Colin Fitz Lives!

OPENING: 08/13/2010

STUDIO: Baby Shark, Inc

RUN TIME:91 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
A comedy about love, death and rock ‘n roll.

Opening Statement
In July of 1996, Robert Bella decided he wanted to direct Tom Morrissey’s script, then called simply, Colin Fitz. For two weeks, he and his small cast and crew, working mostly on deferred salaries and in the rain, completed production on this, Bella’s directorial debut. The universe lined up many times for this film, from being able to grab a treasure trove of stars on the rise such as John C. McGinley, William H. Macy, Mary McCormack, and Matt McGrath, to being accepted into Sundance in 1997 – a high honor, indeed. There was much praise being heaped upon its head, from Roger Ebert to Harry Knowles. Everything seemed to be going very well for this independent feature but when time came to bring out the wallets to buy it, no one did. For 13 years, it sat in Robert Bella’s closet and for 13 years he tried desperately to sell it, if for nothing else to pay back all the investors he owed over $150,000 to. It finally made it to the big screen, but was it worth the wait?

Facts of the Case
Two security guards, Paul (Matt McGrath) and Grady (Andy Fowle), are hired to watch the grave of Colin Fitz on the anniversary of his death. He was a rocker who changed the world but died just before his second album came out (he ate bad clams). They are hired by Colin’s wife (played to sexy perfection by Julianne Phillips) because something tragic occurred at his grave the previous year. Through the night they meet fans of Colin’s, (Martha Plimpton, Will McCormick), wax philosophical about the mysteries of the universe and rock ‘n’ roll (what would the rock world be like if Buddy Holly had tried LSD?) and, as per usual in films of this nature, come out of the other side as better and more fulfilled people.

The Evidence
If you’ve seen Clerks, you’ve seen another, some would say a better, version of this same story. The director, in interviews and Q and As, alludes to Clerks being a big influence on him throughout the making of this film and it is very apparent. Since Clerks had come out only 2 years before this was made and since it was the Sundance darling, it feels apropos that Bella would copy that template to follow in Kevin Smith’s footsteps. The main purpose to see this film, however, is not for the story. The main reason is because it’s a time capsule, it’s the lost film that no one thought they’d ever see. This is John C. McGinley pre-Scrubs. Heck, this is William H. Macy pre-Fargo. Seeing both of them on screen in the tiny, slightly-more-then-just-cameo parts, was odd. I was really surprised that they accepted those roles….then I remembered when this was actually shot. The real story, the more compelling story is what happened behind the scenes, what happened between when the cameras stopped rolling and a distributor decided to give this little film a chance.

Closing Statement
Since finishing Colin Fitz, Robert Bella has been working as a post production supervisor, most recently with Wes Craven. He’s also kept in the industry as an actor (Magnolia, Spartan) and a writer/director/producer (Revengers Inc., Road Kill). Still the mounting debt that he had taken in making Colin Fitz loomed over him with the debt collectors calling. Not only did he owe his financiers the $150,000 he borrowed to shoot the film, but to get a print of the film in order to be able to play in Sundance (what Robert had was a digital copy, but Sundance at that time didn’t have the ability to play a digital print) he maxed out twenty of his credit cards putting him down an additional $100,000. Honestly, making back $250,000 in the late 1990s, the hay day of Independent film, was not a huge stretch of the imagination. People were making tentative deals with him (“If William Macy wins the Oscar for Fargo, we’ll buy the film.”) but nothing ever panned out. After a while he decided to move on, perhaps pay off his debt with his next movie but then film idea after film idea would fall out or go into pre-production hell, or lose funding and years went by. One day Robert was having lunch when he ran into Arianna Bocco of IFC films. They had known each other and therefore she knew the struggles that Robert had been going through with Colin Fitz. She asked him whatever happened to it, and he informed her it was in his closet. Then on a whim, he asked if she’d like to buy it, and to his amazement, she said, “Sure!” After all that time, it was a simple, off the cuff question that sold his film.

The Verdict

5/10

Cyrus

OPENING: 06/18/2010 (limited)

STUDIO: Fox Searchlight Pictures

RUN TIME:91 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
John met the woman of his dreams. Then he met her son.

Opening Statement
The film sub-genre of mumblecore has been around since 2002. It is characterized by improvised scripts spoken by un-proven actors on shoestring budgets. The plots are simplistic, people talking about what people talk about as they would normally talk. Nothing particularly spectacular happens and it’s okay. Slowly, the directors of these films have been getting noticed and given acclaim. Last year, the film Humpday was a huge critical success for writer/director/producer Lynn Shelton. Now, mumblecore has come to a theater near you with actors you have probably heard of. The brothers Duplass, Mark and Jay, were given the go ahead to work the magic they brought to their previous works, The Puffy Chair and Baghead, into something with a bigger budget. What they have given us is Cyrus - a comedy that keeps its independent vibe and does not skimp on the quirk; yet by the end, if you stay with it, will surprise and charm you.

Facts of the Case
John’s (John C. Reilly) life is a wreck and has been for quite some time now. As his ex-wife, Jaime (Catherine Keener), is about to remarry, he has all but given up on love, but at her urging John grudgingly agrees to join her and her fiancé Tim (Matt Walsh) at a party. To his, and everyone else’s surprise, he actually manages to meet someone; the gorgeous Molly (Marisa Tormei). Their chemistry is immediate, if not somewhat shocking. The relationship takes off but Molly is strangley reluctant to take the relationship beyond John’s house. Confused, he follows her home and discovers the other man in Molly’s life; her son Cyrus (Jonah Hill). A 21-year-old new age musician, Cyrus is his mom’s best friend and shares an unconventional relationship with her. The quote from Ferris Bueller, “So that’s how it is in thier family.” comes to mind. Cyrus will go to any lengths to protect Molly and is definitely not ready to share her with anyone, especially John. Before long, the two are locked in a battle of wits for the woman they both love. It’s a new twist on the old love triangle plot.

The Evidence
This film was made in an unconventional way. Instead of blocking the scenes – preplanning where the actors would stand when they say their lines so that they can be lit properly – the Duplass brothers lit the entire set so that their actors could move about freely and spontaneously thus encouraging the natural feel of their mumblecore entrees. Unfortunately, what it also does is confuse the cameraman. Since they do not know where the actors are going to be at any particular time, the camera work becomes shoddy, zooming in and out wildly, going out of focus when the actors get too close or too far from the camera. It almost looks like they are shooting a documentary. It was this unrefined style that initially turned me off to the whole mumblecore genre. It just isn’t something I dig. To me it comes off as being sloppy and uncaring. I also can’t stand slice-of-life type of films. If I want to see natural (read: boring) people do regular (read: extremely boring) things, I could stay at home and save my $12 and my two hours. That said, I really wasn’t looking forward to this film. On top of that, the trailers didn’t really sell this film properly. It was pushing an all out comedy, but I knew enough to know not to expect it. So I came into this film with all that prejudice of mine, and yet the acting and how delicately the directors handled the situations quickly pulled me out of my funk. It became just a change in style, neither good nor bad, just different.

John C. Reilly is a master actor and a joy to watch in anything he does. His relationship with Catherine Keener is interesting to say the least. As exes, they act far more friendly and supportive then any separated couples I’ve ever met. John takes advantage of his ex’s friendship and, as Cyrus starts butting his way into Molly and John’s relationship, John starts becoming the Cyrus in Jaime and Tim’s relationship. Seeing him in this film as a lead actor was an inspired choice, however he was shown up in the improvising area by Marisa Tomei. His delivery is short and choppy, he stammers constantly. Her delivery is smooth and polished and feels far more professional then either of her male counterparts. She lifts the entire film into a higher caliber. Jonah Hill has, with the Apatow troupe, gotten a lot of improv training in comedy and most of the all out gut-busting moments belong to him.

Closing Statement
There are three moments in the film that really brought everything together for me, where the emotions completely congealed and I seriously fell in love with the characters and this movie. The scenes start ontwo people talking to each other, and as we continue to hear them talking, it cuts away to the same two people in other, disparate but related, scenarios and back again; all of this over a great piece of heartfelt music. It was in these times I could see glimpses of how the directors really had a grasp on manipulating the cinematic art to do their bidding. I hope to see them continue to grow.

The Verdict

8/10

“I’m Vin Diesel. Don’t fuck with me!”