Monday, May 27, 2013

SIFF over MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND: STILL MINE and LADY IN PARIS shine!!!! KALPANA retro dynamic.

Due to time constraints, I didn't get to see all the films I'd hoped to see.  Here's what I saw over the long weekend......


It wasn't on my radar, but I thought I'd spend the day Saturday at the Egyptian, so I started with ATRACO! from Spain and Argentina.  Set in 1955, the convoluted plot of the phony robbery of Eva Peron's famous jewels, which ends tragically, proved to be a delightful surprise.  The sets and costumes were wonderfully atmospheric, and the comic film has style to spare as it roars through it's paces.  A lovely entertainment.    GRADE---B+

Apparently, according to SIFF, if the film that comes after ATRACO! is going to be a sell out, and you want to see it, you must LEAVE ATRACO! sometime before the end, get yourself a  QUEUE card for the next film--in this case TOUCHY FEELY, a local production by Lynn Shelton who has a big following in the Northwest---and then go back to your seat to finish watching ATRACO!  I think that is a rude and obnoxious thing for movie goers whether they want to stay for the next film or not.  I didn't get out of ATRACO! in time for a queue card, so I wasn't allowed back in the theater, even though I'd arrived at 1045am to see ATRACO! and hopefully TOUCHY FEELY, which was slated to start at 1:30pm.  The buzz from full series passholders was definitely negative as people were leaving TF--a group of five women all really disliked it, but of course there were two others that liked it, with reservations.  I doubt I will see it at all with buzz like that, and an experience like that leaves a bad taste in my mouth towards wanting to see the film in general.

SING ME THE SONGS THAT SAY I LOVE YOU is a concert film tribute to the late singer/song writer Kate McGarrigle, featuring excellent performances by her children Rufus and Martha Wainwright, as well as Antony, Norah Jones, Emily Lou Harris and others.  It's very moving and a bit maudlin at times, as the emotions took over, especially with Rufus, who still managed to sound terrific.  But they need to get a better camera person.  A couple of years ago, the McGarrigle's recorded a wonderful DVD of seasonal and Christmas songs called A NOT SO SILENT NIGHT (2009), and I think the same camera person did that film too.  While I'm a big fan of their voices and music, the camera work is poor--giggly, sometimes out of focus, and awkwardly placed.  In SING ME THE SONGS,  many of the shots were from below the singer, and the microphones blocked their faces.  Sometimes the camera was filming people on stage who were not even singing.  In the case of Norah Jones, the camera was filming Rufus' tears and we got precious little views of Nora Jones beautiful rendition of MENDOCINO.     GRADE----B-

DRUG WAR is director Johnnie To's newest high energy police thriller.  The film is non stop action from beginning to end, and it is entertaining to watch, but it feels very familiar, and it is hard to care about any of the characters since they can ALL be described as  "RUTHLESS" and "DRIVEN."  (Cops and drug lords alike.)   Caution:  SPOILER ALERT ahead.   Fortunately, EVERY ONE dies at the end, sparing us another generic sequel.     GRADE------B-

The biggest treat of the weekend for me was STILL MINE, a Canadian film that got some great buzz from an earlier screening.  A radiant Genevieve Bujold, who looks fantastic with out plastic surgery, and the ever reliable James Cromwell play a long married couple in their 80's struggling to stay together in spite of meddlesome but well meaning adult children, dementia and old age ailments, and obstructions regarding a new single level home they are trying to build.  Moving and insightful.     GRADE------A-

IN A WORLD.....takes us into the realm of the voice over (or commercial narration) industry, and was surprisingly witty and amusingly acted by writer/directer Lake Bell, who plays a neurotic character (not unlike you'd find in a Woody Allen film) who struggles to establish herself in an industry where her father and her lover are sexist and her worst competition.  Very likable and a smart comedy.   GRADE-----B

A film from Rwanda is a novelty, but THE PARDON is by a first time director who needs more practice and money.  I've seen a couple films about the genocide, but this film had such bad actors, poor sound, awkward camera work and unsubtle themes that I lost patience after 55 minutes and walked out of the theatre.      GRADE------D+

THE FIFTH SEASON is a fable about a small town where all the crops fail, the chickens won't lay eggs, the cows won't give milk, etc, and so naturally, suspicion and accusations fly, and tragedy occurs in the end.  It's a lot like a Shirley Jackson story, with lots of themes about mob mentality and suspicion of those that are not like us.  The film has a clear, deadpan visual style, and is moody and clever, but not totally satisfying due to the coldness of characters and subject matter.    GRADE---B

Timing issues landed me at a fascinating revival film from India called KALPANA (1948), with a great looking print that had been cleaned up by Martin Scorsese's film restoration project.  There is little plot, but lots of inspired and feverish dancing and singing as it tells the story of a dancer who starts a national academy for the arts and finds himself torn between two women.  I found myself mesmerized by the swinging, thrusting, balletic, inventive dancing, and abstract and noirish art and set direction--much like watching the finale of THE RED SHOES.  This film is in glorious and stylish black and white.    GRADE----A-

A LADY IN PARIS centers on a middle aged home care giver from Estonia who ends up working for a very cranky old woman (the fabulous Jeanne Moreau, who also looks great with out plastic surgery!) and they develop a tentative friendship.  The film has some dark moments, and the acid tongued Moreau gives the film an edgier quality that keeps the film from turning into schmaltzy mush.
GRADE------B+


Friday, May 24, 2013

SIFF FILMS from 21 May (TUESDAY) thru 24 May (FRIDAY)

Here in order of viewing are the films I've seen this week.....

GEOGRAPHY CLUB is based on a local writer's young adult book, and it started out feeling like an ABC After School Special, but the technical quality is good, the characters are memorable, and it begins to feel more like an extended episode of GLEE, with out the music, which for those of us who love GLEE,  is a good thing.   A repressed teen joins up with other gay teens to start a gay alliance group in high school for support from repression, hazing and homophobia.   It's witty, insightful and charming.   GRADE------B

INEQUALITY FOR ALL is a US documentary featuring former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich who lays out in plain English how the widening income gap in America is very detrimental to our society.  GRADE------B+

REDEMPTION STREET---set in Belgrade, this want to be thriller about a young investigative lawyer who suddenly gets in over his head, starts out intriguingly enough, but the final half hour rushes through events (practically in a montage of shots) and the film feels like a three hour plot line that was severely edited to fit a 90 minute slot.  Very unsatisfactory by the end.     GRADE-----C-

HALIMA'S PATH---set in the aftermath of the Croatian war, this emotional, thoughtful story involves two young adults from different faiths (Christian and Muslim) who marry, and how 25 years later that union had tragic effects.  The ending is particularly powerful.    GRADE-----A-

IMAGINE has the blind leading (and teaching) the blind, much to the dismay of the school staff, since the new teacher refuses to use a walking stick, putting himself and his students in danger.  Taken from the POV of the blind, the film is intensely fascinating, forcing the viewer to try to imagine what these students are feeling.     GRADE------B+

SHORTSFEST OPENING NIGHT was a half dozen collection of shorts, some just fine, a couple others just terrific, especially the film which contrasted the birth of a Rwanda woman who has the whole village helping her, and the birth of a seemingly alone woman who wants no help at all.  Both women face a dangerous birth process.  Also quite excellent was the short with Emma Thompson portraying the Queen when an intruder awakens her in her Buckingham bedroom, and based on a true story.  Total GRADE average------B+

TERMS AND CONDITIONS MAY APPLY is a frightening documentary about the civil freedoms we give up everyday by using social networks like Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc, since the government and other agencies have apparently total access to what we do on line.     GRADE----B+

TOGETHER---A Chinese film that has absolutely nothing to say, and does so in the most dull and boring fashion that by the time I walked out at the 55 minute mark, nearly half the theatre had beat me out the door.   You've been warned...... GRADE-------D

Locally filmed, SCRAPPER is a dark, jaunty little film with smooth photography and at least two very strong lead actors, concerning a lonely junk metal collector (an excellent Michael Beach) who teams up with an 18 year old girl with a lot of problems, trying to teach her responsibility and job skills to keep her off the streets.     This is a good solid made in Seattle film.  GRADE------B

A BAND CALLED DEATH---Excellent US documentary in the vein of SEARCHING FOR SUGARMAN, featuring the history and rediscovery of the first black punk band who lived in Detroit in the early 1970's.  The characters are very funny, the history is informative, the music is great, even for those who think they may not like this music.  It's a quality documentary.      GRADE----A-

FATAL is a curious Korean film about a young man who feels guilty about a gang rape he participated in 10 years earlier as a student, and when he meets the young woman later in life, becomes obsessed with purging his guilt---by becoming involved with her!!!!!    GRADE---B

OUT IN THE DARK is an engrossing Israeli film about a closeted gay Palestinian student who becomes involved with an out Israeli lawyer.  The film becomes much more about politics than sex, although  sexuality is used against both protagonists in hateful ways.     GRADE-----B+

JIN is a curious, wonderfully photographed Turkish film about a young female freedom fighter living in the mountains, who, when she tries to reenter society, finds life just as hard and cruel, which drives her back into the forest and mountains.  There is a minimum of dialogue, with vivid and mystical views of nature that lend the film a spiritual quality.  Some may find the film too slow, but I found it (and the lyrical musical score) hypnotic.    GRADE------A-

IN THE NAME OF ....is a Polish film with a remarkably charismatic and good looking lead actor named Andrzej Chyra, who stars as a priest to a small community of troubled boys living on a reformatory farm.  He finds himself attracted to an older boy, and a bored woman tries to seduce him.  His faith in his work and in God becomes shaken, and he turns to drink.  The film deals with the problems of modern day priests in the Catholic faith.  One amazing scene has him drunkenly dancing with a large picture of the Pope.   GRADE------B+

JUST LIKE A WOMAN is a poor, poor man's THELMA AND LOUISE, with both characters running from disappointing marriages, with dreams of becoming-------belly dancers!  The leads are lovely women, but the plot is not very convincing, and although it is easy to watch with some lovely scenes set in the Southwest states, the film evaporates after viewing.      GRADE------C+

IN THE FOG is set in Russia in 1942, and deals with reprisals toward a friend that the villagers think has made a deal with the Germans in order to survive a hanging of resistant fighters.  This is filmed in LLLOOOONNNNGGG  SSSLLLOOOWW takes where nothing of great importance is discussed, and there are numerous tracking shots where the camera follows the back of some one's head for several minutes as they trudge through a forest or down a road or searching for food.  If all those shots were cut, the film would be at least 30 minutes shorter, but still no better.  I dozed several times, only to open my eyes and find that the scene had not changed one bit.  SPOILER ALERT----every one boringly dies by the end, and we don't care a bit.      GRADE-------D+ (the plus is for the good looking production values.)

The oddly entertaining Belgium film THE BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN is an uncomfortable mixture of passionate love affair, cancer struggles, Bluegrass music, and marriage on the rocks scenes.  The country/bluegrass music is cheerful enough, and I liked the main characters, but the film becomes such a downer of death and sadness that it could become the saddest film of the year.    GRADE-----B-


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Heading into the long weekend, here are the best bets-----

Dirty Wars,  OUT IN THE DARK,  Paradise Trilogy (Paradise Love, Paradise Faith, Paradise Hope), GEOGRAPHY CLUB, The Spectacular Now, AFTER TILLER, Anita, C.O.G,  The Punk Singer........
I'm looking forward to LAURENCE ANYWAYS, THE WAY WAY BACK, TOUCHY FEELY and SING ME THE SONGS THAT SAY I LOVE YOU


  





Tuesday, May 21, 2013

SIFF!!! WEEK 1 of FESTIVAL SCREENINGS

SIFF is now in full swing.  Here's what I've been viewing.

STORIES WE TELL---Canadian actress/director (AWAY FROM HER) Sarah Polley's newest film is a docudrama about her own family history, which provides more secrets than you can imagine, and they keep coming, right up to the end, in this warm, surprising, intelligent film.     GRADE-----A-

MIDDLETON---a familiar US comedy, with two middle aged parents meeting cute at a college campus (beautifully filmed at Gonzaga University in Washington state) after bringing their respective kids for a "visit the campus/faculty" day, and naturally, they start to fall in love.  Vera Farmiga and Andy Garcia are both charming, and the rest of the cast, including the kids (Farmiga's kid sister plays her daughter) and other staff (including Tom Skerrit and Peter Riegert) all have their moments. If this is your thing, then you will enjoy this film.     GRADE-------B-

Gothic vampire melodrama, BYZANTIUM is British director Neil Jordan's return to the subject matter after a nearly 20 year break (INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE 1994)---in the mean time he has made some great films (END OF THE AFFAIR 1999, MICHAEL COLLINS 1996) and he won a writing OSCAR for THE CRYING GAME 1992.  This new film looks great, and has an unusual twist--the main characters are women, one a perpetual 16 year old virgin and her mother, who was a harlot when she was transformed.  The story is complex and interesting, the effects are creepy, and the production is stylish.  For those interested in such films, BYZANTIUM is a thrill.  GRADE-------B

BEFORE SNOWFALL is a film coming from  Norway and Germany, but telling the story of a young Kurdish Iraqi who is trying to track down his runaway sister, and he plans to kill her because she has "dishonored" his family by avoiding a forced marriage to a rich villager.  As he follows her to Germany and then to Norway, he meets some interesting people and finds love himself.  The film  is suspenseful and intense and the ending--not what you might expect-- is harrowing.     GRADE---B+

INTERIOR. LEATHER BAR is actor James Franco's experimental film about trying to recreate the missing 45 minutes of sex scenes cut from the controversial William Freidkin film CRUISING (1980) which featured Al Pacino as an undercover cop looking for a homosexual serial killer.  This vanity production is trying to make the point that straight people (the actor portraying Pacino is a dead ringer and quite effective in a "deer in the headlights"  situation) have a prejudicial aversion to gay sex and characters.  The film includes sex and nudity and lots of discussion.  The effect is an uneasy mixture of exploitation (his lead is fascinatingly exploited) and "WHAT THE HELL" moments.  Better luck next time, James.       GRADE------C+

KEY OF LIFE from Japan is an amusing comedy of mistaken identity involving a hit man with amnesia, a suicidal unemployed actor, and a woman seeking to get married within her vacation month, but first she has to meet the right man.  It's wacky and clever at times.     GRADE ----B

PIETA is a Korean "extreme" film, very violent and nasty, about a man who works in collections for a loan shark  He  cripples those who cannot pay back loans, so that they get insurance money to then pay him back.  Early in the film a strange woman enters his life claiming to be his mother who deserted him at birth.  She puts up with his hatred and indignities, and slowly he begins to change.
It's a depressing, disgusting film to watch at times, but it's hard to turn away, and will probably linger in my mind for far to long.       GRADE-------B

YELLOW--Director Nick Cassavetes over the top, bizarre film about a far to sexually glamorous substitute teacher who is addicted to pain killers (she's continually popping) and sex (group sex and sex with a dad during parent's night!).  She finally returns to her rural home to confront a cesspool of family problems and insanity situations.  The film breaks into songs, animation, satire, drama, comedy and pathetic mind trips indiscriminately.  It's a messy film, but much like watching a train wreck---hard to look away.      GRADE-------B-

MY DOG KILLER is from Czech Republic.  A day in the miserable life of 18 year old Marek, who has his father and skin head friends all yelling and bossing him around, and his pit bull dog constantly barking, as he goes about his business.  Unfortunately, the camera work is rather busy, and their are long long tracking shots of the back of his head as he walks through a vineyard, or down a street.  If the lazy do nothing shots were removed, this would be a short 15 minute feature.     GRADE---C+

THE PUNK SINGER is a documentary about punk grrll rocker and pioneer Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill, Le Tigre) and it is well made and informative.       GRADE----B

Fine Norwegian film MERCY concerns a tragic accident and how it affects the marriage of the main characters as well as the small town they live in.  Thoughtful and beautifully filmed, but could have used a little trimming in length.    GRADE-----B+

Friday, May 17, 2013

SIFF Screenings---SIFF begins TODAY!!!

In an effort to stay current, I'll try to briefly review all films I'm seeing at SIFF at least twice a week, probably on Mondays and Thursdays. Since many are advance press screenings before appearing on the regular schedule, this might hopefully give SIFF goers a heads up on what to see or avoid.

From Austria comes the intriguing THE WALL, symbolical metaphor for ---life, politics, humanity, God...!!!????  A woman finds she cannot get past an invisible wall in the forest and must learn to live with animals and herself in order to survive.       GRADE-----B+

US documentary FUREVER deals with the lengths that people will go to to keep their pet animals close to them, even after they have died.  These include, but are not limited to Freeze dried, stuffed, mummified, encapsulating DNA in jewelry or art, holograms, and many many other actions.  Mortality and grief are also covered in this occasionally moving, often funny, always lively film about our relationship with our pet dogs and cats.       GRADE-------B

THE SUMMIT tells of the 2008 mountaineering tragedy that claimed the lives of 11 climbers from different countries as they tried to scale K2.  There are interviews, filmed footage and some eerie reenactments of events to tell the harrowing story.  The film raises questions and leaves many of them unanswered.  Still, fascinating viewing.        GRADE------B

AFTER TILLER is a US documentary of life after the murder of Dr. George Tiller, one of only a handful of physicians who continue to perform late term abortions.  It's a controversial, thought provoking, sad documentary, but however you feel on the subject, it is riveting viewing.      GRADE---------A-

ERNEST & CELESTINE is a French animated film, geared for sophisticated children and interested adults, with whimsical, impressionistic anime, lovely music, and a challenging plot having to do with a world where bears live above ground, and mice below, but they learn to tolerate and love each other through the relationship between Ernest a crabby, grumpy bear and the artistic Celestine, a sweet, adventurous mouse who only wants to collect teeth (!) and live her life making Ernest happy.     GRADE---------B

THE AFRICAN CYPHER chronicles a dozen young street dancers from the slums of a South African township who see street dancing as a way out of their struggles.  Lot's of dancing, which is very choreographed and lots of music, but this felt like very familiar stuff.  Twenty years ago in the slums of major US cities, youngsters did their "break dancing" and held similar views of freedom and life--all with the same macho posturing and bloated egos.  See it only if interested.       GRADE----C


------SOOOO, heading into the first weekend, I'd highly recommend the following films, rated B or better------WE STEAL SECRETS: STORY OF WIKILEAKS, 5 DANCES, CONCUSSION, GOLTZIUS and the PELICAN COMPANY, FRANCES HA, DOCH (THE DAUGHTER), and WHAT MAISIE KNEW, and ERNEST & CELESTINE See previous blogs for more details.

Coming this Monday--Thursday, I'd highly suggest the PARADISE trilogy (PARADISE LOVE, PARADISE FAITH and PARADISE HOPE) which play separately TUE, WED and THUR night, respectively, and repeat all in a row starting early next Saturday 5/25.  Also playing mid week are UNA NOCHE and AUGUSTINE. (Again, refer to earlier blogs for more details.)

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Seattle International Film Festival screenings--week 2 and part of 3

SIFF screenings are coming fast and furious.  Here's some films to see or to avoid.  Check the free program guide at box offices or Starbucks for show times and dates.  Thursday 16 May is OPENING NIGHT!

SHORT TERM 12---a very low budget US film about a young woman who counsels at a home for disturbed teens.  She has plenty of problems of her own, but she has a pretty good head and handle on them.  Engrossing and surprisingly well acted, dealing sensitively and intelligently with a variety of issues, mostly abuse and abandonment.        GRADE-----A-

AFTER WINTER, SPRING---French documentary about a year in the life of small farms and the farmers trying to deal with environment issues and modern challenges.    GRADE-----B-

WHAT MAISIE KNEW--US film with amazing performances by the entire cast, especially Julianne Moore and Steve Coogan as self absorbed parents going through a nasty divorce, shuttling their  6 year  old daughter (a fascinating Onata Aprile) insensitively between themselves and various new younger spouses---and this is mostly all from the child's POV!       GRADE-----B+

DIRTY WARS---US documentary about covert wars sponsored by the US government without concern for human rights, featuring investigative reporting by Jeremy Scahill.  Thoughtful, low key and effective.      GRADE-----B+

PIT STOP---Low budget drama of several small town Texas gay men searching for love--it starts slow and dull (probably like life itself) but builds to an effective and moving finale.     GRADE----B-

UNA NOCHE---Lively Cuban film showing relationship between twin brother and sister and the man who comes between them, as they prepare to escape Havana for Miami via the 90 miles of ocean on a raft.   Sexy and easy to watch, though the busy camera work is annoying at times.   GRADE---B

MISTAKEN FOR STRANGERS---Supposedly about a musical tour of the band THE NATIONAL, the film becomes more a vanity production about the film maker brother of the band's lead singer Matt Berninger.  Director Tom Berninger is self indulgent, sometimes incompetent and often annoying, but there's a strange fascination here, especially when the film explores family relationships.  It's a love it or hate it proposition, and I wish it had more music!       GRADE-----C+

LASTING----Feels like an everlasting psycho drama of young love from Poland.  The affair starts out well, but turns to dithering and hysteria and who cares by the end.    GRADE------C

CAMION--French Canadian film is well made, but slow and plodding.  Nap time.     GRADE---C+

FIVE DANCES---Lots of dance and music makes this small indie film palatable--five dancers become involved with each other--centering on a very young male dancer "coming out."  GRADE----B

CONCUSSION--Wealthy, suburban, lesbian housewife becomes a prostitute after a baseball smacks her head.  This is played completely straight (no pun) without any humor or satire.  Watchable, but I was hoping for some satire or comedy or punch.     GRADE-----B

GOLTZIUS AND THE PELICAN COMPANY---Peter Greenaway is up to his old tricks, with eye popping sets, costumes and sexual shenanigans.  Lots and lots of sexual talk and full frontal nudity, enjoyable for  it's audacity and provocative themes and dialogue and photography.   GRADE------B

PAPADOPOULOS & SONS---When a rich business man loses his fortune in a market downturn, he is forced to start over with his eccentric estranged brother in a fish and chips cafe, much to the chagrin  of his three children.  It's supposedly a comedy, but the film turns into a fish out of water drama about learning to love life, and it moves carefully (and slowly) to it's moving conclusion--- likable characters, but not much of a surprise here.        GRADE----B-

YOUTH--Poignant  French film about a young 20 year old girl trying to deal with university, her first love with a new found boy friend, and the impending death of her father.      GRADE-----B-

AIN'T THEM BODIES SAINTS--An odd title for a moody, stylish film about a young woman trying to raise a daughter by herself, while her lover is imprisoned.  Tension mounts when he escapes and tries to contact her.  A good cast (Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Keith Carradine) in a curious film that raises a lot of unanswered questions.      GRADE-----B-

AUGUSTINE--French period drama about a young woman's (sexual)"hysteria" and treatment by doctor in a hospital filled with women, run by all male doctors.  It is a slick production, raising a number of questions and comments afterward.      GRADE----B

THE SPECTACULAR NOW--Modest US film about a good girl who meets up with a bad party boy in high school and they fall in love.  The two leads are excellent (Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley) as is the rest of the cast.  It captures the challenges of a senior year, the expectations and disappointments, and the struggle to live life in your own way without being poorly influenced.   GRADE-------B+

ANITA---Well made US documentary about the shocking Anita Hill vs Clarence Thomas Senate hearings in 1991, and the effect that had on Anita Hill's life and the powerful influence she has had in the discussions of sexual harassment since then.      GRADE------A-

 

Saturday, May 4, 2013

MUD, IRON MAN 3, COMPANY YOU KEEP, ANGELS' SHARE, SOURCE FAMILY, EDEN plus SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SCREENINGS begin

I haven't seen a Matthew McConaughey film for a long time--I've put him in the stack along with Nicholas Cage and John Travolta as actors that really rub me the wrong way, usually having to do with their arrogance and weird energy.  But I did catch up with THE LINCOLN LAWYER a couple years ago and thought that was pretty good.  MUD is a new film by Jeff Nichols, whose previous films include SHOTGUN STORIES and TAKE SHELTER, neither of which I've seen.  I will have to remedy that soon.  McConaughey plays the title character MUD with bad teeth, wild hair, and simple Southern drawl, and the rest of the excellent supporting cast (Sam Shepard, Sarah Paulson, Reese Witherspoon, Michael Shannon, Joe Don Baker, and especially the two young boys Ty Sheridan and Jacob Lofland) really add such fine characterizations that watching this new classic is a thrilling experience.  As the story unfolds (Mud is a killer on the run, trying to hook up with his true love, and becomes involved with the young boys who act as his interns and go-between) you realize that not only is this an original and assured tale, but you cannot really predict what each character is going to do or say from moment to moment, and that adds considerable tension to the drama. As the boys learn about life and adulthood and love the hard way, you can't help but be reminded of  classic films like LIFE OF PI, WIZARD OF OZ, GREAT EXPECTATIONS  and especially TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.       GRADE------A

As a character study of a religious megalomaniac, THE SOURCE FAMILY is a document that is hard to beat.  Set in the hippie-trippie 60's, it tells the true story of a fascinating, charismatic man who starts a free love religion (it's mostly free for him---the other guys get the left overs) but ultimately self destructs with too much power.  It is a very insightful and entertaining film.    GRADE-----B+

I'm very glad that the new Ken Loach film  ANGELS' SHARE came with subtitles, because the film about a troubled youth and his friends trying to get redeemed by studying the subtitles of whiskey making and drinking in and around Glasgow has some really strong dialects and accents to sort through.  It is still a lovely, humorous film, with great spirit and generous themes of friendship.      GRADE-------B

I enjoyed IRON MAN but never bothered with IRON MAN 2 because of very negative comments by friends and critics.  Good news for lovers of the series.  IRON MAN 3 seems to have been revived by last years film THE AVENGERS---this new IM3 is very funny, has a lot of action (although sometimes it didn't make a lot of logical sense) and moves along like a runaway train.  I had fun with it in spite of some serious lapses.  Summer popcorn fun.       GRADE--------B

Filled with great actors keeping it real, THE COMPANY YOU KEEP keeps the tension going as a group of underground student radicals, now in their 60's (including Robert Redford, Susan Sarandon, Julie Christie, Nick Nolte, Sam Elliott, etc., are practically forced out into the public, while a smart ass young news reporter (Shia LeBeouf) indifferently hunts them down, oblivious to the human and political ramifications that each character carries.  It's a thoughtful and well meaning story, and the film has an unusual and reflective quality to it.     GRADE---------B

Locally produced and directed, Megan Griffiths film EDEN is based on a true story of a young Korean-American teen who is kidnapped in Arizona and forced into human sexual trade.  Parts of Washington state were used for Arizona--I didn't notice the difference.  The good thing about this film is the subtle way the action is portrayed, without explicitness or luridity.  The focus is on the characters, and the girl's efforts to escape the corrupt clutches of the small town's big wigs.  Engrossing and thoughtful.       GRADE-------B

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On DVD I watched a four hour British drama called BEHAVING BADLY (1988) with Judi Dench as a middle aged divorcee who starts to change her behavior because she is bored, and takes a younger lover, much to the distress of her adult daughter and ex husband.  Unfortunately, the film is rather dull when it should have been lively and naughty.        GRADE--------C


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The SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (SIFF) screenings began this past week--check the free program guide for scheduled show times.  Here is what to watch for or watch out for.....

Engrossing true story, THE DEEP suffers from mostly being filmed in the fog, at night, in the water--so my eyes were very strained from trying to see what was going on.     GRADE---B-

From filmmaker Noah (SQUID AND THE WHALE)  Baumbach comes a Woody Allenish comedy drama of a 20-something trying to make it in NYC, with the charming Greta Gerwig.  I loved FRANCES HA, but many felt the opposite of me.     GRADE---B+

Documentary lite, filmed using home movies (and we know how much fun those can be....) this film from the 3 White House conspirators captured OUR NIXON, but not very deeply.   There is one great scene where Nixon introduces an innocuous singing group (Ray Conniff Singers???) only to have the lead sing pull out a banner, and berate Nixon for badmouthing Daniel Ellsworth's attempt to
release those damning files, and then they launch into a forgettable tune.    GRADE----C+

A true "festival" film, from Russia, about a sect of women dealing with sex, marriage, and mysticism.  I had no idea some of the time what was going on in CELESTIAL WIVES OF MEADOW MARI, but  it's filmed beautifully and it's so odd and wonderful at times that you don't mind.      GRADE-----A-

I was instantly annoyed by the characters, improvisation, and herky jerky giggly camera work, and that feeling didn't change throughout this story of young hipsters looking for a cactus induced high on the beach. It's called CRYSTAL FAIRY---you've been warned.      GRADE-----D

Irish film JUMP is slick and well acted, but it felt like a poor man's Guy Ritchie film.    GRADE---C+

Russian film THE DAUGHTER (I KORI) is very strong, engrossing film of serial killer in small village.     GRADE------B+

WE STEAL SECRETS: STORY OF WIKILEAKS---a fascinating documentary featuring Wikileaks leader Julian Assange and Army Private Bradley Manning, who released a lot of military secrets.
GRADE-----A-

C.O.G---based on writings from David Sedaris, the film is OK--feels a bit underdeveloped, but still easy to watch and has a few laughs, as "David/Samuel" tries to live the life of an apple picker to gain some knowledge of the simple folk.     GRADE-----B-

***PARADISE: LOVE is the strongest and most controversial of the Ulrich Seidl trilogy, where a middle aged woman goes on vacation to Kenya to become a sex tourist--trying to buy love.    GRADE---B+

***PARADISE: FAITH is another strong entry from Ulrich Seidl, this time a middle aged woman who loves to flagellate in front of the crucifix, finds her faith tested by resistant folks she tries to convert, and then her Muslim husband returns and resists her efforts.  Another controversial film.    GRADE---B+

***PARADISE:  HOPE is the final film in the trilogy, where a younger woman goes to a fat camp and falls for the doctor--it's much more gentle film than the first two.  These films ALL got the conversation going afterwards---- they are love them or hate them, but any film that can get the buzz going has got to have plenty of merits.  These films are all long, and leisurely paced, but they are not exactly dull.      GRADE----B

U.S.A film PUTZEL is trying to be a romantic comedy, but the girl (a charming Melanie Lynskey) ends up having affairs with two not so sympathetic related men, and the laughs are very very dim.  This seemed like a distant remake of the Barbara Striesand film UP ALL NIGHT which I saw recently and enjoyed.  This one, set is a New York Jewish fish emporium deli--not so much.  GRADE---C