The State of Seattle Filmmaking

Last year at SIFF, I made it to a great film forum on independent filmmaking. This Saturday (June 04, 11:15 AM, Broadway Performance Hall) is a forum on Filmmaking in Seattle. Here are a few lines from SIFF's description of the event:

"Just what is the current state of filmmaking in Seattle, and does it really matter anyway? Can Seattle compete with the likes of Austin, Texas and just what does it take to become a “film town”? Why should anyone make a film here? Are the City of Seattle and the State of Washington doing enough to promote the film industry in this area?"

Looks like a good one. If you can't make it, don't worry, I will and I'm great at taking notes.

Tell Them Who You Are

Mark Wexler's documentary on his legendary cinematographer father, Haskell Wexler. The film is interesting if you are a filmmaker, photographer, or cinema history buff. I met Haskell Wexler several years ago at a discussion on the future of film vs. digital formats in cinema, and he was much nicer to us than he is in this film to his son. Mark seems to be trying to pay homage to his father at the same time he is trying to get out of his father's rather huge shadow.

"Tell Them Who You Are" plays tonight at SIFF, 5:00 PM, Harvard Exit.

Godzilla: Final Wars

I just had to see this. I am guilty as a Godzilla fan, always have been. This latest installment is the funniest Godzilla to date. Director Ryuhei Kitamura obviously sees the humor in the big green monster, and pushes it at every chance. In this one, Godzilla ends up fighting several of his past foes - it's like a historical parade, with plenty of destruction. Plenty. Especially satisfying was when Godzilla absolutely annihilates the 1998 American joke of a Godzilla (remember, the T-Rex looking wimp who couldn't even breathe lightning rays?) and kills him in about ten seconds flat. Yes.

Howl's Moving Castle

Hayao Miyazaki is considered one of Japan's greatest animation directors. His latest, "Howl's Moving Castle" is a beautiful work of animation art. The story is often very funny; I especially liked the demon in the fireplace who keeps wanting to be fed more fuel. The only drawback I saw to the film was that a few plot elements were repeated several times, as though we the audience couldn't remember for more than twenty minutes at a stretch. Hayao Miyazaki is considered one of Japan's greatest animation directors. See what I mean, it's annoying. But regardless, I still highly recommend this film as amazing animation and a lot of fun.

The Art and Crimes of Ron English

I hope people are reading this journal of mine here, but if not, I figure that's ok, because it's giving me a chance to reflect on the films I have seen at SIFF, and I plan on using these notes the way I did last year. Many of the films at the festival are being shown for the first time as a World or N. American Premiere, and will show up on the radar down the road, some of which we will be able to play at the Grand for all you wonderful Tacoma film lovers.

Tonight's film was preceded by a short called "Wet Dreams and False Images." It was a look into what is reality with images, specifically female images in magazines, and to what degree the images are doctored by "airbrushed" computer altering. The film was simple, and didn't try to go too deep. The film works because of this, and focuses on a few guys in a barber shop, and how their minds are opened to the reality of 'created beauty.'

The feature was a documentary called "The Art and Crimes of Ron English." As a documentary, the overall technique was decent, though it seemed to lag a bit in the middle, as though we had seen a lot of the same images again, and I felt the point had already been hit. So, the film could have lost a good fifteen minutes and been better off for it. However, I feel this was such strong subject matter that I have to encourage every artist to watch this, as a kind of required reading. I recommend this film for anyone even the least bit interested in the state of cutting edge art, in America. Ron English is a daring artist who is technically a criminal. His canvases are billboards, and he illegally places his own messages, often politically and socially charged, over existing ads on billboards. He is not the only one doing this, but other artists interviewed were impressed by the fact that he never covers his face, and often signs his work. See the movie. Here's a few quotes from Ron English:

He likes to "Contradict their tagline" by altering what is in the ad. Example a coca-cola ad is unaltered, except for the bottom of the ad. The ad now reads "Drink Coca-Cola, it makes you fart"

"Corporations don't deserve free speech - people deserve free speech."

A Joe Camel poster, but with Mr. Camel portrayed as a child camel, lighting up.
Another Camel ad with the camel pregnant, "She's smoking for two."

He ends with "Billboard Liberation 101" :

Step 1 - Always work in the daytime. Cops will think you actually belong there.
Step 2 - Paint like a pro. If the billboard looks like a real ad, it will stay up longer.
Step 3 - Resist arrest. Do anything to convince the police you are not in the wrong.
Step 4 - Just do it.

Whether or not you are able to agree with his methods, this is something anyone interested in modern art should see.

Layer Cake Rocks

I almost don't want to encourage you to see this one at SIFF, since we have it booked to play at the Grand in a few weeks. The film is a truly rockin' caper-action-thriller, AND, drumroll..... it counts as an art film. And not just because it's from the UK. Matthew Vaughn has put together a fast paced, funny, (and a little violent so leave the kids at home) film which keeps you guessing to the end.

Ladies In Lavender

This film is a sweet, breezy tale, or so it seems at first. It sneaks up on you in a way, slowly unfolding the layers of what could be intrigue and danger hiding under the surface. It is this slow, almost delicate pacing of the film which makes it a success. If you like Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, you will love this film. Daniel Bruhl (Goodbye Lenin!) turns in a solid performance as well.

Yes

Volumes have been written ad nauseam on the subject of whether or not cinema is the "Seventh Art." Perhaps it is because cinema is such a relatively new medium that the critics feel as though they must justify themselves, qualifying every statement, as though to make the argument more real. Perhaps it is because the film doesn't hang on the wall, or cannot be touched like one could touch a marble bust. Whatever the reason, far too much discussion revolves around cinema's place in the art world. Well, the argument can be laid to rest for once and for all with the new film, "Yes."

Sally Potter ("The Man Who Cried") has created a true work of art with her new film "Yes." The dialogue is spoken in rhymed iambic pentameter, and I couldn't help but feel as though the great Bard himself were somehow present, waiting in the wings. It would be something of an injustice for me to try and explain this film in words, when it took Ms. Potter 95 minutes to say with the full use of the cinematic medium in her employ. She is one of the few directors working today who truly understands the medium's possibilities. Color, sound, music, camera angles and subtle movement through the frame (I was reminded in a few scenes of the way Kurosawa positions objects in front of the camera, like trees, with the actors and the scene unfolding beyond the obstructing objects, slowly moving the camera around to reveal the action - an elegant way to create tension, and an artistic way of dividing up the screen space itself).

The acting is superb, and the beautiful Joan Allen introduced the film and fielded questions after. The film was poetic, sad, beautiful, tragic and inspiring. I was shaking my head in amazement throughout. For me, "Yes" has been the best film of the festival so far.

Chaplin at SIFF

I have it on authority that this is one of the funniest Chaplin films ever. And he wrote the score. Apparently there is a high wire scene that is hilarious. Maybe I'll see you there.

Sunday, June 05, 6:30 PMTheater: -->Neptune Theatre

Miranda July gets award

I just found out that Miranda July was awarded the Cannes Film Festival’s Camera d’Or Prize today (Saturday, May 21st) in France for her film "Me and You and Everyone We Know." Fantastic. And well deserved.

Opening Night Success

SIFF's opening night was a great success. The Paramount in Seattle was packed with almost three thousand people, and was full of great energy and anticipation for the opening film, "Me and You and Everyone We Know."Miranda July was on hand to introduce her first feature film, and appropriately enough, it was the first opening night film at SIFF directed by a woman.

"I want that," said July, looking up at the huge ornate chandelier hanging high above from the ornate gilded ceiling. She said this, interrupting herself for a moment, maybe a little nervous combined with an attitude I've seen in a lot of artists - living in the moment and voicing exactly what she is thinking. This carries over into her film as the characters themselves seem a little nervous, lost, amazed, the way a kid is seeing something for the first time.

The film doesn't try to be funny, but is. And 3,000 people losing it all at once makes it even funnier. The film doesn't try to be introspective and even sad, but is. I think this is what I loved so much about the film, is that it doesn't try to be anything. July has managed to create something absolutely fresh, a new voice in cinema which has succesfully blurred the line between art and film. And she is also one of those rare filmmakers who can act in her own film and pull it off. "Me and You and Everyone We Know" was the perfect opening film for the festival, and I hope we can play it in the near future at the Grand.

The gala party after the film was at the new home for the Museum of History and Industry, on 8th street just across from the Convention Center. It will be great to have MOHAI in a decent location finally. If you missed the film, keep it on your radar to see another time. If you missed the party, don't worry, the lines were so long to get the free appetizers that I ended up eating the sandwich I brough along in my bag. The bands were great, however. So, overall, bravo SIFF.

Letter From an Unknown Woman

"Letter From an Unknown Woman" is a remake of the 1948 classic by Max Uphuls, (adapted from the book by Stephan Zweig), starring Joan Fontaine (Suspicion, Rebecca), a film which no one has dared to remake until now. And I must say that the 2004 Chinese version does indeed do justice to the original.

Jinglei Xu has given us an incredible film which is much more than an homage to a classic. The film is languid, beautiful, tragic, in the way it seems only a Chinese film could really do right. And I find myself at a loss to describe the film in words which would do justice to the poem that this film is. See the film is all I can say.

"Letter From an Unknown Woman" plays at SIFF:

Monday, May 30, 7:00 PMTheater: -->Neptune Theatre
Thursday, June 02, 4:45 PMTheater: -->Egyptian Theatre

If you miss it, perhaps we will be fortunate enough to play it at the Grand soon.

Saint Ralph

This is one of those films where, if I outline the plot, I may end up losing your attention within moments. This is also one of those films which transcends its plot and becomes an engaging and compelling story, making you forget you're in a theater watching a movie. This is due to deft direction by Michael McGowan and a solid and endearing performance by young Adam Butcher as 14 year old Ralph. A strong supporting cast of Campbell Scott, Gordon Pinsent, and Jennifer Tilly certainly helps.

So, what to say if I want to avaoid a plot summary? What struck me the most was how the film has strong elements of religion and faith, without doing something which can ruin such films. Director McGowan doesn't shove the religious aspect upon the viewer, but rather uses the idea of faith and a young man's belief, or indeed his almost desperate need, in the ability to perform a miracle. I felt that the film allows the viewer plenty of room to form their own opinion, which is a great way to allow anyone, Catholic or not, to be engaged by the story.

I left feeling inspired and happy. I think it's yet another great film at SIFF.

The Aristocrats

The most raunchy, filthy, despicably nasty and offensive joke of all time, retold by 100 comedians. Doesn't seem like you could fill a feature documentary with this, but they do and do it very well. "The Aristocrats" is the inside joke all the comedians know and tell each other after the club has closed and the audience has gone home. No one seems to know the exact origin of the joke, but it supposedly dates back to Vaudeville. The film makes us feel like we are being let in on the inside joke (as well as the behind the scenes world of comedy and show business) which many of the comedians are almost too embarrassed to tell.

The joke itself is simple, and has the same intro and punch line. The middle part is what changes, and it can be pretty much anything as long as it is base, rude, and disgusting. It puts all other gross jokes to shame. The amazing thing, and this is a point which many of the comics laugh at, is that the joke is actually funny. The film analyzes this horrible joke along with the comics as though it were a work of art. This in itself is funny.

The film is well made and edited perfectly. The range and talent of comics and actors is impressive and too long to list without leaving someone out. You don't have to be a nasty person to watch this film. But do leave any sense of squeamishness at the door, because two minutes in all decency runs and hides and is replaced by the naughtiest, most offensive and terrible thing you have ever heard, and the absolute worst of it all, is that you'll be laughing at it all. What's the matter with you?

Opening Night Gala

SIFF opens this year with "Me and You and Everyone We Know." I have'nt seen it yet, but am looking forward to it. Here's the notes they posted for the film:

"Multimedia artist Miranda July makes her feature debut with this whimsical, surreal and humorous look at the difficulty of finding and keeping love. A newly single father of two boys panics when he meets a strangely captivating woman. Meanwhile, his kids are experimenting with love and lust in their own ways."

Filmmaker Magazine rated Miranda July #1 in their "25 New Faces of Indie Film" in 2004. She narrated the film "The Subconscious Art of Graffiti Removal" (2002). Here's some info from her website:
"Miranda July makes movies, performances, recordings and combinations of these things. Her short movies ( Haysha Royko, The Amateurist, Nest of Tens, Getting Stronger Every Day) have been screened internationally at sites such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim Museum."

Looks like a great opening for SIFF.
"Me and You and Everyone We Know," Opening Night Gala is
Thursday, May 19, 7:30 PM

Saving Face at SIFF

Saving Face fits the bill as a Romantic Comedy, and does so through the perspective of a Chinese-American family of three generations. What I liked about the film was that the story looks at the differences between the generations - a traditional father and grandfather who would rather lose a daughter than lose face; his daughter who is torn between her secret love and her dedication to the traditional father; and her twenty-something lesbian daughter who, because of the other two, is having real trouble going public with her sexuality. This clashing of values of the old world and the new is underscored by the use of language - between Chinese and English throughout the fim, sometimes with one character speaking English and the response given in Chinese.

So, overall, it's a great film and I recommend it. My only regret is that, since the characters (all except one, the lesbian's African-American neighbor) are all so closed about their feelings, I never really got to know any of them. I would have liked the film to allow the viewer in a little more. Perhaps I'm over-analyzing. Anyone who wants to see a fun, likeable film, will enjoy this one.

Holy Girl

Holy Girl, (La Niña santa) is the type of film which relies less on plot devices than it does on an overall mood evoked by the events which take place. As I re-read that sentence, it seems odd, but is true of this film. Maria Alche plays a 16 year old girl who gets it into her head that she needs to 'save' a middle aged doctor's soul. She sees his clumsy and perverted advances as God's sign to show this man a kind of path towards redemption.

So many events happen within this film, which seem to have nothing to do with the actual plot, 'moving the story forward' as they say. But that doesn't seem to matter, and indeed the events of the story all add up to something more than their sum, creating an atmosphere which sets the stage for the final act. Walking out of the theater, at first I decided I didn't like the film at all. Ten minutes later I realized I loved it. Anyone who likes Argentenian literature will enjoy this film (parts of it reminded me of Borges' crazy characters) and anyone who likes Almodovar (he was Executive Producer on this) will love Holy Girl.