Posts by Dan Holland

“Los Angeles is a beautifully wrapped lie” 

Tangerine is a rather interesting comedy that is very reminiscent of Robert Altman’s ensemble comedies of the 1970’s. The film’s writing is especially intelligent given the contemporary issues it addresses, such as: transgendered women, prostitution, the entertainment industry and how it affects the lower class. Most of these issues are not directly addressed; they are represented in very minute but profound ways. While I really appreciated a lot of the concepts within the writing and a lot of the directorial choices, I did not enjoy this film as much as I had hoped to.

I am not going to lie: I am a complete sucker for the “life swap” genre of film. Whether it is Freaky Friday, The Parent Trap and their remakes, or the fantastic Face/Off. These films always are entertaining for me, as I take great joy watching actors and actresses overcome the challenge of acting out the minute characteristics of the other actor (not just the character). Christmas Trade is no different; the two actors do a good job of keeping their portrayals believable. However, it misses several opportunities to be my second-favorite “life swap” film to date (I don’t think anyone can top Cage and Travolta in Face/Off).

Robbie Taylor (Michael Campion) and his father, Mitch (William Baldwin), are each struggling with the loss of the mother figure. Mitch is doing his best to move away from the tragedy by becoming romantically involved with Chloe (Denise Richards) and keeping himself busy with work as a lawyer. As a result, Robbie is unable to interact with his ideal father figure on a regular basis, causing him to mildly act out at school. One day a mysterious package containing a stuffed animal arrives at their doorstep and magically switches their lives.

Tibet has been under Chinese oppression for more than fifty years. Recently, a wave of self-immolation has become a disturbing form of protest among Tibetan monks, with approximately 138 incidents since 2011. This alarming number of self-immolations is essentially the “straw that broke the camel’s back” for the filmmaker, as that is a theme that is brought up quite a few times in the peaceful protests depicted in this documentary. However, what earned this film a four-star rating is the nuances of a man’s journey to understand himself within the entirety of the Tibetan conflict.

Lotem Namling is an exiled Tibetan musician living in Switzerland. The increase in Tibetan monks’ self-immolation protests greatly disturbs him, so he begins a journey from Europe to India, dragging a large black coffin with the words “Free Tibet” painted onto its side. As Lotem’s journey progresses, the mentality behind his peaceful protesting seems to sink down into that of radical violence. Only through a meeting with the Dalai Lama does his anger and radicalism subside.

“Seriously, how cliché is this?”

Misunderstood loner: check. Bullies: check. Isolated “camp”: check. Vengeful spirit: check. Looks like we got ourselves a horror movie! Every fan of horror has seen at least some combination of those themes in a film at least once. Now here they are, wrapped up an impressively cohesive package.  Although this film thrived on its use of clichés, it made conscious efforts to incorporate a lot of original ideas. Between the clichés that I am tired of and the original ideas that just didn’t work very well (for me), the film finds a balance that makes it enjoyable.

The Horror Network Vol. 1 is an anthology of five short horror films, compiled by Douglas Conner and Brian Dorton. I absolutely love short films: I have created a few of my own, and I have been part of the selection committee for a short film festival. This anthology is fantastic in that it combines my love of short films and my love of the genre of horror. Although most films in this anthology could most certainly be cut for time (as is the case with most independent short films), they do a fantastic job capturing the elements of horror that make your hair stand on end.

The first installment of this anthology is a film called 3 a.m. Looking at the film as a whole, it is certainly a strong opening statement that will keep audiences engaged throughout the entire anthology. While some of the dialog spoken over phones is hard to hear, the rest of the film’s sound design is devoted to creating the horrific atmosphere. The film is essentially about a woman being stalked by an unknown entity. The horror in this film comes from the bloodcurdling howl that echoes across the countryside more than once, something that the main character hears and reacts to. While the source of this sound is never fully seen, the fear the sound evokes is memorable.

I was very excited to see The Target come through Upcomingdiscs headquarters. I am an avid consumer of New Korean Cinema, and The Target actually shares a producer with Oldboy (2003), my favorite film of all time. However, as soon as the credits roll, you learn that the film is inspired by Point Blank (Á bout portant), a French film made in 2010. So, I am immediately torn between my love of New Korean Cinema and my disdain for remakes. I must say, The Target was a rather pleasant surprise. Tae-joon is a young doctor who begins treating an accused murder suspect, Yeo-hoon, after he is chased from the crime scene by two thugs. An unknown assailant kidnaps Tae-joon’s pregnant wife and gives him the instruction to release Yeo-hoon before he falls into the custody of the police. Soon thereafter, Yeo-hoon escapes and Tae-joon realizes the police are not as helpful as they seem.

One thing that is important to note is that the film’s screenplay is penned by Cheol-Hong Jeon, whose oeuvre includes impressive titles such as Crying Fist and Kundo: Age of the Rampant. That being said, I am thrilled that Jeon did not copy Point Blank’s original screenplay. While I did enjoy the original French feature, I am very impressed with the complexity of Jeon’s adaptation. There are a few key similarities involving character occupations and general story arch, but ultimately, the story is a refreshing new thriller.

Yet another film from the Sundance Film Festival has been distributed to Upcomingdiscs headquarters. Noaz Deshe’s White Shadow was nominated for the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize in the “Dramatic” category, and while it didn’t win, it is very easy to see why this film is a strong contender. The film is beautifully shot and edited, paying a lot of attention to lighting and color. White Shadow tells the story of Alias, a young albino boy living in Tanzania, who must flee his home after the murder of his father. There is a danger to all albinos in the area as a local witch doctor harvests their organs for his various potions. His mother sends him to live with her brother in the city, but Alias soon learns trouble follows him everywhere he goes.

Noaz Deshe really created a name for himself as an auteur with this film. He is credited as director, writer, cinematographer, editor, and composer. While he did work with a team of people, the quality of the film produced by a man taking on that much responsibility is commendable. Deshe is truly a passionate artist when it comes to filmmaking. That being said, the story does drag a little bit, but overall the film is such a treat for the eyes that a slow story can be overlooked.

Pop Life is a documentary concerning the role that drugs play in the world of Electronic Dance Music (EDM). Clocking in at about 55 minutes, the documentary really doesn’t take up that much time, and it does have quite a bit of information it sifts through. The documentary is a great introduction to the idea that drugs are, and really always have been, something that closely intertwines with popular music culture (not just EDM).

The most intriguing thing about this documentary is the talking heads it uses. There are a lot of DJ’s, T-pain, concertgoers who use and don’t use, celebrity liaisons, as well as a string of doctors and a former DEA agent. This really brings out a lot of really great information from all sides of the drug use surrounding EDM, but as a result, it begins to lack direction. It is really hard to pin down exactly what the overarching message behind the documentary is, unless it is purely informational. If the only point of the documentary is to provide information about how closely drug and music culture can be intertwined, then it is really nothing new being said. However, the venue of EDM will aid in bringing the rather neutral awareness to a younger audience.