Review: Vote Motherfucker!

Text © Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2020 

Images from the Internet

Vote Motherfucker! 

Directed by Lenny Schwartz 

Daydream Films; IM Filmworks 

83 minutes, 2020 

Available free (for now) at link after the review. 

This year, 2020, has been nothing short of bedlam. Three events have arisen that has given those of us in the West a peek into a view of the world that is unprecedented. 

Chronologically, it started on a grand scale with the COVID-19 outbreak of course, for which writer and director Lenny Schwartz examined in his film, Far from Perfect: Life Inside a Global Pandemic (2020; reviewed HERE), via vignettes. With this release, he set the paradigm of a trilogy, shot by the actors themselves on Zoom, cell phones, etc., based on Lenny’s screenplay and a bit of ad libbing; then Lenny and oft collaborator Nathan Suher sewed them together into a cultural overview with some narrative form. 

Then came the rise of cancel culture, when cultural events and venues have been shut down, depriving fans of seeing their idols throughout the summer and apparently mostly into 2021, such as with music festivals and big film releases. Schwartz presented this through his own lens about the cessation of comic cons, in Comic Book Junkies (2020; reviewed HERE). This is actually appropriate if you follow the trajectory of Superhero releases that have been held in check until theaters reopen to full capacity some time next year or later. 

The third crush for attention of the year centers around the very contentious presidential election between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. This film is Lenny’s take on not just the candidates and some of what they stand for (or against), but a viewing of the political landscape to finish off this stunning social distanced 2020 trilogy.

As with the previous two, the cast here are both professionals and not. There are the actors, such as Sarah Reed, Michael Thurber, Jamie Lyn Bagley and Samantha Acampura (who does a stunningly powerful touch about what it’s like to be a Jew during the whole alt-right revival; I’m with ya, landsman), but also members of local film crews and other denizens mostly of the New England landscape. It’s interesting to see how they interpret and present Schwartz’s screenplay, which is part of what I liked about this experiment. In all, there are nearly sixty of these pieces, averaging under two minutes each, so it is never too much of one story. Despite the level of professional actors varying, the passion is there, and it comes across viscerally. 

 As might be asked, and how is this film different from all of the other trilogy films? For this release, while the “shell” looks the same as the previous ones, there are also some key different takes on the narrative formula in that each vignette is more individualized, and less directly connected. It is the performer(s) addressing the audience with opinions, while also occasionally giving a bit of a history lesson with spoonfuls of reality. Lenny, via his surrogate cast, breaks down how government works during election time, starting off with explaining the electoral college, what it is, and how it works.

One would think this would be some kind of boring history lesson, but the way it is presented is probably more… well, let’s say user friendly. It’s also spread out enough where it doesn’t feel like one is sitting in a classroom. It is way more conversational than one might expect. 

 Another difference from the previous two films, quite frankly, is the tone of desperation. Definitely coming from the perspective of the Left, it does come across as a bit preachy at times, but quite honestly, that is the place in history where we are living for the time being. Being from the Left myself, I could easily identify with most of the characters (not the Jill Stein-like third party voters which at one point included the “Bernie Bros,” though).

The reason – and I believe rightfully so – that this comes across as moralizing is because it is particularly one sided, meaning to the Left. But the form and the forum dictates this as necessary: because of the lack of narrative structure per se, and the times they are a-desperate, it’s the Left that is needed to vote to override the Right’s overwhelming media presence. For example, I recently attended a virtual panel discussion where the topic was Media and the Election. After about 20 minutes, one of the six Left-oriented scholars said, essentially, all that they had talked about until then was Trump and Republican strategies that have been used, and they needed to discuss the Democratic side, as well. All agreed, but within 5 or 10 minutes, it was back to whining about the Right. This is one of the reasons why this film is important, because the Left is not getting enough of its message through, being drowned out by “rigging,” “Hunter” and other news memes from the Right.

And within this film, despite all the discussions of the “lesser of two evils,” third-party candidates, attacks on LGBQT+ and women’s freedoms, the rise of the militia-minded, and feelings of disenchantment with the process and so forth, there is also an underlying tone of humor, such as the electoral college being referred to as electile disfunction. This was proven to be true, sadly, over the last few elections, with GW Bush managing to steal the Seat and Trump gaining his power in 2016 despite losing by over three million popular (legal) votes. That being said, this is not exactly a “feel good” film, but rather it is a document of its time, which is why it is important and worth the watch. I assure you, you will not be bored. 

The entire film available free for now HERE.

Review: Comic Book Junkies

Text © Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2020
Images from the Internet

Comic Book Junkies
Directed by Lenny Schwartz, Nathan Suher
IM Filmworks
105 minutes, 2020
www.imfilmworks.com

Note: Please ignore the different sized texts. Blogger/Blogspot is going through a change, and this is an issue in their end. Hopefully they will get it repaired soon.

In the current pandemic crisis, has Zoom become the new artistic toolbox launch-pad, especially in the cinema field? And why is Rhode Island so far ahead of the curve? And will Timmy find his way out of the well? Tune in next week for the answers to this chilling… nah, just keep on reading.

A few weeks ago, Lenny Schwartz and Nathan Suher came up with Far From Perfect: Life Inside a Global Pandemic (reviewed HERE), which serially presented local Providence (and it’s environs) actors and filmmakers talking into their computers via the Zoom software, and compiled it into a nearly two hour narrative that refused to be boring.

Schwartz is a playwright who has a history of giving us theater about comic book originators, such as his production Co-Creator, the story of Bill Finger, who helped bring Batman to life. So Lenny, who is well-versed in all things comics-related, has now given us an original idea that interweaves the fantastical with the everyday, in a comedy superhero low-budget adventure spectacular, co-directed and edited by Suher.

The style of this film is very close to the earlier Far from Perfect in that we are introduced to the cast through a series of Zoom chats, phone video services and mini-cameras, who one-by-one introduce the next one. But rather than discussing the pandemic (though you know it’s coming), the topic at hand at the start in Act 1 is them getting tickets online to the San Diego Comic Con, arguable the comic convention (as a side note, I used to go to comic cons in New York in the late ‘70s-early ‘80s run by Phil Seuling, my high school English teacher who taught a class in, yep, comic books; got to meet Gray Morrow, Jim Steranko, and others that he brought into the classroom).

One of the nice things about this is that the fans are all ages and genders, not just some guys living in their mom’s basement (though there is at least one of those here, too). While there is a lot of inside joking, talking about particular artists like Jack Kirby and filmmaker Joss Whedon, honestly, you don’t have to be a follower of any particular brand or universe (e.g., MCU or DCU) to find the humor in these characters. In fact, not all of those presented are even comic book fans, but are involved with those do are. The palate is quite wide. It’s the level of fanaticism that is the focus, in my opinion. For example one person complains about not caring about the convention because it is silly, but she is just as fervent about water polo (you heard me).

A fun way to watch this is to pay attention to the room behind the person talking, often filled with interesting memorabilia with anything from Batman to Star Wars paraphernalia. It’s even curious when there is an absence of such. It’s like walking by someone’s house after dark and their front window shade is open, and you can see a little bit of their lives. A true mixture of fiction and reality.

The first part of the film spans a few months, from pre-COIVD to the epicenter, with the cancellation of the Comic Con, and the freak-out that follows. This wisely follows the fans’ reaction to the termination, rather than focusing on the misguided and dangerous anti-maskers who deny.

Act 2 starts with, I kid you not – after all, this is about comic books and superhero worship – the Earth being swallowed by some kind of black hole of white light. Now evil aliens are on the prowl. So, who ya gonna call? Since superheroes aren’t real, is it up to the cosplay heroes to defend the earth? Oh, by the way, if you’re wondering, the plotlines I’ve divulged are in the story’s descriptors on IMDB, so I’m not really giving much away. No spoilers that weren’t already spoiled by the filmmakers themselves, okay!?

This dimension is clearly a metaphor for the isolation of distancing, the economy crashing, the lack of governmental oversight and care, and a general mixture of malaise, ennui, and terror of this virus culture. And since there are lots of heroes and hero-wannabes, there are also a number of potential supervillains who side with the darker forces here as well (Samantha Acampura has a funny, over the top moment as a follower of the dark side in what appears to me a Harry Potter cosplay). This evil can be seen as a metaphor for Republicanism, as I see it, and would explain a bit about the storyline as it enters Act 3, which is the transition to post-apis runs the gamut from startingly bad to deliciously hilarious. For example, one person ponders, “I just paid off my 30-year student loan and now space aliens are invading. Just perfect.” In another, an alien states, laughing hysterically, “Not even David Caruso can save you.”

The acting is… well, it’s a bunch of cosplayers, actors, directors, filmmakers, artists and every-day folk so you’re going to have a wide range of skills, but each bit is no more than two minutes, so like they say about the weather in many places, “If you don’t like it, it’ll change in a minute.” The kids near the end tend to dominate the storyline and are great, and there is a wonderful rant by Mr. Troma himself, Lloyd Kaufman (the man is a treasure, I tell ya!). After the credits, wait for a spooky, demonic end piece cameo with Michael Thurber as Mr. Dark.

The film usually respects the characters, even the fanboys of both genders (we need a better, more inclusive term). Yeah, they can be a little wacko, as I have seen first-hand, but mostly it’s a collection of people who have focused in on a single thing with the passion of those ammosexuals, except a comic book isn’t going to discharge a bullet or drive a truck into someone for their beliefs.

This is a bit of a miss-mash and sometimes the storyline is a bit WTF, but it’s inherently and dominantly fun and watchable, even though it touches on something tragic at the same time. I enjoyed it from beginning to end.