siff days 23 & 24

day 23
morning film with scarlettina, evening film/symphony with C.

Island of Lost Souls
so far, i haven't met a Danish film i didn't like. this is a big effects fantasy film about three kids and a misfit adult working to stop a necromancer in modern Denmark. it's smart, hip, and funny. the effects are excellent and the story is good enough. i especially liked the teen girl heroine, with the BtVS and "I Want To Believe" posters on her wall. (we can just stop it with the evil scarecrows now. the clowns and carved angels do not need any help. gah.) bonus points for making fun of secret organizations and great sound design.
i was very glad to see this at the Cinerama.

i had a lovely long lunch and chat with scarlettina after, then i was home to change and head downtown to Benaroya Hall with C.

Alexander Nevsky
first time viewing this 1938 film, and what a way to go! the film was projected above the full Seattle Symphony and Symphony Chorus, and the musicians did a synchronized performance of the score. the film was really interesting: a sound film still showing the methods and manners of a silent. (we found it notable that the enemy was covered in crosses and featured conniving clerics, while the Russians only made the smallest reference to their Christianity. part and parcel of getting approval from the Soviets, i expect.) Nevsky is an obvious influence aurally and visually on films from Monty Python and the Holy Grail to the Star Trek franchise and more. now i'm wanting to watch it and compare with a Hollywood blockbuster from '38, The Adventures of Robin Hood, and a modern war-hero costume epic by a Russian director, Mongol.

day 24
Secret Festival #4
my favorite Secret this year. sick. violent. darkly funny.

Towelhead
Jasira gets sent from her white mom's house to her Lebanese dad's house in Houston. adult men like Jasira a bit too much. she's thirteen and beautiful, and the first Gulf War is breaking out as she discovers her sexuality. her parents are self-absorbed, and so she navigates a sea of hazards mostly on her own. it leavens heavy issues with a deal of humor. (the trailer is a pretty good taste of the film.) recommended, but it does include child abuse.

and then i came home to unwind before *gulp* i return to work tomorrow.

siff days 23 & 24

day 23
morning film with scarlettina, evening film/symphony with C.

Island of Lost Souls
so far, i haven't met a Danish film i didn't like. this is a big effects fantasy film about three kids and a misfit adult working to stop a necromancer in modern Denmark. it's smart, hip, and funny. the effects are excellent and the story is good enough. i especially liked the teen girl heroine, with the BtVS and "I Want To Believe" posters on her wall. (we can just stop it with the evil scarecrows now. the clowns and carved angels do not need any help. gah.) bonus points for making fun of secret organizations and great sound design.
i was very glad to see this at the Cinerama.

i had a lovely long lunch and chat with scarlettina after, then i was home to change and head downtown to Benaroya Hall with C.

Alexander Nevsky
first time viewing this 1938 film, and what a way to go! the film was projected above the full Seattle Symphony and Symphony Chorus, and the musicians did a synchronized performance of the score. the film was really interesting: a sound film still showing the methods and manners of a silent. (we found it notable that the enemy was covered in crosses and featured conniving clerics, while the Russians only made the smallest reference to their Christianity. part and parcel of getting approval from the Soviets, i expect.) Nevsky is an obvious influence aurally and visually on films from Monty Python and the Holy Grail to the Star Trek franchise and more. now i'm wanting to watch it and compare with a Hollywood blockbuster from '38, The Adventures of Robin Hood, and a modern war-hero costume epic by a Russian director, Mongol.

day 24
Secret Festival #4
my favorite Secret this year. sick. violent. darkly funny.

Towelhead
Jasira gets sent from her white mom's house to her Lebanese dad's house in Houston. adult men like Jasira a bit too much. she's thirteen and beautiful, and the first Gulf War is breaking out as she discovers her sexuality. her parents are self-absorbed, and so she navigates a sea of hazards mostly on her own. it leavens heavy issues with a deal of humor. (the trailer is a pretty good taste of the film.) recommended, but it does include child abuse.

and then i came home to unwind before *gulp* i return to work tomorrow.

over sixty features, around twenty shorts

word cloud of my siff 2008 posts, via Wordle. pretty, and an interesting analysis tool.

over sixty features, around twenty shorts

word cloud of my siff 2008 posts, via Wordle. pretty, and an interesting analysis tool.