Sundance Live IX: “Yes Men,” “In The Loop” Reviews, “Arlen Faber” by Eric Kohn and Peter Knegt (January 23, 2009)
A scene from Armando Iannucci's "In The Loop." Image courtesy of the Sundance Film Festival.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Throughout the festival indieWIRE is posting continuous updates. Check back here throughout the day to get the latest. Today from Sundance, Eric Kohn gives snapshot reviews of “The Yes Men Fix The World’ and “In The Loop,” while Peter Knegt reports from a screening of “Arlen Faber.” 1:10pm MST SNAPSHOT REVIEW: “The Yes Men Fix The World” Fans of corporate satirists “The Yes Men” from their self-titled 2003 debut documentary will get a kick out of their sincerely amusing follow-up, “The Yes Men Fix the World.” Boosted by the promises of an Obama-led world, performance artists Jacques Servin and Igor Vamos continue their prankish routine of pretending to be representatives of global businesses and speaking the ugly truth of free market motives to anyone gullible enough to pay attention. This time around, targets include Dow’s neglect of poor living conditions in Bhopal, Exxon Mobile’s poor management of its employees’ health conditions, and Haliburton. As always, the Yes Men get away with their gimmicks by letting others (ie, duped members of the media and real companies) invite them to speak. In the movie, the behind-the-scenes details round out their ambition. Although at times the movie feels somewhat formless, with a series of nonfiction sketches replacing the need for plot, the Yes Men retain an unmistakable charm by marrying their trickiness with strong convictions about improving the conditions of the globe. By operating under the guise of certain characters—rather than blatantly moralizing—they avoid the abrasiveness of Michael Moore and his ilk. The movie culminates with the duo’s effective (and very recent) distribution of a fake New York Times issue predicting a utopian future six months away (“Iraq War Ends,” declared one prominent headline). Unlike other globally situated documentaries, “The Yes Men Fix the World” has the guts to display some optimism about the future.
SNAPSHOT REVIEW: “In The Loop” The aesthetics of “The Office” meet those of “The West Wing” in the scathing political comedy “In the Loop,” a speedy close-up on the dysfunctional working relationships of Capital Hill. Taking advantage of a hugely talented cast of American and British performers, director Armando Iannucci focuses on a rambunctious group of fast-talking American and British government employees helplessly grappling with whether or not they want to launch a war. Standouts from the ensemble cast include James Gandolfini as a conflicted general and Simon Foster as a bumbling British Secretary of State whose miscalculated comments to the press continually complicate matters.
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AFI Fest
AFI Fest '09
Chipotle Mexican Grill to Award a Filmmaker $2000, April 4, 2010 during the ECOtainment Awards at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills.
THAT FILMMAKER COULD BE YOU! GOING GREEN FILM FESTIVAL'S motto: REthink. REplenish. REcommit. This is the only festival of its kind to focus exclusively on green filmmaking, from production to content! ALL GENRES ARE WELCOME! Prizes include: $2000 from Chipotle, Hybrid Bikes, Tree Planted in Your Name, Fuji Film, Movie Magic Suite Software, Showbiz Software, Super 8 Production Facilities and much more! Hurry and beat the NOVEMBER 30th deadline! www.GoingGreenFilmFestival.com |
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