Phil attends the exclusive screening of NAPOLEON at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland-March 24, 2012

This past Saturday I, along with several thousand other movie lovers, attended the first screening of a two-weekend event of Abel Gance's 1927 long, lost silent film classic NAPOLEON. Presented by the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, in association with the British Film Institute (BFI), The Film Preserve, Photoplay Productions, and director Frances Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope, the film was brought to the magnificent art deco Paramount Threatre in Oakland, California. Bringing this 5 1/2-hour silent film to life was conductor Carl Davis, who along with the 46-piece Oakland East Bay Symphony, performed an outstanding musical score. To say that this was THE movie event of the year would be a gross understatement.

For me, the day started with excitement and anticipation. Myself along with my good friend Jason Wiener (from Jason Watches Movies) and Christopher J. Garcia (Cinequest) had front row seats to this ultimate cinematic experience (we aren't called the Front Row Freaks for nothing). I also saw other friends that I usually see at the SF Silent Film Festival at the Castro Theatre during July. This was my first time being at the Paramount Threatre, and I have to say that this place is THE most amazing and breathtaking theatre that I have ever seen! The art deco was just fabulous, and the incredible details that are found in everything; the boxoffice, the carpets, the stairs, the lobby, everything is art deco and I loved it! If you haven't been to the Paramount Theatre yet, good news folks! They give tours of the theatre! So next time you're out here, make sure that this place in one of your destinations!

Dubbed "The Holy Grail of silent masterpieces" the film was a labor of love for famed film historian and Academy award winner Kevin Brownlow, who's fascination with the film began in 1954 when he first saw a small 20 minute version of NAPOLEON at the young age of fifteen. Since then he has spent the past FIVE DECADES (yes you read that right!) researching, unearthing, and restoring Gance's silent film, which is now the most complete version of the film. Through blood, sweet, and tears, Brownlow's hard work and determination paid off as the audience in the Paramount Theatre on that cold, wet, and rainy Saturday were treated to one of cinema's crowning jewels of the silent era!

Abel Gance's directing is proof that he was way ahead of his time. Most of the film looks like it was hand held, which gave the film a documentary style look that has been copied by numerous Hollywood directors and in films ranging from THE FRENCH CONNECTION to CHRONICLE. From opening with young Napoleon (played by Vladimir Roudenko) commanding his schoolmates in a snowball fight to General Napoleon (portrayed brilliantly by Albert Dieudonné) leading his army to victory, Gance's film unfolds before our very eyes and transports us to a visual nirvana the likes I have never seen before, especially the last twenty minutes of the film when the screen expanded to a curved 85 feet panorama! Gance originally called it Polyvision, and it was astounding! Having three screens showing three different images and at times one complete scene! Again simply astounding! The film is a testament to Gance's genius!

As stated earlier, composer/conductor Davis' score for the film was just as beautiful as the film. After the film's conclusion, the entire audience rose up and gave Davis and the Oakland East Bay Symphony a standing ovation. Just try to imagine performing to a 5 1/2 hour silent film (with three intermissions and a two-hour dinner break) and keep your cool composure. To Davis and the Symphony, I applaud you for creating a memorable score to a memorable film! Also a big thank you to Kevin Brownlow for restoring this lost classic and to the San Francisco Silent Film Festival fro bringing the film to the Paramount Theatre! And last but not least, to Abel Gance, thank you for creating one of the most amazing films I have ever seen!

This film extravaganza is truly indeed a "once in a lifetime event." For those who missed out on the showings this past weekend, you are in luck. There are still two more showings this weekend (March 31st and April 1st) and there are still a limited amount of tickets left, but they are going fast! So make plans to attend this monumental event! Ticket are available at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival's website at http://www.silentfilm.org/. NAPOLEON is and was Abel Gance's greatest achievement as well as Kevin Brownlow's lifetime passion. Don't miss out on what has been called "A major event" by director Martin Scorsese, "Absolutely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Just glorious, glorious, glorious" by film historian/author Cari Beauchamp, and legendary film critic Leonard Maltin described his experience with one word, "Thrilling." So don't wait people! Go buy your tickets today and be part of film history this weekend!

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil attends the SFIAAFF at the Camera 3: Day Three-March 18, 2011

Hello again everyone and welcome to the third and final day of my trip to the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival here at the Camera Cinemas! Today I was planning to see another five films today (if that was possible) but I settled for three. But let me explain what happened.

So there were two other films that I wanted to see originally: YES, WE'RE OPEN and VIETTE. Now when I got to the Camera 3 I was informed that both of these films had sold out! Needless to say I was quite bummed. However, later on in the Psycho Donuts area of the theater, I met Mye Hoang, who wrote, acted, and directed the film VIETTE! She was selling festival DVD autographed copies of her film, and yours truly bought one. Also, she was kind enough to personalized my copy for me, so thank you Mye and keep your eyes peeled here for my review of VIETTE in the very near future! So let's talk about the three films that I did see today!

First film up was the inspiring documentary MRS. JUDO: BE STRONG, BE GENTLE, BE BEAUTIFUL. The film's about Keiko Fukuda, who is just one of only four Judo practitioners in the world to currently hold the 10th Dan, Judo’s highest degree black belt. She is also the only women in the world to have this prestigious honor. Oh, did I mention she's only less than five feet tall, weighs less than 100 pounds, and is also 98 years old? This incredible and unbelievable doc tells Fukuda's life as it traces her seven decade Judo career: her travels to different countries, her commitment to the Judo teachings, and the sexism she encountered during her lifetime.

The documentary was preceded by the 25 minute short film RING LAILA, and it's about young women raised in the slums of Kolkata who who take up boxing. The film was directed by Anurada Rana. Check out the film's official website at www.ringlaila.com.

Director Yuriko Gamo Romer did a marvelous job creating the film by using rare archival footage, family and personal photos, and plenty of insightful and intimate interviews. After the screening, director Romer and Keiko Fukuda herself came down to participate in a Q&A session. Granted Fukuda was in a wheelchair and was tired but it was cool to meet her! So as a result Romer mostly answered the audiences' questions. Another great documentary that needs to be seen! Be sure to check out the film's official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Be-Strong-Be-Gentle-Be-Beautiful.

The second film I saw was Indian drama ABU, SON OF ADAM. Basically, the film's about Abu and Aisu, a loving old Muslim couple in their late 70s who've been scrapping and saving to go on trip to Hajj, but only according to all diktats of Islam. People offer them money, but it's against their religion. They get set to go, then they can't, and that happens quite a lot in the film. Slow and quiet, the film was India’s official entry to the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 84th Academy Awards and the 2012 Golden Globes.

OK, with apologies to the Academy, the Golden Globes, and to the SFIAAFF, this film didn't do anything for me. None at all. Yes, it was beautifully directed, but I didn't connect with the film at all. To be honest, I found it to be flat and forgettable. Some people liked it, but I would pass on this film.

The third and film film of the festival was another documentary. MR. CAO GOES TO WASHINGTON was about Joseph Cao, the first Vietnamese American Republican ever to be elected to Congress and his bid for re-election in 2010. Producer/director S. Leo Chiang followed Congressman Cao for over two years, chronicling the whole story: from his surprise win in the African American Democratic district in New Orleans, being the only Republican to vote for Obama's Health Care Bill, and the pressure to be re-elected. The documentary was also produced by CAAM as well!

After the screening, both Cao and director Chiang participated in a long and informative Q&A with the audience. This was my favorite documentary at the festival! Insightful, intriguing, sometimes funny, and tragic as well! To learn more about the film and future screenings, check out the film's official website at http://mrcaofilm.com.

Well another SFIAAFF has come to an end! Overall I saw nine films in two and a half days! Not too shabby! Hopefully I can see more films at next year's festival. So do yourself a favor and make plans to come out to the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. To learn more about the festival, make donations, visit the Center for Asian American Media's website at http://caamedia.org.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil attends the SFIAAFF at the Camera 3: Day Two-March 17, 2012

Welcome back to Day Two of my trip to the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival at the Camera 3 Cinemas!! Today I saw five films so let's get started shall we?

The first film I saw was NINJA KIDS, the newest film by acclaimed director Takashi Miike. Based on the popular Manga comic, the film's about Rantaro, a cute little eight-year-old kid who has wild looking orange-ish hair and big Harry Potter-like glasses. His parents send him off to ninja academy to become a great ninja and to bring honor to their family. Once there he makes friends with his classmates, who are also wild and crazy in their own way. Dressed in cool blue ninja pajamas, the class learns the fundamentals of rock climbing, explosives, and ninja star throwing. But soon their skills are put to the test as Rantaro and his friends must protect the Saito clan, who are former ninjas turned cross-dressing hair stylists that look like they came straight out of the Castro district. With the help and guidance from their teachers, the boys bravely defend the Saito clan, and Rantaro learns the true meaning of the word ninja.

Back in July of last year at the Camera 3, I saw Miike's last film 13 ASSASSINS, which in my review I mentioned that, "not since Akira Kurosawa's 1954 masterpiece SEVEN SAMURAI  has there been a samurai film of this perfection." So when I saw this film, which is a family film, I was completely blown away! The fact that Miike made a film that was a complete 180 degrees from his last was staggering. The film felt like it was filtered through acid filled orange Kool-Aid. It was trippy, bizarre, absurd, and I loved every minute of it! The film was picked up and distributed by Warner Brothers (if you can believe that) and hopefully will be playing soon at a movie theater near you! In the meantime, check out the film's official website (it's in Japanese) at wwws.warnerbros.co.jp/nintama.

Film number two of the day was the WERE WE LIVE SHORTS PROGRAM. The program consisted of eight short films about family, love, life, and death:

L.A. COFFIN SCHOOL: A group of students attend this special school to experience their own deaths and relive past memories of their lives.
THE CHAMPIONS: A very funny film about a neurotic family called the Champions that believes that there house is haunted....by an evil spirit living their couch.
BEI YAN WAN SHANGHAI: In Shanghai there is a migrant worker district called Bel Yan Wan that is about to be demolished and the film follows two families from this area.
DEREK & LUCAS: Two boys playing soccer discover a dying dog in the woods and argue on what to do about it.
WERE WE LIVE: A short doc about the Hamad family, who now live here in the US but are still reminded of their traumatic experience living in Iraq. Very powerful and disturbing short film.
SHANGRA-LA: A funny short film about a group of Tibetan monks now living in a Bay Area suburb that wonders why people don't come out of their homes.
RAYMOND: An emotional and funny film about a young man named Raymond who returns home to the Bay Are to tell his family and his ex-boyfriend that he has cancer.
DOL, FIRST BIRTHDAY: The film's about a Korean American gay man who comes home to partake in his nephew's first birthday.

After the program, the cast and crew of the short film RAYMOND participated in a Q&A session. Overall these were some amazing short films!

The third film of the day was SURROGATE VALENTINE 2: DAYLIGHT SAVINGS (or just DAYLIGHT SAVINGS), the new film by Dave Boyle. In this sequel to last year's Closing Night smash hit, singer/songwriter/rocker Goh Nakamura returns as "Goh." Life's been good for Goh as of late. His music has been featured in a big time television commercial for the drug Relatrix, and he's about to go on his biggest tour of his life when his girlfriend in L.A. Ayako Fujitan (daughter of Steven Seagal) breaks up with him via Skype. Heartbroken and shaken, Goh wanders aimlessly through San Francisco while hanging out with his old flame Rachael (the lovely Lynn Chen). At his going away party he meets fellow musician and new love interest Yea-Ming (playing herself), the lead singer from the group Dreamdate. Before Goh can make his move, she leaves to go do a show in Las Vegas. Feeling a connection with her, Goh's cousin Mike (Michael Aki) convinces him to go on a madcap roadtrip with him to Sin City and see if there is something between them.

The film is a perfect follow-up to the first film. Our friend Goh grows up in this film and we see him go through a wide range of emotions that are heartfelt and oh to real. The real Goh's acting in the film was really good and seeing Lynn again is always a pleasure. But kuddos goes to Yea-Ming, who really shines in the film. Also the soundtrack in the film is incredible! Both Goh and Yea-Ming provide some astounding music that you should own! After the screening, Boyle, Goh, Yea-Ming, Michael, and members of the Top Hats Motorcycle Club participated in a fun Q&A session. To learn more about the film and to purchase a copy of the soundtrack, visit the film's official website at http://surrogatevalentine.com.

The fourth film I saw was the ultra cool and ultra hilarious NICE GIRLS CREW. The film focuses on three best friends Sophie (Lynn Chen), Leena (Sheetal Sheth), and Geraldine (Michelle Krusiec), who have known each other since grade school. Now as adults, they are reunited and decided to start a book club called, you guessed it, Nice Girls Crew. In five separate shorts, the girls tackle a different book with different results that leads to some of the funniest moments I have ever seen captured on film! The series was produced by the Center for Asian American Media and it was also created and written by Festival staff member Christine Kwon. The films were also co-written and directed by filmmaker Tanuj Chopra, whose film PUNCHING AT THE SUN was screened at 2006 film fest. NICE GIRLS CREW was the first film series to be produced by CAAM and to have it premiere during the festival was awesome! After the screening both Kwon and Chopra held a fun-filled Q&A that hinted that there could be more of NGC films in the near future. I for one would love to see more of this series! Make sure you check out the series' official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ngcseries.

The fifth and final film I saw was the HBO produced documentary LOVE CRIMES OF KABUL. Set at the Bagh Women's Prison in Kabul, Afghanistan, the film follows a group of women who are incarcerated for premarital sex, running away from home, and adultery.. Emmy-nominated director Tanaz Eshaghian tells the stories of these women and reminds us that in other countries, women are still being treated like second class citizens.

Words cannot describe just how shocking the documentary was. Raw, unflinching, and unnerving, the film really get your blood boiling and makes you wonder how and why some societies still treat women this way, granting them no rights or a voice to speak their minds or opinions. A powerful and disturbing documentary that really got under my skin. Highly recommended!! To learn more about the film and to see when it will be shown, visit the film's official HBO website at www.hbo.com/documentaries/love-crimes-of-kabul/index.html.

Today was a great day of film watching! Six films in two days, and there's still more to see on Sunday! To learn more about Center for Asian American Media and the film festival, and to make donations, please visit their website at http://caamedia.org.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil attends the SFIAAFF 30 Opening Nght Gala at the Camera 3-March 16, 2012

Hello folks and welcome to the opening night of the San Fransisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF) at the Camera 3 Cinemas here in Downtown San Jose! This year marks the 30th anniversary of the festival, as well as the 11th anniversary of the festival being shown in San Jose! Before the screening of the opening film, the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) executive director Stephan Gong thanked all their sponsors, without whom this festival would not happen. Then both director Michael Kang and star/screenwriter Kimberly-Rose Wolter were called up to introduce their film to the audience and thanked us for coming out to see the film on this cold, wet, rainy Friday night. Then the lights dimmed and we watched the South Bay Premiere of the comedy film KNOTS.

The film's about Lily (Wolter), who is a beautiful, quirky, marriage-phobic woman who left her family and their family business in Hawaii and relocated to Los Angeles. When she and her boyfriend James (Henry Dittman) travel back for vacation, he pops the big question which sends her back to her loving family: her mom Miriam Wolf (Illeana Douglas), and her younger sisters Hoku (Janel Parrish), who just happens to be pregnant and bubbly Twinny (Mia Riverton). Reluctantly, she helps out with the family business ironically called "Tying the Knot." While back home she runs into her ex-boyfriend Kai (Sung Kang), who Twinny is dating. Things become complicated when old feelings resurfaces, but will Lily's fear of commitment ruin her friendship with Kai and her family's business as well?

The film was a fun, light-hearted comedy that boasts some really hilarious moments combined with love and inspiration. The family dynamic between the mom and her daughters was very well done. The on-screen chemistry between all the lead actresses was believable, thanks to perfect casting. Wolter not only starred in the film, but also written the script (she also starred in and wrote TRE, which won the Special Jury Prize at SFIAAFF ‘08). Born and raised in Hawaii, Wolter knew a lot about Hawaiian customs and knew locations that would best suit the film. Director Kang is no stranger to the festival, having both the comedy THE MOTEL (SFIAAFF ‘05) and noir film WEST 32ND (SFIAAFF ‘08) showcased at the festival. With this film, he continues his streak of bringing us films that shows us his talents.

After the screening, we all went to the gala afterparty which was held at the San Jose Museum of Art. There was plenty of food, drinks, and wine to enjoy. Some of my favorite treats were the dessert snacks from Charlie's Cheesecake Works and Jade Chocolate, as well Chinese cuisine from Ginger Cafe. Both Charlie's and Ginger are located here in the South Bay, while Jade is located in San Fransisco. Check out their websites to learn more about their businesses.

Tonight was an amazing night, and this was just the beginning! The festival continues for the rest of this weekend so come out to the Camera 3 and partake on the fun! To view the film schedule and to purchase tickets, visit the CAAM website at http://caamedia.org.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil attends the Cult Movie screenig of TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES at the Camera 3-March 15, 2012

Hello my fellow cult fanatics and welcome to Month Two of the Cult Movie Series here at the Camera 3 in Downtown San Jose. So for tonight's cult film they screened that beloved children's classic, 1990's TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES! My inner child was so very enthusiastic that I couldn't hold it back! Now you can't watch this movie without chowing down on some pizza, and our good friends at Pizza My Heart donated four large and very yummy pizzas for the audience to enjoy during the screening. Also tonight's prizes were donated by our sponsors at Streetlight Records and Time Tunnel Toys here in San Jose!

Theatrical Movie Poster (1990)

Based on the 1984 black and white independent comic book created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman, the film's about four turtles named Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and their master rat named Splinter who come into contact with a radioactive substance called the Ooze that mutates them all into walking and talking and ninja fighting creatures! Our heroes are put to the test when New York City becomes overrun with a series of mysterious crimes. Ace TV reporter April O'Neil (Judith Hoag) uncovers that a secret gang of ninjas called The Foot, lead by their leader The Shredder (James Saito), are responsible for these crimes. Soon they kidnapped Splinter and our heroes in a half shell, along with their ally Casey Jones (Elias Koteas), must find and rescue him while defeating the Shredder once and for all.

The film was released by New Line Cinema on March 30, 1990. The reason I know this was because when I was 16 years old, my first job was working at the now defunct Syufy Century Alamden Movie Theater. My first day was Friday, April 6, 1990. We had it on screens 3 (which was our main theater), 4, and 5. It was hilarious to see these 5-10 year old kids coming out of the theaters and kicking the hell out of each other. Awww......the innocence of youth. The movie was made looooong before CGI so the animatronics were made courtesy of the Jim Henson's Creature Shop. The film's budget was only $13.5 million but it ended up grossing $135,270,000!! Very impressive indeed!! Two sequels followed and in 2007 the turtles made their return to the big screen in the computer animated film TMNT.

Tonight was a blast! We had a great crowd tonight, considering it was a Thursday night! The film will be shown again this Saturday night, March 17th at midnight! We'll have more prizes to hand out, maybe some more pizza, and we'll also be having a TMNT van outside for all to take pictures in! So don't miss out on all the fun! Also, to view this season's Cult Movie Series schedule, visit the Camera Cinemas website at www.cameracinemas.com.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil attends the final day of CINEQUEST 22: Encore Day-March 11, 2012

Well here we are everybody. THE final day of the Cinequest Film Festival. Now the festival ended last night with the closing night film THE DEEP BLUE SEA and after party. During the closing night ceremony, Cinequest co-founder Halfdan Hussey announced this year's winners and said that the encore film schedule would be up later that night. Lucky for us the festival already printed out the schedule and the volunteers were handing them out to us as we left. This morning outside the California Theatre, the whole block in front was blocked off and there were several food trucks offering up some very tasty snacks. From Burritos to Cuban food, there was plenty to eat. It was here at the California Theatre were I was going to be the entire day. All four films that I wanted to see were being shown here, so I got lucky. And now, here are the films that I saw on Encore Day.

The first film up was a film that I wanted to see during the festival but didn't have time. COME AS YOU ARE (HASTA LA VISTA) tells the story of three friends Jozef, Philip and Lars, who all go off on an exciting road trip to lose their virginity. Now this may sound like your typical, average "guys losing their virginity" flick, but it's not. First off, our three guys are handicapped. Philip and Lars are in wheelchairs and Jozef is blind. Didn't see that one coming, did you? The guys are dependent on their parents to take care of them 24/7. But when they hear of a Spanish brothel that caters to people "like us," they convince their families to let them go on vacation (not knowing their true agenda). However, their driver/caretaker ends up being a big, scruffy looking women who only speaks French. But this only heightens their bond with each other as they head off on a trip the guys will never forget.

As I said, I didn't get a chance to see this, so I was glad that it was part of Encore Day. The film was funny, sad, rambunctious, and bittersweet. The three leads were very convincing in their roles, but what surprised the hell out of me was that they all were not handicapped. Now that's method acting people! The film was directed by Geoffrey Enthoven, whose other film The Over the Hill Band played at Cinequest back in 2010. The film also recently won the Grand Prize of the Americas and the Audience Award at the Montreal World Film Festival. You can check out the film's official website at www.hastalavistadefilm.be/.

The second film I saw was JASON BECKER: NOT DEAD YET. The film was still powerful, moving, and inspirational the second time around. There were two reasons why I wanted to see this documentary again. The first being it was an amazing film. The second was that Jason Becker himself was there live in person. Along with his family and his caretaker, Jason participated in a funny and informative Q&A session. I was fortunate to meet Jason after the screening as over. This was a very special moment for me. Now I grew up during Jason's rise to stardom and I had heard his music, so being a fan already and realizing that even though he was told he only had five years to live, the fact that he's still here twenty years later is astounding to his will to live and to continue making music. You can learn more about the film by visiting the website at www.jasonbeckermovie.com. There is still no cure for ALS, but you can help find one by making a donation on the ALS website at www.alsa.org.

Film number three was SUNFLOWER HOUR. This was my third time seeing the film, so you know if I've seen it that many times, it's a funny, funny film! So to learn more about the film, where it will be playing and see cool pics, check out the film's official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sunflowerhour.

The last film I saw on Encore Day was the hilarious Norwegian comedy KING CURLING (KONG CURLING). I laughed so hard when I first saw this film and I did again today! Now both this and SUNFLOWER HOUR were my two favorite comedy films at this year's festival. Both of these films don't have a distributor yet, so I thought to myself when will I see my two favorite films back to back again? Not ever, so I wanted to see this film one more time. Also you can check out the film's official Facebook page as well by going to www.facebook.com/kongcurling.

Well folks, there you have it. My first Cinequest back since 2010 and my first as a film reviewer. I have to say that this was THE best Cinequest Film Festival ever! What made it so great were the films, the filmmakers, the audiences, the afterparties, the whole vibe was intoxicating. Sometimes during the festival I thought it would never end, but it did. And I can't wait for next year's festival. Overall I attended 56 screenings in 13 days! A new record for me! So let's see if I can break it next year! So now I would like to say hi to all my friends, old and new, from the festival. I had the best time seeing you all again and I hope to see you at next year's Cinequest. To all the filmmakers I got to meet, good luck with your respective films and I hope to see them again on either the big screen or on DVD. And to all my friends and followers who read my blog during the festival, thank you! Have a great week everybody, and I'll see you all again soon!

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil attends CINEQUEST 22: Day Twelve-March 10, 2012

This is it folks! The official last day of the Cinequest 22 Film Festival! Tomorrow the festival will be having its Encore Day, but before I get into that, I have another four films to review.

I started my day off at the San Jose Rep Theatre where the first film I saw was BATTLE OF THE QUEENS (KAMPF DER KONIGINNEN). Directed by Nicolas Steiner, this stunning black and white documentary takes place in the Valais region of Switzerland where thousands of people gather to watch an event called the Battle of the Queens. Every year magnificent and muscle-bound cows duke it out to claim the honor of being the best of the best (they don't use bulls for they are too dangerous to be let out in the open). Shot in the formentioned black and white and in widescreen, complete with an amazing score that Steiner wrote, and fantastic slow motion sequences during the actual fight scenes.

The film was preceded by a short the Steiner did back in film school called IT'S ME, HELMUT. On his 60th birthday (or is it 57? We may never know the answer) a few of Helmut's friends stop by to wish him a happy birthday, but it's a bittersweet one for him. Using props and tear away sets, the film was shot in one long 12 minute take. Steiner said that he could only afford three roles of 16mm film and guess what? He finally got it all on the last roll of film.

After the film was over, Steiner participated in a fun and informative Q&A session. He also thanks all of us in attendance for showing up for tonight's screening. He said that this was the largest crowd he had during the festival! I was very glad I got to see the astounding film! This was the last screening of the film, but keep your eyes peeled if it comes out to a theater near you!

For my second and third features of the day I headed back to the Camera 12. The second film I saw was the comedy SMALL, BEAUTIFULLY MOVING PARTS, directed by Annie J. Howell and Lisa Robinson. Sarah Sparks (Anna Margaret Hollyman) is a committed tech-geek and also pregnant. She's afraid that she'll be more interested in ultrasound technology than in what's being ultra-sounded. When her sister lures her to L.A. for what ends up being a horrible baby shower, Sarah keeps her rental van and hits the road in search of the source of her anxiety: her estranged mother, now living "off the grid."

The film was preceded by a ten minute short film called VACANT. It's about two women that handle their husband's absence across the border in different ways. Really bittersweet short.

The film was smart, funny, and sweet. It has heart and something that's very rare to see: a unknown and talented woman who really turns in a great performance! Hollyman really nails her part as the idiosyncratic tech-geek Sarah. Really a great funny and emotional film. Today was the last screening but you can visit the film's official website at www.smallbeautifullymovingparts.com.

Film number three was the awesome, locally made film DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR. Directed by Iris Almaraz with special guest director Gustavo Ramo, the film takes place in the mid-90s and stars Leana Chavez as Lulu, a voluptuous, sassy, grungy girl who can no longer stand living with her father and step mom. Especially since she stopped taking her Prozac medication and now sees them as totally lame. While working at her job making coffee, she sees a room for rent sign and moves to San Fransisco to live with her new transgender friend, Illusion (the hilarious Salvador Benavides). Finally free, she begins to find herself and her sexuality. She soon realizes that the right guy for her is her best friend Mario (Ronnie Alvarez).

This is local filmmaking at its finest! Words cannot express on just how much I loved this film! It has the look and feel of San Francisco and all that makes it so unique. Great directing, great acting, great script equals a great film! Highly recommended to all you local filmmakers! Today was the last screening of the film but check out the film's official website at http://delusionsofgrandeurmovie.com.

For the forth and final film of the day, I made my way to the California Theatre for the festival's closing night screening of THE DEEP BLUE SEA. The latest film by acclaimed director Terence Davies, adapted the script from the Terence Rattigan play of the same name. The film stars Oscar winner Rachel Weiz as Hester Collyer, who is married to British Judge William Collyer (Simon Russell Beale) but soon finds herself in a very steamy and self-destructive love affair with a Royal Air Force pilot named Freddie Page (portrayed by Tom Hiddleston).

Before the film, Davies came out on stage and accepted the Maverick Spirit award from Cinequest director and co-founder Halfdan Hussey. Long time Cinequest moderator Laura Barbarino interviewed Davies as he regaled the audience with funny memories and his life as a director. After the screening, we all headed over the San Jose Tech Museum, which held the lavish closing night party! Fun was had by all, and yours truly had an absolute blast!

There you have it folks! That was the "official" end of the festival. Now there will be an Encore Day on Sunday, which means they will show the films that won awards that were voted on by a panel of jurors as well as audience votings. So make sure you come down and enjoy Encore Day with me this Sunday, March 11th. The schedule is up on the Cinequest website at www.cinequest.org.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!