25 replies to this topic

[Peter T Chattaway]

I like the IDEA of this film more than I like the finished film itself, but I will say this: the director sure knows how to photograph this tire. It's amazing how much menace, how much pathos, how much character he can get out of this basically inanimate object. (Yes, yes, it does roll, so it's arguably animate in THAT sense, at least -- but does it have any moving parts? does it have ANYTHING, really, that makes it more than a glorified circle?)

[Ryan H.]

Okay, I have to see it. Even if it isn't that good--and it probably isn't--the concept is way too fun.

Edited by Ryan H., 21 January 2011 - 07:14 AM.

[M. Leary]

Years ago, Stef, Thom and I were trying to figure out how to make a similar film about a piece of meat. It was going to be called Mad Meat.

[Persona]

This is a brilliant idea. Is it supposed to be feature-length? I can't think of anything more needed right now, and I'm absolutely serious about that. We will always have regular old narrative films that are wonderful to sit in and take, for instance The King's Speech, The Fighter. But every once in a while, things need to be shaken up a bit, and sorry but, for me anyway, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and all its spinoffs just don't cut it.

M. Leary, on 21 January 2011 - 08:36 AM, said:

Years ago, Stef, Thom and I were trying to figure out how to make a similar film about a piece of meat. It was going to be called Mad Meat.

I remember you had an idea for making the meat move with fishing wire that we were going to digitally erase later. It could have been awesome, but instead you ended up dressed as Sherlock Holmes and I ended up in white tights, with wings and a wand.

I missed doing Mad Meat, but wouldn't trade that experience for anything in the world.

[Tyler]

If there is any justice in the world, this will be shown on a double bill with Bahrani/Herzog's Plastic Bag.

[techne]

also reminds me of eleanor antin's 100 boots photographic series, just with more overt menace

[Persona]

Region 1 DVD release date June 7.

Available from Netflix same day.

[Overstreet]

I agree with Peter: The idea is fantastic. And I feel funny complaining that it isn't very well made, since the execution is deliberately amateurish and low budget. The problem is, the joke gets old fast, and since everything is deliberately being played badly, there's not much to hold our attention once the joke gets old. I would love to have seen this idea taken on by Charlie Kaufman or the Coens or somebody with a bigger imagination about how to make the film more worthwhile.

Still, it's worth a look.

[Thom Wade]

Yeah...it has some nice quirks...a steady and stronger creative team might have made something brilliantly quirky.

[Peter T Chattaway]

I apparently didn't mention this above, but as I recall, one sign of how this movie lost my interest as it progressed was this: In the very first scene, a guy in a policeman's uniform gives a funny, absurd little speech which gave me hope that the movie would be a lot of fun. And during the end credits, they replay this scene from an alternate angle... and I just didn't care any more. That saddened me, as I had hoped that I could return to that opening scene some day and get a kick out of it again.

[Overstreet]

Agreed. The repeated speech only accentuated how few ideas the movie really had.

[M. Leary]

This is in contrast to the Thom/Persona/Leary Mad Meat version of this story, which was eerily similar to this plot, but chock full of ideas about love, community, and that lonely little place inside of us all.

[mrmando]

Overstreet, on 28 July 2011 - 11:56 AM, said:

The repeated speech only accentuated how few ideas the movie really had.

None of them were complete ideas, either ... kind of like th

...

I still prefer Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.

Edited by mrmando, 28 July 2011 - 02:02 PM.

[Persona]

M. Leary, on 28 July 2011 - 12:15 PM, said:

This is in contrast to the Thom/Persona/Leary Mad Meat version of this story, which was eerily similar to this plot, but chock full of ideas about love, community, and that lonely little place inside of us all.

I believe we were going to have an altar call and pass the bucket at the ending credits.

[Thom]

M. Leary, on 28 July 2011 - 12:15 PM, said:

This is in contrast to the Thom/Persona/Leary Mad Meat version of this story, which was eerily similar to this plot, but chock full of ideas about love, community, and that lonely little place inside of us all.

I remember we were going to setup the story with a bit of time-lapse. It would have been fantastic.

[M. Leary]

Apparently, we could have been famous. This could have been our break. Frankly, I think the concept works better with meat and a good, solid backstory.

[M. Leary]

Here is what I have from my notes:

INT: KITCHEN OF NONDESCRIPT APARTMENT - Morning

PAN around from window of kitchen to refrigerator. A ray of early morning light shifts across the chipped white windowsill, passes along the gold-flecked formica table top, scoots past the sink and three three robin's egg blue bakelite coffee mugs drying next to it, and finally comes to rest on the chrome handle of the freezer. The DOOR unexpectedly opens. Barely LIT by the early morning sun we can see movement within. The SCRAPE of ice.

Struggling free from the frosty bonds of the freezer one 17 ounce Porterhouse steak wrapped loosely in white butcher paper limps from within.

SLOW MOTION tracking the MEAT as it falls exhaustedly to the linoleum floor. MEAT hits the floor, flakes of ice clatter about. MEAT begins to thaw.

Edited by M. Leary, 30 July 2011 - 03:51 PM.

[John Drew]

M. Leary, on 30 July 2011 - 01:14 PM, said:

Here is what I have from my notes:

INT: KITCHEN OF NONDESCRIPT APARTMENT - Morning

PAN around from window of kitchen to refrigerator. A ray of early morning light shifts across the chipped white windowsill, passes along the gold-flecked formica table top, scoots past sink and three three robin's egg blue bakelite coffee mugs drying next to it, and finally comes to rest on the chrome handle of the freezer. The DOOR unexpectedly opens. Barely LIT by the early morning sun we can see movement within. The SCRAPE of ice.

Struggling free from the frosty bonds of the freezer one 17 ounce Porterhouse steak wrapped loosely in white butcher paper limps from within.

SLOW MOTION tracking the MEAT as it falls to the linoleum floor as if exhausted. MEAT hits the floor, flakes of ice clatter about. MEAT begins to thaw.

If for nothing else, this NEEDS to be filmed as a teaser trailer.

[Persona]

The trailer never got made, but the t-shirts did:



How perfect that my 7,000th post would come in the form of a hijacking.

[Overstreet]

Persona, on 30 July 2011 - 06:13 PM, said:

How perfect that my 7,000th post would come in the form of a hijacking.

Congratulations, Stef. 7,000 of the site's most intriguing posts.

Edited by Overstreet, 30 July 2011 - 11:12 PM.