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Tumbleweeds
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
A lot of people probably dismissed "Tumbleweeds" as a "chick flick", but I really enjoyed it and more than that, I understood and appreciated the emotions that were displayed on-screen. More than that, I was impressed by all of the performances on display and how the story plays out. This is not a complex film, it's a very simple story - but it's allowed to play out naturally, and it feels very real.
Janet McTeer plays Mary Jo, a woman who has found herself in a number of bad relationships, and as the film opens, we find her trying to leave the latest attempt at a relationship. Taking her daughter Ava(Kimberly Brown) along with her, the two head out across the Southwest in a beat-up car to seek a new life in San Diego.
Ava finds new friends and Mary Jo finds a new relationship, but things aren't quite perfect in her new relationship with a boyfriend played by director Gavin O'Connor. Decisions have to be made on what the mother/daughter's next step will be, and the dialogue from all of the actors is very natural and impressive, and the actions from the character don't feel scripted.
The cinematography by Dan Stoloff deserves attention for the wonderful cinematography of "Tumbleweeds", which captures not only the remarkable scenery of many of the scenes, but the way he captures things as they happen with a very intimate feel. Again, the performances by both McTeer and Brown are excellent, and take a simple story farther than it otherwise would have gone. A great debut for director O'Connor.
The DVD
VIDEO: New Line has done an exceptional job bringing this small film to the small screen. The anamorphic transfer for "Tumbleweeds" is an especially clean and clear one, with images that, while not razor sharp, are very smooth and contain good detail. Images are usually bathed in a very natural light, and colors are especially clear and vibrant on occasion. There are plenty of shots that contain absolutely striking scenery that really looks marvelous on this DVD.
There are absolutely no instances of pixelation or shimmering, but there is an occasional mark or two on the print. Nothing distracts from the impressive cinematography and nice locations that are offered on "Tumbleweeds". Nice, nice work from New Line.
SOUND: There isn't much to the audio on "Tumbleweeds", and that's to be expected from a completely dialogue-driven film like this one. The rock/pop score is easily the highlight of the film, coming through very nicely, if not sounding extremely strong. Dialogue is clear and easily heard, and although this isn't a very agressive soundtrack, it does the job it sets out to do.
MENUS:: Although it would have been nice to have something beyond the basic, I think the non-animated menus for "Tumbleweeds" are easily navigated and functional.
EXTRAS:
Trailer: The theatrical trailer.
Commentary: This is a very good commentary from director Gavin O'Connor, who talks very honestly and emotionally about the making of the film, along with inspiration behind the creation of the movie, along with details about his own past background. O'Connor tells all, giving some great stories and details about the rehersal process, and the first meetings between the actors and crew.
I liked listening to his concepts on how he chose to film this movie - in an early scene he talks about how the sequence wasn't working until he had the camera get closer for a more intimate feel to the conversation, and that's an element that I think takes this film to a more successful level overall - the beautiful, natural cinematography that brings the viewer closer into the drama.
His talk about working with the actors is equally fascinating. The director provides plenty of details about working with the actors and especially Kimberly Brown, and about how he made the child actress feel more comfortable in the role. Alongside that point is the director's dialogue about how hard it was to keep everything together and functioning to serve these performances on an independent film that didn't always have the budget to attain everything that the director first envisioned. The way that he talks about his goals and what he wants tells me why that "Tumbleweeds" was able to be such a successful debut for O'Connor - an extremely honest director that took steps to make actors comfortable in their roles, he also seems very confident in his decisions. After listening to his commentary, I can't wait to see more efforts from the director, who I think has what it takes to make a great film after listening to his philosophies on filmmaking on this track. Definitely one of the best commentaries I've heard this year.
DVD-ROM: Script-To-Screen Access.
Also: Cast/Crew Bios
Final Thoughts: I was very pleasantly suprised by "Tumbleweeds". It's a very simple story, but the performances and dialogue are very strong and entertaining. Although the sound is limited, that's understandable for a film like this. The video quality is very good, and the commentary by director Gavin O'Connor is one of the best I've heard all year. I think it's a film everyone can enjoy, and I recommend it highly.
A lot of people probably dismissed "Tumbleweeds" as a "chick flick", but I really enjoyed it and more than that, I understood and appreciated the emotions that were displayed on-screen. More than that, I was impressed by all of the performances on display and how the story plays out. This is not a complex film, it's a very simple story - but it's allowed to play out naturally, and it feels very real.
Janet McTeer plays Mary Jo, a woman who has found herself in a number of bad relationships, and as the film opens, we find her trying to leave the latest attempt at a relationship. Taking her daughter Ava(Kimberly Brown) along with her, the two head out across the Southwest in a beat-up car to seek a new life in San Diego.
Ava finds new friends and Mary Jo finds a new relationship, but things aren't quite perfect in her new relationship with a boyfriend played by director Gavin O'Connor. Decisions have to be made on what the mother/daughter's next step will be, and the dialogue from all of the actors is very natural and impressive, and the actions from the character don't feel scripted.
The cinematography by Dan Stoloff deserves attention for the wonderful cinematography of "Tumbleweeds", which captures not only the remarkable scenery of many of the scenes, but the way he captures things as they happen with a very intimate feel. Again, the performances by both McTeer and Brown are excellent, and take a simple story farther than it otherwise would have gone. A great debut for director O'Connor.
The DVD
VIDEO: New Line has done an exceptional job bringing this small film to the small screen. The anamorphic transfer for "Tumbleweeds" is an especially clean and clear one, with images that, while not razor sharp, are very smooth and contain good detail. Images are usually bathed in a very natural light, and colors are especially clear and vibrant on occasion. There are plenty of shots that contain absolutely striking scenery that really looks marvelous on this DVD.
There are absolutely no instances of pixelation or shimmering, but there is an occasional mark or two on the print. Nothing distracts from the impressive cinematography and nice locations that are offered on "Tumbleweeds". Nice, nice work from New Line.
SOUND: There isn't much to the audio on "Tumbleweeds", and that's to be expected from a completely dialogue-driven film like this one. The rock/pop score is easily the highlight of the film, coming through very nicely, if not sounding extremely strong. Dialogue is clear and easily heard, and although this isn't a very agressive soundtrack, it does the job it sets out to do.
MENUS:: Although it would have been nice to have something beyond the basic, I think the non-animated menus for "Tumbleweeds" are easily navigated and functional.
EXTRAS:
Trailer: The theatrical trailer.
Commentary: This is a very good commentary from director Gavin O'Connor, who talks very honestly and emotionally about the making of the film, along with inspiration behind the creation of the movie, along with details about his own past background. O'Connor tells all, giving some great stories and details about the rehersal process, and the first meetings between the actors and crew.
I liked listening to his concepts on how he chose to film this movie - in an early scene he talks about how the sequence wasn't working until he had the camera get closer for a more intimate feel to the conversation, and that's an element that I think takes this film to a more successful level overall - the beautiful, natural cinematography that brings the viewer closer into the drama.
His talk about working with the actors is equally fascinating. The director provides plenty of details about working with the actors and especially Kimberly Brown, and about how he made the child actress feel more comfortable in the role. Alongside that point is the director's dialogue about how hard it was to keep everything together and functioning to serve these performances on an independent film that didn't always have the budget to attain everything that the director first envisioned. The way that he talks about his goals and what he wants tells me why that "Tumbleweeds" was able to be such a successful debut for O'Connor - an extremely honest director that took steps to make actors comfortable in their roles, he also seems very confident in his decisions. After listening to his commentary, I can't wait to see more efforts from the director, who I think has what it takes to make a great film after listening to his philosophies on filmmaking on this track. Definitely one of the best commentaries I've heard this year.
DVD-ROM: Script-To-Screen Access.
Also: Cast/Crew Bios
Final Thoughts: I was very pleasantly suprised by "Tumbleweeds". It's a very simple story, but the performances and dialogue are very strong and entertaining. Although the sound is limited, that's understandable for a film like this. The video quality is very good, and the commentary by director Gavin O'Connor is one of the best I've heard all year. I think it's a film everyone can enjoy, and I recommend it highly.
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