adventures of a tired coder

This actually won’t be a movie review, it will be a soapbox rant because it’s just one of those days. First of all, I have to say HELLO to the Egyptian! It was my first time back in there since SIFF took it over. In current light of the Harvard Exit closing and the unknown future of some of the other Landmark theaters, I’m very, very happy to have the Egyptian still operating as a theater. 

The Imitation Game
UK, 2014
Genre: Biopic, Historical Drama
Watched: in theater, SIFF Egyptian 
Rating: **** (out of 5)

I gave the film a four star rating, which is probably a bit too generous, especially seeing that I gave The Theory of Everything 3.5. I felt like the two movies were similar in the sense that they felt really glossy, meant more for entertaining the masses than giving any deep insights. This was especially true with how a lot of Turing’s behaviors and interactions in the movie garnered somewhat cheap laughs. Still, I’m the first to admit that my tastes often fall into the mainstream, and I enjoyed the movie as entertainment.

Why take the bus over to Seattle, trek up Capitol Hill, and eat popcorn for dinner in order to see a film in the theater instead of waiting a few months to come out on Netflix? This was one of those evenings that highlighted how different the experience can be. First of all, I’ve been having trouble focusing (especially on films with subtitles) at home lately. In the theater, there is no Dragon Age in the other room to distract me. Secondly, it’s the interaction with the other moviegoers.

It’s a small world at SIFF. I saw Wild over the weekend (loved it – see, I’m totally mainstream) and I’m pretty sure “the lady who responds” was in the audience because I heard a few outbursts of assent (“Yes!”) during a scene where Strayed’s mother was giving good life advice. I was mentioning this to my friend, and then she mentioned that her pet peeve had come up in this movie – someone scoffing audibly when chemical castration came up. She said that it really annoyed her because it was someone looking down on a different society and feeling sooo much more enlightened, as if our society isn’t just as full of the sheep mentality.

Self-righteousness has been on my mind in the past few years. It’s what draws me to reading The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt, even though nonfiction and I are a hopeless combination. It’s easy where I stand to be pro-feminism, pro-civil rights, etc., but how many of us would even hold those views if we grew up in a society that didn’t accept them? We can hold our lofty principles from the comfort of our sofas and laptops, but how many of us have had those principles tested by fire? What attitudes do we condone or ignore that future generations will look back and scoff at?

Self-righteousness is a dangerous state of being. I say this as much for myself as for anyone else – if you find yourself thinking that you’re better than other people, it’s time to examine your blind spots.

Yep, that’s right… I completely missed the first week of SIFF. There are definitely films that I’m hearing about that I wished I’d had the chance to see, but Maui was pretty awesome, too. :) Immediately jumped back into SIFF, seeing two films on the same day I arrived home via redeye flight. It was a real challenge because nothing happened in either film! But things got better during the week – I saw a delightful French musical and worked a good will call shift at the Uptown. Film Count: 4. Volunteer Vouchers: 7.

Stray Dogs
(also: Jiao You)
Taiwan, 2013
Genre: Drama
Watched: SIFF 2014, Uptown
Rating: *** (out of 5)

I feel like I have a good amount of patience with slow movies, but this one was just too much for me. A lot of people who liked it seem to be familiar with the director’s work, though I’m really not sure that understanding references would have made it more bearable. It’s 138 minutes of long shots where nothing happens. It’s really uncomfortable, especially when the shots zoom in close on faces and you spend 10 minutes trying to figure out if he’s going to let the snot drip down his nose or not (spoiler alert: he does). There’s a semblance of a story, but since very little happens and very little is said, there’s a lot of missing information that frustrated me. On the redeeming side, a lot of the shots were very beautiful, and misery was strongly portrayed.

A Dream of Iron
(also: Cheol-ae-kum)
South Korea, 2014
Genre: Documentary
Watched: SIFF 2014, Uptown
Rating: ***1/2 (out of 5)

The narrator is sad that his girlfriend left him to search for god, so he decides to find a “better” god. Monks chant. Lots of shots of an enormous ship factory and the impressive metalwork that takes place there. Whales. And a few dolphins. Back to the metal. Whales again. Documentary?! For this one, I could get over the fact that nothing happens and it’s actually pretty ridiculous because there was a meditative quality to the whole thing that reminded me of Samsara (but I liked Samsara a lot more).

Attila Marcel
France, 2013
Genre: Comedy, Musical, Drama
Watched: SIFF 2014, Uptown
Rating: **** (out of 5)

I was originally planning to see this one before my vacation, but I decided to volunteer instead. This one lived up to my expectations: it was beautiful, charming, and funny. Definitely lots of laugh-out-loud moments (I still have the phrase “merde de lumiere” stuck in my brain). There’s no way you’re going to connect with any of the characters or get anything meaningful out of this film, but it’s entertaining, the characters are interesting (if not realistic), and it brought me into their brightly-colored hallucinogenic world for an hour and a half.

Here we go again! Hopefully I can complete my SIFF blogging this year (unlike last year). It’s going to be a much shorter fest for me, since I’m out of town for 9 days of the festival for my brothers’ graduation and a family trip. Before leaving, I worked two volunteer shifts, one as a “human arrow” at the opening night gala and one long venue shift at Lincoln Square. We were able to watch a film during our shift, so I did get to see one before leaving town. Film Count: 1. Volunteer Vouchers: 5.

Words and Pictures
USA, 2013
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Watched: SIFF 2014, Lincoln Square 
Rating: ***1/2 (out of 5)

This isn’t a movie I’d typically see at SIFF because it’s a mainstream American flick that’s going to have a wider release soon. But I was happy to catch it during my volunteer shift! It’s a solid rom-com, with lots of laugh-out-loud moments, especially between the two main characters as they engage in their battle of literature (“words”) vs. art (“pictures”). I really like Juliette Binoche as an actress, and she does a good job with her character here. It was also nice to Valerie Tian’s role as a student that didn’t reek of Asian stereotypes. The romance side of the picture is inevitable but not as convincing or interesting as the rest of it. The passion the teachers show for their subjects is really engaging and made me want to go out and write and paint.

I really took a break from SIFF this week. Saw so many films over Memorial Day weekend (10!) that it made me less eager to see anything during the week. I worked a quiet will call shift at Pacific Place on Wednesday, had pre-existing plans on Tuesday, and decided to stay at home on Thursday instead of watching The Artist and the Model as previously planned. I’ve been leaning towards trying the passholder thing, but weeks like this one make me wonder if I could sustain the film watching enough to make the pass worthwhile. Film count: 16. Volunteer vouchers: 18.

Short Stories
(also: Rasskazi)
Russia, 2012
Genre: Black Comedy, Drama
Watched: SIFF 2013, Pacific Place
Rating: **** (out of 5)

This one was a lot of fun. There were four short stories from a rejected manuscript that found their way into the lives of the people who rejected it. At the Q&A, someone asked the director if there was any other connection between the stories. He said no and that the manuscript thing was a “lame” way to do it. Russian humor! I liked the first and last one the best because they were the funniest. However, I suspect I’d get more out of the 2nd and 3rd if I had the chance to watch them again. All of them commented on the state of modern Russia in clever ways. In the first story, a couple meets with a wedding planner who takes it a step further and helps them plan out their lives. In the last one, a man meets an attractive younger woman, only to be slowly repulsed by her lack of knowledge of Russian history or anything else. The director claimed that he wasn’t intending for anything in the film to be funny (really??) but that people laughed so they called it a comedy. Someone in the audience insisted that his work had to have been influenced by some Russian writer whose name escapes me, and the director answered that he definitely would have been influenced… if he had read any. The Russian films have been meshing well with me at SIFF. Must be sure to see more next year.

A World Not Ours
(also: Alam laysa lana)
Lebanon, 2012
Genre: Documentary
Watched: SIFF 2013, Harvard Exit
Rating: **** (out of 5)

So many Middle East social issues films… I chose this one and decided not to see several others (Zaytoun, Inch’Allah, When I Saw You) because it seemed like this would give the most authentic experience. It’s a good companion film to last year’s 5 Broken Cameras. While watching this compilation of years of home videos, I didn’t find myself as engaged as I would have liked. Obviously, real life – especially in a refugee camp – isn’t as dramatic as a narrative film. But this place lingered in my thoughts long after the film was over. I remember the older Palestinians, patiently waiting in the camps until they are allowed to return home, and the angry younger generation, young people with no education, no work prospects, and no ability to leave. “I bet most of the guys who blew themselves up felt the same way I do. They just used Palestine as an excuse to end their lives,” one of the men says. That’s an angle I hadn’t seen before, and it’s heartbreaking.

SO many films over Memorial Day weekend for me! I’m putting Monday in the next post, and it’s still a ton. At this point, I have decided that I need to trim down my “Middle East Social Issues” film list, and I am tired of films where I’m constantly worried about things exploding. The Inch’Allah preview qualifies! I’ve also realized that I prioritized a lot of the lighter romantic comedy type films pretty low this year, and I miss them. I can only handle so many depressing films in a row! Film Count: 14, Volunteer Vouchers: 15

The Rocket
Australia, 2013
Genre: Coming-of-Age, Drama, Comedy
Watched: SIFF 2013, Uptown
Rating: ****1/2 (out of 5)

This story is about child who is considered to be bad luck because he was born a twin. After his family is forced to leave their home village, he decides to enter a rocket competition to win money for a new home. It’s hard to tell from the description, but this is no sentimental cliched Hollywood style flick. The characters are fantastic – the kids are great actors, and the are two quirky older characters that almost steal the show. Lots of laughs, but there’s genuine suspense as the family faces dangers in post-war Laos. Some members of the audience were so emotionally invested that they blurted out, “Oh no!” during one of the more tense moments. One of my favorites of the festival so far. It deserved a bigger theater than the (sold out) Uptown 3.

About 111 Girls
(also: Darbare 111 Dokhtar)
Iraq, 2012
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Social Issues
Watched: SIFF 2013, Uptown
Rating: *** (out of 5)

I saw this one right after The Rocket, also in the sold out Uptown 3 theater. I wish the order had been reversed so I could end on a high note. I expected this film to be more serious, with some sort of hard-hitting message. Instead, it was really slow-paced with a few random screwball laughs here and there, nothing more. Sure, there are some messages that could be read from a few of the scenes, but they were more like hints than messages. Finally, the film isn’t really focused on the 111 girls. Yeah, maybe that’s one of the messages, but I don’t care. That’s not the film I wanted to see.

Paradise: Faith
(also: Paradies: Glaube)
Austria, 2012
Genre: Drama
Watched: SIFF 2013, Pacific Place
Rating: **1/2 (out of 5)

If not for the whole “I should see the entire trilogy” thing, I would have skipped this one. There wasn’t a whole lot of redemption in this overlong drama between a fanatical Catholic and her Muslim paraplegic husband. It was unpleasant to watch her practice her extreme religion and mistreat her husband. The scenes where she was trying to evangelize at other people’s apartments were more interesting, but this was mainly because of the other people. 

Paradise: Hope
(also: Paradies: Hoffnung)
Austria, 2013
Genre: Drama, Coming-of-Age
Watched: SIFF 2013, Pacific Place
Rating: ***1/2 (out of 5)

I was worried about watching two Paradise films back to back, but fortunately, this one was shorter and lighter in nature. A friend pointed out that it was the only film of the trilogy where the main character’s focus wasn’t allowed to take over herself and everyone around her. I liked the way the film explored the relationship between teenager Melanie and the older doctor, and interactions between the teenagers felt very authentic. I ultimately ended up liking Love the most out of the trilogy (which was not what I expected!), and what kept me from liking Hope more was the lack of a strong message.

Forbidden Voices
Switzerland, 2012
Genre: Documentary, Social Issues
Watched: SIFF 2013, Uptown
Rating: *** (out of 5)

After watching back-to-back Paradise films, I immediately ran to the Uptown and saw this one. It was definitely overkill. I was tired and had trouble staying awake during parts. Originally, I was really excited about this film because one of the featured bloggers was Yoani Sanchez, who wrote Havana Real, one of the books I read during the Around the World challenge last year. I do think that honest bloggers in repressive regimes are an important subject, but this documentary didn’t give a lot of good insight. The Iranian blogger is living in exile out of her country. The Chinese blogger is under house arrest. Okay, that’s not groundbreaking news. To be fair, there was more focus on Sanchez and some of the events that took place in Cuba, but I had already read about them in greater detail in the book, so it wasn’t new to me. The film itself was fine, and the information may be good enough for someone totally new to the subject, but it was far less than what I was hoping for. A combination of reading Havana Real and watching the Ai Wei Wei documentary would be much more interesting and informative than this.

Sand Fishers
(also: Le Chemin du Sable)
Mali, 2012
Genre: Documentary, Social Issues
Watched: SIFF 2013, Renton Performing Arts Center
Rating: **1/2 (out of 5)

I feel bad even rating this one. I went in and watched because it was during my volunteer shift, but I wasn’t really interested to begin with. As a documentary, I think it really could have benefited from a narrator explaining background on some things a little more or at least prompting the subjects by asking questions. Without the background, I didn’t know enough to care about what was going on. People are poor in the village. They go elsewhere to dig sand up from the bottom of the river to sell so they can have some money. But more and more people start to do this, and they’re worried about running out of sand. The end. On the plus side, the short film they screened before it was pretty good.

Anita
USA, 2013
Genre: Documentary, Social Issues
Watched: SIFF 2013, Renton Performing Arts Center
Rating: **** (out of 5)

This documentary wasn’t on my radar at all because, believe it or not, I had never heard of Anita Hill. I was only 8 years old when the judicial hearings were going on, and I guess I never paid attention. I’m really glad I got to see this one on my volunteer shift because it’s such an important event in history. The director was there for Q&A (I think she came in during the film and stood in one of the aisles for awhile, probably blocking views). The audience was asked how many people watched the judicial hearings back in 1991, and most of the audience raised their hands. That’s unfortunate – I think younger people who aren’t familiar with this are the ones who might get the most out of the film. Hopefully once this film gets a wider release, it will reach more young people. It’s great to see how far things have come regarding things like sexual harassment in the workplace and gender equality, but the victim blaming we saw in the film is still very much alive and well today.

Imagine
Poland, 2012
Genre: Drama, Romance
Watched: SIFF 2013, Renton Performing Arts Center
Rating: ****1/2 (out of 5)

Imagine is about a blind man with controversial techniques of walking without a cane who goes to teach children at a hospital. The story itself is nothing terribly extraordinary, but it’s the way the director chose to shoot the film that makes it great. Visually, it’s beautiful, with lots of light and nice scenery. But the uniqueness is how it gets us to understand “how it is to be blind.” This seems counterintuitive for a film, since we’re obviously watching it. However, in this film, we often are not shown what we expect to see. Many shots are close up so we can see the character, but like the blind, we can’t see his surroundings. When he talks about how he can sense a large ship in a harbor close by, I instinctually expect the camera to show whether he’s lying or not, but instead, I’m kept blind. I loved the tension this created and the new way of perceiving the world.