alex karpovsky Tagged Articles at Cinematical
SXSW Review: Beeswax
Filed under: SXSW », Theatrical Reviews »
The latest film by Andrew Bujalski, Beeswax had its U.S. premiere at SXSW on Monday. You might remember Bujalski's earlier features: Funny Ha Ha and Mutual Appreciation. The term "mumblecore", which describes a certain kind of low-budget indie made by a certain group of people, became popular after an interview Bujalski gave about Mutual Apprecation. But I'd like to talk about Beeswax without mentioning the term and all its associated baggage. Beeswax is a good movie that does some surprising things in a quiet way.
The story in Beeswax takes a backseat to the characters and the way they communicate. Two sisters, Jeannie (Tilly Hatcher) and Lauren (Maggie Hatcher), are sharing a house in Austin. Jeannie is co-owner of a vintage clothing store, and the other owner and former friend, Amanda, is threatening to sue her or possibly buy her out. Jeannie seeks legal advice from an old friend, Merrill (Alex Karpovsky), who's preparing for his bar exam, but a barely mentioned, possibly romantic past colors their interactions. Lauren is trying to help her sister out, but is also trying to get a teaching job, which is complicated by the fact that she's interviewing with Lee (Nathan Zellner), and Lauren just broke up with Lee's brother Scott (David Zellner).
SXSW Review: Woodpecker
Filed under: Independent », SXSW », Theatrical Reviews », Cinematical Indie »
I've never met filmmaker Alex Karpovsky in person, but from the way his movies are structured, I have to wonder if he's the kind of guy who likes messing with your head. Both his latest film Woodpecker and his 2005 film, The Hole Story, give very credible appearances of being documentaries. And you're sucked into the vibe, even if you know the film is listed in the feature section of SXSW, and then the tiniest bits make you wonder exactly what type of film you're watching anyway, and start questioning what's real and what's staged. I always feel thrown slightly off-balance during these films, but not in a bad way.
Woodpecker is about the excitement raised in Brinkley, Arkansas, when birdwatchers start to report sightings of an ivory-billed woodpecker, a species of bird that was believed to be extinct. Many of the news coverage and interviews with townspeople are genuine -- Karpovsky shot these interviews as though he were doing a documentary about the woodpecker craze. Much of the town is split into the people who are happy about the woodpecker mania, either because they're birdwatchers or environmentalists or because they're making money off the tourists, and the hunters who are upset because their hunting grounds have now become a protected bird sanctuary. Various experts on birds are also divided on whether the sightings have been authentic.
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