Bellflower

The preteen boys of the '70s who played "war" in their backyards and pored over dirty magazines in their clubhouses are transmogrified into a pair of 21st century twentysomething misfits in writer/director/actor Evan Glodell's wild and woolly contemplation of apocalyptic America. The characters here possess considerably more aptitude for destruction than their younger predecessors. Woodrow (Glodell) and Aiden (Tyler Dawson) are a pair of best friends obsessed with building a flamethrower gun and flame-spewing muscle car named Medusa, after the name of their two-man gang "Mother Medusa."

Joel Hodge's saturated cinematography emphasizes the film's lo-fi "Mad Max" intentions. Countless laws were obviously broken to get this rebellious indie film in the can. Woodrow slips into a doomed relationship with an ethically ungrounded blonde, Milly (well played by Jessie Wiseman). The couple's tortured relationship incites its own brand of scorched-earth emotional expression. Blood and fire rain down. Adventurous, original, and executed with fearless sincerity, "Bellflower" is a thought-provoking commentary on the seething underbelly of an emotionally and intellectually stunted country. Evan Glodell has invented a bold vision of independent cinema that pisses down throat of the "mumblecore" indie movement. Call it "apocalypticore." Here is a movie that sears itself into your eyeballs and brain.

Rated R. 105 mins. (B+) (Four Stars - out of five/no halves)

Tiny Furniture

The fad movement known as mumblecore few baby steps in writer/director/actress Lena Dunham's melancholic piece of navel-gazing. Empathetic characters are nowhere to be found.

Dunham plays 22-year-old Aura. She returns after college to live in her artist mother's palatial TriBeCa apartment where Aura's bitchy — and hotter — younger sister Nadine (Grace Dunham) rules the roost. Aura plans to move into an apartment with a college girlfriend in the coming weeks, but lacks direction and motivation. At an East Village party Aura meets YouTube phemon/experimental filmmaker Jed (Alex Karovsky). He is allegedly in town for meetings with television networks like HBO. Aura, who has a film theory degree, makes experimental films that she too posts on YouTube. Overlooking Jed's snotty personality and lack of money, Aura invites him to stay with her at her mother's place while mom (played by Dunham's real-life mother Laurie Simmons) and sis are away. Despite the obvious opportunity, Aura is unable to tempt Jed into any sexy time. Meanwhile, at her new job as a restaurant hostess, Aura attempts to work her limited womanly wiles on pill-hungry sous chef Keith (David Call).

Dunham made "Furniture" in her mother's actual apartment. She colors the anti-plot narrative with vague pop culture references to BDSM, Woody Allen, Craigslist, and Rachel Maddow. There is a bland naturalism at play, albeit a narcissistic one, that comes across in a series of amorphous scenes that go on much longer than they should. Anger, frustration, and confusion are in plentiful supply. The movie is weighed down with too much emotional baggage for any humor to seep through. Watching "Tiny Furniture" is like showing up for a dinner party but being taken to the dentist instead. It's not a pleasant surprise.

Not Rated. 98 mins. (D) (One Star - out of five/no halves)

Wonderful World

"Wonderful World" is a faulty independent drama which adds up to less than the sum of its underdeveloped parts. Matthew Broderick is Ben Singer, a cynical divorced guy who can't even manage to cheer up when he has custody of his quirky daughter Sandra (Jodie Ferland). Living with a roommate in a small apartment, Ben drives his tiny car to a dreary day job proofing legal briefs. Ben, it turns out, was once a successful singer/songwriter of children's folk songs, with at least one popular album under his belt. When his Senegalese roommate Ibu (Michael K. Williams) slips into a diabetic coma, Ben comes to the rescue and soon strikes up a romance with Ibu's visiting sister Khadi (well played by Sanaa Lathan). Writer Joshua Goldin makes an inauspicious directorial debut with a malnourished script that never resonates because the author is seemingly afraid to express any ideas beyond its don't-worry-be-happy theme. Ben's vague sense of defeated idealism sparks to life briefly under the threat of hot romantic attraction, but the story refuses to catch fire.  

Rated R. 92 mins. (C-) (Two Stars)

Goodbye Solo

Co-Writer/director Ramin Bahrani ("Chop Shop") could learn some lessons from the late John Cassavetes who eschewed having his characters speak each other's names because it's not how people talk in real life. In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Senegalese cab driver Solo (Souleymane Sy Savane) is an effusively optimistic famliy man training to become an airline attendant when he picks up a cantankerous and depressed 70-year-old passenger named William (Red West). William contracts Solo for a thousand dollars to drive him one-way up to the mountainous Blowing Rock National Park in two weeks. William's suicidal plan is obvious, and the two-week timeline gives Solo plenty of time to befriend the old codger with an idea of changing the old man's mind before the fateful day arrives. William and Solo's step-daughter Alex (Diana Franco Galindo) speak his name with such a repetitive frequency that the all suspension of disbelief is smothered. Film critic A.O. Scott famously misnamed "Goodbye Solo" as a "Neo-neo-realist" film. Rather, the film represents a barely competent script made gripping by an inspired director and two equally talented actors. Ramin Bahrani is a promising filmmaker who needs to work much harder at crafting dialogue and complete stories, and not believe the false praise being bestowed on him by the A.O. Scotts of the world.     
(Roadside Attractions) Not Rated. 91 mins. (C) (Two Stars)

The New Twenty

Co-writer/director Chris Mason Johnson's amateur debut effort could be credited with creating a new genre of pretentious triteness tailored to define the pop slang word "Redonkulous." Five twenty something New York characters tweak out their 2006 urban existence under the boldface stereotypes that the script demands. Our gang of ennui-ridden friends-since-college include Ben (Colin Fickes), a not-so-closeted gay guy who vainly tries to get laid via the internet, Julie (Nicole Bilderback), a female Asian corporate conqueror and her stud muffin venture-capitalist fiancé Andrew (Ryan Locke), Julie's younger gay brother Tony (Andrew Wei Lin) and Felix (Thomas Sadoski), the group's token junkie. The film's message seems to be that modern society's greedy (heterosexual), metrosexual (celibate), and gay (anxiety ridden) citizens all belong in therapy or rehab. It's a vision of a generation with nothing to offer. The only thematic relief comes from the falseness of the precept.
Not Rated. 91 mins. (D) (One Star)

The Cake Eaters

An old-fashioned minor key drama, "The Cake Eaters" is the exact type of film that is the cornerstone of modern American Independent cinema. Seasoned actress Mary Stuart Masterson makes a notable directorial debut with Jayce Bartok's story about two small-town families in upstate New York. The impossibly romantic Kristen Stewart plays Georgia Kaminski, a terminally ill 15-year-old girl whose over-protective art photographer mother insists on using Georgia as the sole model for her photographs. While in the care of her understanding grandmother Marge (wonderfully played by Elizabeth Ashley) Georgia meets Beagle (played by Aaron Stanford) and strikes up a romantic liaison. Little does Georgia know that her grandmother is involved in a long-term affair with Beagle's dad Easy (played by Bruce Dern). The recent death of Easy's wife Cici from cancer, and the belated return of his son Guy (played by Jayce Bartok) coincides with the romantic inertia that blossoms. Naturalistic performances from its terrific ensemble of actors, concise camerawork and elegant storytelling coalesce to form a truly inspired independent film.

(7-57 Releasing) Not Rated. 95 mins. (A) (Five Stars)

Lake City

Sissy Spacek is the kind of actress who can do no wrong, so it's especially disheartening to see her appear in a poorly constructed and cliché-riddled drama like "Lake City." Spacek plays Maggie, the mother to her troubled son Billy (Troy Garity). Both are haunted by the death of Billy's brother in a car accident years ago. These days Billy is on the run with his young son Clayton from a mob of drug dealers whose stash was taken by Clayton's lowlife mother Hope (Drea de Matteo). Billy and Clayton take refuge on Maggie's Virginia farm that she's considering selling. Dave Matthews makes an appearance as a nasty drug lord and David Carradine plays a good ole boy mechanic with a knack for playing guitar. The story collapses in a guffaw inducing third act climax that feels like it belongs to a different movie. "Lake City" is a throwaway film with a cast it doesn't deserve.

(Screen Media) Rated R. 93 mins. (C-)

Happy Go-Lucky (2008 New York Film Festival)

Director Mike Leigh creates an air-headed vision of inner contentment in the guise of 30-year-old British primary school teacher and student driver Poppy (played by Sally Hawkins). Poppy is so good at putting on a happy face that you sense she may be taking advantage of chemical assistance. Though chirpy Poppy is able to mend the ways of a young misfit student in her class, she has a significantly tougher time with her borderline-racist driving teacher Scott (exquisitely played by Eddie Marsan), who becomes the heel of the movie's social joke about the world’s happy-haves and the unhappy-have-nots. Poppy's inability to help one so desperate as Scott, becomes the central theme that breaks the narrative from justifying Poppy’s selfish nature or lacking intelligence. The movie does transform the audience into a conduit for some movie magic bliss, but "you have to like a film for the right reasons." Leigh (most famous for his sensational family drama "Secrets and Lies") used his traditional system of improvising with his actors for an extended period to develop the story and performances. It's a naturalistic approach at odds with a puff piece about the small glories of keeping an upbeat attitude regardless of circumstance.

Rated R. 118 mins. (C) (Two Stars)

The Wrestler (2008 New York Film Festival)

After disappointing audiences with "The Fountain" (2006), Darren Aronofsky bounces back with an affecting portrait of an aging wrestler (brilliantly played by Mickey Rourke in a career topping performance) coming to grips with his waning health and need to reconnect with his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood). Years of working in the wrestling circuit have taken their toll on Randy "the Ram" Robinson's heavily scarred body, when he takes one last stab at the pro wrestling circuit. Broke and lonely, Randy frequently visits stripper Cassidy/Pam (Marisa Tomei) at the club where she dances to woo her into his life. With limited options available to him, Randy reaches out to his disenfranchised daughter Stephanie, who he has never been able to support. Aronofsky invokes a fierce blue-collar integrity that supports the idiosyncrasies of the story's pro wrestling milieu. Marisa Tomei gives a fearless performance as a nude dancer whose days of entertaining are winding down. "The Wrestler" is an independent gem.

Rated R. 109 mins. (B+) (Four Stars)

Wendy and Lucy (The 2008 New York Film Festival)

A folksy story about a poor disenfranchised girl with a lost dog, "Wendy and Lucy" is auteur Kelly Reichardt's similarly simplistic follow-up to her overrated debut "Old Joy." Stuck with a broken down car in Portland on her way to find work in Alaska, Wendy (embodied by Michelle Williams) gets caught shoplifting dog food at a local grocery store and things go downhill from there. As a muted commentary on the reality of living as a refugee in one's own country, the film doesn't delve far enough into the relationships of its enigmatic character. Still, Michelle Williams' thoughtful performance is reason enough to see this mediocre minimalist independent drama.

Not Rated. 80 mins. (C) (Two Stars)    

Filth & Wisdom

If not for the quixotic presence of Gogol Bordello lead singer Eugene Holtz, Madonna's directorial debut would have no entertainment value, and it doesn't have much with Holtz in a slightly altered version of himself. Holtz plays A.K. a Ukrainian London-dwelling BDSM prostitute by day and gypsy rock singer by night. A.K.'s friends, ballet dancer-turning-pole-stripper Holly (Holly Weston), martyr-complex-pharmacist Juliette (Vicky McLure), and aged blind gay poet Professor Flynn (Richard E. Grant), fill in disconnected subplots that take up every strained moment of narrative stagnation co-writer/director Madonna inflicts on her audience. Fans of Eugene Holtz may get a brief charge from his Ukrainian-inflected irony that saturates every word he utters, but all others should beware of giving this sloppy film the time of day.

Not Rated, 81 mins. (D)

Red

Revenge, and the availability of firearms in America, are the topics of a thoughtful allegory in this independent film that wisely leans on the capable shoulders of Brian Cox as its protagonist. Set in a timeless rural part of Portland—although appropriately filmed largely in Fillmore, California—the story follows general store owner and widower Avery Ludlow (Cox) whose dog Red is shot by three local teenage thugs as he fishes with his loyal dog beside him. Avery’s slowburn anger gradually rises after he tracks down the murderer’s father to politely request an admission and apology from the boy that is not forthcoming. The film is based on Jack Ketchum’s novel, and directors Trygve Allister Diesen and Lucky McKee keep the material condensed on small scale in order to project its wider implications. "Red" is a powerful independent movie deserving of more attention than it will likely receive.

Rated R, 95 mins. (B+) (Four Stars)

Frozen River

Debut director Courtney Hunt’s drama of poverty, illegal immigration and American Indian dystopia won overrated praise at Sundance that resulted in its limited distribution. Suffering from an underdeveloped script and amateur performances from its supporting cast, "Frozen River’ is set on the U.S./Canadian border town of New York State’s St. Lawrence River where trailer-dwelling mom Ray (well played by Melissa Leo) raises her two sons without the support of her recent abandoning husband. Ray works at a discount store when fate introduces her to the world of immigrant smuggling via a local Mohawk Indian woman named Lila (played by Misty Upham) who transports immigrants in the trunk of Ray’s car across St. Lawrence’s frozen river for $1200 per immigrant. The large cash rewards compel Ray to participate in Lila’s human trafficking operation that will complicate Ray’s life in unforeseen ways.

Sony Pictures Classics, Rated R, 96 mins. (C-) (Two Stars)

Lars and the Real Girl

Screenwriter Nancy Oliver has crafted a surprisingly touching and, yes, romantic story about a lonely introvert who discovers an ad hoc method of self-therapy in the guise of an anatomically correct silicone love doll. Lars Lindstrom (Ryan Gosling) lives in the garage of the Midwest home he grew up in, where his brother Gus (Paul Schneider) and wife Karin (Emily Mortimer) inhabit the main house. An office mate at Lars's nondescript day job introduces Lars to a love doll website from which he orders "Bianca" and transforms her into a delicate wheelchair-ridden girlfriend. Unable to tolerate human contact, Lars can finally interact, through Bianca, with his family and people in his community in ways never before possible. Patricia Clarkson gives a reliably understated performance as Dr. Dagmar, the psychiatrist who monitors Bianca's health on a weekly basis and who guides Lars on a journey of self-discovery. Eloquent performances from its entire cast support the rhythmically timed movie to render surprising emotional rewards. "Lars and the Real Girl" is the best independent film of the year.

Rated PG-13, 106 mins. (A-) (Four Stars)

Delirious

Eccentric New York paparazzi Les Galantine (Steve Buscemi) befriends homeless kid Toby Grace (Michael Pitt) and shelters the young dreamer in his small apartment in return for cheap labor. The awkward relationship gets stickier when Les ruins Toby’s chances with his latest love, pop diva K’Harma Leeds (Alison Lohman) at her celebrity-attended birthday party. Toby stumbles into success with his own reality TV show, that involves paying special service to his oversexed agent (Gina Gershon), while Les struggles alone with his sanity. There’s enough retro modern social satire here to support the comical efforts of a talented cast adding layers of emotional nuance. Alison Lohman ("White Oleander") remains a rising star with yet another inspired performance that surprises and charms.

Not Rated, 107 mins. (B-) (Three Stars)

Dedication

Actor Justin Theroux makes an auspicious directorial debut with a disarmingly funny romantic comedy full of emotional life and witty filmic textures. Henry Roth (Bill Crudup) is a children’s book writer whose illustrator and collaborator Rudy (Tom Wilkinson) is about the only person in the world patient enough to tolerate Henry’s nervous tics and angry outbursts. Rudy’s death forces Henry to attempt working with a publisher-assigned collaborator in the guise of Lucy Riley (Mandy Moore). Once Henry stops insulting Lucy long enough to apologize, he realizes the flame burning between them but battles with his grip on reality—he’s scared of driving and superstitious about everything. Billy Crudup makes us root for his confused character, and Mandy Moore is convincing and funny as the best that thing ever happened to Henry.

Rated R, 93 mins. (B) (Four Stars)

Descent

Daring sex scenes are an obvious way for young filmmakers to prove to the world that they are capable of shocking society. Witness Steven Soderbergh’s "sex, lies and videotape." So it is that upstart filmmaker Talia Lugacy crafts a revenge drama--ala "Ms. 45" or "Irreversible"--where college student (Rosario Dawson) becomes a date-rape victim before setting a revenge trap that culminates in one of the most over-the-top sex scenes in recent memory. Chad Faust ("Saved") plays Jared, the sociopath rapist, with an appropriately menacing and warped romantic air that reflects well off of Rosario Dawson's compact performance. "Descent" is the worst date movie of the year, and the sucker punch that it packs will definitely twist the guts of most viewers into lasting knots. Apart from its obvious exploitation element and disjointed second act, the movie achieves a cool momentum by sheer force of the intimate power play that takes place over the course of a slow build-up. It’s a modern "art film," and there aren’t many of those around anymore.

Rated PG-13, 100 mins. (C+) (Two Stars)

Rocket Science

Positively winning coming-of-age drama/comedy stacks the deck with newcomer Reece Daniel Thompson as Hal Hefner, a stuttering New Jersey High School student. Thompson plays the part with an innocence and ingenuity akin to a very young Dustin Hoffman. Hal’s low self-esteem gets an unexpected boost from debate-team star Ginny Ryerson (Anna Kendrick) who "sees something in Hal that others don’t," and encourages him to join her on the school’s debate team. But Ginny has ulterior motives that sink Hal’s smitten spirit as he attempts to overcome his stuttering problem during timed debates. It’s obvious that writer/director Jeffrey Blitz ("Spellbound") works well with his actors, but it’s his fresh approach to storytelling, and naturalistic sense of humor, that creates a soulful cushion for the charming narrative to unfold.

Rated R, 98 mins. (B+) (Four Stars)

Around the Bend

Michael Caine and Christopher Walken breath spirited life into debut writer/director Jordan Roberts’ road trip of family bonding in this independent movie with a big heart. The 85-year-old Henry Lair (Caine) lives in Los Angeles with his 32-year-old grandson Jason (Josh Lucas – "Wonderland") and 6-year-old great grandson Zach (Jonah Bobo) before Jason’s long lost father Turner (Walken) unexpectedly materializes for the first time in 30 years. Turner’s sudden appearance is especially surprising to Zach who has only ever been told that his outlaw grandfather is deceased. The four generations of men do soon drop in number however when the ailing Henry dies immediately after writing his final requests on post-its in the comfort of a local Kentucky Fried Chicken. Henry’s circuitous instructions send his three descendents on family history soul searching road trip from Los Angeles to Albuquerque that culminates in a cathartic admission by Walken’s character that marks one of the actor’s finer cinematic moments in recent years. "Around The Bend" may be a ‘small’ movie, but it’s still better than Hollywood’s average fare.

Rated R. 83 mins. (B) (Three Stars)

Half Nelson

A "half nelson" is an effective wrestling hold that relates to debut director Ryan Fleck’s overhyped clinker inasmuch as its Brooklyn junior high teaching protagonist Dan Dunne (stoically played by Ryan Gosling) remains emotionally knotted up. Terminal malcontent Dunne gets caught smoking crack in a locker room by his 13-year-old student Drey (Shareeka Epps) after a basketball game and the two develop a dysfunctional interdependent relationship that is squirm inducing for its manifest levels of impropriety. The movie hits a stream of false notes when Dunne’s students deliver oral reports on Civil Rights struggles that could only have been plagiarized. The film’s ending isn’t only meager, it’s utterly listless.

Rated R, 107 mins. (C) (Two Stars)

Lonesome Jim

Steve Buscemi ("Animal Factory") brings his unique dry wit to bear on a pedestrian story by James C. Strouse about Jim (Casey Affleck – "Ocean’s Twelve"), a 27-year-old melancholy loser who returns from trying to make it as a writer in Manhattan to his parent’s home in Indiana. Jim strikes up a wobbly romantic relationship with local nurse Anika (Liv Tyler) while his brother Tim (Kevin Corrigan) recoups from a near-fatal car accident. "Lonesome Jim" is an earnest and modest ‘little independent’ movie that charms by way of its understated underachieving characters. Mary Kay Place is quietly sympathetic as Jim’s put upon mother.

Rated R. 91 mins. (B-) (Three Stars)