VIFF: an overview

due to work and film stuff, i watched fewer films than i had hoped but i'm still really happy with those that i was able to catch.

# of films watched = 9
# of walk outs = 1

best film
The White Meadows

worst film
Fortune Teller


overall, i thought this was a strong year for VIFF. sure, there are always a significant number of films that don't seem to make it here from TIFF or Cannes but then there are tons of films that premiere here at VIFF and don't make it to TIFF or Cannes. i'm okay with the odds i have with VIFF and had a fabulous time this year.

VIFF: Nostalgia for the Light

rating: 4/5
country: chile
type: documentary

loved:
- how the film compared the similarities between astronomers and the chilean women who continue to look for their relatives who were 'the disappeared' as those who look to the past to understand who they are and where they come from
- the courage of these women who keep going back to the desert to look for mass graves.
- this was a cinematic looking film.

didn't love:
- there was some hippie stardust overlay affect that they applied when the women and the telescopes come together in the last part of the documentary

blurbie:
i loved the educational nature of this documentary. it introduced to me a topic that i knew little about, those that disappeared during the pinochet years. dispite my whine about the stardust overlay, this film was gorgeous from the computer generated universe fly-through to the shots of the telescopes in the middle of the most arid region on earth.

VIFF: Winter Vacation

rating: 4.5/5
country: china
type: narrative fiction

loved:
- the dry humor ala Jim Jarmusch
- conversations were slow paced
- old boring grandpa + active grandchild = hilarity
- teens who say: let's not be too hasty with this disagreement. let's sit down and properly disagree... or something like that

didn't love:
- the pacing was definitely of the SLOW variety but some scenes felt overly slow as if the director stretched applied the extra slow plug-in

blurbie:
it was really neat to see the application of a Jarmusch dry humour film be applied to a rural chinese (siberia, it looks like?) outpost. watching chinese life receive this treatment was a treat!

VIFF: The Woodmans

rating: 2/5 **yes, i changed the rating system! i wasn't pleased with how it was working for me**
country: united states
type: documentary

loved:
- being able to see the daughter's body of photography work and even some of her video projects
- seeing the mother's passion for ceramic art stretch thoroughout her entire life

didn't love:
- i thought the editing made the film feel too long.
- watching someone cry over the death of someone felt a little manipulative; death is sad and we don't need to see someone cry to drive home that fact.

blurbie:
i generally find artists very interesting and was inspired by an entire family that seemed to fully embrace making art as a serious commitment. however the editing felt a little undisciplined which made the movie just ok for me.

VIFF: Tiger Factory

rating: 3/5
country: malaysia
type: drama

loved:
- that it was a film by young, new filmmakers
- that they didn't care that the story was super depressing

didn't love:
- the jittery camera got tiring after a while. what's wrong with a steadicam, i ask!
- i've seen many super depressing asian films and felt that Tiger Factory wasn't offering anything new in this genre.

blurbie:
i kinda thought this was a less cinematic and less layered malaysian version of The White Meadows.

VIFF: Himalaya, A Path To The Sky

rating: 3/5
country: France
type: documentary

loved:
- having the opportunity to glimpse into the rhythm of life in a Buddhist monastery in the Himalaya
- the interplay between the female documentary filmmaker (who spoke their language) and the monks who were all men.

didn't love:
- there were a number of moments when the documentary filmmaker asked leading questions rather than open-ended questions.
- i thought the editing didn't allow us to really get to know the child monk with the old soul. there were small fragments here and there but i wonder if she wasn't given the type of access to allow that.

blurbie:
the main subject is an 8 yr old boy who, at the age of 3, kept asking to go back to the monastery because he left behind his prayer books. we see him attending philosophy classes, starting a fire using wood and playing with his fellow child monks. we even see him visiting his family. although i felt the film didn't go deep enough into this child's life there was definitely a happy devotion that exuded from him and all the other monks.

here's an excerpt i found on youtube

VIFF: The Fourth Portrait

rating: 4/5
country: taiwan
type: dramatic narrative

loved:
- the acting. the stepdad's scariness was subtle but overwelming. the scene where the mom talks about when her son went missing was brilliant. the funny elderly janitor and the small time crook were also perfectly toned.
- the cinematography was excellent except for the overall colour palette.
- where the story started and where the story ended.
- the baby that never cried. why did we always see the dad caring for the baby and never saw the mom holding the baby?
- lots of great tracking shots

didn't love:
- i found the soundtrack lacking. the music was either too strong for the scene or i kept wondering if the filmmakers actually received permission to use a song that should be quite expensive.
- excessive use of the yellow/green colour palette.
- i thought the brutal and the comedic parts could have been better balanced or better transitioned into each other

blubie:
this film was just excellent. i really lost myself in the story about a boy who's dad dies and he ends up with his mom (who is a prostitute at a brothel) and a sociopath stepdad. the time the boy spends with the school janitor and the not very aggressive thug was the comedic relief that helped us deal with the scary and stressful other parts.

VIFF: The White Meadows

rating: 5/5
country: Iran
type: dramatic narrative

loved:
- cinematography
- the mysterious man who collected tears
- the blinding white salt islands juxtaposed with the black attire of the inhabitants
- characters speaking their sorrows into a glass jar then sealing them up

didn't love:
- i didn't find the main character (mr. tear collector) to be very good. or maybe i'm missing the point. this is a very political film so i could be wrong about this.
- mr. tear collector's poor rowing technique

blurbie:
walking out the theatre, a man announced that: "this is arguably the worst movie i've ever seen." i had the entirely opposite reaction to this film. from the stark white salt islands to the floating bowls of fire, i was mesmerized. altho i had no understanding of this film's political commentary, the concepts of oppression were quite clear. amazing.

VIFF: Fortune Teller

rating: 1/5 - i walked out after 30 mins
country: China
type: documentary

loved:
- nothing


didn't love:
- shot on video, in 3x4!
- bad editing. this did not need to be a 3 hour film.
- how the subjects were filmed and came across


blurbie:
i should have taken the caution in the film guide that this film was by "one of the most controversial documentary filmmakers working in China today". a documentary about the fringes of chinese society shouldn't be glammed up but the first 30 minutes that i could bear to sit through frustrated me with, what i felt to be, a test by the filmmaker of how much i can take. well, i'm not interested in crap cinematography and poor editing and filming people in such a way that made me feel really uncomfortable with what i was watching.

VIFF: Snow White

ok, a new year means a new rating structure.

fuck yeah = awesome
fuck ok = ok
fuck off = walk out or horrible

***Oct 9: I decided to change the rating system and updated all the posts***

let us begin!


Snow White

rating: 4/5
country: France
type: filmed ballet

loved:
- costumed by Jean Paul Gauthier!
- score by Mahler
- modern ballet plus some aerial work
- the love dance that was done to silence
- the massive mirror that actually had other dancers on the other side mirroring the stepmother's movements. fantastique!

didn't love:
- editing
- cinematography

blurbie:
holy cool ballet, batman. the best part was the first entrance of the evil stepmother who had the best moves and did it with tons of evil attitude. too bad i was constantly being pulled out of the experience with jumbled editing and poor framing.


here's an excerpt i found on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb5Q3FyqKKc

films! films! films!

i picked up a copy of the full program guide to the Vancouver International Film Festival on Thursday and...

- i read through each and every film description
- stickies were adhered to 22 films
- films were entered into a spreadsheet
- films were prioritized
- 13 films will be viewed, hopefully


LEGEND
green = priority films
light purple = weekends
aqua marine = selected daytime screenings
red = thanksgiving dinners
orange = selected evening screenings


THE 13 FILMS I AM PLANNING ON WATCHING
Fortune Teller
Winter Vacation
Echoes of the Rainbow
The Tiger Factory
The Fourth Portrait
The White Meadow
Aurora
Cold Weather
Little Rock
Nostalgia for the Light
Himalaya, A Path to the Sky
Snow White
The Woodmans


Anyone else going to VIFF? there are some real gems i can't wait to see.

some breathing space

i'm coming out of an intense few weeks:
- daily trips to richmond to check in on my dad post-surgery
- preparing for a party on canada day
- watching about 40 films for the film festival
- my mom arriving for an 8 week visit


1.
and now that i'm on the other side of that (well, except for my mom's visit), i can safely declare that i've gained about 20 pounds and desperately need to increase my physical activity.

i've been researching yoga studios and will be purchasing a week's worth of passes at bikram's yoga on commercial drive then deciding if i like that or the more sedate hatha yoga.

coincidentally, i came across an interview on National Geographic Adventure with the researcher who is looking at those communities with people who tend to live long lives.

the article is very interesting and encouraged me even more to return to yoga.


2.
ELTEE is currently being edited by the very capable KT. can't wait to see his first cut.


3.
this has been a bonanza summer for plant growth on my patio. i'm pretty excited to taste my first tomato and zucchini. however, due to the greying of the skies yesterday and today, i wasn't able to take a picture of said LUSH GROWTH.

VIFF: the final report

# of films watched = 19
# of films i'm glad i watched = 10
# of walkouts (emotional or actual) = 4
# of films with rob in them = 1

# times i saw straw guy = 3
# times i was asked if i was japanese after watching a japanese film = 2
# times i bought popcorn = 2


the worst: Night and Day - i'm still angry i had to sit thru this piece of crap.

the best: Synching Blue - even though i didn't initially give it my highest score (transcendental), the more i thought about the film, the more i loved it.

the most inspirational: Louise Bourgeoise - 90 years old and still passionate about sculpture, creating and art. i should be making films every weekend.

films that made me cry
- Night and Day (cry with frustration)
- I've Been Loving You So Long
- Orz Boyz

films with blow-jobs, 3-way gay sex, hand-jobs or porn
- Synching Blue
- Serbis
- mime-mime,
- Blind Pig That Wants To Fly
- Night and Day cuz it was a total wank-fest of overdone dramatics.

other notables:
film where the korean lead character is visiting paris and is inexplicably wearing a "capilano suspension bridge" tshirt - Night and Day

film with the best pre-film entertainment - The Desert Within where a mariachi band played at the front of the stage before the film started


also, read what rob had to say about viff

VIFF: Night and Day

my rating: walk out - except i was trapped in the middle of the row and rob was there

my blurbie:
i had to close my eyes because reading the juvenile dialogue was making me more and more angry. i hate that i lost 2 hours of my life this horrid piece of melodramatic poo.

i should have known better. i've watched 2 other films by this director and thought they sucked but went cuz rob likes his stuff.

i'm so upset i want to write a letter to hong sang-soo and tell him that he should stop making the same movie over and over and over again about immature korean men and smart women who can be clingy, set at the beach, about relationships between adults that resemble the stupid mistakes of 9 year olds.

i need booze. lots of it. right now

i'm not a real film geek and other stuff

this week so far, there have been 3 (three) whole days on which i did not watch a film at VIFF.

at a screening this weekend, the film introducer asked people to raise their hands if this was their first film, if people have watched more than 10 films, 20 films, 30 films, 40 films, 50 films, 60 films, and i shit you not, 70 films.

there were at least 3 people with hands still up for 70 films. wtf.

.................
in other news, i skipped 4 Nights With Anna tonight since rob has a nasty sinus flu and so i picked up chicken noodle soup, apple juice, green juice smoothy, crackers, and fruit from capers.

capers is very expensive.

i purchased a small container of maple glazed brussel sprouts because rob loves them. a small container containing about 14 of those little things set me back $7.38. that makes the heirloom cherry tomatoes at $4.99 a steal.



you don't even want to know how much their organic turkeys are selling for.

.................
also, i just cancelled our trip to victoria for this weekend's victoria marathon. rob is in no shape to run a marathon and in the past month alone, i've managed to run approximately 20 minutes on a treadmill. twice. so i'm not really ready to run the 8K either.

but that's cool, that means we can stay home and have a nice thanksgiving dinner with my family.

.................
and lastly, i had a day of great hair. look, the proof! it was even more impressive during the day. just imagine it a little more wavy yet not puffy.

VIFF: Blind Pig That Wants To Fly

my rating: walk out (and i actually did walk out this time)

my blurbie:
my first dad grew up in indonesia and so i was intrigued by Tony Rayns' glowing review of the only film from indonesia and had to go.

but it was a BIG PILE OF POO.

it was the worst implementation of ambient, going nowhere style of film. wong kar wai is a master of this genre but the director of this film needs to be punished for creating this boring and useless waste of an hour.

it would take too long to explain the horribleness in detail, instead, if you have the stomach for it, you can ask me in person.

VIFF: I've Been Loving You So Long

my rating: awesome

my blurbie:
kirstin scott thomas speaking french and playing the role of a woman who has just been released from jail. she moves in with her sister who is married and has 2 adopted girls and tries to start her life over again.

i loved that the hows and whys of KST's character is slowly revealed throughout the film; it kept me wondering and guessing throughout. the ending was a little heavy but forgivable.

this was beautifully shot, strongly acted and well directed although the music kinda sucked; the acoustic guitar was heavily utilized.

VIFF: Days In Between

my rating: awesome

my blurbie:
Days In Between is one of the MOST DEPRESSING films i've ever watched. and even though i feel like i need to take anti-depressants, i still loved it.

german and gorgeously filmed, it's about a married woman with a kid who is emotionally distant from her husband and child and has this f'd up adulterous relationship which is the catalyst for more bad decisions. this woman was the perfect example of an ice queen.

i interpreted the multitude of shots of her nicely weathered leather workbag that she took everywhere with her was supposed to represent her emotions which is like excessive baggage that she carries around with her but that are outside of her.

this film would have sucked if not for the great cinematography, acting and direction.

VIFF: Louise Bourgeoise - The Spider, the Mistress and the Tangerine

my rating: transcendental

my blurbie:
documentary about a 90 year old french sculpture artist living in new york for the past 50 years.

an honest and vocal subject plus great editing plus okay music EQUALS an amazing cinematic experience.

which is saying something because the film started 40 minutes and 2 different projectors later. but the mostly artsy crowd waited patiently and a rather cute venue manager chatted up the crowd during the wait. one woman even asked him to tell us his name.

because i'm totally ignorant about art history and all that, i really appreciated the artist (partially) explaining her work and the seeds of those emotions and ideas. the footage of her work at the Tate, Guggenheim, etc was just stunning.

some great quotes from her include:
- sculpting is an aggressive act
- the purpose of sculpture is self-knowledge

VIFF: A Christmas Tale

my rating: (was meh) walk out

my blurbie:
french movie about a dysfunctional family during christmas starring catherine deneuve. can't go wrong right? WRONG!!!

this was a self-indulgent, video poetry piece of crap. every cliche arty device was used:
- talking directly to the camera
- using crazy music at weird moments
- characters that no one liked
- characters that didn't know why they were always sad
- an unloving mother
- accepted infidelity
- reading prose from a book

ok, so these things seem pretty tame but when it's implemented with a fake artsy hand, it becomes a big pile of poo.

i feel bad that i dragged friends to watch this tonight.