9 @ Night Films/Tenderloin yGroup
NEW YORK -- This latest effort from indie filmmaker Rob Nilsson ("Northern Lights", "Signal 7") reflects his mentoring by the late, great John Cassavetes. Shot on black-and-white video and us-ing as its cast members the Tenderloin yGroup, a San Francisco-based acting workshop composed of both professional and nonprofessional inner city residents, "Attitude" unfortunately deviates from Cassavetes' style in that its dialogue was largely improvised by the cast. The result is the typical numbing aimlessness that so often attends such acting exercises, which is only intermittently alleviated by Nilsson's artfully stylized direction.
The fragmented, highly symbolic story line involves the plight of Spoddy (Michael Disend), a crooked car repair shop owner who has just been advised by his doctor that he's suffering from a fatal disease. Raging against his fate, Spoddy must take it on the lam when the furious brother of his longtime girlfriend physically threatens him. Taking solace only in the emotional and spiritual connection he feels with birds, Spoddy, who has nothing but scorn for the members of the underclass with whom he comes into continual contact, eventually redeems himself by accidentally inspiring a group of homeless squatters.
While the filmmaker reveals much visual expertise in his low-budget medium, his storytelling and indulgence with his actors are far less impressive. Pretentious and murky, the film frequently stops cold to allow its performers to engage in lengthy, profanity-laden rants that must have seemed far more impressive on the set than they do onscreen. While the performers, especially Disend, often display a visceral power, they also reveal a lack of discipline, with the result being that the dramatics often spin out of control. Not helping matters are the frequent mystical interludes depicting the lead character's ornithological obsessions.
NEW YORK -- This latest effort from indie filmmaker Rob Nilsson ("Northern Lights", "Signal 7") reflects his mentoring by the late, great John Cassavetes. Shot on black-and-white video and us-ing as its cast members the Tenderloin yGroup, a San Francisco-based acting workshop composed of both professional and nonprofessional inner city residents, "Attitude" unfortunately deviates from Cassavetes' style in that its dialogue was largely improvised by the cast. The result is the typical numbing aimlessness that so often attends such acting exercises, which is only intermittently alleviated by Nilsson's artfully stylized direction.
The fragmented, highly symbolic story line involves the plight of Spoddy (Michael Disend), a crooked car repair shop owner who has just been advised by his doctor that he's suffering from a fatal disease. Raging against his fate, Spoddy must take it on the lam when the furious brother of his longtime girlfriend physically threatens him. Taking solace only in the emotional and spiritual connection he feels with birds, Spoddy, who has nothing but scorn for the members of the underclass with whom he comes into continual contact, eventually redeems himself by accidentally inspiring a group of homeless squatters.
While the filmmaker reveals much visual expertise in his low-budget medium, his storytelling and indulgence with his actors are far less impressive. Pretentious and murky, the film frequently stops cold to allow its performers to engage in lengthy, profanity-laden rants that must have seemed far more impressive on the set than they do onscreen. While the performers, especially Disend, often display a visceral power, they also reveal a lack of discipline, with the result being that the dramatics often spin out of control. Not helping matters are the frequent mystical interludes depicting the lead character's ornithological obsessions.
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