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Summer 2011

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Wiseman Honored at SILVERDOCS

Fresh off his Sundance appearance, Davis Guggenheim (“Waiting for Superman”) took the AFI main theater to honor another nonfiction auteur and master of the form: Fred Wiseman.

Wiseman took center-stage as the 2010 Guggenheim honoree, while the emceeing Guggenheim lightly peppered the artist with questions in the key of James Lipton. 

A cursory but comprehensive glance into Wiseman’s portfolio reveals a simple yet very unique direct cinema approach to documentary; a method that unfolds a narrative in near real-time, while managing to capture the best of human conflict—a natural feat for a lawyer-come-filmmaker.

Wiseman has never employed the over-produced antics of the contemporary televised stories the culture has grown so frighteningly accustomed to, yet this is a far more engrossing way to conduct social experimentation.

He’s documented institutions, and the behavior they compel in the average Americans who frequent them. His titles read like encyclopedia entries: “Ballet”, “Welfare”, “Hospital”, “Basic Training”—all accurate, lightly edited reflections of ourselves at our best and worst, and every snatch of film shown at this year’s Silverdocs builds a solid case for the 2010 recipient.

See some of the best of Wiseman before the fest ends June 27^th.

▌REVIEW ▌KARATE KID (2010)

"Karate Kid" (aka: "Kung Fu Kid")

Opens: June 11, 2010

Rating: PG

Director: Harald Zwart

Screenplay: Christopher Murphey, Robert Mark Kamen

Running Time: 140 min.

No empty hands here.

This is kung fu.

But there’s nothing soft about how Jaden Smith and company update the 1984 classic.

I hate to jump right into how the 2010 spin holds up, but alas, that’s what happens when you make a remake! The good news for Harald Zwart, however, is this isn’t your typical uninspired disappointment. (A recurring conundrum for HWD these days…)

This is a genuinely good movie.

Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) makes the move from Detroit to China when his mom (Taraji P. Henson) accepts a new job in the country. (How about that for true to life foreshadowing…) Where Daniel LaRusso (the 1984 ‘Kid’) was headed for a new high school, Dre is 12-years-old, headed for a new middle school complex that will forgive his nil Chinese.

As in the original, Dre can’t get to the first day without an altercation from the classroom punk, Cheng. But this poor child isn’t fighting on a beach in the sand. Instead, the flick earns every bit of its PG rating from the punches and body slams he takes to the concrete.

And yes.

It’s all because of a girl.

Mei Ying (Wenwen Han) is the 2010 Alli with an ‘I.” This girl is performing the function of the stereotypic overachiever—not beach babe in blue—when she and Dre meet. Instead of a boombox, it’s her sheet music that Dre bravely sets out to protect, setting Cheng (Zhenwei Wang) and his playground flunkies off.  Dre is further deserted by his would-have-been friends (his free throws prove a disappointment: “Yeah…my shooting arm still has some jetlag.”), and the fish out of water trope stands intact.

That scene rolls out just fine for this reviewer.

The irritation is how Dre met Mei Ying.

Sure Dan LaRusso had the Joizy-Jersey accent to fawn over and mimic, but here are the first words out of Mei Ying’s mouth: “(Giggle…giggle) Can I touch  your hair?”

You didn’t see anybody trying to hijack Dan’s accent, but wait! Maybe that’s because there’s no equivalent for fondling an accent!

Dre meets his Mr. Miyagi—who is actually Mr. Han, played by Jackie Chan—over a maintenance issue as well. Except, this time around, the hot water is fixed with a nice suggestive jab about the U.S. and the Kyoto Protocol. Mr. Han tells Dre that the shower is fine, the Parkers simply need to flip the switch.

“No switch in America?” When Dre says no, Mr. Han returns: “Get switch. Save planet.”

Zing!

Expect similar plot devices to unfold from this point in the film forward, but don’t expect them to come verbatim, and don’t expect them to be too cheesy, either.

Dre ultimately comes to fight in a major kung fu tournament as a compromise for dousing water on Cheng and his homeboys—and subsequently getting their rear ends owned by Mr. Han.

Chan brings his own flair to the fight, artfully and in classic Chan fashion, using each young whippersnapper to fight the others. Sorry, Mr. Miyagi. Your moves were cool. But I think the kids will get their cheer’s worth with Mr. Han.

Jackie Chan makes the Mr. Miyagi figure a much more austere characte. Perhaps, thanks to the change of times, or thanks to the performance, Chan and Taraji P. Henson don’t allow the aloof adult motif into their “Karate Kid.”

Where Dan could swear freely in front of Mr. Miyagi, Mr. Han won’t have it from Dre. He swiftly changes a beat “ass” to simply “beat up” at Mr. Han’s no-nonsense command. Likewise, Henson isn’t about to let her son get involved day in and day out with a teacher she doesn’t know too well.

As mom, Henson makes more than one appearance to Mr. Han’s house to check in on Dre’s instruction and to get to know Han outside of the tournament preparations.

When Dre leaves his jacket on the ground in Mr. Han’s courtyard, Henson brings the I’m-only-going-to-tell-you-once tone, going sweet to psycho the way only a mama could: “Dre—PICK UP YOUR JACKET!”

On the journey to the ultimate deus ex machina, we’re allowed much more time than in the 1984 original to see Dre’s preparation.

Some call the glowing shots of China fetishistic, but let’s not forget, this is a movie about kung fu, and the training shots of the original were pretty peace-inducing, too. The DP (Roger Pratt) ought dust off his shoulder for the breathtaking beauty he brings to the film.

Dre (Smith) masters tai chi, and returns the blessing of that lesson to Mr. Han where we expect it in the film. The soundtrack orchestration and cinematography build the needed tension when Dre and Mr. Han connect over the death of his wife and son—an emotional feat that is effortlessly conquered in shadow, in rain, and in the cleanest of dollies.

Here, may be the first time, that we see the full range of Chan’s acting prowess in a Hollywood film. Henson, Smith, and Chan clench every emotional moment. They will certainly grip your heart strings at each opportunity they’re awarded.

Ultimately, Mei Ying and Dre do develop their romance, despite a scripted Chinese apology Dre feels he must make to Mei Ying’s well-to-do parents. (Yeah…where was the reverse apology when your daughter was feeling all over this kid’s hair?! Okay…I’m done with that…for now...)

Be sure to be, at least, an ounce amazed by the healing and very literal heat you remember Mr. Miyagi to bring.

Kids in my preview theater cheered Dre on for the duration of the final tournament—and you just may find a smile or two for the parodied elements of instant replay throughout the closing scenes.

But critic or not—the only audience that matters is the kids.

And as far as I can tell, Jaden Smith and “Karate Kid” 2010 wins.

▌SUPERFAB ▌The "Ambition Baby" Look #BriefHiatus #NewnessAlert

To borrow the words of the matchless B. Scott...

"Hey there, Love Muffinnnnnns!"

If you hadn't noticed, bytwenty8 posting has slowed a bit. 

There are AWESOME reasons for that, and in just a little while, newness will pop off all over this site. (I'm bubbling up a bit on the inside...)

That being the case, I'm giving you fair warning: posting will be sparse these next couple of weeks, but know it's all for good reason. Until the next time I hit this orange button glaring back at me from Blogger's interface--

a tout a l'heure!

Get at me via Poptimal.com and Examiner.com in the meantime. ;-)

▌FYI ▌ Meet the glossy for Christian Cinema

www.christianfilmworksmagazine.com

Stop pretending you knew it existed.

Meet Christian Filmworks Magazine, the domain of Christian Cinema. I don't think you should expect to see Tyler Perry's face show up in its pages, but the thought is a brilliant one.

Take a gander and let me know what you think. 

P.S.

Would love to see my own fam represented, too. We go pretty hard in this arena, but I don't know that we've consolidated our efforts where film for entertainment is concerned.

▌CASTING CALL ▌25th Anniversary MTV Real World

 

MTV is casting for Real World 25. 18 - to - 24-year-olds beware! (Hopefully you'll bring the vim and vigor back...no offense, MTV.)

▄▌SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT▐▄ Meet me at my Examiner ;-) #gig #giddy

I'm pretty excited about this one.

Yours truly is now Film Festival Examiner for the DC area. 

Follow the pretty green link to read my first (scrib'd) fest experience. Special thanks again to Samuel Douek and Hola Mexico for being my firsts. //Hola  Mexico Film Festival touches down in the District//

That being said, the more you read, the more I get to write! So please DO stop on through! You'll know every time I post something new. Love you much. A tout a l'heure!

▌CANNES ▌Late Like A Mug--So What! #Cannes #madREALmad #noladies

Congratulations to all the winners, and a special s/o to Mahamat-Saleh Haroun!

The Winners of the 63rd Cannes Film Festival

-Palme d'Or (Golden Palm): "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" by Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Thailand)

-Grand Prize: "Of Gods and Men" by Xavier Beauvois (France)

-Jury Prize: "A Screaming Man" by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (Chad)

-Best Director: Mathieu Amalric for "On Tour" (France)

-Best Actor: Javier Bardem, "Biutiful" (Mexico) and Elio Germano, "La Nostra Vita" (Italy)

-Best Actress: Juliette Binoche, "Certified Copy" (Iran)

-Best Screenplay: Lee Chang-Dong, "Poetry" (Korea)

-Camera d'Or (first-time director): "Ano Bisiesto" by Michael Rowe (Mexico)

-Best short film: "Chienne d'Histoire," by Serge Avedikian (France)

▌FESTIVAL ▌Hola, Mexico! And Why 'Naco' is ALWAYS Chido @ E St (thru 6/1)

Landmark 'E Street' Cinemas

555 11th Street, NW

Washington, DC 20001

202.452.7672

NOW through 6/1

You may have heard about 'Norteado'--which opened the festival, but the people's choice is worth your eyeballs and attention to staying 'woke', too. Yours truly viewed Sergio Arau's Naco es Chido ("Kitch Is Cool") Friday at Landmark, and may I say, it is indeed a timely faux tale.

For would-be revolutionaries who are losing their vigor since hope-dope became too much, I recommend you take a whiff of the beauty in Mexican cinema at Sam Douek's Hola Mexico Film Festival, running now through Tuesday, June 1st.

This year marks the 200th anniversary of Mexican independence from Spain and the 100th year since the Mexican Revolution. To celebrate in cinematic style, Hola Mexico Film Festival is here in the DMV for the first time since the international fest began.

Catch it before it's gone!

▌SAYWhaa? ▌Real Housewives of Accra

STOP. THE. PRESSES.

HOLD. THE. PHONE.

You KNOW I had to post something like this. 

There is very little word, but the word that exists goes something like this: 

MOVE OVER ALL YOU SO-CALLED HOUSE CHICKS.

Casting for the Real Housewives of Accra will go down from mid-July to August according to the 480+ Facebook fan page of the alleged soon-to-be show. No, Bravo did not fall and bump its head (yet). The show is to be a Ghanaian production with requests for advertisers, camera folks and the like being made now, and auditions to take place in Accra. 

One blog is deeming this but one foray into the land of Ghana's socialite scene, and while I'd like to believe I'm above socialite-ness and the manifestations of it in televisual form--I'm not. I'll probably watch an episode or several if this is for real and if given the chance...

I'm worried.

What are the implications of such a thing, Readership?!

What's the call to "stay woke" in all of this?!!

My...my...my...

▌CELEBRATION OF LIFE ▌ Dennis Hopper (May 17, 1936 - May 29, 2010)

Dennis Hopper, the star behind 'Easy Rider', and a reputed Hollywood hell-raiser, died Saturday, May 29th after a long battle with prostate cancer. Hopper was 74. Dennis Hopper dead at 74 - NYPOST.com

▌CELEBRATION OF LIFE ▌ Gary Coleman (February 8, 1968 - May 28, 2010)

 Daresay, one of the most bitten celebrities in parody and sketch comedy, Gary Coleman was a breakout child star and testimony to a life lived against the odds. Coleman's 4'8 stature was the result of a kidney condition that left him resembling his childhood characters well beyond their appearances on television. While he garnered much success around every "Whatchu taum'bout Willis?" utterance on Diff'rent Strokes, he also managed to appear at the center of tabloid press. Coleman suffered a brain hemorrhage following an accident at his Utah home last Wednesday. He was 42 years old.

▌POLITRIX ▌Regina King: "We recorded the [premiere] two years ago..."

Peep Regina King's interview with South Cack-a-lack-eee's Tessa and Baby J.

This is a piece of cable's circus. Cable isn't held to the same tight scheduling guidelines that broadcast is known for. Pilot-schmilot. Air it in fall... Air it in spring... Air it in summer... Relevance? What's the difference? Producers in cable are at liberty to air when they please. And if you were left feeling like I did when the Boondocks premiered, it's not because the show lost its sting.

It has everything to do with the politics of programming--and cable's own fear of the FCC. That realm isn't all the way live immune.

*Sighs... But make no mistake--I'm still in love! (Tonight was uncomfortable as hell, though, no? Hermanito had to go to sleep.)