Usually I begin my reviews by talking about whether or not I'm a fan of the film's creator or source material. Well, am I a Todd Solondz fan? Excellent question. There's stuff of his I certainly enjoy, like Happiness. But there are films of his I'm very mixed on.
I wouldn't say he's one of my favorites because I'd watch his movies over and over if he was. I'll instead say I respect Todd Solondz because, while his films can be a mixed bag, the man has balls. He writes good screenplays about very uncomfortable subject matter. Just watch Happiness. The man actually made you feel for a child molester. That is talent. But there are his other films. A lot of his fans really seem to love his 1995 film Welcome to the Dollhouse. While it is an admirable film, I can't say I'm a fan. I found the film so uncomfortable that I've only watched it once and haven't planned on watching it since. It may be my least favorite of his.
Storytelling I enjoyed. Palindromes? Decent film, but just really awkward and uncomfortable. So there's only been one film of his I really loved, and the others got a mixed reaction from me. But with his first film since Palindromes may be his best since Happiness.
Life During Wartime is the name of Solondz' latest look at the seedy underbelly of polite society. It's somewhat of a sequel to Happiness, being set ten years later, involving the same characters. But the bizarre thing is nobody from the cast of Happiness is back. No Dylan Baker. Instead he's replaced by the rather scarier looking Ciaran Hinds. The offbeat yet charming Jane Adams is replaced by Shirley Henderson, who just strikes me as awkward and, I hate to be this guy, kinda homely. Jon Lovitz is replaced by Paul Reubens. Which actually kind of works. Call me crazy, but the change made sense, because I can see some sort of a resemblance.
So, at first, the cast changes bothered me. But I got over it quickly. The actors all turned in fine performances. I particularly liked Allison Janney (from Juno and Away We Go). And it's good to see Michael Lerner in the film, who I really liked watching on Barton Fink.
So the film takes place ten years later. Joy eventually got married, but it's not going very well. Trish has moved on since her husband got arrested for child molestation. Her two (in Happiness) very young children are lead to believe their father died as they got older. And their oldest, Billy (now in College), has gone along with it, hoping to forget what his father did to his best friend. And to get over Bill, she is now seeing somebody else, whom she intends to marry.
Joy needs a break from her husband, so she comes to Florida to stay with her writer sister. In the meantime, she is frequently visited by the ghost of her ex-boyfriend (Reubens), who is still very much in love with her. Meanwhile, Bill is released from jail and is looking to get his life back on track and reconnect with his family.
Whatever problems I had with Solondz' previous films has really been polished up. He brought in his A-game as a director and a screenwriter, making it the best film he's done in a long time. It's still very awkward, and there is still that wicked deadpan sense of humor, but it's at its best. Which was a relief, since it's been some time since his last movie. It really surpassed my expectations, as I had mixed feelings on the project since hearing about it a few years ago.
If you like Solondz' brand of black humor, even if you aren't a fan of his last couple films, this is really worth a watch.
Since 2007 I've been hearing these words every Friday, followed by the witty banter of the folks of Spill.com. What made me come to their site regularly for their movie reviews and podcasts is the great chemistry the crew has with one another, their sense of humor, and that when it comes to movies: they know their shit. They were funny and informative.
This year I finally got the chance to go to one of their parties, and this one was their most epic yet: Spill Dot Con. The name of the party alone makes you think epic parties and socializing. For three days, we were treated to just that and more. Plus, there was a film contest, which I entered. But I'll get into that later.
I flew in Thursday night from Cleveland. It was my first time flying on a plane since 2006, and my first time flying alone. Spent most of my downtime in the terminals watching Doctor Who episodes on my laptop before boarding the plane. I finally arrived Thursday afternoon and arrived at a friends house where I was staying. I spent most of this time talking to said friend, and swam in the pool for a while, eagerly waiting for the next day.
Finally came the big day. The day the con began. I arrived in Downtown Austin around 3-4PM. I spent some time exploring downtown Austin, looking up where the events were to take place and checking out the shops. My one regret is not spending more money at the shops. There were some great shops. Finally, I arrived at GSD&M on West 6th Street for the panel. It included the Spill Crew, three of the guys from Rooster Teeth Productions, Del the Funky Homosapien and his manager, and two people who work in advertising. The panel was all about making it in the creative field.
There was already a great vibe amongst the Spill members (or "Spillios") as everyone started to arrive. Everyone was already introducing themselves, shaking hands, engaging in conversation. It was great to finally put a face to the people I've been seeing online for the past couple of years.
The panel was a success, followed by a party that ran into a few problems. I got into Ace's Lounge no problem, but I heard there was problems getting people on the inside. So, in result, there seemed to be a little bit of tension. One of the Spill crew told me he even had trouble getting into the party. That's pretty messed up. So I hoped the following parties would pick up, which they certainly did. But that's for later.
Saturday was the most eventful day of the festival, in my opinion. First was an animation workshop from Korey himself. It showed us how the videos are made, the equipment he uses and useful tips to animating on flash. Some of the problems he brought up were problems I faced myself on Flash. And I got some very useful tips from him for any future animated projects.
Then came the moment I was most excited for, but also kind of dreading. It was the Spill.Con film festival at the Alamo Drafthouse. There was a contest involved, and I was told Korey got over 15 submissions and there were to be finalists to be eligible for the Golden Co-Host Award. The process was first the filmmaker was brought on stage before the film. We have a quick statement, we sit down at the table and watch the audience watch our films. Then Korey gives his critique, followed by the Spill Crew.
My Film:
This part had me the most nervous. Not sure why, but I had a feeling it wouldn't be as well-recieved. But surprisingly, everyone seemed to love it. Leon said it brought him back to the days when they were working on Public Access Television, when they had their show "The Reel Deal." I most most nervous about Co-Host's reaction, since he tends to go to comical extremes with his reviews. But he even gave it a great review, calling my film "charming." Now, I should talk about the other submissions, including the other finalists.
I really enjoyed the other films. I really had some competition. There was a hilarious piece by user MetalVirgin that was an instructional video on how to be a Spill member. There was a great art piece called "Whore Chalking" which I found hilarious as well. There was a very funny film called "Who's Your Daddy" about a man believing to be the bastard son of Cyrus, which was very well-written. There was an impressive 3D animated film parodying last year's 9. Following mine, there was a parody of Training Day that I really enjoyed. Like mine, it was also a fake trailer.
The winner was an animated piece called "Goatsey Come Home." For those who don't know, Goatsey is a rock star goat frequently mentioned on the podcast "Let's Do This!", not to be confused with a grotesque image on the internet. The film was about Goatsey running away from home and trying to start a new life as a rock star. I thought it was very funny and deserved the award. What made it work was how filled with inside jokes it was, that the filmmaker clearly pays close attention to all the podcasts. It worked as an animated film, but also as a love letter to Spill.com.
I didn't enter this contest to win. Really, it was all about getting something shown, at the legendary Alamo Drafthouse, to the Spill Crew and an audience of people. I'm really pleased with the reception mine got. At the following parties and at the end of the festival, I got loads of congratulations from the Spill Crew and various members and attendees. Certainly that boosted my confidence. But to Stephan, who made the film: you deserved it, sir. Bravo.
The winner won a gift card, the Golden Co-Host award, a tiara and roses. The rest of the finalists won medals. Mine sits between my Batman (TAS-era) figure and my Doctor Who Dalek on my dresser.
Following the finalists, we looked at the other submissions. I gotta tell you, I really enjoyed this presentation. The ones that weren't finalists were very funny, often surreal. The most surreal of all was not the film itself, but the experience before, during and after watching it. The man who made it interrupted Korey in the crowd, asking to show his film. He is brought on stage to talk for a while, and his film was shown. It was a webcam video of some kind of top 5.
Nobody knew what the hell was going on. It was very awkward but humorous after all was said and done. After the film, the guy had to leave, saying it was his mother's birthday. The crowd and the crew were all confused, wondering if this was serious. Cyrus jested (and I'm paraphrasing this) "right now he's putting on his monocle going (in British accent) 'it all went according to plan!'" I joked with other Spillios "either this guy has some kind of problem, or he's a comedic genius of Andy Kaufman-like proportions."
There was also an animated film by someone named "Solomon." Hopefully he puts the film on the site. Everybody was talking about it, because it was so insane and bizarre. There was a short with very impressive visuals, putting Co-Host 3000 in the Transformers 2 trailer. Somebody in Hollywood give this guy a job in Visual Effects!
So it was really cool that Korey and company showed the other short films that weren't finalists.
