While celebrity sightings were slim at the Angelika during the IFP Market this year, at least I can say I lunched with Elvis at Katz’s Deli. This post-Comeback Special period impersonator had it down—the gold leather jacket with fringes, the sideburns, the sunglasses, the sneer. Impressive. And of course it’s New York so no one even bats an eyelash.

The Market definitely had more activity at the Puck Building for panels and meetings than at the Angelika for screenings. Though attendance seemed to pick up on Wednesday afternoon, perhaps due to new projects from familiar directors, gone are the days of being shut out of screenings and being assaulted by filmmakers with promotional gimmicks as soon as they recognized the color of your badge. It’s always an adjustment to go from seeing accomplished, full-length features at the Toronto Film Festival to trailers and clips of dozens of docs in various stages of readiness just a couple of days later. Despite this aesthetic whiplash and the usual shortcomings of the Angelika--including lack of a functional “Up” escalator, technical difficulties galore, late starts of films, and a leaking ceiling over the escalator (but hey! the popcorn and soda were free)—there were many promising projects to see and talented filmmakers to meet and encourage.

Certain themes emerged over the week: abuses of the government; the struggles of living in poverty; female empowerment and women who have made a difference in their communities and their countries; mental illness; terminal diseases and living with disabilities; political activism; the performance arts, and baseball. Perhaps it’s a coincidence with the great Wild Card races and the perpetual Yankees/Red Sox horserace going on in Major League Baseball right now, but there were four (!) baseball projects in the works--SPACEMAN: A BASEBALL ODYSSEY, about counter-culture pitcher Bill Lee; KOKO-YAKYU: HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL, about the National Championship tournament in Japan; BAD BOYS OF SUMMER, about the San Quentin prison baseball team (that gets to all their games at home); and WHO’S ON FIRST, about Greece having to field a baseball team for the 2004 Olympics in Athens despite no experience whatsoever when the country was awarded the Summer Games. Another sports film that had considerable buzz and is ready to go out into the festival world now is Josh Aronson’s BULLRIDER. NASCAR fans should rejoice over this new film from the director of SOUND AND FURY as it focuses on all the good ol’ boys that participate in the incredibly dangerous bull riding World Championship tour.

The other doc feature that opened some eyes (and moistened a few as well) is SO MUCH SO FAST, the new film from Steven Ascher and Jeanne Jordan, the creators of the Sundance award-winning TROUBLESOME CREEK: A MIDWESTERN. This rich and moving work focuses on a family dealing with a 29-year-old brother who’s been diagnosed with the nerve disorder ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), and the race against time to do something about it. Every year at the Market there’s one or two films that are a sure thing, such as NEVERLAND in 2003 or THREE OF HEARTS in 2004—SO MUCH SO FAST is this year’s standout for me.

There were of course, many other titles by both “name” and first-time directors whose films’ progress we’ll be following in the coming months: AUTUMN’S EYES by Paola Mendoza, co-creator and star of ON THE OUTS; THE CANDIDATE, the charming look at feisty 94-year-old Granny D’s run for the Senate in New Hampshire by Marlo Poras (MAI’S AMERICA); A LION IN THE HOUSE, the PBS-bound series focusing on families with children stricken with cancer by Steven Bognar (PICTURE DAY) and Julia Reichert (SEEING RED, UNION MAIDS); OFF THE GRID: LIFE ON THE MESA by Jeremy and Randy Stulberg (THE EDUCATION OF SHELBY KNOX), about a small group of drifters, veterans, and freedom-seekers living in a remote part of New Mexico; IMAGINING PEACE by Lisa Gossels (THE CHILDREN OF CHABANNES), a fascinating look at the Middle East crisis through the eyes of teenage girls from both Israel and Palestine that attend a 3-week summer camp in New Jersey; GONE TO TEXAS: THE LIVES OF FORREST CARTER by Marco Ricci, the wild story of the best-selling author of “The Outlaw Josey Wales” and “The Education of Little Tree” who was a Cherokee hero of New Age Wisdom. But twelve years after his death it’s discovered that he was also “Asa” Carter, head of the KKK in Alabama and speech writer for George Wallace; and new films by both co-directors of TWO TOWNS OF JASPER, Whitney Dow’s exploration of Haiti and its most famous band, SEPTENTRIONAL, and Marco Williams’ FREEDOM DREAMS, a portrait of Patrick Critton, a black militant, revolutionary, and terrorist.

Laughs were far and few between, but there were a couple of films which had the audience cracking up and potentially could be winners: GARY AND THE ROMANS by Ted Gesing is in the AMERICAN MOVIE vein and introduces us to a deluded Tampa billboard magnate and his Brazilian body-building leading actress as they attempt to make a promo reel for the toga epic of his dreams; and GIRLS ROCK! by Arne Johnson and Shane King packed ‘em in for this very entertaining peek at a rock ‘n’ roll camp for girls ages 8 – 18 in Portland, Oregon.

The final day of screenings also brought reduced hours in the Video Library. While it was previously publicized that the library would be open until 8:30 nightly, Thursday morning’s mailbox memo announced a 4:00 PM closing time. It’s bad enough they eliminated Friday availability for the first time in years, but this abrupt change in policy was met with a lot of frustration. The IFP needs to do better and at least give its supporters enough lead time to maximize their schedule. Is that to much to ask?

I did make a discovery though. For some reason, there were three films in the library that were not listed in the program, all quite interesting doc feature works-in-progress: HOW SWEET THE SOUND, a film about the musical legends The Blind Boys of Alabama produced by Heidi Ewing (SHELTER DOGS); HEATWAVE – AN UNNATURAL DISASTER, a film by Judith Helfand (BLUE VINYL) about poverty in Chicago and the one week in July where over 700 people died heat-related deaths; and THE LORD OF LIGHT by Diane Bernard, the bizarre story of Barry Geller, who in 1979 began production on a science fiction film and came up with the idea for a sci-fi theme park with designs by Marvel comics great Jack Kirby. After his financial ruin brought on by a sleazy business partner, somehow his writings end up being used by the CIA to rescue hostages in Iran. I kid you not!

Following in the tradition of Enzian’s Marketing Director, Shannon Lacek, and her fascination with odd names of businesses in Toronto, here’s a couple of favorites to close with from the Big Apple: “A Salt & Battery” (a fish ‘n’ chips joint) and “Burp Castle” (it had to be a bar).

- Matthew

No, but they definitely eat fowl! I’m up in NYC for the 27th annual IFP Market (formerly known as the IFFM or Independent Feature Film Market but since there’s only docs and shorts here the name change makes more sense). The first elevator ride I take up to the apartment I’m crashing at has two other riders. Instead of “How you doing?” the first words I hear are “Do squirrels eat meat?” This is immediately followed by “…cause we didn’t think so but we just passed one chowin’ down on a dead parakeet!” Um, how do you respond to that? I think I said something to the effect that New York’s the only place I’ve ever seen black squirrels, so nothing would surprise me. These young guys were a little freaked out.

Day one of the Market for those of us attending for the screenings and panels- only officially starts Monday, but registration begins Sunday. A nice change this year is the video library opening from 1 – 8:30 PM on Sunday (thanks Bob Hawk!), giving us all a little jump on the week. I took advantage of this opportunity by previewing a good chunk of the Doc shorts including YESTERDAY IN RWANDA, a moving portrait of a young woman/genocide survivor living in Toronto who carries on but can never forget what has happened to her family and her people. The film was directed by Davina Pardo, creator of BIRDLINGS TWO, the quirky and personal doc that preceded PUCKER UP: THE FINE ART OF WHISTLING at the 2005 Florida Film Festival (FFF).

On the negative side, apparently Apple didn’t come through with the same type of sponsorship as in the past, so there are no computers in the hospitality area for filmmakers and industry to check e-mail. This is quite the inconvenience that hopefully can be rectified next year.

I ran into a well-groomed though raspy-voiced Gill Holland at the Filmmaker Welcome Reception at Lotus, and he broke the news of his upcoming wedding next week—congratulations and the best of luck! Gill produced Tim Kirkman’s LOGGERHEADS (Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature, FFF 2005) and the Midnight Shorts sensation, THE TOZER SHOW: BOMBS AND BLUEBALLS, and is readying four new titles for this year’s festival circuit along with signing a new female artist to his record label. He also introduced me to Paola Mendoza, co-creator and one of the three lead actresses in Lori Silverbush and Michael Skolnik’s ON THE OUTS (Special Jury Prize, FFF 2005). Paola is here with AUTUMN’S EYES, a similarly themed doc feature work-in-progress about a three-year-old girl whose teenage mom is in jail in Jersey City.

Later that night I hit the Brian Jonestown Massacre set at the Bowery Ballroom and unfortunately DIG! turns out to be completely accurate in its portrayal of bandleader Anton as a flaming a-hole. When they actually played the band sounded great—but there was way too much audience baiting, guitar tuning, band member abuse, whining about his equipment getting stolen, etc, to ruin what should have been a memorable show. The bonus though was that I got to meet Jim Jarmusch, who happens to be a big BJM fan. He was happy to hear that BROKEN FLOWERS was off to a monster start in its exclusive Orlando opening at Enzian, and that the theater has played almost all of his films. And even STRANGER THAN PARADISE just screened recently as part of the Sundance Channel Film Series. Having been present at the film’s groundbreaking premiere at the 1984 Telluride Film Festival, it was nice to finally greet one of our coolest and most talented filmmakers.

-Matthew

Not to mention the overlong and underwhelming…back from this year’s Toronto Film Festival marathon for a couple of days now, and I’ve finally been able to digest it all and get a little perspective. While I’m sure there were plenty of fine films to be consumed, somehow the transcendent moments (or “slam-dunks” as we call them)--at least in the 50+ titles that Shannon and I got to—seemed to be far less frequent than in previous years. Whether or not this is a sign of things to come in the arthouse market for the rest of this year and into 2006 remains to be seen, but I’m still optimistic that there some wonderful movies on the horizon that will serve our Enzian audience well.

Before I get into my movie wrap-up (using the 5-star rating system our local cinemagoers are used to, but only for those films I watched completely), here are some random thoughts and musings from our week of sitting in the dark and schmoozing in the light.

Opening Night party – Using Deepa Mehta’s WATER as the jumping off point, the decorations included stunning melting ice sculptures; the food leaned heavily toward Indian cuisine (curry is on my verboten spice list!) but I still managed to find some delicious things to nosh on—I believe Shannon has already sung the praises of the bizarre yet addictive French Fries dish with ricotta cheese, chicken, and tomato gravy on top. Industry friends were obviously suffering from either too little sleep on the first night or too much alcohol when they greeted me by proclaiming, “You look like you lost weight!” Or perhaps the lighting was just bad…still, I appreciated the sentiment and it was a nice way to begin the week’s activities.

The new hotel – Those of you who know me well are aware I am a creature of habit. For the first time in many years, we could not stay at the Quality Inn Midtown (across from one of our favorite landmarks, the Shoe Museum), so we ended up at the Days Hotel a little further away from where most of the movies screen (the Varsity and Cumberland cinemas) but closer to the headquarters hotel (Sutton Place). The end result was that we were further downtown and due to the fact that the morning trek was on a bit of an incline, I probably took more taxis than ever before. The room was OK and comfortable but the bathroom was a little on the unusual side. The toilet was so loud you were afraid to flush (a possessed commode?) and a light that appeared to be white added a pinkish hue to everything and anyone in its line of fire—evidently my body was not completely sunburned as it appeared every morning and my bar of Dial Gold was not the color of a sliced open blood orange.

Celebs and other social gatherings – Interesting that I saw virtually no actors or filmmakers attending industry screenings as in past years. Perhaps they were seeing different films or spending all their time doing publicity on their projects. I did run into Enzian veteran Philip Seymour Hoffman (looking very anti-Capote with his burly beard) at headquarters and Woody Harrelson (looking very “Woody” in shorts and flip-flops) in the Four Seasons lobby, along with producer/distributor/theater owner/NBA owner/billionaire Mark Cuban (much taller in person than on TV) at the HDNet party which featured Wyclef Jean as a special guest performer. The Focus Features party for BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN had perhaps the nicest spread of food we’ve ever seen at one of these events—rack of lamb, filet mignon, risotto, asparagus and more! Unfortunately Shannon and I had just finished dinner (at 11 PM) moments before and were physically unable to partake. There were no Jeff Daniels or Laura Linney sightings at the IDP party for THE SQUID AND THE WHALE (opening at Enzian next month), but I had a blast getting my butt kicked at poker (with fake chips thank god!) at a table with a motley crew of industry folks and fellow programmers, including Mike from Cinequest, Tom from Sarasota/Nantucket, Sky from Newport, her friend Jessica from IFC, “the Rabbi”, and the table sensei, John Vanco. Innocent fun (and many drinks) were had by all.

The films…

LINDA LINDA LINDA – Only got to see the first half of this Japanese high-school-girls-in-a-band flick, but unfortunately that was the part that was slow, unengaging, repetitive, and didn’t translate well to Western audiences. Word has it that the film gets much better and ends on a sweet note.

THE PIANO TUNER OF EARTHQUAKES ( 3-stars) – Executive produced by Terry Gilliam, this “poetic science fiction film” about a crazed doctor who kidnaps an opera singer, is the latest from master animators and surrealists, the Brothers Quay. Gorgeous in execution with its hazy and luminous yet somehow washed-out cinematography, this blend of fairytale and nightmare, theater and opera, is ultimately too abstract and impenetrable for general audiences. Great festival movie though!

OBABA (4 stars) – An attractive mid-20’s college student travels to a small town in Spain on a video assignment. As she interviews people in the community, she begins to uncover both the history and mysteries of the area. Heavy on flashbacks but always intriguing, and beautiful production design and actors with just the right touch of magic realism. (*Note* - an associate who loved the collection of short stories the film is based on, “Obabakoak” by Bernardo Axtaga, was not very happy with the adaptation.)

BREAKFAST ON PLUTO (4 stars) – The great Neil Jordan (IN THE COMPANY OF WOLVES, MONA LISA, THE CRYING GAME) returns with this picaresque tale told in 36 short chapters of an Irish transvestite in the 1970’s who becomes involved with the IRA while on a quest to find his real mother. The terrific cast includes Liam Neeson, Stephen Rea, and Brendan Gleeson, but star Cillian Murphy (28 DAYS LATER, BATMAN BEGINS, RED EYE) is a knock-out as Patrick “Kitten” Braden. Nicely shot by Declan Quinn, a bit long at 135 minutes, and a bit pretentious in its use of subtitles for talking robins (yes, the birds) that frame the movie.

CAPOTE (5 stars) – The best film I saw all week! Bennett Miller (THE CRUISE, the doc about NY tour guide Speed Levitch), in his first feature, has brought us a remarkable film about the creative process. Less of a biopic and more about the particular years that Truman Capote spent researching the Midwest killers that became the subjects of “In Cold Blood”, the film features one of the year’s seminal performances. Philip Seymour Hoffman is in virtually every scene and is as riveting as it gets. Catherine Keener is also quite good as friend and fellow author Harper Lee, who wrote a little thing called “To Kill a Mockingbird.” A must see!

ELIZABETHTOWN (3 stars) – Cameron Crowe (ALMOST FAMOUS) rebounds some after VANILLA SKY, but overlong romantic comedy about a disgraced running-shoe inventor (a good Orlando Bloom) returning home to Kentucky to attend the funeral of his father and getting involved with a flaky stewardess (Kirsten Dunst) is problematic in its current form. There are many wonderful and funny moments here along with a nice supporting cast and great soundtrack (of course), but film meanders and has too many unbelievable plot elements to pull it off. (*Note* - The studio announced that this was a work in progress so it will be interesting to see what Crowe ends up with for the final cut.)

A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (4 Stars) – Based on a graphic novel and easily David Cronenberg’s most mainstream work ever. It’s also one of the best films at the festival. Small-town business owner and family man (Viggo Mortensen) kills two thugs during a robbery attempt at his diner, attracting the attention of some big city gangsters who don’t believe he’s the man he says he is. Featuring a wonderful turn by William Hurt as the older brother and excellent support from Maria Bello and Ed Harris, this is intense, brutally violent, and darkly funny stuff that may be too gory for the art crowd.

AKA TOMMY CHONG – I only got to see the last half of this but it was interesting and entertaining if a bit repetitive. This doc focuses on the US government’s absurd case against the late 60’s/early 70’s counter culture comedian (of Cheech & Chong fame) that put him in jail for nine months for selling bongs over the internet. American civil liberties once again take a beating from the Bush administration and John Ashcroft as they make their point by punishing a man for his role as a pot enthusiast three decades ago!

STONED (2 stars) – Some nice cinematography with different film stocks, the always reliable Paddy Considine, a good soundtrack including period tunes (Small Faces, Traffic) and new stuff (White Stripes), but this bio-drama on the self destructive star trajectory of Brian Jones, founder and lead guitarist of the Rolling Stones, isn’t compelling in the least and doesn’t even feature any of the band’s music. The lead actor tends to look like David Spade in a bad mod wig, and he’s portrayed as a pathetic figure rather than a tragic one. Film does make absolutely clear that he was murdered (drowned) by his disgruntled “caretaker” and did not accidentally OD in his pool. Lots of full frontal male nudity and a stunningly beautiful actress plays Brian/Keith girlfriend Anita Pallenberg just in case you’re interested.

SARAH SILVERMAN: JESUS IS MAGIC – I only caught the last half hour of this doc that features the Jewish American Princess/shock comic in concert and in music videos. Funny and sick stuff that is clearly not for everyone with its taboo targets like the Holocaust and racial stereotypes (ARISTOCRATS haters beware!). Perfect late night or midnight fare.

SEVEN SWORDS (4 stars) – The great Tsui Hark (ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA) brings us this monumental martial arts/wuxia (swordplay epic) with some of the most amazing and beautiful duels and battles you’ll ever see. Set in a time where the use of martial arts is punishable by death according to the royal court, Donnie Yen stars as one of seven warriors that help protect a town from an evil general and his sadistic band of warriors that receive a bounty for every severed head they bring back. Overlong, confusing at times, but a worthy investment of your time.

LEONARD COHEN I’M YOUR MAN (3 stars) – A January 2005 tribute concert in Australia for the legendary poet/singer-songwriter from Canada. Edited by Mike Cahill and partially shot by Brit Marling (co-directors of FFF 2005’s BOXERS AND BALLERINAS), film features an interesting mix of artists (Rupert and Martha Wainwright, the McGarrigle sisters, Nick Cave, Beth Orton, etc.) and contemporary interviews with both Cohen and the performers, along with great archival clips, photos, drawings, and poems. Annoyingly, some of the singers resort to reading lyrics off of sheet music and the lip-synched final performance/music video of Cohen with U2 as his backing band is a bit off-putting, but film is definitely worthy for fans and a nice intro to this brilliant and surprisingly funny artist.

BROTHERS OF THE HEAD (3 stars) – A TWIN FALLS IDAHO in the punk era, as this well-acted but generally humorless faux documentary follows Siamese twins conjoined at the chest who are taken away to become rock stars in the mid-1970’s. Worthy original music by Clive Langer and Pete Shelley technically pre-dates the first Damned album which is historically problematic. Interviews with Ken Russell and clips from a supposed aborted film starring the twins are some of the comic highlights of this film which should have cult potential due to its subject matter and the whole sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll thing.

DUELIST (2 stars) – Another visually stunning action film from South Korea, this one a period piece detective story. Full of camera tricks and a gorgeous looking (and sounding) print, but way short on story for a two hour film. The film is fascinating for a while but the interest is not sustained—I couldn’t wait for this one to end.

ZOZO (4 stars) – An emotionally charged drama of a young Lebanese boy whose family is killed in 1987 Beirut and must emigrate to Sweden to live with his grandparents. Touching and well-acted, this is a fine, personal work from Josef Fares, the Swedish director of JALLA! JALLA! and KOPS. The second film in the festival to feature a talking, subtitled bird—what is going on?

TAKESHIS (3 stars) – Takeshi Kitano (FIREWORKS, ZATOICHI THE BLIND SWORDSMAN) is the star in this wacky but overlong, sometimes confusing comedy featuring a heavy Godard influence and multiple levels of reality. The filmmaker cleverly pays homage to his many different film and TV roles along with his role of “celebrity”, and it is kind of fun to watch the same characters get wiped out over and over again. Familiarity with his film and TV work is a definite plus if you get a chance to see this unique and playful work.

THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE (3 stars) – Gretchen Mol is perfect for the role of the infamous 1950’s pin-up girl, who was a good Christian girl at heart but made lots of naughty short films and posed for both nudie and bondage photos. The music and production design are first rate but unfortunately there’s just not enough drama to the story to grab the viewer for a feature. The new film from Mary Harron (I SHOT ANDY WARHOL, AMERICAN PSYCHO), it also blends b&w and color film stocks to not much effect. In a post-film discussion later in the festival however, I did learn a new word as a result of the film—an associate wondered if Mol used a “merkin” (sp?) for her totally nude shots, which is apparently a “prop bush” used to cover the real thing. See…you learn something new every day.

TRISTRAM SHANDY: A COCK AND BULL STORY – Regrettably I only got to see the first half of this hilarious new Michael Winterbottom (24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE) film about the making of a film version of the supposedly unfilmable 18th century classic novel. British actor/comedian Steve Coogan stars along with Rob Brydon, Stephen Fry, and Gillian Anderson (where’s she been?). Accurately described as Christopher Guest directing a Restoration comedy, I can’t wait to see the rest of this.

HARSH TIMES (3 stars) – From the writer of TRAINING DAY comes more nerve-wracking macho buddy action with a fine, intense performance by Christian Bale as an unbalanced 6-year Gulf War veteran doing lots of bad things as he waits to get a job as a Fed and sucks his best friend (Freddy Rodriguez, “Rico” from “Six Feet Under”) into his tragic vortex. This is gripping stuff for a while but it feels like we’ve seen it before. I dread hearing the words “homey” and “dude” ever again.

WHERE THE TRUTH LIES (2 stars) – Kevin Bacon and Colin Firth as a Martin-Lewis type comedy act with a big skeleton in their closet. This Hitchcockian thriller-lite features lots of risqué sex and a badly miscast Allison Lohman as the writer “playing “ both celebrities to get her story and solve the mystery of the nude housekeeper found dead in their NJ hotel room 15 years ago. Atom Egoyan’s most mainstream film (is this his version of a “studio” project?) and based on the novel by Rupert Holmes. It may have earned an NC-17 and I admire them for not cutting it, but too bad it’s not a better film.

SYMPATHY FOR LADY VENGEANCE (4 stars) – The third film in Park Chan-Wook’s incredible revenge trilogy is not quite as brilliantly inventive or twisted as OLD BOY. Still, this is a dynamite and disturbing story of female ex-con bent on revenge after 13+ years in prison. That her kidnapping partner turns out to be a child serial killer adds to the emotional discomfort, but hilarious flashbacks to prison life and a jaw-dropping plot twist make this required viewing for fans with strong stomachs.

WALK THE LINE (4 stars) – A little close to RAY in both structure and content, this biopic on the life of Johnny Cash and his relationship with June Carter is splendid nonetheless. Wonderful performances and singing by both Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon should earn them Oscar nominations. Music by T-Bone Burnett, Bill Frisell, Marc Ribot and many others just adds to the fun. You know you want to see it…

TRUST THE MAN (4 stars) – An “A” list indie cast (Julianne Moore, David Duchovny, Billy Crudup, and Maggie Gylenhall) and sharp writing make this sexual romantic comedy about two 30-something NYC couples (one married, the other not) working through their issues a winner. Film does get syrupy and loses its edge toward the end even as the laughs continue. A huge crowd pleaser.

RIVER QUEEN (2 stars) – Nicely shot but overlong and ultimately dull story of Maoris and Brits battling it out in the jungles of New Zealand in the mid-19th century. As usual, Samantha Morton is excellent, and this historical (non) epic co-stars a fine Cliff Curtis (WHALE RIDER) and a heavily bearded and Irish brogued Keifer Sutherland. A disappointing work from Vincent Ward, director of THE NAVIGATOR.

SPL (4 stars) – Entertaining, wild, illogical and ultraviolent Hong Kong actioner with a band of rogue cops trying to put away a mob kingpin at all costs. Features an epic battle between Donnie Yen and Samo Hung—great midnight fare!

ANGEL (3 stars) – A sensitive and authentic Jim McKay HBO film with Rachel Griffiths as a pregnant high school guidance counselor in Brooklyn who takes a keen interest in the well-being of Angel—a bright but troubled student. Jonan Everett is excellent as the lost teenager, and the film is nicely acted, slowly paced, and intimately shot with lots of hand-held. Well done and downbeat, but not as rich a work as EVERYDAY PEOPLE.

THE GREAT YOKAI WAR (4 stars) – As bizarre as they come, this new children’s fantasy from the warped mind of Takashi Miike is (of course) overlong but as crazy as it comes and very entertaining. In a mountain village, a young boy becomes enmeshed in an ancient battle between sprites and demons, including a white-haired, cone-headed sadist played by the same actress that played Gogo Yubari. Not exactly a family feature, this blend of THE WIZARD OF OZ, LORD OF THE RINGS, THE TERMINATOR, and H.R. PUFNSTUF is choice midnight fare.

-Matthew

We had the great fortune of hosting Robert Wise and his wife Millicent at the inaugural Florida Film Festival in 1992. One of cinema’s great talents, he held gracious court with our audience after a screening of The Day the Earth Stood Still. We honored him with an award which he eloquently accepted. He was engaging, gregarious, and generous. Mr. Wise even agreed to become a founding member of our international advisory council. His enthusiasm for our efforts has always put tremendous wind in our sails.

Thank you, sir, for your influence. Klaatu Barada Nikto.

-Sig

We are sitting in the cab on the way to the airport as I’m writing this. It’s raining, and I have never seen Toronto look so dreary. Maybe it’s just sad we’re leaving…although I doubt it. MC played some Texas holdem’ with some folks at the party last night while I came back to the hotel to pack. More from him soon as he promises to do a wrap up of his own when we get back.

Today was a wrap up kind of day. I slept in thankfully, but went down to check out with Matthew around 10. He headed off to a film, while I had breakfast in the hotel then headed out for a few hours of window shopping before catching Margaret Cho’s BAM BAM AND CELESTE. I think Margaret has Chris Rock disease. Great stand up, ok to not great in films.

Afterward I ducked into John Turturro’s musical ROMANCE & CIGARETTES. With a who’s who of a cast the film is good, especially the musical numbers, but the film fluctuates between happy musical outbursts that counteract the characters’ mundane Jersey lives and their actual mundane Jersey lives. I just didn’t feel the balance.

Back at the hotel Matthew and I picked up our luggage from the bell desk and here we sit with Tomo, our Yugoslavian driver (nice man), Canadian candy bars in tow…Oh, I did see Liev Schreiber on the corner in Yorkville (he’s really tall) and MC saw Woody Harrelson in the lobby of the Varsity (not so tall).

Storefront name of the day: Florida Jack’s Boxing Club (…no, it really is a boxing club)

So last night MC and I did go to the HTV party at Club Monaco (normally a clothing store). We had fun, ran into former jurors and met some potential new ones, heard Wyclef Jean just in from Ethiopia, do a short set…your standard political diatribe filled with ganga. What if Bush and Bin Laden just got high? Would we be at war? Wyclef doesn’t think so.

Still not feeling great this morning after another late night, I managed to get out of the hotel by 8:45 to get to BEOWULF & GRENDEL, a medieval fantasy starring Stellan Skarsgaard and Sarah Polley. And due in part to Grendel’s fakey arm muscle prosthetics, it was a fun story. Matthew went to the Johnny Cash biopic, WALK THE LINE, but more from him later.

After the film I dashed down to Sutton Place to check my mailbox (nothing), email and drop some postcards. Back up at the Varsity I checked out the Indian film AMU and loved it. A fascinating story about a young adopted Hindu woman raised in LA who travels home to find her roots only to learn familial and cultural secrets everyone else would rather keep hidden. This would be a wonderful South Asian Film Festival option…

With no time in between, I immediately grabbed a seat in A LITTLE TRIP TO HEAVEN, a film out of Iceland set in the northern US and starring Julia Stiles, as a con artist’s sister and Forrest Whitaker as an investigating insurance agent. The film is as dark and cold as anything out of Iceland, but Stiles and Whitaker add a delicate touch. Somehow it works, despite my initial hesitation.

I then got to see the sun again (twice in one day!) as I walked the few blocks to the Museum for 51 BIRCH STREET, a very personal doc by Doug Block. When his mother passes away, Block begins to examine his parents 50+ year marriage and discovers some family secrets. He, unlike the young woman in AMU, isn’t sure if this is information he wants to uncover, but like her reaches a final life altering discovery about the true nature of his own family and families in general. Life, death, love, marriage, etc. Good stuff.

I hadn’t eaten since 9:15 this morning and it was now nearly 7 PM, so I walked back over to Younge and discovered a cool little Greek restaurant and had an amazing chicken shwarma sandwich and some dolmades. Heaven. Chatted with Roger Moore outside the Varsity for a few minutes before going up to meet Matthew between films. I ran into Mikki and her friend Naomi who just finished a doc with Deepa Mehta.

After four films and a long day I really wasn’t feeling well and debated just going to bed, but I thought I’d give Larry Clark’s WASSUP ROCKERS a chance. The first half hour of this look at a group of South Central Latino youths wasn’t really holding my interest and just when I thought I’d give it 10 more minutes, it started to get good. The boys although supposedly tough on the outside, came off as sweet and adventurous, going on a wild journey through Beverly Hills.

So the theme of today was stay to the end. Unfortunately, I couldn’t hold out for the parties and after a little bite with Matthew, I left him to the hoopla and headed home for bed.

Store name of the day: The Brick Shirt House

After not going to any parties last night and sleeping in a bit this morning I thought I would feel refreshed. All I have felt all day is sick. I think the cold I have been fighting off for about two months has finally caught up with me. The trials of power festing...Matthew and I started off the morning together with THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE. I didn’t realize how ironic the title was, learning that Miss Page was notorious in reputation only. Gretchen Mol is convincing as the innocent and devout “pin up of the century,” but near the beginning the film flat lines and never returns to life.

TRISTRAM SHANDY: A COCK AND BULL STORY is an experimental film within a film starring Steve Coogan as both Shandy and himself, but we never quite know which is which. Despite a few hilarious moments, one involving a roasted chestnut, ultimately both the reality and the film were disappointing.

Richard Gere is an obsessed father/academic in BEE SEASON. Suspecting that his daughter may have powers of ancient Judaism, Gere proceeds to groom her for spelling bees he unconsciously alienates the rest of the family. An intriguing premise, the film explores the delicacy of family dynamics.

My last film of the day, GABRIELLE was an emotional Victorian tale about what happens when a marriage is compromised. In contrast to PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, this film portrays the painfulness the era’s lack of emotion inflicted on relationships. The passion is no less intense, but the participants suffer rather than enjoy brief moments of intimacy.

A few other highlights I forgot…Adam Brody sat next to me in Winter Passing...Matthew ran into Philip Seymour Hoffman in the bathroom but didn’t speak to him out of respect (I’m sure he’s grateful!)…I saw Steven Soderbergh going into the Varsity Theater last night…tonight Matthew and I are going to a party for his film Bubble and a few others…more on that tomorrow.

Store name of the day: Shkank

Today I spent the entire day in the Varsity Theaters but still managed to get around the world. Mere happenstance, but I felt like a caged animal and didn’t see the sun all day. Now I remember what it was like to work in the mall as a teenager…luckily, it was a good film day.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Been there, done that, right? I thought so too, but a good chick flick gets me every time. Keira Knightly is of course a radiant Miss Bennett while Donald Sutherland and Brenda Blethyn are charming as her troublesome parents. Judi Dench embodies evil as Lady Catherine. The single thing films like this have to accomplish is to capture the Victorian sense of longing and romance. The touch of a hand, being close enough to kiss but not daring. This simplified version of the oft told tale still makes your heart leap in those moments.

From Victorian England to 1970’s New York and modern day Paris, BLACK SUN (at least the half hour I saw of it) is a remarkable achievement. A portrait of French painter and filmmaker Hugues de Montalembert, this experimental doc blew me away. Hughes narrates as images dance to his story. Sometimes perfectly in synch and others completely disjointed, his descriptions of being blind and how others see is revolutionary. Blinded during a robbery nearly 30 years ago he simply continued on with his life, traveling and creating. I pray this film gets submitted to the Festival, or I will have to track it down to see the rest.

WAH-WAH was a captivating film about a boy (odd turn of phrase since the boy also starred in About a Boy) coming of age in a 1970s African outpost. Based on the director’s own experiences in Swaziland, the stellar cast (Gabriel Byrne, Miranda Richardson, Emily Watson, Julie Walters) creates an extended dysfunctional family plagued by adultery, alcoholism, and being too close in light of their situation. The third winner of the day…could my luck continue?

Apparently it could. Although EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED dragged me back to the narrative slowness I felt a few days ago, it is still a unique turn on a great novel and the Holocaust genre in general. Liev Schreiber proves himself an adept first-time director and Elijah Wood returns to sensitivity after his terrifying spell in Sin City.

Finally, the last film of the day, appropriately the long-awaited PROOF. Gwyneth Paltrow turns in an admirable performance, but I still can never stop thinking Gwyneth Paltrow. It’s a shame, because I wish I could. It is also hard to believe that someone that beautiful could be severely depressed and have no friends…Anthony Hopkins is brilliant as her troubled father while Hope Davis and Jake Gyllenhaal are thankfully subtle as they desperately try to save Gwynnie.

Too tired to go on and excited that it was still light as I walked outside at 7:00, I came back to the hotel to check email, blog and get some much needed sleep. Good night.

Store name of the day: Alien Hair Ship Salon & Spa

Shannon

This morning started out well with a 9 AM screening of Jason Reitman’s THANK YOU FOR SMOKING. Aaron Eckhart just keeps getting better and is great here as a spin doctor for big tobacco. The film attacks smoking by defending it, but on a deeper level it is about honesty and happiness, perception and reality. The powerhouse supporting cast includes Robert Duvall as an old school tobacco baron, Katie Holms as a crafty young journalist, Rob Lowe as the archetypal Hollywood agent and Adam Brody as his assistant. Brody got the loudest laughs, but the entire film is a gas.

Then the surrealism began with Terry Gilliam’s TIDELAND. Although I am a hit or miss admirer of Gilliam’s ( I adore Time Bandits), this film is truly self-indulgent and scattered. Fantasy is reality as usual, only it is completely barren of purpose or whimsy, even when that is its obvious goal. Jeff Bridges and Jennifer Tilly are the best part about the film and unfortunately they expire early on. It took a lot of effort to see the film through, only to find a disappointingly conventional ending.

After almost getting attacked by two 60 year-old volunteers for entering the Royal Ontario Museum theater with a soda in my hand (remember the FFF at Annie Russell?) I thoroughly enjoyed A CONVERSATION WITH BASQUIAT. Short docs are hard to find and this is one. How Tamra Davis came to direct Billy Madison, Half Baked, and Britney’s Crossroads, I’m not sure, but this simple one camera interview intercut with photos and his work, is an insightful portrait of an artist as a young man.

I went back to the Varsity excited to see Guy Ritchie’s latest REVOLVER. The films had a slightly different tone than his earlier work, retaining the same wit and style, but with a somehow different tone. By the end the film deteriorates into a psychological amusement park ride with no resolution. Based on my earlier screening, I couldn’t help but wonder how influenced Mr. Ritchie is by Mr. Gilliam. Peg will be happy to know Andre Benjamin turns in another respectable performance, Ray Liotta is as psycho as ever.

Finally I ducked into the ethereal SEVEN SWORDS in an attempt to find Matthew. I missed the first hour, but knew MC was in there so I stayed. I was entranced, despite my second row seat, and stayed until the end. The most interesting thing here was the Chinese-Korean dynamic.

MC was indeed inside and we went to dinner in Yorkville before running into a troop of programmers and acquisitions folks on the street heading to the Focus Films party. The party was fun and we met some neat folks, but as they headed to more beverages and fun around midnight, I threw in the towel and we headed back to the hotel.

Store name of the day: Grey Region Comics.

Shannon

The theme of today was long and slooow...this morning we did our typical once-a-trip alarm clock bumble and for the second day in a row I had a half hour to take a shower and run out the door. I jumed a cab up to the Varsity for BROOKLYN LOBSTER, starring an older but no less intense Danny Aiello as a fish monger about to lose his business and an older but unfunny Jane Curtin as his wife. I still love Jane though.

Maybe it's all the reality television and documentaries in my life lately, but narrative film doesn't seem to be moving fast enough to keep my brain interested. I perked up with a walk over to the Royal Ontario Museum for 50 WAYS OF SAYING FABULOUS, a New Zealand coming-of-age film that takes too long to build, but is charming with its 1970 style camera work and editing.

Back at the Varsity, WINTER PASSING promised a glimpse of Will Farrell's serious side, which turns out to be almost as funny as his silly side. Zoey Deschanel is brooding but charming and Ed Harris is brilliant as usual and nearly unrecognizable as her aging novelist father. Despite good performances, the film still seems somewhat pretentious.

After a quick bite, I met up with Matthew for Philip Seymour Hoffman as CAPOTE. Hoffman exquisitely captures the author's mannerisms and ego. The Clutter murders become even more disturbing than In Cold Blood and it is evident why Tru never completed another book. His relationship with Harper Lee (a plain jane Catherine Keener) is a large side story, as it was in his life. Just as powerful as the book and the 1967 film, this bio-pic should stand the test of time as a definitive work.

Roger and Don (our booker out of LA) joined us for a self-indulgent look at Cameron Crowe's ELIZABETHTOWN. Don't be fooled, nothing else of interest was playing at the time, so this one was just for us. Before the film began, we were informed that it was a work-in-progress and Mr. Crowe would be doing some more editing. At 135 minutes and with a few bad reviews out of Venice, it didn't seem like a bad idea. Don't get me wrong, Crowe is great, and although it did seem a bit long and disjointed in places, this one ranks right up there with his others. Besides, anyone that can make Kirsten Dunst not seem so annoying is truly an artist...

The four of us had dinner and talked shop. Then after some computer troubles, here we sit in the lobby of the hotel at 1 AM planning our day tomorrow...

Store name of the day: Yummi's for your Tummi's

Shannon

I slept through 12 minutes of NPR chatter when my alarm went off at 5 AM on Thursday morning, leaving me only a half hour to shower before Matthew picked me up to catch our 8AM flight. God bless the Cuban coffee at OIA! At the gate we ran into Mikki (FFF2005) and Roger Moore from the Sentinel. Mikki thought Roger was Jay and told us how she always disagreed with his reviews (a point we cleared up later). The plane was empty enough so that Matthew and I each had our own row. There was no hassle at customs and we shared a cab with Mikki to our hotel.

A brief up hill walk to Sutton Place later, we got our badges and bags of goodies (mostly junk) and ate our traditional first day lunch at Biscotti's, a great little Italian place next to Sutton. I went off to see SHOPGIRL, a Steve Martin pet project based on his novella and SHADOWBOXER, a disturbing turn for everyone in it, Cuba Gooding, Helen Mirren, Stephen Dorff, and Joseph Gordon Levitt (although last year's Mysterious Skin was his first leap into the disturbing).

I bolted back to the hotel room and passed out for a while before Matthew and I set up our schedule for Day Two and headed off to the opening night party. The party has become increasingly hard to get into and less worth it at the same time. Where were all the press, programmers, and distribs? It was mostly the public and sponsors. But the event itself is still amazing. The Indian themed food (Deepa Mehta's EARTH was the opening night film) featured guys making nan in drum barrels in the courtyard and the most bizarre but tasty French fries with chicken, ricotta and a curry tomato sauce...

Mikki was hob nobbing with the fest founders and on her fifth party of the day...Coldplay's Chris Martin was chillin' in the corner (Matthew dared me $10 a la Ed to go up and tell him how much I like Travis, but that's only $7.50 American so I declined)...later we did find our indieWIRE friends and Matt from SXSW but we were already exhausted and headed back for some much needed sleep.

Store name of the day: Mr. Cheapies

Shannon

As the current president of Women in Film & Television FL, I have been trying to have monthly events that cover all aspects of the industry. This month on Monday, Sept. 26 WIFT will host a seminar entitled Film Festivals 101 at dMAC. From budgeting for entry fees and marketing to knowing when to say when. Learn everything you ever wanted to know about the Film Festival circuit from local experts Mike Monello, Haxan Films (The Blair Witch Project); Rich Grula, Director of Operations/Film Festival Coordinator, UCF School of Film & Digital Media; Matthew Curtis, Programming Director, Enzian Theater/Florida Film Festival; and Carol Chiodini, Writer/Filmmaker/Professor (Action Woman). For more info, visit the WIFT website.

Along the same lines, I was recently interviewed by former Enzianite and dear friend, Alicia Conway (along with some other great folks from around the country) for an article about marketing your independent film for Backstage Magazine. Check it out at Backstage.com.

Shannon