Phil attends CINEQUEST 22: Phil interviews FORGETTING THE GIRL director Nate Taylor-March 4, 2012

During the Cinequest Film Festival, audiences can interact with filmmakers, actors, and actresses and really get to know how their films were made. At this year's festival, several filmmakers are present with their films to discuss the the whole movie making process. One of these talented people is Nate Taylor, whose film FORGETTING THE GIRL had it's world premiere this past Friday at the Camera 12. I was fortunate enough to conduct an interview with Taylor this past Sunday night before his next screening of his film.

Phil Castor: Now I saw the film play this past Friday night to a sold out crowd. How did you feel about that? Obviously you been wanting this for a while and your first showing is a sold out crowd. You have to very very happy with that.

Nate Taylor: It was unbelievably fulfilling. We worked many, many years on this film and finally to show it to an audience and have such a reception and have people react so strongly it was just the ultimate validation as an artist and that's the nectar we suckle on to keep going. That why the next project has to be even better cause you want that validation again.

PC: How long was this process? You mentioned at the Friday night screening it took a very long time.

NT: It's been years. I couldn't even track it anymore. It's taken such a long time. It took two and a half years just in post production cause we were hobbling through on nights and on weekends and holidays and whenever we could get a few free moment to try make it happen. It's been a long haul. And hopefully the next one's not going to be quite so long. Two or three years would be great (laughing).

PC: Now what really sold the film was the cast. You had such a fantastic cast. Where did you find these actors? One of them, was of course, Lindsey Beamish from John Cameron Mitchell's film SHORTBUS which actually played here at the Camera 12 years ago.

NT: We were incredibly blessed to have this cast. It was THE perfect cast. I couldn't have done it without these people. We had two amazing casting directors Ann Goulder and Gayle Keller who done REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, HAPPINESS, and WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE. They had a really good track record of cool indie films. Plus Anne Teutschel helped out as well. She was our third Casting Director and she got us Anna Camp. We spent a couple of months bringing in the coolest indie actors you can think of and did a bunch of call back, matched them up with one another, spent a lot of time working with them, making sure their listening to each other and sort of then said "OK I guess we're gonna go with these." (laughing) There were a lot of good one to choose from so it was hard, except for Christopher Denham (Kevin). He came out like a bolt of lightening. I've never seen anything like it. He has this magic in him that I was like, "I need that guy."

PC: How long was the actual film schedule?

NT: It was a really brutal. We shot the whole film in eighteen days so it was five and a quarter pages a day, blazing at twenty-four locations so it was a lot of moves. It was really fast but we had rehearsals. We had two weeks of rehearsals so everyone knew what they were doing, we had and idea of where we were going, so we would do four takes, maybe five takes then move on to the next. It was pretty rough for the cast, but they held in there.

PC: You mentioned during the Friday Q&A that your wife also helped out on the film. What was her role during production?

NT: My wife Talya Taylor (who is expecting their first child in May) was our makeup department head and our whole glam department, hair and make up, were her best friends. So it was really nice. The whole department had a good time. My wife also invested in the movie and also helped us produce it a little bit. And she kept me sane through the whole process. (laughing) She also had a couple of cameos in the film. She was one of the head shot girls and she's walking on street in another.

PC: After this experience here at Cinequest, are you taking the film to other film festivals?

NT: This is our very first festival. The screening you saw was the very first time anybody had seen it. It was our world premiere. So after this we'll be going to New York and Houston next. And we're hoping to go to Europe and hopefully we can get distribution and then everybody cam see it.

PC: After Friday's sold out screening and your nearly sold out screening tonight, you must be very happy with the film's success so far.

NT: I'm thrilled! It's so exciting to be here at Cinequest. It has such a good vibe, such good people, such a good community and then to have them screaming into the film and watching them is exciting. Word on the street is that people look very excited and are talking abut the film. It's unbelievable. We had an article in the Metro newspaper. It's the coolest thing that has ever happened to me.

PC: So do you have any new projects in the works?

NT: I have two projects in development right now. One of them is a children's film that I'm doing with Peter Moore Smith, the writer for this film.

PC: Wow that's a complete 180 from this film! (laughing)

NT: (Laughing) And I have a solo script that I'm working on that's an urban fantasy set in New York City that, visually, will melt your face off.

PC: Excellent. So I'm really looking forward to seeing all your future projects. 

NT: If you like this, the next one will blow your mind. This was our warm up movie, to get our feet under us. Get to know what we're doing and then in ten years: epic fantasy trilogy starts. I've got some big stories to tell and I'm really looking forward to getting out there.

PC: Wow! I'm really looking forward to seeing those! 

NT: Dude, you have no idea! (laughing)

Nate Tayor is a talented and gifted filmmaker on the rise, and to those of you who haven't seen FORGETTING THE GIRL yet, you are in luck. The film will be having its final screening this Tuesday, March 6th at 2:30pm at the Camera 12. To purchase ticket for the screening, visit the Cinequest website by clicking here and make sure you see this amazing film! And thank you Nate for participating in this interview. Can't wait to see the film again!

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil attends CINEQUEST 22: Day Six-March 4, 2012

Yes my friends I'm still here at the Cinequest Film Festival! For Day Five and I'll be reviewing five films for all of you. Nice touch, huh? So let us begin folks!

The first film I saw was the documentary DAVE, directed by filmmaker Eric Geadelmann. The doc follows a young African American student named Dave who's life is changed for the better by Adam, a star basketball player who turned down a coaching job at a prestigious college to help kids in under appreciated schools. It is here that Adam meets Dave, who is hanicaped intellictually. Shy and quite but a good kid at heart, Adam is astounded by his size ands sees potential in him. He convinces the basketball coach to let Dave try out for the team. Adam work with Dave and soon hebecomes a basketball star among his peers, gets a girlfriend, and becomes a honor student. All this hard work leads up to Dave graduating and Adam  becomes inspired by his strength, determination, and his heart of gold.

This was such a moving and touching film. This is what a great documentary should be. The film is about Dave, but in actuality it's about the deep friendship between Dave and Adam, and how both of them influenced one another and how the grew from their time together. The obsticles that Dave had to go through was hard enough, but to add that he hadn't seen his father in years and would like to see him come to his graduation was just heart breaking. Though it all Dave remained the same guy: kind, loyal, and a good friend to have. Adam too grew and took some lessons from Dave and applied it to his own life as well. One of the best documentaries at this year's festival! The film will be shown again on Friday, March 9th at 3:45pm. Also check out the film's website at http://dave-movie.com/.

The second film of the day was the wrestling comedy BEAT DOWN, another film from our friends up in Canada. Directed by Deanne Foley, the film stars Marthe Bernard as Fran, a young, spunky, feisty 18-year-old who is a big time wrestling fan. After having a big fight with her father Whitey (Robb Wells from the hit Canadian TV comedy show TRAILER PARK BOYS), she runs away and joins a small, indie wrestling promotion run by a wrestler named Dark Thunder aka Jimmy (Tony Nappo). Little does Fran know that there is a deep secret involving Jimmy, her dad, and her long lost mother Roxy (Janet Kidder, niece of Margot Kidder). During all this family drama, Fran meets and falls for Jimmy's nephew Michael (Mark O'Brien) and soon there's an all out family battle royale between everybody that can only be settled within the squared circle.

The film is a fun, light-hearted comedy filled with humor, snappy dialogue, and wrestling. What more could you want? Oh and the production value looked fantastic and the acting was top notch. Wells had some of the best one-liners in the film, Kidder was foxy as Roxy, but the young Bernard hit it out of the park with her performance as wrestling rebel Fran. After the film, director Deanne Foley was in the house fielding questions from the audience. The film will be shown again on Wednesday, March 7th at 1:45pm. Visit the film's official website at http://www.beatdownmovie.com/.

The third film on my agenda was SHUFFLE, the new film by my friend and fellow De Anza alum Kurt Kuenne (DEAR ZACHARY from Cinequest 2008). His new film centers on Lovell Milo (T.J. Thyne, Erin Brokovich), a gifted photographer who whenever he falls asleep, he wakes up at different ages at different points in his life. Thus his life is out of chronological sequence (of shuffled). He soon discovers that he has been granted this "curse" (as he likes to call it) for a purpose, which may involve his beautiful wife Grace (Paula Rhodes). Now Lovell must unravel this mystery while his life is out of order.

When Kurt came to Cinequest with his documentary DEAR ZACHARY: A LETTER TO A SON ABOUT HIS FATHER back in 2008, it won both the audience award and the juror award. Kurt returned to the festival several times after that, screening his award-winning short films. During his Q&A session with the audience, her said that he had written the script after the event of ZACKARY and shelved the script, only to return to it a several years later. The film looks incredible; the lighting and being shot in black and white triggered up images from the classic CITIZEN KANE. Kurt's script was very, very clever and original. Also both Thyne and Rhodes had great on screen chemistry, which only made the film even better. One of Kurt's best films and thanks for bringing it to Cinequest! The film will be screened again on Tuesday, March 6th at 11:45 and again on Wednesday, March 7th at 11am. Also visit the film's official website at http://www.shufflethemovie.com/.

Film number four was the documentary THE BULLY PROJECT, directed by Lee Hirsch. This powerful and disturbing film showcases five kids from different areas of the South who are victims of bullying. Following these kids and their families for a whole school year, we see the ramifications of bullying and how some schools ignore the problem, which caused some students to commit suicide.

I really cannot find the words to express how I felt watching the film. I was shocked, angry, sad, and devastated by what I saw in the film. Children go to school to learn and to be safe and protected while their parents are at work. After seeing what actually goes on, I was totally surprised at just how bad this problem has become. The film will touch your heart, and will make you want to look more closely at the schools your kids go to. I recently became aware that the distributors The Weinstein Company is having problems with the MPAA, who originally gave the documentary an R rating. I found this to be grotesque and illogical. Yes it has some profanity, but the bottom line is that this is a film that kids should really go see, to show them that bullying is a problem that must be addressed by the kids themselves. There is a petition that you can sign to have the film receive a PG-13 rating instead. Click here to sign this petition. The film will be screened again on Tuesday, March 6th at 4:45pm. Visit the film's website at http://thebullyproject.com/.

The last film I saw for the day was I'M YOURS, directed by Leonard Farlinger and starring Robert (Rossif Sutherland, Poor Boy's Game) and Daphne (Karine Vanasse, TV's PAN AM). Yet another Canadian film (I'm starting to see a pattern here), the film has Robert celebrating his 30th birthday with his friends, but feels empty. While having a drink at the bar, he sees the Daphne, who together look for an escapism. While tripping on what looks like Ecstasy, they go to a hotel room where they have intense sex. He awakes with her driving his car across the Canadian border, which is only the beginning of his troubles. Daphne makes this proposition to Robert: he comes with her to parents house and pretend their married, and then she'll return his briefcase full of money he took form his work. However during their roadtrip, the two get to know each other and soon they begin to develop feeling for one another, but will it only last till they get to her parent's house?

The film is more drama than romantic comedy. While there are a few laughs to be found, the film is more of a character driven film, so as a result we are told to be emotionally invested with these characters. I found the film to be entertaining, although I felt that the script could've used some fine tuning, but Sutherland Vanasse are great up on the screen. A bit slow and predictable, but still an interesting film to see. The film will be screened again on Saturday, March 10th at 12pm.

Another fun day at the Cinequest Film Festival! Remember the festival will be running till March 11th so there's plenty of time for you to join in on the fun here in San Jose! To view the festival's film schedule and purchase tickets and passes, visit their website at http://www.cinequest.org/.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil attends CINEQUEST: DAY FIVE-March 3, 2012

Greetings and salutations and welcome to Day Five of my  trip to the Cinequest Film Festival. Today was big day for, as I saw six films! So let's not waste any time and let the fun begin!

My first film of the day was the comedy OLD GOATS. Directed by Taylor Guterson, the film follows three friends (Bob Burkholder, Britton Crosley, and David David Vander Wal) who are all recently retired and have a lot of free time on their hands. Soon the guys are facing some new challenges and directions that could very will change the lives for the better. But as the old saying goes, "You can't teach and old dog new tricks." David procrastinates moving to Florida at the urging of his wife, Britton continues to still play the field, and Bob meets a wonderful woman named Gail Shackel who he meets on a seniors dating website that wishes for him to move in with her, even though he is very comfortable living on his old boat that he's been living in for the past 25 years. Yes my friends, even when you're a senior and retired, life can still be complicated.

The film reminds us that we can all relate to one another, even if those around us are just slightly older. Life can throw plenty of curve balls, and for our friends in the film, those curve balls are called changes. It's hard to change when you get older in life. You know who you are, you know what you like, who have a routine that you like to stick with because it's familiar. Now try imagining retiring from work. Your whole life and routine is thrown of of balance and you struggle with what to do now and where do you fit in with society. We can all relate to being outsiders, but imagine being old and not knowing what to do next. After the screening, director Guterson and actress Shackel participated in a fun Q&A session. Guterson reveled that all the actors in the film were all real people, and their names in the film were their real names. No actors were used in the film. Even Shackel told the audience that she was working as a bank teller at Washington Mutual when Guterson came in, saw her, and then asked her to be in the film. A really funny and touching film for everyone. The film will shown again on Friday, March 9th at 7:30pm.

The second film I saw this morning was the amazing HOW I WAS STOLEN BY THE GERMANS (KAKO SU ME UKRALI NEMCI): Directed by acclaimed director Milos Radivojevi, the film was the final installment to his trilogy about the warfare in Seriba, which began with AWAKENING FROM THE DEAD (Cinequest 2005) and THE REJECT (Cinequest 2008). We see Milos' childhood unfold before us, along with the German occupation that transpired in World War II. In the film Aleks (Svetozar Cvetovic,the star from the previous two films) drives with an abandoned child named Romi (who is told to be his child) to an orphanage. While driving, he tells her the story of his mother Jalena and the German officer Werner who was his world and the closest thing he had to a father. His tale consists of picnics, music, fun for a child who's village and country is being occupied. However Romi is part of the underground that Werner has been signed to eradicate. Thus taking place in WWII, it wouldn't be to shocking for me to say that it doesn't end on a happy note.

The cinematography was just stunning! What was really unique was that the flashback story was told in vibrant color, while the present day was shot in black and white, as if to symbolize Aleks lack of life in his world. After the film, Radivojevi and his producer participated in a very interesting and informative Q&A. I was so glad to have seen this film. A marvelous piece of art! The film will be shown again on Wednesday, March 7th at 2pm.

Next film I saw was SUNFLOWER HOUR. Directed by Aaron Houston, this hysterical Canadian mockumentary comedy follows four would-be puppeteers who are all vying for the open postition on the popular children's television show Sunflower Hour. The four finalists are Shamus O'Reilly (Ben Cotton, The Chronicles of Riddick), Leslie Handover (Patrick Gilmore, 2012), David Spencer (Amitai Marmorstein, 50/50), and Satan's Spawn (Kacey Rohl, Red Riding Hood). Each of them have their own personal reason to be on the show, but the road to be hired for the show is filled with hilarity and absurdity.

This was one of the funniest mockumentary films I have ever seen! The story was just gold, the performances by all the actor were fantastic, and the laughs were contagious! I was totally caught off guard by just how funny the film was. The film is a comedic achievement that will split your sides and make milk come out of your nose! You will never look at a children's puppet show the same way ever again! Houston was in the house and had a fun Q&A session with the audience (he revealed the budget for the film was only $30,000 and apologized for the low budget look). But in the end, it's definitely worth seeing people! The film will be shown again on Thursday, March 8th at 11am. Visit the film's official Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/sunflowerhour.

The fourth film of the night was SALT (SAL). Directed and written by newcomer Diego Rougler, the film is Chile's first full-length western. Would be sceenwriter Sergio (Fele Martinez) has been told by every single producer that his script..well...sucks. They all tell him that it lack authenticity. Sergio wants to set the film in Chile, where in the Atacama Desert is the driest desert on the planet. He travels down to Chile to do some research and to be inspired, but when a group of men mistake him as someone named Diego, he gets kidnapped and held by an evil crime lord named Victor. Taken to a remote farm in the desert, Sergio learns how to be a "real man" from an old timer (and also learns how to shoot a gun) and plots to end Victor's reign once and for all. Oh by the way, did I mention that the men are also fighting over a smoking hot woman (Victor's wife/Diego's lover)? Yes, she is that smoking hot!

Writer/director Rougler and producer Adrian Solar were present to do a Q&A with the audience. Rougler mentioned that the movie was indeed shot on 35mm and wanted it to look like the classic American westerns that he grew up watching. The film's budget was $1.2 million and said that it was a limitation, which I thought was absurd. The film looked very impressive and it did indeed look like what western should look. Witty, touching, and action packed, this film made me want to become a cowboy again! The film will be shown again on Thursday, March 8th at 4:15pm.

The fifth film I saw today was the world premiere of THE GHASTLY LOVE OF JOHNNY X. Directed by Paul Bunnell, this loving tribute to 50's sci-fi and juvenile delinquent films stars Will Keenan (TROMEO & JUIET, TERROR FIRMER) as leather clad bad boy Johnny X, who he and his gang are exiled to Earth by the grand Inquisitor (Kevin McCarthy in his final film role). A year later, Johnny and the gang are hot on the heels of his sexy ex-girlfriend Bliss (De Anna Joy Brooks) who's stolen his special suit that has the power to control people. She hides out in a diner where she meets soda jerk Chip (Les Williams). They escape Johnny and his gang, but they also run into King Clayton ( Reggie Bannister from the PHANTASM series). The two form a business relationship that once Johnny regains his special suit, he will reanimate King's dead bad boy rock'n'roll star Creed Bratton (Mickey O'Flynn). Soon these crazy, far out kids start singing and dancing their way to save the Earth from former gang memeber, the insane Sluggo (Jed Rowen).

During the Q&A session, director Bunnell called up his cast and crew to the stage, but star Keenan had a different approach. He literally was hanging onto the balcony when he let go and landed on the theatre floor, causing him to break his left leg (get better soon Will!) And speaking of Keenan, I saw him just before the screening and told him that I've been a fan of his since his Troma days. He thanked me a gave me a DVD copy of his film OPERATION MIDNIGHT CLIMAX!! (Thanks again Will!!) Now during the Q&A, Bunnell stated that the film was the last film to be shot using the EASTMAN PLUS-X Negative Film 5231 black and white stock! This particular film stock was used regularly during the 1950s. The filmmakers also provided every member of the audience their very own JOHNNY X movie poster! The film was a laugh-out-loud, rock'n'roll, song and dance extrrvaganza that must be seen again. Speaking of which, the film will be screened again on Tuesday, March 8th at 7pm and again on Saturday, March 10th at 4:45pm. Also visit the film's official website at http://www.johnnyxmovie.com/

The last film I saw today was the midnight screening of the horror film PORTRAIT OF A ZOMBIE: Directed by Bing Bailey, the film is not your typical zombie flick. Instead Bailey crafted a funny and gory mockumentary about the Murphys, a family in Dublin, Ireland who's son, while working at a meat company, became infected with a virus that turned him into an undead creature. Still, his family loves him and takes care of him. His mom especially, by feeding him pieces of her own skin. Filming this "documentary" are a makeshift crew of local filmmakers and an American director, who sees potential in this situation, but when he releases the Murphys' undead son loose, no one could predict the horrendous outcome of his actions.

Bailey deserves praise for creating an original and creative zombie film. He proves that there is still life (pun intended) within the zombie subgenre. The film has it all: funny and interesting characters, great humor, and plenty of gore for diehard horror fans to enjoy! Now I don't want to ruin all the surprises, but there are a couple of scenes that are so damn vile and outrageous that you cannot believe what you are seeing! And you cannot look away while you're watching it! After the film's midnight screening, Bailey and several of his cast and crew came out to do a fun Q&A session with the audience. They also handed out free POAZ t-shirts, which yours truly got one as well. One helluva horror film folks! The film will be shown again on Monday, March 5th at 9:30pm and again on Saturday, March 10th at 4:30pm. Also visit the film's official website at http://www.portraitofazombie.com/.

Another night of movie magic here at Cinequest! Remember the festival will be running till March 11th so there's plenty of time for you to join in on the fun here in San Jose! To view the festival's film schedule and purchase tickets and passes, visit their website at http://www.cinequest.org/.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil attends CINEQUEST 22: Day Four-March 2, 2012

Hello my faithful readers and welcome to Day Four of the Cinequest Film Festival! Now today I saw four films, including a cool, scary midnight film. So let's start this party off right now!

BEST INTENTIONS: Directed by Adrian Sitaru, the film follows Alex, who I would describe as a erratic, neurotic, a control freak, and a severe mommy's boy. When his mother is diagnosed as a stroke victim and is hospitalized, Alex's inability to stay calm suffers as his anger and mistrust of the hospital staff escalates while his mother's health simultaneously gets better. Alex soon spirals out of control, thus pushing away those who love him, mainly his parents and his girlfriend.

What I loved about the film was the ingenious why it was shot. Instead of the usual set ups, each scene was told from the POV (point of view) perspective of someone within the scene. From Alex to his mother, his father, doctors, friends, patients, it really gave the film depth, it's as if we're right there in the film experiencing it all first hand. Another great film to watch. The film will be shown again on Wednesday, March 7th at 4pm and again on Saturday, March 10th at 11:15am. Also check out the film's official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/DinDragosteCuCeleMaiBuneIntentii.

FORGETTING THE GIRL: Directed by Nate Taylor, this psychological drama stars Christopher Denham as Kevin Wolfe, a New York photographer who is a nice but very shy and awkward guy. He asks out every single one of his models and actresses, but the end result is always the same: no. As a result, Kevin tries to forget each girl by doing some sort of activity. Determined to uncover the mystery surrounding his little sister's death (she drowned in the family pool at age 6), he is positive that there is that one girl out there who can make him forget about her. Little does he realize that his assistant Jamie (Lindsay Beamish from SHORTBUS) is in love with him, which will only make things more complicated for Kevin.

The film was preceded by a comedy short entitled HEAT WAVE. It was Joey Grossfield and told the story of the sunbathing girls on a hot rooftop. One of them calls her ex-boyfriend looking for her blue dress and ends up getting an earful from him. So she passes the phone around to her girlfriends all the while the ex is oblivious to the it! Very funny short film. Also worth noting is that the girl that called the ex was none other than Digital Playground contract porn star Stoya!

This film was a complete surprise. While it sounded interesting in the festival program, I was really blown away by how complex the film was. One could say it's a psychological examination of the human mind, while blending humor and thought provoking issues of loneliness and grief of losing a loved one. Rejection and abandonment issues also rises to the surface. After the screening, both Taylor and Beamish participated in a great Q&A session. (Also this reviewer was able to score an interview with director Nate Taylor. Make sure to read that interview on Monday!) The film will be shown again on Sunday. March 4th at 9pm and again on Tuesday, March 6th at 2:30pm. Visit the film's official website at http://forgettingthegirl.com.

MIMESIS: Directed by Douglas Schulze, the film asks that age old question, "Why watch a horror movie, when you can live it?" Using George Romero's 1968 NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD as a template, the film follows a group of seven strangers who attend a party only to be drugged, kidnapped and waking up to participate in reliving NOTLD by fighting off a group of what appears to be zombies. But looks can be deceiving, as the strangers soon discover that they are pawns in a bigger game that none of them could've predicted. Also look for a special appearance by veteran horror actors Sid Haig (SPIDER BABY, THE DEVIL'S REJECTS) and Courtney Gains (CHILDREN OF THE CORN).

The film does provide some good thrill and chills, and by using an established film as the basis, director Schulze crafted a very good film that does make you think if there are people out there who do try to recreate their favorite horror films in our world. There is a difference between the real world and the "reel" world and the film explores both sides of this topic. The film will be shown again on Thursday, March 8th at 2:30pm. Visit the film's official Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mimesis-the-Movie.

The final film I saw today was the midnight screening of POV: A CURSED FILM (POV NOROWARETA FIRUMU). This Japanese horror flick had a warning at the beginning, stating that the filmmakers weren't sure if they should show the film, and to please not tell anyone about the it, nor reveal the ending of it. So I guess you'll just have to see the film for yourself. The film will be shown again on Friday, March 9th at 10:15pm. Also check out the film's official website at http://pov-film.com.

Another night of movie magic here at Cinequest! Remember the festival will be running till March 11th so there's plenty of time for you to join in on the fun here in San Jose! To view the festival's film schedule and purchase tickets and passes, visit their website at www.cinequest.org.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil attends CINEQUEST 22: Day Three-March 1, 2012

Howdy folks and welcome to Day Three of my trip to the Cinequest Film Festival 22! Tonight I once again saw three films: two documentaries and a film adaptation of a classic. So let's get this show on the road!

ABENDLAND: Directed by Nikolaus Geyrhalter, this experimental documentary focuses on Europe at night. There is no real narrative to the film, unlike most documentaries that do tell a story. Instead Geyrhalter showcases us with several scenes of people working the nightshift. Using a static camera mostly throughout the film, we see people building and painting jet planes, late night television reporters doing their job, politicians duking it out at a late night roundtable discussion, protesters sitting on a railroad in hopes of preventing a train carrying what appears to be toxic waste from being transported, an internet sexcam show being held in a makeshift set housed in a warehouse I believe, hospital workers, and a very packed rave party. Also there was no musical score or soundtrack during the film until the very end with the rave techno music bellowing from the screen.

Now what I found interesting about this film was that no one acknowledged the camera except at the very end when Geyrhalter was shooting the biggest rave party I have ever seen. The kids were all looking at the camera; smiling, dancing, and being their carefree selves. Now when I reflected back, I came to the conclusion that the other people participating in the film knew that they were on camera, therefore, were they acting differently BECAUSE their was a camera there? During the demonstration scene, when the police showed up to arrest the protester, the were very polite and calmly told them that they were going to arrest them. Were the police polite because of the presence of the camera? The woman from the webcam sex show acted different when the documentary camera was on her, even though she just had sex on an webcam. A very interesting documentary to see at the festival. The film will be playing again on Saturday, March 3rd at 11:45am and on Wednesday, March 7th at 5pm. Also you can visit the film's official website at www.abendland-film.at/.

NO LOOK PASS: Directed by Melissa Johnson, this fascinating documentary focuses on the life of Emily Tay, who is the star of Harvard's women's basketball team. She dreams of playing basketball professionally even though her mother (both her parents came to America from Berma) wishes to see her daughter get married and stay at home and take care of her family. But what they don't know is that their daughter is a lesbian. After graduation, Emily achieves her dream and travels to Germany to play pro basketball in the second division. It's also in Germany where she meets a U.S. service woman who is living under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law. With her love of basketball, her parents and her sexuality starting to get hectic, Emily tries to get her life in order while trying to come out to her parents and being true to herself.

The documentary was preceded by a 15 minute short film called THE JOSEPH SZABO PROJECT. It was directed by David Khachatorian and told the story of an art teacher named Joseph Szabo who connected with his teenage students and documented their lives with some amazing black and white photographs that really captured the 1970's beautifully.

I really enjoyed this documentary for a number of reasons. First  it was refreshing to see how being a lesbian and also being a minority can be hard for some. It's one thing to be a minority, but being gay is a whole other set of worries. We even get to see the effects that the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" had on her relationship with her girlfriend. Here we see Emily struggle with coming out to her very strict and traditional parents, in fear that they would disown her and bring shame to the family name. The film focuses on several issues that we can all relate to: love, family, commitment, being true to yourself, and following your dream. Emily is proof that dreams really do come true, so for that I salute you!  The film will be sown again on Sunday, March 4th at 11:15am and again on Thursday, March 8th at 11am. Visit the film's official website at www.nolookpassthemovie.com.

FAUST: Directed by Alexander Sokurov, this was a really a beautiful and amazing film to watch. It was also very, very, very long film to watch as well (its running time is 134 minutes). Basically if you have never read or heard of Faust, then you really should come out of your cave every now and then. This fabled tale has been told for centuries (the silent version of the film directed by F.W. Murnau will be shown on Friday, March 9th at 7pm. Click here to purchase ticket.), but in the hands of Sokurov, it has never looked this breathtaking. The film is gorgeous, from the set designs and costume to make up and stunning locations. Perfectly directed, the film is the conclusion of his tetralogy (the first three films were TAURUS ON LENIN, MOLOCH ON HITLER and THE SUN ON HIROHITO), but it moves rather quickly so it's sometimes hard to follow, especially if you're trying to read the subtitles and you're missing what's up on the screen. But overall, a crowing achievement for Sokurov. The film will be shown again on Sunday, March 4th at 1:30pm and again on Thursday, March 8th at 4pm.

Another night of great films! Remember the festival will be running till March 11th so there's plenty of time for you to join in on the fun here in San Jose! To view the festival's film schedule and purchase tickets and passes, visit their website at www.cinequest.org.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil attends CINEQUEST 22: Day Two -February 29, 2012

Hello again everybody and welcome to Day Two of my trip to the Cinequest Film Festival! Tonight I saw three films: one drama and two comedies. So let's begin shall we?

WHITE AS SNOW (KAR BEYAZ): Directed by Selim Gunes, the film's about a twelve-year-old boy named Hasan who lives in a small, remote village in the mountains by the Black Sea. He tries to help his mother out by providing her and his two brothers by trudging through severe cold to sell ayran (a yogurt-like drink) to passing travelers. However, despite being a small village, there is enough drama to cause its people grief and heartache as love and loss nearly tear their community apart.

The film is told through an avant-garde, non-linear style rather than the tradition narrative form. Despite have some breathtaking visuals (the film's locations of the snow covered mountains and forests are just beautiful), the film was rather dull and didn't connect with me on a emotional level. I really didn't care about any of the characters until the very end. Also because it was told in a non-linear form, I found it difficult what was present day and what was a backstory. Not one of my favorite films at this years festival. The film will be playing again on Friday, March 2nd at 5:15pm and on Friday. March 9th at 7:15pm.

KING CURLING (KONG CURLING): Directed by Ole Endresen, this Norwegian comedy tells the story of Truls Paulsen, the greatest curling star that has ever played the sport. But when he is diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD for you folks), he is banned from ever competing in the sport. To make matters worse, his friend and former coach Gordon lies dying from lung cancer. Now Truls must somehow overcome is OCD and put the team back to together in order to win the Norwegian Curling Championship and use the award money save Gordon's life. However, the rest of the team are just about as crazy as he is: one hasn't slept for three months because of he is strained relationship with his father who also is a Rod Stewart impersonator, one is a rabid bird watcher who lives in the woods has lost touch with people, and the other is a sex-crazed masseuse who sleeps with anything that moves. Oh did I mention that Truls ex-girlfriend tries to control his life by not letting him partake in curling and ends up dating the captain of the rival team? Yes friends, this is a comedy!

What makes this film so much fun is the absurdity of it all. Words cannot express just how hilarious the film is! With it's bizarre and eccentric characters, very clever script, solid directing and great acting, the film is one of the funniest films I have seen at the festival in over three years! Think DODGEBALL but with curling stones. So far my favorite film at this year's festival! The film will be playing again on Friday, March 2nd at 7:15pm and again on Saturday, March 3rd at 11:30am. Also check out the film's official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/kongcurling.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, GRANDMA! (URTE BERRI ON, AMONA!) Directed by Telmo Esnal, this black comedy is about a family who must cater their lives around helping out their old and demented grandma. Wife Martixu attends to her mother constantly, while her husband Jose Maria watches with disgust. He suggests they put her in a nursing home, to which she disapproves. At the end of his rope, Jose comes up with a clever idea: he will take Martixu on a vacation while their daughter Miren and her husband Kintxo take care of grandma, but in actuality they will be taking her to a nursing home. But no one suspects that grandma is an evil genius. She breaks out of her nursing home and lives it up in a hotel suite for the night. The kids track her down, only to make their lives a living hell. Soon grandma is causing havoc for the Miren and Kintxo, but he discovers grandma's true self and does whatever it takes to expose grandma for the insane, evil woman she truly is. When the family becomes desperate, they decide to kill grandma, but not if she kills them first.

This was one of the funniest dark comedies I have ever seen! It was also simultaneously one of the most messed up dark comedies I have ever seen! No one in the film ever suspected that grandma was this evil, and we the audience didn't suspect it either. The film was on the other end of the comedy scale from KING CURLING. Just a funny and sick dark comedy! The film will be shown again on Friday, March 2nd at 11:30am  and on Thursday, March 8th at 7:15pm.

What a fun-filled second day at Cinequest! Remember the festival will be running till March 11th so there's plenty of time for you to join in on the fun here in San Jose! To view the festival's film schedule and purchase tickets and passes, visit their website at www.cinequest.org.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil attends the CINEQUEST 22 Opening Night Extravaganza-February 28, 2012

It's finally here! The most anticipated event in San Jose! Tonight I attended the opening night of Cinequest 22! All the waiting is over and now it begins again. For the next thirteen days I will be attending the festival, bringing you my readers some of the very best in independent, foreign, and documentaries. Tonight was like a homecoming for me because I got to see some old friends that I haven't seen since last year's festival. My good friend and fellow blogger Jason Wiener from Jason Watches Movies was there, along with my other friends Cheri Hughes Thomas, Christopher Garcia, Stephanie Lee, Philip Anderson, Kathryn Soler, and Melanie Frosty. Also for this year's festival I hope to make new friends and new memories.

For tonight's opening was THE LADY, the latest film from legendary director Luc Besson, whose films LE FEMME NIKITA, LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL, THE FIFTH ELEMENT, and THE MESSENGER: THE STORY OF JOAN OF ARC. have entertained audiences world wide. With his new film, Besson tells the story of political/civil rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi (Michelle Yeoth from CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON and MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA) as she becomes the core of Burma's democracy movement. The film is a powerful and gripping story about love, sacrifice and the power to change the world for the better.

Michelle Yeoth as Aung San Suu Kyi in THE LADY

In case you may not know this, Aung San Suu Kyi is a real person and the film is based on her life. Her father was General Aung San and he was about to lead the Burmese citizens towards democracy before he and his ministers were brutally assassinated when Aung was only three years old. Fast forward several years later and she is now living in England with her husband Michael Aris (David Thewliss who also plays his twin brother Anthony in the film) and her two sons Alex (Jonathan Woodhouse) and Kim (Jonathan Raggett). When she receives word that her mother is ill, she returns home to Burma which ignites the idea of freedom and change. But Burma is ruled by its powerful and evil military that refuses to release their stranglehold on the country. With her father's shadow engulfing her, Aung begins to reach out to the people of Burma and tells them it is now time for democracy to rule the land. However, thanks the Burma military, they use every sneaky trick to punish her and destroy her will. This eventually leads Aung to be held on house arrest before the elections. She remained under house arrest in Burma for almost 15 of the 21 years, from July 20, 1989 until her most recent release on November 13, 2010. During this time she was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize on October 14, 1991. But while under house arrest, she was not able to help take care of her husband Micheal, who passed away on his 53rd birthday on March 27 1999 from prostate cancer.

Director Besson continues his streak of creating strong, independent women who challenge the status quo of females portrayed in modern cinema. Yeoth is just absolutely amazing in the film; giving an outstanding performance as Aung San Suu Kyi. One has to wonder if she will be nominated for this role at the Academy Awards show next year. Also give credit to Thewliss for bringing life to Micheal on screen and showing us his undying devotion to his wife and to her cause. He stood by her, even when things looked bleak and when he was denied traveling to be by her side near the end. Besson's directing is sharp, precise, engaging and thought-provoking. A great film to start of Cinequest 22!

Ladies and gentlemen, the Cinequest Film Festival has officially arrived and you can partake in this very important movie event. To view film schedules, information about the festival, and to purchase tickets and passes, visit their website at www.cinequest.org.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!