mcwhammer

Toe to Toe depicts the struggles of two girls who go to school, and occasionally play full matches of lacrosse together (when not in the midst of jealous fights). The film as a whole often covers the two teens separately, or hones in on one individual from separate sides of a room. In one particular moment where the girls are at the same 'Go Go Party' (basically a DJ on stage performing), and are jealously glaring at one another, the movie takes an eye-roll worthy turn, as the focus is placed on an impromptu dance-off in the middle of the crowd. Why are these a requirement for every filmed concert scene? Has anyone ever actually witnessed a dance battle that wasn't an elaborate, ironic joke? Also a source of frustration are the racial remarks from all parties involved. These remarks feel so manufactured and like a bad Nineties film crutch, which is completely opposite the strong family interactions that happen to feel both genuine, and realistic. The unflinching focus on reckless, underage sex (which is not played for laughs as you've come to expect from a teen film) is a main focus for the entire film... a quick way to take a serious turn. But while it comes dangerously close to being disgustingly depicted (keyword: underage), it becomes almost heart-wrenching to see the effects it has on choice characters. Sonequa Martin (as Tosha) contributes a great deal to this film. She never once looks like she's acting - a rare commodity for someone of her presumed age. You get so familiar with her as a person, while watching Toe to Toe, that you start to question where else you've seen her before this! Sonequa simply nails the role, and brings weight to the picture that it was desperately lacking. Toe to Toe ultimately improves in time for the end, in part due to the characters universal revelations that they are truly messed up (in more ways than one), as well as their subsequent responsibility taking, in atonement for their mistakes. The conclusion itself makes sense, and isn't forced... not something I've come to expect from an contemporary independent drama.

The best documentaries about common people are those that pick the kindhearted to focus on. Fifteen minutes into this film, you're completely drawn in to Jonathan Sawyer's plan. He wants to start a sport all about performing in a supermarket with shopping carts - called Aisling. And sure enough, people get behind it, including his town's mayor, and the local grocery chain. The stories of the contestants envelop you one by one, and even the few aislers with "dark sides" are only mildly dark. Though this sport didn't catch on and become professional, or even annual, for this brief moment in time, excited people from all walks of life pulled together to make it special.

There's a lot to like about Mechanical Love. For the most part however, the best parts are those NOT featuring the main subject, an engineer named Hiroshi Ishiguro. Ishiguro has made an exact replica of himself, but is still working out the kinks to make it a perfect robot. The lips don't move, but he blinks. He can talk, but only via a computer and microphone. Otherwise, his skin, eyes and hair are creepily realistic. And this seems to be the part that worries everyone around Ishiguro, including his poor daughter (whom he also made a clone robot for), who is scared to touch the geminoid. The problem with Ishiguro, you quickly find, is that he's somehow more lifeless than the robot he's created. The expressive robot hilariously slumps back in the chair and rolls his eyes back when unplugged - just like you'd expect to happen. A poor main subject was chosen for this documentary, because the secondary focus is on needy people who have already been given experimental dolls to keep as pets. These dolls are furry white baby seals. These have been seemingly passed out to certain testers, including nursing home patients. One elderly woman loves the doll dearly, and pets it like a cat. She talks to it so much that her voice is hoarse when it's time for the day's choir rehearsal, leaving her unable to sing with the residents. This particular woman is massively misunderstood. People forget how lonely a nursing home can be for a resident (having a grandmother with Alzheimer's disease will change you very quickly). This woman explains to the camera that she does not care what anyone thinks about her. The doll makes her feel young again, almost as if she were caring for a child. So it's disgusting to see other residents talking about her affection for her only friend. This film is all about these extremes... people who embrace the arrival of lifelike robots, and those who refuse to even acknowledge them.