By David Massey
We started the fest with a rainy 40 degrees and, with the
Music crowd gathering, we've heated the city to a steamy 80 - welcome to Texas
in March! Today was another big day with the culture-clash of the Zellner
Brother's 'Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter', a surprisingly uplifting documentary
('Evolution of a Criminal'), the latest antics from Jemaine Clement ('What We
Do in the Shadows'), and another genre-bending thriller from the makers of
'You're Next' ('The Guest').
'Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter' (directed by David Zellner)
At age 29, Kumiko is an isolated depressive working in an
office position that’s usually reserved for younger Japanese girls that are
filling their time before finding a husband and moving on. With no ambitions to
follow suit, after finding a water-damaged VHS copy of the Cohen Brother's 1996
film, 'Fargo', she becomes obsessed with finding the money-filled suitcase
buried by Steve Buscemi’s character and stitches together her own treasure map
of the North Dakota tundra. Likening herself to a conquistador, she sets off on
a journey to the 'New World' on a hunt for buried treasure via less-than legal
means. The film is slowly paced but the humor never misses the mark and its
unique tone and style is absolutely beautiful. The story hinges on Rinko
Kikuchi’s (‘Pacific Rim’ / ‘The Brothers Bloom’) performance which keeps even
the lulls in the narrative interesting.
'Evolution of a Criminal' (directed by Darius Clark
Monroe)
This documentary retraces the events of a 1998 bank
robbery by a 16-year-old boy who went on to be convicted as an adult and spent
5 years in a Texas penitentiary. Unlike the slew of base, exploitative
‘infotainment’ shows in which this subject often resides, this is an
exceptionally emotional journey exploring the childhood and
near-Robin-Hood-like intentions that initiated the theft. What really sets this
film apart is that it was directed by the subject himself, now graduate of NYC
film school, Darius Clark Monroe. The film is not a process toward presenting
an excuse for his actions but a personal atonement with the last quarter so
effective in its build that much of the audience was in tears and I was on the
edge of my seat.
'What We Do in the Shadows' (directed by Taika Waititi
& Jemaine Clement)
Jemaine Clement ('Flight of the Concords' / 'Men in Black
3') and Taika Waititi (director of 'Eagle Vs. Shark' & New Zealand's blockbuster
'Boy') have taken a fairly common format (mockumentary / faux reality show) and
applied it to a group of vampire flat mates living in modern-day Wellington.
When the oldest of them, 8,000-year-old Petyr (who dons the classic Nosferatu
look) turns a 20-something hipster into a vampire, the group is introduced to
new technologies and has to learn to further cope with modern society. The
youngest of them, 183-year-old Deacon (played by Jonathan Brugh) becomes
jealous of the young usurper and the conflict that ensues is played 100% for
laughs. The gags are hilarious with Clement's Vladislav (a Coppola-style
vampire) and Taika Waititi’s Viago (leaning more towards Anne Rice's
dandy-vampire) giving lines and physical performances that had the audience in
stitches. The filmmakers aren’t breaking any new ground here and the shtick
drags a bit as a full-length feature but there's just enough of a plot to keep
this interesting beyond the giggles.
‘The Guest’ (directed by Adam Wingard)
‘You’re Next’ had a lot of critics in certain circles and
I can fully see that it’s essentially ‘Home Alone’ crossed with ‘The Strangers’
but… I’m kind of okay with that; the music was great, the bad-ass vixen was
cool and it just perfectly turned the slasher genre on its head without
out-and-out making a parody. ‘The Guest’ is the new thriller from writer Simon
Barrett and director Adam Wingard and there is a common thread in the retro
style and ethic as with their prior film but ‘The Guest’ sits in a genre unto
its own. David (played by Dan Stevens of ‘Downton Abbey’) is a mysterious
ex-military traveler who knocks on the door of a family home claiming to be the
friend of their son who fell in combat. We immediately see that there is
something not quite right about this character but the family is largely
oblivious. Slowly, David finds the key to each family member’s trust before he
unveils his true intentions. Here’s the thing; I don’t know if I spaced for a
moment or if there was some subtle clue that I missed but, next thing you know,
David has moved into the family home and then there are a series of absolutely
over-the-top gun fights with a military police group. The aspects of this film
that are similar to ‘You’re Next’ really work (costume design, score, music,
characters) and it’s a great little ride but, call me old fashioned, I need a
motive and I’m not sure one was ever revealed.
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