Can’t believe Day 4 is almost over and I’ve just finally got a chance to actually post my reviews of Day 3. The adrenaline rush actually helps keep me going, as I managed to write TWO reviews in one hour. That’s pretty fast for me but I’m sure more skilled bloggers/critics are used to that. The two films I saw back to back were excellent, and the same is true for Day 4 (review should be up tomorrow).
So here are two of my reviews from Day 3 and one from blog contributor Ted S.:
Raiders! The Story Of The Greatest Fan Film Ever Made
One of the things I love about TCFF is that I get to consume more documentaries in a span of two weeks than I normally do in a given year. It really doesn’t get more exhilarating-ly entertaining than this one. Basically the premise is what it says in the title. In 1982, a trio of 11-year-old kids remade Raiders of the Lost Ark shot for shot, and they completed everything except for one scene, which is the action-packed plane scene. Thirty years later, the guys reunited to complete that very scene.
I love how the film went back to the genesis of the seemingly-bonkers idea of actually making it happen. It shows how Eric and Chris (who played Indy) went to pitch to a producer to get funding and walking away geedily with a $5000 check. The rest of the film show actual footage of the young boys filming in Eric’s family home, over the course of seven years his family house is turned into a film set! The boys’ family members are part of the ‘talking heads’ in the film, sharing their experience witnessing their kids being absorbed by their passion of making this film. It literally consumed seven Summer breaks of their lives and you just can’t help to be enraptured by their endeavor.
I used the term ‘enraptured’ because I don’t think it’s a hyperbole. It was easy to root for these guys and see them succeed! Their little *remake* film that was titled Raiders of the Lost Ark Adaptation somehow got the attention of Eli Roth and the film ended up playing at Butt-Numb-A-Thon Film Fest, held annually in Austin TX. It was hilarious to see the audience being so excited watching this grainy, amateurish footage made by a bunch of kids and they actually booed when the film fest turned it off to show the scheduled LOTR sequel Two Towers! It was rather shocking that people would rather see this than the latest Peter Jackson’s masterpiece. But once you see this documentary, it’s easy to see why!
I’m not gonna reveal some of the big surprises of the film as I think it’s more fun that you discover them for yourself. This is the purest form of passion for filmmaking and you can’t help but cheer that creativity and teamwork is at the heart of the project, as opposed to money & fame. A must-see for any Indiana Jones’ fans, but it will entertain anyone who loves a good documentary.
The main draw for me to see this is definitely Christopher Plummer, and he definitely shines in yet another Oscar-worthy performance. He plays Zev, an elderly man suffering from dementia living in a Jewish nursing home. His wife Ruth just passed away two weeks prior but Zev is still calling her name when he wakes up. One night during a [party], Zev’s friend Max (Martin Landau) called him aside and gives him a letter and a great deal of cash. Later that night Zev gets into a cab with only a small black pouch as his only luggage.
We soon find out he’s on a quest to find a former Nazi officer who murdered his family some 70 years ago is living in America under an assumed identity. It’s a plan he and Max have cultivated for years, to be executed as soon as his wife passed on. Max convinced him he’s the only one who could still recognize that man and that he must pay for what he has done. So the rest of the film follows Zev in his journey, via a train, bus, etc. all the way to Canada. Everything I expected about this film is constantly surpassed as the film gets more unpredictable and darker as time progressed. Plummer carried the film with such skill and aplomb, and you’re transfixed by him. It helps to have such a strong actor as he’s pretty much in every scene and for the most part he’s the only one on screen.
There have been so many Nazi vengeance tales been made on screen before and yet this one manages to inject something new and different into the sub-genre. That alone is a feat in and of itself. Director Atom Egoyan made this with not much frills but the film is brimming with mystery and suspense. And that finale, wow, I certainly did not see it coming. That’s all I can say as it’s best that you know as little as possible. I’m still reeling from it and ponder about all the clues I might’ve been missing as I was watching it. I also love that the seemingly generic and even boring title actually fits the plot VERY well and I can’t imagine a better title for it.
I love time traveling stories; it’s always fun to imagine how we can change the future by traveling back in time or see the future if we travel ahead in time. There have been several films that have covered these kinds of stories and this latest one didn’t really try to come up with anything new to tell.
A scientist named Ethan (the totally miscast Michael Kopelow) and his partner Ceil (Alice Rietveld) are trying to create a time machine. But it appears they’ve failed several times, after an experiment gone bad, Ceil is upset and both left their facility. Later Ethan came back the facility and accidentally transported himself into the future where he’s being accused of killing his wife and her sister. He’s also being pursues by a bunch of thugs and who apparently knew about the time machine. In order to find out what happened and clear his name, Ethan has to travel through time again.
I believe had this movie been a short story, it would’ve worked much better. With a weak leading actor and shoestring budget, stretching a story to full length feature just didn’t work. It also didn’t help that the filmmakers copied every elements from other time traveling movies like The Terminator and Back to the Future. Also, I don’t get the sudden switch to Quentin Tarantino style by showing burst of violence and each character dropping the F-bombs every five seconds.
Not the worse low budget film I’ve seen but not very good either.
Thoughts on any one of these movies? Well, let’s hear it!
…
I love the fact Christopher Plummer is finding some of his best roles later in life. He was great in Beginners a few years back alongside Ewan McGregor and he recently appeared in Danny Collins alongside Al Pacino too.
Should add that the other two films you discuss also sound fascinating – as a big fan of time travel Counter Clockwise looks interesting even if it doesn’t quite work. I love it’s poster!
Dan, Counter Clockwise has an interesting ideas but unfortunately it was badly executed. Like I mentioned, it would’ve worked much better had they made it into a short movie. Stretching a weak script into a full length feature just didn’t work. Also, the acting and directing were pretty atrocious.
Hi Dan! Yes, I’m glad to see Mr Plummer in another meaty role and he’s just such a skilled actor. He pretty much carried this film on his own as he’s on screen most of the time.
We are in full agreement about Counter Clockwise. I gave it a strong pan in my own review. As for Day 3 – I am sorry that I overlooked (missed noticing) the Christopher Plummer film Remember. I did have three films booked for Day Three, but I returned my ticket for Lamb. As for Dan’s comment – Counter Clockwise – the time travel element is just back and forth. It’s not that the film doesn’t quite work – it is really dreadful.
HI Mike, yeah Counter Clockwise was pretty dreadful and I just read your review; totally in agreement there too! It would’ve worked better as short movie, stretching a weak script into a full length feature film just wouldn’t work, especially with their small budget and not much talents.
The documentary about Raiders of the Lost Ark sounds very interesting, I remember reading about it a few months back. I’ll give it a rent!
Oh you will enjoy it if you love Indiana Jones, Ted! It’s really a lot of fun!
Raiders, Raiders, Raiders! An absolute must-see for me!!!
YES!!! It was so much fun and people were cheering and laughing a lot during the screening. My hubby & I LOVE Indy and so we were so giddy watching this, I’m sure you would too Keith!
No doubt about it. From childhood the Indy films have been really important to me.
You’ll love the big surprise towards the end then, the crowd cheered loudly when that happened 😉
Ooh, I’d love to catch Raiders. Thanks for another great round up from you all.
Hi Mark! It’s sooo much fun, one of the most entertaining doc I’ve seen in a while.
I’ve never seen the Raiders Adaptation, but I’ve always wanted to. Can’t wait to see that doc! Remember looks very good as well.
Oh it’s really fun Josh, if you’re a fan of Indy, it’s a must-see! Remember exceeds my expectations, so yeah, highly recommend it.
Despite the time travelling movie seemingly not being that good, I’d still want to see it. And Ruth, can’t wait to see that Raiders documentary as I was aware of that fan film.
Ahah, you’re a completist aren’t you Nostra, you’ve got to see every time traveling movie 😉 But yeah the Raiders one is a ton of fun!
Yeah, pretty much, but I still got a couple of movies to go though 🙂
Pingback: My Top 10 Picks from Twin Cities Film Fest |
Pingback: 2015 Recap: Top 10 Best + 5 Worst Movies of the Year |
Pingback: Everybody’s Chattin + Question of the Week: What’s your favorite Canadian film(s)?