Sundance '23: Kim's Video, Fremont, Onyx the Fortuitous & Willie Nelson
While I don’t have boots on the ground in Park City this year, I got myself a virtual pass and plan on spending a few days on the couch checking out selections from the festival line-up. Here’s the rundown of what I’m watching.
From David Redmon and Ashley Sabin’s Kim’s Video, the mysterious legend himself: Mr. Kim
I kicked off my Sundance “trip” with one of my most anticipated titles in the festival, Kim’s Video, Ashley Sabin and David Redmon’s off-the-wall doc about the eponymous New York City video store chain beloved by hundreds, if not thousands of passionate cinephiles, me and my film nerd friends included. I had my mind blown by Kim’s Video when I started college in late 2002 and, while never a rental member, I spent a lot of money I didn’t have on DVD’s there, both used and new. They’d sometimes put new discs out early, so I’d always make a point to check for stuff that wasn’t officially in release yet.
So yeah, this doc hit a lot of nostalgia buttons for me, but I was pleasantly surprised to see how nicely it darted into all sorts of odd territory beyond a straight memory film/history piece about a video store. Once the filmmakers start investigating what happened to Mr. Kim’s infamous collection (totaling over 50,000 movies) after the entire thing was shipped off to a small town in Sicily, things start taking incredibly wild turns. I’ll say no more, other than this thing winds up playing like a thriller, with dicey political investigations and even a run-in with a legit mafioso. Why was I not surprised the mafia was somehow involved?
We don’t yet know what will happen with this one, but considering Alamo Drafthouse is heavily featured in the film, don’t be surprised if some screenings pop up, at least in the Lower Manhattan location.
Kim’s Video — Ashley Sabin & David Redmon — 88 min. — Program: Next
Anaita Wali Zada in Fremont
Fremont, the fourth feature from Iranian filmmaker, Babak Jalali (Frontier Blues), features a total knock-out debut performance from star, and real-life Afghan refugee, Anaita Wali Zada. In this off-beat, über-indie, comedic drama, Zada plays Donya, a former translator for the U.S. military, trying to start a new life on her own in northern California. She has a job at a small fortune cookie bakery where all the cookies are hand made; even the fortunes are custom-written in-house. Wild shit.
Donya is painfully lonely—she lives in a tiny complex alongside fellow Afghan immigrants, but doesn’t seem to have any close friends outside of a relationship with one co-worker; she eats all her meals alone watching soap operas in an empty restaurant where she exchanges minimal amounts of dialogue with the server.
After getting a promotion at work, Donya decides she’s fed up with her current existence and uses her new position as chief fortune writer at the bakery to put some feelers out into the world to see if anyone reaches back.
It’s a beautifully shot movie with some exquisite black and white photography, and like I said up top, Anaita Wali Zada is really great as Donya. She’s incredibly photogenic and Jalali knows this, holding several static close-ups on Donya as she navigates her quiet day-to-day. But overall, I found the stilted nature of the film didn’t work for me. There are lots of, not cringe, but let’s say awkwardly delivered bits of comedy peppered throughout that don’t work. Actor and noted movie fanatic, Gregg Turkington even shows up in a supporting role, to give you an idea of what temperature the comedy is at for a lot of this.
Nothing mind-blowing, but a nice, well-executed movie with a really beautiful lead performance, that’s ultimately a little too “indie” for its own good.
Fremont — Babak Jalali — 91 min. — Program: Next
Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls and its cadre of whacky occult obsessives
Okay, I’m not made of fucking stone, there’s something about this weird, dare I say zany, horror comedy that I found totally charming. Contemporary horror comedies rarely work for me, but I had a pretty good time watching writer/director/producer/star Andrew Bowser’s lengthily-titled love-letter to 80’s monster horror cheese, Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls.
In this feature length adaptation of a recurring internet sketch character—that I straight-up thought was real when I saw a viral video of Bowser’s a few years ago—Bowser stars as Marcus J. Trillbury, a.k.a. Onyx the Fortuitous, a burger-slinging, occult-obsessed, social reject with the most bizarre cadence I’ve heard maybe ever. He lives with his mom (Scream Queen Barbara Crampton, From Beyond) and new step-dad with whom he has a… fraught relationship. A screaming match between the two of them early in the film had me howling.
Onyx joins four other occult enthusiasts at a large manor (that’s maybe the house from Knives Out?), all of whom are fans of the same mysterious mystic, Bartok the Great (played by a totally committed and scenery-chomping Jeffrey Combs). The quintet are to spend a weekend at Bartok’s estate assisting him with a five-part ritual to raise the spirit of some all-powerful demon. But all is not what it seems as Bartok is scheming with his psychic-powers-having demon assistant, played by a really good Olivia Taylor Dudley (She Dies Tomorrow, The Magicians) for reasons I will not reveal.
It feels long at 110 minutes, but I don’t think it necessarily overstays its welcome. Bowser’s commitment to the bit with this character is really something. While I can’t say I totally ‘get it’ with the Marcus J. Trillbury creation, Bowser’s delivery had me laughing a shit ton, including a laugh-your-ass off parody of a certain Meat Loaf music video. (RIPD, Meat Loaf, btw.)
I’m sure this will wind up on Shudder, where it will be right at home. Keep your eyes peeled for it!
Oh, and major bonus points for casting Barbara Crampton as Marcus’s mom.
Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls — Andrew Bowser — 110 min. — Program: Midnight
The life of the Red Headed Stranger is the focus of the one and only authorized doc on him, Willie Nelson & Family
Who doesn’t love Willie Nelson? Whether it’s his angelic voice, commitment to life on The Road, cannabis advocacy, philanthropy, or even his heartbreaking performance in Michael Mann’s Thief, there’s a lot to love about the Red Headed Stranger.
Thom Zimny and Oren Moverman’s epic, five-part documentary, Willie Nelson & Family, which us lowly virtual viewers only got to see the first two parts of while everyone in Park City got to see the whole dern thing, is (from what I’ve seen, anyway) a wonderfully told, beautifully realized account of the life and times of one of music’s most beloved icons.
It’s certainly a monster of a project, after watching our allotted two hours of the film, my wife commented, “We’ve already watched so much, and he’s not even famous yet.” So yes, it would appear as if this is going to be a thorough telling of the man’s life and hey, I’m completely on board.
So light up and enjoy, because the best part is this movie doesn’t skimp on the tunes like some music docs I’ve turned off. Never fear, plenty of concert footage, performance audio, and contemporary scenes of Willie jamming with his sons. It’s a sight to behold.
Where can I see the rest? And when?
Willie Nelson & Family — Thom Zimny & Oren Moverman — 260 min. — Program: Indie Episodic
All right, that’s it for this first Sundance re-cap. Overall a decent enough day. Both Onyx and Kim’s Video were fun watches. Not major works, but entertaining experiences. I think the doc on Kim’s will play better with folks who remember the store, but it’s short enough that it’s still worth your time if you haven’t. I can’t say that I’d recommend Fremont, but it’s a solid enough effort. It’s a movie that looks better than it is. And yeah, when can I finish the Willie Nelson film? I haven’t seen anything about a distributor/platform that took it yet, but I’ll absolutely be finishing that thing as soon as possible.
More movies soon.