The Garth Method Review by Clint Morris
It's official. The less a filmmaker has in the bank, the better the film. When
your budget's circling 'dinner at Maccas' figures, ain't nothing like
overindulgent merchandising, wanton hype or star-over-script-syndrome
is even going to cross your mind. Filmmakers with surnames
beginning with 'Cameron' excluded, when the pennies are down.. it's
only a plus. Story has to come first, because, well, that's essentially
all you've got. And what a story The Garth Method has.
A
mockumentary of sorts, the film is out to convince you that 'In 2001
out-of-work actor Garth Petridis was imprisoned for one of the most
unusual crimes in Australian history'.apparently frustrated that he
couldn't get any acting jobs, the Aussie wannabe kidnapped people and
forced them into fluffy pink fairy costumes and barbarian attire and
pushed them to star in his own impetuous show reels.
The legend
mightn't ring as true as it'd like too, but that doesn't seem to matter
when the stuff on screen is delicious, dripping shreds of Cheese.
Via
both (and thankfully, mostly) flashback scenes, as well as a 'Video
Diary' to bring us up to 'the now', Garth's story unfolds on screen:
His efforts to get work as an actor are constantly met with a closed
gate, whatever luck he does encounter seems to fly away quicker than a
budgie in a cattery, and women? We'll let's just say Steve
Carell's 40 Year-Old Virgin character (whom Garth actually
resembles at times) could convincingly get away with wearing a
mink-aligned coat, tooting on a gaudy cigarette and adorning a brag
book, compared to this jinxed chump.
As the film comes to its
assigned punchline, the perturbed actor takes things into his own hands
and teams with another cinematic loser to kidnap people into starring
in their own pet movies. Television crime reports, it seems, is the
only way they'll ever get their mugs on screen.
"Garth" has it's
minor problems - proceedings trickle towards the less-interesting in
the second half, and the 'video diary' aspect of the film tends to take
you out of the moment - but overall, this is an venerable effort from
writer/director and star Gregory Pakis. The production design is slick,
the script is fairly watertight, and the characters are both memorable
and unique.
Though it's one of the best independent films I've
seen in a long, long, time, it isn't likely to set Pakis's career on
fire - it could've strived to be just that 'little bit more' - but
it'll definitely put a Bunsen-burner under it, and hopefully heat
things up for him down the track. I look forward to his future
endeavours. 3.5 out of 5
The Garth Method
Australian Screening: March and April, Old Colonial Inn, Fitzroy.
Cast: Gregory Pakis, Katrina Baylis, Scott Terrill, Jamie Unicomb, Jo Buckley.
Director: Gregory Pakis.
Website:
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here.
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