SIFF day one
May. 19th, 2012 10:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ironymaidengood logistical changes this year: run previews, do announcements and seat latecomers while the projectionist resets, run film; lots of action at the Uptown which is easy to access from home and work
the jury-is-out logistical changes this year: scanning a barcode on passholders' badges (SLOW) the Queue card system (pro: reduces congestion in tiny lobbies, makes a fairer distribution of desirable seats; con: punishes back to back viewers with a spot at the end of the line, confuses the hell out of returning passholders)
My Sucky Teen Romance
a charming ultra-low-budget comedy/horror film where a new vampire hides out at a science fiction convention. i don't know who pissed in Paul Constant's cheerios, but i've definitely seen lower production values, worse acting,and truly painful scripts at SIFF (especially from made-in-Seattle films, *sigh*). anyway, i knew what i was in for when i went (shoestring budget, very young writer-director) and i thought it was good for what it was, especially the knowing depictions of the con experience. bonus for some snappy tunes from Austin indie bands.
Trishna
a loose adaptation of Tess of the d'Ubervilles set in modern India. notable for the time spent in Rajasthan, since i never think of India as a place with deserts. beautiful and interesting sights, solid acting, slick inclusion of song and dance without having the leads break into said song and dance. i enjoyed it but left feeling like i was too culturally illiterate to fully comprehend the characters' motivations. there's some stuff going on with class and communication that made no sense to my American brain, but i could see that it was perfectly logical to the characters. this is one of those films i enjoy for the peek into how other people live.
Polisse
i almost didn't stay out for this one, but it turned out to be the gem of the day. the film follows a Paris Child Protection Unit. it's basically a season's worth of cop tv show done in two hours - a series of slices of life on the job with an ensemble cast. lots of squicky content, but lots of great character moments and quite a few laughs. highly recommended if you like a good cop show.
the jury-is-out logistical changes this year: scanning a barcode on passholders' badges (SLOW) the Queue card system (pro: reduces congestion in tiny lobbies, makes a fairer distribution of desirable seats; con: punishes back to back viewers with a spot at the end of the line, confuses the hell out of returning passholders)
My Sucky Teen Romance
a charming ultra-low-budget comedy/horror film where a new vampire hides out at a science fiction convention. i don't know who pissed in Paul Constant's cheerios, but i've definitely seen lower production values, worse acting,and truly painful scripts at SIFF (especially from made-in-Seattle films, *sigh*). anyway, i knew what i was in for when i went (shoestring budget, very young writer-director) and i thought it was good for what it was, especially the knowing depictions of the con experience. bonus for some snappy tunes from Austin indie bands.
Trishna
a loose adaptation of Tess of the d'Ubervilles set in modern India. notable for the time spent in Rajasthan, since i never think of India as a place with deserts. beautiful and interesting sights, solid acting, slick inclusion of song and dance without having the leads break into said song and dance. i enjoyed it but left feeling like i was too culturally illiterate to fully comprehend the characters' motivations. there's some stuff going on with class and communication that made no sense to my American brain, but i could see that it was perfectly logical to the characters. this is one of those films i enjoy for the peek into how other people live.
Polisse
i almost didn't stay out for this one, but it turned out to be the gem of the day. the film follows a Paris Child Protection Unit. it's basically a season's worth of cop tv show done in two hours - a series of slices of life on the job with an ensemble cast. lots of squicky content, but lots of great character moments and quite a few laughs. highly recommended if you like a good cop show.
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no subject
Date: 2012-05-19 06:22 pm (UTC)Share your review at the site! I'd be keen to find a chance to see this one :>.
no subject
Date: 2012-05-19 07:52 pm (UTC)I volunteered yesterday and did scanner duty for one film. I agree about the slowness of the scanners. One thing I noticed is that they work better on the stiff Platinum passes. On the floppier four-color passes, it often took a couple of tries to get a read.
Also, next year ALL barcodes should on the front of the pass. On the first couple of films, the outside volunteers didn't realize they should ask the passholders to get their passes out in advance and make sure the barcodes were visible. I'm amazed at how much stuff people keep in their passholders and how many passes live in bags and pockets. My understanding is things went faster for the next movie.
no subject
Date: 2012-05-20 06:55 am (UTC)