The Tribeca Film Festival was fun this year.
I found myself gravitating to films that reflected a lot of my early relationships with cinema. Whether it’s documentaries reflecting on B-movies and video stores, or comedies about a pretentious film nerd, I enjoyed finding films that allowed me to reflect on where I started in my love of film, and getting here. These are some films I watched that peaked my interest.
Enter the Clones of Bruce
Brucesploitation in the 1970’s is one of the strangest and most influential exploitation subgenres in film history, and David Gregory’s Enter the Clones of Bruce thoroughly and entertainingly explores the subgenre. As Gregory interviews Hong Kong B-Movie kingpins like Godfrey Ho; martial artists like Summo Hung, Angela Mao, and Ron Van Kleef; and the titular Bruce Lee clones like Bruce Li, Bruce Le, Dragon Lee, and Bruce Liang, he paints a fascinating picture of how influential Bruce Lee was as an actor and icon. He not only explores the Brucesploitation genre, but also a deep dive in Hong Kong cinema in the 70’s, how the rise of kung fu films in the U.S. changed American perceptions of Asian masculinity, and the benefits and problems impersonating Bruce Lee caused these actors. It was also just fun seeing the wild marketing tactics producers used to market these films, and the real risks these filmmakers confronted making these films. I loved Enter the Clones of Bruce, and I hope the documentary gives these wild films new life.
By the way, my favorite Brucesploitation films include Exit the Dragon Enter the Tiger, Challenge of the Tiger, and The Dragon Lives Again.
Suitable Flesh
Joe Lynch director of the carnage fueled fun Mayhem and Everly dips his toe in the realm of H.P. Lovecraft with his entertainingly erotic Suitable Flesh. Following Elizabeth (Heather Graham), a therapist whose patient (Judah Lewis) confides his fears of his father trying to take his body, the film gleefully relishes in the fears and strange exhilarations of slowly losing control. Produced by Bryan Yuznah and featuring an always-welcome Barbara Crampton in a supporting role, the film is more an ode to the Stuart Gordan Lovecraft adaptations like Re-Animator and From Beyond, and while the film doesn’t quite reach the gore-fueled heights of those films, Suitable Flesh does maintain the psycho-sexual trappings and practical gore effects you’d find in a Gordan picture. The film wisps and weaves through the comic horror and erotic melodrama, maintaining a fair balance of the two tones, though Lynch is more commanding and compelling director the horror segments. The dramatic scenes are a tad flat, almost like a Lifetime thriller, but I admit there’s a charm to it that enhances the horror scenes later. Heather Graham is clearly having fun commanding the film, and Judah Lewis is compelling in his dual, sometimes triple, performance. There were some plot hiccups here and there that took me out from time to time, but I was quickly brought back in as the intensity ramped up. The film is as creepy as it is horny and is sure to excite fans looking for a late-night cinematic addition to the bedroom.
Kim’s Video
Kim’s Video chronicles the journey of documentarians David Redmon and Ashley Sabin, as they search and excavate Yong-man Kim’s film collection. It’s an audacious documentary, as it’s wild to see David and Ashley flying across continents and hounding police and politicians to locate these lost films. They effectively highlight the tragedy of losing these films, framing the search as if the films were held hostage. Their urgency is further amplified by their emotional interviews with Yong-man Kim, where you feel regret and heartbreak for how his collection wasn’t maintained by the people who purchased and hid it. While the journey to free the collection is something to behold, the film suffers by a noticeable lack of context. Very little time is spent highlighting the significance of Kim’s Video, alienating those who didn’t grow up with the store, and the directors rarely dive into what made the store so special. Kim’s Video feels like a great second half of a larger documentary. The journey is wild, and I did find myself invested as David and Ashley’s journey got crazier and crazier. But the film still feels surface level, and at times the directors seem more interested talking about themselves rather than sharing with us what made Kim’s so special. Still, as the film shows, they put their money where their mouth is and literally freed the collection, so I can’t roll my eyes too hard.
I.S.S.
An outer space bottle film, I.S.S. feels like a film that feels right at home in the cold war, but still works as an intense mystery. The film primarily focuses on Dr. Kira Foster (Ariana DeBose), her first day on the I.S.S. amongst American and Russian astronauts. When nuclear missiles start exploding on the earth’s surface, the Americans receive a federal order to take control of the I.S.S., and they fear the Russians received the same orders. Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite of Our Friend and Megan Leavy expertly builds tension on the ship, playing up the astronaut’s desperation and paranoia. The stakes are high and feel high, as Cowperthwaite intensely shows how isolated these people are, literally cut off from the rest of the world. The use of different languages and cultural short hands effectively play up the mistrust between their teams, while also exemplifying how torn they are between their friendships and loyalty to their governments. The overall performances, especially from Ariana DeBose, highlight their conflicted loyalties. There are occasional moments where characters’ actions are kind of stupid, but they’re minor, and I was easily sucked in by the claustrophobic cinematography. I.S.S. is a solid thriller that makes the most of its excellent premise that feels like it should be dated but chillingly isn’t.
Shortcomings
Randall Park’s directorial debut features easily one of the most relatable film bro assholes I’ve ever seen in a movie, and I loved it. Based on Adrian Tomine’s comic of the same name (he also wrote the screenplay), Shortcomings follows Ben (Justin H. Min), a pretentious movie theater manager who’s scared his girlfriend Miko (Ally Maki) is cheating on him while in New York for an internship and navigates the grey area of “taking a break,” alongside his best friend Alice (Sherry Cola). When Ben isn’t the first self-hating pretentious character to star in a low-key comedy at a film festival, tying Ben’s personality so heavily to his love of film makes him perfect for a film festival audience. It feels natural too, as you can see how he reinforces his sense of self-importance through his taste, and how his attitude chips away at his life. Thanks to Min’s engaging performance and Tomine’s self-aware writing, Ben’s personality is well rounded enough where you can see why people would be attracted to him. Min’s scenes with Cola are my favorite, as they both have excellent chemistry with each other, you can feel how they’ve been friends for so long just by how their personalities gel together. Shortcomings is a hilarious and reflective little gem, and I’m excited to see what Park tackles next.
Sony Pictures Classics celebrated “SHORTCOMINGS” with Director, Randall Park and cast Justin H. Min, Sherry Cola, Ally Maki, Debby Ryan, Tavi Gevinson, Sonoya Mizuno, Jacob Batalon, and Timothy Simons to close out the Tribeca Cinema Center series. Leading Hollywood Event Producer Roxstar Entertainment, hosted the events for these highlighted Tribeca films all week, via their newest hospitality platform, the Cinema Center.
Sherry Cola, Ally Maki and Justin H. Min celebrate their film Shortcomings at the Tribeca Cinema Center held at Common Ground NYC in meatpacking presented by Magnum Ice Cream and Sommsation. Guests at the various film soirees sipped on a selection of hand-picked wines from Sommsation wine experience experts, along with Peroni Nastro Azzurro, both their premium Italian lager and 0.0% non-alcoholic lager. Paired with an abundance of delicious cuisine favorites from each eatery, attendees enjoyed delectable premium Magnum ice cream bars. Cocktails were also served featuring Milagro Tequila, Hendrick’s Gin, Reyka Vodka, and Hudson Whiskey.
