Disco and Atomic War

Jaak Kilmi | 2009 | 80 min | Estonia + Finland

Disco and Atomic War is the story of the evolution of television on the edge of the Iron Curtain. The capital of Soviet block Estonia, Tallinn, was so close to the Western nation of Finland that eager Communists with modified televisions could receive their broadcasts. The US State Department was quick to realize that this battle in the heads of young Communists was as important as any battleground. As the Dallases and Knight Riders poured into Soviet homes, US cash poured into Finland, helping them construct dazzling high transmission towers.

The film is told from those who were on the front lines: inventors building antennae out of scrap metal; young campers waiting for the first broadcast of Emmanuel; cousins corresponding about scandals among the Ewings.

In less capable hands the subject of broadcast television in Estonia would surely be a dry talking heads picture. While director Jaak Kilmi doesn't shy away from offering the insights of media professors and government historians, it is the flourishes of the personal stories told in beautifully spare recreations and the bevy of perfectly selected stock footage that makes Disco and Atomic War such an arresting treat to watch. It is as brilliant a synthesis of storytelling and straight information delivery as I think I have seen. The film manages to capture the enthusiasm of youthful fan devotion so strongly that it that makes the alien concept of a cloak and dagger struggle to see your favourite program easy to empathize and relate to.

I loved Disco and Atomic War. So much so that I give this movie my highest recommendation: MANDATORY STATE-SPONSORED VIEWING.

Disco and Atomic War plays Hot Docs on April 30 and May 1. Check here for schedule and watch the trailer here.

Candyman: The David Klein Story

Costa Botes | 76 min | 2010 | New Zealand + US

Via friends, relatives, and other uncritical sort, Candyman: The David Klein Story tells the tale of the inventor of Jelly Belly jelly beans who had his work ruthlessly stolen from him by a faceless corporation. Or not. David Klein came up with the concept for gourmet jelly beans in the late seventies. He worked hard in tandem with an established confection company to develop the highest quality product and his natural sales and showmanship took Jelly Belly to the top shelf of candy products. Many names and faces related to Klein's business dealings are thrown around in the early portion of the film making them difficult to keep track of, but the larger picture of Klein's life and the candy's development are reasonably easy to follow. What becomes clear late into the murk of this picture is that Klein is a very friendly man with very little business acumen. Whether the result of altruism or not, he made several poor decisions with his business and no longer owns the Jelly Belly name and the once popular face of the brand is now forgotten.

Tellingly, both of Klein's children have producer credits on the movie. Candyman is a love letter to dad and an effort to restore his legacy, and it suffers greatly from family trips down memory lane and anecdotes about what a great, kooky fella Klein is. Even at only 76 minutes the movie feels heavily padded. The final act soliloquies from Klein's son and a lengthy aside about Ronald Reagan are among the elements that feel completely out of place and tacked on to hit the feature length mark. Weird Al Yankovic even has several scenes, for God's sake. At first I assumed his presence was due to him being a family friend, but soon it becomes clear: no, Weird Al is simply a candy enthusiast. He frequently describes Jelly Belly candies as "quite good."

The financial details of Klein's deal with the company who now owns Jelly Belly are not mentioned until near the close of the film. I suspect it is because those details make it even more difficult to relate to Klein's "trials." Klein is fond of hyperbole and speaking about how Jelly Belly "ruined his life," but what Jelly Belly actually did was provide him with a significant income for most of his adult life without robbing him of the chance to complain about it. That is a tough struggle to get behind.

Candyman plays Hot Docs on May 1 and 4. Check here for schedule and watch the trailer here.

The Story of Furious Pete

George Tsioutsioulas | 2010 | 85 min | Canada

Pete Czerwinski was hospitalized for anorexia as a young man. He weighed 120 pounds and his organs were so taxed that his heart was about to fail. He received comfort and support from his family, particularly his mother who battles disease of her own, and began recovering during the lengthy bed rest. Once he was released from hospital Pete began an intense fitness and bodybuilding regimen. His appetite returned in spades. Following a night out with friends, Pete consumed four massive hangover helping breakfasts on a dare. Other restaurant patrons gathered around the delicious spectacle, and Furious Pete was born.

A great deal of time is spent talking about Pete's battle with anorexia as well as his parent's trials with illness. Czerwinski has been through a lot and is not shy about sharing it. He is a warm and open man and the film would not work at all were he not. His unassuming character and unlikely carriage for a competitive eater make him a great subject to follow into this world.

There is nothing visually remarkable about Furious Pete, but it is shot well and edited cleanly. However, the great burden of budget documentaries, stock music, does pops up again here (music is credited to Stockmusic.net).

Pete Czerwinski is followed on his daily training routines as well as on the road to professional eating competitions. Watching competitive eaters eat is disgusting, particularly in slow motion. It is also wildly entertaining. The eating scenes in Furious Pete may be some of the purest pleasures and gross outs of my film going life. As a bonus, I appreciated the chance to witness competitive eater trash talk. Getting trash talked by a grown man in overalls seems like it would be particularly galling.

During these travels the politics of the different professional eating leagues are also brought to light. Yes, there are professional eating leagues. Plural. I could have probably watched an entire film learning about their origins and watching the jostling between organizations, but the broad strokes are covered in the way they relate to Pete's story.

The weakness in Furious Pete is that at no point does the director ask, "Do you think competitive eating is just the flip side of your eating disorder? Is it another way to control your environment? Do you think it is ultimately as harmful as your anorexia was?" That's a shame, because I really would have liked to have seen that probed into. There is slight attention paid to the possible health ramifications of Pete's eating, but he is given a clean bill of health on camera and it is left at that. The director clearly had a certain tale in mind, though, and I understand those questions would interfere with the feel-good vibe of Furious Pete. If you are looking for a hard hitting investigation you can forget it, but Furious Pete does offer a unique, if light, glimpse at a strong man and his gross world.

The great pay off of the film is finally seeing Pete eat a 72 ounce steak in real time over the closing credits. Three camera set-up, running clock, completely captivating.

The Story of Furious Pete plays Hot Docs on April 30 and May 9. Check here for schedule and watch the trailer here.

talhotblond

Barbara Schroeder | 2010 | 83 min | US

Oh, Internet, is there anything you can't ruin? Marinesniper and beefcake were co-workers, online gamers, and IRL friends. Talhotblond was an 18 year-old girl named Jessi, a fellow gamer, and a serial online flirter. She became friend, then cybersex partner, to both men. She seemed to take as much delight with the online affairs as with pitting them against each other. While beefcake grew tired of talhotblond and made an effort to distance himself, marinesniper plunged deeper into his online persona, losing himself in violent fantasy. While talhotblond goaded them on further, beefcake was completely ignorant that he was about to become the focus of marinessniper's rage and the last piece needed for him to completely dissolve into delusion.

The opening moments of talhotblond gave me pause. It begins with a voice-over from beyond the grave: an actor telling us he is the murder victim of the story and is about to show us how everything went wrong. Right out of the Sunset Boulevard playbook. Or something. Aesthetically, talhotblond is a minor mess of computer graphics and canned music, but the story is so compelling that the television newsmagazine format is forgivable. It avoids salaciousness in favour of weaving a very clever narrative through interviews, text conversations between the three players, and the guiding voice-over. Yes, the voice-over that made me cringe at the beginning turned out to be a smart device to keep me invested. The interviews cover the key players in the case and offer welcome analysis on the motives behind the snowballing of the online relationships.

Barbara Schroeder takes on a lot with this film. Not only is it her first credited feature as a director, she is also the chief reporter, writer, and editor of the piece. I am very much looking forward to what she tackles next.

I will not offer anymore about the story because it provides some great surprises, but suffice to say talhotblond is a fascinating glimpse of crime and alienation in the 21st century. This story is prime "ripped from the headlines" Law and Order material. What? That's a compliment coming from me! Shut up.

talhotblond plays Hot Docs on May 1 and 2. Check here for schedule and watch the trailer here.

These Girls

Tahani Rached | 2006 | 68 min | Egypt

These Girls is a documentary portrait of a small group of girls who share companionship in the brutal and violent streets of Cairo, Egypt. Unfortunately, These Girls goes out of its way to insert so much whimsy and romance into the lives of these teenage prostitutes and runaways that virtually all of the impact is lost. The music, editing, and extended dances sequences all conspire to reduce this film to near parody. Yes, i said extended dance sequences. In one scene, a man washes out a found styrofoam cooler with rags to act as a makeshift crib for a girl's newborn baby. It is a disturbing moment- or it would be were it not played for laughs. The theatre thought it was adorable. Those homeless people are so inventive! Cute!

Also problematic is that the film gives no context to their lives or community so a great deal of cultural references are lost. The same can be said of the heavy reliance of euphemistic language like "slept with" or "love" to indicate rape, kidnapping, and prostitution. And to avoid any problems with what seems to be a predetermined story arc, when a girl is arrested or otherwise disappears, she is given no more than a quick mention and is quickly forgotten in favour of the other main "characters."

There is a great documentary that could made about these young women, who are strong, intelligent, and open about their day-to-day struggles, but this is not it.

The above is a repost of a March, 2008 review. These Girls plays Hot Docs on May 7. Check here for schedule and watch the trailer here.

The Canal Street Madam

Cameron Yates | 2010 | 91 mins | US

Sometimes a filmmaker can become so close to their subject that they forget about the elements that actually make the subject compelling to an outsider looking in. Instead, the filmmaker's own experience fills in their film's obvious gaps while several key Ws are ignored, avoided, or forgotten. This possible scenario occurred to me over and over as I watched The Canal Street Madam.

Jeanette Maier was a New Orleans madam who ran a brothel with her mother and daughter that catered to the city's elite. While she was busted and sent to prison following an FBI sting, those elite when untouched and unsullied. Director Cameron Yates picks up with Maier following her release from prison as she tries to make ends meet without being involved in sex work for the first time in many years. She does media appearances, reconnects with her family, and rekindles her entrepreneurial spirit, all with varying degrees of success.

Madam primarily consists of the standard interviews and fly-on-the-wall footage as she goes about her days, but it also contains some interesting video elements culled from Maier's own home movies. They are great additions, depicting parties, the family's Christmas morning, and so on, but certain pieces are needlessly recycled several times until they only serve as a distraction.

The biggest issue I had with the documentary is that it carries on without ever filling in the background details regarding Maier's crimes, arrest, and conviction. We are given some information via local television news clips near the beginning of the movie, but the FBI operation and subsequent trial, though frequently mentioned, is never unpacked. This is a massive oversight. If a documentary can't answer the most pressing questions about a subject, why does it exist?

The rest of Maier's family grants little information either. Aside from her daughter, Maier's family has only fleeting appearances and no real contributions to the story. But since you have her on camera, why not talk with Jeannette's mother about how the two got involved in running a brothel together? How did mom get into prostitution and what did she think of her daughter becoming involved? These may be old stories to friends sitting around the dinner table, but EVERYONE IN THE AUDIENCE wants to know.

There is some good humour in the movie and Jeanette Maier is a compelling character, but with such a thin story the result is a bit of a freak show. While making public appearances Maier frequently states that what happens "between two consensual adults" should be no one else's business, and while I believe that to be true, it is a statement, not an argument. If the film wants to hold up Maier as a victim of injustice and really investigate the issue it keeps trotting out, then there should have been an effort to discuss the prohibition of prostitution and the effect it has had on Maier, her family, and the women she worked with. Vague allusions are not enough to keep this documentary afloat.

The Canal Street Madam plays Hot Docs on May 4 and 6. Check here for schedule and watch the trailer here.

The Parking Lot Movie

Meghan Eckman | 2010 | 74 min | US

Cool boss-who-doesn't-want-to-be-called-boss Chris Farina has assembled a strange colony of men to work in his Charlottesville, Virginia parking lot. Many are philosophers, though anthropologists are also mined as ideal attendants/ students of human nature. The "insanely overeducated" gang work adjacent a university and its associated bars, wiling away the time between jerk-handling with invention and conversation. That is a recipe for some serious theories about cars, man's subservience, and the nature of renting empty space, man.

Presumably an insider among the attendants' circle of friends, director Meghan Eckman captures the theories and gallivanting from unguarded subjects. They often engage in behaviour and conversation, by turns silly and hateful, that one would think they would make an effort to hide from strangers. Luckily, these men possess wonderfully dry senses of humour that transform the dullest of subject matter into a fun visit with people you would like to know better.

If you are among the scores and scores of people doing too little labour with too much brain power you will relate to the attendants' plight and thoroughly enjoy watching their coping mechanisms. They may have achieved the perfect synthesis of work for profit and "hanging." Hanging is a key concept in this doc. Is this what Bob Dobbs meant when he sought Total Slack? Do these guys have it ALL FIGURED OUT? Maybe. Maybe.

The Parking Lot Movie plays the Hot Docs documentary film festival in Toronto on May 1 and 3, with a special garage rooftop screening on May 7. Check here for the schedule and here for the trailer.

The Game Done Changed

David Mills, writer of Homicide: Life on the Streets, NYPD Blue, The Wire, and the upcoming Treme, has died at the age of 48.

The Cribbster remembers this gem from Mills delivered to journalism students seeking advice on writing: "I don’t know. . . uh. . . It’s a little like fucking: You do it more, you get better at it. Other than that there’s not much else I can say.” Check out David Mills' own blog, Undercover Black Man. It is definitely worth a read. Forty-eight is far too soon to go, but thank goodness for the work he has left us and thank goodness for DVDs. Mills changed the game with television, and he was one of the few who changed it for the better.

Lil' Scarface

A home video has surfaced of elementary school children making liberal use of the word "fudge" in their play adaptation of the violent climax of Brian De Palma's Scarface. That is premise, anyway. The piece itself is a clever-ish put on.

I would add "obviously," but apparently not everyone is in on the joke. In fact, I find the funniest thing about the video to be the outraged comments it has elicited. "Yes - I have kids - and this is R-Rated material - someone has a screw loose big time - idiots," opines bapwebdesign, while beachkween delivers the impassioned type-scream, "NO WONDER KIDS ARE MESSED UP TODAY AND THE WORLD IS ABOUT TO END - THE PARENTS AND TEACHES OF THIS SCHOOL SHOULD BE SHOT - WTF???" Even the artistic community itself takes exception to the piece, as antoniotheartist offers, "Those kids could have has as much fun doing a play about WALL-E." Indeed.

Geoff Boucher outed the video as the work of Jonas Akerlund, the director most recently behind Lady Gaga's stunning "Telephone" video. Even without the director's name floating around, the video has several tells: the uploader cindymomof6 joined four days prior and has only uploaded the play video and "favourited" three humourously earnest Christian message videos; the complete silence of the supposed families in the audience as the bizarre action unfolds; the video's mere existence.

For whatever reason Akerlund seems to have taken a run at Michel Gondry territory. So why the dip into the viral pool? The Gaga video is the most high profile project he has done in years, so maybe he is ramping up for promotion of a big feature following his dead-in-the-water Horsemen film of last year. Akerlund has always had a great eye, but so far he has been unable to sustain that for a full movie. Hopefully he can capitalize on his recent success to turn out a great feature. Sure, a sequel to the overwrought drug tragi-comedy Spun may seem like the worst idea ever, but just imagine this: "And the Oscar goes to... CGI Brittany Murphy!" Call me, Jonas.

EDIT: TMZ is reporting that the video was actually done by Marc Klasfeld. He directed The LA Riot Spectacular, a comedy about the aftermath of the Rodney King beating starring Snoop Dogg. Yes, that exists. Try not to bust a gut watching the trailer. Also, writing about the same stuff as TMZ? I am garbage.

You can watch Scarface School Play after the jump.

Hot Tub Time Machine

Steve Pink | 2010 | 100 mins | USA

The experience of watching Hot Tub Time Machine was a strange one. As a former John Cusack devotee who wasn't crazy about his work in the '00s, I expected to find this entertaining but at the same time a bit cringe-worthy. I was worried that the comedian-stacked cast and Snakes On A Plane-ish funny but maybe ironic but maybe just literal title would not actually add up to an awesome comedy. And yet, I found myself laughing out loud consistently throughout.

Adam (John Cusack), Lou (Rob Corddry) and Nick (Craig Robinson) play three old pals whose glory days of '80s teendom are behind them. Adam's a jerk whose girlfriend has just left him. Lou's a full blown alcoholic who hasn't outgrown his party animal behaviour. Nick is a failed musician who works in some kind of puppy salon. In an attempt to revive their friendships and their sad lives, the three estranged best friends (accompanied by Cusack's nephew Jacob, played by Clark Duke) head to their old vacation haunt, a ski resort by the name of Kodiac Valley, where a drunken night in the hot tub lands them back in 1986. How and why? It's got to do with some spilled drinks, but really, does it matter? While the three 40-somethings (now back to being their teen selves) relive the good times, Jacob tries to ensure that his own birth doesn't get erased by their time traveling shenanigans.

I'm sure the arguments about whether Hot Tub Time Machine is able to live up to its own hype will continue for a little while longer. Here are three good reasons to go see it in the meantime:

1. Rob Corddry. As Lou, the Mötley Crüe-loving total fuckup of the friend group, he manages to be simultaneously hilarious, completely pathetic, and strangely attractive. He's magic.

2. The cameos. Crispin Glover as the one armed bellboy provides the film with some really enjoyable recurring gags, and a big time comedy veteran is surprisingly endearing as the hot tub repairman. Both might have been kind of lame but are funny and sweet instead.

3. The ski patrol villains. A shout-out to the world of '80s jock vs. geek teen flicks, this crew of well coiffed cool guys think our time traveling heroes are hiding something, and they're hell bent on stopping them. They're even named Blaine and Chaz, as any ski dudes should be.

Bonus points for a guy in a bear suit who keeps randomly popping into the action.

The Runaways

Floria Sigismondi | 2010 | 109 min | US

A rough, all-girl rock group fronted by a blonde lolita. Money in the bank, right? The band's life was short, but a year after forming they were headlining shows with Cheap Trick and Van Halen as opening acts. A year after that they were on a world tour and recording a television special in Japan. They released three studio albums before breaking up in early 1979. The Runaways were a cultural milestone, not that you would know it from watching The Runaways (aside from its few "big in Japan" moments).

The Runaways focuses primarily on the relationship between guitarist/ singer Joan Jett and singer Cherie Currie from their first meeting until Currie eventually drops out of music when drugs take too great a toll. Currie's family life also has some screen time, and Jett is shown kissing different girls. I was surprised that Dakota Fanning not only turns in the first decent performance of her young career, but she does a terrific job as Cherie Currie. Kristen Stewart is also good, and slightly more involved as Joan Jett than her usual scowl-acting allows. Unfortunately, the talented Alia Shawkat plays "Robin," the composite bassist, but is left completely line-less due to legal threats.

The Runaways best functions as a Music Delivery System and Nostalgia Generator, which it performs to perfection. When in clubs, jam spaces, and on stage, the movie is thoroughly captivating. I say that with the exception of ham-fisted scenes of the band "jamming" out a hit tune in a couple minutes of riffs and lyrical free styling that turns out magically. I always find such scenes painful to watch. They are the laziest of shortcuts and you don't have to have a gold record to feel how false they ring.

Floria Sigismondi has shown that she has an inspired flare for visual storytelling. We see moments of it in The Runaways, but Sigismondi seems bored when the story is about something other than drug use or performance. The result is a collection of memorable music videos strung together by vague scenes of a band imploding. So much energy is expended presenting the band's drug use it comes at the expense of portraying the recording of their albums, which gets one short scene, or the reception of those albums. Since the movie covers such a small window of time it is ridiculous for it to glaze over huge events in their career. That disinterest extends to the character summaries at the end of the film. While Currie, Jett, and producer Kim Fowley are all given the "where are they now" treatment, Lita Ford, Sandy West, and the myriad bassists are ignored. That is silly and inexcusable.

All this complaining may create the impression that I hated The Runaways. I did not. I enjoyed watching it, though it left much to be desired even while I was watching it. At its essence it is little more than an improved take on Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains. That may or may not be enough for you. The Runaways is good, but I wanted more than good.

However, if the music isn't really what you're after anyway, the superior youth debauchery vehicle starring the real Cherie Currie is Adrian Lyne's Foxes. I cannot recommend that movie enough.

Bodyguards & Assassins [Shi yue wei cheng]

Teddy Chan | 2009 | 139 mins | China / Hong Kong

At the Asian Film Awards which wrapped mere hours ago in Hong Kong, the two top acting awards went to veteran Chinese actor Wang Xueqi and Hong Kong heartthrob Nicholas Tse, who played Master Li and his kindly rickshaw driver, respectively, in Bodyguards & Assassins, Teddy Chan's star studded historical epic. Loosely based on real events, the film looks beautiful but ultimately lacks the serious ass kicking needed to make it a truly fun ride.

The tale is set in 1905, and Sun Yat-sen is on his way to Hong Kong (then a British colony) to plan a revolution to overthrow the crumbling Qing Dynasty in China. Revolutionary Chen Shaobai arrives in Hong Kong a few days before Sun's arrival, to meet Li Yue-tang (Wang Xueqi), a businessman who's been helping to fund the cause. As Sun's arrival draws near, a convoluted sequence of events forces Li to throw full support behind the revolutionaries, rallying a group of men including his rickshaw driver (Nicholas Tse) and a mysterious beggar (Leon Lai) to divert the assassins so that Sun can enter Hong Kong, meet his cohorts and leave safely. While this motley crew tries to protect Sun, Li's young wife has hired Sum Chung-yang (Donnie Yen), a man with whom she has some history, to tail the group and protect her husband. Simon Yam also briefly appears as an exiled Qing General living in exile and disguised as the leader of an opera troupe.

There's a lot of set up, many characters to follow and several side plots (such as the rickshaw driver's touching romance with the lame daughter of a local photographer), so the talk-to-action ratio is a bit out of whack. However, when Master Li's son Li Chongguang is chosen to act as the decoy for Sun Yat-sen in an elaborate rickshaw and foot chase through the city streets, the kung fu finally begins, and it's pretty good.

It's clear from the start that this is the sort of epic blood bath that might end well for "history" but not for any of the individuals involved. As the action escalates, Donnie Yen unsurprisingly has the best fight choreography, and Leon Lai has the most impressive scene, as he battles a whole team of hook and chain wielding assassins with nothing but a deadly black iron fan. The film has had its theatrical release in Asia, and seems unlikely to land on the big screen in North America anytime soon, but look for it on BluRay - the DVD is already out.

Before and After

Aldo van Eyck was a Dutch architect who put children's needs at the centre of his urban renewal projects. Between 1947 and 1974 he designed over 730 playgrounds while working in Amsterdam, taking cues from humanist ideals and cultural tradition.

The photos above are from van Eyck's The Playgrounds and the City. The book was a catalogue for an exhibition celebrating his work called Design for Children held at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam in 2002. On March 16th van Eyck would have turned 92 years old.

Thanks to the playground design blog Playscapes where I first spotted the images.

How Can You Just Walk Away From Me?

"i love this song i been doing this song at karaoke for over 20 years it reminds of my ex husband i watched him left me when i was pregnate we divoced since then its been 8 years now he has not contacted myself or his daughter."

Massive track. The video for Phil Collins' "Against All Odds" was a promo single for the 1984 film of the same name. The movie was a dog directed by Taylor Hackford, but at least it provided us with a great video that nicely survives as a short on its own, and shows off a dashing young James Woods to boot. Think of it as a not so embarrassing precursor to the big budget junk heaps of celebrity cameos that would rise on music television in the years following.

And if you have not yet heard it, episode 339 of the world famous radio program This American Life, "Break-Up," is compulsory listening. In the first segment, writer Starlee Kine and Phil Collins discuss break-up songs, and Mr. Collins songs in particular. it's a heartbreaker of a report (x 2!) which took me right back to university-era love-horrors. You can stream it from the TAL site here.

Stay together, Phil fans. We are dying.