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Bellflower
(directed by Evan Glodell, 2011)
I've been owing Akatemple a review of this movie for I-don't-know-how-long, so here it is, buddy.
Bellflower is a flawed, but interesting piece dealing with a guy named Woodrow (Evan Glodell, the writer and director) who earns his place in the world of masculinity by becoming romantically involved with a slutty, young, crazy chick named Milly (Jessie Wiseman) while he's also building a Mad Max car and flame throwers with his best friend, Aiden (Tyler Dawson). The film is set in California -- all of the characers live in an L.A. suburb called Bellflower -- amongst little apartment buildings. The two dudes, Woodrow and Aiden, are ridiculously dedicated to their childish and dark dreams of crafting together a real Mad Max world of their own -- dreams of apocalypse and doom, freedom and anarchy, aggression and annihilation, masculine sexuality on tap. They get it when they bring women into their lives, which also includes a needy, mentally ill best friend of Milly's named Courtney (Rebekah Brandes).
First of all, even though I mentioned things like apocalypse, anarchy, aggression and masculine sexuality on tap, it's not all here in Bellflower. And it takes an hour into the movie before Doomsday comes, in the form of Milly cheating on Woodrow with her roommate, Mike (Vincent Grashaw). Until this movie completely ended, I waffled on whether I really liked it or not, especially during the final hour. The first hour is a long and slow setup establishing Woodrow and Milly's relationship -- they meet at a grasshopper eating contest. From there, they take a road trip to Texas, in a car that has a built-in whiskey on tap device, so they can both drink whiskey out of little Dixie cups. They trade in the cool alcoholic's car for a motorcycle. Aiden, back in Bellflower, finishes building a flamethrower.
Evan Glodell, in the final half hour of this movie, channels the dark, intense, sexually appealing look of Mel Gibson's Max Rockatansky character from Mad Max, especially the way he looked in The Road Warrior. He also drives around in a similar looking car, which he calls Medusa. His traumas and experiences thanks to Milly's free spirited sexual self builds and molds him into a real man, a nihilistic man. He spends much of the movie appearing weak and soft and feminine and chilidish, and by the end of the film, he is reborn tougher, stronger and more sexy. Meanwhile, his best friend Aiden, who earlier had seemed much more macho, is suddenly sinking into the abyss of obscurity and foolishness. A new order is taking place.
Love the ideas behind this movie -- not entirely in love with its total execution. BUT, it is a very low budget indie film ($17,000!) and it looks like, to me, at least, that it would have cost much, much more. It's a beautifully shot movie. I don't currently own it, but I think I'm gonna get it. I think this movie could have been shorter and I hated things like parts of the movie being broken up into chapters (with different titles and such appearing on the screen at times) and I disliked the way a lot of the drama unfolded and played out --- I personally don't think it was serious and intense enough. The relationship drama played too hokey and unoriginal. Fierceness to the whole aspect of Woodrow basically turning into Mad Max (his best friend incorrectly judges him to be Lord Humongous from Road Warrior) wasn't as on fire as much as it could have been -- maybe Evan Glodell isn't totally there himself in real life.
Thanks, Akatemple, for allowing me to discover this one-of-a-kind film. I'm satisfied with it.
(directed by Evan Glodell, 2011)
I've been owing Akatemple a review of this movie for I-don't-know-how-long, so here it is, buddy.
Bellflower is a flawed, but interesting piece dealing with a guy named Woodrow (Evan Glodell, the writer and director) who earns his place in the world of masculinity by becoming romantically involved with a slutty, young, crazy chick named Milly (Jessie Wiseman) while he's also building a Mad Max car and flame throwers with his best friend, Aiden (Tyler Dawson). The film is set in California -- all of the characers live in an L.A. suburb called Bellflower -- amongst little apartment buildings. The two dudes, Woodrow and Aiden, are ridiculously dedicated to their childish and dark dreams of crafting together a real Mad Max world of their own -- dreams of apocalypse and doom, freedom and anarchy, aggression and annihilation, masculine sexuality on tap. They get it when they bring women into their lives, which also includes a needy, mentally ill best friend of Milly's named Courtney (Rebekah Brandes).
First of all, even though I mentioned things like apocalypse, anarchy, aggression and masculine sexuality on tap, it's not all here in Bellflower. And it takes an hour into the movie before Doomsday comes, in the form of Milly cheating on Woodrow with her roommate, Mike (Vincent Grashaw). Until this movie completely ended, I waffled on whether I really liked it or not, especially during the final hour. The first hour is a long and slow setup establishing Woodrow and Milly's relationship -- they meet at a grasshopper eating contest. From there, they take a road trip to Texas, in a car that has a built-in whiskey on tap device, so they can both drink whiskey out of little Dixie cups. They trade in the cool alcoholic's car for a motorcycle. Aiden, back in Bellflower, finishes building a flamethrower.
Evan Glodell, in the final half hour of this movie, channels the dark, intense, sexually appealing look of Mel Gibson's Max Rockatansky character from Mad Max, especially the way he looked in The Road Warrior. He also drives around in a similar looking car, which he calls Medusa. His traumas and experiences thanks to Milly's free spirited sexual self builds and molds him into a real man, a nihilistic man. He spends much of the movie appearing weak and soft and feminine and chilidish, and by the end of the film, he is reborn tougher, stronger and more sexy. Meanwhile, his best friend Aiden, who earlier had seemed much more macho, is suddenly sinking into the abyss of obscurity and foolishness. A new order is taking place.
Love the ideas behind this movie -- not entirely in love with its total execution. BUT, it is a very low budget indie film ($17,000!) and it looks like, to me, at least, that it would have cost much, much more. It's a beautifully shot movie. I don't currently own it, but I think I'm gonna get it. I think this movie could have been shorter and I hated things like parts of the movie being broken up into chapters (with different titles and such appearing on the screen at times) and I disliked the way a lot of the drama unfolded and played out --- I personally don't think it was serious and intense enough. The relationship drama played too hokey and unoriginal. Fierceness to the whole aspect of Woodrow basically turning into Mad Max (his best friend incorrectly judges him to be Lord Humongous from Road Warrior) wasn't as on fire as much as it could have been -- maybe Evan Glodell isn't totally there himself in real life.
Thanks, Akatemple, for allowing me to discover this one-of-a-kind film. I'm satisfied with it.