by Andrew Osblood

So if, like me, you waited until the local Goodwill was already cleaned out before starting your Halloween shopping this year, Screengrab In Exile is here to help with our favorite zero effort Last Minute Halloween Costumes!

BAGHEAD

Inspired by:  The Duplass Brothers’ 2008 mumblecore horror classic.

Requires:  One paper bag, eyeholes (and a shirt…please)

H.I. McDUNNOUGH

Inspired by:  The diaper robbery from the Coen Brothers’ Raising Arizona.

Requires:  A panty on your head, son.

GHOST

Inspired by:  It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Requires:  Just a sheet and some scissors, the classic last minute costume. 

The downside:  Y’know…rock.

HARVEY KEITEL

Inspired by:  Every naked Harvey Keitel performance (i.e., every Harvey Keitel performance)

Requires:  Inexplicably high self-esteem; lack of clothing, modesty, full length mirror 

THE 2009 BOSTON RED SOX

Inspired by:  The 2009 Boston Red Sox, circa late October

Requires:  Whatever’s clean

Does Not Require:  Baseball uniforms

I’m trying to find an idea or inspiration for a current project, to do over the summer. Can’t quite find anything yet, trying to watch a lot of films, that may help inspire. I’m also going to paint my wall, so we’ll see what I decide upon and how that turns out.

Another quick work on the WIP before bed

These are my current WIP for the way I’m trying to use Photoshop- it’s of an old piece I had a large scan of- the shell. The second looks like a doll, I don’t like it- and the face really needs work, the third, please excuse the lips- not sure how to do them at all. Still looks doll like, though I improved the shading round the eyes. Cleaned the edges in 4 gonna start her blonde hair.

Just playing about with Photoshop a bit before bed

Holy hell has the world ended? Yes, I actually used Photoshop. Finally got it working, so here’s the piece. Next time I hope to do it on an inked piece.

She looks so slutty, it’s shameful *shakes head*

paper or plastic?!!

R

Ross Partridge, Greta Gerwig, Steve Zissis, Elise Muller

Catherine: It’s because you’re more loud than anything, Matt, not because of the bag over your head!  If you come screaming and put yourself in a window, we’re gonna scream!!

Four friends, with various crushes on each other, take an impromptu trip to a cabin in the woods in order to write a script for a movie they can all star in.  After Michelle (Gerwig) has what she assumes is a dream about a guy with a bag over his head, Matt (Partridge) decides that’s what the movie should be about.  At first they start scaring each other, but soon they start to wonder if Michelle’s dream really was a dream after all and if maybe there’s more to be scared about than just each other.

This is an odd little low low low budget movie.  I enjoyed it well enough, but it’s nothing special to get excited about.  It borrows from Blair Witch Project with its look and feel, though this isn’t meant to be a documentary where the characters are aware of the camera.

The characters are reasonably likable, though not hugely sympathetic.  The performances are also just ok, but not great.  Though, I wasn’t sure if they were acting all the time or if the people really are the way they seem to be in the movie.  Especially Michelle with her odd, ditsy way of talking.  If that was all acting, then bravo my friend, bravo.

There are a few oddities, and what seem to be inconsistencies, as the story plays out, but I won’t go into those so as not to spoil the movie.  It’s pretty well done, though.  It leaves you wondering what’s going on and who’s up to what at various times.  I just don’t think the payoff in the end is going to please most viewers.

Overall, it has some funny and clever moments, a couple of slightly scary moments, and it’s short and easy to watch.  Not great, but not bad.  How’s that for high praise?

10 – 2 for some of the character interactions being a little tedious – 1 for somewhat lackluster performances – .7 for kinda dumb ending = 6.3

While the Duplasses’ Baghead suggested that it was time for mumblecore to get off my damn couch, move on, grow up and get a job, David Denby provides an eloquent appreciation/requiem in the New Yorker:

“The young people in the quickly made Godard movies of the sixties dreamed of becoming gangsters, thieves, revolutionaries—characters, so to speak, in a movie. The studs and the female “superstars” of the Warhol films played at Hollywood glamour while enacting the ceremonies of decadence and self-destruction. Mumblecore disdains flamboyance; its reigning mood is diffidence.”

Qui n’a jamais parlé de faire un film avec ses potes ? “Ouais on pécho un caméscope on trouve une idée et on fonce !”

Et ben dans le genre j’ai trouvé très fort: Baghead (2008).

Quatres wannabe acteurs, deux hommes et deux femmes, lassés de ne jamais décrocher de rôles, partent se mettre au vert dans une baraque paumée pour écrire un scénar. Le but étant évidemment d’en faire un film dans lequel ils auraient les 4 rôles principaux. Malins.

Une nuit une des demoiselles aperçoit furtivement dans les bois (alors qu’elle était sortie vomir) un homme portant un sac en papier sur la tête.

Je m’arrête là pour le pitch.
C’est une leçon de cinema DIY*. Les réalisateurs, les frères Duplass, réuissent l’exploit de faire flipper ET de faire rire, par le biais d’une mise en abyme complètement naturelle, avec 1000 dollars.

Ces deux frangins là iraient vraiment loin si on leur donnait le casting d’Expendables…

Si vous avez l’occasion de le mater, jetez-vous dessus. Je vous conseille d’ailleurs les bonus du DVD, l’auto-interview des deux frangins vaut le détour.

*Do It Yourself, voyons !

The purpose of this newly launched feature on my blog is to expose you all to films that you may have missed. I’m not going to cover films that have won major awards, were huge box office or critical successes, or have major cult followings. In short, you aren’t going to be reading about The Piano, Ballast, or The Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn here. Some of the films may have smallish cult followings, may have gotten some good reviews, and may win some minor awards, but they will all be under the radar, and most readers haven’t heard them, in all likeliness. I hope that you will try to find these films (most of them are available through Netflix), because while they may not be considered classics or be part of the “canon”, but they are all interesting, and they are all different.

I remember one Friday over the Summer (July 24th, 2008, to be exact), I was reading the A.V. Club reviews, and I came across a film which I had never heard of. This isn’t unusual. I’m not a professional critic, I don’t live in New York or Los Angeles, and I don’t go to film festivals, so occasionally, I miss the buzz (or lack of buzz) about a small film with a limited release. This movie was called Baghead, and my attention was grabbed by the picture that accompanied the review. It showed a middle-aged man without a shirt waving with a plain brown paper grocery bag over his head.

What the hell was this movie about? Why was the man waving? Why is he shirtless? These questions popped into my head as soon as I saw that picture, and I knew that I wanted to see it. It got a B+ review from the A.V. Club, whose reviews I usually trust, since they’ve rarely misled me, and I decided I was going to see it.

Baghead fared well with most critics. On metacritic, it has a 62 rating, which isn’t bad, but doesn’t exactly jump off the screen at you. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 77% fresh rating, which, again, isn’t bad. In the court of public opinion, however, it’s fared much worse. On IMDB, it has a user rating of 5.8; on Metacritic, 4.5; on Rotten Tomatoes, users rated it 51% fresh. Chances are, we won’t be seeing midnight showings of Baghead popping up in nearby cities anytime soon.

What makes Baghead so bizarre and different is that it doesn’t choose a genre. It starts off as a film about the creative process, telling the story of 4 out of work actor friends, two male, two female, who travel to a remote cabin to work on a screenplay. Once they get to the cabin, it becomes an interesting relationship drama about a love quadrangle that is more deft than almost any romantic comedy released in the past 10 years.

The most interesting switch, though, is the last one. When Michelle, the mutual love interest of the two male characters, wakes up in the middle of the night to get sick outside after a night of heavy drinking, she sees a man in a sweatshirt running through the surrounding woods with a brown bag on his head. She wakes up the next morning thinking it was a dream, which she tells the rest of the group, who decide to use the Baghead character to make a horror movie. But was it a dream? Or is there really a man in the woods stalking them while he wears a bag to hide his identity?

To shift from a film about filmmaking to a romantic drama is not that much of a jump. Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2 made a similar jump in 1964. Preston Sturges’ Sullivan’s Travels did it 23 years before that. But to make another shift to a genre as incongruous as a slasher film is nearly unheard of.

Not only is it refreshingly original, but it is handled amazingly well. The small cast and isolated location work towards creating a feeling of claustrophobia, and the camera angles the Duplass brothers, who directed, choose make the watcher feel not only like the characters are being stalked, but as if there is someone waiting outside the window, watching him/her. To shift genres several times is something that must be earned by a filmmaker, and with Baghead, it is.

While Baghead won’t change the world of filmmaking, it is an original, interesting piece of work that I hope someday will be seen by some enterprising young filmmaker who utters the four magic words: “I could do that”.

Wooaah! Check this out! The 19 Best Movies you haven’t seen in 2008! I’m not saying that they’re all good, I haven’t even heard of most of them. If you have time, check them out, I’ll certainly do that after I finish my work for today ^_^

1. American Teen
2. Australia (I wanna watch this one!)
3. Baghead
4. Charlie Bartlett
5. Choke
6. City of Ember
7. The Escapist
8. The Fall
9. Hamlet 2
10. Let the right one in
11. Man on wire
12. Nick and Norah’s infinite playlist
13. Ping Pong Playa
14. The Promotion
15. Son of Rambow
16. Speedracer
17. Taken
18. The Wackness
19. Y.P.F

Though it’s about far more than a script writing session gone haywire, the brilliant, under-appreciated film Baghead officially enters my pantheon of great films about screenplay writing, along with Barton Fink, Adaptation, and John Paiz’s Crime Wave. I’m no fan of “mumblecore” films and, apparently, neither are Baghead’s creators. The Duplass Brothers riff on the simplicity of that micro genre and create the oddest film of 2008 with their dry wit and subtle tweaks of film syntax.

But this appraisal begs the question: why no great films about fiction writing?

The answer as to why screenplay writing generates more visual interest is pretty simple to unpack—screen writing is, often unhappily, a collaborative game. Having more characters equals easier dramatic hurdles than trying to embellish the art of writing fiction, a solo and horribly boring vocation. (If you disagree with me you’ve never really written.)

That’s, I think, why films about writers working on fiction tend to obsess about lame abstractions (historical forces, social peers) and outright clichés of romantic boho life. A cursory Amazon search of “movies about writing” proves this by cover art alone.

So I’m a bit of a cynic. Prove me wrong. Tell me about good movies about fiction writing.

After reading early reviews on this movie, I had low expectations. I thought it was going to be another recycled Hollywood horror movie, but it was so much more. Between the remote location, the scary music in the background, and the Alfred Hitchcock-like suspense, I was thoroughly happy when I left the theater.

Maybe it was because this wasn’t a Saw, The Ring, type of movie where it’s so farfetched, and that this could truly happen to anyone at any time, I don’t know, but I was terrified, and that doesn’t happen often, if at all.

Yes, it had some ridiculously predictable scenes and the audience screaming at every sight of the masks almost made me want to kill myself, but it rocked.

I love the simple things about this movie (never showing the stranger’s faces when they took their masks off, the scarce but scary dialogue from the masked people, etc)

This movie exposed all my true fears (looking out of a window and someone staring back, creeping up on you in the backseat of the car) and had the truest feeling to any horror movie in atleast a year and a half.

I can’t even review this any further as I get chills just thinking about it…

Anyway, I recommend this movie to any true horror fan and remember, don’t forget to lock your doors tonight.

My Rating: a (terrifying) 8/10

Persepolis
[ 3 stars out of 4 ]

This may be an animated film on the outside but don’t let that fool you. This is a heavily political, self-aware, coming of age film that focuses on an inquisitive Iranian girl that turned into a strong Iranian woman. I have to admit that I didn’t understand the politics because I don’t know much about the history of Iran. So, it took me a while to get used to the background of the story. Things really started to pick up when the focus turns to the character; how she had to lose people she loved because of the Islamic Revolution, her immigration to western Europe, her experience with boys, and her eventual return to her home country. I thought this was a very insightful film but the drama wasn’t heavy-handed. In fact, there were a lot of humorous scenes from time to time in order to make the story a little lighter. I could relate with the main character’s rebellion even though I didn’t go through the same things she did, whether it’s hanging out with people who are outsiders themselves or immersing herself with hard rock music. Her most sensitive episodes when she came to be embarrassed of who she is and where she came from is not far from what I had experienced when I had to assimilate when I was new in America. This really is an impressive not-so-ordinary animated film because it aims to bring down barriers: that animated movies are mainly for children. I must also give kudos to Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi for writing and directing this good-hearted picture. I also admired the voice-over of the main character by Chiara Mastroianni. I enthusiastically recommend this movie because it’s something different and it really does have a great message about our relationship with our cultural identities.

Counterfeiters, The (2007)
[ 3 stars out of 4 ]

I thought I’ve already seen all the kinds of stories about the concentration camps in World War II so this movie really surprised me. This is the first time I’ve seen a movie that took the angle of the counterfeiters’ experience in the camps (I wasn’t even aware that the Nazis had the operation until I heard about this film). Not only is it interesting, the style of it made me feel like I was right there with the characters. Although slow in some parts, those are more than forgiven because the film is undeniably well-written and well-directed. I got this feeling that desperation is always in the air even though the characters are being treated “well” (as opposed to the ones not in the counterfeiting operation). All of the actors did a convincing job playing their roles, notably Karl Markovics and Devid Striesow. They embodied their roles with such intensity that it was fascinating to see them interact. I also enjoyed how each character can be placed different points on the moral spectrum; their choices in action and words make them complex characters worth spending time with. This is generally a very good film but it’s even better if one is hoping for a different vantage point regarding the victims in the concentration camps.

Baghead
[ 3 stars out of 4 ]

I adore films that are able to prove that you can make a movie for basically next to nothing, but if it has a clever script then most of the other crucial components will come into place. I must mention Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass for writing and directing a movie that made me laugh and feel fear most often wrapped in one scene (some of the humor are borderline darkly comic). Even though it took its merry time to establish the characters and their motivations, hand-held camera and all, it was an interesting watch from start to finish. We find out something about each character after each minute, whether they may be talking about nothing or just sitting in awkward silence. Speaking of awkward, I did adore the awkward humor, which I don’t want to go into specifics because I don’t want to ruin the surprise for those who are interested in watching the film. I also want to commend the four actors: Ross Partridge, Steve Zissis, Greta Gerwig, and Elise Muller. Even though their acting might be a bit amateurish, I liked their zeal. Somehow, their style worked because I feel like they are people I can meet anywhere; they seem very amicable. But I must say that they’re really good at freaking out and being cute with each other, basically the extremes. As for the horror aspect of this picture, I have to admit that I did get scared at times, especially during the night scenes, specifically in the last thirty minutes. This is a pretty effective horror-comedy that almost feels like a documentary because of the hand-held camera. Don’t let the low budget scare you because the filmmakers really do have something interesting to offer.

Two years ago, a mere sliver of a movie slipped into theaters. And while “The Puffy Chair” snared a scant $194,000 at the box office, in Portland,  it camped out for months on end as the genuine, modest tale of a gently undulating road trip to deliver a birthday present LazyBoy persistently charmed with its unpretentious and heartfelt relationships.

The film became attached to the burgeoning Mumblecore movement yet, contrary to that name, it possessed clearly enunciated characters and had a wealth to say about familial interaction. The Duplass brothers, Jay and Mark, have returned this summer with “Baghead.” And while they’ve made a film distinctly different in plot as they have replaced a road trip movie with a slasher film satire, the meagerly budgeted “Baghead”  still contains real, relatable characters who hold our interest as they fumble through a mélange of predicaments.  Most of these dilemmas are distinctly small and human, while as the film unfolds they become ones faced universally by folks stranded in the woods at the whim of a homicidal spectre. “Baghead” could have been subtitled  “Nightmare on Emo Street.”

Four struggling actors venture to the woods with the hope that the getaway will inspire them to write a script for their own film.  Matt (Ross Partridge) and Catherine (Elise Muller) are an on-again, off-again late 30s couple trying to figure out if there’s something more to their “friends with benefits” arrangement.  Chad (Steve Zissis) is the portly, funny guy who pines for Michelle (Greta Gerwig), who appears to be channeling Chloe Sevigny as a sorority girl.

As the creative process blends into card games and bullshit sessions, they chat in realistic broken sentences, speaking over each other in a natural, conversational way.  There is a normality to the way they express their self-esteem doubts and qualms of self confidence.  The riffs are amusing and the humor emanates effortlessly.  Zissis is particularly notable for ensuring that his character isn’t a tired cliché. It’s no shtick and he illustrates terrific range.

When the film ventures into the slasher film elements, “Baghead” retains its shape.  Clearly, there’s less talk, more running.  But the video camerawork doesn’t become jarring. It’s active without being wonky. And if you suspend belief, the movie generates palpable suspense and legitimate thrills at the same time that it distracts from a deeper examination of the foursome’s rapport.

There’s little doubt that for some “Baghead” will feel quite slight.  Plainly, they won’t be able to get past the frayed-around-the-edges quality. There’s a pronounced buzz in the sound, the lighting can appear dim and the set design is essentially non-existent. And a snarky wit could say that not only is the film set over one long weekend, but “Baghead” appears to have been shot over that same one weekend. 

But in a movie-making world where a portly disaster such as “Evan Almighty” gorges on a $175 million budget, it is both heartening and dispiriting to remember that valuable films such as the $150,000 budgeted “Once,“ the equally modestly financed “Chop Shop,“ and the even more impecunious “Baghead“ are made for such infinitesimal amounts.  To put a dollar figure on art, with that Almighty total you could make at least 1,750 “Bagheads.”  Folks may agree to disagree on their overall quality, but small-budget films such as the enjoyable “Baghead,“ despite any imperfections, lend a crucial and clear voice to the screen.

Still Trying to Figure Out Your Face Implodes In My Experimental Film

And thus begins my long journey into indie horror!  Plus, I got to give my friend Amy Judd a shout-out and her film Yeast.  Well, not her film, but Mary Bronstein’s film.  But I know Amy, and not Mary, so I call it Amy’s film.  Do the math!