Canadians, homosexuals,
and
little old grey-haired ladies:
The Jacksonville
Film Festival
by Whitney Weiss
Tribeca...
Lake Placid...
Jacksonville?
According to Tennyson and Mary Beth Bardwell (Dorian Blues),
Jacksonville's film festival is getting the kind of buzz festivals
like Tribeca have. The kind of buzz that might mean bigger films here
for us next year. But what is buzz, if not so often undeserved? I
braved three days of films, galas, and speeches to deliver you, the
reader, the goods. What films should you be looking out for soon--and
kicking yourself for having missed? What went wrong--and what went
right? Sleep-deprived and on deadline, I'm here to tell you.
Film highlights (and a couple of disappointments)
Word Wars
Word Wars is an engaging documentary that follows four high-ranking
Scrabble players on their way to the big tournament. It showed at
Theatre Jacksonville to a crowd of many grey-haired ladies. The
beginning sequence of the film explained "This isn't your grandma's
Scrabble." And, with the gambling, the pot smoking, the cursing, and
the hooker, it wasn't. Matt, a younger new age guy with a penchant for
gambling, takes herbal supplements to better his brain. GI Joel
possesses a variety of gastro-intestenal ailments, which he'll
describe in great detail, chugs Maalox straight from the bottle. He is
perhaps the most nervous-looking human being I've ever seen. Marlon is
a jovial, broke, pothead with a smile that has as much girth as his
waistline. His temper and frequent cussing got laughs from younger
members of the audience and stunned silence from those who were older.
Joe, a quasi-Zen man with confidence that shakes the other players,
likes to take on the Scrabble kings and queens of Washington Square
Park. He gets on your nerves quickly.
Word Wars works because the filmmakers don't turn their subjects into
caricatures. Getting a chance to see into these people's world is
worth your time. In addition to letting the players speak for
themselves, there is interesting side commentary about the strategy of
Scrabble, female players, and different controversies within the
Scrabble world (one, involving "dirty words," is damn near hilarious).
I'd tell you the ending, which is quite heartwarming, but instead urge
you to see the film for yourself. What these filmmakers capture is far
more than a slightly weird world of quirky unemployed people.
The Saddest Music in the World
The Saddest Music in the World deserves each and every word of praise
it gets. We open in a Caribou-skin tent with a nymphomaniac and her
American boyfriend (he's really Canadian, but prefers to describe
himself as a producer from New York). A local beer baroness ("If
you're sad and you like beer, I'm the girl for you") has announced a
contest: $25,000 to the country with the saddest music in the world.
What follows is a spectacular film full of absurdity. There are glass
legs full of beer. There is the American's brother, who keeps his dead
son's heart in jar. All of the actors deliver amazing performances
(most notably Isabella Rossellini and Mark McKanney of “Kids in the
Hall”), and the cinematography is amazing. Shot in black and white,
this film looks like German silent movies from the 1920s. It also has
the most hilarious amputation scene you'll ever see. Director Guy
Madden did an excellent job.
Unfortunately, a lot of the humor of this film was lost on a befuddled
audience. Later that day, I heard a group of older moviegoers describe
the film as "the worst movie I've ever seen." I cannot think of a
description further from the truth, but if you except your movie
handed to you, easy to understand, on a silver platter of "normal,"
then The Saddest Music in the World is not for you.
Rick
When the director of Rick spoke before his film screened, he seemed
nervous about its reception. He shouldn't have been. Rick is a
triumph.
The film, a modern take on Verdi's Rigollito, offers a damning
indictment of corporations/ consumer culture AND a quality film
regardless of if you pay that political message any attention. Rick
(Bill Pullman) is the epitome of corporate asshole, who you only warm
up to when you see him interact with his daughter. His boss--who
prefers to go by Big Boss--is younger guy who spends his days at work
chatting on porn sites. At a bar, Rick runs into an old college
friend, who has started a company called "My Own Company." It takes
the rat race to the next level. Would Rick like to be a client? His
decision to be a client becomes his undoing.
Whoever wrote the script is a highbrow version of Bret Easton Ellis,
and the script itself is an expose of the degree of nihilism so many
members of our society have reached. Bill Pullman's performance as
Rick is stunning. Everything about this film--the angles, the music,
the characters--is perfect. The directing itself is very classy; what
you don't see is just as important as what you do, and the twists are
believable and "oh shit!"-inspiring. I hope very much for a full-scale
release of Rick sometime soon.
Dorian Blues
This film deserves to be seen everywhere. Dorian (Michael McMillon,
who does a spectacular job) is a high schooler who has just realized
he's gay. On his way to acceptance, he experiments with therapy,
Jesus, and heterosexuality. The only other person who knows what's
going on is his brother, the star quarterback and all-around perfect
son. Their father, the ultimate in war-happy conservative dads, can't
stand Dorian ever since the fateful day he deigned to disagree at
their political dinner table "discussions." Their mother is kind, but
just doesn't listen (which results in some hilarious physical comedy
when Dorian tries to come out). Finally, Dorian does come out, and
eventually goes away to college at NYU.
Dorian Blues is so much more than just a coming-out or coming-of-age
film. The GLBT audience will enjoy it because Dorian is not depicted
as a cliche, though he does fall victim to some of the stereotypes.
Anyone who has a less-than-ideal relationship with his or her parents
will be able to relate to the fire and brimstone that comes with
Dorian's numerous (and sometimes heartbreaking) attempts to
communicate with his father. The relationship between Dorian and his
brother, Dorian's coming into his own at college, his experiencing a
first heartbreak...all of these are universal themes.
With all that's going on, a lesser writer or director might end up
with a final product that's muddled. Fortunately, that does not happen
here. The comedic timing is spot on, there's successful physical
comedy, and the story does justice to both its characters and its
themes. When Dorian's brother takes him to the strip club, he asks,
"Do you like her?" "I like her shoes," Dorian says. This is funny.
Later on, when Dorian's about to lose his (hetero) virginity to the
same dancer (she is a hooker in her spare time), their conversation is
funny...but it's also thoughtful and tender and nervous. There's a
reason this film almost won the audience choice award. Go see it if
ever you can.
Milton is a Shithead
This animated short shows what happens when a good cat goes bad.
Milton has autographed Pat Buchanan pictures. He whispers "you're fat"
to his owner while she's sleeping. She takes him to get fixed, in
hopes of calming him down. Instead, it starts a hilarious full-out war
between the two. Never miss the chance to see an animated cat with an
animated funnel around his head. People came to Dorian Blues just to
see this short, which was screening before it.
El Sueno de Caiman
This low-budget film follows a Spainard who accidentally kills a man
and has go live with his father in Mexico. His father is under the
impression that his son is a doctor, not a criminal, and he's already
told this to all of his friends and his landlord. Hilarity, romance,
and the world's funniest bank robbery ensues.
The often-used plotlines in this film are jazzed up with comedy and
well-developed characters. This was the second film in the festival
that was shot in black and white. The acting and cinematography were
great, but the script's weaknesses were what stopped this from being a
great film overall. Subtle political commentary almost made up for
undeveloped sub-plots, but didn't quite.
Napoleon Dynamite
Apparently, this comedy was a Sundance favorite. Though it had its
moments, ultimately Napoleon Dynamite falls short of really delivering
the laughs.
The premise: Napoleon is a total geek who never really opens his eyes
the whole movie. He wears tee-shirts with horses and a pair of
ridiculous hiking boots (so kudos to the costume people for a job well
done). His older brother spends all day chatting online with his
girlfriend from Detriot. His grandma, who they live with, likes riding
her motorcycle on the dunes and isn't at home all that much. Their
uncle is stuck in 1982 and spends all day reliving his glory days of
high school football. Though the other summaries of this film focus on
Napoleon helping his new friend Pedro run for president of the high
school, I feel that's an inaccurate central point of the film.
The run for presidency doesn't happen until the movie is 3/4ths over,
leaving the beginning open to feeble sub-plots that have moments of
hilarity, but don't really go anywhere. It bothered me how most of the
laughs involving Pedro were because of a strong Mexican accent (ala
Speedy Gonzalez). Napoleon wasn't written as a sympathetic character
either, and I didn't find myself hoping he gets the girl or, at the
very least, a new pair of shoes. Perhaps another viewing would change
my mind, but until then, I stand firmly by the belief that this film
was simply "eh."
The Problems
Cell phones
Turn them off! You'd think people would understand this, but since no
one told them, one went off during every single film that I saw. And
if it's yours and it's ringing, I don't care about your selfish need
for the call to go to voicemail. Turn the damn thing off anyway. Maybe
next year there should be signs or an announcement.
Organization and a pressing problem
Publicist Liz Morgan, who had a lot on her plate, did a great job with
setting up the media with passes and information. I arrived at Slasher
thrilled to be seeing the film and experiencing the Q&A with Jon
Landis. Since this was one of the biggest events of the Jacksonville
Film Festival (aside from Bill Murray's appearance), a great many
people showed up. Unfortunately, many of the people who had all-access
passes were left standing in the auditorium while people who had just
purchased tickets walked into the theatre.
Additionally, as a member of the press (which I explained), I was
still not let into the film. Movement Magazine is over 10 years
old...that means we've been around for over 8 years longer than the
festival itself. Though Liz was very kind and apologetic, it didn't
change the fact that I--and a whole bunch of other people--missed
Slasher. Perhaps if the film was shown at the Florida Theatre instead
of The Ritz (or if the additional screening hadn't been during two
other films), this problem could have been avoided.
Timing is everything
Turning the lights on before Word Wars finished was a minor incident,
but it really changed the way the audience perceived the film. Also,
opening the doors a mere 10 minutes before a film starts guarantees
things are going to be running late.
Lost in translation
During El Sueno de Caiman, the DVD kept freezing with a single line of
subtitles, while the movie played on. The time it took to fix this
problem, which happened three times, added 30 minutes to the viewing
experience. I know this was no one's fault, per say, but it really
affected the way the film sat with a viewer. Continuity, when
film-viewing, is key.
Manners in general
Aside from the cell phones, there were also some people who felt the
need to speak during the films--at length. I'm not sure what the
protocol is at other film festivals, but it seemed a bit ridiculous
that there was, again, no one there to tell them to be quiet--or that
they hadn't figured out silence is golden on their own.
The Triumphs
Sophomore effort
I consider it a triumph that we even had a second film festival.
Support your local scene
Spooney's music was used in the sponsors trailer!
The creative use of chocolate
Everyone was raving about Peterbrooke's ability to craft chocolate
into film-related objects, but the hit of one party was without a
doubt their chocolate fountain. It was the envy of all I spoke with,
and I'm sure Willy Wonka wishes he had one in his factory.
A media frenzy
Thank you, Bill Murray. If you hadn't showed up to get your Tortuga-on-a-stick,
half of the people who were there to see Rick wouldn't have come.
Murray's decision to come accept a lifetime achievement award helped
this film festival out more than most people will ever realize. In
addition to creating the closest thing I've ever seen to a media
frenzy in Jacksonville, it got more people to show up at the film
festival. But beyond the audience turnout, it gave the festival
something that's going to make it even easier to get higher-quality
films in the future: credibility.
The Final Consensus
The Jacksonville Film Festival, though not without its problems, was
pleasantly surprising. The quality of films has improved this year, as
has the buzz behind our festival. And was that buzz deserving? We had
a Coppola, Jon Landis, some IFC and Sundance favorites, Bill Murray,
and a party that Tennyson and Mary Beth Bardwell (Dorian Blues) said
"was more fun than LA parties." Though the audiences I saw at films
were mostly in their 40s or older, I think that this festival could
become something that more industry types and a younger audience show
up for. Instead of merely patting our city on the back, I will offer
these words: train the volunteers better, figure out a more efficient
film schedule, and keep raising the bar. This is a festival to be
proud of, but it's nowhere near the fufillment of its potential.
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