Slamdance ’17: Aerotropolis

Whenever you hear a politician propose a massive public works project, clutch your wallet tightly. Such advice definitely would have been warranted in the case of the Taoyuan special municipal district in Taiwan. Conceived as a regional transportation hub built around a shiny new airport, Taoyuan has become a costly boondoggle. Those on the inside surely profited just the same, but independent speculators like Allen found themselves holding the bag. As a result, the quiet speculator must live a desperate, rootless existence in Jheng-Neng Li’s Aerotropolis, which screened during the 2017 Slamdance Film Festival in Park City.

Anticipating a real estate boom, Allen sunk his entire inheritance into a Taoyuan luxury condo. Unfortunately, the market drastically underperformed, making the property dashed difficult to flip. In hopes of recouping some of his investment, Allen keeps the flat in pristine condition, sleeping in his car and living in the public spaces of the airport and bullet-train stations (having just flown through several New York airports, we have to admit the Taoyuan facilities look really nice).

The only time Allen spends in his property are the nights when his flight attendant girlfriend Tzu visits, but the only amenities he can offer are an air mattress and a bottle of wine. That is unfortunate, because she obviously craves the warmth and security of a legitimate home.

There is no getting around it, Aerotropolis is a festival kind of film with virtually zero theatrical prospects. It is also the work of a keen stylist that reflects a bitter disillusionment with the Taiwanese political and economic establishment. There are some stunning visual compositions in the film, which you can’t possibly miss, since Li is working almost entirely in long takes. Yet, that kind of aestheticizing technique rather suits the character’s limbo. You can almost think of it as Spielberg’s The Terminal or Lost in Translation, as remade by Bela Tarr.

Even though Li tries to keep his characters at a distance, we still get a direct sense of their inner desperation. Both Chia-Lun Yang and Jui-Tzu Liu express volumes without words and withstand the withering focus of Li’s lens. Viewers will feel for them both, even when he starts to make us rather uncomfortable.

Aerotropolis is best reserved for a high-end sliver of the cineaste world who find the four-hour Romanian films NYFF loves to screen to be excessively perky and commercial. However, it is impressive as the uncompromised consummation of Li’s vision. In addition to writing, directing, and producing, he also served as his own editor, cinematographer, art director, production designer, and sound dude, so pretty much everything in the film is there because of him. You can also see a lot of talent, but it demands a lot from viewers in return. Recommended for patrons of slow cinema, Aerotropolis will find its audience after screening at this year’s Slamdance.

Matthew Salton: Creating Richard Twice Slamdance 2017

Richard Twice - Teaser from Matthew Salton on Vimeo.

I discovered RICHARD TWICE when it’s director Matthew Salton emailed me about it. The film had played at Slamdance and since Unseen had covered some films he was wondering would I be interested in taking a look at the film? I said of course and the rest is history

For those who haven’t read my review of the film RICHARD TWICE is a biography of Richard Atkins, one half of the duo Richard Twice. Recording an album with some the greatest musicians in the world the duo seemed to heading toward greatness then something happened and Atkins more or less disappeared off the face of the earth. The film is the story of what happened. 

Not to put to fine a point on it -it is one of the best rock documentaries I’ve ever seen.

When I finished the film, before doing anything else I emailed Matthew to thank him for sending the film my way and also to throw bunch of questions at him. Since I did not see the film at Slamdance I didn’t have a chance to tell him how much I liked the film and to ask him a lot of questions. Basically I hoping that  he would humor the crazy person who had just fallen in love with his film. Matthew took pity on me and was kind enough to email me back with answers to all my questions.

What follows is is the whirlwind interview that we did. Yes the interview is specifically about the film and answers the questions I had. However I think Matthew's answers will give you enough of a taste that it will make you want to chase down the film (at least that was the reaction to the two people I showed it to)

 As of right now RICHARD TWICE is heading off on the festival circuit. Personally I’m hoping that when the film gets to New York I can sit down with Matthew and do a more detailed interview because as anyone who has seen RICHARD TWICE or his earlier feature DWARVES KINGDOM  know, his films leave you wanting to talk about them and find out more.

(And do yourself a favor and bookmark this interview because trust me you're going to want to reread this when you finally see RICHARD TWICE)

A huge thank you to Matthew Salton for taking the time to answer my questions (and for sending me his film)

STEVE: How did you meet Richard Atkins?

MATTHEW: My dad, who's a musician in Seattle met Richard at an open mic night in the Seattle area. They became friends and my dad approached me, telling me about this man, Richard, he had met who made an amazing album in the 60s recorded by the best musicians of the era. He encouraged me to listen to the album and meet with Richard so I could tell his story in some way, primarily to introduce an audience to this album. As a fan of 60s rock and psychedelic music in general, the album blew me away. Meeting Richard for the first time, I was really impressed with how eloquent he spoke and the poetic way he described his life and experiences. I definitely knew there was potential for a film. He had so many beautiful stories, but it took awhile to decide on what stories to tell and the how to tell them.

STEVE: When did you start to put the film together?

MATTHEW: I first met Richard in the summer of 2014. That's when my dad introduced me to him. We did an interview in his home that lasted a couple hours. I was thinking we would use the footage so we lit it and shot the interview as if it would be in the film. I brought it to my friend, Andy, an editor and asked if he wanted to help edit it.

There were a lot of threads to Richard's story, famous names and some crazy unexplainable things that happened after the record came out. There was a lot of discussion between us on what this film would ultimately be about. There are several versions of the film we edited. Ultimately, I decided the centerpiece of the film would be the music from the album and the dramatic question fueling the narrative would be "what happened that one night?".

I really only intended it for it to be something we worked on for a few months, but as we started editing we realized there was a lot there and we would need to go back and do more interviews. We did this off and on for a couple years, edit for a bit and then do another interview to fill in more of the story, take a break and then give it another shot. I wanted to set some boundaries for the project, so the first rule we created was that we weren't using any video footage from the interviews, it would all be recreated. We maybe had a total of about 6ish hours of audio. The aim was always to tell the story in 10 minutes.

In the winter of 2016 we had a solid radio pieces that needed images. That's when I started to draw, putting in storyboards and learning to animate myself. Luckily some other animators agreed to contribute to the film. The visual side of the movie took about 8 months.

STEVE: Why did you decide to animate most of the story?

MATTHEW: There's no footage of his recording the album or his performance, I only had 1 photo, the publicity shot that appears in the film. I was not interested in using a talking head of Richard's interview so I knew we had to be creative. I set some rules for the film and decided we wouldn't use any footage from the interviews and it would all either be animated or filmed recreations with mixed media. The editor, Andy and I spent a couple years going back and forth editing hours of audio and using the music from the Richard Twice album to propel the narrative forward. After a few years we had a fairly tight radio piece, but we still needed images.

I was interested in using animation for the film, but had never animated before and it seemed daunting. I've always loved drawing so making them move seemed like a logical next step as a filmmaker. I started by doing character sketches, starting with the cover of the album which is the very first thing I drew, and just started drawing out different scenes and creating the fonts and the style of the text used in the movie. The more I drew and started asking around for help, the more things started to come together. I thankfully found really talented collaborators who contributed segments and taught me how to animate.

STEVE: What is Richard's relationship to music now? Does he perform?

MATTHEW: Richard has started writing on some new songs - he's hoping to get up on stage more frequently and share the music he's written. He's performed a few gigs in the Seattle area, but's looking for more opportunities to share his music now. A huge period of his life passed where he skipped out on music, but I think right now he's eager to write more and share the songs with an audience.

STEVE: How can some one seen the film?

MATTHEW: The film will play more festivals over the following year and then debut online.. Not sure when that will be yet.

Since showing the film, I'm surprised by the amount of people asking if it will be a feature. I'm kind of shocked. There are no plans at the moment, but if we were able to find the right angle to expand the story into something larger and there was the right opportunity, I'd be open

STEVE: What's next for you?

MATTHEW:I'm working on a live action film and hope to continue with another animation soon, perhaps something episodic. I had just finished a feature documentary, DWARVES KINGDOM in 2015 before I started working on RICHARD TWICE. That film, about a strange Chinese theme park that employs 100 little people in a fantasy village, is available on VOD and some streaming services. I post new work and updates on my instagram, vimeo and website.

For more information On Matthew Salton's previous film, DWARVES KINGDOM  follow these links:
Dwarves Kingdom http://www.dwarveskingdom.com/
https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/dwarves-kingdom/id975476557

To keep track of what he's doing next follow him here:
https://www.instagram.com/mrsalton/
https://vimeo.com/matthewsalton
http://www.matthewsalton.com/

Richard Twice (2017) Slamdance 2017

Matthew Salton's RICHARD TWICE is a wonderful music documentary on Richard Atkins. Atkins was part of the Psychedelic folk duo Richard Twice which disappeared off the face of the earth after recording their debut album.

Told in Atkin's own words RICHARD TWICE is one hell of a story. Beginning before he got on the road to fame when an accident has him meet the mysterious Mr Higgins, an older gentleman who gives him a crucial piece of advice.The film then shifts gears as Atkins ends up heading toward a what should have been a big career....

I love this film.  A perfect marriage of animation and live action storytelling this ten minute film is as good as documentaries can get. Salton gets the balance of everything exactly right even the ending which doesn't have all the answers to all of the questions the film raises but which ends note perfectly none the less.

We have been blessed with some truly music docs in the last couple of years- and even this early in 2017 I've seen a couple of music related films that have knocked my socks off. In all honesty RICHARD TWICE is one of the best I've run across of any length. It's one of those films that grabs you and worms it's way into your heart. I'm guessing that the film is going to end up on one of my year end lists come December.

Go see this film. Go track it down. An absolute must see.

Easily one of the best films at Slamdance 2017.

(And yes the film had me searching for the album so before you check Amazon the Richard Twice CD is cost prohibitive- however there is reasonable download)

Slamdance ’17: Future ’38

There were no flying cars in the future, nor did we enter a Star Trekian age of peace. We should know, we’re living in it, or at least we soon will be. It is an exercise in retro-futurism, imagining the year 2018 as seen from 1938. Our point-of-view comes from Essex, an intrepid time-traveler who hopes to avert the messy world war brewing in Europe. However, the Germans might not be a defanged as everyone assumes during the years Essex skips over in Jamie Greenberg’s Future ‘38, which premiered at the 2017 Slamdance Film Festival in Park City.

Thanks to Essex, there was/will not be a war. Instead, we entered era of Pax Formica, ushered in by a demonstration of our secret weapon. It is/was much like the atom bomb, but it was fueled by Formica instead of plutonium or uranium. The tricky thing is it takes eighty years for the Formica core to build up enough power. The solution is obvious. Stash the super-Formica in a secure vault and send Essex eighty years into the future to retrieve it.

Essex arrives in the lobby of a flop-house run by Banky, a glamorous tough cookie, who finds herself strangely attracted to Essex, in a Tracy-Hepburn kind of way. Although she does not believe his time travel mumbo jumbo, she humors him anyway. Thanks to the ticker-tape version of the internet, they learn the old War Department building has been converted into the new German embassy, so naturally they will crash their reception. However, the Germans have some ideas about rewriting history of their own.

Future ’38 is presented as an ostensibly rediscovered lost film, introduced by Neil deGrasse Tyson. Frankly, its retro-futurism is much more informed by contemporary attitudes than those of the 1930s. However, some of technical mash-ups are amusing (smart phones still placing calls through operators and the like). The look of the picture is also terrific, thanks to the way it so perfectly approximates the look of early Technicolor film stock.

Frankly, the first half of the film feels rather precious and gimmicky, but viewers should stick with it, because Greenberg ties everything together surprisingly cleverly in the third act. It legitimately pays off down the stretch, after the game co-leads win us over. Nick Westrate and Betty Gilpin have a good handle on the dialogue’s necessary rat-a-tat-tat tempo, playing off each other quite nicely. Gilpin is particularly charismatic, channeling her inner Rosalind Russell.

It starts slow, but it steadily builds steam. One might argue it also reminds us of the dangers of complacency when it comes to protecting our freedoms, but that is probably a stretch. It is really just a goofy and ultimately quite sweet film. Without question, it has more heart and substance than Space Station 76 (an obvious comp movie). Recommended for fans of time travel films and Golden Age science fiction, Future ’38 screens again tomorrow (1/26), during this year’s Slamdance.

Slamdance ’17: The Dundee Project (short)

If you make Mark Borchardt, the director of Coven, sound like the voice of reason, then you must be way out there on the fringe. Once a year, you can easily see the fringe from Dundee, Wisconsin, where they hold the annual UFO Daze festival. Basically, Wisconsin’s most paranoid annually gather to drink large amounts of beer during the day and then, lo and behold, see UFOs at night. Intuitively sensing a story, Borchardt grabbed a camera and documented the latest UFO Daze in the short doc, The Dundee Project, which screens during this year’s Slamdance Film Festival.

As the host of UFO Daze, Bill Benson, the owner and proprietor of Benson’s Hideaway Bar & Restaurant knows his clientele and duly caters to them. Most have just listened to too much Art Bell, but the impending UFO invasion is downright personal for UFO Bob. You will know him when you see him. He is a true believing, veteran UFO watcher. Yet, Borchardt throws him off-stride with devious questions like “how do you know that” and “do you have any proof?”

Man, it is nice to have Borchardt back in action. The Coven helmer was meant to make films—doing cameos in lame movies like Modus Operandi just isn’t sufficient. Dundee is a good way shake off the rust, but we can’t help wondering if Coven II could be in the cards. Regardless, Borchardt definitely captures the participants’ eccentricity and their Wisconsinness.

Ironically, Borchardt gives the UFO Dazers the sort of gawking treatment he received from Chris Simth’s American Movie. Yet, he will probably boost Dundee tourism ten-fold. It is just good to know Borchardt is outing there doing the reporting on issues the man doesn’t want you know about and asking all the hard questions the wingnuts can’t answer. Highly recommended because obviously, The Dundee Project screens again this Thursday (1/26), as part of the Documentary Shorts program at the 2017 Slamdance Film Festival.

Slamdance ’17: Hotel Coolgardie

The Denver City Hotel makes your local Hooters look cosmopolitan. Coolgardie is located smack dab in the middle of Australia’s Goldfield region, so naturally many of the pub’s patrons are miners. You would expect it to be a ruckus place, but the rustic blokiness reaches highly problematic levels in Pete Gleeson’s documentary, Hotel Coolgardie, which screens during the 2017 Slamdance Film Festival.

After losing their money in Bali, Lina and Steph managed to make their way to first-world Australia. Signing on with an employment agency that specializes in short term provincial assignments, they agree to sign on as barmaids at the Denver City. There will not be a lot of distractions to spend the wages on in Coolgardie, so they ought to be able to save money relatively rapidly. However, they are not prepared for the inhospitable treatment they receive from the owner and they are rather taken aback by some of the customers. One in particular could be the live-action version of Barney from Moe’s Tavern on The Simpson’s. Of course, he has a hard crush on Lina.

It is safe to say the two Finns do not fit in well. Frankly, it really seems to be everyone’s fault. They never make much of an effort, but nobody really helps them either. Pretty much all they get from the locals are reprimands and drunken propositions. Regardless, there is no excuse for being a hostile employer.

Not surprisingly, the Goldfields tourism bureau has had a conniption fit over Gleeson’s film, but it is hard to imagine how any of his scenes could be taken out of context. Nor does he portray Coolgardie as monolithically troglodytic. The Finns rather take a shine to an old-timer known as “Canman,” who tragically died shortly after filming wrapped—and at least of the good old boys really seems like a decent chap, who they should have treated better.

Hotel takes a dark turn in the third act that technically has nothing to do with sexism or exploitation, but makes Coolgardie like an even less desirable place to visit. Basically, Gleeson’s film is a stone-cold reality check to horny summer sex comedies. It also lands on the media spectrum around where proper documentaries start to approach reality television. That also means it is never boring. Recommended for the voyeuristic, Hotel Coolgardie screens this Thursday (1/26) at Treasure Mountain Inn, as part of this year’s Slamdance.

Slamdance ’17: Dave Made a Maze

You could almost appreciate it as a masterwork of outsider art, if it were not so lethal. Rather, inconveniently, it happens to be right smack dab in the middle of Dave and Annie’s living room. When the latter returns from a business trip, she discovers the former has been lost inside for three days. She and an oddball group of friends discover it is bizarrely cavernous inside, sort of like the Tardis, but with booby traps. DIY constructionism takes a weirdly fantastical turn in Bill Watterson’s Dave Built a Maze, which premiered during the 2017 Slamdance Film Festival.

Don’t call it a maze—it’s a labyrinth. Hence, there must be traps and yes, a minotaur. Dave did not create those per se. His cardboard Escher-like construction just took on a life of its own. Much to Annie’s frustration, he will not let her simply cut into it. He has too much pride in his creation. It could also be catastrophically dangerous given the structure’s instability. The exasperated Annie calls in his friend Gordon as back-up. Unfortunately, the scene soon turns into a circus. Eventually, she just heads into its cave like entrance, with whoever cares to tag along. However, things get real in a hurry when several of their more expendable friends are quickly killed off.

It is hard to fairly convey a sense of the film’s tone. You would never call it cutesy or quirky, nor is it dark or moody. One might start with Michel Gondry and Edgar Wright as reference points, but they are still not quite right. Regardless, Maze is wildly inventive and slyly funny, featuring some absolutely incredible cardboard set designs. Production designers Trisha Gum and John Sumner, along with art director Jeff White deserve standing ovations for what they have realized (presumably on a not-so extravagant budget).

There is also plenty of snappy, archly sarcastic dialogue, delivered with pitch-perfect aplomb by Adam Busch and James Urbaniuk (a.k.a. Ned Rifle), as Gordon and Harry the aspiring documentarian, respectively. Nick Thune’s titular Dave is necessarily a bit off a sad sack, but Meera Rohit Kumbhani’s Annie just lights up the screen with her smart, grounded, star-making presence.

Frankly, it is kind of shocking how well Maze works. There is nothing twee about it, especially not the tripped-out animated sequences. It is all kind of nuts, but it adheres to its own system of illogic. Very highly recommended for cult film fans, Dave Made a Maze screens again tomorrow (1/23), as part of this year’s Slamdance in Park City.

Strad Style (2017) Slamdance 2017

Portrait of 32-year-old Danny Houck who lives in the middle rural Ohio. An employed recluse Houck somehow convinces a European concert violinist that he can duplicate a Stradivarius.

At times this is an extremely interesting look at violins and violin making. The artistry and skill to turn out a finely crafted instrument is a something that not many people possess. Whether Danny Houck possesses the skill is up in the air but he certainly has the knowledge to make a stab at making a great instrument

How you react to this film is going to depend upon how you react to the man at the center of the film. That's a potential issue because he's at the center of the film from start to finish and if he doesn't click with you this can be a long haul. Hauk is clearly a man of great knowledge and skill but he also is an odd duck at times as we see him go through his daily routine. Personally I'm mixed on him. I found what he was doing captivating but I really didn't care much for the man himself.

For the most part I really like STRAD STYLE. I think the film is telling one hell of a story, though to be perfectly honest I really don't know why the film is almost two hours long since, as I said Houck is a bit of an acquired taste. That said I want to see the film again because I find the violin stuff fascinating.

Definitely worth a look when the film screens again at Slamdance or when the film eventually makes it to a theater near you.

Brian Harrison talks about HELL FOLLOWS Slamdance 2017

Earlier today I published a review for HELL FOLLOWS a killer short that will undoubtedly act as a take no prisoners calling card for its writer director Brian Harrison. Harrison’s film is the work of a filmmaker who seems to have a better handle on filmmaking than most long term directors. His film is the sort of thing that once you see it you’ll want to see again and again- and you’ll want to see lengthened into a feature because based on what is in the short a feature should be earth shaking.

In the course of emailing back and forth between Harrison and his team I realized that I should get down some of what we were discussing formally- to that end I sent off a few quick questions. What follows is the brief interview that resulted.

I want to thank Brian Harrison for agreeing to answer my questions.

STEVE: Watching the film there is a sense that your love of Asian cinema is more genetic as opposed learned. When did you get hooked on Asian cinema?

BRIAN: Nature or Nurture. The true question of many personality traits, benevolent and malevolent. As in most answers, mine is a little bit of both. Nurture in that I was raised, from the somewhat inappropriate age of 6, on a myriad of provocative and rebellious Japanese cinema. It began with my father introducing me and guiding me into the world, then, nature took over. As was the case with my training in the martial arts, there has always been something inside me that has been drawn to the sensibility. To the honor. To the custom. To the history. To the feeling. To the look. To the philosophy. Something I cannot explain. But something that exists deep in my being. A previous life? Maybe. A specific neurotransmitter? Possibly. All better left unexplained… just embraced with vigor and heart.

STEVE: How did the film come about?

BRIAN: The film started with a novella I wrote about 2 years ago, entitled BLACK AS HELL DARK AS NIGHT. The book contains parts of this story and 2 other stories, all of them related/intertwined through familial relationships. Some of it takes place in Japan, some in the US. All of it, hyper-violent and hyper-real. After writing the novella, I started in on the feature screenplay (also entitled BLACK AS HELL DARK AS NIGHT). When the first draft was completed, I took a step back and realized what I had possibly created here… a manga comic, sans the actual comic books. The world, the feeling, the characters… all seemed to have that flavor to them, although the feature film is set in a vastly non-manga city – a hyper-realistic ghetto in Osaka called Airin-chiku. Once I realized that, I immediately started in with my concept artist, Jack Gregory, and we began the process of creating the manga. So that’s where we are now.

STEVE:The film starts in the middle of the story - are you hoping to expand the film into something longer?

BRIAN: We have the short film – which is kind of nightmare sequence from the feature – the feature screenplay, the novella, and now the manga in production. The intention is release these in a sort of Suicide Club (Sono - 2001) manner. The feature, the novella and then the manga. With room for additional stories within these stories – all in the same manner. A huge lofty goal for sure, but a plan nonetheless. All of which is high gear, moving forward at ludicrous speed.

STEVE: Why is it in Japanese?

BRIAN: The answer is simple. The story is a Japanese one. it takes place in Japan and all the characters are Japanese… so… they speak Japanese. Can’t be any other way nor would I ever do it any other way. One note though, the feature is partially in English as well, but that is being done for a very specific purpose.

STEVE: What are your influences- cinematic and elsewise?

BRIAN: To answer this, I could write pages upon pages upon pages… each set dedicated to who influences me and why. Obviously, we do not have the time or space to do that here, so, I think what I want people to know is that my main influence is LIFE. Everything I encounter. A sound. A person. A thought. A feeling. A color. A film. A book. A language. A philosophy. A taste. A smell. A hallucination. Everything. As a filmmaker and really as a sentient being, I truly believe that the most important influence should be the taking in of all experience and filtering it through your synapses. Once you do this, those experiences become unique to each being’s brain and consciousness… and then, you can deliver that unique “take” to others.

STEVE: What are you favorite films?

BRIAN: There are truly hundreds of films that I consider my “favorites.” It is almost impossible to make a short list of them, as I would undoubtedly be leaving hundreds off the list. Pictures are like food or clothes or music. Your favorites come and go, change with mood, with age, with life. Into something one day, something else the next. One day, a film is the most important thing in your life, the next year, you can’t believe you liked it at all. Films are meant to come into your life in precise moments, leave their mark on you and move on to the next soul. There are some that you, of course, watch over and over and over again. But, to be completely honest, I rather not make a list. Instead, I challenge everyone reading this to watch Hell Follows, and come back to me with an extensive list of films you think are my favorites/influences (at least for this picture). That I can confirm or deny.

Hell Follows (2016) Slamdance 2017

Dear God I love it when I run across a filmmaker with style to burn. Brian Harrison has style to burn and then some. His great short HELL FOLLOWS is a possible portent of great things to come.

The film nominally the story of a good brother taken over by his dead evil brother who then goes off to get revenge. There isn't much more than that, but it doesn't need more than that because the film is a calling card of a someone with talent.

Shot largely in black and white in the style of a Japanese neo-noir but with occasional flashes of color HELL FOLLOWS looks like it was shot by one of  the current slew of Japanese filmmakers such a Takashi Miike in one of his manic moods or Sion Sono or one of a half dozen other who are bouncing around my brain. It also has a touch of Frank Miller's Sin City comic welded into it as well.

Normally I would be unhappy with a film that seemingly is borrowing so much from so many different places (even the credits remind me of other films) but the film is so masterfully done that I can see the influences but I can not for the life of me tell what precisely they are. Harrison is using what he knows and is forming his own cinema. Yes this looks like Miike and Miller but it's clearly not- this is the work of a filmmaker who is going bigger or reaching higher and making something greater because he can use the past to stand on. This is in direct contrast to someone like Quentin Tarantino who steals from other directors but does so in such away that we can see where he's lifting from.Tarantino is less concerned with creating something new than refashioning something old. Harrison is creating something new.

One some level the film is pure form over content, with the film being largely bits of flashy storytelling, but at the same time the film is so well done it drags you along to the point that when you reach the end credits you genuinely want to see what happens next. Is this film a show reel for a feature? If it is I'll buy my ticket to that feature right now.

This is a must see and one of the unexpected joys of the new film year.

The film plays at Slamdance in the Anarchy Shortstonight at 1030 and Monday at 10pm local time. For tickets and more information go here.

Kuro (2017) Slamdance 2017

When I was watching KURO a couple of weeks back I didn't know what to make of it at first. The film is nominally a story being told by a caregiver to her lover while we see her day to day existence. It would seem to be straightforward except that things don't line up since the voice telling the story is never specifically spelled out to be the woman in the visuals while what we are seeing is not necessarily  what is happening in the story - the result is a dark tale that once experienced is damn near impossible to shake.

KURO is a perfect example of why one should not read press notes or material on the film. The press notes will specifically tell you that the people in the film are the protagonists of the story, but if you watch the film blind as I did you quickly discover that isn't the case. There are inferences in the press material which may or may not be in the film. I mention this because I was never quite certain of what was what and who was who and it all became a grand glorious game to piece the film out.

The one thing that was in the press notes that is absolutely true is that directors Joji Koyama,and Tujiko Noriko (who stars as the woman) have made a film that breaks down any notions you have of narrative. The pair wanted to make a film that explores how we fashion stories in order to give meaning and order to our lives and we they have done just that. KURO with it's dual narrative structure forces you to seriously consider how you understand the world and everything in it. Because things are not clear in the film we genuinely have to piece things together which is what makes the film so incredibly powerful - which is why I don't like that there are possible pointers in the press notes.

The effect of seeing KURO is like having a whale slowly swallow you .What seems to be a happy tale slowly becomes darker and darker. While there is no doubt that it could be read as Romi revealing her mental space that is selling the film much too short. There is great deal going on in the story and in the images that make it one of the most oppressive films I've seen in a long time. Its a film that begins in a lovely garden and ends in a wasteland. When the film was done my first reaction was simply to ask- "what the hell was that?" Now several weeks later I'm (happily) still trying to work that out. The fact that this review is devoid of details is because I'm still trying to work out what I want to say and how I feel about the film.

What I do want to say, and what I feel I have to say is that KURO is one of the most effecting and affecting films I've seen in a long time. Its a film that sneaks up on you and clubs you from behind. Its a film that is not like anything you've seen, not wholly, not like this. Its as brilliant a film as you are likely to see. It is a film that is must see for anyone who loves great films- especially ones that chart new territory.

I have  nothing else I can say other than KURO is the first great film I've seen in 2017.

KURO plays at Slamdance on January 22 and 23. For more information and tickets go here.

The Modern Jungle (2016) Slamdance 2017

Charles Fairbanks and Saul Kak's THE MODERN JUNGLE will give you great pause about every other similar documentary that you see afterward.

A very meta, very straightforward portrait of people in the Zoque culture in the "Black Jungle" section of southern Mexico the film is very aware of the pretend walls between filmmaker and subjects and subjects and the audience. Its so aware of them that the walls are pretty much destroyed at the outset a fact which kind of has us going back on our heels from the first moments all the way to the post credit sequence that ends the film.

The film is nominally the story of Carmen who lives in a home paid for by her deceased husband and Juan, a medicine man with a hernia and an interest  getting involved in a pyramid like business to sell diet supplements. We watch as our subjects go through their lives and rituals and try to just live their lives...

...but the film is also very up front with the fact that the filmmakers are paying the people in the film for their time. Yes we are seeing their lives but they are being paid for their time. Its an up front revelation that makes you wonder about all the other documentaries you you see.Who is getting paid and who isn't? The up front nature of the film forces you to ponder is this really their lives or what they were simply paid to do? It a question that takes on large implications with the opening and closing pieces which have the pair in a theater watching the film we are seeing and commenting on it.

I'm still pondering what it all means.

And I'm also still pondering what I think of the film.

As an intellectual exercise I really like the film. I like how the film deconstructs itself and other similar films. Emotionally I'm not too sure. The problem is that on a certain level it's exactly like all the other similar films. Its far from bad but without the meta level it wouldn't stand out.

Reservations aside THE MODERN JUNGLE is recommended.

Nightcap 1/15/17 Slamdance and Sundance start this week, The New York Science Fiction Film Festival starts Friday, I saw The Birth of a Nation and La La Land, plus Randi's links

How audiences will not be seeing MANIFESTO at Sundance

Once again it’s time to look west to Park City and Sundance and it’s small upstart sibling Slamdance. Once again the film world will be looking for the first great things of the film year.

Unlike years past where we’ve ended up backing into the festivals and giving you coverage once the fest started and things fell into our laps this year we’ve known for several weeks we would be covering it. This is thanks primarily to Joe Bendel asking if we wanted some of his coverage. I of course said yes, so we are going to actually have a man on the ground this year. Additionally since Joe’s coverage was arranged I managed to see a couple of films from Sundance and few more from Slamdance. I think I’ve seen more shorts than features but no matter what I’ve seen has been choice. (THE GOOD POST MAN at Sundance is recommended. The feature KURO and the short HELL FOLLOWS are musts at Slamdance).

Our coverage will start on Friday for both fests and run until they end. While I know some of what is being covered, I’m not sure what it will all be. Check back frequently starting Friday since there is going to be lots of good stuff going your way.

For information on Sundance go here
For information on Slamdance go here.

We previous reviewed SUPERGIRL which plays Slamdance when it premiered at DOC NYC
---
---
Here in New York this week brings THE NEW YORK SCIENCE FICTION FILM FESTIVAL. It's being put together by the same people who do the Philip K Dick Film Festival. It looks wonderful- I'm not sure how much I'll get to- it overlaps several other NYC events- but I'm going to give it a shot- and based on a reading of the program you should too.

For details and tickets go here.
---
---
The New York International Children's Film Festival announced the first 3 films this week YOUR NAME, MY LIFE AS A ZUCCHINI and REVOLTING RHYMES. The schedule hits this week as to tickets for members. Expect more details Tuesday or Wednesday as soon as info is released.
---
---
Continuing on with a Sundance theme- This week I finally saw THE BIRTH OF A NATION Nate Parker's telling of the Nat Turner Rebellion.

I am not going to review it. I'm not going get into any sort of discussion about it  other than to say I'm at a loss as to why a year ago at this time anyone seriously thought the film would have a serious chance at a Best Picture Oscar. That anyone would be so foolish to pick a film and claim it's the best film of the year when 11 months have yet to pass is insane- no one knows what a year will bring. Had it been held up as the first film to have a chance at the Oscar I wouldn't have blinked but the pundits had it all but winning.

Do I think that Parker's past derailed it? Honestly no. I think the film simply doesn't remotely live up to the hype. Claiming the Oscar race was all but done before February was an act of pure hubris. Personally I don't think the film is as good as almost any film currently in contention for the Best Picture Oscar.

I do think that Parker was done a serious disservice by his PR people who whipped up the frenzy surrounding the film and thus caused the film to spectacularly crash and burn in the minds of many. I think the film deserved a more reasonable presentation to the media and public.
---
---
I saw LA LA LAND Thursday- I will be running one of the former frequent On Further Review piece on Tuesday- but for now consider I am strongly of the opinion that if the film wins the Best Picture Oscar in five years everyone will be pondering why anyone thought that highly of the film
---
---
Randi's links

Cult TV Page at TV Ark
Voices in Our Heads
The Erasure of Islam from Rumi
Jane Austen's teenage writing
Karma Killings