[](http://www.candlerblog.com/wp- content/uploads/2010/04/spork_still.jpg)Much like the film’s protagonist, Spork is a movie with a serious identity crisis. A veritable mashup of Napoleon Dynamite and Strictly Ballroom, director J.B. Ghuman, Jr. riffs on style but forgets to add the substance in this story a frizzy haired hermaphrodite who comes of age on the dance floor. It’s not quite a musical, a dance film or a hipster treasure trove, but instead a watered down version of all three at once.

Spork (Savannah Stehlin), so nicknamed because she isn’t quite a spoon or a fork (get it?), lives in a trailer park with her older brother. Her father left long ago and her mother is buried in the yard. Her best pal, Tootsie Roll (Sydney Park), lives in the trailer next door. Tootsie’s got a big mouth and the dance moves to back it up, but she rolls with a crowd of fly girls, which leaves Spork on her own once they get to school.

Betsy Byotch (Rachel G. Fox ), pronounced bee-otch, a blonde haired little snoot who worships Britney Spears, runs a clique of white girls whose arch enemies are Tootsie’s group of black girls. The racism and sexism that is manifested into childish taunting is accurate, if intentionally over the top in this film. When Byotch calls Tootsie “colored” it sounds as natural as if she had chosen a tamer, more common epithet, but she wears her racism on her sleeve. Byotch hates black people…and hermaphrodites…for some reason.

Much of the film’s visual flair seems to come from a fantasia of the 1980s; of the bits from that era we look upon nostalgically as “cool”. Paper 3D glasses? Very cool. Splatter pants? Way hip. Over-moussed bangs? You betcha! Part of the problem is that the film doesn’t necessarily take place in the 1980s as there are modern references peppered throughout. I’m all for anachronisms, but this creative choice is a lot to swallow without any kind of emotional justification. I asked myself the whole time “How does this move our story forward?” Without an answer, the only explanation I could come up with is that J.B. Ghuman has a deep nostalgia for the 1980s and is banking that the rest of us do too.

I would prescribe a healthy dose of Dennis Potter to Mr. Ghuman. The British television writer became a master of using what he called “cheap” music in series like “The Singing Detective” and “Pennies from Heaven”. Thematically, Spork seems like it might share more with these pieces than the over- stylized works this film has been culled from. Potter always found a way to bring recognizable tunes into the story in a manner that (I hate to harp on this) moved the story forward. Instead, we are just mired in the perceived “coolness” of this music as we wait for the next scene to pick up.

I could imagine reading the script for Spork and seeing its merit. The main character has an interesting back story and the simplicity of junior high level conflicts (winning a dance-off really is the most important thing in the world) certainly make for a nice canvas. Unfortunately, the waters have been muddied by overly glitzy white noise.

[](http://www.candlerblog.com/wp- content/uploads/2010/04/Brooklyn-Street-Art-Exit-Through-The-Giftshop-Banksy- Still-Jan2010.jpg)Ever since its dubious premiere at Sundance earlier this year, Banksy’s Exit Through the Gift Shop has exploded with discussion about its validity. Is it a real documentary, or is it staged? Is Banksy one person, or a collective? Is Thierry Guetta, the film’s pudgy protagonist, a diehard street art sidekick or a figment of Banksy’s twisted imagination? The truth is that it doesn’t really matter all that much either way. It’s a solid documentary whose mysterious existence only add to the fun.

For those who don’t know, Banksy is an irreverent street artist whose work has been celebrated (and in some cases, reviled) the world over. From graffiti stencils to off-the-wall sculptures to painted elephants, there is basically nothing that he won’t try. Add to that list filmmaking, or so we assume. Though Exit has a clear and proper title, in discussion most people will refer to it as “the Banksy film”, which is interesting because his credit reads, somewhat nebulously, “A Banksy Film”. That he appears on camera early on, be-shrouded and his voice modulated, as more of a subject than an auteur is our first sign that something may be amiss.

Banksy tells us that this is a film about Thierry, a Los Angeles Frenchman who had the nasty habit of filming everything around him. The story goes that once Thierry started filming his cousin the artist known as Invader, he began earning his stripes enough to be considered something of a documentarian even though he never had anything to show for all of his adventures. After an awful cut of his supposed documentary is shown to Banksy, the artist asks to take a crack at cutting the footage together into something workable. The film we see, supposedly, is the result of that handoff.

Thierry goes on to host his own art show as Mister Brainwash, an invented persona. It is a wild success even though his work is basically stolen from Banksy, Warhol and other artists. The public, high on hype, didn’t seem to care as Thierry sold over a million dollars worth of art when the show opened. Overnight, he became a success in the public’s eye, a fact which Banksy apologizes for unleashing on the world.

But is it real? If it isn’t, then the lengths that many people had to go to to pull this off were extraordinary. The truth is that the more we speculate on the validity of the film, the more valid it becomes. If it is a hoax, then it is a very real and very clever hoax that would outpace anything Andy Kaufman ever attempted. Banksy’s street art has the ability to make the ordinary extraordinary. A telephone booth becomes a lounging character in his world; so too does this widely released film become an interactive piece that promotes involved discussion when the audience goes home.

If we take all of that away, however, and assume that it is all a true tale, then it is in fact a very ordinary documentary. It has sit-down interviews, cheeky narration from the actor, Rhys Ifans, and a catchy soundtrack that audiences of all ages should be able to enjoy. There aren’t too many chances being taken here cinematically, but I can understand why. Street art, by its very nature, is accessible; you have no choice but to encounter it. By making an accessible film, Banksy will be able to get most audiences to jibe with his narrative before flipping the story over on them. By the time the “what is art?” question comes up, you have grown so close to Thierry that you feel almost betrayed when he becomes a hack. It is very slick the way in which the wool is pulled over our eyes.

Or else it is all fake. Which means it isn’t even a documentary. What are documentaries? And around we go.

[](http://www.candlerblog.com/wp- content/uploads/2010/04/dvdstack.png)

Jerc here, and you heard right. Every movie in Amazon’s Library is available today only at $11.53 per disc! You just have to buy them all at once. $783,429,041.00 gets you every movie ever!!! That’s over a 70% savings. Amazon is even throwing in their entire VHS library ABSOLUTELY FREE. I wouldn’t be telling you about it if it weren’t true, obviously, so go get it now.

[](http://www.candlerblog.com/wp- content/uploads/2010/04/raiders_of_the_lost_ark_government_warehouse2.jpg)

Stock up for weddings, christenings, purim and the end of days!! 70% off for

24 hours only!!!!!

You get everything in this package. No film is left behind.

[](http://www.candlerblog.com/wp- content/uploads/2010/04/img4832181.jpg)[](http://www.candlerblog.c om/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/B00001U0E1.01.LZZZZZZZ.gif.jpeg)[](http://www.candlerblog.com/wp- content/uploads/2010/04/ewokadventure0gl.jpg)[](http://www.candlerblog.com/wp- content/uploads/2010/04/514A2F31GFL.jpg)[](http://www.candlerblog.com/wp- content/uploads/2010/04/clue-dvd.jpg)[](http://www.candlerblog.com/wp- content/uploads/2010/04/october.jpg)[](http://www.candlerblog.com/wp- content/uploads/2010/04/419HM2NJ8XL.jpg)[](http://www.candlerblog.com /wp-content/uploads/2010/04/5150VDWPNJL._SL500.jpg)

The only film you don’t get in this deal is the finest piece of Americana we have. The greatest American movie ever made is the only disc left out of this, but you probably already own it anyway. Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece, The Dark Knight, will not be included in this deal because Amazon assumes every American already got is as a gift last hanukkah.

[](http://www.candlerblog.com/wp- content/uploads/2010/04/DarkknightDVD.jpg)

[](http://www.candle rblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/rememberthetitans_pg01.jpg)Move over Avatar, there’s a new king of 3D in town and his name just happens to be Persius. Where else can you see Sam Worthington jumping onto CG birds? Not in that $500 million film. Support independent filmmaking and definitely give a click to Louis Leterrier’s greatest film since Hulk. Clash of the Titans is a mile a minute thrill ride that sucks you in early and never lets go. How? Because it’s 3 frickin’ D.

The film opens in the heavens, just like all Greek mythology films should. As we whip around space and time, our eyes are vacuum sealed to every frenetic movement. In plain old 2D, we would never get the full Greek effect, but since this film adds the real-time additional graphics, our minds get blown right away. It is truly the most amazing film I’ve seen this quarter, so far.

The team behind this film met the daunting task of a remake quite well. Though the original film, directed by Ray Harryhausen, is regarded by many as an untouchable classic of the cinema, the problem with that 1963 film was that they hadn’t yet invented 3D. It looks dumb now looking back on it, but for it’s time it really was a major advancement. Except for the 3D, this is basically a shot for shot remake, except Hercules is completely written out of the plot. The only place where they lose points is for completely stealing the look and feel of 300. Maybe it is meant as an homage to Zack Snyder, whose unrelenting artistry compels filmmakers around the world.

Sam Worthington is truly the actor of our times, especially for his ability to jump  onto birds. I don’t know how he does it, but I head he trains parkour about three hours every day. Liam Neeson brings his godly charm to the role of Zeus. His brother, Hades, is portrayed with scathing accuracy by Josef Fiennes, who is reunited with Liam for the first time since Schindler’s List. It’s weird how they’re both type cast again as good guy and bad guy. Do these guys have another note?

Finally, I want to mention all the animosity that has been brewing about this film. A lot of people are talking about how they added the 3D after they shot the film in 2D, as if this somehow cheapens the effect. This is total bullcrap. This movie looks absolutely amazing in 3D. Wah wah wah, you need to pay an extra 10 or 12 dollars to see it 3D. Go back to your trust funds and live a little. After all it’s a just a movie so who really cares about it anyway? You should, that’s why you pay the extra price to see an amazing 3D movie. The titles practically fly right at your face! I hope Jim Cameron didn’t see this because he’s gonna be pissed that Zeus stole his thunder, literally.

April Fools'!

If you are a new reader to the candler blog, then I welcome you and I hope you take a poke around. If you are a regular then I hope you quickly realized that something was up the second you laid eyes on this post.

The above post is a parody of the worst film writing I have seen out there. Besides the typos, incomplete (or overlong) sentences, and misinformed facts, the real trouble with this review is that it doesn’t really say anything. That means it isn’t criticism at all, it’s just a rant.

I believe that the film writing we do here, most of the time, goes beyond the rantings and ravings of a film-loving lunatic. There’s a time and a place for that, but it doesn’t always lead somewhere you want to be. Click around the candler blog and see what you find. I hope you find that critical writing is alive and well…on the internet…on a blog.

[](http://www.candlerblog.com /wp-content/uploads/2010/03/coldweather.jpg)A 2007 New York Times article by Dennis Lim defined Mumblecore thusly: “Specimens of the genre share a low-key naturalism, low-fi production values and a stream of low-volume chatter often perceived as ineloquence.” All of the above qualifications could be applied to Aaron Katz’s new film, Cold Weather, but it isn’t your average twentysomethings-talking- about-stuff movie. It is a whodunnit thriller whose brilliance lies in its ability to keep you guessing what “kind” of a film you are watching.

Doug is a half-bearded college graduate bumming it on his sister Gail’s couch in Portland, working at an ice factory while he decides what to do with his degree in forensic science. When his ex-girlfriend Rachel comes to town for a visit, things start to get complicated. His coworker, Carlos, is absolutely smitten Rachel, which brings on a wonderfully set up love triangle. Just as you think the two friends might come to blows over the lovely lady in their lives, Rachel goes missing which forces Doug to use the skills he learned at school (and by reading Sherlock Holmes all day). That’s the short of it.

Cold Weather works extremely well as a small, talky romance. It hits every emotional point spot on, and finishes off with a nice moment of realization. There is some absolutely gorgeous photography, provided by Andrew Reed. There is a lovely little scene where Doug and Carlos uphold a conversation while moving boxes of ice. The handheld camera follows the two around with very few cuts. The conversational long take is a go to choice for many low-budget filmmakers and it is often botched, but the movement and the motivation of the entire scene show the steady hand of a powerful visual team. Then there’s that waterfall shot. Before I saw the film, a colleague mentioned “there’s this waterfall shot, you just have to see it”. He was right, and I’ll pass the tip on, but I can’t exactly explain it.

Cris Lankenau, whose deadpan rivals the best of them, keeps things interesting as Doug. Coupling him with Raúl Castillo, who plays Carlos, brings some lovely little sparks. If Cris is playing a Peter Pan trying to find his way as an adult, Raúl is the Toys-R-Us kid who never grew up. Trieste Kelly Dunn rounds out the mystery solving team as Gail. Though she is the closest thing to a voice of reason here, she balances the challenges of playing mother and sister nicely.

This is probably an overstatement, but Cold Weather feels to the Mumblecore movement what Lars Von Trier’s Dancer in the Dark was to Dogme 95, which to say it is simultaneously a break and a progression. That Cold Weather works without the thriller plot-line is a testament to Mr. Katz’s wide ranging skills. That it is able to transcend the genre (which isn’t really a genre) proves his creative force as a director. I hope that he has more tricks up his sleeve, but even more-so I hope that other filmmakers see the possibilities for indie cinema that are displayed in this film. The next decade of Mumblecore now has an extremely high bar set for it.

As Hollywood enjoys this latest wave of 3D filmmaking, I have long hoped that their innovations would eventually trickle down to benefit the independent filmmaking community. Noel Paul’s short film, Annie Goes Boating, which just had its world premiere here at SXSW, may be the film that proves indie directors are dying to get their hands on the technology. Gone are the flaming projectiles and the prickly protrusions that are commonly found in big budget 3D films. Instead, Noel gives us a gorgeous look at a day in the park.

I sat down with Noel to discuss how he was able to make this film on an indie budget. Once he realized he had access to two Red Digital Cinema cameras, the filmmaker went to work with his creative team to try to hack together a workable 3D rig. However, it wasn’t until he got in contact with Lightspeed Design, whose DepthQ technology is used in a number of 3D applications, that the pieces really began to come together. The result is a 10 minute short that is absolutely gorgeous.

Right-Click to Download • Subscribe in iTun es

Annie Goes Boating feels like a painting, one you could get up and walk around in. The plot is simple by design: some friends go boating and play badminton; a love triangle appears and then it ends. The photography, by Michael Ragen, is reminiscent of impressionist painting. Your eye is free to wander around the woods throughout the film. The depth is astounding. Some shots of ducks on a pond make you feel almost as if you could touch the water, as if the ducks might fall off the screen. Perhaps I’m romanticizing it, but if you see the film in 3D you will understand my reaction.

It is great to listen to Noel talk about 3D technology and how he likes to use it. I can’t think of another independent filmmaker who has tried a hand at 3D, but I truly hope that it sticks. Noel doesn’t care to guess whether or not 3D will catch on, but he says that he has every intention of making more 3D films if he is able to get them off the ground. With this one under his belt, I don’t see how that could be a problem.

I have hardly scratched the surface here. Listen in to my conversation with Noel Paul, where he gets into some of the nitty gritty of 3D production as well as speaks on his artistic influences behind this film. It’s one of the most interesting conversations I’ve had on the subject. Enjoy.

[](http://www.candlerblog.com/wp- content/uploads/2010/03/Crying_With_Laughter.jpg)Justin Molotnikov’s Crying With Laughter was the first screener I watched in advance of SXSW this year. Though it is described as a thriller, that is a particularly unfair label to put on it. When I sat down with Justin, who is here in Austin for the North American premiere of his film, I learned that he couldn’t agree more, and in the best of senses.

The film follows down-on-his-luck comedian Joey Frisk, whose visceral brand of jokes can be tough to laugh at. Very quickly the film changes its tone from the mundane to the mysterious. Then  again to the adventurous, and eventually to the melancholy. The brevity with which it moves from emotion to emotion, or from genre to genre, is astounding. Crying With Laughter will surprise you around every turn.

Justin and the film’s producer, Claire Mundell, took some time out of their schedule to sit with me and discuss their film and some other tid-bits. Perhaps the most interesting thing Justin and Claire mention is that the script grew out of a lot of workshopping and improv. In fact, they say, it was easier to get the film funded without a script than it would have had they had a finished one from the outset. Sound backwards? Listen in as they explain their process in making this first feature.

Crying with Laughter has two more screenings at SXSW: Tuesday March 16th, 1:30am at the Alamo Ritz and Wednesday, March 17th, 4:30pm at the Alamo Lamar. It is also available on [Amazon Video On Demand](http://www.amazon.com/Crying- Laughter-SXSW-Festival-Premiere/dp/B003AOI6DQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=digital- video&qid=1268752572&sr=8-1) and will soon be available on demand through your cable provider in the U.S. You can find out more information at the film’s Official Website.

[podcast]http://www.candlerblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/candlercast-13 -crying-with-laughter.mp3[/podcast] [Right-Click to Download](http://www.candlerblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/candlercast-13 -crying-with-laughter.mp3) • [Subscribe in iTunes](http://itunes.apple.com/Web Objects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=334875368)

Lena Dunham’s Tiny Furniture just had its world premiere here at SXSW yesterday. It is an extremely funny and revealing film from this New York-based director. This is only her second feature, though she views it as her first since her last film, Creative Nonfiction, which premiered at SXSW 2009, was about an hour long. Taking full advantage of the Austin vibe, Dunham made some friends here a year ago, gathered a crack team in New York City, and spent the last year making this new film.

Her hard work paid of well. Tiny Furniture is ferociously funny and with a heart to boot. It is easy to apply the label of “coming of age tale” to the film, but that really undersells it. This is not the kind of movie that involves staring into puddles, mirrors or other reflective surfaces that twenty-somethings on film seem to be attracted to. Instead, we find Aura, played by Ms. Dunham, returning home to the big apple after college, thrust into a world with no structure, few consequences and little prospects. Between her genius younger sister soaking up the limelight and her preoccupied artist mother, Aura must blaze her own path in the naked city.

I sat down with Lena to discuss her process and her film. Listen in for some really interesting details about the making of this film, which was shot entirely on the Canon 7D, a digital still camera that also shoots video. And there’s more! But you have to click play or download.

You can learn more about Tiny Furniture at the film’s Official Website. The film will be screening once more at SXSW on Saturday, March 20, 4:15pm at the Alamo Ritz.

{::nomarkdown} Sorry, your browser does not support the audio element. {:/nomarkdown}

Right-Click to Download • Subscribe in iTunes

I’ve only snaped a few pics so far. Too busy sitting in the dark watching films. I’ll bring you more as I take them. Enjoy these.

[imagebrowser id=6]

Kick-Ass_ fits perfectly into the SXSW landscape as it is what we in the business call a “crowd- pleaser”. The trick here is that Matthew Vaughn’s film pleases a very specific crowd, and Austin seems to be the capital not just of Texas, but of the cynical fanboy (fangirl, fanperson). Based on the comic book series by Mark Millar, Kick-Ass tells the tale of a mild-mannered high school geek who gives into his fantasies of becoming a super hero. The story is tight enough, the visuals pop, and the gore is outrageous. Still this film is missing something pretty big: an audience outside of Austin.

Let me tell you what we have before I go into my opinion. In a cartoonish New York City, one ruled by organized (and not so-organized) crime, Dave Lizewski is a loser at the bottom of every food chain. He gets picked on at school, mugged in the streets and nothing but bored at home. On the brink of growing up, he decides to try his hand at being a super hero. After ordering a wet- suit online, he goes out to fight some crime and eventually becomes an internet sensation. Of course, there has to be some darkness to any super tale. Kick-Ass, as Dave has named himself, quickly discovers that there are villains more evil than he can handle, and heroes more well-equipped than he could imagine. Accidentally, he has thrust himself into a war for the ages: good versus evil.

The film balances two very different but overlapping genres with great finesse. It is a comic book adaptation and a parody of comic book cinema. As a comic book film, it ticks off marks on the list of required content. Bright colors and inspired production design, provided by cinematographer Ben Davis and production designer Russell De Rozario, make almost every frame feel like it lives on a page. Overlaid text boxes fill out the effect to the delight of hardcore comic kids. As a parody, it plays brilliantly. Its main cinematic inspiration is Sam Raimi’s Spiderman, which stands out as the biggest catalyst to our current heroically saturated film market. Pulling scenes, musical themes, narration and set designs from Mr. Raimi’s take on the hero, Mr. Vaughn is able to dance the line of homage and theft while building his own original language for this film.

Aaron Johnson delivers a nerdy, yet adorable as the title character. He fills Tobey Maguire’s spandex boots nicely. Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who the internet will never know by a name other than McLovin’, brings his endearing brand of geekery to the screen. Even the most trivial of statements out of his mouth had the Austin audience rolling in the aisles. Nicholas Cage, who spends a lot of the film spoofing himself and the heroes on which his character is based, provides some of his best comedic moments since Face/Off. Finally, the young Chloe Moretz brings her potty mouth into the mix. Kids dropping f-bombs always bring the yuks.

Kick-Ass’s violence is wildly vivid, perhaps to a fault. The filmmakers have gone above and beyond to deliver fast-paced action that warps your mind inside out as you try to process what the hell just happened. When you think there’s only one way to use a weapon, Mr. Vaughn and his creative team will take that weapon, put a string on it and grab someone’s arm and make them shoot their own face off. And the blood. Oh the blood. Heads explode, bludgeonings cause splatter, and limbs fly every which way. To put it lightly, it is an indulgent film.

That indulgence is really where the trouble lies. _Kick-Ass’_s audience is extremely specific and, ironically, discerning. It is tough to please fandom, but it is even harder to please the fans and everyone else at the same time. When I say this doesn’t have an audience outside of Austin, I am speaking of the proverbial Austin; the state of mind where fanaticism, gore and comedy collide. This film delivers the laughs that the audience asked for, but how refreshing it could be to give us something we didn’t expect, or at least something that can be enjoyed by a bigger niche. I realize this is perhaps a cynical take on a generally tight film. After all, it does deliver. You just need to know what you’re getting into beforehand. Odds are, if you’re headed to see the film, you’re hyper aware of what you’re being sold, in which case you’re really going to love Kick-Ass.