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Diabolik6
Reviews
The Brown Bunny (2003)
Intelligent Filmmaking, Not for the Masses.
There was a time, not too long ago, in the late 1960's and early 1970's when studio films were not making the revenue they were prone to. What they found that the baby boomers were being attracted to films that were made on a personal level for the director, writer, cast and crew and to the culture. These were films that were never intended for mainstream consumption. Thus, is the case with Vincent Gallo's films. When one watches a film, the viewer is comfortable with the idea that there will be a series of events that will give the viewer a safe rush of emotions. These series are intended to be played out on the screen in the form of physical actions. In the case of "Brown Bunny", all conflict and resolve occur in the form of Vincent Gallo character and presence. There are no good guys or bad guys, just humans, flawed and weak. In our culture, we are too afraid of showing real weakness in our protagonist. It might point out the weakness in ourselves. The ideal of the all knowing, all fixing hero is one that comforts the viewer. A great sadness and sense of loss is what Mr. Gallo is trying to convey with a simple narrative. The outline of the road is one that has been used several times before to build upon the personal feelings of the director. Sam Peckinpah's "Bring me the Head of Alfredo Garcia", Dennis Hopper's "Easy Rider" and Monte Hellman's "Two-Lane Blacktop". It is a perfect canvas to show the protagonist's contrast to the society that chooses not to except him. Mr. Gallo makes good use of this by showing one road looking like another and another and another. Brown Bunny's overall appeal is that it confronting the alienation of each other in society. We grow further and further apart, apart from our families, co-workers, neighbors, and loved ones so that all we have left is a painful memory of what once was and can never return. Life can be a solitude prison. Mr. Gallo shows us such a prison for which there is no appeal. Alas, the cinema houses are flooded with people who are looking for their next fix of eye-candy. It seems that when a personal little film that might not appeal to the soccer moms of America, people will not embrace it for bringing up concepts and ideas that do not make the movie going experience all the more zombie-making, but instead squash it far before even watching it.
The Gentleman (2000)
A shining beacon in a sea of bland pudding.
Hmm... sometimes it is hard to put into words what one likes or dislikes about a certain film. In this case, it is not so hard. The film is simply not that good. The dialogue is stagey, the acting is wooden, look of the film is just okay, the directing leaves much to be desired, and the overall "joke" or "wittism" is not that amusing or even that clever. What is amusing is the screen presence of Sam Serafy (one of the directors of the film). Though he is not listed in the credits, he makes an unmistakable impression as one who is a master of conveying dry humor. It is too bad that he could not pass on this talent to his fellow actors. This film would have been much better if he had played all of the parts in the same tone, with the same mannerisms. I have done some research on Mr. Serafy and found an earlier film he directed, titled "Watch With Mother." It is a far superior film to "The Gentleman" and displays a true sense of experimental storytelling. "Watch With Mother" gives me hope that this director/actor will, in fact, continue to work in the medium.