Armchair Commentary

"Grey Gardens": Best DVDs of June/July 2009

What it is:
Based on the life stories of the eccentric aunt and first cousin of Jackie Kennedy, starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange, Grey Gardens tells the tender, intimate story of an eccentric mother and daughter (both named Edith Bouvier Beale aka "Big and Little Edie"). They were raised as Park Avenue débutantes but withdrew from New York society, taking shelter at their Long Island summer home, "Grey Gardens." As their wealth and contact with the outside world dwindled, so did their grasp on reality. They were reintroduced to the world when international tabloids learned of a health department raid on their home, and Jackie swooped in to save her relatives. Based on the lives that inspired the Maysles Brothers' classic documentary.

Why it's Significant:
People were skeptical this HBO movie would live up to the original, but Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore did an impeccable job with their portrayals of these two quirky characters. They have the ability to make the viewer feel like they are not acting at all. In addition, the costumes, sets, makeup, music, and cinematography are all spot on. This is a moving story that is not to be missed.

--Brooke

"Frozen River": Best DVDs of February 2009

What it is:
Frozen River is a dramatic feature film which takes place in the days before Christmas near a little-known border crossing on the Mohawk reservation between New York State and Quebec. When her husband runs off with the payment for their new home, Ray (Melissa Leo, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada) turns to crime to keep herself and her two sons afloat. A chance encounter with Lila (Misty Upham, Edge of America), an equally desperate young Mohawk woman, leads Ray to smuggling illegal immigrants by driving across the frozen Hudson River onto tribal land. But with every trip, things go wrong in small and not-so-small ways, until Ray finds herself pushed into a more desperate corner than ever before. Leo delivers a gritty, restrained, but richly compelling performance; her raw face, beautiful but worn down by life, radiates a weary defiance. Frozen River has scenes as tense as any Hollywood thriller, but so grounded in the fully developed characters of these two women that the taut suspense grips the full spectrum of your emotions. This is an impressive debut by writer/director Courtney Hunt, featuring excellent supporting performances by Charlie McDermott (The Ten) as Ray's unhappy oldest son and Michael O'Keefe (The Great Santini) as a suspicious state trooper.

Why it's Significant:
Because in this lesser-known film, Melissa Leo has been nominated for and won several "Best Actress" awards. I am sure this is not the last time we will see a stellar performance out of her. Because maybe now more than ever people can relate to the desperation of keeping themselves and loved ones afloat during troubled times. Because this film evokes all sorts of emotions and will keep you on the edge of your seat.

--Brooke

Celebrity Blog: The Duplass Brothers on "Baghead"

Filmmakers Mark and Jay Duplass have written a celebrity blog for us to promote their new film, Baghead, which is now available for pre-order.  If you're a fan of mumblecore, check out our list of essentials in this emerging movement in American independent film. -- Brooke

Why the hell are we trying to make a horror film about a guy with a paper bag on his head?  This, even more than “to be or not to be” was the question for myself and my brother Jay going into shooting Baghead. We had just come off of our first micro-budget feature The Puffy Chair, a sensitive, funny, quirky relationship movie that wowed Sundance, sold big, played incredibly well in theaters, DVD, and TV, and gained us favor in the indie world the world over. So, again, why would we be so stupid as to make a horror movie based around a guy with a bag on his head?

I’m still not quite sure. When I look back, what we should have done is clear… we should have made another relationship movie to cash in on Puffy’s success. But, we were compelled to make Baghead, so we did it. And then something really interesting happened. We discovered that we are hopelessly and helplessly ourselves on set. For example, even if something terrifying was happening in the horror plot, we couldn’t help training the camera on all of the little personal dynamics happening among the 4 lead characters, just like we did on The Puffy Chair. No matter how eerie or cool-looking our lighting got, we were infinitely more obsessed with the chubby guy whose advances were being rejected by the hottie girl.

About a week into filming, we realized we had something VERY different on our hands. We had a horror movie shell… “guy with bag on head comes to get 4 people in a cabin in the woods.” We all know this set-up, right? Not too original. But, we were making a highly sensitive relationship dramedy inside of this horror film because, in the end, that’s what Jay and I know how to do best and that’s what we love showing.

 

Exclusive Deleted Scene and microsite from Walk Hard

Watch an Amazon.com exclusive deleted scene from Walk Hard - The Dewey Cox Story.  You can also watch clips and exclusive character interviews, get free downloads, listen to sound bites and more on the Walk Hard microsite.

--Brooke