Aloha

The Descendants (2011)
Dir - Alexander Payne

Went in knowing very little about this film but head very high praise. I was pleasantly surprised by the film and loved every minute. Clooney continues to rock and young Shailene Woodley is spectacular. Some great comedy and some quite touching moments. And to think Dean Pelton from Community (Jim Rash) is one of the scribes behind all this!

Reassignment

The Skin I Live In (2011) aka La piel que habito
Dir - Pedro Almodovar

Hooray! I looooooove Almodovar and he does not disappoint with this foray into a Sci-Fi/Horror/Thriller starring Antonio Banderas. I have so many things to say about this wonderful movie that I wouldn't even know where to being. Acting, story, cinematography, music... everything is just fantastic. Hopefully I'll eventually be able to find the score somewhere. The intricacies of the plot I will not go into, just see it for yourself!

The one complaint I have is the phrasing of the title. Every time I say it I want to say "The Skin In Which I Live." HA!

Proper. Truth.

Attack the Block (2011)
Dir - Joe Cornish

I don't know what to say about this film other than I absolutely loved every second! I knew the hype from SXSW was high but this lived up to it and more. Great actors/characters, some good laughs, great FX, sweet score and some awesome awesome action. Definitely a frontrunner for best of the 2011 for me.

Now if I could only buy the damn soundtrack in the US. BAH!

Metal Up Your Ass

Hesher (2011)
Dir - Spencer Susser

Loved this movie! This is a great look into coping with loss and being stuck in a hole of grief. At times very funny and other are quite touching. The acting is top notch, especially from the young boy and, of course, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who is definitely one of my favorite actors). Hesher is a great character who embodies rebellion and release and he has some great stories.

Also a plus to have actual good (read pre-Black) Metallica on the soundtrack!

Crazy Irish Cowboy

The Legend of Hell's Gate: An American Conspiracy (2011)
Dir - Tanner Beard
DIFF

Decided to check this out with Micah even though the screening was scheduled for 10p and I had to be up at 5a. Because of this, and an already present lack of sleep, I found it hard to focus on parts of this movie. Mostly due to the many story lines and not being sure what to follow more. In the end everything comes together and tells a pretty interesting story about a slaughter of some white man thieves by an indian tribe after they gave them "firewater" and got them trashed. This story is a bit small to encompass a full feature which is probably why they have so many other stories going at the same time. I was happy to see mention of the other legend that John Wilkes Booth fled to Grandbury, TX and lived there under an false identity. This is something I've heard about before but never seen it in a film.

An interesting film that fans of Texas history and/or westerns will surely enjoy.

Buttwhore

Wuss (2011)
Dir - Clay Liford
DIFF

I was a bit apprehensive about this after seeing Liford's last feature, Earthling, last year at DIFF. I didn't like it and was worried this would be another that would fall flat for me. Luckily it is not bad at all, but I didn't love it. Overall I feel pretty indifferent towards this. There are some very funny moments and a couple of really good performances but there are quite a few scenes that go on a bit too long and go nowhere. Most anytime the main character, Mitch, is with his friends or dealing with his physically/mentally abusive older sister. This probably won't get a wide release but if it ever comes to DVD it's worth a rent.

German TV Be Crazy!

She Deserved It, aka Sie hat es verdient (2010)
Dir - Thomas Stiller
DIFF

If Lifetime Movies in the US were more like this they would probably have a lot more viewers. This film dealing with bullying and inspired by some real life events. It never really pulls any punches and goes to dark, depressing places. Unfortunately it does share some of the problems with Lifetime Movies. I really wish more of the story would have been explored than they did. This film also jumps around out-of-order, but unlike in the previous film I watched, it's not really necessary here.

Even though there is a lot wrong with this I still really found it to be good. I'm not sure if I know how to explain why I liked it even with all of its flaws, but I did. Maybe you'll get a chance to see it someday.

I just know between this and Miike's Visitor Q the rest of the world has much better TV.

Psychos in Love

Apart (2011)
Dir - Aaron Rottinghaus
DIFF

The joy of film festivals is going into something blind and being pleasantly surprised. This is an independent film from a first time feature director that was shot primarily in a smaller town outside of Houston. You couldn't really tell that the budget was limited because everything about this was so well made. Shot beautifully, wonderfully acted and a tight script. It's told in a disjointed, non-linear fashion (think Memento) that doesn't get confusing but adds a lot to the film's mystery. Hope this gets a wider release because I think a lot of people will really like what they see.

Oh, and gotta love that Joey Lauren Adams gets big billing when she's only in the film for about 5 minutes.

In the Nuthouse

The Ward (2010)
Dir - John Carpenter
DIFF

I heard bad things about this from many people after seeing it at other festivals so I went in with low expectations. While I left not disliking the film I didn't really find anything remarkable about it either. The film is just kind of... there. A lot of slow bits and nothing really engaged me.

Huh?

The Oregonian (2011)
Dir - Calvin Lee Reeder
DIFF

This was the one midnight film, out of only three, that I knew nothing about. Turns out it's an experimental surreal flick about a woman lost in the woods. It's a little unsettling at times, due to the shaky camerawork and grating sounds, and even funny others. This is not the best surreal feature I've seen but it definitely has some good things to offer the viewer. Would probably have made a very interesting short.

Très Bien!

Potiche, aka Trophy Wife (2010)
Dir - François Ozon
DIFF


I haven't seen all of Ozon's films but everything I have watched, I've liked. This is no exception. A very funny tale, adapted from a play, with strong performances all around. Music plays a rather large role with a couple of "musical numbers" and the score has an awesome sound to it as well. Very 70s.

Education is Key

Zero Percent (2010)
Dir - Tim Skousen
DIFF

This doc follows a few of the inmates in Sing Sing maximum security prison as they try to earn a college degree. State funding has been stripped away from higher education to those incarcerated so a group, Hudson Link, works with Mercy College and private donations to help those behind bars better themselves so they are ready to become a more productive member of society upon release. Most long term prisoners will soon return to the big house within a couple years of parole but that has not been the case with the over 200 who have graduated from this program. Helping to broaden their minds is not a hopeless cause like some would believe but have given these men hope and a real shot at a second chance.

Elmo Loves You

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey (2011)
Dir - Constance Marks
DIFF

LOVED this! I was never a huge Elmo fan, he a was a little after my Sesame Street time and I'm a diehard Grover fanatic, but this sheds a light on the man behind the muppet and Elmo's deserved role in the hearts of children the world over. Inspiring, touching, funny and heartwarming.

Is Print Media Dead?

Page One: A Year Inside The New York Times (2011)
Dir - Andrew Rossi
DIFF

I'm not a newspaper subscriber, nor have I ever been, but I have read many a black and white over the years. Most of the time I read my news online but the fact that all of these print media outlets are going under is really sad. I do love tangible things - books, magazines, DVDs/Blus - so another experience going away reminds me how close we are to most all physical media disappearing. This film takes you into the newsroom and you see what The New York Times is doing right in this world of new media in order to stay relevant. There are sad times, good times and many laugh out loud moments. Times reporter David Carr is hysterical and I want more of him!

Butterscotch

Cedar Rapids (2011)
Dir - Miguel Arteta

This film is not what I was expecting at all. I thought it would be way over-the-top at all the times, like The Hangover, but instead it's quite dialed down. This works well to bring some laughs from a dark place and translating the underwhelming "big city" life in Cedar Rapids, IA to the screen. Overall I found this to be fun and have a feeling I'll like it even more on any repeat viewings.