Off The Beaten Path

1. "Vodka Lemon." In icy, snow-bound Armenia, a small village, and
most of its residents, have definitely seen better days. An old widower keeps body and soul together by selling off his few remaining possessions, and very little is left. Villagers don't really communicate with each other, and certainly not with their children, and let's just say that nobody in town is going to challenge Donald Trump or Bill Gates in the personal wealth sweepstakes. Oh, and did I mention that it's a comedy?

There may be a sharp difference between what constitutes humor to
mass audiences in America and other nations of the world, but somehow this American has no problem finding the comedy in the often bleak films of directors like Finland's Aki Kaurismaki. So while a lot of folks may not be able to understand what's so funny about "Vodka Lemon", I found it absolutely hysterical... as well as very touching.

So many modern Hollywood comedies don't really have characters so much as gag machines spouting out one-liners. A film like "Vodka Lemon", on the other hand, puts its cast of very real-seeming people through the paces of their daily trials with a real sense of sympathy for their suffering and a sense of real (if small) triumph when they overcome them. And it manages to find humor in small, unexpected places, never forgetting that often the best way to get past the roadblocks of life is to laugh at them. Ultimately, this is a very upbeat film, just not in a phony way... and even some folks expecting (and hoping for) nothing but pure Hollywood hokum will be pleased at how some of these folks' lives turn out.

And if you're wondering about the title: one of the main characters operates a liquor store that sells a particularly popular item called Vodka Lemon, which actually has an almond flavor. When another character asks her "Why is it called Vodka Lemon when it tastes like
almonds?", she simply shrugs and says "That's Armenia!" And that says pretty much all you need to know about "Vodka Lemon" the movie.

2. "The First Annual Twin Cities Gold Film Festival." Every year, millions of people take bathroom breaks or fix snacks during the short film awards at the Oscars, figuring it doesn't matter who wins because these are films nobody ever sees or will ever get the chance to. This showcase, which played last weekend at the Riverview Theatre, clearly demonstrates why this is a very bad thing indeed.

A collection of eight of the films nominated in one or the other of the three different short film categories this year, the incredible range of styles and sheer dazzling creative imagination displayed in any individual one of these short films puts most full features to shame. In the computer animated "Gopher Broke", the spirit of the Road Runner and Looney Tunes lives again in the story of a frustrated gopher trying to hijack the contents of a produce truck. In "At 7:35 in the Morning", a simple attempt at getting breakfast in a cafe in Israel is interrupted by
a terrorist laden with dynamite taped to his waist... and by a mighty spectacular song and dance number. In "Ryan," the true story of an award-winning Canadian animator fallen on hard times is told in a surrealistic animated style that somehow manages to tell a great deal more truth than straight-ahead live action ever could. And if you're in the mood for something less surreal, "Mighty Times: The Children's March' brings the historical events of one of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s greatest moments to stirring, powerful life.

These, and the other four films contained in this festival, are clear evidence that there is far more sheer brilliance in these little obscure films than most people will see in a year of multiplex moviegoing. That most of them will never play at a theatre near you is a shame, but you don't have to settle for the safe, tame and predictable. Seek them out: catch next year's festival (the fact that Saturday's screening completely sold out the 700-seat Riverview indicates that there will be one), check for DVDs of any or all of these films, just in general keep alert to any possible sources that will enable you to see some of the best work being done in movies today. it may be difficult, but it will be worth it, and you'll be very, very glad you did.

3. "Cursed." Well, you knew that all three couldn't be gems. In Wes ("Scream", "A Nightmare On Elm Street") Craven's latest, a brother and sister rescuing a woman trapped in an overturned car are bitten by what appears to be a very large wolf. But who ever heard of a wolf in L.A.? Then, when they begin to develop a taste for raw meat, start getting anxious when the moon rises, and appear to have grown a great deal more hair in a very short time, they start to think that maybe that was no ordinary wolf...

It's always interesting, and generally disappointing, to me to see how modern horror film makers try to update or "translate" some of the classic horror film concepts to the modern age. It's pretty "Universally" (sorry) acknowledged that "Van Helsing" was a disgrace to the classic Universal Pictures monsters that supposedly inspired it. In "Cursed", Wes Craven has commissioned a script by his "Scream" screenwriter Kevin Williamson that at times is so clever and original that it's worthy of comparison to "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" (the TV show, not the movie). The werewolf curse is used as a symbol of both HIV/AIDS and of homosexuality in snappy, well written and observant dialogue, and the movie has that "Buffy" touch of taking itself JUST seriously enough, but not TOO seriously. Christina Ricci is certainly the ideal choice for the female lead and does the job well, and there's actually some clever use of that old, usually boring, celebrity-cameo-as-themselves routine.
But that's the script... Williamson didn't direct the film, Craven did. And
Craven doesn't have the same touch as his writer.

It doesn't help, for one thing, to have the various werewolves be all computer generated creations of such blatant digital fakery that they make the awful creatures of "Van Helsing" look like the height of realism. Then there's the casting: aside from the use of celebrity cameos and a nice understated turn by "Smallville" 's Michael Rosenbaum as a TV producer, the smaller roles are generally filled with what one can only assume are actors cast for their affordability on a relatively low budget... certainly it wasn't for their acting ability. Craven doesn't seem to be nearly as imaginative visually as he was twenty years ago in the first "Elm Street" movie either, and settles for a series of shots clumsily photographed, poorly designed, and badly framed.

"Cursed" is another case of a good script sabotaged by a weak execution, though usually that's done by reworking the good script until it's a shadow of its former self... Craven's ability to do this is a rare achievement of a very unique kind. It's also a strong argument for the position that Wes Craven shouldn't be allowed to direct movies anymore... and that Kevin Williamson should.