Gack is a new slang term for junk on local film sets. I don't like it, but it fits well regarding the movie titled Film Geek. Made by local indie veteran James Westby, the film -- NO! it is not a film, there is nothing vaguely cinematic about it -- rather, the moving picture proclaims a love for cinema, but insults it by its very existence. Westby has been around for a long time on the local scene and frankly I expected much more from someone so long dedicated to the medium. After all, John Pierson the Godfather of Independent film quoted him in his book, Spike, Mike, Slackers and Dykes. (A good read for the indie lover/aspirant.)
This thing he made is putrid. The lead character is a pathetic one-dimensional loser obsessed with film. Really he reminded me of the older brother in The Squid and the Whale (Not at all a putrid film) that honks about Kafka and other literary greats but hasn't actually read any of it. I thought to myself while watching Film Geek; how could someone so in tune with the beauty and nuance of so many cinematic treasures be so clueless about his relationship with the world around him?
Nothing was good about this film. Music, acting, cutting, lighting, camera work, writing, mise en scene -- all very amatuerish at best.
The friend that I saw it with, in an effort to say something positive about it, complimented the fact that Westby finished it. I wish he hadn't.
Calling em like I see em,
Signore Direttore
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