| Reviewed by Elliot V. Kotek (2007 LA Film Festival) Director: Jess Manafort
Starring: Amber Heard, Melonie Diaz, Alexa Vega, Wesley Jonathan, Marnette Patterson, Michael Welch, Chris Marquette, Stella Maeve, Katrina Begin, Khleo Thomas, Shahine Ezell and Brie Larson.
In-a-nutshell:
There's no doubt that Manafort's Summer of '99 landscape is filled with extraordinary rather than extra-ordinary late-teens. Chronicled by a still-photographer whose black-and-whites provide the only pause in the goings-on of a gathering of stereotypes not identified so explicitly since Not Another Teen Movie, Manafort's movie considers the colorful, drug-crazed, sneaker-squeaking, cheerfully-cheerleading, rebellious and ravishing who trawl their high school's halls in an embarrassing haze of pre-graduation glory. That Manafort has skills as a filmmaker is beyond doubt; her camera sweeps between scenes, smoothly transitioning between the players and the preyed upon. Like Dazed & Confused and Fast Times at Ridgemont High, this pic's cast should paint a portrait of the talented youngsters who'll take over our TV screens for the next few years. To those in their late 20s, this might just be the stupidest movie ever. After all, they're well over their clueless phase. But for those stuck behind the façade of high school's fakery, perpetrating fraudulent behavior on friends and foes alike, this might just actually be like really really deep and smart and great insight and actually, like, not be just another teen movie, y'know? Previously titled The Beautiful Ordinary, Remember the Daze opens in LA, DC and NYC on April 11. Click HERE for the video of MPM's interview with Jess Manafort at the 2007 L.A. Film Festival.
Click HERE for the video of MPM's interview with Melonie Diaz at the 2007 L.A. Film Festival. |
