Film Review: Sausage Party

A profound examination of religious faith — buried deep, deep within a hilariously crude, offensive, foul-mouthed animated film.

Oh, sh*t, these foods are f**cking foul-mouthed!
Oh, sh*t, these foods are f**cking foul-mouthed!

Imagine if Toy Story was written by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and then sprinkled with a dash of Caligula. Even that probably doesn’t quite capture just how far Sausage Party goes in terms of it’s R-related language and content (supposedly it came close to an NC-17 rating, until they toned it down — yes, toned it down!). As advertised, the cast and creators of This is the End are back, this time to infuse their stoner, ultra-sexualized, black comedy into an animated feature. Sausage Party goes a step beyond just shock-value to deliver its laughs, serving a healthy does of side-splitting puns, curse-words, pop culture references, and hilarious characters. But Sausage Party is also an incredibly clever film. It disguises it’s more contemplative themes of divinity, the existence of an afterlife, and the triviality of religious tensions within the entertaining muck of a hilariously perverse one-note culinary joke — that anthropomorphic foods discover that they’re all doomed to be devoured by humans.

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MVFF38 Spotlights #2: Truth/Yosemite/Suffragette

MVFF Logo

The 38th Mill Valley Film Festival closed Sunday, October 18th, but if you weren’t able to make it out to Marin these past ten days, never fear: many of the titles – both big and small – will be widely released, and available to you soon at your local theater. To wrap up our coverage, Spinning Platters takes a look at three of these films, one of which actually opens this Friday.

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Film Review: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

It’s always darkest before the ‘Dawn’.

Hail O'Mighty Caesar!
Hail O’Mighty Caesar!

In Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the follow-up to the surprising and emotionally resonant 2011 reboot, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, we are treated to another slice of the 50-year-old Planet of the Apes universe that had, until now, only been hypothesized.  Part of the consuming mystery surrounding the original 1968 Planet of the Apes ending was wondering how the humans had destroyed the Earth and fallen prisoner to ape overlords.  Dawn offers just a small, yet undoubtedly significant, step on this inevitable path.  And yet, under the confident direction of Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes has an epic feel that looms large with great performances, memorable and haunting action, and deep social commentary.

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Film Review: Lovelace

Icon or victim? Exploring the depths of one woman’s story

Peter Sarsgaard and Amanda Seyfried discuss money making options.
Peter Sarsgaard’s Chuck works on convincing Amanda Seyfried’s Linda that his money making ideas are totally reasonable.

In 1972, Linda Boreman Marchiano, better known by her stage name, Linda Lovelace, spent a sum total of 17 days working on one notorious pornographic film, but the results of that work led her to a lifetime of fame – or, more accurately, infamy. Her story is vividly brought to life in Lovelace, the new film by directors Rob Epstein and Jeremy Friedman (The Times of Harvey MilkHowl) and writer Andy Bellin. They have crafted not only a fascinating psychological drama, but also a brilliant evocation of a bygone era. Continue reading “Film Review: Lovelace”

Film Review: Spring Breakers

James Franco as Alien in Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers
James Franco as Alien in Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers

Written and Directed by: Harmony Korine

Starring: Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine and James Franco

MPAA: Rated R for strong sexual content, language, nudity, drug use and violence throughout

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Film Review: “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”

starring: James Franco, Freida Pinto, Andy Serkis, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo

written by: Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver

directed by: Rupert Wyatt

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for violence, terror, some sexuality and brief strong language

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Film Review: “Your Highness”

Natalie Portman, Danny McBride, James Franco, and Zooey Deschanel in YOUR HIGHNESS. Photo by Frank Connor – © 2011 Universal Studios. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

starring: Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel, Justin Theroux, Rasmus Hardiker, Toby Jones

written by: Danny McBride and Ben Best

directed by: David Gordon Green

MPAA: Rated R for strong crude and sexual content, pervasive language, nudity, violence and some drug use.

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Spinning Platters Interview: Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman on “Howl”

Script supervisor Tony Pettine discusses a scene with directors Jeffrey Friedman and Rob Epstein in the courtroom set of HOWL. Photo courtesy of Telling Pictures.

The Times of Harvey Milk. Common Threads: Stories From The Quilt. The Celluloid Closet. Paragraph 175. Over the course of 25 years, two Best Documentary Oscars, and a smattering of Emmys and Peabodys, San Francisco-based filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman have forever changed the face of documentary film-making and revolutionized the portrayal of gay and lesbian subjects in American culture. Now, they’ve made Howl (opening in Bay Area on September 24), their first scripted film, in which James Franco brilliantly embodies Allen Ginsberg. They recently sat down with Spinning Platters to discuss their latest effort.

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