brainwave-2 Reviews

Bitter Melon (2018)

Funny and compelling

[10/10 · 21 July 2018]

HP Mendoza is an amazing filmmaker who never let's you off easy. This film is a great look at a dysfunctional Filipino family coming together to confront old demons. Mendoza never lets you relax by saying simply: this is the bad guy, this is the good guy. Writing and performances are great. Well worth looking for.

Strictly Background (2007)

Contributing the the whole

[10/10 · 7 October 2008]

This was one of my favorite films at the Santa Fe Film Festival. Director Connell presents us with a broad cast of dreamers and misfits. His sympathetic look at these ambitious and under-appreciated performers is moving and genuine.

As a person who has been knocking at Hollywood's doors for years I found myself a little frustrated by the film -- are my dreams folly? -- but ultimately the message of the film has nothing to do with the sometimes ridiculous ambitions of its struggling protagonists but more with the importance of pursuing a dream, come what may.

I was encouraged once to find out what I was crazy about and pursue it like a madman. Strictly Background shows us a group of die-hards who are doing just that - and their determination is inspiring.

The movie will also change the way you watch movies. After watching the film it takes a long time to watch a movie without noticing the background -- is that a good thing? Sure, there are no parts that do not contribute to the whole.

The U.S. vs. John Lennon (2006)

Bland, with about 20 minutes of new information

[4/10 · 13 September 2007]

For how revolutionary the subject matter is, there's little revolutionary about this bland doc (except maybe the cool graphics). Revelations about Nixon and Hoover's attempt to deport Lennon are very interesting and are heightened by his lawyer's appealing interviews, but that takes up only about a half hour of the film. The first 45 minutes is setting up ground work: who John was and what was going on at the time. While this would probably be appealing for a teenager, for those of us who lived through the era it's pretty simple stuff. Once everything is wrapped up pretty nicely the last 20 minutes are spent on his death, without fully describing the details of it. The teenagers who were educated by the first forty minutes are then left feeling that his death had some connection to the persecutions he received in his life – I assume this is done to intensify their argument. When in reality, the tragedy of his death was exactly that it was for no reason at all. Just like in the 60s and 70s, Lennon is still being used as a puppet.

My Bad Dad (2006)

infectious family fun

[8/10 · 21 August 2006]

Though a small film with an obvious small budget, MY BAD DAD, is thoroughly entertaining and great laughs for kids and adults. The whole Polhemus family throw their whole selves into delivering an unapologetic entertaining and charming film. The film feels like it was fun to make and we get caught up in the fun everyone seems to be having.

Mack Polhemus's directing is sure and his script is solid (schmaltzy at times? oh yes, but that's kind of the point). The performances range from top notch to forgivable, but the solid story, pacing, and great cameo characters, keep us engaged.

The three children are cute and fun to watch. Joe Polhemus's performance is solid and often very funny, the various smaller characters often steal the show -- special kudos should go to the Security Guard Boss (Josh Hitchinson), Nora the Nanny (Melanie Jane Sanchez), and the judge (Clive Miller).

Lots of fun. Find it if you can.

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Tucci should be Oscar nominated

[8/10 · 24 July 2006]

This very well done movie should receive more credit than it probably will. Many times I've seen movies that show the world of fashion publishing, and frequently there is a key supporting male character who is probably gay and serves various script functions. Most of these characters are so terribly superficial (Andy Serkis in "13 Going on 30" comes to mind). But Tucci never takes the easy route in the character of Nigel, instead every line he delivers is layered with depth and soul, and his performance is one of the highlights of the film.

Wish I could say the same for Adrian Grenier's performance, which is flat and monochromatic. Ultimately his performance is what does the most damage in the film because we're supposed to be cheering for Andy to return to this character, and her friends, who she has supposedly treated badly, but you see no reason why she should have any loyalty to them at all. Unfortunate. In Mr. Greiner's defense, his performance has less to do with it than the writing of the character.

Lonesome Jim (2005)

Mary Kay Place Oscar worthy

[9/10 · 10 April 2006]

This is a great film which superbly walks the balance between bleak and hopeful, without ever becoming annoyingly angst ridden or overtly perky. Mary Kay Place, who has been such a solid supporting performer throughout her career, is Oscar worthy as the ever optimistic mom who shows layers upon layers with the simplest gesture -- a wonderful, comic performance. It would be a true tragedy, however likely it is, if the distributors do not put some muscle into a campaign in her favor. Buscemi's direction and the tightrope walk of a script is captivating throughout. Shot on mini-dv and certainly there have been better shot dv features. Film tends to get real noisy in the darks, and the titles during opening credits break to pixels. Too bad too, because it is unlikely this film will be taken as seriously as it deserves to be because the filmmakers/producers failed to take time/cost to make it right.