Jason goes to SFFILM: Closing Night

My final three movies of the festival. The fest continued for a couple more days, and I had tickets but my day job kept me from using them. But let's not worry about that, instead enjoy the films I did get to see.

I started the day with the documentary SHOW ME THE PICTURE: THE STORY OF JIM MARSHALL. Even if you don't know the name, if you've ever seen a picture of a musician you probably know the work of Jim Marshall. Chock full of archival footage and dazzling candid photographs, you get a sense of a master photographer, a man who loved music and the whole lifestyle, and whose lifestyle led to his ruin. Drugs and an obsession with guns ended up ruining him, and even his best friends and lovers couldn't sugar-coat it. But he certainly left a legacy, and this excellent documentary will ensure his legacy lives on.

Probably Jim's most famous photograph. The audience gleefully reproduced it.

Next up was THE HARVESTERS, a challenging film from South Africa. Janno is a sensitive boy living in a deeply religious, white Afrikaner family in Free State. His mother takes in a tough, troubled street kid named Pietr, and tells Janno to treat him like a brother. And Janno is a good kid, so he tries. But Pietr has a sort of charisma that seems dangerous. I'm sure if I knew more of the history and culture of South Africa, I could read a lot more into the parallels of family and post-Apartheid culture wars. But as it is, I confess I was a bit bored. So I'll leave it as "challenging." I could tell there was a great deal of skill and care taken in making the movie, but it's just not my cup of tea.

And then I ended the night with the closing night film, OFFICIAL SECRETS, the latest from Gavin Hood (TSOTSI, EYE IN THE SKY,...we won't speak of his attempts at a more commercial studio blockbuster). This time he takes on the true story of Katharine Gun (who was there for the screening!), played by Keira Knightley. She worked for UK intelligence, and was disturbed by an e-mail that went around urging them to dig up dirt on leaders of foreign countries as leverage for them to go to war with Iraq over...let's say "flimsy" evidence at best. For doing that, she was charged with treason and put on trial, then the charges were dropped because the government refused to present their evidence. The question of "Why?" has still never been answered. The movie is political, of course, but at it's core it's a story of the relationship between a journalist. In this case, Martin Bright of the Observer (Matt Smith) who carefully checked and corroborated every detail he could. All in all, a rousing and important film with which to end the festival.

Total Running Time: 308 minutes
My Total Minutes: 503,989

Jason goes to SFFILM: Saturday, April 20

My third and longest day of the festival--a whole 4 movies! (My regular readers will know how weak that is for me.)

First up at the Roxie was THE LITTLE COMRADE, a funny Estonian film about the Soviet era resistance and a six year old girl who doesn't understand all of what her parents are into and instead is happy with the recognition she gets being a good little comrade and singing the anthem of the Young Pioneers. So when her mother is taken away to a prison camp (which her father covers by saying she's going off to be treated for a medical condition) she only understands her instructions to be a good little girl, and she thinks that means to be a good, respected comrade. It's a movie about authoritarianism, but through the lens of how confusing it can be for a child, when everyone is an authority to you. It might make one wonder about today, and how authoritarianism creeps into the minds of children--and those with childish minds.

Next up was DEBT, a Turkish slice-of-life about a dutiful husband, father, and upstanding community member Tufan. He works in a print shop, but they're struggling. When his elderly neighbor is sick, he takes her in. But as economic hardships set in, and his houseguest strains his marriage (and her daughter is no help at all) the strain starts to get to him. It's not just about monetary debts, it's about the debts we owe to each other as human beings--kindness, charity, respect, tolerance, forgiveness. Sometimes it feels like he's falling behind because he's the only one paying those kinds of debts, while everyone else is just out for themselves. In that regard, he certainly makes for an engaging and sympathetic hero.

And then it was time to HAIL SATAN? Penny Lane (NUTS!, Festival 2016) is one of my favorite filmmakers. She brings comedic insight into her documentaries and is never boring. And she has a ripe subject here. First you have to understand the difference between The Satanic Temple and The Church of Satan, Aleister Crowley's hedonistic cult from San Francisco. The Satanic Temple is the more publicly engaged, politically active, and comedically inclined church (yes, this happened after the movie was made, but they're now officially recognized as a church). Most of them don't literally believe in Satan, they're atheists or non-theists who believe in Satan as a useful (albeit loaded) metaphor for principled and reasoned opposition to an overbearing power. After all, the Bible calls upon us to serve God without question. Another word for servitude is slavery. So they're calling on people to reject slavery for themselves and others.

They're the ones who, for example, when a statue of the Ten Commandments went up in front of a courthouse in Oklahoma City, they sued to put a Baphomet statue next to it. (And when the Ten Commandments was taken down, they removed their Baphomet statue because it didn't work out of the context of religious plurality). The movie follows the leadership as they pick their battles, advance their strategy (working within the system), and deal with some of the growing pains of becoming a large, international organization. There's an interesting episode with their Detroit chapter, whose leader is way more radical than the rest of them. Eventually they do have to sort of...excommunicate her? I don't know what to call it. It's not that they object to her radicalism, even with the parts of her shows where she calls for assassinating the President. But it doesn't help their strategy if she's doing that in their name. So they can let her keep doing it (because unlike most religions they want to let people do their thing, even if it's following a different religion) and she gets to talk about how she's so radical she was kicked out of The Satanic Temple. The movie also gets into the more mundane activities--adopting a highway or beach clean-up. For many of them civic duty is a part of their faith, and that's a good thing. And I'd be remiss not to mention the Seven Tenets, none of which I can find objectionable. All in all, a very entertaining movie that might just open some eyes, but at least never bores you.

And finally, that wasn't weird enough so I ended the night with MONOS, a war movie unlike any other. With absolutely no context, we are introduced to young soldiers (nearly child soldiers) fighting for "The Organization." They have a hostage, "Doctora" whom they must keep alive and keep from escaping. And they have a cow, a gift from their higher-ups as thanks for their great work. And they train, and they goof around and fires their guns randomly. If it weren't for the occasional battle scenes, you might think it was a group of crazy kids in the wilderness playing war (which, come to think of it, is a pretty good description of most wars.) This is another movie--sort of a hallmark of this festival--that I loved while watching it and then find incredibly difficult to describe afterward. It's surreal, hallucinatory, frightening, and hilarious. Events veer radically out of control, and I don't even remember how it ended, but I know I loved it.

Total Running Time: 388 minutes
My Total Minutes: 503,680

Jason goes to SFFILM: Saturday, April 14th

For my second day of the festival, I spent the full day in the amazing Dolby Labs. Seriously, next year when they open up again, you all have to see at least one film there.

First up was a documentary MIDNIGHT FAMILY. Mexico City is woefully understaffed by public ambulances--and that's an understatement. In place of a public system, an informal, largely unlicensed network of private ambulances serve the population. This is an extended ride-along with one of them, and it's the family business with everyone chipping in. They race other ambulances to scenes of accidents, they get abused by corrupt cops who need bribes or they might be run in for running an unlicensed ambulance business. They advise their "customers" whether to try to get help at a public hospital or actually get helped (if they can afford it) at private ones. Oh, and occasionally their customers can actually pay, and they eat something a little better than saltines and canned tuna. It veers wildly from tragedy to comedy (just like life) and is never ever boring (unlike life.) A hell of a ride.

Then a movie that really made use of the beyond-state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos format,THE SOUND OF SILENCE. Peter Sarsgaard stars as Peter Lucien, a "house tuner" in New York. The idea, vastly simplified, is that you might be having trouble sleeping not just because your old radiator is noisy, but because it's out of tune with your refrigerator, or the whole neighborhood. He's got quite an ear, and quite a wild theory. There's something orchestrating our lives. If not exactly controlling our every movement, it at least helps the denizens of New York City go about their lives without tripping over each other. And he thinks it's sound. Every neighborhood, every block has it's one chord. E.g., the Financial District has a fast-paced, frantic chord, while Central Park has a more relaxing one (I don't know enough music theory to even confirm this makes sense.) Anyway, that's his theory, and his house tuning business is a perfect way to collect data on that. But his theory runs into an anomaly--a woman whose troubles aren't fixed with a simple house tuning. The movie teeters on the edge of rom-com territory, as he becomes obsessed and maybe infatuated with her and how she just doesn't conform to his model of the world. She challenges him, and as he seeks recognition of his theory from the scientific community, it might just break him. A fascinating story that sounded amazing inside Dolby Labs. It'll be interesting when it comes out (in the Fall, I believe) how well it will play at the local multiplex. 

And finally I ended the night with AQUARELA, the newest from Victor Kossakovsky (¡VIVAN LAS ANTIPODAS!, San Francisco Film Festival 2012). He takes his vibrant camera work and observational style to the world of water. From rescuers on not-frozen-over-enough Lake Baikal to hurricanes in Miami and everywhere in between. Water is life, but water can also be a deadly instrument of nature's fury. There's little to no narrative here, so it's difficult to describe in words. But it's beautiful, thrilling, sometimes terrifying. And again, in Dolby's amazing theater lab, I just sat back and let it wash over me (pun intended). Fantastic.

Total Running Time: 258 minutes

My Total Minutes: 503,291

Jason goes to SFFILM: Saturday, April 13th

My day job has kept me away from going all out at film fests, and from blogging. But I did make the weekends of the SFFILM Festival. So here we go.

I started my festival in the amazing Dolby Labs (which opens it's beyond-state-of-the-art theater one weekend a year just for this festival) and the documentary WE BELIEVE IN DINOSAURS. It's an engaging, funny, informative, sincere, and even-handed look at the Ark Encounter creationist museum and...theme park? in Kentucky. The building of it (extremely polished and professional), the controversies (tax breaks for an institution that doesn't just discriminate against non-Christians, even evolution-believing Christians or old-earth creationists are barred from working there), and sometimes just the bizarre. One of the real head-scratchers (at least for me, who hasn't delved into the world of young-earth creationist "science") was their solution for how all the animals could fit on the Ark. See, it wasn't two of "every animal", it was two of "every type of animal." So for example they didn't need two lions and two tigers and two of every other species of big cat...you just needed two prototypical big cats and then they...didn't "evolve" but somehow over several generations became all the species of big cats? I guess? Anyway, I have to hand it to them, they made a place that looks like a lot of fun to visit, just based around an idea that I totally disbelieve.

Then over to the Roxie for Shorts 4: Animation. Hooray for cartoons!
You know, normally this is the part where I list them all, and tell you a little bit about each one. Sorry, it's been too long, I don't remember well enough. Some were funny, many were abstract, I was drinking a beer or two. It was good. Sorry for punting.

And then I ended the night with THE INNOCENT, an audacious Swiss German drama about religion, animal testing, former lovers, hallucinations, and a monkey. Ruth is an evangelical who works in an animal laboratory, experimenting in head transplants (or whole body except the head transplants) on monkeys. She passes out in church one day. Then while recovering she see her long lost fiance (who had gone to jail, then disappeared) has reappeared. But when she hires a detective to investigate, he finds solid, irrefutable proof that he is dead. And then it gets weird. And the driving scenes get terrifying. And I haven't even mentioned the sex cult at the youth Bible study camp. So I just sat there and watched in shocked delight. One of my favorites of the festival (since I'm writing all these after the festival is long over, I can say that without the qualifier of "so far.")

Total Running Time: 287 minutes
My Total Minutes: 503,032

Jason goes to SFFILM--Bonus Day

Surprise, the festival isn't over just because there was a closing night party!

Two more films on Monday, April 16th

THE WHITE GIRL is a story of Hong Kong, old and new. But not the bustling big city, the small Pearl Village, a fishing village on decline. And it's a story of confinement and of breaking out. The titular girl was born allergic to the sun. So her father keeps her cooped up in doors, and heavily covered if she ever goes out. Her classmates tease her, and all she wants to do is go out. Which she does by taking walks at night. On one of these walks, she meets a stranger from out of town, and they start a tentative relationship. The story meanders pleasantly and somewhat non-linearly. There are historical ruins and shady developers from the mainland. But the movie is driven less by plot and more by mood and character, especially the White Girl's enigmatic mix of cheer and melancholy. And, of course, it's driven by the gorgeous cinematography of Christopher Doyle (also a co-writer and co-director with Jenny Suen.)

And finally, there was RAVENOUS, an odd zombie flick with gratuitous furniture stacking. It's Quebecois, which might explain some of the oddness. It mixes deliberately paced art-film moments with gory flesh eating and moments of absolutely bizarre humor, never settling into one genre for too long. It's a weird, weird trip, and I'm still puzzling over what those huge stacks of chairs were all about. Maybe the sequel will explain? Or better to leave it a mystery.

And that was the end of my SFFILM 2018. There was one more night of the festival, but work kept me from attending (because I had a super early meeting I was leading the next morning) and that was fine. I was exhausted. I had finally had enough (for now.)

Total Running Time: 197 minutes
My Total Minutes: 477,531

Jason goes to SFFILM--Closing Night

Three movies on Sunday, April 15th, including the closing night party...although the festival continued for a couple more days.

THE NEXT GUARDIAN is a touching documentary about tradition, modernity, identity, and a generation gap. Gyembo and Tashi are siblings in Bhutan. Gyembo, as the eldest son, is expected to take over and maintain the family monastery. But he's more interested in soccer and social media. Tashi, his little sister, is even more into soccer. In fact, a lot of the movie is about her attempt to make the national under-14 girls' soccer team. But then she identifies as a male in a female body. Gyembo, meanwhile, is genial and funny, just not all that interested in taking over the family business. In fact, he's kind of aimless, not really interested in anything. But the two of them have an easy, teasing sibling vibe, and the movie is pleasant and never tries to push the drama, just lets it happen. There's something very Buddhist about the attitude of everyone involved.

And then BISBEE '17 is...I guess a documentary? Director Robert Greene (KATE PLAYS CHRISTINE) likes to make movies that bend the documentary/narrative boundaries. This time he takes on the story of Bisbee, Arizona, both in 1917 and in a historical recreation in 2017. Bisbee is--or was--a mining town. But in 1917 the miners went on strike for better pay and working conditions. And the strike was put down by rounding up all the striking miners, running them out of town, leaving them in the desert, and telling them to never set foot in Bisbee again. The history is explored through interviews with locals (many of them descendants of people on both sides of the deportation) and through a recreation held for the 100th anniversary. Which is pretty remarkable, because this isn't a part of their history that they talk about, much less celebrate. But this is a way to confront and deal with their history, and people get into it...to greater or lesser degrees (some to frighteningly high degree.) It's impossible to watch this and not think about the partisan divide in the country today. The fact is, rounding up your own countrymen, driving them to the desert, and leaving them for dead is horrific. But it's also something that's not too hard to imagine...or at least fantasize about.

And finally, the closing night gala was Gus Van Sant's DON'T WORRY, HE WON'T GET FAR ON FOOT. Joaquin Phoenix stars and practically disappears in the role of John Callahan, an alcoholic, a quadriplegic (by way of a drunken car crash) and a famous cartoonist with a wicked sense of humor. Jonah Hill, Jack Black, and Rooney Mara also give wonderful supporting performances. The story focuses mostly on his drinking and his journey with Alcoholics Anonymous--the stresses and the successes. For my taste, it doesn't feature quite enough of his sharp, anti-political-correctness humor. But you can get that online. And while he has passed away, I have a feeling he'd appreciate that I was drunk enough that I dropped my flask of whiskey during the film and needed help from the guy behind me to retrieve it.

 Anyway, after a Q&A with Van Sant and composer Danny Elfman, it was off to Public Works for several more drinks and a few snacks before I took public transit home--I was in no mood to follow in Callahan's metaphorical footsteps (wheeltracks?)

Total Running Time: 306 minutes
My Total Minutes: 477,334

Jason goes to SFFILM--Day 11

Just two films at the festival on Saturday the 14th. And first up was the program that is often the best of the whole festival--Shorts 5: Family Films. Hooray for kid-appropriate films!
BIG BLOCK SINGSONG WIZARD: A big purple block in a wizard hat, singing about how he's a wiz at everything. Because he is. At everything except...being a wizard.
BIRD KARMA: A beautiful, stylish animated short about a bird who won't settle for any old fish. He wants the shiniest fish in the whole river.
COIN OPERATED: A young aspiring astronaut is disappointed that the coin operated rocketship in front of the store won't actually fly him to the moon. So he works to earn more coins until it will work.
CRISANTO STREET: 8 year old Geovany Cesario takes a video camera and videos his family, living in a trailer on Crisanto Street in Mountain View. But soon they will move into low-income housing (because they're being evicted from the street.)
JESSZILLA: I love Jesszilla. I saw this at Indiefest as was thrilled to see it again. Jesselyn “Jesszilla” Silva is a kick-ass little girl. 10 years old, and in love with boxing. She trains hard and already has plans to go pro. Her father...well, he's not exactly thrilled, but he's totally supportive.
LATE AFTERNOON: An animated film of an old woman who drifts in and out of memory, and her daughter who is taking care of her.
PIG: THE DAM KEEPER POEMS: CHAPTER 4: Beautiful animation from Tonko house. Pig has a little trouble having lunch, because everyone wants a taste. Before he knows what's happening, he's running a restaurant.
SCRAMBLED: A Rubik's cube helps people put down their darn smartphones and maybe connect with real life a little bit.
SHERBERT ROSENCRANTZ, YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL: Sometimes guinea pigs are better than people. They can be the best friend to a shy little girl.
UNDISCOVERED: A favorite from Cinequest, A cute animated short about bigfoot, and why he can't be found.

And then the documentary RBG, a hero-worship piece about Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The progressive icon and trailblazer actually was ideologically middle-of-the-pack when she was appointed by Bill Clinton. She has become a liberal dissenter because the court has veered to the right. But this joyful documentary is about more than that. It's about her spirit, her personality, her unlikely friendship with Antonin Scalia (built a lot on a shared love of opera.) It's also about her late husband Martin Ginsburg, who was her biggest fan and completely at ease reversing the role of the great woman behind the great man. And it's about the cult of Notorious RBG that has built up around her. She's not a naturally funny woman (Martin was the joker of the couple) but she understands and jokes about the meme. And it's about her amazing career as a lawyer in gender equality cases well before she joined the court. Really, it's about everything related to her...other than criticism. I mean, it briefly mentions the controversy when she spoke up about Trump being unfit for office during the 2016 election. But other than that, even her conservative critics talk about how much they like her personally. That is, other than the talk radio extremists, and I don't think their voices would add much of value to this documentary.

Total Running Time: 160 minutes

My Total Minutes: 476,922

Jason goes to SFFILM--Day 10

Two more on Friday the 13th. But it turned out I was pretty lucky with both.

First up was THE SOWER, a period piece featuring the female erotic gaze, from director Marine Francen. In an 1850s French rural village, all the men have been arrested for sedition. So the women run the village themselves. They plant and harvest, and do all the hard labor as best as they can. Surviving is one thing. Having children is another concern, and one they obviously can't solve themselves. So when a mysterious stranger arrives, he's the subject of a great deal of interest.

And now I realize I'm a man and can't describe that plot in any way that doesn't sound like it's going to become a porno. But it's not. It's totally from a female perspective, which I can appreciate. I liked it. I just can't write about it correctly. Maybe that's because I'm a lousy writer, not just because I'm a man.

So then I got a big shot of masculinity with the prison boxing movie, A PRAYER BEFORE DAWN. Based on the real story of Irish boxer Billy Moore, it starts with him being arrested in Thailand (for heroin.) Thai prison is not an easy place to live, especially if you're white. Very crowded, very violent, almost no rules other than no escape. But if you make the boxing team, you have some benefits. Moore is a bare-knuckled brawler. Tough, brave, but untrained and technically underskilled. And he gets into trouble a lot. It's a brutal, visceral film that holds no punches (pun intended.) It's intentionally unpleasant, and the "victory" at the end means he gets to get the fuck out of Thailand and never come back. Oh yeah, and the real Billy Moore was a consultant, but because they shot on location in an abandoned Thai prison, he had to consult over the phone.

Total Running Time: 271 minutes
My Total Minutes: 476,762

Jason goes to SFFILM--Day 9

Two more on Thursday, April 12th.

THE CHILDREN ACT stars Emma Thompson as a British High Court judge who specializes in case involving children. Custody battles, etc. And she always follows the law of the Children Act--that the welfare of the child is paramount. Also, she's a workaholic...or at least overworked. To the point where her husband (Stanley Tucci) comes right out and says he plans to have an affair. She doesn't like this plan. But she's also too busy, and too emotionally distant, to actually do something about it (like...make love to him for the first time in 18 months.) Meanwhile she's on one of her hardest and highest profile cases in her life. A teenager, just months short of adulthood, is deathly ill. But his parents' religious beliefs--and his--forbid the blood transfusion that could save him. But the court has the ability--if she chooses--to compel that transfusion to save his life. So all that emotional connection she's avoiding with her own husband she pours into this case, making the unorthodox decision to visit him in the hospital. It's wonderfully acted, and a compelling drama. A bit emotionally overwrought, but that will probably make it more popular, just not my preference.

Next up was WINTER BROTHERS, a movie that had some interesting things going for it, but not a compelling protagonist. It takes place in a stark white industrial compound, where Emil is a screw-up and not at all popular. He pursues many interests, all of them poorly. And a bad batch of moonshine that hospitalizes a coworker is the last straw. He's out, friendless, jobless, aimless. There are many scenes that are interesting, even compelling. Most of them have to do with toxic, fragile masculinity (including a very literal pissing contest.) It just doesn't add up to a compelling whole. But it has fantastic cinematography.

Total Running Time: 199 minutes
My Total Minutes: 476,545

Jason goes to SFFILM--Day 8

I skipped Tuesday, April 10th, because I was too busy at my day job. But I was back for two films on Wednesday.

LOTS OF KIDS, A MONKEY, AND A CASTLE is director Gustavo Salmerón's bizarro documentary homage to his own mother. What could be a glorified home movie (which would prove correct mother Julita's prediction that nobody outside of friends and family would want to watch) is brought to life by her...amusingly aggressive personality. The title comes from the three wishes she had in life. Since she was a little girl, she wanted lots of kids, a monkey, and a castle. And, amazingly enough, she got them all. But now the kids are grown, although some of them still come back and live at home for...too long. And the monkey was not as charming of a pet as you'd think, so they didn't remain a monkey-owning family. And they've fallen on some hard times and have to move out of their broken down castle. But at least she still has her grandmother's vertebra. And an extendable poking stick. And lots more of odd knick-knacks. A charming little wonder of a movie, about a pretty weird family.

And then a Secret Screening. Let's pretend I'm still not allowed to talk about it. Because I didn't enjoy it as much as the description led me to believe I would. I'm not going to say it was bad. In fact, much of what I didn't like--overwrought emotional performances, everything wrapped up so nicely at the end--will probably make it popular. It just wasn't my cup of tea.

Total Running Time: 211 minutes
My Total Minutes: 476,346

Jason goes to SFFILM--Day 6

Just one show back on Monday, April 9th, but it was a doozy.

Oddball Films is a film archive and a lifestyle. And up until his recent passing, it was synonymous with Stephen Parr. This program was an homage to Parr, and a celebration of his weird, eclectic collection (which provides stock footage to several films, from independent to Hollywood blockbusters.)

Live music was provided by an equally eclectic group, Marc Capelle's Red Room Orchestra. Jazzy, eclectic, experimental, with many instruments, found objects, and distorted voices.

So, it was weird movies with weird films. And I couldn't possibly describe it. Not just because it's been three weeks and my memory fades. I don't think I could describe it from the moment I walked out of the Castro befuddled but exhilarated. And WTF was up with those horses and the fire?

Running Time: 84 minutes
My Total Minutes: 476,545

Jason goes to SFFILM--Day 5

Well, the festival ended over 3 weeks ago, so I guess I better finish writing. Sunday, April 8th I had a prior commitment in the morning, so only 2 films that afternoon, and they were both pretty great.

THE THIRD MURDER is Hirokazu Kore-eda’s latest film, and it's a courtroom drama thriller...kind of. Actually, the case looks to be pretty straightforward. A wealthy factory owner is killed, Misumi (Koji Yakusho) confesses readily, and it all looks easily wrapped up. But his story keeps changing slightly, and a young defense attorney starts investigating. His job was supposed to be straightforward--present the best mitigating case to avoid the death penalty. But there might be evidence that Misumi is innocent, and is accepting being framed for some other reason. Why I say it's only "kinda" a courtroom thriller is because so little of it takes place in the courtroom. I mean, there are proceedings, filings, etc. But the whole point is that the courtroom is a lousy place to get to the truth. So it becomes a semi-surreal parody of courtroom drama, while still being a taut thriller about truth and justice (and how often they don't go hand in hand.)

And then... (STAR.) Actually, the title isn't a word, it's just a symbol of a star. And it's my favorite movie that I could never actually recommend to anyone. Not that I don't have friends who would like it, it's just that they don't need film recommendations, they're ambitious enough to seek out strange films themselves. And my friends who do need film recommendations...won't like this. It's a compiled film, and a work in progress (as long as people still make films with star fields in them, director Johann Lurf will continue adding to this film.) And it's simply images from films of star fields and nothing else. It spans the history of film from silents by Georges Melies to very recent works. And he leaves the soundtrack in (at least once he gets out the silent era) but will cut out everything that has something other than stars. E.g., if the credits of a film play over a scene of stars, he'll leave the music in but cut out every frame that has words on screen. So you get to hear chopped up versions of both the STAR WARS and STAR TREK themes, and a chopped up version of the STAR TREK intro monologue. Film geeks--at least the truly hearty, experimental ones--can enjoy this on many levels. You can get a quick overview of the history of film. You can witness all the different ways stars are show. You can play "guess the film." You can be shocked when he cheats on his own premise in a scene from THE RIGHT STUFF (he shows lights on Earth as seen from space.) You can appreciate how a static star field seen from Earth is so different than a moving star field as seen in a sci-fi space travel adventure (one of my favorite end credits ever is David Lynch's THE STRAIGHT STORY specifically because the credits roll over a moving star field even though the characters are sitting on Earth looking up to the stars.) Anyway, I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's a fantastically film-geeky trip.

Total Running Time: 224 minutes
My Total Minutes: 476,545

Jason goes to SFFILM--Day 4

Four films on Saturday, to kick off the big first weekend of the festival.

I started with a real treat, the Mr. Rogers documentary WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR. I really hadn't thought much of Mr. Rogers--other than parodies and dumb urban myths about him being a sniper (untrue, nor did he wear sweaters to cover up his tattoos)--since I was the age of his target demographic. But this gave me a new and better perspective on him, and a greater appreciation for the depth and intelligence of his show. Fred Rogers started out as a seminarian, was ordained as a Presbyterian minister, and was supposed to lead his flock. But his deep faith, love of children, and fascination with this new-ish communication tool of television caused him to go into a wider (and not overtly religious) form of ministry. One built on the idea that children's feelings are just as valid and just as powerful as adult feelings, and sometimes kids need help understanding them. I don't recall as a kid his showing dealing with current events (probably because I didn't know what current events were) but I was surprised to find out that in his first year on the air--1968--when Bobby Kennedy was assassinated, he did a segment on that. Not using the event at all but teaching the word "assassination" and talking through the grief and anger around it. It was also a show that celebrated silence and quiet moments--the complete opposite of normal children's television. There's a wonderful scene comparing frenetic children's cartoons of the time (yeah, I grew up on Transformers) with Fred watching a turtle walk across the floor.

The film also deals with some of the silliness around his persona. Like the urban myths. Like the parodies (he had a great sense of humor and liked the Eddie Murphy one. Others that mocked the underlying values not so much. I don't think he liked Jim Carrey portraying him as a sleazeball in a porn shop on In Living Color.) And the baffling backlash that his show--with the "you're all special" attitude--raised a generation of entitled millennials. He actually addressed that point in a commencement speech he gave. His message was never about being entitled. It was about the dignity of everyone, and the simple fact that you don't have accomplish something amazing in order to be loved. That's a pretty good lesson for kids. Maybe a good lesson for adults, too.

And then I saw a bunch of shorts, starting with Shorts 3: Animation. Hooray for cartoons!

CARLOTTA'S FACE: A fascinating examination of a woman who is face blind, but learned to draw faces (in particular, her own) through her sense of touch.
DROP BY DROP: Simple black-and-white story of a Portuguese village, and its history that clings to the place.
HYBRIDS: Hybrids of trash and sea life. Fish made out of oil drums, sharks out of boats, etc. Really imaginative and dirtily beautiful.
ICEBERGS: We only see the tip of the icebergs. In fact, these stop motion scenes of daily life hint at much bigger stories underneath.
NEGATIVE SPACE: A father's lesson on how to pack a suitcase. But it really means a whole lot more.
OH HI ANNE: Voice mail messages from underground film icon George Kuchar to his student, colleague, and director of this film, Anne McGuire.) Very simply animated.
73 QUESTIONS: Some old-timer San Francisco advice, during a walk from the Tenderloin to the Mission.
WEEKENDS: Shuttling back and forth between mom and dad, as everyone moves on with new relationships and the kid is taking it all in.

Then more shorts, with Shorts 4: New Visions. Hooray for exciting views from around the world.

.TV: It does not stand for television, actually. In fact, it's a country code, for Tuvalu. This small island nation lucked out when people wanted that domain suffix, and now licensing it out is its main source of income. Too bad it's going to disappear from climate change. But at least we can still watch streaming videos online, right?
ATOMKRAFTWERK ZWENTENDORF: A look at the history and current use of a nuclear power plant in Austria. Due to popular opposition, it's the only nuclear plant in the world that was commissioned and then never brought on line. Now it's part museum and part training facility.
FAIR GROUNDS: Quick edits show us some young men, their ancestry, and their path to the future. 
HANEMUN HONEYMOON: Animators Maya Erdelyi and Daniel Rowe got married, went to Japan on their honeymoon, and used a microscope camera to take up-close looks at various things they saw there. Fun.
MAHOGANY TOO: A short homage/re-envisioning of the cult classic film MAHOGANY.
RAMS 23 BLUE BEARS 21: The (alleged) first film ever made by the Lumiére Brothers was of workers exiting their factory. A static camera, as people walk past. This is the same idea here, but with fans exiting a high school football stadium.
THE CLIMATE: Jem Cohen examines the life of New York. The Stock Exchange, the people, etc. Not just about the global climate (i.e., weather patterns) but about the mental and emotional climate of the people. It's not positive.

And then it was finally time for the late show, REVENGE. A rape-and-revenge superhero origin story that totally delivers on its bloody promise, despite being ridiculously unrealistic. It's interesting that the director is a woman (Coralie Fargeat.) Jen goes on a romantic getaway with her rich (and married) boyfriend (they take a helicopter in to his remote hunting lodge/mansion) and his buddies show up for a hunting trip. And that first night, they drink, party, have a little fun, but she of course goes to bed with her man, teasing his two friends. And you can see the influence of a female director--there's no moral judgment against her. And when the rape occurs the next day, it's just as much about the guy who walks out of the room and lets it happen. Or about her boyfriend who blames her for it afterward and beats her rather than calling the helicopter to get her out of there liked she asked. Big mistake, because when they try to kill her and she survives, she'll be back for revenge. Oh yeah, did I say that this is a superhero origin story? It is. I mean, technically her only power is...not dying even though she sheds about 50 person's worth of blood. And she makes the men shed their blood too. Enough to very literally paint a mansion. Watch it as a superhero movie, that way it's easier to get over the ludicrousness of it all and just enjoy it.

And now I'll just note how I started the day with Mr. Rogers and ended it in a freakin' bloodbath, and say that I love film festivals!

Total Running Time: 341 minutes
My Total Minutes: 475,827

Jason goes to SFFILM--Day 3

Three more films on Friday, racing around the city through the rain.

First up, I just barely made it to the Children's Creativity Museum for HAL, a loving tribute to Hal Ashby. Normally I don't much care for hero-worship docs, but in this case he fucking deserved it. His wit, his spirit, his fierce passion for peace, love, and artistic freedom. His fights with producers and studio heads. The way he made every actor--heck, everyone on the set--feel like they were the most important person and the person he liked best. He was a genius, who was kind of destroyed by Hollywood. His best films were in the 70s--the wild, crazy times. But in the 80s...he tried to keep working, but studio consolidation and increased interference from executives. Well, as is acknowledged in the film, most people make their bad movies in the beginning, when they're still learning. He jumped right in with masterpieces, and made his bad films late in his career, when studio heads fucked with him too much.

Then I had just a small break, to hang in the lounge, have one beer, and then make my way over to the magnificent Dolby Cinema (not a regular theater, a lab where Dolby is creating the newest technology for the most amazing cinema experiences to date. If you have a chance, I would recommend literally anything playing there.)

I was there to see the world premiere of WRESTLE, a beautiful and gripping documentary about a poor high school in Alabama--on their list of failing schools (in fact, it has since been shut down) where they have a remarkable wrestling program. Not necessarily remarkable for their titles, but for the fact that they have one at all, and they have a few talented wrestlers. I can't lie, I'm not really into wrestling, don't know much about the sport. But the way it's shot, I got into the drama of every match, cheering their victories and lamenting their losses. But it's not just about the sport, it's about how they wrestle with other issues in their lives. Drugs, school, teenage pregnancy, run-ins with the police (deserved or not.) And even their coach, he's no perfect inspiration, just a guy trying to do some good (they were all there for the Q&A, and he said how he definitely broke the stereotype of both the white savior and the inspirational perfect teacher.) The filmmakers (Suzannah Herbert and Lauren Belfer) got absolutely amazing access to these kids' lives (and their parents and coach) and it makes for a powerful, beautiful movie, and a rare chance for kids who are often invisible to get their stories told.

If I had skipped out on the Q&A, it would've been easy to make the late show, but I just couldn't do that, so I was once again rushed to make it to the Roxie for BEAST, a pretty remarkable first feature British filmmaker Michael Pearce.) Set on the island of Jersey (where he grew up) it's the story of Moll, a young woman who feels constrained by the limitations of the island. In an interior monologue, she likens herself to a killer whale, who in nature travel hundreds of miles a day, but in captivity go deaf from the echos off their walls and often go insane. In fact, she bails on her own birthday party to go dancing, and the next morning meets a handsome man named Pascal. He's got blood on his hands--from hunting rabbits (which is illegal, but he's that kind of free spirit)--and he gives her a ride home. It's also the story of a serial killer on the island, one who kidnaps and kills teenage girls. And Pascal is a prime suspect. But Moll is also totally drawn to him, they become lovers. She's sure of his innocence, even as the town closes ranks against him, and her by association. There are twists and turns aplenty in the end. There's definitely a moment where it could've ended kind of predictably, and I'm so glad it kept going and turned my expectations on end at least a couple more times. Pretty great.

Total Running Time: 293 minutes
My Total Minutes: 475,487

Jason goes to SFFILM--Day 2

Two more films on Thursday. Also, I think this festival is trying to give me a heart attack, having me run all over town between films (and from the lounge to the films,) and scheduling very little time to do it.

Anyway, I made it to the Castro just in time for I HATE KIDS. It's an okay comedy, in a sort of old-school screwball way. Pleasing enough, but nothing special, at least for a film festival. I can't help but wonder how I'd react if I saw it in a regular theater. I'd have different expectations, and probably like it more.

Tom Everett Scott plays Nick Pearson, a famous writer and asshole who wrote the bestseller "I Hate Kids." And he's about to get married to a woman who equally hates kids. Okay, if you push them they don't really hate kids, they just have a different life plan and say it kind of tongue in cheek. Well, at their rehearsal dinner, who shows up but the son he never knew he had. And the psychic--The Amazing Fabular--who found him. At first he laughs it off as an obvious joke, but the kid has a DNA test to prove it. And he doesn't want a father, he wants help finding his mother who put him up for adoption. So just days before the wedding, Nick, his son, and The Amazing Fabular go on a road trip from angry ex to angry ex (including one particularly crazy ex) trying to find his mother. Oh yeah, and keep it from his bride-to-be. And, of course, to learn some life-changing lessons along the way.

Then I had to rush over the the Victoria just in time for AMERICAN ANIMALS. This is the first film in the festival that I can say totally fucking blew me away (hey, and only three films in--not bad!) As the opening text says, it's not based on a true story, it is a true story. But it emphasizes the "story" part more than the "true" part, calling attention to intentional storytelling techniques and how memories differ and change. It takes place in Transylvania University in Kentucky, and is about the great rare book heist of 2004. Four friends--Warren, Spencer, Chas, and Eric--plot this heist, once they know the library's rare book collection includes first editions of Audubon's "Birds of America" and Darwin's "Origin of the Species" (among others, but these are the big prizes.) The movie blends documentary and narrative, with the real people involved appearing and narrating the action or offering their recollections (and they're actually credited as actors, playing their "real" selves, just to add to the jumble.) At one point the real Warren appears on screen with the actor playing Warren, while his character asks the real guy if this is how he remembers it (it's not, because that scene was based on Spencer's memory.) Anyway, they plot the heist basically based on watching heist films, and of course it goes wrong--the moment it goes from playing heist to actually trying to pull it off. Turns out, they're kind of morons who don't know the first thing about how to pull off a daring heist, and they get caught pretty quickly. What's most interesting is there's a through line about how the money is only part of their goal. What they really want is a kind of transformative experience. And they kind of get it--they are all transformed into criminals. But they're also all out now (after spending about 8 years each in federal prison) and all getting on with their lives in different ways.

Total Running Time: 206 minutes
My Total Minutes: 475,193

Jason goes to SFFILM--Opening Night

SFFILM started up again last night. I am completely unprepared, just gonna have to wing it, and with my busy day job, I'm not sure how much I'll be able to do (I'm definitely limited to nights and weekends, and not necessarily every night.) But I'll make the most of it, as best as I can

After the obligatory introductions and thank-yous to the sponsors, we got our opening film.

A KID LIKE JAKE is a smart story about a little boy who doesn't follow traditional gender norms. I believe the term is "gender expansive." He likes fairy tales, especially about Disney princesses. And he likes playing dress-up, especially as Disney princesses. But he's also a brilliant little boy, scoring in the 96th percentile (as much as you can really test toddler intelligence.

And it's about his parents (played Claire Danes and Jim Parsons) who are liberal New Yorkers but still crack under various pressures. Especially the pressure to get into a good private or magnet school. At first, his gender expansiveness is actually seen as a positive trait. His preschool teacher (the fantastic Octavia Spencer) points out that schools want diversity, and with his intelligence he'd be a good diversity addition. But kids are kids, and they will pick on him. And he doesn't want to change, no matter who pressures him. So comments like "stubborn" and "acting out" start showing up on his evaluations. And the way all the adults kind of dance around the issue doesn't make it easier (nor does facing it directly, actually.) It's definitely a thought-provoking and conversation-starting film (although this being San Francisco, everyone is pretty much on the same page in the conversation.) 

Then off to the after party, where I had a few beers and caught up with some of my SF film friends. And back home for an early-ish night (got home just after midnight, which is early for me during a festival.)

Here's looking forward to a great two weeks of film, as much as I can fit in my schedule!

Running Time: 92 minutes
My Total Minutes: 474,987

Jason goes to SFFILM--Closing Night...and then some.

Well, as happens far too often, I've fallen way behind on this blog. So quickie reviews to catch up. My pre-pologies to all the filmmakers who really deserve better than this.

First off was a triple bill by Jem Cohen, a poetic, political, observational filmmaker.
BIRTH OF A NATION is his take on Trump's inauguration, and the protests around it.
BURY ME NOT is sort of a time capsule of the vibrancy of New York City.
WORLD WITHOUT END (NO REPORTED INCIDENTS) is his longer work, exploring post-Brexit England. Specifically the working class resort town of Southend-on-Sea. It's a quiet, observational, and poetic look.

Then I saw Short Program 3: Animation.
BROKEN – THE WOMEN’S PRISON AT HOHENECK: An animated documentary about a women's prison in East Germany.
EDGE OF ALCHEMY: Frankenstein collage. Pretty cool.
EVERYTHING: From the simulation game of the same name, everything from the atomic to the galactic. Neat.
HISTORY OF MAGIC: ENSUEÑO: The third time I've seen this hilarious cartoon of a girl riding her bike through a bizarre fantasy land. Every time I find something new to laugh at.
HOT DOG HANDS: They're a curse, but maybe also a gift.
SUMMER CAMP ISLAND: Surreal an silly, like a summer camp crush.
SECOND TO NONE: The deadly competition to be the world's oldest person.
VICTOR + ISOLINA: A he-said/she-said about their lives, their love, and why they separated after 50 years together.

And then the closing night feature, THE GREEN FOG. Guy Maddin doing his Guy Maddin-est, with the help of co-directors Evan and Galen Johnson, composer Jacob Garchik, and the Kronos Quartet. It's practically more of an event than just a mere film. For San Francisco, they re-made the Hitchcock classic VERTIGO, using found footage from films either set in or shot in San Francisco. But don't overexert yourself taking it seriously. Yes, if you know VERTIGO I'm sure it tracks pretty well with the story (I've seen VERTIGO, but I haven't committed every scene to memory.) You can also play a rousing game of "I recognize that!" as you try to piece together what films they used. But I preferred to just let it wash over me as a full on Guy Maddin experience. And it was awesome that way.

Then off to the closing party, for drinks and snacks and the joy of several satisfied film fans.

Oh, but it wasn't over after the closing party. It still went on for three more days. And I caught a few more films, and in the interest of dumping these reviews ASAP, I'm putting these capsules here.

Shorts 4: New Visions. The new, the strange, the avant-garde. Okay, I can't remember all of these. Usually I try to do at least one line about each short. I'm sorry, I just can't. I remember enjoying the overall program, but now, a month and a half later, the only one that sticks in my mind is THE WATERSHOW EXTRAVAGANZA. Which was beautiful and weird.

I skipped Tuesday, because I had a crazy early meeting on Wednesday, but Wednesday night I was back for the real finale.

Shorts 2: GGA Shorts. Again, I'm not going to go through them all. But here are the ones that stuck in my mind:
AMERICAN PARADISE: From the guys who are making THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO, a humorous story about white privilege and a bank robber who's mask won't come off.
BALLOONFEST: I love Cleveland, I really do. But sometimes they do some stupid shit. Like try to set the world record for most balloons released. But when the weather doesn't cooperate, there are some unexpected results.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARIO WOODS: A moving portrait of the mother of a local man shot by the SFPD.
IN THE WAKE OF GHOST SHIP: Ghost Ship was a tragedy, and the repercussions are dire for other live-work spaces. In this case, the focus is on Burnt Ramen and their attempts to bring their space up to code or be condemned.
MEANINGLESS CONVERSATIONS IN BEAUTIFUL ENVIRONMENTS: Exactly what it sounds like, and it's hilarious.

And finally, 3 days after "Closing Night" I finally ended SFFILM 2017 with Alejandro Jodorowsky's gorgeous ENDLESS POETRY. Part 2 of his planned 5 part cinematic autobiography (the first being THE DANCE OF REALITY) takes on his coming-of-age in Chile. Falling in with gangs of artists, opening up, being controlled by domineering women, fighting with his father... There's a story in all this, but the joy is in the dazzling exuberant imagery. People who aren't already in love with Jodorowsky might see it as indulgent...because it kind of is. But those like me who adore his work, think he's earned that indulgence. And I just hope he keeps it up and finishes his planned 5 films. He's only to the point in his story where he tells off his strict, domineering father and runs away to France to study art. What a beautiful way to end the festival.

Total Running Time: 443 minutes
My Total Minutes: 427,334

Jason goes to SFFILM--Day 11

A four movie Saturday, as the final weekend is half over. Let's jump right in.

My first show started with a short, FAJR, a beautifully shot, very stylized sunrise and morning call to prayer. Figures in silhouette, as the light grows the desert reveals some mysteries...mostly mysteries about how it was shot.

And that was the lead-in to the feature THE CHALLENGE. The film is nominally about falconry, and a competition in the Arabian desert. But don't expect to learn much about falconry. Instead, prepare to immerse yourself visually into a world of opulence, with gold-plated Harley Davidsons, a pet cheetah in a Lamborghini, and opulent bidding (in the near 100,000...but I didn't catch the currency) on a single prize falcon. There are scenes here that are as beautiful as anything I've seen in a movie (especially speeding across the dunes in souped-up SUVs.) And then there are lo-res cell phone videos that totally take me out of the film. It makes a lot more sense when you realize director Yuri Ancarani is known more as a visual artist, not a  traditional filmmaker. So think of it as spending 70 minutes in a visual art installation, more than watching a traditional documentary. Most of all, don't expect to learn much about falconry (which is a shame, because I really wanted to learn about falconry.)

Then I made my way over to the Alamo Drafthouse for I LOVE DICK. A sneak preview of a new Amazon Studios show from the creators of TRANSPARENT. Griffin Dunne plays Sylvere, a writer and scholar, working on a new take on the Holocaust, and recently awarded a fellowship at a small institute in Marfa, Texas. His wife Chris (Kathryn Hahn) is a Brooklyn filmmaker whose newest film was accepted to the Venice film festival...until it wasn't. Seems she didn't get rights for some of the music in it. So they move their passionless marriage to Marfa, where they meet the charismatic leader of the institute, artist and teacher Dick (Kevin Bacon.) And she immediately becomes obsessed with him, even when he dismisses her art, and to some extent all female artists. In fact, that kind of makes her more obsessed. And that obsession also affects Sylvere. In fact, their loveless dry spell is broken in spectacular fashion. We got a sneak preview of the first two episodes, and it looks pretty good. Definitely something to check out when it comes out later. We were also treated to a discussion with write Sarah Gubbins (oh yeah, behind the scenes, it's an all-female writer's room) and stars Griffin Dunne and Kevin Bacon. Without giving too much away, they talked about the free, almost experimental process of making the series, and how an all female-written show still has a heck of a lot of male energy in it. Also, getting naked episode after episode after episode. Also, how funny it is, it's sexy and downright silly at times.

Then I stayed at the Alamo, had a delicious beer from their menu--a Laughing Monk Evening Vespers Dubbel--and was transported to Ireland for A DATE FOR MAD MARY. Mary (Seána Kerslake) is just out of prison--she did six months for a bar fight--and doesn't have a whole lot of time to prepare to be her best friend's Charlene's (Charleigh Bailey) maid of honor. She's got the speech (Charlene wrote it for her) and the dress. What she needs most is a plus-one, to show that she's got something of a life and is grown up and isn't still the wild child they both were in school. There's a bit of a dating montage, but nothing is working right. One bloke seems like a fine choice--he needs a date for his brother's wedding, too, so they can make it a sort of business arrangement--but he splits when she asks him to dial down the "camp." Seems the only person she can even stand to be around is Jess, the videographer she hired to shoot the wedding. But it would be pretty scandalous to show up with a lesbian date for the wedding, wouldn't it?

In the hands of a less subtle team, this would just be a silly rom-com, good for a few laughs but ultimately forgettable. But the writing-directing team (brothers Colin and Darren Thornton) and especially the actresses do a fantastic job of getting into the characters and showing us something real.

Interesting, if I LOVE DICK is remarkable for women writers telling a story with lots of male energy, A DATE FOR MAD MARY reverses that, with male writers telling an excellent story through females characters. But most importantly, through interesting characters.

And then I ended the day at the Roxie with HEADSHOT, a brilliant, brutal action thriller. It opens with a super-violent prison escape, and a young man (Iko Uwais from THE RAID) washing up on the beach with no memory of his past. He's rescued by the beautiful medical student Ailin (Chelsea Islan,) who names him Ishmael (she's a fan of Moby Dick.) But they're not going to get to enjoy a peaceful life, because crime boss Lee (Sunny Pang) is looking for him--and looking to end him. And so there will be fight after fight after fight as Ishmael has to defend himself. And then when Ailin is kidnapped, he has to fight a horde of bad guys--and one exceptionally bad girl Rika (Julie Estelle)--to find his way to Lee, learn his own past, and kill him. Not an especially complicated plot, but the fight choreography is some of the best ever. A lot of fun, a great way to end the night, and a great cap to all the fantastic Dark Wave films in the festival.

Total Running Time: 342 minutes
My Total Minutes: 426,840

Jason goes to SFFILM--Day 10

After playing hooky for just one little film, I was back at the festival for 3 more films on Friday.

First off I was at the Alamo Drafthouse for HEAVEN SENT, a Lebanese absurdist comedy. Omar is a bodyguard. And he has his dream job, protecting a beautiful singer who is getting into politics. Meanwhile, a man arrives to town, after walking over snow-capped mountains, is loaded into the back of a truck, and is dumped on the street outside the club where Omar's singer is performing. He tries to get in, and is pushed away a few times, until Omar finally knocks him out cold with a head-butt. Then Omar takes him home and takes care of him, because it turns out the mystery man is Omar's brother. He's been lost, and presumed dead, since the 90's. But he was a great soldier in the civil war. And why he's back is not entirely clear, except perhaps to teach Omar a lesson. But as absurd as that setup is, it's the small details where the humor comes from. The dad ranting about all the invaders that Lebanon has cut to pieces over the centuries. The feud with the neighbor across the street who plays his TV too loud. Or bodyguards discussing whether a white shirt or a black shirt (under their black coats) is better. Very funny stuff, even before the rocket launcher comes into play.

Then I made my way over to the Roxie for PARK. In 2004, Athens hosted the Olympics, and it was a grand spectacle. Now, the venues are abandoned and rundown. They've become modern Greek ruins. And they're inhabited by youth with nothing better to do and no parents in the picture. They play, their play gets kind of dangerous (it gets very dangerous to a dog, one of the unfortunate themes of the day was violence against animals) but mostly they're just aimless kids without much in the way of a hopeful future. The cast is mostly amateurs, bringing to mind some of Harmony Korine's films. The default main character is an older teenager who is kind of a leader and has a fumbling relationship with the only girl in their circle. A fascinating, real movie showing a snapshot of disaffected youth.

And finally, I ended the night with the dark wave show, MRS. K. The titular Mrs. K (Kara Wai) looks like the sweet housewife to a successful doctor, and a doting mother to her daughter. But early on, when some thieves posing as delivery men confront her, we find out that she can kick a serious amount of ass. Meanwhile, three bad guys are offed in succession, and we learn that a vengeful madman is behind it all. And he has a connection to Mrs. K and her past. Something about a casino heist, but who cares...this is all about the dizzying, bone-splitting action sequences. And they totally freakin' deliver. Especially when the daughter is kidnapped and Mrs. K has to go full rampaging vengeance mode. Awesome.

Total Running Time: 267 minutes
My Total Minutes: 426,498

Jason goes to SFFILM--Day9

I'm always cautious of the silent films with live music events at the festival. I've been burned before, and tend to boycott them for a few years. But this one was too good to pass up, and I was right to see DeVotchKa accompany (that's the critical word, accompany, not do a concert in front of) Dziga Vertov's THE MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA.

When I last saw this film, at the SF Silent Film Festival back in...wow, 2010, has it been that long?...I described it as a hallucination. It still kind of is. But more importantly, it's a wall-breaking film that invites the audience into the process of making the film, and invites the film into the process of making an audience. It has no intertitles. It's very explicitly attempting to invent a new language--a language of moving images that it uniquely cinematic and universal. And it shows the mechanics of film-making, but at the same time creating intentionally artificial images. If it has succeeded in creating a language of film, it's created a language where it's easy to convincingly lie, and a literate audience must be aware of that. Last time I saw it, I thought of INCEPTION (or the trailer to it) and that's even more resonant now, as INCEPTION was based on layers upon layers of artificial worlds until you literally don't know if any are true (INCEPTION was also based on shared dreaming... which is what films are.) I'm certain Chris Nolan has studied THE MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA. If not, he has at least been subconsciously influenced by other works who were influenced by it.

And DeVotchKa...they were amazing. Keeping it high-energy and fun. Accompanying the film, but recognizing it as a very very playful film. There are big ideas in there, but it's ultimately about a man playing with a movie camera. And their standing ovation was well deserved, and their encore was greatly appreciated.

Running Time: 67 of the best damn minutes ever!
My Total Minutes: 426,132