SIFF 2011: Scoreboard

So... When it was all said and done, I managed to catch 57 shows at SIFF 2011, including 48 feature films and 9 shorts packages. It was a rewarding, inspiring, and somewhat exhausting experience. Now, a week later, I think I have finally caught up with sleep!

With hundreds of films in the festival, I missed plenty of them, including many that received high praises. In any case, here is my personal scoreboard:

My Top 5 Documentaries

1. How to Die in Oregon (USA)
2. Hot Coffee (USA) -- SIFF Best Documentary Grand Jury Prize winner
3. My So-Called Enemy (USA)
4. Revenge of the Electric Car (USA)
5. Bobby Fischer Against the World (USA)

My Top 10 Narrative Films

1. Paper Birds (Spain) -- SIFF Best Film Audience Award (Golden Space Needle) winner
2. The Whistleblower (Canada) -- SIFF Best Director Audience Award winner
3. Kung Fu Panda 2 (USA)
4. Apart Together (China)
5. Weekend (UK)
6. Sound of Noise (Sweden)
7. Tilt (Bulgaria)
8. Do You See Colors When You Close Your Eyes? (USA)
9. Romeos (Germany)
10. LOVE (USA)

My Bottom 5 Narrative Films (starting with my least favorite)

1. The Trip (UK)
2. The Off Hours (USA)
3. Ex (Hong Kong)
4. Bibliothèque Pascal (Hungary)
5. Late Autumn (South Korea/USA)

My Top 5 Short Films

1. North Atlantic (Portugal) (Drama)
2. The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (USA) (Animation) -- SIFF Best Short Film Audience Award winner
3. Cataplexy (USA) (Comedy)
4. We Are What We Drink (UK) (Comedy)
5. Library of Dust (USA) (Documentary)

For a full list of SIFF jury and audience award winners, go here.

While many friends are impressed or even horrified by my film tally, it's actually much lower than the numbers achieved by many other passholders. As part of my excuse, here is a list of my top 5 distractions (things I chose over SIFF films):

1. U2 concert
2. Friends' weddings, two of them
3. Performing in a Flash Mob
4. A concert by Captain Smartypants
5. A friend's one-man show

SIFF: The People Experience

Aside from seeing films and talking with filmmakers, SIFF also provides ample opportunities to mingle with fellow festival goers and friendly festival staff. We are a loosely-connected but vibrant community in ourselves, with the festival being our annual, month-long, massive convention.

Top L: me with my great friends (and siblings) Sandy and Eric. SIFF is one of many interests we have in common.

Top R: me with Eric at ShortsFest. It's nice when our schedules overlap and we can carpool.

Bottom L: me with Joey. We have quite different tastes in movies but we share a love of short films.

Bottom R: me with Pamela. We met two years ago at SIFF Opening Night, over the cupcake stand.

Top L.: me with Dustin Kaspar, SIFF programmer and Educational Programs Coordinator.
Top R.: me with Jason Plourde, SIFF 2011 short film competition juror, Programming Director for Three Dollar Bill Cinema.
Bottom L.: Beth Barrett, SIFF Director of Programming, working away in between screenings at SIFF Cinema.
Bottom R.: Geoff Klein and Mo Fine, founders of the Tumbleweed Film Festival.

I met Geoff and Mo during the ShortsFest and talked to them about the Tumbleweed film festival. As filmmakers themselves, their main mission is to introduce non-mainstream films to the Eastern Washington audience, though they hope to expand to Seattle area as well. As you could imagine, it's not a small feat to put on a film festival. Geoff and Mo had the smart idea of partnering with the many wineries in the region to create non-conventional, low-cost film venues. Fine wine with a fine film, who could resist the combination? They are in the process of procuring films for their second annual festival, getting the word out through press and mutual promotional opportunities with SIFF. They told me that they have received many submissions, mostly from the U.S., but also entries from many European countries, Japan, Brazil and more, thanks to their listing on Withoutabox.com. They are open to all genres and styles, starting with mostly shorts though open to features as well. Sounds like an exciting venture and I wish them all the success! Tumbleweed Film Festival is a non-profit organization currently seeking 501(c)3 status.

I also met Lisa and Joshua Puddy, a devoted mother-son team, during the ShortsFest. They watched all but two shorts packages during the three-and-half-day-long short film marathon at SIFF Cinema. Joshua, a young aspiring filmmaker, had previously participated in a 911 Media project that produced the short film "The Pirate Hunter". I'm sure he got a lot of inspiration from the hundred-plus short films he watched, especially the FutureWave shorts made by other youth filmmakers. When I ran into Lisa and Joshua again at the Closing Party, they told me Joshua already picked a topic for a short documentary: Bus plunge stories. Intrigued? I know I am! I look forward to seeing his finished work, maybe even at SIFF 2012?

SIFF 2011 Closing Party: SIFF Artistic Director Carl Spence rocking the dance floor;

me with Steve the Chicken Man; the late crowd being kicked out of the venue

SIFF Day 23-25 (Jun 10-12): Happy Ending

My final weekend of SIFF turned out to be quite rewarding, with five very different films that I enjoyed watching.

Romeos (Germany) - B+

A twist-and-turn love story between a transgendered man and a playboy type. Heartfelt, honest, eye-opening about a sensitive subject without being preachy or exploitive.

Me with "Romeos" director Sabine Bernardi

Hot Coffee (USA) (Docu) - A-

The McDonalds coffee lawsuit is only a small part of this must-see documentary, which digs deep into what I think is the biggest struggle in today's America: corporation vs individual interests. The film rightfully addresses it as a civil rights issue, making a convincing case for the need for change. Director Susan Saladoff's 25-year experience as a civil justice lawyer comes through strongly and plays to great benefit: With its sound structure, brisk pacing and layered presentation, "Hot Coffee" carries the intensity and emotionality of a good courtroom drama.

Me with "Hot Coffee" associate producer Erin Crumpacker, Washington native

Sound of Noise (Sweden) - A-

A group of music rebels conduct a heist of percussion. Highly innovative and entertaining! Must see to be believed!

Spud (South Africa) - B+

Despite an abundance of stereotypes and cliches, this coming-of-age story succeeds on the strength of winning performances by two young stars. John Cleese impresses in a supporting role. Now if only the theme of bullying was not presented in such simplistic light...

Revenge of the Electric Car (USA) (Docu) - B+

Presented with the flare of a Hollywood thriller, this entertaining documentary tells the fascinating stories of several key players in the electric vehicle movement. Apparently, it does take big personalities to make big moves.

Life in a Day (UK) - B

This was an ambitious project for sure: People around the world sent in video footage of their lives on July 24th, 2010; selected entries were edited into a feature-length film. I wasn't sure how it would turn out - A brilliant masterpiece, or a chaotic mess? Now that I've seen the result, it's somewhere in between. I would say, it is much more engaging and effective than I feared it might be. The montage sequences and the featured stories work together to create a cohesive experience that leaves plenty of impressions. Unfortunately, the strongest impressions are limited to bits and pieces. With only a thin thread of a theme connecting everything, the film is akin to a crowded party, where I mingle with lots of people without really getting to know anyone. At the end, it's hard not to see this as a novelty concept, an experiment - albeit a well-executed one - rather than a new avenue for filmmaking.

"Life in a Day" editor Joe Walker at SIFF Closing Party

SIFF Day 22 (Jun 9): What the...??

The Catechism Cataclysm (USA) - B

The most puzzling thing about "Cat Cat" (as someone called it) is that I actually enjoyed it! Considering that it is so NOT the kind of film I typically like. There is a clear narrative - and a few other stories within the story - yet the whole thing seems intentionally nonsensical. Meaning, it doesn't make much sense and probably doesn't want to. Usually I reject or even despise that flavor of filmmaking, but here, I enjoyed it in a weird and inexplicable way, helped by strong acting from the whole cast, steady pacing, and abundant absurd hilarity. This film apparently draws heavily from the style of religious parables, which I'm not familiar with so I can't comment on that angle. Director Todd Rohal said he wanted to make a movie that nobody can easily explain to others; I think he succeeded, so I won't even try. They filmed and edited the whole thing in three weeks, thinking it would only be seen by like ten people, and was very surprised when it got into Sundance and found theater distribution. So if you are curious about this oddball creature, you will have a chance to see it! Whatever you do, just don't ask the question: "What does it mean?"

Post-screening Q&A at the Neptune

L: me with director Todd Rohal. Red-eye intentionally kept intact in honor of the film :-)

R: me with star Steve Little, who portrays a disenchanted priest in the film, and shows up

here appropriately looking like Jesus Christ.

SIFF Day 21 (Jun 8): Change of Plan

For the second time this SIFF, I was shut out of a sold-out screening. And for the second time, I ended up watching a Hollywood blockbuster instead.

Some explanation here... As a "full series" passholder, I can get into any regular screening as long as there are stills seats. However, if there are enough passholders showing up to fill the allotted passholder seats, and all other seats are sold to ticket buyers, then any passholders showing up after that will be turned away. (Platinum passholders can always get in and be seated in specially reserved seats.) In my nine years as passholder, I have only been turned away a few times. Today, my friend Eric and I carpooled to go to the much-buzzed-about horse whisperer documentary "Buck". We arrived at SIFF Cinema about 15 minutes before showtime, and ended up in the passholder standby line. Eric's sister Sandy arrived earlier and was ahead of us in standby. At the end, Sandy was the last one let in, while Eric and I got turned away along with nine other passholders and a long line of people waiting to buy tickets.

Last group of standby passholders being let into "Buck".

Notice the SIFF staffer stopping the line right after Sandy got in;

and the long line of ticket standbys (along the wall) who waited in vain.

We decided to head to Pacific Place and catch a non-SIFF movie before our planned 9:30 pick. It all worked out really well, and we turned our disappointment into a pleasant evening!

Kung Fu Panda 2 (USA) - A-

This is actually one of three Hollywood animations included in the "Films4Families" section of this year's SIFF. Eric and I didn't go to its festival screenings, so it's somewhat appropriate to see it now. We both liked it a lot. I enjoyed it more than the first "Kung Fu Panda"; Eric thought it wasn't as good. For me the moral lesson in the film, though cliched and a little forced, resonates well and adds an extra layer to the well-developed story. Eric, however, took issue with some of the character motivations and behaviors. We both loved the bits and pieces of hilarity and cleverness scattered throughout the movie.

Princess (Finland) - B+

The story started in 1945, when a woman in a psychiatric hospital claimed she was a real Princess. While there are comedic elements, this film is an engaging drama that feels as sad as it is hopeful. I thought it worked remarkably well as fiction, and when I discovered that it is closely based on a true story, I felt even more impressed and impacted by the film and the story of the Princess.

SIFF: My Tentative Schedule

Jun 8-12 (Subject to Change)

Go to http://www.siff.net/festival/index.aspx for full details or to buy tickets.

PAC: Pacific Place; EGY: Egyptian; HAR: Harvard Exit; NEP: Neptune; SIF: SIFF Cinema

(*) : Filmmaker guests in attendance

Wed Jun 8

7:00pm, SIF, "Buck" (USA) (Docu) (*)

9:30pm, PAC, "Princess" (Finland)

Thu Jun 9

4:30pm, NEP, "The Catechism Cataclysm" (USA) (*)

Fri Jun 10

4:30pm, HAR, "Sushi: The Global Catch" (USA) (Docu) (*)

Sat Jun 11

11:00am, HAR, "Hot Coffee" (USA) (Docu) (*)

1:30pm, PAC, "The Most Important Thing in Life Is Not Being Dead" (Switzerland) (*)

Sun Jun 12

TBD - interested in quite a few choices so will have to decide later!

SIFF Day 19-20 (Jun 6-7): Unpredictable / Predictable

As much as I have gotten better with speculating whether I would enjoy seeing a particular film, it can still be an unpredictable experience. On Monday I watched three films and, based on descriptions and trailers, I had thought I would enjoy them in decreasing order. It ended up being the reverse. On Tuesday however, the outcome was pretty much what I had predicted.

"Circumstance" (Iran) - B-

A lesbian love story intertwines with political and social issues in this well-intended drama. Despite hitting mostly the right notes in the process, I find the overall result to be less than inspiring, with the exploration of all the complex issues mostly staying on the surface. The villain character is caricatural to the degree of detracting from the power of the story. It's still worth seeing overall, just not up to its potential.

"Every Song Is About Me" (Spain) - B

Ramiro, an aspiring poet who works at his uncle's bookstore, reflects on his just-ended relationship, explores an old friendship, and contemplates future romantic opportunities. The back-and-forth and loosely episodic structure comes dangerously close to becoming disengaging, yet eventually succeeds in constructing a relaxed narrative. Ramiro's romantic plights and struggles come off as being realistic to the degree of causing a little irritation. I was all ready to give the film a B+ until the very end, when the story wrapped up in a direction that I found unsatisfying.

"Tilt" (Bulgaria) - B+

SIFF may have done this film a disservice by putting it under the "to the extreme" pathway. Yes, the main characters are four teenagers who seek thrills and cause troubles. But ultimately this is a story of growing up, with a heartfelt, innocent, almost old-school-Hollywood kind of romance at its core. A successful merge of a gangster thriller and a love story, with the country of Bulgaria playing a background role as a metaphoric teenager as well.

Me with "Tilt" producer Borislav Chouchkov

"The Off Hours" (USA) - C

Full review coming soon.

"Bobby Fischer Against the World" (USA) (Docu) - B+

Full review coming soon.

SIFF Day 17-18 (Jun 4-5): Rewarding Picks

My schedule only allowed me to catch three films this weekend. Luckily, two of them were highly rewarding.

Do You See Colors When You Close Your Eyes? (USA) - B+

After young poet Jonathan passes away, his boyfriend Christian (fiance actually) and his twin brother Michael meet up and go on a road trip to spread his ashes. In different yet similar ways, they mourn their loss of Jonathan, and seek some kind of remedy from each other. Their tender heartache and yearning for connection permeate this hauntingly beautiful film, starting from the very first scene which launches right into the timeline-jumping narrative. Sage Price absolutely shines in an incredible dual-role as twin brothers, especially considering they filmed everything in only seven and half days. I did find Christian's refusal of moving on from Jonathan to be a bit overwhelming and tedious; however that is a minor flaw in a highly memorable film.

Q&A; me with writer Joshua Young, star Sean Frazier, and director Caleb Young

Writer Joshua Young said he intentionally left all the directing to his brother Caleb, because all their previous filmmaking collaborations led to constant bickering. Yet brotherly connections might have been mysteriously at work after all: Joshua wrote the script with a broken-up timeline but gave it to Caleb in a chronological form. On his own, Caleb came up with his narrative structure that was essentially identical with Joshua's original script. Spooky?

Amador (Spain) - B-

A woman, newly pregnant and in need of money, finds a great job looking after an old man. Unfortunately, he dies. What's a maid to do?? This film has a good ending and a few great moments leading up to it, but the bulk of it really tested my patience. I think it would've made a great short film.

My So-Called Enemy (USA) (Docu) - A-

One of the thorniest topics in the world - the Israel-Palestine conflict - gets put into some very humanistic perspectives through the eyes and hearts of teenage girls from both sides of the wall, who came to the U.S. in 2002 to attend a leadership program together. Director Lisa Gossels spent the next seven years following up with the girls (who became young women by the end of the process), and another one and half years editing the film together, a process that included many test screenings to make sure the presentation is as balanced as possible. For that reason, as well as the safety of the young women involved, some powerful or controversial interviews were unfortunately left out of the final product. Even so, this is an eye-opening and thought-provoking documentary that could have a great impact by getting people involved in a push for solution. The clear focus on the girls' personal journeys and friendships works wonderfully, producing many memorable scenes that are deeply touching and poignant.

Sunday's screening was followed by a thoughtful and lively Q&A with Lisa, who was great with the audience. The fact that most of the audience stayed for the Q&A - which seldom happens at SIFF - was a testimony to the film's impact.

SIFF Day 16 (Jun 3): Hollywood vs. Independent

My plan was to catch the French RomCom "The Names of Love" at Pacific Place, 1:30pm, and then take a break for the next timeslot. To my surprise, the show was sold out! I took advantage of this unexpected break from SIFF to catch up on two recent Hollywood hits. Then it was back to SIFF with two foreign (English-language) independent films. It was quite fascinating to experience the contrast of Hollywood vs. independent in one day. Score-wise, things evened out pretty well. I will expand on that comparison later; for now just the quick reviews, since I desperately need to catch some sleep before heading to movies again!

(Non-SIFF) Thor - B+

Kenneth Branagh instills a sense of gravity and regality to this decidedly Hollywood story, which is actually refreshing in this day and age when most superhero movies seem obligated to include irreverent comic reliefs. Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman nicely embody the charisma of their characters - In this case it's more about being a movie star than being a fine actor.

(Non-SIFF) Bridesmaids - B+

After a barrage of crazy antics and gross humor - which is not really my thing - the second half of the film settles into a new focus on emotions and introspection, bringing the story out of pure cliches and into a surprising place of heartfelt connection.

Weekend (UK) - A-

I don't know if director Andrew Haigh set out to make a gay version of "Before Sunrise," but either way he definitely succeeded in that regard (which is high compliment in my book!). Following two newly acquainted men through a weekend, with one of them set to leave the country on Sunday, "Weekend" is a rare gem that is a great gay film as well as a great romance film. Once the characters and plot progression settle into place, the film rolls on with remarkable authenticity and intelligence. The dialogues and conflicts feel incredibly real, which is of course enhanced by the palpable chemistry between the two leads (Haigh auditioned over 60 actors before making the pick). Sealing the deal is a wonderful ending, again reminiscent of "Before Sunrise," and again very authentic. I didn't care for the gratuitous and liberal inclusion of alcohol and drug use; I felt that they were mostly irrelevant to the story. But by the same token, since they were mostly irrelevant, they didn't cause much harm either.

Me with director Andrew Haigh

Small Town Murder Songs (Canada) - B-

The true stars here are the songs, gospel-rock concoctions by the band Bruce Peninsula that punctuate key scenes throughout the film. Another device, religious quotes in huge fonts serving as "chapter markers," seems less effective. The rest of the film, though solidly directed and acted, is perhaps more lightweight than the premise implies. I craved something stronger from the story.

Director Ed Gass-Donnelly answering questions

SIFF: My Tentative Schedule

U2 concert; a wedding; a meeting about my autism documentary project. Those are all things that, deservingly, cut into my SIFF-going.

Jun 3-7 (Subject to Change)

Go to http://www.siff.net/festival/index.aspx for full details and to buy tickets.

PAC: Pacific Place; EGY: Egyptian; HAR: Harvard Exit; NEP: Neptune; SIF: SIFF Cinema; ADM: Admiral;

(*) : Filmmaker guests in attendance

Bold font: Films I particularly look forward to

Fri Jun 3

1:30pm, PAC, "The Names of Love" (France) (RomCom)

7:00pm, HAR, "Weekend" (UK) (Gay) (*)

9:30pm, HAR, "Small Town Murder Songs" (Canada) (Crime) (*)

Sat Jun 4

11:00am, HAR, "Do You See Colors When You Close Your Eyes?" (USA) (Gay) (*)

1:30pm, PAC, "Amador" (Spain) (Drama)

Sun Jun 5

6:30pm, HAR, "My So-Called Enemy" (USA) (Docu) (*)

Mon Jun 6

4:15pm , EGY, "Circumstance" (Iran) (Romance/Gay) (*)

6:30pm, ADM, "Every Song Is About Me" (Spain) (RomCom) (*)

9:00pm, HAR, "Tilt" (Bulgaria) (RomCom)

Tue Jun 7

4:30pm, NEP, "The Off Hours" (USA) (RomDram) (*)

7:00pm, HAR, "Bobby Fischer Against the World" (USA) (Docu) (*)

9:30pm, HAR, "If I Want To Whistle, I Whistle" (Romania) (Drama)

SIFF Day 13-14 (May 31-Jun 1): I Think I Was Supposed to Like It

Catching up on my reviews after a few days of being busy with a work project...

Lesson Plan (USA) (Docu) - B

As a technically straightforward documentary with mostly talking heads and archival photos/videos, the power of "Lesson Plan" lies in its subject matter. The intriguing story of the Third Wave is told by students who went through it as well as Ron Jones himself, discrepancies and all. The film doesn't provide much answer beyond that, but it serves as a serious reminder that we humans are really good at justifying what we have done (or will do). Or, as another quote from the film says: Any group of people with a shared extreme opinion, no matter how bright and educated they are, can be dangerous.

SIFF's Beth Barrett with "Lesson Plan" filmmakers

"Bibliothèque Pascal" (Hungary) - C+

The artfully presented story is reminiscent of the films from Terry Gilliam and Tarsem Singh, though it does get self-indulgent after a while and goes on a little too long. At the end, I did like the overall message and took away some food for thought. Whether it was worth the two hours of time, that's somewhat arguable.

"Win/Win" (Netherlands) - B

A subtly intense and deeply personal journey of a young man who is winning big time in his job as a stock broker, but losing just about every battle in his personal life, mostly with insomnia and loneliness. It is an engaging film that feels strangely detached at the same time, perhaps due to the fragmented storytelling. I also file it under "a lot of time spent on making the same point repeatedly." Which is not necessarily a bad thing, I might add.

"Simple Simon" (Sweden) - B

This is a fun, quirky romantic comedy that had a sold-out audience in stitches. My main problem, however, is that the Asperger's Syndrome as exhibited by Simon in this film rings false most of the time. Although I'm not an expert on Autism Spectrum Disorder, I am currently working on a documentary about ASD, and therefore have been interviewing and filming with autism experts and children with autism. Based on those experiences, I find Simon's symptoms to be unauthentic. I would be curious to hear from others who have seen the film and are familiar with Asperger's. In any case, if you are not distracted by this issue like I was, you will probably enjoy it quite a bit. One pivotal scene, which involves Simon executing a plan in a very non-Asperger's fashion, is the delightful highlight of the film.

Packed house for "Simple Simon"