Joey Garfield Movies
- 2002
Joe G.M. Chan's subtly humorous Not a Day Goes By follows the surreal events surrounding a young, aimless Asian man's life just after the death of his mother. A sometime bookstore employee and resident of New York's Chinatown, Wolfgang finds himself wandering aimlessly from conversation to conversation, trying to come to terms with the death of his mother as well as other seemingly non-related life events that have recently occurred to him. The young Asian recalls past conversations and arguments with his domineering and ultra-traditional mother, as well as the particularly painful break-up with his ex-girlfriend -- who abandoned him in favor of a Caucasian man. Both his deceased mother and his ex-girlfriend seem to have had enormous sway over Wolfgang's sense of identity and both of these events force him to reconsider how he will live his life from this day forward. Not a Day Goes By was selected for viewing at the 2002 Asian American International Film Festival. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Chin, Joey Chin, (more)
- 2002
An oft-overlooked aspect of hip-hop music gets its due in Breath Control: The History of the Human Beatbox. Beatboxing is the art of producing musical sounds, particularly percussion, without the use of instruments. Filmmaker Joey Garfield traces beatboxing from the early days, when the simple rhythms of Darren "Buff" Robinson helped make The Fat Boys a household name, to the amazing technical skills of such contemporary artists as Rahzel and Scratch of The Roots, and Anthony Rivera, also known as Click tha Supah Latin. As one artist, Chris Jung, explains, beatboxing "stemmed from the need to make music now." It grew out of a necessity to produce music when instruments and turntables were not available. Doug E. Fresh, Biz Markie, and others explain what they brought to the art, while Congo-born vocalist Marie Daulne of Zap Mama expounds on both the universality and the ethnic diversity of vocal rhythm-making. Breath Control won the Festival Choice Award at the 2002 New York Underground Film Festival. It was also featured at the 2002 Tribeca Film Festival and the 2002 Urbanworld Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 1988
- PG13
Evil spirits follow a young girl from the suburbs to the city in the second follow-up to the blockbuster horror film Poltergeist. Carol Anne Freeling (Heather O'Rourke) is now 12 years old and living with Patricia and Bruce Gardner (Nancy Allen and Tom Skerritt), her aunt and uncle, in a high-rise apartment building in downtown Chicago. Carol Anne attends a school for gifted children, where the staff psychologist Dr. Seaton (Richard Fine) attributes her past troubles with noisy ghosts to mass delusions and hypnotic suggestions. However, Carol Anne isn't so sure that the explanation is that simple, especially since she still sees threatening apparitions in the mirrors of her apartment. Particularly troubling is the ghost of the wicked Reverend Kane (Nathan Davis), who is eager for Carol Anne to join him and his followers in the unknown world on the other side of the light. Sadly, Heather O'Rourke died due to surgical complications resulting from an intestinal blockage several months before Poltergeist III was released. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Skerritt, Nancy Allen, (more)
Teenaged Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) is a legend in his own time thanks to his uncanny skill at cutting classes and getting away with it. Intending to make one last grand duck-out before graduation, Ferris calls in sick, "borrows" a Ferrari, and embarks on a one-day bacchanal through the streets of Chicago. Dogging Ferris' trail at every turn is high-school principal Rooney (Jeffrey Jones), determined to catch Bueller in the act of class-cutting. Writer/director John Hughes once again tries to wed satire, slapstick, and social commentary, as Ferris Bueller's Day Off starts like a house afire and goes on to make "serious" points about status-seeking and casual parental cruelties. It brightens up considerably in the last few moments, when Ferris' tattletale sister (Jennifer Grey) decides to align herself with her merry prankster sibling. A huge moneymaker, Ferris Bueller's Day Off eventually spawned a TV sitcom. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, (more)
- 1986
- R
This comedy makes fun of teen comedies as it chronicles a Midwestern town's feverish preparations for a big weekend party. Much of the story centers around the mad scramble for both youngsters and adults to find appropriate dates. The story was penned by Saturday Night Live alumni Al Franken and Tom Davis. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Davis, Al Franken, (more)
