of his mother at the hands of an assailant at the age of nine. Flashforward, and we see the older Sean running and training; you can tell he is athletically fit, and his face shows a strange sense of determination. He is portrayed as a straight-A student, casually shrugging off a 100 on a test, all the while studying chemistry just for the heck of it. However, there is something amiss. You can tell in his eyes that his mother's death has forever changed him. He lives with his father (Sage), a distant former boxer and recovering alcoholic, who also bears a lot of guilt in the mother’s death as well. Parallel to that we are introduced to Teresa Aemas (Heno), a hot-shot detective who managed to apprehend a big time criminal.

Ever since his mother’s death, the detective that helped out during the case has been letting him sift through all of the mug shots in hopes of finding his mother’s killer. The story picks up when we see that Sean starts doing his own vigilante work late at night thanks to these mug shots. In his first fight, he shoots a pimp after he spots him abusively talking to a hooker. It’s at this point where the movie starts to get into some rather interesting territory, with the intensity of the fights growing in scale and severity.

The complexity of Sean and his father’s relationship is something that cannot be articulated without spoiling much of the plot of the story, but it is a very subtle and harsh one, with a lot of unsaid things bubbling under the surface. They share many scenes where you can feel the grey cloud looming over their head, and in a very emotional scene towards the end of the movie, you can feel the sincerity of the fatherly love.

While Sean’s body continues to get stronger thanks to training and steroid use, it seems that his mind is starting to unravel. With constant flashbacks, hallucinations, and seeing people that aren’t there. I initially thought that there were a lot of inconsistencies in the plot, but they could be a side effect of his deterioration. While watching it, an issue I had with the movie was the way that Sean kept on making rather big mistakes that someone as smart as himself shouldn’t make. If we are thinking that he doesn't want to get caught, he seems very careless and sloppy with his actions, and anyone that has ever seen a crime movie wouldn't do in real life.

The biggest complaint about the movie was a rather slow middle third. There was a lot of set up that felt like it took forever to get going or to pay off. I found myself fidgeting a lot during this time, and I wish it could have been shorter.  There was a lot of focus on Detectvice Ames during these parts, who I found to be a rather cliché character along with her cartoonishly inappropriate partner. The meat and potatoes of the movie is Sean and the decisions he makes, his relationship with his father, and how he tries to cope with maybe letting go of his mother. In the end, I understand why the detective was there and why she needed to be characterized, but there could have been different, more subtle ways of developing her characters which would have made the movie flow a lot better.

In the end, this movie was a very intense experience for me. There was a lot of subtexts that just scream second viewing. It has a powerful and gut wrenching finale that makes you think. If you can catch this tonight, April 2, at 10:15 at NorthPark, I would highly recommend it.

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DIFF Review BEING ELMO - He Said

BEING ELMO: A PUPPETEER'S JOURNEY

Directed by: Constance Marks

Written by: Phillip Shane, Justin Weinstein

Starring: Kevin Clash, Bill Baretta, Fran Bill and Frank Oz

Do you remember when you were a little kid when you had heroes, whether it was a sports star, an astronaut, a parent, or even a cool rock star.  Most of us don’t get to meet our heroes, or become old enough to realize that they might be a little bit flawed.  Well what if you got to not only meet your hero, but you got to have him be your mentor and work alongside him? Well in a nutshell that is what BEING ELMO: A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY is about.  The narrative documentary takes a look at Kevin Clash’s life, which apart from having such a cool last name, has been a triumphantly inspirational story about following your dreams, the world and naysayers de damned. 

For those not in the know, Kevin Clash is better know as the puppeteer of the world famous Elmo, the adorable, red, fuzzy character from Sesame Street.  The documentary follows his life story starting off as a young kid that was just utterly mesmerized by the magical world of cartoons, Disneyland and puppets, to his role as an integral part in the modern day Sesame Street program and everything in between. 

To say that this movie moved me in so many ways is an understatement.  The message of Mr. Clash’s story is the type of thing that will make you feel like a little kid again, where the world is full of awesome possibilities and dreams come true.  You get a sense that there was never a time when Mr. Clash doesn’t feel grateful to be where is right now, whether it was his first gig at a local television station, to realizing what Elmo means to a lot of kids around the world.  Hearing Mr. Clash talk about Jim Henson, Frank Oz, and other great puppeteers, you can tell that his enthusiasm for the craft is undying and wants to keep it alive.  His dedication does come with a price as we can see in the film, but the man just takes things in stride. 

The cynic in me wants to say that this is an overly optimistic portrayal of Mr. Clash.  But with all of the ambiguity in the world and more poignantly movies, it is nice to see that there can be simple stories, where a good attitude and perseverance can get you to your dreams. There was a Q&A afterwards, and I will go ahead and repeat what the producers said, "The film does not yet have a distributor." Most of you reading this probably won’t see it, since it is only screening today at the Dallas International Film Festival, but you should so go to twitter and follow them, and head to Facebook and like their page.  The more followers, the better chance they get to landing a distributor. When this gets released, take your kids, take yourself. You'll feel as happy as can be.  

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Jonesy's Most Anticipated Movies for DIFF

As my cohort listed what he's looking forward to for the Dallas International Film Festival last week, I'd thought I take this time to tell you what I'm excited about.  (And yes, I'm excited for BEING ELMO as well).

POM WONDERFUL PRESENTS THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD

Director Morgan Spurlock explores the world of product placement, marketing and advertising. The film was fully financed through product placement from various brands, all of which are integrated transparently into the film. Spurlock exploits the phenomenon to new heights, with everything from branded pizza boxes and in-flight film promotions to branded-everything in-film. -- David Courier, Sundance FF

I love Morgan Spurlock.  I think he's funny, witty, and brave.  He's one of the most recognizable documentary film makers working today, which is impressive since most could probably only name one of his movies (SUPER SIZE ME).  Here Spurlock's documentary takes a look at getting a product to finance the film about getting a product to fiance a film.  How meta and fantastic!

MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS

Across the USA, high school sports are regularly lavished with funding, publicity and scholarships, while theater departments struggle to put on the school musical hoping for some recognition of their own. Helping to settle the score are the "Freddy Awards," a live television event that celebrates excellence in high school musical theater. Illustrating that arts education encourages the same teamwork, camaraderie and confidence as sports, MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS follows three theater troupes on their creative journeys to the elaborate award ceremony – the "Super Bowl" of high school musical theater.

Being in musical theatre in high school, I have a biased affinity for the art.  So, when I heard there was a whole documentary covering musical theatre and the Freddy Awards, I am there!  A lot of people who don't know what it takes to put on a show have a hard time appreciating the time, talent, and sometimes grueling work that rarely reaps any awards.  By mainstream standards, musical theatre is viewed as cheesy and full of jazz hands and smiles.  Hopefully MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS will bring to light the sweat, tears, and success of these students' hard work. 

 

PAGE ONE

Go inside a year in the world’s premiere news source during a time when the medium itself faces turmoil and possible demise. In an age where 24-hour cable news and Internet blogging dominate the informative landscape, how can traditional newspapers endure? Andrew Rossi’s all-access look into The New York Times combines investigative journalism of headline news with the drama of keeping the paper viable.

We all heard about the death of the newspaper, yet somehow, through the age of the Internet, many are still surviving.  This documentary takes a look at the most formidable papers, The New York Times, and follows the ins-and-outs for a year.  I'm excited to see how someone likes the Times handles the ever changing digital age because if they can't make it work, who could?

 

THE WARD
In a remote mental institution, a beautiful but troubled young woman finds herself trapped in a hellish nightmare.

 Sure, the setting of a mental institution with an attractive young woman seems a little cliche, but I have faith.  Plus, it's director John Carpenter's latest horror film... so need I really say more?  

Now, these are only my most anticipated.  I'm expecting to see close to twenty movies over the festival, and I'm even more excited to find the gems of the festival.  Keep an eye out for our coverage of all things DIFF for the next couple weeks.

The DALLAS International Film Festival will run March 31 – April 10, 2011. Passes and tickets are currently on sale: available via online (www.dallasfilm.org), phone (214.782.9168) and in person at the FAUXCADES Box Office: 5321 E. Mockingbird Lane, Ste 100, Dallas.

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What I'm totes looking forward to in this year's DIFF!

Hey cats and kittens, Javi here.  Next week marks the beginning of the annual Dallas International Film Festival hosted by the Dallas Film Society.  As we stated before, we will be covering this festival for the site.  In the interest of trying to get people hyped up for this awesome 10 day event, I figure we could highlight some of the movies we're looking forward to this year! Oh yea since everyone else is doing it, I'm not going to include BEING ELMO, even though I am looking forward to it.  

13 ASSASSINS

Cult director Takeshi Miike (Ichi the Killer, Audition) delivers a bravado period action film set at the end of Japan's feudal era in which a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down a sadistic lord and prevent him from ascending to the throne and plunging the country into a wartorn future.

This movie is one of big buzz hits coming out of South By Southwest, but honestly, I'm just excited to see more Asian cinema.  During last year's DIFF Korean Western THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE WEIRD ended up being one of my favorite movies of the year.  After seeing so much lackluster action lately (AHEM SUCKER PUNCH), I'm sure this will be tons of fun. 

THE LAST CIRCUS

1937, Spain is in the midst of the brutal Spanish Civil War. A circus clown is forcibly recruited by a militia in mid-performance. Still in his costume, he is handed a machete and he single-handedly massacres an entire platoon. This absurd and disturbing scenario raises the curtain on a twisted tale of love, revenge, and psychopathic clowns.-Sarah Harris

Honestly, I've heard about this movie from my friend Carolee.  This sounds like a freaky movie, just like all of the Midnight movies this year.  I had a bit of a Guillermo del Toro vibe from this with the psychopathic clown and the Spanish Civil War background. As a Mexican that is not well versed with Spanish movies this sounds like a great movie.  

DE DIA Y DE NOCHE (By Day And By Night)

In a post-apocalyptic world where overpopulation has run amuck, genetic manipulation becomes the answer to humanity's problem: make people sensitive to day. That way, people splits between the dwellers of the day and the denizens of night--at once breaking families apart and challenging the definition of a normal life. - Alex Garcia Topete

I am not know much about Mexican cinema, but I know that apparently every single movie from Mexico has to be super depressing, and somehow has to deal with drugs, gang life, and poor people.  But this 

awesome movie, has sci-fi! in Spanish! 

DAYDREAM NATION

Seventeen year-old Caroline Wexler (Kat Dennings) has just moved to a tiny, nowhere town where an industrial fire burns ceaselessly and a serial killer is claiming young victims. When Caroline realizes she has nothing in common with the permanently stoned kids that populate her new school, she pursues the one person she connects with - her handsome young teacher, Mr. Anderson (Josh Lucas).

Am I the only one that thought this was a documentary about Sonic Youth? Anyway, the premise of this movie sounds amazing, plus Kat Dennings in a less comedic role is always welcome.  This girl has always stolen the scenes in the movies she's been in and I hope that this is a good step into more serious roles.  

Well that's just some of the ones I'm personally looking forward to.  I'm sure as the festival draws nearer we'll have more must-see recommendations!  Stay tuned next week, we hope you're as excited as we are. 

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2011 DIFF announces efforts to promote social change

The 2011 DALLAS International Film Festival has announced the festival intends to raise awareness of social issues and promote the need for change through a series of panels, new awards and partnerships with health organizations.

2011 Dallas International Film Festival Coverage

Exciting news everyone...we here at We Drink Your Milkshake will be tackling the Dallas International Film Festival again this year!  We will be all over this year's amazing and eclectic lineup of screenings and galas bringing you exclusive coverage, reviews, news, and special events.  Screenings and events will be all over Dallas including the Magnolia, Angelika Dallas and Plano, Northpark Mall, and the historic Texas Theatre. 

The Dallas International Film Festival will run March 31 – April 10, 2011.