SIFF 2012 Recommendations - All the films I've loved before (and two I didn't)

The toughest part of prepping for any festival is figuring out what the must see films are. I cannot fully help you there - but I can give you some pretty righteous picks based on things I've seen in my travels over the past year. Between Fantastic Fest, SXSW, and Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) I've seen a lot of stuff so you don't have to. None of this posting is based on things I watched during directly or indirectly through SIFF. That will be coming, don't fret.

So here's the creme de la creme of the intersection of my film adventures since SIFF 2011 and the offerings of SIFF 2012. I'm gonna dispense with the Venn diagram - but hopefully you get the idea. This will be a big post - but I think it's worth your time if you're a serious SIFF-goer. I've tried to just pull out a list of the best of the best write up front for those in a hurry. Lots and lots more info after the jump.

Here are the films I recommend the most highly in a nutshell (in no particular order). But please do read the descriptions - my taste is .... let's just say .... occasionally really messed up quirky. So buyer beware.

• Safety Not Guaranteed
• The Central Park Effect
• Sleepwalk with Me
• Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines
• Las Acacias
• Klown (please, ready my notes below though. seriously)
• The Do-Deca Pentathalon

 The next tier which is also pretty damn good includes

• Bad Brains: A Band in DC
• Tatsumi
• My Sucky Teen Romance (as long as you don't have anything against vampires, or teens)

Personally, I'd avoid The Squad regardless of the hype from certain quarters.But read on, because as it turns out of the 18 films I've seen so far at SIFF 2012 recommend at least 16 in one way or another. So don't stop here.

Safety Not Guaranteed - A cryptic classified ad attracts the attention of a reporter at Seattle Magazine:

"Wanted: Someone to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. P.O. Box 91 Ocean View, WA 99393. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. I have only done this once before. SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED."

Whether it's out of genuine interest or desire for a weekend out of town to try and hook up with an old flame he pitches an investigation into the classified listing. Before you know it Jeff (Jake M. Johnson) along with interns Darius (Aubrey Plaza) and Arnau (Karan Soni) are down by the Washington shore staking out a post office box to identify the time traveler in question. It doesn't take long for them to identify Kenneth (Mark Duplass) as he's picking up mail. First Jeff attempts to make contact but things doesn't really click. A more subtle approach by Darius does the trick and she begins the process of becoming his confidant. Jeff deals with the reality of time's impact on his lost love (who is shockingly no longer 18). More of each character is revealed, we learn perhaps Kenneth's motivations and laugh out hilarity ensues. Amongst some sweet and occasionally touching moments.

I think the only people who might not love Safety Not Guaranteed are the publishers of Seattle Weekly whose magazine gets made fun of at times. As a whole it's a dynamite film that's just a ton of fun. It's amusing, it's sweet, and it makes you think about the things you'd want to go back and change in your past. Suspect we've all got a few of those to wrestle with as we go to bed each night.

Oh, and it's about flippin' time travel .... (maybe)

Sleepwalk With Me (USA) - Comedian/director Mike Birbiglia takes us along for a thinly veiled autobiographical ride as he becomes an accomplished performer, plans his wedding, simultaneously contemplates whether he wants to get married and struggles with a remarkably dangerous sleepwalking problem. We're always hearing how great comedy comes from great personal pain. But it's rare for a film to demonstrate it so convincingly. This moving picture that has a lot of bits some of us may feel more than a little uncomfortable with due to self recognition. But it's hilarious and directly shows that process of turning real life trauma into hilarious stand-up. There's a lot more to say about this film - but the main thing is to watch it at the first opportunity that presents itself.

The Do-Deca Pentathlon - A story of brotherhood and growing older and a bunch of other things. But mainly one about brotherhood. Two siblings with a lifetime of issues compete in a custom built 25 event Olympics to determine who is the better brother. Or perhaps more accurately, re-compete as grown men in an event they had invented in their childhood. As the original running of the competition ended in controversy the Mark (Steve Zissis) and Jeremy (Mark Kelly) have been at odds for the twenty years since. Well, sure it's clear there are other things going on - but the only thing they'll explicitly talk about is the Do-Deca.

Mark travels back to his mother's house for a birthday celebration after being assured Jeremy won't be there. But as we're watching a movie we'll need Jeremy to crash the festivities. The pair agree to complete the Do-Deca, much to the chagrin of Mark's wife and their mom. Resulting in much of the incredibly complex competition being executed covertly. Or at least they think covertly. With events ranging from a race, to laser-tag and boxing this is one serious athletic endeavor. As well as an event that genuinely must have been crafted by two adolescent brothers. It's the be-all battle for brotherhood supremacy. Or perhaps the saving event of their relationship.

A film created by the Duplass Brothers back when they were still working micro-budget it feels real, and raw. It's surprisingly enjoyable given the seriousness of the film's second half. It totally worked for me - and I think it will for most people. At least most people who are adults and have a brother. Especially if you're pretty sure about having a brother but a little less confident in evaluating yourself as an adult, mentally speaking.

The Central Park Effect - A film about birds in Central Park, and the people who watch them. It's  transfixing in a deeply peaceful way. Standing out both for the incredible video footage of what must have been 100+ species of birds and the set of human stories/testimonials that accompany it. Especially those from a set of old school New Yorkers, who just happen to be birders. The film's title refers to the incredible concentration of migratory birds that stop off in Central Park. A distinctive path of green welcoming to birds as the move along the east coast from north to south. Even though the park itself is not truly natural (being an engineered creation) it makes for a fine habitat that these birds remember to return to each year. There's really not that much more to say other than to urge readers add this to their SIFF list (should eventually hit HBO in the future if you're outside Seattle -  Their documentary arm wisely snapped this guy up). For my fans in Brooklyn - stand tall. In the Q&A it was revealed that the film's dirty little secret is that Prospect Park may actually be better for bird watching.

Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines (USA) Fascinating and important review of female heroines that remains positive as it points out obvious and unfortunate gaps in female role models in pop culture. Most of the focus is on the Wonder Woman character. But there's a lot more mixed in ranging from other heroines to the Riot Grrl movement. Not to mention a good section on the incredible media program from Seattle's own Reelgrrls. Oh, and just a bit about the fascinating originator of Wonder Woman and why she always seems to be tied up in early editions of the comics. Worth seeing by comic fans .... and everyone else. It's funny, it's insightful, it'll make you want to twirl around to see if you become a superhero. Not that I ever tried that as a kid...

Bad Brains: A Band in DC (USA) - Well ... I've written a lot about this film. So overall it probably just makes sense to read my main review. But in short it's an overview of one of the most important punk bands ever, told effectively. The entire history of the band is covered, from pre-inception through the present day. Rather than linearly drag us along this path the filmmakers wisely inter-cut bits of history throughout. We meet the band on a recent latest tour, where some clear tension has arisen (there's yelling about being a sellout from what I recall). Not really surprising, I'm not sure there's any group whose members have a perfectly smooth relationship after 25 plus years together. Nevertheless those early scenes may feel familiar to anyone who's watched a recent (or any) doc about aging rockers who've grown up together. They still want to play, they're perhaps not as intense as they once were, and there's always at least one member of the band who seems to be less than a healthy member of the ecosystem. Typically for whatever reason it's their front-man. All of that is on display from the opening scene. Thankfully, we're drawn back in time quickly to better understand the origins of the boys who became the legends. With great access to the spaces and people that were around at the start of their DC based career the basics are fleshed out (how they met, the inspiration for the band's name, where they played) while rewarding fans with lots of nuggets that are new (at least to me).

In short - See it. If you don't believe me here's a much longer take that basically says the same thing.

Las Acacias (Argentina) - A tired, grizzled truck driver's boss asks him to give a ride to a woman traveling to Argentina with her baby. He doesn't want her there. The baby is preternaturally cute. There's not a lot of talking, a lot of mate consumption, and in the end an understated super-compelling film. In keeping with the less is more ethos of the filmmaker I'm just going to say you should buy a ticket. I'll wait...

Haven't yet? - Maybe I have not adequately described how much I really loved this film. This was one of the most beautiful surprises for me at Palm Springs 2012. And I only walked in by mistake because something else was booked. You on the other hand dear reader, have no such excuse. Add it to your schedule now.

Klown (Denmark) - Comedy with a true edge - and not the "edgy" we're often sold by the Hollywood marketing machine. Two men take a canoeing trip away from their wives. A voyage one insistently and annoyingly consistently refers to as a "tour de pussy."  Their goal to visit a once a year pop-up high end brothel.  So of course, the other brings along his eleven year old nephew - to prove to his wife that he is in fact father material. I could lie and say it all makes sense in context - and maybe it does, as long as you assume all men are morons. Which is sort of true. Either way, it's pretty damn hysterical. And really, really over the top - this is one I expect may be a bit too much for an American remake.  Some have argued one of the biggest jokes might not be entirely kosher to be shown in US theaters. Definitely worth checking out.

The trailers below are very NSFW as is practically everything about the film.



 

Extraterrestrial (Spain) -This past September Nacho Vigalondo (director of TimeCrimes) brought his second film to Fantastic Fest. It's not as intense, nor in my mind quite as good. But it's still well worth watching. The aliens have invaded. Though that's a key fact that's lost in the initial walk of shame going on in Julia's apartment. As Julia awakes to re-meet Julio who was his partner in a night of drunken celebration. There's also her super nosy neighbor poking around, and it's clear he'd be pleased to be poking around more intimately with Julia. All of which would be news to Angel, Julia's boyfriend who arrives soon after. In some point of all of this the whole alien invasion thing comes to their shared attention. It's just one of those days. We never really see the monster - though maybe the truly scary thing is among them. The film held my attention and definitely has its charms. One of which is admittedly Michelle Jenner as Julia.  Extraterrestrial didn't make my top list of 2011 films, but that doesn't mean it's worth skipping. Especially if like me you have a weakness for talky Spanish films with a random genre quirk to 'em.

Tatsumi (Singapore) - I don't consider myself especially a fan of manga. As such this animated film described as biographical material about a famous Japanese comic artist seemed like a stretch for me. But I'm glad I decided to give it a try as Tatsumi is a fascinating immersion into a world I didn't really know existed. And isn't that at least some of the time why we go to the movies?  Tatsumi is a cinematic adaptation of Tatsumi Hoshihiro's autobiographical book "A Drifting Life." He's a leading figure (and I gathered the originator) of a sub-category of Japanese manga called Gekiga. Which are comics/graphic-novels that are intended for adults. Not because they're full of fornicating octopuses, but because they deal with more serious, often darker subject matter and are drawn in a realistic manner. I'd imagine it's similar to the comic book vs "graphic novel" distinction made here.

I've included a trailer for the film that shows the graphical motion-comic feel of the picture - usually I'm not big on trailers but in this case the picture equaling a thousand words cliche is apt. The film includes stories that Tatsumi is famous for, as well as a stand-in character that narrates his growth as an artist, and the creation of the Gekiga concept. While I found the biography part interesting it was the five Tatsumi stories adapted to the screen that kept me riveted. They're not light subject matter, and parts could be offensive to some. But they're all incredibly emotionally evocative. In particular a tale of survivor guilt after Hiroshima early in the film around a photograph that didn't necessarily depict the meaning people ascribed to it was incredibly powerful. The look of the work onscreen varies with the themes and timeframe being depicted, but it's consistently sharp and eye catching.

It's impossible to sense anything but deep love by the director Eric Khoo for Tatsumi's work. Even though it's the first time I'd been exposed to the material that affection is plainly clear. The film isn't necessarily going to turn me into a Gekiga reader by itself - but it absolutely opened my mind to the concept and piqued my curiosity in a serious way. Would think hard before skipping this film - knowing what I know now about it. Just saying...

My Sucky Teen Romance (USA) - I caught this film at SXSW 2011, and was very excited to do so. The storyline about vampires invading a local comic-con filled with teens befuddled by images of safe, sparkly vampires seemed like a clever one - the slick trailer (below) with a catchy tune playing across it simply sealed the deal.  Of course the fact that I'm completely stupid for quality "teen" films (mentally apparently I'm still there) put my interest way over the top.

I enjoyed the film which has a bright pop look to it, some amusing dialog and earnest, likable (albeit not super slick) performances populating it.  It's not a parody of vampire films, at least not a full on one.  Instead it feels more like a tragic romantic comedy that does get some of its laughs at the expense of Twilight and a trial and error process of figuring out which vampire lore applies in the kid's particular situation.  With many a nod towards the fact that it's hard out there for the teens... 


If you're a mass consumer of vampire pop-culture I'd say My Sucky Teen Romance is definitely worth your time.  Certainly more than some other recent efforts (yes, I'm looking at you Vampires Suck and and I Kissed a Vampire).  For everyone else I think the urge to catch it may be somewhat less urgent. There's a more comprehensive review lurking in this site's archives if you'd like to read more.

Italy Love it or Leave It (Italy) - Italy - Love It or Leave It is a bright looking travelogue that's equal parts funny and sad and follows along as directors Luca Ragazzi and Gustav Hofer criss-cross Italy by road. They're a handsome and often adorable couple in the process of an extended debate over leaving Italy for more hospitable climates. Or at least the cheaper rents of Berlin. They seem to agree on the downsides of Berlusconi's Italy but not on the key question of should they stay or should they go. Their argument travels with them as they motor across the nation in a collection of vintage Fiats.  It's near impossible to not enjoy the protagonists and their unique spin on the travel documentary mashed up with their take on the Italian dream. A lot of the problems uncovered by the pair are familiar to those paying attention to the world economy the last decade or so. But it's still a very engaging way to spend 75 minutes. You could do worse - for a bit more depth on my thoughts feel free to checkout a more complete review I wrote for SXSW.

How to Steal Two Million (South Africa) - A solid, straight forward (except for the occasional twist) noir piece set in South Africa. Guy leaves prison, gets sucked back into the life and a complex robbery goes bad. And of course there's a woman in the mix.  Not as dark and intense as Viva Riva! but certainly worth seeing.

John Dies at the End (USA) -A strange, hard to describe sort of horror fantasy novel that I had a really, really tough time finishing. Actually, I never did finish it. Even though the open is one of the most engaging, slightly scary and clever pieces of writing I'd seen in a while. Not to mention philosophically challenging. Thankfully the film just completely skips over the parts I couldn't slog through - while nailing that opening sequence. It wasn't in my top 5 picks at SXSW, but overall it's an entertaining and engaging piece of work. Even if it didn't include what I think is one of the best lines in the novel when main character David Wong remarks sagely that, "Something coming back from the dead was almost always bad news. Movies taught me that. For every one Jesus you get a million zombies."

Slackers David and John encounter a mystical drug called Soy Sauce which opens ones eyes to the paranormal, or perhaps other dimensions. And all hell breaks loose. Come to think of it, you should probably just give this one a try. If it makes you feel any better Paul Giamatti is in it as well. It's a bit of a crazy hot mess, although I think a more cohesive one than other examples I'd steer folks away from. Sure, that's confusing - but I'm just trying to get you into the spirit of the film.

Oh - and from the Q&A with the director I learned the film was made in no small measure due to Amazon.com's recommendation algorithm. Apparently director Don Coscarelli learned of the novel due to one of those "people who bought X also bought Y" options. Who said computers can't be responsible for the creation of art?

The Student (Argentina) - There's one thing I'm pretty sure I can say about The Student with confidence. It's hard to imagine that there will be another film at SIFF this year with a higher number of words spoken per minute - at least not at a sustained pace. They speak damn fast in The Student and it was an entertaining challenge trying to keep up. Even without the speed contributing degree of difficulty there's serious work to be had attempting to follow the involved arguments between the student turned activist main character and everyone else. As he engages in hyper specific Argentine politics, lessons from The Prince and a good bit of sex. I have to admit it was sorta fun. Though I maybe really followed at most 30-40% of what was going on.

Thale (Norway) - This one is sort of on the borderline for me. I saw it at SXSW and liked the up front conversational part, but my interest faded as it became a more horror like. I would say horror "like" because as opposed to what the trailer would have you believe Thale is not particularly played for scares, nor for action. Two guys who work on a crime scene cleanup crew are called to an older house where the owner has died. They discover a basement labyrinth and a young naked woman in a bathtub. All is not kosher - and who the true monsters are may not be as it seems. Even though it's not an action flick there is a neat slow-mo action sequence towards the end which balances out some of the weaker episodes of CGI incorporated. I marginally think it's worth watching for the conversational interactions between the two men. The story isn't super groundbreaking - but the charms are there enough in the beginning that I felt the time reasonably well spent. Though again - this is probably my most borderline of films in this section of the post. Most importantly, don't go thinking this is a crazy horror film - which is how I recall the trailer. Something the director owned up to in the Q&A I attended - that it was done to get butts in seats. Personally, I think that's a mistake as it leads to disappointed audiences based on their expectations. But forewarned is forearmed in this case.



And then there are two films I'm a little less positive on...

God Bless America (USA) - It's worth noting that many, many people felt more positively about this film by Bobcat Goldthwait than I did. Judging from what I read online as well as audience reaction. On paper it sound intriguing, "Loveless, jobless, possibly terminally ill, Frank has had enough of the downward spiral of America.  With nothing left to lose, Frank takes his gun and offs the stupidest, cruelest, and most repellent members of society." Even after I figured out that the targets of his rage were reality show folks and people who "high-five" I probably could have still gone along for the ride as Frank (Joel Murray) picks up teen Roxy (Tara Lynne Barr) for his partner in crime (ok mass murder thrill-kill spree). It's intended I'm pretty sure as the blackest of black comedy. But for me to enjoy a film with fantasy sequences of splattering a baby with a shotgun there's got to be something more leading up to reality show massacre level catharsis. Not saying I didn't laugh from time to time, I did. It's just the whole package that left me uninterested enough that I probably would have skipped out early on it at SXSW if I didn't have to pay my tab at the Alamo Theater first.

I'm convinced I maybe could get into something this twisted - but not this particular film. Well shot visually though a bit too speech making I just couldn't muster whatever minimal emotional connection to Frank's fucked up life to make this work. Dude, I agree with practically everything said in the film about talking in movies, the death of civil discourse, useless TV "journalism" and reality TV. But then again, I also know how to change the channel. At least until something sick, twisted, and engaging appears onscreen. This is not that - at least for me.

The Squad (Columbia) - Is one of the few films on this list which I'm inclined to directly warn people off of. I saw it at Fantastic Fest and given all the positive hype I'd heard I was surprised not to dig it. Frankly it was a bit boring.  Visually well done in a bunch of spots, but I didn't really greatly care about the goings on - and the level of suspense/shot was rather mild in my humble opinion. In a lot of ways the film reminded me of a M. Night Shyamalan affair. 'nuff said.