WIFF report #1

WIFF 2011

Well, the buzz can’t last forever. Now with some distance between my 4th straight Wisconsin Film Festival I can appreciate the experience a little bit more. Once again, I had to leave early before I could see my last scheduled movie, How I Ended Last Summer, which could have very well been my favorite of the weekend, because it was set in a unique environment (Russian outback) and seemed to be very atmospheric. But I did see 3 documentaries, 5 narrative films, and a short film showcase. No doubt I reached my goal of seeing as much of a variety as films as possible, but sometimes the filmmaking vision just isn’t there and doesn’t resonate. With 200+ films to choose from (plus a key film that was at the top of my list that sold out immediately), sometimes you just get the bad luck of the draw. But I’m proud of what I saw. When you’re at a museum, you can follow the crowd and look at whatever paintings everyone is admiring, or you can explore some forgotten corners of exhibit halls. When you finally see what works are collected in those less-visited places, you both understand why they aren’t as popular, but also glad you took a look at something less appreciated.

VIVA RIVA!

Starting off my film fest weekend, was my first example of a popular release from “Nollywood”, a Nigerian-based filmmaking industry that churns out movies popular in Africa quickly and cheaply. This is close to the best film of the festival, not because it profoundly moved me, but it delivered a completely unique context and environment spot-on perfectly. Now, if you are familiar with film noir tropes there’s definitely some tangents here that don’t serve a larger story, but definitely serve the gangster film genre. But through this very different filter, you get some interesting surprises, and understanding the larger cultural context adds to a multi-dimensional film-viewing experience as well. You don’t need to be living in Africa to enjoy this, but it’s intriguing to place yourself in the shoes of a Nollywood follower in Africa. What form of escapism does this kind of film provide? What cultural cues and references don’t make sense to my Western sensibilities? What elements from cinematic traditions, both old and new, influence how this story is told? All of those things and more add something deeper to this movie, even though on the surface it’s a very basic (maybe even basic-cable TV movie caliber) tale of a gas smuggler, the rival gang that is pursuing him, and the fallout brought down upon the eccentric characters that assist the protagonist. A lot of fun.

MARWENCOL

After rushing from Rockford to get top my first movie on time (I didn’t take any early time off), I had this film at 10:30pm, and I can conclude that most of my thoughts towards it are probably influenced by how late it was, and how it was distinctly not a type of movie that should air this late. A lot of the WIFF 10:30pm-11:00pm shows have a lot of off-kilter midnight movie elements. This is definitely offbeat but it’s portrayed so patiently and brightly that it is incredibly hard to concentrate, especially when something trashy, energized, and dark is what you’re looking for when you are trying to stay awake. In fact reverse the order of my film schedule for this Friday night, and I think I might have enjoyed both better.

Nonetheless, this documentary is an interesting character study of a eccentric fellow who was savagely beaten and suffered brain damage. Already an eccentric alcoholic, the injury caused him to develop a form of art therapy where he built a model World War II - era European town in his backyard, with dolls and figurines designed to represent real people in his life. There's nothing much beyond an interesting window into mental illness, and I think without something broader or even weirder it wasn't as engaging as I thought it would be.

THE BLOB / WALKER / STAGE DOOR / IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT

Recap of WIFF 2010 is being written, but I don't want to fall behind, so a quick recap of my film watching since the cinematic adventure at the beginning of the month up in Dairyland.

An important complication to my viewing habits is due to the Playstation Network being down since Wednesday. Apparently Netflix instant is still supposed to work, but not on my TV. And, no I will not watch movies on my computer if I don't have to.

THE BLOB (1958)

Criterion #91

Via Fearnet on Comcast-on-Demand, I got to see a horror classic and feel important by seeing a Criterion Collection film as well! Very low budget, and a pretty short film, with plenty of padding to build up to the few shots of the monster doing its thing. You almost need this as an absolute basic form of training to appreciate all the episodes of MST3k. Growing up with that show, The Blob seems like the purest essence of cheap monster movies.

WALKER (1987)

Criterion #423

An underground "punk" director makes a controversial politicized movie about a white mid-19th century central American dictator, and with the subtlety of a sledgehammer ties the story to the covert American war against the democratically-elected government in Nicaragua. This film definitely comes from a unique place... there's a gory goofball feeling in one second and heavy duty moralizing in the next.

STAGE DOOR (1937)

Oscar Nominee - Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress

I make a little note of all the Oscar award winning movies available for free on Comcast On Demand. This was one I decided to see pretty impulsively when the Netflix Instant wasn't working on the PS3. I was pretty mesmerized by how such and old, old, film could have a lot of resonance. The performances were stellar at a time where perfect delivery and timing were absolutely essential above all else in making a film work. All the overlapping dialogue and barbs between the characters must have been rehearsed to a tilt. And Katherine Hepburn is so otherwordly in this, as she is in everything I've seen. How such an independent, actively non-feminine persona could exist in those archaic sexist times is so interesting.

IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (1967)

Oscar Winner - Best Picture, Best Actor, a LOT more

Pretty solid and high quality, with the air of the kind of straightforward picture that is likely to win the Best Picture award any given year. Not to dismiss the fact that this movie must have hit viewers pretty sharply at the height of the Civil Rights era. Sidney Poiter is almost a little too stoic in his performance, but he breaks his stature at just the right moments to make the film tense up. Rod Steiger, as the Sheriff, also let's very little of us inside. There's just a few scenes where we get a little less distance between these two character's worlds. If the goal was just to represent the briefest glimpse the North and South could have of mutual understanding, than the film served that purposely near perfectly. I felt like the film could have really built some more constructive characterizations and relationships however.

THE BEST FILM OF 2010

BLACK SWAN

So it has finally come to this. I have only done this 3-4 times, but by the time I get to writing about my favorite film of the previous year, it's hard to sink my teeth into writing a lot about my ultimate annual cinematic experience. Maybe, as I've tried to make a habit of this movie criticism to keep up my writing, I'm finding the topic of what DOESN'T work in a film more engaging. Could it be a troubling sign of my overall pessimistic attitude that if I can't discuss something that is imperfect about a movie, then I can't say anything at all? I'd rather chalk it up to review fatigue.

I will say that I was very excited about this film, and I had a nagging thought that it wouldn't come up to a theater in Rockford. That's why I scheduled an early Friday afternoon off so I could make it down to Chicago to see Black Swan before I went to a later engagement that evening in the City. That awesome poster symbolized the enormous leg up this film would already have in my year-end top 10 list. The simple elegant shot of the star ballerina transformed, looking sinister or tortured or self-aware signaled something incredible, surreal, dark, and powerful. If you know Darren Aronofsky's work (Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, and The Wrestler), you might have anticipated how this film would be, but that poster image convinced the believers that this was going to be really great.

All of this director's previous movies not only had a atmosphere that matched their story , but also a technique and momentum that fit the distinct bold vision of each movie. The gritty trailer-park feel of The Wrestler was a far cry from the sci-fi twists of The Fountain, while Pi and Requiem for a Dream used disorienting edits and cuts to give someone a visceral sensation of what these drug-addled characters were experiencing.

The story of a struggling artist destroying himself/herself for that perfect creative moment has been done before, but after watching Black Swan I was convinced that only this particular filmmaker could tell that story so perfectly with the exact blend of style and substance. I also believe the story was well-grounded and approachable, but with a true fantasy and surreallistic element that harnessed the director's proven character work (exemplified by Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler) to the twisted cinematic visions of his first films.

For a director obsessive like myself, it’s hard to say that Black Swan is the ultimate culmination of Arronosfky’s style. But I do think my enthusiasm before, during, and after viewing Black Swan represents that anticipation for a masterwork that comes with a director who has earned a reputation for quality filmmaking. Unlike the slightly off elements of Tarantino's Ingluorious Basterds, I was completely satisfied with Black Swan. I trust this director with nearly anytihng now, because after building a respectable body of work and a distinct style that always serves the story, I know that he is going to offer an intense interpretation of any script he's given.

I'll begin my recap of this month's Wisconsin Film Festival soon!

#2 FILM OF 2010

TERRIBLY HAPPY

Can a film be perfectly executed, yet not really be about some larger theme, and remain one of my favorite film experiences of the year? That's the question that comes to mind when I decided that I thoroughly enjoyed this Danish neo-noir, the final film of my run of excellent cinema that I viewed at the Wisconsin Film Festival last year. Ultimately, I determined that the much highly regarded, and much wider released, acclaimed films (even the quirky ones like Scott Pilgrim) had just enough shortcomings to be placed a slight notch below this strange and more obscure treasure. It's probably this film's own unique scope and viewing setting (Madison's Orpheum theatre) that gave it those special qualities that it might otherwise lack if I saw it at the local multiplex.

What can I tell you about how it exactly affected me? Well, I had been familiar with Danish cinema for a while, seeing a few selections at previous WIFFs, along with Lars Von Trier films, so I was expected something bleak. But I hadn't seen a Danish film with quite the sensibility as this. There were twisted David Lynchian elements, but the weirdness served the setting. There was a distinct droll atmosphere but incredible suspense. It was expressed with the perfect mix of style and substance, the combination that pretty much defines why Coen brothers movies are so magnificent.

Right now, I'm shaking off the disappointment of this past year's WIFF. While every movie had something unique, they came up short because there were parts that didn't gel together, that reminded the viewer that while what you are seeing is no doubt quality work, it's a little rough around the edges. Those imperfections no doubt took me out of the film watching experience (that and massive film fest fatigue). In contrast, it has been over a year since I saw Terribly Happy (available right now on Netflix Instant!) yet I distinctly remember being compelled from beginning to end. As my 2010 film fest capstone it had a sly attitude (and a film fest audience that was in on the joke) and it was the perfect balance between the type of filmmaking that is mischievous, the types that are charged with a grab bag of odd characters, and the types that are just beautiful to watch. The movie didn't really offer anything profound about the universal human condition, other than the ability of movies to truly surprise and satisfy you by telling stories in a distinct ireplicable way.

#1... what is it???? Maybe I'll over my 2011 WIFF films first. who knows?

Of course there are movies

So, as you are aware, I have yet to announce my two favorite movies of that distance past year of 2010.

This weekend, I also saw 8 movies as part of the Wisconsin Film Festival of 2011.

So there are a lot of bases to cover, and I will need to decide how to cover all of them. Stay tuned...