SHOWEST REPORT # 1
Reviews of My Summer of Love and House of D

INTRODUCTION

Before I get to the actual report, I'd like to give a special shout out to my good friend Michael Dequina at Kevin Smith's <a href="http://moviepoopshoot.com">moviepoopshoot.com</a> as well as <a href="http://movie-report.com">movie-report.com</a> Two fantastic and informative film info sights. I've been attending ShoWest for six years now, and Michael definitely showed me the ropes during my first few years when I didn't know what the hell I was doing. Mike wasn't able to attend this year because of inevitable ShoWest downsizing. There are two types of press; Passport Press (which basically allows you into all events with zero hassle) and Working Press (or as I like to call it the "Peon Pass") however, because of zboneman's google ranking I've grown accustomed to being treated to Passport Press, but that wasn't the case this year. As a result, Mike decided (or was forced out as he didn't want to go through all the enormous expenditures of making the trip if he wasn't go to have all access. And given the enormous coverage he's given through the years, I can see why he was upset enough not to come. Adding insult to injury, it's extremely aggravating that many of the so-called high profile press don't even cover the entire four day convention like we do. They show up the last day, hit the awards banquet, and then leave. It's a complete joke, so I certainly understand Mike's grievance, and missed his company this year, he's a true movie fan and great colleague. Check out his sites.

I wasn't invited as Passport Press this year either, but decided to hit the convention anyway. I figured maybe I could bust my way into the more high profile events (which I did). At any rate, I'm too damn stubborn to say no. I really love the atmosphere and taking in the buzz the various studios have to offer, and there was certainly plenty of it to go around even if, ultimately, ShoWest didn't appear to be as crowded as in years past.

It didn't boast the meaty itinerary of years past either. There were plenty of movies I'd hoped to get a peek at that weren't even represented (King Kong, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Batman: Begins, Sin City, Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Wererabbit etc.) Still, it was a fun time, and in the following four reports, I'll try to cover as much as possible. And on a special side note, be sure to read over Report #4 - particularly if you're a Star Wars fan.

Before we get to the good stuff, I'd like to offer up a special thanks to Lois Blackburn as well as Anne, Amber, Breea (I hope I spelled your name right), and Brady of Westates for all the laughs and good times during the course of the convention. I'd also like to thank Judy Thorburn of <a href="http://theflickchicks.com">theflickchicks.com</a> for showing me more ShoWest pointers and Steve Thorburn of <a href="http://trippervision.com">trippervision.com</a> and cinemandala.com for some great 3-D presentation photos (you'll se them in Report #4). You guys are the best.

ShoWest is an annual convention held in Las Vegas as a springboard for various companies to display their latest technology (from food to high tech gadgetry) in the movie industry. What's more, each year, many film studios like to make surprise appearances to trot out their stars and get the buzz generating on all of their upcoming movie titles. This year proved to offer up some pretty amazing highlights, most notably on the last day of the convention. Without further adieu, let's get to the first report.

A NIGHT OF INDEPENDENT FILM

I love "A Night of Independent Film" and hit it every year. As is always the case, six independent pictures are screened twice - meaning that attendees can only pick two to check out. Lucky for me, one or two of the selected films ends up being something that I saw at Sundance. Such was the case this year with the terrific Layer Cake, so I was able to cross that one off the list. After careful consideration, I opted to forgo screenings of Mad Hot Ballroom (Paramount Classics), Dust to Glory (IFC Films), and The Chumscrubber (Newmarket Films), to see a film called My Summer of Love (Focus Features) as well as David Duchovny's directorial feature The House of D (Lions Gate Films). And in fact, during a lovely buffet dinner at the Century Theater in the Orleans hotel, I had the honor of meeting Mr. Duchovny. I told him I was about to take in a screening of his film. He was extremely enthusiastic and told me he'd be looking to make sure I was actually at the screening. I then commented on his role in Return to Me. I told him it was a terrific film and that his performance in it was terribly underrated. With tongue firmly placed in cheek, he replied; "All of my performances are underrated." He's just an absolute pleasure to talk to. What can I say - I'm a certified X-Files junkie. Anyway, on with the film reviews.

MY SUMMER OF LOVE (R)
Starring Nathalie Press, Emily Blunt, Paddy Considine, and Dean Andrews
Released by Focus Pictures

My Summer of Love is a provocative tale of passion and a brutal expose on the art of manipulating people for one's own amusement or personal gain. There are surprises to be found in this interesting story of a summer romance, but don't worry - I won't give them away. I will say that My Summer of Love offers up the touching, heartfelt passion of Peter Jackson's excellent Heavenly Creatures and fuses it with the malicious attitude of Neil LaBute's scorching In the Company of Men.

My Summer of Love takes place in the Yorkshire countryside and features Nathalie Press as Mona, a lonely and confused, but spirited Irish girl. Not only is she unlucky in love, but she can't seem to connect with her older brother Phil (Paddy Considine), a once hard drinking, abusive man who's recently found God. Mona's life quickly begins to change however, when she meets beautiful young Tamsin, (played by Emily Blunt) a wealthy intellectual on holiday from a hectic life of schooling. The two instantly become inseparable, and quickly find solace in each other, a bond that raises a couple of eyebrows, none more so than Phil's.

With her homely, Sissy Spacek sort of features, Press is absolutely outstanding as a young woman who feels she has no one to turn to. She has a quick wit, a rawness, and a kind of energy that had me completely transfixed. As the smarmy and intelligent Tamsin, the lovely
Emily Blunt proves to be the perfect counterpart. These two talented actresses play off of one another beautifully, and despite their characters' obvious differences, it is that profound sense of loneliness that really brings them together Rounding out the first rate cast is In America's Paddy Considine, a man struggling with issues of his own. Considine is perfectly subtle, and able to switch emotions on a dime.

My Summer of Love was directed by Paul Pavlikovsky and although it features subject matter which many might find taboo (I'm certainly not one of those people), it is exquisitely fashioned. This isn't a film about lesbian sex. It isn't even necessarily a movie about two people finding each other. At it's heart, My Summer of Love is really a story about an individual finally saying they've had enough, after being emotionally tortured one too many times.

My Summer of Love is brilliantly executed and very well written. The final scene in the picture, in which an undiscovered truth is revealed, is extremely well played, particularly by Press who turns a moment of total humiliation into one of personal triumph, and not in a way I was quite prepared for. This is a terrific movie.

Grade: B+

THE HOUSE OF D (PG-'3)
Starring Anton Yelchin, Robin Williams, David Duchovny and Tea Leoni
Released by Lions Gate Pictures

The House of D is a well intentioned, heartwarming affair and a pretty decent directorial debut by actor David Duchovny, who spent most of his career solving . . . well, I'm sure most of you know who he is so I won't bother. I will say that Duchovny has gone in a new direction since leaving his famous TV show. His debut as a feature director is on par with his wonderful, heartfelt turn in the underrated Return to Me. While not as strong as that picture, it does have the same sort of spirit and warmth even if it does, on occasion, get slightly buried under a shovel-load of manipulative sap. That's okay though, because the film's undeniable charm generally prevails.

House of D features Duchovny as Tom Warshaw, a man reconnecting with his youth, which we are witness to via flashback. Young Tom (played by likable Anton Yelchin) lives in Greenwich Village. There, he spends his days providing laughs for his recently widowed mother (Tea Leoni), causing mischief with a mentally challenged middle aged man (Robin Williams), developing his very first crush, and seeking advice from a female delinquent (winningly played by Erykah Badu) he's never met face to face. He receives this advice while standing on the sidewalk that sits directly in front of the institution (called The House of D) where the outspoken woman has been incarcerated. She basically spouts her words of wisdom to a naive, but knowledge-hungry Tommy from her window nearly four stories up, and for the most part, the young man is eager to take this advice.

House of D means well, but quite often, it over reaches. Still, Duchovny has that rye charm and it translates nicely into his directing style. It also helps that he gets a lot of mileage out of an excellent cast.

Yelchin (Hearts in Atlantis) is very good as a young version of Duchovny. He's got some intense, emotional moments here and always appears to be up to the challenge. He's also got a great sense of humor and builds a nice rapport with Robin Williams. Mr. Williams has the daunting challenge of playing a character who's mentally handicapped, and unfortunately, I found his turn a bit on the inconsistent side. I had similar issues with Sean Penn in I Am Sam. In both cases, these fine actors appear to weave in and out of character, but I do give Williams props for keeping things on the subtle side. The strongest performance in House of D comes courtesy of the beautiful R&B singer Erykah Badu who hits all the right notes as Lady Bernadette, Tommy's incarcerated connection to the streets. She's likable and commanding every step of the way, and is even afforded the opportunity to sing (beautifully) in the picture. The supporting cast is strong, most notably Frank Langella whose absolutely delightful as a man of the cloth and a teacher at Tommy's school.

House of D has mechanical moments to be sure. We get a cute, but labored scene in which a French teacher is tricked by her class into using words she has a hard time pronouncing. Words like happiness (a penis) and focus (I'm not touching that one). We also get a scene in which Williams and Yelchin, pretend to be running down a hallway in slow motion, instantly bringing to mind Williams' early guest spot as Mork on TV's Happy Days. The scene is humorous I suppose, but doesn't make much sense given that Williams' character is supposed to be mentally challenged.

I'm knit-picking of course. House of D is pleasant enough, and I attribute that mostly to Duchovny's ability to create a warm environment for his actors to work in. He also perfectly captures the look and feel of Greenwich Village, both in the past and the present. As an end result, this isn't a flawless movie, but it's a worthy first effort.

Grade: B-

Watch for ShoWest Report #2 which will include reviews of Beauty Shop, Miss Congniality 2: Armed and Fabulous, and Kung Fu Hustle.