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SF Int’l Film Festival! Part 1

I’m completely immersed in the Film Festival… here are a bunch of capsule review/reactions to some of the 18 films I’ve seen so far after the first week:

Bamako
Remarkable film set in Mali, depicting an almost mythical trial pitting African “civil society” against the World Bank and IMF. Brilliant speeches, smart critique of neoliberalism, great acting, esp. by a woman writer and the final two jurists, a white Frenchman and a black Malian woman… meanwhile a gorgeous nightclub singer brackets the film, singing a haunting tune, first with pleasure, and last in tears. Her husband is a taciturn observer, brooding and increasingly depressed through the film, who finally suicides at the end, after early on ruminating with a videographer friend that death is better than life. The stats and facts are compellingly presented while daily life unfolds in the courtyard/courtroom… the old white lawyer defending the World Bank and globalization is very well presented, too, avoiding the easy cliche of a stupid proponent of the ideas under attack. A brilliant movie, works on so many levels!

Strange Culture
Lynn Hershman’s latest, a one-hour documentary on the Critical Arts Ensemble and Steve Kurtz’s chilling story, busted by overzealous Buffalo police after the sudden heart attack death of his wife. Not a great cinema experience–they were clearly starved for B-roll–but such a creepy and compelling story that I still liked it. Curious juxtaposition of actors and the real subjects of the story, with allusions to the corporate targets of the CAE’s work being not exactly responsible but intersted in suppressing Kurtz’s work. But mostly it’s about the DoJ and the local prosecutor’s obsessive efforts to advance politically by carrying through this insane prosecution.

Jindabyne
Really creeping story with great acting from Gabriel Byrne and Laura Linney, about some Aussie working class guys who go fishing, find the murdered body of a young aboriginal woman (the murder starts the movie) but rather than reporting it and dealing with it immediately, they carry on fishing for four days. When they come home and report it, the whole area is scandalized, and the dysfunctional fissures in all their lives grow worse, nearly shattering their already fragile accommodations. Painful to watch, very well presented, typical “moderns” who are bitter, frustrated, lost, in denial, and out of touch with their basic humanity. Flashes of humanness erupt throughout, like lightning illuminating a dark landscape of alienation.

Continue reading SF Int’l Film Festival! Part 1

May 4th, 2007 | Category: Book Reviews | Leave a comment

SF Int’l Film Festival! Part 1

I’m completely immersed in the Film Festival… here are a bunch of capsule review/reactions to some of the 18 films I’ve seen so far after the first week:

Bamako
Remarkable film set in Mali, depicting an almost mythical trial pitting African “civil society” against the World Bank and IMF. Brilliant speeches, smart critique of neoliberalism, great acting, esp. by a woman writer and the final two jurists, a white Frenchman and a black Malian woman… meanwhile a gorgeous nightclub singer brackets the film, singing a haunting tune, first with pleasure, and last in tears. Her husband is a taciturn observer, brooding and increasingly depressed through the film, who finally suicides at the end, after early on ruminating with a videographer friend that death is better than life. The stats and facts are compellingly presented while daily life unfolds in the courtyard/courtroom… the old white lawyer defending the World Bank and globalization is very well presented, too, avoiding the easy cliche of a stupid proponent of the ideas under attack. A brilliant movie, works on so many levels!

Strange Culture
Lynn Hershman’s latest, a one-hour documentary on the Critical Arts Ensemble and Steve Kurtz’s chilling story, busted by overzealous Buffalo police after the sudden heart attack death of his wife. Not a great cinema experience–they were clearly starved for B-roll–but such a creepy and compelling story that I still liked it. Curious juxtaposition of actors and the real subjects of the story, with allusions to the corporate targets of the CAE’s work being not exactly responsible but intersted in suppressing Kurtz’s work. But mostly it’s about the DoJ and the local prosecutor’s obsessive efforts to advance politically by carrying through this insane prosecution.

Jindabyne
Really creeping story with great acting from Gabriel Byrne and Laura Linney, about some Aussie working class guys who go fishing, find the murdered body of a young aboriginal woman (the murder starts the movie) but rather than reporting it and dealing with it immediately, they carry on fishing for four days. When they come home and report it, the whole area is scandalized, and the dysfunctional fissures in all their lives grow worse, nearly shattering their already fragile accommodations. Painful to watch, very well presented, typical “moderns” who are bitter, frustrated, lost, in denial, and out of touch with their basic humanity. Flashes of humanness erupt throughout, like lightning illuminating a dark landscape of alienation.

Continue reading SF Int’l Film Festival! Part 1

May 4th, 2007 | Category: Book Reviews | Leave a comment

April Buzzes

It’s been an incredible frenzy lately. Not only making good progress on my rewrite, but all the events and socializing and general pleasure of living to the fullest… Here come a lot of photos of recent weeks…

First let me start out with a brief account of last night’s lovely Critical Mass. It’s April, the crowd was huge (betw. 3000 and 4000 by my crude reckoning), swelled by the recent hubbub in the news and the great weather. A very bucolic evening unfolded, heavily covered by news media since suddenly once again the ride was newsworthy. Apparently the Channel 5 coverage breathlessly claimed that it was thanks to the 40+ police that last night’s event didn’t go awry, but if you were there, or saw it go by, you saw a huge crowd of happy cyclists, remarkably supportive and enthusiastic bystanders and very tolerant motorists, with fewer than usual exceptions. A lot of folks turned up to show that the ride is a sensible repudiation of the stupid daily life in cars, but also a rebuke to the absurd news coverage that is still repeating blatant lies about the March ride aftermath… but what are you going to do? I thought the SF Bike Coalition reps did a good job of refusing the media’s framing and turning the discussion back to the wholly inadequate conditions for bicycling on city streets every day. Anyway, here’s three shots from last night, first on Montgomery, then Bay Street (which was actually earlier) and finally on Market heading up to Duboce. Apparently the ride went all the way to the beach through Golden Gate Park, and then back again to finish around 9:30. (I went to the movies! Saw a FANTASTIC documentary on the film editor Edward Murch–highly recommended!)

I’m now ensconced in the SF Int’l Film Festival. One of my great pleasures every year is going to this festival, and this year is going to top all previous years. My pals J & K set me up with a CineVisa for the whole shebang, so I’m going to 39 movies! I’ve seen 3 already, of which Murch was the hands-down best. The opening night film “Golden Door” was beautiful and poignant and very well acted… but left me wanting a little something more, a bit more edge. Adriana, as an immigrant herself, thought it very resonant and gave it an enthusiastic reception. We also went to see the very silly “Black Sheep” last night–a horror film about New Zealand sheep becoming genetically engineered with human genes and turning into carnivorous killers… very funny at moments, hilarious send-ups of vegetarians and animal rights activists (who could use a bit more humor after all), but overall, a C- for this one. More reviews in coming days…

Continue reading April Buzzes

April 28th, 2007 | Category: Critical Mass, My Writings and Appearances, Nature and Me | 4 comments
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