It seems a bit ironic that the much publicized Matt Damon-Ben Affleck-Chris Moore “expieriment” Project Greenlight has turned out two low budget coming of age dramas Stolen Summer and The Battle Of Shaker Heights with all the best intentions, only to find that the films -and filmmakers- chosen perform sub-par. On the third go around, the contest went for a genre project, and out comes Feast, a horror film that seemed doomed from the start, even though, after seeing it, it is clear the film deserved a better fate.
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I was truly counting the days until Borat opened, however, as soon as I walked into the theater overflowing with boys aged 12 to 25 (and some older men acting like boys) I started to feel worried. Borat is always funny on Da Ali G show, but the schtick only lasts for about 10 minutes. Could the concept of getting people to open up on camera when faced with a seemingly clueless foreign reporter really support a whole feature length film? I had seen quite a few trailers that led me to believe I would at least be laughing even if there wasn’t much of a plot. (No spoilers, I promise!)
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With John Cameron Mitchell’s second film Shortbus currently playing in cinemas, I revisited his directorial debut: Hedwig and the Angry Inch. This is the story of disgruntled diva Hedwig whose botched sex change operation left her anatomically incorrect. Hedwig and her band shadow the tour of rock star Tommy Gnosis, the man who stole Hedwig’s songs – and heart. While playing gigs in restaurants at the fringe of Tommy’s tour, Hedwig divulges her life story to the unsuspecting diners, telling them of her search for true love and her cosmic other half.
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