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A Sniff of S.I.F.F.
(The Seattle International Film Festival) |
| Shortly after moving to Seattle, I discovered another reason to live
here: The Seattle International Film Festival, where over 150,000 people
enjoy viewing more than 250 films from over 50 countries. This 25 day event
(from May 24 - June 17, 2001) is the largest in the country and is
considered to be among the top film festivals in the world. Over 200 filmmakers
attend the festival each year participating in discussions with the audience
following the screenings of their films.
The Seattle International Film Festival began in 1976 with a two-week, 18 film schedule at the Moore Theater. Seattle filmgoers immediately supported the festival in large numbers at a time when there were only a handful of film festivals in North America. The Festival grew and prospered rapidly, expanding in 1985 to a new home, the Egyptian Theater on Capitol Hill. By this time, the Festival had branched out to present films in two venues, running more than 130 films over a period of 30 days each May and June. SIFF had also added many innovative new programs to its lineup, including a short film competition and two of its most innovative and popular events: the Secret Festival and the annual poster auction. SIFF had also begun to bring in many filmmakers for post-screening discussions, something that did not start in earnest until the fifth festival, in 1980. Always on the cutting edge, the Festival is perhaps best known for its eclectic, wide-ranging programming which encompasses everything from the latest in European, Asian, and Third World Cinema to the premieres of American Independent and major studio releases. A large number of acclaimed films, including Blood Simple, Kiss of The Spider Woman, The Wedding Banquet, Dazed and Confused, Emma, Trainspotting, Mrs. Brown, Braveheart, and To Die For have had their World or North American premieres in the Seattle International Film Festival and film luminaries that have attended the Festival in past years include Bruce Willis, Nick Nolte, Salma Hayek, Steven Soderbergh, Mel Gibson, Sean Penn, and Russell Crowe. For me, the problem was, where do I start? So I skimmed the program guide, highlighting films I thought I might be interested in seeing. Of course, my taste focused on the fantastique. After my first selection of fourteen films fitting the genres of thriller, horror, science-fiction, or fantasy (films reviewed for Chiaroscuro), I checked times and dates, narrowing the field to six, presenting them to you in the order I saw them, with the plot description as I first read it. "Wild Zero"
Plot: Flesh-eating zombies and knife-wielding maniacs are no match for the heroes of the Japanese punk band Guitar Wolf, playing themselves in this manic B-movie masterpiece by noted music-video director, Tetsuro Takeuchi. Brandishing their instruments (and a samurai sword-guitar), they must rescue a devoted fan and his girl from hordes of undead, reanimated by a UFO. Flesh-eating Japanese zombies? How could I refuse? Wild Zero was a glories, cheesy mess, with the added tang of 50s film schlock. The hero, Ace (Endo Masashi), sports a leather jacket and enough hair grease to keep the Tokyo McDonald's going for a month. He's motorcycling his way to see his favorite band, Guitar Wolf. At the club, a freak murder wins Ace the favor of his idols who give him "a whistle" to blow should he ever need their help. And need them he will when the entire population of the next town on their itinerary is turned into flesh-eating zombies by flying saucers in a scene that pays homage to Tim Burton paying homage to classic 50s Sci-Fi. Ace rides into town, meets the girl (?) of his dreams, and soon finds himself calling on the Rock and Roll Super Heroes to save the day. To appreciate this film, you must imagine cars filled with the casts of Marlon Brando's The Wild One, George Romero's, Night of the Living Dead, The Crying Game, and El Mariachi crashing at an intersection. This splat-stick, science fiction camp film makes fun of American films, music, teenagers, and culture in a way that had me rolling in the aisles. Especially funny were the scenes where the leader, Guitar Wolf, unleashes hundreds of Ninja Stars at the zombies while his two companions comb their hair behind him, and the climax, when he reveals the samurai sword in his guitar neck to slice the giant alien spaceship in half. This one is too insane to miss. Look for it on video! I gave it a 5 out of 5 on the SIFF scale. "Ramayana: Prince of Light"
Plot: Eight years in the making, Yugo Sako's Ramayana combines Japanese Manga-style animation with the artistry of classical Indian paintings. This colorful retelling of the ancient Hindu legend follows the journey of prince Ram and his loyal brother, Lakshman, into manhood, spiritual maturity and self-discovery as they seek to rescue Ram's wife, Sita, kidnapped by the demon, Ravan. Indian mythology meets Japanimation? This was worth a look. This colorful retelling of the ancient Hindu legend, which won Best Animation Film of the Year at the Santa Clarita International Family Film Festival last year, has demons at every turn, spreading pollution and suffering across the land, and using illusions to threaten the heroes. Hanuman, the monkey-god, and his primate army are enlisted to help, and it's Hanuman's antics and one-liners that provide comic relief as the film touches upon the themes of sacrifice, anger, justice and forgiveness. As a student of Eastern-mysticism, and a fan of Japanimation (check
out the Japanimation titles I review at "The Smoking Gun."), how could
I skip this one? What impressed me most about this film was the lush landscapes
and breathtaking attention to detail in animation and story. I know the
story of Rama, so was actually impressed to see not only the main tale,
as I would expect, but many of the secondary storylines that don't usually
make it to an animated rendition of any story. But I also found it laboring
at times, due to these secondary plots, and realized, there might be a
reason to edit them when going to the big screen. The animation (although
detailed and realistic in its scene portrayal) was a bit flat for my tastes.
Having seen quite a few Anime titles, it's hard not to judge. In its defense,
I learned that the actual production date was 1992 and not 2000 as stated
in the program. Still, all things considered, if you enjoy Anime with a
complex plot, brutal battle scenes narrated by the booming voice of James
Earl Jones, you'll want to catch this one. Watch for it on video. I gave
it a 4 out of 5 on the SIFF scale. Note: Just found out that Neil "Sandman"
Gaiman is working on an animated "Ramayana."
"Ginger Snaps"
Plot: Ginger and Brigitte, teenage sisters bored with life in the burbs, are obsessed with death and the macabre. One night, after her first period, Ginger is attacked by a werewolf. As a result, she slowly starts to turn into a bloodthirsty and sexually aggressive animal for a mix of horror and wit reminiscent of David Cronenberg's work and "I Was a Teenage Werewolf." Now I know why they call it "that time of the month." Sexy teenage girls, werewolves, death and the macabre? What's not to like? I had to see this one. Anyone who loves George Romero's Martin and Cronenberg's early horror films will love the hilariously creepy Ginger Snaps, a cult favorite-in-the-making. The film introduces the sisters delivering an art project documenting their gruesome mock suicides, wearing frumpy, unfashionable clothes, and poking poisonous sarcastic fun at their peers, especially the yuppie classmate, Bailey Downs. Especially entertaining is Katharine Isabelle as Brigitte whose screen presence had the audience applauding. She is perfect! And Emily Perkins is as perfect as Ginger, especially after the werewolf bite transforms her into a femme fatale - with lots of body hair and a tail - seeping with out of control hormones. What really makes this film work is the way it cleverly ties the werewolf
plot to the terrifying mutations of adolescence, taking shots at high school
and teenagers by refreshingly striking all the right notes. And don't be
fooled when this film starts hysterically funny because it turns into top-notch
horror that had the young women in the seats next to me covering their
eyes. Even the special effects were top-of-the-line. Ginger Snaps
won Best Canadian Feature Film - Special Jury Citation, at the Toronto
International Film Festival. This one deserves general release, but watch
for it on video if it doesn't make it to the big screen. I gave this a
5 out of 5 on the SIFF scale.
"Top of the Food Chain"
Plot: In this campy parody of 1950's sci-fi B-movies, someone or something is snacking on the citizens of Exceptional Vista. Worse yet, television transmissions have been knocked out! Fortunately, world famous atomic scientist Dr. Karel Lamonte (Campbell Scott) has chosen this spot for his vacation. Lured by a beguiling motel manager (Fiona Loewi), he investigates the rising body count. A spoof on 1950's sci-fi B-movies? Say no more. If you enjoyed '50s sci-fi creature-features such as Them!, The
Mole People, Invasion of the Saucer People, and The Blob,
you won't be able to resist this silliness, which one critic called as
using a recipe borrowed from Ed Wood, David Lynch, and Leave It To Beaver
to create the characters: Dr. Lamonte, the pipe-smoking, pompous, relentlessly
optimistic atomic scientist; Sandy Fawkes, a voluptuous heroine with a
yen for the visiting scientist; her slow-witted brother, Guy; and a police
chief who composes and performs his own TV-cop show theme while on duty.
All heroic posturing, clichéd dialogue and other homage's to sci-fi
flicks are played strictly deadpan in this War of the Worlds parody
that even uses "the hand of god" to come in and save the day at the end.
Especially funny is the hysterical ending where a living Jesus, waving
from his cross, appears on television screens across the town and the scientist
comments that there may be more than television waves responsible for the
aliens' demise. Look for this on video under the title, "Invasion." I gave
it a 5 out of 5 on the SIFF scale.
"Battle Royale"
Plot: This controversial and ultra-violent sci-fi/action film takes place in new-millennium Japan, where chaos rules and vicious teenagers are out of control. Every year, the government picks a ninth-grade class at random and leaves the students on an island with weapons. The goal - only one can survive! The students are wired with explosive neck collars for tracking and punishment. Controversial? Ultra violent? Sci-fi/action? As sure as hell, I'm going to this one! Children killing children. We read it everyday in the headlines. And it sells newspapers. So why not make a game show out of it? I know most of you have seen The Running Man, and should see the newly, limited-release, Station-7: The Contenders. But this one uses ninth graders. Do you remember what you were like in the ninth grade? I hope not. Does he really like me? She's a bitch! I'm in with the in crowd! Now imagine that lame television show, Survivor, giving contestants a weapon and telling them that only one can leave the island. Maybe, then I'd watch it. Here, it's the youthful faces of these soon-to-be-killers that captures the real horror of this film. The disbelief that this is really happening causes the death of quit a few. And the attempts by small groups to defy their captives and band together for the common good creates some of the best tension. Of course, some, unable to deal with it, kill themselves. I actually found myself wondering what I would do if placed in that situation. Since the students were released one at a time, I imagined being one of the first, hiding in wait for my classmates to emerge and then picking them off one by one before one character gets that very idea. But this film isn't funny. Even though the audience seemed to desperately search for places to laugh, usually at dialogue, which, as a teacher friend with me claimed was actually quite real for the age group. This powerful morality play begs plenty of questions, but the non-stop action of Battle Royale hardly gives time to answer. This is a must-see film, but since it's subtitled, I expect you'll look for it on video. I gave it a 5 out of 5 on the SIFF scale. "The Princess and the Warrior"
Plot: Tom Tykwer (Run, Lola, Run, SIFF 1999) unleashes another stylish thriller about outlaw lovers on the run. Bodo, a small-time thief, saves the life of psyche-ward worker, Sissi, following an accident he caused while fleeing a holdup. Fascinated by the mysterious thief, Sisi seeks him out and rescues him in turn. From the director of Run, Lola, Run? With the same actress? A thriller about outlaw lovers on the run? Could I be so lucky? I wanted to see this one first, but due to scheduling, I actually got stuck waiting until the last day of the festival. And what a long wait for such a disappointing film. This film had nothing that made Run, Lola Run one of my favorite films and a must-see for its uniqueness, style, and high energy. (Check out my review at "The Smoking Gun.") Instead, The Princess and the Warrior was slow, boring, labored, and just when something happened and you thought, okay, here we go, nothing happens. It's Tywer's critical acclaim for Lola that got me to go, and will get others to go. But I will save you the disappointment. If you go to see this thinking you'll see another Run, Lola, Run, don't bother. Still, should you see it based on it own merits? Some critics are going to tell you, "Tykwer once again displays his visual and technical mastery of the film medium, while telling a story of redemptive power of love that proves a richer and more complex brew than his hyper kinetic Lola, for all that films many visceral pleasures, ever served up." I liked the "hyper kinetic" Lola, wanted more of her, and didn't
get anything even close with this outing. I gave The Princess and the
Warrior a 2 out of 5 on the SIFF scale. This one is already in limited
released; so don't be surprised if it's playing at your local independent
theater. Go if you must, but I'd rent Run, Lola, Run, again.
And the 2001 SIFF Winners were (Nothing I saw? Jerks!):
Best Film: Finder's Fee (USA)
Runners up:
Best Director: Tim Blake Nelson
Runners up:
Best Actor: John Cameron Mitchell
Runners up:
Best Actress: Thora Birch
Runners up:
Best Documentary: The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic
Expedition (USA)
Runners up:
Best Short Film: Boychick (USA)
Runners up:
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