the voice of reason (on film)

2016-06-17T11:09:00.000-07:00

Best of SIFF 2016

TVOR must fess up to the obvious: she has totally dropped the ball on this whole writing about movies thing. She can’t correct this failure, but does offer this take on the Best of SIFF 2016 films which will be shown from June 17th through 23rd.

TVOR has seen several of these offerings:

Burn Burn Burn--a very entertaining road movie about a couple of female friends tasked with distributing the ashes of their recently deceased buddy in various spots around the U.K. This movie has the added appeal of dialogue that actually sounds like it could come out of the mouths of human females, an all-too-rare thing in movies. Laura Carmichael, Lady Edith of Downton Abbey, is one of the leads. She does not have a bitchy sister in this film.

Kedi--a documentary about street cats in Istanbul. Pretty city, pretty cats. You can tell by this description if this movie is your cup of tea. It was TVOR’s.

Truman--in this Spanish film, a couple of old friends spend a few days together for the last time. Not nearly as depressing as it sounds, the movie is very entertaining and well done, and won a bunch of Goya awards, the Spanish equivalent of the Oscars. Truman is the dog.

Naledi: A Baby Elephant’s Tale--this movie is exactly what the title says. It’s a documentary about a baby elephant. Again, you can tell from this description if the movie is for you. There’s very cool footage of the birth of Naledi, and also of her trying to crawl into a human’s lap.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople--in this very entertaining film from New Zealand, Sam Neil plays a misanthropic old guy on the run with a young foster kid. Taika Waititi directed.

Girl Asleep--this Australian film won not only the Grand Jury award at SIFF, it also won a Youth Jury award. It’s a tale of a 15 year old girl and her birthday party from hell. TVOR liked a lot of the film, but a fantasy/dreamworld sequence didn’t work so well for her. Obviously, the jurors did not agree.

A Man Called Ove--in this Swedish movie, a cranky old widower who has basically given up on life is dragged into the lives of his neighbors. TVOR was prepared to dislike this crowd-pleasing film, but couldn’t help enjoying it. Lead actor Rolf Lassgard won the Golden Space Needle audience award for his performance.

TVOR hasn’t seen the following films, but they made the cut for this Best of SIFF week of programming.

Spy Time--Javier Ruiz Caldera won the Golden Space Needle for directing this spy spoof, so TVOR is guessing that it’s pretty entertaining.

The Queen of Ireland--a documentary about Panti Bliss, an Irish drag queen who helped push a gay marriage referendum to success in that country.

Best of SIFF Shorts--there were 150+ short films in this year’s festival, so there are sure to be some winners in this selection.

Sand Storm--this Israeli film won the Grand Jury Prize in the New Directors competition.

Oddball--the Youth Jury Award winner for best Films4Families feature is an Australian film with a lot of animal action.

Middle Man--the Grand Jury prize winner for New American Cinema involves carnage and comedy and sounds intriguing.

Descriptions and scheduling information for Best of SIFF 2016 films is available at:

http://www.siff.net/cinema/best-of-siff-2016

And finally, also playing at the SIFF Cinema Uptown starting this week, are two more films that played during this year’s festival.

The Last King--this Norwegian adventure film set in the 11th century tells the story of an infant king being rescued and continually protected from bad guys. There are lots of action scenes, which seem to happen mostly on skis, involving bows and arrows, swords, and all sorts of serious weapons. It’s very entertaining.

Sunset Song--Terence Davies’ latest film follows a young woman in rural Scotland before and during World War I. It’s a beautiful film to look at, the performances are good, and the mood is somber. (It is World War I, after all.)

So go to the movies! And know that in addition to the summer studio fare filling up theaters, there are some smaller, satisfying films that may just tickle your fancy. Oh, and speaking of tickling, there’s a film called Tickled that is opening in a few theaters, with more to follow. You may not think you’re interested in a documentary about competitive tickling (in fact, you might find the idea distasteful), but rest assured, you are interested. It’s about way more than it appears to be.

2015 Seattle International Film Festival

2015-05-12T22:08:00.000-07:00

SIFF 2015 starts soon, and it's time for TVOR to fire up her blog. She's been to a couple of other film festivals and seen some press screenings too, so she already has quite a few opinions about movies playing at the festival. Now she's ready to share them. Happily, the ratio of good movies to duds is very high, and SIFF 2015 looks very promising.

Here's what she thinks about what she's seen so far--she will update the blog from time to time and tweet daily suggestions. You can find her at @tvoronfilm:

TVOR highly recommends this first group of films:

Being Evel--highly entertaining Evel Knievel documentary.

Best of Enemies--Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley “debate” during the 1968 political conventions, and become the first ever to insult and attack each other on American TV in the guise of “news”.

The Look of Silence--follow-up to The Act of Killing, about the 1965-66 murders of huge numbers of Indonesians.

Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine--this documentary needs no further description.

Corn Island--beautiful, almost wordless Georgian (the country, not the state) film in which a young girl and her grandfather raise a crop. Way more engaging than the description would indicate.

Theeb--a young Bedouin boy in the Arabian desert in 1916.

Krisha--tough but very well-done film about a woman with substance abuse problems trying to re-engage with her family.

Love & Mercy--Beach Boy Brian Wilson’s struggles, with Paul Dano and John Cusack playing Wilson at various times in his life. Excellent acting.

Frame by Frame--a documentary about Afghan photojournalists struggling in a country where taking photos used to be a crime and journalism is a dangerous profession. The film is beautifully shot and the subjects’ work is stunning.

The films in this group are not quite as high on TVOR’s list, but she does like them and she thinks they’re worth seeing:

Ciudad Delirio--salsa and love in Colombia. Great fun.

Tab Hunter: Confidential--engaging documentary about the most handsome man ever to hit Hollywood.

Margarita, With a Straw--this film about a young woman with cerebral palsy’s coming of age could have gone seriously sappy, but the film avoids that and is nicely done.

Villa Touma--a young Palestinian Christian woman goes to live with her aunts who are seriously living in the past.

1001 Grams--a nice little movie about weights and measures and love.

The Grump--an old man goes to live with his son and daughter-in-law, and they don’t do anything right.

Mirage--there’s a stranger, some local folks, and a high body count in this Hungarian quasi-western film.

For Grace--interesting documentary about Chicago restaurateur Curtis Duffy (you don’t need to know him or his restaurant to be entertained).

Results--Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders, and Kevin Corrigan in an odd but entertaining film about a couple of personal trainers, a rich guy, and some other stuff.

7 Chinese Brothers--Jason Schwartzman and his totally awesome dog in a film in which not much happens but it doesn’t matter because the dog is so awesome.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl--a better-than-average dying teen movie.

Waterline--Polish police procedural (say that three times fast) with dead bodies, conspiracies, and secrets waiting to be revealed.

Virtuosity--behind-the-scenes documentary about pianists competing in the Cliburn Competition.

The New Girlfriend--Francois Ozon directs an adaptation of a Ruth Rendell novel, so you have some interesting sexual things going on, as well as some mystery.

I’ll See You in My Dreams--senior love (very attractive seniors, too) in a film that is well-acted and not entirely predictable.

Flowers--intriguing Basque drama which never really came together in TVOR’s brain, but it stuck there anyway.

The Golden Hill--the film-making in this Nepalese film isn't very slick, but the story of a young man with a university education returning home to visit his remote village is very engaging, and touches on some major issues in the country. The film is beautiful to look at, too.

Frame by Frame--a documentary about Afghan photojournalists struggling in a country where taking photos used to be a crime and journalism is a dangerous profession.

This film wasn’t that great, but TVOR kind of liked it anyway:

Guidance--a former child star and current loser pretends to be a high school guidance counselor.

You can probably skip these:

Gemma Bovery--a French comic take on Madame Bovary, which is not particularly funny, unless you find a middle-aged man gawking at a young beautiful woman amusing. And he isn’t even the most obnoxious character.

NN--this story about attempts to identify some of Peru’s “disappeared” 25 years after the fact just wasn’t as interesting as it should have been.

Red Rose--TVOR was really irritated by the idiocy of one of the main characters in this story of a young woman taking shelter in the home of a middle-aged man during Iran’s Green Revolution. Guess which character behaves like an idiot.

Cooking Up a Tribute--a documentary about a top restaurant specializing in local foods which closes up shop for five weeks to tour the world and cook with the local foods of the places it visits. It could have been much more interesting, especially if there had been less blather from the owners of the restaurant.

Best of SIFF

2014-06-12T18:18:00.000-07:00

June 12, 2014

The Seattle International Film Festival’s 2014 edition has come to an end, which means that TVOR’s brain is filled with images from the many films she saw at the festival. Fortunately, a few of these films will be showing up on screens soon.

First up for Seattleites is Best of SIFF, when audience favorites and award winners from the festival get an extra showing. They'll only have only one screening each at Best of SIFF, so act soon if you’re interested. Here are a few that TVOR has seen and can recommend.

In Order of Disappearance: This was one of TVOR’s favorites of the festival, and she wasn’t the only only one. Stellan Skarsgard is the avenging father in this Norwegian crime thriller, which is both bloody and hilarious.

Boyhood: Richard Linklater’s latest is an amazing work, filmed over a twelve-year period, which tracks the life of a boy from first grade through high school in moments both big and small.

Borgman: Evil creatures vs. suburbia, and it’s basically no contest. Funny, dark, and creepy, with some social satire mixed in.

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared: Very entertaining and absurd story about an old guy who really gets around.

Dior and I: Knowledge of or interest in fashion is not necessary to enjoy this documentary about a new designer’s first collection as the head of the House of Dior.

I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story: He’s Oscar the Grouch too, and if you like Sesame Street, you need to see this documentary.

Keep on Keepin’ On: A valentine to jazz great Clark Terry, who has mentored musicians from a young Quincy Jones to Miles Davis to his current protegee, a subject of this documentary.

And there are more movies playing at Best of SIFF, ones TVOR hasn’t seen yet, so she’ll be there, in her seat in the audience. Please turn off your cell phone and don’t talk during the movie.

SIFF 2014

2014-05-21T00:15:00.001-07:00

May 21, 2014

TVOR really did intend to do some blog postings from time to time during the past year--really! It just didn’t happen. So she’s sorry and all that, but she’s moving on. Go see The Grand Budapest Hotel and Only Lovers Left Alive, if you haven’t yet. And do see them on the big screen, as they’re lovely to look at. See Captain America: The Winter Soldier, in as big and multi-dimensional a format as you can manage. And see Million Dollar Arm, a family/baseball movie that isn't stupid. TVOR has other plans for the next few weeks.

Her focus has switched from the regular movie marketplace to the Seattle International Film Festival. It’s the 40th (more or less) of these monsters, and there’s much to see and celebrate over the next 25 days if you happen to be in Seattle.

Here are some recommendations on what to see, based on TVOR’s movie viewing at other film festivals earlier this year, and so far at SIFF:

In Order of Disappearance--a very funny, very bloody Norwegian crime drama, one of the highlights of the festival so far, in TVOR’s opinion. Stellan Skarsgard channels his inner Liam Neeson as an avenging father in an increasingly absurd world.

Hellion--a widower and his two sons try to deal with the death of a wife and mother. Excellent kid acting in this one.

Obvious Child--a comedy about a young woman dealing with some serious stuff (getting dumped, pregnancy, financial insecurity) that manages to be very funny without trivializing the woman or her life.

Last of the Unjust--Claude Lanzmann’s follow-up to Shoah.

Dangerous Acts Starring the Unstable Elements of Belarus--a well-done documentary about a political theater group in Belarus, the last dictatorship in Europe.

Class Enemy--a new teacher at a Slovenian high school is unpopular with his students, and things go south from there.

Of Horses and Men--weird Icelandic humor (TVOR means this in a good way)

Borgman--dark Dutch comedy about evil.

The Internet’s Own Boy--very well-done documentary about Aaron Swartz, programmer extraordinaire and Reddit founder who committed suicide last year.

Living is Easy With Eyes Closed--lovely Spanish road trip movie about an English teacher obsessed with the Beatles.

The Keeper of Lost Causes--well-done Danish police drama

Dior and I--a fashion documentary you don’t have to care about fashion to find entertaining, this tells the story of new artistic director Raf Simons’ first collection at Dior.

Ballet 422--a documentary about a young choreographer making a new dance for the New York City Ballet.

Night Moves--very well-done drama about three eco-terrorists who target a dam in Oregon.

Frank--very weird movie, which TVOR thinks ultimately works, about a band whose leader always wears a giant papier-mache head. Funny and affecting.

#ChicagoGirl--The Social Network Takes on a Dictator--a documentary about a young Syrian-American girl who uses social media to help organize the revolution and Syria. It shows the power, as well as the inadequacies, of Twitter, Facebook, and more.

Still Life--Eddie Marsan is wonderful in this lovely little film about a quiet bureaucrat who takes some tentative steps to break out of his shell. TVOR has some quibbles with the ending, but it’s still worth the journey.

Lucky Them--TVOR saw a rough cut of this about a year ago, and liked it--the finished film should be lots of fun. Toni Collette plays a rock journalist and Thomas Hayden Church is a doofus documentarian in Megan Griffiths’ latest film.

Mystery Road--a murder mystery taking place in the Australian outback, with lots of interesting characters with complicated lives.

Big in Japan--an entertaining little fish-out-of-water road trip movie about a Seattle band who decide to tour Japan in an attempt to jump start their career.

Burkholder--in Taylor Guterson’s follow up to his first feature Old Goats, he uses much of the same cast in a story about trying to hold onto independence while aging. Sweet, funny, and affecting.

Zip & Zap and the Marble Gang: well-done Spanish family movie about a group of misfits at a strict summer boarding school.

And here are a few movies to skip:

Words and Pictures--you might think, “How bad could a movie starring Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche, directed by Fred Shepisi, be?” Well, the answer is that it could be very, very bad. These are all talented people and this film is a horrible aberration. TVOR blames the exceedingly lame script.

The Signal--cheesy indie sci fi. Some of the costuming involved electrical tape.

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter--an interesting concept, and nicely shot, but TVOR found the main character, a woman obsessed by the movie Fargo, to be seriously disturbed, with no one to help her. The whole exercise became a mixture of tragic and pathetic.

Mood Indigo--Michel Gondry’s latest is beautiful to look at and very imaginative, but the script doesn’t hold up. Even Romain Duris and Audrey Tatou can’t save this one. The first fifteen minutes are pretty great, though.

The Congress--another good director, Ari Folman, strikes out with this surreal film. Again, talented people (the cast includes Robin Wright, Harvey Keitel, and Paul Giamatti) and great visuals are undone by a bad script.

So, if you’re in or near Seattle, make your SIFF plans. And if you’re not, don’t worry.

Some of these films will be released in movie theaters over the next few months, or available to stream or watch on TV or DVD. Others may show up at your local film festivals. Support them!

Summer movies

2013-08-01T14:47:00.000-07:00

August 1, 2013

In mid-June, after several weeks of immersive viewing during SIFF 2013, TVOR’s movie-watching dropped precipitously. This was a good thing, and she enjoyed spending much of the summer participating in the real world. And it’s not like she was missing a whole lot, as Hollywood was not offering much of interest. She does want to alert you to a few things worth coming inside to see, though. Some of this summer’s earlier releases are still floating around--if you haven’t seen Much Ado About Nothing or 20 Feet From Stardom yet, do so if you can.

There are some newer options too--

Fruitvale Station: This film’s release, coming as it does on the heels of the George Zimmerman trial, is another example of a young, unarmed black man being shot by a white man who obviously could not be trusted with a firearm. It tells the real-life story of Oscar Grant, shot on the platform of a BART station early in the morning on January 1, 2009. The film, covering the last day of his life, is a beautifully done portrait of an imperfect, but loved, and loving, man who did not deserve to die. If you think you don’t want to see this because it will be too depressing, think again. Yes, you know the ending of this film, and yes, it’s tragic. But the film itself is wonderful and absolutely worth it.

The Way Way Back: There’s no new ground broken in this coming-of-age story about a kid with a distracted mom, a nasty prospective step-dad, and too much time on his hands. But the story of how he finds a place for himself working at a run-down water park makes for a nice time at the movies. Toni Collette and Steve Carrell are the parental figures, and Sam Rockwell and co-writer-directors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash are among the water park employees. Allison Janney is wonderful, as always, as a neighbor who enjoys a cocktail.

Crystal Fairy: Chilean director Sebastian Silva’s new film is about tourists so obnoxious--including one in particular, played by Michael Cera--that you wonder why any people in other countries can tolerate us at all. Granted, they’re drug tourists, so they’re not always operating with clear minds, but still. This is a well-made film, but be warned: you may find these folks tough to spend time with, especially if you like to think you’re a good tourist. Gaby Hoffman plays the title character.

The Act of Killing: This is not your ordinary documentary. In the 1960’s, Indonesian pro-government death squads killed more than a million people suspected of being Communists. Fifty years later, the perpetrators are still powerful. And in this film, these same murderers re-enact their crimes (although they wouldn't characterize them as such) in the style of American movies, and generally seem quite proud of their actions. This is a film that really gets under your skin--it’s appalling and amazing.

Finally, a couple of TVOR’s favorite documentaries from this year’s SIFF are available on TV. Yes, you do not have to leave your couch to see two very fine films.

Our Nixon: This film is made entirely of found footage, including Super 8 movies (shot by White House aides Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and Chapin), news footage, and the Nixon tapes. Although the details are fuzzy, it’s amazing and mind-blowing, even if you already knew a lot about that crazy era. And if you don’t know much about those times, maybe you’ll understand why the rest of us are kind of warped. CNN is broadcasting Our Nixon on Thursday, August 1st at 9:00 pm, and a few more times thereafter. Turn it on or fire up your preferred video recording system.

The Crash Reel: TVOR was at first put off by the title of this film, but she got over it. Be assured, it’s not just a series of horrendous wipe-outs, although the story begins with one of those. The film tells the story of Kevin Pearce, a top U.S. snowboarder, and his family. After Kevin suffered a severe brain injury in a devastating accident, he and they have worked to try to put back together his life in a way that is satisfying and safe for him. It’s engrossing and very well-done, and you don’t have to be a sports fan to care deeply about the people in the film. The Crash Reel is available on demand for HBO subscribers--the rest of you will have to wait a while.

Video notes:

The Maid: Sebastian Silva’s 2009 film tells the story of a maid trying to hold onto her position in a changing household. A black comedy that keeps the viewer guessing where it’s headed, this film is a winner.

The Descendants: Before Nat Faxon and Jim Rash made The Way Way Back, they collaborated with Alexander Payne on the script of his film The Descendants. If you haven’t seen it, you need to, and if you have, you may need to see it again. Not even George Clooney looks good running in flip-flops.

Have fun at the movies!

The Best of SIFF--and more

2013-06-14T12:57:00.000-07:00

6/14/13

Whew. After 25 days of maniacal movie-going, TVOR is taking a break for a few days to reintroduce herself into the real world. Which is very nice, actually, although she does miss those dark movie theaters.

Fortunately, although SIFF is over, Best of SIFF is just beginning. A number of jury award winners and audience favorites will be playing at SIFF’s Uptown Theater. Some of these films will be distributed and show up at various theaters around the country in the coming months, but some will be harder to find. Seattleites might want to take advantage of the opportunity to see them while they can. Here’s TVOR’s take on the offerings--

Fanie Fourie’s Lobola: This romantic comedy from South Africa won the Golden Space Needle audience award for Best Film, and that’s no surprise. The film is a delight, and we root for this couple to overcome the genre-required obstacles and get together. And since he’s an Afrikaans boy and she’s a Zulu girl, there are quite a few obstacles. Distribution has not been firmed up on this film yet, so see it while you can.

Our Nixon: It turns out that Richard Nixon’s top aides Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and Chapin were making home movies of their time in the White House. They were having a great time--or more accurately, they were having a great time until they started having a very bad time. Our Nixon consists entirely of found footage, including the Super 8 footage shot by the three aides, news coverage, and subsequent interviews, with extra audio supplied by the Nixon tapes. This is by no means a full account of the man or the presidency, but it’s an eye-opener, and very entertaining. TVOR assumes the film will be available for viewing at some point, but doesn’t know when or where. It’s another one you should grab the opportunity to see while you can.

We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks: Alex Gibney, the Oscar-winning documentarian (for Taxi to the Dark Side--he also made Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, among others) has done it again with this fascinating story about Wikileaks, and the people involved with it. Neither Julian Assange nor Bradley Manning were interviewed for the film (Gibney and Assange could not agree on terms, and Bradley Manning is locked up) but the portraits that emerge from their writings, already existing film, and interviews with those that know them, are complex and may challenge any opinions you already have about them. The film also gives a number of people the chance to speak their minds on the subjects of secrecy, leaking, and the consequences of both. TVOR found much of what they have to say troubling if not downright appalling. This is one to see, and you’ll have opportunities, as the film is in distribution now.

20 Feet From Stardom: This documentary about backup singers will please anybody who loves the music these talented but largely unheralded artists help create. There are interviews with ex-Raylettes, Ikettes, and singers who have worked with the Rolling Stones, Elton John, and others, along with the artists they supported. And there’s lots of music. This is another film that is being distributed, so see it in a theater with a good sound system!

7 Boxes: A low-budget, fast-paced Paraguayan film about a young delivery boy who is tasked with delivering seven boxes from point A to point B in a busy public market. This film has great chase scenes involving hand carts.

Populaire: A silly but entertaining French romantic comedy set in the late 50’s, with great costumes and art direction, and a plot revolving around a typing competition. TVOR hasn’t heard anything about distribution on this one, so this could be your last chance...

Key of Life: A Japanese comedy in which a total loser of a guy gets mistaken for a sophisticated assassin. TVOR was less enamored than most with this film. She really got to like the assassin and found the loser quite irritating.

C.O.G.: This film, which many enjoyed, is based on an essay by David Sedaris. It’s a well put-together film, with good acting, but TVOR would have preferred to have spent her time reading Mr. Sedaris’ work.

Decoding Annie Parker: This film tells about the discovery of the BRCA “breast cancer” gene, and one woman who had it. The film is certainly timely, but TVOR can’t really recommend it. There is some wonderful acting, especially by Samantha Morton, as the woman battling both cancer and a medical establishment which refuses to believe that there could be a genetic aspect to it, but the film doesn’t really hold together--at least in TVOR’s opinion. Many disagreed.

Fortunately, there are some other interesting movies that are opening around the country, films that can provide an alternative to the big summer blockbusters, or act as a palate cleanser between those mega-movies.

What Maisie Knew: One of the best films TVOR has seen recently, this film, based on the Henry James novel, tells a modern-day story of a little girl who is the pawn of her divorcing parents. Excellent performances all around, especially Onata Aprile as the little girl, and Julianne Moore as her mother.

Kings of Summer: A wonderful coming-of-age film about three teenagers who decide to build a house in the woods and live it in over the summer. Very nicely done, and Nick Offerman is wonderful as one of the parents.

Stories We Tell: Actress and filmmaker Sarah Polley has done it again with this fascinating and very entertaining documentary about her own family (and her own parentage). Fortunately for us, it’s about much more than that, and there’s something for all of us in it.

Much Ado About Nothing: Joss Whedon adapted Shakespeare’s comedy, set it in modern times, and shot the whole thing in twelve days in his own home, using actors from his previous projects. It’s a delight, even for suspicious Shakespeare fans, who don’t like their man to be messed with. This film could generate a whole new group of Whedonites.

Wish You Were Here: A gripping Australian film about the aftermath of a vacation gone horribly wrong. Two couples go to a Cambodian beach town, and only three people come home. Yikes!

Frances Ha: Directed by Noah Baumbach and starring Greta Gerwig, this story of a lost twenty-something trying to find her way in New York is so much better than it could have been. It’s not one of TVOR’s favorite genres, but this is a well-done example.

Dirty Wars: Journalist Jeremy Scahill takes us on a voyage through U.S. covert military operations, things many of us find appalling, and which are occurring in secrecy. TVOR thinks this should be required viewing for informed citizens.

The Bling Ring: Sophia Coppola’s new film is a beautifully made film about an appalling group of teenagers who steal from celebrities--but not celebrities who are famous for having done impressive things. No, they steal from celebrities who, for the most part, are famous for being famous. TVOR doesn’t watch reality shows, has stayed relatively ignorant of this world, and didn’t enjoy the film. And if there was a point, she missed it. Others, however, disagreed.

So that's what TVOR knows about summer movies at this point. Do go play outside, but when you come inside and want to see a movie, you now have some non-mainstream options.

SIFF 2013--the madness begins!

2013-05-17T02:02:00.001-07:00

Tvor has been taking a nearly year-long break from her duties, but that must end. The 2013 edition of the Seattle International Film Festival began Thursday night, and tvor has been watching a few press screenings, perusing the schedule, and generally getting excited about the upcoming 25 days.

Between the press screenings and other festivals she has attended in the past year (the Palm Springs International Film Festival, where she lowered the average age of the attendees, and SXSW, where she raised it), she has seen over 30 of the features that will be presented at SIFF. Of course, over 250 features will be screened, and an additional 150 or so shorts, so this is just a drop in the bucket.

Here are some quick thoughts on what she’s seen--not full descriptions or reviews, just short impressions. They’re divided into three groups--Recommended, Pretty Decent, and Not So Hot. Anything in the top two categories is worth the price of admission, in tvor’s opinion, and those in the third...well, they weren't bad enough to make tvor want to rip her eyes out or anything, but they just didn't work for her.

Recommended

Much Ado About Nothing--Joss Whedon’s updating of the play had tvor nervous, as she’s a Shakespeare fan, but fortunately, the film is a success and lots of fun.

What Maisie Knew--a contemporary version of the Henry James novel--beautifully done, wonderful acting, and the child actor is amazing.

Doch (The Daughter)--excellent Russian low-key mystery/thriller with a noirish feel.

Our Nixon--did you know Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and Chapin were making super-8 movies of their time in the White House? Neither did tvor. This documentary consists entirely of found footage and it’s amazing.

Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion--wonderful Italian film made in 1970 about a police homicide detective leading the investigation of a crime he committed. This will be screened in a beautiful new restoration.

A Hijacking--exciting Danish film about a ship hijacked by Somali pirates.

The Act of Killing--excellent, horrifying documentary in which perpetrators of mass killings in Indonesia in the 1960’s discuss their crimes on screen--and re-enact them using Hollywood movies as a template. Surreal.

The Hunt--Mads Mikkelsen as an innocent man accused of child molestation.

Goltzius and the Pelican Company--OK, this is a Peter Greenaway film, so it’s erotic and wild and beautifully shot.

Drinking Buddies--Joe Swanberg’s latest, about a couple of friends who work in a brewery, and who both have significant others--but is there something beyond friendship there?

The Final Member--what’s not to like about a documentary about a phallological museum looking to add that final specimen to its collection--a human penis?

Frances Ha--Noah Baumbach’s new film about a twenty-something trying to find her way in New York. Not one of tvor’s favorite subjects, but this one works.

Camion--a lovely, quiet French Canadian film about a father reconnecting with his two grown sons.

Sadourni’s Butterflies--visually beautiful and inventive, with a story that is wild and not entirely comprehensible, but tvor liked it anyway.

Paradise: Faith--this Austrian film about a religious fanatic is not for everyone, but tvor found it fascinating, enough so that she’s planning to see the other two films in the series, Paradise: Love and Paradise: Hope.

After Winter, Spring--documentary about farmers in a remote part of France trying to keep with their old ways.

Bwakaw--a sweet Filipino film about an elderly gay man in a small town.

Dirty Wars--one of those documentaries that makes us think about things we don’t like to think about, like the U.S.’s covert wars. Fascinating and depressing but good.

7 Boxes--a Paraguayan film about a delivery boy who must get seven boxes from point A to point B. Complications ensue. Great chase scenes involving hand-pushed carts.

The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology--documentary dedicated to one strange philosopher’s view of ideology and movies. Bizarre but interesting.

After Tiller--a documentary about the the U.S.’s four remaining providers of third-trimester abortions--why they do what they do and why people come to them for help.

Pretty decent

Ain’t Them Bodies Saints--it looks good, it has good actors (Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara, and Ben Foster), and tvor would probably have bumped this up a notch, but the mumbly soundtrack made her miss key plot points. If you go, please let her know why those guys did what they did.

In the Fog--it’s beautifully done, but tvor is much too shallow to fully appreciate this film taking place in the German-occupied USSR in 1942. It’s war, things are horrible, and there is lots of fog.

Two Lives--a story about woman born of a liaison between a Norwegian woman and a German soldier during WWII. It takes place after the end of the cold war when the Berlin Wall has come down. A mix of family drama and spy drama.

Mistaken for Strangers--a documentary about a couple of brothers. One is an indie rock star. The other is...still living with his parents. The non-star makes a film about traveling with his brother’s band (The National) on tour. Complications ensue.

Spark: A Burning Man Story--tvor liked it, as she was at Burning Man when the film was shot. Definitely for Burners, and maybe for other people. Viewers will get a glimpse of what attendees have so much trouble describing.

Not so hot

The Summit--a documentary about a climbing tragedy on K2, this film suffers from an excessive reliance on recreated scenes, so much that tvor spent much of the film trying to figure out what was real and what was recreated, and ended up distrusting all of the footage. It also suffered from muddled story-telling.

Una Noche--this film looks good (it was shot in Cuba) but one of the three central characters was so appalling, tvor didn't believe that the others would have anything to do with him.

Putzel --a waste of Melanie Lynskey, this film is probably most appealing to those who live on the Upper West Side. And even then, tvor is not so sure.

C.O.G.--David Sedaris is a wonderful writer, but the joy of reading his work is his voice (not literally, although hearing him read is great too), not his plots. Maybe his work is not really meant to be adapted into a narrative film.

Key of Life--part screwball comedy, part crime story, and the two parts never really blended properly as far as tvor was concerned. The crime story part was interesting, but the screwball comedy part just wasn’t funny, unless you find overacting, mugging, and extreme facial expressions to be amusing.

So...that’s what tvor knows so far. She’ll be updating her blog during the festival, and tweeting regularly (only about movies, not detailed coverage of her life).

If you’re in Seattle, go to SIFF early and often. And if you’re not, here are some video ideas, films tvor enjoyed at last year’s SIFF:

Safety Not Guaranteed

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry

Your Sister’s Sister

Robot & Frank

Hello I Must Be Going

Sleepwalk With Me

Teddy Bear

The Snows of Kilimanjaro

Moonrise Kingdom

I Wish

How to Survive a Plague

Summer movies worth going inside for

2012-06-07T15:19:00.001-07:00

6/7/12

It has come to TVOR's attention that in much of the northern hemisphere, summer has arrived. True, it's not official yet, but summer has definitely arrived. TVOR, however, does not live in a place like that, so she is happy to have been sitting inside in dark movie theaters at the Seattle International Film Festival instead of remaining outside in the cold and damp, complaining about the weather.

In honor of the (in her case theoretical) season, there will be all sorts of big summer movies coming out over the next several weeks, showing up in theaters all over the place. These films will be full of superheroes, explosions, CGI, and other Hollywood contrivances. There will also be some smaller, quieter, movies in theaters, and a few of these are actually worth going inside to watch. Here are a few:

Moonrise Kingdom--Wes Anderson, the director of Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and others, has come up with a winner. He has made a film that it is pure pleasure to spend 94 minutes with. The basic plot revolves around a couple of twelve-year olds who run away together, but the world Anderson creates (the visuals, the music, the sensibility, the writing, the acting, etc.) elevates the film into something that is about way more than that. A recommendation: don't read too much about this film before you see it. Just enjoy. And it's PG-13, and would work for lots of kids as well.

Safety Not Guaranteed--this funny and sweet film was inspired by this actual ad, which appeared in a magazine:

"WANTED: Someone to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. I have only done this once before. Safety not guaranteed."

The movie's fictional story follows a writer and two interns who investigate the ad and the guy who placed it. Good writing, acting, direction, etc.--the result is a lot of fun.

Your Sister's Sister--Lynn Shelton's newest film is another winner. It's basically a simple film: one guy, two sisters, complications ensue. The nice thing is that the characters are intelligent, flawed, human people, a trio you care about and enjoy spending time with.

Headhunters--if you're lucky, this Norwegian corporate thriller/crime movie/dark comedy will play at a theater near you. Based on a book by the crime writer Jo Nesbo, the movie will take you (along with the protagonist) for quite a ride. In it, a corporate headhunter/art thief finds that his dual career is a lot more complicated than he bargained for, and the result is a game with increasingly high stakes. It's funny, scary, bloody, and a lot of fun.

Video notes:

Check out Wes Anderson's earlier films, especially Rushmore, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and The Royal Tenenbaums. They all involve the creation of wonderful worlds populated by interesting people (or animals, in the case of Fantastic Mr. Fox).

Lynn Shelton's last film, Humpday, is a good place to start if you've never seen her work before. It's about a couple of straight male buddies who decide to prove how hip and arty they are by making a gay porn film for an amateur porn contest. It's an hilarious examination of friendship, growing older and probably a few other things. TVOR also liked an earlier Shelton film, My Effortless Brilliance, about an obnoxious writer reconnecting with an old friend by barging in on his rural home.

SIFF 2012--one week to go

2012-06-04T08:36:00.001-07:00

6/4/212

TVOR has been watching movies in Seattle International Film Festival venues pretty much full time for 18 days, and has been in her element. The films have been generally quite good--there have been a number of delights, and very few disasters. Now she's on the home stretch, with one week to go. Many films have come and gone, but here are some brief thoughts and recommendations on films you still have a chance to see:

RECOMMENDED:

Coteau Rouge--a lovely French Canadian film, a little slice of life taking place in a Montreal neighborhood.

Hello I Must Be Going--a thirty-something woman ends up living with her parents after her life and marriage fall apart. A little funny, a little dark, a little sweet.

4 Days in May--at the tail end of WWII, residents of a community on the Baltic coast of Germany wait for the Russians to arrive.

We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists--very good documentary about computer hackers, focusing on Anonymous and related groups. Entertaining and informative.

Charles Bradley: Soul of America--good music documentary about an R&B singer "discovered" at age 62.

Earthbound--sweet little flick about a guy who may or may not be space alien and his quest for a human mate.

Guilty, Innocence, The Invader, and Red Road are more good films that have screenings in the upcoming week--TVOR wrote brief blurbs about them in her last post.

MAYBE THESE ARE FOR YOU, MAYBE NOT:

Hail--very well made film about a career criminal getting out of jail and starting again in life. The quality of the filmmaking makes this movie very hard to watch, as the viewer gets in the head of this man, and that is a very unhealthy place to be. A warning: there were many walk-outs in the screening TVOR attended.

6 Points About Emma--nicely done Spanish film about a deaf woman whose one strong desire is to be a mother. Good, not great.

Simon and the Oaks--a crowd-pleaser about life in wartime Sweden. Many loved it, TVOR had a little less love for it.

My Dad is Baryshnikov--another crowd-pleaser taking place in mid-80's Moscow about a ballet-obsessed fatherless kid who chooses a father (based on no factual information) and proceeds to tell people about it. Again, TVOR felt a little less love than many.

Mirage--interesting South Korean film about a young writer who returns to his home town to accept an award, and ends up reconnecting with some old friends who informed his work and his life. One of several films from South Korea in which adolescent bullying is featured, there are some scenes that are difficult to watch.

TVOR wrote about Starbuck and Hunky Dory in her last post--check out those blurbs if you're interested.

NOT TVOR'S CUP OF TEA:

Prime Time Soap--a strange Brazilian film that tries to combine a sort of bright and breezy tale of the life and adventures of a call girl in late 1970's Rio de Janeiro with a more realistic story about dictatorship and corruption. This strange brew did not work for TVOR, and hard-to-read subtitles did nothing to improve the situation.

170 Hz--two deaf teenagers fall in love in this Dutch film. The filmmaking is very interesting--the problem TVOR had with the film is that she didn't want to spend time with the people in it. The boy was appalling--the girl was slightly less so, although still pretty obnoxious.

Go to the movies!

TVOR's pre-SIFF 2012 edition

2012-05-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

5/16/12

TVOR has been silent for a while, but now she's fired up and has things to say. This year's Seattle International Film Festival starts tomorrow, and people in the area will have the opportunity to see hundreds of films from around the world for the next 25 days. TVOR got a head start on the fest and can help guide overwhelmed folks in navigating through the huge number of offerings. During her electronic silence she attended a couple of film festivals (Palm Springs and SXSW), and saw quite a few films that will show up at this year's SIFF. She has also seen some press screenings during the past few weeks that she can comment on as well.

Here's her take on what she's seen so far--and remember, descriptions of films don't really tell you that much. It's all about how the story is told.

THIS GROUP IS RECOMMENDED:

Las Acacias--a sweet Argentinian road movie, a winner at Cannes. See it!

Breathing--a kid living in a detention center gets a job in a mortuary in this Austrian film that is nothing like Departures. Another top pick.

Dreams of a Life--a fascinating documentary about a young woman who dies in her apartment in London--and is not discovered for three years. One of TVOR's favorite films from SXSW.

The Central Park Effect--an hour-long gem, a documentary about the birds of Central Park and the humans who watch them.

The Do-Deca Pentathlon--an entertaining story of sibling rivalry from the Duplass brothers, shot in their pre-Hollywood days, but just now hitting the festivals.

Elena--a story of the 1%--Russian style--and of some of the 99% who would like to share the wealth. (Clue: there aren't a lot of good guys in this one.) From the director of 2003's excellent The Return.

The Invader--a gripping, sometimes disturbing Belgian movie about immigration, race, class, sex, and probably a few other things.

Guilty--this French movie, based on a true story, tells of legal proceedings gone seriously awry when a man is accused of pedophilia.

Innocence--another movie about an accusation of molestation, only this one is Czech. Lots of shades of grey in this one.

Killer Joe--an over-the-top, bloody, entertaining black comedy/thriller from William Friedkin. The script is by Tracy Letts, who won a Pulitzer prize for his play August, Osage County. Good performances, even from Matthew McConaughy.

Lucky--a South African drama about a young boy who loses his mother to AIDS and an elderly Indian woman who ends up helping him.

Polisse--well-done French film profiling a group of cops who deal with child protection cases. Let's just say the stress levels are high.

Ai Wei-Wei: Never Sorry--very good documentary about the Chinese artist and dissident. Note to Chinese government: It's a bad idea to piss off a guy who's a very heavy Twitter user.

High Ground--affecting documentary about a group of Iran and Afghanistan vets dealing with physical injuries and emotional trauma who climb a Himalayan mountain. Very good storytelling.

How to Survive a Plague--excellent documentary about the early days of Act Up and its efforts to prod the Reagan administration, the Centers for Disease Control, and the drug companies into action to get treatments for AIDS out to people with the disease. Great use of archival footage.

Red Road--a very good early film of SIFF 2012 Emerging Master Andrea Arnold. The story unfolds slowly and the tension is high.

THIS GROUP IS OK--NOT GREAT, NOT BAD:

The Imposter--TVOR really wanted to like this documentary more, as it's the amazing story of a kid who goes missing, and his reunion with his family several years later. Except it's not really him, and the guy who returns to the family doesn't even look like him, yet nobody seems very perturbed by that. So...great setup, but somehow the filmmaking didn't really work for TVOR. Still, it's not a bad way to spend a couple of hours.

ELIMINATE: Archie Cookson--pretty entertaining at times, but not consistent in tone. The central performance by Paul Rhys is very good.

Hunky Dory--a pleasant film set in mid-70's in Wales. Minnie Driver is a teacher who decides the school play will be a musical version of The Tempest. Fairly predictable things happen, and you listen to period music while they do.

Starbuck--a French Canadian movie about a 40-something underachiever who finds out he's been spectacularly successful as a sperm donor--and now his hundreds of offspring want to find him. There are no surprises here, but it's broadly entertaining.

The Intouchables--more broad comedy from the French, in which a Senegalese immigrant helps a quadriplegic rich guy find joy in life. It sold about a bazillion tickets in France.

Tey--a Senegalese film that is interesting to look at (especially since most of us have never been there) as we follow a man around on the last day of his life. The problem is that we don't really know why this is happening. There are undoubtedly cultural references TVOR is clueless about, as well as symbolism, metaphor, and lots of other things that totally went over her head.

Wetlands--terrible things happen to an already dysfunctional family running a farm in Quebec. And then they make things worse.

Cracks in the Shell--SIFF's blurb compares this to The Black Swan. The good news is it's better than that. It's well done, in fact, but the maniacal director character and the screwed-up student actress character can try one's patience.

FEEL FREE TO SKIP:

Fat Kid Rules the World--this is just not a good movie. There are some pretty good people in it, but they're not at their best, the script is not so good, and the whole thing just looks cheap. Some of the edits are positively jarring.

The Woman in the Fifth--a terrible waste of talent. The cast (Ethan Hawke, Kristin Scott Thomas, etc.) and the director (Pawel Pawlikowski) have done far better work elsewhere. This attempt at a thriller not only had no thrills, it didn't have much else either.

Trishna--Tess of the d'Urbervilles updated to modern-day India. So you know it's probably not a light comedy. It looks pretty, as it should, as it was directed by Michael Winterbottom and stars Freida Pinto. But the story really doesn't update that well, and TVOR never really believed that the character had so little control over things.

Hemel--this could have been an interesting portrait of a seriously screwed up father-daughter team but they left out the parts where they help us understand why the heck they are so messed up. Can you say inappropriate behavior?

38 Witnesses--inspired by the murder of Kitty Genovese in New York in the mid-60's, this film takes us to modern-day Le Havre, where once again a bunch of witnesses fail to help a woman being murdered right outside their windows. TVOR just didn't buy the way it plays out in the movie.

So, once again, if you live in or around Seattle, it's time to go to the movies. And if you can't go out to the movies, take a look at Red Road or The Return on video. Or, if you're in the mood to laugh, watch Humpday, directed by Lynn Shelton, whose new film Your Sister's Sister opens the festival on May 17th.

Late November--time to release the good movies!

2011-11-22T16:28:00.000-08:00

11/22/11

TVOR hasn't had much to say about movies recently. She simply didn't see many over the summer and in the early fall. Now is the season for quality movies, though, and there are things to talk about.

There are two movies to be released soon that are so good and so beautiful to watch that they demand to be seen on the big screen. If you wait until they come out on video, you will miss much of the beauty and the magic. Both movies are by filmmakers who love movies and movie history, and the films pay tribute to their predecessors in tremendously entertaining ways. On top of everything else, these films are appropriate for a wide range of audience members, and suitable for holiday viewing with the family.

The Artist

Written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius

This film is pretty unusual for 2011 America. It's in black and white, it's silent, and it has French people in it. The film takes place in Hollywood just as silent films were making way for talkies, and is a loving homage to that era and old movies in general. The types are familiar--the big star of the silent era (Jean Dujardin), the young girl who wants to make it big in the movies (Berenice Bejo), and the winners and losers of Hollywood. The look of the film is familiar as well--it's in the 4:3 aspect ratio used for old films, and it's beautifully shot. There's a lush score, appropriate for a silent film, and there are title cards for the dialog (so it's not like you can tell who's French). In spite of its French pedigree, The Artist was shot in Hollywood, and has a very good (and familiar) supporting cast including John Goodman as a studio chief and James Cromwell as the star's faithful chauffeur. There's a great dog in it, too. So go to a theater, take the family, and embrace a new (old) way to enjoy movies.

Hugo

Directed by Martin Scorsese

Screenplay by John Logan based on the book "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick

Here's another movie you should really leave home to see in a big theater, and wear funny 3D glasses while you're doing it. Good movies take us into new worlds, and if we're lucky, we get lost in those worlds for a couple of hours. Hugo takes us into a particularly magical world, and the experience is enhanced by the fact that it's in 3D. Most 3D movies these days seems to be designed for no good reason other than to get a few more dollars out of the ticket-buying audience, and bad 3D can make films look dark and muddy, ruining the fun of going to the movies. This time, however, the 3D is beautifully done and really enhances the movie-going experience. The glasses (new, fancy-schmancy ones) are comfortable, and that third dimension lets the viewer experience the world of the film more fully. And it's a wonderful world. Hugo is a twelve year-old orphan who lives alone in the clock (really) in a train station in Paris in the 1930's. TVOR won't go into the story too much, but just know that he will meet people and things will happen and old films (and filmmakers) play an important part. The script is good, the acting (by Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Asa Butterfield, and Chloe Grace Moretz, among others) is excellent, and the film is a winner. And it's PG, but not the kind of PG that makes adults want to run out of the theater.

So there you have it. Two wonderful new movies by filmmakers who love old movies. If you know a lot about old movies, you'll see references to them. If you don't, you may sense you're seeing something similar to an older film, but you'll just enjoy it. Because that's what going to the movies is supposed to be about.

Video notes:

If you can't make it to a theater to see one of these new movies, you do have some options--

Michel Hazanavicius made a couple of very silly, very funny spy spoofs, and OSS-117: Cairo, Nest of Spies is the first and funnier. Jean Dujardin is a spy of the Maxwell Smart school--supremely confident, utterly clueless--and Berenice Bejo is one of the ladies who falls for him while he's making the world a safer place. Or trying to.

Beginners--Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer star in Mike Mills' film, one of the best of last summer, now available on video. There are a couple of stories going on in the film--one about a seventy-something father who comes out of the closet after his wife of many decades dies, and the other about his son's tentative start of a love affair. There's a wonderful dog in it too.

Super 8--another summer release now out on video, this J.J. Abrams film is sort of an ode to early Spielberg. There are kids who have time on their hands, some supernatural stuff, and character and story are more important than stuff blowing up. Although some stuff does blow up nicely. Be sure to watch through the credits and you can see the Super-8 movie the kids are working on throughout the film.

Buck--a documentary about a real horse whisperer. Although he really murmurs more than whispers. You don't have to be interested in horses to like this film, but if you do, TVOR suspects that you'll like it even more. The film shows us a lot about people as well as horses.

Page One: Inside the New York Times is another good recent documentary. If you care about the current state of journalism, it's good food for thought. David Carr, the paper's media columnist, is our very entertaining guide for much of the film.

Now go to the movies!

A movie worth putting on 3-D glasses for plus the Best of SIFF

2011-06-16T00:21:00.000-07:00

6/16/11

There are some things to be excited about in the world of movies this week, and that doesn't even include the new releases. TVOR can't comment on these, as she's been sequestered in film festival theaters and has been far away from the land of Hollywood and multi-plexes. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

The first thing to be excited about is that there is an excellent reason to leave your home, go into a movie theater, don 3-D glasses, and stare at a big screen. And that reason is Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Werner Herzog's documentary about the Chauvet caves in France. These caves were discovered in 1994, after being sealed up and forgotten for 20,000 or so years, and contain the oldest known cave paintings, dating back 32,000 years. Access is extremely limited, as the site can be damaged by things as simple as people's breath, so luckily for all of us, Werner Herzog and a small crew were allowed to go in and film. They went with 3-D cameras, and took lots of footage of the beautiful paintings, which look quite modern and fresh. And because it's Werner Herzog, we listen to his very soothing voice say some pretty interesting, perhaps not-so-soothing things. He's no ordinary documentarian, that's for sure. This is also one instance where the 3-D photography enhances the viewing experience, allowing us to see how the paintings fit with the contours of the cave, and not surprisingly, given the director, it's beautiful. See it in a movie theater if you can.

If you're not familiar with Werner Herzog's documentaries, you're missing out. He directed Grizzly Man and Encounters at the End of the World, among others--they're available on video.

A second thing to be excited about (if you're in Seattle) is that this coming weekend, June 17-19, is Best of SIFF 2011, when some of the top jury and audience favorites of this year's festival will be given an extra screening, so people can catch up with what they might have missed earlier. Here's TVOR's take on what she's seen:

Gandu--TVOR hasn't seen it, and can't comment. It won a jury prize but audience reactions were mixed.

Simple Simon--a very enjoyable Swedish film about a teenager with Asperger's who tries to find his brother a new girlfriend.

Best of SIFF shorts--TVOR has seen one of the shorts in this program, Cataplexy, and gives it a thumbs up. Given the high quality of the short films this year, this program is a good bet.

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey--the man behind (and inside) Elmo of Sesame Street fame. This is a lovely film about a lovely man, and you don't need to have ever watched Sesame Street to like it.

To Be Heard--a documentary about a writing program in the Bronx and three teenaged participants. We spend quite a bit of time with these kids, at home and at school, and get to know them quite well. Very good.

Tilt--TVOR hasn't seen it, but would like to.

On the Ice--teenagers face some huge moral issues in a story set among native people in Barrow, Alaska. In spite of some inexperienced actors, the film works quite well, and is a look into a world most of us will never see.

Paper Birds--a vaudeville company in post-civil war Spain is the setting of this Golden Space Needle audience award winner. It's definitely a crowd-pleaser. TVOR found it somewhat manipulative and the music was definitely a bit much. She did get sucked in, though.

Circus Dreams--TVOR didn't see it, but the kids in the Films 4 Families jury gave it their top prize. It's a documentary about Circus Smirkus.

How to Die in Oregon--a big thumbs up for this documentary about patients, caregivers, and families, and Oregon's Death with Dignity law. It's not always easy to watch, but you come away with a lot of respect for everyone involved. It also follows a volunteer working to get a similar initiative passed in Washington.

Life in a Day--OK, basically this is the best YouTube video ever. 80,000 people submitted 4500 hours of video, all taken on July 24, 2010, to YouTube. 300 snippets from people in 192 countries were turned into a 90-minute movie. And it works. It's sort of chronological, but other than that, it shows all sorts of people doing all sorts of things. TVOR really liked it.

Old Goats--the story of three old guys who are friends. The script is largely improvised, the actors are inexperienced, and in spite of these things, the film basically works.

King of Devil's Island--this movie follows a group of young men and boys, and their warden and guards, in what was basically a reform school in early 20th century Norway. Hint: this was not a nice place. A very good, very entertaining film.

And finally, you can get excited even if you can't make it out to see any movies, but are an HBO subscriber. Some very good documentaries that that were just playing at SIFF are now available for viewing right in your own home.

Bobby Fischer Against the World--an excellent documentary about the fascinating and sad life of Bobby Fischer. There's a lot of footage available of the chess genius, famous at an early age, and this footage is put together into an excellent film. Check it out.

How to Die in Oregon--you can catch the film on the small screen as well as on the big one.

(FYI, TVOR is not getting paid for this plug.)

Now, go to the movies.

Oops--a couple more SIFF movies playing the last weekend

2011-06-11T08:22:00.000-07:00

6/11/11

Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians--this documentary is as the title says, a story of a card counting Christian blackjack team. We spend several years with them, and watch them in action as the team grows in size and success, attracting investors along the way--until things start going south. Will they pull things together again? TVOR won't say. We also get interviews from members of the team recounting their methods, the reasons why they do it (apparently they've made peace with God), and their management techniques. Fascinating, and recommended.

The Destiny of Lesser Animals--a drama from Ghana. The plot revolves around a policeman searching for his recently purchased fake passport, but the real story is about his travels through his country and the people he meets. The police procedural aspects are a bit difficult to follow at times, but the ride is worth it. Thumbs up.

Now you can go to the movies.

SIFF's last weekend--and some movies for the rest of the world

2011-06-11T00:37:00.000-07:00

6/11/11

It's the last weekend of SIFF now, and Seattle movie nerds are frantically trying to catch as many films as possible before the real world descends once again. Here are some comments on a few movies that will show this weekend:

Sound of Noise--a very hard-to-describe, very entertaining Swedish film about a group of people (musical terrorists? guerrilla percussionists?) on a mission to make music in illegal ways and the policeman who is trying to stop them. Delightful--and a toe-tapper.

To Be Heard--a documentary about a high school writing program in the Bronx, focusing on three of the participants. Very well done, sort of like a less uplifting version relative of Louder than a Bomb.

Tabloid--another fascinating documentary by Errol Morris (The Fog of War), this one providing the details of a 1978 tabloid story about a kidnapped Mormon missionary. Stranger than fiction, sad and funny and amazing all at the same time.

Lys--a eco-sci-fi tale which demonstrates once again that you shouldn't mess with Mother Nature. Simultaneously predictable and incomprehensible. Very skippable, it felt longer than its 52 minutes.

All Your Dead Ones--very good Colombian movie about a farmer who finds a pile of bodies in his field. Dealing with this is no small task. Absurdist, a little surreal, and definitely worth seeing.

The Life of Fish--a thirtyish Chilean man at a party with friends from his youth, friends he hasn't seen for a while. It's not bad, but TVOR got tired of everybody and their problems and just wished he'd leave the party.

Por El Camino--a lovely road trip movie through Uruguay. A young Argentinian man gives a young Belgian woman a ride and the narrative unfolds. Very enjoyable, and it made TVOR want to go to Uruguay.

Spud--taking place in 1990 at a south African boarding school, this film chronicles the adventures of Spud, a kid with a weird family and a body that isn't maturing fast enough to suit him. TVOR wanted to like this more than she did, especially since John Cleese plays the English teacher.

Third Star--a very nicely done film about a group of longtime friends, one of whom is dying, who go on a camping trip. Not surprisingly, things do not go smoothly. Surprisingly, the movie avoids bathos and has some genuine humor along with the drama. The acting is good, too--thumbs up.

It has also come to TVOR's attention that not everyone is in a city where a film festival is happening. Fortunately for them, there are some good movies out in the rest of the world right now. Here are a few TVOR recommends:

Beginners

Written and directed by Mike Mills

This gets TVOR's vote as the movie to see right now. Beginners tells two stories. One is about Ewan McGregor as a guy whose 70-something father (Christopher Plummer) comes out as a gay man. The second follows a blossoming relationship between the McGregor character and an actress, played by Melanie Laurent. There is also a dog whose thoughts are indicated with subtitles, a gimmick which really shouldn't work but somehow does. This is a lovely, sweet film. Watching McGregor and Plummer together is bliss.

Submarine

Directed and co-written by Richard Ayoade

Submarine is a coming of age film about a 15 year old British boy who has two main concerns--trying to get himself laid, and saving his parents' marriage. He's a very busy guy. We really get a sense of the main character's world view and a very entertaining one it is.

Win Win

Written and directed by Thomas McCarthy

If by chance this film is hanging around in a theater near you, and you haven't seen it yet, go. It's another film by the writer-director of The Station Agent and The Visitor. Paul Giamatti plays a wrestling coach, with Amy Ryan as his wife, and Bobby Cannavale as his friend. You really don't need to know anything else.

Jane Eyre

Directed by Cary Fukunaga

This could also still be lurking in theaters, and it's another good one, even if you've seen every version of Jane Eyre out there. (And there are many.) Mia Wasikowska plays Jane, Michael Fassbender plays Rochester, and both are true to the characters as written in the book (although better-looking, of course). Fukunaga is two for two as a director. His first film, Sin Nombre, was a beautifully done film about people trying to get from Mexico and points south into the US, and was entirely in Spanish. That's what TVOR calls range.

Now, go to the movies!

Fifteen days down, ten to go for SIFF 2011

2011-06-03T12:01:00.000-07:00

6/3/11

There are ten days left in SIFF 2011, and many interesting movies to check out. Here are some of them:

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey--the man behind (or maybe TVOR should say inside) Elmo of Sesame Street fame. You don't have to have ever seen Elmo in action to love this movie. And get a little misty. The director, as well as Kevin Clash, Elmo's human part, will be in attendance at SIFF!

The Importance of Being Earnest--an HD recording of a live performance of the Oscar Wilde play, currently running on Broadway. Brian Bedford is superb as Lady Bracknell (yes, that's right), and the rest of the cast rises to his level. If you can't go to New York and see it, plant yourself at SIFF Cinema. These things tend not to ever show up on video.

Jucy--a womance about a couple of twenty-something BFFs in Australia. Tons of fun.

Kinshasa Symphony--a documentary about exactly that. These are not professional musicians, these are people who come together and make music, in spite of incredible difficulties. (They live in Kinshasa, after all, no bed of roses.) We meet several of the musicians, and learn about their lives. Very well done.

A Thousand Times Stronger--a Swedish film about young teen kids at school--the various cliques, who runs the school (the boys, FYI), etc.--and how that gets disrupted when a new student arrives. Entertaining for adults, good for kids as well. (Not tiny ones, as there are subtitles and some swearing.)

Sushi: The Global Catch--this movie makes you want sushi, then discusses some of the sustainability issues that you knew were coming. Well presented, thought-provoking.

The Empire of Mid-South--excellent documentary about Vietnam since the colonial era using amazing archival footage, and first-person narratives from various sources including the Vietnamese and the various people who have come through the country and attempted to run things. From the director who made Winged Migration.

The Names of Love--a French comedy that's actually funny, with some heart as well. TVOR liked it.

Norman--pretty good teen drama, shot in Spokane, WA of all places. The ending is a bit too tidy, but the acting and script are good. All in all a thumbs up.

Hot Coffee--you know how that lady got a huge award after spilling MacDonald's coffee on herself, that incident that became a poster child for the tort reform issue? This film tells the other side of the story. This is definitely a film with a point of view, and is good food for thought.

Flying Fish--TVOR liked this film, though it's not for everybody. It's a beautifully shot film from Sri Lanka (and when have you ever seen anything from Sri Lanka?), telling several stories happening in a small community. The downside is that it's hard to figure out the various stories, as there are few closeups, and sometimes it's hard to tell who things are happening to. The upside is that it does all come together in the end. And it definitely is beautiful.

Grandma, A Thousand Times--a documentary about the filmmaker's Lebanese grandmother, this film is a delight.

Now, go to the movies!

SIFF--one week in

2011-05-27T11:12:00.000-07:00

5/27/11

SIFF continues, as does the parade of good movies. Granted, there have been a few not-so-good ones too, but TVOR will try to steer you away from those if she can. And let's face it, we don't all have the same taste, so my big dud can be someone else's favorite. Although that person would be wrong.

Here are some films with upcoming screenings:

Small Town Murder Songs--one of TVOR's favorites of the festival so far. A little gem, a story of a flawed man trying to be a better man. And it has a wonderful soundtrack. See it.

Page One: Inside the New York Times--the documentarians were in the newsroom of the New York Times for a year, spending most of their time on the Media desk. If you're interested in how we get information and the quality and accuracy of that information, you should see this. Fascinating and very well done.

Steam of Life--another good documentary, this one from Finland. It's basically a lot of naked Finnish men of various shapes and sizes sitting in saunas of various shapes and sizes, talking about a lot of personal stuff. Amazingly, it's interesting and affecting and worth a look.

Killing Bono--first of all, no Bonos were injured during the making of this film. It's not a documentary--it's a narrative film based on the real story of a guy who went to school with Bono, and then spent years trying to have his (Bono's) life. Which is not easy if you have a knack for seizing defeat from the jaws of victory. Amusing and entertaining.

Treatment--fairly amusing Hollywood satire of the mumblecore genre. As most of us have no trouble believing that Hollywood is an insane place, there aren't a lot of surprises here. But it's not a bad way to spend 84 minutes.

Lesson Plan--a documentary about an experiment done in a Palo Alto high school in the 1960's, which basically turned a classroom of kids into fascists in less than a week. Not a great film, but an interesting subject. Worth a look.

Letters from the Big Man--the story of a girl, a sasquatch, and the forests of Oregon. First of all, TVOR must fess up: against all odds, she kind of liked this movie. Many others didn't. It's ridiculous in many ways--there's a guy in a furry suit after all--but for some reason TVOR enjoyed watching it. Even though it's not a particularly good movie. The scenery is nice, however.

The Rescuers--a documentary about a number of diplomats who saved Jews from the Nazis, often against the official policies of their countries. Not a good film, though--there's a Rwanda story which doesn't really fit in the structure of the movie, there are bad recreations of events, and an irritating score. If you can get past the film itself and focus on the information, it's interesting, though.

Viva Riva!--a movie from the Congo that may convince you (if you weren't already convinced) that things are a mess in the Congo, crime and corruption are rampant, there's little hope for progress, and you never want to go there. It's actually a fairly well put-together film, but it's filled with bad people doing bad things to each other. Be warned.

Now go to the movies!

SIFF 2011 opening weekend

2011-05-23T09:08:00.000-07:00

5/23

It's been a good first few days at SIFF 2011. Opening night was great fun, and although reactions on the opening night film (The First Grader) were mixed, the accompanying party got universal raves. TVOR had approximately 15 seconds of fame, appearing in the background of a red carpet photo of a person in a giant panda suit interacting with a television personality that appeared in the Seattle Times. Yes, it's true, Kung Fu Panda was the biggest celebrity in town for the event.

Once the festival got seriously underway, TVOR saw some very good films, and no people in panda suits. Here are some brief thoughts:

How to Die in Oregon--a documentary about Oregon's Death with Dignity law, telling the stories of people who made the choice to take some control over their deaths. This is not for everyone, but it's suprisingly watchable, filled with humanity and humor. It's very well made, and definitely worth seeing. It will show up on HBO shortly, so watch for it.

Submarine--the coming of age genre gets a bad rap these days, but this British take on it, with excellent performances and lots of deadpan humor, is a good one.

The Trip--Michael Winterbottom directs Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon playing fictionalized versions of themselves on a restaurant tour of northern England. It's not Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story, but it's pretty darned funny. TVOR laughed a lot.

The Future--Miranda July, who directed Me and You and Everyone We Know, has made another odd yet appealing (at least to TVOR) film. This is in spite of the fact that it's narrated by a cat, which TVOR was surprised to find that she didn't hate.

Beginners--Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer in Mike Mills' lovely film about fathers and sons and families and love. There's even an excellent performance by a dog. See it.

May 2011--time to go back to the movies

2011-05-18T00:42:00.000-07:00

5/18/11

TVOR has been away from her keyboard for a very long time. She didn't really plan it that way, but after frenetic movie-going (and blogging) during last year's Seattle International Film Festival, she spent the summer recovering and interacting with real people in the real world. The summer movies were, in general, a pretty sorry lot, so time spent away from them was especially appreciated. There were a few exceptions (like The Kids Are All Right, Winter's Bone, Cyrus, Get Low, and a few others), but they were few and far between.

Then fall and winter rolled around, and the end-of-the-year Oscar bait came along. Some of those were pretty good (The Fighter, The King's Speech, 127 Hours, The Social Network, True Grit, etc.), and some were not (The Black Swan and Inception). Since last year's SIFF, The Millenium Trilogy (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest) has been good and gritty fun. There were a few smaller movies that TVOR enjoyed as well--films like Jack Goes Boating, Somewhere, Cedar Rapids, Win Win, Jane Eyre, and Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.

But now SIFF 2011 is looming, and TVOR is ready for some serious movie-going. And blogging. And maybe a little tweeting. The 25-day festival starts on May 19th, but press screenings have been going for weeks already. TVOR has caught quite a few of those, and has seen other SIFF 2011 films in other festivals earlier in the year. Here is her take on what she's seen:

Young Goethe in Love—looks very Hollywood-like, all the people are pretty and seem to act in very contemporary ways. A biopic of Goethe that’s basically fluff. Strange.

Everything Will Be Fine—TVOR liked Boe’s first film, Reconstruction, but it’s been downhill from there. This just didn’t do it for her.

Silent Souls—thumbs up on this one. It’s slow, meditative, all sorts of things TVOR usually doesn't like, but this one worked for her.

The Poll Diaries—a historical drama of the not-so-pretty sort, it’s the kind of movie that makes you appreciate your own family. Well done.

Perfect Sense—a good, not great sci-fi love story.

Circumstance—Audience Award winner at Sundance—TVOR thought it was pretty good, but wouldn’t have rated it that high. Interestingly, at Sundance, they called it an American film—at SIFF, they’re calling it an Iranian film. It feels more like an American take on the story, even though it takes place in Iran.

Terri—very entertaining—John C. Reilly is great as usual.

The Bengali Detective—TVOR got a kick out of this one, although it’s not a great movie.

Bobby Fischer Against the World—very well-made and fascinating doc about Bobby Fischer—some of which was shot in Iceland. TVOR kept seeing places she'd been. Chess knowledge and/or interest not necessary.

Magic Trip—TVOR was predisposed to like this movie, and if you’re interested in those folks (Ken Kesey, Neal Cassidy, etc.) and the era, you’ll probably like it too. If not, it may not be for you. The film itself is a bit trippy.

The Off Hours—a pretty decent Northwest film, but not a must-see.

Mondays in the Sun (available on video)—Good actors (Javier Bardem for example), but not a very interesting film, at least to TVOR. Many others disagreed.

Amador--the newest one by the same director as Mondays in the Sun, and TVOR liked it a lot. Contemporary Spanish film about a young immigrant woman taking care of an old man.

Paper Birds--A Spanish Civil War-era historical drama made accessible and audience-friendly. TVOR didn't particularly like it, although some others did.

Win/Win--Pretty decent film about the downside of success in financial markets.

Venice--Yet another World War II drama where it is pointed out that Poland was not a good place to be. TVOR was not impressed.

Something Ventured--Very good documentary about the early (starting in the 1950's) venture capitalists.

The Most Important Thing in Life is Not Being Dead--Very weird movie about an insomniac piano tuner. TVOR liked it.

3--The newest film from Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run and The Princess and the Warrior), 3 tells the story of a love triangle, in his usual fairy-tale-like way. TVOR liked it.

A Barefoot Dream--A typical sports movie, with the ragged underdogs, led by a coach in search of redemption, playing the bigger and better teams, yet triumphing in spite of all odds. The twist is that the film is based on reality, the team is an East Timor youth soccer team, and the coach is Korean. Predictable but fun, and when else are you going to get a glimpse of East Timor?

Dance Town--North Korean woman escapes to the south, but life is still no bowl of cherries. Well done but grim.

Black, White and Blues--TVOR really didn't like this film. The look wasn't horrible, but the script was, and most of the actors, who, to be fair, had nothing to work with, were floundering. Unintentionally funny.

Microphone--TVOR liked this Egyptian film about the underground music scene in pre-Arab Spring Alexandria.

Buck--Very well done documentary about a real-life horse whisperer. Well, he doesn't exactly whisper, but it's the same idea. You don't have to be interested in horses to like this.

Touch--After a very shaky start (inexperienced actors, cheesy look), this film about a Vietnamese American manicurist and a mechanic with dirty hands has some decent moments. It's not too bad if you're feeling benevolent.

An African Election--a very interesting documentary about the 2008 Presidential election in Ghana.

On Tour--Mathieu Almaric is the star, director, and co-writer of this meandering film about an American burlesque troupe touring France. It's probably too long, and acting is not the strong suit of the burlesque artists, but TVOR enjoyed the slice-of-life aspect of the film, not to mention the burlesque. Almaric is very good as the obnoxious, tenacious, yet easily distracted manager. Thumbs up.

That should be enough to get you started. Go to the movies!

The Best of SIFF 2010

2010-06-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

6/16/10

SIFF 2010 is over, and TVOR had a great time. She saw a lot of movies, and enjoyed most of them. But before she moves on to other subjects, there’s one more very important thing to comment on, and that’s The Best of SIFF 2010, happening at SIFF Cinema from June 18-20. This is a chance to catch some of the top films of this year’s SIFF. Maybe you missed them during the festival, or maybe you were intimidated by the whole idea of a festival. Now you have a pre-screened collection of winners and popular favorites. You really can’t lose. TVOR has seen most of the films, and will give her two cents on them. They’re listed in order of when they’re playing.

Friday June 18, 2010
2:00 PM
The Reverse
(Winner Best New Director - SIFF 2010 Grand Jury Prize)
TVOR really liked this film, a darkly comic story of three generations of Polish women and what happens when the youngest of them meets a man. It’s quite a ride, with great visuals and wonderful use of music, especially at the end. See it if you can.

Friday June 18, 2010
4:30 PM
Castaway on the Moon
One of TVOR’s favorites of SIFF 2010, this film is sweet and funny and charming. Sometimes a suicide attempt gone wrong can turn out so right. SEE THIS FILM.

Friday June 18, 2010
7:00 PM
The Hedgehog
(Winner Best Film - SIFF 2010 Golden Space Needle Audience Awards)
TVOR fell asleep during this film due to severe jet lag and has no opinion. Obviously much of the non-sleeping audience loved it, as it won SIFF’s audience award.

Friday June 18, 2010
9:30 PM
Leaves of Grass
Edward Norton plays identical twins and does it brilliantly in this strange combination of pot comedy and crime drama. TVOR liked it.

Saturday June 19, 2010
11:00 AM
The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girl
(Winner Lena Sharpe Award for Persistence of Vision, presented by Women in Film/Seattle)
A documentary about lesbian identical twin yodeling singer-songwriter-social activist-performance artist-sketch comediennes from New Zealand. What’s not to like about that? Answer: there’s nothing not to like about that. Go see this film.

Saturday June 19, 2010
1:00 PM
Ginny Ruffner: A Not So Still Life
(Winner Best Documentary (Tie) - SIFF 2010 Golden Space Needle Audience Awards)
TVOR missed this documentary about Seattle artist Ginny Ruffner, but plans to be in the audience on Saturday.

Saturday June 19, 2010
3:30 PM
Hipsters
This Russian musical is another one you have to see, even if you think you don’t like musicals. In mid-1950’s Moscow, the young and the hip are bumping up against the drabness of the Soviet system. The visuals are amazing, the music is fun, and the story and characters are engaging.

Saturday June 19, 2010
6:30 PM
Nowhere Boy
The story of John Lennon’s teenage years, his relationship with his mother and the aunt who raised him, and his early music career. Very good, with wonderful performances, especially by Kristin Scott Thomas and Anne-Marie Duff.

Saturday June 19, 2010
9:00 PM
Cell 211
(Winner Best Actor, Luis Tosar - SIFF 2010 Golden Space Needle Audience Awards)
A Spanish prison riot drama that won loads of Goya Awards (the Spanish version of the Oscars) including Best Film, this movie will have you on the edge of your seat. It’s a good one.

Sunday June 20, 2010
11:00 AM
Best of SIFF Shorts
A selection of both Audience and Jury favorite short films from SIFF 2010. When shorts are good, they’re very very good, and these are likely to be good. TVOR plans to be watching.

Sunday June 20, 2010
1:00 PM
Waste Land
(Winner Best Documentary (Tie) - SIFF 2010 Golden Space Needle Audience Awards)
From SIFF’s description: “Photographer Vik Muniz returns to his Brazilian homeland to develop an art project in the world's largest garbage dump. An audience award-winner at both Sundance and Berlin.” TVOR heard very good things about this documentary, but missed it. Now is a chance to see it.

Sunday June 20, 2010
3:30 PM
The Concert
A lot of people loved this French film (which is about Russians and largely takes place in Russia), but TVOR was not one of them. It’s the story of a former Bolshoi orchestra conductor who gets a bunch of his buddies to masquerade as the current Bolshoi orchestra for a concert in Paris. She found the plot so preposterous that she couldn't get into it at all. One can only suspend disbelief so much. If you like uplifting films, you might like it a lot. TVOR doesn’t really like uplifting films as a rule.

Sunday June 20, 2010
6:00 PM
Mao's Last Dancer
Another film quite a few people liked—but not TVOR. In addition to not liking uplifting films (see above), TVOR doesn’t much care for inspirational ones, and Mao’s Last Dancer fits into the latter category. At least the plot doesn’t strain credibility (see above again)--it’s the true story of a young boy taken from his village in 1970’s China and trained by the state as a dancer. After traveling to U.S. through an exchange program to dance with the Houston Ballet, he decides he doesn’t want to return to China. This decision does not go down well with the Chinese authorities. It’s unfortunate when a fact-based film feels artificial, but that was the case with this one.

Sunday June 20, 2010
8:30 PM
Marwencol
(Winner Best Documentary - SIFF 2010 Grand Jury Prize)
TVOR really liked this documentary about a man, who after surviving a brutal beating that left him severely brain-damaged and without his memories, devotes himself to a project that becomes his art and his therapy and his life. Fascinating. Definitely one to see.

Heading into SIFF's last week

2010-06-07T00:41:00.000-07:00

6/7/10

TVOR is way behind on her SIFF updates, but to be fair, she has been tweeting. Here are some slightly longer blurbs. Most of these films have more screenings to come, so there's still time!

Cell 211--a gripping prison riot drama--definitely one to see. There are not nice people doing not nice things to one another, but the characters are interesting and it's totally worth it.

Run If You Can--German film about a guy in a wheelchair, the guy who is his assistant, and a woman they're both interested in. This sounds like it could be pretty bad, but it's actually quite good.

Reykjavik-Rotterdam--very entertaining Icelandic crime flick. Will the ex-con try to pull off one more job? And if he does, will he succeed? A U.S. remake is unfortunately in the works.

Gordos--the title means 'fat people' in Spanish, and it's about a group of them, the weight loss counselor who's helping them get thinner, and their families and the people around them. It's a strange movie, but if you're willing to go along for the ride, you may like it quite a bit. TVOR did. The ending is wild.

The Dancer and the Thief--TVOR liked this film a lot. Taking place in Santiago, Chile, it tells the story of two men who get out of prison on the same day, and weaves in some of the fallout of the Pinochet era.

For the Good of Others--pretty interesting Spanish film about a doctor who has a particular gift for healing.

Bride Flight--a fairly entertaining soap opera about a group of young women who emigrate from the Netherlands to New Zealand in the early 1950's, a hunky fellow passenger on their flight, and the directions their lives take in the following years.

Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel--an interesting film about an interesting guy, this documentary focuses on the social changes in the 50+ years since the magazine was founded, and Hefner's involvement in them. And then there's the naked women. And the mansion. And the clubs.

Tsar--Russian biopic about Ivan the Terrible being really, really terrible. Religious fervor plus absolute power plus craziness does not make for good government. The visuals are great.

Patagonia--a very pretty film (it takes place in some particularly scenic areas of Patagonia and Wales) but ultimately a tough slog for TVOR. A yuppie Welsh couple go to Patagonia and act in an irritating manner, and an old Patagonian woman and a young man go to Wales, and are much less irritating. The Welsh people really needed to be told to shape up but unfortunately no one did.

Agora--did you know that in 4th century Alexandria, they spoke British English? Neither did TVOR. Everything seemed hunky-dory as long as the pagans were running things (well, there was that pesky slavery, but a lot of the masters seemed really nice to their slaves, except for when they weren't). Then there were the Christians--and the Jews, but mostly the Christians. They got riled up and then everything went awry. It turns out that sometimes religious leaders incite their followers to violence against people of other faiths. And that women have trouble getting respect for their abilities and achievements, other than those of caring for families. Hmmm, TVOR wonders if there are any modern parallels. There's nothing like being hit over the head with a 2x4 by a filmmaker trying to make a point. TVOR wonders about the possibility of much success for a film (in the West, anyway) in which the Christians are the bad guys. In addition to the fact that the film isn't very good.

Meet Monica Velour--actually, don't meet her. TVOR met her so you wouldn't have to. The film has some decent actors (Kim Cattrall does a nice job in the title role) but the lead character is an unappealing idiot and the story is ridiculous.

Blessed--this is a well-made film that TVOR really wanted to like a lot more. It takes place in one day in Melbourne, Australia. The first part tells the stories of several children, and the second covers their mothers. It would probably not reveal too much to say that life is not a bowl of cherries for any of these people. It may be that TVOR is just to shallow to fully appreciate this film.

Garbo: The Spy--fascinating and entertaining documentary about a double agent during World War II. The filmmaker adds a lot of clips from old movies and archival footage to balance out the requisite talking heads. (The guy was a spy, it's not like they could get a lot of film of him at work.)

Leaves of Grass--sort of a pot comedy, sort of an acting exercise for Ed Norton (he plays two roles), and sort of a why you should not get involved with criminals movie. Amazingly, it works pretty well, and Norton does a great job.

All That I Love--a nice little Polish Solidarity-era coming of age, punk rock film.

Double Take--an interesting film that's really more video art than film (TVOR saw it in a Chelsea art gallery last year) but plays well on the big screen. It's about doppelgangers, Hitchcock, and the cold war.

American Faust--Condi Rice sells her soul to you-know-who. If you're on board with that view of the world, you'll probably enjoy this film.

One more week of movies in SIFF 2010!

TVOR hearts film festivals

2010-05-31T00:47:00.000-07:00

5/31/10

Has TVOR mentioned recently that she loves film festivals? She does. This is how TVOR spent yesterday at SIFF. She started with a "secret" film, one whose title was not announced ahead of time and which cannot be revealed even after the screening (TVOR signed a pledge to this effect), then saw an archival presentation of a classic American film, and then two fascinating documentaries with the directors and subjects participating in Q&A sessions afterward.

This is what film festivals are all about. First, the "secret" screening. There's a special excitement in walking into a theater packed with people who are jazzed about seeing a movie when they don't even know what it will be. It's anticipation of the unknown and it is just plain fun. Sunday's film was excellent (they aren't always) so the place was buzzing afterward too. A great start to the day. Next she went to an archival presentation of Elia Kazan's On the Waterfront. Leonard Bernstein did the score for the film (it was his only film score) and his daughter Jamie introduced the film and did a Q&A afterward. It was great fun to see this wonderful old film on the big screen, and to focus a bit more on the score and the role it played in the experience of the film. Next was Marwencol, a documentary about a man who, after a terrible beating resulting in serious brain damage, started on an art project (a kind of do-it-yourself art therapy) that has become his life's work. The director was on hand to answer questions afterwards, and the subject (who doesn't travel) consented to be available by phone to answer audience questions. The audience took him up on it. The last film of the day was The Topp Twins, a documentary TVOR has raved about previously. The Topps were there to present the film, and they answered questions, sang, and yodelled. You really can't ask for more.

So that's what a film festival is all about. Yes, it's the movies. In the dark, on the big screen, watching with your fellow humans. But it's also the extras that make up the experience--the film guests and their interaction with the audience, and then the audience interacting among itself.

All that was one day. In the last few days, there has been even more variety, from the outrageous to the hilarious to the quietly affecting.

Cane Toads: The Conquest--in 3D--Sadly, there was only one screening of this documentary at SIFF. TVOR was lucky enough to be there, and she was amazed and amused by this cautionary tale about the perils of introducing species into new parts of the world. The toads are prolific and on the move, and the humans (and other animals) who encounter them are hilarious. Really. The 3D is the icing on the cake. If anyone ever offers you a chance to see a documentary about cane toads in 3D, run, don't walk to the theater and put on your glasses. Even if you're thinking "Huh?" or "I'm not really interested in cane toads.", do it. You will find out that you are interested. And you'll think twice about messing with Mother Nature.

Stolen--Sometimes filmmakers start out making a documentary, and then their plans get hijacked by reality. What started out as a documentary about reuniting families in a refugee camp in North Africa ends up being about something far less happy--modern slavery. Fascinating.

Mao's Last Dancer--Bruce Beresford directed this true story of a young Chinese boy who is taken from his family as a child in the 80's to be trained as a ballet dancer. A crowd-pleaser.

Hideaway--Francois Ozon's latest, a good but not great film about the aftermath of a junkie's death and its affect on his pregnant girlfriend and his brother.

Beautiful Darling: The Life and Times of Candy Darling, Andy Warhol Superstar--a portrait of Candy and the whole Warhol scene, the story of a person who created a persona to find herself.

Farewell--an entertaining French cold war spy film with excellent performances by film directors Emir Kusturica and Guillaume Canet.

OK, now it's time for more movies.

SIFF updates/TVOR tweets!

2010-05-27T11:09:00.000-07:00

5/27

TVOR, not the most technologically savvy person in the world, accomplished several amazing things in the past few days. She succeeded in: 1) setting up an account on Twitter, 2) tweeting successfully, and 3) linking her Twitter feed to her blog. She is very proud. She learned many things in this endeavor, among them that tweet is both a noun and a verb. The purpose of this exercise is to provide quick updates when she doesn't have the time or the bandwidth to do a blog update, not to give anyone a minute-by-minute account of TVOR's day. Frankly, it's just not that interesting. The Twitter updates show up on the right side of the blog page.

Now for some updates:

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work--fascinating and funny documentary about a comedy icon. If you're a fan, you need to see this film. If you're not a fan, you'll probably become one when you see it.

The Oath--excellent documentary about two brothers-in-law who both worked for Osama bin Laden and ended up in radically different situations. See it.

Imani--a portrait of a group of varied characters over the course of a day in contemporary Uganda. Very good, definitely worth seeing.

Me Too--this Spanish film telling the story of a guy with Down Syndrome falling in love with a "normal" woman sounded like it would be pretty bad, but TVOR was pleasantly surprised. It's actually very good, with interesting, well-developed characters doing and talking about interesting things. See it. Really.

Farsan--a slight but sweet Swedish multicultural comedy.

Like You Know It All--if you have any illusions about film directors, you can put them aside now. This film from Korean director Hong Sang-soo has his protagonist, a critically acclaimed but financially unsuccessful film director, behaving badly in various parts of his home country. Quite funny.

The Actresses--a mockumentary about a group of Korean actresses getting together for a photo shoot. There are lots of in-jokes which non-Koreans probably won't get, but it's still pretty entertaining.

Cairo Time--Patricia Clarkson is wasted in this very pretty film as she spends time in Egypt behaving like an idiot. She has a bad case of Stupid Tourist Syndrome, compounded by an underlying condition of basic dumbness. But that's just TVOR's opinion.

Some Days Are Better Than Others--northwest indie (from Portland) about young people searching. For whatever. You've seen much better, you've seen worse.

Night Catches Us--former Black Panthers in Philadelphia in the 70's. Some very good actors (Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington, Jamie Hector, Wendell Pierce) are caught in a not-so-good movie. It's not terrible, but it could have been so much better.

Brotherhood--well-made Danish movie with a somewhat ridiculous premise. Make a note: if you're self-hating homosexuals engaged in a passionate affair, it's probably best not to spend all your time with gay-bashing neo-Nazis. Just a thought.

Now, TVOR is off to the movies.

A quick update from SIFF--and a few video suggestions

2010-05-23T00:47:00.000-07:00

5/23/10

Ah, variety. Film festivals have a lot of it. TVOR started the third day of SIFF with a fine family-friendly film and ended it with the latest by the Duplass brothers, the makers of The Puffy Chair (truly a great title and pretty good movie) and Baghead. And here's what she saw--all films have at least one more festival screening.

From Time to Time--Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, and that cute kid from Millions in a British film appropriate for grade school kids that their parents can enjoy too. Most of the action takes place in the waning days of World War II, with occasional forays back a century or so courtesy of some mostly benevolent ghosts.

The Robber--A well-done Austrian film about a guy equally dedicated to marathon running and bank robbing. It's all about the endorphins, TVOR supposes. Based on a true story.

Cyrus--An appealing American indie from the Duplass brothers about the perils of dating people with adult children who won't leave home. John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, Catherine Keener, and Jonah Hill are in it.

Video notes:

If you're not in Seattle, or don't want to leave the house, here are some of the better movies of 2009 now available on video--a veritable potpourri of cinema. You probably know of or have seen most of them, but there might be a new idea or two.

Crazy Heart
The Young Victoria
An Education
Bright Star
The Messenger
The Informant!
District 9
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
Up in the Air
A Serious Man
Precious etc.

The long silence ends

2010-05-22T00:34:00.000-07:00

5/22/10

TVOR has really dropped the ball these past few months. She did attend the Sundance and Palm Springs festivals--and saw tons of movies--but decided to wait until people might actually have a chance to see them before posting her comments. In retrospect, perhaps that was not the best plan. She did see a few interesting films in her local theaters, especially A Prophet and Mother, but all in all, it was a less than inspiring winter for moviegoers.

Now it is time for the silence to end. The Seattle International Film Festival, TVOR's hometown extravaganza, opened on May 20th, and her movie-going life as well as her blogging frequency will be picking up. If you're not in Seattle, she apologizes, but don't worry. A number of these films will get released at some point, and many will eventually make their way to DVD.

TVOR's first full day of the festival had a couple of gems in it, and she recommends seeing these in later screenings:

Castaway on the Moon--see it, see it, see it. Sweet and wonderful.

Soul Kitchen--another good Fatih Akin film (and TVOR does like her Fatih Akin films), lighter than his past two, a comedy with some heart.

Because of her festival travels and some time spent in SIFF press screenings, TVOR saw a number of SIFF films before the festival started. Here, briefly, is her take on them, in no particular order (sorry about that):

Bilal’s Stand
Done on a very low budget and a little rough around the edges, this family/coming of age story has a lot of heart, clever graphics, and is a nice little flick. Made by a very young filmmaker, who substituted creativity and community involvement for dollars.

Bran Nue Dae
Australian musical that may make you want to be an aborigine. Entertaining but not spectacular.

Double Take
TVOR missed this at Sundance but caught a good chunk of it at a gallery in New York last year. It was enough to convince her to see it in its entirety at SIFF.

The Dry Land
Ernest, pretty well put-together and acted, but not great movie about Iraq war veterans.

I Am Love
Beautiful, but there’s no there there. Even Tilda Swinton can’t make this film interesting. To be fair, though, a lot of people liked this film, so maybe it’s just TVOR.

Nowhere Boy
Polished, well-done biopic about John Lennon’s early years with wonderful performances by Kristin Scott Thomas and Anne-Marie Duff.

Restrepo
The closest you’re likely to get to life in a U.S. Army unit in Afghanistan. Very powerful, see it.

Winter’s Bone
Very good—definitely one to see, a highlight of my Sundance.

Undertow
Beautifully filmed, it doesn’t entirely work, but sort of does. Interesting idea.

My Year Without Sex
Not as good as this director’s earlier film Look Both Ways, TVOR still liked this one.

Mugabe and the White African
Perhaps not the best-made film, but definitely one to see. Fascinating subject matter.

Reverse
This was one of TVOR’s favorites at Palm Springs. You don’t really know where you’re going until you’re there. Great final scene, with wonderful use of music.

Altiplano
Beautiful, but not really TVOR’s style.

I Killed My Mother
Very good first feature by a young French Canadian filmmaker who wrote, directed and starred in it.

The Topp Twins
A must see! And the actual twins will be at SIFF! A film for everybody—gay, straight, male, female, yodelers and non-yodelers.

Hipsters
This Russian musical is a feast for the eyes and a total hoot.

The French Kissers
Kids being kids in France. Well done, but it made TVOR glad she doesn’t have to be young again.

Excited
Way better than it sounds, TVOR actually liked this one. The people in it are intelligent!

Letters to Father Jacob
Pretty predictable, but less goopy than you might fear.

The Concert
TVOR supposes that this one is uplifting, but she found it so preposterous she couldn’t get into the film at all.

Skeletons
Prepare to be confused for a while as you sort out what’s going on, but if you’re like TVOR, you’ll enjoy the way it plays out.

Amer
No, no, no. A very long 75 minutes, an homage to/parody of a genre of film TVOR has no intention of ever seeing an actual example of.

When We Leave
Very powerful story of a woman caught between two cultures. Flawed, but worth seeing.

Skateland
American youth in the early 80’s. TVOR didn’t think this was very well done and didn’t really care about anybody in it. Bad hair, clothing, and music were heavily featured, of course.

Ondine
TVOR had hoped for more from Neil Jordan but it was not to be.

Countdown to Zero
Nothing new here.

Southern District
This is definitely worth seeing, a wonderful Bolivian film (and how many of those have you seen?). It’s about class and race and social change and human beings.

December is movie month

2009-12-04T12:12:00.000-08:00

12/4/07

Ah, December. The holiday season is in full swing, and now that you're getting really busy, there are actually some movies you might want to go to in your very scarce free time--everything from quality films seeking award attention to holiday blockbuster wanna-bes to kiddie films. So don't fight it, go to the movies.

An Education
Directed by Lone Sherfig

See this film! It's a coming of age story about Jenny (Carey Mulligan), a young girl in the in early 60's England. Her family is focused on getting her into Oxford (mostly so she can marry well) and she is focused on growing up as quickly as possible. An older man (Peter Sarsgaard), who is appealing to Jenny but pretty obviously bad news, enters the scene. That's not an original situation, but the film has interesting and complex characters who live in a real world and do not behave in predictable ways. The performances are universally good, and the script (by Nick Hornby) and direction by Lone Sherfig are just right.

Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
Directed by Lee Daniels

Here's another of those movies that falls into the "quality" category. And it is good. There's been a lot of discussion about exactly how good--it has passionate defenders and detractors--but it's definitely worth seeing. Precious (TVOR will dispense with the rest of the title at this point) tells the story of an African American teenaged girl who has about the worst life imaginable, and how a few folks try to help things get better for her. Beyond that, TVOR won't say too much. No matter what your opinion of the film (TVOR thought it was good, not great) you would probably agree that the performances were excellent. Gabourey Sidebe, as Precious, works with an unlikely group of performers in supporting roles, people like Mo'Nique, Lenny Kravitz, and Mariah Carey(!). Mo'Nique, in fact, does Oscar-worthy work. It's tough to watch at times, although considering the subject matter, that's not surprising. It was sad, but not one of those depressing films that you crawl out of in a funk.

The Messenger
Directed and co-written by Oren Moverman

This is a war movie. Not one that takes the viewer into a war zone, but one that deals with some of the aftermath of war. The two central characters, played by Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson, are soldiers whose job it is to inform the next of kin when their soldier/family members are killed. There are firm rules for doing this. TVOR won't say too much about the film, other than that it's very well done, with excellent performances. Samantha Morton and Steve Buscemi are among the supporting cast. Obviously it's a tough subject--but it's a good film.

2012
Directed and co-written by Roland Emmerich

In case you hadn't heard, the world will come to an end on December 21, 2012. In telling us all about it, corporate Hollywood demonstrates what it does very well (spectacle and devastation) and what is does very badly (credible characters in a credible story uttering credible dialog). But you can't have everything. You'd think, with all the money being spent, that you could, but you can't.

In this film, as noted above, the world is coming to an end. The reasons aren't worth articulating here, even if TVOR could, which she can't. As required by the disaster movie handbook, there is a group of people we're supposed to care about, trying to survive. As also required, some will not survive, although we know they are expendable from the moment we meet them, so it doesn't really matter. Also taken from the handbook, there are gobs of people who won't survive, but we don't know them, so we don't have to be bothered about that either. The movie consists of all of the characters uttering absolutely ridiculous dialog, behaving in idiotic ways (except for the people who don't survive, who tend to be more reasonable) and and things blowing up, falling down, sinking, burning, shaking, or otherwise being destroyed. This movie goes the extra distance by having some decent actors (John Cusack, Woody Harrelson, Oliver Platt, Chiwetel Eljiofor, etc.) uttering the ridiculous dialog and doing the idiotic things.

If you like silly disaster movies, this one is for you. As the genre goes, it's fairly well done, and its excess is part of what works in the film. Billions of people die. Stuff is destroyed. What good fun!

Inglourious Basterds
Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino

This one may still be floating around in a second-run theater near you, so TVOR will write a bit about it. She has very conflicted thoughts on this one. First of all, she's a stickler for spelling and grammar, so the title makes her cringe. It's an homage to an earlier film, as are many other bits of this movie. Unless you're a real cinephile, you won't pick up on all the references--TVOR certainly didn't. Tarantino has made an absurd, cartoonish, offensive, history-manipulating oddity which is sometimes entertaining in kind of an icky way and just plain weird. The question is, what exactly is this film, other than a strange thing made by a clever and talented bad boy who loves movies? TVOR doesn't insist on films being serious--she likes a good silly flick from time to time--but it does seem that if you're making a World War II film with killing going on, it's not a bad idea to actually have an idea. Maybe it's buried in there somewhere, but if so, she missed it.

Bright Star
Written and directed by Jane Campion

This film may also still be hanging around in the discount theaters, and if you can find it playing somewhere, go see it. It tells the story of the poet John Keats and his love affair with Fanny Brawne, a seamstress. It's very nicely done, with good performances by Ben Whishaw as Keats, and especially Abbie Cornish as Fanny and Paul Schneider as Keats' friend and patron.

The Maid
Written and directed by Sebastian Silva

TVOR saw this Chilean film at SIFF 2009 and is glad to see it's getting released in the U.S. If it comes to a theater near you, it's definitely worth checking out. It tells the story of a maid who has worked for a family for years, and her complicated relationship with them and with her world in general. You don't know where this one is going until you finish the ride, and it's worth it.

Video notes:

Humpday
Yay! Humpday is out on video! TVOR thought Lynn Shelton's story about two straight guys attempting to make a gay porn video was a hoot. It manages to be very funny and say a lot about friendship at the same time. And, yes, it's safe to watch.

Il Divo
This Italian film was one of TVOR's faves from SIFF 2009. It tells the story of Giulio Andreotti, the Italian prime minister who reached new heights of teflon, and continues to reach them to this day. The movie is a piece of bravura film making--the visuals, the music, everything. If you know something about Italian politics, it would certainly be helpful, but if you don't, just relax and enjoy the ride.

I've Loved You So Long
This French film is one of those movies TVOR kept meaning to see, but just didn't get around to. Her loss. It's really good. Kristin Scott-Thomas (and yes, she's speaking French) plays a woman released from prison after 15 years. She is to stay with her sister and family and attempt to re-integrate into the world. It's very nicely done, and the actors and filmmakers show us real people behaving like humans. Very refreshing.

Management
This strange little indie comedy flew completely under the radar. Jennifer Aniston and Steve Zahn play an unlikely couple--unlikely partly because the Steve Zahn character is the only one interested in being a couple. It's slight but enjoyable. Woody Harrelson, who seems to make thousands of movies a year, is a lot of fun as Zahn's competition.

Run, Fat Boy, Run
TVOR would just like to warn you about this one. You might think because Simon Pegg, who wrote and starred in the highly enjoyable Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, did the same for this movie, that it would be funny and worth seeing. You would be wrong. It is neither of those things.