Thursday, May 22, 2014

Jason goes to SFIFF--Day 12

Monday...two weeks ago...two more movies...and they were two of my favorites. And a night of music.

First up, WE ARE THE BEST, about 13 year old Swedish girls who form a punk band. You had me at "13 year old Swedish girls who form a punk band." And it's just awesome. These kids are so much fun. The movie has U.S. distribution through Magnolia Pictures, and some lucky cities will be able to see it starting May 30th. But if any clever arthouse theater plays it in a Scandanavian-punk-kids double bill with SONS OF NORWAY, they will instantly become the best theater ever.

So from punk music fiction we moved on to indie-rock documentary with HEAVEN ADORES YOU, all about Elliot Smith. I have to admit I didn't know anything about him before. And in the end, he seems like a very unlikely rock star. In fact, he's not a rock star, he's a musician. His "Miss Misery" was nominated for an Oscar (for GOOD WILL HUNTING) which he predictably lost to Celine Dion. But that was also the moment he went from a shy, unassuming, normal guy with immense musical talent to a star struggling with fame. But this movie doesn't rely on "Behind the Music" cliches. Yes, there are drugs and alcohol (and spoiler alert: premature death,) but it's much more interested in his music and makes a pretty strong case that his music will continue to grow in popularity and have a staying power long beyond the biggest stars of his time.

And that was my last Monday at SFIFF. Just a couple more days to go...

Total Running Time: 198 minutes
My Total Minutes: 362,573

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