Dave Ash's sequel to 2021 -- TWIN CITIES -- to premiere at Film Invasion Los Angeles

Every so often, but far too rarely, TrustMovies views a new film by an unknown filmmaker that deserves a much wider viewing public than this little blog can manage to provide. Such as film was 2021 (click here for a review) and so, too, is the new sequel to that film -- TWIN CITIES -- by Minneapolis-based filmmaker David Ash. His new film, in fact, is even more ambitious in concept and execution than his earlier endeavor, though it is not quite as effective as 2021. It is still more than worth seeing, and I hope it will jump-start this "local" filmmaker to national prominence.

Mr. Ash, pictured at right, continues his tale of two oddball lovers, John and Emily, who met and tried to form a relationship in 2021. Now, they're married, she's expecting, and John -- as bi-polar and troubled as ever -- is about to discover something about his health that will change everything. Or not. What is real and what is not get quite the workout here, in terms of both what happens to our characters and the game the filmmaker is playing with us viewers. Not for nothing is Ash's movie titled Twin Cities. Yes, it takes place in the Minneapolis/St. Paul region, but its narrative, too, is broken into two distinct strands/sections that, while they play off each other, are also quite impossible to meld.

The first section/story seems to belong mostly to John (played again with amazing force and commitment by Clarence Wethern, above, left), the second to Emily (again, the equally committed and talented Bethany Ford Binkley, above right). It's wonderful to see them together again, playing off each other with such rapport and skill.

John, above, struggles with those same old demons (his mental state and a job that he is extraordinarily good at yet does not want to do), while Bethany, below and now pregnant, has written a best-seller and finds herself blocked concerning that second novel, which her publisher is anxiously awaiting.

In the movie's second section, all has changed, and rather drastically -- yet so many details are so similar but also exactly different. The parents in section one belong to John. In section two, they are Emily's -- with the major health issue transferred from one sex to the other. (That's "mom," played by Mary Beidler Gearen, below).

This splitting of the narrative into two strands is certainly interesting, but I do not think it adds anything to the characterizations, which proved much stronger in 2021. It may make us think and think again about some of the philosophical points raised by Mr. Ash (who both wrote and directed) concerning life, death, religion, faith, work, love and more, but I don't believe the use of twin narratives actually adds any more depth to the discussion.

It does give these actors plenty of opportunity to demonstrate their chops -- which they do. (That's Gabe Angieri, playing Dad, above.)  It also shows the filmmaker's wonderful rapport with those actors. He, along with his writing, draws such immediate, specific and emotionally compelling performances from his leads, which also include Peter Christian Hansen (below) as Emily's significant other in the second section, that scene after scene grabs you and does not let go.

Mr. Ash, along with his treatment thus far by the independent film establishment and its critics, brings up an interesting point regarding insider and outsider art. A film I covered earlier this week -- Matías Piñeiro's Hermia and Helena -- is a perfect example of "insider" art:  Piñeiro's work is beloved by insiders and the filmmaker, in his latest work, even uses many of these people in his film. His latest is too long and so thin that it practically disappears while unspooling. But his work has caught critics' fancy bigtime (mine included, at least where one of his earlier films is concerned).

Ash, on the other hand, living and working in Minnesota yet producing some masterful stuff, remains an outsider. Really now: It's time for a change. Maybe new exposure for Twin Cities will foment that change. Do you have to have already seen 2021 to appreciate Ash's latest film? I don't think so, although seeing them both can only increase your enjoyment and connections.

As I mentioned in the headline above, the movie premieres next month on June 11 in L. A.at Film Invasion Los Angeles. Click here for more information and/or here to purchase tickets.

Good news! This film is now 

(I'm adding this note in summer, 2018) 

available via Amazon Prime. 

Click here to access it.

Chris Evans' charming directorial debut, BEFORE WE GO, hits Blu-ray, DVD & Digital

You may find yourself, as did TrustMovies, muttering now and again, "I don't buy that" as BEFORE WE GO, the directorial debut of Chris Evans and starring Mr. Evans and Alice Eve, takes off. Some of the set-up does seem a bit iffy, but hang on even a little while, and the characterizations (provided by screen-writers Ron Bass, Jen Smolka, Chris Shafer and Paul Viknair, from a story by Bass and Smolka) and the sterling performances given by Evans and Ms Eve will insure that you stick with this charming, funny and moving tale of love.

What proves most interesting about Before We Go is that the love here in mostly not between the characters played by Evans (at left) and Eve (below, right). Instead it's about the love each of them has for someone else. That this movie will prove such an "odd" love story should not surprise if you consider that screenwriter Bass also gave us My Best Friend's Wedding -- one of the all-time best (and surprisingly, most popular, too) off-kilter love stories Hollywood has yet produced.

Again, Bass and his crew are creating a tale of love in which that love includes everything from friendship, help and lust to heartache, hope and growth. The movie is mostly just these two people, whom we learn more and more about as the story progresses.

Along the way we're offered a not-bad rendition of My Funny Valentine for trumpet and voice, a walk through New York City's quiet middle-of-the-night streets, coffee in a tiny diner, a wedding party that includes the Evans' character's lost love (the gorgeous and charismatic Emma Fitzpatrick), and a odd and very lovely meeting with a smart psychic (played with great charm and believability by John Cullum).

That's mostly it. But as the relationship grows and changes, I think you'll find yourself hooked. This proves an auspicious directing debut for Evans (who performs with his usual low-key charm), while adding to Eve's gallery of bright, funny, moving and very appealing heroines.

Before We Go -- from Radius/TWC and Anchor Bay Entertainment and running just 95 minutes -- hits DVD, Blu-ray and digital formats today, Tuesday, November 3, for purchase or rental, 

Nate Meyer's unusual romantic-dramedy SEE GIRL RUN is most definitely worth a stream

Critics, along with much of the audience for small independent films, often complain about filmmakers not providing movies that are really new and different, that don't fall into the same old rut. This is especially true of the rom-com-drama genre, where almost everything that turns out "different" -- from the past year's The Stroller Strategy and I Give It a Year to About Time -- is met with reactions ranging from confu-sion to outright deri-sion. And so it seems to have been with SEE GIRL RUN, a smart and original look at life, love and family written and directed by Nate Meyer that you can stream now on Netflix but that, so far as I can tell, was first seen at last year's SXSW Film Fest and then went straight to VOD, bypassing even a slight theatrical release.

See Girl Run surprises in so many ways. First of all, it sets up our expec-tations, more because of what rom-coms usually do that what Mr. Meyer (shown at left) is actually providing, and then pulls us along as it proceeds to trounce most of those expectations. Yet this is done, under the deft hand of Meyer and his excellent cast, gently and quietly rather than (in the current Hollywood mode) raucously, sleazily or with the usual simple-minded ironies. Instead the filmmaker gives us a deeper look at heroine and (not quite) hero, as well as their family members, than expected.

Meyer is dealing with the oft-used "what if?" scenario but giving this a spin unlike anything we've seen. He wants us to think about, not what we might have, but what we have, then weigh it against some of our fonder wishes. He is telling us to look at what we already possess and ask ourselves what this is worth.

The excellent cast is led by one of independent film's finest actresses, Robin Tunney, above, who has continually delighted and surprised us -- from Empire Records and Niagara Niagara to Cherish and Investigating Sex -- and here does more of the same. Adam Scott, below, as her first and finest "boyfriend" is equally good in a role that, once the movie is over, you'll find yourself doubly surprised about. Supporting work is aces all 'round, from both well-known actors and others we're seeing for the first time.

I don't want to give away any more of the plot because it is that unusual. But if you are looking for a film that will upend in a genuine way so many notions placed front and center in most rom-coms, this movie should be your next streaming session. You can catch it via Netflix and Amazon Instant Video.

The Lewis/Lantos vision of BARNEY'S VERSION brings Richler's novel to life

Sometimes a labor of love proves exactly what is needed. That, at least, seems the case with BARNEY'S VERSION, the film of Mordecai Richler's final novel that producer Robert Lantos, director Richard J. Lewis, screenwriter Michael Konyves and a beautifully-chosen cast have brought to the screen in splendid form, and which Sony Pictures Classics is opening today in New York and L.A. for one week to qualify for award consideration by Academy members. Consider they will. This is good old-fashioned film-making meant for modern audiences. It reminds us what movies are still capable of doing: bringing the novelistic pleasure of a wonderful story, rich characterization and decades of time passing before us, as characters we come to love begin to grow and change.

OK: Lots of films attempt this, using pretty much the same strategy. But in the hands of this team and its crack cast, led by Paul Giamatti, shown above, left, as Barney (a shoo-in for Best Actor nomination) and Dustin Hoffman as his dad (above, right, and likewise likely for a Best Supporting Actor nod), almost everything that has made its way to the screen seems intelligent, often very funny, and absolutely on-target.

TrustMovies confesses to not having any idea of the bona fides of director Lewis (shown at left), who according to the press materials has worked mostly for television. No matter. He's made a real movie here, drawing ace performances from his entire cast and, working with Konyves' fine screenplay, choosing the right scenes -- at the right length -- to bring to marvelous life this odd, engaging story of a smart schlub in (and out of) love. In the first scene of the movie, we peg Barney as an asshole. By the end, we're likely to reach the same conclusion.

Yet between those points, we learn so much about the guy and come to care for him despite his foolish narcissism that he -- and his family and friends -- seem part of our own lives. This bunch includes his first, second and third wives, played respectively by Rachelle Lefevre (shown, pregnant, below), Minnie Driver, and the outstanding Rosamund Pike. To the filmmakers' credit, as crass as wives one and two may be, they remain human, sorrowful and worth caring about, even if they're certainly not the right match for our Barney.

That right match is provided by Pike (below, from Pride & Prejudice, Surrogates, An Education, Made in Dagenham), and this might be the movie that finally gives her the kind of audience identification she deserves. (But take note: She's a brunette here, after playing blonds through most of her movie career.) Other important roles are essayed by a hunky, smart Scott Speedman (as Barney's best friend, shown at left,  above) and Bruce Greenwood (as a suavely annoying "other man").

 
The filmmakers capture the time period beautifully via visuals, sets, clothes and music, and Richler's wonderful humor is brought to the fore with writing that's a canny combination of character, situation and ethnicity -- plus performances that make the most of some very smart dialog.

Barney's Version -- unlike last year's tiresome but supposed Oscar Bait from Sony Pictures Classics, The Last Station -- is the real thing, another fine film from Canada and one that Academy members may find it difficult to pass up. It has opened here in New York at City Cinema 1, 2, 3 and in Los Angeles at The Landmark for one week only and will not be seen again until its official theatrical opening on January 14, 2011.

Open Roads: TEN WINTERS introduces smart first-time filmmaker, Valerio Mieli

In his Q&A following premiere showing of TEN WINTERS (Dieci Inverni) during this year's FSLC Open Roads series, first-time filmmaker Valierio Mieli (shown at left), explained to the audience how this episodic, unusual love story came about. It was indeed, as we were told pre-screening, a project born in a film school.  "They wanted to do -- instead of the usual short -- a full-length feature, and they asked for ideas," the filmmaker told us, "and they chose mine!"

The film stars two extremely talented young actors: Isabella Ragonese (below) and Michele Riondino (further below).  Evidently, in order to raise the necessary budget, a co-production with another country was needed. At first, the director said, he planned to use Berlin as his big, cold foreign city, but then Russia reared its head (one director at the festival told me that, these days, the best friend of Italy's Silvio Berlusconi is Russia's Vladimir Putin!). In any case, countries don't come much colder than Russia, and so the film was shot there, as well as in and around Venice, Italy.

"Why was everything shot in winter?" one audience member asked.  "Because this story could not have happened in summer," the filmmaker explained. "We are all too 'undressed' then."  Winter, he finds to be more non-erotic. Melancholic. "You will notice, " he told us, "that the last scene in the film is actually not so much winter, but early Spring.  So things are changing."

"Isn't your male character sort of taking on the usual female role in this movie? Is this film autobiographical, perhaps?" asked another viewer.  "Next question," responded the director, to a good laugh.  But then he was happy to explain further: "Yes, it is both somewhat autobiographical and somewhat fictional."

Did you ever think about not having such a Hollywood ending to the film? Something darker?" asked another viewer.  To that, the director asked for a show of hands from the audience: those who would have preferred a darker ending were in the clear minority.  This is not unusual, perhaps, but TrustMovies also voted for the happier ending.  It seems to me that when a movie does not offer a Hollywood beginning nor a Hollywood middle, then the ending is probably not so Hollywood, either.

In fact, noted the director, a Hollywood ending might have included the last-minute faux suspense of will she/won't he make that/stop that train/plane -- that kind of thing.  Just because an ending is not dark or negative, does not necessarily make it "Hollywood."

A review of Ten Winters appears in the complete Open Roads round-
up here. Just click and scroll down to near the bottom of the post.