Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire was heavily hyped at AFF 2009.Part One: October 22-24
By Don Simpson
Running October 22-29, the 2009 Austin Film Festival has been one of the strongest years in the festival’s 16-year lifespan. Film attendance, especially of badge-holders, appears to be up significantly with sold-out screenings across the city. There has been great competition in the narrative and documentary categories, as well as several high profile “marquee” premieres (An Education, Youth in Revolt, The Road, Precious and Up in the Air just to name a few). Following is the first in a series of posts on films I’ve seen at the festival.
Serious Moonlight – The festival opened with a true screenwriting gem, Serious Moonlight. The film begins with Ian (Timothy Hutton) as he travels to a quaint vacation home in the country. Ian had planned on arriving a day earlier than his wife, Louise (Meg Ryan), in order to rendezvous with his mistress (Kristen Bell) for a trip to Paris; he planned on leaving a note behind for Louise to break off their marriage. Unfortunately for Ian, his charade is thwarted by Louise who also arrives early. When Louise discovers Ian’s scheme to leave her, she restrains Ian with duct tape in a last ditch attempt to convince him not to leave her. Throughout the film the audience is left uncertain of whom to be sympathetic of: the insane wife or cheating husband? Penned by the late Adrienne Shelley, the script is chock-full of clever Hitchcockian twists along with a strong (and mysterious) conclusion. Very conservatively directed by first-timer Cheryl Hines, I would have loved to see how Shelley would have casted and directed this film.
Calvin Marshall – Calvin Marshall (Alex Frost) has always dreamed of playing major league baseball, but he first needs to make the local junior college team – the Bayford Bisons. Calvin loves baseball probably more than most major league players, and definitely more than the rest of the Bayford Bisons. Coach Little (Steve Zahn) appreciates Calvin’s love for the game and his tenacity, but Calvin’s biggest hurdle in succeeding at baseball is that he is not a good player. Enter Tori Jensen (Michelle Lombardo), the gorgeous new student who also happens to be the star volleyball player. Jenson is a major league player who is slumming it in junior college in order to be close with her ailing mother. Calvin, being the sensitive and caring (and horny) young man that he is, befriends Tori. There is just one snag, Calvin tells Tori that he’s the star shortstop for the baseball team when in fact he was cut from the team for the third straight year. Feelings are hurt, hearts are broken, etc. Written and directed by Gary Lundgren, Calvin Marshall is essentially about being happy with the cards you are dealt; you just need to discover what you are good at and take it from there.
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire – Still buzzing from scoring the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize for best drama at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and the People's Choice award at Toronto International Film Festival, Precious was hands-down the most hyped film at the Austin Film Festival. The question is: should we believe the hype? The story of an obese, illiterate, abused and molested teenager named Clareece "Precious" Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) is an emotional roller coaster and true Hollywood fodder. The performances by Sidibe and Mo'Nique (who plays Precious’ mother) are phenomenal – many critics are already predicting that both women will be strong contenders during the awards season.
Love and Tambourines – A self-proclaimed postmodern essay on the topics of love and tambourines, Love and Tambourines alternates between “man on the street” interviews and the story of two close friends – Stephanie (Stephanie Hunt) and Troy (Troy Gonzales) – celebrating Valentine’s Day together. It is a highly simplistic concept told in a thoughtful, yet teetering between absurd and surreal, manner. Alternating between real and fiction while reminiscing about the meaning of love is nothing new to 2009 – the tactic was also used in Paper Heart. It would be difficult not to consider Love and Tambourines the low-budget and home-grown (Love and Tambourines was shot in Austin, Texas) version of Paper Heart; but Love and Tambourines is a much different film. It is quirkier (we’ll chalk that up to the “tambourine effect”) and refuses to abide by Hollywood conventions (such as the “rom-com” element in Paper Heart). Co-produced, directed, shot, edited and co-written by Jeremy Cohen (Stephanie Hunt was the co-producer and co-writer), Love and Tambourines is unbelievably cute, irresistibly silly and irreverently nonsensical.
The Vicious Kind – Caleb (Adam Scott) is a high-volatile personality who hates and distrusts women (having just been dumped by his girlfriend). Peter (Alex Frost), Caleb’s younger brother, is the complete opposite – meek, gentle, kind and loving. Peter’s girlfriend, Emma (Brittany Snow), bears an uncanny resemblance to Caleb’s ex-girlfriend. Caleb has not been sleeping, so his personality becomes more and more manic as the film progresses; as Emma and Peter attempt to navigate the early stages of their relationship. Caleb’s character controls the film and thus the tone as well. The level of the tension is so high at times, that you expect that the film will suddenly turn into a violent bloodbath. Though the tone is unsettling to say the least, it is extremely effective – for which writer-director Lee Toland Krieger deserves much credit.
