SIFF hot take May 19, 2017 at 08:55PM

Dawson City: Frozen Time

is the best festival-opener I've had in years. it's a doc composed almost entirely of archive footage, the majority of it was buried in permafrost for 50 years. it tells the story of the found films interwoven with the North American history that created those circumstances. if you've watched damaged nitrate film, you know the ghostly swirling patterns of white occlusions. now imagine that they are represented in the sound design, weaving in and out of music by a guy from Sigur Ros. excellent storytelling, remarkable editing, and an evocative telling of the boom and bust of a town that rose out of a gold rush. definition of why I watch movies every day for a month every year.

SIFF hot take May 19, 2017 at 11:13PM

Entanglement
the manic pixie dream girl was never real.

Flight 674 from Uptown to Downtown

Today's bus driver is on the PA nonstop. He has a song or pop culture reference for every stop, and lists off key landmarks like the KFC/Taco Bell.*
Occasionally a wave of giggles rolls through the bus as he riffs on things like Gilligan's Island.



*people are *always* looking for that KFC. I can't figure out if it's the food or a drug dealer hangout. Probably both.

SIFF hot take May 20, 2017 at 10:40AM

thank the maker, they finally have house lights in the Egyptian. also, this year's preshow music seems to be Awesome Mix Vol 2. (like, the new Hasslehoff song just played.) Fox o-on the run...

SIFF hot take May 20, 2017 at 12:45PM

The Fabulous Allan Carr
doc about the larger-than-life producer of Grease, Can't Stop the Music, La Cage aux Folles, and the infamous 1989 Oscars. shiny nostalgic fluff.

SIFF hot take May 20, 2017 at 03:19PM

Beatriz at Dinner
intimate, talky film that felt like a play. blurb gave the impression that it would be a comic ideological clash over dinner, between New Age healer Selma Hayek and wealthy developer John Lithgow. the laughs were spread far apart and, well, there was almost no sparring, just this slow reveal that Hayek's character had a tough life. and no, there's no connection or redemption or change for anyone. very meh, in spite of excellent acting. and the end blows.