siff days 8 & 9

i spent all of day 8 at the Egyptian. i talked to Ken in line before the first film (and thank him for his annual compiling of capsules of films he's seen elsewhere - we don't always agree, but it's very useful) and then got to see a lot of steve98052 and megameow since they were on the same schedule. worst thing about the evening was an otherwise good sandwich leaked honey-mustard in my bag, but the power of Tom Bihn waterproofing is such that i could wipe the inside dry in a snap with cheap napkins. those bags are worth every damn penny.

Kiss the Bride
this was the Gay-La selection this year. it had a few moments that delighted me (our heroes as teens playing battleshipstrip; drunken straight guy, trying to bond with the gay guy - "i kissed a guy once at summer camp...okay, it was my first blow job [beat beat beat] i had to eat an entire bag of sour patch kids to get the taste out of my mouth") and others that were cringeworthy (a flat denial of bisexuality, and some contrived contriving). mostly, we have a gay version of My Best Friend's Wedding. (somehow, i feel fond of Tori Spelling. don't know why.) i wouldn't bother to rent it, but if this was playing on basic cable and i was folding clothes, i would probably leave it on.

American Teen
this Sundance darling follows a set of types through their senior year of high school in Indiana. it's good, but feels a bit too much like reality tv to me - kept getting thrown by acne going in and out, moving the basketball season into an earlier part of the school year, etc. they do a nice job with using animation when the kids talk about their aspirations. one of the kids is told flat-out by his father that there's no money for college, so he has to get a basketball scholarship or join the Army and many people in the audience laughed. it's still pissing me off today. i can't rate this honestly because the more i think about it, the more i really don't care to think about life at a rural high school. it still isn't entertainment for me.

the director was there. someone asked in the Q&A about capturing illegal behavior on film (underage drinking and vandalism) and the answer was just as evasive as for Bigger Stronger Faster*. i swear there's something going on here.

Savage Grace
lazily lurid true crime film about Antony Baekeland. the characters are shallowly written, but then there's the incest! these people are seriously messed up, and i couldn't look away from the train wreck. or Julianne Moore. this is (probably a rental) for anyone else who enjoys having the horrors about moms who are too into their sons.

Mirageman
it's a Chilean superhero movie. this is good fun, and i encourage superhero fans to get out and see the second showing this week. Mirageman is an homage to everyone who has ever had a late-night conversation about what would *really* be involved in becoming a masked vigilante. the kung fu is good, and it makes a virtue of the necessities of a tiny film budget. it's also howlingly funny and kind of sweet. recommended.

day 9 started with hanging out in line with scarlettina, and ended earlier than planned because i was so damn tired. i pushed too hard this past week, and i'm behind on sleep.

Family Picture Show
a mixed bag of family-friendly shorts. the animated ones were the best, and they were what i came for anyway.

i blew off my next film to have lunch at Peso's with scarlettina, which was awesome in every way.

Idiots and Angels
an animated feature from Bill Plympton about an asshole guy who grows a pair of wings that force him to do good deeds. it was pretty cool, but it was also without dialog and with muted colors and mellow music. i am pretty sure i napped through the climactic conflict. but i definitely want to rent it and see what i missed. Plympton did a signature and sketch for everyone in the theater afterward. that was pretty cool.

due to my fatigue, i got C to come bundle me home and have been puttering about the house, writing this instead of getting the extra sleep i need...the usual.

siff days 8 & 9

i spent all of day 8 at the Egyptian. i talked to Ken in line before the first film (and thank him for his annual compiling of capsules of films he's seen elsewhere - we don't always agree, but it's very useful) and then got to see a lot of steve98052 and megameow since they were on the same schedule. worst thing about the evening was an otherwise good sandwich leaked honey-mustard in my bag, but the power of Tom Bihn waterproofing is such that i could wipe the inside dry in a snap with cheap napkins. those bags are worth every damn penny.

Kiss the Bride
this was the Gay-La selection this year. it had a few moments that delighted me (our heroes as teens playing battleshipstrip; drunken straight guy, trying to bond with the gay guy - "i kissed a guy once at summer camp...okay, it was my first blow job [beat beat beat] i had to eat an entire bag of sour patch kids to get the taste out of my mouth") and others that were cringeworthy (a flat denial of bisexuality, and some contrived contriving). mostly, we have a gay version of My Best Friend's Wedding. (somehow, i feel fond of Tori Spelling. don't know why.) i wouldn't bother to rent it, but if this was playing on basic cable and i was folding clothes, i would probably leave it on.

American Teen
this Sundance darling follows a set of types through their senior year of high school in Indiana. it's good, but feels a bit too much like reality tv to me - kept getting thrown by acne going in and out, moving the basketball season into an earlier part of the school year, etc. they do a nice job with using animation when the kids talk about their aspirations. one of the kids is told flat-out by his father that there's no money for college, so he has to get a basketball scholarship or join the Army and many people in the audience laughed. it's still pissing me off today. i can't rate this honestly because the more i think about it, the more i really don't care to think about life at a rural high school. it still isn't entertainment for me.

the director was there. someone asked in the Q&A about capturing illegal behavior on film (underage drinking and vandalism) and the answer was just as evasive as for Bigger Stronger Faster*. i swear there's something going on here.

Savage Grace
lazily lurid true crime film about Antony Baekeland. the characters are shallowly written, but then there's the incest! these people are seriously messed up, and i couldn't look away from the train wreck. or Julianne Moore. this is (probably a rental) for anyone else who enjoys having the horrors about moms who are too into their sons.

Mirageman
it's a Chilean superhero movie. this is good fun, and i encourage superhero fans to get out and see the second showing this week. Mirageman is an homage to everyone who has ever had a late-night conversation about what would *really* be involved in becoming a masked vigilante. the kung fu is good, and it makes a virtue of the necessities of a tiny film budget. it's also howlingly funny and kind of sweet. recommended.

day 9 started with hanging out in line with scarlettina, and ended earlier than planned because i was so damn tired. i pushed too hard this past week, and i'm behind on sleep.

Family Picture Show
a mixed bag of family-friendly shorts. the animated ones were the best, and they were what i came for anyway.

i blew off my next film to have lunch at Peso's with scarlettina, which was awesome in every way.

Idiots and Angels
an animated feature from Bill Plympton about an asshole guy who grows a pair of wings that force him to do good deeds. it was pretty cool, but it was also without dialog and with muted colors and mellow music. i am pretty sure i napped through the climactic conflict. but i definitely want to rent it and see what i missed. Plympton did a signature and sketch for everyone in the theater afterward. that was pretty cool.

due to my fatigue, i got C to come bundle me home and have been puttering about the house, writing this instead of getting the extra sleep i need...the usual.