Whether it’s a a documentary on musicians, a foreign film’s world premiere or a modernized family classic, the Tribeca Film Festival has an incredible range of films to see. In addition to talented filmmakers, stars are coming out of the woodwork to partake in the celebration of their film screening at Tribeca. To promote their new movie Muppet’s Wizard of Oz, Kermit and Miss Piggy hit the red carpet Wednesday night- and might I say- they looked good.
The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz
Dorothy Gale ( Ashanti) wants so desperatly to be a star singer. When the tornado hits Kansas, Dorothy ends up in a muppet-filled Oz with her friend Toto- now a fully mobile talking shrimp. After meeting the good witch, (Miss Piggy) the munchkins and getting the magic silver slippers, it’s off to visit the Wizard (Jeffrey Tambor) with her new friends the Scarecrow ( Kermit the Frog), the Tin Thing (Gonzo) and the Cowardly Lion (Fozzy). On the way, the crew makes a couple of pit stops where they sing and dance- muppet style.
Even with its simple script and periodical pauses throughout the film ( Muppets’ Wizard of Oz is airing on ABC on May 20), this is a must see. The muppets never cease to make me laugh, especially when they realize that the amazing Wizard of Oz is just a Hollywood actor. Ashanti shines in this role- possibly because she’s playing a version of herself and hanging out with puppets. Nevertheless, the latest in muppet adventures is positive, yet satirical and incredibly entertaining.
Play
It is extremely hard to summarize a movie like Play. It’s not because of the subtitled dialogue or South American flair, but because the film celebrates natural instict and human flaw all while artistically challenging the composition of the medium itself.
Play is director Scherson’s story about Cristina, a girl who moves to Santiago, Chile and becomes a home nurse. When on break from caring for a sick man, Cristina likes walking around Santiago or going to the video arcade. When she discovers a briefcase filled with things in a garbage dumpster, Cristina’s free time becomes an opportunity to do some sleuthing. Even though Cristina is the central character in this film, the audience is also taken on Tristan’s journey. Tristan is tired of his daily responsibilities. His wife leaves him and he is robbed of all his possessions. After Cristina finds his briefcase, the two are connected- even thought he doesn’t know it.
Cinematically, Play experiments with shot design and use of sound. The character of Cristina is well-developed within the first ten minutes of the film. We watch her walk, interact and act silly in the confindes of her own bedroom. We watch her patiently care for a dying man while reading him articles from "National Geographic". The sound effects play a prevelent part in enterting Cristina’s world. After stealing Tristan’s headphones and music player, Cristina ventures out into the park where she meets her new aquaintance, Ricardo. Before words are spoken, we hear Cristina’s soft and somber music and, immediately following, Ricardo’s loud and fast beats. The camera moves back and forth between the two characters while the music acts as a form of communication and identity.
Ultimately, Play is a film about the game of life. Scherson presents a four-some of characters who interact in peculiar ways, but nevertheless act as pawns in a round of imperfect situations. This film is beautiful and never fearful while touching on themes of love, death, destruction and competition.
All We Are Saying
“ I thought it was going to be really easy. But it’s not. It’s a whole new world"- Gwen Stefani on her new solo success
The jig is up. Even the sexiest, most talented of musicians, including my favorite Steven Tyler, don’t always make for great entertainment on camera. The second “Rosanna Arquette experience” in her repetoire-the first being the 2002 doc Searching for Debra Winger - is certaintly star-studded, but the interviews in this gritty and lengthy documentary get repetitious and the topics are semi-stale.
A couple of cameras follow around a leather-clad Arquette as she sits down with the likes of Joplin, Nicks, Petty, Crosby, Sir Elton, and even Boy George. Each provide their own set of run-on sentences about the negative effects of MTV and VH1, piracy, being a parent on the road, and the future of rock n’ roll. Don’t get me wrong- the list provided are some of my favorite musical legends- however watching Flea onscreen talking about the difficulties of being on tour while dealing with a painful personal situation didn’t make me want to shed tears.
Although Arquette used her fame to get some of the greatest musicians to talk, it simply reaffirms what is already common knowledge- celebrities are their own gifted breed and all of us collared working class are another. After 100 minutes of confirming this belief, I couldn’t help but get a little edgy and slightly uninterested.
For all of Cinema Blend's Tribeca 2005 coverage click here.
