Funny Pages review: A quirky, cranky Ghost World for comics fans

Comic books now inspire many of the world’s most popular movies and TV shows, so the original medium (the individual comic issue most commonly found in specialty stores) is still relatively small. It’s easy to forget that it’s a niche interest. This is especially true for titles outside of his Marvel/DC axis of superheroes, and even more so for Stan his R. Crumb and Carl his Barks-inspired comic books than his Lee and Jack Kirby.

Owen Klein’s memorable and sometimes hilarious films funny page I understand this so much that it’s not immediately obvious that the movie is set in the present. Robert (Daniel Zolgadori) is a professional comics teenager who is obsessed with becoming a creator in New Jersey. It’s dingy, full of haphazardly preserved back issues, and populated by a diverse (and often disgruntled) fan base, aspiring artists, and weirdos. (One of them is played by former MTV comedian Andy Milonakis.)

Robert’s high school art teacher and mentor is an avid underground comics enthusiast who looks like he’s crawled out of his sketchbook and into flesh. When he loses this mentor early in the film, Robert becomes even more disillusioned with his comfortable suburban lifestyle and decides to attack it himself. He moves out, gets the best living conditions he can afford (sharing an illegal basement apartment with two adult men), and makes notes for a beleaguered local public defender. get a part-time job That’s how he meets Wallace (our flag means death Star Matthew Maher) is a seemingly unbalanced crank who has been charged with tipping over at a local pharmacy.

Wallace has a double attraction to Robert. Like many other characters in the film, he looks like a living caricature, like someone from the edge of Daniel Crow’s comics. . He was Image’s color his separator when he was the company’s flying superhero in his ’90s. Seeking both authenticity and, paradoxically, some sort of industry connection, Robert takes a head-to-head with Wallace. Befriending him should be easy — Wallace needs money, a vehicle, and emotional support. But he keeps the process from going smoothly.

Writer-director Owen Klein has good reason to know about developing a unique alternative artistic sensibility while trying to shake off the respect of the upper classes. and played the younger brother in the 2005 Noah Baumbach film. squid and whaleNow, in the cycle of nepotism, his first work as a writer and director will be released through prestigious distributor A24. But to whatever extent Klein has leveraged his industry ties, the crude he shoots in 16mm, giving juicy roles to actors who don’t look like overly sophisticated movie stars, and using them. I created both Grabby and Grabby.

Klein cites influences from Mumblecore/indie films such as Frounland From Ronald Bronstein, who co-wrote the film with the Safdie Brothers (uncut gemstone) — who produced in order funny pageThere is certainly an aspect of funny page It evokes the nightmarish tension of Safdie-led comics uncut gemstone Also good time, especially once the film reaches its climax. The hastily hand-held chaos occasionally comes across affected and second-hand, obligatory, with bursts of violence that feel more appropriate for a crime-driven Safdie film.

However, fans of comic book-to-film adaptations may see funny page more like ghost worlda Daniel Clowes adaptation that also features a character fascinated by the strange balls (and potential artistic inspiration) around her. funny pagethe characters are so richly imagined that it is easy to speculate that Robert, a huge Peter Budge fan, would consider Clowes’ work too admirable or too intelligent in comparison to his hero. I can do it.)

Robert has none of the pain of a lost teen like Enid ghost worldHe’s more of a head-struck kid than a young man disturbed by invading consumerist adulthood. It is the arduousness of Robert’s not-quite-precise friendship with Wallace. ghost worlddiscover half-affectionate, half-cruel paintings painted by young, all the way up to the elderly (but without the sexual tension).

Photo: A24

like buscemi ghost worldMatthew Maher is a longtime character actor who has reserved space to give a fuller performance than his smaller part. Boden and Ryan Fleck duo ( captain marvel, as Skrull Science Officer Norex). There’s a unique thrill when you realize he’s in the lead this time around. Reminiscent of a milder version of Marty Feldman, Maher’s piercing eyes give Wallace a strange nervous energy with his outbursts of frustration. Robert’s esoteric love for and transcendental blatency make it clear that he is not particularly compatible with Wallace’s tastes. Maher has a great way of making Wallace’s sound both impossible and plausible in one of his scenes.

Klein’s films work best when they blur the line between people in the geek subculture and their obsessive style. You seem to be feeling happy. For example, the strange, sweaty roommate who lives in the overheated basement abode he temporarily calls his home. When the movie tries to give Robert more growth, perhaps it feels skipped a step or two and ends on a meditative note that doesn’t feel fully earned. It’s a nice runtime pitfall. But in a cultural landscape where even superhero satire feels obvious and overproduced, funny page It’s a beautiful, relentless reminder that for many people, cartoons are dead ends.

Funny Pages opens on-demand in theaters on Friday, August 26.