deadCENTER Film

Ahh…2006. There was Maxed Out and Brothers of the Head.  There was The McPassion and Secession. There was Rusty Forkblade and Mr. Malikai. There was Binta and the Great Idea and Entre Luz Y Sol. There was even Armand Assante as a super-serious mall cop. And still some of the most enjoyable stuff I saw at that festival was before the films even started. The City of deadCENTER spots, starring Matt Brown, were among the best stuff at the festival. After 2006, I began to anticipate these spots almost as much as the regularly submitted films.

 

Maxed Out — My favorite film from the 2006 festival. While I think it is a solid documentary in its own right, one cannot help but to judge a film based upon the environment in which you first view it. This one was no exception. While waiting for the movie on the roof of the OKCMOA, we sat and chatted with the director and one of the women featured in the documentary. As a result of mounting credit card debt from a card obtained on the UCO campus, Trisha Johnson’s daughter Mitzi committed suicide. Tricia talked to us about her fight to take the issue to Congress and about how the University of Oklahoma still allowed credit card companies to solicit on campus (for a handsome kickback). Before I’d seen even a minute of the film, I was already emotionally engaged. Upon seeing it again this past weekend, it is still emotionally compelling and (as a result of the recent financial crisis) eerily relevant.

 

I think for anyone who saw this movie in 2006 at deadCENTER, the financial meltdown of 2007 to present should have come as no surprise. The movie touches on a real estate market ruled by fantasy and financial institutions operating with ruthless tendencies. What led us to the Great Recession could be seen unraveling in James Scurlock’s documentary film. Maxed Out may also deserve a tiny bit of recognition for bringing some of the deceptive and predatory practices of the credit card companies to the public’s attention, resulting in the passage three years later of the Credit CARD Act of 2009.

 

Finally, although President Obama has just announced Elena Kagan as his choice to become the next Supreme Court Justice, I would have liked to have seen Norman-born Elizabeth Warren as his selection. She appears as the primary talking head in Maxed Out. Besides being ridiculously intelligent and relatable, she seems to be a genuine advocate for financial fairness (qualities which would surely disqualify her in the minds of many in Congress).

 

This 90-minute documentary feature is available on multiple formats, including Netflix Instant Viewing. You should watch this NOW.

 

Outside Sales –  I’ll openly admit that I was not a big fan of the film Blayne Weaver brought to the 2009 festival–Weather Girl. It just didn’t work at all for me. Mark Harmon will never be enough to save a movie. In spite of that, I was willing to give Weaver’s previous deadCENTER submission–Outside Sales–a chance. This one had a decent script, good performances, and some genuinely funny moments.  In my opinion, a much better effort and certainly more deserving of its Best Narrative Feature award at the 2006 festival.

 

This 96-minute narrative feature is available on Netflix.

 

Mr. Malikai Battles the Aeroplane — A quirky and funny short from Drew Blatman. Shot on SuperSuper 8 which immediately establishes a nostalgic tone, the film follows Mr. Malikai as he battles hyperacusis (sensitivity to everyday noises) and eventually finds some relief. Any film that can wrest a chuckle from a dot chart and carved vegetables gets a star in my book.

 

This 10-minute short film is available on YouTube and Vimeo.

 

Secession — Coming on the heels of Mother’s Day, this short from director Kate Christensen and writer Earnest Pettie gives us a film that ought to make you want to give your mother another great big hug. It tells the story of a mother who feels “under-appreciated, under-loved, and under a lot of stress.”

 

This 13-minute short film is available on Vimeo.

 

–Dwight (www.thefilmcake.com)

 

Next Wednesday: The 2007 festival…