Jason goes to Cinequest--Day 10

5 more shows, bringing my total so far to 41. Within striking distance of my record--52.

First up, the hilarious mockumentary SUNFLOWER HOUR. Sunflower Hour is a children's TV puppet show--think low-quality Sesame Street--created by former porn producer Donald Dirk (oh my God, I didn't get the joke about that name until I wrote it right now. I must be tired.) They're looking for a new puppeteer, and the auditions have narrowed it down to four total freaks. There's Shamus O'Reilly, a proud, hard-living Irishman who might really have a split personality with his puppet. There Leslie Handover, an evangelical Christian who wants to use puppetry to teach children the evils of homosexuality. There's hot (wait, let me check something...yes, she's of legal age, so I'll go with "hot") goth chick Satan's Spawn who wants to destroy society and raise an army of anarchists...through puppetry. And there's David Spencer, the one guy who seems to really get the spirit of Sunflower Hour, probably because his brothers are always beating the crap out of him and puppets are his only friend. The story progresses with few un-telegraphed surprises, but with plenty of laughs. Plenty of dirty, dirty, profane, laughs. Oh yeah, these puppets aren't for children.

Next up was CODE 2600. A documentary on the history of hacking, computer security, and the current state of online privacy. It throws a ton of information at the audience, starting with the phone phreakers of the 1950's (the title comes from the 2600 Hz tone used to control the phone system.) It plays with--often confirming--the hacker stereotype of awkward kid in his parent's basement. It explains how the keyboard-only hacking shown in movies is really a rare "trick shot" and how so much more of it is based on human behaviors. Smoking by a busy door and jumping in when someone exits is a common trick. So is returning a "lost" USB key to the front desk. It gets into some pretty wild stuff when they show a modified iPhone used to hack into a computer at an Internet Cafe. It also makes the case that the Internet with enough security that we're all "safe" is an Internet nobody would want to use. And most intriguingly, it ends with a pretty compelling case that we shouldn't be lecturing today's children about online dangers. They know it so much better they should be deciding how they want to use it and then explain it to the older generation.

As I said, it gives you lots of information, but it's really too wide-ranging and rambling for an 82 minute movie. I'd much rather have seen a separate documentary on phreaking, or the birth and growth of the personal computer, or the current state of online security, or the debates about security vs. freedom online.

For some reason, the short MUTANT didn't play with CODE 2600. That seems to be an error nearly no one noticed. Oops on Cinequest.

But at least the next show remembered its short. 27 is the story of a Belgian man at the "dangerous" age of 27, walking through life, thinking he has it figured out, giving to those younger than him, challenging his elders, ready to take on the world--or at least his girlfriend.

That led into another documentary, but this one was as anti-technology as you can get. CLOSE TO HEAVEN opens with a Transylvanian proverb that when God made the world, he put his hand on a spot he particularly liked in order to bless it. When he pulled his hand back, bits of stuck to it and were drawn up, creating the Carpathian Mountains. And then we go through an entire year on a farm in the Carpathians, at the home of Dmitru Stanciu and his wife and son. Raising sheep, shearing them, scything the grass, making cheese and polenta (which looked delicious. More food featured in a Cinequest movie. Perhaps that's the theme of the year?) But you know, what they do is less important that how the movie looks. If you try to look at the story (as one friend of mine did) it will be boring as hell. This movie is all about the cinematography. Beautiful shots of fields, sheep, farm life, all expertly composed. In fact, if there was a photo-book of this movie it would be just about as good as watching the film itself. I'll admit, trying to follow anything with a story tired me out, and there were bits where I dozed off. But every time I opened my eyes, there was another beautiful scene in front of me. It's the perfect sort of movie to constantly wake up to.

Then I headed over to the VIP Soiree at 360 Residences catered by Restaurant O (neither of which are proud member of the Cinequest Dining Circle...what the hell, man? But at least there was free beer and a little bit of food left by the time I got there. Apparently I missed out on the chicken skewers.)

Then I was back at the Camera 12 for Shorts 3: Give and Take

15 SUMMERS LATER: An odd movie shot entirely in one long shot, about two lovers on the beach and the weird man from her past who shows up and makes trouble.

THE DAY EVERYTHING CHANGES BETWEEN US: Two guys and a girl sharing an apartment in New York, living and loving in their isolated world, until outside events start to expand their world in frightening ways.

RAJU: A German couple adopts an Indian orphan. He then disappears in the market, and in looking for them they find out some horrible truths.

THE RECORDER EXAM: A little Korean girl has to practice the recorder for her upcoming exam, but has constant obstacles. Her mean brother, he unsupportive parents, her old recorder that doesn't sound very good. An interesting look at the world through the eyes of a little girl, but in the end I was left wondering what it all added up to. I just wanted to know how she was graded on the exam.

QUEEN: It's hard enough to adopt as a gay couple, but when they break up it's even harder to adopt as a single...mother? In any case, this drag queen has a tough life, but perseveres in this stellar performance by Ryan Eggold.

YOUNG SOULS: Dancing...lots of cool, cool dancing. But what does it all mean? Seriously, I liked but didn't get this movie.

And finally, I ended the night with the Hungarian police thriller. HUNTING SEASON. In the opening scene, a young woman's hand is discovered in a swamp. That spurs an investigation led by veteran/mentor-nearing-retirement Ferman and his two assistants--volatile Idris and newbie Hasan, who is an anthropology student writing a thesis on why serial killers are a uniquely Western phenomena. At times playful (like when Idris tricks Hasan into shaking hands with the severed hand) and more often deadly serious, they go through suspects while always keeping in mind Ferman's mantra of looking at things from a different point of view. To be honest, I dozed off a bit in the beginning, so by the time I really caught up with what was going on, they had narrowed it down to one suspect. They just didn't have proof...or motive...or much of anything. But they did have an old man who had briefly been married to the deceased (and underage) girl, and the old man likes to play games and philosophize about hunting. Ultimately, the second half of the movie is a battle of wits between the old man and Ferman, with some rather interesting surprises (okay, anyone who was awake through the whole thing, let me know if the surprises were really as surprising as I thought they were.)

Then I just had time for one quick beer with Kathleen and Carlos at the Fairmont hotel bar before I had to grab my train home. And that was Thursday at Cinequest. Now we're about to start the giant final weekend. If I don't blog again until Monday, I'm sorry but I'm probably having too much fun and no free time. If I don't get back to blogging by the middle of next week, or if nobody sees me at the SF Asian American Film Festival starting Monday (I start with THE SPACE IN BACK OF YOU at 6:45 Monday,) call the authorities because something happened!

Total Running Time: 526 minutes

My Total Minutes: 272,007

Jason goes to Cinequest--Day 9

Wednesday was officially my slacker day--only 4 movie. That's because I had one last recurring meeting I had to call in for related to my previous job, so I couldn't make it down in time for the first show of the day. But I did have time for a quick snack at Psycho Donuts (proud member of the Cinequest Dining Circle.)

So I started the day with BEAT DOWN, a movie with an engaging and fun premise, but didn't quite work due to all the one-dimensional characters. Fran's one dimension is she's a tomboy who likes wrestling. Her dad's one dimension is he's the stern but troubled single dad who forbids her to wrestle. And even on first meeting him, you know the catharsis of the movie is going to revolve around his breakthrough, accepting his past, and letting her wrestle. And so she moves away, hooks up with a local touring troupe of wrestlers, and goes on a craaazy ride. And by all rights, it should have been more fun. But I could just never get into these one dimensional characters. It's not even that I disliked it, I was just disappointed. I was even ready to walk around Cinequest all day blurting out, "Craaazy ride!" but that's been overtaken by an even better line, which I will get to shortly.

Then I saw THE KING (KO), the Bollywood movie of this year's Cinequest. I must confess, the closest theater to my apartment in Fremont is a Bollywood theater, and years ago I spent a lot of time there immersing myself in Bollywood cinema. And then I got tired of it, and I don't really do that anymore. But the festival write-up promised "no song and dance" and instead an "action packed, lightly comedic, and delightfully smart political thriller." Well, they got the second half right, but be warned there are still the requisite Bollywood song and dance numbers, just maybe to a lesser degree.

In any case, it was a lot of fun, and the hero Ashwin (Jeeva) is a likeable, charismatic, and dashing figure. He's a motorcycle-riding, heroic photojournalist, who in the opening scenes snaps photos of a gang of bank robbers that get three of the four captured and sent to prison. That not only makes him a local hero, it improves the reputation of his newspaper. He--and the lovely Renuka (Karthika Nair) then spend the next 2+ hours uncovering horrible corrupt politicians. Which turns out to be pretty good for youth candidate Vasanthan (Ajmal Ameer.) But Vasanthan turns out to be Ashwin's old college friend, and maybe Ashwin's tireless uncovering of corrupt politicians isn't as pure-hearted as it seems. In fact, there always seems to be one final twist, and one more layer of corruption in this surprisingly engaging and surprisingly pessimistic film.

THE KING plays again March 10 at 9:15 pm (after the closing night film, when I'll be partying heavily.)

Then I went to the show that's always one of my highlights, Shorts 5: Mindbenders. I bent my mind in the following ways:
CUSHING'S SYNDROME: It bent my mind when the TOP GUN enthusiast joked about child rape and killed people. Then Goose died, in this movie that really embraced Cinequest's longstanding theme of "Maverick."
CHARLES BUKOWSKI'S THE LITTLE TAILOR: It bent my mind when the phone sex enthusiast didn't take care of all the dead bodies that were piling up.
CURTAIN: It bent my mind when the shower curtain really was there to keep the succubus trapped. Also, when Mr. Pokey-Man made his entrance...if you know what I mean.
BLOOD ROULETTE: It bent my mind when...pretty much everything in this bent my mind. Peace on Earth and Goo to Man, indeed. And the new winning line of Cinequest is "Dance for me, you carbon-based whore!"
A FUNCTION: It bent my mind when that Japanese girl had so much trouble solving that equation. Call me racist, but I thought they were supposed to be good at math? She could barely solve it to save her life.
THE LAST GUEST: It bent my mind when that one last drink between friends turned into a life-or-death confrontation.
MASK (MASKA): It bent my mind when the Quay brothers did their take on this Stanislaw Lem story (that I haven't read.) The life cycle of a bride/praying mantis. Utterly beautiful and mind-bending even when I didn't know what the heck was going on.

Shorts 5: Mindbenders plays again on March 10 at 9:30 (when I'll be at the closing night party.)

And then I ended the night with SONS OF NORWAY, by festival alum Jens Lien (JOHNNY VANG, THE BOTHERSOME MAN.) There's certainly a reason we're so fond of him at Cinequest, as he has made another movie full of weird energy, wacky characters, an engaging story, and a lot of heart. We open with a family celebrating the strangest Christmas ever--the celebration of bananas. The father, Magnus, is an unusual rebel and free spirit, seeming to hold on to every last ounce of youthful hi jinks. So he explains that since they are all descended from apes, they will spend this Christmas celebrating their ape nature by feasting on the food of apes and going bananas. All is well in this wacky, wacky family, especially for middle son Nikolaj, the real heart of the film. And then...tragedy strikes. And Magnus falls into a deep depression. And Nikolaj becomes a punk, obsessing over the Sex Pistols (eventually, Johnny Rotten even makes a cameo appearance.) But eventually Magnus snaps out of his depression, and finds new life in Nikolaj's rebellion. Which--as anyone who remembers anything about being a kid will know--completely ruins everything. I mean, it's great when your dad stands up for you, and there is one great scene that got the whole audience (or at least the whole front row) clapping. But more than anything kids like to rebel against their fathers, so it really screws everything up when your dad is more of a nonconformist (and nudist, yikes!) than you are.

SONS OF NORWAY plays again March 8 (that's tonight!) at 9:30 pm.

Total Running Time: 418 minutes
My Total Minutes: 217,471

Jason goes to Cinequest--Day 8

Another day, another 5 movies. Here we go!

I started the day with the longish short (30 minutes) film TOUCH (not to be confused with the feature of the same name). A woman and her masseur face their physical and emotional scars to engage in the healing power of human contact.

And that was the prelude to the feature film SHUFFLE, by Cinequest alum Kurt Kuenne (DEAR ZACHARY, VALIDATION, SLOW,...he's had a lot in the festival, and often drops by and is part of the family even if he doesn't have a film that year.) I actually remember him describing this movie back at the closing night party last year (yeah, believe it or not I actually remember something from the party last year!) So I've been excited to see this for about a year. So that's a heck of a lot of anticipation, and it did not at all disappoint. Lovell Milo sounds like he has his name out of order, but that's not all he has out of order. He is, in fact, living his entire life out of order. Every time he falls asleep, he wakes up at a different age, in a different stage of his life. It's pretty much a nightmare, and he just wants it to stop. But, as a little girl tells him, this is happening for a reason. And if he just pays attention, he can save a life.

Kuenne has a proven track record both of making me laugh and pulling my heartstrings. Yeah, I even cried a little during this movie (of course, I also cried at THE MUPPETS, so maybe I'm a little too easy.) Even when I guessed the big twist, it was still so nicely done that I loved it.

SHUFFLE with TOUCH plays again March 7 at 11:00 am. That's like, nearly right now! Go see it! Go! Read the rest of this post later!

Next up, I took a trip to Slovenia to see A TRIP. It's a classic road trip movie of old high school friends. Andrej, the wacky gay friend pretends that nothing phases him, even when people teased him he always had a joke. Gregor has joined the military, and is preparing for deployment to Afghanistan. And Ziva, the pretty young girl is telling them she's going abroad to study next year. So this will very likely be their last trip together, and they set out to make the most of it, drinking, joking, etc. Gregor tries to hook up with Ziva. Andrej gushes about how awesome Gregor is, for an incident where he saved him back in high school. And...well, they're all hiding secrets, which will eventually come out and challenge their friendship. Hopefully, though, their friendship is strong enough to endure anything. A really funny movie with a touching, heartfelt, and surprising side.

Sadly, that was the last scheduled screening, unless it gets an encore day screening. Stay tuned to find out about that.

Next, I saw MUST COME DOWN, a drama-comedy that tests the limits of how far "quirky" can carry your film. It's the story of strangers Holly and Ashley. Holly is unemployed and recently out of a relationship. It's hard to tell if she or her ex is taking the breakup harder. At first, she is leaving presents in his mailbox and kinda stalking him. But then, he sort of acts weird when he sees her with another guy. Oh, that other guy is Ashley, he's just passing through town. They meet at the bus stop, but he's not waiting for a bus. He's watching the house across the way. It's the house he grew up in (also the house director Kenny Riches grew up in) and he's learning everything about the people inside so that he can break in and...do nothing, really. Just be inside the house again. For the briefest of times, they find comfort in their complementary quirkiness. And well...it's cute, and pretty fun. And my new goal at Cinequest is to get someone to spontaneously utter the magic phrase, "Where did that corndog come from?"

That was the last scheduled screening of MUST COME DOWN, so if you wanted to see it, time to hope for an encore.

Then I went over to the VIP Soiree at Clubhouse, featuring pizza from Willow St. Pizza (both proud members of the Cinequest Dining Circle.) I drank me a lot of beer and at me some pizza. And it was good.

Then it was time for FOUR LOVERS...and then maybe a movie! (Ha ha! That joke will never stop being funny!) Seriously, it was time for either a very French movie about sex, or a very sexy movie about being French--I haven't decided which. Whatever it was, it was very explicit and revealed the story of two couples who decide to share each other. Rachel is with Franck, Teri is with Vincent. They are all friends, and they decide to spend more time with each other. Not quite all in one group--Rachel spends more time with Vincent, and Teri spends more time with Franck. In fact, to avoid complications they don't talk about what they do, but they always come home to their original partners and things are actually better. Or maybe they're not. Maybe jealousy and conflicted emotions will tear them all apart. It's a very smartly done, carefully realized production. It sometimes feels like the filmmakers are walking on the same erotic eggshells that their characters are. And I won't tell you if the characters successfully navigate their way through, but I would judge that the filmmakers did.

FOUR LOVERS plays again March 9 at 5:15 pm.

Then the last show started with a short, L TRAIN, which I had just seen at Indiefest. A young woman bemoans her difficult life, until she sees someone struggling with even more.

And finally, I ended the night with BEL BORBA IS HERE (BEL BORBA AQUI.) Bel Borba has actually gone back to Salvador, Brazil, but I did meet him earlier in the week, and he complimented me on my magnificent beard, so I knew I had to check out his movie. He's a tireless creative force, shunned by the traditional gallery establishment, he goes ahead and plasters his art all over his city. He paints, he puts up mosaic, he sculpts (making giant doggies out of soda bottles), he grows corral sculptures. I'm sure there is some form of media he hasn't turned into art yet. I'm not sure if there's anything he couldn't turn into art. His art is everywhere on his city, even when he didn't exactly have permission to put it there. But he's sort of an underground mayor of the city, known and loved wherever he goes, so wherever his art appears, it seems to be okay with everyone.

He's also an exhausting man. I was out of breath just watching 90 minutes of him working (granted, often in time-lapse motion, so maybe he doesn't work as fast as I think). I can't imagine keeping up with the 19 hours a day that director Burt Sun joked he worked (that might be an exaggeration, it was in response to a question about him seemingly working 18 hours a day.)

BEL BORBA IS HERE one more time (barring an encore screening) on March 8 at 1:30 pm.

And that was Cinequest Tuesday.

Total Running Time: 486 minutes
My Total Minutes: 271,046

Jason goes to Cinequest--Day 7

Happy Monday, let's watch 5 movies.

I started with a documentary, beginning with the short AFTER THE SHOCK. A very brief but powerful movie about the filmmaker coming out to her family.

That was the lead in to the documentary about doctors (a doc doc, if you will) MONEY AND MEDICINE, a pretty timely film about an important topic--out of control health care spending. They frame it as a comparison between two hospitals--UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles and Intermountain Medical Center in Utah. In brief, the movie makes the compelling case for Intermountain's model of team-managed health care, reducing unnecessary procedures, and minimizing time in the hospital. Through this they reduce errors, improve patient prognosis, and spend less money. They also make less money, because of a system that pays per procedure (instead of per outcome) and therefore pays doctors more if the patient gets sick. On UCLA's side, they point out that while Intermountain bases their methods on studies of populations, things are very different when the patient is you or a loved one--then you suddenly do want all those "unnecessary" procedures. But the movie makes a strong case that actually those extra procedures all carry a risk. And more revealing is the argument for how often those procedures that "cure" an underlying condition (e.g., early stage cancer that has not become symptomatic) actually "cure" something that would probably have never manifested itself symptomatically--i.e., leave it alone and these patients would have eventually lived to a ripe old age and died with cancer but not of it.

So all that is to say it's a very interesting topic and they throw a ton of information at you. Unfortunately, it's not very cinematic. It's a lot of talking heads, a lot of descriptions of specific medical procedures, and a lot of information. But it's pretty much the driest, talking-head style documentary you could make on the topic. It's clearly coasting on the power of the material, not the power of the filmmaking.

MONEY AND MEDICINE with AFTER THE SHOCK plays again March 8 at 6:45 and March 10 at 2:00 pm.

Next up was a mostly improvised comedy HOW TO CHEAT. Mark and Beth are married, but both have their own busy schedules. To the point that when they're trying to make a baby they have sex in the most passionless, quickest manner possible. They are, in short, numb--at least numb to each other if not numb to the entire world. You have to wonder if their inability to conceive is God telling them they'd be horrible, horrible parents. Anyway, Mark decides to have an affair, just to feel something again. But he has his principles--he's going to be honest about it (well, other than not telling Beth.) He will tell his mistress he's married, and he will tell her he has no plans to leave his wife. So he meets a nice girl, who turns out to be kind of a freak, and wackiness ensues. Good, bad fun is had by all...or at least some...okay, maybe nobody...except the audience.

HOW TO CHEAT plays again March 7 at 9:45 pm.

Then I wandered over to the VIP Soiree at House of Siam (proud member of the Cinequest Dining Circle) for a quick glass of wine and some snacks (sweet potato fries and spring rolls) before skipping down the block to the Camera 12 for my next film.

That next film was PAST SUMMER, which was a pretty amazing accomplishment considering it was made by high school students in Beijing. Summer is the (adopted) daughter of a wealthy household, often referred to as a Princess. Past is a poor but sweet girl next door, who works as Summer's maid for a time. The story starts with them meeting. At least, that's where it starts chronologically, but the movie jumps all over in time, over a period of a little over 400 days. Each scene is conveniently introduced with a number, referring to what day in the story it is. That way, they can tell the story of their life changes, loves, and amazing discoveries as a series of memories (in fact, the opening scene is the chronological end of the story.)

I really don't want to criticize this movie at all, given that I'm kind of in awe at what these kids (co-director Yiqi Song and Guangwei Du) created, and I know they'll learn and make their next movie (if they continue making films) better. But here goes, anyway: The sound was uneven, the music was too loud (it often felt like watching a music video.) The jumping through time was exhausting. It was a good idea, but each scene was too short so you were jumping in time too often. And the acting was not great (I assume the actors were all students as well, none of them are professional actors), which is pretty typical of many independent films, especially those made by students. But none of that really matters, I'd still watch their next movie.

Sadly, that was the last showing of PAST SUMMER, unless it makes it to the Encore Day.

And the movie was brief enough that the Soiree was still going on, so I had a little more nosh (including Satay skewers) and wine at House of Siam. And then I met some friends at Billy Berk's (also a proud member of the Cinequest Dining Circle) for a quick beer and some appetizers (chips and guacamole, mini-pizza, etc.) before my next film.

And that was Shorts Program 6: Whirls and Currents

AND WINTER SLOW: Jez's husband is very ill, not long for this world. So she's having an affair, and planning to leave him. If only she can get her sister-in-law to take care of him.

THE CHILD: A woman finds a baby left in her shopping cart, and has to deal with it. Or maybe she's just nuts and that actually is her baby. In any case, that baby says the rudest fucking things to her.

THE DEBT COLLECTOR: An awkward young man is a debt collector by day and plays saxophone at night (just to himself, but he's working up the courage to try open mic night.) He befriends the nice old lady next door, but things don't quite go right on their first dinner together. Beautiful deadpan comedy by the lead actor.

SILENT RIVER (APELE TEC): A story of two men attempting to escape from Romania to West Germany during the worst of the Ceausescu's reign. There are problems, of course.

WINTER FROG: Love, loss, grief, and wine. And Gerard Depardieu, of course.

Shorts 6 plays again March 7 at 9:45 pm.

And then, it was finally time for the last film of the night. To be very, very honest I chose to see this for one big reason--it got out the earliest so I'd have more time for drinking at the Meetup. And it turned out to be my favorite of festival (so far!) It's a short and feature by film student Nicolas Steiner.

First up was the short IT'S ME, HELMUT. On Helmut's 57th (or 60th) birthday...weird stuff happens, as friends step out of the wall, the set gets up and walks away, until you're left alone in the mountains--with a band. All done in one uninterrupted shot (and Nicolas only had 3 rolls of 16 mm film to try to get it right, which he did on the third try.)

And then the feature length documentary, BATTLE OF THE QUEENS. I have no idea how to convince you to see it, it's the sort of unsellable concept that no one thinks could possibly be this great. In a town in Switzerland they have a contest known as the Battle of the Queens. Cows battling each other (not bulls, mind you. The bulls are too dangerous to ever let out of the stable. These are cows of a specific giant, aggressive breed fighting each other for dominance.) And it's beautiful, it's funny, the music is great. It's a cacophony and poetry all at once. Nicolas made liberal use of beautiful widescreen black and white cinematography, lots of slow motion shots (particularly in the fight scenes), wrote his own music, and made a freakin' masterpiece.

Again, I just don't know how to sell this film, and judging by the meager audience last night nobody does. But those who saw it last night (or its previous screening on Sunday) witnessed something amazing. So I'm sorry for the fact that I don't have the right words to convince you to see it. But if my word alone carries any weight, please go see it in its third and final screening (unless it gets into the encore day, which I'm hoping for.)

BATTLE OF THE QUEENS and IT'S ME, HELMUT plays again March 10 at 11:30 am.

Then I want to the Meetup at Tanq. And drank a lot. So please don't look for pictures of me on the Cinequest Facebook page (the embarrassing ones wouldn't be up yet anyway.)

And that was my first Monday of unemployment at Cinequest. I could get used to this.

Total Running Time: 429 minutes

My Total Minutes: 270,560

Jason goes to Cinequest--Day 6

Wrapping up the first exhausting weekend, but having no job everyday is like a weekend. Which at Cinequest means about 5 movies a day.

I started my day bright and early by seeing most (about 70%) of Shorts Program 7: Comedy Favorites
DO OVER: A young man makes sure his first date goes right, no matter how many tries it takes.
OVERDUE: In New York, if your baby is 2 weeks past the due date, the hospital will induce labor. So there are many, many techniques to try to bring on natural labor.
THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF ROCKY: Rocky is a bad luck magnet. Everyone he loves dies. So he has to learn to not love the people he loves.
THE ATHEIST: A best friend honors his departed friend's final request, no matter how strange. Interesting POV.
FUCK LANCE ARMSTRONG: Yeah, fuck him! Because of what he did, a trio of friends set out to steal all the Lance Armstrong memorabilia they can.
VAMPIRE VAMPIRE VAMPIRE VAMPIRE: Chicks dig vampires. Chicks don't dig Malcolm. There's a solution here, as long as vampires are always cool.

And that left MECONIUM, DEATH IS CERTAIN, PASS THE SALT, PLEASE, and THE RELATIONSHIP DOCTRINE OF DON BLANQUITO as the films I didn't see.

Shorts 7 plays again March 10 at 6:30 pm (opposite the closing night film.)

So the reason I skipped out on the last four shorts was to bolt over to the California Theatre for KILL ME PLEASE. In a resort in the woods, there is a very unusual clinic. All the patients there want to die, and Dr. Krueger obliges, complete with last requests. Of course, as a doctor he does try to talk his patients out of this course, but they seem pretty determined, so really he offers them whatever comforts they desire (and he can actually provide) plus a glass of water with poison. Really, all very humane and caring...even if the patients don't seem quite as desperate as they think they are. And then halfway through there is a huge tonal shift. For the first half I was wondering why it was listed as a comedy. Suddenly, it becomes silly. Slapstick, even. And I went from liking it to loving it, which might say more about me than the movie. I hesitate to say more for fear of spoilers, but I will say it earns its artistic credibility in the first half, and then (depending entirely on your own attitude) it either blows all that credibility or it takes its premise to the logically illogical extreme.

KILL ME PLEASE plays again March 10 at 1:30 pm.

Then my next event was the Picture the Possibilities world premiere. Picture the Possibilities is Cinequest's newest project, putting cameras in the hands and mentors by the sides of kids in cities around the world--East Palo Alto, Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York, and Beijing. All the videos are online, so please watch them yourself. That's way more valuable than reading my opinion. I'll just say that the kids are amazing and it's wonderful that their stories can be told. I suppose if I really tried to put on my critic's cap and take a hard look at these movies, I can point out that they have a lot to learn technically. But who cares? They're kids, they're learning, and the project is so inspiring I find it impossible to be a critic.

Then I wandered over to the Knight Ridder building and took the elevator up to the Capital Club (proud member of the Cinequest Dining Circle) for the special VIP soiree, featuring celebrity chefs Michael Mina and Michael Miller. Food, drinks, Cinequest friends, and a warm sense of exclusive superiority that should probably trip my liberal guilty conscience, but fuck it, it was fun. And the view up there was amazing, and really tickled my sense of acrophobia.

Then I came back to earth to see THE BULLY PROJECT (which is being released by the Weinstein Company just as BULLY.) This movie made me angry in all the right ways. I marvel at how they got such access, with their cameras on the school bus, in the halls, and especially in the school officials' offices. We follow the story of kids who were/are bullied (the "were" stories are the aftermaths of victims' suicides.) I was/am a nerd and my last name is a slang term for penis, so this is all too familiar to me. It took me a long time, but now I'm proud to be a six foot, fat, hairy Wiener. And it took me over 30 years to find a community where I could be one of the "cool kids" (and thank you, Cinequest, for being part of that community!) And watching what some of these kids are going through, it's excruciating how much worse things have gotten since my day (or maybe things were always bad, and I was relatively lucky?) I'm not sure if 13-year-old me could survive junior high today, if this movie is any indication. I just want to tell all these kids that it does get better...but I don't know how that's supposed to help you now. And I want to tell Kelby especially, for your courage you are a hero. And to the administrators who shrug it off as "kids will be kids...." No shit, asshole! Kids will be kids, that's why you need to be an adult and put a stop to it! I sincerely hope that one administrator (and if you watch it, you will know which one I mean) has been fired. I don't even care who replaces her, because those kids would be better served by an empty chair in her office.

On a final note, there is an online petition to appeal the R rating given to BULLY by the MPAA. An R rating will mean that many kids who should see the movie won't be able to. It is less likely to be shown in schools, and many theaters will refuse to let kids see it without an adult. I actually care enough about the issue that I signed the petition before seeing the movie (which I regretted, I could've waited a few days, and I think that was actually a lapse in judgement.) Now that I've seen it, there is no fucking way this deserves an R rating. There is a little bad language--I think one "motherfucker" and maybe 3 utterances of "pussy." Maybe a little more, but hardly pervasive. Giving this an R rating is pure and simple bullshit.

THE BULLY PROJECT plays again March 6 at 4:45 pm

And then on to the last show of the night, starting with the short HEAT WAVE. Three girls on a rooftop sunbathing. One is trying on clothes in a scene that makes this the best movie ever!! She can't find her blue dress, so she calls her ex-boyfriend, and gets way more than she expected.

And then the feature, FORGETTING THE GIRL. Kevin Wolfe (an appropriately predatory name, and played with just the right creepiness by Christopher Denham) is a photographer specializing in head shots of young women who want to break into acting or modelling. He asks each and every one of them out, usually they reject him but occasionally they say yes. But things never go right, and he has to find a way to forget them--and he has a lot of ways. In a slide show monologue that opens the film and runs through the whole thing, he explains how his problems with women really all go back to when he was a child and saw his sister drown. And that will become...very interesting.

I will now visibly struggle with spoilers. Because, you see...there is a big fucking twist in this movie. Maybe there were clues, but I will say it surprised the hell out of me. And suddenly made everything that came before it change meaning incredibly. And...I can't tell you about it. And director Nate Taylor (oddly enough, the same name as an old Boy Scout friend of mine, but I guarantee a very different person) was very funny in the Q&A absolutely refusing to interpret all the implications for you. Personally, I've decided on my interpretation, and I've taken the darkest possible one. But to get more from me you'll have to see the movie (if you haven't already) and talk to me in person. For the next week, you'll find me all over Cinequest so I shouldn't be too hard to find.

FORGETTING THE GIRL and HEAT WAVE play again March 6 at 2:30 pm

Oh, and then I went over to the Maverick Meetup at Loft Bar and Bistro. I had a few (maybe more than a few) drinks, but also had some of their fantastic ultra-thin onion rings. That's solid food, so I can check them off of my Cinequest Dining Circle list.

Total Running Time: 431 minutes
My Total Minutes: 270,145

Jason goes to Cinequest--Day 5

A six movie marathon day.

Shorts 1: Beginning, Middle, End

THE BAREFOOT HUMANITY: Pepe, a guy with Down Syndrome, goes down to the harbor to meet his old friend Rosa, who is returning to town. Unfortunately, she is also returning to men who want something from her.

ETHAN: The life of a young boy with Tourette Syndrome, living with his tics, mastering skateboarding, showing his classmates he' okay.

GOD AND VODKA: The story of a relationship, told as a series of disconnected, special moments. And the story of the writer trying to complete the story. I loved how new information was doled out very carefully to keep the audience engaged in learning the story.

HATCH: A thief, his girlfriend, their baby they can't possible care for, and another thief. A story of surviving and doing what you have to do.

HENRY: A beautifully crafted story of a life lived and forgotten. A story of old age and how awful it is to realize you are an old man losing your memories.

RHONDA'S PARTY: Rhonda is ready for her best friend's 100th birthday party. The band is booked, the cake is delivered, everything is ready but the guest of honor. Very poignant.

Shorts Program #1 plays again March 5 at 2:15 pm.

Next up was a brilliant and epic story based on director Milos Misa Radivojevic's life, HOW I WAS STOLEN BY THE GERMANS. It's also the finale of his trilogy of meditations on warfare in Serbia, following on AWAKENING FROM THE DEAD (Cinequest 2005) and THE REJECT (Cinequest 2008.) Here he tells the story of his childhood and the German occupation during WWII. Aleks (Svetozar Cvetovic, also from the previous two movies) goes to the shore and meets an old friend--a prostitute and her young daughter Romi. In fact, for all he knows Romi might be his (although it might be hundreds of other guys'.) The important thing is her prostitute mom can't take care of her, so Aleks will drive her to the orphanage. Along the way, she coaxes him into telling her his life story. He tells an epic story of how during WWII the Germans occupied their village. And how the German officer Werner who lived in their house was really his only friend. He remembers storytelling, music, picnics, the only fond memories really of his childhood, and they all had to do with Werner. And Werner, of course, protected him and his mother. In fact, young Aleks wasn't the only one who got along well with Werner, he also had an affair with Aleks' mother, Jalena (one of the most adorably absurd scenes is when Romi interrupts saying, "My mom's a whore, too!") Throughout the story, Aleks really delves into how that relationship, and particularly the painful way it ended, turned him into the bitter, unloving man he became. And so, of course, there is an obvious cathartic ending to this.

Along with the story, I also was impressed with the cinematography and the use of color. The flashback scenes are in color, but the contemporary scenes of Aleks driving Romi to the orphanage are all in black and white, reflecting the lack of color in his own life. Really a beautiful effect in a wholly beautiful film.

HOW I WAS STOLEN BY THE GERMANS plays again March 4 at 11:00 am and March 7 at 2:00 pm.

Then I was bummed to skip the Q&A but I had to run over to the San Jose Rep for a one-time-only screening of THE MOVEMENT: ONE MAN JOINS AN UPRISING. It's a lean 40-minute film, and was followed by an extended Q&A from director Greg Hamilton (unfortunately, co-director and former Maverick Award winner Kurt Miller couldn't make it.) It very simply tells the inspiring stories of disabled skiers. It's framed by the story of Rick Finkelstein, who was paralyzed on Aspen back in 2004. Some six years later, he's finally ready to hit the slopes again, on a mono-ski with outrigger skis on his poles. We also meet a select group of other disabled skiers.... You know, we need a better word than "disabled." I don't know what to call them, and "differently-abled" always struck me as sounding weird. But we meet some guys with no legs who could still kick my ass, so it feels even more wrong to call them "disabled." Anyway, we meet a guy who was blinded in a chemical accident when he was 3 and given zero chance to live. Not 1%, not 0.01%...he didn't "beat the odds" he proved the odds wrong and has set the blind skiing speed record at 65 mph (although he wants to beat 100 mph.) We meet a veteran whose legs were blown off by a mine...he went on to pioneer a lot of disabled sports, and won the freakin' Boston marathon in a wheelchair. And we meet a few more. I don't want to just list them all, I want to encourage you to find this movie and watch it. Or better yet, join the movement's Facebook site, Make a Hero. If I had one criticism with the movie, it's that a 40 minute running time is pretty lean, and there's a lot more to tell about all the heroes. But fortunately, Greg Hamilton assured us more movies would be forthcoming.

Then I hopped over to South First Billiards (proud member of the Cinequest Dining Circle) for a few beers, some hors d'ouvres, and some hob-nobbing with big wigs (maybe even a muckety muck or two.) And then, back to the movies!

Next up was SALT, a funny and exciting Chilean western. Spanish film writer/director Sergio desperately wants to make a western. And he wants to set it in Chile, in the driest desert in the world. He has a script...but it sucks. See, he went to the desert once as a kid, but he hasn't really lived there. So in preparation for meetings with producers, he heads to the desert for some experience. And he gets way more experience than he ever wanted. Immediately, he is mistaken for Diego. That goes on even though he insists his name is Sergio. Eventually he decides screw it, they seem to like Diego, he's got writer's block, there's a party going on...maybe he can get a few drinks out of it. Unfortunately, Diego has a nemesis, local crime lord Victor. So Sergio/Diego's life is about to become hell. He's kidnapped, between, threatened, for some reason dropped at an old man's house and forced to work. That old man turns into his mentor and eventually they will have to stand up to Victor through a combination of Sergio's knowledge of tricks that have been used in classic westerns and the old man's fucking common sense. Hilarious, exciting, and dangerous. Plus there's a hot babe in it (Victor's wife/Diego's lover who he promised to take away with him.)

SALT plays March 4 at 4:15 pm and March 8 at 4:15 pm.

Then I was over to the fabulous California Theatre for the world premiere of THE GHASTLY LOVE OF JOHNNY X. First a little pre-show geeking out, seeing Will Keenan again (who I met at Indiefest with CHOP) and having him introduce me to Reggie Bannister (of the PHANTASM movies.) And then settle in for a rocking good time. Jonathan Xavier (Keenan, going nuts on screen as usual) is a rebel who just can't play by the rules, so the grand Inquisitor (Kevin McCarthy, in his final film role) sentences him to a horrible fate--banishment on Earth--only to return if Johnny can finally perform an unselfish act. There his gang of 1950's style juvenile delinquents become known as The Ghastly Ones. They terrorize the squares, all while singing and dancing (oh yeah, this is a musical.) And what else...he has a resurrection suit that lets him control the motion of anybody else. His Coca-Cola loving best girl has stolen the suit and ran out on him. Reggie Bannister shows up as a down on his luck concert promoter who needs a big hit from Mickey O'Flynn, the man with the grin (Creed Bratton, channeling a sort of demented undead Johnny Cash.) Oh, and Johnny's right hand man Sluggo has even ghastlier plans. And then somehow Paul Williams shows up as a midnight talk show host! This movie is an amazing ball of crazy showmanship, a ton of fun, and worth multiple viewings.

Speaking of multiple viewings, JOHNNY X will burn up the screen two more times, March 6 at 7:00 pm and March 10 at 4:45 pm. And for you film geeks out there, this was shot on the final stock of EASTMAN PLUS-X Negative Film 5231 black and white stock. More importantly, what I saw last night was a 35 mm print struck directly from the camera negative. What you will see if you go to either of the remaining shows will be a digital cinema package projected at 2K. Which I'm sure will still be beautiful, but I saw it as perfectly as it could ever be seen.

And finally, I ran back to the Camera 12 and ended the night with the midnight screening of PORTRAIT OF A ZOMBIE. This is truly a unique and effective film, shot in the street where director Bing Bailey grew up in Dublin. It's the story of a zombie, and the documentary film crew telling the story. Billy Murphy got infected with zombism while working at a meat processing plant (since shut down.) There was a bit of an outbreak, but his family now has him under control. They keep a muzzle on him, feed him what they can, and basically try to get on with life. Hell, he doesn't stop being your son just because he's sick, now does he? Well, his neighbors (who I like to think of as the collective Neighbors Against Zombie Invasions or NAZIs for short) don't take to kindly. Throw in a pregnant girlfriend and an unscrupulous American film director and you've got the makings of a catastrophe. A hilarious, hilarious catastrophe. Horror comedies are pretty common (at least, they make up a good staple of the films I watch.) Horror comedies that are this effective both as comedies and as horror are pretty rare.

PORTRAIT OF A ZOMBIE plays again March 5 at 9:30 pm and March 10 at 4:30 pm.

Total Running Time: 590 minutes

My Total Minutes: 269,728

Jason goes to Cinequest--Day 4

Friday, March 2nd, aka Freedom Day...the day my unemployment begins (so next week I can go all out on Cinequest, seeing matinee shows as well.) Yeah, it's not a bad thing.

Anyway, 4 more shows on Friday. It would've been more, but I had to say goodbye to all my former colleagues...and then I had to sober up a bit before heading down to the Camera 12.

The first show started with the short DRIPPED. An animated short about an art thief with very strange dietary habits. It's a tribute to Jackson Pollock.

It's pretty unusual for a strange animated comedy short to be paired with a documentary, but it totally worked with the documentary THEATRE SVOBODA. I had never heard of Josef Svoboda before, but he was a prolific, groundbreaking, and influential scenographer working in Czechoslovakia. He also happens to be director Jakub Hejna's grandfather, and in large part the movie is a personal story of him discovering his grandfather (who died when Jakub was very young.) As a framing through line, Jakub borrows a bust of Svoboda, attached a camera to it, and interviews former friends and colleagues with it (one consistent through-line is nobody thinks the bust does his likeness justice.) Through these interviews and some archived interviews, we get a portrait of a man (an artistic genius who sometimes was hard to work with and seemed to take pleasure in the fact that his international reputation earned him perks that few others had under communism) and even more a portrait of his work. That work emphasized the use of light and shadows, and was incredibly inventive. He eschewed naturalism to build intense, complicated sets with mathematical precision to create grand effects (e.g., mirrors rising from the floor until they reveal a theatre curtain and ultimately the audience.) As I said, I knew nothing of Svoboda's work before, and now--with what little I know--I think I can count myself as a fan.

THEATRE SVOBODA and DRIPPED play again March 4 at 2:00 pm and March 6 at 6:45 pm.

Then I had time for just a quick beer a the VIP Soiree at Gordon Biersch (proud member of the Cinequest Diner's Circle.) Note that I didn't have time to eat any solid food, so I can't check it off my diner's circle list. In fact, I've been very slow at that, I might have to save a lot of the diner's circle for after the festival, when I have some freakin' time!)

Then I made my way over to the beautiful California Theatre for a one-time-only show of L!FE HAPPENS. It's a comedy about the friendship between three young women, and the complications that a baby throws into the mix. We open with best friends and roommates Deena (Kate Bosworth) and Kim (Krysten Ritter, who also co-wrote) both about to consummate a one-night stand, when they realize they have only one condom between them in their emergency stash. Deena grabs it, and 9 months later Kim has a baby with a shiftless, unhelpful Australian surfer father (Rhys Coiro, husband of director Kat Coiro, in what I suspect is a bit of an inside joke.) This really interrupts her female player lifestyle, and it's even worse when you see that nobody in her life is very helpful. Deena has her own budding writing career and while she babysits sometimes she doesn't have much time. Their third roommate Laura (Rachel Bilson) is always running off to really slutty jobs (naked sushi platter, valet of the dolls, etc.) despite being a virgin and a Christian. Her boss (Kristen Johnson) is even worse--just a total self-centered bitch. In fact, for a while I didn't think I would like this movie because I didn't think I would like anyone in it (well, except the kid. Granted, all he does is sit there and be a cute baby, but I couldn't find much fault with him.) But then, over time, they sort of grew on me. Or at least I grew to agree with the premise that they're not all bad (well, her boss is all bad) people, they're just people who have their own lives. And I could definitely sympathize with Kim, even though she really has no one to blame but herself for her troubles (which have less to do with being a single mom with a shitty job and more to do with being a single mom with a shitty job who also believes that a modern girl should be able to do everything without making any sacrifices. Dude, nobody can do it all, we all make sacrifices!) And then there was the breast milk scene, which might be the greatest thing I've ever seen. I think I should stop there, before I give away too many spoilers.

Afterwards, Kat Coiro and Krysten Ritter were there to accept the Maverick Ensemble Award and have a brief conversation about the film and making female-centric comedy. Pretty damn cool.

Then it was late enough at night that it was time for Cinequest, starting with MIMESIS. Mimesis is the term for life imitating art, and specifically it plays with the idea of horror films inspiring killers. It starts at a horror convention, where several attendees are invited to a horror-themed party out in the woods. A select few--seven to be exact--wake up to find themselves in strange clothes and strange places. E.g., a graveyard, a pickup truck, an isolated house...location from the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. And yes, they're dressed just like the characters. And then the zombies attack. Or rather, the over-the-top thrill-seeking horror nuts playing the role of zombies attack. And they really kill them. I loved this premise, and for the most part it was pretty well done. There were some scenes I didn't buy, mostly along the lines of 'why would you go in there?!' or 'why don't you pull the trigger/kill the bad guy already!?' You know, the reactions you have at EVERY horror film (so I don't know if that was intentional and playful or just the same problems every horror film has.) Oh, and this film is so twisted Sid Haig plays the freakin' voice of reason! Also, for you THSMWTEIW fans out there, I checked with the director and the ghost-faced guy with a black hoodie in the background at the horror convention is just a generic death figure. But to me, he's the Ginosaji!

MIMESIS plays again March 3 at 9:45 pm and March 8 at 2:30 pm.

And finally I ended the night with a midnight screening of P.O.V. - A CURSED FILM

This Japanese film opens with a warning that the filmmakers weren't sure if they should show the film, and to please not tell anyone about the film, especially the ending. So...I won't.

All I'll say is that there's a fine line between clever and stupid and I'm not exactly sure what side of the line this falls on. It's either a cool, clever story that always has a new surprise, or it folds in on itself until it disappears up its own ass. I'm thinking I actually liked it, but it's kind of a guilty pleasure.

And as for the ending, all I'll say that in Japanese culture, the credits are important and it's rude to leave before they are finished. Please respect their culture and watch through to the end.

P.O.V. - A CURSED FILM plays again March 4 at 10:00 pm and March 9 at 10:15 pm.

Total Running Time: 400 minutes

My Total Minutes: 269,137