Jennifer Maas Movies

When people talk about the music scene in Seattle, Washington, most folks think about the grunge rock explosion of the 1990s, while others might cite Sir Mix-A-Lot and the city's rap scene, pioneering garage rockers such as The Wailers and The Sonics, or the decade spanning success of Heart. But few people know that Seattle had a thriving funk and R&B scene in the 1960s and 70s; while none of them broke through to nationwide success, bands like Cookin' Bag, Black On White Affair, The Soul Swingers and Cold, Bold & Together were stars in the city's African-American community and they headlined the city's many nightclubs catering to soul music fans. However, most of those groups had been forgotten for years when in 2001 Mr. Supreme, a Seattle-area hip hop DJ, found a single called "Bold Soul Sister" in a bargain bin and gave it a spin. Supreme was impressed with the groove, and surprised to discover it was a local release from a Seattle-based funk act. Supreme began digging up as many Seattle funk and soul rarities as he could find, and eventually helped compile Wheedle's Groove, a CD collection featuring rare R&B sides from the Northwest. Supreme started researching the history of Seattle's soul scene and helped coordinate a gig in which many of the city's classic funk acts reunited for a night. In Wheedle's Groove, filmmaker Jennifer Maas examines the legacy of Seattle R&B, interviews some of the leading musicians of the day, includes the thoughts of such notable observers as Quincy Jones, Mark Arm and Ben Gibbard, and includes footage from Supreme's reunion concert. Wheedle's Groove was an official selection at the 2010 Seattle Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

My Effortless Brilliance writer/director Lynn Shelton takes the topic of male bonding to new extremes with this comedy about two best friends who make an unusual pact that both may soon come to regret. Back in college, Andrew and Ben were inseparable. Years later, Andrew comes knocking on Ben's door and discovers that his former roommate is all grown up -- married and planning to have a baby. Meanwhile, Andrew never settled down at all, and has spent the past decade partying and traveling the world. Both men experience a mini existential crisis when they see what their own lives lack, and their dissatisfaction manifests itself in a strange way, when a drunken conversation about the upcoming amateur porn festival spirals into a contest of one-upmanship, with each guy daring the other to star together in a gay adult film. Two straight guys having sex together on film will surely be the hit of the festival -- and besides, it isn't a gay thing, just an artistic experiment! Strangely enough, even after sobering up the next day, neither Andrew nor Ben is willing to back down from their unique proposal. As the friends put their dignity, heterosexuality, and Ben's marriage in jeopardy to pursue their strange project, underlying issues about growing up, being friends, and the fear of a passionless life begin to creep into the picture. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi