CQ adds life to '60s
look
By Geronimo Rodriguez
The Daily Cougar
The release of Austin Powers helped re-ignite
the carefree feeling of the 1960s in film, not to mention the look — go-go
boots, gaudy colors
and bad hair. Mike Myers hit solid gold
with the idea, and now audiences are awaiting the release of the third
Austin Powers film.
Photo Courtesy of United
Artists
Angela Lindvall stars as
secret agent Dragonfly in Roman Coppola's first feature film, CQ.
At first glance, simply employing the
'60s for yet another inane comedy may come to one's mind, but Roman Coppola's
CQ strays from such
comparisons by adding to the trend. The
first-time writer/director succeeds at creating a short, enjoyable film
by expressing a portrait of a young
film editor's struggle to define good
filmmaking.
"I wanted to express the perpetual struggle
and the whole coming of age idea," Coppola said. "At the same time, I tried
to be thoughtful and
make it a light film."
Of course, laughs are spread throughout
the film ? most of them come in the form of mocking film executives and
critics alike. But it seems
Coppola, whose father is renowned writer/director
Francis Ford Coppola, is scratching the surface of his own struggle, or
even that of
someone close to him.
Paul, the lead character (Jeremy Davies),
finds himself at the helm of a motion picture that would otherwise be on
the shelf. As Paul is
determined to move audiences and create
an ending that isn't interfered with by the film's over-the-top producer
(Giancarlo Giannini), or the
disgruntled ex-director of the film (Gerard
Depardieu), he gathers ideas that come in the form of daydreams and other
instances around him.
Paul's journey to his film's end may not
be all that appealing for those who don't enjoy the filmmaking process,
but it certainly hits close to
anyone who has ever been stranded in such
creative processes.
"When you create anything, you pick defining
moments and impressions," Coppola said. "It's a very dynamic process.
"The idea I'm attempting to pose is that
of the youth culture trying to inherit the world from an older generation."
At the same time, Coppola weaves barely-clad,
long-legged women and quirky performances by Billy Zane and Jason Schwartzman
to
broaden the film's appeal.
