The "WTF?" Factor: Nine Muses

Do you have what it takes to go Plotless? Every year, Sundance's "New Frontier" series invites us to be boggled, puzzled, and provoked. This year, the "WTF?" factor was high.

Waves of African and Asian Immigrants to Britain, glorious shots of pristine Alaskan landscape, quotes from Shakespeare and Beckett, constantly crescendoing, ominous sub-woofer groans:

What do all of these have in common? Good question. That is the point.

During Josh Akomfrah's Nine Muses (recently picked up by New Wave Films), my mind raced between the images, trying desperately to construct some sort of coherent or even intriguing narrative. Here we are looking at these Gore-Tex-clad wanderers as they look at the landscape. This "Look at the Lookers" trick is as old as Caspar David Friedrich's "Wanderer Above a Sea of Fog" form the early 1800's. So what do we see?

The film is frustratingly opaque, which is not a bad thing. This kind of mental narrative-building exercise is fantastic for the mind. But the film is a strange combination of ambiguous and over-determined. Akomfrah also manages to lay it on pretty thick with images of burning buildings, racial riots, and kids in the dirt. So the film is a paradox--heavy-handed and opaque.

And LOUD. Holy Mother of Eardrums. Half of the audience had their hands over their ears. Every swelling opera aria was like having a tooth drilled, every ominous musical groan (every other shot or so) caused physical pain. I began to dread any new scene--tears were streaming down my face. Not because I was moved, but because I was going deaf.

This volume problem probably had to do with the staff at the Broadway Cinemas, but the filmmaker was in the room with us, watching as we covered our ears and shrank into our seats. Did he enjoy watching us writhe? Was he just being polite to his Sundance hosts, not wanting to come off like a prima donna? I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on this one, but it ruined the movie.

I was intrigued buy the juxtaposition, the images of the desolate wasteland and the archival shots of immigrants coming to what they thought was the promised land. I liked the order imposed upon the pictures by the names of the muses. Mental work is good, and the photography was wonderful.

But I can't work when I am in pain. I was ready to hand in my credentials as a lover of experimental film and go watch "Laverne and Shirley." With the sound off.

Sundance Review: Take Shelter

This movie is one to watch. If it doesn't get heaps and heaps of praise then there is no God. In the US Dramatic Competition, it's in a league of its own. Michael Shannon's Oscar worthy performance is one I'll not soon forget. Jessica Chastain brings a warmth and kindness to this film that is equally as impressive. The cinematography is perfect to set the tone for this commentary on relationships and the strength of love. The director was charming and was a genuine down-to-earth kinda guy. If I were on the jury this would be my pic to win the Jury Prize. (5 out of 5)

P.S. Michael Shannon reminded me a little of Daniel Day Lewis in "There Will Be Blood" and the themes and several scenes reminded me of last year's hit "Inception".

"All Your Dead Ones" is DOA IMHO

First movie I have walked out of. Not because I found it offensive-- unless incredibly boring and pretentious qualifies as offensive. The best thing I've heard from those that made it through the whole film is "at least we all had a good snooze".

The premise is intriguing: a man discovers a heap of dead bodies in a field. He then goes on an absurd quest to report it to the authorities. The film is billed as "a disquieting allegory. A silent indictment of Columbia's ongoing civil war." What I saw was too much silence and extremely heavy handed allegory. I would rather see a documentary about it than a self-indulgent film school piece.

I know it's not fair to critique the film based on 25 minutes, but this is the only film I've walked out of, so that must be worth a post.



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Location:Sundance

A question from the lady in the burqa

In the Q&A after last night's screening of "The Ledge," director Matthew Chapman just couldn't wait for "the lady in the burqa" to ask a question. "C'mon! You've gotta have a question!" he said. I'm sure he was expecting something commending him for his brave portrayal of Evangelical fundamentalism and its violent consequences (notably that Liv Tyler and her lover have their lives threatened. He jumps off the ledge, she lives. He doesn't, she gets shot. )

But burqa lady did not take the bait. Maybe it was because she was wearing tight jeans, high heels, and a white headscarf. Maybe she thought there was actually some other burqa-clad woman in the 495 seat auditorium. Too bad for Mr Chapman and his burqa baiting. I'm sure it would have been a treat to witness a philosophic discussion on the merits of agnostic humanism.

Oh well, we'll have to content ourselves with the profundities in "The Ledge":

1. The loss of a loved one is tragic.
2. The universe is big.
3. Gays are often discriminated against.
4. Gravity hurts.
5. Liv Tyler has nice lips.

After exiting the movie, a fellow movie-goer told me that he chose to see "The Ledge" because his girlfriend said that if he didn't see it soon, someone might spoil it for him. Little did he know that that person would be the screenwriter and director.

Here's all you need to know about the plot:
A guy is on a ledge. He is supposed to jump before noon or else someone dies. It's, like 10:30 so that gives him just enough time to tell a detective (Terrance Howard) his story in a series of flashbacks, interrupted only by cell phone calls from the detective's wife wanting to explain why she got herself knocked up by his brother. "And then what happened?"
Who cares? Lots of improbable narrative and poorly written dialog, that's what.

Plenty of people liked the movie. But then, plenty of people are stupid.


- Posted from iPhone

Location:Sundance

Sundance Review: Jess + Moss

Let me start this review by saying that this is the first film this year to make me cry. I had read other reviews of it and was like “A New Frontier film made them cry, riiiight.” Nevertheless, I was intrigued. I remained skeptical throughout the film all the while thinking how that this was one of the most beautiful films I’d ever seen (and I watch hundreds of movies a year). Still it takes a little more to make me cry. It was a rough time of day to be watching a film with pacing like this (3:00pm in the afternoon is when I’m usually the sleepiest). However with other slower-paced films like ones by Kelly Reichardt (“Wendy and Lucy”, “Old Joy”, and “Meek’s Cuttoff”) you don’t get quite as artistic cinematography as this film, which ultimately makes the pacing more bearable. In other films you are entirely reliant on the characters and their situations. Somehow, I felt this movie wasn’t as character driven as those films. It felt very near to them though (it also reminded me of “Alamar” by Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio and “Everyone Else” by Maren Ade). It wasn’t until the end when I realized how emotionally invested I became in the story, that I realized the characters were the emotional heart of this movie. I was stunned by this realization. I have to say it has been one of the few films this year that has stuck with me, and I hope to be able to experience it again sometime. (Perhaps Film Movement will snatch this one up).

These are the kinds of movies that sense the winds of change in film and move the media forward in blending more artful cinematography with simple and profound storytelling. (5 out of 5).

P.S. I recorded the Q&A and hope to post it on the blog also very soon.

Sundance Review: Another Happy Day

This movie was fantastic. I loved the witty dialogue. I loved that there were pieces of my own family that I recognized. I loved the complexity of the story. Basically, I loved it.

Ellen Burstyn will hopefully be nominated for best supporting actress for this next year. She was perfect and in many ways reminded me of my own grandma (whom I love dearly). Equally the screenplay was expertly written. It may be a bit too raw for some people’s tastes. It explores how divorce affects a family in a very real way. It explores mental disorder in a sometimes comedic but honest way, and it explores the family dynamic in ways that will make anyone rethink how they treat and are treated by those who are closest to them. (5 out of 5).

Sundance Review: Restoration

Restoration is a good film. The characters are compelling; the story is told beautifully and artfully. The director was charming at the Q&A. Somehow all of those things should end up with me loving this movie, but unfortunately I didn’t love it, I just liked it.

What makes a movie resonate with its’ audience in a way they come away loving the film? There are many factors for me. First and foremost there must be a compelling story with believable dialogue and layered characters. Next, there must be some art to it (e.g. cinematography, mise en scene, musical score). Finally, there must be some self-identification; at the very least empathy for the explicated human condition on screen. This is where I struggled with Restoration.
The story hinges on a relationship between a father and son. The father restores antique wooden furniture. The son is a businessman. Here is how I read the movie. The father is a hard-working, short fused, independent man. He loves his son, but didn’t teach his son how to restore furniture when he was growing up. The father’s partner Max has run the business end of things poorly (perhaps spending profits/loans on prostitution rather than keeping the business solvent). The son has consulted with the father’s partner Max, and Max calls him his son. The property that the furniture restoration is on is worth millions, and the son wants to develop it into apartments and make some money. The son seems to hardly respect his father at all. He tells him that he’s nothing without his partner Max. He admits his motivations are out of greed: he wants an inheritance for his own child’s sake. He nearly smashes one of the most valuable pieces of furniture in the shop out of jealousy. Through all of this he makes the plea that even though he has made mistakes he’s still the father’s son. This sense of entitlement is so off-putting to me. He had very little redeeming qualities that made me hope for a restoration of their relationship. Even the restoration that does happen seems a fleeting one. The decision to sell the piano and close his shop only seems a temporary fix to a much larger issue. Quite frankly I think the father does a disservice to his child by not teaching him to become self-reliant. I try to relate this story to myself. I have not planned my life around waiting for some inheritance from my parents. I don’t treat my parents like garbage because they don’t succumb to my every whim. At some point adult children have to realize that a parental relationship is as much give as it is take.

If anything this movie makes me angry. It should make me feel a sense of peace. I should feel a sense of restoration, but true restoration can only be reached when both sides make an effort (and NOT smashing a piano is not an effort, that’s just being an adult). (3 out of 5)

Old Cats: Lethargic Descent into Senility

If you’ve seen “The Maid” by the same director (which is a great film), then you understand the mood you are getting yourself into. The main character is Isadora, who is getting old and forgetful. Played perfectly by Belgica Castro, Isadora’s daughter is trying to get her mother to agree to sign over her apartment to her in exchange for help finding one that will fit help her bad hips, and fleeting mind. To be honest, I fell asleep and apparently missed the visit of her son and grandchild. I’m not old enough to fully appreciate this intimate a view of old age. I appreciate the filmmaker’s vision and craft and the acting, and the chance for a quick nap during a demanding Sundance schedule. (3 out of 5).

Martha Marcy May Marlene: Deep Cuts Don’t Heal Quickly

Elizabeth Olsen’ brave first performance alone makes this movie an important film to see. She effortlessly navigates the complex emotional/psychological milieu in which her character is placed. Her participation in a “cult” community leaves her deeply scarred, paranoid, confused and unstable. The movie plays much like a traditional thriller, however doesn’t quite have the twists and turns you expect from that genre. The cinematography of upstate New York is beautifully shot, and edited into an intriguing film. Not everyone will like the understated performances, or maybe frustrated at the lack of progress Martha makes in the film; I say to them: such is life. (4 out of 5).

The Bengali Detective: A Case for Scope-Creep

I wanted to like this documentary. There were many funny quirky moments, but there were several serious ones too as the main detective’s wife struggled with several health problems, and the detectives worked to solve a triple murder case. The filmmaker said his intention was to give you a feel for life in Kolkata, India. However I think it ended up being too much for one documentary, and the conflicting tones make it difficult to get a clear message. (3 out of 5)

If a Tree Falls: The Story of the Earth Liberation Front

There have been few documentaries that have made me as introspective as this one. Perhaps it was because I feared this movie would be an extreme environmental activist documentary, which it turned out not to be. It followed the story of Daniel McGowen, a key player in several ELF operations. More than an examination of the ELF, this documentary examines activism itself and questions whether peaceful protest is the most effective means. It also examines how government responses to activism can add fuel to the fire through their torturous treatment of non-violent protesters. With activism (which in this case was branded terrorism), sometimes violent protest is a double-edged sword. (5 out of 5).

Incendies

Currently on the shortlist for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film, this film is definitely one of the top movies to play at Sundance. I started out skeptical of the large red chapter headings that seem so pervasive in French cinema (French Canadian in this case). Films like “Un Prophete”, and “Enter the Void” (both of which I loved), also use this strategic story-telling device, but the film has to be epic to pull it off. (It was). You don’t understand how masterful this movie really is until you start to see the fragments come together and you ultimately realize the depth of the tragedy. This is definitely a classic film that will standup as one of the great films of the new decade. (5 out of 5).

These Amazing Shadows: Sundance via Comcast

My partner and I watched this film Sunday morning before we headed down to the festival. A lovely documentary about the origins and selection process of the National Film Registry. If you love movies, then this is essential viewing (available on Comcast On-Demand) Insightful, and very well done; this would be perfect PBS Special. P.S. I was a little miffed that they explored the influence of women, native Americans and racial dynamics, but not sexual orientation. (4 out of 5).

Like Crazy: A Dazzling Love Poem

This film had me mesmerized from the very start. The first half was one of the most beautifully shot and executed telling of two young college students falling in love I’ve ever seen. This movie immediately evoked feelings I had in both “500 Days of Summer” and “Blue Valentine” . After the first act I was bracing myself for the filmmaker to completely destroy the beauty that he had just built, which would have been devastating. Fortunately for me he did not take this approach. The second half was equally as honest, with wonderful dialogue and a sublime musical score. This movie will definitely make an impact when it’s released. (4.5 out of 5).

The Guard: Cynical, Hysterical Cop Comedy

If Sundance teaches you anything, it teaches that you sometimes have to go with your gut in selecting a film. I nearly skipped this gem because of IndieWire’s lukewarm review, and I’m glad I didn’t. This movie was like Simon Pegg’s “Hot Fuzz” with a little more edge, and funnier gags. Brendon Gleeson was the perfect cast member, and Don Cheadle was an excellent supporting player. The story is about a somewhat unconventional cop played by Gleeson who gets involved in an international drug trafficking case when one of the suspects turns up dead in his jurisdiction. The movie clearly stays on the side of comedy without any searching depth of emotion like a similar film “In Bruges” made by the director’s brother a few years ago. Overall, a great addition to Sundance and the witty comedy genre. (4.5 out of 5).

Incendies: Not just another "Brave Broads in Burkas" Movie

I know what you are thinking...you cannot abide another "Brave Broads in Burkahs" movie. But do not let the saturation of Mid-East Melodramas keep you away from Incindies, Denis Villenueve's well-crafted and delicate film based on Wadji Mouawad's play.

The story follows two Canadian siblings who follow their late mother's wishes as they go to Lebanon to find their father and lost brother. This is not just your usual "re-connect with my cultural roots" trip, but a complex, dangerous navigation through a historically treacherous landscape.

The film reminds me in many ways of Wolfgang Staudte's 1946 German film "The Murderers are Among Us," as a woman tries to delve into the past traumas that lead to the present neuroses in everyone she meets. Everyday people--janitors, bus cleaners, family members--turn out to have been torturers, snipers, assassins, collaborators, and warlords. This is not only in Lebanon--even a harmless trip to a swimming pool in Canada brings people into collision with their past.

The brilliant thing about this film is the exposition in the narrative. We flash back and forth between three stories, three lives and three points of view, gradually understanding the horrifying way that the three worlds connect. Yes, there are flashes of the horrors of war and terrorism, but this film is really a mystery when all is said and done. And, like the greatest mystery stories, the detective is viscerally, humanly obsessed and involved in the process of solution.

Kudos for the brilliant warmth that the main character brings to her character--not just a wide-eyed victim, but a woman so determined that she cannot bother to hide her self doubt. The nicest thing about the film, though, is that it does not fall into the role of political vindication. The whole thing is shot in Jordan, and the film places the particularities of the Lebanese political situation into the background. This makes the story intensely personal and universal--not just a story of a particular family in a particularly horrible conflict, but a picture of family in conflict.

Sundance: Incendies

Just a quick note on "Incendies".
It is epic. I wanted to hate it but I couldn't. I'll let someone else post on it.


- Posted from iPhone

Location:SLC

Shorts Program 1: Fight for your right to be crass

A man in drag births a dummy, a cartoon boy gets beheaded by a frisbee, a lactose intolerant woman stuck in a girdle connects with her post- suicidal doctor, six A-listers get into a pissing match (literally)--these are just a few of the scenes in Shorts Program 1.

"That was disgusting!" said a woman behind me as the final credits rolled. She was right, but that didn't stop her from laughing through half the shorts.

The gem, in my opinion, is Lake Bell's "Worst Enemy"--a quirky sweet tale of a socially awkward woman looking to connect with the world.

In contrast, "The Terrys" "The external world" and "Fight for your right revisited" are crass proof that you still can shock an audience (even if they laugh the whole time).

"Fight... " has 39 stars. I have no idea how they managed to coordinate their schedules. They poke fun at the Beastie Boys classic, but the joke wears thin. It's hard not to overindulge so much talent.

"The External World" makes Bunuel's "Un Chien Andaloux" look quaint. Pure schizo animated madness.

Not all shorts are meant to be launching pads for feature length films, but of the 6 in this program , Lake Bell's work gets my vote. The others would just be pure punishment.


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Location:SLC

Happy, Happy: Best of the Festival

This one is a MUST see especially for all you Danish/Norwegian/Swedish Film Lovers. Perfectly constructed, this film is funny but has a deep dark side that will shake you to the core. Also, a good closeted gay "hunter" thrown in for good measure. This film could compete at any festival, and will hopefully be submitted by that country for the Foreign Language Film Oscar next year.

If you liked this film, you'd love "Terribly Happy" too which was just released last year and is one of the best foreign language films of last year.

Lost Kisses: Student film that lacks clear direction

Started out like an Almodovar film, but it was not thematically coherant, and the ending was too predictable. If Sundance is church, this movie was a not my choice of religion.

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Sundance screening: Lost Kisses

Just saw the Italian film Lost Kisses. The consensus is not great. The lead (a new discovery) is charismatic and manages to carry a film that doesn't know whether it wants to channel Almodovar or social realism. I gave it two stars. The opening scene, done from the point of view of a rather tacky Virgin Mary statue at her unveiling, is truly wonderful. After that, we get a disjointed mess.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

There is a Christmas song that I remember listening to frequently as a child. It was from an Andy Williams Christmas album that my family played over and over on an old big console stereo. In one of the songs from the album Andy sang out (backed by an overly jubilant choir) the lyrics “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” As a child Christmas was the most wonderful time of the year. I still enjoy Christmas but I no longer feel the same child-like intense anticipation that I used to feel. Now I feel that anticipation for the third week of January each year when the Sundance Film Festival begins. For 10 days my world is filled with wonder and excitement. I look forward to each film just as I would look forward to my Christmas presents – sometimes I get just what I want, sometimes I get something much better than I had expected, and sometimes I am dazzled by the flashy promotion a film is wrapped in only to be disappointed when it doesn’t live up to its promise.

I am a longtime Festival attendee. I hate to date myself because that forces me to acknowledge the fact that I really am getting old, but I first started attending the Sundance Film Festival during my college days. That was just over 20 years ago! Since then I have attended the festival every year missing only once – the result of a poor decision to move to California. During those early years I’d see a couple of films during each festival but it didn’t take long for the addiction to sink its hooks deep into me. Before long I was buying festival ticket packages and passes and seeing an average of 30 feature films and a dozen or so shorts during the festival. I’ve seen as many as 44 feature films during a single festival. The adrenaline rush of the festival experience gets me through it all but I always end it exhausted. But for me it is all worth it.

The 2011 Sundance Film Festival begins today. Based on the current plan I’ve laid out for myself I will be seeing 40 films. I’m sure I’ll see some great films, but the film that I’m most excited to see this year is one that is screening outside of competition as part of a recently added festival category called “Spotlight”. Sundance added this category last year to feature films that have been popular at other film festivals during the last year. Susanne Bier is a Danish filmmaker that I absolutely love and her new film “In a Better World” will be screening in this category and I can’t wait to see it. I’ve got a “thing” for Scandinavian cinema – particularly Danish films. I’m not sure why they speak to me the way they do. Maybe I was Dane in a previous life because something about the Danish culture and worldview resonates with me. And of the contemporary Danish directors, Susanne Bier is my favorite. She came to Sundance in 2003 with her film “Open Hearts” and again in 2005 with “Brothers” which won the World Cinema Audience award that year. Ms. Bier is also a member of the World Cinema Jury at this year’s festival.

For any of you out there that enjoy international cinema and can’t make it to the festival but still want to have a Sundance experience, I highly recommend that you take the next 10 days to watch the films of Susanne Bier on video. My personal favorite is “Brothers”. Don’t confuse the recent American remake with the much superior Danish film which she both wrote and directed. Her film is immensely better in every respect. So whether you liked or disliked the remake, see the original Danish film and I promise that you will not be disappointed. And if you didn’t see the remake, then you didn’t miss a thing and jump right into the 2005 film.

Susanne Bier’s films currently available on video are:

• Open Hearts
• Brothers (Brodre)
• After the Wedding (Academy Award nominated)
• Things We Lost in the Fire (her only U.S. made film)

With my demanding viewing schedule, it will be too overwhelming for me to post reviews or commentary during the festival. However after the festival, I will post my overall impressions of this year’s event and a list of what I consider to be the best and worst of this year’s festival program.

Sundance: A Gay Old Time

The fact that the Westboro Baptist Church has announced it will be protesting at Sundance says something about how homocentric the festival is. The Festival Director, John Cooper, is gay. Several gay directors have premiered their gay movies there: Lisa Cholendenko ("The Kids are Alright"), Lee Daniels ("Precious"), Greg Araki ("The Living End", "Mysterious Skin", "Kaboom"), Gasper Noe ("Irreversile","Enter the Void" ) and this year’s Dee Rees (“Pariah”), Jess Peretz (“My Idiot Brother”), Maryam Keshavarz (“Circumstance”), and Amor Hakkar (“A Few Days of Respite”). One movie title is even a lesbian personal add "Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same". Those who’ve attended the festival know that a large percentage of the audiences are gay. I say this every year, but if it weren’t for the gays, the Sundance Film Festival would hardly exist.

Realize that being gay isn’t the only reason I go to Sundance (even though really I view it as “Gay General Conference”). I go because I am obsessed with movies. I’m not exactly sure why but it has something to do with my love of art, beauty, poetry, music, and witty dialogue (oh, and sex, and violence). Isn’t that why people go to church?

Why Sundance Hates Provo

When a European friend recently told a Park City retailer that she was teaching in Provo for a semester, the man recoiled in horror and said "Oh, God, not Provo! I do anything I can never to go to Provo! It is so homogeneous, so damned Mormon, stay away! How can you visit America and live in Provo?"

Can any good come out of Provo? OK: on most days I hate Provo, too. But I will save my usual cheap rants on Red-State staples such as sprawl, Escalades and Florida Entryways. I live here, and I am proud of our quirky-in-spite-of-it-all local personalities, our (barely functioning but still existing) downtown, the fact that we have(well, we had) a gothic(esque) church (burned-out shell of a tabernacle) in the center of our city.

Provo has surprising oasis-spots of funk hidden in the stretches of suburban wasteland. Communal Restaurant would still draw rave reviews if it were in the Haight. Even--gasp--BYU has a thriving International Cinema, tons of film students, some of whom will actually beat out U of U students and get into great grad programs.

Provo should not be written off. I am trying to bloom where I am planted, dammit.

Every January, we film enthusiasts from Utah's third city have a choice: we can either sit here with our thumbs in our butts or we can make the harrowing drive to the Broadway or the Rose Wagner every night and so that we can use our "Locals" pass.

The UTA Bus "Express" is every bit as beholden to the whims of traffic as any car on the road. So I get in my super-sexy brown mini van and I drive. I drive and watch and drive and watch and drive. My carbon footprint is Sasquatch-esque.

Ogden, home of Weber State U (that internationally acclaimed intellectual and educational Mecca) gets their Peery Theater included on the locals pass. Even Laytonites can get to a Sundance film in 20 minutes.

The Problem: SLC, Park City and even Ogden residents are "localer-than-thou."

The Solution: Make Sundance Resort a local venue!

I'm not asking for screenings in the Gozongaplexes of Provo's Malls, but why is the screening room at Sundance resort not counted on the locals pass? Why do we have to buy extra tickets to go to our local venue as locals? Sundance is just a jaunt up the canyon from us, and still in Utah County (I think).

Open up more screening rooms up there. We promise to take UTA up the canyon, and not to mock the fur mukluks that wander down from the Park City crowd. And we will leave our guns, our multiple wives, our eight kids, and our Ford Exploitations and Chevy Subdivisions back in our 12-car garages.

If Sundance & Co really want to change the way that Americans experience the cinema, it needs to stop preaching to the Patagonia-clad choir and open a cultural mission to Provo. Homogeneous Provo, so damned Mormon in so many ways, but every bit as local as Ogdenites, Salt Lakers, and those oh-so-glamorous bleach-blond retailers who sell turquoise-encrusted sunglasses to Paris Hilton.