AFF09–Young Filmmaker’s shorts program/Alabama Moon (2009)/The Fourth Kind (2009)

YOUNG FILMMAKER’S SHORTS PROGRAM

I always try to check out this program just to see what the kids are up to these days. This year I lucked out and got to see what kids from MY old school are doing.

There were a bunch towards the beginning that were obviously just made in the spare time for class projects. They were one-off jokes that really didn’t go anywhere. But, whatever. Good for these kids for getting something on video.

I NEED SOME SLEEP–The first of the shorts that made me take notice was this video for the Eels song by David Kerr. It showed some real emotion and interest in its subject. (Even some special effects!) David has another video up on YouTube called Perpetual, which is what was actually on the list for this program. Check it out. This kid has some talent. Nothing amazing yet, but he’s got plenty of time.

I AM MIGRATION–This short documentary about immigration is by the students of Luling High School. (The director is actually a Canadian immigrant who is interviewed in the film, but they don’t list him in the program.) It’s an interesting view of immigration from kids in a rural school. Thy seem to have a much better handle on it than most politicians.

LA MEMORIA DE AMOR–Andie Flores tells the story of a man who loves his son. Now he’s trying to figure out why his son was taken from him. It’s a pretty sad little film that shows us that, while love doesn’t conquer all, it does help us through some pretty terrible times.

DRIVER’S ED–Here’s the one shot at my old high school and even features a guy I graduated with <ahem> years ago. It’s the story of a driver’s ed class where everything goes wrong. With invisible monsters in the back room and a sock puppet for a student, Mr. Daniels has his work cut out for him at Driver’s University Institute. And he’s not really the man for the job.

At 23 minutes, writer Ryan Summersett and director Alex Wolff desperately needed an editor. The pacing was pretty off from what it needed to be. BUT there were enough really funny ideas that this could have made a great 10 minute short. In fact, I’m giving it a review here for that very reason. The funny bits, while spread a little too thin, were pretty damn hilarious. Ryan and Alex just need to realize that their audience will see the jokes even if they’re not in a close-up or read out loud by an actor.

I didn’t review every short in the program. I’m sorry to the kids who didn’t get reviews here. It doesn’t mean that your stuff doesn’t show potential. Keep trying. Don’t let anyone stop you.

And, for the kids who did get reviews, keep up the good work. And keep getting better. I really think that you can.

ALABAMA MOON (2009)

Directed by: Tim McCanlies
Written by: Watt Key/James Whittaker
Based on book by: Watt Key

At this point I’ll see anything that Tim McCanlies does. I know he’s not the greatest out there, but his movies are entertaining and I enjoy them. And Iron Giant is one of the greatest animated films ever made. So there.

This time out he didn’t write the film. It’s based on what he calls “Alabama’s State Book” and the screenplay was co-written by the author, Watt Key and James Whittaker.

Moon (Jimmy Bennett from Star Trek, Shorts and Orphan)) just buried his dad. Literally. His dad was a conspiracy theorist of the worst kind. Not just tin foil hat time, but living in the woods and forcing his child to not trust anyone. “Never take anything from anyone and never owe anyone anything.” He may have been a loving father, but I was kinda pissed off at him all the same.

Moon runs around the forest for a while until he comes to a house. The house belongs to Mr. Wellington (John Goodman), who calls the cops, led by Constable Sanders (Clint Howard). Sanders takes Moon to the Pinson reform school where he meets Kit (Uriah Shelton) and Hal (Gabriel Basso). The boys plot an escape and live on the lam for a while.

The movie starts out really dark with a boy burying his rather neglegent father and then lightens quite a bit to be a boy’s adventure. But there’s always that darkness looming. Sanders isn’t your typical Home Alone style bad guy. He’s actually kind of threatening in a way. Sure, I pretty much knew that he wouldn’t win, but he put a leash on Moon! Seriously?! (Clint put in a really good and funny performance.)

I did enjoy the movie, but I wouldn’t say that it’s going to win McCanlies any new fans. It’s darker than anything he’s done before and certainly more serious in tone, but it’s hard for me to say that it’s better or worse than his other films. I enjoyed it, but not everyone will. I think it’s tone switches a little too often for many peoples’ liking.

And what the hell is up with people in Alabama being so quick to call someone else white trash? You’re from fucking Alabama! Is there anything else there?!?

But no matter what you think of the film, DAMN John Goodman is comforting. He’s great at playing a weirdo bad guy in Coen Brother’s films, but I sure to love it when he plays good guys. There’s a scene where he grabs Moon in a huge bear hug and lifts him up and carries him away. That kid is safer in John Goodman’s arms than he would be anywhere else in the world.

THE FOURTH KIND (2009)

Directed by: Olatunde Osunsanmi
Written by: Olatunde Osunsanmi/Terry Robbins

Speaking of comforting, Elias Koteas has become one of those actors lately. Even in a terrible movie like The Haunting In Connecticut, he is a comforting factor that just makes you feel like everything is going to be alright…even when you know it isn’t. There’s just something about his voice and mannerisms. He’s everybody’s dad.

In The Fourth Kind, Koteas plasy the Scully to Milla Jovovich’s wigged out Muldar. Dr. Abigail Tyler’s husband was murdered by an unknown assailant right in front of her eyes, but she can’t remember what the man looked like. She is carrying on her husband’s work to find out exactly why so many of Nome, Alaska’s residents disappear. She is doing psychiatric studies on three people who have seen owls outside their windows at night. The owls stare at them all night long and keep them awake.

But are they owls? When put under hypnosis, the subjects have violent outbursts and say that they weren’t owls. They were something much, much worse.

Koteas is Dr. Tyler’s friend and personal psychiatrist. He comes to Nome to make sure that everything is alright when one of her subjects commits a heinous crime.

From here on out, things start to go very strangely for Abigail and her two kids. Was she abducted by the same owl-shaped aliens as her subjects? Why is the sheriff (Will Patton) trying so hard to make it seem like she’s crazy? What does Abigail’s son know about his father’s death?

Writer/director Olatunde Osunsanmi has created a very interesting web of a story. The movie opens with Milla Jovovich introducing herself and telling us who she is about to play in the film. She explains how Osunsanmi has actual footage taken from Tyler’s studies and an interview that he conducted with Tyler in 2002.

How much of this do I buy? Well, I don’t know. My friends swear that they’ve seen Dr. Abigail Tyler before in other films playing other characters. I don’t know that I’ve seen her, but I think she looks like a less attractive Julianne Moore.

In a post-Blair Witch world, I don’t know that I believe anything that is supposedly “true” in movies anymore. Anything can be faked and hyped to seem real.

What I do care about is the “actual footage” used in the film. Sunuvabitch, it’s creepy stuff. It’s less alien abduction and more demonic possession.

And is that the point? The abductions seem to all take place at 3:33 am. Is this another film of Christian propoganda?

Whatever. It’s a creepy damn movie. I don’t know that it’s particularly good, but the images in that “real footage” will stay with you for a while. And Dr. Abigail Tyler is a scary, scary woman.