Cinequesting

A Cinequest 21 Recap

2011-03-13T21:15:00.000-07:00

This was the fifth year I blogged about the Cinequest film festival.

Like previous years I watched dozens of features and shorts. Some I loved, others... not so much. I did an inspiring and in depth interview with co-founder and president Kathleen Powell. I tweeted a lot, my non-film pals are probably sick of the #cinequest hashtag. I really enjoyed reading other people's tweets, reviews and interviews. So much of Cinequest is the socializing and sharing that comes naturally. Twitter definitely enhances our ability to do that in a huge way.

Here are a few spotlight posts from this go around.

Film Reviews:
A Review of 80 Days
A Review of Nannerl, Mozarts Sister
A Review of New York Decalogue
A Review of Dreaming Nicaragua
A Review of Medal of Honor

Previews:
The 1st Timers Guide to Cinequest
CQ21 Drama Preview
CQ21 Horror & Thriller Preview

Interviews:
Kathleen Powell: Engineering Cinequest
Halfdan Hussey on Kathleen Powell
Scott and Matt from Midnight Son

Weird Posts I Can't Catagorize:
This is Awesome
Let the Great Experiment Begin!
Obligatory California Theatre Upskirt Photo

I hope you had as much fun attending Cinequest 21 as I did. Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you next year.

Encore Schedule Announced!

2011-03-12T23:51:00.001-08:00

One more incredible day to go!

Screen 7:
11:15am - 1:06pm
Shorts Program 4: Animation (Added Screening By Popular Demand)

2pm - 3:44pm
Shorts Program 7: Comedy Favorites (Added Screening By Popular Demand)

4:45pm - 6:19pm
Togetherness Supreme (Global Vision Award WInner)

7:15pm - 8:12pm
A Perfect Soldier (Audience Award Contender)

9:15pm - 10:37pm
Best of the Shorts (Jury Winners)

Screen 8:
11am - Noon
The World According to Ion B. (Special Jury Award)

1pm - 2:24pm
Village Without Women (Audience Award Contender)

3:15pm - 4:15pm
Irena Sendler: In the Name of Their Mothers (Audience Award Contender)

5:15pm - 6:35pm
Make a Movie Like Spike (New Visions Award Winner)

7:30pm - 9:25pm
War Games and the Man Who Stopped Them (Audience Award Contender)

Screen 9:
11:30am - 1:14pm
Limbo (Audience Award Contender)

2:15pm - 3:39pm
Falling Overnight (Special Jury Award)

4:30pm - 6pm
The Liverpool Goalie (Audience Award Contender)

6:45pm - 8:25pm
The Happy Housewife (Audience Award Contender)

9pm - 11pm
Mozart's Sister (Best Feature Film)

Screen 10:
11:45am - 12:45pm
Dreaming Nicaragua (Audience Award Contender)

1:45pm - 3pm
Dying to Do Letterman (Best Documentary Film)

4pm - 5:45pm
80 Days (Audience Award Contender)

6:45pm - 8:15pm
Rosa Morena (Best First Feature Film)

9pm - 10:28pm
Midnight Son (Audience Award Contender)

The Final Countdown

2011-03-12T09:12:00.000-08:00

It's a bit of a tradition around these parts to leave the last session of Cinequest 21 in your capable hands. You've grasped the proverbial pebble and are ready to ascend. Here's your theme music:

We'll see you on encore Sunday.

2 Watch 2 Night: Freaky Friday

2011-03-11T07:34:00.000-08:00

Count Orlok: the ORIGINAL sexy beast.

Camera 12	5:00 PM	With Love... From the Age of Reason
Camera 12	5:00 PM	Bad Behaviour
Camera 12	6:30 PM	One Day Less
Camera 12	7:00 PM	Oxygen
California Theatre	7:00 PM	Silent Film Screening - Nosferatu
Camera 12	7:15 PM	The Liverpool Goalie
Camera 12	7:15 PM	Pure
Camera 12	8:45 PM	Togetherness Supreme
Camera 12	9:30 PM	Mamas & Papas
Camera 12	9:30 PM	Madly in Love
Camera 12	9:45 PM	Poligamy
Camera 12	11:59 PM	Shorts Program 5: Mindbenders

Previews and trailers for (almost) all these films are available on this very blog. Incredible!

Drama Preview

Comedy Preview

Documentary Preview

Horror & Thriller Preview

A Review of Medal of Honor

2011-03-10T09:45:00.000-08:00

Meet the Rodney Dangerfield of Romania.

There are a few things that you should do when someone gives you an unexpected gift: strutting and bragging are at the top of the list. One thing you never do is ask the question why. So it goes in MEDAL OF HONOR, an excellent Romanian comedy/drama about a WW2 veteran given the Medal of Honor for undisclosed deeds.

Ion I. Ion (his name is a prime example of Romanian humor) is married to a woman who will barely speak to him, she stays with him out of habit. Their son now lives in Canada and he too wants nothing to do with his father for a vague reason we don’t learn about until later. Ion and his wife sit in their freezing apartment bundled up, watching crummy soap operas while waiting for their pensions to arrive. The friendly mail man delivers Ion notice that he has received the Medal of Honor.

Ion does what he should not do and asks why he receives the medal. Stupid, stupid! He asks the Ministry of Defense and searches old letters for answers. He convinces himself it’s for a minor action taken against fleeing Germany soldiers but even his old army buddy is skeptical. Soon after his meeting the President we find out the truth, about the medal and about what happened with his son.

This is very well made movie. The plot builds very gradually, in a way that American movies almost never do anymore, and for that reason along I recommend watching it. The final scene, a single 5 minute long static shot, is heartbreaking and honestly moving. I hope you get a chance to see MEDAL OF HONOR, at Cinequest or elsewhere.

2 Watch 2 Night: Cathouse Thursday

2011-03-10T07:27:00.000-08:00

If you love horses you'll love Mozart's Sister.

Camera 12	5:00 PM	Poligamy
Camera 12	5:00 PM	Living in Seduced Circumstances
Camera 12	6:30 PM	Back to Life
Camera 12	6:45 PM	Nannerl Mozart's Sister
Camera 12	7:00 PM	Sodankyla Forever - The Century of Cinema
California Theatre	7:00 PM	Desert Flower The one and only screening is tonight.
San Jose Repertory Theatre	7:00 PM	The Dead
Camera 12	7:15 PM	Togetherness Supreme
Camera 12	9:00 PM	Kosmos
Camera 12	9:15 PM	Shorts Program 3: Lost and Found
Camera 12	9:30 PM	The Sentiment of the Flesh
Camera 12	9:30 PM	Sinestesia
San Jose Repertory Theatre	9:30 PM	Heat Waves
California Theatre	9:45 PM	The Happy Housewife

Previews and trailers for (almost) all these films are available on this very blog. Incredible!

Drama Preview

Comedy Preview

Documentary Preview

Horror & Thriller Preview

2 Watch 2 Night: Ash Wednesday

2011-03-09T07:33:00.000-08:00

It's all we can do to just sit still, at this point.

Camera 12	6:30 PM	Road to Las Vegas
Camera 12	6:45 PM	Raavanan
Camera 12	6:45 PM	Rosa Morena
Camera 12	7:00 PM	Medal of Honor
California Theatre	7:00 PM	Potiche
San Jose Repertory Theatre	7:00 PM	Madly in Love
Camera 12	9:00 PM	Irena Sendler: In the Name of Their Mothers
Camera 12	9:15 PM	Shorts Program 5: Mindbenders
Camera 12	9:30 PM	War Games and the Man Who Stopped Them
Camera 12	9:30 PM	Everything Will Be Fine
California Theatre	9:30 PM	The Liverpool Goalie
San Jose Repertory Theatre	9:30 PM	The Glass Slipper

Previews and trailers for (almost) all these films are available on this very blog. Incredible!

Drama Preview

Comedy Preview

Documentary Preview

Horror & Thriller Preview

A Raavanan Spoiler Alert

2011-03-08T22:47:00.000-08:00

Michael Bay goes Bollywood.

Credit to www.thevigilidiot.com for this masterpiece.

A Review of New York Decalogue

2011-03-08T21:51:00.000-08:00

My body physically rejected this movie.

Guest Review by Alyce Steiner:

Retina’s vomited cones and rods. Glass shards burrowed into my fingernails. I could not help this reaction. Midway through the first Decalogue, several people took their leave. Somewhere between the blurry close ups of hair and ten minutes of the woman walking home, I realized this was going to draaag.

The main idea was stretched to emaciation. It seemed the movie couldn’t figure out what statement it was making. It did revolve around a hip looking female suicide bomber. But no interesting discourse was introduced with her character. Rather we watched her eating and walking. We watched them all eating and walking.There were interesting directions her Decalogue could have gone instead of food prep, book reading, and bomb assembly.

The nauseatingly blurry close ups detracted from any main idea or plot. Yes its a slice of their quotidian life. Lets watch them make salad for ten minutes. More blurry corn! I get it, the girls eat. The camera alternated zooming in on food or hair, sometimes throwing in a bit of lip. Also, was the camera guy continuously stumbling into their hair? And why do we have to spend most of the movie watching them reading the same book? Product placement ? Are Helen Keller quotes, sudden male narration, and a book, how this plot is being explained? Art to explain art. Which often means bad art.

The effects were certainly slathered on thick. Sepia! Black and white! Impressionist! Out of focus close ups! Hipstamatic coloring! Bludgeon those eyeballs! Constant loud ill-fitting soundtrack! I’ll stop with the exclamations. If one is noticing the effects and music too much, then it’s detracting from the movie. The sound bit they used for eating an apple, opening a letter or shutting a bag seemed like the same used for emptying the recycle bin on a PC. The film’s overuse of editing, sound, and effects took over for the vacancy in character development and plot continuity. I wish I had been among the first wave to walk towards the door marked “EXIT.”

2 Watch 2 Night: Tuesday Never Comes

2011-03-08T06:23:00.000-08:00

Your last chance to chance Dying to Do Letterman. Or is it?

Camera 12	5:00 PM	Dying to Do Letterman
Camera 12	6:30 PM	Limbo
San Jose Repertory Theatre	6:30 PM	Push: Madison Vs Madison
Camera 12	7:00 PM	Sinestesia
California Theatre	7:00 PM	Raavanan
Camera 12	7:00 PM	Dreaming Nicaragua
Camera 12	7:15 PM	The Nobel Prize Winner
Camera 12	9:00 PM	New York Decalogue
Camera 12	9:00 PM	The Snow Caveman
Camera 12	9:15 PM	Shorts Program 8: Student Short Film Competition
Camera 12	9:30 PM	Bad Behaviour
San Jose Repertory Theatre	9:30 PM	Forum: The Rough Cut
California Theatre	10:00 PM	With Love... From the Age of Reason

Previews and trailers for (almost) all these films are available on this very blog. Incredible!

Drama Preview

Comedy Preview

Documentary Preview

Horror & Thriller Preview

2 Watch 2 Night: Monday Night Gig

2011-03-07T08:12:00.000-08:00

Six days in, hitting our stride.

Camera 12	6:30 PM	22nd of May
Camera 12	7:00 PM	Restive
Camera 12	7:00 PM	Road to Las Vegas
California Theatre	7:00 PM	Copacabana
San Jose Repertory Theatre	7:00 PM	Samuel Bleak
Camera 12	7:15 PM	Living in Seduced Circumstances
Camera 12	9:00 PM	Shorts Program 7: Comedy Favorites
Camera 12	9:15 PM	Second-Story Man
Camera 12	9:15 PM	Tomorrow Will Be Better
California Theatre	9:30 PM	Bi, Don't Be Afraid!
San Jose Repertory Theatre	9:30 PM	The Hair of the Beast
Camera 12	9:30 PM	America

Previews and trailers for (almost) all these films are available on this very blog. Incredible!

Drama Preview

Comedy Preview

Documentary Preview

Horror & Thriller Preview

A Review of Nannerl, Mozart's Sister

2011-03-06T22:19:00.000-08:00

The 18th Century was hard on us all. Especially those of us who were teenage girls with supernatural musical prowess.

In Nannerl, Mozart's Sister we learn what it's like to have the most talented composer to ever live as your kid brother. Spoiler alert: it sucks. Maria-Anna, nee Nannerl, is an amazing musical talent of her own but gender and social morays have relegated her to the background of her father's traveling Mozart review. Young Wolfgang is an over tutored automaton, yet he gets credit for Nannerl's compositions and is featured in their performances together.

After meeting the children of King Louis XIV the Mozart clan travels to France for a special performance. A chance encounter with the King's son leaves Nannerl wanting off the family tour bus. In secret she works on the composition of her life in an attempt to win his favor and love. What does the future hold for the oldest Mozart child?

This film was exceptional. It obviously benefited from a large budget, used for lavish period costumes and authentic 18th Century sets. The acting, especially by Nannerl and her brother Wolfgang, were first rate. A period drama that uses music and history to muse about gender and class, NANNERL is easily one of the best films at Cinequest 21.

A Review of Dreaming Nicaragua

2011-03-06T11:09:00.000-08:00

Children are an endless wellspring of hope, they're also obnoxiously cute.

The pedigree of Cinequest documentaries is well known among long time festival goers. I spoken to attendees that only watch documentaries at Cinequest. I definitely will never go that far but the docs are the first section I look at when the guide is released each year.

This year I had my eye on DREAMING NICARAGUA, a film about children living in the one of the poorest countries in the world.

The film follows an art teacher who travels the country with a modest collection of paints and brushes. His painting classes introduce us to four children all living in different situations that typify life in Nicaragua and the rest of the developing world.

One child lives with his extended family because his mother moved to Costa Rica looking for work. Another wants her own TV show. When interviewing her neighbors she learns about domestic violence in her town. Another girl is camera shy but her family speaks to us about the difficulties of rural life.

I thought the film was good. Not amazing but very effective in what it tried to do. Each child had a unique story and the film allowed their personalities to shine through. Overall the film has a positive upbeat tone but still managed to show a realistic look at life in Nicaragua. You should watch this film if you're interested in children, Latin America and life in the third world.

2 Watch 2 Day: Any Given Sunday

2011-03-06T06:30:00.000-08:00

Didn't get enough yesterday? Seek help.

Camera 12	10:30 AM	Shorts Program 4: Animation
California Theatre	11:00 AM	Red Light Revolution
Camera 12	11:15 AM	Mamma Gogo
Camera 12	11:30 AM	Little Baby Jesus of Flandr
Camera 12	12:00 PM	The Life of Fish
San Jose Repertory Theatre	12:00 PM	The World According to Ion B
SJS University Theater	12:00 PM	Forum: The Biz Part 2 Sales & Distribution
Camera 12	1:15 PM	A Kiss and A Promise
Camera 12	1:30 PM	Troublemaker
California Theatre	1:30 PM	Nannerl Mozart's Sister
Camera 12	1:45 PM	Piran - Pirano
San Jose Repertory Theatre	2:00 PM	Irena Sendler: In the Name of Their Mothers
Camera 12	3:00 PM	Forum: Make it Easy, Make it Great
Camera 12	3:45 PM	Make a Movie Like Spike
San Jose Repertory Theatre	4:00 PM	Desert Rain
Camera 12	4:15 PM	Snow
California Theatre	4:30 PM	Small Town Murder Songs
Camera 12	4:45 PM	A Perfect Soldier
Camera 12	5:30 PM	Marrow
Camera 12	6:15 PM	New York Decalogue
Camera 12	6:30 PM	Push: Madison Vs Madison
Camera 12	6:45 PM	Midnight Son
California Theatre	7:00 PM	3 Backyards
San Jose Repertory Theatre	7:00 PM	Dying to Do Letterman Last chance, this one will sell out.
Camera 12	7:45 PM	All That Remains
Camera 12	8:45 PM	Shorts Program 6: DocuNation
Camera 12	9:00 PM	The Blind
Camera 12	9:15 PM	Acquainted With the Night
California Theatre	9:30 PM	Super Hero Party Clown
San Jose Repertory Theatre	9:30 PM	Samuel Bleak
Camera 12	10:00 PM	Question in Details

Previews and trailers for (almost) all these films are available on this very blog. Incredible!

Drama Preview

Comedy Preview

Documentary Preview

Horror & Thriller Preview

Inventor of Cell Phone Calls Out Film Fest

2011-03-05T08:38:00.000-08:00

Kinda love this typo filled video. ENTER SUBTITLE TEXT HERE

A Review of 80 Days

2011-03-05T08:19:00.000-08:00

Basque in the warm glow of this rekindled friendship.

A hospital room is the last place you're expecting to reunite with an old friend. But such is life according co-directors Jose Mari Goenaga and Jon Garaño. Main characters Maite and Axun resume a chaste relationship over the span of 80 days.

Maite is the outspoken one, comfortable with her life and sexuality, she understands and voices her attraction to Axun to mutual friends. Axun however is more repressed, still married to the world's grumpiest man, and don't know how to reconcile her inner feelings with the outer world.

How close will they get to understanding the nature of their relationship? What will the consequences be? The driving force of the film is in watching these too old friends dance ever closer to the truth. The acting and script are both equally fantastic. The portraits of the two women are nuanced and rich. Axun is loyal to a fault. Though her husband and daughter protest, she visits her ex son in law as he convalesces in a hospital bed. Maite is loyal too, visiting her comatose brother and throwing him a ridiculous balloon-strewn birthday party.

80 DAYS is the first Basque film I've seen and it will not be the last. I plan on seeking out more films from this region, all thanks to seeing this film at Cinequest. Really good.

A Review of 22nd of May

2011-03-05T07:52:00.000-08:00

Living in limbo on an empty street in city of ghosts.

22ND OF MAY begins with a one take shot of our hero getting ready to go to work. The camera bobs and weaves around him as he stalks around his small single occupancy apartment. The statement is that we are in the hands of a talented film maker. Typically the one take is used to show off, here is it deployed subtly and hardly noticed until a few minutes later. By then the audience understands the director is in complete control, he bends the cinematic universe around his singular vision.

The film focuses on the aftermath of a suicide bombing of a crowded shopping mall. After a sudden blast of physical damage we explore the psychic and emotional trauma that it caused. First we see the impact it has on security guard Sam. After surviving initially his mind breaks and he flees the scene of the attack. People who died in the blast come to Sam like strange ghosts from a Charles Dickens play. Some of the ghosts are angry with Sam, others forgive him. If I have any criticism of the film it's that there's too many of these ghosts. Three ghosts worked for Dickens, why not here too?

Besides this minor complaint I really liked the movie. It's completely disjointed and ambiguous, a very arty art-house approach to some heavily existential material. After watching the director's previous movie, the gutterpunk freak out EX DRUMMER, I didn't know what to expect here. 22ND OF MAY is concussive film making, the ringing in your brain will last for a long time.

2 Watch 2 Day: Uptown Saturday Night

2011-03-05T06:40:00.000-08:00

Our butt gets numb just looking at this lineup.

Camera 12	11:00 AM	Mamas & Papas Remember Little Girl Blue? Same director.
SJS University Theater	11:00 AM	Forums: The Biz Part 1 Development
Camera 12	11:15 AM	Shorts Program 1: Expectations An excellent collection to watch if you have not already.
Camera 12	11:30 AM	Dreaming Nicaragua
Camera 12	11:45 AM	Among Us
San Jose Repertory Theatre	1:00 PM	Forum: 3D Part 1 Overview of 3D
Camera 12	1:30 PM	War Games and the Man Who Stopped Them
Camera 12	1:45 PM	Falling Overnight The reviews for this are almost all very positive.
Camera 12	2:00 PM	The Little Room
Camera 12	2:00 PM	Here's the Kicker
San Jose Repertory Theatre	3:00 PM	Forum: 3D Part 2 How-to with Jon Chu
Camera 12	4:00 PM	Red Light Revolution A late add to the schedule, a Chinese sex comedy.
Camera 12	4:15 PM	Shorts Program 2: Slanted
California Theatre	4:15 PM	America
Camera 12	4:30 PM	Mystico Fantastico!
Camera 12	4:30 PM	The Blind
Camera 12	6:30 PM	A Perfect Soldier Our most anticipated doc of the festival.
Camera 12	6:45 PM	Limbo
Camera 12	6:45 PM	Togetherness Supreme
San Jose Repertory Theatre	7:00 PM	Emerging Maverick - Alyson Stoner
California Theatre	7:00 PM	Samuel Bleak
Camera 12	7:00 PM	Living in Seduced Circumstances
Camera 12	8:45 PM	All That Remains
Camera 12	9:15 PM	Second-Story Man
California Theatre	9:15 PM	A Little Help
Camera 12	9:30 PM	Desert Rain
Camera 12	9:45 PM	Restive
San Jose Repertory Theatre	10:00 PM	Plan 9 From Outer Space, Now in 3D!
Camera 12	11:59 PM	The Hair of the Beast

Previews and trailers for (almost) all these films are available on this very blog. Incredible!

Drama Preview

Comedy Preview

Documentary Preview

Horror & Thriller Preview

Let the Great Experiment Begin!

2011-03-05T00:45:00.000-08:00

A wise person once tweeted "if a festival movie doesn't grab you in 5-10 minutes, leave and go to another." Today we decided to try out that methodology (using the scientific method of course) and record our findings here.

Central Question: Is 10 to 20 minutes of a film enough to discern quality sufficient to warrant scheduling complete viewing?
Subject: Caucasian male, age 31, highly caffeinated, wearing comfortable shoes with gel insert.
Materials:

Cinequest pass to allow access to all screenings.
VTA lightrail pass to allow for transportation without parking fee incurance.
Coffee black no sugar, administered orally, to keep fully focused.
Gel shoe inserts, size 11.5, to maximize comfort during frequent Camera 12 stair climbs.

Successful Experiments:

ROSA MORENA, watched 45 minutes, felt like watching more but didn't in name of science.*
WORLD OF ION B, watched 30 minutes of 60 minute feature, felt like 120.
80 DAYS, watched approximately 35 days (more than a month!) felt like watching more.*
THE DEAD, watched entire thing, except for two bathroom breaks, blame the coffee.
MARROW, 10 minutes despite vow not to watch while previewing, should have kept vow.
TROUBLEMAKER, 5 minutes, seemed like WAITING with a female lead.*
THE SENTIMENT OF THE FLESH, 5 minutes, creepy title and acting made me wince.

Failed Experiments:

SNOW CAVEMAN, missed completely due to soiree hijacking.*
DYING TO DO LETTERMAN, took cast pictures in the lobby, outside scope of experiment.*
MIDNIGHT SON, watched entire movie via screener, technically cheating.
SMALL TOWN MURDER SONGS, ditto.
BAD BEHAVIOR, data collection failure due to human error, after 10 movies my brain broke.

Analysis and Conclusion:

Out of 7 successful experiments I will schedule 3 follow up appointments. [*]
Out of 5 failed experiments I will schedule 2 make up exams.[*]
This isn't a sustainable way to see movies, even with gel shoe inserts.
In the buffet that is Cinequest some films are full meals, others are snacks.
They all nourish your mind, your spirit and are an excellent source of soluble fiber.

A Review of a Kiss and a Promise

2011-03-04T13:27:00.000-08:00

Where can we find a gigantic German sugar daddy of our own?

Canadian made A KISS AND A PROMISE confirms what we already knew: bed and breakfasts are creepy and you should never stay at them.

David and Sam own a quaint but unsuccessful B&B somewhere in suburban Canadia. We quickly learn David is bi-sexual with a hooker killing fetish, Sam likes to be choked and their long term tenant Charlie is a failed writer and David's sometime lover. The plot arc involves guessing how many women David will kill and who will be the one to catch him. On his trail, but just barely, are two scruffy detectives that seem to spend more time discussing health food than following up on leads.

At times the film felt like it was made by a defanged David Lynch. The scenery and woods were strangely atmospheric but spoiled by constant over the top acting. A little restraint on their part and mystery could have improved a script that had few surprises.

We're told during the end credits that the movie is based on true events. One wonders where fact ends and the ficition begins with this story. We're not sure how they could have known that a secret note left at the scene of a crime was never found. How did you know it was there to begin with?

Want to see a film about a murderous bed and breakfast? Skip A KISS AND A PROMISE and see HAPPINESS OF THE KATAKURIS instead.

2 Watch 2 Night: His Girl Friday

2011-03-04T08:29:00.000-08:00

A lot of tough choices in tonight's lineup. And tomorrow's. And the next day's...

Camera 12	5:00 PM	The Snow Caveman
Camera 12	7:00 PM	Dying to Do Letterman
Camera 12	7:00 PM	Make a Movie Like Spike
California Theatre	7:00 PM	Ceremony
San Jose Repertory Theatre	7:00 PM	The Dead
Camera 12	7:15 PM	Falling Overnight
Camera 12	7:30 PM	Mamma Gogo
Camera 12	9:15 PM	Village Without Women
Camera 12	9:15 PM	Marrow
Camera 12	9:30 PM	Troublemaker
California Theatre	9:30 PM	Small Town Murder Songs
San Jose Repertory Theatre	9:30 PM	Midnight Son
Camera 12	9:45 PM	The Sentiment of the Flesh
Camera 12	11:59 PM	Bad Behaviour

Previews and trailers for (almost) all these films are available on this very blog. Incredible!

Drama Preview

Comedy Preview

Documentary Preview

Horror & Thriller Preview

Obligatory California Theater Upskirt Photo

2011-03-03T12:15:00.001-08:00

Cinequest 21 Opening Night - California Theater
Originally uploaded by cheriannthomas.

She's a classy lady that know how to get down.

More Flickr photos tagged with cinequest

Cinequest 21 World Map

2011-03-03T10:06:00.000-08:00

Ever wondered what a Cinequest world looks like?

We knocked together this interactive visualization of Cinequest 21 movies sorted by country of origin. Neat, huh?

Things we noticed on first glance:

US dominates

Over 50 features and shorts
This is not surprising.

Donde esta la Southern Hemisphere?

Apparently no film makers live below the equator

We're double checking if this is in fact true.

More African films than South American

Where's Argentina, did they take the year off?

World cup joke.

European Film Union

Very well represented, especially UK and Italy
Public funding for the arts helps

KQED tote bags ftw

Asia rising, eventually

Pretty low numbers from these developing countries
What camera did China shoot their Cinequest entry in?

Das Racist.

What's your take?

Hat tip to Matt for hooking us up with the data.

2 Watch 2 Night: Black Thursday

2011-03-03T07:24:00.000-08:00

Crummy weather, eh? Why not stay indoors and watch some great movies?

Camera 12	5:00 PM	One Day Less
Camera 12	6:15 PM	Shorts Program 7: Comedy Favorites single serving ha has
Camera 12	7:00 PM	Mystico Fantastico!
California Theatre	7:00 PM	America
San Jose Repertory Theatre	7:00 PM	Here's the Kicker
Camera 12	7:00 PM	The Life of Fish @according2stacy highly recommends
Camera 12	7:15 PM	A Kiss and A Promise
Camera 12	9:00 PM	Shorts Program 4: Animation
Camera 12	9:15 PM	A Little Help
Camera 12	9:15 PM	Snow
Camera 12	9:30 PM	Piran - Pirano
California Theatre	9:30 PM	22nd of May Our #1 most anticipated of the fest
San Jose Repertory Theatre	9:30 PM	Super Hero Party Clown

Previews and trailers for (almost) all these films are available on this very blog. Incredible!

Drama Preview

Comedy Preview

Documentary Preview

Horror & Thriller Preview

A Review of Oxygen

2011-03-03T00:05:00.000-08:00

What's lung got to do with it?

Brothers Tom and Lucas both suffer from cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that slowly destroys their lungs. They are in and out of hospital for treatment but manage to keep a good attitude together. Tom's rowdy friends visit him frequently, smuggling in pizza and taking him on joyrides around the parking lot.

Older brother Lucas passes away awaiting a transplant, leaving younger brother Tom to mourn his passing and take the blame with his parents. Tom turns to stealing drugs from the hospital to sell with his dirt bag friends, only to be caught in the act by another resident of the cystic fibrosis ward, Xavier. Tom and Xavier enjoy a tenuous but important friendship as each of them head toward the inevitable outcome of their disease.

This film had everything in it that I love about Cinequest. Superb acting and fantastic story in a setting that I've never seen on film before. At times it reminded me of Man Who Loved Yngve, another outstanding Cinequest film from a few years back. OXYGEN is a beautiful Belgium film that, like their Beer, honors it's country of origin.

You should definitely see it.

A Review of A Little Help

2011-03-02T23:44:00.000-08:00

Chemical dependency, obese children, September 11th and the death of a spouse. No, this isn’t an episode of The Office. Though if you saw Jenna Fischer in the cast I don’t blame you for guessing that. No, this is a comedy-drama called A LITTLE HELP. I’ll leave it to you to decide what percentage of each genre is represented.

Jenna has a crummy marriage to a crummy guy, played by Chris O’Donnell. Chris is either an incredible actor or really big d-bag in real life because he is 100% believable in his role. Jenna suspects he’s cheating on her but he won’t admit it. Suddenly, he’s dead. Asphyxiated on his own smugness, I suspect.

The widow’s grief therapy relies heavily on drinking, flirting with customers at her work and combining those two activities. She is also pressured by her overbearing sister to file a malpractice lawsuit against the doctor who advised her husband prior to his death. This is while her chubby son tells people at his new school that his dad the firefighter died on 9/11.

Hopefully you can tell from my altogether brief summation that this family is a whole mess of dysfunctional. But somehow they keep it together, just barely, just the film at large. Jenna Fischer plays her role with a downtrodden but upbeat attitude. Her character weathers the trials and tribulations with a shrug and swig of beer.

Ultimately that’s what makes A LITTLE HELP work for me. It’s low key and darkly comic vibe work to it’s advantage. Watch if you don’t mind laughing at misfortunes of people who know better but do it anyway.

A Review of Mamma Gogo

2011-03-02T23:29:00.000-08:00

The irony of aging, and of watching our parents age, is that wisdom given by time is often buried under the weight of regret and memory. So it goes in Mamma Gogo, a Scandinavian film about a director and his aging, mentally ill mother.

We first see the characters in a scene familiar to attendees of Cinequest: in a large theater attending the premiere of a film. The director explains about the hardships of making a film about old people in his introduction and mentions about the difficulty they had securing funding. Very meta, isn’t it? And that kind of thing is just the tip of the iceberg. To call this film autobiographical is an understatement.

I found the acting and script uneven. Especially in the roles of Mamma Gogo and the director’s young son. The tone of the film kept jumping around as well. Sometimes it is slapstick, like when Gogo asks the police officer to give a breathalyzer to her grandson or using Paris Hilton in multiple punchlines. Other times it’s spiritual and poignant, like when Gogo is lost in an ice storm and visited by her ghost husband.

There is enough real detail and autobiographical insight to make Momma Gogo worth watching if the subject matter is interesting to you. However the abrupt shifts in tone and uneven acting make this hard to recommend to people on the fence.

TO: Halfdan Hussey RE: Kathleen Powell

2011-03-02T11:58:00.000-08:00

You first worked with Kathleen when directing your first feature film HE'S STILL THERE, what was your first impression of her?
Genius, gifted, dynamic. The kind of person who walks into any room and everybody turns to look.

While speaking with Kathleen she referred to you as the visionary of Cinequest. What single word defines her role at shaping Cinequest?
Care. She’s cared the most.

Why does care define her?
She deeply cares about everybody who makes Cinequest: artists, innovators, sponsors, volunteers, audiences, media. And she’s made the most sacrifices for Cinequest.

In addition to running Cinequest you and Kathleen are working on the first feature for Maverick Studios called TO THE DOGS. How does it feel to be working on a film together again?
Great. We’re great partners and friends.

Does it feel like the two of you have come full circle?
I think it’s more an evolution than returning to where we first collaborated. The work we’re doing now seems a lot more fun, bigger and more impactful.

Finally any advice for getting along with co-workers for 20+ years?
Humor. Appreciation. Forgiveness. And a martini.

Engineering Cinequest

2011-03-02T11:06:00.000-08:00

Kathleen Powell on two decades of Cinequest and making the best damn French fries you possibly can.

It is Saturday, Feburary 20th 2011 and I am standing in the lobby of the Cinequest headquarters for the first time. After attending the the festival for 9 years and blogging about it for 5, it feels a bit overdue. Like meeting your fiance’s parents for the first time during your walk down the aisle.

A little surreal to say the least.

I am met by Brittany Welby, my PR sherpa, and together we walk up a stairway that leads to two offices.

In the left office is Halfdan Hussey, a co-founder of Cinequest. He is working on a laptop, sitting in a fairly plain looking office chair. To be 100% honest I am a little disappointed. I always imagined he worked on a yoga ball in the lotus position, his blue eyes calm as a reflecting pool, a trained eagle perched nearby, a portrait of strength, zen and... wait a sec, where am I?

I’m here today to interview Kathleen Powell, co-founder of Cinequest and occupant of the office to the right. I go in, take a seat and ask my first question:

Morgan: What inspired you to co-found Cinequest? Was it 1990 when that happened?

"We wanted to bring that unique experience [in Venice] back with us to America and found a home for it in San Jose."

Kathleen: Halfdan and I were inspired to start the company in 1989 after going to Venice Italy. We were there to premiere He’s Still There, a film that we worked on while I was in graduate school in Colorado. We went to the Venice Film Festival and just had an incredible experience. It was held in a huge Italian movie palace, with people that just love arts and film. So we wanted to bring that unique experience back with us to America and found a home for it in San Jose.

Morgan: Why do you think Cinequest and San Jose are such a perfect match for each other?

Kathleen: Well, Silicon Valley was founded by mavericks. Maverick technologists and engineers. Last year did you have a chance to see The Real Revolutionaries?

Morgan: I did, yes.

Kathleen: It was just such an inspiring film about the engineers of the first microchip, they had no idea what they were going to create, they had no idea what they were doing or how it would change the world. That inspiration, that creativity and that passion they had aligns directly with what Cinequest is all about.

Morgan: Why do you think for it's important for people to see independent films?

Kathleen: Well, the independent filmmaker has so much to say. It really is where the true art of filmmaking takes place, it's not based upon box office or who's the hottest actor at the time or what the marketing trends are. They're making films they're passionate about. It is an incredibly long and painstaking process. That is what our audiences seek out and connect to. I think that's where you see really unique, inspiring films.

Morgan: You’re talking about a desire to do something great. And letting that come through everything you do.

"Don’t waste your fucking time on making greasy stuff that people are not going to enjoy eating."

Kathleen: Yes, exactly. A couple of weeks ago I was just on a roll about something, that somebody hadn’t performed to the level that I needed them to perform. I was really livid. Dorinda, our bookkeeper, teaches classes on accounting, and she said to me “Kathleen, some of my students are under performers and proud of it. One student told me ‘some people have to cook the French fries.’” That’s fine, I told her, but if you’re going to cook the best damn French fries. Don’t waste your fucking time on making greasy stuff that people are not going to enjoy eating.

Morgan: [laughs] That’s really great.

Kathleen: And it’s like, yes, you’ve got to have people cooking the French fries, but cook incredible French fries. Cook the French fries that you are going to experience at a 5 star resort. Otherwise don’t cook them. And so we’ve started the Golden Fry award. Where you are recognized by your peers for doing a great job. It’s about really executing that level of excellence and it’s what has sustained Cinequest for 21 years.

Morgan: What do you attribute your continued success to here in year 21?

Kathleen: Well, I think the staff, who are all incredible, committed people with us for a very long time that create Cinequest. Halfdan is at the center of all of that, because he has always been the visionary behind Cinequest. He has held true to that vision of empowering the maverick. When others push us in one direction, he always pulls us back. And really wants to ensure that that company really focuses on integrity and champions artists first. So through his vision that inspires 400 volunteers who comes out every year and work around the clock to make Cinequest happen.

Morgan: They’re committed, for sure.

Kathleen: Absolutely committed.

Morgan: I think that ties into my next question, which is, what do you think is the mission of Cinequest, or at least, what was the mission when you began?

Kathleen: The mission when we began was always about empowering the maverick. So it really was always focused on the maverick artists, the people who have no boundaries, people of integrity and vision who does not conform to a certain path. That's what we've always been about.

Morgan: How has your mission evolved, has technology changed Cinequest?

"Technological advances in filmmaking: making it cheaper, faster, with better quality shifts the balance back to storytellers. "

Kathleen: It really has. Cinequest was about 10 years old when technology started impacting independent filmmaking in a profound way. It seems like the technological advances in filmmaking, making it cheaper, faster, with better quality shifts the balance back to the storytellers. And the tools are small enough to fit in your pocket. I have a phone on my desk right now that let’s you shoot and edit a Ken Burns-style documentary right on the fly. There are places where bringing a full sized camera would be inappropriate or dangerous. It’s incredibly empowering for the next generation of maverick filmmakers.

Morgan: OK, I'm switching gears here, I know Cinequest starts in ten days so your mind is on the myriad of things you have to do before then. Put that aside and jump forward to the day after closing night and take me through planning for next year.

Kathleen: Well, we're already planning for next year.

Morgan: [laughs] OK, so it's already begun.

Kathleen: There is never downtime at Cinequest, and there are certain areas that ramp and have peak moments, but for Halfdan and I there is never any downtime.

Morgan: How do you keep up the endurance needed to run Cinequest?

Kathleen: Well, it’s tough at times. Halfdan and I have moments throughout the year where we’re tired. Probably twice a year for each of us. Never at the same time, luckily! And then we get a letter from a former volunteer, like we did a few days ago, who was impacted by Cinequest 7 or 8 years ago. He wrote about how Cinequest changed his life. He was a kid who weighed over 300 pounds, and was headed for suicide and just spiraling downward but he was inspired by his experience at Cinequest. Now he is in shape, and running triathlons and, you know, off in a film making career...

Morgan: Letters like that have to help sustain you. Anything else that keeps you going during the year?

Kathleen: Well, when the festival opens next week, you'll know. You'll understand why when you see artists connecting with an audience. You see how appreciative people are to be part of it.

Morgan: You've said that Halfdan is the visionary, but who is Kathleen? What's your role for Cinequest?

Kathleen: Well, I think my role has always been really on the business side. The foundation of keeping Cinequest in the black all these years. That's probably an area I’m most proud of. Cinequest is not a burden on our sponsors or the community. From day one Halfdan and I pledged that we would never run the company outside of our resources, and that we would never take loans or go into debt. And that means we make tough choices...

Morgan: Would've been tough the first few years, I imagine.

"My mindset is a test engineer: I don't care how it works, only how it can be broken and fixed to make it better. That’s how I look at things. From an engineer's eye."

Kathleen: Oh, it's tough every year. It really is, because you have to look critically at every single thing. My role is always saying no, that we can't do it, and cut back, and so on. Quality is the first thing on my mind at all times. I can tell you the exact pages in the program guide this year that I wish were different. I come from an engineering background and my Master’s thesis was on testing. My mindset is a test engineer: somebody who doesn’t care how it works, only how it can be broken and fixed to make it better. And so it really is kind of my mentality. That’s how I look at things.

Morgan: From an engineer’s eye.

Kathleen: From an engineer’s eye, exactly. They will have the website ready to go live and the first button I poke is broken. I just instinctively know.

Morgan: I like the idea that Halfdan is the visionary and you are the engineer. The critical eye always looking to make Cinequest better than previous years.

Kathleen: That’s my nature but I work on it. I really do work on trying to give more positive feedback. But that’s the only way Cinequest will ever get better. Not settling for something that’s mediocre, and trying to find the best people to help you get there. If you are going to produce anything at all, produce something that’s really great.

Morgan: Even if it’s just French fries.

Kathleen: [laughs] Yes! Especially if it’s French fries.

2 Watch 2 Night: Big Wednesday

2011-03-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

Hanging ten, Cinequest style.

Camera 12	6:30 PM	Apart Together
Camera 12	6:45 PM	Shorts Program 1: Expectations
Camera 12	7:00 PM	The Little Room
Camera 12	7:00 PM	Village Without Women
California Theatre	7:00 PM	Mamma Gogo
San Jose Repertory Theatre	7:00 PM	I Am
Camera 12	8:45 PM	Little Baby Jesus of Flandr
San Jose Repertory Theatre	9:15 PM	3D Series 1: Bats, Boards and Bugs
Camera 12	9:15 PM	Oxygen
Camera 12	9:15 PM	Bardsongs
California Theatre	9:15 PM	Copacabana
Camera 12	9:30 PM	Shorts Program 2: Slanted

Previews and trailers for (almost) all these films are available on this very blog. Incredible!

Drama Preview

Comedy Preview

Documentary Preview

Horror & Thriller Preview

RvB is the Charlie Sheen of Cinequest

2011-03-01T15:57:00.000-08:00

Intrepid movieneer Richard von Busack is teaming up with sanjose.com on a daily video series creatively titled Today at Cinequest. Check out the first episode below:

Today at Cinequest - March 1, 2011 from San Jose on Vimeo.

Also worth a click through:

Cinequest 2011: A Guide

Cinequest 21 Starts Tonight

2011-03-01T07:58:00.000-08:00

Opening Night Film - Passione
Tue, March 1, 7:00pm – 8:35pm
California Theatre (map)
Maverick legend John Turturro joins Cinequest to present the breathtaking Passione and to receive Cinequest's Maverick Spirit Award.

The twenty first edition of the Cinequest film festival kicks off tonight at 7:00 pm in downtown San Jose. Charlie Sheen is gonna be there kicking babies and hugging soccer balls.

Are you?

This is Awesome. That's all we can say.

2011-02-28T10:42:00.001-08:00

Cinequest Weekend Pass for $75 via Groupon

2011-02-28T10:22:00.000-08:00

The skinny:

Pass works for March 5th and 6th only
Access to more than 20 films
World & North American debuts
Attend Maverick Artist & Innovator forums
Includes VIP soirees

Our Twitter widget in the sidebar alerted us to a deal for a Cinequest weekend pass via the popular online discount website Groupon. Check it out if your so inclined.

Interview with a Vampire (Filmmaker)

2011-02-28T10:06:00.000-08:00

MIDNIGHT SON is premiering at Cinequest in just a few days. We caught up with the director Scott Leberecht and producer Matt Compton to talk about making their film, online distribution and some of their favorite classic horror movies.

Cinequesting: It's you and a Cinequest pass holder on the escalator at the Camera 12. Quickly tell them what MIDNIGHT SON is about and why they should see it.

Scott: The film is about a guy forced to live underground and work the graveyard shift due to an intense allergy to sunlight. When food stops satisfying his hunger, he desperately looks for an alternative, and discovers the one thing that works: blood. You should see this movie because it is not typical horror. It is a dark character study that relies on realism and subtlety rather than overblown visual effects or melodrama.

Matt: The only other thing I would tell them is that you don’t have to be a horror fan to enjoy the film. As Scott mentioned, it’s first and foremost a character study, plus it also has a love story component. So, I think it’s got something for just about everybody. I think anyone who has an appreciation for smart, original
cinema will enjoy it.

Cinequesting: Tell us about the journey of this movie from the script to the world premiere at Cinequest.

Scott: I saw a house one day that was seemingly abandoned, with the windows covered from the inside by paintings. I imagined someone trapped in there, trying to communicate with the people passing by -- perhaps someone allergic to sunlight. That was when I realized I had never seen a story that depicted vampirism as a debilitating congenital illness.

Once I had the screenplay written, I created artwork as a way to impress potential investors and help them understand the look and feel. The first investor was Kevin McCorkle. He and his wife Lisa embraced the film instantly, and opened many doors for us. Without them, along with Max Curry and Maya Parish, I never would have shot the movie. We raised enough money for production, and I naively believed we would get the rest of the money for post-production once people saw the footage. This was our first big stall. Months went by, then David C. Hughes, our Sound Designer, told Eduardo Sanchez about my predicament. Eduardo emailed me to see some footage. After reading the screenplay, he called to say he wanted to help finish the film and brought on
two other producers that he'd worked with in the past: Matt Compton and Reed Frerichs. I was thrilled, but the 2008 economic downturn was our next big stall. We could no longer afford to pay an editor, and I realized the only way the film was ever going to be finished was if I learned Final Cut Pro and did it myself. For many months, I edited while Eduardo, Matt and Reed gave me notes. Ed became my mentor and guide, teaching me things that only come with the kind of experience he has. Now that the film is finished, we are navigating the complex
waters of distribution, and I feel incredibly lucky to be in a partnership with such wonderful, experienced producers.

Cinequesting: Did the success of a popular movie franchise named after the time of day immediately following sunset make it easier or harder to make MIDNIGHT SON?

Matt: I think it helped, once we got into post-production, because vampire films were suddenly “hot”. So, I think it probably helped us to be able to raise a bit of money to get post going. I don’t think it’s really had much effect other than that, to be totally honest.

Cinequesting: We caught a glimpse of FRIGHT NIGHT playing on a TV in a scene in the movie. Kudos for that, it's one our all time favs. Did you guys grow up as fans of horror movies? Any ones you want to name check here?

Scott: I am a huge fan of FRIGHT NIGHT because it so brilliantly rode the line of being humorous and scary. AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON is another great example of this. The two horror films that scared the pants off me as a kid were THE EXORCIST and SALEM’S LOT. My all-time favorite John Carpenter film is THE THING. ALIEN, AMITYVILLE HORROR, JAWS, THE HOWLING, THE HITCHER, THE SHINING and POLTERGEIST all had an impact on me.

Matt: My two favorite horror films are THE SHINING and THE EXORCIST. Both of those scared the heck out of me when I first saw them, and I wasn’t able to sleep well for days after! I’m totally with Scott on FRIGHT NIGHT – it was such a cool film, so I’m really stoked that we were able to pay homage to it in MIDNIGHT SON.

Cinequesting: Besides showing that chicks dig pale sensitive dudes, what were your goals with MIDNIGHT SON? Do you feel like the film accomplished them?

Scott: My biggest goal with MIDNIGHT SON was to reboot our image of the vampire. I wanted the audience to forget everything they’ve seen and think about what it would really be like as a normal person struggling to live a normal life while plagued with the symptoms of vampirism. I did not want my character to be an ultra-cool, seductive superman. I wanted him back down to earth, to a place where we could relate.

Cinequesting: How do you feel about digital distribution of films on the internet? Do you think it empowers filmmakers?

Matt: I do indeed. The internet is opening up distribution possibilities for independent filmmakers that never existed before. There are new services and websites popping up all the time where filmmakers can post their films online, and charge a small fee for someone to watch it. It’s definitely taking some of the power away from “the gatekeepers” (the distributors), and allowing for more films to be seen than ever before.

The big thing that can still be a bit of a roadblock to the micro-budget filmmaker is marketing. There are so many independent films being made now, thanks to the declining prices of shooting and editing. The downside is, there are that many more films out there now, fighting for the attention of the audience. So, marketing becomes very important, and can be costly. There is a lot filmmakers can do on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, but to do any real advertising, filmmakers need to allocate some of their budget to marketing costs.

Cinequesting: Where else can we see the cast and what's next for them and the crew?

Matt: Zak Kilberg (“Jacob”) is actually focusing more now on producing. He has a production company in New York City called Social Construct Films. He has two films in post-production, L TRAIN and ALYCE, and several in development.

Maya Parish (“Mary”) is a member of the Elephant Theater Company in Los Angeles, and can currently be seen in the production of LOVE BITES: AN EVENING OF NOT SO ROMANTIC SHORTS AND DYSFUNCTIONAL COMEDIES.

Jo D. Jonz (“Marcus”) is playing a sex and drug addicted poet from the sixties, who suffers from schizophrenia, in a project entitled THE HEIROGLYPH OF THE COCKATOO for both stage and film. He has also written & directed a film entitled 15 MINUTES OF FAME.

Thanks for the interview, guys, see you at Cinequest 21!

The 1st Timers Guide to Cinequest

2011-02-25T14:31:00.000-08:00

You've lived in San Jose for years but last went downtown during the Clinton adminstration. You heard about Cinequest from friends and family and seen the guides around. Last year you even picked one up and leafed through the list of hundreds of hard to pronounce titles.

But this year is different. This year you're gonna see some movies, dammit.

Sound familiar?

The first question people ask us when they find out we blog about Cinequest is always

"What Should I Watch?"

It's a great question so we're tackling it here and we will just give out people this URL when they ask us in person. The short answer is anything that looks interesting to you. Even if you don't love love love a Cinequest movie you've helped support independent film and made the world a slightly better place. Kudos to you. Below are our recommendations for sure thing guaranteed good times*.

I WANNA SEE SOMETHING...

FUNNY
Ceremony
Movie star Uma Thurman should help get your significant other to join you. The trailer has a quirky Wes Anderson style. Awkward funny good times.

SILLY
Super Hero Party Clown
Made by filmmakers from SJSU. A test screening at last year's festival played well with the rowdy sold out crowd. BYOB (Bring Your Own Beer)

SCARY
The Dead
A zombie horror movie set in Africa. BYOB (Bring Your Own Brains)

WILD
Bad Behaviour
Looks kinda like Natural Born Killers set in Austrailia. Less Woody Harrelson, more dingos. Yeah, we made a dingo joke about Australia. Deal with it.

TOUCHING
Rosa Morena
Same sex couples, black market adoptions, subtitles. Do you enjoy any of these things? If so see this movie.

TERRIBLE
Plan 9 From Outer Space, Now in 3D!
The dumb fun of a truly awful movie meets cutting edge cinematic technology. Can't wait.

MAGICAL
Mystico Fantastico!
If there's a formula for getting us interested in your film it's gotta include putting an exclamation point at the end of the title. We love that kind of stuff!

WTF
22nd of May
Bombs, shopping malls, angst ridden security guards, more subtitles. Totally our kind of thing.

And there's our primer for Cinequest first timers.
Buy tickets early if you really want to see something here.

Want more recommendations? Head for our genre previews and dig in.
We'll talk more next week.

*good times guarantee null and void if you're a lame

ELEMENT 151 return to Cinequest with a new short entitled FIVE PROOF

2011-02-19T14:46:00.000-08:00

Five Proof - Official Trailer from Element 151 on Vimeo.

On the surface FIVE PROOF is a brief but familiar story of high school student Shawn West. Underneath that is an expertly crafted narrative short about philosophy, theology and the nature of God.

Shawn is a troubled kid. That much, we know. He’s just starting at his third school in two years. Why has he had to move so much? We’re never told. Attending a school rally Shawn struggles to control himself in his seat. He sweats profusely and shakes wildly, much to the concern of people sitting near him.

Shawn is supposed to be quietly watching the school band but instead his mind is on a lesson from one of the myriad of teachers he’s had over the years. Through his vivid imagination St. Thomas Aquinas’ Five Proofs of God's Existence come to life in the middle of this crowded auditorium.

Mark Christensen supervised the Visual FX for the film. He previously worked on 2012, The Day After Tomorrow, and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Local production company ELEMENT 151 worked on FIVE PROOF with high school youth from the Summer Film Initiative with funds raised through Kickstarter. Northern Son, also from San Jose, provided the title music.

FIVE PROOF was directed by FRANK DOOR and is premiering at Cinequest on March 3^rd with SUPER HERO PARTY CLOWN. This is ELEMENT 151’s second film at Cinequest.

CQ21 Trailers en Masse

2011-02-16T14:08:00.000-08:00

Cinequest HQ has just launched a page collecting trailers for nearly all the movies from this year's festival. Pretty nice and a little overdue in our opinion. Nice to have a place you can get information about every Cinequest movie in one place, isn't it?

Watch Cinequest Trailers

Deadline for C21 Shirt Contest Extended

2011-02-08T12:14:00.000-08:00

From the Cinequest Facebook page:

The Cinequest Tee Contest deadline has been extended to February 16th. Please insure submissions meet the guidelines per this link. Tee organizers have updated the guidelines (linked) to allow for festival 21 concepts as all previous submissions were not to contest guidelines.

Ah, the joys of crowd sourcing. We wonder if Doritos had similar nightmares for their fan made superbowl ad campaign.

The shirt leading in early voting (pictured below) was disqualified for obvious reasons.

Here are the updated guidelines:

DESIGN

The theme of your T-shirt should surround either "Experience Cinequest 21" or "Cinequest Empowers Mavericks."
Designs should include the Cinequest logo—use great surf-ware from companies like Hurley as good examples of the Maverick ways a logo can be used creatively in T-shirt designs.
Need images? No problem, you can grab our logo and other approved elements by clicking here.
We'll accept a hi-res .pdf file as well as the original .eps working file.
You may submit more than one design.
You decide where the design goes – on the back or front of the shirt.

Full deets on their social media page. Cinequest : Social

Link Land

2011-02-08T11:54:00.000-08:00

A few Cinequest related stories that caught our eye:

John Turturro docu opens Cinequest

Midnight Son - Review and First Screening Info!

Cinequest Road Trip | Dying to do Letterman

Steve Mazan / DYING TO DO LETTERMAN : CQ Central

Got your guide yet? How's the lineup looking to you so far?

Expect lots more links and CQ love in the coming weeks.

CQ21 Documentary Preview

2011-02-06T22:39:00.000-08:00

The hardest part of documentary film making isn't making the film. Hundreds of hours of footage, months of editing to carve out a compelling story. The process is painstaking and madness inducing.

But it isn't the hardest part.

No, that dubious honor goes to the next step: getting people to watch the damn thing. Sure, you can upload your film to the internet, where it joins a cacophony of viral videos all vying for 30 seconds (or less) of your attention. Or you can submit it to a dozen festivals, an expensive and ego-destroying experience, hoping for the prestige that comes with showing a film to a live audience.

Here are a bakers dozen of documentaries that made the cut.

ACQUAINTED WITH THE NIGHT
What Is It About: Exploring the rituals, customs and natural phenomena that take place once the sun sets.
Why We're Seeing It: After looking through the guide our friend said, "I really want to see the bats movie." We couldn't agree more.

BACK TO LIFE (Vuelv e a la Vida)
What Is It About: One of those truth-is-stranger-than-fiction stories about a supermodel who moves from New York City to live with a poor scuba diver named "Long Dog" in Acapulco.
Why We Might See It: What happened to documentaries about surfing or kids living in poverty? Oh wait, I see you down there.

DREAMING NICARAGUA
What Is It About: Four young children in Nicaragua happily pursue their ambitions and goals despite the difficulties that surround them.
Why We Might See It: We predict not a dry eye in the house after this one.

I AM
What Is It About: The director of Ace Ventura has a mid life crisis and brings a camera along for the ride.
Why We're Seeing It: The all star lineup of people he meets includes Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn (RIP), Morgan Freeman and Desmond Tutu.

IRENA SENDLER: IN THE NAME OF THEIR MOTHERS
What Is It About: A true hero of WWII Irena Sendler saved countless children living in the Warsaw Ghetto.
Why We Might See It: From the guide: When asked if she harbored any hatred for the Germans she replied, “I don’t hate anybody.” All this she did not out of hatred, but out of love.

ONE DAY LESS (UN DIA MENOS)
What Is It About: A humorous and poignant look at the director's grandparents views on life, love and aging.
Why We Might See It: Well liked in some reviews we found. The light touch of director Dariela Ludlow Deloya looks perfectly matched for this subject matter.

A PERFECT SOLDIER
What Is It About: The story of Aki Ra, originally conscripted into the Khmer Rouge army then compelled to clear land mines to make his country safe for future generations.
Why We Might See It: Trailer makes this look interesting and we love Asian history.

PUSH: MADISON VS. MADISON
What Is It About: Coach Dennis Wilson and his team of Madison High basketball players are caught in the middle of a social order turned on it's head. He attempts to bring home a championship in the midst of severe poverty and crime.
Why We Might See It: The World Premiere for this promising looking movie.

ROAD TO LAS VEGAS
What Is It About: Vanessa, Maurice and their five children move to Las Vegas in a last ditch effort to make it big.
Why We're Skipping It: Didn't see much online that caught our eye. Maybe the buzz will be better.

THE SNOW CAVEMAN (SNØHULEMANNEN)
What Is It About: In order to claim his inheritance a snow bound hermit must return to civilization.
Why We Might See It: Reminds us of LOOP, another CQ documentary we loved from a few years ago.

SODANKYLA FOREVER - THE CENTURY OF CINEMA
What Is It About: A film festival in the Artic Circle where the sun never rises.
Why We're Seeing It: Watching a movie at a film festival about watching movies at a film festival. How fucking meta is that?

VILLAGE WITHOUT WOMEN (SELO BEZ ZENA)
What Is It About: A humorous story of three brothers living together in Serbia who all desperately want to meet their future girlfriends and wives.
Why We Might See It: A deft touch by the director makes this subject work. Do these guys know how funny they are?

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO ION B (LUMEA VAZUTA DE ION B.)
What Is It About: The strange story of a homeless Romanian collage maker and the documentary film maker who loved him.
Why We're Seeing It: It sounds too weird to miss. Simple as that.

CQ21 Comedy Preview

2011-02-06T21:24:00.000-08:00

A quirky, uplifting dark comedy with romantic slapstick overtones. A dysfunctional mother and daughter reconnect in rehab. Someone finds out they have cancer on 9/11. A well timed fart by a dog that plays basketball. A rapping grandmother. English people.

Comedy, farce, satire, humor, LOL. These are just words. Now the joys flatuence and old people talking "street"? Those things transcend human experience, bringing us closer to understanding the true nature of ourselves.

Here are the comedies and musicals at Cinequest this year.

CEREMONY
What Is It About: Uma Thurman plays a woman whose ex is trying to win her back, on her wedding day.
Why We Might See It: We would much rather see Uma trying to win him back on his wedding day. Now that's a believable premise!

COPACABANA
What Is It About: A free spirited woman attempts to prove to her daughter she can be a stable mother by taking a job as a real estate agent.
Why We Might See It: Our own mother works in real estate and has taken sales calls while watching a movie at the theatre. So we kinda doubt this movie mom is gonna straighten up and fly right.

DYING TO DO LETTERMAN
What Is It About: Comedian Steve Mazan was diagnosed with cancer and inspired to achieve his life goal: performing on the David Letterman show.
Why We're Seeing It: We loved their Top 10 Reasons to Attend Cinequest bit and they're great @twitter. Can't wait to find out Steve feels about airline food.

THE GLASS SLIPPER
What Is It About: A dark comedy about family living on the brink in Silicon Valley.
Why We Might See It: This is Jarrod Whaley's third film showing at Cinequest in as many years. Pretty impressive for a guy who also moved from Tennessee to the Bay Area during that time.

THE HAPPY HOUSEWIFE (DE GELUKKIGE HUISVROUW)
What Is It About: A tragicomedy about a woman who quits her job to devote herself to her husband's happiness. Not surprisingly, it doesn't totally work out how she planned.
Why We Might See It: Our apologies for painting in broadstrokes here: foreign comedies are definitely hit and miss with us. Sometimes they are the greastest things ever and other times it's like the subtitles were from another movie. That really happened one time, by the way.

HERE’S THE KICKER
What Is It About: Sick of shitty jobs, an ex-NFL kicker and a make-up artist hit the open road to find something, anything, else.
Why We Might See It: We kinda love this tagline: "Quitters never win, but winners don’t get to do anything fun."

A LITTLE HELP
What Is It About: Jenna Fischer from THE OFFICE plays an alcoholic widow with an overbearing sister, a greedy lawyer and a son who doesn't respect her. We'll wait until you clear the tears of laughter from your eyes before we continue.
Why We're Seeing It: Our tweet sums up why we liked this movie. Jenna Fischer in A LITTLE HELP smokes, drinks, lies and still manages to be adorable. It's a blessing and a curse.

THE LIVERPOOL GOALIE (KEEPERN TIO LIVERPOOL)
What Is It About: 13 year old Jo meets the girl of his dreams. The only problem? She's way smarter and a better footballer than him to boot.
Why We're Skipping It: It's a feel good movie about the wrong kind of football. BLINDSIDE: yes. BECK IT LIKE BECKHAM: no.

MADLY IN LOVE
What Is It About: A multicultural love story with Bollywood-style music and dance interludes.
Why We Might See It: One of the characters dreams to become "Switerzland's number one rap sensation." Coincidentally that's our dream too.

THE NOBEL PRIZE WINNER (DE NOBELPRIJSWINNAAR)
What Is It About: The synopsis is really confusing but we'll take a stab. A writer is presumed dead and plagurized. The not-quite-dead guy roams around trying to prove his existence. Also "pregnant nymphets" and "crooked investigators" are involved, somehow.
Why We Might See It: To figure out what the hell is going on, obviously.

POLIGAMY
What Is It About: A comedy of fantastic realism, a man's wish to get out of a long term relationship is granted. Sorta.
Why We're Seeing It: We know what you're thinking. Once you've seen one Hungarian screwball comedy you've seen them all. Well now's your chance to proof that saying wrong once and for all.

POTICHE
What Is It About: Living legends of the screen Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu fight like a bourgeois cat and a communist dog.
Why We're Skipping It: We're firmly anti war. Especially between classes, sexes and animals.

SUMMERTIME **REMOVED FROM CQ21 LINEUP**
What Is It About: A jazz inspired series of vignettes about artists living and working in New York.
Why We're Skipping It: We're still stuck on Gabi. Any news on the sequel?

SUPER HERO PARTY CLOWN
What Is It About: Locally and organically grown by SJSU student Jeremy M. Inman, a work print of this movie was shown at last year's festival. Now we get to see the finished project. Expect lines and rowdy crowds for this one.
Why We're Seeing It: We will continue to support the SJSU film department even if it ends up killing us. We're still in therapy for Pizza Wars.

WITH LOVE...FROM THE AGE OF REASON (L’ÂGE DE RAISON)
What Is It About: On her 40th birthday a powerful executive begins to receive letters written by her 7 year old self. As expected, she begins a path of self rediscovery. How quaint.
Why We' Skip See It: The magical letters thing isn't our bag. Our girlfriend still gives us shit for watching PS I LOVE YOU.

CQ21 Horror & Thriller Preview

2011-02-05T15:27:00.000-08:00

In our lifetime the horror genre went from grainy VHS to the 3D mutliplex. From the cultural fringe to million dollar movie franchises, all in a few short decades. Team Edward, THE WALKING DEAD and Jersey Shore all terrorize mainstream audiences while indie and international movies continue to be on the bleeding edge of the genre.

Here are the horror and thrillers playing at Cinequest this year.

BAD BEHAVIOUR
What Is It About: Psycho siblings Emma and Peterson murder their way down the coast of Austrailia in this first feature by film maker Joseph Sims.
Why We'll See It: A stylized, Australian version of NATURAL BORN KILLERS? We're game.

THE DEAD
What Is It About: A descendant from the Romero zombie flick lineage. This movie adds the twist of being set in a post apocalyptic Africa.
Why We Might See It: The most important question in our minds is can the zombies run? We hope the answer is yes, only if they're Kenyans.

EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE (ALTING BLIVER GODT IGEN)
What Is It About: A writer witnessing a hit and run becoming increasingly paranoid about the world and those around him. Who can he trust?
Why We'll See It: Thrillers from Denmark have a better track record than Usain Bolt.

THE HAIR OF THE BEAST (LE POIL DE LA BÊTE)
What Is It About: Werewolves, priests and angry villagers set in France in the 17th century.
Why We're Seeing It: Love the premise, the setting and the trailer. This one's at the top of our list.

NOSFERATU - SILENT CINEMA AT THE CALIFORNIA THEATRE
What Is It About: A rich European land owner contracts a young English man to AHHHHHHHH!!!
Why We're seeing It: We've got the hots for Count Orlock. Feels good to get that out there.

MIDNIGHT SON
What Is It About: A young man comes to terms with his ~~sexuality~~ vampirism.
Why We're Seeing It: This was given to us as a screener and we admit we were pretty skeptical going into it. Turns out it's a restrained and oddly sensual vampire movie. A future cult classic among the moody and gothic demo.

RESTIVE
What Is It About: An abused mother and son are pursued through a dark wood. Will self preservation triumph over her motherly protection instincts?
Why We Might Skip It: Minimal information available about this movie online. We'll wait for the festival buzz to decide.

SECOND-STORY MAN
What Is It About: A cold world of crime and revenge is the setting for this story of a robbery gone wrong.
Why We Might See It: Recommended by our friend Cynthia. We liked her Q&A with director Neal Dhand.

SMALL TOWN MURDER SONGS
What Is It About: A modern gothic murder mystery.
Why We Might See It: Two words: Peter Stomare. The mustache is just icing on the cake.

CQ21 Drama Preview

2011-02-05T13:53:00.000-08:00

According to a well known encyclops a drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Translate that to indie film and drama means people smoking while looking out a window or a moving car window. Overdub some plaintive acoustic guitar and we've got ourselves a movie!

Here's of our preview of the dramas at this year's festival.

22ND OF MAY
What Is It About: A bomb goes off in a crowded shopping mall. A security guy is confronted with feelings of guilt about what he did and didn't do.
Why We're Seeing It: Director Koen Mortier's first feature EX DRUMMER was easily one of the most twisted films we watched last year. Expect this film to be visceral, surreal and not for the faint of heart.

3 BACKYARDS
What Is It About: A look into three lives of suburbanites over the course of a single day.
Why We Might See It: Well, it's got Elias Koteas in it. He was amazing in WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER as the insane Vietnam vet sweater fondling cook. Otherwise it doesn't seem like our thing.

80 DAYS ( 80 EGUNEAN )
What Is It About: Two women reunite and resume a friendship after fifty years apart. They come to terms with how different their lives turned out and wonder what would have happened had they stayed close.
Why We'll See It: Excellent rating on IMDb, trailer looks sharp and the story just sounds like it's worth watching.

ALL THAT REMAINS
What Is It About: Four people on a road trip, lives intersecting. The road, it's a metaphor you see...
Why We're Skipping It: Unless the buzz is really strong we're just not intrigued enough by the video clip or synopsis. That phone sure is green, though.

AMERICA
What Is It About: Rosalinda is missing. Where is she? Maybe America knows. America is the name of both a place (real) and the main character (not real). Which one are we referring to? Both. Did we just mindfreak you?
Why We're Seeing It: Eddie James, tropical scenery, trips to NYC. We're all about it. Should have spoiler alerted that screengrab. Sorry about that.

AMONG US
What Is It About: To be honest we're not totally sure. We know there's an accident, and it's serious, but then look at that screengrab. They are smiling. Swedish people having emotions. It's almost too far fetched, even for fiction.
Why We Might See It: The freshly bearded Michael Nyqvist (GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO 1, 2 & 3) felt underworked by those adaptations. Maybe he puts in an honest days work here. Still can't believe those smiles. One can only suspend belief so far.

APART TOGETHER ( TUAN YUAN )
What Is It About: A man returns home to mainland China after decades living in Taiwan to avoid punishment by the Communist party. His wife is like "hey," and he's like "sup?"
Why We Might See It: We're kind of Chinese history nuts so the political framing of the story caught our interest. It seems like this aspect doesn't really factor into the film much, so we'll see how other people rate it before locking in.

THE BLIND
What Is It About: Bad people have bad relationships, badly. Badness ensues.
Why We're Skipping It: The synopsis sounds vaguely antagonistic. Shot in 12 days. Emergency casting sessions. Couldn't find a trailer online.

DESERT FLOWER
What Is It About: The true story of a woman who went from African nomad to an international top model.
Why We're Seeing It: Looks like a quality adaptation of a unique story. The trailer plays up the comedic moments early on before getting into the poignant and weighty scenes. Have a feeling it will be an audience favorite. Buy your tickets early.

DESERT RAIN
What Is It About: The synopsis calls it a modern day Bonnie & Clyde road trip.
Why We Might See It: Feel like the acting will make or break this movie. Puts a lot of pressure onto the shoulders of the leads, doesn't it?

FALLING OVERNIGHT
What Is It About: Boy meets girl one night before surgery to remove a brain tumor. As the sun rises they try to figure out where to go from here.
Why We Might See It: Once again it's the two main leads that will carry this feature. Gotta see the trailer before we can decide.

A KISS AND A PROMISE
What Is It About: Based on a true story of a bed and breakfast with a dead body problem. Wonder if that hurt their Yelp rating?
Why We Might See It: The description sounds suspiciously like a thriller but the guide has it as a drama. Hmm... That alone provokes investigation.

KOSMOS
What Is It About: A Turkish man rescues a child from a river. A film heavy on parables, symbolism and beauty.
Why We'll See It: We love to sit in the dark for 2 hours in total confusion, emerging afterward to debate our friends the meaning of what we just watched. That's Cinequesting, baby.

LIMBO
What Is It About: Cultural tension collide between businessmen and their wives in the tropical setting of Trinidad.
Why We'll Skip It: Knowing the struggles of the people of Trinidad it's hard to give a shit about these privileged outsiders.

THE LIFE OF FISH (LA VIDA DE LOS PECES )
What Is It About: Dude lives abroad for 10 years then dude goes home for someone's birthday party. That's why he went back? Really?
Why We'll Skip It: We're just not buying the premise. Send a gift card dude. Or admit you're there to hook up with her.

LITTLE BABY JESUS OF FLANDR
What Is It About: A very different take on the story of the Magi. We'll leave it at that.
Why We'll See It: The guide had us at "three drunken beggars stumble upon a couple with a newborn baby, the Baby Jesus perhaps, and experience a spiritual conversion."

THE LITTLE ROOM (LE PETITE CHAMBRE)
What Is It About: An unorthodox nurse and a cranky old man try to out stubborn each other.
Why We Might It: This was Sweden's official entry to the Oscars Best Foreign Film category. Seems like that's a plus.

LIVING IN SEDUCED CIRCUMSTANCES
What Is It About: A simple revenge flick placed into, oddly, in the drama category. A woman tortures a man for reasons that are ever-so-slowly revealed.
Why We Might See It: The vagueness of the write up could be to prevent spoilers or to hide a shabby plot. We can't figure out which it is yet.

MAKE A MOVIE LIKE SPIKE
What Is It About: Set in Los Angeles, this is the story of two friends making a film together before they are deployed in Afghanistan.
Why We Might See It: We like to see young actor/directors cutting their teeth on a contemporary story.

MAMAS and PAPAS
What Is It About: Four couples deal with becoming parents in the Czech Republic.
Why We'll See It: Director Alice Nellis previous film LITTLE BLUE GIRL was one of our favorites from Cinequest 2008.

MAMMA GÓGÓ
What Is It About: An autobiographical story of an Icelandic director's relationship with his aging mother.
Why We'll Skip It: Way too heartfelt. Our heart just can't take that much felt.

MARROW
What Is It About: Deeply felt wounds of family dysfunction abound in this "wrenching drama."
Why We'll Skip It: Synopsis vaguery and no trailer online.

MEDAL OF HONOR (MEDALIA DE ONOARE)
What Is It About: An old and isolated man receives a medal for an act of bravery he can't remember.
Why We Might See It: We trust Charlie Cockey, who wrote the description for this film, he knows his European cinema very well.

NANNERL, MOZART'S SISTER
What Is It About: A musical prodigy attempts to step out from behind her brothers shadow.
Why We'll See It: Love the angle and story here. Really want to see how they craft the views of feminism of the time period.

NEW YORK DECALOGUE
What Is It About: An exploration into the lives of 12 young people living in New York.
Why We'll Skip It: Fucking hipsters. We mean that with love.

OXYGEN (ADEM)
What Is It About: Suffering from cystic fibrosis doesn't stop Tom from enjoying all that life has to offer.
Why We'll See It: Highly recommended by a friend and fellow Cinequest blogger.

PIRAN-PIRANO
What Is It About: Returning home to the seacoast town of Piran, Italy a man encounters someone from his past. They share their experiences and perspectives in an effort to reach a peace and understanding between themselves.
Why We'll Skip It: Is "guy comes home" the new "boy meets girl"? Seems like this year's lineup is overrun with this type of story.

PURE (TILL DET SOM ÄR VACKER)
What Is It About: A "sad and sexy" story about a young woman working as a secretary at a concert hall. An affair with the conductor "awakens her to the romantic possibilities of life."
Why We Might See It: Feels a little like BLACK SWAN, without the madness and dancing. If there's two things we really hate it's madness and dancing.

QUESTION IN DETAILS (KÖNTÖRFALAK)
What Is It About: A bad date is the start of an interesting friendship. Set almost entirely in one room with a cast of 3, this "chamber drama" focuses entirely on dialogue and acting.
Why We Might See It: Going to have to play this one by ear. Sometimes you're just in the mood to see stuff blowing up, y'know?

RAAVANAN
What Is It About: A retelling of the an ancient sanskrit epic called the Ramayana (we looked that up) by Tamil filmmaker Mani Ratnam.
Why We'll See It: Whenever the guide says "a blinding cornucopia of love, jealousy and vengeance, full of powerful archetypal images, whirling brilliant colors, non-stop excitement, action and music" we're so there.

ROSA MORENA
What Is It About: A single gay man in Denmark is denied the right to adopt a child. He decides to go the clandestine wrote and explore the adoption black market in Brazil. There he meets Maria, a poor pregnant mother who considers selling him her unborn child.
Why We'll See It: Wow. So many contemporary social issues being tackled here. Why can't American films be this timely and challenging? Oh yeah, no Burger King tie-in possibilities. We forgot.

SAMUEL BLEAK
What Is It About: A mute man is discovered living alone in a cabin in the woods by Ruben Ramirez (Detective Bautista from DEXTER). The man is moved to a mental hospital and there the mysteries of his past are slowly unraveled.
Why We Might See It: The Dexter connection made us throw down to see SKYLINE which was terrible. Will we suffer a similar fate here? Probably.

THE SENTIMENT OF THE FLESH (LE SENTIMENT DE LA CHAIR)
What Is It About: An "erotic physical obsession" between a doctor and medical student erodes into a Cronenberg-style exploration of the human body and mind.
Why We Might See It: Waiting for the buzz on this one before taking the plunge, so to speak.

SINESTESIA
What Is It About: A film divided into four chapters of romance, thriller, comedy and drama. The story revolves around Alan, his mistress Michela, his wife Francoise and his best friend Igor.
Why We'll See It: Another recommended film from a fellow blogger, we're interested in how they use the different genres as a framing device.

SNOW
What Is It About: Parvati's life in Sri Lanka is ruined by a tsunami, forcing her and her family to move to Canada to live with relatives.
Why We Might See It: This film wins the dubious honor of being hardest to Google. Blame the country wide blizzard. Blame Global Warming.

TOGETHERNESS SUPREME
What Is It About: Exploring the lives of three kids living in an East African shantytown.
Why We'll See It: The tagline is great: "Slumdog without the millionaires."

TOMORROW WILL BE BETTER (JUTRO BEDZIE LEPIEJ)
What Is It About: Three more homeless kids (noticing a theme yet?) this time set in the Ukraine.
Why We'll See It: The third film shown at Cinequest by director Dorota Kedzierawska.They say good things come in threes.

TROUBLEMAKER
What Is It About: Rehka is a fiery woman who quits a job as a waitress to travel to Seattle to confront her estrangled father. He owes her in more ways that one.
Why We'll Skip It: Couldn't find a trailer online, kind of a deal breaker at this point.

WAR GAMES AND THE MAN WHO STOPPED THEM (GRY WOJENNE)
What Is It About: A blend of archive footage and dramatic narrative, this is the story of one man in the Polish army who learned how close the world was to nuclear war.
Why We Might See It: We're SJSU-trained history buffs so this story seems like it's right in our wheelhouse.

And that, dear readers, concludes our preview of every drama showing at Cinequest this year. Let us know which ones look good to you either in the comments below or on Twitter.

Now please excuse us, we officially need a nap.

Amazing Innovations - Experience 21

2011-02-05T11:16:00.000-08:00

Another trailer!

Someone @ CQ HQ is getting their monies worth from that FinalCut Pro license.

Social Media: Keeping Us On Our Toes

2011-02-03T15:51:00.000-08:00

Intrepid visitors of this humble blog may have noticed the following aspect of our redesign:

More specifically let us highlight the area we're referring to:

Enhance:
Enhance:

Eh, that's social media for ya.

We digress.

Soul-Stirring Events - Experience 21

2011-02-03T12:48:00.000-08:00

Putting Out the Call

2011-02-03T08:55:00.001-08:00

59/365: February 28, old time movie theater
Originally uploaded by snacktime2007.

Filmmakers coming to Cinequest, we want to see your films! Preferably before March 1st if at all possible. Sending us a screener is a great low calorie way to make sure your film is on our radar.

Drop us a line: cinequesting[at]gmail[dot]com

It's win, win, baby.

CQ21 Calendar for iCal and Smartphones

2011-02-02T21:17:00.000-08:00

The Cinequest Interactive Scheduler is a great tool but it's little buggy. We took the schedule data and created a Google Calendar with it. There's a couple different formats and we're not gonna presume to say which is best. Different strokes, y'know?

Click on if you want to save the file to your computer and load it into your calendar.

Click on if you want to a read only calendar page. Feel free to bookmark it.

Obviously showtimes will move as the festival goes on and we'll do our best to keep it up to date. If you spot an error please leave a comment and we'll correct it.

CQ21: Experience Trailer

2011-02-02T08:54:00.000-08:00

A high quality version of the trailer we posted last night. Don't watch too often if you're attending Cinequest because you'll see it plenty there.

Cinequest Film Festival - Experience 21 Trailer

Cinequest Film Festival - Experience 21 will occur March 1st through March 13th in Downtown San Jose, CA. For more information please visit our website: www.cinequest.org.

Film Schedule Online at the CQ21 website

2011-02-02T08:48:00.000-08:00

Cinequest Film Festival 21 Film List (A-Z)

Please click here for a list of Cinequest 20 Short Films

For Films by Section, please click here.

Opening Night film Passione - OPENING NIGHT FILM - learn more >
Closing Night film Soul Surfer - CLOSING NIGHT FILM - learn more >

Cinequest Interactive Scheduler

New design, new media, same old cranky blogger.

2011-02-01T22:24:00.000-08:00

Six years of Cinequesting, which in blog years makes us something of a blogspot Methuselah. Despite that, and because of a certain fiber supplement, we're feeling as spry as ever.

So in honor of obtaining this unexpected sixth wind we've spruced up the digs with a new design. You like?

We're also sharing some moving pictures on a certain video sharing website using a device named after a move gymnasts are known for performing when they want to tell someone to "frick off" without uttering any guttural Russian slang words.

Watch this space for a rediculous amount of Cinequest 21 related ephemera. Also: зачотный!

CQ21: Info About Opening and Closing Night

2011-02-01T22:23:00.000-08:00

Turturro!

Top 10 Reasons to Attend Cinequest 21

2011-02-01T21:02:00.000-08:00

Top Ten Reasons to Attend the Cinequest Film Festival from Joke and Biagio on Vimeo.

Hat tip to @D2DLTheMovie for providing the HD version of the video.

Dusting off that old "Blogger write in their pyjamas" visual

2011-01-31T08:25:00.000-08:00

Everyone’s a critic now: "

Late last year there was a confluence of critical opinion in America the likes of which the nation hadn’t seen in years. Every single film critic in the traditional media – 350 “best” lists, the ads boast – seemed to anoint The Social Network, director David Fincher’s semi-fictionalised account of the founding of Facebook, as the movie of the year, maybe even of the decade. Every single literary critic in the traditional media seemed to agree that Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom, his saga of a dysfunctional American family, was the novel of the epoch. And just to make it three for three, just about every television critic in the traditional media seemed to genuflect before Martin Scorsese’s Boardwalk Empire, an HBO series that depicts the depredations of a mob kingpin in Atlantic City during Prohibition.

This is an extraordinary bounty of greatness in such a short time, though what is really extraordinary is the extent to which critics seemed almost to collude in issuing their superlatives. Could it be they were joining forces to assert their authority at a time when that cultural authority is under siege?

There is, of course, nothing terribly novel about a critical consensus. In America nowadays, critics usually travel in packs, afraid to stray lest they be left wandering by their lonesomes outside the conventional wisdom. What is novel is the vehemence of this consensus, the insistence that these things were not just good but somehow the very best, and the way in which this consensus immediately entered the larger culture. There was a period of a month or so late last summer and early autumn when The Social Network, Freedom and Boardwalk Empire were so ubiquitous that you could scarcely pick up a newspaper or magazine, watch a TV show or listen to a radio show without reading or hearing about them. Even President Obama had a copy of Freedom tucked under his arm to take on vacation.

And there was something else novel this time around. Despite the deafening ballyhoo, the critical consensus didn’t seem to make much difference to the larger public. The Social Network did only “all right” business, not the sort of business one might expect for a celebrated cultural milestone; it has not yet broken the $100m mark at the box office and was the 29th highest grossing film last year, right under that blockbuster, Date Night. (The Coen Brothers’ True Grit, by comparison, took $100m in just three weeks.) Similarly, Freedom just logged its 17th week on the New York Times bestseller list, after having fallen from the list before the holidays. It came 39th among the 100 bestselling books of 2010 on the USA Today list, despite the boost it got as an Oprah Book Club selection. And Boardwalk Empire began in September with a ratings bang of 4.8 million viewers, only to sink to 2.7 million by November. As Entertainment Weekly opined, it “doesn’t seem to have the water cooler appeal” of The Sopranos or Mad Men. Critics were talking about it but ordinary people weren’t.

So if this was some sort of critical last stand, a desperate ploy by critics to display their power by circling the wagons, it seems to have failed. Even if The Social Network wins the Oscar as expected, Freedom the Pulitzer Prize and Boardwalk Empire the Emmy, it would only serve to confirm the breach that now seems to exist between the critics and the public. Once upon a time, critics could close that breach through a process close to cultural brainwashing. They could get people to see and love The Social Network, to read Freedom, to watch Boardwalk Empire. Now they can’t.

The usual suspect in this immunisation is the internet. It is certainly no secret that the internet has eroded the authority of traditional critics and substituted Everyman opinion on blogs, websites, even on Facebook and Twitter where one’s friends and neighbours get to sound off. What is less widely acknowledged is just how deeply this populist blowback is embedded in America and how much of American culture has been predicated on a conscious resistance to cultural elites. It is virtually impossible to understand America without understanding the long ongoing battle between cultural commissars who have always attempted to define artistic standards and ordinary Americans who take umbrage at those commissars and their standards.

This is hardly a recent occurrence occasioned by the internet and other democratising elements. It actually began at the country’s inception when political opposition to England bled into a form of cultural opposition as well. Europe was seen as effete, corrupt, supercilious and haughty. By contrast, ordinary Americans saw themselves as manly, honest, commonsensical and populist, and early on they tried to fashion a culture that manifested these characteristics – an American culture divorced from any European antecedents, a democratic culture.

What complicated matters was that within America there was much of the same irksome aristocratic hauteur as there was in Europe, which meant that rifts quickly opened here between those who saw themselves as custodians of a high culture and those who were opting for that distinctive American culture with its democratic elements. The political avatar of this division was Andrew Jackson, the plainspoken hero of the Battle of New Orleans who ascended to the presidency in 1829 by declaring himself a “fighter not a writer”, to distinguish himself from his well-educated opponent, John Quincy Adams. Jackson seemed to be a common man, and he exploited that image.

The division took shape culturally with some innovations of the Jacksonian era and the years that immediately followed: crime almanacs that provided bloody accounts of horrific murders; sentimental novels such as The Wide, Wide World that were the forerunners of today’s soap operas; dime novels that depicted the stories of western heroes; the penny press that specialised in tawdry stories of sex and violence; and various forms of popular music and stage performance. This was the introduction on the American scene of what would later be known as “low culture” or “popular culture”.

Not surprisingly, the conventional take on American popular culture by intellectuals is that it was the product of ignorance and a deficiency of good taste among the mass of American citizens. They had to bowdlerise culture because they couldn’t appreciate the unadulterated thing.

But the reality of the formation of American popular culture may have been something else entirely. Nineteenth-century Americans were, in fact, highly literate. Many of them were conversant with high culture – from Shakespeare to opera to classical music to what passed for fine art. These are also people who took their picnic baskets to hear Lincoln and Douglas debate for hours. They might not have been super-sophisticates but neither were they Neanderthals.

And yet even as they consumed high culture, they seemed to resent those who felt duty bound to impose it on them. Or put another way, it wasn’t high culture they disdained so much as high culturists who, not incidentally, disdained them. Though it is impossible to prove with any certainty, it is likely that American popular culture, which is arguably the most ubiquitous and powerful culture in the world today, arose from this contrarian impulse: ordinary Americans would consciously create a culture that was everything the elitists detested. They would not only welcome the elitists’ contempt; they would actively try to foment it. This was how America became engaged in its battle between high culture and low – not by accident but by design.

What this meant is that supposed stupidity didn’t shape popular culture; rather, popular culture shaped supposed stupidity. At almost every cultural juncture – from travelling variety shows to vaudeville, which was like the English music hall, to movies to television to rock music to gaming today – the elites hectored the general public, shouting that the sky was falling. Everything popular, the elites proclaimed, would subvert American standards and values. Culture was under democratic assault. It couldn’t possibly survive the masses.

For a country that prides itself on its democracy, as America does, there is a long train of literature that is passionately anti-democratic, and not just from the unreconstructed right wing. Sometimes the enemy was democracy itself; sometimes the enemy was the system, as when the Frankfurt School expatriates and other neo-Marxians blamed not the masses but the mass culture industry through which devious capitalists manipulated people – dumbing them down. And sometimes the enemy was just plain obtuseness, which is why critic Dwight Macdonald coined the terms “masscult” and “midcult” to revile not only low culture but also a middle-class culture that had ridiculous pretensions to be higher than low. Today critics are less likely to excoriate popular culture as a whole than its various components – from reality TV shows to popcorn movies to Justin Bieber – but the sentiment remains. Culture needs gatekeepers to protect it from the hoi polloi.

Of course it was one of the triumphs of American popular culture that the rigid distinctions between high and low gradually disappeared. You can actually witness the rapprochement in Fantasia when classical conductor Leopold Stokowski shakes hands with Mickey Mouse, showing as well that with the growing power of popular culture, not even the practitioners of high culture wanted to be on the wrong side of the cultural divide. In time, popular music, the movies and particular television shows would all have critical champions in the most influential, highbrow media organs, and a few powerful ones, such as the old New Yorker movie critic Pauline Kael, would even make their reputations by insisting that “official” art was dull and desiccated and that the real vibrancy was with the subversive trash of popular culture.

Kael’s was a time in America, some 40 years ago, when the balance of power was shifting from the elites to the populists – a last-ditch fight that turned criticism into a blood sport with all sorts of warriors. One could actually find critics on nightly talk shows then – something that almost never happens now – and many were practically household names: proud elitists such as John Simon of New York Magazine, populists such as mustachioed Gene Shalit of The Today Show, professional eviscerators such as Rex Reed and Judith Crist, who won attention when she called The Sound of Music “The Sound of Money”. This was criticism as entertainment but it also demonstrated a genuine dispute over cultural hierarchy – over the claims of informed taste over popular taste.

Eventually the battle ended, the dust settled, and movies, TV shows and even popular music became acceptable topics for serious critical discourse. This did not mean, however, that high culturists had totally capitulated to popular taste. It only meant they had shifted the terms of their authority to fit the new circumstances. Among film critics, they still derided all but a few action movies and just about every film of overt sentiment to prove they weren’t susceptible to these primitive emotions; they still generally rewarded foreign movies with higher accolades than American movies; they still tended to review film-makers as much as they reviewed the film, giving so-called auteurs the benefit of the doubt; and they still rallied around the same kinds of films and often the very same films. To wit, The Social Network.

One might imagine there would be an enormous diversity among critics, tough-minded souls each expressing his or her own unique sensibility. And, as mentioned, there once was. But among American critics in the traditional media today, there is surprisingly little diversity. The “best” film lists or “best” television lists or “best” album lists or “best” book lists usually have the same titles, regardless of critic or publication. In short, critics continue to attempt to assert their control, only they do so by uniformity, coincidental or not. And the public seems to sense it.

That’s important because there may be no more powerful public emotion in America than the contempt for contempt. In this theoretically egalitarian society, condescension is practically un-American, which is why ordinary Americans always seem to yearn for some form of redress against those who seem to think they are above the so-called masses. (This is also, by the way, one of the primary features of American politics, and it helps explain folks like Joseph McCarthy, Richard Nixon and Sarah Palin, who understand how to nurse resentments.) To take it one step further, it is so powerful an emotion that it may have been the real fuel for the internet, one of the central functions of which has been to challenge authority – to provide a democratising voice against the custodians of official culture. Thus the old spent war between high and low seemed to reconstitute itself into a war between traditional media and new media.

By now the brickbats flung by critics at bloggers and by bloggers at critics are old news. “Bloggers in pyjamas” was the taunt by the mainstream media. But there is an irony in this fight that neither side seems to recognise. Though the most popular bloggers have come to threaten the influence of the old establishment critics, it is in the new nature of the internet that the more popular these bloggers become, the more establishment they become. A blogger such as Harry Knowles, whose aintitcoolnews.com website often preempts mainstream criticism by tipping movies that have yet to open, seems less like a fresh, new populist voice in the critical ether than a familiar old one. His opinions if not his colloquial style would fit comfortably in the New York Times or The New Yorker.

Indeed, the most popular voices on the web are less likely to be contrarian than conventional. Rottentomatoes.com, a site that aggregates several hundred film blogs and critics and then devises a rating based on the percentage of them who liked or disliked a particular film, is usually squarely within the consensus. Eighty-nine per cent of its users, for example, approved The Social Network. It is the rare critic, such as Armond White of New York Press, available on rottentomatoes, who challenges the consensus. His take on The Social Network? “Like one of those smart middlebrow TV shows, the speciousness of The Social Network is disguised by its topicality. It’s really a movie excusing Hollywood ruthlessness.” Similarly, bloggers largely enthused over Freedom and Boardwalk Empire. They didn’t take on the mainstream critics. They joined them, which means the sides weren’t really skirmishing so much over standards as over the locus of power.

So while bloggers may dilute the authority of critics in the traditional media, the real threat to cultural authority turns out not to be blogging but social networking. It is Twitter, Facebook, myDigg, Yelp and dozens of other sites where, sometimes just by sheer quantity of opinion, the people are overrunning the Winter Palace of cultural elitism. At this moment, for example, you can find an ongoing debate on Twitter, which anyone can join, comparing the relative merits of Inception and The Social Network. Or you can find someone named “Yogareach” tweeting about Freedom: “Started out great but needs seriously editing.” Or another tweeter named Kate saying that the novel didn’t raise her “care factor enough to be interested”. Or you can find various tweets about the period details of Boardwalk Empire, and whether it qualifies as The Sopranos of this decade.

The point isn’t that the traditional critics are always wrong and these populists are right, or even that these comments are overwhelmingly negative or invariably take on the critical consensus. More often than not, they aren’t and they don’t. The point is that authority has migrated from critics to ordinary folks, and there is nothing – not collusion or singleness of purpose or torrents of publicity – that the traditional critics can do about it. They have seen their monopoly usurped by what amounts to a vast technological word-of-mouth of hundreds of millions of people.

We live, then, in a new age of cultural populism – an age in which everyone is not only entitled to his opinion but is encouraged to share it. Nothing could be more American.

Neal Gabler’s most recent book is Walt Disney: The Biography. He is currently working on a biography of Senator Edward Kennedy

● To read critics’ responses to this essay and to add your own comments, click here

First published online by Neal Gabler.

Film Criticism Is Dying? Not Online (Roger Ebert/Wall Street Journal)

2011-01-24T09:49:00.000-08:00

Film Criticism Is Dying? Not Online (Roger Ebert/Wall Street Journal):

Roger Ebert / Wall Street Journal:

Film Criticism Is Dying? Not Online — Thanks to the Internet, there is more and better writing about movies than ever before, says Roger Ebert — Buster Keaton, left, in ‘Speak Easily,’ 1932. Today's critics hail from Seoul, Cairo, Mumbai and Manila.

Cryogenic Storage

2010-10-26T22:08:00.000-07:00

...and we're back.

Few things rouse us from our yearly deep freeze between Cinequesting sessions. This year they are as follows: Santa Cruz Restaurant Week (aka SCRW), the new Linkin Park record (amazing) and, probably most relevant to this blog, San Francisco Film Society's Cinema by the Bay.

Starting November 5th the 2nd annual CBTB features a tightly programmed four days of films produced in or about the Bay Area. This year's opening night leans heavily on a former Cinequest heavyweight.

For complete program information, visit sffs.org/Screenings-and-Events

All events take place at the Roxie Theater (3117 16th Street near Valencia) except as noted below.

Friday, November 5 Opening Night
7:00 pm Fanny, Annie & Danny
Director in person
Chris Brown (2010)
The titular trio of this darkly comedic film are dysfunctional adult siblings brought together by their equally hapless mother for the Christmas holiday. The event—a train wreck from the beginning—is celebrated a week prior to Christmas so as not to ruin the actual holiday. Viewers will sense the impending climax without knowing exactly when or where it will hit, or how hard a toll it will take on the family. Written by Chris Brown. Photographed by Chris Brown. With Jill Pixley, Carlye Pollack, Jonathan Leveck, Colette Keen, George Killingsworth. 82 min.
9:00 pm Opening Night Party with complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres at the Summit, a restaurant and arts incubation space, 780 Valencia Street between 18th and 19th streets.
9:30 pm Babnik
Director in person
Alejandro Adams (2010)
When a San Francisco–based Russian sex-trafficking ring takes an interest in a destitute young girl, people from various walks of life are sucked into an elaborate scheme to abduct her. Misha is the charismatic crime lord at the center of this tight-knit immigrant community. Part exposé, part suspense tale, Alejandro Adams’s film—much like the world it portrays—is continuously in flux. Written by Alejandro Adams, Marya Murphy. With Michael Umansky, Artem Mishin, Nika Gambarin, lona Rubashevsky, Arseniy Arkhipov. 77 min.

Saturday, November 6
2:00 pm The Stanford Scene
Directors in person
Considered one of the finest educational institutions in the world, Stanford University has also produced some of the best documentary filmmakers in the country. This program highlights just a small selection of outstanding works by Stanford alums including Charlotte Lagarde, Johnny Symons and Kevin Gordon, whose Dreams Awake, codirected with Rebekah Meredith, received the 2010 Student Academy Award. TRT: 67 min.
4:15 pm Deep Down
Director in person
Jennifer Gilomen, Sally Rubin (2010)
A complex human documentary portrait that cuts across environmental, economic and cultural lines, Deep Down contrasts the devastating result of our rampant energy consumption with the remote and picturesque backdrop of Appalachia. Beverly May and Terry Ratcliffe shared a childhood friendship growing up in the small, tightly-knit community of Maytown in the eastern Kentucky mountains. As adults, the two find themselves on opposite sides of an explosive issue. Photographed by Jennifer Gilomen. Edited by Sally Rubin. Music by Joshua Penman. 57 min.
6:30 pm Ed Hardy Tattoo the World
Producer in person
Emiko Omori (2009)
In 1974, Emiko Omori received her first tattoo from Ed Hardy and a strong bond was formed. Nearly 40 years later, the filmmaker reunites with the master of body imagery to chart his unexpected rise to cult status and his phenomenal influence on pop culture. Omori’s affectionate and personal documentary chronicles the journey of the artist and, by extension, the evolution of tattooing from a marginalized to respectable art form. Written and photographed by Emiko Omori. 75 min.
9:00 pm 4th & Goal Special sneak preview screening
Nina Gilden Seavey (2010)
This is the epic tale of six young men in their quest to join the most elite club in professional athletics: the NFL. Shot over six years at the famed junior college football program at City College in San Francisco, the film follows them through the 2003 championship season and into their encounter with the world of professional football. What their individual fates reveal is as much a prophetic tale of brotherhood, family and the harsh realities of growing up as it is about excelling on 100 yards of turf. Photographed by Michael Pryfogle. 84 min.

Sunday, November 7
2:00 pm Rivers of a Lost Coast
Directors in person
Justin Coupe, Palmer Taylor (2009)
Along the Russian, Eel and Smith rivers, the northern coast once was the epicenter of fly-fishing for West Coast salmon and steelhead, and the stage for a rivalry between two passionate anglers, Bill Schaadt and Ted Lindner. Rivers of a Lost Coast is a fascinating document of a wild California that has since been lost to the rising tides of urbanization. Written by Justin Coupe, Palmer Taylor. Photographed by Justin Coupe. 86 min.
4:30 pm Baywatch!
Directors in person
Don’t be fooled: None of these short films feature David Hasselhoff. Instead, the selection includes an array of strategies of investigation, surveillance and voyeurism. From the manic obsession of The Fuck You Garage to the elegiac detail of the city-symphony in Dominic Angerame’s The Soul of Things, this program serves as a guide to observing. TRT: 74 min.
7:00 pm Essential SF: Les Blank and Rick Prelinger in Conversation
Les Blank and Rick Prelinger have consistently illuminated culture in ways both fascinating and instructive. Blank focuses on milieus and moments, always unearthing the fundamental character of his study. Prelinger works with the archives of our ephemera, always wryly and, as in the title of one of Blank’s films, always for pleasure. Blank and Prelinger will present excerpts of their work and converse, in a discussion moderated by Steve Seid, about varied topics both familiar and arcane, including the role of humor in serious work and the perspective of the observant fan.
9:00 pm Southern Exposure: Cross-Cuts
Southern Exposure, 3030 20th Street at Alabama
Directors in person
A leading light, Southern Exposure consistently supports Bay Area artists and serves as a vital hub for the arts community. The organization’s new Mission District gallery is a dynamic venue for the presentation of diverse, contemporary art, and for this night of video work by several of the leading local artists working with video and film. Artists include Melissa Day, Anthony Discenza, Kota Ezawa, Jonn Herschend, Desiree Hollman, Packard Jennings, Rebekah May, Chris Sollars, Richard T. Walker, Anne Walsh, Chris Kubrick and Lindsey White.

Monday, November 8
7:30 pm SF360.org Presents: Essential SF
The Lab, 2948 16th Street at Capp
Essential SF is an ongoing compendium of the Bay Area film community’s most vital figures and institutions. Veteran visionaries Les Blank, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Anne McGuire, Rick Prelinger, Gail Silva and, posthumously, Marlon Riggs will be feted at this short ceremony followed by a party with music by Myles Cooper. The evening, part of the Film Society’s SFFS Film Arts Forum series, also celebrates the launch of the newly designed and retooled SF360.org.

Film tickets $10.00 year-round SFFS members, $12.50 general, $11.00 seniors, students and persons with disabilities; SF360.org Presents: Essential SF $7.00 year-round SFFS members, $10.00 general; Opening Night film and party $15.00 year-round SFFS members, $20.00 general; Fall Season CineVoucher 10-Packs $90.00 year-round SFFS members, $115.00 general; Fall Season CineVisa $400.00 year-round SFFS members only. Box office opens September 28 for members and October 5 for the general public: online at sffs.org, by calling 925-866-9559 or by faxing 925-866-9597.

The Orange Girl

2010-03-13T15:46:00.000-08:00

The Orange Girl is a Norwegian romantic drama, though it's pretty light for a drama. It follows two generations: Jan Olav and his son Georg. It moves around in time between when Jan was young man and sees a striking girl on the streetcar with a bag of oranges, and when Georg is a similar age. The film is structured around some letters that Jan wrote to Georg shortly before Jan died, which happened when Georg was a young boy. As Georg reads the letters, we see on screen the scenes that Jan is describing.

The film is kind of corny, but it really worked for me. I cared about the characters, and the message was a good one. The performances are good but not showy, and the production values are excellent. I'll give it a low out of . An earlier showing at the festival was the U.S. premiere.

Seen on 3/5/2010 at Cinequest.

The Escape

2010-03-13T15:44:00.000-08:00

The Escape is a Danish thriller. It seems like it's going to be similar to A Mighty Heart, in that it opens with a journalist being kidnapped in the same part of the world (Afghanistan here vs. Pakistan in the other film). The journalist is a Danish woman named Rikke. But the film goes a different direction, and I would rather not give away any of the details.

The film is pretty tense, but it almost all fits together well (the exception being one or two minor inconsistencies). The performances are good, though not great and definitely less intense than in most Danish films. I thought it was quite good, and from what I could tell I was not alone. I'll give it a weak out of .

Seen on 3/4/2010 at Cinequest.

Cinequest 20 Award Winners and Encore Day Schedule

2010-03-07T09:30:00.000-08:00

Cinequest is proud to present this year's Jury Winners and Audience Favorites:

Camera 12 Screen 8	Camera 12 Screen 9	Camera 12 Screen 10
Audience Award Contender STARRING MAJA 11am - 12:34pm	Best First Feature LOST PERSONS AREA 11:15am - 1:04 pm	Audience Award Contender PROFESSOR 11:30am - 12:57pm
Maverick Spirit Winner APPLAUSE 1:30pm - 2:55pm	Best Documentary Feature BURIED PRAYERS 1:45pm - 3:08pm	New Visions Winner SOLITARY 2pm - 3:31pm
Audience Award Contender PRIMA PRIMAVERA 4pm - 5:26pm	Audience Award Contender CLEANFLIX 4:15pm - 5:40pm	Audience Award Contender COST OF A SOUL 4:30pm - 6:15pm
Audience Award Contender THE ORANGE GIRL 6:30pm - 7:51pm	Global Landscapes Winner THE ESCAPE 6:45pm - 8:42pm	Audience Award Contender THE REAL REVOLUTIONARIES 7pm - 8:29pm

Encore Day is open to Pass Holders Only.
Limited Rush Tickets may be available.

See you at Encore Day!

The Final Sponge Down

2010-03-06T09:28:00.000-08:00

We're just a few short hours from the official end of the Cinequest schedule. Yeah, it's a bummer. Of course there will be another full day of movies for Encore Day to ease you back to reality. Before that you've got a final chance to catch some films, attend a forum and scope out the future competition.

We've enjoyed being your digital sherpa for this journey but we can only take you so far up the mountain. It's time to forge your own path. Cue the theme music.

Venue	Time	Title
California Theatre	11:00 AM	Eamon
Camera 3	11:00 AM	Shorts Program 6: Through the Eyes of a Child
Camera 12	11:00 AM	Complaints Choir / Oil Rocks
Camera 12	11:00 AM	Adobe Youth Voices
Camera 12	11:15 AM	The Puck Hogs
California Theatre	1:30 PM	The House of Branching Love (Haarautuvan Rakkauden Talo)
Camera 12	1:30 PM	Maverick Artist & Innovator Forums - Mastering the Art of Maverick Filmmaking with the Olson Brothers
Camera 3	1:45 PM	Shorts Program 3: DocuNation
Camera 12	1:45 PM	The Desert of Forbidden Art
Camera 12	2:00 PM	Border
Camera 12	4:00 PM	Professor
California Theatre	4:00 PM	Social Media Winner - Outsourced
Camera 12	4:15 PM	God is D_ad
Camera 3	4:30 PM	Applause
Camera 12	4:30 PM	Anyone You Want
Camera 12	6:30 PM	No Tomorrow
Camera 12	6:45 PM	The Exploding Girl
Camera 3	7:00 PM	Cellar
Camera 12	7:00 PM	Raspberry Magic
California Theatre	8:00 PM	Mother - Screening and Party

Camera 12	9:00 PM	Prima Primavera
Camera 12	9:15 PM	Will You Marry Us? (Die Standesbeamtin)
Camera 12	9:30 PM	The Orange Girl (Appelsinpiken)

Twitter @Cinequest 20: Last Call For Snarkahol

2010-03-06T08:57:00.000-08:00

The variety of hashtags for this year's festival (#CQFF20, #CQFF, #Cinequest, #HellsBells) has made tracking the Cinequest hive mind a bit more difficult. In the future we would prefer to assert dictatorial authority and make a single tag the de facto standard. But that's never gonna happen. To crib a line from an old movie:

Forget it, Jake. It's Cinequest.

Here's another batch of our favorite tweets from the festival.

Is granny home? Is she spry?

Heard the same thing from an 8 year old girl.

Hopefully your teacher doesn't know "bout" Twitter!

Bonus points for incorporating a CQ20 theme.

You forgot to star wipe.

Attend international film festival, get insights into strange cultures and places.

42? Where have we heard that number before?

Cinequest Award Winners: Who Ya Got?

2010-03-05T15:49:00.000-08:00

Smooth Jimmy Sweet, our bookie, just slipped us a crumpled bar napkin with his picks for this year's Cinequest Maverick narrative and documentary awards. We hope he doesn't mind us reposting them here. Kinda like our kneecaps the way they are.

Maverick Narrative Competition: Jimmy's Burn-the-House-Down Sure Fire Lock of the Festival; Babnik; Wouldn't Bet the Farm but I'd Wager a Few Mules; Gabi on the Roof in July; Upperdog; 1981; Even Odds, So Flip a Coin Already
Applause; Cost of a Soul
Slovenian Girl; Long Shots
Blue Ridge
Little Fish Strange Pond
Lost Persons Area

Maverick Documentary Competition

Jimmy's Favorite Character On Lost is John Locke Lock of the Festival; No Tomorrow; Can They Pass the Steroid Test?; Complaints Choir; Oil Rocks; Cooking History
: Fifty-Fifty; Cleanflix; The Desert of Forbidden Art; The Real Revolutionaries; Ice Cubes in Death Valley
The Pit
Professor
The Sonosopher

Those are our picks. WHO YA GOT?

2 Watch 2 Night: Final Friday

2010-03-05T10:04:00.000-08:00

Last night's Benjamin Bratt Maverick Spirit Event brought out a capacity crowd (1,200!) at the California Theatre. Let's see if Cinequest 20 can keep up the momentum in the final 72-hour stretch.

Here's your lotto numbers for tonight:

Camera 12	5:00 PM	Low Lights (Artimos sviesos)
Camera 12	6:30 PM	The Desert of Forbidden Art
Camera 12	6:45 PM	1981
Camera 3	7:00 PM	Shorts Program 4: Animated Worlds
California Theatre	7:00 PM	Silent Film Screening - The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg
Camera 12	7:15 PM	Raspberry Magic
Camera 12	9:00 PM	Cellar
Camera 3	9:45 PM	Shorts Program 5: More than you bargained for.
Camera 12	9:45 PM	Solitary
Camera 12	10:00 PM	Anyone You Want
Camera 12	11:59 PM	Strigoi

Photos of Benjamin Bratt Maverick Spirit Event

2010-03-05T09:37:00.000-08:00

Hat tip to Mike for the amazing photos!

The Exploding Girl and Friction

2010-03-04T13:08:00.000-08:00

The Exploding Girl is an extremely small film. The title character is a girl named Ivy (Zoe Kazan, who had a small but memorable part in Me and Orson Welles and is Elia Kazan's granddaughter). She is home from college for a short break, staying with her mother somewhere in New York. Her boyfriend stayed behind at school, but her longtime friend Al is around. The film title is due to Ivy's epilepsy, though it is well controlled with medication.

The film moves very slowly, and sometimes doesn't move at all. But it feels real, reminding me a bit of Charlotte Sometimes. I'll give it a low out of .

Friction is, so far as I can tell, a narrative film about a documentary about a failed narrative film that starred actors playing characters very close to themselves and with their real names. The director, Cullen Hoback, plays a director named Cullen Hoback, who agrees to teach film at an arts camp in New Hampshire in exchange for being allowed to use the students to make a film. The three main characters are the couple who run the camp (Jeremy and Amy Mathison, played by Jeremy and Amy Mathison) and one of the students (August Thompson, played by August Thompson). The director creates a story about a love triangle involving August and the Mathisons, which appears to spill over into real life. Or does it?

By all of my usual measures, this is not a good film. The acting seems forced and unreal. The camera shakes and frequently loses focus. But the Möbius strip-like structure keeps it engaging and extremely entertaining. I have to give it out of . An earlier showing at the festival was the world premiere.

The director (who was also the writer, producer, cinematographer, and editor) was at the screening to answer questions (there are definitely spoilers below):

He wants us to remember what we are feeling right after the film, because most people who see the film won't have a chance to hear a Q&A afterwards.
How close was it to what he wanted when he started? Very close. It took 9 months to edit. All of the rehearsal scenes that were included as replacements for the “real” scenes were intended to be the way they are.
Amy and August didn't actually stay overnight in the hotel room together.
Everything in the film is either true or one step removed. The famous father is not Grammy award winner, but was instead the Oscar winning writer of On Golden Pond.
The film was written in 6 days and shot in 12. Then he waited 1½ years to edit it, after the kids turned 18.
The camp was really only 7 kids.
They had a safe word on set (“banana”), and they would stop filming when someone said it. That way they knew that the word “cut” didn't really mean cut.
The kids really did get confused between the story and reality at times.
The couple isn't really divorced.
The parts were written for the specific kids who were there.
The actual total production cost was $52, for coffee.
Some scenes only had a structure, with improvised dialog, though most did have scripted dialog.
Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, and Wes Anderson are significant influences on him.

Both seen on 3/2/2010 at Cinequest.

2 Watch 2 Night: Bratt Mobile

2010-03-04T09:46:00.001-08:00

8:36pm Volunteering in the Cinequest box office at Camera 12.
Originally uploaded by randomcuriosity.

We're going to the screening of LA MISSION then maybe SHORTS 6. What's your personal life strategy for the evening?

Camera 12	5:00 PM	The Orange Girl (Appelsinpiken)
Camera 12	6:45 PM	Eamon
Camera 3	7:00 PM	Shorts Program 5: More than you bargained for.
Camera 12	7:00 PM	Wild Grass (Les Herbes Folles)
California Theatre	7:00 PM	Maverick Spirit Event - Benjamin Bratt
Camera 12	7:15 PM	God is D_ad
Camera 12	9:15 PM	Prima Primavera
Camera 12	9:30 PM	Solitary
Camera 3	9:45 PM	Shorts Program 6: Through the Eyes of a Child
Camera 12	9:45 PM	Semshook

Now Showing: Links about Deepak, Parable y Mas

2010-03-03T15:53:00.000-08:00

Live from Cinequest: Deepak Chopra asks, can you hear me now?
San Jose Mercury News
By Sal Pizarro Deepak Chopra didn't disappoint at the Cinequest film festival Tuesday night, though the sound system at the California Theatre had its own ...
See all stories on this topic

Pizarro: Meet Cinequest's most familiar face
San Jose Mercury News
By Sal Pizarro Nathan Louie, of San Jose, has been a volunteer and greeter at the Cinequest film festival for more than a decade. Nathan Louie's name might ...
See all stories on this topic

Metroblogging.com (blog)

CINEQUEST FILM REVIEW: PARABLE
Metroblogging.com (blog)
By Cynthia Corral PARABLE is an incredible film which obviously had a great deal of thought put into it and in return gives the viewer a lot to think about. ...
See all stories on this topic

Watch This: Exclusive Clip from the Indie Thriller 'Solitary'
Cinematical (blog)
by Peter Hall Mar 2nd 2010 // 1:35PM If you live in or around San Jose, California, I hope you've been keeping an eye on Cinequest, a local film fest ...
See all stories on this topic

Deepak Chopra & Liquid Comics Announce at Cinequest Film for ˜Beyond'
California Chronicle
Today at Cinequest Film Festival 20 Liquid Comics and Deepak Chopra announce they will partner together on a film adaptation of "Beyond," a graphic novel ...
See all stories on this topic

Parking Validation Stupidity

2010-03-03T14:51:00.000-08:00

Excuse the following rant. Feel free to ignore it.

Yesterday I parked in the garage attached to the Camera 3 at a little after 6pm. Parking after 6pm is a fixed $3.

I put the ticket through the validation machine in the Camera 12. I left around 11pm, and was surprised to find that I still owed $3.

Apparently the validation gives you 3 hours and 40 minutes of free parking, and I was there longer than that. But that getting validated had zero effect on the outcome seemed pretty crazy to me.

Here's what I'll try next time, unless I'm in a huge hurry: When I'm ready to leave (or have time to kill less than 3:40 before I plan to leave), I'll walk over to the garage, get another ticket, get that one validated, and use it to leave. That doesn't seem any different than briefly leaving the parking garage in the middle of a long stay, to restart the 3:40 clock. And it's better for the environment to not drive the car.

2 Watch 2 Night: Gabi, Koalas and Vampires Run Amok

2010-03-03T09:48:00.000-08:00

Last night we watched GIRL WITH THE DRAGON (tattoo) with a theater full of grumpy old people coughing their heads off. Good times.

Here's our picks for tonight's festivus.

Camera 12	5:00 PM	Gabi on the Roof in July Last chance to catch one of favorites of this year.
Camera 12	6:45 PM	Professor
California Theatre	7:00 PM	The House of Branching Love (Haarautuvan Rakkauden Talo)
Camera 3	7:00 PM	Hell Is Other People
Camera 12	7:00 PM	Anyone You Want Australian whimsy = koala with a troll wig on.
Camera 12	7:30 PM	Babnik
Camera 12	9:00 PM	Complaints Choir / Oil Rocks
Camera 12	9:15 PM	Cellar
California Theatre	9:30 PM	Love Life of a Gentle Coward (Ljubavni zivot domobrana)
Camera 3	9:30 PM	Shorts Program 8: Student Short Film Competition Our review of this program is here.
Camera 12	9:45 PM	Strigoi First showing of this vampire comedy. We're attending the midnight show on Friday.

2 Watch 2 Night: Wet. Out. There.

2010-03-02T09:06:00.000-08:00

Outside the rain has returned to San Jose. Inside the down pour of amazing independent films continues unabated. Here's our recommendations for tonight.

Tonight is your last chance to catch a couple of Cinequesting favorites: FRICTION and HEIRAN. So go see 'em. They're both thought provoking films in wildly different ways.

The LIFE OF A MAVERICK award will be given to Deepak Chopra. Our prediction? A very high audience to KQED tote bag ratio.

Post enlightenment things take a turn for the dark and disturbing with the only screening of GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO. Based on the Stieg Larsson novel this film is only showing once at Cinequest. In the words of that latin dude: Seize the Carp.

Camera 3	5:00 PM	Heiran (Heiraan) Final screening!
Camera 12	6:30 PM	Undertow (Contracorriente)
Camera 12	6:45 PM	Kill the Habit
Camera 12	7:00 PM	The Exploding Girl
California Theatre	7:00 PM	Life of a Maverick - Deepak Chopra
Camera 3	7:15 PM	The Sonosopher: Alex Caldiero in Life...In Sound
California Theatre	9:00 PM	The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Man Som Hatar Kvinnor) One screening only!
Camera 12	9:00 PM	Friction
Camera 12	9:15 PM	Buried Prayers
Camera 3	9:30 PM	Shorts Program 4: Animated Worlds
Camera 12	9:30 PM	The Puck Hogs

House of Fools

2010-03-02T08:50:00.000-08:00

House of Fools opens with Aina having what appears to be a panic attack. There are images of falling glass. When she wakes up, she has many wounds on her face, arms, etc., and she figures out that she's in a mental hospital.

This Norwegian drama is kind of similar to Manic, with a variety of characters in a mental institution, each working on their own issues and their own path, but also struggling to find a group dynamic. It's not quite as good as I recall that earlier film to be, but looking at the resumes of the actors, I see that most of them have been in other films that I have liked. Most notably, Thorbjørn Harr (playing Stetson, one the staff) was the male lead in Mars & Venus, and Rolf Lassgård (playing Dr. Freiner) was a key supporting character in After the Wedding. The lead actress, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, is new to me, and at first she just seemed to play everything as if she was drugged (which, to be fair, is probably what would be true for her character). Later she showed more range, and seemed good though probably not great.

Overall I'll give it out of . An earlier showing was the Unites States premiere.

Seen on 3/1/2010 at Cinequest.

No Tomorrow, Heiran, The Sonosopher, The Greatest, and Starring Maja

2010-03-02T07:54:00.000-08:00

No Tomorrow is kind of a documentary about the death penalty, but the directors only came to this material since their previous documentary, Aging Out (also shown at Cinequest) was an important part of the trial. One of the primary subjects of that earlier film, who had done well despite being a product of the foster care system, was murdered in an alley. The prosecutor for the case saw the earlier film as a way to show the victim as a whole person, and to show the potential that was lost when she was killed.

I found the film was a little more about the filmmakers than it really needed to be, and perhaps less about the pros and cons of the death penalty than I expected. With the caveat that I was sleepy and missed some parts, I'll give the film out of . Note that some friends I talked afterwards liked it much better.

An earlier showing at Cinequest was the world premiere. The filmmakers had intended to be at the screening, but were snowed in in New York. A short message from them was read before the film.

Heiran is an Iranian film about an Iranian girl who sees a boy (named Heiran) on the bus home from school (not a school bus–he's not a student). There's a spark, and they find other ways to meet. The problem, at least from her parents' point of view, is that he's Afghan.

I liked the Iranian scenery that I would never have expected to be in Iran. I thought the lead actress was good, albeit rather melodramatic (which seems to be standard practice for Iranian films). And the grandfather was great. The sound was muffled, but that was only a minor problem since I don't speak Persian. Overall I'll give it a low out of . Note that a film teacher who I've taken some classes from was at the screening, and liked it significantly less than I did.

The Sonosopher is a low budget documentary about Alex Caldiero, who is some combination of poet, vocal artist, philosopher, and performance artist. He seems to emphasize his points by opening his eyes wider.

He's pretty out there, which makes it surprising that he's a Mormon. Apparently he was attracted to some historical mystical aspects of the religion that are not a mainstream part of the religion these days.

I found it hard to get into the film except in a few short segments. His philosophical ramblings reminded me a bit of the film Waking Life, in that the thoughts expressed are far more interesting to the speaker than to the audience (to me, anyway). And the generally low image quality and rapid editing were distracting to me. I'll give it a high out of . This was the world premiere.

The two filmmakers were at the screening to answer questions:

Alex was their teacher in Utah

They spent two years following him everywhere, recording all of his performances and going with him to Sicily and New York

The fast cut sections were not his idea, but he confirmed that they are a good visual representation of his mind

There is a very wide variety of reactions to his work

They took over 100 hours of footage, plus archival materials–then they just dove in to find a focus for the film

The non-word text on the screen was really his text, and he is able to reproduce performances quite closely

Even Alex would say he doesn't completely understand what he's doing

The film was preceded by the short Grande Dame, starring a transvestite quoting Shakespeare. I definitely enjoyed it. out of .

The Greatest is an as yet unreleased film with Susan Sarandon, Pierce Brosnan, and Carey Mulligan. It opens with Mulligan and a boy all over each other, taking off their clothes, dot dot dot. What happens not long after that is early enough that it shouldn't be considered a spoiler, but I would rather not say more. I will say that I was reminded of Moonlight Mile.

The performances all seem very good, with Brosnan slightly out of his depth, Sarandon being as good as you would expect, and Mulligan showing that An Education was not a fluke. The writing is generally good, though there were a few moments that rang false. The production values are top notch. I'll give it out of .

Starring Maja is a Norwegian film that is kind of hard to watch. The title character is a teenage student who is overweight but really wants to be an actress. At a wedding she attends, she talks to the videographer (Erika) about being an actress. Through a thought process that I still don't completely understand, Erika decides to start filming Maja round the clock. Maja makes a fool of herself, and often doesn't realize she's anything but a star. Like I said before, it was mostly hard to watch.

That said, there were some moments that felt real and even on the edge of touching, raising it up to a solid out of . An earlier showing an Cinequest was the North American premiere.

All seen on 2/28/2010 at Cinequest.

Troll Convention?

2010-03-02T07:37:00.000-08:00

Troll Convention?
Originally uploaded by headcloud.

No, it's some of the crew of ANYONE YOU WANT, a film showing at Cinequest 20, hanging out with the wildly wigged CQ PR team.

Hat tip to Mike Gendimenico for the photo.

2 Watch 2 Night: Don't Take Tonight Off

2010-03-01T10:51:00.000-08:00

Exhausted by a nonstop weekend of films, parties and weird Q&As? Too bad! Here's our recommendations for tonight.

Tonight at 9pm is the final screening of COOKING HISTORY, a documentary about military cooks in WWII. A warning: there are scenes of animals being (humanely) butchered.

And speaking of films not for the weak stomach, PARABLE is premiering tonight at 6:45. It's an experimental movie with "dramatic and symbolic mixture of both neo and magical realist imagery" about the Bush administration. Sorta. Watch at your own risk. Here's the trailer.

Camera 12	6:45 PM	Parable
California Theatre	7:00 PM	Will You Marry Us? (Die Standesbeamtin)
Camera 3	7:00 PM	Cooking History
Camera 12	7:00 PM	Love Life of a Gentle Coward (Ljubavni zivot domobrana)
Camera 12	7:15 PM	Cleanflix
Camera 12	9:00 PM	Semshook
California Theatre	9:15 PM	Little Fish, Strange Pond
Camera 12	9:15 PM	7 Days (Les Jour Du Talion)
Camera 3	9:30 PM	The Square
Camera 12	9:30 PM	Blue Ridge

Now Showing: Links Ahoy

2010-03-01T10:27:00.000-08:00

Some links about CQ that caught our inbox:

Live from Cinequest: Terry Zwigoff added to Maverick Spirit Award roster
San Jose Mercury News
PLAYING CATCH-UP: Sunday was a big day for Cinequest filmgoers to catch up on movies they missed during the first five days of the festival, but there were ...
See all stories on this topic

StarkSilverCreek (blog)

Cinequest Interview: Gabi on the Roof in July
StarkSilverCreek (blog)
... sibling rivalry and whipped cream,” Gabi on the Roof in July premiered at Cinequest to a packed house at Camera Cinema in San Jose last week. ...
See all stories on this topic

Metroblogging.com (blog)

CINEQUEST FILM REVIEW: NO TOMORROW
Metroblogging.com (blog)
AGING OUT is a documentary brought by the same filmmakers to Cinequest in 2004. It was about three teenagers who are aging out of the foster care system and ...
See all stories on this topic

Interviews with Cinequesters

2010-02-28T21:46:00.000-08:00

Jason (pictured right) and Natalia (pictured left), a dapper duo hanging out in the C12 lobby, answered a few of our hard hitting questions about their experience at this years festival.

How many films have you seen this year?
Natalia: Two, Tijuana Project and Green Waters (Aguas Verdes)

What'd you think of Green Waters?
N: It really conveyed the emotion of frustration to me, much like the main character of the film. I thought that was good. I love Argentine films.
Jason: I felt similar, good character development, it was easy to relate to the characters, that's definitely how I felt leaving the movie.

How many years have you been coming to Cinequest?
N: This is my first year at Cinequest
J: Mine too. I'm a native San Joseian and I had heard of it but this is the first year I've attended.

Welcome to the party, Jason and Natalia! Thanks very much and enjoy the rest of the festival.

Bro-ing out with COST OF A SOUL

2010-02-28T21:31:00.001-08:00

Bro-ing out with COST OF A SOUL
Originally uploaded by headcloud.

They were hanging around outside the Camera 12 to promote the world premiere of their film. Later someone told us it was "the best film they watched at the festival." Nicely done, gents.

Cineqast Episode 2: Impromptu Interviews and Weird Q&As

2010-02-28T21:25:00.000-08:00

We dusted off the voice memo app on our iPhone for an interview with some filmmakers from GABI ON THE ROOF IN JULY and BUMMER SUMMER. We talked with Lawrence, Sophia and Zach about their premieres and some of the usual questions Cinequest audiences ask during the Q&As. Check out the interview and check out their respective IMDb STARmeters^TM

Bonus points: up walk?

No embedded link for you? Try clicking here.

SJMetblogs Reviews FRiction

2010-02-28T09:06:00.000-08:00

The Billy Kids had a Kid!

2010-02-28T00:07:00.001-08:00

The Billy Kids had a Kid!
Originally uploaded by headcloud.

Everyone loves Mr. Louie

2010-02-27T23:50:00.001-08:00

Everyone loves Mr. Louie
Originally uploaded by headcloud.

Sadly the camera phones memory was full. Good thing Cinequesting was lurking just over his shoulder...

Cum/Bum/Gabi/Friction at Cinequest 20

2010-02-27T23:45:00.001-08:00

Cum/Bum/Gabi/Friction at Cinequest 20
Originally uploaded by headcloud.

World Premiere club!

Review Shorts Program 8: Student Film Competition

2010-02-27T13:00:00.000-08:00

We arrived a tad late to the student shorts program but had a chance to catch a half dozen of the films. Here's our notes scribbled on each of the ones that caught our eye.

The Bird Photographer - This animated
short was a quick hit of laughter, big crowd response.

Daughters - Set in rural China in the
waning months of Autumn a family makes the difficult decision to give up one of
their daughters. Very poignant and we loved the silent, pleading performance of
the the lead actress.

Just Add Water - SJSU student Marty Cooper
made this funny stop motion film about the adventure of an
orange sponge. Had more character development than some features we've seen
this year.

Psycho Sundae - De Anza college submits this
homage to the Hitchcock classic. Demonstrates the versatility of the chocolate
syrup as a movie prop. Audience really liked this one.

Magellan - USC student submission. Thought the boy lead
wasn't a very good actor. Sorry kiddo. The imagery and color were amazing
though.

Shelter - This one was our favorite of thebunch. A
documentary about a home builder who started in the 1970s building dome homes.
He meditates like an old soul guru on the ideas of craftsmanship, personal agency and elements
of home.

Non-Love Song - Another excellent
short. Filmed in a grainy black and white this was the story of two friend's day
at the beach. They're leaving for college soon and trying to express to
eachother the impending changes.

Every year we tell ourself we have to see more of the shorts program and this year we mean it.

Sunday Sunday Suuuuundaaaay

2010-02-27T10:49:00.000-08:00

TercerMundo @ Cinequest 026
Originally uploaded by Tercer Mundo.

Hopefully you've found our premiere previews, spotlight reviews and daily "to watch" features helpful thus far. But now with the first weekend we're getting down to business, Cinequesting style. Pass holders, filmmakers and weekend-warrior movie buffs converge on Camera 12 in downtown San Jose. We predict long lines, sold out shows and the (occasional) technical difficulty.

Our advice? Bring a good attitude, some snacks to share with line buddies and a schedule with multiple options. If your top pick is sold out/delayed/terrible it's great to have a fall back option. Sometimes they turn out much better than you anticipated.

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 28TH

EARLY RISERS
After yesterday's marathon session you've got two paths to choose from. Take it easy with the quiet and contemplative DEEP IN THE VALLEY or head south of the border for a little hair of the dog with ONE FOR THE ROAD. One guess which one we'll be staggering to.

AFTERNOON DELIGHT
Two shorts from New Zealand anchor this year's SHORTS 1: THE DARKER SIDE OF GROWING UP. We're saving our hobbit jokes for twitter. Taller fair comes in the form of THIRD WORLD, a movie about how an eclipse makes people go bonkers, romantically speaking. We'll probably sneak out early to catch some or all of THE SONOSOPHER, if it's anything like the music doc LOMAX THE SONG HUNTER from a few years ago we'll definitely be in for a treat.

NEAR SUNSET
Another fork in the proverbial CQ road. Stick with the documentary theme and have a few laughs at THE PUCK HOGS or downshift into the evening with the low-key-yet-mesmerizing BUMMER SUMMER.

POST SUNSET
Late breaking word yesterday announced that NANCY KWAN will be in attendance for the premiere of TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, a documentary biopic about her amazing life. A hat tip for the CQ staffers who made that one happen at the 11th hour. There's almost an equal amount of buzz about THE GREATEST, and it's only showing once the entire festival. Tough call. We trust you'll follow your heart.

MIDNIGHT SNACKS
It's midnight on the east coast when the final screenings of the day start and once again you've got some choices to make. SHORTS 2: DARK DEEP AND DANGEROUS might be too heavy for some after an entire weekend of film. A rambunctious locals-heavy crowd will certainly be on hand for the test screening of SUPER HERO PARTY CLOWN, a SJSU-made comedy flick. Cinequesters who don't want nightmares or beer spilled on them should head to the North American premiere of STARRING MAJA.

And there's your first weekend of Cinequest 20 in the tank.

What's your favorite movie/short/robot ad/tweet so far? Let us know in the comments below!

Saturday Forecast Calls For Cloudy with Chance of Movies

2010-02-26T12:32:00.000-08:00

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 27th

EARLY RISERS
Couple options for you early birds. The student shorts competition is always a fun and well attended show as family and friends come out to support the people who will grow up to become rich and famous and forget them entirely. If you're hungry for a dark and delicious German comedy we'd recommend THE BONE MAN. Just don't try the homemade sausage.

AFTERNOON DELIGHT
It seems to us that the words "3D" and "gimmick" still seem inexplicably linked but with Avatar on track to win the Best Picture Oscar(tm) who knows? Check out the 3D Cinema film forum for some insight (and maybe some Smurf jokes) on this emerging storytelling medium. Those of us still hooked on 2D images might head over to see CQ wunderkind Cullen Hoback's FRICTION, a half documentary/half narrative mish-mash of drama and reality. Or maybe you could see THE ROBBERS, a slapstick Chinese action comedy with some rave reviews.

NEAR SUNSET
A couple of world premieres are going head to head around 4. HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE, is a deadpan and downbeat examination of Morty, "master of the awkward moment." Conversely COST OF A SOUL focuses on a duo of Iraq war veterans returning home to Philadelphia to restart their lives. After that things take a turn for the stark with the black & white BUMMER SUMMER. We watched the screener and marveled at the amazingly crisp cinematography. Is there such a thing as super hi-def?

POST SUNSET
Dueling documentaries at the 7 o'clock slot. Silicon Valley history (pre Steve Jobs and Hewlett Packard) goes on display on THE REAL REVOLUTIONARIES. Or you could opt for THE TIJUANA PROJECT which is a must see if you enjoy crying and feeling bad about how easy your life is.

And with that sentence ending preposition we come to:

MIDNIGHT SNACKS
At this point, after a full day of standing in lines, eating theater food and watching hours of movies, you'll achieve a blissful, zonked-out film going Nirvana. Congratulations. You're now Cinequesting like a pro. Why not reward yourself with an adult beverage or three? Then stumble -carefully- back to the Camera 12 for the 11:59pm showing of LITTLE FISH, STRANGE POND. Starring Matthew Modine (FULL METAL JACKET), Adam Baldwin (FIREFLY) and Zach Galifianakis (THE HANGOVER) this weird flick peaks right around the 20 minute mark.

Hopefully you'll pass out from sheer exhaustion shortly thereafter.

See you on Sunday!

2 Watch 2 Night: Friday the Weird Turn Pro

2010-02-26T11:42:00.000-08:00

Is it just us or does Friday night's lineup look positively creeptacular? Here's our picks for the tonight.

Camera 12

4:45 PM

The Ferrari Dino Girl (Holka Ferrari Dino)
Czech new wave!

Camera 12

7:30 PM

Gabi on the Roof in July
Twister, Chest Hair & Whipped Cream!

Camera 12

9:30 PM

Peepers
Naughty Canadians!

Camera 12

11:45 PM

7 Days (Les Jour Du Talion)
Torture porn! Minus the porn!

Plenty of weird going around, we can't wait to be right in the middle of it.