The Comedy
Plot: Swanson (Tim Heidecker), a rich son whose father is nearing his death, drifts through life without a care in the world. He has no identity to speak of, just his father’s inheritance to define him. He wanders through life aimlessly trying to find a purpose.
Review: I can hear the complaints now. The film is called “The Comedy” and it stars Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, but plays out more like a drama. Most sites define it as a black comedy, which I can see. It definitely has comedic elements, just not played for laughs by writer/director Rick Alverson. I’ve heard some refer to it as an anti-comedy, hence the ironic title. It’s a hard film to label, as it feels aimless like it’s lead, Swanson.
Which is the entire point. I can understand how some people hate this film. It’s essentially an hour and a half of Tim Heidecker goofing off and hanging out with his friends. The shenanigans aren’t of the “Tim & Eric” variety, but do creep into that territory. Talks of hobo cock, crude reenactments of slavery and even an uncomfortable experience in a bar on the other side of town do fit into their mold of offbeat humor. Here it’s utilized to convey the lack of emotion and judgment in Swanson.
I thought of two films while watching “The Comedy”. The first was a recent one, “Shame”. That film was a low-key portrayal of sex addiction that played out similarly to this one (with a stronger narrative albeit). It’s more of a character study than a story. The other was “The Great Gatsby” from 1974 (the one starring Robert Redford, Mia Farrow and Bruce Dern). It was one scene in particular I thought of, that being the almost emotionless conversation Tom Buchanan has with his houseguests over inconsequential topics. I always felt that scene was a statement on the “money can’t buy you happiness” theory and that most rich people run out of things to do and talk about.
“The Comedy” is essentially that for an hour and a half. And I loved nearly every second of it! It’s hard to convey why the film is so captivating. On paper it sounds incredibly dull. Yet I was engrossed in Alverson’s film and Heidecker’s performance. He’s playing an asshole and there’s nothing redeemable about him. While Tom Buchanan would at least talk of eloquent material, he’s waxing on about cum swallowing, stealing taxicabs and brushing his teeth after sticking the toothbrush in his nose (one of many gross antics he partakes in). He’s a douche bag, but an interesting one.
You’re either going to love or hate “The Comedy”. There’s no in-between. You’re either on board with the film’s attitude or you’re turned off by it. I’d suggest that, if fifteen minutes in you’re feeling bored and/or disgusted, turn the film off. It’s not going to be for you. If you find yourself strangely compelled to the screen, keep it rolling.
Final Rating: A
Excision
Plot: Pauline (AnnaLynne McCord) is a disturbed and delusional eighteen year-old with hopes of having a career in medicine. Her frequent outbursts with her parents, poor marks in school and kitschy attitude hold her back and cause her more harm than good.
Review: “Excision” isn’t the easiest film to review. It’s certainly one I can only recommend to a certain demographic. It’s an experimental film by Richard Bates Jr. that is intriguing, but not exactly ironed out. It’s well crafted and Bates knows how to toy with his audience, but he under develops the illness of Grace (Ariel Winter), the sister of Pauline, up until the halfway point where it becomes an integral aspect of Pauline’s dementia. He’s a strong director and makes it work, but the end result would have been more satisfying had it been done more effectively since the start.
I feel weird making that criticism, as Bates does such a wonderful job of dissecting Pauline! Her mental instability and extreme quirks slowly become understandable when you see the relationship she has with her parents. Phyllis (Traci Lords) is a strict religious woman with an abusive past who unwittingly reenacts her mother’s behavior onto her daughter. Bob (Roger Bart) is a bland man with no backbone. When not dealing with loving but (at times) misunderstood parents, she gets harassed by bullies and even her teacher, Mr. Cooper (Malcolm McDowell), Principal Campbell (Ray Wise) and reverend/psychiatrist William (John Waters).
Just as it seems this film is going to become a modern “Carrie” (which wouldn’t delight the makers of the upcoming remake), Bates swings the film in anther direction and gives the audience a gut punch. While this works effectively, he does undo some of the hard work put in by AnnaLynne McCord to prove Pauline’s mentally unstable by forcing it upon the audience. Her twisted fantasies of gross surgical procedures beat the audience over the head with the message and feel like cheap shock material at times. The only time I felt it was effective was during her sexual encounter with Adam (Jeremy Sumpter), as it perfectly conveyed what was going through her head in contrast to the actual experience. A visual representation of the female orgasm through the eyes of a disturbed individual, if you will.
For all of it’s flaws, “Excision” is still a well made film! It’s a good film, but not great. It flirts with becoming that but Bates takes a few creative sacrifices that didn’t exactly pay off for me. I respect them anyway and do feel, forced fantasies aside, he wonderfully conveys his message and leaves the audience in a good state of unease! He also caps the film off tremendously, making the entire experience worth it! One thing’s for sure once the credits roll; whether you love or hate “Excision”, you’ll never forget it!
Final Rating: B
The FP
Plot: In a post apocalyptic future, two rival gangs in Frazier Park compete in Beat Beat Revelation contests. When BTRO (Brandon Barrera) dies during a match against L Dubba E (Lee Valmassy), JTRO (Jason Trost) quits the game for good. It’s not until a year later when his pack and love interst, Stacy (Caker Folley) convince him to reenter the competition and avenge his mentor’s death.
Review: I need to stop being shocked when a film I expect to be awful winds up being surprisingly good. If there’s anything I’ve learned in the few years that I’ve been a film critic, it’s that the old adage “Never judge a book by it’s cover” applies greatly to film. If you would have told me years ago that a film about the creation of Facebook would have been one of the best films of the decade, I wouldn’t have believed you. Many rave reviews and Oscar nominations later and I ate my words and loved the film!
While “The FP” is far from Oscar material, it’s a wickedly clever and quick witted parody from the Trost Brothers. They’ve worked in cinematography on countless Hollywood hits (most recently “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” and “That’s My Boy”) and are finally directing their first feature. This is an adaptation of their first short of the same name. I feared they wouldn’t be able to drag it to eighty minutes and, while they struggled in spots, they mostly proved me wrong.
The Trost Brothers handle all aspects of this wild parody ranging from eighties cheese cinema, flash in the pan fads, dance movies (most notably the “Step Up” and “Stomp the Yard” series) and video game/board game adaptations. The idea of taking Dance Dance Revolution and turning it into a film is ludicrous, to say the least, which is why the Trost Brothers chose it. It was the perfect target for their comedic chops.
You can tell while watching this film that they not only have a great sense of humor and a passion for film, but are skilled in their field. The cinematography is exquisite and much better than this film has any right to look! The direction is crisp and fast paced and the script it’s working off of is tight and more intelligent than it seems. I’d relate the lowbrow gags and lingo to that of Mike Judge’s “Beavis and Butt-head”; purposely dumb on the surface as a mockery of it’s target. This makes what could be lousy humor (such as the “Mr. T on crack” villain L Dubba E and clichéd mentor BLT, played by Nick Principe) work and garner hefty laughs!
I won’t deny that “The FP” does become too obnoxious for it’s own good. An hour and twenty minutes with this material can go a long way. The Trost Brothers do their best to keep the viewer’s attention with many nods and lampooning of classic films. You’ve got the “Rocky” training montage, the “Indiana Jones” trek through the underground lair, the random (and hysterical) shootout near the end. It may all look dumb on the surface, and it’s intentionally so often, but it’s done in a clever and smart way!
Final Rating: B
Pusher
Plot: Frank (Richard Coyle) is a drug dealer in London who’s gotten into hot water with Milo (Zlatko Buric), a kingping. He lost a drug package he was supposed to deliver after a police sting and now owes him fifty-five grand or else he’ll be killed.
Review: It takes a good thirty minutes for “Pusher” to pick up. That’s when the police sting hits and Frank’s life begins to spiral out of control. Before that, we were simply getting to know his lifestyle. Luis Prieto’s vision of drug dealers is that of the lavish and hip variety. They attend loud and populated clubs, hang around with partiers and constantly crack wise. Frank even has an annoying sidekick in Tony (Bronson Webb), who thankfully gets the shit kicked out of him at the thirty minute mark and is only seen once more!
I felt Prieto was trying way too hard in the beginning to be cool. Something of a Tarantino wannabe, but without the diatribes. Which is a good thing, as only a select few can pull that off well and signs weren’t pointing towards Luis being one of them. Once the plot thickens he refocuses his attention on moving it along and giving Richard Coyle the floor. This is the best decision he made in the entire film!
Coyle was the right choice for Frank. He’s got a rugged look and, when you catch him on a good day, has a laidback demeanor. This would explain why his customers like him and are confused to see him slowly become aggressive. Now that his life is on the line, he can’t wait around for his money. This leaves him no choice but to harass his clients, including physically harming a pet shop owner (technically one of Milo’s men did the beating, but Frank initiated it).
This is basically how the film rolls out. Frank goes to a client for money and/or drugs and they don’t have it. He freaks out and tries to figure out a new plan to pay Milo back. It’s cut and dry material done in a flashy way (and that’s meant as a compliment). Coyle does a fine job of conveying his fear and anguish and Prieto utilizes some nifty shots and cinematography (that being done by Simon Dennis). For that, “Pusher” is at least worth a look, but nothing to rush and see.
Final Rating: B