Good kids
You know what is really fun? Choose a director you like, then trace the ideas you like about him back through two paths: the films by others that surely influenced him, and also back through his own earlier work.
I like Rodriguez. I do. I like the risks he takes, his proclivity to experiment, his notion about structure and reference in film. He is not yet on my “absolutely must see this” list but is well represented on the “worth watching” list.
The first “Spy Kids,” “Once Upon a Time in Mexico,” And his entry in “Four Rooms,” showed a high degree of what I call folded, self-aware filmmaking. Spanish, without the prancing pretence of the French.
So go back with me to view this homemade short, featuring his kids and home videocam. It is simple, but you can already see the mix. Simple truths, including appropriate effects done cheaply. A world of magic. A world where children often centre the narrative. A world where justice is built into the cosmos.
Posted in 2005
Ted’s Evaluation — 3 of 3: Worth watching.