DIFF 2011: DALLAS International Film Festival – Monday catch-up (SPILT MILK, BEAUTIFUL BOY) by Gary Murray

DIFF 2011: DALLAS International Film Festival – Monday catch-up (SPILT MILK, BEAUTIFUL BOY) by Gary Murray

One of the good things about writing on film is that companies do send out screeners, just to make sure that the press has a chance to see the film even if they cannot make the screening. One such screener I received this week was Spilt Milk. The film is directed by Blake Calhoun and stars Jake Johnson, Chase Jeffery and Kimberly Matula.

It is the tale of one night at a grocery store. Jake plays Todd Wells, an assistant manager on the night shift. At one time, he was one of the high profile kids in high school. An accident has knocked the wind out of his ambition.

That night, the store is robbed by a low-level robber who was once a running buddy of Todd. Our robber takes a group as hostages while everyone waits for the automatic safe to open at 5 AM. Along the way connections are made by all the captured. Call it a cross between The Breakfast Club and Clerks.

It is a witty and funny little slice of life film that shows a low budget and Texas crew can make a film on the quality of a Hollywood feature.

The other great part of being a critic is that sometimes studios will screen a film just for critics. Beautiful Boy was shown to the area critics a few weeks back and made its debut at DIFF Thursday night.

Beautiful Boy is one of the hardest films to watch. It is the story of a mom and dad (Maria Bello and Michael Sheen) who are given the shock of their lives. Their college age son has gone over the edge and become a mass killer ala Virginia Tech. It is a tragic love story where the people left behind have to sift through the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of a tragic event. It is also about the media and the macabre obsession some have with tragedy.

On Friday afternoon, I sat down and interviewed the makers of Beautiful Boy – Shawn Ku, Michael Armbruster and Lee Clay. Closer to the release date in June, there will be an article on both the film and the filmmakers. They are three lively and animated young men who have crafted something very far from their basic personalities.

While I cannot write about the film, I can say that it is a bit of cinema that will be discussed well into 2012. It hits home on so many points about both family and media that it will generate all sorts of buzz. This is the kind of film that fills hours of radio talk show air. It is easily the most important work to be screened at the DIFF. Beautiful Boy should be a Must-See for the Summer of 2011.

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