Little Miss Sunshine

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Independent

In a year when so many movies have once again resorted to big budgets, tons of special effects, loud explosions, and flat scripts, it was quite jarring to see a picture like “Little Miss Sunshine”. Jarring in a good way, I mean. A film like this could easily fall between the cracks especially in the hundreds of cinemas in Metro Manila. Showing exclusively in Ayala Cinemas, “Sunshine” avoided titanic showdowns with kiddie juggernaut “Happy Feet”, stoner comedy “Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny” and Russell Crowe’s “A Good Year”. Yet that doesn’t mean “Sunshine” is the least of the lot. In fact, I think it’s the most poignant and heartwarming.

From Albuquerque, New Mexico, the dysfunctional Hoovers are constantly bickering and at each other’s throats. Go-getter Richard (Greg Kinnear) has been using family funds to look for ways to have his motivational steps published. Sheryl (Toni Collette) is trying to keep this family together even as she must care for her suicidal brother Frank (Steve Carell). Frank was a former university professor (and the foremost expert on the works of philosopher Marcel Proust) who lost his job after a failed attempt at a relationship with one of his male students. Oldest son Wayne (Paul Dano) has taken a vow of silence and won’t utter a word until he makes it to the Air Force Academy. Richard’s father Edwin (Alan Arkin) has been kicked out his retirement home for using heroin. And youngest child Olive (Abigail Breslin) dreams of being a beauty queen.

Under the guidance of husband and wife directorial team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Farris, the film makes you rethink what you would consider as a “normal” family. All the quirkiness and the backbiting between the Hoovers makes them come off as even more genuine, reminding us of our own family members who have similar characteristics. When the family drives all the way from Albuquerque to Los Angeles for Olive to compete in the Little Miss Sunshine pageant, they’re forced to spend time together in an old Volkswagen van. This unwanted quality time together is when the movie really takes off. As their personalities start grating on each other and their idiosyncrasies drive one another nuts, the actors are able to show off their individual acting skills in a brilliant ensemble piece.

This film has been getting a lot of Oscar buzz after winning the Best Feature - World Cinema Audience Award at the 2006 Sydney Film Festival, and even a standing ovation at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. That’s no surprise as the cast and the script meshed well for a truly engaging and (eventually) heartwarming flick. Each actor is able to flex their acting muscle, from veteran Arkin down to young yet already brilliant Breslin. It is in the end, a film about family. Don’t let the PG-13 rating convince you otherwise. You won’t even notice the two hours screening time fly by since you’ll be too busy being hypnotized by this film’s simple brilliance and honesty.

This may not be a film about talking penguins, flying superheroes, or funny faux-Kazakhs, yet “Little Miss Sunshine” is a film that will have you leaving the cinema smiling, perhaps making you appreciate how funny and dysfunctional your own family is as well.

Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Comedy

This isn’t Shakespeare or a Merchant-Ivory production by any stretch of the imagination. In fact when “Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny” starts, the first thing you’ll see is animated versions of stars Jack Black and Kyle Gass farting onscreen. So much for intelligent conversation after watching this flick. But don’t let that turn you off, “POD” is an irreverent comedy that combines autobiography, fable, and musical into one insane package.

The film begins with a young JB yearning to rock out of his uptight Christian home in Missouri. As Meatloaf (of I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That) fame) does a cameo as Black’s dad, a poster of former Black Sabbath frontman Ronnie James Dio comes to life and orders JB to seek his fortune in Hollywood, the viewer knows there won’t be anything serious coming out of this. In LA, Black meets musician Gass, a genius at the guitar who still gets rent money from his parents despite being almost 40-years old. When the two decide to form “the greatest band ever”, the true adventure begins!

Black and Gass aren’t just actors onscreen, they’re actually a real rock band. Gass is a real-life Julliard-trained guitar genius and Black has always declared his love of the music in his films. Tenacious D, the metal band, released a self-titled album in 2001 complete with Lord of the Rings-type video in “Wonderboy” and a memorable animated video for “Fuck Her Gently”. Lucky for us, this movie has its own rockin’ soundtrack as well. Thus, the heart of the film is in the music, as well as the friendship between the two leads.

Black is at his nimble, gut-busting best here. Not limited by being surrounded by kids as in “School of Rock” and “Nacho Libre” or by a CGI-gorilla ala “King Kong”, he really cuts loose on the cussing and the physical action. Gass serves as a steady foil for Black, not just a mere sidekick. His portrayal of a guitar god/rocker wannabe whom Black seeks instruction from proves he is an equal to Black’s twisted humor.

Amid a swirl of good old fashioned sex, drugs, and rock and roll is a road trip that has the band seeking the mythical “pick of destiny” that all rock legends have used to achieve immortality. Along the way, cameos abound, particularly from old friends of the duo. Ben Stiller, Tim Robbins, Amy Poehler, and Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters all help in creating the world where “The D” is king. Even as the pair encounters characters like a sasquatch (!) and Satan himself (!!!), the sheer silliness of the premise is enough to leave your belly aching with laughter.

Throughout “Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny”, the audience is bombarded by a rock soundtrack that would make any rocker proud. With humorous animated segues, and a premise nobody will mistake for high-brow humor, the film simply goes out to prove that in this day and age, rock and roll is alive and well indeed. Rock on!