FACTOTUM

FACTOTUM

Calling all Bukowski fans, Matt Dillon fans, fans of great 'literary films,' and everyone else in between. Factotum is a work of art. Simple as that. A dirty, smoky bar, drunk in the afternoon kind of art to be sure, but art is art no matter how we arrive there. Before I saw it, I kept thinking it would be a Fear and Loathing kind of thing, taking us on a ride with a crazy author, to a place we secretly want to go, but maybe are a bit scared...? You know what I mean here? Well, Factotum is surprisingly (and happily) not a crazy ride through a personal hell like Fear and Loathing was - it's much more subtle than that. But it does bear semblance to Gilliam's film in the sense that Matt Dillon does justice to Bukowski, the same way Johnny Depp did to Thompson. We are also treated with long narratives, getting into his head as Dillon recites the master writer's work. But the big difference with the two films, as with the two writers I suppose, is that Factotum/Bukowski/Dillon takes on more of a slow pace, standing back a little and squinting at the world through an alcoholic blurr, whereas Fear and Loathing/Thompson/Depp was more of a roller coaster ride through every drug imaginable.

But don't let the booze put you off the film. The fact that Bukowski was drunk when he wrote his best stuff doesn't change the fact that it was good stuff. Just as we are all (hopefully) able to sit down on a nice Sunday afternoon and appreciate and enjoy Bukowski's writing without needing a drink to hear what he's saying, we can also enjoy Dillon's subtle and masterful portrayal of one of America's greatest and most profound writers ever. Factotum is not to be missed.

The Illusionist

Oh boy, I sure have been lazy about this blog. I'm sorry.

I really do need to write the following, even though I already mentioned this film. "The Illusionist" is being talked about right now, as it is hitting theaters, and I have to say if you hear something good about this film, you heard right!!

Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti (of recent "Sideways" fame) play opposites of sorts in a 19th century period piece, where Norton is a stage illusionist who just might have magical powers. It's amazing to me how Norton makes his role seem real - it seems he is performing for us the audience, as though we were the audience in the film. Giamatti is fantastic. In a recent interview, Norton said that working with Giamatti was easy, that he gave him a lot to play off of, and that this was how acting ought to be. That's the feeling you get watching this film, that these guys are the top of the field, and that we're lucky to be seeing this.

The rest of the film is excellent as well, with great imagery and sound, and a screenplay that will make me want to rent it and see it again when I can, so as to rewind some of the scenes to be able to study them. But to be sure, this is one of the films you'll want to see in theaters - seeing it big will push it over the edge and you'll see why I loved this film so much at SIFF this year.

We most likely will not be getting The Illusionist at the Grand, so you're on your own with this one. Sorry.

Movies movies everywhere, and not enough time to see!!

Wow, we're really moving along with the film festival, and I have been so busy that I haven't posted in a while. Sorry, if you've been looking for something. Here's a few great films I've seen recently, that you may want to check out, some of them on video, some onscreen. I promise I'll be more timely in the future!

V for Vendetta - amazing. Incredible job by both Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving, who delivers from behind a mask. Not many actors could really do this, and he proves just how powerful he is in the craft. Also, an amazing script with dialogue that makes you just have to rewind and hear again.

Little Miss Sunshine - This film is hilarious, quirky, heartfelt and sometimes really weird. Steve Carell is my new favorite comedian, and I'm happy he did this role. I don't dare give anything away with this film, so you'll just have to come see it at the Grand. How's that for shameless advertising??

Who Killed the Electric Car? - Another film we've got at the theater, and something you really do need to see. What you may have suspected about car companies is shown to be all too true, and actually I got so mad when watching the film for the first time - I was alone at the theater before we opened for the day - and I was jumping up and down and hollering at the screen. It'll make you mad, and might make you want to do something different about energy consumption. I'm buying a bicycle today.

Syriana - I guess this just fits right in with Electric Car and Inconvenient Truth. If you haven't seen this one, go rent it. I've had it for a week, watched it three times, the video store is mad because I'm late with it. I'm bringing it back today, so it; will be there for you to rent!! Great film, and a must see for pretty much anyone.

Summer Pirates

Summer movies are a species of film all of their own. Heros running around, daredevil heroics, big explosions, love affairs, not too much to think about. The new Pirates movie fits the bill just fine by me, and then some. It seemed to be less silly than the last one, though Cap'n Sparrow's entrance wasn't even close to being as cool as the original. Johnny Depp gets very high marks for drunken pirate swaggering - "Why is there never any more rum?" He gets up, stumbles drunkenly, "Oh, that's why." Unfortunately, the silliest lines in the film go to Cap'n Sparrow along with the good ones. The whole island cannibals thing wasn't very good, and didn't advance the plot either. But it's forgivable, as the good parts of the film outweighed the bad.

This Pirates seemed a bit more adult-themed than the original, with a little kissing betwixt (hey, I'm writing about pirates, so a little 18th c. English is certainly allowed) Mr. D and hottie Kiera Knightly. And a few of the pirate deaths seemed much more violently graphic that the first film.

Pirates 2 leaves the door wide open for Pirates 3, which is the best news of the year for me. A whole new generation of pirate-loving children are being taught the proper moral values of piracy on the high seas, which bodes well for the future!! HAarrgh. A pirate's life for me!

Scanner Darkly

This film is amazing. The visuals are great, the performances are right on - sometimes hilarious and sometimes scary, and always weird. Perfect for this story. If you have any inclination for liking Phillip K. Dick's work, or you like these kind of visuals, or you like weird cyber-punk stuff, or you just like innovative cinema, you have to see this film!! I'm going to see it again.

Bollywood wrapup

Oops - I forgot to post this, and thought I already had. I guess that's old age for you.

The Bollywood series was a great success! We had an excellent discussion with over 60 people taking part, both before the Saturday evening film and several people stayed after for another half hour to talk about the film. Thanks to Amy Laly for being our discussion leader, and thanks to everyone who came to see the great films over the course of the week. I'd say this was our best series ever, with every screening of every film seeing a decent turnout, and with several screenings being a packed house. Our final screening, a Thursday night show of "Mistress of Spices," was actually sold out! Wow! Bravo to Tacoma for supporting this film series!

Also, special thanks to our new friends at Jhankar Productions and Totem Lake Cinema for supplying us with the films.

Local Documentary Rocks!

"Heart of the Game"

This film is great on several levels. First off, it's NOT a chick flick (not that there's anything wrong with that!!). It's a great documentary about perseverance and fighting to succeed. These girls are fantastic athletes, and their coach is inspirational and really cool.

It's about the Seattle Roosevelt High School girls basketball team, fighting off lots of adversity and going to the state finals. One of the girls drops out of school, has a baby, and has what looks to be a pretty bleak future. Then she rallies back the next year, comes back to school, and fights a legal battle to be allowed to play basketball again as a fifth year senior.

Any of you who know my taste in films, might think I wouldn't like this film, but you'd be wrong! I LOVED this film. If I had a teenage daughter, I'd probably be putting up a hoop outside the garage right now!! And I really don't even like basketball, but I loved this film. See it before it's gone!!

Saturday Discussion

What a great discussion we had yesterday for the Bollywood film series! Amy Laly, a local documentary filmmaker and Bollywood expert led an excellent and in-depth discussion on the films in the series, as well as the Bollywood film industry in general. About 60 people gathered in the Grand's lower lobby and took part in the discussion.

I'd like to thank Amy for her help with the film series, as well as offering her time and expertise to lead our discussion. The series runs through Thursday next week, so you still have time to see the remaining films!

My Bollywood Education

I have been fascinated by Indian cinema, nicknamed "Bollywood", for several years now. The lavish song and dance scenes have always seemed so incredible to me, with a visual and audio over-stimulation of sorts that would leave me open mouthed and amazed. Some time ago, I decided to schedule a Bollywood series, where we would play a week of Indian films at the Grand. Well, here we are, ready to start our first ever Bollywood film series, with our first show tomorrow. It wasn't easy getting to this point, but it has certainly been a learning experience in many ways.

Bollywood films are not distributed in the same way that other films are in the US. I had to go through a totally different system to get these films. Luckily, I made friends with some great people in the local Indian community who have introduced me to the right people, and we now have four films which are either shown only in India, or exclusively in specialty theaters focusing on Indian cinema. So really, the Grand is peeking into a totally new world of film exhibition right now, and I'm so glad we have this rare opportunity.

Yesterday I went with a friend to pick up our films, one of which had just arrived. Films normally come in metal film cans, wound up on reels. Our Bollywood films from overseas were shipped in cardboard boxes, reinforced with what's either burlap or hemp, and wound onto nothing. It's been interesting to wind them up onto big reels and get them ready to lay out onto the big platters so we can screen them. I guess all those editing classes with the flatbed editing machines is paying off! What I keep shaking my head at is how big two of these movies are. I'm taking a break from building up "Rang De Basanti" right now and it's a whopping 18 reels!! (Most films are 5 or 6). And looking at the frames as I go, the images are amazing!! Beautiful colors and scenes await to be threaded through our projectors. I can't wait to screen this film!

I look forward to Rang De Basanti in particular, as a way to better educate myself on Indian history. The film revolves around the Indian struggle for independence from England, and the new set of problems they inherit when one system is replaced by another.

If you have time this weekend and next week, I really urge everyone to check at least a few of these films out. Like I said before, this is a rare and amazing opportunity for Tacoma to see some films that are pretty much otherwise unavailable. Check the showtimes at www.grandcinema.com.

see you there -

Ozon's Masterpiece

Francois Ozon's new film "Time to Leave" (Le Temps qui reste) is, as I posted earlier today, the most beautiful film of the festival. When I first read about the film, it was described as a departure for Ozon. And I do agree that "Time to Leave" is very different than, say "8 Femme", but he has clearly left his mark on this new film, traces of which can be seen in his 2003 "Swimming Pool". An introspective look, with one or two fully developed characters who are realizing themselves in the short time we know them. But they are characters that we already know, in a way. (Isn't any well conceived story like this?)

In "Time to Leave", we meet a 31 year old man who finds out he has months to live. And we are with him as he comes to terms with this. He lives his few remaining months more fully than it seems he knew was possible, and not in some "Let's go to DisneyLand" kind of way either. This is rather a quiet meditation on death, but much more importantly, on what it means to be alive, how precious each moment is, and that even a few months can be realized as a lifetime. As with any work of true Art, the truth is sought, and found in this film.

My grandmother died last week, and I know I wouldn't have appreciated Ozon's film as fully otherwise, for in a profound way, the film has helped me accept the loss of someone I wish I could have known on a deeper level. The film is an amazing work of art on its own, but for anyone who has felt loss, be it the loss of another, of one's health, of lost time or opportunities, "Time to Leave" is a masterpiece, which will help. A lot.