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Reviews: April 2007 Archives
"Waitress," "Paris, Je T'aime"
By Matt Singer on 04/30/2007
By Matt Singer IFC News [Photo: "Waitress," Fox Searchlight, 2007, left; Elijah Wood in "Paris, Je T'aime," First Look International, 2007, below] Waitress The people in Adrienne Shelly's "Waitress" begin as caricatures and ends as characters. They introduce themselves on phony looking sets with Southern slang that's all "What can I get ya, hun?"s and "Have a good time, y'hear!"s. But their obviously constructed surroundings contain — and in some ways mask — the characters' humanity, humor and decency, at least until Shelly's screenplay slow-draws it out with wit and charm and a kind of patience that feels as old-fashioned... MORE »
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"Waitress," "Paris, Je T'aime"
By Matt Singer on 04/30/2007
Filed under: Reviews, ReviewsBy Matt Singer IFC News [Photo: "Waitress," Fox Searchlight, 2007, left; Elijah Wood in "Paris, Je T'aime," First Look International, 2007, below] Waitress The people in Adrienne Shelly's "Waitress" begin as caricatures and ends as characters. They introduce themselves on phony looking sets with Southern slang that's all "What can I get ya, hun?"s and "Have a good time, y'hear!"s. But their obviously constructed surroundings contain — and in some ways mask — the characters' humanity, humor and decency, at least until Shelly's screenplay slow-draws it out with wit and charm and a kind of patience that feels as old-fashioned... MORE »
"Diggers," "Zoo"
By Matt Singer on 04/23/2007
Filed under: Reviews, ReviewsBy Matt Singer IFC News [Photo: "Diggers," Magnolia Pictures, 2007] "Diggers" Given how silly his other project at this year's South by Southwest Film Festival was, it's a bit of a surprise to see how mature and downright serious Ken Marino's "Diggers" can be. Marino's "The Ten," in which he served as a co-star/producer/writer, is a collection of absurdist vignettes inspired by The Ten Commandments, and, tonally speaking, it's not all that far removed from the sketch comedy show that Marino and his collaborators (including director David Wain) cut their teeth on. "Diggers," in contrast, is a melancholy piece of... MORE »
"Diggers," "Zoo"
By Matt Singer on 04/23/2007
Filed under: Reviews, ReviewsBy Matt Singer IFC News [Photo: "Diggers," Magnolia Pictures, 2007] "Diggers" Given how silly his other project at this year's South by Southwest Film Festival was, it's a bit of a surprise to see how mature and downright serious Ken Marino's "Diggers" can be. Marino's "The Ten," in which he served as a co-star/producer/writer, is a collection of absurdist vignettes inspired by The Ten Commandments, and, tonally speaking, it's not all that far removed from the sketch comedy show that Marino and his collaborators (including director David Wain) cut their teeth on. "Diggers," in contrast, is a melancholy piece of... MORE »
"Stephanie Daley," "Everything's Gone Green"
By Matt Singer on 04/16/2007
Filed under: Reviews, ReviewsBy Matt Singer IFC News [Photo: Amber Tamblyn in "Stephanie Daley" Regent Releasing, 2007] "Stephanie Daley" As I watched "Stephanie Daley," I was overwhelmed with the notion that I was watching a "Sundance movie." I'm not sure if such a concept has been fully delineated yet within the critical community; if not, it may be time. The closing credits indicate that writer/director Hilary Brougher workshopped her film at the Sundance Institute, and the finished product won a screenwriting award at the 2006 festival, which sort of feels like someone giving themselves a pat on the back, but never mind. From... MORE »
"Stephanie Daley," "Everything's Gone Green"
By Matt Singer on 04/16/2007
Filed under: Reviews, ReviewsBy Matt Singer IFC News [Photo: Amber Tamblyn in "Stephanie Daley" Regent Releasing, 2007] "Stephanie Daley" As I watched "Stephanie Daley," I was overwhelmed with the notion that I was watching a "Sundance movie." I'm not sure if such a concept has been fully delineated yet within the critical community; if not, it may be time. The closing credits indicate that writer/director Hilary Brougher workshopped her film at the Sundance Institute, and the finished product won a screenwriting award at the 2006 festival, which sort of feels like someone giving themselves a pat on the back, but never mind. From... MORE »
"Year of the Dog," "Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis"
By Matt Singer on 04/09/2007
Filed under: Reviews, ReviewsBy Matt Singer IFC News [Photo: Molly Shannon in "Year of the Dog," Paramount Vantage, 2007] Year of the Dog Mike White's characters are all cut from the same swatch of alienated cloth: prone to obsession and often a little touched in the head, they struggle to live within the norms of adult society. Even the most innocuous of White's characters — like a Nacho Libre, or Dewey Finn from "School of Rock" — are, at best, lovable eccentrics. Not for nothing was White a writer and supervising producer on the beloved television show "Freaks and Geeks." He's practically American... MORE »
"Year of the Dog," "Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis"
By Matt Singer on 04/09/2007
Filed under: Reviews, ReviewsBy Matt Singer IFC News [Photo: Molly Shannon in "Year of the Dog," Paramount Vantage, 2007] Year of the Dog Mike White's characters are all cut from the same swatch of alienated cloth: prone to obsession and often a little touched in the head, they struggle to live within the norms of adult society. Even the most innocuous of White's characters — like a Nacho Libre, or Dewey Finn from "School of Rock" — are, at best, lovable eccentrics. Not for nothing was White a writer and supervising producer on the beloved television show "Freaks and Geeks." He's practically American... MORE »
"Black Book" and "The TV Set"
By Matt Singer on 04/02/2007
Filed under: Reviews, ReviewsBy Matt Singer IFC News [Photo: "The TV Set," THINKFilm, 2007] "Black Book" After seven very quiet years, Paul Verhoeven returns from moviemaking exile with "Black Book," his first feature since disappointing invisible rapist movie "Hollow Man." Or, perhaps, Verhoeven's exile continues: "Black Book" is also the first feature the talented and controversial Dutch filmmaker has made in his native Europe in over twenty years. Whether Verhoeven's return home was offered or imposed upon him, there's no denying he revels in the accompanying creative freedom. "One day you're singing, the next you're silenced," someone says in "Black Book," and no... MORE »
"Black Book" and "The TV Set"
By Matt Singer on 04/02/2007
Filed under: Reviews, ReviewsBy Matt Singer IFC News [Photo: "The TV Set," THINKFilm, 2007] "Black Book" After seven very quiet years, Paul Verhoeven returns from moviemaking exile with "Black Book," his first feature since disappointing invisible rapist movie "Hollow Man." Or, perhaps, Verhoeven's exile continues: "Black Book" is also the first feature the talented and controversial Dutch filmmaker has made in his native Europe in over twenty years. Whether Verhoeven's return home was offered or imposed upon him, there's no denying he revels in the accompanying creative freedom. "One day you're singing, the next you're silenced," someone says in "Black Book," and no... MORE »
