I want to save Shawn Levy from a terrible mistake. Levy, film critic at The Oregonian in Portland and, no, not the director of the comedy smash "Night at the Museum," put up a post to spotlight localite Aaron Katz's "hollow, vile, pitiful" festival debut "Dance Party USA," in hopes the film will reach Portland. I so want to crush his hopes. Nope, scratch that. I want to pulverize his hopes, and not because I wish to antagonize Mr. Levy, but the film. I've been to Portland. It's beautiful. Aaron Katz's Portland is ugly, and ugly not necessarily because of an aesthetic choice, but more likely ineptitude, and shot in cheap digital video that (strangely) doesn't capture any raw authenticity, but the postures of an amateur. But excuse the digressions. Mr. Levy's post:
"I'm a little late getting to this, but it was a busy holiday season. 'Dance Party USA' is an independent film made by writer-director Aaron Katz, who currently lives in NYC but was raised and schooled right here in Stumptown. The film was shot here and played festivals throughout 2006, including Bend (where I heard great things but couldn't catch up with it). It got nice reviews from several outlets, including the New York Times and most recently was named one of the top 10 films of the year by the weekly New York Sun. So when do we get to see it here in Mr. Katz's hometown? Er, not sure yet. But I learned today that various folks are efforting to put a booking together. So keep an eye out. The buzz is strong."
Mr. Levy should read further, as well as you all.
Review of "Dance Party USA" in The Scout, Oct. 19, 2006:
"Gus (Cole Pensinger), a sexual predator and gossipmonger, reveals to Jessica (Anna Kavan), a quiet stranger he approaches out of character, a dark secret at a lifeless Portland, Ore., party with otherwise empty chatter. The nitty-gritty of the confession (spoiler), the deplorable rape of a drunk 14-year-old girl at a neighborhood kegger a year ago, exposes no insights into an irredeemable bad apple or the teenage wasteland of the MySpace generation. Then, the idea-void narrative proceeds to drift into oblivion until a deceitful kiss all of the sudden punctuates Aaron Katz's hollow, vile, pitiful and altogether insignificant 66-minute attempt at Gus Van Sant's distant minimalism."
In a word: Avoid. Mr. Levy, sorry to burst your bubble.
1/3/07
"Dance Party USA" Needs A Remix
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5 comments:
i'm sorry you were raped as a 14-year-old, Mr. Weston. that's the only thing that could explain your being so aggressively opposed to this movie. to all of your readers (hopefully there are only 8 or 9 of you out there), don't listen to this jealous schoolyard ranting. DANCE PARTY USA is a striking debut--albeit in a minor key--made by intelligent kids just out of film school who are actually making films. but everyone's entitled to their own opinion, i suppose...
As a filmmaker whose work has shown at several film festivals with DANCE PARTY, USA, I have had the privilege of seeing the film multiple times, and I'm happy to say that it continues to impress me and reveal more of itself with each viewing.
I have also had the great pleasure of getting to know Aaron Katz and the rest of the great people who worked on the film, and your mean spirited characterization of the film and the filmmaker couldn't be any less accurate.
I'm especially offended that you would go so far out of your way to keep a tiny personal film made for $3000 by first time filmmakers in their early twenties from finding an audience. Writing a mean review is one thing. Launching a crusade against the little guy is something else entirely.
Criticism should exist to inform your reader, correct? Your review should be there so that a reader can make up his/her own mind. What you are trying to do now is censor a film. Squash it. Because you have decided it is bad, and if you don't like it, nobody else will.
In response to recent comments:
I have nothing against Aaron Katz and his fellow filmmakers at all. In fact, I hope they succeed and continue to find their way to making a great film one day. But "Dance Party USA" is not that film.
I've always been supportive of great up-and-coming filmmakers with unique visions (Darren Aronofsky with "Pi", Paul Thomas Anderson with "Hard Eight", Lisa Cholodenko with "High Art", Wes Anderson with "Bottle Rocket", to name a few). But I didn't see any unique vision in "Dance Party USA." That's my opinion. I know it's difficult to have someone quickly disregard your impassioned labors and risk-taking in a paragraph. I'm also a designer and illustrator, I can relate. Plus, I ask you, how many movies have any of you gone to lately and walked out thinking the film was simply no good? I don't give free passes to first-time filmmakers because they're first-time filmmakers, especially when some happen to put out some astonishing work (see above) anyway, first-timers or not.
To those who say my passionate statement against the artistic validity of the film is an endorsement of censoring it is a ridiculous knee-jerk counter-attack. No brainer: I don't support censorship. I want people to see the film and judge for themselves. Friends and co-workers of mine still hate on me for vehemently trashing "Garden State," Zach Braff's first film. But I love to energetically debate it with them, and not attack them for liking it, as you might imply.
I say "good luck" to Aaron Katz. Continue to do what you love and don't let my comments (or ones like them) at all discourage you from doing what you love. I look forward to seeing your next film and hope your career as a filmmaker is a fruitful and fulfilling one.
"I so want to crush his hopes. Nope, scratch that. I want to pulverize his hopes, and not because I wish to antagonize Mr. Levy, but the film."
"In a word: Avoid. Mr. Levy, sorry to burst your bubble."
Those don't sound like the words of someone who believes:
" I want people to see the film and judge for themselves. "
I kid Mr. Levy. I was being overtly operatic in my "hope-crushing." I was making a grand gesture of my revulsion against the film, not intended to be taken more than figuratively.
Look, I'm not going to ever stop someone from seeing something they really want to see. Those who want to see "Dance Party" out of curiosity are going to see it anyway. Secondly, let me say, I may not "want" people to see it, per my last statement, but I meant to say that if people do see it, that's okay. That's what it's made for. To be seen. Plus, I'd love to hear the take of those who were interested in seeing it. Geez, I don't seek to banish the movie to non-existence. But, there's literally a glut of better films out there to see, and I don't apologize for my criticism.
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