By: Henry J. Fromage –
Last week I got a bit deeper into Slamdance than I was expecting to. Did you know Christopher Nolan’s career started there? Neither did I.
84. Facing Monsters
This documentary has a lot in common with all of the mountain and freeclimbing documentaries I’ve been obsessed with ever since I started reading Jon Krakauer. Kerby Brown is every bit the daredevil Alex Honnold is, but his death-defying milieu is surfing 1-2 storey-high waves off the Australian coast with the type of power that could crush a man to death against a reef at any moment. This film is stunning both visually and psychologically- a must for fans of documentaries about this type of fearless, quite possibly insane sportsman. Two Beers.
85. Honeycomb
This folk horror from and about a group of young Canadian girls who go off into the woods to create their own utopian society, only to, like most who try it, form a cult, is no doubt low-budget. Despite those limitations, and not exactly the best cameras around, this is a spirited and creative production that does land some admirably creepy scenes. Three Beers.
86. Forget Me Not
Slamdance is interesting as it’s often quite obvious why a film didn’t get selected for Sundance (see the last one), where for others it’s hard to discern any reason why at all (outside of the fact that the documentary competition is probably the most competitive year over year). This documentary about parents of special needs children trying to get equal education in New York (and being met with resistance at every turn) measures up to just about any doc I saw at the latter festival, though. There’s some downright shocking footage of bureaucratic apathy in the end that’s sure to set your blood boiling. Two Beers.
87. Paris in Harlem
This multifaceted film is set on the night New York’s controversial Cabaret Law (the antiquated one against dancing in establishments that serve alcohol that was used for years to squeeze out minority-owned bars and businesses) was repealed, and follows a bevy of characters before and during the night as they live their lives and come in contact with each other. It’s well-produced and naturalistically acted and reminded me very strongly of Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets if that’s your kind of flick. Three Beers.
88. Love Tasting
This Polish film is about a group of teens living a pastel-colored summer of going to the pool and haltingly negotiating their way around their burgeoning sexuality and typical teen awkwardness. Dawid Nickel has a good eye for off-kilter visuals and realistic-feeling scenarios suffused with teen angst- at very least you’d think the Euphoria crew may want to offer him an episode or two to direct. Three Beers.
89. Fury
Another Polish-language production, this is instead a documentary, about a female MMA fighter who clearly has brutal talent and personal demons in roughly equal measures. It’s interesting to witness her lightning-fast ascent, but after that story is told it feels like the slow but sure decline doesn’t justify the remaining minutes, especially since it feels like it may as much be a dip than a true end to her career. Three Beers.
90. Ferroequinology
There’s nothing overtly wrong with this just over an hour-long documentary about a group of train-loving photographers and filmmakers- it’s just not nearly as interesting as its subjects want it to be, or perhaps they struggle to explain to an audience just why they find trains so fascinating (and I actually love the experience of traveling by train at least). Shooting in black and white may not have been the right call, either- this is a film lacking in color in several key respects. Four Beers.
91. Retrograde
This was an award winner at Slamdance with a mixed reception, but color me a fan of Adrian Murray’s acerbic dark comedy about a young woman who gets a ticket and then starts to unravel her life in a bid to fight what she considers the gravest possible injustice. Molly Reisman gives off strong Lena Dunham vibes in the absolute best of senses- any fan of Girls will find plenty to admire here. Two Beers.
92. Freebird
This lovely short playing in Slamdance’s Unstoppable section is about 45 years in the life of a man born with Down’s Syndrome, and in particular his relationship with his indefatigable mother. It’s got those first 10 minutes of Up vibes, and I’d love to see it get the wider play it deserves. Guaranteed there will be at least 2 animated shorts nominated for an Oscar this year that are less affecting as this one. Two Beers.
93. Jackass Forever
I’ve been sold on returning to the puerile, often horrifying, almost always hilarious world of Johnny Knoxville ‘n Friends ever since seeing the trailer what feels like two calendar years ago (or may actually have been- I’m not bothering to go check). Anyway, I forgot about all of the dicks and shits, and there’s got to be more of the former at least, but there’s also a new, younger crew I wouldn’t mind seeing more of and plenty of allusions to the classic sketches of yesteryear. Here’s hoping the primary team is ready to stop giving themselves concussions, but if so, this is a perfectly entertaining note to go out on. Three Beers.
