Okay, time for some good news/bad news.
Good news: The Kabuki theatre didn’t burn down as I thought it might have the day before when, as I was heading home I saw a couple of firetrucks speed by me and stop right in front of the theatre’s steps.
Bad news: The firetrucks weren’t there to distinguish a burning print of Pema Tseden‘s movie, Old Dog. Read More…
Chris Nilan, subject of the documentary THE LAST GLADIATORS - Photo by Pamela Gentile
Whereas Saturday’s hot and sunny weather made the prospect of sitting in a theatre all day seem unappealing, yesterday’s heavy mist and wind was ideal conditions for staying in and watching movies. Sadly, I was only able to see one movie due to family obligations. As strange as it may seem, from time to time I will put family first when prioritizing my schedule.
Forever arriving earlier than is needed I left my house at 1:15 to make the 40 minute trek to Japan town. My movie didn’t start until 4:00, but I always like to leave at an unreasonably earlier time than is necessary. So, after stopping at House Of Bagels to inhale a tuna, lettuce and cheese on a pumpernickel bagel I arrived at the Sundance Kabuki steps. The time was now 2:00, plenty of time for me to take in the sights. Today these sights included a handful of middle-aged Japanese men with whistles sitting atop a handheld float wearing nothing but underwear. Oh cool, I arrived in time to see a parade celebrating laundry day. Much to my disappointment, I soon found out that I was watching the tail end of the Cherry Blossom festival, which still didn’t explain the tighty-whities.
After bumping into some festival friends and swapping some film recommendations it was time to get my ticket and take my seat for Alex Gibney‘s (Magic Trip, Taxi To The Dark Side) latest documentary, The Last Gladiators. Read More…
Photo by Tommy Lau
Yesterday, my first day at the film festival, could be summed up as mediocre movie watching through sleep deprived pupils, or just a tad above thereof. Today, however was just the opposite. This was a day filled with excessiveness that included loud live rock n’ roll, loud filmmaking of the Ken Russell oeuvre, loud money, the loud voice of karma, and one very loud and luscious San Franfamous cross dressing diva!
Not only was there a great amount of excessive fun to be had inside the theatre, but there was also plenty of entertainment to be had outside as well, if you knew where to look, that is. Luckily for me, I didn’t have to look far, because, as fate would have it, I happened to be in the right place at the right time. Within seconds of departing from the 38 Geary bus I was greeted with a woman tripping over the sidewalk and falling down. Now, Before you judge me too harshly you should know that I waited until I saw that she was okay and that she was out of sight before replaying the event (yes, when someone falls it is an event) in my head and getting a healthy and hearty laugh. I didn’t know it yet, but karma, not at all pleased with my sense of humor, would have its way with me before the night was over.
Speaking of the night, let’s get started on what I watched. Here’s my review on Lauren Greenfield‘s intimate documentary of an American family living the life of the 1%ers, The Queen of Versailles Read More…
Jan Kwiecinski, Eddy Moretti, Harmony Korine, Val Kilmer and Aleksei Fedorchenko - Photo by Tommy Lau
Okay, so here’s the deal; the executive director of VICE Films, Eddy Moretti, sends out this vast list of instructions restrictions to three directors from three different countries. These directors must than apply these restrictions to a 30 minute feature that deals with the fourth dimension, hence the name of the movie. These directors include Harmony Korine (Trash Humpers, Gummo, and writer of Kids), Aleksei Fedorchenko (Silent Souls), and newcomer Jan Kwiecinski. All of the directors were on hand for this world premiere event, and none of them had seen any of the others’ entries before tonight. Also on hand was Val Kilmer. Read More…
In retrospect, if you had told me I was to watch another movie filled mainly with landscapes I may have evaded it entirely. Let’s just say that another film in this festival thoroughly took care of my need for landscapes for quite a while. But ¡Vivan las Antipodas! brought to life a documentary style I personally had yet to see. Award winning director, Victor Kossakovsky, takes a beautiful idea and creates a picturesque film with grace and technique.
Chili and Russia, Argentina and China, Botswana and Hawaii, Spain and New Zealand, are diametrically opposite to one another on the planet. The climate, the people, and the fascinating movement of life are depicted in this film in a gentle and tranquil way. If I were to name the characters they would not be the names of people but rather the up close shots of life; the lava burning as it flows, the life of a bridge, and a whale brought to death. Read More…
When a director is truly connected with the story they are creating, you can feel it. Director Nadine Labaki, born in Lebanon, creates the perfect recipe for film; mixing an emotional war between Christians and Muslims living in the same town. Adding a pinch of comedy depicted through the struggle of the Lebanese women and a series of hilarious distractions they concoct to distract their men from killing each other.
At parts, I laughed full-heartedly but the pain I felt too. A single tear ran unwillingly from my eye. I wiped it quickly away in hopes that the big shot critics to my left would not recognize the glimmer. Immediately after this cinematic pleasure was over, I requested to interview the director. Stay tuned. Read More…
In this Groundhog Day style film, a movie director keeps unknowingly reliving the same day. While chance takes him down different paths, his personality continuously leads him to similar conclusions. The film is quirky but not shallow and does a good job at adding humor to an otherwise sad story. Director Sang-soo Hong‘s film will not appeal to the masses but fans of thoughtful, dialogue heavy films will get enjoyment from it. Read More…
Though made for German television, The Dreileben Trilogy, or as I like to call it, “Six Degrees Of Nature Boy”, is definitely a cinematic event. Three directors, each with their own visual voice, take turns guiding their narratives across the picturesque Forest of Dreileben. All three films are set during the same time period, and all three films deal with a different protagonist who in some way is connected to Molesch, a local escaped convict.
What impressed me most about these three films was the multilevel depth to which each of these scripts reach. There’s Christian Petzold‘s Beats Being Dead, a turbulent coming-of-age romantic tragedy, Dominik Graf‘s Don’t Follow Me Around; a chatty character study of a young couple, their detective friend/houseguest and the complex relationship between the three of them, and Christoph Hochhäusler‘s One Minute of Darkness, which I like to think of as the German version of the Coen Brothers‘ No Country For Old Men (in story alone, not visual style), where, when we’re not following the survival skills of coo-coo for co-co puffs killer, we’re following an old deaf dog of a detective.
Because each film follows the same time line, those who decide to see all three will be treated to seeing events take place from other character’s perspectives. So, while it is not necessary, or even essential to watch these movies in succession, those who do will be glad they did, and not just because they have given into their completest tendencies. Read More…
