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The Dude (The Disaster Artist review)

Posted on March 23, 2018 by Tim Kuefler

To quote from The Big Lebowski, one of my comedy dramas of all-time –

Sometimes there’s a man… I won’t say a hero, ’cause, what’s a hero? But sometimes, there’s a man. And I’m talkin’ about the Dude here. Sometimes, there’s a man, well, he’s the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that’s the Dude, in Los Angeles.

In 2003, Tommy Wiseau WAS the dude in Los Angeles. And that’s a true story.

The Disaster Artist (2017)

Cast: Dave Franco, James Franco, Seth Rogen, Ari Graynor, Alison Brie, Jacki Weaver, Zac Efron, Josh Hutcherson
Director: James Franco
released on blu-ray March 13, 2018
********* 9/10

IMDB: 7.6
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%, Audience Score 87%
The Guardian: ****/*****

James Franco is an American actor, filmmaker, and instructor. Comfortable behind the scenes as he is on camera, Franco has been involved in a lot of interesting projects in his career, most notably Milk, The Little Prince, This Is The End, the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy, and 127 Hours.

The Disaster Artist is the first critical and commercial success Franco has achieved in the role of director.

Special thanks to IMDB user Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com for the synopsis.

In the 1990s, Greg Sestero (Dave Franco) is an aspiring actor, who meets the strange Tommy Wiseau (James Franco) in an acting class. Together, Tommy inspires Greg to overcome his nervousness in acting so well that Greg agrees to come to Los Angeles with his odd new friend to pursue their dreams. However, their dreams seem to prove hopeless, especially for Tommy whose mysteriously strange accent and personality repels nearly all around him. Out of an inadvertent suggestion from Greg, Tommy is inspired to instead create his own movie, The Room (2003). What follows is a bizarre struggle to create that film, guided by Tommy, a man who has plenty of money, but not a trace of filmmaking education, experience, talent or even common sense. Along the way, Greg’s friendship with Tommy is put to the test as this project takes shape that would produce a film that ultimately becomes a bizarre accomplishment of a cult classic nature that no one, including Tommy, can see coming.

This is a movie about a movie that was made against all odds… Except for all of the mysterious money that Tommy Wiseau had on hand that allowed him the means to see his shitty movie to the finish line. And no, this movie never answers the questions of Wiseaus heritage, where he got his money from, or how come Greg Sestero was so drawn in by Wiseau and his aspirations.

At a high concept level, it’s pretty easy to see why James Franco aspired to make this film, he relates to the focus of his subject on a personal level, having lived on the edge of art and commercial success for so long. And little brother Dave dotes upon James to gain attention.

Pros: James Franco carries the films strength throughout; his portrayal of Wiseau spot-on. And to top it off, there is clearly a deep appreciation for the story of The Room at the centre of this film, which is emulated through the familial bond of the two Franco brothers.

Cons: While it is clear that there is love for The Room when watching the movie, what is not demonstrated, is true affection for Wiseau, the author that inspired all of this to happen. He is never truly elevated and the stakes are not presented in a way to produce real drama.

Runtime: 1 hour 44 minutes

Points of Interest: Greg Sistero noted in the book, upon which the film is based, that Wiseau would only allow James Franco or Johnny Depp to portray him. This is the first time that James and Dave Franco have appeared on screen together in a feature length film. There was talk of having Dave appear in This Is The End, but he would have died which was too sad, and James was considered for a part in 21 Jump Street, that never came to light.

As is the case in The Room, the comedy of The Disaster Artist comes out of the tragedies of something that is meant to be dramatic. The absurdity of making films, starring in films, and attempting to get a production under control. It’s obvious why so many stars feature in cameos on this film, they see it as an important piece of history and a strong demonstration of what NOT to do when making a film.

It reminds me of Ed Wood, another triumph of will from someone with no desire to earn their stripes.

theories Summarized

Franco was the perfect choice to play Tommy Wiseau, and I’m glad to see him finally share screen-time with his brother. And I also find it fascinating that Sestero and Wiseau do share a resemblance. But while this is an entertaining film, about a so-bad-it’s-good film. It reminds me of an even more important theory, life is too short to eat bad food / drink bad wine / insert appropriate example here.

But on the positive side. We have a video review of Whiplash to share, finally. It’ll make your neck crane, in a good way. Like The Disaster Artist, or like the The Room, I guess. If you liked La La Land, then this movie is for you. If you like drama, then this movie is for you. If you like J.K. Simmons, you know what I was going to type.

So please let me know what you thought of my review, like and share the video, and subscribe to the channel if you haven’t already. I anticipate that our content will continue to grow much like the Marvel cinematic universe. A well considered theory on my part.

Tim!

I See You Shiver With Antici… pation (The Rocky Horror Picture Show review)

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Tim Kuefler

An audience are a group of people who participate in a stage show, performance art, literary reading, musical act, speech or other art form and experience it. When that experience moves from the realm of silent engagement into active involvement, we call that audience participation, and it’s an amazing thing to behold.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Cast: Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Richard O’Brien, Patricia Quinn, Nell Campbelll
Director: Jim Sharman
rereleased on blu-ray October 19, 2010
******* 7/10

IMDB: 7.4
Rotten Tomatoes: 80%, Audience Score 85%
The Guardian: N/A

James David “Jim” Sharman is an Australian director and writer. He is renowned throughout Australia for his theatre work and is known internationally for bring the 1973 theatrical hit The Rocky Horror Show to film in the form of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Less so for the sequel Shock Treatment.

I’m gonna be completely honest with you dear readers. I had not seen this movie before last week. I decided to finally watch it as a way of celebrating the traditions of Halloween and the cultlike nature of the holiday. After all, The Rocky Horror Picture Show got it’s start as a midnight screening sensation, that eventually became synonymous with audience participation. And I would argue is second to none as a social phenom, other than maybe Tommy Wiseaus’s The Room.

If you’re like me and have never seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show, I recommend that you either read up on it’s history first or expect to be super confused as you watch the story unfold. And even then, I think you’ll do yourself a disservice if you don’t look into the scope of this film and it’s cultural effects.

People have been known to lineup hours in advance to watch the movie, many dressed in drag and others dressed up as characters from the story. Once the show starts, the entire audience recites the lines from memory, sing along to the songs, perform displays of affection through song and imitation, and even add dialogue to the story. The ritual of the film is palpable compared to what goes on screen.

I watched this with a group of friends, many had seen it, some had not. And of course, there were opinions about it. Ultimately I learned that it is a very strange story indeed, but completely believable in terms of what it sets out to accomplish, absurdity and acknowledgment of a sexual spectrum, in a time when that was less apparent.

Pros: It features musician Meat Loaf, the songs are fun to sing, and the exploitation element of the film is unique unto itself. When seen with a group it becomes something of an experience.

Cons: When you watch it by yourself, even for a few moments, it becomes rather silly and difficult to accept as a film in it’s own right. The plot is completely absurd.

Runtime: 1 hour 40 minutes

Points of Interest: This is Tim Curry’s feature film debut. There are literal easter eggs placed throughout the film. In lights, under chairs, in an elevator.

As we enter an age of people who love “Netflix and chillin”, productions like The Rocky Horror Picture Show will likely lose their lustre. I hope that local theatres find a way to continue this lineage, as audience participation is a rather emblematic way to fight against a solitary life. Incidentally, I believe that The Rocky Horror Picture Show serves as a time capsule for sexual liberation in the 1970s, after all, with the 1960s over, something had to maintain that march forward, and thankfully Sharman and friends were there to do it to it.

I have this theory that audience participation is necessary in order for art enthusiasts to truly engage with the art they celebrate, and by having rituals to consider, they not only contribute to the art, but they can share their personal identity with it simultaneously. This is a wonderful thing, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show demonstrates that quality rather candidly.

If you ever get an opportunity, go watch this show with a group of friends. I can almost guarantee you that you’ll leave with a smile on your face. For realz.

Tim!

Bad To The Bone (Cross Talk Ep. 7)

Posted on July 17, 2016 by Tim Kuefler

Bad content abounds. Man, does it ever.

The funny thing about bad content is that sometimes people enjoy it even more than good content. Actually, maybe amusement is a better way of looking at it. People are amused by some obviously horrible things.

Filmdom is riff with examples of this too though, it’s not just a thing in music.

Well, give us some examples timotheories!

The Room, Troll 2, Road House, Showgirls, Batman &Robin, Battlefield Earth, Anaconda, Splice, and Howard The Duck are all poorly conceived movies. And that’s just a small sample of the options available to us. If we really started to dig into genre specific examples I could easily come up with 100s of films that don’t cut the mustard.

Which is why we decided to focus mostly on action movies in this week’s Cross Talk episode. And we didn’t want to just go on a rant about action without making a big deal out of it, so for the first time EVER, we are pleased to introduce K. G. Singh! Singh is our resident action movie expert; he practices martial arts and is a screenwriter to boot, so you know he has the goods to back up his claim.

Now you’re probably wondering what the topic is for today, if we called in an action expert. Ever heard the expression “that movie is so bad it’s good” dear readers? Well, we recognize that there is a difference between a bad movie versus a movie that is so bad that it becomes amazing. And so, Episode 7 of Cross Talk arrives at your digital door.

The challenge comes down to recognizing the elements of quality, intent, emotions, authenticity, and motivation. Of course subjective experience factors in too, which is why this is an episode you won’t want to miss! And if you have an interest in movies like Sharknado, Mortal Kombat, and RoboCop but don’t know where to slot them on the spectrum, all the better.

I’ve included a direct link to the full video for you here, but as always (and conveniently apt for today), the real action is just below for your convenience. Otherwise, please sit back and enjoy Episode 7 of Cross Talk!

I’m out of theories for now, but please check back tomorrow for an album about avalanches and wildflowers. It should be a good one! Please comment, subscribe, and share this with friends. We want to hear your feedback!

Tim!