Two Harbors

Two Harbors is a very interesting exploration of an actual incident reported in the New York Times several years ago. James Vculek has written an engaging work exploring the character and quirks of the two main characters, Vic (Alex Cole), and Cassie (Catherine Johnson). There is a very nice contrast between the curmudgeonly action figure dealer Vic and the vulnerable Cassie. The film has very witty dialog, and nice cameo performances by Claudia Wilkins, Richard Ooms, and Ari Hoptman. The cinematography really evokes the feeling of winter in Two Harbors, MN, a small town on the north shore of Lake Superior. I also really liked the music soundtrack, which contributes greatly toward the mood of the piece.

I don't watch many independent films, but I was really drawn to this one. The casting is very good, and the shots of mundane objects and places, while stark at times, are extremely effective, as is the music. The main characters are quite intriguing, and the plot takes interesting twists that I did not expect. I liked this film a lot, but I can't completely explain why. I watched it all the way through, not even wanting to pause it to use the restroom. I would certainly recommend it to other viewers. I expect great things from Mr. Vculek, and I hope he continues to make and share more films. I, for one, will continue to look for his work.

I caught this movie at the Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival. It's one of the better movies I've seen in a while. I hope someone picks this up and I very much want to buy it. It is the story of a grumpy middle-aged seller of antique action figures, Vic, who meets a sweet, very vulnerable young woman, Cassie, who sells dolls in a booth in the same center. He has been trying for years to catch the notice of extra-terrestrials, apparently because no one down here notices him and she goes along with it because she has the same problem. It was at once funny and tragic. It does a great job of making its two major characters very real, despite their general bizarreness and likable, despite Vic's abusiveness to almost everyone he meets. It's not perfect, but it's about as close as you can get for a movie made for so little money. The fact it was a first film for the writer/director makes it all the more amazing. The hope of finding something like this is the reason I go to independent film festivals. Buy it if it ever comes to DVD.

Okay, maybe the summary isn't how everyone would take this film, but for me, the Black and White photography echoed that of CLERKS while the dialog seemed very Smith-like.

Vic (Alex Cole, who looks very much like he could be Al Franken's brother) is a sarcastic, mean spirited guy who spends his time selling Sci-Fi collectibles at a flea market, verbally abusing most anyone he comes in contact with, and trying to discover signals from extraterrestrial beings. One day, he crosses paths with Cathy (played expertly by Catherine E. Johnson) , another seller at the flea market. She sells cloth dolls and seems slightly naive, but very sweet. At first, he treats her with his usual banter, but something about her softens him up a bit.

As their friendship grows, Vic becomes convinced of a link between Cathy and the extraterrestrials. Without giving anything away, let's just say the film takes a turn that I was not expecting.

I viewed this film at the River's Edge Film Festival in Paducah, Kentucky and it was, hands down, one of the best there. James Vculek shows that he has a great gift for writing, especially allowing us to believe and identify with the characters, even if we don't necessarily like them (refering to Vic). The understated, amateurish acting actually makes the characters more believable. Emotionally, this film took me for a ride, which is very difficult for a low budget film to do. It just goes to show you that it's not the budget or the presence of big names that makes a film engaging, it's the STORY and the CHARACTERS, both of which this TWO HARBORS is rich with. If I had to pick one word to describe the true theme of the movie, that would have to be, "obsession."

TWO HARBORS is still showing at festivals and I hope that a distributor will pick it up and give it a decent release, even if only on DVD. It is just too good a film to fall through the cracks of the festival circuit.

If anyone is interested in buying a copy of this film, check out http://www.indieflix.com/FilmDetail.aspx?tid=2267.

It's been a long time since I've seen a movie that warrants analytical or critical discussion. James Vculek's Two Harbors demands such discussion. Like any great novel, Vculek purposefully avoids obligatory statement of the obvious and, through clever dialogue and subtle yet stunning black and white imagery and scene selection, allows the audience to draw its own conclusions concerning a great number of things. This certainly cannot be said for most over-produced Hollywood films of today's era, which all too often insult the audience's intelligence, by not only stating the obvious, but placing style ahead of substance. There is great style and substance in this masterful independent film.