Posts published under “Film Fests”
Ebertfest Day 3: LL Cool P Rules This Thing
Coffee mug w/ unlimited refills, commemorative hats, bookworms. (photo courtesy of Thompson McClellan/Ebertfest)
Having kept a low profile thus far due to a recent fall, Roger Ebert started day 3 with a brief and very welcome onstage appearance to read (via his laptop’s soothing, otherworldly voice) the introduction he had written for his good friend Paul Cox, who was in attendance (heck, the whole festival was dedicated to him) to accompany the 2011 feature documentary by David Bradbury about Cox’s recent health struggles, On Borrowed Time. After only a minute or two standing at the podium, Ebert had to step down and content himself with sitting next to his wife and fest host, Chaz Ebert, who finished reading his introduction. Read more »
Ebertfest Day 2: Indie Dramas and Tiny Hats
Inside the Virginia Theatre, Googling "champaign county tent."
While everyone was disappointed that comedian-turned-actor Patton Oswalt had to last-minute cancel his multiple scheduled Ebertfest appearances—per fest host Chaz Ebert, weather trouble on the NYC set of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty required reshoots that kept the actor on set—Oswalt sent/posted an extremely lengthy message of apology that resulted in an admiring tweet from Roger Ebert himself, describing the apology as “Transcendently graceful,“ and saying of the actor, “This is a very nice man.” It was with this development, all warm and fuzzy feelings decidedly intact, that Ebertfest Day Two audiences generously embraced Oswalt’s dark 2009 indie drama Big Fan, the story of Paul, a loner New York Giants fanatic (the kind that spends his shifts in a mostly deserted parking garage painstakingly creating the detailed scripts he uses when calling into his favorite late night sports talk radio show) who is left hospitalized and somewhat broken after a chance encounter with one of his football heroes turns slightly (though innocently) stalker-ish, and then into a brutal assault. In his first leading role, Oswalt is a revelation as Paul, creating a deeply sympathetic character that is at the same time growing darkly, and possibly violently, unmoored. In the revealing Q & A following the screening, Big Fan director Robert Siegel (also known for writing Darren Aronofsky’s Oscar nominated The Wrestler, as well as being a former editor-in-chief of satirical newspaper The Onion) said that he was for the most part unable to take advantage of Oswalt’s natural talent for improv due to the actor’s extreme lack of sports specific knowledge. And when he did get some great topic-appropriate improv, he often had to tell the sharply intelligent Oswald “dial it back a little” and dumb up his dialogue a bit. Siegel also mentioned that he didn’t audition Oswalt for the role, hiring the untested dramatic actor on “a hunch” that he could pull off this seriously dark dramatic role. As for Big Fan’s muted, grainy look and feel, Siegel said it was mostly inspired by ‘70s films like Saturday Night Fever, and he admitted a soft spot for actresses from the same decade like Karen Black and Marcia Jean Kurtz—he cast the latter in the crucial role of Oswalt’s nonplussed mother. Read more »
Ebertfest Day 1: Champaign’s Favorite Son Returns With More Overlooked Gems
It is cold here! Send mittens!
While Ebertfest 2012 started out with a disappointing announcement—one of this year’s big name guests, comedian/actor Patton Oswalt, cancelled his fest appearances only minutes before opening night remarks by producer/co-host Chaz Ebert—the capacity crowd’s unbridled enthusiasm in Champaign, Illinois’ gloriously shabby chic Virginia Theatre was in no way diminished.
While SML wasn’t initially super excited about revisiting opening night feature Joe Versus the Volcano, the quirky fantasy was enthusiastically received, and won our hearts with its surreal staging, quirky, absurd dialogue, and top notch comic performances–Tom Hanks, his mullet wig, and Meg Ryan, a comedy knockout playing three very different and well defined characters. In the following Q&A with Joe Director of Photography Stephen Goldblatt, when panelist Christy Lemire mentioned that Goldblatt’s most recent works were Julie & Julia and The Help, the people sitting behind SML cried out, “Wow!” and “Oh my God!” for altogether different reasons than had SML upon discovering this info weeks before.
A comedic short film preceded the next feature, entertaining internet personality spoof The Truth About Beauty & Blogs, amounts to a fun homemade actor’s reel, which is pretty much what it was, according to very smartly dressed writer/co-producer/actor Kelechie Ezie in the Q&A.
Closing out opening night was Phunny Business: A Black Comedy, a laugh a minute, but often too slick by half documentary about entrepreneur Raymond Lambert’s famous Chicago comedy club All Jokes Aside, a spectacular crossroads of black comedy partly responsible for helping launch heavyweights like Steve Harvey, Dave Chappelle, Bernie Mac, and Cedric the Entertainer. While there are plenty of laughs throughout, the onscreen narration by subject/writer/producer Lambert felt forced and oversold, and exactly like the talking heads in today’s crop of “unscripted” reality shows. The result felt self-aggrandizing and a little phony. But luckily, with so many interesting, funny interviews and consistently hilarious clips from the club’s early ’90s heyday, this can only be a very minor complaint.
In the following Q&A, director John Davies told a funny story about when he worked as a Production Assistant for “Sneak Previews” back in its early public television days and once rewrote part of an Ebert review while transcribing it for the teleprompter. When Ebert reached the new lines he called over Davies and gave him a few stern words, followed by the christening of a new nickname: Functional Illiterate.
Stay tuned for recaps of Days 2 through 5, featuring the Alloy Orchestra, momentary eye contact with Doug Benson of “Doug Loves Movies,” and an all-strings version of “Smooth Criminal”!
Champaign-Urbana or Bust: A Preview of Ebertfest 2012
Image by Kagan McLeod, courtesy of Ebertfest.com
To a certain breed of film nerd (myself included), the yearly unveiling of the Ebertfest lineup is a time of great excitement and just a little chin scratching. And, true to form, the newly revealed list of films/guests scheduled for this April’s Ebertfest is sure to raise plenty of yays and maybe only a couple ehs. Such is the spice and homespun charm of this very unusual film festival. Beyond a couple of E-fest programming staples, say, including at least one classic and one or two Africa-related VERY SERIOUS dramas (this year, Citizen Kane and Kinyarwanda, respectively), there’s really no way of guessing what will turn up. These are films Ebert digs, period, and this festival in his hometown of Champaign, IL is his equivalent of the cool grad student deejaying for a party of adoring underclassmen.
Screenings generating the most buzz so far are 2011′s fabulously unsettling Take Shelter, with actor Michael Shannon and director Jeff Nichols in the house for a Q&A (although I tend to think of Ebertfest Q&A more as Kn’A) and 2009′s indie Big Fan featuring a Q&A with star actor/comedian Patton Oswalt. Oswalt’s pulling double duty at the fest, also hosting a separate, free late night screening (at the nearby university’s Foellinger Auditorium) of a film he handpicked: the 1949 Alec Guinness comedic gem Kind Hearts and Coronets. According to Ebert, when Oswalt agreed to attend with Big Fan, “he went one additional step (saying): ‘I’d like to personally choose a film to show to the students, and discuss it.’” Ebert, forever a film professor at heart, was quick to comply. Read more »
Let’s Talk About…The Artist
THE ARTIST (2011/IN THEATERS)
Sarah! I am so glad we were able to preview The Artist at the St. Louis International Film Festival, well before the unwashed masses. It’s always a pleasure to see the Tivoli packed to the gills with nerdy film buffs like ourselves, even if we suspected that many of them bought tickets in hopes that supporting actor and Hometown Hero John Goodman might make a special guest appearance. He did not! (Though his image from The Big Lebowski adorned the Major Filmmaker Awards.) Lucky for everyone, The Artist was a total delight. That a gleeful homage to the silent era could hold an audience rapt from beginning to end is no small feat in the era of 3D and seizure-inducing vampire baby nightmare birth scenes. But this B&W charmer (which follows the waning career of a silent-era star, played by the alarmingly suave Jean Dujardin, and the rise of talkie ingenue/love interest Berenice Bejo) had a magnetic cast, chipper score, beautiful sets (a staircase scene was pretty amazing in scale and choreography), and an engaging plot that, while maybe directed a little broadly, was no less sweet and compelling for it. And though it costars a very talented dog (who some people are think should be nominated for an Oscar? Whaaat? Let’s get Serkis in there first, then work our way toward actual animals, you goofs) it requires zero warning barks on my patented scale. Win-win!
Ebertfest Days 4 & 5: Saint Tilda Appears
Two SMLs appear in this photo. Can you spot them? (photo courtesy of Ebertfest)
Ebertfest Day 4 was an interesting mix of awesome and weird, starting with a mid-morning screening of Jennifer Arnold’s uplifting and, indeed, awesome 2010 doc A Small Act, which tells the story of how poor, young Kenyan Chris Mburu’s life was forever changed by elfin Swedish schoolteacher Hilde Back’s “small act” of kindness, funding his education by paying only $15 a month via an aid program. Now an ambitious, successful, and well-educated Harvard grad, Mburu has started his own Kenyan student aid program, named after his childhood benefactor Back. The film follows his attempts to contact her personally, and the relationship that ensues, in addition to closely detailing his own foundation’s work. It’s the latter that adds a surprising amount of tension and suspense as Arnold focuses on a few likely aid candidate children as they take an aptitude test and wait agonizing days for their scores, and in turn, their futures. Hilde Back’s Q&A appearance received the biggest standing O of the festival. She is adorable and tiny and real firecracker—view the Q&A here.
Just another Ebertfest party: Ebert "chats" with Hilde Back and Tilda Swindon. (Photo courtesy of Ebertfest.)
The second half of Ebert’s unofficial African Social Crisis Double Feature, Life, Above All—a well-intentioned but ultimately somewhat condescending story set around the AIDS crisis in South Africa—did not connect nearly as well with SML. This story of a young girl struggling to care for her mother and younger half-siblings—all in denial that the mother is suffering from AIDS contracted from her drug-addicted second husband—while attempting to attend school, parties, and not fall into prostitution like her orphaned and shunned best friend, is given short shrift by a contrived (somewhat) happy ending (after nearly stoning the family to death when the mother returns to the house to die [after being exiled for months], it takes just a short speech from a neighborhood biddy to turn the crowd into a supportive, teary, choir that sings an uplifting tune to the family over the closing credits), betraying the complexity of the issue and implying that all we need is neighborly love to overcome decades of ignorance. A movie like this can unintentionally diminish the very cause the director claims to support. Meh. SML skipped the Q&A (you can view it here, I guess) and the de rigueur standing O in favor of a second visit to nearby Merry-Ann’s Diner. LIKE.
Ebertfest, Day 3: Linklater Charms, a Q&A Disappoints
The nattily scarved titular host. (photo courtesy of Ebertfest)
A surprisingly blustery Champaign, IL, morning started Ebertfest 2011 Day 3 fittingly with the lighter than air 45365, a free-form 2010 doc that takes its name from the zip code of sibling co-directors Bill and Turner Ross’ small Ohio hometown. Eschewing interviews and defined character studies, the first-time directors instead float their cameras voyeuristically from subject to subject, letting the audience glean what they can about the subjects—and in turn, the town—via candid, overheard snippets of conversation. Keep your eyes peeled for the as yet unannounced DVD/BluRay release date—this compelling slice of small-town America is definitely worth a visit…though you wouldn’t want to live there.
Next up was Richard Linklater’s delightfully lighthearted 2009 coming-of-age romp Me & Orson Welles, a mostly fictionalized account of the pre-Citizen Kane titular director’s legendary 1937 modern-dress off Broadway re-staging of “Julius Caesar” as seen through the eyes of a young bit player (played likably here by Zac Efron) who, with no theatrical experience, bluffs his way into a part and under the flamboyant director’s wing. Shining brightest is actor Christian McKay, whose authentic turn as the young Welles feels completely without caricature or artifice–from the voice to the baby-face, McKay is THE definitive Welles. Somebody should use this guy to capture more of Welles’ famously rocky life and career, stat. McKay’s tour-de-force performance alone makes this joyfully crafted comedy worthy of a spot in your Netflix queue, pronto. The laid-back Q&A following the screening touched on how Linklater discovered McKay (the latter was performing in a one man show as a much older and heavier Welles) and how/why the film was shot on location on the Isle of Man (the tiny country’s film bureau’s fiscal incentives, a sweet old theater there fit the bill perfectly). As a fun bonus, Linklater conducted a Welles trivia quiz throughout his Q&A, with special handmade prizes–a few personally redesigned M&OW posters and a few self-burned CDs of a Linklater-approved version of the M&OW soundtrack. Whatta guy. Read more »
A Trip to Ebertfest, Days 1 & 2
After a few short welcoming remarks from a white-scarf-adorned Ebert, via his laptop’s robotic voice, Ebertfest 2011 was officially underway in downtown Champaign, IL’s gorgeous Virginia Theater with one hell of an opening night feature: the beautifully restored and artfully reconstructed original cut of noted German a-hole/genius director Fritz Lang’s magnificent 1927 silent masterpiece Metropolis, accompanied by the always amazing Alloy Orchestra. Featuring 30 minutes of previously lost footage found in a Buenos Aires private collection in 2008, this version of Metropolis clocks in at a staggering 150 minutes that manages to delight, unnerve, and downright creep out more than ever. (Check your cable listings for Metropolis Refound, a short doc making the rounds on basic cable detailing this amazing reconstruction.) And while you’re online—stream the reconstructed version of Metropolis in HD on Netflix.) While this version was released in 2010 on DVD/BluRay (and streaming in HD via Netflix), the one thing you won’t get at home is the transcendent experience of the Alloy Orchestra’s genius (and often very loud) original score, a stunning bombast of various synthetic yet naturalistic orchestral strings and organs, weird metal springs that make weirder noises, chimes, low-tuned cello, and, heh, a rain stick. One of the most exciting and entertaining moments these viewers have ever experienced in a theater. Thanks, Eb! Read more »
On Location: 2011 Taos Shortz Film Fest
TAOS, NEW MEXICO 
Just how cool is Taos?! Pretty darn cool….In its fourth year, the Taos Shortz Film Fest which ran last weekend at the Harwood Museum of Art featured a terrific lineup of 60 selections and welcomed 20 filmmakers from across the globe. Three world premieres were featured: Next, a 5 minute experimental from Germany; The Necklace a 6-minute dramatic fiction work from Colorado and of course, our local favorite and winner of The People’s Choice Award Good Luck Mr. Gorski, which we reviewed earlier this week. Other award winners and personal favorites (of mine!) were two comedy fiction shorts: Asesino—a hilarious piece featuring Victor Ramirez in the title role and directed by Ravi Kapoor, and Uncle Jack—also hilarious, directed by Jamin Winans and filmed in Denver. The animation award winner was The Astronomer’s Sun from the UK, directed by Simon Cartwright (who was in Taos for the festival) and Jessica Cope—Cartwright informed us that this very compelling animation used absolutely no digital tricks and was completely hand-done. Impressive. My friends and I were also impressed by The Fall Line, directed by Tyler Stableford and featuring a young soldier who lost both legs in Iraq but is now a world competitive para-olympic skier and also Prayers for Peace, directed by Dustin Grella and dedicated to his brother who lost his life in Iraq—both these shorts received Honorable Mentions in their respective categories (documentary and animation). The driving force behind the Taos Shortz Fest is Anna Cosentine, who single-handedly started the festival and makes it bigger and better each year. She promises to be back in 2012. Excellent!
Check out the complete lineup of films here.
Liftoff!
Gary Houston as Mr. Gorski
GOOD LUCK MR GORKSI (World Premiere/March 5, 2011/Taos Shortz Film Fest) So….you’re wondering, what on earth is “Good Luck Mr. Gorski.” Good question!! It’s an original short film, produced and scripted by Allegra Huston –Taos resident and famous half sister of Angelica Houston, Danny Huston and Gary Houston (also a Taos resident). Gary stars as Mr. Gorski in this fun little period comic piece set in 1969 on the famous day when Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon. According to Allegra at last night’s world premiere showing, the story is based on an old joke from Buddy Hackett! (Don’t remember Buddy Hackett—no worries—you’re too young. Check him out here.) At any rate, the movie had a big send-off last night at the Fourth Annual Taos Shortz Film Fest which has become a real world-class event, complete with 60 shorts and over 20 filmmakers from all over the world. The crowd for Allegra’s piece was big, by Taos standards. One of the reasons was her creative fundraising: for a $20 contribution toward the film, anyone could join the “launch crew” and get a listing in the credits as well as a free download of the film. Check it out! I’m there just past the 700 mark!
NOTE: A full review of the Taos Shortz Film Fest is coming this week as well. Stay tuned!
