CineBlog

Cinequest on the Horizon

Information and full schedule: www.cinequest.org

For tickets, call (408) 295-FEST or visit the website.

Ticket Prices: Students $5 General $9.50
Passes:
Film Lovers Pass $125
Film & Forums Pass $135
Premier Pass $195
Elite Pass $500
Express Line Pass (add-on) $100

Cinequest 17 is coming soon: February 28 through March 11, 2007, downtown San Jose will be packed with filmmakers and film lovers from all over the world. The maverick-oriented film festival is packed with exciting events and films from over 30 countries, many of which are being shown here for the first time.

Cinequest is held in downtown San Jose at a collection of venues within walking distance of each other. Films will be shown at the California Theater, Camera 12 Cinemas, and San Jose Repertory Theater. The festival organizers have made arrangements for plenty of parking and even parking validation at some lots. There are also several hotels close by for out-of-towners and plenty of restaurants as well. Last year, over 67,000 people attended the festival and had an impact of $3.75 million on the city.

The Maverick Spirit Events at Cinequest each year are very popular, and this year looks like it will be no exception. Director Christine Vachon ("Boys Don't Cry," "Kids") will discuss her films and accept a Maverick Spirit Award on Friday, March 2. Acclaimed actress Minnie Driver will discuss her career and be presented with a Maverick Spirit Award on Saturday March 3. Filmmaker and musician Stewart Copeland will discuss his work after a screening of his film "Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out" as part of Cinequest's Day of Sight And Sound on Saturday, March 3.

The Day of Sight and Sound is part of Cinequest's series of forums on every aspect of film production. Friday March 2 is the Day of Distribution, Saturday March 3 is the Day of Sight and Sound, Friday March 9 is the Day of the Writer, and Saturday March 10 is the Day of the Producer. Each collection of forums will feature experts on each topic and an opportunity for both experienced and new filmmakers to learn about the art and craft of film.

Although most of the films shown at Cinequest are chosen by a panel, this year several films are being chosen by viewers in the Viewer's Voice competition. Cinequest Online offers film lovers a chance to watch the films competing for the last few coveted spots at the festival and vote on which ones should be selected. The films are available for free download at www.cinequestonline.org.

Cinequest is moving into year-round distribution with both the Viewer's Voice competition at Cinequest Online and with Cinequest Distribution, where film lovers can find DVDs of films from past Cinequest festivals. Both features and short films are available, and many can be watched directly on the website if you don't want to wait for a DVD to be delivered.

As usual, Ealasaid Haas and Fred Crow will be reviewing as many films as they possibly can at Cinequest, starting very soon. Watch this space or visit their on line Cinequest headquarters at www.ealasaid.com/cineblog/ for their reviews.

Short Films Program 4: Animated World

3/8 4:30 PM Camera 12, 3/10 4:15 PM Camera 12, 3/11 11:15 AM Camera 12

Digital technology has advanced so dramatically over the last few years that almost anyone can make a beautifully-rendered CGI animation film at home. The technology is being used beautifully by filmmakers, as this long collection of thirteen short films demonstrates. It also includes shadow puppetry and stop-motion, with a little computer graphics used to help out here and there.

Some of the stories are charming and sweet, like "One Rat Short," about love at first sight between a wild rat and a lab rat; some are creepy, like "Loom," which shows us how a strange weaver gets her materials; a few are comically surreal, like "13 Ways to Die At Home," in which we are warned against burnt toast and clowns, among other things. Not all of the shorts included here will please everyone -- several are very peculiar and will likely appeal more to film students and art fanciers -- but there is something for just about everyone.

Short Films Program 2: Ties and Expectations

3/1/2007 6:15 PM Camera 12, 3/3/2007 4:15 PM Camera 12, 3/8/2007 2:00 PM Camera 12

This collection of short films examines the ties that bind people together -- family relations, common experiences, love, and the recognition of mutual understanding. Some are bleakly comic, like "Carmichael and Shane," in which a single father of twins explains that he has decided to favor one dramatically over the other to ensure that at least one of the two boys will be a success. Others, like "Kubuku Rides (This is It)" are moving and sad -- it tells the story of a family being torn apart by alcoholism from the point of view of a little boy. One, "Love Seat," is a strange sort of love story in which two outsiders find themselves with mutually compatable fetishes. Overall, this is a lovely collection of well-put-together short films and is well worth watching.

Super Amigos

3/9/2007 7:15 PM Camera 12, 3/10/2007 11:00 AM Camera 12, 3/11/2007 1:45 PM Camera 12

Mexico's Lucha Libre wrestlers are larger than life figures, their colorful costumes and masks setting them apart from the regular populace. Five men have taken advantage of this and created Lucha Libre personas that tie in with their social activism. This documentary explains the origins and describes the activites of: Super Animal, who protests bullfights and works for animal rights; Ecologista Universal, who fights against the pollution rampant in Mexico; Super Barrio, a tenants' rights activist; Fray Tormenta, a priest who inspired the film "Nacho Libre" and uses his winnings from wrestling to fund orphanages; and Super Gay, who leads gay pride marches and counsels victims of homophobia.

"Super Amigos" feels almost like a mockumentary -- its camerawork is very polished and there were obviously several camera teams working together and the animation used to show events in the past is excellent. Plus, of course, to most Americans, Lucha Libre wrestlers don't seem like the most likely social activists. The five wrestlers profiled here, however, most certainly are real and very serious about their causes.

Making it Right

One showing only! 3/7 7:15 PM San Jose Repertory Theatre

Reality TV seems to be all about making people look terrible. With a few exceptions, reality shows involve cutthroat competition, stunts and gut-churning challenges, as many incidents of bad behavior as possible, and big money prizes for the winners. "Making it Right" is an example of the exact opposite sort of reality show: one where the college student contestants compete to complete social activism challenges, and the winners get scholarships. Moreover, the crew are also college students, and learning about how to create a reality show from behind the camera.

The pacing and camerawork are uneven, which is unsurprising given that it's basically a student- and committee-created project. Furthermore, the presentations the groups of contestants give are glossed over so that we don't get to see much of the results of their hard work. This is an enticing look at what reality TV could be, but the film does not live up to its promise.

Shorts Program 1: Mirror, Mirror

This collection of shorts ranges from the absurd to the sublime. There is a dialog-free piece following a woman in a museum as she is touched by the exhibits and finds one that is out of the ordinary. Another tells the story of a little girl who is exceptionally pragmatic. Some are at once silly and wise, like "Skin Heads," a parable about human kindness in the guise of a silly piece featuring a kindly old woman and her son in a house surrounded by local skinheads. This is a lovely, peculiar collection sure to provoke thought and discussion.

Blood Car

3/02 10:30 pm San Jose Repertory Theatre, 3/04 8:30 pm, Camera 12 3/10 1:30 pm Camera 12

It's a little bit in the future, just a few weeks. Gas is over $30 a gallon, and nobody bothers driving anymore. But sweet, vegan Archie Andrews has an idea: a car that runs on wheatgrass. But then one night, he discovers through an accident that his would-be wheatgrass engine won't run on wheatgrass alone: it needs human blood. Soon his car is running smoothly and he's attracting the attention of both the ladies and the government.

This surreal romp is something of a cross between a horror movie and a satire about just how far people will go to keep their cars running. It's a little on the rough side, but for a first-time director it is a solid, entertaining hour and a half. Provided you're into movies with plenty of silly, cheap-special-effects violence, at least.

Out of Balance

3/3 1:30 PM Camera 12, 3/4 6:45 PM Camera 12, 3/7 2:30 PM Camera 12.

Global climate change is hardly a new subject for documentaries, but "Out of Balance" takes a new tack on it: what is effects are ExxonMobil, the gigantic oil company, having on global warming? Filmmaker Tom Jackson points an accusing finger at the company with this expose of its attempts to prevent the move away from using oil. ExxonMobil is the largest company in the world, and it uses its influence to shape policy in its favor.

Cynics in the audience will not find anything new here except specific facts - preaching to the choir, as they say. But those who don't know about ExxonMobil's shaping of White House environmental policy or the terrible mishandling of the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska will find their eyes opened.

Celluloid #1

3/09 7:00 pm Camera 12, 3/10 9:00 PM Camera 12, 3/11 4:45 PM Camera 12

This peculiar, smouldering film grows layers upon layers as we watch it. Half the story of a director's attempted comeback and half an expose of America's cult of celebrity, this fictional account pushes the envelope without losing its veracity.

Clayton Beaubien (Steve Buckley) is a director who has fallen from his cult celebrity status following his brilliant first film into trolling the red carpet of celebrity. In an attempt to resurrect his career, he sets about making a piece exploring the idea of "soft celebrity," and invites star Caprice Geoffries (Julie Atlas Muz) to be his first subject. She is a classic American celebrity: dependent on substances, out of control, made beautiful and goddesslike by a makeup and hair team and her dedicated publicist. She submits to Clayton's questions even as they become increasingly personal, and allows him to film her gradual unravelling. There are homages here to everything from Warhol-era experimental film to blaxploitation flicks to Paris Hilton's escapades. This strange film lingers in the mind long after it flickers to a close, and is well worth seeing if you have any philosophical interest in the nature of truth and art.

Long Pigs

3/9 10:00 PM Camera 12, 3/10 11:59 PM Camera 12

"Long Pigs" is a strange film. It feels like it's supposed to be a black comedy, but it isn't quite funny enough. Possibly because your humble reviewer is terribly, terribly cynical. A mockumentary, it tells the story of two young filmmakers who follow a cannibalistic serial killer as he goes about his business. Intercut are interviews with a liberal police psychologist and a conservative detective, who each offer their takes on serial killers. it's interesting, sure - especially from a special effects standpoint. The dummies used for the long how-to shots as the killer dissects the corpses for their meat are fantastic, provided you have a strong stomach.

There is an uneasy reality to the film - I suspect the filmmakers were going for the over-the-top kind of humor present in Sean of the Dead's final reel, where we see how the living dead are integrated into daily life. However, they didn't quite push the envelope far enough and the final act is predictable enough that I was itching for it to wrap up so we could all go home.

The Curiousity of Chance

Screenings: 3/08 4:00 PM at San Jose Repertory Theatre, 3/10 9:30 PM at Camera 12, 3/11 11:30 AMat Camera 12.

The time: the eighties. The place: an international school somewhere in Europe. The star: young Chance Marque (Tad Hilgenbrinck), who is openly gay. Amid the legwarmers and shoulderpads that pass, he strides boldly into his first day at his fourth school in four years in a top hat and tails, twirling a cane, and immediately makes enemies of the thuggish jock clique. Chance uses his dry wit to avoid fights but the jocks really have it in for him, as does the terrifying vice principal. This has all the elements of a standard eighties high school movie, but with the added twist of a wonderful, sympathetic gay main character.

"The Curiousity of Chance" is not a perfect film, by any means. There are occasional overuses of slow motion and times when scenes don't quite gel, but the overall story is charming, and Hilgenbrinck gives an excellent performance. This one is well worth seeing if the story appeals to you.

Cinequest on the Horizon

Cinequest 17 is coming soon: February 28 through March 11, 2007, downtown San Jose will be packed with filmmakers and film lovers from all over the world. The maverick-oriented film festival is packed with exciting events and films from over 30 countries, many of which are being shown here for the first time.

Cinequest is held in downtown San Jose at a collection of venues within walking distance of each other. Films will be shown at the California Theater, Camera 12 Cinemas, and San Jose Repertory Theater. The festival organizers have made arrangements for plenty of parking and even parking validation at some lots. There are also several hotels close by for out-of-towners and plenty of restaurants as well. Last year, over 67,000 people attended the festival and had an impact of $3.75 million on the city.

The Maverick Spirit Events at Cinequest each year are very popular, and this year looks like it will be no exception. Director Christine Vachon ("Boys Don't Cry," "Kids") will discuss her films and accept a Maverick Spirit Award on Friday, March 2. Acclaimed actress Minnie Driver will discuss her career and be presented with a Maverick Spirit Award on Saturday March 3. Filmmaker and musician Stewart Copeland will discuss his work after a screening of his film "Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out" as part of Cinequest's Day of Sight And Sound on Saturday, March 3.

The Day of Sight and Sound is part of Cinequest's series of forums on every aspect of film production. Friday March 2 is the Day of Distribution, Saturday March 3 is the Day of Sight and Sound, Friday March 9 is the Day of the Writer, and Saturday March 10 is the Day of the Producer. Each collection of forums will feature experts on each topic and an opportunity for both experienced and new filmmakers to learn about the art and craft of film.

Although most of the films shown at Cinequest are chosen by a panel, this year several films are being chosen by viewers in the Viewer's Voice competition. Cinequest Online offers film lovers a chance to watch the films competing for the last few coveted spots at the festival and vote on which ones should be selected. The films are available for free download at www.cinequestonline.org.

Cinequest is moving into year-round distribution with both the Viewer's Voice competition at Cinequest Online and with Cinequest Distribution, where film lovers can find DVDs of films from past Cinequest festivals. Both features and short films are available, and many can be watched directly on the website if you don't want to wait for a DVD to be delivered.

As usual, Ealasaid Haas and Fred Crow will be reviewing as many films as they possibly can at Cinequest, starting very soon. Watch this space or visit their on line Cinequest headquarters at www.ealasaid.com/cineblog/ for their reviews.