2005-05-26
Watching Sommersturm (2005-05-25)
After a minor role in Enemy at the Gates, Robert Stadlober again stars in a coming-of-age romance, this time as a coodinated gay boy (Sommersturm) rather than a spastic straight boy (Crazy). I liked Sommersturm, but I don't expect much from teen comedies in general. For coming-out romances, perhaps Britain's Beautiful Thing or Get Real were better; for teen comedies with gay characters, America's Saved! (which I saw at SIFF last year) was better. Nevertheless, I enjoyed Germany's Summer Storm for its portrayal of the anguish of falling in love with someone who will likely never feel the same--or someone who loves someone else. Though in Seattle many in the audience might call themselves gay, nearly anyone can identify with some role in this teen triangle.
Getting More Tickets (2005-05-24)
Ryan bought me two "threes" to add to my SIFF Schedule, a South Korean horror thriller and a French gay drama:
- --05-26 16:15 Three...Extremes
- --06-01 21:30 Three Dancing Slaves
At Secret Festival #1 (2005-05-22)
At the first Secret Festival I stood at the head of the line with friends of Steven and Dan, and discussed what Peter Sarsgaard had said about The Dying Gaul. Then we watched...
...a movie I'm not going to name. Below is the text from the back of my Secret Festival pass:
...a movie I'm not going to name. Below is the text from the back of my Secret Festival pass:
I, the undersigned, do hereby solemnly swear that I will never divulge the titles or discuss any of the films screened at the 2005 SIFF Secret Festival. Furthermore, I agree that I will not commit to print, broadcast on radio / television, on-line service or any other media form information regarding any of the 2005 Secret Festival screenings. I understand that the Seattle International Film Festival can and will pursue legal action against me in order to recover punitive and financial damages caused by my breach of this contract. I understand that no recording device of any kind is allowed into festival venues and that I may be subject to physical search of my person or personal property upon entrace to festival venues.Below that is my signature. I would give the movie a 2 out of 5.
Watching Ladies in Lavender (2005-05-22)
As we anticipated, Daniel Brühl was beautiful in Ladies in Lavender, but so was Natascha McElhone. The movie had less political paranoia than I expected; at its gentle heart it was a leisurely comedy on romantic regret. While Ryan cried, I gave it a 3 out of 5.
Watching Saint Ralph (2005-05-21)
The second film in my SIFF schedule (after Me and You and Everyone We Know and before The Dying Gaul with Peter Sarsgaard) was the Canadian movie Saint Ralph. Set in a Catholic high school, against the backdrop of hormones (an interest in sex and the opposite sex), Saint Ralph is about impossible dreams, faith, and the things that give the stamina to survive suffering. Movies with mothers in comas can make me cry more easily than many. However, I heard a handful of sniffles from elsewhere in the theater during key moments of character development. I gave it a 4 out of 5.
Gordon Downie's cover of the Leonard Cohen song "Hallelujah" was nice. ("I heard there was a secret chord/That David played and it pleased the Lord/But you don't really care for music, do you?/Well it goes like this the fourth, the fifth/The minor fall and the major lift/The baffled king composing hallelujah.")
Gordon Downie's cover of the Leonard Cohen song "Hallelujah" was nice. ("I heard there was a secret chord/That David played and it pleased the Lord/But you don't really care for music, do you?/Well it goes like this the fourth, the fifth/The minor fall and the major lift/The baffled king composing hallelujah.")
2005-05-22
Watching Peter Sarsgaard (2005-05-21)
Tonight at the Gala Reception at the Red Lion Hotel we met Peter Sarsgaard, in town for "An Evening with Peter Sarsgaard" and the screening of The Dying Gaul. The Dying Gaul was preceded by short film selections showing why Peter received the Golden Space Needle Award for Outstanding Achievement in Acting. His recent parts are much more significant than his earlier roles as Walter Delacroix in Dead Man Walking or Raoul in The Man in the Iron Mask (which I unfortunately watched to see Leonardo DiCaprio)! One of my favorite movies in which Sarsgaard played is Garden State.
The introductions began when Karen and SIFF membership coordinator Tara Morgan left the table at which Ryan and I had been catching up with Steven and Dan, whom we met at last year's SIFF. Kevin and Lisa sat down in Tara's and Karen's places, and later told us about their big trip. Before that, however, we learned that Kevin and Lisa attended the interview, film, and party because Kevin went to Jesuit high school in Connecticut with Peter Sarsgaard. When Peter walked in with Maggie Gyllenhaal (Who knew they were dating?), Kevin and Lisa stood up to talk to them. Ryan and I later joined them.
I remarked to Peter that his character's roles as lover of a married man was similar in Kinsey and The Dying Gaul. He replied that Robert in The Dying Gaul was much more aggressive than Clyde Martin in Kinsey. Ryan complimented Peter on his portrayal of a gay man, particularly a scene in The Dying Gaul in which he grieves his lost lover. That scene reminded Ryan of his best friend Mika. Ryan also touched Peter's very short, low-maintenance hair.
Partygoers continuously asked for Peter's and Maggie's autographs. When Peter stepped away with Tara, Kevin asked Maggie if she made movies as well. Maggie mentioned Secretary and Criminal. Ryan took the opportunity to discuss Maggie's movies, particularly Mona Lisa Smile (a sort of Dead Poet's Society for girls). He also complimented her on her style, asked if she had fashion help, and asked if she followed magazine comments on her dress. She dresses herself and doesn't care what the press says.
Finally, Ryan told her that he thought both she and Jake were beautiful, and asked her to tell her younger brother that at least one person in Seattle thinks he's hot. Momentarily thinking only of Jake Gyllenhaal--and forgetting that Maggie was in the same movie--I remarked that we were sorry Jake didn't attend the Donnie Darko director's cut screening at SIFF last year. (It had been nice to chat with Jena Malone and Mary McDonnell last year, however. Jena Malone--who also played in Life as a House--had been in two other SIFF films I saw: The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys and Saved!) I'd love to meet the star of October Sky and Jordan from Lovely & Amazing. Jake, come to Seattle!
Back to Peter Sarsgaard, The Dying Gaul will be interesting in distribution, given that the story of a gay couple--revolving around Peter's character--is a major plot element. In fact, The Dying Gaul is self-referential, discussing at length how difficult it is for such a film to attract theatergoers, despite the success of Philadelphia. The box office will tell if this is true.
The introductions began when Karen and SIFF membership coordinator Tara Morgan left the table at which Ryan and I had been catching up with Steven and Dan, whom we met at last year's SIFF. Kevin and Lisa sat down in Tara's and Karen's places, and later told us about their big trip. Before that, however, we learned that Kevin and Lisa attended the interview, film, and party because Kevin went to Jesuit high school in Connecticut with Peter Sarsgaard. When Peter walked in with Maggie Gyllenhaal (Who knew they were dating?), Kevin and Lisa stood up to talk to them. Ryan and I later joined them.
I remarked to Peter that his character's roles as lover of a married man was similar in Kinsey and The Dying Gaul. He replied that Robert in The Dying Gaul was much more aggressive than Clyde Martin in Kinsey. Ryan complimented Peter on his portrayal of a gay man, particularly a scene in The Dying Gaul in which he grieves his lost lover. That scene reminded Ryan of his best friend Mika. Ryan also touched Peter's very short, low-maintenance hair.
Partygoers continuously asked for Peter's and Maggie's autographs. When Peter stepped away with Tara, Kevin asked Maggie if she made movies as well. Maggie mentioned Secretary and Criminal. Ryan took the opportunity to discuss Maggie's movies, particularly Mona Lisa Smile (a sort of Dead Poet's Society for girls). He also complimented her on her style, asked if she had fashion help, and asked if she followed magazine comments on her dress. She dresses herself and doesn't care what the press says.
Finally, Ryan told her that he thought both she and Jake were beautiful, and asked her to tell her younger brother that at least one person in Seattle thinks he's hot. Momentarily thinking only of Jake Gyllenhaal--and forgetting that Maggie was in the same movie--I remarked that we were sorry Jake didn't attend the Donnie Darko director's cut screening at SIFF last year. (It had been nice to chat with Jena Malone and Mary McDonnell last year, however. Jena Malone--who also played in Life as a House--had been in two other SIFF films I saw: The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys and Saved!) I'd love to meet the star of October Sky and Jordan from Lovely & Amazing. Jake, come to Seattle!
Back to Peter Sarsgaard, The Dying Gaul will be interesting in distribution, given that the story of a gay couple--revolving around Peter's character--is a major plot element. In fact, The Dying Gaul is self-referential, discussing at length how difficult it is for such a film to attract theatergoers, despite the success of Philadelphia. The box office will tell if this is true.
2005-05-21
Watching The Tales of Hoffmann (2005-05-20)
Dinner was a disaster due to delays (which nearly led to standing outside McCaw Hall for Act I), but Seattle Opera's Les Contes D'Hoffmann was a good first opera for Ryan and first-opera-in-a-long-time for me. The storyline was straightforward, consisting mostly of three short stories of the poet Hoffmann's ill-fated love for a mechanical doll, a sick singer, and deceptive courtesan. Connecting these stories is the story of Hoffmann's relationship with his Stella and his disguised Muse.
2005-05-20
Watching Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005-05-19)
After an interminable introduction, we saw the film and attended the party for the Opening Night Gala. Production managers, mayors, marketing directors, SIFF directors, and program managers spoke for nearly an hour first. Here's advice for speakers: after you've spent time writing your speech, practice it to see how long it is. Then spend additional time making it half as long. Do you really want to sound unprepared to the 2800 people that the Paramount holds? You know who you are. (Dan Webster from Movies and More thought the introduction was long, too.)
In her speech, festival director Helen Loveridge answered a question that an audience member at the SIFF Preview event had asked: This was the first opening night film by a woman director.
Even Miranda July spoke, briefly, of her Pacific Northwest history with the Film Forum and the Seattle Art Museum. I looked to see if she had problems with her shoes like in Cannes (as Movie City Indie noticed in Miranda July's blog), but I couldn't tell from the balcony.
The 2005 Opening Night film wasn't the sentimental cinematic Hallmark card that the 2004 Opening Night Film The Notebook was. Miranda July's Me and You and Everyone We Know was an arthouse collection of contemporary vignettes connected in surprising (and not always plausible) ways. I think it was a better introduction to independent and foreign film than the previous year. However, the film flirted with sexual boundaries without quite crossing them (offensive opportunities remained fantasy). This bothered some in the audience.
The quirky relationship between Miranda July's Christine Jesperson and John Hawkes' Richard Swersey ties the film together and makes it almost as much comedy as drama. (John Hawkes, by the way, looks a bit like a thin Sean Penn, as though someone had permanently squeezed Sean's face.) Nevertheless the kids carry the story as much as Miranda July and John Hawkes.
The party afterward at the old Seattle Public Library was crowded and loud, with long lines for food and drink. This year, however, the food was much better than last year. We sat next to the owners of one of our favorite haunts, the Trabant Chai Lounge and had a nice conversation. I recognized an employee from Scarecrow Video, but never caught his eye. We left the film and party happy.
In her speech, festival director Helen Loveridge answered a question that an audience member at the SIFF Preview event had asked: This was the first opening night film by a woman director.
Even Miranda July spoke, briefly, of her Pacific Northwest history with the Film Forum and the Seattle Art Museum. I looked to see if she had problems with her shoes like in Cannes (as Movie City Indie noticed in Miranda July's blog), but I couldn't tell from the balcony.
The 2005 Opening Night film wasn't the sentimental cinematic Hallmark card that the 2004 Opening Night Film The Notebook was. Miranda July's Me and You and Everyone We Know was an arthouse collection of contemporary vignettes connected in surprising (and not always plausible) ways. I think it was a better introduction to independent and foreign film than the previous year. However, the film flirted with sexual boundaries without quite crossing them (offensive opportunities remained fantasy). This bothered some in the audience.
The quirky relationship between Miranda July's Christine Jesperson and John Hawkes' Richard Swersey ties the film together and makes it almost as much comedy as drama. (John Hawkes, by the way, looks a bit like a thin Sean Penn, as though someone had permanently squeezed Sean's face.) Nevertheless the kids carry the story as much as Miranda July and John Hawkes.
The party afterward at the old Seattle Public Library was crowded and loud, with long lines for food and drink. This year, however, the food was much better than last year. We sat next to the owners of one of our favorite haunts, the Trabant Chai Lounge and had a nice conversation. I recognized an employee from Scarecrow Video, but never caught his eye. We left the film and party happy.
2005-05-18
Not Watching Episode III (2005-05-20)
GoTech has again generously invited us to a free movie; this time it's Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith Friday at 3:15 PM at the Cinerama. Unfortunately, this again conflicts with previous plans; this time it's with cooking dinner for six at 4:30 PM in our apartment. After dinner, Jason and Tiffany, Richard and Roshelle, and Ryan and I will see The Tales of Hoffmann at the Seattle Opera McCaw Hall.
The Episode III trailers look good. Hayden Christensen even looks like Mark Hamill did. We'll probably see it another day.
The Episode III trailers look good. Hayden Christensen even looks like Mark Hamill did. We'll probably see it another day.
Not at Cinerama? (2005-05-19/06-12)
Unlike previous years, this year the Seattle Cinerama and AMC Pacific Place 11 are not in the list of venues for SIFF. Those venues are showing some other movie. If you think that movie is bad and don't like the acting, don't blame Hayden Christensen; he did well as the brooding, intense rebel in Life as a House. (Thank Movie City Indie for the link to the review.)
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