Black & White Is the New CGI*
Black and white modern pictures seem to be
trending these days. After discovering Frances Ha earlier this year and re-watching Manhattan, I'm reviewing this piece of comedy directed and
produced by Matt Farley. Local
Legends is an
autobiographical comedy with Farley as the main character. The movie follows the
unusual life of Matt, a New England entertainer who works at a nursing home by
night and writes novelty songs by day. That is, when he doesn't walk through
Manchester, NH listening to Red Sox games or perform live from someone's
basement. Being from New England myself, I feel very attached to the universe
of Farley and his portrayal of the entertainment industry from a little-towner
perspective. Farley is a Woody Allen aficionado and you can sense this from his
shots to the numerous Annie
Hall
references or the voiceover he uses. But the New England
director doesn't copy the New York master of intellectual comedies. Farley
keeps his style and authenticity and his dry humor is definitely to be taken
with a pinch of salt. Farley is an enthusiastic supporter of self-mockery and a
shameless protagonist who opens his feature film with a song about how Scarlett
Johansson farts like everyone else. Farley's honest narration is not just about
poop and puke - even though these cover a lot of his world - it's also about
the weirdest human interactions, the hard work of local entertainers who thrive
in their art but never seem to reach the slightest recognition, and uncommon
marketing techniques. Local
Legends is a whole concept of
its own which helps define indie, low-budget feature film, amateur acting and
fun. I am pretty amazed by its extraordinary screenplay structure. You will
certainly burst into laughter as you encounter Matt's entourage and get aboard
his routine and adventures.
references or the voiceover he uses. But the New England
director doesn't copy the New York master of intellectual comedies. Farley
keeps his style and authenticity and his dry humor is definitely to be taken
with a pinch of salt. Farley is an enthusiastic supporter of self-mockery and a
shameless protagonist who opens his feature film with a song about how Scarlett
Johansson farts like everyone else. Farley's honest narration is not just about
poop and puke - even though these cover a lot of his world - it's also about
the weirdest human interactions, the hard work of local entertainers who thrive
in their art but never seem to reach the slightest recognition, and uncommon
marketing techniques. Local
Legends is a whole concept of
its own which helps define indie, low-budget feature film, amateur acting and
fun. I am pretty amazed by its extraordinary screenplay structure. You will
certainly burst into laughter as you encounter Matt's entourage and get aboard
his routine and adventures.1 reason to watch: it is definitely something else. And Matt would be happy to write a song about you.
Watch the full movie here!
*Computer-generated imagery
seems to be the ultimate example. This movie uses a single closed set (with the exception of a short scene in a coffee shop) and only 2 main characters who support the entire plot on their shoulders. This piece is a modern version of the Little Red Riding Hood fable. 14-year-old Hayley meets 32-year-old Jeff in a coffee shop after spending 3 weeks chatting on the web. As it turns out, Hayley staged the whole thing to hunt who she suspects to be a sex offender. The prey soon becomes the predator. When you choose to make a movie that rests upon the emotional presence of a duo and the credibility of a dialogue, you'd better not fail the casting process. Patrick Wilson, who I've always thought was an underrated actor, excels in the very demanding role of Jeff Kohlver, the presumed pedophile. His counterpart is a Converse-wearing teenager who turns out to be his worst nightmare. Ellen Page perfectly masters this clever and sarcastic part. Nearing the end, you can enjoy the short appearance of Sandra Oh. This is always 'mucho' appreciated. This story is imagination-driven and based on make-believes. It psychologically tortures you as you try to find out who's the wolf. The way the movie was directed gives you room for interpretation. As a matter of fact, you have to imagine a lot of things as you don't ever see actual details of key facts. Everything you feel while watching the movie is due to the intensity of the actors' performance. The silences, the dialogues, the look in their eyes... Nothing is left to chance. The visual style of director David Slade is absorbing: the flickering camera, the intense close-ups, the use of colors. His film is a very artistic marvel. The omnipresence of this color red reflects Hayley's intentions. The colors turn from pastel to bright or dark following the anguish of Jeff, the anger of Hayley, or the plot's tempo. Color is the thrid party of the storyline. The writing is witty and full of delightful references for nerds. 
) by Almod
by Polanski, and 
by Haneke. The result is something totally different from those films, but Confine has a certain flair that reminded me of a sort of combination of the three. Take Almod
. Be prepared for serious eye-candy, humor worthy of Daria, and audio orgasms. Smith (Thomas Dekker) and his cynical sidekick Stella (Haley Bennett) are college freshmen ready to take over their sexual fantasies. The whole cast is gorgeous and the lines are as sarcastic as can be. The indie soundtrack adds a dash of eccentricity to the already-twisted plot. From 
back when no 
or 
were released. I was going on a Lawrence marathon (yeah, that's a thing. A biathlon to be exact. It consists of eating bacon and watching Jennifer Lawrence act for 26 hours). When I saw the genius adaptation of 
, my jaw dropped. It dropped because of Debra Granik's direction and vision in portraying rural America. And because of John Hawkes in a tough supporting role. It dropped because of Lawrence's talent as a young untrained actor. Winter's Bone is the story of 17-year-old Ree Dolly who raises her 2 younger siblings and supports her mentally-ill mother in the middle of the Ozarks. The father is a well-known local meth cooker that no one has seen recently. So basically, she has a crappy life but wait! It gets worse. The sheriff shows up and tells her that her dad put up their house as part of his bond. They'll lose it if he doesn't show up for court. She has a week to find her missing dad. I find Winter's Bone mesmerizing with truth. Maybe it's because the set of this independent movie is made of what the crew found there. The houses, the wild, none of this was created by a Hollywood studio. Maybe the locals acting in the movie made it authentic. Maybe the lower-class misery to a background of drug addiction and the family relationships going to hell speaks to me. Yes, you can find it slow sometimes. But guess what! This is real life. I personally enjoy a director who gives time to... Well, time. Time for the plot to flow and make sense. Granik succeeds here in taking time for the story to happen without ever being boring. Lawrence's performance blows my mind. What I see on screen is a person with hardness anchored to her guts. Imagine being Academy-Award nominated for Best Actress before your twenties hand in hand with Natalie Portman or Annette Bening? The local music sets up the atmosphere for you. It could have been too much to have a 
on a movie taking place in the Ozarks but it really is just what it needed. You can even see the 
is one of these movies that makes you feel. Just feel. With
each pore of your skin. And makes you reflect on your life fundamentals.
All my senses and emotions are surfacing at the sound of live music of the
incredible indie band that is 
is a movie worth going through especially if you are tired of seeing Mr. Handsome dating Mrs. Successful. It is a short relaxing unpretentious movie that will make you smile and then move on.