Photo © Skyvalley Productions
Eva Hassman in ‘Willie and Me’
Eva Hassman in ‘Willie and Me’
Lisa Frankenstein
(In Theaters Feb. 9)
Writer Cody Diablo was inspired by Sixteen Candles and Beetlejuice when she conceived the PG-13 Lisa Frankenstein. High schooler Lisa (played Kathryn Newton, who could stand in as Helena Bonham Carter’s little sister) is a lonely outcast. She frequently visits the grave of a young, deceased Victorian man (Cole Sprouse), telling his handsome bust “I wish we could be together.” So, when the man’s corpse is reanimated by a freak lightning storm, it’s drawn to Lisa’s home. It can’t speak, and is missing body parts, but with Lisa’s help, the creature steals replacements from those Lisa deems “bad people.” Sprouse employs marvelously expressive mime, grunts and body language in a manner reminiscent of a young Johnny Depp. The film is the feature length debut of director Zelda Williams, daughter of Robin Williams. Lisa’s pink home and bedroom combine with her Goth clothing and makeup to convey the ’80s vibe Diablo had in mind, a palette that matches the film’s Valentine’s Day week release. (Lisa Mller)
Millie Lies Low
(Film Movement DVD/Digital)
Architecture student Millie filled her internship application video with all the correct catchphrases about “built environments” and so on. The young New Zealander was accepted for a prestigious New York internship, but dissolves into a panic attack as the airliner is about to take off. She’s ejected from the plane, left in an empty airport with her one case circling the luggage conveyer. Her ticket can’t be refunded. She has no money. She’s embarrassed as hell.
The film by indie director Michelle Savil concerns Millie’s odyssey on the streets of Wellington as she decides what to do. Rather than own up to her disaster, she sends texts and videos to friends, pretending that all is well in the Big Apple. Her chain of lies and inept petty crimes (homelessness in Wellington seems relatively easy compared to many other places) cannot be sustained forever in this comedy-drama, whose situations bring Millie into many uncomfortably humorous moments as she tries to sort out her life.
Why architecture? Visiting the Guggenheim as a teenager, she concluded that “none of the art was as cool as the building itself.” Not an unreasonable assessment. (David Luhrssen)
Willie and Me
(Limited Theatrical Release & Streaming on VUDU, Feb. 9)
Writer, director, producer and star Eva Hassmann created a role showcasing her talents. Hassmann, a German transplant to Los Angeles, combines her tribute to Willie Nelson with a woman’s effort to find herself. As the film opens, Greta is serving dinner to her boring German husband, when she’s overcome with a desire to attend a Willie Nelson’s Las Vegas concert. To that end, Greta sells her husband’s Porche and flies to Reno, Nevada, where she rents a motel from a clerk played by Peter Bogdanovich (his final performance).
Greta next meets Nick (Blaine Gray), an Elvis impersonator. He’s taken with the beautiful foreign stranger, so after Greta is robbed of all her cash, Nick lends her his truck for the Vegas trip. Along the way the truck is stolen by a pair of grifters, stranding Greta in the desert. Once again, a stranger named Bones (played by Nelson, covered in desert dust and 88 at the time of filming), comes to her rescue and helps her redefine her life. Nelson’s performance provides the “Auld Lang Syne,” while Hassmann is the winsome picture of loopy optimism. “Willie and Me” debuted at the Oldenburg Film Festival where it received the Best Film Audience Award. (Lisa Miller)
