Live Free or Die

Friday, I conquered SIFF! I am quite proud of myself, as I have long feared the serpentine lines of eager moviegoers that one can spot every year during the Seattle International Film Festival. But, this year was my year thanks to the generosity of a co-worker with free passes. And my goodness, I was certainly rewarded with our chosen film: Live Free or Die. It turns out that "Live Free or Die" not only inspires state pride in New Hampshire but also inspires fantastically funny movie making. This little gem flawlessly delivered my favorite kind of comedy: a film that takes itself seriously and is thus hilarious. I enjoyed this much in the same way that I enjoyed the everyday ridiculousness of Napoleon Dynamite. In Live Free, we follow the story of a young man trying desperately to blacken his name, so desperate to acquire a bad reputation and thus garner respect, our protagonist, John "Rugged" Rudgate, even goes so far as to take credit for crimes he wouldn't and couldn't commit. His dreams of hero-worship are realized when he finally finds someone who is perhaps more clueless than he: Lagrand.

The true brilliance of Live Free is found in the beautiful pairing of clever writing and excellent casting. A marvelous balance is struck between the two lead characters: Rugged, played by Aaron Stanford, is delightfully earnest which allows Paul Schneider’s equally sincere Lagrand to shine with all of his strange physical stances and stilting speech. In fact, in Lagrand we find a truly memorable comic role, from the first moment Paul Schneider stepped on film as Lagrand I was captured. Schneider’s previous roles in The Family Stone and Elizabethtown were dress rehearsals for Lagrand.

I strongly recommend Live Free or Die, however there is one hitch: they have not yet found a distributor for this little piece of brilliance. Hopefully, the logistics will soon be settled, surely winning a Jury Prize at the Seattle International Film Festival for best New American Cinema will only help speed the process. My congratulations go out to Live Free’s talented Writer/ Directors: Andy Robin and Gregg Kavet. Check out their movie Web Site for the latest and greatest.

Cars: A Nostalgic Trip

This weekend I made my way over to the Crossroads Mall in Redmond to take in Pixar’s latest animated feature. Though I am what is known in lay terms as an “adult” I still throw off the shackles of responsibility and hunker down to cartoons with immense enjoyment. Say what you will, but they can be a wonderful pairing of technology and storytelling. And for all of you macho, wouldn’t-be-caught-dead-watching-mere-cartoons, folks out there, you might just be surprised how much CGI putty is filling in the budget gaps of your favorite action films.

All this to say, that I was looking forward to Cars and was a bit crestfallen to discover that it merely alludes to the previous glory of Pixar films like Toy Story and the Incredibles. I did enjoy Owen Wilson playing the film's protagonist, the egomaniac racecar, Lightening, whom we discover has many life lessons to learn, oh yes. Wilson's character is reassuring as an animated version of his cheeky and charming self.

That is about as much praise as I can muster for the character development found in Cars. I am not certain if the use of automobiles to populate this little cartoon world was somehow more difficult than say bugs, toys or monsters, but they are lacking something in the personality department. The writers seem to have fallen back on tired stereotypes in many cases rather than fleshing out actual characters. Within Cars there is also a strong nostalgic yearning for the older, better and simpler times, times when know-how and relationships beat out money and fame. This kind of approach to delivering that message always makes me a little nervous. Especially when the time in question is that special decade in the middle of last century, which we insist upon glorifying: the '50's. Still, Cars is an enjoyable ride down the nostalgia highway, and will perhaps strike better notes with NASCAR moms and dads everywhere.