Today's film is SWITCHBACK, which I saw this Wednesday at the Lincoln Theater. But as usual I'll set the film up with my usually self-worshipping way. That way you.... Oh you've heard this before. Ok here I go:
Woke up late today, and wasn't able to clean the house in time for the US Magazine dude, he's gonna get warts and all. You see this US Magazine fella wants to basically find out who this monster the world is screaming about is. And he flew all the way from New York to hang with me. To uncover my secrets. Well first I set up some ground rules. He wasn't allowed to mention anything he saw on my view screen without getting my OK. Heh heh heh. This did aggravate him. He had nooooo idea what he was in for. Hee hee hee.
He arrived here at noon, I quickly wanted to get out of the house, as I had viewed all the films in competition at the AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL and was tired, but alas I had to be charming and I had to have my wits about me... Couldn't let the real Harry out, the one wanted in 45 countries for... Oops, just ignore that. I took the fella to THREADGILL'S. That is THE place to eat in Austin, birthplace of Janis Joplin's singing career and some damn good eating. I had some Fried Pork Chops, San Antonio Squash (heaven in your mouth), fries, mashed potatotes. We were there for 3 hours eating, while he recorded the entire conversation. I really feel sorry for him because he has days of transcribing ahead of him.
Then I took him over to the AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL offices where I had to hand in my judgement and do a prerequisite amount of schmoozing. Of course they showed a really cool short film called BLUE CITY. I loved this little piece about a man trying to commit suicide and just can't seem to get it done. The main guy's face is hauntingly pathetic. If you get a chance to see it, SEE IT. The office is a mad house of munchie eating expresso popping film devotees on a mission to throw a show. And a damn good one too. Personally I feel blessed to have both this one and South By Southwest here in town cause it gives me a chance to see festival films that I would otherwise never see.
Well by this time we had to rush to pick up my Dad, the tickets and get to the line. Sure enough there was a good 18 line people in front of me. They are simply the best at this line stuff, I am often in awe of their powers of film patience. The Line People are true deities in the fragrance of burning popcorn. Which reminds me, the Lincoln had another fire break out in the Popcorn Popping Machine. Flames licking the ceiling the smoke overwhelming our eyes, yet the interview continued for the two hour wait.
Then the line moves in!!! We take our seats and sit back to await the film. I continue to do interview stuff in the midst of a lackluster audience. Low low turnout for this, oh well.
The film just pours onto the screen. First off, I know yall don't know crap about this film so let me say I was kinda hyped for it because of the following:
The film however was my particularly frustrating pick for a mediocre feature. The first half is pretty good, but then, with out warning they give away the killer, and the audience is left staring at the screen awaiting the inevitable showdown. And the audience doesn't like the showdown cause the character is too damn likable.
This film is a serial killer movie. Personally we have too many of these, and most of them that are happening nowadays are patterned after a combination of Silence of the Lambs and Seven (or SE7EN for you net fans). The problem is finding serial killing actors on the scale of Kevin Spacey or Anthony Hopkins. And those are few and far between. Also mucho kudos to those actors for not falling into the dangerous ground of typecasting. For a great example of this go see THE EDGE and LA CONFIDENTIAL instead of this movie. This is a bad movie, those are good movies. Support good movies. Advice to remember. Take your friends to see them.
What's wrong with the film? Dennis Quaid. Now first off he is not an actor I dislike. I've had fun with his characters on screen before, but Quaid had been criticized for his "magic" smile from a billion critics, and in this film, along with DRAGONHEART, he spends most of the film looking constipated. Now his character doesn't need to be smiling, that would be horrible for the film, but Quaid's "serious" look, just looks and feels forced.
That combined with the horrendous concept of giving away who the killer is about 40 minutes before the end of the film, takes alot of wind out of the project, and left me feeling short changed at a free movie.
Perhaps a dollar film. Best of luck to all parties on their next project, there was potential here, but it just didn't come together in my opinion.
