talhotblond

A middle-aged man engages in an obsessive affair with an 18 year old girl via the internet, in the persona of a young marine stationed overseas. As the story unfolds, we discover that neither of them is what they claim to be, and the affair eventually culminates in the cold-blooded murder of a young man who comes between them. Oh, and it's a documentary.

This particular crime is chillingly easy to unravel, as all parties involved had nearly all their interactions logged on their computers. The documentary unfolds the story as a narrative, replaying key conversations verbatim.

Aside from some detailed interviews, the film also uses fictional narration by the dead man, and running commentary and analysis by a psychiatrist who has nothing to do with the case itself, but who is incredibly witty and entertaining while setting the context of the players' actions.

It's a tragic story, and there's nothing to like in any of the people shown here, but the flow of the whole thing is gripping.

Kimjongilia

Yes, we get it. Kim Jong-Il sucks, and North Korea is a horrible place to live. I tend to think that this information is known broadly enough that a documentary would need to get pretty specific to really add something to the discussion.

Now, there are some horrifying personal stories behind these interviews. One man was born in a prison camp and kept there doing forced labor until he escaped at age 24. That's a story that deserves to be told, but it deserves more than a choppy 3 minute interview punctuated by random scenes of modern dance commissioned by the director to fill time.

It's only a 75 minute movie in the first place, and literally 15 minutes were spent on modern dance filler. I get that you want to make an emotional appeal, but you can do it a lot better by actually giving your subjects time to tell a coherent story.

Earns one star back just because the fragments of the stories they do manage to get across are really, really gripping.

The Spy And The Sparrow

Another Seattle film, featuring several cast members from that earlier abomination, The Whole Truth. At least this one does a bit to convince me that they're not terrible actors, although the overall tone is still pretty amateurish.

The story focuses on a newly retired spy trying to reconnect with his daughter who he hasn't spoken to in 30 years. A series of odd coincidences and unlikely characters contribute to a relatively weak climax, and the only thing anyone really learns is that the guy wasn't a neglectful father.

The direction and acting was decent, but the number of plot holes here is really irritating. For starters, the idea that nobody would notice random transfers of half a million dollars between bank accounts is a pretty big thing to just gloss over. An "offbeat" lawyer would fit better in a college stoner's basement, and isn't convincing at all.

But even with those aside, the entire plot hinges on characters doing random things for no reason, and especially on the main character's half sister hiding information for no reason, and in a way that's never explained at all. In a mainly character-driven piece like this, pivotal plot events hinging on stupid and unexplained actions is a problem.

The Hills Run Red

Slasher movies are kind of a peculiar thing. To be really good, they have to walk a line between gore and pathos, character development and mindless psychopaths.

After an exceedingly disgusting opening in which a young boy cuts off his face with a pair of scissors, The Hills Run Red starts off a bit slow. A student is trying to track down a print of a legendary slasher film named The Hills Run Red which was supposedly filmed in the 70s and then destroyed. After tracking down the daughter of the dead director, the small group sets off into the backwoods to find the director's home and hopefully a copy of the film.

This intro takes a good 45 minutes to play out, and to offset the relatively dry content the director cuts in random flashes of gore from the movie. These are more startling than anything else, though, and the whole thing is pretty laid back.

The second half, though, is basically a completely different movie. Ultra-violent, yes, but beyond the gore is a non-stop series of twists that leave you completely disoriented. Throw in a healthy dose of self-reflection and commentary on the slasher movie genre, and the whole thing is good, and nearly overwhelming.

The pace change between the two sections is unfortunate, since it makes the movie, already only 1:20, feel even shorter. But while the flow change is relatively jarring, it doesn't hurt the overall production too much. Worth seeing for the second half, but only if you're really into slasher gore.

Swimsuit Issue

An aging Swedish floor hockey team reinvents themselves as a male synchronised swimming team. It's the kind of plot that can turn out pretty badly in the wrong hands, but in this case the writing and acting are both quite strong, and the whole thing fits beautifully.

The pacing is perfect, drawing you along without a second of boredom or tiredness. With plenty of black comedy and character development, as well as some really beautiful cinematography and a fantastic soundtrack, this comedy is a must see.

A Pain In The Ass

You know how you can go back and watch Steve Martin movies from the 70s, and understand on an intellectual level that it's supposed to be funny while not actually laughing at all? Well, this was basically the same thing, only released in the 21st century.

Apparently it's a remake of a very old script that the director had written but not gotten to direct at the time. So the datedness makes sense. It doesn't make it any funnier, though. What does save the film to some extent is a pretty strong performance by all the main characters. With lesser acting this film would have been intolerable. As it is, there are a few chuckles here, but nothing terribly clever.

Inju, The Beast In The Shadow

A French scholar and author travels to Japan to promote his book, and goes out of his way to provoke a reclusive and possibly dangerous author in an attempt to force a meeting.

Great production overall, with strong acting, and some chilling moments in the cinematography. The plot is a bit obvious perhaps, but the main point is really in watching the chemistry between the main characters develop.

Some people are describing this as a noir, which seems to fit at least somewhat. It's a bit bright visually for that label, but the theme and pacing is spot on. Without anything particular to point to, it feels like a "classic", maybe due to the pacing and the relatively understated performances.

Slow, but interesting.

Krabat

A dark German fairy tale based on a novel from the 70s features a teenager during plague times joining a coven of warlocks at a creepy old mill.

Overall a decent attempt, with some beautiful special effects, and fair enough acting and writing. The plot lags a bit, perhaps, and to some extent the story just feels small. There are tantalising glimpses of a wider world around them, but the characters never seem to break through that barrier and inhabit the space outside a couple of relatively claustrophobic sets.

The goth couple at the screening probably got a lot more out of this than just about anyone else possibly could, but it was fun for what it was, and worth seeing if you like wizards and fairy tales.

Home

A family living next to an abandoned highway are startled to find that it will open after 10 years of disuse. The noise and intrusion on their privacy (their house is only 40 feet from the road) begin to wear on them, destroying their initially close family structure.

At least that's the theory. In practice, it doesn't really hold up that well. For starters, the original "closeness" of the family is somewhat creepy, with mother, father, young brother and college-age sister bathing together. The reason for the family's expectation that the road would remain unused is never explained, nor is the reason the mother refuses to leave the house even after the intrusion.

Fair enough, some plot points are left as a given. I can chalk that up to the surrealist aesthetic, but the characters are alternately understated and shrill, and pretty hard to warm up to. They would feel more at home in a traditional drama, but for me they lack a bit of the flair and exaggeration they need to stand up against the surrealist backdrop.

It's not all bad. The plot stays together pretty well, and there are good moments throughout. Taken as a commentary on modern life (meaning: when you ignore the weak characters entirely) it's not bad, although the point it makes is maybe a little trite. The cinematography is good as well, and it may be worth seeing once, although probably not twice.

Cold Souls

Paul Giammati (as Paul Giammati) goes to a "soul storage" facility to lighten his metaphysical burden until he can make it through a performance of Uncle Vanya. The movie then follows his struggles with conscience -- and the fact that without a soul he's a really terrible actor -- through episodes both serious and hilarious.

I really have a soft spot for these kind of indie Vonnegut-esque sci-fi films. Reality as it is today, just with a slight twist, and a great cast and script to back it up. The direction and writing is really top notch, especially for a first film. And while the pacing drags just a tiny bit in the middle, the pacing overall is pretty tight, and a fantastic story easily makes this a must see.

The Dark Harbor

A lonely fisherman discovers that a woman and boy are living in his cupboard when they appear in the background of a dating video he has made.

Several humorous scenes throughout, but the characters are really, really weak basically the whole way through. The main character has an annoying tendency to pantomime instead of speaking as well, which I guess is supposed to characterise him as a buffoon, but just comes across as weird.

With no strong characterisation, it's hard to really care as the plot moves forward. Individual moments are okay, but as a whole piece it really doesn't work that well.

Story Of Jen

In some ways a coming of age story, but the pacing and aimless plot don't do a lot for this one. Jen's life starts to disintegrate when her step-father kills himself. Her mother starts to retreat from the world aside from drunken excursions to pick up strangers in bars. Her step-father's brother comes to stay with them causing scandal among their nosey neighbours and sparking an idea of romance for Jen.

After the inevitable maybe-it-is-and-maybe-it's-not-rape sexual encounter, the entire thing takes a left turn, though. The uncle goes off into a huge national park on horseback to play Rambo, and Jen goes through a random series of experiences which are never followed up on.

Interesting for some really beautiful shots of the park, and a creepy yet hilarious scene of a teen pregnancy counseling class, but the entire thing really does fall apart. No message, no real point, and nobody is particularly likeable, nor comes close to learning anything.

Flame & Citron

I've been a relative late-comer to the Mads Mikkelsen fan train, having seen the Pusher series only two years ago. As always, the man is completely mesmerising, this time as half of a pair of Danish insurgents who murder their way through a large swath of the occupying Nazi forces during WWII.

These are not nice people, although not exactly anti-heroes either. They're trying to do the right thing, but as always in true wartime stories the entire thing is a relatively dark shade of grey.

Gorgeous cinematography, and superb acting carry this, because the story is relatively slow and a little hard to follow, since it is based on real people. I wouldn't watch it just for the plot, but thanks to the care that went into making it I would happily recommend it to anyone.

(500) Days Of Summer

There are some movies where everything just clicks. Great cast with good chemistry, beautiful but understated cinematography, great writing, and a soundtrack that captures the mood perfectly.

500 Days Of Summer is not a love story, and it's not exactly happy. But it's bitter sweet, and really perfect. Framed as a romantic comedy, but so quirky and so well done that you can't help liking it.

Manhole Children

Sort of a 7 Up for Mongolia, Manhole Children follows three people over 15 or so years, from living in sewer pipes, to a kind of uneasy above-ground life, and sadly back to the sewers.

The film makes a point to connect the conditions that led the children to start their lives this way to the arrival of Capitalism, but the point is never supported. They remain relatively objective otherwise, but by the end it's hard to feel a lot of pity for anyone involved -- all the subjects are as manipulative and aimless as you'd expect from growing up in those conditions, but as adults the behaviour just seems mean, and watching it get passed on to their children is terrifying.

The film opened with many more children, at least some of whom they imply managed to get out and stay out of that situation. I really wish they'd included at least one of the success stories as well, because the choice to focus only on those who keep failing to make something better leaves the whole thing as a pretty depressing exercise that you'd think could be recreated in almost any country.

Still, seeing these conditions up close is interesting, and there are secondary characters who aren't completely confused. Worth seeing.

Black

If Black Dynamite is an homage that takes the seriousness of Blacksploitation to a hilarious extreme, Black is the one that takes the other road into an odd kind of competence that makes it hard to laugh at.

Which is not necessarily a bad thing. There's something pretty fun in the whole "70s action movie" that works well with the serious vibe. Kind of a black Indiana Jones combined with a bit of James Bond, and an extra dash of pulp serial thrown in. There's witchcraft, jungle escapes, gunplay, kung fu, and lots of other fun bits mixed in here.

Not a great movie, but a fun new entry in a genre that's nearly extinct.

The Market - A Tale Of Trade

A UK film set in Turkey explores the uneasy relationship that exists between morality and capitalism. A somewhat bumbling hero tries to do the right thing, but keeps coming up against the local mob and the financial demands of raising a family.

Definitely not a happy story, and everything doesn't work out in the end, but it's an interesting look at what happens to an idealist in a certain subculture. It helps that the main character is acted well, and the actor is quite likeable.

Black Dynamite

Michael Jai White, the writer and star of Black Dynamite, had the perfect way to describe it. He said, roughly, that Blacksploitation as a genre took itself so seriously back when it was made that the line between homage and parody is blurred, because to do it as seriously as they did, today, is hysterical.

Everything about Black Dynamite is amazing. The music, the over-the-top kung fu, the random nudity, and the insanely cheesy dialog delivered with fierce intensity. Even without the parody element it stands up well, as the martial arts have a crisp, angular quality that I really haven't seen anywhere else. But taken as a whole, it's basically fantastic.

The Burning Plain

The Burning Plain is stark, and a little confusing, but worth seeing. Charlize Theron is strong, as is the rest of the cast. Part character drama, part social commentary on race relations in the south, two families are torn apart when a married couple dies in an explosion in the midst of an affair. As the families grieve, two of the children start to grow close to each other.

Definitely not happy, and a bit confusing as the plot jumps around more than a little. It takes a bit of energy to figure out how it fits together at first, but the overall story is compelling.

That Evening Sun

Absolutely beautiful. Hal Holbrook is a fantastic character actor, and plays the crotchety old man perfectly. Amy Ryan is nearly unrecognisable (again), and good as ever. In fact the entire cast is great.

On top of that, though, the music is excellent, the cinematography and shots are gorgeous, and the writing is really clever. There's no "bad" side to the feud between the protagonists, and you end up feeling sorry for both. Plenty of laughs as well, although this is not really a happy movie. One of the best things I've seen at the festival so far.