Having only seen three movies on Saturday, I was determined to make up lost ground on Monday.
Here are some of the movies I really enjoyed from the third day at the festival:
Adventureland
A really touching and nostalgic autobiographical story from writer/director Greg Mottola. If you go into the movie expecting a raunchy laugh-a-minute buddy comedy like Mottola's last film "Superbad," it's possible you may walk away disappointed. "Adventureland" is a humanistic look at the nether-region of life spent after college but before you realize what you want to do with your life. Jesse Eisenberg plays a character who, unable to afford the big post-college European trip he dreamed about, is forced to work at a low-rent amusement park for the summer. The park is populated by a group of likewise emotionally-stunted adult-children — including Kristen Stewart's character, a girl who wins the hearts of all of the park's male residences.
A great soundtrack and some very relatable characters makes this film something worth catching when it arrives in theaters later this spring. While it won't be this year's "Superbad," "Adventureland" is cut from the same cloth that Cameron Crowe has produced so many winners from.
True Adolescents
I'm sorry to admit that I had never heard of Mark Duplass (a sweetheart of the indie film community) before watching "True Adolescents." After seeing his genuine and touching performance as a wannabe rock star contending with getting older without getting famous, I can understand why Duplass is such a star in the new wave of subdued indie dramadies of late. Mark my words, Duplass will, if he wants to, become a major Hollywood star within the decade.
"True Adolescents" is the story of the aforementioned aging rock "star" who, after being kicked out by his ex-girlfriend, moves in with his aunt. After agreeing to take two teenage boys (his cousin and a friend) camping, the story progresses into a coming of age movie where all three characters (despite their physical age) learn what it takes to become a man. If this sounds like some kind of touching Hallmark Channel made-for-TV movie, don't worry: It's real, real funny.
Director Craig Johnson elicits pitch-perfect performances from all of his actors — especially the young ones. Great dialogue and chemistry from the actors makes this movie highly enjoyable and highly recommended.
Sons of a Gun
A documentary by Rivkah Beth Medow and Greg O'Toole, "Sons of a Gun" is a heart-wrenching story that manages to rise above the "Jerry Springer"-like car crash rubbernecking mentality that it could have very well have wallowed in.
The film focuses on a makeshift family of four — three mentally ill adults who are shepherded and looked after by their alcoholic and abusive elderly caretaker. The film follows the family as they are evicted from their house, forced to live in a hotel room and eventually attempt to find a new home. What I loved about the movie is the way expectations are constantly dashed and reevaluated. Deciding where to lay your sympathies is a whip-lash inducing task that is never quite resolved. The filmmakers managed to get some startling access into the lives of these very interesting people and the results are amazing. An engaging story and a neutral vantage point offered by the filmmakers make this documentary something you can't afford to miss.
Women in Trouble
Writer/Director Sebastian Gutierrez has assembled an all-star cast of film and television actresses for his ensemble intersecting anthology about women in L.A. Following a gaggle of stories about women dealing with strife and moral dilemmas, Gutierrez has made something that I, quite frankly, have difficulty classifying. Not quite a comedy but with enough laughter to separate it from a melodrama, "Women in Trouble" is something engaging and consistently clever. Gutierrez's script is a portfolio of deftly written dialogue that is wonderfully delivered by a collection of talented actresses including Carla Gugino, Adrianne Palicki, Connie Britton, Marley Shelton, Emmanuelle Chirqui and Sarah Clarke. In fact, the film's actors (including Josh Brolin, Simon Baker and Joseph Gordon-Levitt) are almost always overshadowed by the film's beautiful and talented actresses.
Drag Me To Hell
At midnight, Sam Raimi came out to introduce a work-in-progress version of "Drag Me To Hell," his long awaited return to traditional horror. Since making his name with the "Evil Dead" trilogy, Sam Raimi has only dabbled in the supernatural. "Drag Me To Hell" is a full-force return to the same tonality and fun that the "Evil Dead" movies brought in spades. Gore? Check. Extreme close-ups? Check. Dancing ghouls? Check. Evil talking animals? Check. Sam Raimi knocked this film out of the ball park and it isn't even finished yet. I don't want to go into too much critical review of the film due to the fact that it is still a work and progress and I fully intend to see the film again when it comes to theaters but I can truthfully say that if you are a fan of the "Evil Dead" movies and long for the return of Ash, this is the movie to tide you over. I can't wait for you to see the scene with the cat.
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