Movie Review: Stay Cool (2011) Dir. Michael Polish

Stay Cool (2011) Dir. Michael Polish

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Blurb: The film centers on a successful author who is forced to confront an unrequited high school crush when he returns home to deliver a commencement address to graduating seniors. Shasta O'Neil, a sexy high school senior flirts with the visiting author and invites him to the prom.

Thoughts: I really wish this movie didn't exist. The Polish Brothers have been responsible for some truly interesting and unique independent cinema over the years; a movie about conjoined twins, Billy Bob Thornton as a farmer who builds a spaceship in his barn, a comedy about manure salesmen and Northfork a wonderful movie that defies accurate description but this straightforward enough premise of a writer giving a commencement speech at his old high school and all the inevitable generic clichéd events that this usually throws up is their strangest film film yet. But not in a good way.

After building a relationship with filmmakers over this amount of time you have a tendency to go in to every picture they release with a set of expectations. In this case I expected oddball humour, an intelligent response to genre conventions and interesting visual composition and always good performances. I can't say my expectations were met, infact they were pretty much universally destroyed.



What is with Americans and their obsession with high school? It feels like their are hundreds of teen movies released every year on the same themes, and almost running level in recent years are the films with adults, fully grown human beings with real lives, returning to high school, not necessarily even their own. Sure you occasionally get something wonderful like Grosse Point Blank or Young Adult but by and large they are shit and very rarely are they as humorous as they think they are.

 

Mark and Michael Polish make some nice obscure and subtle references to the plethora of genre films gone before and simultaneously couldn't restrain themselves enough to avoid a Say Anything reference. Their attempts at oddball humour largely fall flat, with a truly offensive hobbit as THE homosexual stereotype and Chevy Chase the main offenders. Nepotism aside I think Mark Polish is a good choice for this type of protagonist, he has the right every man quality that you very rarely find in cinema and his performance (which some have referred to as flat) had a great blend of exhaustion, apathy, exasperation and insecurity, he should have just written himself a better script and we might all have heard about it.

You can't expect something as great as Northfork every time but you can remain hopeful, everyone has a bad movie in them and hopefully this is theirs.

Join in the discussion in the comments below, at Letterboxd or #staycool @bbbgtoby.

Book Review: The Declaration of Independent FIlmmaking by The Polish Brothers (2005)

The Declaration of Independent Filmmaking: An Insider's Guide to Making Movies Outside of Hollywood

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"An independent film succeeds or fails on the choices of its creators. There is no safety net."

The Polish Brothers are my kind of filmmakers and this guide is my kind of beginners guide to making films. Honest, enthusiastic and filled with helpful tips.



As a first year film student we were prescribed The Guerrilla Filmmaker's Handbook as THE resource for making movies with next to no budget, even now it is a prescribed text at the university I am working at infact, but whilst that series is hip and trendy it misses out information that young people really need to know when contemplating how to proceed in their fledgling career as a filmmaker. The Polish Brothers Declaration of Independence should replace that text or at the very least work in conjunction with it. These guys have been there, fought the battle to make their dreams a reality, seen the horrors involved and gone back for more time and again and now their experience can be learned from thanks to this book.



Using examples from their first three productions, Twin Falls Idaho, Jackpot and Northfork, you are taken on a journey from concept to distribution that incorporates technical filmmaking advice with details of how a deal is made and encouragement to keep going through even the toughest of times. They have their own unique way of working and they readily admit that this book isn't foolproof but they are more than happy to share their working practices and help others achieve their dreams. If you want to be the next Michael Bay this guide might not be for you but if you have a desire to tell a heartfelt story and possibly go bankrupt then I recommend this book and the films of these brothers wholeheartedly.



I read it cover to cover because I had a real interest in what they had to say on the subject of filmmaking not because I am currently planning on making a movie. Some sections are incredibly dry and not necessary for casual readers but happily a glossary will make referring back to these lessons much easier in future when I have my technical head on. At other times it read like a production journal with fascinating and entertaining insights in to the goings on of a working movie production including how they came to get Nick Nolte involved in Northfork or how they made James Woods cry for example. Throughout I was reminded just how much I enjoy their work and now I appreciate it even more for the hardships that they endured in the name of their art.

And remember next time Zach Braff complains about creative control and being a true artist that to make a real independent film where the filmmaker is in charge creatively, one must sacrifice personal, financial, and physical well-being not just beg their fans for money via the internet or sell 15 second voicemail recordings for $150 a go.

Got a favourite film by The Polish Brothers? Read any other great books on how to kickstart your filmmaking career? Already a filmmaker and want to share your own advice? Comment below or tweet @bbbgtoby with #polishbros