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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 3, 2000)
‘American Movie’ not just another sweet success tale American Movie Starring Mark Borchardt, Mike Schank and Mark’s Uncle Bill. Directed by Chris Smith. Sony Pictures Classics. ★★★★☆ By Sara Jarrett Oregon Daily Emerald Mark Borchardt has dreamt of making movies all his life. Now, at age 30, he is finally on his way. “American Movie” is a hilarious exploration of low-budget movie makers and lower-class American lifestyles. The film is about Bor chardt’s perseverence through the muck of life to fulfill his dream to make films— drinking beer at 7 a.m. to tackle a long day of work ahead and playing the lottery in stead of doing drugs. As he likes to point out, when you play the lot tery, you have a fifty-fifty chance of winning, whereas doing drugs always makes you a loser. The making of Borchardt’s life and times comes alive thanks to director Chris Smith’s vision in “American Movie.” In full documentary style, “American Movie” seeks to find out what makes Borchardt tick, by interviewing his family and friends. Through these people, it’s revealed that since childhood his favorite pastimes were anything but conventional. Borchardt is shown smashing cars in the junkyard by the Mil waukee trailer park he calls home, skipping school to party and watch his favorite movies, “Dawn of the Dead,” “Night of the Living Dead” and “Texas Chainsaw Mas sacre,” in that order. These activi ties consume his formative years. While his family expresses con cern that he will amount to noth ing more than a truck driver or fac tory worker, our hero decides to prove them wrong by attaining the “good life.” To Borchardt this means money, sex, power and a house that isn’t as obnoxious as the ones in the suburban neighbor hoods he drives around to drool at when he’s depressed. At age 14, he buys a video cam era and makes the first of a series of horror films called “The More the Scarier.” Patterned after his fa vorite flicks, he strives to make these first films “real,” alarming and grotesquely bloody. Still, to earn money at film mak ing,Borchardt realizes he can’t yet give up his paper route and job vacuuming the floors at the local mausoleum. The cemetery, inci dentally, is a source of inspiration for him because he believes the people there “netfer bitch at you or talk back.” They have finally be come decent human beings, he muses. Harnessing a business savvy that surprises everyone he knows, Borchardt manages to rope his rich, senile uncle Bill into produc ing his cinematic vision, “North western.” Halfway through, how ever, Borchardt discards that project and returns to making “Coven,” a 35 minute, black-and white documentary he dropped two years previous. “Coven” is a look into the life of a substance-abusing writer who seeks help from a support group that actually brings more evil into his life than he could have ever imagined. Involving everyone he knows, and drawing upon his doctrine made up of “one part Satanism and one part Christianity,” Bor chardt finishes “Coven.” By the end of that film, he also resumes his “Northwestern” project with a $50,000 inheritance he receives af ter his uncle dies. The film opens Friday at the Bi jou Art Cinemas. For show times, call 686-2458. jjflr-r aMB—MB Photos Courtesy Sony Picture Classics Filmmaker Mark Borchardt (upper photo, right) lounges with musician/childhood friend Mike Schank. ‘American Movie’ director Chris Smith (center photo, right) with producer Sarah Price. The cast of Borchardt’s 35-minute short ‘Coven’ (bottom). 007653 Community Center tar tta Performing Arts 8th & Lincoln ■ Tonight ■ Hie Coup, OlDominion, The BoomBap Project Hip-Hop $10 advance, $12 door; 9:00 pm ■ Friday ■ limp, Divit, Compact 56 Skate-Punk $7 advance, $7 door, 8:00 pm ■ Wednesday■ An Evening with Toshi Reason R & B $8 advance, $8 door, 8:00 pm ■ February 10 ■ The Trey Gunn Band with Facelift, Progressive Rock $10 advance, $12 door, 7:30 pm All Ages Welcome • 687-2746 Help the Environment Please Recycle! L':' ' Bob Marieg Biftbdag Celebration »itbTbe Waito and Marcia Griffith aud Noma Fraser Sun. Feb. 6*8 pm Top of the World, 1-5 Exit 199, Coburg $ 16 advance: Tickets available at EMU Ticket g Office. Face the Music. House of Records, and all g Fastixx. $20 day of show. Concert line: 434-9249 Top Girls Caryl Churchill Robinson Theatre Jan. 28,29 Feb. 3,4,5 11,12 8pm Feb. 6 2pm Feb. 6 Matinee for the Community Alliance of Lane Co Call 485-1755 for ticket information. UT Box Office: 346-4191 EMU Ticket Office: 346-4363 Hult Center: 682-5000 Come eat with the Blue Hen today* Shell give you a warm fuzzy feeling and some good eats. 1769 Franklin Blvd. • 683-0780 • Eugene & Florence BREAKFAST • LUNCH • DINNER ■ .. 1 707 Willamette 683-5160 XilC Place to Party T\ies: $2 Night Wed: College Night No Cover, all your favorite music & more! Show your ID and large pizzas $5.00 off. Thurs: Ladies Night - Need we say more? Fri & Sat: Improve Comedy 8:30-10 Top 40 Dancing 10-Close Kecyele • Ileeyele • Recycle • Recycle
