OSS 117: Lost in Rio (France) - and closing night notes

Last night was the closing night film gala for SIFF 2009. Normally this means a film that's a little wider in it's appeal (They do want to sell out Cinerama) along with a party to catch up with the folks you spend a solid month each year watching too much film with (but will see sparingly the rest of the time). This year I was really looking forward to the second OSS 117 film. The last one won the golden space needle award at SIFF a few years back. I really enjoyed that one - and still laugh thinking about some of the jokes. So when I saw this year's fest would close with its sequel (and not a story about wine) I was definitely jazzed.

First up for the evening after introductions was a promotional short film about how Seattle would be different if SIFF didn't exist (it's an It's a Wonderful Life spoof). It was fairly amusing - keeping in mind I'd missed it's two other showings at opening night and the centerpiece gala. If I was watching if for a third time I'd probably be less than amused. As it were I could have done without Dale Chihuly and his friend talking over much of it - even if he was featured in the short. ;-)

Next up was the film OSS 117: Lost in Rio. The director was in attendance an his intro was pretty funny. Explaining that if you liked the character previously - you'd probably enjoy him this time. Given that previously he was a misogynist, racist, jerk - who was now also anti-semitic as well. The movie, like a lot of sequels wasn't quite as funny as the first one. But I still laughed often enough to enjoy myself. I included the trailer below - it will give you a sense as to the style of humor. There was perhaps a little too much running around "adventure" type stuff thrown in. The action is better used in smaller doses as the best laughs come when the character is speaking - or especially trying to untangle himself from saying something that's offended those around him. It's showing again this weekend as part of the the "Best of SIFF 2009" weekend at SIFF cinema.

Afterward everyone retreated to the closing night party. Like many parties of this type it was a bit overcrowded, with huge lines for food. Unlike opening night the food didn't quite last well into the night. I eventually grabbed enough that I wasn't hungry and found a quiet spot to talk with friends until around midnight. So overall the night was a lot of fun - and too interesting for me to stop and take any pictures. I'll be closing out SIFF 2009 entries over the next few days. I do post reviews and film related news all year round - so if you've gotten in the habbit of reading I'd encourage you to register for the email version so you'll get updates in your inbox within a day of them being posted.

Thanks to everyone who has been reading in between their SIFF attendance. And thanks to all the festival staff and volunteers who've made this festival (once again) an amazing experience to attend!