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Reviews
Ice Fishing (2000)
A story let loose on the purity of itself
I just saw `Ice Fishing' on the Sundance Channel recently, and out of the block of 4 or 5 films in the Shorts Stop,' this was the one I was moved by the most.
First off, let me say that the one thing about Alexandra Kondracke I like the most is that she doesn't stuff the viewer with sentimental sweets so we go back and point to the things that are `important' in the film. It starts out on one morning and ends in another equaling an entire day and the things that are important are the seemingly miniscule things that tie everything together in its ineffably well made whole.
The plot centers on a young teenage boy who narrates some of the film also living with his sister and his mom. There is no father or husband in the family. It's shown early that his mother frequently goes home with men at the bar where she works, but as the boy says, they don't even have the decency to walk her to the front door. She is shown stumbling in a drunken state to the front door, where she collapses on (I believe) a porch swing on the front porch. There is no running hot water, and the boy can't take a shower. His sister eventually dumps a bucket of water on his head and tells him he's clean. By that time, however, they have both missed the bus. Their neighbor, Randy (an unmarried guy probably in his late 30s that would probably fit the stereotypical description of a lumberjack), ends up giving them a ride to school in his truck. The boy's older sister has already planned to ditch school, and an older guy on a motorcycle is there waiting for her. The boy doesn't want to go to school, but Randy gestures for him to get out of the truck. He exits, but he ends up walking around the town before he finds Randy's truck. He tells him he won't tell the lady Randy works for that he's stealing alcohol, and for that he wants Randy to take him ice fishing. Randy says they'll eat before they go, and this is where a very poignant and true conversation takes place (in my opinion and experiences from listening to people talk about this and being a younger kid). Randy asks him if he has a girlfriend, what girls are cute in his grade, and asks how long the girls with boyfriends have been dating. He tells Randy about six months, and Randy tells him that's plenty of time to be dating, and by that time they're ready to move on. Eventually they go ice fishing, and Randy uses a power auger to drill into the ice to make a hole so they can fish. In the background, the boy is sliding around the ice, which is obviously much more important to him than the act of actually fishing.
After ice fishing, the ending event takes place back at the boy's home, which I won't give away here. With all the events I talked about above, this may seem like a dull film showing the events of a day in a boy's fatherless life. But Alexandra Kondracke shows that there is much more to the story in the simple events taking place. I don't know if the story is as subtle as the writings of Raymond Carver, but the story surely has that same kind of feel. Also, the cold and icy backgrounds and landscapes throughout the film are accompanied perfectly by the camera work, which mimics the cold simplicity of the surroundings.
All in all, this is a fantastic film. Too many directors now are pretentiously putting out pointless films that are awash in flare for the sake of flare and a lack of creativity. I think one of the reasons I like this so much is because I think a lot in this type of narrative form when writing: one that's simple but (hopefully in the stuff I write at least) deeper than most things when you actually think about the entire story and all that happened.
So in conclusion, make sure you watch this if you ever get the chance. These films are far and few from most being made today.
Love Child (1996)
An odd and fantastic short
`Love Child' was on one night as I was flipping through the channels late in the night (or extremely early in the day), but somehow I couldn't find myself changing the channel. It said it was a series / comedy,' but in reality it was only a one-time short film by the director / writer Patrick Sisam.
I think the first thing that drew me to the movie was the fact that the lead character, Murray Murray, reminds me (mostly because of his name, but there may be something more to it) of Humbert Humbert from Vladimir Nabokov's novel `Lolita.' Murray Murray is a 9 year-old who has a crush on an older sister of a girl who likes him. The girl who likes him is typically (whether veracious or not, that's usually how it's portrayed in life and supposedly people have had real experiences with this) pugnacious and likes to pick on him.
I missed the very beginning of the short, but it seems that Murray hears his parents, who seem to be swingers, having sex all the time. He has reoccurring dreams about them in different situations, and when he and his brother are at the movies (which is a pseudo, black and white love story), he pictures his parents as the lovers and runs out of the theater. His father always has the inclination to call him sport' also, and the fact that he actually looks like the kind of eerie non-father that would say that in the odd way that he does, makes it even weirder.
Another odd thing, which made me check the IMDB right after the movie was over, was what year this was filmed and why Neve Campbell was in it. The year it was made was 1995, and a year later Neve was in `Scream.' She looks awesome in `Love Child,' which makes me think that was the last part of her innocence in movies. Unfortunately she changed her hairstyle and has gotten older, but the way she smiles and what she wears is stunning. I obviously never found out why she was in it, though
The balance of a child longing for an older sister (of a girl his age who likes him), mixed with the odd images and anomalous scenes with the parents, makes this something special. Maybe Murray Murray knows he must get back his innocence or he'll never be able to overcome his fears of turning into his parents or later being warped by his childhood experiences. Maybe he's not affected at all, but the realistic mix of both aspects is fantastically done at any rate.
The music is also really good. The setting takes place in the 70s, and the music is funky and embodies the feelings of the movie quite well.
Overall, this was a fantastic short. The acting was great, the visuals and camera angles were good; it just had everything a good short or short story would have. And that's the other thing; it would have made a great short story too. The fact that the visuals didn't have to be there, but were there nonetheless, also adds something special.
I liked `Love Child' as soon as I started watching it, and I found myself wondering about a lot of events in the short after it was over. It's only about 30 minutes, which gives the skeptic even more reason to watch it. Hopefully, if you ever see this, you'll enjoy as much as I did.
Paris, Texas (1984)
One of the most gorgeous movies ever filmed
Paris, Texas is one of my favorite movies of all time. I was only 3 when it came out, but in comparison to most movies, it will outlast most you'll see now.
Ry Cooder did the gorgeous soundtrack, which is intrepid on its own, but it adds ineffably to the movie, which you will see upon viewing it. It's haunting, pretty, minimalist, and has the ability to convey a wide range of emotions by mainly using slide guitar (maybe a lap steel).
The story is of a man (Harry Dean Stanton) who has gone through a fugue. We find him in the beginning almost passing out in the desert from exhaustion, standing there dumbfounded, looking at his surroundings. Later we learn that he has disappeared for a few years, while his son, Hunter, is now living with his brother and his wife (Dean Stockwell and Aurore Clement). Slowly he realizes what happened in his life, and he decides to dedicate himself to bringing his son back to his mother. The story is simple, but at the same time, you find yourself questioning many things. I'm not a huge fan of psychology, mainly because I find explaining my actions by the brain's accord too deterministic, but you'll do your share of wondering nonetheless.
Another thing that makes this movie fantastic is the direction of Wim Wenders. This is the first film I've seen by him (`Lisbon Story' was after that), and I was blown away. The scene where Travis and Hunter are walking up the street is amazing. The way the sunlight hits everything on the street, and how the odd angle up the street is concomitant with that will leave you awestruck. On one sunny morning, Travis is cleaning everyone's shoes, looking at the shadow of an airplane at a nearby airport. That may seem lame, but if you're open-minded and appreciate the beauty of landscapes, you'll understand what I mean. Wenders managed to capture the beauty of the areas where he filmed. He even brings out effulgence in dusty, rural streets. You can see more of these types of pictures in a book by him called `Written in the West.'
The settings are important also. There are little things you'll notice (not necessarily symbolically as much as cinematically) with more viewings that will captivate you. The `hotel' scene at the end is amazing to watch. And if this movie seems a little languid in its pace, that's because, for the most part, Sam Shepard writes that way. There isn't a lot of flashy dialog, and there's not a lot of action. You can probably expect that from someone who has written award winning plays. But please, I beg you, don't watch halfway through and give up. Put it in, turn off the lights, and watch it the whole way through. It'll make an indelible mark on your future words about movies in general.