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So it’s over. No more saying the sponsors in that odd order that they say them in, and no more na-laa-na-la-la-la. Tonight’s films were at the Spirit o’ Texas Theater at the state history museum, and it’s not a great screening location. The film projector needs work, as the picture never came into sharp focus and the sound coming from it warbled a bit. Plus the room is wide and kinda wraps around a stage, which would make it a great performance space.
The penultimate film was “O Jerusalem,” Read the rest of this entry »
So I walked out of a film tonight. I don’t regularly walk out of movies; the Japanese election film at SxSW 2007 sent me out the door after I saw the same scene for the eleventy-seventh time, and then there’s the Russian roulette scene in “The Deer Hunter.” I can’t think of another time; there’s some enjoyment in seeing something bad, plus I don’t like interrupting the rest of the audience with something as disruptive as walking out. I even sat all the way through Read the rest of this entry »
It was a beautiful evening, so I put on my leather jacket (the one in the pic above) for the first time this fall and walked to the Arbor to catch a couple more movies. It’s been so warm that I’d been afraid that I wouldn’t get to be a PIB for this film fest, but it’s so low-key that the costume doesn’t seem necessary.
“The Riddle” was indeed puzzling. It’s always pleasant to see Derek Jacobi, but the last bit doesn’t make sense and wasn’t necessary.
“Mr. Warmth” is about Don Rickles. I don’t care for his humor, but I did enjoy this movie quite a bit. We were the second audience to see it, and the producer was present for Q&A. It seems that it’ll be on HBO in December and released on DVD around then, too, so you’ll probably never get to see it on the big screen with an audience, which is sad. Funny movies are always funnier with a big crowd. But there will be a lot of extras on the DVD, so it’ll be worth it. Read the rest of this entry »
I missed a bunch of the documentary shorts, but enjoyed “Gimme Green.” “Absolute Zero” was just perplexing, and I’m not sure it belonged with documentary shorts.
“Beyond the Pale” was good for a little mockumentary.
Several of the Second City shorts were good, but I liked “The Planning Lady” and “Ovened Bread” best of all.
Sorry to be brief, but I’m exhausted:
“Will Eisner”–good documentary about comics and graphic novels and Jews–Comics and graphic novel aren’t my thing, but this was quite good, especially the emphasis on how so many of the big names in the business were Jewish. It would make an excellent component of a Jewish film festival.
“Juno”–This charming story of a teen pregnancy and adoption simply didn’t feel true. I enjoyed it, but never suspended disbelief enough to really care one way or another. Sitcom-smart people just don’t sit well with me, I guess.
“Lars and the Real Girl“–opening soon nationwide–I walked in totally skeptical, and came out a huge fan. Read the rest of this entry »
