SAGIndie

Yun-Fat Chow, Li Gong, and Yimou Zhang take eye-popping wuxia spectacle to new heights in the chop-socky epic The Curse of the Golden Flower, a tragedy whose dark overtones are given ironic counterpoint by the film’s garishly lavish sets, costumes, and cinematography.

Or something like that.

Did I mention this thing’s got some kick ass action? That it’s chock full of sword fights, gong fu fights, ninjas on ropes, and heaving bosoms? That it contains incest, jealously, and gratuitous scenes of traditional Chinese medicine?

Awesome.

I saw the film at last night’s AFI Fest Closing Night Gala, with Yimou, Li, and Yun-Fat in attendance, and thoroughly enjoyed it (though my date felt that the anti-piracy security measures were a bit overdone). The production design alone is worth the price of admission, especially as seen in the pristine new print projected onto the Cinerama Dome’s gigantic curved screen. Throw in the aforementioned action which, while not as prevalent as in Yimou’s previous wuxia films, serves to nicely disguise the screenplay’s stage-bound origins, and you’ve got a shoo-in for a Foreign Film Oscar nom.

Check it out, starting December 14th.

Film geeks: While searching for a link for the Cinerama Dome I found this site, which features a comprehensive overview of every Cinerama film ever made.

So AFI Fest kicked off last night with the US premier of Emilio Esteves’ Bobby, and of course I was there (with a date!) The willcall line was painfully slow, but we had a good view of the step and repeat - Lindsay Lohan looks really good for a 40 year old! - so it wasn’t so bad. We made our way to our seats: 7th row, center, only to find what appeared to be the cast of Vice Academy had beat us to them. They insisted they were in the right spot, but wouldn’t stand up to actually check the number on their seats. They whined that it didn’t really matter, and finally made a big show of organizing themselves and their carelessly strewn about belongings so there was room for me and my date. What martyrs! Someone get those girls on the phone with Oprah!

And then the speeches started. Did no one hear my plea for one blanket clap at the end? It’s just in the interest of saving time (and my dainty palms.) Once you hit the half hour mark or 7th speaker, whichever comes first, it does start to get kind of funny. You can see the crowd get restless as the speaker appears to have started just thanking every person they see in the crowd…and the curtains…and the people who have ever been to this particular theater…and ducks…and the color yellow…

The movie was entertaining. I went into it thinking the story would focus on how Bobby Kennedy’s assassination affected a group of people, but it’s actually about a day in the life of guests and employees of the hotel where he was murdered. Some of the storylines were engaging, but there was an overabundance of two dimensional characters that were constantly upstaged by attractive extras in the background. The cinematography, however, was impressive, and the last 30 minutes, as heavy handed as they may have been, had me walking out of the theater feeling more positive about the film than I had for the first hour and a half.

Afterwards, my date escorted my to the reception, which was across the street at The Roosevelt Hotel. We talked to a good deal of people, all of whom had wonderful things to say about SAGIndie, which is always great to hear. Turns out one of the filmmakers we talked to was also an alumni of the Cannes Film Fest American Pavilion/Kodak Student Filmmaker program. Sometimes, when you’re a nobody like me, you attend these parties and because you’re in the industry but far enough removed that people aren’t following you around, it’s fun to pretend that you’re watching a wildlife show. SEE the actors in their natural habitat! WATCH as the common hangers-on surround their prey and POUNCE! LISTEN to people whine about the VIP area and how it’s not really VIP. AVOID the guys who approach you with the line "Hey, I saw you in the will call line and…"

It’s Friday and 10 days into the festival and I realized I have not reported much on the films here.  They screen films here, some are good, some are bad, and some you just don’t know what the hell they are about and how did they get into a festival. Enough about the films,  last night was the SAGIndie Student Party and we had a hell of a good time!!  Thanks Paul!!  Armand prepared a beautiful spread of appetizers and decorated the apartment beautifully.  Pizza from our neighborhood pizzeria was quickly eaten and then the serious drinking began.  Beer and wine flowed freely and then it happen!!  Someone opened the bottle of Grappa and poured!!  That is when all hell broke loose and the dancing began.  The dancing led to singing and while I did not have a Karaoke show down with Sophia Loren, we did manage to have a sing off with three very lovely Italian women from across the canal. 

They would sing some lovely Italian ballad to which we would very loudly respond with "I LOVE ROCK AND ROLL!!!" or some other equally obnoxious and loud song.  People in boats floated by and stopped to see what the crazy Americans were up to!!  Then when Lindsey, and David, and Merril, and Stanley, and Anne, and Justin, and Ethan, and Emilio showed up it became a real SAGIndie party.  OK they may not have actually showed up but with the Grappa flowing we all thought we saw them in room!  It was a great party and with the exception of "the accident" everyone survived!!

Just kidding, there was really no accident and everyone showed up for breakfast this morning, looking like crap, but alive and well, ready to view more films, this is a film festival after all, and we are all filmmakers, we do watch films you know!!

Walter Harris - Director Student Programs - The American Pavilion.

It’s Thursday, September 7th, and I have officially declared today SAGIndie Day at the Venice Biennial.  The day will be spent spreading the good news of SAGIndie and culminate with the SAGIndie Venice Intensive Student party.  The day was started with breakfast at the official venue for the Venice Intensive Student Breakfasts. We followed breakfast with a parade through the streets of Venice with the SAGIndie Banner prominently displayed, stopping along the way for photo ops. Most of the parade was also captured on video.  The parade made its way through Venice, over the Rialto bridge, through the narrow, shop filled cobblestone streets, to the Plaza at San Marco where pigeons soar dangerously close to everyone’s heads, and over to the Vaporetta Stop.  A quick trip across the water and we arrive on the Lido to continue the parade. 

After pleading with no avail to the Italian police we were forced to continue the parade on the outside of the red carpet area of the Sala Grand, past the graffiti covered barricade to the Excelsior hotel terrace where we were met with cheers by all the industry power players including David Lynch and Justin Theroux of Inland Empire, David’s entry into the Festival.  It was a grand parade!!

Walter Harris - Director, Student Programs, The American Pavilion

It’s funny when a large conversation turns into a quiet hush. The very presence of Spike Lee in front of the Excelsior Hotel did this to the American Pavilion kids. Walter, Lynne, and Armand wrangled him in to talk to us on the terrace of the hotel. We all looked at each other and realized that we had no idea of what to ask of the filmmaker. Though in a rush, he was nice enough to come by our table and meet us, making sure what schools we were from. Unfortunately for Spike, our NYU students were absent from the meeting. I’ll continue this after our screening of Paprika which is in competition. We’re sitting behind the filmmakers.

-Steven Getz, UCSB

It’s about 7:30 in the morning and I’m sitting in my hotel room in my underwear, trying not to wake up my girlfriend, and thinking about the festival.

After my last post we went to the Feed, basically a big street party for Festival pass holders, with lots of food and free beer. It’s a great opportunity to catch up with friends, eat a meal that isn’t either popcorn or Raisinets, and get really drunk before the marathon of films begins. Plus the view isn’t bad.

I have to admit that I always feel a little guilty when I come to Telluride. It’s a festival unlike any other. They don’t announce the films until the day before it starts and almost all of the films already have distribution. So there’s no deal-making, almost no commercialization, comparably little schmoozing, and almost no publicists. I know… it sounds like heaven… and it is. But there’s also not much work to do. The Telluride Film Festival is all about the movies. That’s why every year we’ve thrown a filmmaker reception… and why this year we decided to sponsor the Student Symposium… to justify coming here. But I’ve come to the realize that even if we didn’t throw a party or meet with students, this trip would still be worthwhile, because it gives me an opportunity to see some of the most important films in the coming year. And because it’s so casual, you get to meet people in the most relaxed environment possible. I’ve debated the merits of various films while waiting in line for the next one with actors, filmmakers, and industry executives whom I’d otherwise never have an opportunity to meet.

Before I talk about the movies I saw (because I know you all care about my opinion), I’d like to thank Kodak and the Directors Guild of America for co-hosting the Filmmakers Reception, and Actor/Director Todd Field (whose film Little Children is in the festival) for acting as guest host. I don’t know why Todd looks so serious. It might be because I have my hand on his ass.

Below is Jon Larson from the DGA and some of the student filmmakers.

The big surprise of the evening was when legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog dropped by. Here he is with the party hosts (Ericka Fredrickson from Kodak is on the far right).

And now, some of the movies: The first film we saw was one of the best: The Last King of Scotland, the first narrative feature directed by Kevin Macdonald (Touching the Void). It’s a really well-made historical drama about the reign of Idi Amin and the best thing about it is Forrest Whitaker’s unbelievable performance as the dictator. I actually forgot I was watching a performance.

I also like Infamous, the second film in two years about Truman Capote’s experience writing In Cold Blood. I actually liked this version (directed by Douglas McGrath) better than last year’s. As far as the plots are concerned, the films are almost identical, but there is one major variation, the filmmakers’ point-of-view about the subject… and for me it made all the difference.

I thought Fur was interesting (Meg thought is was boring), but it was by far my least favorite film of the festival. The Berlin Festival winner The Italian was good… but I was a little surprised (and put off) by its "Hollywood ending."

But my absolute favorite film of the festival, the one that I can’t stop thinking about, is Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu’s Babel. I didn’t see Amores Perros (I don’t go to movies where they kill the dog), I liked 21 Grams, but I LOVED Babel. It’s a powerful and complex story involving terrorism and illegal immigration… but at it’s heart, it’s really a story about human beings trying to communicate and make connections with each other. It’s subtle and heart-breaking. It’s like Crash for smart people.

We’re going to try to see one more film before we leave today. Probably Pedro Almodovar’s Volver (which we’ve heard great things about in the theatre lines).

Yesterday morning we took a break from films and went horseback riding through the mountains. It was beautiful and alot of fun. This is Meg and me (I’m the one in the SAGIndie hat) on Flash and Striker. One of the women in our riding party was an actress who thanked me for working for SAG, and the wrangler, a crusty old cowboy named Roudy, proceeded to tell me how he got Taft-Hartley’d on a Coor’s commercial.

There’s no escape.

On Aug. 29th, 2006 the students of the American Pavilion’s Student Filmmakers program embarked on an journey to the 2006 Venice Film Festival, these are their stories.

As of day four it is still taking me awhile to adjust to the Venice Film Festival. For those Cannes alumni expecting to get dolled up and walk on the red carpet, you’re in for a surprise because the glamour that is Cannes does not compute for with the Venetians.  The tone is very mellow and much more intimate than Cannes. The trip to the festival grounds is farther than Cannes takes about half an hour from our apartments. Nonetheless this trip is not without its little adventures, you can still have your fair share of drunken debauchery and celebrity escapades. It feels as though I’ve been here forever but it’s only the fourth day. Still haven’t been able to call home to let them know I’m still alive, which is a huge no no on my part. But to put things in retrospect because Walter needs his computer, this has been a great experience so far, I am glad I am here enjoying the festival rather than sitting for hours as an extra on Pirates 3. I can talk forever but there will be more to talk about as the festival continues.

And now for part two of my trip to the Palm Springs International Festival of Shorts:

After barely escaping certain death (these pools in Palm Springs have depths of up to FOUR WHOLE FEET!), I got ready for my One on One meeting debut, which Paul very correctly described as speed dating, but with filmmakers. Well, this is conjecture - I’m assuming he was correct, as I’ve never actually done speed dating, what with all the opportunities these days for electronic rendez-vous (a/s/l????). So I sat in a little room, behind a curtain and met with filmmakers, ten minutes at a time. Unfortunately, under my name on the sign up sheet, it said that I was there to answer any questions about just the Screen Actors Guild, not their low-budget contracts. In the end that turned out ok, because mostly people just wanted to tell me to come see their short film premiering at the fest, or to give me copies of their film that was in the market.

When I was finished with the two hour block of meetings, I had another two hours to kill before my next party and screening. I had sent Marcus off to take notes at a panel discussion that I had wanted to attend, but couldn’t because I was busy being important. Since there is pretty much nothing at all to do in Palm Springs (I thought Phoenix was bad!), and I didn’t want to risk heatstroke by meandering aimlessly outside (what? I’m dainty!), I resigned myself to hanging out at the mall. I stopped in at the only department store to people watch, which is how I get a ton of my ideas for films. While wandering through the labyrinth of racks displaying elastic-waist jeans and beaded tunics, a polite older woman stopped me and asked if I was looking for anything in particular, as she was available as a personal shopper (!!!) A personal shopper, you say? Consider my interest piqued. I told her that I was planning a trip to Las Vegas, and I was interested in purchasing a new outfit for the trip, but that I wanted to be comfortable. She looked me up and down, sent me off to the dressing room to wait, and returned with the lovely little number shown here.

Marcus and I met back up and attended a "Meet the Industry" party before heading to our second program, Boy Meets Girl. I have to say I was thoroughly impressed with each film in this screening, but the highlight had to be the animated opener, "Angry Unpaid Hooker". I highly suggest tracking this down, it’s one of the funniest things I have seen in at least a week. I know I’ve said this before, but I really love short films. Maybe because almost no one makes any money off of a short, so filmmakers seem more sincere about their passion for telling stories through this medium.

After the program, since we couldn’t put our best party clothes to waste, we hooked up with some filmmakers and as a newly formed crew decided to explore the local nightlife. "It’s an experiment, you guys! It’s an art project!" we said, and tumbled Alice-like into the first bar with live music. We spent the rest of the night there, learning what the people of Palm Springs consider a party.

And then, just like that, it was over. I had a wonderful time, and would love to thank Kim for all her help and patience. Many talented filmmakers were met, and I truly look forward to seeing what they create after these films. I’d love to return next year, but hopefully I’ll be there with my own short.

I’m quite happy to announce that the rest of the SAGIndie group finally came around and realized what a valuable asset I am to the team and sent me off to represent our organization at this past weekend’s Palm Springs International Festival of Shorts. I didn’t want to go alone, so my fake-date/chauffeur was the eternally useful Marcus Grewe. Armed with a full tank of gas, some SAGIndie digests and two road trip mix cds, we set off for a weekend of cinematic stimulation…and schmoozing. And free alcohol (which, as it turns out, we didn’t get any of. Harumph!)

Maybe it was the Biz Markie on the stereo to keep our minds off the distance or the fact that there wasn’t any of this fabled "traffic" on the 10, but we made it there in record time, despite having left an hour late. The lovely folks at the PS Film Fest set us up at The Wyndham, which was above and beyond what I was expecting, having been raised on Econo-Lodges. Seriously, this hotel was so nice we would have felt out of place, had we not been so good looking. We unpacked and took some pictures and then headed over to the "mall" (as pictured below, all 12 stores of it) to get our badges. Once we had our ultra-important badges and welcome bag, we made our way to our first party of the fest, where we ran into a teacher from our alma mater, Columbia College Chicago (whose unofficial mascot is the wedding videographer), a man named Ben-Hur Uribe, there to support his own short film. We stayed there until it was time to attend our first program of shorts, Crimes and Misdemeanors.

After emerging from said program and all dressed up with nothing to do, we wandered through a town that apparently turns into a pumpkin after midnight, until we were drawn, moth-like, to the buzzing fluorescent lights of a casino, where we finished out the night, breaking even.

The next day I actually had to work, but not until 1 pm, so we took advantage of the pool. Or rather, Marcus took advantage of the pool. I’m…not the, uh, strongest swimmer. Actually, I hesitate to say swimmer, because I rarely get in past my knees and when I do…I end up like this. So I spent a good half an hour alternately hyperventilating and clinging desperately to the side of the pool. It was a pretty positive experience. For those of you who may have seen me, I’d like to make it clear that I wasn’t crying because of the taunts from the children swimming circles around me, I just got chlorine in my eyes and that stings.

Tonight SAGIndie is hosting FIND’s Sundance workshop, and I need to get downstairs, so this will be continued tomorrow…

I know it’s been a while since the indieBlog has been updated. We’ve just been so busy here…there’s always something, you know? It’s so exhausting! But here I am, with the hotly anticipated return of the blog. That’s dedication.

ANYWAY, I bet all seven of you that read this are really excited to know that last night DMG and I had our third date. (And you know what that means!) We went to Filmmaker’s Alliance VisionFest 2006. They celebrated their ninth year last night with a special award for Werner Herzog (!!!) presented by the hilarious Zak Penn. Were I to have a disposable income, I’d hire him to introduce me before I entered a room. Actually, everyone who gave a speech last night did a great job - concise, entertaining and inspiring. After the speeches and the quick awards ceremony, the shorts program began.

I love shorts programs! It’s, like, the ideal cinematic situation for committment-phobes. Worried about liking a movie? Already decided that you don’t like the movie? Never fear! It’s over in 3 minutes! It’s like speed dating minus that weird desperation! Sometimes I think I might like shorts better than features, which is why I am super excited about The Palm Springs Film Festival next week.

When we left the theater, we were greeted by an incredible sight: tables upon tables of glorious food. You guys, this never gets old. You put your game face on, and it’s every person for themselves. As I sampled inhaled (let’s just be honest here) the food, I had to be grateful that no one at any of these functions knows or cares who I am (yet!), therefore making it safe(r) for me to eat like I do when no one is watching. Despite relishing (oooh, relish…) my anonymity, I’ll extend an invitation: the next time you’re out and you recognize me, standing in a corner, cramming sushi in my mouth with one hand, a whole wedge of brie with the second and guzzling my vodka/cranberry with the third, come say hi (instead of pointing and laughing). I’m actually somewhat nice and only moderately condescending. And I promise I won’t bite…unless you have food in your hands.