Trailer Talk: Kumiko The Treasure Hunter

Soda Pictures are pleased to release the trailer for the forthcoming Kumiko The Treasure Hunter starring Academy Award nominee Rinko Kikuchi as the eponymous heroine of the film.

Kumiko is a disillusioned soul in a city of 35 million people.  She works in a dead end job that makes her unhappy and unappreciated, has a nagging mother and successful peers.

Yet while living alone she watches a copy of an American independent film.  Night after night she watches the film for clues as to where the stash of money in the film has been buried, with the belief that the film is a real document. So begins Kumiko's journey to America to find her treasure in this beguiling and equally bizarre tale.

Written and directed by the Zellner Brothers and produced by Alexander Payne (a director not adverse to films about journeys); the film looks like one of those rare breakout independent films due to the original content, eccentric lead performances and brilliant screenplay.

Kumiko the Treasure Hunter is released in UK cinemas on Friday 20th February from Soda Pictures

The Interrupters

From the acclaimed director Steve James of the seminal 1990s basketball documentary Hoop Dreams, comes another tale of small people with big ambitions as we follow them on their day to day life.

Steve James takes his obtrusive and investigative camera onto the streets of Chicago as we follow in the footsteps of three interrupters - from the Ceasefire organisation who work intimately in their local areas to avoid political incidents becoming violent episodes on the streets, over the summer of 2009 to the early spring of 2010.

Alex Kotlowitz, whose original article is the basis for the film, wrote the script as he knows these people and their whereabouts and how they do their work. Kotlowitz's article focused on the groups founder Gary Slutkin, who equates violence with an infectious disease, insisting that its spread can be combated the way one would contain an outbreak of cholera or TB: by going after, as Kotlowitz (who serves as producer and also collaborated on interviews and sound) explains in his article, the most infected areas and stopping the sickness at its source.

James has a keen eye as a filmmaker and is a strong non-fiction director giving a voice to those rarely if never heard on such a vast platform, he follows the three mainstays of the group - Amena Matthews, Cobe Williams and Eddie Bocanegra - all have criminal pasts, like most of the organization's outreach employees; their histories give them not just street cred but an understanding of how to defuse volatile disputes between family members, neighbors, and schools. CeaseFire, as The Interrupters points out more than once, isn't a substitute for the police, or even a partner; indeed, the group operates at times within a gray area. The focus, as one worker explains, "isn't trying to dismantle gangs but to save a life"—in other words, to stop a trigger from being pulled.

Following on from the seminal success of The Wire - this is equally gritty, full-on, graphic at times in its too close to the bone content but still this is a gripping, important and most significantly, hopeful document of good souls who do exist in this unique urban milieu such as Chicago suburbs depicted here.  Good sometimes will out.

The Interrupters is released from Dogwoof Pictures on DVD from Monday 5th December.

Sawako Decides (Ishii Yuya, Japan, 2010)

Directing his first 35mm cinematic release, Ishii Yuya has constructed an offbeat and satirical minefield of a film that cleverly contrasts big city urban life with small time village life, in a script he also wrote.

In the lead as Kimura Sawako, he has Mitsushima Hikari, playing with wide-eyed abandonment and herself as unusual as the people she encounters.  Having left her home town after seeing her father, Tadao (Shiga Kotaro) kissing another woman, when she was near the end of teenage years; she fled for Tokyo and took in a job at a toy company that remains unfulfilling after a number of years. 

Kimura is also in a relationship with a deluded simpleton, Arai Kenichi (Endo Masashi) who thinks of himself as an enviromentalist and free-thinker, but who easily gives into temptation when running off with the villlage bike Tomomi (Suzuki Natsumi).  In a clever elliptical plot strand, Arai has a daughter, who he would like to take Kimura as her 'new' mother; but because of Arai's wandering libido the daughter suffers much like Kimura did with her father when she was younger.

Upon her return to the village, Tadao is in bed facing death from cirrhosis; Kimura takes over the day-to-day running of the clam packing business and employs unusual business practices to gain the trust and enthuse the workforce.  Tadao's sudden rise from death's door to berate Kimura's life and choices leads her to believe that in spite of his weaknesses she will end up marrying Arai not in part due to his attractiveness, but due to the kinship between herself and the daughter, Kayoko.

Along with the mediocre romance there are other narrative plotpoints helped by uniquely rounded background characters.  Unlike other Japanese (and other Far Eastern films) that sentimentalise the working classes; here you have a film with a moral centre and a clear display of female empowerment.

The film is satirical in its depiction of the big business and small business; in big business the boss is as much a child as the children he deems suitable to play with his toys; yet he remains firmly on his own in a bubble.  Whilst the small rural community fare better together working in unison for a common goal. 

As for Kimura, there is never any doubt that she is making all the decisions on her own, in spite of parental advice, it is clear she is enamoured with Arai and in spite of his mediocrity he is the best chance she has at a happy marriage.  And her empowerment bolsters the workforce gaining results in the profit margin and net profits.  The film may be subversive in its delight of depicting such offbeat characters, but the bottom line remains the net reward for the charactes ambitions.

After a slow start to the film that only takes off after she leaves the populated Tokyo, the film does create a bold vision of urban life in spite of some less than perfect cinematography, however, seek it out for a unique slice of Japanese life in the sticks.

Cold Weather - DVD review

The detective genre is turned on its head in this hip, independent feature from mumblecore veteran Aaron Katz, in this his third feature.

Doug (Cris Lankenau) has returned to his hometown of Portland, Oregon after dropping out of his forensics degree in Chicago and moved back in with his sister Gail (Trieste Kelly Dunn), having split with his girlfriend Rachel (Robyn Rikoon).

After meandering around town and attempting to connect with his sister, Doug takes on a job in an ice factory - moving bags of ice from one side of the room to another seemingly. At work he befriends Carlos (Raul Castillo), a part-time DJ, and they share some good times together along with Gail. Then Rachel turns up unexpectedly with some business to attend to. Carlos and Rachel then go out together until one night they are meant to meet, and she does not turn up...

Like any American independent feature, there has to be a gimmick or a hook and for the first half of this film you do wonder in which direction this film is going. It follows four twenty-somethings going about their mundane lives, hanging out, sharing stories, liking or disliking Star Trek and then the possibility of a romantic arrangement (to the shagrin of the male lead) throws this narrative off course and offers something different.

Rachel's no show for a date with Carlos leads him to believe that she might have been kidnapped, and so it makes sense as to why Doug and Carlos have been spending a lot of time talking about Sherlock Holmes; the two amateur sleuths are living vicariously through the words and influence of Arthur Conan Doyle.
All of a sudden the missing girl is not the macguffin, but the suitcase that has inside of it some explicit photographs that the Cowboy (named because of his choice of hat attire) has to blackmail her. The two men are helped by Gail in their sleuthing. This leads to some funny scenes especially when they check into a hotel room, and then check out again, the audience know that the motel clerk (played by producer Ben Stambler) is thinking Doug and Carlos are gay, and Doug does not help when he says, 'I like Room 34, i had a good experience in it once'.

The laidback nature of Lankenau's performance may become frustrating and his reluctance to help Carlos in his detective work does make you wonder why does he want to be a detective if he does not want to do the legwork. But once they get a clue regarding baseball statistics, the ball is rolling and they are on the scent.
Whilst these detectives may be far removed from the kinetic madness of Benedict Cumberbatch's current Sherlock portrayal, the cleverness and delight of the film is that the detective plotline is itself nothing but a macguffin.
Katz depicts with the rebirth - not of a new career - but of a sibling relationship as Doug and Gail grow closer and stronger together working out the clues that lie within the mystery.
The title of Cold Weather can refer to the climate of Oregon itself and Doug's new job at the ice factory, but perhaps it refers to a climate of familial relationships and how given factors of distance and lack of time together siblings can lose contact and grow cold to one another.

The ending which finds brother and sister working in perfect harmony is very much intimate and exuding warmth - this is thanks to the direction of Katz who gives us glimpses of clues, mentions of a brighter youth in dialogue ('they are all mixtapes you made for me'), discreet body movements and glances all part of a bigger mystery, but with a naturalism indicative of the great ensemble.

Katz, who also wrote the screenplay and edited the film, has a bright future should this cult hit in America find the audience on this side of the pond. Here is hoping he can rise up to the next level in terms of budget and scale; it certainly seems like he has the integrity and ability to do so.
Cold Weather is released on 23rd May by Axiom Films is certified 15 and £15.99(RRP). The bonus features include an audio commentary by Aaron Katz along with producers Brendan McFadden and Stambler; an alternate ending (which was rightly culled) and a brilliant live performance of the end credits score by compose Keegan Dewitt, a life long friend of Katz - a score that is both eccentric, eclectic and thrilling.

Junebug - DVD review

I first saw Phil Morrison's debut feature at the Edinburgh Film Festival in 2005 and I am pleased to see it returning to our screens in a brand new DVD release. That year it was the standout feature I saw over those two weeks. 

The film is an insightful look at the culture clash that takes place when a young brother from the south brings his new fiancée (a Yankee) home for the first time to meet the family.   
 
It begins with men hollering, a former communication tool in North Carolina were the film is set and it focuses on the role communication – verbal and non-verbal – has on a family as the eldest son, George (Nivola), returns home for a few days with his new wife, Madeline (Davidtz), of six months.  At his family home we have Eugene and Peg, his parents whose conversations are led by Peg and leave Eugene restricted to monosyllabic answers.  Johnny (McKenzie), the youngest son, is a rebellious sort who hates being spoken to or down to and prefers actions (later he throws a wrench at George) and Ashley (Adams), Johnny’s wife, who it heavily pregnant, talkative and inquisitive. 
 
What follows is a view of what priorities you are meant to have; when Ashley does go into labour Madeline (an art gallery owner) decides to pursue a client while George thinks that family should come first, he tells her this and ultimately this puts a wedge in the relationship. 
 
George (Alessandro Nivola) and Madeline (Embeth Davidtz) head for home while she recruits a new artist for the New York gallery she works for.  While the couple are happy together, the household they start to frequent is one of quietness that this new life opens up new doors.  George's parents - Eugene and Peg - are simple folk; their conversations are led by Peg with Eugene's replies limited to monosyllabic answers.  Johnny (Ben McKenzie) is the rebel of the family who would like to be as smart as George but suffers from being the youngest of the family and living in George's perpetual shadow and has the added weight of living with his pregnant wife, Ashley (Amy Adams) who is immediately uplifted by Madeline's arrival as she offers her a view of the world up north, a world of glamour and culture.  Ashley is awestruck but in a big sister sort of way. 
 
It is important to note the role of communication in this film, the different sorts it employs and what sort of emotions it conveys.  This is set around two set pieces - the church social and the baby shower.  At the church social, the larger community get to see the returning George and have Madeline shown off.  It also provides Madeline the opportunity to see a different side of George she has not yet seen, when he sings a solo of a hymn.  The camera scans the room, the church taking in the solo humbly and then the camera holds on Madeline, who herself is now awestruck at this secret.  It is a softer side of George absent from the instant attractiveness we see at the film's beginning.  At the baby shower, the feelings of disdain Johnny has been building up surface which itself leads to Ashley's premature pregnancy. 
 
The film does not overreach for sentimentality and does not portray the South in stereotypical terms which is a credit to Morrison and this fine group of actors he has employed.  Nivola has never gone to these lengths before and it suits him, he broods at time and has a real presence.  Davidtz plays the cultural outsider very well and rather than making her the intellectual, at times her intelligence can be rude in comparison to the simpler south (which itself might sound racist). 
 
However, the film belongs to Amy Adams, who was rightly Oscar nominated for her role.  Her bright-eyed and talkative role in another film might have been annoying, but in fact is endearing as she plays Ashley as the heartbroken sole who is forced to be with her childhood sweetheart, but like all the other characters yearns to escape at times but is forced to stay.  In other years, Adams might have won the Oscar (like Marcia Gay Harden or Mercedes Rheul) but instead let us be grateful that such a performance was captured by such an unknown with a great future. 
 
At the end for the first time we are left with ambiguity which is odd for the films conclusion, but appropriately it leaves a couple in silence with one having asked a question still awaiting a response, as they 'escape' but do they really want to.  A well written screenplay that is a joy when you think of it in hindsight and is recommended to all.
 
Throughout the film we have all types of communication and the effect it has on relationships and community; communication through faith, prayer, food – especially food as it governs when family spend time together (‘What time is dinner?’). 
 
In terms of communication, Ashley is the most appealing character which is odd considering if she was in another film she would be laughed at and not with, but because she is the only character who speaks openly to all we find her endearing as well as innocence.  When she is in hospital after surgery, George comforts her and usually the person who has suffered would remain quiet while George would console her with positive thoughts.  But Ashley remains the constant talker while George listens and just being the receiver and someone to listen is what Ashley wants, unlike Johnny who married Ashley because she got pregnant (it appears, but then we are not told that).  Nivola in this scene is brilliant he just listens and broods on the screen, giving great strength to a scene that easily could have subsided into hysterics but it helps if only one person asks and answers.  Nivola hugs her, kisses her on the forehead and leaves Ashley happy.  As he returns home he confronts Johnny, again he does not speak and Johnny’s violent jealousy of George erupts in the wrench being thrown, it is the only violent act of the film but speaks loudest.
 
It uses a melodic soundtrack that does not have non-diegetic music to fill out scenes and this renders the film a sort of natural space unlike other American independent films, but then again most American films do not have the type of outstanding performance we receive from Amy Adams.

Junebug is out now on DVD and Blu-Ray (£13.27RRP) by Eureka! Films, the special features contain a full length audio commentary from the stars Amy Adams and Embeth Davidtz; Amy Adams interview and Q&A session in London from March 2006; ten deleted scenes; behind the scenes documentaries.

Stake Land - see it before anyone else!!

STAKE LAND is an energetic, brutal and thoughtful take on the vampire film set against the stark backdrop of a post-apocalyptic American countryside.

The film won the Midnight Madness Award at the Toronto International Film Festival after garnering rave reviews for its poetic take on a genre.

The film stars Nick Damici, Connor Paolo (Gossip Girl) and Kelly McGillis (Top Gun) and is directed by Jim Mickle (Mulberry Street) and is released in cinemas on June 17^th.

Metrodome Distribution and Prince Charles Cinema are teaming up to unleash STAKE LAND on the British public. Film fans have the chance to see the film for free at a special screening taking place on Sunday June 5^th at 10:45am.

Cinema-goers tough enough to arrive at the screening with proof of having donated blood in the last year will also be entered into a competition to win an exclusive STAKE LAND related prize…

To be in with a chance of grabbing a ticket, visit the STAKE LAND Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/StakeLandMovie or email stakelandpcc@metrodomegroup.com

Winner’s names will be picked at random one week before the screening and notified shortly after.

Ballast DVD review

The debut feature from Lance Hammer finally reaches the UK screens, and this is the DVD release of the film that graced selected scenes in April.  The film took 3 years to reach our shores after it won major prizes - Directing and Cinematography - in 2008, and also major critical reaction from cineastes in America, including Roger Ebert.

Ballast is a gritty evocation of life on the Mississippi Delta, as three people encounter tragedy and the weight of it that befalls them.

Three black people encounter each other. Lawrence (Michael J.Smith) is paralyzed with grief after the death of his twin brother.  Twelve year old James (JimMyron Ross), comes under the wings of terrible youths with unfortunate results, whilst his mother Marlee (Tarra Riggs) is unbeknowst of his behaviour.  When violence erupts in the life of the mother and son, they flee in the night and safe harbor is on Lawrence's door step.  This then rekindles a bitter longstanding conflict between Lawrence and Marlee, who was once married to Lawrence's twin; whilst James has robbed Lawrence to try and pay off the youths who have attacked him.

Director Lance Hammer, graduated as an architect and with the British cinematographer Lol Crawley (Four Lions), has created a film of real humanity where race does not enter the equation.  If this was a film depicting white people, there maybe a possibility of sentimentality or happy endings, but on this occasion, the non-professional actors provide the neorealism and independent feel of a film unlike anything seen before in American cinema.

Credit to the actors for taking us on this emotional rollercoaster, but the true credit belongs to the writer-director Hammer who shows a real command of proceedings which is genuine and surprising for a feature debut.

The DVD is released by Axiom Films, is certificate 15 and a running time of 93mins.  The DVD features a 'Ballast Scene Development', a featurette that runs 36mins, also an exclusive limited edition booklet, theatrical trailer and English HOH (Hard of Hearing) subtitles.

The DVD is out now and is £15.99RRP

Blue Valentine DVD review

Blue Valentine is released by Optimum Entertainment on Monday 9th May for £12.99RRP and is also available on Blu-Ray

Director, Derek Cianfrance, has taken a long while to get his screenplay to the screen - supposedly nine years from treatment to production; what has to be asked is why did theoretically a two-hander between the man, Dean (Ryan Gosling) and wife, Cindy (Michelle Williams) take so long to get to the screen. The dual narrative tells the story of a breakdown of a marriage, whilst also showing how they came together in the first place.

This narrative of a breakdown of a marriage due to an overblown ego of a male and a derailment of romance has been seen previously in American independence cinema and is a familiar trope to be executed, most notably by John Cassavettes' Faces and most recently in Francois Ozon's memorable 5x2, which showed the breakdown of a marriage in chronological order but in reverse - starting in the divorce lawyer's office and ending with the meet cute.

On this occasion we start with the couple with their child and then sending child to grandfather to indulge in a romantic getaway at a fleabag themed hotel, ironically they choose the 'Future Room' which is exactly what they do not have by journey's end. This narrative is interrupted by flashbacks to the time when they first encountered each other, the meet cute and personal dilemmas involved once Cindy becomes pregnant with someone else's baby.

After she refuses an abortion, Dean offers to be a father to a child that is not his and husband in a new family. The film shows them 6-8 years after this life-changing decison and the effect it has had on Dean is startling; a shadow of his younger, viral self with a receding hairline and alcohol addiction, which is alluded throughout the film and admonished by the film's chronological end.

This is a bold and brave piece of filmmaking, especially by the two leads who helped with the film's flow in terms of improvising dialogue but at times some scenes come across a little too self-indulgent, such as when Dean serenades Cindy with a solo ukelele performance with a high voice as she dances in a doorway; whilst this is romantic, could the flashback just be too indicative of how perfect it all was back then and perhaps too sentimental to punch the message home.

Cindy wants to be a doctor but ends up as a nurse who is hit upon by her new boss, another example of a man in this film who is a douchebag. Most of the men in this film are douchebags, especially Dean who at times is both irritating and selfish, as is Bobby (the man who impregnated Cindy), a boy all full of testosterone. And Dean could be a renaissance man, but puts his idea of virtue above providing financial stability for his family by becoming a house painter.

Interestingly, the scene where Cindy bumps into her child's father, Bobby (Mike Vogel) in a liquor store is a weird scene but played perfectly by Williams - her eyes lighting up at meeting an old flame with excitement burning in her heart for the first time in quite a while.

However, even good production values such as switching of camera style - from handheld video for the contemporary scenes giving it a harsher, grittier quality and then harking back to 16mm for the flashback scenes giving them a warmer, happier tone - cannot save the film from the requirement of a tighter script that on occasions in the modern day scenes pleads for the less is more approach, as Dean repeats another vital line to death. Sometimes the audience, especially the independent cinema one should be respected enough to get the message straight away.

Not to do a disservice to Williams and Gosling in their performances, whilst Gosling is all brooding and showy with his sunglasses hiding inner turmoil, Williams is brilliant as a young woman whose ambition and drive to be a better person and wife than her own browbeaten mother is shot to pieces by the sheer over-inflated ego of her husband. But it is these two performances from two esteemed actors of their generation that raises this film above from passable to watchable.

Released on May 9th by Optimum Entertainment on Blu-Ray and DVD

Winter's Bone

Critically acclaimed and Oscar nominated for acting, writing and music - the winner of the 2010 Grand Jury prize at Sundance, arrives on DVD from Artificial Eye. Starring Jennifer Lawrence in a breakout star making performance, the film is gritty and tense in the American tradition of Hollywood crime thrillers, but in the mould of independent cinema predecessors, the film shines a light on a part of America you have not seen before, and but for the commitment of the film-makers would remain out of the spotlight.

Ree Dolly (Lawrence), is 17 years old and lives at home with her ill mother and two younger siblings, after a visit from a local police officier she has to find her missing father, who has skipped bail and has put up their family home up as collateral; if he does not attend before his court hearing, the house will be repossessed.
Set in the Ozark woods of Missouri, Ree embarks upon an odyessey to find him and find answers amongst a close knit but tight lipped community, the code of silence is paramount when draped across the majestic landscapes that paint a picture of a weary world amongst all these questions and allegations.  Ignoring threats and advice from friends and family, Ree gradually pieces together the reason for her father's disappearance.

The film is directed by Debra Granik ('Down to the Bone'), who adapted Daniel Woodrell's novel with Anne Rosellini for the screen, they bring the thriller elements to the film and nature plays a part on film; at times you can feel the cold enveloping you as Ree plods on to her next port of call.

At times brutal in its starkness, and with flashes of genuine violence; the film does not foresake a sense of humour for its grittiness. At one time in the story, Ree along with a friend has to cut hands off of a dead character to help identify the body - Ree holds the arm out of the water whilst her accomplice chainsaws off the hand. Once done, Ree lets out a wail at the gruesomeness (the director, cleverly does not show bone or blood, only heightening the sound of the tool being used and facial expressions of Lawrence to convey the fear occuring), she drops the body into the water. Only for the accomplice to ask why did she let go, as they need both hands for proof.  A moment of Lynch-esque humour in a tale of bleak midwinter.

Orginal in its depiction of this wild frontier, and helped by the beautiful soundtrack of mountain music that indicates a place and a release for the community of robust individuals.  The film belongs to the 20 year old Lawrence, who acts beyond her and her character's years; being mother to her siblings whilst her mother is ill, strong and determined in her attempts to track down the truth and not backing down from anybody.  Deservedly, Lawrence has been nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars in a couple of weeks, as has the Adapted Screenplay, but she was joined on the nomination list by John Hawkes who plays her Uncle Teardrop, a mixture of menace and terror (somewhat akin to Robert Mitchum in 'Night of the Hunter'), who may provide the answers to his brothers whereabouts.  As is the music nominated, as original and as fresh as the film it helps score.

A film that hopefully will not fall off of the radar anytime soon, the DVD release comes a long time after its theatrical release in late September, a testament to the staying power of a film that from humble beginnings can proudly sit at the top table in Hollywood, as the film itself received one of the ten Best Picture nominations, affirming it as the independent film of 2010.

Released by Artificial Eye on 31 January, certified 15; the DVD is £15.99 RRP, Blu-Ray £19.99RRP
http://www.artificial-eye.com/home.php

EASIER WITH PRACTICE

Last Thursday (4/11/10) I was granted the privilege of watching a preview of a well reviewed film on the festival circuit. The film was EASIER WITH PRACTICE directed by feature length debutant Kyle Patrick Alvarez and is based upon the autobiographical essay by Davy Rothbart which was pulished in GQ.

A road movie (my first instinct was it reminded me of a younger version of 'Sideways') following Davy Mitchell (Brian Geraghty) as he treks across New Mexico reading at book clubs peddling his book of short stories entitled, 'Things People Do To Each Other'.  The book clubs smack of boredom, and with his brother Sean (Kel O'Neill) in tow the nights are long and full of bars with literature students adoring the young writer, whilst his engaged brother indulges in adultery.  From the outset, there is a difference and tension between the two brothers; one is intellectual, one is an easy going spirit. One is shy around women, the other has no sort of problems.  One night at another motel, Sean goes out to get some cigarettes and leaves Davy watching television and then the phone rings.  Davy answers it and a female voice is on the other end, she calls herself 'Nicole' and she is horny; Davy initially put off is intrigued and so starts entertaining her notions of masturbation.  And so we are met by one of the bravest scenes in recent American independent cinema; the camera is fixed on Davy, initially in long shot, it slowly zooms into have just his chest and head in the shot as he masturbates in unison with Nicole, culminating in a mutual climax. 

Often in independent cinema, there is a greater freedom and honesty with sexual activity (you need only see any mumblecore film for reference), but rarely do you see a male character(actor) do a scene that is so raw and real at the same time; a scene that could have been so easily played for laughs, tells us a lot more about Davy than any conversation with a periphery character.  Davy is lonely, but has love to give and finally feels like he has made a connection with someone, albeit with a voice somewhere.

Ultimately, the film leads to a climatic scene that is again a scene of such openness and social embarassment, the like of which is rarely seen in American film full stop.  The final reveal of Nicole is both powerful and startling, in that the twist is the last thing you saw coming. 

There is more drama than comedy, although the laughter is more witty than laugh out loud because of the urbane intellect of Davy's surroundings - if you were to pigeon hole the film it would be in the same vain as the work of James L. Brooks.

I would like to touch upon the character of Davy - whilst in theory and genre he is a million miles from the characters of the Apatow universe, he does provide a missing link in my theory of the 'Noughties Oh-No man', a character very prevelant in the first decade of this century's American cinema. He is an intellectual based on genuine talent, but nevertheless a talent that remains undiscovered, however, he is a man easily made a fool of by his peers and family (much like Andy in 'The 40 Year old Virgin'), and is but in context of his situation by contrasting him with an alpha male to his beta (in this film Sean is alpha to Davy).  Unfortunately, these highlighted flaws in his beings lead to him being unsuccessful in his career and love; such as when he attempts to reignite an old flame Samantha in the film.

Brian Geraghty, whom I first recognised getting high with Shia Labeouf in 'Bobby' and matured to appear in 'The Hurt Locker' gives an extrarordinary performance from an actor under the age of 30, he is still young in face but his manner shows a built in world-weariness that the character requires, but the requirement of him to be in every frame/scene of the film could have been a tough ask for a less accomplished actor. 

Alvarez who shows some assured footing in this his debut feature is lucky to have such a performance, but his sureness of touch and feel is good to see in a film that is both sincere and human.  Some of the scenes/montages which show Davy and Sean cruising around motorways and motels are expertly shot and remind me of music videos in there framing and composition, coupled with a hip indie soundtrack that full of male voices externalise most of Davy's feelings.

There are some moments that will leave you scratching or shaking your head in disbelief, but believe it not because you have to but because the conviction and honesty of both direction and performance commands it.  Recommended and try and hold out for the ending, unlike the two or so people who walked out shaking their head.

EASIER WITH PRACTICE is due for release on 3rd December 2010, a Forty Second Production it is distributed by Axiom Films, whom I thank for the preview seat.