Shows: 3/02 9:15 PM (Cam 12), 3/04 9:30 PM (Cam 12)
This is a very strange film. Time bends and loops over on itself, and it's difficult to tell where the main character's premonitions begin and reality leaves off. Johann is plagued by deja vu, and when he meets Jenny, a goth who makes a living stripping for a webcam, he knows he has met her before. They fall for each other hard and fast, but Johann is studying to be a Carthan and free himself from ego -- which means no women. After a summer of passion they separate, but Jenny can't quite let go.
There are dark and beautiful images everywhere in the film, but also disturbing ones. It's difficult to be completely sure of the nature of reality within this world, and it doesn't seem to be much easier for the characters themselves. When everything finally comes full circle and the meaning of Johann's first dream is revealed, nothing is resolved. Like many independent films, this is an odd gem of filmmaking that seems to be more about a state of mind than a story.
Shows: 3/04 12:00 PM (Cal), 3/05 2:00 PM (Cal)
First screened in 1968, "Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One" is a film about making a film, and nobody - even the film crew, is sure what the final result will be. Will the film they're making be a documentary about filmmaking? A drama about a couple whose relationship is falling apart? Or some blend of the two? Even director William Greaves doesn't seem sure. He's just filming, going with his instincts and those of the actors.
The result is a peculiar, mind-bending look at how people behave when there are cameras focused on them. Multiple angles of the same moment run on the screen simultaneously, shifting in size. Sequences are slipped out of order, woven together in a peculiar braid of cinematography. The end result is a peculiar but effective film.
Made in 2005, "Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take Two and a Half" screens afterwards, and in it Greaves and the crew return to the park where they filmed before, using similar methods to see how things have changed.
The Ape (2004)
Running time: 92 Minutes
Director: James Franco
In this dark comedy, James Franco plays Harry Walker, a would-be novelist who abandons his family, looses his job, and aleinates his friends after moving to a rented apartment to write an award winning novel, one stewing in the depth of his soul. The trouble is, he's an unpublishable mediocre hack, his thoughts are jumbled, his typing tends toward the incoherent. Adding to his toubles is a mental projection from his inner being. He finds that he has to accept that he's rooming with a wise-cracking, free-loading, attitude carrying gorilla in hawaii clothing. The metaphor is simplistic; The ape (Brian Lally) is Harry's alter ego, a companion of acceptance that he's not receiving from outside.
The film flows nicely though a noir tint and with an odd twist here and there. While never engaged in the tenents of the mental problems of Harry, one still might enjoy the antics of the Ape as he's seemingly free of convention and morality. Lally as the Ape had a lot of the fun bits. He plays an Ape. An ape that talks, an ape that reads, and an ape that drives Harry crazy - from the inside out.
The ensemble of support added believeable structure to make Harry's world work. A good job. Music and monkey credits added to the quirkiness of the piece.
The film was okay, maybe a 2.5 out of 5 rating for fiction, fun, and function. As a story, though, I found the conclusion unsatisfactory. Not because it didn't work. It made sense as written. But only because I tend toward happier endings.
Eccentric but fun.
WFC
Shows: 3/02 9:30 PM (Cal), 3/03 9:15 PM (Cam 12), 3/08 2:45 PM (Cam 12)
"Lucid" is not an easy film to describe. Part metaphysical mystery, part psychological thriller, it has a dreamlike quality that keeps the viewer from being completely sure of what is going on. The main character, Joel, is a psychologist who works for a soulless HMO. He is assigned three post-traumatic stress disorder patients to work with in a group therapy setting, but they are soon taking on each other's delusions and they seem to be getting worse instead of better. Insisting that there is something larger than the four of them going on, they soon band
Meanwhile, his home life is deteriorating. His wife has left him, and his daughter is showing increasingly severe signs of psychological stress. Joel himself is suffering from severe insomnia, and as he tries to juggle his personal and professional problems he begins to slip into something of a delusional state himself. What exactly is going on becomes increasingly unclear as Joel's ability to tell reality from delusion fades, and when he (and we in the audience) finally discover the truth, it is at once horrifying and reassuring. This is a headtrip of a film that fans of movies like "Donnie Darko" are likely to enjoy.
Shows: 3/02 5:00 PM (Cam 12), 3/06 2:45 PM (Cam 12)
Describing this strange blend of drama, horror, and surrealism is like trying to describe a dream; strange images, slightly twisted versions of reality, and unanswered questions make each person's experience of the film somewhat different. There are plenty of allusions to other films, particularly horror films, and long stretches of time when nobody says anything other than average small talk.
The film follows a group of men and their wives over the course of a week. They are descended from Czech nobility, and have returned to their grandfather's estate (which they have only heard about in family stories) to inspect the grounds and do a little hunting. Although it starts out fairly plainly, "Fatherland" soon begins to slide into the surreal and the disturbing. Why are there no women in the village near the estate? Why are the guides the men hire to lead their hunting expedition so strange? What exactly are they hunting, anyway? And what is the terrible secret one of the men is soon hiding?
This story seems to be about the collapse of the old ways and movement into an uncertain future, but it's difficult to be sure when so many questions are left unanswered. The cinematography and plotting are inspired, but the peculiarity of the film may make it unpalatable for all but the most dedicated of international art film fans.
Shows: 3/11 2:30 PM (Cam 12), 3/12 10:00 AM (Cam 12)
"The O Tapes" is not a film for the prudish. According to a recent study, approximately 43% of American women will experience difficulty reaching orgasm some time in their lives, and this film sets out to understand why. Unblushing interviews with women ranging from 18 to 85 years old cover sexual dysfunction, sex toys, kink, the good girl/bad girl dichotomy, and everything in between. The film approaches the touchy and difficult subject matter with a light touch, including humor with the science and letting the women speak for themselves.
Director Chris Arnold offers viewers a film that delves into the nature of female sexuality without being salacious or condemning. History, culture, science, and anecdote blend together to provide a fascinating overview of this complicated subject. Most importantly, the women are given the majority of the screen time and simply allowed to tell their stories, which are by turns shocking, hilarious, touching, and tragic. Students of feminism, culture, human sexuality, and any related subjects should definitely see this, and anyone who is a woman or who might want to have sex with a woman at some point probably should too -- though what they see might shock or surprise them.
Note: this film includes graphic images of both male and female reproductive organs and may be considered unsuitable for children under 16.
Shows: 3/03 12:00 PM (Cam 12), 3/07 9:15 PM (Cal), 3/09 5:00 PM (Cam 12)
"The Big Day" is a charming romantic comedy which is practically by-the-numbers. Set and made in Denmark, it shows that some tropes truly are the same everywhere. The title comes from the business Anne and her best friend Jesper run: it's a wedding planning service, and they're trying to get it off the ground. With the aid of flamboyant Lars, they are determined to make a go of it.
Anne and Jesper are better at dealing with other people's weddings than their own love lives. Jesper is the only homophobic gay man in Denmark, and has managed to drive his boyfriend away. Anne is engaged to her long-time boyfriend Steen, but he is boring and stiff, and while she knows that love takes work, she's starting to wonder if it should take this much work. Then she meets Anders, the cohost of a popular morning TV show. He's a prospective client, having gotten engaged to his cohost Signe, but for the two of them it's love at first sight. Anne knows she can't afford to steal Anders from his fiancee, since The Big Day desperately needs celebrity clients, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to deny her heart.
The lead actors offer lively performances with plenty of charm, and while the timing is difficult to evaluate unless one speaks Danish, overall the film is sure to please fans of romantic comedy.
Shows 3/02 4:45 PM (Rep), 3/05 9:15 PM (Rep)
For most of his life, Alan Lomax travelled everywhere he could, lugging bulky direct-to-vinyl equipment with him to collect the folk songs of the world. He was an archivist for the Library of Congress, a position he inherited from his father, who was also a songhunter. The Lomaxes were the first to make recordings of folk music, which later became something of a craze. Lomax was a hero to director Rogier Kappers, who wanted to interview him and make that the center of the documentary. Unfortunately, by the time Kappers could interview him, Lomax had suffered a stroke which left him unable to answer the questions Kappers wanted to ask him. So, Kappers and his crew set out to learn about Lomax by tracking down the people who had sung for him all those years ago. Many were already dead, but Kappers found some who were alive. It's amazing to watch as the old recordings are played back to the people who sang them.
This is a moving and fascinating portrait of a man who was driven to preserve a dying art form. Lomax made sacrifices to pursue his dream, and he left behind him thousands of recordings from all over the world. Anyone with an interest in folk music cannot afford to miss this film.
Shows: 3/09 7:00 PM (Cal); 3/10, 12:15 PM (Cam 12); 3/11 5:45 PM (Cam 12)
"The West Wittering Affair" is a strange and ultimately unsuccessful blend of comedy and drama. It skips back and forth through time as it tells the story of a weekend that changed the lives of all involved forever. There's Natasha and Kath, two women who have been best friends forever, but whose friendship is rocked when they both find themselves after Jamie, a young man who is unlucky in love. Greg, Natasha's ex, becomes involved when Jamie seeks him out after the weekend turns from bliss to misery for him.
Similar to "Closer" in feel but not quite as coherent, "The West Wittering Affair" veers between half-hearted comedy that holds back from pushing the envelope and somewhat contrived drama. It's difficult to explain why it doesn't quite gel, and it could be that the right viewer in the right frame of mind might enjoy it. This reviewer, however, found it simply not engaging. It's hard to care about characters who never quite commit to being realistic or over-the-top.