Rubbish, With Occasional Music

Two in a row! I’ve exceeded my own expectations.

Smiley Face: A pot comedy placing the stoner protagonist amidst increasingly over the top and ridiculous situations. Very much along the lines of Harold and Kumar go to White Castle. Normally, I’d judge a movie like this on how many times I’d want to watch it over and over again, but I think I’ve outgrown that. For allegedly being sober throughout production, Anna Farris does an amazing job of playing burnout Jane F. And for having eaten an entire platter of pot cupcakes, Jane’s exploits move at a pretty brisk pace, introducing her to a bevy of people who all manage to alter her trajectory, for better or worse, as she tries to acquires the money she needs to pay off her dealer. The casting is a veritable who’s who of actors whom most people would probably recognize from their other roles as burnouts. Danny Masterson’s scenes near the end of the film are both disturbing and hilarious, though Roscoe Lee Browne’s narration takes the cake. I really liked several sets of cuts in the movie that reminded me a lot of Requiem for a Dream, which maybe was intended, but probably not.

Scott Walker: 30 Century Man: The film suffered a little from being conceptualized and directed by someone who was obviously a big fan. At the very least, the film could have benefited greatly from editing by someone who would have taken a slightly more critical look at the film and the musician. The film does a fine job at outlining the path of Walker’s career, paired with his own commentary and that of other big music names, but where the film really shines are the shots of Walker in the studio recording his latest album The Drift. Rather than more footage of various industry insiders all questioning why Scott 4 and other albums didn’t sell, I would have much preferred to see the filmmakers take greater advantage of the amazing access they had to Scott and his work environment. The scenes of the more playful, whimsical Walker directing a studio percussionist on how to better punch a rack of pork ribs or shuffling a metal pail over a giant wooden cube are some of the best of the film. On the subject of talking heads though, some of my favorite non-Walker interview footage in the film are very tight shots of the guests listening to various Scott Walker albums and songs. Watching how they react to what they’re listening to and describe what parts of the song that draw them in or fascinate them comes across as intimate, and surprisingly, very interesting.

A Lawyer Walks Into a Bar…: A documentary following six law school graduates as they prepare for the California bar exam which has the lowest passing percentage in the country (39%). Most are taking it for the first time, one for the forty-first time. There’s a good sense of humor about the film, and the footage of the participants is nicely split with interviews with fairly well known lawyers and commentators offering insight to various subjects ranging from frivolous lawsuits to the bar exam to the American perception of lawyers. I probably could have enjoyed the movie a lot more, but I feel the filmmakers did a real disservice to the film with it’s treatment of the participants. One subject was painted in such a bad light that at the end of the film when they learned that they didn’t pass the bar, there was actually cheering and clapping scattered throughout the theater. Maybe the director felt that the film needed a villain, or perhaps he was just trying to add more drama. I would have preferred to have seen a more even-handed approach to their subjects rather than having them patch footage together in an attempt to create a character to fill a role that they feel is needed in the film. If the subject was half as bad as the footage portrayed them to be, they should have been left to dig their own hole, rather than having it dug for them in such a heavy handed manner.