Quirk. How do you feel about it? This is the primary question you must ask yourself before you decide to see Saint John of Las Vegas. It’s such a double edged sword. It can make a movie, but too much and it becomes forced; it can devolve in to parody. This is a movie that is literally drowning in quirkiness. It is a sea of quirk, a river of it flowing directly in to your face. Can you take this much quirk?
John (Steve Buscemi at perhaps his most awkward) is a natural loser, a gambling addict with terrible luck, who seems in love with the idea of who he could be, who he wants to be. He works in an insurance claims company where he sits next to a perky and quirky woman (Sarah Silverman) who has a quirky obsession with smiley faces decorating her cubicle, house, and body with them. His quirky boss is a self obsessed midget whose desk is flanked on four corners with large free standing Greek columns. Intending to ask for a raise, he ends up being promoted to Fraud Investigations, teamed with a pensive “angry young black man” character and sent out on a meandering travelogue to disprove the claims of one Ms. Tasty Delight. On paper the film claims to be a loose adaptation of Dante’s Inferno. Dante is actually listed in the credits as “based on a story by”, though on the face of it, this is basically bullshit. Yes, the main character’s last name is Alighieri, and his companion’s name is Virgil, and there’s even a character named Lue Cipher. But the only serious connection between the two is that it gives the film license to to show scene after scene of super quirky strangeness, each dripping with the all pervasive quirk. »Read More
To go along with our love for any locally made movie (shorts included), especially one shot @ Escafe & The Upstairs, we wanted to share the trailer for a new film from Paul Whitehead. It tells the sad tale of two restaurants at war, and the casualties and hilarity which ensues. The all-kitchen stars include Liz Porter, Jason Burke, Shakti Sackett, Zhenya Yanovich, Dave Dupont, Jamie Dyer, Nate Tekan, Paul Whitehead, Jonny Timmerman, Demond Harris and Carlos Garr.
There will be two showings associated with the Film Festival, one @ 11:45AM - Vinegar Hill Saturday, and a secondary showing @ 8:00PM – Random Row Books, along with a special screening of another Charlottesville classic, Zeke Hoffmeyer. Both are $Free.
With the 22nd Virginia Film Festival kicking off tomorrow, and all the screenings surrounding the idea of ‘Funny Business’, we are interested in hearing which of the 80+ movies you readers are interested in watching. [Info] [Photo Credits]
The 22nd Virginia Film Festival guests have been announced, and our list of invites includes Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) and Alan Ball, creator of hit sex+vampires show, Trueblood. John Waters will be the headliner, displaying two of his films at Newcomb Hall Theater November 6th. Waters is the cult writer/director behind Hairspray, Pink Flamingos, Cry-Baby, and the writer for just announced Hairspray 2 – Team Aquanet (j/k). The multi talented Waters was once described by William S. Burroughs as “the Pope of Trash and his taste in tacky is unexcelled”, which fits perfectly with our theme this year of Funny Business.
Broderick will be screening Wonderful World, a melancholy romp through pessimism and chess, and also Election, which marks it’s ten year anniversary. Additionally, American Beauty will be shown, and writer Ball will be on hand afterwards to discuss his HBO creations. Classic courtroom drama (and excellent Al Pacino screaming exhibition) …And Justice For All, will also be shown by David Edelstein, a noted film critic.
Tickets go on sale for the various performances October 9th, and the event begins November 5th. [Photo Credits]
Bad news! I forgot to tell you about the first screening before it happened. (It was yesterday at 4.)
Good news! You can still see tonight’s program at 7pm in Darden’s Abbott Auditorium. Tickets are $12, and proceeds go to Madison House at UVA. The Charlottesville stop on the BANFF road tour is sponsored by Charlottesville’s favorite outdoor supplier, Blue Ridge Mountain Sports. (Bonus: prizes are raffled off.) Tonight’s program includes four films, two of which I am majorly sweating.
What can you expect? Two to three hours of high-adrenaline quality films, with BANFF’s themes of outdoor adventure, nature preservation, and global perspective, followed by two to three hours of sitting on your couch contemplating your relatively unextraordinary life! But fear not, internet surfers and social climbers, you will eventually reach complacency if you just believe in yourself. And if you decide to take up triathlons and Tibetan Buddhism, good for you. Please pray for our hardened souls.
But seriously, it’s an awesome way to spend a Monday night.
Quirk. How do you feel about it? This is the primary question you must ask yourself before you decide to see Saint John of Las Vegas. It’s such a double edged sword. It can make a movie, but too much and it becomes forced; it can devolve in to parody. This is a movie that is literally drowning in quirkiness. It is a sea of quirk, a river of it flowing directly in to your face. Can you take this much quirk?
