The
Corndog Man (1999)
Wow!
This is one of the most interesting and unique films
I have ever seen. I have to give props to John Christensen,
who helped choose this film for the 1999 Austin Film
Festival. It's one of the most engrossing films I've
ever seen. Noble Willingham, an older actor whose face
is far more recognizable than his name, is a powerhouse
here. This is a performance driven piece and Willingham
makes every single second of the film his own. His performance
is so compelling that we never once grow weary of the
film.
Too bad the finale of the piece is such a letdown.
But the other 95% of the film is so freaking awesome.
Willingham plays a good-ole-boy who is, suddenly, plagued
by a weird phone caller. At first the voice on the line
seems friendly enough; He asks a lot of questions about
the boats that Willingham's character, Ace Barker, sells
for a living. But soon his calls become more and more
strange, obtrusive and creepy. Willingham eventually
has his life turned upside down by all this.
Writer/director (and producer and editor) Andrew Shea
is wonderfully adept at making the film compelling and
intriguing. His film maybe slightly claustrophobic and
overly verbal, but Shea uses these inherent directorial
problems with the script to his advantage. His film
is just stagnant enough to be cohesive, just wordy enough
to keep us involved.
"The
Corndog Man" eventually begins to show that it has a
theme and a plot. It's theme is racism. But the film
tries so desperately to be subdued, and it is, that
when the corny and overt ending appears, it doesn't
quite work. It seems to me there could be a better resolution
here.
Still, nothing could negate Willingham's performance.
It's a shame this film may never see mass release, because
Willingham's work here is top notch. This is going to
be one of those little seen gems that those in-the-know
will talk about for years to come.
Note: Willingham was nominated for a Best Actor Independent
Spirit Award.
Co-scripter
and co-producer Jim Holmes voices Willingham's phone
nemesis.
Music
Supervision by Elliot Easton (of the Cars?)
Filmed on location in South Carolina using a budget
of about $250,000.
|
Report
Card
Script:
A
Acting: A+
Cinematography\Lighting: B+
Special Effects\Make Up: B+
Music: C+
Final
Grade: A
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