Tribeca 2023 Unseen Films review: Disney+ documentary ‘STAN LEE’

STAN LEE

This is a Disney+ documentary look at the one and only Stan Lee, largely told in his own words which were recorded during his almost century-long life.
For those who don’t know Stan Lee is the guy who got a job with Timely comics in the late 1930s and ended up staying with the company for decades, eventually rechristening it as Marvel. Along the way, he helped create the Fantastic Four, The X Men, The Hulk, Spiderman, and dozens of other characters.

This is a loving tribute to a man who altered the world with the things he wrote. If you hate the Marvel superhero movies blame Lee for creating the source material. It’s a film that while firmly focused on Lee and the Marvel years (Marvel is owned by Disney after all) clearly gets across how important Lee was to the art form of comics.

While far from complete, his work for anyone other than Marvel is completely ignored, the film does do some things I didn’t expect to see, particularly putting Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko front and center in the creation of many well-known characters. Yes, the film has Lee argue that he created say Spiderman because he came up with the idea, but the film is framed in such a way to make it clear that artists like Kirby and Ditko were as, or if not more important than Lee. It shows that they left Marvel because of Lee’s ego which made him insist he was the guy. I suspect that some people will argue the film doesn’t do enough in this regard and they are probably right, but those battles need a whole film unto themselves, and besides this film’s breezy celebration in Lee’s own words and as such you are not going to find enough material to fight that battle.

Say what you will about comics, this film makes the case that part of the reason comics are what they are today was because of Stan Lee. Lee and Marvel forced the medium to grow up and deal with real people (minorities were represented) and real problems (drugs). Additionally, because Lee was such a good spokesman he ended up altering how people saw comics just by speaking on TV talk shows. While I know many artists hated that Lee was the face of comics, the reality is that he was a good face of the industry and his friendly outgoing nature clicked with the public.

Despite knowing much of this I was moved. For better or worse Stan Lee was a crazy guy you couldn’t help but like.

I truly loved this film.


DIRECTOR
David Gelb
PRODUCER
Jason Sterman, David Gelb, Brian McGinn
CINEMATOGRAPHER
Ernesto Lomeli
COMPOSER
Scott Michael Smith, Michael Dean Parsons
EDITOR
Andrew McAllister, Jamie Garland, James Long
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Jeff Redmond, Andy Heyward, Gill Champion, Jamie McBriety, Sarah Regan
CO-PRODUCER
Lauren Goralski, Andrew McAllister
STORY PRODUCER
Emily Van Bergan
PRODUCTION DESIGNER
T. Hunter McCann
ASSISTANT EDITORS
JJ Degen, Emily Fuller
ARCHIVE PRODUCER
Danny Hirsch
CAST
Stan Lee

You can read more of Steve’s vast film coverage at Unseen Films!




Tribeca 2023 Unseen Films review: ‘DOWNTOWN OWL’ finds real-life couple Lily Rabe and Hamish Linklater in their directorial debut.

DOWNTOWN OWL

I went to the world premiere of Downtown Owl. It takes place in Owl, North Carolina about a high school teacher, played by Lily Rabe, who recently moved there. She doesn’t know anyone and soon another teacher, played by Vanessa Hudgens, invites her to come to the local bar. They wind up spending many nights there. There she meets an introverted ex-football star who she soon has a crush on. She also befriends an older man at the diner, played by Ed Harris.

This film is a mix of comedy and tragedy, as well as a high school coming-of-age movie. I thought it had a nice mix. I think I will always love movies set in high school, and this one was no exception. I loved its quirkiness. I would have given this movie an almost perfect rating had it not been for the ending. It’s odd to me when characters in movies look at the camera and talk to the audience, especially when it hadn’t been done prior in the movie. The ending in general though was just bizarre.

Downtown Owl is directed by real-life couple Lily Rabe and Hamish Linklater and it’s their directorial debut.  It’s based on the book by Chuck Klosterman which I had never read, but am kind of curious to read at some point now to see how it compares and to see if more is explained about some of the characters.

Despite not loving the ending, I recommend this film, especially if you like quirky movies. It’s kind of just a fun enjoyable film!


DIRECTOR
Lily Rabe, Hamish Linklater
PRODUCER
Bettina Barrow, Lily Rabe, Hamish Linklater, Rebecca Green
SCREENWRITER
Written by Hamish Linklater, based on the book by Chuck Klosterman
CINEMATOGRAPHER
Barton Cortright
EDITOR
Nena Erb
MUSIC BY
T Bone Burnett
CAST

Lily Rabe, Ed Harris, Vanessa Hudgens, August Blanco Rosenstein, Jack Dylan Grazer, Arianna Jaffier with Finn Wittrock and Henry Golding


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Slamdance 2023 Unseen Films review: The Breakouts Feature Grand Jury Prize winner, ‘The Underbug’

THE UNDERBUG

The Underbug is a moody thriller about two men on either side of sectarian violence in India stumbling into a strange house. The house is deserted or seems to be, except for the men who are soon faced with problems greater than themselves.

This is a great looking tense “horror” film about the things that go bump in the night and the evil that lurks in men’s hearts. It’s a film that you must see as big as possible and with as few distractions as you can manage (a darkened theater would be perfect.) I really loved much of this film. This is a perfectly made thriller with some genuine chills in it. Actually, it has more chills in its 68 minutes than most Hollywood thrillers that run twice its length.

The only flaw in the film is the politics. While there is nothing wrong with the inclusion of the references on the face of it, some of it seems to be a tad heavy-handed. No, the references aren’t constant, it’s more that a number of the references seem to be there to remind us that more is going on than scares.

That said, this is one of the moodiest horror films that I’ve seen in years. Every frame from the first to the last has chilling beauty to it.

A must-see for horror films, especially for anyone who wants one that isn’t your typical one.


For me of Steve’s amazing coverage, head to UnseenFilms.com

 

Slamdance 2023 Unseen Films review: ‘Where is the Lie?’

Where is the Lie?

WHERE IS THE LIE is a really good film. A look at love in the modern age it’s based on a true story film where a woman named Jazen breaks up with her boyfriend. Turning to a dating app she meets the perfect guy who ends up ghosting her. However, what is going on is something else entirely.

I don’t know all of the details of the actual events, and I don’t really care because what is on screen in WHERE IS THE LIE is really good. A look at life and dating in today’s world shines a light on a lot of places that we may not be contemplating, such as catfishing games set up by people with too much time on their hands. It’s the sort of thing that makes me glad I’m too old for those sorts of games.

I really liked WHERE IS THE LIE. The cast headed up by EJ Jallorina is super. We really like pretty much everyone and they pull us into all the mystery of what is going on. I was hooked early and when it was done I wanted to go back and take another ride.

One of the things that I loved was that this film which is very much tied to technology and apps actually manages to use the cinema screen to replicate what we the characters are seeing on their phones and devices. This may not sound like much but more and more in films, we are flashed visuals that are supposed to be a phone or tablet or computer screen, and more often than not the filmmakers don’t manage to make it movie friendly. Yes, we are seeing what the characters are doing but it’s not cinematic. It’s intrusive with a lot of stuff we don’t need. Here director Quark Henares designs the shots so that we both get a sense of what is on the screens the characters are looking at but we also get something that works cinematically. That may sound like a small thing but it’s not, because too often the technology shots simply don’t blend into the film as a whole.

This is a super film. I had a good time. It made me laugh and it made me think about love, the madness of these times, and the crazy things people do.

I want to say more but I don’t want to give anything away. There are a couple of turns I didn’t see coming and I don’t want to spoil anything.

This is a gem.


 

Sundance 2023 Unseen Films review: Roman Liubyi’s ‘Iron Butterflies’ exposes the roots of current conflict.

IRON BUTTERFLIES

This is a look at the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur which was shot down by Russian forces over eastern Ukraine in 2014 threw news video, reconstructions, trial footage, and intercepted recordings.

This is going to be the most low-key film you will see on the never-ending Ukraine conflict. There is no narration only text that gives us context. Director Roman Liubyi is letting the words and images speak for themselves. Yes, this is almost a decade before the current mess, but it is one of the key events in the run-up to now.

Full disclosure while I liked this film a great deal, seeing the film in the middle of a festival crush resulted in it not having the effect it should have. The film’s low-key nature is what I remember not the emotional nature of the story of lives lost through stupidity, lack of caring, and the evil nature of some parts of humanity.

If you want to understand the roots of the current conflict this film is a must-see.


Screening Times

In Person

  • PREMIERE
    Jan. 22 9:15PM MST

    Egyptian Theatre

    PARK CITY

  • SECOND SCREENING
    Jan. 23 3:30PM MST

    Redstone Cinemas – 1

    PARK CITY

  • SECOND SCREENING
    Jan. 24 12:00PM MST

    Broadway Centre Cinemas – 6

    SALT LAKE CITY

  • SECOND SCREENING
    Jan. 26 9:00PM MST

    Prospector Square Theatre

    PARK CITY

  • SECOND SCREENING
    Jan. 27 3:30PM MST

    Holiday Village Cinemas – 2

    PARK CITY

Online

  • SECOND SCREENING
    Jan. 24 8:00AM MST

    Available Until Jan. 29  11:55PM MST


     

Sundance 2023 Unseen Films capsule review: ‘Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)’

Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)

Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey “Po” Powell, are the men behind the art design studio, Hipgnosis. Named by Syd Barrett when he scrolled the name across a door, the studio went on to create hundreds of record covers for all of the great bands and performers.

One of the great films of the year this is going to be an absolute delight to anyone who loves the great art that accompanies great music. Not only do we get to see how the art was created but we also get to hear all sorts of magnificent stories from the creators, but also the musicians themselves Paul McCartney, Roger Waters, Dave Gilmour, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Peter Gabriel, and others are here telling stories.

I smiled from ear to ear for 100 minutes.

This is exactly what you hope the film will be except it’s even better.

I can’t say more than that except this is on my best-of-2023 list.

Highly recommended.


Screening Times

In Person

  • PREMIERE
    Jan. 20 8:30PM MST

    Egyptian Theatre

    PARK CITY

  • SECOND SCREENING
    Jan. 21 3:30PM MST

    Megaplex Theatres at The Gateway 8/9

    SALT LAKE CITY

  • SECOND SCREENING
    Jan. 25 3:00PM MST

    Park Avenue Theatre

    PARK CITY

  • SECOND SCREENING
    Jan. 26 1:00PM MST

    Redstone Cinemas – 2

    PARK CITY

  • SECOND SCREENING
    Jan. 28 6:45PM MST

    Rose Wagner Center

    SALT LAKE CITY

Online

  • SECOND SCREENING
    Jan. 24 8:00AM MST

    Available Until Jan. 29  11:55PM MST


     

NYFF60 review from Unseen Films: ‘NO BEARS’

NO BEARS

Jafar Panahi travels to a border town in order to direct a movie remotely. The actors and film crew are across the border and are taking directions via Zoom.  As Panahi struggles to get the film finished he becomes involved with two sets of lovers, two of the actors, and two people in the village where he is staying. Both pairs want to flee to somewhere safe, something that might not be possible

Panahi is not loved by the Iranian government. As this film was hitting the festival circuit the director was being put into prison. Prior to that, they had tried to restrict his ability to make films but he managed to work around the obstructions. The result has been a unique series of films where the filmmaker is the subject and the films transcend the notion of autobiographical cinema.
This time out Panahi has made one of his most affecting films. Forget his personal situation, this story of life in a small town and in a repressive country will leave you shattered at the end. Panahi is juggling a lot of balls in the air and manages to manipulate them perfectly. First, we have his situation which is basically hiding out in a small town to make a movie he shouldn’t be making. In showing us what it takes to make his film we see how the small minds of the village express an openness that really isn’t. there This ties into the story of one of the couples, a doomed romance Panahi captures in a photo, that everyone wants to see, but which he deletes and denies having. It seems the young woman has been promised since birth to someone she doesn’t love and that someone needs proof to hurt the girl’s true love.  At the same time, the lead couple in Pahani’s film is making a film based on their lives and their efforts to flee to the West. However, the need for official documents complicates things. All of the threads end in darkness for the characters and soul-searching for the audience.
I love Panahi’s films. I make every effort to see everyone I can because he always speaks a truth that needs to be heard. I also find that how he is forced to make films ends up making films that are much more real than if he were making just a straight narrative.  They are so much more interesting because we have to think about how he did what is up on the screen. His are films that are alive and in the moment.
I was rocked by this film. I did not expect the turns, and yet every one is perfectly placed.
One of the best films I saw at this year’s New York Film Festival, it is a must for anyone who loves humanity.

 

For more of Steve’s NYFF60 coverage and all the rest of the movies in the world, (because the man is a machine) head to Unseen Films.