Mandrake_Peterson_III

Quentin Tarantino said, "If you truly love cinema with all your heart and with enough passion, you can't help but make a good movie." I kept thinking of this quote while smiling through this charming cheapie. The acting is iffy, the special effects are wonderfully podunk, and the script needed some major editing, but still... I loved it. The creator, whose adolescence this is based on, started filming this in 2004 and it took him nearly 20 years to get it released. Where "The Fabelmans" (in my opinion) failed terribly at capturing the spirit of filmmaking and the root of why it obsesses the obsessed, "5-25-77" nails it. It's films like this we should be championing and rewarding with our time.

I was immediately reminded of "The Last Picture Show" and "Hud" after seeing "Lost on Purpose." It's a drama that takes a truthful glimpse into our changing country and tells it without gimmicks and bull-crap, unlike "Promised Land" by Gus Van Sant. It is a soulful journey full of insight and integrity. Although the area of Central California this is set is not necessarily the prettiest in the state, the filmmakers find the beauty of the land and the pathos of its people. They don't make a lot of films like this any more...but thank goodness the Nelms brothers have. Not sure if the rest of the audience recognized J. Robert Spencer from Broadway's "Jersey Boys," but I sure did. He's a sensational stage talent and great here in a small role. Phenomenal music by All The Real Girls as well and a charming performance by the musician, Peter Donovan. He's like John Cougar Mellencamp in Chuck Taylor's. Kudos as well to great secondary performances from Michelle Lang and Michael Lawson, whom I immediately recognized from HBO's "Enlightened."

Just got back from the Palm Beach International Film Festival where it was too windy...and there was too much catfish on the menu. Anyway, as there is at every fest I attend, there was one film that snunk out of the bushes and blew this old man away. I'm no prude, but NIGHT OF THE DOG made me blush for laughing at extreme violence, perversity (especially one character's "f**k banter") and character's so stupid and lovable...well shoot, I wished I was back in my old days on the college campus. This is one wild, hysterical ride...and I have no doubt you'll be hearing all the unforgettable line whisper beyond the herb-smelling doors of dorm rooms before too long. It's funny...most indie films and filmmakers worry so much about the "look" and "message" of indie and art films, they produce lifeless, yet polished, garbage. NIGHT OF THE DOG makes the story and energy their first priority, like "Clerks," "Slacker" and "Stranger than Paradise" before them. It was the toast of Palm Beach and I was happy to join in on the fun.