Reviews

I saw "The Puffy Chair" at South by Southwest, and it is an excellent film. It is genuine, thoughtful, and alternately hilarious and melancholy. It deserves to be the new "Garden State."

The movie's premise is simple: Josh and his girlfriend Emily go on a road-trip to pick up an old puffy recliner that Josh won on ebay and bring it to his dad for his birthday. Along the way, they stop to visit brother, a well-meaning but slightly insane lover of all things - especially nature and women - who ends up tagging along. One of the funniest scenes in the movie occurs when the three attempt to stay at a motel in Virginia but only pay for one person to save ten bucks; the ridiculous scheming (which of course backfires) to save a few bucks is on par with any of George Costanza's finest moments. The exchanges between brothers remind me of my banter with my own siblings, and the relationship that Josh and Emily have feels both unique and universal. The direction and and hand-held camera work give the film a documentary feel that really works well, and the music blends well with what is going on. The director and screenwriter used their low budget to great advantage, keeping things totally authentic; eliminating the documentary-style camera and getting rid of the improvisation would have ruined the mood of the movie.

Overall, the film moves seamlessly from comedy to melancholy and from jubilant romantic beginnings to bittersweet possible endings. If you get a chance to see this flick, give it a try: it's short and sweet, but it will stay with you for a while.

I saw the World Premiere of "Waterborne" at South by Southwest, and it is compelling both as an examination of what would happen if Los Angelos came under biological attack and as a human drama. The acting is excellent, the music is original and works perfectly, and the direction is right-on for this kind of film. This movie ought to get released; it does a better job than any big Hollywood movie ever could at dealing with the true terror that a contaminated water supply could bring about.

The story is told through the eyes of a few different characters, all of whom are at a point in their lives where a widespread panic allows some hidden anxieties to show. The dialogue is authentic and the characters are excellent and varied. I especially enjoyed the multi-cultural flair of the film - in too many of these kinds of movies, the people affected are cultural stereotypes, but "Waterborne" plays with that notion to fine effect. Indeed, the LA in "Waterborne" - like the one in the real world - is populated by Sikhs finding their place post -9/11 and clashing with older generations, military officers with a conscience who marry outside of their race, and middle-class twenty-somethings dealing with a scary world. "Waterborne" actually creates multi-layered characters and shows how many things that seethe under the surface will bubble up in a time of terror and panic.

At the South by Southwest screening, the producers gave out free bottles of water, and needless to say the entire audience looked at the bottles differently after the movie was over. If you get a chance to see this, take advantage: it's a very cool film.