A Peanut Butter Pounder of a Student Film

This Winter Recess, I made good on a promise made to my Greece Athena High students;  I spent an afternoon watching and thinking about a movie made in collaboration with a friend of theirs, Concrete Jungle. Now showing on YouTube, Concrete Jungle is described as “… an independent film directed, written, and edited by Jake Bisnett. It's a collaborative project including Gianni Rinaudo as director of photography. Leading cast stars Tucker Green and Joshua Chatt, as Leo Adams and Charlie Wright.”

Full disclosure: I love movies from a variety of genres but have been unable to sit through many low budget movies of any kind. While it has become increasingly popular in film buff circles to romanticize the wonder and magic of homemade movies, it’s just never been something I seek out for entertainment. More often than not, I come across low budget horror while digging through streaming service and the results are rarely good. If this makes me a snob, then so-be-it. This admission aside, the question then becomes, why watch a 40-minute movie made by local aspiring filmmakers?

Much like some teachers attend high school sporting events to support their charges; it is always a pleasure to support student artistic efforts as well. This usually entails attending recitals, musicals or concerns, so this is something new and exciting—which I am always down for.

On the production team’s YouTube (where this can be viewed for free), Concrete Jungle is about “Three inner-city delinquents knock out a cop, and are forced into a city-wide expedition of comic stores, parking garages, and night parties in order to beat the clock and cover up the crime.” I am happy to share that the Concrete Jungle’s 40-minute runtime reveals, in addition to being entertaining, quite a few really strong elements that helps to recommend it’s viewing:

• The film’s opening scene during which the leads are bicycling in and around downtown Rochester, New York, (which really is often as deserted as depicted here) along with clean opening credits and music, Concrete Jungle has an air of professionalism about it. The choices to use a simple font and local music establishes this as a small but professional piece.
• Shot entirely in Monroe County, for local yokels such as myself, the use of real-life locations ranging from the very well known (an unnamed, uber successful mega-lo mart), to the more recent, and even (since filming concluded) closed stores, parks, and canal paths lends both a charge (“I know that place!”) as well as a sense of realism.
• “Peanut butter pounder” is just one of the youthful, cultural allusions introduced early in the movie and developed slightly throughout. Whether an “in joke” among players or something with a broader cultural resonance among young people, I am 100% on board with the concept (presuming it is not some weird euphemism—if so, PLEASE let this old guy know!).

Concrete Jungle’s greatest strengths are all related to the creative talent of those involved, especially:

• The acting is quite accomplished, even when it is not (by traditional standards) "professional." I knew (know) none of the leads prior to this viewing and I do feel as though I have met them though the movie. While a small part of this could be my own familiarity with the teen archetypes being portrayed, there is an earnestness to the performances, from leads (especially Tucker Green who plays Leo Adams) to minor roles (Amanda Clement as Lola Burke is a standout) are strong. My guess is that each is playing a slight variation of their own personality, and as a result, even those who appeared to be helping a boyfriend, girlfriend, sibling or offspring by appearing on camera put it nice performances.
• There are directorial flourishes that really stand out. Clearly influenced by classic independent classic Clerks (1994) and Kids (1995), and, frankly, what young filmmaker isn’t influenced by these movies whether they realize it or not, much of the movie’s structure is pure Family Guy. Numerous cutaways to provide additional exposition or ironic comedy suggests Seth McFarland’s television show continues to make its way into the way stories are told. When most effective here, such as Lola’s “date” with an aspiring “rapper,” these tangential moments add humor and a touch of sweetness. Likely due to the challenges of making films with a young (and busy!) cast, there are some more awkward deviations such as the use of a one-off voice-over (he does however, thank the viewer though for the brief intrusion) or fill-ins for some actors (credited in closing credits) within the context of this student endeavor these creative fixes work. Very promising work from director Jake Bisnett.
• The cinematography is sharp and well framed. Shot by Gianni Rinaudo, who also acts as the aforementioned “fill-in” as well as a brief cameo as "Himself", is credited as the “Director of Photography.” In addition to the scenic establishing shots, Rinaudo does a solid job framing the smaller character interactions in a way that is intimate but unobtrusive, for example, the scene where James and Leo get Sam’s phone number from Lola and Ivy.

Because it is on YouTube, Concrete Jungle is unrated. My 50+ year-old-maybe-not-so-hip rating for the movie would be a very soft [R] due to totally to language. While it occurs in a very organic way given the subjects, it is pervasive. I have been in a contemporary cinema back when we had them, so I “get it.” This is simply an observation made for very young viewers to whom I would recommend this movie. The final result is a tremendous example of young people working to together to create something that, while not completely “new,” does suggest bright futures ahead for all involved whether in film-making or some other profession—or both! I look forward to checking out the "wonder and magic" of their future efforts.

Check it out on their YouTube page!