CineBlog

The Great Ghost Mountain Experiment

Past Screening

Marshall Smith, with concurrence of his wife, Tanya, determined the rat race wasn't worth the effort and decided to leave the craziness of society and live across the land like natives. They chose to settle on a remote mountain top and raise a family, in a way, a very radical alternative to struggling during the depression. Their extraordinary lifestyle took them from 1930 passed World War II. For 17 years the Smith family lived in a pseudo-native fashion. While living in self made adobe, Marshall still held a freelance writing job earning a little money which would go for necessities. Once a month he would take a trip off the mountain to Justin, the nearest town 14 miles away. He would pick up needed stuff and submit his writing.

The documentary tells of the Smith's challenge of raising three children, of making do with what's at hand, of the struggle inherent living in a waterless environment; life was tough, but something they chose to do.

Two sides rise up. One states that the self imposed exile into poverty was unnecessary and that Marshall put his family at risk for his own vanity. The other being one of praise for the willingness to be different, to escape from society demands, and be completely independent and self sufficient.

The film offers interviews from two of the three children (the third chose to separate himself from the fame of being a Smith Kid), family, friends, and town residents, all painting a piece of the picture of Marshall Smith. Was he a nutcase? Was he a visionary? You decide. He was a writer, a potter, a painter. He was adept at construction and survival. But was living in the mountains best for raising a family? Again, you decide. The documentary provides a balanced and even handed approach to keeping a family in the California desert.

The Sensation of Sight

Next Viewing:

March 10; 6:30 PM
California Theatre

March 11 12:30 PM
California Theatre

“The Sensation of Sight” is a delightfully smart independent faire that touches the soul on many levels. In a “Pay It Forward” sort of way, those fortunate enough to meet Finn, the gentle English teacher turned encyclopedia salesman, are enriched and elevated. David Strathairn is brilliant as Finn and offers a poignant portrayal of a man quietly seeking meaning to his life after a mind numbing tragedy. The tale is carried thoughtfully forward with intellect, poetry, and pithy insight.

As Finn, the surrounding folk struggle to cope with their own search for meaning. Even in the middle of his own pain Finn provides an inner strength and dignity, solace and encouragement along the way. Finn was every student’s favorite teacher. He engaged their minds until they wanted to know. And we want to know.

Flash backs show a time of joy and passion in his life, no longer evidenced. Finn holds himself responsibility for the death of a student feeling that just one word, the right word, could have made a difference in his life. His grieving and coping is now through the door to door selling of knowledge.

“The Sensation of Sight” is from the mind of first time writer/director Aaron Wiederspahn, and displays a maturity of film making and story telling that usually comes with experience. The ensemble is solid, the dialog punctuated with intelligence and hard won wisdom, and the audience is led to a place where they can possibly deal with their struggles.

Viewing this film you can walk away touched by feelings, motivated toward compassion, engaged to face fears...a tall order, but well within range of this film. The prodution was filmmed in 18 days, in Indie fashion. While stricken with the typical Indie nuance of long pauses for thought and reflection, “The Sensation of Sight” carries tremendous audience appeal. Go see this warm fuzzy charmer.

We Shall Overcome

Next Viewing:

March 10; 7:00pm
Camera 12

March 11; 2:15pm
Camera 12

We Shall Over Come
Danish with English subtitles

I'm a sucker for the underdog, I really am. I root for the down trodden and yell encouragement to those pushing against unfair systems. We Shall Overcome fits my likes nicely. Director Niels Arden Oplev takes the strength of a true story and spins an inspiring tale so all of us can be ennobled.

Frits is 13. He doesn’t fit in. Not just for being awkward and from a lower economic strata, but in peer mindset. He's a self thinker. He thinks differently. He thinks deeper. And in this case, not fitting in is a good thing. Frits is in secondary school overseen by a headmaster who must think he’s in charge of national defense. Everything is his way; the slightest infraction pounced on with force and deliberate intention.

One summer, with his father ill and with income waning, his family receives a used television, their only source of entertainment. No trips to other countries. No, but the daily journey's throughout the world were a treat! Frits is exposed to the 1960s, his education consists of the tumultuous time of change and growth and social rights, especially in the United States. He watches the civil rights movement and is inspired by the wisdom of Martin Luther King Jr.'s orations. That inspiration emboldens him to face down his peers, and more importantly, to challenge the unreasonable and tyrannical authority of his school - the headmaster. There is a cost that he's willing to pay.

When Frits begins a new school and steps outside the social lines established by others, he's branded a trouble maker. His hair length is Beatle-ish and therefore, wrong. A mistake trips the lad into the girl’s locker room after which the headmaster's rage is out of proportion and sends Frits to the hospital.

A free-thinking teacher, Freddie (Berthelsen) takes Frits under his wing and helps him and his family face the power of an unmovable administration. The Headmaster has a history of uncontrolled violence and needs to be taken down. But his standing in the community is high (though his actions are so very low) and finding justice will be difficult.

Rathke performs nicely as Fritz, with an intelligent level of youthful concern and combat. The conclusion to the Headmaster’s story may not fit our form of justice, but the story of Frits provides us with an inspiration not to accept second rate behavior, especially to ourselves. “We Shall Overcome” offers inspiration and strength for us all. Many have had to stand up for their rights, facing down strong opposition. So does Frits. And so do we at times. In the end he wins over hardship and so must we. The film can be a bit ragged here and there, but overall, "We Shall Overcome" is quite a pleasant film.

4U

Screening schedule complete

I received the screener to a quirky short, 4U. This is a disturbing little short directed by Ehren Koepf piled amongst a pack of other shorts of the Mindbenders genre. These visual mini-tomes are designed to get under the skin and 4U succeeds. An isolated man living in a secluded mountain shack is seen crossing names off a list. One by one, he scratches out a name in concert with his holding a shovel and dragging a body. And he's not done with the list. Darkly filmed and darkly played, 4U offers more than the suggestion of evil; it’s a skin crawler of modest note.

Celluloid#1

Next Viewing:

March 9, Friday; 7:00pm
Camera 12

March 10, Saturday; 9:00pm
Camera 12

March 11, Sunday; 4:45pm
Camera 12

Celluloid #1 is an intellectual curiosity, a noir journey into the murky make-believe land of has-beens. Directed by Steve Staso and written by Keith Bunker, “Celluloid #1” comes across as intended, underground faire.

An aging filmmaker finds himself out of the limelight and reduced to working with worn out red carpet denizens who also seek to rejoin the illuminated. His new project is to expose the unglamorous world of glamour and stumbling into his world is a past-her-prime starlet and her intense manager, both bent on recapturing their past glory. From the beginning the creative relationship is cautious to confrontational.

Dark, in topic and attitude, the film embraces the noir factor, but does so by propelling the film forward sluggishly. The film bops back and forth between shadowy discussion and on camera assignment, conversation and action. Motion starts and stops.

Celluloid #1 won’t be everyone’s faire. I’m not moved by cerebral angst and emotional poverty. Yet, I believe this film will find an audience.

Who Loves The Sun

"Who Loves the Sun" is a cheerless movie of broken relationships and broken hearts. Will, Maggie, and Daniel were best friends. Will and Maggie marry. Will finds Daniel and Maggie in bed. Will disappears for five years. What follows is a reunion of sorts that breaks and rebinds the friends. Do the wounds heal over? Not quite sure.

The trio ends up at the lake cabin with the Blooms, the hosting mature couple providing stability. The boys meet and fight. The girl interposes herself between the feuding duo and tries to restore the past friendship.

While married to Will (Lucas Haas), Maggie (Molly Parker) has an affair with Daniel (Adam Scott). She then takes the high road playing victim to Will’s anger and frustration. Daniel has a matter ’o fact take on things and doesn’t understand the big deal. Will is hurt and disillusioned and strikes out at both. When Maggie reads a script Will had written and dedicated to her she succumbs to her memories and warms up to her Ex. Ultimately, needing her own world, Maggie leaves Will and Daniel to rekindle their friendship, to get over the mistake of the affair and to go forward.

The acting is fine and the engagement between the three leads is nice. The cinematography is wonderful, hard to miss with such breathtaking lake views. The film bogs and moves too slowly, almost mechanically, and yet feels a bit loose. Hard to explain. While the setting is wonderful, not so the plot. The film takes much too long to resolve the love triangle problem. The audience is ahead of the script with nothing to hold on to. We get the triangle, no sweat. What else can we chew on lest the mind wander. “Who Loves the Sun” is not an action film but certainly the tempo could have been amped up, even a tad, without damaging the final presentation.

Go and enjoy the acting and the scenery of "Who Loves the Sun". Especially the scenery.

Maskot

Next Viewing:

Friday, March 9; 1:30pm
Camera 12

Sunday, March 11; 11:30am
Camera 12

Indonesian with English Subtitles

Maskot is a simple story about having, losing, and finding the company's good luck mascot, a chicken. A special chicken. Control of the company, a manufacturer of a popular soy sauce, is passed from Grandfather, to son, then to grandson. After the illness of the father and the death of the mascot, it falls to the son to maintain and keep the company going, and that includes finding another chicken. A special chicken.

The long time friend of the owners and managing director wants control of the company. So he seeks to sabotage the efforts of the son on his journey to find the mascot. The son tries to honor the family request and with the help of a guiding mystic, goes in search of the prized poultry in unknown places. Adding to his troubles, he must return before the time allowed by the managing board runs out.

Filming is often too dark (lighting, not dimension) and the characters get lost in its shadows. Lost, too, was an opportunity to highlight some of the beauty of the land. The son on his quest, offered a resoned performance while surounded by stereotypes. This is a tale about good versus evil, and in the end, good wins. Overall, a nice enough film.

Military intelligence and You

Next Viewing:

Friday, March 9; 9:30pm
San Jose Repertory

Sunday, March 11; 2:00pm
Camera 12

"Military Intelligence and You" is a delightful tongue-in-cheek peek at the WWII movie genre, a funny poke at military intelligence (some think that an oxymoron). Built in the tradition of military information documentaries, "MI and You" seamlessly melds modern filming with vintage takes from actual combat and old time films (including Ronald Reagan, William Holden, and Alan Ladd) to present the tale.

The story revolves around Hollywood caricatures; incompetent, hard hearted, and deceptive military government types (both good and evil). The Allies are taking a beating from aircraft from a secret airbase.Find the base before the next all-out attack or major losses will be the result.

The set is an exaggerated facsimile of every command war room highlighted in every war film. The dialog is filled with clichés, impractical statements, and simple goofiness, but the result is a fun screen outing. "Military intelligence and You" is campy, unserious, and unpretentious. This is a well done bit of flippancy.

Shoot Down

Next Viewing:

Friday, March 9; 1:45pm
Camera 12

Director Cristina Khuly comes to the topic of goverment/individual confrontation with sad but top credentials. On February 24, 1993, two civilian aircraft engaged in offering humanitary aid to cuban refugees crossing the Florida Straits were downed by the Cuban military. On board one of the two aricraft shot down was Khuly's uncle. She wanted to find the truth and she wanted to present the truth. Shoot Down is the result.

Khuly's documentary is a balanced and centered presentation that could have been based on emotion. It would be easy to be polerized, to take a side. But Khuly weaves through government posturing and positions, denials and reciminations and brings to the screen a believable story, pieced together from actual voice recordings of the pilots (civilian and military) , plus interviews with involved friends, family, and members of governments. Answers to the many questions raised are covered or at least strongly suggested. "Shoot Down" is a very good documentary.

Monster Camp

Next Viewing:

Saturday, March 10; 1:15pm
Camera 12

Monster camp is a documentary, a film that captured the thoughts and ideas of a growing group of game players engaged in fantasy live action role-playing through characters of their own devising. The Dungeon and Dragon denizens have moved from isolated keyboards and screens to open fields and outdoor parks. Be a hero or villian, a PC or Monster, simply be who you wish to be. While the film highlights real people engaged in fantasy fun, I missed the point. Was it selling the value of fantasy life action play or was it to humanize the computer-phile? Not sure. However, what was presented was pleasantly paced, good videography with interesting up close personal insights that provided some understanding into the mind of a gamer. Monster Camp may not be a 10, but it was entertaining.

Outsourced

Next showing:

March 8; 7:00pm
Camera 12

“Outsourced” is a feel good movie that captures the viewer’s heart and takes it on a sweet and charming journey. Director John Jeffcoat moves his first feature smartly through the mire of Global Economic realities, past the struggle of male/female romance, inserting major cultural differences, and tells a humorous tale without missing a beat. “Outsourced” is an elegantly thought out and presented feature that explores business-based cultural differences while young hearts do what young hearts do.

Todd is an American manager of a sales department selling catalog goods. With no warning, his management decides to outsource all jobs that are phone and internet related to India. It’s a reality for many. Jobs once thought safe due to skill and seniority are now going where the cost of performance is much less but without compromise of quality. If Todd is to keep his stock options and possible financial future in order, he must go to India and train his replacement.

With American arrogance, Todd steps all over Indian culture as he attempts to train his new employees while explaining the value of the less than practical things being sold by the company. Just try explaining a hotdog and bun toaster to a strict vegetarian who holds reverence toward the bovine. Todd quickly finds himself over his head. Asha, a beautiful employee comes to his aid and leads him through a journey of self discovery and cultural understanding.

Josh Hamilton plays Todd quite nicely. He’s uncomplicated and easily understood. We accept his role as the bad guy in Seattle and as the good guy in India. And we root for him to grow and change. Co-starring is Ayesha Dharker, as Asha, a delightful and charming gal whose face beams brightly when she smiles. Hamilton and Dharker share a chemistry on screen that could be felt in the seats.

“Outsourced” is not a documentary about the practice of outsourcing. That’s a given. It’s a reality. “Outsourced” is about learning from one another, accepting one another, and enjoying the trip along the way. Filmed completely in India, but for 2 days in Seattle, the background scenes were captivating and inspiring as well as eye opening. This was a delightfully presented film that I wanted to continue going. "Outsourced" is fast becoming a festival favorite. If you get the chance, “Outsourced” is a film worth seeing.

Namesake

The Opening Night show and bash

The San Jose Film festival continues to offer the exciting and dynamic screen offerings from around the world and
Namesake, a relationship bittersweet drama directed by Mira Nair, was a delighul choice to open Cinequest.

Namesake blends the difference between America and India, between Calcutta and New York, between young hearts living in a bicultural world. Namesake is an engaging story embracing family tradition and expectation that clashes with American individualism and expediency.

Set in the 70s, after an arranged marriage, Ashoke and Ashima (played by Bollywood actors Tabu and Irfan Khan) move to New york from Calcutta and raise a family. While husband Ashoke copes, wife Ashima struggles pretty much with everything about her new country. That angst is picked up by their son, Gogol, who tries to fit in, tries hard not to be different. When he loses perspective of past and heritage, it’s brought back to him when he learns the truth behind his being named Gogol.

Nair captures life on both sides of the globe and the struggle between self determination and family expectation are excited. Tradition, playing an important role, ultimately overcomes the strong pull of American freedom and returns Gogol to accept his life and legacy. “Namesake” is an outstanding example of intelligent filmmaking and storytelling.

Urban Explorers: Into the Darkness

3/3 7:00 PM Camera 12, 03/04 4:45 pm Camera 12, 3/9 11:30 AM Camera 12

This documentary is a fascinating look at the world of the urban explorer: sneaking into sewers, climbing down into abandoned buildings, poking around in ruined hospitals. From small group explorations in Iowa to a large urban exploring conference in Glasgow, Scotland, "Urban Explorers" shows us the ups and downs of this strange passtime. There are the thrills of seeing views and locations few people ever see anymore but there are also the fears of being arrested, suspected of terrorism, or even dying in an accident while exploring. This is a film not to be missed by anybody who has even a glimmer of interest in the subject.

Maverick Spirit Event: Minnie Driver

The Maverick Spirit Award is the Cinequest film festival's highest honor. Recent past recipients have included William H. Macy, Edward James Olmos, Sir Ben Kingsley, Jon Polito, and Sir Ian McKellan. On Saturday, March 3, actress Minnie Driver joined their ranks, accepting the Maverick Spirit Award after a discussion of her works with Cinequest co-founder Kathleen J. Powell and a question-and-answer session with the audience.

Driver discussed her career and her approach to acting in the hourlong interview. Her past film credits have included a wide variety of films. Asked which she likes better, comedy or drama, Driver says, "Oh, its like choosing between your kids; I love them both." She has also done quite a bit of voice acting, which she says is "a rare discipline...I think it's good for actors, it hones you."

In 1998, Driver was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in "Good Will Hunting." Even though she didn't win, she said the experience of being nominated was a "big jolt," and added, "It shouldn't be that way, but people take you more seriously. ... It can turn your head for a bit." The hardest part to deal with was the intense media scrutiny and thorough coverage of her life. "It's so subjective, but people take it seriously," she said.

Driver works for women's rights with Oxfam, and her efforts have crossed over into her work as well. She did the film "The Virgin of Juarez," a fictional account of the hundreds of women kidnapped and murdered near the Mexico/US border as an outgrowth of her work for women's rights. She hopes that the film will make more people aware of the crimes.

When it comes to acting, Driver says you can learn from your surroundings: "if you pay attention and keep your eyes and ears open, everything will teach you," including crew, extras, director, and fellow actors. "You take bits from everybody." She also emphasized the need not to "take yourself too seriously," saying actors must bring "your imagination and your willingness to look stupid" to their roles. She said that the most important thing she's learned is not to worry about the final product or what people think, just the process of acting: "stay in the doing of it, and out of the result."

"I don't have a method, really," she concluded. "My method is just to love the character."

Monster Camp

3/3 9:30 PM San Jose Repertory Theatre, 3/4/2007 6:15 PM Camera 12, 3/10 1:15 PM Camera 12

Take a trip into a foreign land: NERO Seattle, a monthly event where hardcore gamers converge on a public park and engage in live-action role playing for 48 hours straight. It's like World of Warcraft brought to life as player characters ("the good guys") and non-player characters ("the bad guys") square off and fight each other with mock weapons to see whether the good guys can save the world. "Monster Camp" takes you inside the tight-knit group of gamers during one of the biggest events of the year, and shows both the triumph and the hardship of staging such a huge event every month. This is a fascinating look into a subculture that even some geeks regard as a little too geeky for them.

Trained in the Ways of Men

3/10 7:45 PM San Jose Repertory Theatre, 3/11 4:45 PM San Jose Repertory Theatre

In October of 2002, a group of young men and women socializing in an abandoned house discovered that one of the attractive young girls they'd been hanging out and fooling around with was biologically male. The men in the group became outraged and beat and strangled the girl to death. Her name was Gwen Araujo, and the case made headlines across the nation. Director Shelly Prevost has gathered interviews from Gwen's family, experts on transgender issues, lawyers on both sides of the murder trial, and folks on the street to examine not only the events and the trial of Gwen's murderers but the implications of the murder and the way our culture views gender. What does it mean to be a man? What does it mean to be a woman? How do we behave when our expectations are challenged?

This important film is of particular interest to Bay Area residents, as the murder took place in Newark, just a little ways up the freeway from the screenings here at Cinequest.

Hitler Meets Christ

3/02 7:15 pm Camera 12, 3/4 7:15 PM Camera 12, 3/8 11:00 AM Camera 12

Brendan Keown, the director who brought us Dark Arc at Cinequest 15 is back, with an adaptation of Michael Moriarty's controversial New York play, "Hitler Meets Christ at the Port Authority Bus Terminal." The film is pretty much what you might expect: filmed on hand-held cameras in black and white, it shows us the meeting between two derelicts, one of whom believes he is Hitler, and one of whom believes he is Christ. Set on Vancouver's seedy side, the discussion rambles over various topics just as the characters ramble over the terrain.

Although this is not nearly as pretentious as "Dark Arc," it comes close. There are moments when the script shines and the scene is intriguing, but many of the scenes are arty and philosophical for their own sake rather than making a new and interesting point, and the music often borders on ham-fisted rather than supporting the images and sounds already on the screen. This is a film for lovers of philosophy, maybe, or film students looking for an example of what not to do.

Short Films Program 3: Escape

03/02 9:30 pm Camera 12, 3/4 11:30 AM Camera 12, 03/09 4:45 pm Camera 12

This collection of short films is clustered around the idea of escape: either literal escape or figurative. Some of the films are darkly funny, like "Bitch," which chronicles the love story between the titular angry female and an equally angry male (whose character name is unprintable in a family paper). Others are touching and sad, like "Ten to Two," the story of a driving instructor who learns a terrible life lesson at the end of a long, boring day of teaching. Not all of the films will suit all viewers, but that is an advantage of a short films collection: even if you don't like one or two of the featured pieces, they are only a few minutes long.

Holes in my Shoes

3/7 9:15 PM Camera 12, 03/08 6:45 pm Camera 12, 3/9 4:00 PM San Jose Repertory Theatre

Jack Beers has had an astonishing life, but most people have never heard of him. This hardy nonagenarian was born into severe poverty in Manhattan, found work as a strongman in his teens and was known as New York City's Strongest Boy, helped build Radio City Music Hall and the Empire State Building spire, invented a machine that shortened the second world war, and was a character actor in over 200 films. At the age of 94 he could still rip a phone book in half the hard way with his bare hands, in spite of having just barely survived congestive heart failure in his eighties. This documentary takes us on a tour through Jack's life, guided by the old fellow himself. He has the chipper attitude and lifestyle of someone half his age, and tells his stories with enthusiasm. This is a film lovers of cinema, New York, and history must not miss.