Home Media Magazine - May 18-24, 2008 - (Page 16)

REVIEWS I THE WORK SERIES: MUSICIAN Street 5/27 Facets, Documentary, $24.95 DVD, NR. www.homemediamagazine.com I J-OK’EL: CURSE OF THE WEEPING WOMAN Prebook 5/23; Street 6/24 Maverick, Horror, $16.98 DVD, ‘R’ for language. Stars Dee Wallace, Diana Bracho, Tom Parker, Ana Patricia Rojo. I n the latest entry in his “Work Series,” director Daniel Kraus profiles the daily life of avant-garde jazz musician Ken Vandermark and comes away with a fascinating piece of documentary filmmaking. There seems to be a misconception that creative types lead a charmed life and can coast on attitude and massive talent. Vandermark, a recipient of a 1999 MacArthur fellowship, still has to hustle. The Chicago resident tours various clubs and small venues eight months out of the year with different bands and on his own, leaving behind his wife and two frantic dogs. Spare days are spent composing, scheduling tasks on his jam-packed wall calendar, and recording. No one records 100 albums with nearly 40 ensembles by being a couch potato. Kraus’ biggest attribute as a filmmaker is his refusal to offer opinions. He doesn’t ask viewers to enjoy Vandermark’s musical efforts, something many viewers may find impossible. Thankfully, the affable, goateed Vandermark doesn’t spout poetic jibber-jabber like the jazz equivalent of Robbie Robertson in The Last Waltz. In showing Vandermark doing basic stuff such as silently composing in his basement or paying a band member an extra dollar for driving, Kraus highlights the effort behind what many presume is an intuitive process. Rarely has the mundane been so enlightening. What makes Musician so compelling is how closely Vandermark’s on-the-go lifestyle may resemble our own. Musician is a sound recommendation for viewers interested in documentaries that examine the real story behind a storied lifestyle such as Comedian, the upcoming Big Rig, or the first film in the “Work Series,” Sheriff. DVD extras include deleted scenes, which feature a brief, but revealing interview with Vandermark, and a written essay by German jazz musician Peter Brötzmann. – Pete Croatto enjamin Williams’ J-ok’el is the latest American horror film based on the popular Mexican legend of La Llorona — the ghost of a woman who drowned her children and herself 500 years ago, and now roves around searching for kids to replace her own. Monterey’s June 3 release The Cry covers similar ground. B I QUARTER LIFE CRISIS Prebook 5/20; Street 6/17 Echo Bridge, Comedy, $14.99 DVD, NR. Stars Lisa Ray, Maulik Pancholy, Russell Peters. K iran Merchant’s Quarter Life Crisis is a cute romantic comedy based on the idea that there’s no rulebook for falling in love. In doing so, the movie follows the book for romantic comedies to a fault. Its protagonist is Neil (Pancholy), a designer of popup Internet ad campaigns. When he turns 27 he decides he’s not quite ready to commit to his live-in girlfriend, Angel (Ray). When she cuts him loose, he makes a bet with a womanizing buddy as to who can go on the most dates within the next week. As their contest begins, Neil wins a week’s worth of limo service with a chauffeur (Peters) who constantly spouts love advice in the form of astrological theories. Neil meets a variety of girls, including one who simply enters the limo thinking it’s a taxi. He also manages to unknowingly make a date with a co-worker and ends up standing her up, leading to the usual scene where the scorned woman wishes him a nice life. Her implied desire to never see him again will no doubt be made difficult by the fact they work together, although the aftermath of this conversation is not a concern of the script. Merchant and co-writer Rehana Mirza focus on the theme of appreciating the love you have, rather than pining for the love you don’t. Never mind that all we really know about Angel is that she is gorgeous, and at one point was devoted to Neil, who seems to have more chemistry with the limo girl. Complicating Neil’s love dilemma are his obnoxious friends and a reality show that wants to broadcast his love life as a one-hour special. While the story and its resolution border on conventional, Merchant injects a little life into it with some snappy graphics that seep into the narrative, much like the ads Neil designs. There’s nothing profound here, but there’s nothing offensive. It will serve a satisfying-enough diversion for 90 minutes. – John Latchem J-ok’el follows George (Parker), an American who travels to southern Mexico to help his estranged mother (Wallace) find his young sister, who has gone missing along with a number of other children who have mysteriously vanished into the night. Unable to speak Spanish and having quickly made enemies with the local police, George’s only saving grace is a single mother named Carmen (Rojo) whom he befriends. Besides being able to translate for him, Carmen agrees to help George find his sister and figure out why all the local children are disappearing. After days pass with no signs of his sister, George grows increasingly frustrated, especially when Carmen begins blaming the disappearances on the evil spirit of J-ok’el. As a stubborn American who is not very spiritual, George doesn’t believe in the superstitious nonsense until he begins seeing visions of his sister and actually witnesses J-ok’el in action. Once George begins to believe in the myth, he is able to unravel the mystery behind J-ok’el and the kidnappings. J-ok’el is a simplistic yet intense horror film that builds on a strong story and suspense by leaving a lot to the imagination, only offering glimpses of the evil spirits throughout. The film is filled with a diverse cast of well-known American (seasoned TV actor Parker and Wallace from E.T.) and Latin (Rojo and Bracho) actors. Overall, J-ok’el proves to be a great fusion film, delivering a frightening cross-cultural ghost tale. – Matt Miller 16 Home Media Magazine May 18–24, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com

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Home Media Magazine - May 18-24, 2008

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