The GoodtimesKid - Azazel Jacobs

Directed by Azazel Jacobs
USA 2005

A story about stolen love and stolen identities, literally shot on stolen film... Momma's Man writer-director Azazel Jacobs' effortlessly hip second feature is an absurdist comedy of errors, a punk-rock slice of DIY rebellion, and a warmhearted frolic that captures the "amour fou spirit of the early French New Wave" (The Village Voice).

Hot-tempered Echo Park slacker Rodolfo Cano (Jacobs) enlists in the army to escape a meaningless existence with his free-spirited girlfriend Diaz (Diaz). When his call-for-service letter somehow winds up in the hands of another Rodolfo Cano (Gerardo Naranjo, director of Drama/Mex and I'm Gonna Explode), a quietly dignified loner who lives on a sailboat, their three lives intersect in odd and beautifully unexpected ways. Evoking the inventive gags of Chaplin and Jacques Tati, plus the deadpan minimalism of Kaurismäki and Jarmusch, The GoodTimesKid" finds poetry in wordless scenes of observation" (The New York Times).

Poster

Theatrical Release: November 12th, 2005 - AFI Film Festival

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Benten Films - Region 0 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Benten Films - Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	1:12:57
Video	1.85:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 8.16 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Benten Films Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.85:1 Edition Details: • Director commentary with contributions from co-stars Gerardo Naranjo and Diaz • The Whirled (1956-63): A short film by Ken Jacobs that helped inspire The GoodTimesKid (19:24) • Let's Get Started: A short film by Azazel Jacobs (3:00) • Deleted Scenes (5:09) • Photo Gallery • Original Trailer • PLUS: An all-new essay by film critic Glenn Kenny DVD Release Date: August 11th, 2009 Keep Case Chapters: 14

Comments:

I developed a real soft spot for this film - with my only complaint being that I wished it was longer. In case it is not apparent - director Azazel Jacobs is the son of experimental filmmaker Ken Jacobs (Star Spangled to Death). The oddities of The GoodTimesKid's production, narrative and characters is what makes it most appealing. As with his father's film - and all great filmmakers - it's the tone and intentional tonal shifts that help viewers embrace it. Kinda - 'to each his own'.

Benten Films have given us some decent-to-strong SD-DVD transfers before among them The Free Will and Joe Swanberg's LOL. This looks similarly competent. The 35mm elements produce strong colors and surprising detail at times on DVD. I see no manipulation. The disc itself is dual-layered and the transfer is progressive and anamorphic in the 1.85 aspect ratio. Indie roots have given a sporadic camera with kinetic intent and occasionally soft visuals in motion. This is obviously part of the filmmakers process and gives the grittier film a more textured realistic aura. Noise is appreciate though in monochromatic scenes - probably more a factor of the limitations of the format.

Audio is 2.0 channel and unremarkable. Dialogue has a few scattered moments but there are optional English subtitles available.

There are some shortish extras (deleted scenes, Azazel Jacobs's 3-minute short film, photo gallery, trailer) tacked onto the main supplement - Ken Jacobs peculiar The Whirled (1956-63) that helped inspire his son's film.
There is also 10-page booklet with photos and an essay on the film by critic Glenn Kenny.

As I stated - I liked it quite a bit - more as it rolled along and I felt the ending was a bit abrupt. I look forward to more from the director - who may be striving to find his vision. We recommend!

Gary W. Tooze

DVD Menus