It's SIFF time, and here's a quick rundown on the first 18 films that have been screened in the last week and a half for the press and pass holders. The Film Festival begins May 15, and GUIDES are available around town and on line. Anything rated B- and higher is certainly recommended---any lower, then see it at your own risk. I've listed these films in order of my preference, and left off the pluses or minuses
GRADE A
THE CASE AGAINST 8 is a high quality HBO documentary about the five year struggle to overturn California's Proposition 8--it would declare unmarried those same sex couples that had been legally married during the year prior. I thought I knew this story, but some facts astounded me and there are some powerfully moving moments.
LUCKY THEM is the best film yet by local director Megan Griffiths (EDEN 2012, OFF HOURS 2011) and highlights a sexy, rainy Seattle location and sparkling and witty acting by Toni Collette, Thomas Hayden Church and Oliver Platt. Added bonus---it's disarmingly funny, too.
GRADE B
OBVIOUS CHILD is a quirky, humorous and ultimately lovable story about a struggling stand up comedian who gets dumped by her BF, loses her job, and becomes pregnant--all just before Valentine's Day. Jenny Slate plays the lewd comedian with a forceful comedic flair.
I AM BIG BIRD: the CAROLL SPINNEY STORY--Perhaps he's not the most dynamic puppeteer to get national attention, yet this sweet, skillful documentary is classy, informative. joyful and most moving at times.
#CHICAGOGIRL: SOCIAL NETWORK TAKES ON A DICTATOR--Who knew that a 19 year old girl could coordinated months of dangerous political protesting in Syria from behind her computer in her Chicago home? It's an astonishing documentary.
DAMNATION--Smart beautiful documentary on the need to get rid of most of the US's 20000 plus dams. My only minor complaint--it's almost too ambitious as it covers over 20 specific dams , instead of focusing on just a handful.
SKELETON TWINS---Saturday Night's Bill Hader and Kristen Wigg are sensational as suicidal siblings struggling to rebuild their estranged relationship in this entertaining comedy-drama. You can't miss the very fine lip sinc scene.
GARDEN LOVERS---From Finland comes a strong documentary about various couples who love to show off their gardens, their naked bodies, and spout about what love and relationships mean to them. It's the typical, lovely "Film Festival" film.
ZIP AND ZAP AND THE MARBLE GANG. Mix up GOONIES, and HARRY POTTER (minus the special effects magic) and add in some substantial Art and Set design, and a clever plot, and you get this way better than average young adult adventure from Spain.
THE SIGNAL is an intriguing art-house science fiction with a terrific set up and premise, but it never quite takes off to that higher level that we want it to, due to a protracted chase ending. Still, the actors and direction are fine. Maybe the sequel will give us more......
BALLET 422 is a bare bones documentary that is both fascinating as it explores the creative mind, and frustrating in the absence of plot or details. A young dancer is given the opportunity to create a totally new dance for the company, and he does ultimately succeed, but most of the time he looks like a deer caught in the headlights.
BORGMAN--We enter "midnight film" territory here, but the plotting is so bizarre and absurd that this portrait of human evil lacks logical progression. It is consistently interesting to watch, but ultimately ends up in the WTF! category.
GRADE C
HELLION is well acted by Aaron Paul and Juliette Lewis and several kids. This story of a troubled teen and his broken family feels raw and real, but is sabotaged by a consistently annoying hand held camera. It that doesn't bother you, check it out, as I'd rate it higher if the camera work wasn't so obnoxious.
DEAR WHITE PEOPLE is another close call for me. Set on a college campus, this racial dramatic comedy is an ALMOST--but leisurely paced film needs better script and faster pacing. NEXT TIME!
40 DAYS OF SILENCE---Loooonnnnnggg takes, dark scenes impossible to make out, and obtuse themes frustrated me, but some in audience felt entitled to fill in a lot of blanks that are NOT in the script. Set in small Uzbek village, main character has no dialogue, and what little there is is ambiguous.
MOOD INDIGO--Witty, clever and bizarre surreal scenes ultimately become tiresome and there's very little to connect to in this slightly plotted romance from France. For some, the visuals may be enough.
THE CONGRESS--Half live action, half animation, this science fiction film based on an early 1970's novel feels dated with themes of actors giving their souls to the studio heads, and the possibilities of psychedelic drugs to reach different planes of your mind, etc. The pacing is slow, the plot feels half backed and the lead character, played by Robin Wright, is so passive you want to reach out and slap her.
CLOWNWISE--Dull and talky, and I can't get into clown shtick (with the exception of SEND IN THE CLOWNS) so I walked out after 45 uneventful minutes.
Watched on DVD
Hard to believe I had the time, but I did catch up with writer/director Paul Schrader's THE WALKER (2006) and found it very interesting. The plot involves an aging gay gigolo ("a walker") who spends his time with elderly married women, escorting them to social and entertainment events when their husbands are unavailable. He seems to balance their friendships well--they all know about him and they know each other, too, and no one seems jealous. (And he makes some money off them too) . When one of his women friends seems implicated in a political murder (the story is set in Washington DC) he tries to cover for her, and ends up implicated in her place. It was fascinating to see a modern film set around a totally gay character (played well by Woody Harrelson) and there are many scenes showing prejudice, and how hurtful people can become towards gays in particular, with slurs and insinuations and downright bigotry. (So many gay characters are in supporting roles, or in comedies. or period pieces. This one felt "fresher" and more organic.) Kristin Scott Thomas, Lauren Bacall, Lily Tomlin, Ned Beatty and Moritz Blibtreu head a fine cast. Schrader's career has had ups and downs, (AFFLICTION 1997, AMERICAN GIGOLO 1980, CAT PEOPLE 1982) plus he wrote the screenplays for RAGING BULL, among others classics, so he certainly knows what buttons to push to keep you fascinated. GRADE------B
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