The Journal Formerly Known As...

praderwilli@livejournal.com — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:25:07 GMT

Just a brief update from Odessa, I am providing a link about our medical mission from the ICHF website. More on my trip, with photos, when I return to the States. Click this link to read about our trip thus far.

praderwilli@livejournal.com — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 14:46:28 GMT

Seems like I'm never home anymore. In July, we visited my parents/family and we went to Ashland, Oregon for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. If I weren't so lazy, I would post pictures of my trip. But I am, so I won't.

Anyway, I've been far too busy ~~playing with my sims~~ with real life to keep up my LJ and now I'm off on another trip. I'm flying out to Odessa, Ukraine today for a volunteer mission with the International Children's Heart Foundation. Unless I die in a fiery crash. Yes, I hate flying.

Wish me luck!

I'll post more about my trip to the Ukraine when I get back in September. Maybe. My laziness will probably prevent me from doing so, but I have good intentions.

Eddie Vedder helps coyote devour Chihuahua

praderwilli@livejournal.com — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:43:49 GMT

The other day I had lunch with a friend who I hadn't seen for a few months. She told me a story that is too good to be true. It's one of those, "it happened to a friend of a friend". But I don't mind spreading stories, even if they are apocryphal. Heck, might make it better. Maybe I could start up an urban legend, that would be cool.

My friend claims that this happened to someone she knows. We'll call her friend, "Betty" for no particular reason.

So, anyway, Betty was out walking her chihuahua in West Seattle, when suddenly, a coyote appeared from nowhere and snatched up her little doggie. Desperate to save her pooch, Betty pursued the coyote. She chased the coyote onto a neighboring lawn.

Much to Betty's surprise an irate man came barreling out of the house, the grounds to which she had stumbled onto in her hot pursuit. The man began yelling at her to "get off [his] property". The irate man was none other than Eddie Vedder (who does have a home in West Seattle). Betty was hysterical by this point and tried to explain that she was merely trying to rescue her innocent pet from the slavering jaws of a wild coyote.

Meanwhile, on a balcony up above, Eddie Vedder's girlfriend appeared, wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses (it was dark out) and carrying an umbrella (it wasn't raining). She proceeded to call the cops. Sadly, Betty never found her Chihuahua, who is presumed to be dead. And eaten. By coyotes.

And it's all Eddie Vedder's fault.

I hate punctuation

praderwilli@livejournal.com — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 08:19:16 GMT

Is it better to over use commas? Or is it better to under use them?

SIFF Day 23 & 24

praderwilli@livejournal.com — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:38:24 GMT

A week and a half after the film festival has ended I've finally decided to complete my mini-reviews for the last two days of SIFF. The delay wasn't exactly unavoidable. However, in my defense, my laptop literally crashed and burned. Okay it didn't literally crash but it did literally burn. It's rather alarming to see smoke coming out of your computer, I can tell you. The electrical burning smell wasn't enjoyable either.

Anyway... back to the fest.

Overall, I thought it was a pretty good festival with far fewer parties and only a handful of truly terrible films. The worst thing about the fest is that I had to work so I didn't make it to as many screenings as I generally do. Also, most people had to pay for their drinks at the parties, which is a travesty, I tell ya. A travesty! Thank goodness I was a VIP so I got to drink as much booze as I could tolerate... for FREE! Huzzah!

Garrison Keillor: The Man on the Radio in the Red Tennis Shoes (USA) 2008 ***
Poorly made documentary about Garrison Keillor. The director seemed to have no idea how to assemble and edit footage. The film consisted of randomly put together clips of Garrison and Co. working on and performing his radio show, A Prairie Home Companion, interviews with Keillor and footage of the doc crew following Garrison around in his daily life.

For me, what made the movie watchable is that I'm a fan of Garrison Keillor and his radio show. I used to listen to it every Saturday but somehow got out of the habit. I have a fond affection for the show and the man that created it. He's charming, funny and he has a beautiful radio voice. So, this movie was not torture to watch.

Days and Clouds (Italy) 2007 **1/2
Boring movie about a couple having financial problems. That was the entire plot. They have bills. They lose their house and they have to work for a living. You know, if I want to experience this all I have to do is live my own life I don't need to go watch a movie about it.

Bottle Shock (USA) 2008 ***
For some bizarre reason SIFF screened the closing night film on Saturday instead of Sunday. The closing night film is about the Judgement of Paris wine tasting in 1976 in which two California wines won the top prizes for whites and reds in a blind taste test. Apparently there's another film being made on the subject that sounds infinitely better and is based on the book written by Steven Spurrier, the British wine merchant who organized the 1976 tasting in Paris.

Bottle Shock follows the story of the winemakers of Chateau Montelena, who created the winning Chardonnay in '76. It is obviously largely fictionalized and focuses on a stupid romantic triangle among the young (and supposed, I guess) "pretty people". I would have rather seen the real story of the California winemakers and the judges in Paris. But no, we get silly Hollywood bullshit instead.

The film was attended by Bill Pullman and Freddy Rodriquez and I think a producer or something. Hey, it was over a week ago and I don't remember. Additional notes: Bill Pullman is still good looking and without a VIP lounge the closing night party was lame. Except for the free drinks. That was good. Bizarrely, Alan Rickman won the audience award for best actor at SIFF. He was the only decent part of Bottle Shock because he is Alan Rickman after all, but... the movie was lame. Whatever.

Secret Festival #4 ***
Straight from a famous film festival, the last entry was pretty good if viewed as a genre film. But it wasn't as good as it should have/could have been. Also, if the filmmaker was going for a "shocking twist" it sadly failed. I figured it out in the first five minutes. I think the director either should have been very clear about what was going on or better at hiding what was going on. The distinctive narrative style was marred by idiocy and/or trying to be too, too clever. If Tarantino had made this movie it would have been great.

Towelhead (USA) 2007 ****
Good adaptation of Alicia Erian's novel of the same name. Directed by Alan Ball of Six Feet Under fame. The plot follows the sexual awakening of a thirteen year old Arab-American living in Texas with her strict father during the Gulf War. Sure we've seen this story before.... about boys. This one is about a girl, which seemed to make some people uncomfortable. I thought it was brilliant with a stunning performance by Summer Bishil as the young girl.

Total Movies seen: 84
Total bags of popcorn consumed: Um... not sure I lost track, must have been about four or five. And one Bagel dog!
Free Booze at closing night party: A glass (well, plastic cup, really) of champagne and two Grey Goose vodka/tonics.

*= Unclean, unclean
**= Crap, but doesn't make your eyes bleed
***= Watchable to good
****= Great
*****= Masterpiece/Classic

SIFF Day 22

praderwilli@livejournal.com — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 16:09:59 GMT

Triangle (Hong Kong) 2007 ***
Three great Hong Kong directors collaborated on this film- Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam and Johnnie To. The story is a continuous narrative and is told using the exquisite corpse method. The film, perhaps understandably, has a rather complex setup and didn't seem to flow together well. The last 30 minutes filmed by Johnnie To were the best. The look of the film and the cinematography were beautifully done.

Sunrise (USA) 1927 *****
Next we attended a presentation of F.W. Murnau's innovative expressionistic masterpiece, the Academy Award winning Sunrise. It was screened at the Triple Door with live musical accompaniment with an original score written and performed by The Album Leaf. Sunrise remains one of the most visually stunning films and the addition of The Album Leaf's ambient synthesized rock score enhanced the experience tremendously.

Before I Forget (France) 2007 *
This movie was almost unwatchable. Yet we stayed and watched the whole thing. Go figure. Directed by Jacques Nolot who previously made Porn Theater which was also a bad film, but made up for it by being pornographic. Before I Forget follows the life of an aging hustler living with HIV. It is told in long slow shots where nothing happens interspersed with boring conversations of the central character meeting up with other aging gigolos. It really wasn't very good.

At most festival screenings Seattle audiences applaud politely even if the film is mediocre. When this film ended a few people applauded sarcastically in response to which everyone else laughed. It was the most amusing moment at the screening.

Total Movies seen: 79

*= Unclean, unclean
**= Crap, but doesn't make your eyes bleed
***= Watchable to good
****= Great
*****= Masterpiece/Classic

SIFF Day 21

praderwilli@livejournal.com — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 16:48:47 GMT

Vice (Russia) 2007 ***
Denis is a successful DJ. He has a beautiful girlfriend. The only thing he doesn't have is money. Rather than letting his rich girlfriend borrow money from Daddy in order to prevent their eviction he gets involved in dealing drugs instead. Things do not go well for him.

This movie has a distinctive if not original look to it, with super saturated colors and an aggressive editing style. It stars, Maxim Matveev as Denis. He bears a striking resemblance to Orlando Bloom and therefore has been dubbed by Lo & I as the "bargain basement Orly". This film is certainly watchable but nothing to write home about.

Mysteries of Pittsburgh (USA) 2008 *1/2
Stupid, bad, hateful movie about Art Bechstein, the son of a gangster who has just graduated from college and is hanging out with screwballs during his last summer before he has to begin his adult life with a real job.

The only thing worth watching in this film is Nick Nolte as the schmuck's mobster dad and Mena Suvari as a vapid slut. Unfortunately they only have minor roles. Instead we're forced to follow Art and his friends, Sienna Miller, who cannot act and Peter Sarsgaard, who can act but he's awful in this film. There's only so much you can do with a lousy script. Written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber who previously directed Dodgeball. If that's not a ringing endorsement for this film, then I don't know what is.

Alexander Nevsky (Soviet Union) 1938 *****
Then we ended the night with sublime perfection. This film is essentially a thinly veiled propaganda film about Russian hero Alexander Nevsky who defeated the Germans when they invaded Russia in the thirteenth century. Word to the wise: do not attempt to invade Russia- especially in the winter. You will get your ass kicked. Directed by legendary filmmaker, Sergei Eisenstein, who manages to raise this film from propaganda to art and tells a pretty good story with great style in the process.

With Alexander Nevsky, Eisenstein created the first cinematic use of editing film to music. He collaborated with famed composer Sergei Prokofiev (Peter & the Wolf), who created the score to accompany the film. SIFF presented Nevsky at Benaroya Hall with live accompaniment of the Prokofiev score by the Seattle Symphony. This event was truly stunning. The moment at the end of the battle when the soldiers lay dead and dying on the battlefield while the soprano walks to center stage and sings a lament for them made my hairs stand on end.

And for anyone who has seen this film... I have one thing to say: The helmets. The helmets are not to be missed.

Total Movies seen: 76

*= Unclean, unclean
**= Crap, but doesn't make your eyes bleed
***= Watchable to good
****= Great
*****= Masterpiece/Classic

SIFF Day 20

praderwilli@livejournal.com — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 21:59:10 GMT

The last week of the festival and my mini reviews are haphazard, shorter and less coherent as exhaustion creeps up on me and knocks me on my ass. Sorry!

Em (USA) 2007 *
The worst film of the entire festival- self indulgent drivel with bad camera work. Wow! Sign me up for that torture.

Perfect Match (France) 2007 **
Bad and boring French "romance". The woman is uptight and the man is self pitying, self absorbed, and self centered. Do I care whether or not they get together? No, I do not.

The Girl By the Lake (Italy) 2007 ***
Competently made murder mystery based on a Norwegian novel, Don't Look Back, by Karin Fossum. I liked the detective working the case although I had no interest in his problems with his wife and daughter. This movie was certainly watchable but nothing special.

Total Movies seen: 73

*= Unclean, unclean
**= Crap, but doesn't make your eyes bleed
***= Watchable to good
****= Great
*****= Masterpiece/Classic

SIFF Day 19

praderwilli@livejournal.com — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:43:21 GMT

Princess of the Sun (France) 2007 ***
Mildly entertaining animated feature about young Prince Tutankhamen. Who knew the ancient Egyptians spoke in perfect French?

Island of Lost Souls (Denmark) 2007 *****
Three plucky kids must face an Evil Necromancer, a menacing scarecrow, ghostly possession and thousands of trapped souls. It's a perfect balance of action, comedy and story. One of the best of the fest. Surely a bad Hollywood remake cannot be far behind.

Stranded: I've Come From a Plane that Crashed on the Mountains (France) 2007 ****
In October 1972, a plane carrying a rugby team from Uruguay crashed in the Andes. Of the original 45 passengers, 16 managed to survive in spite of incredible hardship- snowstorms, cold, avalanches and lack of food. Famously or infamously the survivors resorted to cannibalism in order to survive. Thirty-five years later the survivors and their children visit the crash site. In interviews each survivor details the story of their miraculous survival. A fascinating and well done doc.

Total Movies seen: 70

*= Unclean, unclean
**= Crap, but doesn't make your eyes bleed
***= Watchable to good
****= Great
*****= Masterpiece/Classic

SIFF Day 18

praderwilli@livejournal.com — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:04:16 GMT

Only went to one film yesterday. Having to work during the film festival has destroyed my viewing schedule.

Walt & El Grupo (USA) 2008 ***
In 1941, Walt Disney and a group of artists, animators, musicians and publicists went on a goodwill trip to South America all funded by the US government. They visited Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay. When they returned they made two films based on this trip- Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros. Personally, I am a big fan of Walt Disney so the subject matter was interesting but the film itself was not particularly well done.

I liked the photos and footage from the trip and the interviews with South Americans talking about their memories of Walt Disney was great. The interview with Walt's daughter would have been better if it had been longer. Why was she barely in the doc? I liked the idea of reading the letters to home from "El Grupo" however the decision to have descendants read the letters was not well thought out or well done and it created confusion as to who was writing which letter.

Total Movies seen: 67

*= Unclean, unclean
**= Crap, but doesn't make your eyes bleed
***= Watchable to good
****= Great
*****= Masterpiece/Classic

SIFF Day 17

praderwilli@livejournal.com — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:08:52 GMT

Secret Festival #3 (Country?) year? **
This week's secret film was originally supposed to play at SIFF as a regular screening but after it was picked up for distribution it was pulled from the fest. Unfortunately, it was not a very good movie. It was in fact quite bad.

The first bad secret festival selection of the year. Ah, good times. If I'd known that it would be crappy I could have gone to Pacific Place to see the last ten minutes of Saturn in Opposition which we unfortunately missed at its first screening due to the fact that the people who run Pac-Place are morons.

Bliss (Turkey) 2007 ****
Thanks steve98052! Because of your recommendation for this film we changed our plans at the last minute in favor of seeing Bliss rather than the Claude Chabrol film playing at Uptown Cinema. This was a lovely movie that would have been a lot harder to see than would an easily accessible French film.

The story concerns a young woman from a small village who is raped. Because she has "sinned" and brought dishonor to the family she must do the right thing by committing suicide. When she fails to kill herself she is sent to Istanbul with a returning soldier who is also son to the village leader. He is instructed to take her away and kill her. Gorgeously shot, good story and the lead actress gave a charming and engaging performance.

Becky Sharp (USA) 1935 *****
Archival presentation of this recently and beautifully restored classic, it was the first feature length film to be made in full (three strip) Technicolor. The story is a very loose (ever so loose) adaptation of the William Thackeray novel Vanity Fair. Vibrant colors and sumptuous costumes fill each frame but the heart of the film is Miriam Hopkins delicious and joyful performance as the conniving yet charming Becky Sharp.

This is one of my all time favorite movies so I've seen it several times. It was wonderful to see it gloriously restored and on the big screen. And on that happy note we went home instead of going to see the Jackie Chan film, The Young Master, as we had originally planned.

Total Movies seen: 66

*= Unclean, unclean
**= Crap, but doesn't make your eyes bleed
***= Watchable to good
****= Great
*****= Masterpiece/Classic

SIFF Day 16

praderwilli@livejournal.com — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:31:38 GMT

Saturday was a day of mostly bad movies. I was tired and grumpy all day. But why did the midnight movie have to be so good? I could have gone to bed earlier if it was crap.

The Drummer (Hong Kong/Taiwan) 2007 ***1/2
Yesterday we saw a bad movie starring Tom Hanks' son. Today we saw a pretty good movie starring Jackie Chan's son, Jaycee Chan. The story follows Sid, a gangster's son, who is always looking for trouble. He sleeps with the girlfriend of a rival mob boss and must go into hiding. While on the lam in Taiwan he has a life changing experience when he meets a group of Zen drummers.

Lots of beautiful scenery and some really cool drumming. Then there was a dumb shoot out at the end that kind of ruined the movie for me. I wish there had been more drumming instead, because that was really cool.

Half Life (USA) 2008 *
Stupid movie about a dysfunctional family. The young boy in the film quietly wanders around having animation fantasies. This one came off like a student film- i.e. self consciously arty. The director attended the screening but we didn't stick around for the Q&A because we hated the movie.

Derek (UK) 2008 **
Documentary about British filmmaker, Derek Jarman. The old interviews with Derek Jarman were interesting and the clips from his films were nice. But there wasn't any real insight into his life and work and the voiceover narration from Tilda Swinton was annoying as hell.

When Did You Last See Your Father? (UK) 2007 **1/2
Blake (Colin Firth) has an overbearing father (Jim Broadbent). Blake discovers that his father is dying from a terminal illness. The movie goes back and forth between the present and Blake's memories of his childhood. The directing is intrusive and heavy handed and the story is nothing new. The only good thing about the movie is that Colin Firth takes a bath. I liked that scene.

A Secret (France) 2007 ***
The film is set in the aftermath of the Nazi occupation of France during World War II. A young Jewish boy living in Paris discovers that his family has a big secret. This one was okay. The second film of the day to feature a complicated father/son relationship. My biggest complaint: a shocking under use of Mathieu Amalric.

Sukiyaki Western Django (Japan) 2007 *****
This new film from the controversial and prolific director, Takeshi Miike, is bright and fun. It's a hyperstylized homage to Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns with nods to Quentin Tarentino's Kill Bill. Tarantino even makes a cameo appearance. The story concerns two feuding clans in Nevada in a town that has struck gold. Filmed entirely in English, I'm pretty sure that Miike utilizes every single Old West cliche known to man kind. This one was a lot of fun.

Total Movies seen: 63
Total bags of Popcorn consumed: Popcorn for dinner brings my total up to three! Popcorn for dinner is so much better than eating one of those awful bagel dogs.

*= Unclean, unclean
**= Crap, but doesn't make your eyes bleed
***= Watchable to good
****= Great
*****= Masterpiece/Classic

SIFF Day 15

praderwilli@livejournal.com — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 16:34:36 GMT

This Way Up (France) 2007 **
The filmmaker shot this documentary at Our Lady of Paris, a senior living community in the West Bank, while nearby the wall of separation (built by the israelis to stop suicide bombers from infiltrating country) is being built. Ultimately, the film lacked focus. The director couldn't decide if this was a movie about old people or a film about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It was mostly just boring.

The Great Buck Howard (USA) 2008 **
Bad, bad Hollywood film starring Colin Hanks (Tom Hanks not as good looking, not as talented and charmless son). Colin Hanks plays Troy, a young man who has been pressured into going to law school his whole life by his dad (Tom Hanks in a cameo). Troy hates law school and leaves it to take a job as a personal assistant to mentalist Buck Howard (John Malkovich), who is modeled on The Amazing Kreskin. I didn't care about Troy or the stupid romance. The only thing keeping me awake was John Malkovich's scenery chewing performance. Everytime John Malkovich was on screen at least I wasn't bored.

Saturn in Opposition (Italian) 2007 ****
Beautiful movie ruined by not seeing the last ten minutes. From director Ferzan Ozpetek (Facing Windows, Steam: The Turkish Bath), this film follows a group of tight knit friends living in Roma. They gossip, squabble and support each other through everything. Unexpectedly, they have to come together in tragedy. This movie was gorgeously shot and had a beautiful pace and rhythm to it. On a shallow note, thank god for gay directors because the men in this film are all really good looking.

Then tragedy struck for the audience as well when, with only ten minutes to go, Pacific Place was evacuated for what we learned later was only a drill. Those bastards!

Otto, or Up With Dead People (Germany/Canada) 2008 ****
Gay Zombie Porn from Bruce LaBruce. That's all you need to know really. Either that interests you or it doesn't. Everyone at the midnight screening of this movie seemed to like it. I did too.

Total Movies seen: 57

*= Unclean, unclean
**= Crap, but doesn't make your eyes bleed
***= Watchable to good
****= Great
*****= Masterpiece/Classic

SIFF Day 14

praderwilli@livejournal.com — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 16:33:26 GMT

Very tired and a day behind on my mini reviews. This will be as short as humanly possible. Also, there will very likely be many mistakes. I apologize for the inconvenience.

Call Me Troy (USA) 2007 ***
Documentary about Gay rights activist Reverend Troy Perry. He did lots of cool stuff. This movie however, is not cool and is only mediocre at best.

Man On Wire (UK) 2007 *****
Yet another best documentary of the festival. But this time I really mean it. On august 7, 1974 French wirewalker, Philippe Petit, strung a cable between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and then walked across. This movie documents that feat in a beautiful and imaginative way. The film is made up of interviews with all the participants of Philippe's elaborate plan, home movies, archival footage and photographs of Philippe's stunts. (He also walked a wire between the towers at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and the pylons of the Sydney Harbor Bridge in Australia.)

Accompanying the interviews is a highly stylized dramatization of the group accomplishing the break in to the WTC and setting up of their steel cable. The dramaztization is filmed in black and white with the look of a French bank robbery caper. It creates drama and tension and comedy.

Recommended. Though I found one passholder who didn't care for this film. Everyone else has raved about it.

Boystown (Spain) 2007 ***1/2
Campy comedy about a perfection obsessed real estate agent who is murdering little old ladies so he can buy up their apartments, modernize them and then sell them for a profit to beautiful young people. Reminiscent of Pedro Almodavar- strong female characters, gay boys and bright colors dominate each frame. This one was fun, fun, fun.

Total Movies seen: 53

*= Unclean, unclean
**= Crap, but doesn't make your eyes bleed
***= Watchable to good
****= Great
*****= Masterpiece/Classic

SIFF Day 13

praderwilli@livejournal.com — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:44:51 GMT

Stalags- Holocaust and Pornography in Israel (Israel) 2007 ***
"Stalags" are pocket books that were highly popular in Israel in the early 1960's. The plots mainly concern buxom, beautiful but cruel female SS officers who sexually torture their male prisoners. The popularity of these "Stalags" paralleled the highly publicized trial of Adolf Eichman in Israel. Paging Dr. Freud!

This documentary studies the origins of these stories and how their influence continues in Israel to this day.Interesting subject matter, but the documentary wasn't anything special.

Four Women (India) 2007 ***1/2
Based on the writings of Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai this film has four stories featuring four female archetypes- The Prostitute, The Virgin, The Housewife and The Spinster. Enjoyable film that suffered from the fact that the stories were somewhat uneven- The Housewife was the weakest story. The Spinster's story was the best by far with a quiet yet stunning performance by Nandita Das as the spinster. Fortunately it was the last story so the film ends on a high note.

Sparrow (Hong Kong) 2008 ****
Another fun movie from Johnnie To, though this one is better than The Mad Detective. Four professional pick pockets try to help a beautiful woman escape Mr. Fu, an older and powerful man who holds her in his grasp. Typical To, with lots of humor, goofy chases (on crutches and in elevators!) and a pickpocket duel at the end under the cover of many umbrellas all done in slo-mo.

Total Movies seen: 50

*= Unclean, unclean
**= Crap, but doesn't make your eyes bleed
***= Watchable to good
****= Great
*****= Masterpiece/Classic

SIFF Day 12

praderwilli@livejournal.com — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:06:35 GMT

John Waters presents: Cecil B. Demented (USA) 2000 ****
Part of the Talking Pictures program, this film was preceded by an interview with John Waters by Artistic Director of the festival, Carl Spence. We had seen John Waters at the festival a few years ago and he is as witty and charming as ever.

His irrational hatred of David Lean (he hates "all those wide sweeping shots of beauty) and Katharine Hepburn (no explanation provided) was particularly amusing. Waters conversed about his career in general and his film Cecil B. Demented specifically since there was a screening of it directly following the conversation with John.

If you've never seen Cecil B. Demented it's exactly what you would expect from a John Waters movie i.e. bad taste done with style. It stars Melanie Griffith as a Hollywood star who is kidnapped by a group of film terrorists led by Cecil B. Demented (Stephen Dorff). The terrorists want to put a stop to Hollywood's tyranny of bad movies. The film also stars Waters regulars Mink Stole and Patricia Hearst ("Patty was her victim name. Who wants to be a famous victim?")

This movie was a lot of fun. Plus: shout outs for martial arts movies and porn! Could have only been improved by a bag of popcorn, but I didn't think to stop at the snack bar on my way in.

Edited to add: Photos from steve98052

Mad Detective (Hong Kong/China) 2007 ***
We stayed to watch this movie in spite of ptousig's warnings. Most movies directed by Johnnie To manage to entertain me (even if they're not especially good) and this film was no exception. It follows the story of a brilliant detective who solves cases because he can see the inner soul of everyone he meets.

Unfortunately he is ~~mad as a hatter~~ clinically insane. This is evidenced by the fact that he cuts off his ear and presents it to the chief upon his superior's retirement. He also spends his spare time talking to his imaginary wife. His real wife has divorced him because he's such a nutjob. I thought the movie was kind of fun to watch even if the ending made little to no sense whatsoever.

Total Movies seen: 47

*= Unclean, unclean
**= Crap, but doesn't make your eyes bleed
***= Watchable to good
****= Great
*****= Masterpiece/Classic

SIFF Day 11

praderwilli@livejournal.com — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 19:07:42 GMT

Shadow of the Holy Book (Finland/Switzerland/Denmark) 2007 ***
Documentary about the repressive government of Turkmenistan. They are very often ranked as one of the top three nations in human rights abuse. But they have lots of oil and riches; and therefore they are courted by world leaders and corporations who make millions off the Turkmenistan government but do nothing to stop the oppression of its people who live in fear and poverty.

The style of the documentary copies Michael Moore without being as good as or as funny as Michael Moore. However, the subject matter was interesting so it is worth a viewing.

Night Tide (USA) 1961 ***1/2
The Academy Film Archive recently restored this archival presentation. Directed and written by Curtis Harrington and starring a very young Dennis Hopper, the story follows a young sailor on leave who meets and falls in love with Mora, a mysterious woman who siren-like draws young men to watery deaths.

Kind of outdated, but kind of enjoyable to watch for me.

Total Movies seen: 45

*= Unclean, unclean
**= Crap, but doesn't make your eyes bleed
***= Watchable to good
****= Great
*****= Masterpiece/Classic

SIFF Day 10

praderwilli@livejournal.com — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:14:26 GMT

Secret Festival #2 ****
This one was a repeat of a previous secret festival. Last time it screened I was not yet a secret festival pass holder. However, it was fairly well known that this film screened at secret. Back in the 1990's (I think) it was revealed in a Stranger article written by film critic, Andy Spletzer. For a time he was barred from the secret festival for his transgression. Currently he's a SIFF programmer. So, obviously he's been forgiven.

This is a notorious movie that has been banned from legal screenings. It is easily available on the internets. Pretty much anyone who wants to see it has already seen it. It was nice to see a better quality copy (from the filmmaker himself) and on the big screen. So, it was cool. I don't know if it was worth missing Kung Fu Panda for it, though.

The Saga of Anatahan (Japan) 1953 ***1/2
Rarely seen film directed by Josef von Sternberg. SIFF screened a copy obtained from the Library of Congress. It chronicles the true incident of Japanese sailors who were shipwrecked on the island of Anatahan in 1944. They remained on the island for 7 years completely unaware that WWII was over. Filmed in Japanese with a Japanese cast and crew and without subtitles. The story is told through annoying voiceover narration that evokes (bad) memories of Plan 9 From Outerspace.

Gorgeous black and white cinematography and the fact that it is a curiosity more than anything else make it watchable.

Ben X (Belgium/Netherlands) 2007 ****
A young man with Asperger syndrome is tormented at school. He gets even. It's a revenge film with a message. I actually enjoyed it even if it was a bit heavy handed there at the end.

Total Movies seen: 43

*= Unclean, unclean
**= Crap, but doesn't make your eyes bleed
***= Watchable to good
****= Great
*****= Masterpiece/Classic

SIFF Day 9

praderwilli@livejournal.com — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 15:38:17 GMT

Let the Right One In (Sweden) 2008 ****
Love story between a 12 year old boy and a vampire girl. Ain't love grand?

Expertly filmed with some good scares. The pool scene is particularly memorable. Well worth a viewing.

Young Adam (UK/Scotland) 2003 ***1/2
Next up, two films back to back from SIFF selected "emerging master", David MacKenzie. He apparently specializes in films with extremely unlikeable and unsympathetic characters. Anyway that was my reaction.

This first one stars Ewan McGregor. He has lots of sex with different women. In the process he breaks up Tilda Swinton's marriage and accidentally kills Emily Mortimer. How charming.

Mister Foe (UK) 2007 **
Jamie Bell is a creepy stalker trapped in a boring and pointless story. Some people liked this movie. I didn't.

Encounters at the End of the World (USA) 2007 *****
Wow. I've been seeing some really great docs lately. All you really need to know is that this is a Werner Herzog directed documentary about Antarctica that is "not about penguins". Gorgeous photography of Antarctica combined with voiceover of Herzog's philosophical meditations creates a mesmerizing, almost spiritual experience.

Although, contrary to Herzog's promise there are some penguins.

Unfinished Sky (Australia) 2007 ***1/2
Widowed rancher, John Waldring, finds a battered and bruised foreign speaking girl. He takes her in and helps her. They fall in love. I wasn't expecting much from this movie but I ended up liking it quite a bit.

We were too tired to go to the midnighter. I wonder if it was any good.

Total Movies seen: 40

*= Unclean, unclean
**= Crap, but doesn't make your eyes bleed
***= Watchable to good
****= Great
*****= Masterpiece/Classic

SIFF Day 8

praderwilli@livejournal.com — Sat, 31 May 2008 15:33:09 GMT

City Arts Magazine's new definition for "everywhere": Seattle, Tacoma and the Eastside. We really are the center of the universe. Good to know.

My hatred for City Arts Magazine increases every day. Please stop tormenting me with your ads before every single film. Thank you.

Ask Not (USA) 2008 ***1/2
Well done doc about the stupid "don't ask, don't tell" policy of the US military. Answers the question: Who would you rather have with you in a foxhole- John Wayne or Liberace? Answer: Liberace since he speaks Arabic, Farsi and Korean. Also, he is fabulous. The director attended but we left before the Q&A.

American Teen (USA) 2008 *****
Remember how much high school sucked? New best documentary of the fest. I lamely claimed that Emmanuel Jal was the best. This movie about middle America teens proved me wrong. I apologize for my inaccuracy.

Savage Grace (USA/Spain) 2007 ***
True story. Rich people are bored and useless and sometimes crazy. Julianne Moore wanders around europe with her husband and son attending social events. She's slightly insane. Her husband dumps her for a younger woman. She continues her travels with her son. She has sex with him to "cure" his homosexuality. It doesn't work. He is batshit crazy and stabs her to death. The End.

Directed by Tom Kalin who previously directed Swoon which was also based on a true murder case and was a better film.

Mirageman (Chile/USA) 2007 ***1/2
Is it a superhero movie parody or a 1970's chopsockie parody? I don't know but it's high-larious.

Total Movies seen: 35

*= Unclean, unclean
**= Crap, but doesn't make your eyes bleed
***= Watchable to good
****= Great
*****= Masterpiece/Classic

We're number 8! We're number 8!

praderwilli@livejournal.com — Fri, 30 May 2008 21:05:58 GMT

Today U.S.News & World Report magazine placed Seattle Children’s among the nation’s top children’s hospitals for the 16th consecutive year. The results were announced as part of U.S.News & World Report’s annual America’s Best Children’s Hospitals issue on newsstands June 2. We were ranked eighth in the country for pediatric care, up one spot from last year’s ranking, and we were the only children’s hospital in the Pacific Northwest to make the list.

In addition to the overall hospital ranking for pediatric care, Children’s ranked fifth nationally in providing care for cancer patients, eighth in neurology and neurosurgery, and ninth in respiratory disorders. We also received high ranks for heart care and surgery and neonatal care.

America’s Best Children’s Hospitals now includes the 30-top ranked hospitals in cancer, digestive disorders, heart and heart surgery, neonatal care, neurology and neurosurgery, and respiratory disorders. The specialty rankings were based on a new methodology that weighed a three-part blend of reputation, outcome, and care-related measures such as nursing care, advanced technology, credentialing, and other factors. You can read a detailed description of the methodology here.

SIFF Day 7

praderwilli@livejournal.com — Fri, 30 May 2008 20:17:21 GMT

Song Sung Blue (USA) 2008 ***
Documentary following the trials and tribulations of Lightening and Thunder, married couple Mike and Claire Sardina, who earn their living by impersonating Neil Diamond and Patsy Cline. Filmmaker Greg Kohs followed the pair for eight years. He chronicled freak accidents, addiction, health problems, financial woes and the highlight of their career when Lightening and Thunder performed in front of 30,000 people at a Pearl Jam concert and Eddie Vedder sang Neil Diamond's "Forever in Blue Jeans" with them.

I went to this movie expecting a light-hearted romp, but it's mostly really depressing. On a side note, Eddie Vedder is cool.

Kiss the Bride (USA) 2007 ***
This was the so-called "Gay-la" event with post-party at Neighbors next door to the Egyptian Theater. Directed by C. Jay Cox (Latter Days), Kiss the Bride is essentially the gay version of "My Best Friend's Wedding". Successful gay magazine editor Matt (Phillipp Karner) finds out his first love, Ryan (James O'Shea) is getting married to ....a girl (Tori Spelling- who steals the show). He must go to the wedding and stop his former boyfriend from making a mistake!

This was mostly mediocre with a few laughs and a kinda dumb ending: Ryan's not gay even though he loved Matt when he was in high school. But now he loves women, especially Tori Spelling. Nobody mentions or seems to notice that Tori Spelling looks rather a lot like a drag queen. I foresee problems in the future for the happy couple.

C. Jay Cox, the director, a producer (didn't catch his name) and James O'Shea attended and there was a Q&A following the screening. The most amusing part was when straight actor O'Shea was explaining what it was like kissing a man. He got flustered and embarrassed and so he stopped his yammering and lifted his shirt to flash the audience with his bare torso. The audience whooped and cheered wildly. Except for me, I just laughed.

Total Movies seen: 31

*= Unclean, unclean
**= Crap, but doesn't make your eyes bleed
***= Watchable to good
****= Great
*****= Masterpiece/Classic

SIFF Day 6

praderwilli@livejournal.com — Thu, 29 May 2008 20:32:26 GMT

They Killed Sister Dorothy (USA) 2008 ***1/2
Documentary about the murder of Dorothy Stang who was shot to death in 2005. Dorothy was a nun and an activist who lived in Brazil for 30 years working to help impoverished people and to save the Amazonian rain forest. She was shot to death in a dispute with loggers and ranchers over a lot of land that was part of a project to allow poor farmers to make a sustainable living while decreasing deforestation.

This was an interesting and depressing documentary. The amoral lawyers who defend the rancher who went to trial for Sister Dorothy's murder allowed the documentary filmmakers free access to their behind the scenes machinations. Their arrogance and absence of any real human feelings was appalling. The trigger man and a low level accomplice were convicted and sentenced. Only one of the ranchers involved in the murder stood trial and though the film ends with him being convicted, in the Q&A afterwards the director told us that three weeks ago he was acquitted in a re-trial. And the mass deforestation continues unabated.

Well, that was cheerful! Hope the next one we see will be uplifting....

Emmanuel Jal: War Child (USA) 2008 *****
Best documentary I've seen this fest- powerful, depressing and yet ultimately uplifting (yay!). It tells the story of Emmanuel Jal who was a child soldier during the 20 year war between Christian Southern Sudan and the Muslim Sudanese government in the North during the 1980's until the ceasefire in 2004. He was rescued and smuggled to Kenya by Emma McCune, a British foreign aid worker. He was educated in Nairobi, receiving a scholarship to a private school there and has since become a successful rapper and musician. He currently lives in London.

Emmanuel Jal tells his story in his own words, both in interviews and in filmed live performances of his music. The filmmakers also follow him as he journeys back to visit his sister, now studying in Nairobi and the rest of his family who are still living in Southern Sudan. The film also includes amazing footage of Emmanuel as a child in a refuge camp filmed by a French documentary film crew.

Emmanuel continues to record and perform his music and he is currently raising money to build a school in his father's village so that the children can be educated. The director attended and a lively Q&A followed the screening. He updated us on Emmanuel's life and told us that the other little boy that appeared in the French documentary is now studying medicine in Australia and will soon be a doctor. The French documentarians were pleased to discover that Emmanuel is alive and well- they thought he died as a child.

Jar City (Iceland) 2007 ***1/2
Icelandic murder mystery that doesn't fall apart at the end. The lead detective, Erlender, is hard-bitten yet engaging and likeable with a very dry sense of humor. He tracks down the killer even as he is dealing with his own problems- namely his drug addicted pregnant daughter. And chalk up another suicide! (Suicide is supposedly a "theme" at the fest this year.)

Total Movies seen: 29

*= Unclean, unclean
**= Crap, but doesn't make your eyes bleed
***= Watchable to good
****= Great
*****= Masterpiece/Classic

SIFF Day 5

praderwilli@livejournal.com — Wed, 28 May 2008 18:12:53 GMT

Breakfast With Scot (Canada) 2007 ***
Former pro-hockey player, Sam (Tom Cavanagh) and lawyer, Ed (Ben Shenkman) are reportedly a gay couple. Through a set of contrived circumstances they become guardians to Scot, the gayest 11 year old on planet Earth. Hilarity ensues. Ends all schmaltzy and happy and has broad audience appeal because the gay couple is barely gay (they seem like roommates) and the kid is precocious and "cute".

The producer was present for a Q&A. He said they were working on making the movie into a TV series- a sort of "gay" Two and a Half Men. This surely deserves to be a sitcom.

Mongol (Kazakhstan/Germany/Russia) 2007 ****
This film was nominated for an Oscar this year for Best Foreign Language Film. Basically it's Genghis Khan: the early years. The story ends just when Khan has united the Mongols but before he starts all that pesky invading. Japanese superstar Tadanobu Asano plays Temudgin (that's Genghis Khan to you and me) and Chinese actor Honglei Sun co-stars as Jamukha, the man who is first Temudgin's blood brother and later his enemy.

If you like sweeping epics with gorgeous cinematography and bloody battles you will enjoy this film. The musical score is enhanced by Mongolian band Altan Urgan. Also, if you think Tadanobu Asano is hot you might want to watch his Japanese-Mongolian hotness.

The director, Sergei Bodrov, was present for the screening. At the Q&A after the film people were bitching about not using Mongolian actors. He said he looked but couldn't find any that were right for the role. He asked Asano because he's a great actor and also he is "handsome and sexy" and Sergei thought movie-goers would like that. Works for me. Originally, Tadanobu wanted to play the second lead because he thought it was more interesting. Somehow he was convinced to take the lead. All of the non-Mongolian actors had to learn to speak Mongolian.

Blood Brothers (Taiwan/China/Hong Kong) 2007 ***
Mediocre Chinese gangster movie full of pretty people in gorgeous 1930's period costumes. You wouldn't be surprised if I told you that there's a blood bath at the end, would you? Directed by Alexi Tan, produced by John Woo and starring Daniel Wu and Shu Qi, who is very beautiful but not her normal adorable self in this film.

Total Movies seen: 26
Technical Difficulty Encountered: The bulb went out on the projector at the very end of Mongol. The director told us the line we missed was: "You know your destiny." After they fixed the problem a title card came up and then... credits.

*= Unclean, unclean
**= Crap, but doesn't make your eyes bleed
***= Watchable to good
****= Great
*****= Masterpiece/Classic

SIFF Day 4

praderwilli@livejournal.com — Tue, 27 May 2008 21:18:54 GMT

Yesterday was a very, very good day of movies. We saw some real winners, which means I don't even mind that my backside is already starting to get sore from sitting in movie theaters all day.

Two posts in one day means I get caught up. Go me!

Terra (USA) 2007 ****
Computer animated film with a "message" that free will must be exercised in order to achieve peace and individuals questioning authority are necessary in order to build a better society. But forget about the message, this movie has a great story and beautiful animation with an all star voice cast including James Garner, Evan Rachel Wood, Luke Wilson, and the always hilarious David Cross (even when he's just an animated robot).

Heartbeat Detector (France) 2007 ***1/2
Adaptation of François Emmanuel's "La Question Humaine"- The film follows Simon (Mathieu Amalric), who enjoys his work as a corporate psychologist weeding out all of the "undesirable" employees. He is assigned to investigate the mental status of the company's CEO who seems to have become unstable. Simon's life slowly begins to deteriorate as his investigation uncovers the company's dark role in WWII.

Simon becomes haunted with the truths he uncovers and he must ask himself, "What is more important the institution or humanity?" This film features a strong performance from Amalric and the story is engrossing and well done. However, just shy of 2 and 1/2 hours, the movie seemed overlong and could have used some editing.

The Wrecking Crew (USA) 2008 *****
"The Wrecking Crew" was the name given to a loose group of about 20 to 30 studio musicians used in the LA recording industry during the 1960's. They recorded more number one singles than the Beatles. They cut records with Elvis Presley, Herb Alpert, the Beach Boys, Sonny and Cher, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, Phil Spector and the Wall of Sound, and the Monkees among many others. The film asserts that they provided "the soundtrack to our lives".

This documentary was made by Denny Tedesco the son of one of the most famous of The Wrecking Crew, guitarist Tommy Tedesco, who passed away in 1997. The director has assembled interviews with many of the living members: bass player Carol Kaye, Glen Campbell, drummer Earl Palmer, and Hal Blaine to name a few. The filmmaker provides personal footage of his dad that he filmed and a conversation with four of the wrecking crew, including his father. Then there are interviews with other musicians talking about the crew like Monkee, Mickey Dolenz who admits he never thought of himself as a musician. He approached the Monkees as an actor. And Nancy Sinatra talks about the recording of "These Boots are Made for Walking". Of course, the soundtrack of the film provides lots of great old tunes from the 1960's.

Ultimately, it's just musicians reminiscing about their music and their lives. I loved it.

Sita Sings the Blues (USA) 2007 *****
Brilliant, and I do mean brilliant animated film. Do not miss this one. In 2002, cartoonist Nina Paley was dumped by her husband in an email. Inspired by her break-up she made this movie. Based on the Indian story, the Ramayana, it is about the suffering of Sita who "loves her man" , Rama, in spite of his ill treatment of her. The animation is gorgeous, the script provides lots of laughs, and the music is wonderful. Interspersed throughout the film, Sita sings the blues- voiced by jazz great Annette Hanshaw. This movie is pure genius.

Cafe de los Maestros (Argentina/USA/Brazil) 2008 ****
Documentary about Tango music, the filmmaker interviews legendary Tango musicians, singers and composers who reminisce about the golden age of the Tango. Some are working on reconstructing old classics that were never before written down, others are recording and they are all rehearsing. The film culminates with a concert honoring the Tango at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. Great music. Well done doc.

Total Movies seen: 23
Total Bags of Popcorn consumed: Two! I had popcorn for lunch yesterday. So healthy and nutritious.

*= Unclean, unclean
**= Crap, but doesn't make your eyes bleed
***= Watchable to good
****= Great
*****= Masterpiece/Classic