Al Fountain (John Turturro) has a number of contracts in his life. He’s made contracts with schedules, performance, success, efficiency, and order. He’s “Mr. Clockwork.” This works really well for him in his job as a project manager for a power construction company, but when it comes to his interpersonal skills, he’s a little off. He doesn’t cut his employees any slack when he catches them goofing off fifteen minutes before quitting time, and he grills his son on his times tables when he calls home at exactly 9:00pm every night. And god forbid that Bobby should have fireworks for the upcoming Fourth of July holiday; after all, they’re illegal!

When his company cancels the job and he finds himself with a few extra days before he needs to be home, Al decides instead to rent a car and find Splatchee Lake, his favorite childhood vacation spot. Lying to his wife about how great the job is going, he takes off on his quest, and on a back road, nearly crashes into “The Kid” (Sam Rockwell), whose car has stalled on a blind curve.

Al promises to help the Kid fix his car, and the two find themselves living together for a few days in Kid’s trailer in the woods. The Kid is a loner--a free spirit who lives off the grid, doesn’t pay taxes, doesn’t have a driver’s license, and drives around with illegal fireworks in his car. This horrifies Al to no end, even though it’s none of his business.

The kid is so different from Al, and has a completely different set of contracts with freedom, spontaneity and impulsiveness. As the two of them spend time together, the Kid draws Al into his world. They steal lawn ornaments from unsuspecting homeowners. The have tomato fights in a farmer’s field, and nearly get arrested by the local sheriff. Breakfast is milk over a bowl of crushed Hydrox cookies. They go skinny dipping in a local swimming hole, meet two local girls, Floatie and Purline, and spend the Fourth of July cooking out, lighting fireworks, and dancing around the fire in their underwear. And although happily married, Al spends his last night at the Kid’s place with Floatie.

Al is spontaneous for perhaps the first time in his life and gets a taste of what another set of contracts could look like. When morning comes, Al knows he can’t stay in the Kid’s world, and need to get back to his family in Chicago. But he cannot deny that he’s been changed. The contracts he has with himself and his life have been called into question.

His and the Kid’s respective contracts are no more or less valid, they’re just different, and Al needs to examine his contracts alongside his priorities. He’s learned that personal relationships are more important than sticking to his schedule, but that’s just the first step.

When he returns to Chicago he surprises his wife with a gift, something uncharacteristically Al. When he finds his son Bobby playing with flashcards in the backyard, he tells him to put them away; there will time for that later. He then gives him a gift from his trip—a bag full of illegal fireworks. Ultimately, Al’s made an important discovery about himself, and has begin re-writing his contracts and agreements to include things that are truly important to him.

This article is the fourth in a series of film reviews based on the major arcana of the tarot. It was published in the Diana's Grove Mystery School Newsletter in April of 2004.
  ¶ 13:12

 
Curtis Williams wants to entertain you. He sees Milwaukee’s potential as a mecca of arts and entertainment, and through his company, All Access Entertainment, Inc., is presenting Second Saturdays as a way to showcase film, music, and arts to local audiences.

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Curtis graduated from Shorewood High School and attended Louisiana’s Grambling State University, earning a degree in Criminal Justice. He is currently a Dropout Recovery Specialist with the Boys and Girls Club of Milwaukee.

The genesis of Second Saturdays was Willams’ realization that Milwaukee groups are very insular. He’s all about networking and making connections, but finds that difficult in Milwaukee. “No one interacts!” he points out.

A little over a year ago, he started Second Saturdays to provide an event where Milwaukee’s professionals can gather to meet each other, network, and enjoy quality entertainment. While he envisions a vide variety of entertainment possibilities, so far he’s only screened films.

Curtis and his screening committee are very selective about the films they’ve screened so far, choosing only those that have garnered critical acclaim or awards. Since the inception of Second Saturdays, he’s screened films such as “All About You” and “Me and Mrs. Jones,” and “Skin Deep,” directed by Sacha Parisot (see Skin Deep article). Parisot was on hand to field questions about the film, a winner of several awards at the American Black Film Festival and Jamerican Film Festival.

For now Williams is self-funding Second Saturdays. He’s actively looking for sponsors to help bring more films and entertainers to the city.

Information about Second Saturdays and All Access Entertainment, including a schedule of upcoming events, can be found on the web at http://www.secondsaturdayfilms.com/.


Originally published in Riverwest Currents, April 2004. See the original article here.
  ¶ 15:49

 
Skin Deep, Sacha Parisot’s debut feature film, has a very tight script. As thrillers go, it’s better than average, with some unexpected twists and wonderful dialog. Spain’s Aitor Mantxola photographs the film beautifully, with a preponderance of golden hour light.

The film takes place in a single afternoon, as two couples drink, dine, and hot tub in suburban Silicon Valley. One of the wives is discovered dead in the hot tub, and the three remaining characters try to decide what to do about the situation. Accusations fly as paranoia, racism, and a secret mistress come into play.

One of the more interesting things about this film was the manner in which director Sacha Parisot handles race issues. Victoria, Anthony’s wife, is white (the only Caucasian lead), and this is a contentious issue with Michael, Anthony’s best friend. Instead of making it film about race, as directors like Spike Lee have done, Parisot chose to include race issues in the normal discourse of the story, without having the issues become overbearing. It’s part of the fabric of the greater plot instead of actually being the plot.

Most thrillers follow predictable and formulaic paths. While many of those devices were used in this film, the way they were used in the context of the story showed some innovation, and unlike recent thrillers that have plot holes big enough to drive a truck through, everything that happened in the script made sense or was explained subtly in prior scenes.

The cast has great chemistry, and for the most part, the acting is top notch, featuring performances from Mailon Rivera, Steve White, Kristen Shaw, Mad TV’s Debra Wilson, and A.J. Johnson.

Shot over two weeks with a budget around $400,000, the film was recently selected for distribution by Urban Works Entertainment. It will have limited theatrical distribution in larger markets around the country, and the DVD will be available for sale and rental nationwide in June.

Skin Deep was featured at Second Saturdays in March. Read more about the Second Saturdays Film Showcase in the Currents here. SkinDeepTheMovie.com is the official movie site.

Originally published in Riverwest Currents, April 2004. See the original article here.  ¶ 15:48