Starlet – Way Too Indie http://waytooindie.com Independent film and music reviews Fri, 02 Dec 2016 17:34:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Way Too Indiecast is the official podcast of WayTooIndie.com. Our film critics grip and gush about the latest indie movies and sometimes even mainstream ones. Find all of our reviews, podcasts, news, at www.waytooindie.com Starlet – Way Too Indie yes Starlet – Way Too Indie dustin@waytooindie.com dustin@waytooindie.com (Starlet – Way Too Indie) The Official Podcast of Way Too Indie Starlet – Way Too Indie http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/waytooindie/podcast-album-art.jpg http://waytooindie.com Now Streaming: Movies and TV to Watch This Weekend – November 6 http://waytooindie.com/news/now-streaming-weekend-november-6/ http://waytooindie.com/news/now-streaming-weekend-november-6/#respond Fri, 06 Nov 2015 16:10:04 +0000 http://waytooindie.com/?p=41679 Watch Dree Hemingway and Besedka Johnson in Sean Baker's Starlet stream on Netflix, plus other great films available on Fandor, MUBI, and VOD.]]>

Maybe it is because I’m from Chicago, but Kartemquin Films has always been a big deal for me. The Chicago-based documentary company has churned out dozens of fantastic docs in their 50 years, most with a specific eye toward social justice. Even if you don’t recognize the name, it’s likely you’ve seen films they’ve produced—most likely their work with Steve James, including Hoop Dreams and Life Itself. You now have a great opportunity to see many of their great films with their newly announced partnership with Fandor. The streaming service will be the exclusive home for 30 films from throughout Kartemquin’s history, with the first 16 available now. Highlights of the partnership include Kartemquin’s first film, Home for Life, labor struggle film The Last Pullman Car, James’s Grassroots Chicago, and seven-hour immigrant story The New Americans. When you want to take a break from splurging on this new amazing catalog, check out other films new to streaming down below.

Netflix

Starlet [Sean Baker, 2012]

Starlet movie

With Sean Baker’s Tangerine garnering great reviews on the indie scene, it’s a great opportunity to check out his last feature. Starlet stars Dree Hemingway and Besedka Johnson as unlikely friends with about 60 years between them. After directionless Jane finds a considerable amount of cashed stored in the thermos she just bought from Sadie’s yard sale, she gets tied up in the old woman’s life. Starlet is a unique film with just a touch of blackly comedic tones over the usually quirky May-December friendship plot. For more on Starlet and Sean Baker, check out our original review of the film and our recent interview with Baker discussing Tangerine.

Other titles new to Netflix this week:
Can’t Hardly Wait [Harry Elfont & Deborah Kaplan, 1998]
Do I Sound Gay? [David Thorpe, 204]
Doomsdays [Eddie Mullins, 2013]
Harry and Tonto [Paul Mazursky, 1974]
Last Days in Vietnam [Rory Kennedy, 2014]
Master of None [Series, Season 1]
Seymour: An Introduction [Ethan Hawke, 2014]
Twinsters [Samantha Futerman & Ryan Miyamoto, 2015]

Fandor

Sembene! [Samba Gadjigo & Jason Silverman, 2015]

Sembene movie

Our friends at Fandor have become one of the best places on the internet to check out a number of classic films, but they offer much more than their well-publicized Criterion Picks. As a prime example, now-streaming Sembene! (check out our review) hits Fandor the same week it debuts in limited release. The film is a profile doc of 84-year-old filmmaker Ousmane Sembene, the first director from Africa to find sustained international acclaim. His films Black Girl, Xala and Moolaadé are often recognized as the greatest films ever from the continent, exploring much more than the outsider view we so often see. Chronicling his incredible artistic journey, Sembene! is definitely of interest for fans of world cinema.

Other titles new to Fandor this week:
The Grandmother [David Lynch, 1970]
Happy Valley [Amir Bar-Lev, 2014]
The Pearl Button [Patricio Guzmán, 2015]
Watchers of the Sky [Edet Belzberg, 2014]
Zorns Lemma [Hollis Frampton, 1970]

MUBI

If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle [Florin Serban, 2010]

If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle movie

An underseen release from the Romanian New Wave, If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle may have an unwieldy title, but remains a tense drama. The film involves Silviu, a teenage prisoner on the brink of being released. When he finds out that his estranged mother is leaving Romania and taking his beloved young brother, his emotional response threatens his status. This leads to the film’s major dramatic setpiece, an extended hostage situation where Silviu has taken a young social worker with who he has developed a connection. Like most recent Romanian films, If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle is intensely bleak and with high emotional stakes. Director Florin Serban’s following project, Box, sounds like an intriguing puzzle-like thriller, and will most likely come to the West next year. So, in order to catch up, you can check out If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle on MUBI until December 2.

Other titles new to MUBI this week:
Aliyah [Elie Wajeman, 2012]
Free Men [Ismaël Ferroukhi, 2011]
Her Name Is Sabine [Sandrine Bonnaire, 2007]
Tu Dors Nicole [Stéphane Lafleur, 2014]
Watchtower [Pelin Esmer, 2012]

Video On-Demand

Inside Out [Pete Docter, 2015]

Inside Out pixar movie

One of the most loved films of the year and Pixar Studio’s most successful film not named Toy Story 3, Inside Out arrives on Video On-Demand along with its DVD and Blu-ray release. Joy, Sadness, Disgust and the gang’s journey is among the most entertaining, sharp and emotional experiences in the cinema. Perhaps more importantly, after a few relatively mediocre releases, Pixar showed once again that it is the top dog in animation. I am convinced Inside Out will be on a wide variety of end-of-year lists and is an honest contender for major awards outside of animation. Check out our review for more thoughts on the latest masterpiece from the animation juggernaut.

Other titles new to VOD this week:
The Hallow [Corin Hardy, 2015]
Lost in the Sun [Trey Nelson, 2015]
Vacation [John Francis Daley & Jonathan M. Goldstein, 2015]

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CJ’s Top 10 Films of 2012 http://waytooindie.com/features/cjs-top-10-films-of-2012/ http://waytooindie.com/features/cjs-top-10-films-of-2012/#respond Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://waytooindie.com/?p=9251 See what films made C.J. Prince's Top 10 Films of 2012. Click to view the full list of films.]]>

After the cinematic high that was 2011, 2012 naturally looked weaker. My top 5 consists of leftovers from 2011 (they only got a US release this year and therefore qualify) but 2012 was filled with plenty of highlights. Only a few films really felt like masterpieces to me but for the most part this year was consistently strong. At this time I’ve seen 94 films from this year, and while there’s still a large amount that I wish I could have seen before submitting this list, here are my 10 favourite films of 2012. (Special note: While I can’t include it since it comes out in 2013, Leviathan literally blows these films out of the water. Do yourself a favour and see it when it comes out.)

C.J. Prince’s Top 10 Films of 2012

The Turin Horse cover

#1 The Turin Horse

Bela Tarr’s final masterpiece, a mesmerizing and bleak look at the end of everything. You may feel beaten down watching it, but you’ll come out stronger at the end.
Watch Trailer

This Must Be The Place cover

#2 This Must Be The Place

A gorgeous and utterly strange road trip with a terrific performance from Sean Penn.
This Must Be The Place Review | Watch Trailer

Oslo, August 31 cover

#3 Oslo, August 31

Joachim Trier’s devastating masterpiece following a lost soul trying to let go of his past.
Oslo, August 31 Review | Watch Trailer

This is Not a Film cover

#4 This is Not a Film

Jafar Panahi, who made this while under house arrest, is able to make one of the year’s most insightful films entirely from his apartment.
This is Not a Film Review | Watch Trailer

The Deep Blue Sea cover

#5 The Deep Blue Sea

The most romantic film of the year with Rachel Weisz playing a woman whose love is so strong it becomes self-destructive.
Watch Trailer

The Raid Redemption cover

#6 The Raid: Redemption

This highly stylized head-trip of a film has a Midnight Madness feel to it and has cult classic written all over it. Maybe the most bizarre film of the year.
The Raid: Redemption Review | Watch Trailer

Barbara cover

#7 Barbara

Nina Hoss gives one of the year’s best performances as a doctor facing a serious moral dilemma in 1980s East Germany.
Barbara Review | Watch Trailer

The Color Wheel cover

#8 The Color Wheel

Alex Ross Perry certifies himself as one of America’s most exciting new directors with this sibling road trip movie that goes against every expectation associated with the genre.
Watch Trailer

How To Survive A Plague cover

#9 How To Survive A Plague

A moving documentary about the activist effort to get treatment for AIDS when most of society tried to ignore it. Anyone who doubts the effectiveness of activism needs to watch this.
How To Survive A Plague Review | Watch Trailer

Killer Joe cover

#10 Killer Joe

William Friedkin and Tracy Lett’s darkly comic tale about a trailer trash family and the assassin they hire keeps building the tension until it explodes in a disgusting, depraved and hilarious final act.
Killer Joe Review | Watch Trailer

Honorable Mentions

The Comedy
Detention
In Another Country
Starlet
Cloud Atlas

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Starlet http://waytooindie.com/review/movie/starlet/ http://waytooindie.com/review/movie/starlet/#comments Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://waytooindie.com/?p=8472 Twice nominated Independent Spirit Award director Sean Baker, in his fourth feature film, shows us the development of an unlikely friendship between two people with nothing in common and nearly 60 years separating them apart. Starlet is a character study centered on a moral dilemma that yields results that you would not expect. Eventually secrets come out from everyone involved.]]>

Twice nominated Independent Spirit Award director Sean Baker, in his fourth feature film, shows us the development of an unlikely friendship between two people with nothing in common and nearly 60 years separating them apart. Starlet is a character study centered on a moral dilemma that yields results that you would not expect. Eventually secrets come out from everyone involved.

Jane (Dree Hemingway) recently moved into a house with a friend who seems more interested in playing video games and getting high than anything else. This friend works in the adult entertainment business and has all the baggage that you would expect to come from it. Jane’s only stability comes from her small dog, which the film was named after, as it is the only relationship that Jane has and one of the few things she can call her own.

It is obvious that Jane does not quite feel at home in her new place since there is nothing of hers in it. It is a common reaction for someone to feel like they need to change or add something a living space to make it feel like a part of it is their own. So Jane decides to go around to several yard sales looking for new items to decorate her place with. She picks up several items from different yard sales but she soon finds out that a thermos that she bought will end up being more than she bargained for, literary. Jane discovers a substantial amount of cash that was stuffed into the thermos when she tries to use it for the first time. She then ponders whether or not to keep the unexpected windfall of money or return it back to the elderly lady she bought it from.

Starlet movie

Ridden with guilt, Jane decides to meet up with the lady to help her out with random errands in an effort to repay her back without actually giving the money back. Jane pays off the taxi waiting for her at a grocery store to accomplish this to make it seem like it was a random occurrence. She finds out that the older lady’s name is Sadie (Besedka Johnson) and that she has absolutely nothing in common. Sadie is mostly confused as to why Jane wants to help her out so much all of a sudden and is very cold to her at first because of that.

Jane is trying to be as good of a samaritan as she can without giving back the money outright. It takes a while for Sadie to warm up to Jane but she eventually does. The two end up forming a friendship based off nothing and on the fact that Jane received a great deal of Sadie’s money without her knowing. How long she can keep it from Sadie is unknown as is what would happen if she did find out.

Without spoiling too much of the film, a problem I had with the film was the characters themselves. It was hard to have much compassion for Jane as she only seemed to be doing half of a good deed. Which you could argue is a half-step up from the other life choices she has made considering her good friend is a porn star who steals from her. Sadie was the character that you find yourself caring about the most, the rest of the characters tend to be shallow with few likeable characteristics.

The camera work in Starlet was excellent as was the editing so it was easy to tell Sean Baker knew what he was doing on that end. The two things I felt could have used some improvement were the script and the acting. The acting was my least favorite part of the film aside from the 85 year-old Besedka Johnson. People were saying Dree Hemingway had a breakout performance (I would call it brave) but I believe that would actually go to Besedka, who made her first acting appearance here at the tender age of 85.

Starlet felt like a film that had two completely different ideas for plots that could have worked well on their own instead of trying to incorporate both. The result can be summed up with the old saying of, “if you chase two rabbits and you will catch neither”. Instead of focusing on the unorthodox relationship between Jane and Sadie the subplot of behind the scenes in the adult entertainment industry kept interrupting and taking too much focus. It is unfortunate because Starlet could have worked out better than it did.

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Watch: Starlet trailer http://waytooindie.com/news/trailer/watch-starlet-trailer/ http://waytooindie.com/news/trailer/watch-starlet-trailer/#respond Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://waytooindie.com/?p=8378 Starlet is an indie drama that tells a story about an unconventional friendship that begins when 21 year-old Jane discovers a hidden stash of money from an object she purchased from an elderly woman named Sadie. Many who have seen the film are claiming a breakout performance by the lead Dree Hemingway. Watch the trailer for Starlet here.]]>

Starlet is an indie drama that tells a story about an unconventional friendship that begins when 21 year-old Jane discovers a hidden stash of money from an object she purchased from an elderly woman named Sadie. Many who have seen the film are claiming a breakout performance by the lead Dree Hemingway.

Synopsis of Starlet:

Starlet explores the unlikely friendship between 21 year-old aspiring actress Jane (Dree Hemingway) and elderly widow Sadie (Besedka Johnson) after their worlds collide in California’s San Fernando Valley. Jane spends her time getting high with her dysfunctional roommates and taking care of her chihuahua Starlet, while Sadie passes her days alone, tending to her garden. After a confrontation at a yard sale, Jane finds something unexpected in a relic from Sadie’s past. Her curiosity piqued, she tries to befriend the caustic older woman. Secrets emerge as their relationship grows, revealing that nothing is ever as it seems.

Watch the official trailer for Starlet:

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