Richard Shepard, the director of the black comedies “Dom Hemingway” and “The Matador,” is a lifelong cinephile with a voracious urge for food for films.
“Movie Geek,” a feature-length video essay composed primarily of footage of movies that Shepard noticed rising up within the Seventies in New York Metropolis, delves deep into his obsession. In a voice-over, he recounts his childhood, when he was “hooked on films, to watching them, to creating them.” He’s enthusiastic, and the film aspires to make that enthusiasm infectious.
I respect Shepard’s affection: I additionally grew up loving films, and I discovered his wistful reminiscences of being awed by “Jaws” and “Star Wars” relatable. However Shepard’s degree of self-regard might be stultifying. For minutes at a time, he merely rattles off the titles of varied films that he noticed as a baby. I respect that seeing “Rocky” made a powerful impression on him. I didn’t have to know that he misplaced his virginity within the condominium constructing the place John G. Avildsen, the director of “Rocky,” as soon as lived.
“Movie Geek” has been in comparison with Thom Andersen’s nice documentary from 2003, “Los Angeles Performs Itself,” and on the extent of montage, they share a superficial resemblance: “Movie Geek,” like Andersen’s essay movie, is brisk and properly edited.
However “Los Angeles Performs Itself” can also be a considerate and incisive work of movie criticism, whereas Shepard describes films in clichés, when he describes films in any respect. Extra typically he’s speaking about himself, a topic of curiosity to far fewer viewers.
Movie Geek
Not rated. Working time: 1 hour 35 minutes. In theaters.
