There is a fierce battle brewing in the trenches. Cutthroat competition runs rampant here every year. This is not for the faintest of hearts; rather, it is a strategic battle of wits where winners have the ability to take all. This is not the Super Bowl, but don’t tell that to the hundreds of filmmakers hoping to gain notoriety and strong press coverage for their movies presented at the 2009 AFI Dallas International Film Festival.
If you haven’t checked the results, Gigantic (released) won the Grand Jury Prize for the best film narrative competition. But there were several noteworthy directors and screenwriters hoping to gain prominence with national media spotlight who did not win the $25-thousand cash prize. As a contributor to the AFI Dallas Daily Web site, I recommend several very promising “heavyweights” that could be victorious and receive Oscar-buzz this year.
Tattooed Under Fire: Director Nancy Schiesaris offers viewers a chilling documentary that captures several U.S. soldiers’ sobering and sometimes tragic stories behind their vivid tattoos before and after their tours of duties in Iraq. This is a must-see character study of how young soldiers from Killeen, Texas express their fears and anxieties by subjugating their bodies to tattoos. Lymelife: Derick Martini directs an ambitious dark comedy boasting an all-star ensemble cast featuring Alec Baldwin, Timothy Hutton, Rory Culkin and Cynthia Nixon. Lyme is a hilarious yet sometimes gut-wrenching film about how two dysfunctional family’s lives collide behind twisted plots involving subjects of paranoia, infidelity, teen infatuation, depression—and, of course, an outbreak of Lyme Disease.
American Trap is a gripping new political thriller (Directed by Charles Biname) that provides filmgoers with a fresh conspiracy theory behind the tragic assassinations of both John and Robert Kennedy. This is a complicated multiplot storyline where drug trafficking and backstabbing are painted as potential prime contributors to some of the most heinous crimes in U.S. history. The film is a visually captivating cinematic experience that incorporates historical footage from the 1960s to help assist in plot development.
Sugar (Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck) offers moviegoers an emotional journey through the looking glass of a young Dominican hoping to live the American dream and play baseball in the Major Leagues. Miguel Sugar Santos’s façade becomes short-lived as he faces possibly insurmountable roadblocks that threaten to derail his career that include a language barrier, cultural clashes and injury. This is a must-see drama that offers an original screenplay showing the difficult plight on those athletes recruited from abroad to play minor league baseball in America.
There were some highly publicized indie films that failed to impress both critics and attendees at the Festival. The Burning Plain (Directed by Guillermo Jordan) directs a multiarch storyline about three major characters searching for redemption in Texas and how the life-threatening choices they make have life-altering implications and consequences. The movie sports a very talented cast that includes Charlize Theron, Kim Basinger and Brett Cullen. But the film is in dire need of a director’s cut to score major buzz at the box office this year. Jordan’s film is plagued by shallow character development, predictability and unnecessary footage. This was a huge shock at the festival considering Jordan’s huge accomplishments as the head screenwriter behind both Babel and 21 Grams.
Noah Buschel’s film noir drama, The Missing Person, offers up retro-style detective thriller that features many creative plot twists and some outstanding acting performances (including Oscar Nominee Michael Shannon). But the movie could benefit from further editing to help improve the film’s suspect plot development and sound quality.
For the most part, The AFI Dallas International Film Festival provided film critics and moviegoers a great sneak preview in what could be a terrific year for blockbuster dramas and documentaries.
Other Recommendations: The Cove, Documentary (Directed By Louie Psihoyos); Art & Copy, Documentary (Directed By Doug Pray)By Aaron Malofsky
