Film can be performance art. The performances in this film showcase just that. So bring your ticket to the theatre, find your seat, and wait for the curtains to go up for a special screening of…

After much consideration, I’ve decided to show a film that is very unique and very special to me. It’s one of the films I grew up watching that managed to become a part of who I am: both as a filmmaker and as a person. Much of the style of humor in this film influenced my own brand of comedy. (I even wanted to remake it or redo some scenes in my own movies!) So if I’ve ever made you laugh, then you’ll probably laugh watching this film. It’s a classic film in my opinion, one of the first “genre-spoofs.” There’s singing, dancing, action, romance, and more. I don’t usually enjoy musicals or romantic comedies, so this certainly is an exception.

There’s only one way to see why I like it so much…. by watching it!
(To get a small taste, you can watch a good clip on Youtube by clicking here.) See you at the theatre!

Let’s take a break from reality…and journey into a fairy tale.

This is one of my favorite films by one of my favorite writer/director’s: M. Night Shyamalan.
The plot of the film comes from a Bedtime Story that he would tell to his daughters.
Unfortunately, many people are very critical of this director, and this film in particular.
Few can argue, however, that his films have a message and many creative ideas.
Many people also think of this director as a horror movie director.
This is certainly not true.
His films are not horror films. They are stories about real people in extraordinary situations.
They are part-fantasy, part-reality, part-comedy, part-thriller,
and all heart.
Lastly, I don’t recommend watching the long trailer/preview, as it makes it look like a scary movie.
Instead, watch the first trailer/teaser, which is more subtle, poetic, and interesting:
(Click Here to Watch)
Enjoy!

For the second film viewing of my tiny little film festival/weekly movie night, I will be showing this:

This is one of my favorite documentary films, both for the style of presentation and content.
To watch the trailer, click here.
I’ll also be showing a surpise short film before this, which I’m hoping to do more often,
to showcase some lesser known filmmakers (including myself).

I’ll conclude with some cool movie trivia about “The Corporation” (2003):
-It took three and a half years to raise the money to make the film, three years to shoot it, and a year and a half for post-production.
-The current running time (2 hours & 25 minutes) is edited down from 450 hours of footage and 100 hours of interviews. The first cut ran 33 hours!
-The film is based on a book by UBC law professor Joel Bakan, who helped on the film as well. The majority of the film’s crew is Canadian as well, I believe.

On a somewhat related note, I am quite happy to hear that UBC’s film production program major has re-opened! It is stated on their (website.) I am naturally planning to apply (one must apply for this competitive major) for September 2008, when it officially re-opens admissions. I’m sure many people will apply, and I know only a few will be selected. Please wish me luck and support me on this attempt to pursue my dreams.

Take Care All.
 

I’m beginning my own film festival (more like a small weekly movie night) with this film. It’s one of my favorite Peter Sellers’ films, which essentially launched him to stardom. For entertainment, you couldn’t ask for a more well-rounded film. It’s never too over-the-top, like so many comedies strive for these days, making it a nice breath of fresh air. So if you love films, here’s a recommendation from me to you: The Pink Panther (1963 Original).

Stay tuned until next week!

I’ve seen some more films at the Vancouver International Film Festival: (I give my own reviews out of 5 stars).

Daughters of Wisdom (USA)  A documentary about the first Buddhist Monastary for women in Tibet. Excellent story; but poor cinematography and editing. 3 stars. ***

4 Elements (Netherlands) An environmental documentary covering each element: Fire=Siberian Forest Firefighters, Water=American Alaskan King Crab Fishermen, Earth=German Coal Miners, Air=The Russian Space Exploration Training Program. Beautiful and detailed to watch, but with a overly foreboding, haunting, and dark atmosphere. 3 stars. ***

I Just Didn’t Do It (Japan) After 10 years absence, the director of the hit “Shall We Dance?” (the original version without Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere that was actually GOOD), has returned to cinema. With this film, he goes in a different direction, focusing on the legal and judicial system in Japan. Using a fictional story of a young man falsely accused of groping a teenage girl on a train, the director delivers his critiques and opinions directly through words and actions of the characters, drawing from 3 years of research on the subject. It’s powerful and direct, yet I think could have functioned better as a play or novel. But did you know that 99.9% of people tried in Japan are found guilty? Crazy… 4 stars. ****

Cochochi (Mexico) A fictional tale of 2 brothers who are given a task of delivering medicine, and decide to travel by horse. This decision makes their journey more complicated, and they learn and grow along the way, not realizing the truth however, until the very end. Slow at times, yet both main actors are interesting to watch, and you find yourself pulled back into the story by their performances even in the most mundane scenes. Wait for the ending, which makes it all worth seeing. 3 stars. ***

Autism: The Musical (USA) A documentary which pulls on the heartstrings (and naturally should), dealing with the lives of 5 children with Autism and their families, who partake in music/theatre program designed by one of the parents. Sponsored by HBO, the filming quality is naturally quite good. But the kids are what really sell this film, always suprising both the audience and the adults in the film. If you know nothing about Autism, then see this movie. Awareness matters. 4 stars. ****

Out of all 6 of the films I’ve seen at VIFF so far, “Up the Yangtze” is still my favorite. Only one more to go, which I shall see on Thursday. I’m quite excited about that one as well, however. You’ll just have to wait to see my final favorite choice.

Tomorrow is Canadian Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

I love Film Festivals.

My only critique of them is that they have tendency to offer too much subjective input on plot summaries in their brochures. So, after you read it, you still have no clue what the movie is about.
I will give you a fake example, somewhat exaggerated:

Just One Person -Directed by Andrew Zeller.
“Altenately lyrical, playful, and melancholic, this blackly humorous tale is an outstanding, hard-hitting drama and a nearly perfect little film. With energetic long takes, dark undercurrents of urban anxiety, and glimmers of a ruthlessly poetic soul, this award-winning director weaves together fragments of the imagination in a fully realized portrait of the transitionary state of humankind, in an elegant docu-essay-noir. A story brimming with intrigue, emotions, justice, and redemption; it heralds a new cinematic voice with a boldness of spirit and a visual flair to boot…”

You get the idea. Also, if you want it to actually tell a bit about the plot (not common, and to match the common points of most film festivals films today, then you have to add one or more of the following: sex, sexuality, self-harm, spousal abuse, murders, infidelity, voyerism, nudity, ex-nazi millionaires, the words: “the human condition”, pro-environment themes, unstoppable passion, modern womanhood, revenge, gambling, gender, drugs, suicide, prostitution, and at least one scene which no one can understand, but everyone will pretend that they can.

This may all sound disheartening, but it’s not for every film and a few of these things, if approached right, can be very beneficial for us to see, like the “pro-environment themes”. Also, film festivals usually have great audiences: thoughtful, polite, and enthusiastic. They treat films they way they should be treated. Anyway, I’m now going to go into dangerous territory, and attempt to tell you about the first film I saw this year at the 2007 Vancouver International Film Festival:

Up the Yangtze -Directed by Yung Chang
A Chinese-canadian documentary filmmaker travels to China to take a “Farewell Cruise”
on the Yangtze River, which is now changing rapidly with the production of the 3 Gorges Dam,
one of the biggest construction undertakings in China since the Great Wall.
He adds a personal touch by bringing up stories and songs his grandfather shared with him
about the Yangtze river, a river which is slowly changing into something completely different.
Will the songs and stories drown in rising water levels? Yung Chang’s camera follows 2 Chinese teenagers who get a job working on one particular cruise ship. One is a girl from a poor family who wants to go to High School, and dreams of going to University, but her family cannot afford it. She must work to help support them and herself. The other is a boy who dreams of more money, but faces the challenge of his own ego.
Beautiful music. Thought-provoking images. And most of all, a wake-up-call for those who take what they have for granted (myself included). Looking forward to seeing more of this director’s work in the future. He puts in a great deal of thought into his work, is intelligent, and for his all of his skill, is actually quite humble.
See it if you have the chance; I would recommend it to anyone.

1 movie down, 6 more to go for me at the VIFF!

PS: Who Killed the Electric Car? is an eye-opening documentary too that I recently watched.

“Heaven is long lasting;
Earth endures.
Heaven is able to be long lasting and Earth is able to endure,
because they do not live for themselves.
And so, they are able to be long lasting and to endure.
This is why sages put themselves last and yet come first;
Treat themselves as unimportant and yet are preserved.
Is it not because they have no thought of themselves, that they
are able to perfect themselves?”

-老子(Laozi)

When (…) read this, (…) am reminded of: “The last shall be first.”
Humility and selflessness are most certainly virtues.
Therefore, (…) am taking the ”I” out of my sentences.
(…) hope it’s not too confusing.
But (…) think sometimes we need a little confusion is our logic-obsessed society.
What do (…) know, right?
Who am (…) to make judgements about society?
What am (…) and how do (…) fit into society?
Do these questions even matter?
Why am (…) doing this?
(…) don’t really know…