Accidental Genius

Over at the AV Club, Leor Galil interviews Michael Stephenson, former child star of the wonderfully inept Troll 2 and director of the new documentary, Best Worst Movie, about the cult phenomenon behind, well, you guessed it.

With Bad Movie Night being a staple over at my sister's place, we've discovered that some nights are indeed busts. That's because it's easy to find bad movies, but it's not the easiest thing in the world to find sublimely enjoyable bad movies, no matter how many good friends you surround yourself with, and no matter how many judgement-impairing chemicals or social lubricants are available (or drugs and alcohol, as the kids are calling them nowadays).

Some movies are just horrible pieces of shit: cynical "high-concept" studio films without an original idea behind them. Karate Dog. Santa With Muscles. Theodore Rex. These are not fun bad movies to watch; they're depressing and soul-crushing. They've been made solely to pander to the lowest common denominator by people with no talent, and it shows with every frame.

Some movies are just unpleasant to sit through, no matter what frame of mind you're in.

Then you have the films that are clearly (or at the very least, suspiciously) aiming to be fun bad movies, and they suck precisely because they're trying to be bad movies, like After Last Season and (to a lesser degree) Repo: The Genetic Opera (although this isn't so much trying to be a bad movie as it is trying to deliberately be a "cult" film) These movies are trying to gain cult status, and therefore missing the very point (cult films becoming such after organically cultivating a devout following).

Finally, if you're patient enough, or get a good tip, you come across the genuinely enjoyable bad movie: something that you watch multiple times and encourage those who haven't seen it to watch it multiple times with you. Movies that are, in odd ways, deeply personal misfires, sometimes (almost painfully) revealing the souls and psyches of their makers.

Here's part of the exchange between Galil and Stephenson that nails the appeal of Great Bad Films:

AVC: When directors promote their movies as bad, does it somehow negate the very reason people go to see bad movies?

MS: I think it takes away a little bit from the very reason why people come together and enjoy these types of movies, and that's because they are genuine failures. They weren't meant to be what they are. What's happened is accidental, and it's accidental brilliance nonetheless, but it is not something that was strived for in the production of these films.

AVC: Aside from the accidentally bad qualities of these films, what else do you think qualifies a good-bad movie?

MS: The fundamental quality, obviously, is complete sincerity and absolute lack of irony.

Now, obviously, there's no formula for Great Bad Movies, precisely for the same reasons why there's no formula for a genuinely Great Movie. The elements that make Tommy Wiseau's The Room a Great Bad Movie are different than what make Tiptoes a Great Bad Movie. Hell, we've seen some achingly sincere, personal films during Bad Movie Night that are crushingly dull, and clearly focus-grouped-to-death films that are excellent (if not great or Great) bad movies.

But sincerity does go along way: trying to make one kind of picture and ending up with something completely different out of sheer ineptitude and/or insanity (contrary to the retconning/backpedaling ads calling The Room a "laugh riot," it's pretty clear there's not an ounce of irony in the movie itself).

(The only reason why I'm not saying sincerity is essential is because some genuinely enjoyable bad movies, like Hard Ticket to Hawaii or Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf aren't born out of any compelling desire from their makers to communicate something personal or profound with its audience. But although sincerity isn't mandatory, it's more often than not crucial; and irony is death for a Great or great bad movie.)

Ultimately, you have to wade through lots and lots of different kinds of crap before you get to the genuinely good butt-nuggets (to coin a lovely phrase). Sometimes, it's definitely worth it. Other times, you end up watching Sorority Boys.

Wanting to share The Butterfly Effect with the gang,

James "Advocate of Ass" Comtois

Back to Monday

Ah, well. Just as this past week flew by, so did this past weekend.

I actually had quite a nice time seeing both Piper McKenzie/The Fifth Wall/Brick Theater's Theater for the Arcade at the Brick on Friday (could I watch Stephen Heskett shoot imaginary fireballs in the air a la Mario and/or Luigi all night? Yes, I believe I could) and The Sophisticates burlesque show at the Oak Room (no, they didn't kick me out; no, I wasn't really appropriately dressed).

But now, we're back to Monday. Insert heavy sigh here.

I was hoping to break the radio silence a lot sooner, as I actually have some pretty cool news to report. Well, cool to me, anyway. It may be completely indifferent news to you. In fact, it most likely is.

However, the ink has yet to fully-dry on said news, so I figure it would be prudent to wait for everything to be all official-like before flapping my cyber-gums.

So, for now, I shall remain quasi-silent.

Quasi-cyber-screaming,

James "Shitty Cyber-Neighbor" Comtois

Inception

UPDATE: There are elements of the discussion in the comments section of this entry that may qualify as spoilers.

Christopher Nolan's Inception may be one of the best movies I found massively disappointing. Is it fun? Definitely. Is it inventive? It sure is. Is it worth seeing? Absolutely. Is it the mind-blowing masterpiece that many critics and audience members are calling it? Not even close.

For a movie where people seem desperate to avoid any sort of spoilers, this is a doggedly linear film with very few—if any—twists (a la Memento or The Prestige). It's being touted as another puzzle or maze film (much like Memento), which I actually find misleading and inaccurate. For a movie that takes place in dreams within dreams within dreams, it's pretty damn straightforward.

Also, for a film dealing with going into the realm of dreams and the subconscious, it's pretty mundane. I kept thinking, "This isn't a dream landscape, this is the set of a James Bond film showdown," or, "The inner recesses of one's mind looks a great deal like downtown Chicago." And when you consider there are so many (better) films out there that deal with the realm of dreams and the subconscious—Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Mulholland Dr., Synecdoche, New York, even popcorn entertainments like The Matrix and Total Recall—I couldn't help but think that Inception's take on dream logic was strangely lacking.

But enough slapping Inception around. I don't want you to get the impression that I didn't enjoy this movie (I did) or that I don't recommend it (I do).

(I should also point out that Memento and The Dark Knight are two of my favorite films to come out in the past decade, so I will admit that my expectations for this film was pretty damn high.)

So let's talk about what Nolan & Co. get right with this movie (which is a great deal).

Without giving too much away, Inception is about a team of corporate thieves led by Leonardo DiCaprio that specializes in stealing ideas by infiltrating their dreams. Don't worry about how this works: the bulk of the first act is spent explaining the rules of this job and world. After a quasi-botched job, they're approached by a mysterious corporate bigwig played by Ken Watanabe who wants to hire them not to make an "extraction," (their term for stealing ideas), but an "Inception." In other words, he wants them to implant an idea in a competitor's mind and make him think it's his original thought.

DiCaprio's partner, a surprisingly dapper and badass Joseph Gordon-Levitt, says it's impossible, since the mind can always trace the origin of an idea, but DiCaprio begs to differ. We in the audience do, too; not for the same (deliberately untold) reasons DiCaprio knows, but just from simple common sense. (Studies have shown that the mind actually is notoriously bad at tracing the origin of ideas—but I guess never mind that.)

At first DiCaprio & Co. refuse due to the excessive risk and difficulty, but Watanabe makes DiCaprio an offer he can't refuse. I won't reveal what it is, but it has to do with Leo's deliberately elusive and troubled back-story. Then we get into the "getting the team together to organize the heist" portion of the movie, which is actually quite fun. This is where we meet Ellen Page, who's brought in to serve as the architect for the dream world they're creating for their target (Cillian Murphy).

The story is actually very fun and engaging. It's also one of the few movies where I didn't mind that it stopped for 45 minutes to simply explain the rules of this world to Page us. (This is, after all, how most heist films are done; after getting the team together, the team then plans out the heist in semi-meticulous fashion, a la Rififi). And, at two hours and 45 minutes, it flies by.

And my previous complaints about the mundane look and feel of the dreamscapes aside, the effects are quite nice and not aggressively in your face. The effects serve the story, not the other way around, and the action sequences are clear and coherent (although again, this may be a detriment for a movie like this). They also range from the spectacular (the anti-gravity fight in the hotel lobby; the opening sequence) to the disappointingly mundane (the previously-mentioned James Bon-esque setting).

The acting, as is the case with the acting in almost all of Nolan's films, is top-shelf. DiCaprio is breaking out of his pretty-boy routine and looks quite well, and looks downright haggard and downtrodden in this. (He actually also looks a bit pudgy and bulky in this movie, which works in his favor, oddly enough: it adds some metaphorical weight to his screen presence as well.)

As for the rest of the cast, Page works well as the audience's surrogate. Michael Caine obviously makes a nice cameo here, and is also obviously engaging. Again, I was really surprised and impressed with how...there's no other hyphenated word for it...kick-ass Gordon-Levitt is in this as well (though having seen and liked Brick, I really shouldn't have been so surprised). Watanabe and Murphy are also solid and spot-on, as are Tom Berenger, Tom Hardy, Dileep Rao and Marion Cotillard.

Inception is ultimately a very fun and inventive heist film. Just don't go in expecting something more than that.

Still quite impressed with Gordon-Levitt's badassery,

James "Nolan + Cast of 10 Things I Hate About You = Acting Magic" Comtois

Infectious Opportunity Nominated for an IT Award

Well, the announcement's been made public, so I can blather about it here. Infectious Opportunity has been nominated for a 2010 New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Full-Length Script.

The rest of the nominees, which include Crystal Skillman's Vigil, Heather Cohn for directing Flux's The Lesser Seductions of History, Piper McKenzie's Craven Monkey and the Mountain of Fury, Vampire Cowboys' Alice in Slasherland, Paco Tolson for his acting work in The Brokenhearteds, and most of the cast for MilkMilkLemonade, can all be found here.

Congratulations to all my fellow nominees!

Just happy to be nominated,

James "Nom Nom Nom" Comtois

Back from One Party, Off to Another

I got back from Mac and Sandy's wedding yesterday. What a lovely ceremony and reception, guys (those kudos also go to Sean Williams for conducting the ceremony). It was well worth the trip. I think I drank our GNP of lemonade on Saturday. With luck, pictures should be circulating soon from various sources. Congratulations again, guys, and enjoy Belize!

Tonight I'll be attending the NY Innovative Theatre Awards 2010 Nomination Announcement at Our Lady of Pompeii in the Village. I'll most likely be seeing a number of my readers there, and for those of you who can't make it, I'll fill you in on the details tomorrow.

Theatre's favorite party-crasher,

James "Company Embarrassment" Comtois

Off to Mac & Sandy's Wedding!

Well, in a few hours, I'm heading off to Western Pennsylvania with many folks in Nosedive Central to witness Mac Rogers' & Saundra Yaklin's nuptials. Congratulations in advance, guys! I'm very much looking forward to it.

When I return, I expect to have stories. Or at least, anecdotes. Or at least, relay to you how much artichoke dip I pilfered (I knew these sports coats had pockets for a reason).

I'll also have some other news about unrelated topics. Stay tuned, folks. And have a great weekend.

Getting ready for the long-ass drive,

James "Road Warrior" Comtois

Harvey Pekar, 1939-2010

"People still don't realize how versatile and how good a medium comics is. If you look at the stuff I've written, they're like play scripts. You write the dialogue and direct it for the artist. But comics are undervalued because they've been used in such a limited way. People judge by what they know, and what they know is Superman."
—Harvey Pekar to The Los Angeles Times, 1995

Underground comic book writer, jazz critic, and file clerk Harvey Pekar died today at the age of 70.

The Cuyahoga County Coroner’s office told The Plain Dealer of Cleveland that Mr. Pekar was found dead in his Clevaland Heights home by his wife, Joyce Brabner, at around 1 a.m.

An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death.

Mr. Pekar was best known for writing the autobiographical comic, American Splendor, which featured artwork from Robert Crumb, Gary Dumm and Frank Stack. The comic series inspired a 2003 quasi-biopic/documentary film of the same name starring Paul Giamatti and Pekar as himself.

Mr. Pekar and Ms. Brabner wrote Our Cancer Year, a book-length comic, after Mr. Pekar was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer in 1990 and underwent a grueling treatment.

His stories often portrayed the most mundane aspects of his daily life. R. Crumb once wrote that Mr. Pekar's writing material is "so staggeringly mundane it verges on the exotic."

He is survived by Joyce Brabner (his third wife) and their foster daughter Danielle.

The Little One: Over and Done

Well, The Little One has closed and has gone up to that Great Production in the Sky. [Insert single tear here.] It's hard to believe the month came and went: it seems as though this run simply flew by. We got a really nice response to this show, and we're all pretty damn happy with it and sorry to see it go.

I wanted to just once again thank everyone who worked on this, came out to see it, and donated to make this production possible. Thanks, guys. You're all awesome.

Now onto the next show...

Onwards and fartwards,

James "Mop Man" Comtois

Photos by Aaron Epstein

"The Little One has plenty of action, suspense, and more than a little stage blood. More profound and more philosophical than you ever expect 'genre theatre' to be. A compelling new work."
—Martin Denton, nytheatre.com

"There’s much to like in this offering from Nosedive Productions, directed by Pete Boisvert. Comtois enjoyably experiments with time throughout, skipping ahead 350 years after intermission. Byers likewise does well, ably showing Cynthia’s evolution from scared child to surly teenager before her final emergence as a strong, competent, if not vengeful, vampire."
—Amanda Mastrull, The Village Voice

"Comtois at his inventive best. Like a bloodier Tuck Everlasting. The Little One leaves audiences with more than enough to sink their teeth into."
—Aaron Riccio, That Sounds Cool

"The Little One has a lot to offer lovers of vampire stories and fans of fantasy and horror. Ms. Byers’ performance is one that shouldn’t be missed. Great Geek Theater."
—Teresa Jusino, Pink Raygun

"Years from now, people will be lining up to see ANY production of this piece just to say, 'Yes! I totally stood in line three hours to get tickets.'"
—Janelle Lannan, Theatre Is Easy

"The Little One is good antidote to the vampire-lite version that is currently gracing local movie theatres. Featuring blood, humor and plenty of death, The Little One is a nice addition to the vampire canon."
—Byrne Harrison, Stagebuzz

"An enjoyable show with a distinct point of view and some excellent scenes—an interesting addition to the vampire canon."
—John Sobel, Blogcritics

"A fresh and original take on the usual vampire story...a wholly convincing alternative to the usual vampire rules."
—Mark Peikert, Backstage

"This two-hour show ends too soon, like a good book that you wanted to keep reading. Beautifully incarnated by the entire bloodthirsty cast, The Little One is a play that kidnaps you from modern day East Village reality and drops you into the vampire’s den with total immersion."
—Lina Zeldovich, The Happiest Medium

The Village Voice on The Little One

Amanda Mastrull has posted her review for The Little One at The Village Voice.

"There’s much to like in this offering from Nosedive Productions, directed by Pete Boisvert. Comtois enjoyably experiments with time throughout, skipping ahead 350 years after intermission. Byers likewise does well, ably showing Cynthia’s evolution from scared child to surly teenager before her final emergence as a strong, competent, if not vengeful, vampire."

Read the whole thing here.

We've only got three shows left and tickets are selling fast. So buy yours now.

Having only three more days to vamp,

James "Fuck You, I Like Puns" Comtois

Photo by Aaron Epstein

Closing in on Closing Night

Well, folks. It's been a fun, blood-soaked run, but all good things must come to an end.

There are only three more performances of Nosedive's vampire play, The Little One, before it goes up into the Great Production in the Sky.

It's playing this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Kraine Theater on 85 East 4th Street (between Second and Bowery). You can buy your tickets (and it's a VERY good idea to buy them in advance) here.

Trust me, folks. You don't wanna miss out on this.

Cuddly and nocturnal,

James "Barn Owl" Comtois

"The Little One has plenty of action, suspense, and more than a little stage blood. More profound and more philosophical than you ever expect 'genre theatre' to be. A compelling new work."
—Martin Denton, nytheatre.com

"Comtois at his inventive best. Like a bloodier Tuck Everlasting. The Little One leaves audiences with more than enough to sink their teeth into."
—Aaron Riccio, That Sounds Cool

"The Little One has a lot to offer lovers of vampire stories and fans of fantasy and horror. Ms. Byers’ performance is one that shouldn’t be missed. Great Geek Theater."
—Teresa Jusino, Pink Raygun

"Years from now, people will be lining up to see ANY production of this piece just to say, 'Yes! I totally stood in line three hours to get tickets.'"
—Janelle Lannan, Theatre Is Easy

"A fresh and original take on the usual vampire story...a wholly convincing alternative to the usual vampire rules."
—Mark Peikert, Backstage

"This two-hour show ends too soon, like a good book that you wanted to keep reading. Beautifully incarnated by the entire bloodthirsty cast, The Little One is a play that kidnaps you from modern day East Village reality and drops you into the vampire’s den with total immersion."
—Lina Zeldovich, The Happiest Medium

St. Nicholas Review for nytheatre.com

I figured in my downtime, why not take a break from making vampire theatre by going to see some other vampire theatre?

Thus, my review of St. Nicholas is now up on nytheatre.com.

* * *

What separates vampires from humans is that, unlike humans, vampires can't reflect. That doesn't just mean they can't cast reflections in mirrors, but that they have no conscience... [keep reading]

Theatre Is Easy on The Little One

Yes, I realize the title of this post is a pun. A pun on what? No idea, actually.

Ahem.

Janelle Lannan has posted her review for The Little One on the site Theatre Is Easy.

"I love how serious they play this story. I liken it to that of a cult movie classic that becomes the standard that every other movie is compared to. Years from now, people will be lining up to see ANY production of this piece just to say, 'Yes! I totally stood in line three hours to get tickets.'"

Read the whole thing here.

The Little One is playing for two more weekends (this weekend and next) at the Kraine Theater. Click here for tickets.

Very serious,

James "Fartybutt" Comtois

Photos by Aaron Epstein