Mike Mills Movies
Mike Mills' unique filmmaking style was first showcased in short works such commercials for Nike, Levi's, and Volkswagen, and music videos for acts like Moby and Air. He also put his graphic art style to work in promotional materials and album cover art for The Beastie Boys and Ol' Dirty Bastard. Mills eventually made his feature-film debut with 2005's Thumbsucker. The poignant and humorous coming-of-age story centered around a high-school senior coming to terms with both his and his parents' fallibility, as well as his long-standing thumb-sucking habit. Mills' opening effort garnered serious praise and comparisons were quickly made to directors such as Jim Jarmusch and Woody Allen. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
Filmmaker Aaron Rose celebrates the independent spirit of D.I.Y. (do-it-yourself) culture in this documentary detailing how a group of like-minded American artists emerged from the underground in the early 1990s to have an enormous impact on the worlds of fashion, film, art, music, and pop culture in general. With virtually no connection to the mainstream art world, the ten artists featured in Beautiful Losers somehow managed to become the strongest creative voices of their generation. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2007
In the wake of Western pharmaceutical advertising - which includes the slogan "Does Your Soul Have a Cold" - everyday Japanese people suffering from depression have only recently become acquainted with the concept of depression as a mental illness. Now, as the Japanese begin to ponder the prospect that depression is a malady that may be treatable by taking anti-depressants, Thumbsucker director Mike Mills travels to Japan in order to document just how varying cultural views on mental illness can span such a wide spectrum. As sales of antidepressants in Japan continue their steady climb, the emerging socio-cultural issues of the island country come into focus as five depressed Japanese individuals discuss their personal histories, their hopes, their fears, and their reasons for choosing to treat their depression pharmaceutically. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
A high-school senior finds that fate (and modern medicine) plays some interesting tricks with his personality in this dramatic comedy. Justin Conn (Lou Taylor Pucci) is a neurotic teenager who has a difficult time with his peers, especially Rebecca (Kelli Garner), a cute girl in his debate class with whom he is somewhat mutually infatuated. It isn't much better at home with his obnoxious younger brother Joel (Chase Offerle), his father, Mike (Vincent D'Onofrio), who is busy having a midlife crisis, and mother Audrey (Tilda Swinton), who's infatuated with one of her favorite TV actors (Benjamin Bratt). All this anxiety has to go somewhere, and Justin's manifestation of his troubles comes in the form of sucking his thumb, which makes him even more of an outcast. Dr. Perry Lyman (Keanu Reeves), an orthodontist who seems to double as a new age therapist, treats Justin with hypnosis; meanwhile, the school psychologist decides he has Attention Deficit Disorder, and treats him with medication. Suddenly, Justin stops sucking his thumb and becomes an outgoing overachiever, single-handedly taking his school debate team to the state championship. But Justin's relationshop with his debate coach, Mr. Geary (Vince Vaughn), becomes strained, and the boy tries to mold yet another new identity for himself. Thumbsucker was the first feature film from Mike Mills, who previously distinguished himself in commercials and music videos. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lou Taylor Pucci, Tilda Swinton, (more)
The lives, hopes, and fears of five suburban paperboys are put to celluloid in this short documentary from music video director Mike Mills. Commissioned by fashion magnate Jack Spade, Paperboys looks at a narrow sliver of America's dwindling paper-deliverers, specifically five teenage boys in Minnesota. As Mills probes their thoughts on what will become of the paperboy in the 21st century, the boys enthuse about a variety of seemingly unrelated topics, including their favorite video games, professional wrestlers, and hip-hop tracks. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Pro skater and painter Ed Templeton is profiled in this short experimental documentary from music video director and graphic artist Mike Mills. In its 17-minute running time, the film offers a distinctly fractured glimpse into Templeton's home life with his girlfriend and his artistic endeavors, as well as his reflections on growing up in Huntington Beach, CA, a place he continues to call home. Templeton's scenes are intercut with brief profiles of Huntington Beach teens and copious skate footage. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Canadian illustrator Michael Mills's ten-minute short Evolution brings to full animated life Darwinian theories of evolution, comically showcasing how the scientist envisioned the earliest progression of life the planet Earth. Mills begins with a carnival of cartoon amoebas tromping around an underwater landscape, and illustrates their gradual transformations into successive species, from amphibious reptiles to human beings. Set to a playful score by Douglas Randal, Evolution eliminates dialogue altogether, telling its story solely via colorful image. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
