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Reviews
American Folk (2017)
Strong period piece
If you want to walk into a film knowing very little, this may be the review to convince you to go. For people who are over twenty years old, this may evoke memories of where you were when. Periodically there are times when most United States citizens became more civil, more caring, and more compassionate.
If you were raised enjoying the sound of a Gibson guitar, harmonies, and songs you knew the words to, this will resonate on so many levels. If not, this movie is a sweet introduction of ballads and timeless tunes. The supporting characters are vibrant and equally well acted.
If you are not particularly partial to a a tidy romantic comedy, all the better.
Lesson Plan (2010)
very well done
This film will appeal both to baby boomers and their children. It recounts after several decades the effect Mr. Jones had on very malleable children. In an echo of the seven up series we see the theme "show me the child and I will show you the man." The experience left a lasting impression on the students. It involved: carrying cards, informing on each other, and the leader having body guards. The viewer is exposed to about a dozen narratives stitched together, and kept apart. We have kids who told their parents and were banished to the library, kids saluting each other in the hallways, and some believed that they were taking part in a revolution, and that their party leader would have a speech televised nationwide at the end of a week. Given that this was an era when people actually protested on the streets about the war, and the president listened. A good documentary will always show a snapshot of time and place, and more importantly makes the audience think, which this does admirably.
Phillip Neel was one of the original 30 students from "The Third Wave", graduated from UCLA in 1973 with a B.A. in Motion Picture/Television production. He started working at the CBS Network in various capacities. The seamless quilt of the narratives converging is part and parcel of Neel's three emmy nominations for editing. This is David Jeffery's first feature film, and impressive.
The closing credit soundtrack includes "Ballad of a Thin Man" by Dylan. As a child of baby boomer parents who sang folk music in coffee shops in Boston, the lyrics made me stop, listen intently, recommend the film to my parents.
Win/Win (2010)
never takes itself too seriously
The charismatic actor Oscar Van Rompay takes you behind the gleaming glass facades of the ivory tower to where the noise of success means everything, even amidst the deep fall of the economy. The opening title sequence is great, so go in to see that, and stick around, it is time well spent.
The opening, coupled with the fresh upbeat soundtrack, made the audience smile right off the bat. The visually creative cinematography lets us wander through Amsterdam at night due to Ivan's insomnia, visualize and thus feel the texture of the rug when he takes his shoes off, and smell the cigarettes on the sidewalk outside a bar with the receptionist at work. On other counts, it never takes itself too seriously, with light and humorous touches, balanced by the maxim that what rises up must always fall.
I must admit the fact that Ivan, the main character is a gawky nerd who can do calculus in his head really stuck a chord with me. I heard mixed reviews in the SIFF press screening on the way out.