Film Capsules

Rock School
Dir: Don Argot
A+

Let’s get one thing straight: “Rock School” is not some soft, realistic remake of Jack Black and Richard Linklater’s “School of Rock.” This is the real thing and perhaps one of the best and most complex documentaries to surface in a while. Director Don Argot chose to document Philadelphia’s Paul Green, the director of Paul Green’s School of Rock Music, whose teaching technique, while at times completely hilarious, is also dangerously controversial. Here kids really learn the intricacies of Zeppelin, Sabbath, Zappa and Santana. Paul Green is the epitome of a character a filmmaker would want to highlight. He’ll tell kids they suck in an attempt to get them to practice more, but acts more like a peer than an authority figure. At a Sabbath festival, in a coach-like manner, he tells the kids it’s not about how good they play, or if they win or lose. “It’s all about Satan,” he shouts tongue in cheek. The film culminates around the A-string kids performing at “Zappanale,” a festival for bands who can master the music of Zappa. Green’s students not only blow away the audience, but Napoleon Murphy Brock, an original Zappa musician, joins them on stage. “Rock School” should not be missed. It’s a film that will shock, amaze and keep you glued to your seat with laughter and awe. —Karla Esquivel

Layer Cake
Dir. Matthew Vaughn
A-

This super-sleek film by Matthew Vaughn (who produced the edgy “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”) exposes England’s underground drug world in a fascinating and rhythmic manner. Daniel Craig (soon to be the next James Bond) plays a nonchalant, well-dressed drug dealer with piercing blue eyes. He is trying to retire but as in many films of this genre there is just one more job left to do. As familiar as the story may seem, the screenplay is in no way conventional. The plot twists and turns, providing many layers to explore. This technique may lose a typical American audience, but those who appreciate smart storytelling will be satisfied—especially with the ending, which packs a serious punch. —KE

3-Iron
Dir. Kim Ki-Duk
B

“3-Iron” is another winner from South Korea’s Kim Ki-duk (“Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring”). Like Pen-Ek Ratanaruang’s “Last Life in the Universe,” one of my favorite films of last year’s SIFF, it revolves around an unlikely relationship and there’s an odd, supernatural tone to the proceedings. And yes, the 3-iron of the title does get used several times—but the film isn’t as disturbing as Kim’s “The Isle.” It’s almost as if Kiyoshi Kurosawa (“Bright Future”) had directed a love story. Some may see the bizarre ending as a cop-out, but I was happy to go with it.—Kathleen C Fennessey

Deep Blue
Dir. Alastair Fothergill & Andy Bryant
C

Though it is beautifully photographed with stunning underwater scenes, and accurately captures marine life in the ocean’s depths, the director of “Deep Blue” seems to be hung up on the brutality of survival of the fittest. Scene after scene, as well as the narration, centers on each creature’s struggle to avoid being eaten by another creature higher in the food chain. It culminates with graphic footage of a baby and mother whale being chased and stalked for six hours by hungry sharks who eventually exhaust the calf enough to be able to rip it up alive and devour it in front of the helpless giant mother (and the audience). This flick is not a particularly pleasant oceanic documentary to watch.—Herb Krohn

My Summer of Love
Dir. Pawel Pawlikowski
B

While there are similarities to "Heavenly Creatures" (two teenage girls from two very different backgrounds inevitably bond), "My Summer of Love" focuses heavily on how an eclectic relationship becomes a fairy tale. There is no murder or mayhem, but there is plenty of glorious mischief to be had. Tamsin (Emily Blunt), beautiful, wealthy and confident, is on a summer hiatus from boarding school. On horseback, she meets scruffy and tough Mona (Natalie Press) pushing her engineless motorbike down a beaten path. The unlikely pair immediately click, and their summer of fun officially kicks off. There are some absolutely lavishly filmed scenes of the girls decadently drinking red wine in the lush English countryside. Tamsin flippantly adorns Emily in her best clothes, like a wealthy lover dressing up her mistress. And they taunt and tease Mona’s born-again brother, who is turning the family-run bar into a place of worship. Tamsin and Mona’s relationship naturally progresses to a sexual level, but the underlying tension will keep you wondering if it’s real or a scene out of a Maxfield Parish painting.—KE

Red Lights
Dir. Cédric Kahn
C-

Séance
Dir: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
B-

Re-marketing the Asian film industry has been profitable for viewers and distributors alike, as the cream of the crop has been plucked to entertain a US market rife with vapid Hollywood remakes. Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s “SÈance” suffers from backlash, as this five-year-old film made for television is released on DVD against more contemporary work such as “Old Boy,” or Takashi Miike’s “Gozu.” The film itself is a confident combination of horror film and crime drama that proceeds with a subtle realism and attention to detail that have since been outpaced by more recent films that pump up the Goth horror and weirdness. It really is hard to put the cat back in the bag, or in this case the creepy little dead kid, and get the same shock value you would get if you hadn’t seen “Ringu” or “Ju-on,” their several sequels and the US versions. Kurosawa constructs complex characters and broadens conflicts to societal importance; he also takes great pains in creating a textured visual and sonic landscape that’s as creepy as the plot. Unfortunately, he shifts away from the titular sÈance, which might have been interesting, and instead goes for the “I see dead people” approach. The problem then arises that most of us would rather joyride in this year’s new Corvette than in a five-year-old Volvo. —Leo Mayberry