Repo Man (1984) directed by Alex Cox – A Film Review

This bizarre science fiction comedy caper follows our punk rocker protagonist through a number of unusual situations; none of which seem to add up to anything. Repo Man is a mixed bag of fun set pieces that never really add up to a complete story.

On the whole the film looks nice. It’s well shot and the scenes are nicely edited and framed. There’s a nice use of its punk rock soundtrack: with a casual tone about it, it never asserts itself; instead its quietness is simply used to help set the mood.

The actors here also give strong performances: the standouts here being Emilio Estevez and Harry Dean Stanton. Estevez plays the punk lead Otto with just the right amount of subtle angst and nonchalance, and Stanton as the grizzled and cynical repo man veteran / mentor, Bud. Yet for me the problem still remains, even with all of the great craft and workmanship of the crew, the film doesn’t seem to add up to much on the whole.

Many other critics have complemented this work on its aesthetic choices. Its punk like style and brashness, its taking chances in its story telling and going off the beaten path. As an audience member it can be quite rewarding when a film goes in an unexpected direction. But what if an entire film was made up of left turns. Would it have direction to it or would we just be going around in narrative circles? I would suggest the latter.

However even though I myself don’t think that the narrative was overall satisfying, I do think that it is important that films like Repo Man are made. Film is a story telling medium. And as such, if the medium continued to rely on the same formulaic model of storytelling over and over again the medium would stagnate, and eventually die. Nevertheless, when we have a film like this that goes against the grain it gets us thinking. It gets us to re-examine the way that stories like this can and should be told. In short, Repo Man makes you think.

This film is far from perfect, and its scatterbrain sense of direction is certainly a turn off for me. Nonetheless, it has a good sense of humour and a tactful level of wit about itself that really helps it stand out. If the director Alex Cox set out to make an original witty Science fiction comedy with an unconventional air and style then I’d say he did so. But for me the film didn’t really work as a whole. However, if you’re looking for a different kind of comedy with an unusual tone to it, then maybe this one’s for you.

People Places Things (2015) directed by James C. Strouse – A Film Review

When a graphic novelist discovers that his wife is having an affair, his life is knocked out of balance. After a year of social paralysis, Will (played perfectly by Jermaine Clement of Flight of the Concords fame) is coerced on a date with his student’s mother.

This film is a kind of comedy of manners. It doesn’t go in with the big strokes, as broader comedies are known to do, but instead plays out its humor in the little details. That’s not to say that this film isn’t overly funny. There’s a great sense of comedy and character to this piece. But it’s all a very subtle affair.

The protagonist Will is kind of morose in his lethargy. He is stuck in the moment of his wife leaving him, and as such he has been unable to move on. It is only when one of his students Kat (Jessica Williams), sets up a date between him and her mother (played brilliantly by Regina Hall) that he begins to come out of his shell.

Altogether the story works quite well. There is a very naturalistic, almost improvised way in which the story is told. The big events of the film are kind of down played, as they might be in real life. Confrontations aren’t so much thrust into the story, as the characters themselves attempt to avoid or divert away from them. When they do come about it is usually in a much more anxious and organic manner.

In terms of the other aspects, the characters are well crafted and performed greatly. Jermaine Clement delivered a great performance as Will, a man who seems to be trying to ignore his anxieties bubbling to the surface. Regina Hall also stands out in this sober performance as Diane, Will’s new love interest and mother of one of his students. As I am most familiar with Regina Hall’s performances in  broad comedies (in particular the Scary Movie films) I was pleasantly surprised to see her deliver a much more down played straight man role here.

That’s not to say all the performances were perfect. In particular, I felt that Stephanie Allynne’s performance as Will’s ex Charlie was a bit stilted at times. It may be that she was simply overshadowed by the previously mentioned performances of Clement’s and Hall’s, but Allynne certainly stuck out here as inconsistent by comparison.

However, overall People Places Things is a very good indie comedy. It has a nice minimalist setup, good characters and a fun sense of direction and humor. Whilst the comedy might not be to everyone’s taste, I personally found it rather eloquent and charming.

Diane (1975) directed by Alan Clarke – A Film Review

Alan Clarke was one of the great social realist directors of British cinema, and in this made for television production he presents a melancholy story of a naïve young woman and the strange relationship she shares with her father. However, unlike many of his more hard hitting works like Scum (1979 & 1977) and Made in Britain (1982) it fails to leave the same kind of deep impact.

The titular character Diane is quiet really. She seems somewhat passive and childish in her aloofness. Throughout the film we see her interactions with friends, with boyfriends and with more authoritative figures: like the local priest and her father. The scenes are nicely framed, well acted with a strong mise-en-scene, but overall there’s a lack of cohesion in the narrative structure.

In the first half of the film there is a slow burn. There is a mystery about Diane and we want to know what it is. Then about half way through the picture we get the revelation. From there on out the film had a kind of flatness about it. The writing (scene by scene, viewed on its own) was still good. Direction as well was still strong, but it was as though the story had lost its way. It had lost its point and meaning.

The second half of the film could perhaps be viewed better on it’s own. As we see Diane trying to move forward from the previous events.  But even with this in mind, the second half felt dull.

Yet that isn’t to say that there aren’t any worthy points of recommendation for this film. The direction of Alan Clarke (as always) is a stand out. Here he frames his scenes in a very concise and self-contained manner. Many directors like to shoot and cut scenes up to provide a distinct variety to their scenes, whereas Clarke does just the opposite. He sets his action in the frame and naturally lets it unfold. There’s something very exciting and brave about this method of filmmaking; it’s quite reminiscent of the Japanese master Yasujirō Ozu really.

From a technical standpoint, the film is great. Truly it features some excellent minimalist, naturalistic performances. The shot composition and direction on the whole are fantastic. However with a wishy-washy script and drab second half the film seems to just flounder. If the film had been made as two separate stories then the results may be different. But as it stands, it isn’t really worth the watch.