After inhaling some truly awful cheese curds, we headed off to the SLIGHTLY UNSETTLING SPANISH SHORTS…

So there were 5 short films in this program, and while I enjoyed all of them, my thoughts are as follows:

CAN’T WALK ANYMORE–this film looked really good, and had a nice creepy set up, but it tipped its twist almost instantly by the order of events, so the ending wasn’t really a “shocker”

THE SPOOK HOUSE–this one was really well done.  The main actor had a very distinct character that you were with from his first line of dialogue.  The set up of a man taking part in a fear experiment was pretty cool, and a lot of good chills were built with only technique and sparse dialogue….lighting was very effective.  This one suffered a bit from one reveal or twist too many as things started playing out, taking the wind out of the sails for me by the end.

TERCERO B–this was a nice little thriller with a cool twist.  the film had very muted color that added a lot, and there were a lot of great visuals including a great shot through a swinging kitchen door.  This one kept you guessing from start to finish.  Nice

BEHIND THE CURTAINS–this was my favorite of the “horror” themed shorts.  this one was a bit grisly, and creepy, but had a lot of dark cynical humor to it throughout.  There were quite a few nice touches and twists that were reminiscent of old EC comics which really made this one very rich and fun for me.

7:35 IN THE MORNING–starring Nacho Vigolando of TIMECRIMES fame, this one was not what I expected, to say the least. Not unsettling in the way that the others were either, and what? A musical number?  This one was a lot of fun, with a couple really good laughs.

–My son took off to go and see TERRIBLY HAPPY and MOTHER, while I had a drink with friends, and took in WITHNAIL AND I at the Stage Door

WITHNAIL AND I

This is one of those movies that I had been meaning to see for a long time, and I really couldn’t pass up the chance to see it with a crowd.  I also wanted to end the fest with something a little lighter than some of the films I had seen in the past couple of days.  There were a lot of great laughs in this film as we watch these 2 20 something out of work actors barely function through life, and a holiday in the country.  A number of good, cynical bits of dialogue, a great comedic performance by Richard E Grant.  I loved their drug dealer friend Danny, quite hilarious.  And it was a hoot to see Mr. Dursley from the Harry Potter movies playing eccentric homosexual Uncle Monty, who is trying to get into bed with Withnail’s roommate.  Quite possibly the last movie I will see in the Stage Door before it is closed for good….

–Overall, 14 films in 5 days, and in spite of lack of sleep, I could do another 5.  I am sad to see it go, and want to give kudos to Meg Hamel, our very own Golden Badger, and to all of the people in front of and behind the scenes that make this happen every year.  Wonderful job.  Unbelievable festival.

BARKING DOGS DON’T BITE

Another tonally twisted ride from Bong Joon Ho.  We watch characters lives as they intersect, driven by dogs that reside in a neighborhood apartment building.  Some want them to stop barking and try to make sure by any means necessary, some want only companionship, some want a meal.  Really.  The dogs are a jumping point for the examination of the desires of these characters, and how they interact.

There are some uncomfortable parts, some sad, and some really heart felt moments.   Lots of comedy sprinkled throughout too, including an absolutely hilarious chase scene across the rooftop and many of the building’s floors.  Again, like his other films, the camerawork is stunning, and you never know where the story is going, when you will laugh or be outraged.  As ridiculous as the storylines and events seem, somehow the beats and emotions that emerge seem strikingly real.  I enjoyed the hell out of this film, and the audience did as well.

–Son and I high tailed it across the square to get to the Monona Terrace for a screening of EGGSHELLAND.  We were excited to see this film due to the subject matter sounding totally awesome.  I told my son that I was a little afraid though, that it was going to be a bit like our experience with last year’s ROCK-AFIRE EXPLOSION.  A lot of laughing at the subject because it is kind of ridiculous, but feeling uncomfortable because the subject matter is so…well, ridiculous.

EGGSHELLAND

Wow.  Let me just say that this film is one of my highlights of the fest.  This completely caught me off guard…yes the subject is kind of ridiculous, and goofy.  But, the film really digs into the family, the Manolio’s who have been creating this egg lawn art for over 50 years.  They are some of the cutest and most delightful people you could ever hope to meet.  Their spirit and love for each other and their egg creations is absolutely touching and heart warming.

The egg art that they create with 10′s of thousands of painted eggs every Easter is something that brings their entire family together, another stunning accomplishment.  Listening to them talk about each other and how they put everything together, and watching them work together evoked memories of my own family. This film isn’t about the eggs but this family, and how a common experience creates lasting bonding memories.  I had tears…the emotion in this film is palpable.

And the eggs?  It is unbelievable how wonderful these creations are…the Finding Nemo and Lord of the Rings characters that they made in the film are gorgeous.  I totally want to drive to Cleveland next Easter.  This movie is simply amazing.  Kudos to the filmmakers.  Had I had cash, I would have bought a copy of the DVD on the spot.  Awesome.

…more thoughts later…

There were so many people going to the bathroom downstairs that the women were lining up in the men’s bathroom to go.  Many dudes confused.  Many thanks for urinals.

The crowd was huge, buzzing and completely electric.  Totally a blast….1000+ people watching a film, totally into it…completely intoxicating.

GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

I had been hearing a lot of buzz leading up to this movie, so we were pretty excited to be at the screening.  I was a little unsure as to whether or not I should be at something else, like RE-CUT, screening at the same time, since this was a little more high profile, and will be easier to see…by the end I was not disappointed in the least.

The film revolves around a really compelling female protagonist – Lisbeth Salandar – a mid 20s computer whiz who is a professional hacker, making her living investigation clients for a security firm.  She ends up contacting an investigative reporter whom she had been following, and gets involved in a 40 year old disappearance of a niece of a member of a very powerful family.  This investigation is the driving plot, but there a many threads interwoven in a very compelling mystery and character study.

Lisbeth has a lot of emotional baggage, and demons to go along with it, but she is never portrayed as victim.  She is strong while damaged, likeable but cold…and really fascinating.  I found myself really drawn to her more than anything.  The cold Swedish landscape is gorgeous, and really gives an added isolation to the proceedings as well as a metaphor for a lot of the emotional detachment that runs throughout.

The story evolves over the course of the runtime in a very organic and exciting way, and I really enjoyed it.  The film is brutal and violent at times.  There are themes and scenes of abuse and rape, that are hard to sit through.  None of it felt as exploitative to me, though.  One character does some despicable things, and later suffers a “revenge moment”.  The audience cheered.  It was pretty funny.  The other great audience moment that occurred was during a quiet tense scene of a character investigating a house at night, when someone moves past the camera, pretty classic jump moment (Lewton bus)…and ONE solitary woman screamed.  The crowd erupted in laughter.  Pretty fantastic.

–From there my son and I hiked toward the Cinematheque for our last feature INTO THE PIT, but were starving and needed food.  We ended up getting wraps from FAT SANDWICH, which we inhaled on the walk to Vilas Hall.  Most unsatisfying meal of the week…but hey I wasn’t hungry any more.

INTO THE PIT

This is a documentary made by a couple of local filmmakers, about a couple of guys in Kentucky, Aaron and Wes, who produce an internet radio horror show, for deadpit.com.  We basically meet these guys, kinda follow them around their town, and watch their relationship, how they work their show, why they do it, etc.  We meet their families, and hear them talk about their childhood’s, how horror helped shape them growing up.

Basically, it’s about 2 guys with a passion and what they do with it.  How they make it meaningful for them.  It was really well done and a nice watch.  I was probably drawn in instantly due to my own passion for horror, and a lot of their stories about watching these movies as teens, trolling mom and pop video stores, really triggered memories for me.  This was a really cool story.  Earthshattering? Hardhitting?  No.  Completely enjoyable?  Yup.

The Q&A helped to put a lot of things into context that weren’t in the film, like how they fit into the internet horror scene, etc., which was really a great addition from the filmmakers.

Can’t lie…it was hard to stay awake at 1am at that point after 4 movies…but glad I did.

–Traffic was mighty crazy this morning, with the Farmer’s Market and everything else going on.  My early morning vow to not pay anymore for parking this weekend was thrown out the window instantly, in lieu of being on time for our first movie, MEMORIES OF MURDER….a short windy walk downtown and we got there no problem.

MEMORIES OF MURDER

This is a Bong Joon Ho film I had been meaning to see for quite a while now, and was thrilled to get the chance.  Inspired by Korea’s first serial killer in the 80′s this film is part murder mystery, part police procedural, part character study, part comedy, part thriller…all juggled with great skill.  There is never a clear delineation as to when a tonal shift will occur, but that is part of what makes Joon-Ho’s films unique and exciting.  The first time I saw THE HOST, this totally threw me, and I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.  But, it totally works on all levels here.

The visual backdrop of the gorgeous countryside here really helps accentuate the horrors of the story unfolding around the characters who are, really, all unprepared for what they will end up having to endure.  Much like ZODIAC, there is a great examination of obsession with solving the case.  The main characters are like mirror images, both with different strengths and weaknesses, both ending up changed for better or worse through the entire ordeal trying to catch the killer.  There is quite a bit of humor too, which serves to help make the characters more human, while also helping relieve the tension and dread of many of the scenes.  Some memorable scenes include a woman on a late night walk in the rain by a rice paddy, a scene that takes place at the mouth of a darkened train tunnel as tensions are coming to a head, and a police re-enactment in a paddy with fast tracking shots taking us through the action of 2 separate groups, police and reporters/family as chaos begin to take over.

Bong Joon-Ho really uses everything at his disposal in telling a story, and this is a great example.  The audience was really into it…including a woman behind me who kept exclaiming “Oh shit!” periodically throughout the film.  Can’t wait for BARKING DOGS NEVER BITE tomorrow.

–My son and I went home to get the rest of our family, and zoomed back downtown to see A TOWN CALLED PANIC.  My 6 year old was told he had a month to learn French before we saw this movie.  He wasn’t interested.  I had hoped that the kinetic energy of the story would carry him along to where it really didn’t matter…and it didn’t.

A TOWN CALLED PANIC

This movie is complete surreal insanity captured in an animated film.  Cowboy and Indian decide to build Horse a brick barbecue for his birthday.  They accidentally order too many bricks.  This sends them through a ridiculous amount of adventures that include going to the center of the earth, a giant robotic penguin and swordfish used as arrows.  There is so much craziness and pure joy packed into 75 minutes, that trying to describe it much further would not do it justice.  Much like an episode of FAMILY GUY that crams so many jokes and gags into one episode that at the end you feel like you have just worked out in the gym…this film has the same philosophy.  The run time is just right…we laughed out loud pretty much throughout, it could have overstayed it’s welcome but didn’t…its’ whimsy was infectious.  Great stuff.

—So we are home for a break….and my older son and I are heading back down for coffee, GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, coffee, more coffee, and INTO THE PIT.

My son also took a digger on the way to line up at the Orpheum..he was turning to tell me something, stepped in a broken part of the sidewalk, tripped and did a barrel roll.  He was fine…and we all laughed and laughed…even some guys sitting on the parking garage got a good laugh.  It was my wife’s favorite moment of the afternoon.  Hopefully the night will keep getting better.

THE ART OF THE STEAL

A documentary about the fight over the fate of the Barnes’ Foundation in Philadelphia and it’s immensely valuable collection of post-modern art.  The film chronicles the history of who Dr. Barnes was, how he acquired his art and what he did with it, and then the tug of war for what to do with it after he passed away.  He set up a trust document with the city to ensure that the art that he had collected would never be removed from the building he had housed it in.  The film follows what happened as various people of power and influence wanted to get their hands on the art and the control of such a valuable collection.

This was a well made documentary that tells its story well.  The talking head format is used pretty exclusively, and the film makers’ do have a side of the argument that they are trying to push.  I do admit that I was a bit caught up in the “Barnes good, Philadelphia/Board of Trustees bad” portrayal, but the film also takes some time to explore the art itself, and raises questions on the purpose of art, how it can affect people and what passionate people will do to preserve that.  I enjoyed this movie, and do recommend seeing it on Sunday if possible.

OSS117: LOST IN RIO

This is the sequel to OSS117: CAIRO, NEST OF SPIES with Jean Dujardin reprising his role as Hubert de la Bath (OSS117) French spy extraordinaire, at least in his mind.  He is completely clueless, arrogant and offensive, but also hilarious.  The satire is spread so thick everything is at the ridiculous level.  The spy genre is skewered, and James Bond in particular, but never in a mean spirited way.  Dujardin is likable even when despicable, a testament to a great comedic actor.  And many of his facial expressions are completely priceless.

This time around he is off to Rio to pay an ex Nazi officer to keep from publicizing names of French Nazi sympathizers during WWII. He becomes entangled with CIA and Mossad agents who are trying to influence or stop Nazi goings on in Brazil.  This leads to lots of insensitive comments about Jews and Nazis, women, hippies, you name it.  Most of it works, and some of the funnier gags involve Chinese agents constantly popping up to try and kill OSS, and an beach hippie orgy that he gets involved with.  This sequel was a lot of fun, I liked it a lot, though not quite as much as the first film.  There were some jokes that were a little flat, a gag with the American CIA agent who kept swearing in front of OSS because he “couldn’t understand him” that I didn’t find particularly funny, but when the jokes come so fast and furious, you don’t really have time to worry about it.  Very funny.

THE TRAIN

Tying together the themes of stealing art (THE ART OF THE STEAL) and Nazis (OSS) was John Frankenheimer’s THE TRAIN.  This is a slick WWII film about a Nazi colonel attempting to take a large collection of famous paintings he had saved from destruction during the war, into Germany, by train, before the Allies officially take France back from German occupation.  Burt Lancaster plays a French resistance fighter whose task it is to stop the paintings, the “heart of Paris”, from being lost forever.  That’s pretty much it.  A simple set up, but the execution is near flawless.

Frankenheimer’s direction keeps things moving in such a way that you constantly feel the time constraints the characters are working under.  Train needs to leave before a yard is bombed, the soldiers need to complete a task before the Nazi’s discover them, the paintings need to leave before the Allies arrive.  Everyone is on a deadline, keeping the suspense palpable, and the stakes everyone  is operating under very real.

There are some great set pieces including a train collision and a race against time to derail a train.  The black and white cinematography is stunning.  There is quite a bit of impressive camera work, like an extended tracking shot following German soldiers around their war room that puts us both in the action, and gives us plenty of exposition without any dialogue; aerial photography and high speed filming of train sequences impress, as well as a number of great shot compositions.

The main characters are very enigmatic: Burt Lancaster smooth and commanding, being drawn into the cause as the film continues, and Paul Scofield’s Nazi colonel, who is at times like Capt. Ahab, completely obsessed with the art on the train, often sacrificing war efforts to move his precious cargo.

As exciting as it is, it is also heartbreaking as a number of characters are lost.  The film ends on a somber note, as a character asks another if he even knows why he has been fighting.  Images cut between the boxes of art, to dead bodies, back to the art, then to the characters, etc. leaving the viewer with a clear sense of, “OK, but what did this all accomplish?”  Both this scenario AND the war.  It’s a great movie that gives you that little nugget, after thoroughly entertaining you for over 2 hours.

DUCK, YOU SUCKER

Keith Phipps from the Onion AV Club introduced this film, with a bit of info on Sergio Leone, and spaghetti westerns in general.  This is one Leone film I had yet to see, and couldn’t wait to see it projected.  Mr Phipps even mentioned that if you have the chance to see a Leone film projected “DO IT!”–and after seeing THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY and now this one on a big screen, I completely agree.

The opening shot of ants being peed on evokes the opening sequence of THE WILD BUNCH, where children watch as a scorpion is attacked and killed by a swarm of ants.  Both films take place near the end of an era during the Mexican revolution, and both use these metaphors to describe what is about to go on.  Basically, Rod Steiger’s Juan, a Mexican bandit, meets up with James Coburn’s John, an ex IRA demolitions expert, they become involved in the revolution, and along the way forge a friendship.  I won’t go into much, because I could probably ramble on all night.

This film, like Leone’s other westerns, is epic, both in scope and theme, and character…but also personal.  Much like THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY did with the American Civil War, this huge conflict is brought down to a more personal level, where you see how individual lives are affected.  There are some wonderful emotional moments that the main characters have, and they really draw you into the story.  Rod Steiger is as Mexican as my foot, and Coburn as Irish as my other foot, but they are both fantastic and utterly charismatic.  There is a lot of humor in this film, that helps to alleviate some of the horrors of the revolution put on screen.  There is a LOT of on screen killing, much to the chagrin of some people sitting in front of us.  But it serves to paint a complete picture of what revolutions are like, out of history books and with real people.

This is such a rich film.  The themes of the toll of war and friendship, duty, etc alone fill the nearly 3 hour run time.  Leone shows the contrasts between characters and causes, but also ties them together.  Ennio Morricone’s score ties events together with a repeating theme, but the context changes, and blurs the line of whether things are good or bad.  Actions of characters are deliberately shown or repeated to tie them together (eg teeth-John and Col. Gunther).  The camera work is amazing, like all of Leone’s work.  And there are glorious explosions.  The pacing does feel a little long in a couple spots, and there is a little bit of RETURN OF THE KING feel to the end, where it could end 3 or 4 times, but goes on.  Which is fine…you really don’t want to leave these characters.  A couple of the slo motion flashbacks with John kissing his girl, with this buddy RIGHT THERE watching got a little goofy.  But, really, those are just drops in the bucket.  This is a great epic film that deserves to be seen.

HARMONY AND ME

Getting tired…so gotta be brief…

We really enjoyed this low key film about a slightly strange man who has recently broken up with his girlfriend.  Well, she broke up with him.  And is still breaking his heart…she hasn’t finished the job.  This film is very funny, and very heart warming.  We watch Harmony go through life, interact with his family, co-workers, all of whom are, also odd, but in different ways.  Harmony slowly heals as he takes life one encounter at a time, with his heart, awkwardly on his sleeve.  Highly recommended.  Q&A afterward with the writer-director (also star) was great.  Not many revelatory questions asked, but his demeanor and wit were hilarious and a blast to listen to.  He seemed to really enjoy being able to see a crowd of 1000+ totally dig his movie.  Pretty cool.

A FILM WITH ME IN IT

This Irish dark comedy was a great way to end the night.  A down on his luck actor goes from having bad luck in his life to completely horrible luck as his ineffectual bumblings begin to be the cause of some pretty ridiculous events that he and his alcoholic friend aren’t sure they can deal with because they are both quite inept.  Sounds vague and obtuse, but I don’t want to give anything away, because part of the fun of this movie is not knowing what is going to happen next.  Very funny and darkly comic, at times a bit uncomfortable, this is a fun little piece of twisty entertainment.

Tomorrow is my fullest docket yet-

MEMORIES OF MURDER

A TOWN CALLED PANIC

GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

INTO THE PIT

…..can’t wait…

I will write more in depth tomorrow, as I need to get to bed…but quick impressions:

Whoa….
This is an intense and stunning film
the imagery and camerawork are spectacular
the acting is unbelievalbe, esp. Charlotte Gainsbourg
There is a lot going on in this film…and I totally admire von Trier…
Some of this movie was excruciating to watch…not quite MARTYRS excruciating…but not far off….
so much to digest…so many images in my head that I HOPE will not make it into my nightmares tonight.

tomorrow………………

I immediately made plans to see it, and thought Friday would work, but life and a headache got in the way of that. Sunday night…I figured I would cap off the weekend with a treat…a chance to go to the movies and a chance to drop some $ into a local business and promote non-blockbuster programming. Win win.

I drove downtown and walked up to the ticket window, and lo and behold, the Orpheum had a concert scheduled, and there were no movie showings!!!!

Obviously this is my ignorance, and not the fault of the Orpheum…but I was totally dejected. I had gotten so worked up to see ANTICHRIST tonight, and my bubble was popped hardcore. I stumbled down the street to Four Star Video to see if I could find something to rent that could help fill the void…..and almost nothing I looked at seemed worth it. I couldn’t do it……I had gotten myself so ready for ANTICHRIST that I literally couldn’t go home and watch something else. Kinda sad….I will probably go down and see it in the next couple of nights, but still….

Has anyone else had this happen? Gotten so excited to see something and been denied? Or wanted one movie, had to settle for something else and nothing could replace the amount of expectation for your first choice????

WHERE:  Wisconsin Union Theater, at the Wisconsin Film Festival…with Bryan

After hearing a filmmaker interview on NPR’s Fresh Air, I was pretty excited to see that this film was going to be showing at the film festival.  My son and I were in a nearly packed union theater, which was really hot…the audience consisted of Mayor Dave Cieslewicz…and a number of Harvard or Yale alums, some of whom were at the football game depicted in the movie.  It was a lot of fun.

THE GOOD:  filmmaker allows the story to tell itself

THE BAD:

THE WONKY: “Mister 75″; telephone Dixie

November 23, 1968…Yale was ranked in the top 20, both teams were undeafeated as they met to continue their heated rivalry on the final game of the season.  That is the backdrop as we watch one of “the greatest games ever played” unfold.

The film is essentially a “talking head” documentary with a good amount of game footage.  We are allowed to watch a good portion of the game as it happened, and then get to hear players’ perspectives on other players, coaches, the game, certain plays, the time in history.   Many of the interviewees offer up stories and explanations without a lot of hindsight coloring the events 40 years later.  A lot of these guys are characters anyway, so they are just entertaining to listen to [including Mike Bouscaren, who seems like a "villain"-the crowd really loved to howl when he would talk- ubt he had one of the most grounded comments of the game]

Besides the game, 1968 hangs over the film…there is the Vietnam war, protests, assassinations…but none of these things dominate.  In fact, they are brought up, to acknowledge them, and there is some talk, but it’s never the focus, which I think is a great decision for the story.  One of the Harvard players was in the game after a 3 year tour of duty…that he talks about, which is pretty powerful, but that becomes part of the story, and we move on.  Some players talk about police marching on Harvard to quell riots…

Besides the rivalry, there is an interesting class difference between the schools.  Yale players have many generations of family at the school, they talk about dating Meryl Streep and rooming with George W Bush.  They go on vacation to Maine summer homes.  Many of the Harvard guys talk about their parents not finishing high school, about how hard it was to even get in…very white collar vs blue collar.  It really adds some stakes to the game, but is never really beat over your head.

The movie is exciting and compelling, even though the title gives away the outcome.  Really well done.  Oh, and apparently Al Gore is a whiz at playing songs on a touchtone phone…

8 out of 10

WHERE:  Orpheum theater, stage door…at the Wisconsin Film Festival

After seeing CHOP SHOP last year at the WI film festival, this was one of the films on the schedule that I was most excited about…that I knew I had to see.  CHOP SHOP was simple storytelling with a not so simple glimpse into its character’s complex emotional lives, one of the best movies I saw all of last year.  Ramin Bahrani has me hooked…

THE GOOD: simple storytelling;  Solo;  “Hey, Big Dog!!”

THE BAD:  hmmmmm??

THE WONKY: Solo takes a pee break

Ramin Bahrani does it again with a seemingly simple story that really carries a lot of emotional weight.   Solo is a Senegalese cab driver who befriends an old white man named William.  William asks Solo to drive him out to Blowing Rock in a couple weeks, leave him there, and he will pay him $1000.  Solo is afraid that William is going to try and kill himself – he decides that he needs to become William’s guardian angel.

This is set up in the first 5 minutes, after which we simply watch the lives of the 2 characters as the date of the drive approaches.  There is very little exposition filling in details…things are gradually revealed, like a real relationship where you don’t learn EVERYTHING about a person all at once.  It allows for surprises in the story, but feels real.  And maybe what really works is that these aren’t characters, but people.

Souleymane Sy Savane gives an unbelievable performance as Solo.  He is larger than life, full of life…a man with a huge heart who will stop at nothing to hlep friends and family.  What could be a caricature becomes a rich character, who has to weather adversity and pain…and figure out how that fits into his world and affects his optimistic outlook.  By constrast, Red West as William [another good performance], is almost completely devoid of emotion – the 2 end up revealing things to each other, and teaching each other (which sounds trite – it’s not).  That we care for both these characters is a strength of the film…and was evident in a scene where William suddenly punches Solo in the face.  It is quick and somewhat unexpected…and the audience I saw this with gasped out loud!

The cinematography here, like CHOP SHOP, is unassuming, but great.  Much of the movie is shot very close…many close ups of faces letting us see the emotions play out across their features…locales are kept close too, as we feel a part of the surroundings rather than an outside observer.  There aren’t a lot of wide shots in the city (Winston-Salem, NC) either which adds to the feel that the characters and locales are just a small part of a big city.  In contrast, once Solo begins driving across the state towards Blowing Rock, the camera opens up…showing us beautiful vistas and landscapes.  You’ve also got the contrast of the characters’ lives…in the city, they are constricted with nowhere to go, and at this point, things are opening up…they are moving forward.

The ending of the movie, uses similar imagery to that in CHOP SHOP – nature, flight, open air – lending an undercurrent of hope.  So much that happens before is colored with sadness…and although, you aren’t sure what will happen, it feels as if anything is possible.

This is a great movie, that is funny, uplifting, heartbreaking and heavy.  It is about the people in our lives and what the simple act of knowing them does to us, and to them.   Seemingly about so little, but ends up being about so much.

8.5 out of 10

I race walked from the screening that I had prior to this one, as it got done when this starting.  6 blocks later I was about 5 minutes late…

THE GOOD: lots of archival footage; story of Creative Dynamics

THE BAD: uneven tone

THE WONKY:  dancing robots; Billy Bob tattoo

This was a movie that Bryan and I were really looking forward to.  It had promise of being interesting and completely ridiculous at the same time.  I had been to Show Biz Pizza growing up, so the idea of a documentary about the animatronic band from the restaurant, and people still obsessed with it today, seemed very entertaining.

It was…sort of.  It could have been my arriving late, or heightened expectations (about singing robots?) but this was probably my biggest disappointment of the festival.

The movie was made well enough, and for a while, I was enjoying it, and laughing/reminiscing.  But soon, I was a little uncomfortable, and I began to realize that a lot of it was sad, and kind of creepy.  The people who can’t let go of their childhoods…the woman who hooks up with the inventor of the robots (Aaron Fechter) because she has a “thing” for the band…

The story of Creative Dynamics was really interesting, the rise of the restaurants, the inventiveness of the company.  And then how quickly that spiralled into nothing, to where Aaron was firing his friends because the restaurants were tanking.  Very bittersweet.  He is a great character, who has tremendous optimism in the face of whatever comes his way.

But I just couldn’t decide throughout the film, whether I should be laughing or feeling bad.  The filmmakers throw a lot of stuff which, I thought, made it hard to navigate.  Chris Thrash – a super fan who has a Rock-afire show in his basement – is obviously obsessed, but he is very creative and smart, reprogramming the robots to sing contemporary songs and creating music videos.  But I couldn’t shake the feeling that the filmmakers wanted us to laugh at him.  Including a story about his wedding at the local skating rink…non-traditional…kinda silly…but it completely fit with he and his wife and their lives, so it was kinda sweet…but I don’t know, maybe it was me, but it felt like I was supposed to laugh at him.

A movie that I had hoped would bring me some childhood memories and a few laughs ended up making me kind of uncomfortable.  Too bad.

One of my favorite quotes of the weekend came from this movie though:

“Kids of today…don’t really relate to moving robots”   Hahaha…well, maybe that’s a good thing…

5 out of 10