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it begins:
the lines at this thing are admirable but ultimately amateurish. this is an event body that cannot handle itself and the manifestation of its own monster. but we're trying.
i know it's only the opening day of the festival, and i do have high hopes for every day following this one, but we are simply not prepared for any large significant event on any wide range of a scale, let alone a film festival.
as it is now, this has the immediate makings of a sour and bitter facsimile of what could have been a glorious start, to match the gimungous size of the structure it's being held in. side question, completely rhetorical: is it possible to hold a film festival, when no one working the floor seems to be a lover of cinema?
until late afternoon, there were no signs telling anyone where to go or which line was for what. the paragon cinema staff seemed to be fielding questions that they knew that they had no responses for...but we're trying is all they say.
and yes, you can try all you might, but that still doesn't tell me why i had to switch lines after 25 minutes because you have no clue what you're doing. i felt like i was wrangled like a weaning calf unsure of my destination.
there are too many volunteers with the same collective limited knowledge of the film schedule, the changes to that schedule, and a general sense of what's going on besides the sales of the larger format souvenir schedule.
there are too few managers with any sort of balance between people skills and technological troubleshooting skills(all of the tickets are computer controlled but no one knows how it all works...yet).
all of the announcements in the main cinema lobby were in the thai language, which is super if you're thai. just because i am and i understand doesn't mean that the rest of the english-understanding population knows that you just changed the description/properties of a specific line, are allowing people who are/have been waiting in line and are now 20 minutes away from the screening but 45 minutes away from purchasing a ticket that they can go ahead and rapid purchase the seats at a different location, or that when you do finally seem to be on your way to see a film, that you might have to stand up to pay respects to the king of thailand...which is what we do here.
i feel that i might be a little scathing at the moment, but i'm sure that many other festival-goers had experienced the same if not similar levels of frustration across the board in reference to lack of information and direction.
i mean, we're not dumb, so if you're going to play like everything is "under control" when it clearly is not, just say so, or else popcorn is going to be thrown, and this is not the thai way, but the international rules apply during an international festival. this is weird but understandable.
i had a screaming woman behind be blabbermouthing and fuming like a teakettle left to its own devices on a stove unseen. she ranted and talked under her breath, muttered on and on and on and was furious. i thought that i was miffed, but i could see how rapidly her eagerness to delight in the glory of the cinematic experience quickly shifted into a blind rage.
i checked myself and remembered that at an average of $3.50 USD a film, that i was not as mad as i had previously thought. in fact all of these annoyances are just that; those things you focus in on because everyone is so ready to join in.
we want to see the films. we want to participate and be engaged, entertained, and satisfied. it's a festival, should we not have high hopes? i think that it is clear that there are things to be noticed and remedied.
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mini reviews:
01. february 18th - master class: q&a with terry gilliam, 4:00pm *****
he is a great and visionary man. mr. terry gilliam is an unbridled force of cinematic explosivity.
i was surprised to find out that this was the first time that he had ever been to bangkok. it was no doubt something that was due. he came to the session ready to give up the ghost. i think that the fact that there was no pretense involved in the setting of this q&a, allowed him to be casual, be real, be himself. and that's exactly what people are inspired by.
the main points i jotted down in my notepad were these:
- he said that film school doesn't make you anything but a film school student and poor. film school is not a prerequisite for greatness.
- a large influence on early surreal experimental comedy and storytelling to a wide audience was ernie kovacs, both in the mediums of radio and television.
- the mistakes made during filmmaking often come to be what defines the piece, and that can be good.
- he likes to work with good actors that are willing to play and be silly and do whatever it takes to strike the right chord. he doesn't direct then, but allows a playground environment where something special is created.
- is a fan of the "bonza dog doo-dah band"
- said out of confidence that because of the interference with the making of brother's grimm, he will never work with the weinsteins again. he said they are not producers, they are money people and interfere. he wanted to keep spending money and go over budget to see how long it would take to bankrupt them, but it never happened.
- despises compromising in filmmaking.
- likes the atmosphere of the real bangkok, although says that he is more intrigued by the fact that he sees something and doesn't quite understand it.
a gem of an experience. (if i find the time, i might transcribe the almost hour-long interview session...maybe)
02. february 18th - tsotsi, south africa/UK, 7:00pm ***
an adapted piece about tsotsi, an young amateur gangster who lives in the shantytowns in johannesburg, south africa. he gets by in this environment by pulling small crimes with a tight band of thieves and hoods. one night, while committing a crime, he ends with the responsibility of taking care of a baby. this circumstance forces him to think about where his life is at, and if it is too late to change.
this piece was all in the cinematography. the lighting was well done, the shots were motivated and all of the environments held a certain visual weight that allowed you to be able to lose yourself within the settings.
emotionally, i could have been more affected if the editing was a little tighter, but a sound film despite sort of feeling overmanipulated my some of the orchestral musical passages.
the one thing that i thoroughly enjoyed however, were the moments of pure cinematic shots, where no words were spoken and the story was unveiled before your eyes like visceral treats consumed with the eyes.
03. february 18th - transamerica, usa, 9:15pm ***
if nothing but a now prominent oscar contender, this film is all about performance. the nuances of felicity huffman's character are so palpable, that you almost feel as heavy as the make-up she applies to her face. but this is not used to conceal, as much as it is utilized to set her soul free.
transamerica basically is a road-trip film that uses that expected passage of time, to help you understand the plight of transgendered people through a strange and odd plot involving her underage drug-abusive troubled son.
great digi-piece and the performances shine through the digi-noise. i think that the the notion that the character wanted to deconstruct himself and become herself, with the eventual sex reassignment surgery, was well flushed out and explained with extreme care.
a few points in the film lacked a proper handling but was probably more of an editing issue than a storytelling flub. the grandma character was a little more caricature than needed be, but it oddly fit only because we recognize the silliness of her words and actions hiding deeper rooted fears.
all in all, a solid piece. i'm not sure that i felt as strongly towards this film due to the hype built up from afar, but i was moved and entertained nonetheless.
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