Comments on: LAFF: Finishing Heaven http://blog.spout.com/2008/06/26/laff-finishing-heaven/ Daily coverage of what is truly interesting in the film world Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:19:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Rich http://blog.spout.com/2008/06/26/laff-finishing-heaven/#comment-135619 Rich Sun, 11 Oct 2009 06:48:21 +0000 http://blog.spout.com/?p=3217#comment-135619 About two minutes into the film and I knew I was watching a mockumentary like "Best In Show". Instead of a dog-show, the subject of "Finishing Heaven" is an underground filmmaker from the 1960's. Anyone who's seen the films of Morrissey or Warhol or even "Ciao Manhattan" or documentaries about the people of that scene (or even that era) like "The Cockettes" will see that "Finishing Heaven" is heavily influenced by them and references them at every turn. It was very funny to me .I've seen many of the films that the mock "Heaven" (the film-within-a-film) is borrowing from and making us laugh at. I got it and was in on the joke. Those who see this film as a non-fiction account of a film director and his girlfriend/star may not be in on the joke but it's just a comedy...a mock-documentary like "Waiting For Guffman" and "Best In Show". It's a good one too. About two minutes into the film and I knew I was watching a mockumentary like “Best In Show”. Instead of a dog-show, the subject of “Finishing Heaven” is an underground filmmaker from the 1960’s.

Anyone who’s seen the films of Morrissey or Warhol or even “Ciao Manhattan” or documentaries about the people of that scene (or even that era) like “The Cockettes” will see that “Finishing Heaven” is heavily influenced by them and references them at every turn. It was very funny to me .I’ve seen many of the films that the mock “Heaven” (the film-within-a-film) is borrowing from and making us laugh at. I got it and was in on the joke. Those who see this film as a non-fiction account of a film director and his girlfriend/star may not be in on the joke but it’s just a comedy…a mock-documentary like “Waiting For Guffman” and “Best In Show”. It’s a good one too.

]]> By: jc http://blog.spout.com/2008/06/26/laff-finishing-heaven/#comment-107833 jc Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:37:53 +0000 http://blog.spout.com/?p=3217#comment-107833 Re: Finishing Heaven and Heaven Wants Out big egos and big mouths never amount to much; especially in the real world of art; however, in hollywood, that’s what it’s all about let me just preface my few remarks by saying Ruby Lynn Reyner surely doesn’t have the big ego or big mouth mentioned above but everyone else involved in those two films does, big time the Shapiro’s attempt at taking the vintage footage Fineberg, or should we call him fiend-berg, shot and trying to make it into something fails miserably — their all too obvious story-line, “there’s no success like failure and failure is no success at all”, stinks — it is droll and mundane, boring to the max and their film suffers for it from the first to the last scene not to mention it’s painfully sophomoric with some real elbow grease, and far more brilliance than quite clearly they could muster, Finishing Heaven might have been heaven but alas it isn’t, not even close why? well basically giving Fineberg center-stage, and in the process turning Reynor into a supporting character, forwards nothing but the obvious; clearly Fineberg has about as much “Star” quality as he has ambition while, on the other hand, Reyner exudes star quality, both in her on-screen vintage performances and her kinda squawky, embittered but not bitter present day appearances Finishing Heaven shows little except a nod to the fact some Warhol characters are there for all to see, and the producers to hype — without them Fineberg’s footage would not have even ended up in the Shapiro’s gargage can, let alone their cutting room floor Ruby Lynn is “the” film and why the Shiparo’s did not run with her ball and chose instead to hype Fineberg’s gutless gonads is beyond me As for Heaven Wants Out? in Fineberg’s hands rest assured nothing brilliant was done, or will ever be done, with footage that is genuinely valuable as a document, not as a documentary or a real “film”, that’s fer sure in fact what needs to to be done is, like making an omelet, taking the two films, cracking their shells together over a hot pan and mushing them together with some tasty condiment and spice its really too bad no one bothered to listen to me and, yes, i was involved in this “deal” but solely from the sidelines, as about he only thing i did was write the original contract between Ruby Lynn and Fineberg that allowed her to prevent Fineberg’s Fiend-berg personality from stealing the film from her oh yeah, let’s not forget had i stayed involved no producer would have stolen Reyner’s right to be the star of Finishing Heaven by reducing her role to one that plays sucker to an ambitionless, greedy boulevardier, and cheap hustler, like Fineberg Re: Finishing Heaven and Heaven Wants Out
big egos and big mouths never amount to much; especially in the real world of art; however, in hollywood, that’s what it’s all about
let me just preface my few remarks by saying Ruby Lynn Reyner surely doesn’t have the big ego or big mouth mentioned above but everyone else involved in those two films does, big time
the Shapiro’s attempt at taking the vintage footage Fineberg, or should we call him fiend-berg, shot and trying to make it into something fails miserably — their all too obvious story-line, “there’s no success like failure and failure is no success at all”, stinks — it is droll and mundane, boring to the max and their film suffers for it from the first to the last scene
not to mention it’s painfully sophomoric
with some real elbow grease, and far more brilliance than quite clearly they could muster, Finishing Heaven might have been heaven
but alas it isn’t, not even close
why? well basically giving Fineberg center-stage, and in the process turning Reynor into a supporting character, forwards nothing but the obvious; clearly Fineberg has about as much “Star” quality as he has ambition
while, on the other hand, Reyner exudes star quality, both in her on-screen vintage performances and her kinda squawky, embittered but not bitter present day appearances
Finishing Heaven shows little except a nod to the fact some Warhol characters are there for all to see, and the producers to hype — without them Fineberg’s footage would not have even ended up in the Shapiro’s gargage can, let alone their cutting room floor
Ruby Lynn is “the” film and why the Shiparo’s did not run with her ball and chose instead to hype Fineberg’s gutless gonads is beyond me
As for Heaven Wants Out? in Fineberg’s hands rest assured nothing brilliant was done, or will ever be done, with footage that is genuinely valuable as a document, not as a documentary or a real “film”, that’s fer sure
in fact what needs to to be done is, like making an omelet, taking the two films, cracking their shells together over a hot pan and mushing them together with some tasty condiment and spice
its really too bad no one bothered to listen to me and, yes, i was involved in this “deal” but solely from the sidelines, as about he only thing i did was write the original contract between Ruby Lynn and Fineberg that allowed her to prevent Fineberg’s Fiend-berg personality from stealing the film from her
oh yeah, let’s not forget had i stayed involved no producer would have stolen Reyner’s right to be the star of Finishing Heaven by reducing her role to one that plays sucker to an ambitionless, greedy boulevardier, and cheap hustler, like Fineberg

]]> By: Karina Longworth http://blog.spout.com/2008/06/26/laff-finishing-heaven/#comment-107443 Karina Longworth Sun, 29 Jun 2008 05:52:06 +0000 http://blog.spout.com/?p=3217#comment-107443 @Jerry: I did see You, The Living. I think I don't get it. @Jerry: I did see You, The Living. I think I don’t get it.

]]> By: William http://blog.spout.com/2008/06/26/laff-finishing-heaven/#comment-107427 William Sat, 28 Jun 2008 12:52:53 +0000 http://blog.spout.com/?p=3217#comment-107427 Thanks for the write-up Karina. Between this and Momma's Man I'm set (when they eventually screen in NYC, that is.) Thanks for the write-up Karina. Between this and Momma’s Man I’m set (when they eventually screen in NYC, that is.)

]]> By: Craig Kennedy http://blog.spout.com/2008/06/26/laff-finishing-heaven/#comment-107401 Craig Kennedy Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:42:18 +0000 http://blog.spout.com/?p=3217#comment-107401 Terrific write-up Karina. I'm hoping to catch this one tomorrow. I may ordinarily have let it slide, but you've convinced me that would be a mistake. Terrific write-up Karina. I’m hoping to catch this one tomorrow. I may ordinarily have let it slide, but you’ve convinced me that would be a mistake.

]]> By: Jerry http://blog.spout.com/2008/06/26/laff-finishing-heaven/#comment-107346 Jerry Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:51:34 +0000 http://blog.spout.com/?p=3217#comment-107346 Karina, Will you catch the last sceening of "You, the Living' at the LAFF? Jerry Karina,

Will you catch the last sceening of “You, the Living’ at the LAFF?

Jerry

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