Elizabeth Stoddard's blog

Review: Crazy, Stupid, Love.

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Steve Carell learns as Ryan Gosling woos in Crazy, Stupid, Love

As much as I hate the term "chick flick," it has come to define a certain type of film I tend to guiltily enjoy watching -- a movie where women play a large role and a romance is likely to be in the works. That being said, although Crazy, Stupid, Love. is all about romance (budding, broken, and unrequited), this ain't no chick flick. It doesn't really count as a "bromance" either, but it does focus on men and how they relate to each other and the women in this film. Let's just call it a genre-defying romantic comedy, if that makes any sense.

There are multiple characters and relationships depicted in Crazy, Stupid, Love. The main interaction is between accountant Cal (Steve Carell), who finds out in the opening scene that his wife wants a divorce, and hunky younger womanizer Jacob (Ryan Gosling). Cal is broken-hearted after separating from his high-school sweetheart Emily (Julianne Moore); Jacob pities him and takes him under his wing. Carell and Gosling are terrific in their scenes together.

Slacker 2011: Chris Eska Gets to Destroy a Camera

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still from Slacker 2011

In celebration of Slacker's 20th anniversary, local filmmakers are re-creating scenes from the Richard Linklater movie for Slacker 2011, a fundraising project benefitting the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund (TFPF). The trailer is now available. As we await the August 31 premiere, we're chatting with some of the filmmakers participating in one or more of the short films that will comprise the project.

Today's interview is with Chris Eska, the TFPF grant-winner whose dramatic film August Evening won the John Cassavetes Award at the 2008 Independent Spirit Awards.

Slackerwood: Which scene from the film did you reshoot?

Chris Eska: The final scene where a group of friends drive around in a convertible with Super 8 cameras before running to the top of Mt. Bonnell and throwing a camera from the top.

Slacker 2011: Karen Skloss Shoots in 35mm

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Slacker 2011, taken by Patrick Rusk

In celebration of Slacker's 20th anniversary, local filmmakers are re-creating scenes from the Richard Linklater movie for Slacker 2011, a fundraising project benefitting the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund. The trailer is now available. As we await the August 31 premiere, we're chatting with some of the filmmakers participating in one or more of the short films that will comprise the project.

Today's interview is with Karen Skloss, whose first film, Sunshine, premiered on Independent Lens last year. Skloss also edits feature documentaries, and worked on Taken by Storm and 2004's Be Here to Love Me (streaming on Hulu).

Slackerwood: Which scene from the film did you re-shoot?

Karen Skloss: I re-shot the Madonna's pap smear scene and a few short scenes that followed it: the "t-shirt terrorist" and "wants to leave the country." It's about 9 minutes of the original film.

Review: Captain America

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Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell & a crowd of soldiers in Captain America

Perhaps Iron Man made me expect too much from superhero movies. That Marvel film combines a great storyline and thoughtful acting along with the requisite blow-'em-up special effects. While Captain America: The First Avenger is a fun summer movie, it's far less cohesive than that related film, and far less memorable as well.

First off, I'll admit that I'm not very familiar with the Captain America canon. I happened upon this primer on NPR's Monkey See blog the day I saw the film, so I knew a little of what to expect, but there were still some surprises thrown in!

Captain America: The First Avenger is mainly an origin story of how Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) comes to be Captain America, WWII propaganda figure and hero of the Allied armed forces. Rogers begins the film a 98-pound small-statured man who keeps trying to enlist, but is continually denied because of his size and health conditions. His pal Bucky (Sebastian Stan in a vanilla performance) takes him along to a "World Expo," where we first see Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper, quite believable as Iron Man's dad).

Slacker 2011: Bradley Beesley Sneaks Oklahoma into Austin

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Beesley filming Slacker 2011

In celebration of Slacker's 20th anniversary, local filmmakers are re-creating scenes from the Richard Linklater movie for Slacker 2011, a fundraising project benefitting the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund. The trailer is now available. As we await the August 31 premiere, we're chatting with some of the filmmakers participating in one or more of the short films that will comprise the project.

Today's interview is with Bradley Beesley, an Oklahoman documentarian (Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo, The Fearless Freaks, Okie Noodling) who now calls Austin home. He is a past winner of the TFPF grant; here's Jette's review of Summercamp! (for Cinematical, RIP).

Slackerwood: Which scene from the film did you re-shoot?

Bradley Beesley: My scene was "Oblique Strategies".

Slacker 2011: Berndt Mader Decides It's Not Such a Bad Idea

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filming Slacker 2011

In celebration of Slacker's 20th anniversary, local filmmakers are re-creating scenes from the Richard Linklater movie for Slacker 2011, a fundraising project benefitting the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund. The trailer is now available. As we await the August 31 premiere, we're chatting with some of the filmmakers participating in one or more of the short films that will comprise the project.

Today's interview is with Berndt Mader, cinematographer (Winnebago Man), and writer and director of Five Time Champion, which won the Texas Filmmaker Award at the Dallas International Film Festival. Read Don's review from the movies premiere at SXSW this year.

Slackerwood: Which scene from the film did you reshoot?

Berndt Mader: I had the Jerry Deloney and Tommy Pallotta scene where Jerry accosts Tommy on his way out of a coffee shop. He follows him down the street going off about global conspiracies involving the CIA, the moon landing, and illicit Guatemalan drugs. Pretty hilarious scene.

Slacker 2011: Carlyn Hudson and Reel Women Students Squeeze Into a Packed Car

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Carlyn Hudson and Reel Women UT filming their Slacker 2011 scene

In celebration of Slacker's 20th anniversary, local filmmakers are re-creating scenes from the Richard Linklater movie for Slacker 2011, a fundraising project benefitting the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund. The trailer is now available. As we await the August 31 premiere, we're chatting with some of the filmmakers participating in one or more of the short films that will comprise the project.

Today's interview is with Carlyn Hudson, a young filmmaker who directed the Slacker 2011 sequence produced by the Reel Women UT Chapter.

Slackerwood: Which scene from the film did you re-shoot?

Carlyn Hudson: We re-shot the scene with Steve ("S-T-E-V-E") and three girls in a van who proceed to Blue Bayou (now Trophy's) and get rejected.

Slacker 2011: Jonny Stranger Shoots Despite the Pain

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Photo of Jonny Stranger and crew

In celebration of Slacker's 20th anniversary, local filmmakers are re-creating scenes from the Richard Linklater movie for Slacker 2011, a fundraising project benefitting the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund. The trailer is now available. As we await the August 31 premiere, we're chatting with some of the filmmakers participating in one or more of the short films that will comprise the project.

Today's interview is with Jonny Stranger, filmmaker and professor of cinema at Austin Film Society. Stranger has worked with the AFS education department for about five years. During the school year, he works with at-risk kids in afterschool programs all over Austin, and during the summer, the program offers weeklong filmmaking camps.

Slackerwood: Which scene from the film are you reshooting?

Jonny Stranger: I am remaking the scene with the group of kids who peep on a couple I refer to as "the lovers." After encountering the frisky slackers, the kids quickly run away and steal sodas from a nearby vending machine. They then sell a Diet Coke to three guys ready to rid themselves of broken hearts in a weird ceremony involving throwing things off a bridge.

Slacker 2011: Miguel Alvarez, Kelly Williams and a Fisher-Price Camera

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Miguel Alvarez and Kelly Williams during filming of Slacker 2011

In celebration of Slacker's 20th anniversary, local filmmakers are re-creating scenes from the Richard Linklater movie for Slacker 2011a fundraising project benefitting the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund. The trailer is now available. As we await the August 31 premiere, we're chatting with some of the Austinites participating in one or more of the short films that will comprise the project.

Today's interview is with director Miguel Alvarez (SXSW 2010 short Mnemosyne Rising, AFF 2010 short Veterans) and producer Kelly Williams (Hellion, A Splice of Life), former Film Program Director for Austin Film Festival, who have been working together on one of the shorts.

Slackerwood: Which scene from the film are you reshooting?

Kelly Williams: We remade the "pixel-visionary" scene -- a party scene involving the PXL2000, a toy camera Fisher-Price made in the 80s.

Miguel Alvarez: A party scene best remembered because it was partially shot in Pixel-vision while two characters ranted about the Freemasons.

Review: Bad Teacher

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Cameron Diaz in Bad Teacher

In Jake Kasdan's latest comedy, Bad Teacher, Elizabeth Halsey (Cameron Diaz) ends one school year assuming that she will never have to teach again, only to have her opera-loving fiance -- and his mom -- dump her. Instead of living off her rich almost-hubby, she ends up rooming with someone she found on Craigslist (Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family) and goes back to teaching at John Adams Middle School. She befriends an older teacher (Phyliis Smith, The Office), is annoyed by Ms. Squirrel (Lucy Punch) across the hall, and starts saving up for a boob job. Oh, and there's also a new slightly spacey substitute teacher (a geeky-looking Justin Timberlake), and a phys-ed teacher (a schlumpy Jason Segel) who assures her that her breasts are fine the way they are.

Diaz portrays the despicable -- yet still a tad likeable -- Ms. Halsey with aplomb. She stumbles into class high and/or drunk in scuffed-up Louboutin heels, pops in a school-related movie and is stunned when her students admit to never seeing Stand and Deliver before. Throughout the first half of the film, I don't recall a mention of what subject she is supposed to be teaching (it's English). Compare that to Halsey's nemesis for the film, Ms. Squirrel, who kicks off the start of the year with apples for each of her students, wearing a captain's hat as she welcomes the kids to her class. I joked to my middle-school teacher friend that I was sure she did the same with her students.

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