Day 5: Count your blessings

I don’t know if it is something like bad karma or whatever, but things are not really going as planned. One of the reasons behind this blog was to add to the excitement of the AIFF, but instead all it has offered me is even less sleep, more stress and less pleasure out of the festival. A general whining mood shadows this keyboard, making me believe that the festival is not as good as previous years, and not counting my blessings. Although there is some proof to support my suspicion (like for example I still haven’t seen anyone NOT finding a seat, or my belief that the queer cinema special is way too big and way too average, and the fact that Toyoda IS good, but not as much as Kim Ki Duk, etc. etc.), I am still certain that all of these is just my own stupid little brain having great expectations that the AIFF would really put out all of my blues during these days, not to mention that last year’s festival was exceptionally good. Well, I have grown up since 2000 and it seems it takes more than a festival to do that. Then again I am having bad luck….

For example today, I was first at the ticketbox at Danaos but still managed to get the worst seating (not that I sat at any of them destined seats…); I am sure the blond there hates, for reasons that I do not know, but I am determined to find out. Furthermore, the pamphlet fooled me once again, because I managed to miss Huldufolk and Hanging Garden (which is not getting a repeat…) at Attikon, and instead got Madeinusa (the only really good film of the day really), Brick, and Swoon which was cursed (more on that later on). Of course I should not complain: I managed to squeeze in a few minutes of studying (that’s how rubbish I am), had my warm applepie again (orgasmic, simply orgasmic) and had a proper lunch at ‘Επί της Πανόρμου’ (a sympathetic little neo-taverna, a bit snobbish in it’s dishes, but still good and at a fair price).

The lunch itself was great (fantastic Politiko giaourtlou kebab), but I went to Danaos with a very, very full stomach, but after a soda, an espresso and the orgasmic applepie, I took a seat for Madeinusa, from which I did not expect anything, but got plenty. First things first, the title, which is also the name of the virgin daughter of the mayor of an outlandish isolated village of Perou, is not pronounced Made-IN-USA. Instead it is more like Maidinousa, but anyways that is the name she got. The story has it that this peculiar village, every year, from Easter Friday to Easter Sunday have a series of festivities, and also have the belief that God is dead for those days and everything is allowed (literally everyhthing). Thankfully the movie does not go on to exhibit any Dionysos orgies or stuff like that (I don’t know what Pazolinni would have done in this case…), but instead focuses on the story of Madeinusa, who on the one hand does want to leave the village for Lima, but on the other is more than willing to become the Virgin of the festivities; the title is not cosmetic, because the Virgin is then meant to loose her virginity to her own father. Mind you that is absolutely normal at the village we are talking about. At any rate, to cut to the chase, a gringo visits the village, he takes Madeinusa’s virginity, the mayor gets his ways as well, Madeinusa eventually kills her father over some earrings (not exactly but anyways…), and leaves the village, while there are plenty of hints around the storyboard about a mother that left the house, a critical subplot, the spine of all that follows. Although, as I said I was not expecting much, the movie was surprisingly good, always unpredictable, definitely different, not only as far as script is concerned but also due to the very effective way it manages to deliver the rural setting. Mysterious, natural, yet also brutal and unexplained in many ways, but definitely alive and passionate, the rural layout in the movie, I am sure it manages to connect with the viewers and their images and impressions of the countryside (despite the fact, that we are talking about Peru, it reminded me a lot of Balkan movies, especially that ethereal approach). Photography and directing were up to the task, producing a beautiful movie which although starts very slow (imagine a late night documentary, half that speed…), it is in fact very well orchestrated and structured, and in fact never bores you. It also manages to be dark at some points, the village itself being a showcase of rural decadence, and an opposing force to the spirit of Madeinusa, who not only is a great character (her inexplicability reminding me of Odete from last year’s festival), but is also brilliantly acted out by Magaly Solier. If I wanted I could find quite a few flaws in the movie (like the extremely slow pace in the beginning, the frequent awkwardness, the ‘cliché-ing’ of many of the characters and a few others…), but … I don’t really want to. I really enjoyed it, was convinced by it, appreciated both the takes at the main character but also at the countryside (which offered some very nice stills), but mainly, I liked it because it was different. One of the main things AIFF always offers is the ‘different’; movies that either go back to the roots of cinematography or dare and offer something new, or simply enough, are from a far far away country whose cinematography style we are completing unaware. For me, a different and innovative approach is refreshing, it is like resetting my perceptions and my thinking of the movie, and I always like. Now, when the movie is also as good as this one, this is a highly appreciated bonus.

Speaking of different things, and daring, and makig new approaches, my second movie for the night, was also of that sort. However, I don’t know if I can say that it is good.

I am finding hard introducing this movie, Brick, because of it’s really bizarre nature. Ok, imagine you are a film producer, and they give you a script for a film nouar. It has everything in it; mystery, murder, drugs, women, femme fatales, innocent victims, corruption, and a really tough protagonist. Now you get a rather goodish director and you tell him to do it, and you hire a casting agency to get the actors. Now, imagine that 1 year later you see the end result and… all the actors are essentially underage, and the script has been modified accordingly. Brick is basically a film nouar for teenager, or about teenagers, or something like that. Perhaps a better way to describe is that it is a manifestation of every nerd teenagers dream: they are tough, wanted by all women, cool, and always out to protect their love of their life. All right, Brick, is not that silly, although at times you can’t help think yourself that the movie is a farse or a satire to film nouars (the intentional overacting definitely validates that). On the other hand though, if you replace the actors by adults, it is pretty good. Nice scenes, appropriate escalating plot (keeps you guessing a lot of times), generally good directing, nice fighting and chasing scenes, interesting and many times unrevealing characters, you get the picture. A good detective movie. Still, the actors are teenagers, and the setup and story concerns teenagers, while the protagonist himself is a complete dork, but also very tough (coolly taking off his glasses before any fight, don’t mess with the nerd!). As an outcome, the movie is awkward if not bizarre, something like a chemistry experiment producing a pink solution whereas you expected something blue (I though it would have been much darker, following Donnie Darko’s steps) leaving me still wandering if I should take as a joke, or not. Still, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it; I did, but I don’t think it makes the grade, and I don’t think I will ever have the urge to see it again. A movie soon to be forgotten. In fact it got me thinking about last night’s film nouar, Laitakaupungin Valot of Kaurismaki, and I realized I was perhaps a bit unfair; after all, I realize that it was perhaps all a film nouar should not be, possibly a joke on the way we like our films and the way we want things to evolve in movies. Still though, if you leave the theatre and you frown, chances are you did not like the movie much. As far as Brick is concerned, I did not frown, but I am sure it is much worse than Kaurismaki’ film (now that I think about it, I want to see Laitakaupungin Valot again! Damn my shallow eyes!!!) Of course, credit should be given to Brick for the cinematic experiment. I can’t say they didn’t try…

Last, but not least, was Swoon. The movie, shot in 1992 in black and white, is the story of Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold, gay lovers who kidnapped and killer a little boy back in the days (the 20’s) for no particular reason. The movie follows them as they plan it out for a year, execute it, and eventually get arrested, convicted and in prison for it. As I mentioned before, the movie was cursed, or more precisely the film reels were cursed. What happened was that the 5th (the number is just my guess) and the 6th reel in the second part of the movie after the interval (the fourth reel was the last of the first part, again the number is just my guess) got mixed up, and so the second part begun with sixth instead the fifth, mangling up the scenes! Although the transfer from their hotel room hideout to the prosecutor’s office seemed rather abrupt, nobody really noticed (after all it was a natural outcome…). In fact most people were loudly complaining for the lack of the subtitles, which again was only natural, since the wrong scenes were shown! When the subtitles did show up, the movie was shortly afterwards stopped, so that they could show the scenes in order again! Basically 25 minutes were wasted making everyone a bit frustrated, annoyed, and distracted. For my part, I did not mind at all. Shit happens. The only problem was, that it was a bad miss for the movie, because it was actually pretty good.

In fact it was very good, and I can’t seem to understand why it became so unknown; after all the story has been done before in Hitchcock’s Rope, and Compulsion (haven't seenn either one). The deliberate choice of B&W adds a lot to the general aesthetic achievement, which features a lot of close-ups and also a clever use of the camera angles for different occasions (Nathan and Richard are seeing straight and level only when they commit the crime and when they sit down on the typewriter, most of the courthouse scenes are taken from a high angle referring to social ‘look-down’ and other such techniques that draw highly from the cinema of the 50’s). Both performances from the protagonist duo are extremely good, and the movie relies heavily on the acting itself (theatre on film stuff), providing a great release and alternative for all the over-produced and styled movies I am enjoying lately (think Death of a Salesman with Hoffman in B&W, a bit more sadistic due to the characters and less tragic). Instead of focusing on the why (the motive), it instead relishes the relationship between the two heroes, regarding it higher than anything else in the movie (an impressionist scene in the courthouse shows them folding each other on a double bed in the middle of the courthouse while the trial goes on naturally), and thus easily serving up the explanation: total bond between the two, committing one to another through something as pure as the death as a child. Of course, the movie can be accused of siding too much on their side, but so have so many good movies about real or fictional criminals. After all, most people love Tony Montana, and that should mean for something, but there I go again writing completely out of context. As a final word about Swoon, is that it definitely deserves a better fate despite the taboo subject and interest in the killers and their relationship rather than anything else (justice, pain, all that…). It is a prime example of could be described as the classicism of directing, and a brilliant showcase that sometimes, all you need is a script, a few good actors and a good director.


Didn’t like:

- The angry mob in the cinema when the subtitles got lost, or when they eventually realized the mess up with the reel. Spoiled brats!

- The seating I got. Again. But I am going to fix that…

- The general vibe that I have sensed in others that the festival is not as good as it could (still, I keep my fingers crossed).


Liked:

- The apple pie at the Danaos foyer. Orgasmic. Again!

- The lunch I had before coming to the festival.

- Seeing a Peruvian film, but still making the connection.


Blackberry award for the night:

The Brick, and this time I don’t think I am wrong.


Best movie of the night:

Madeinusa. Even if Swoon had gotten a descent screeing, Madeinusa has fot the edge over it because it is like an onion; it is layered.


Blackberry award for the festival so far:

Black Kiss without breaking a sweat!


Best movie of the festival so far:

I can still remember the strong feelings I got from Red Road loud and clear.


Schedule pamphlet status at the time of writing:

Quiet and rewarding, but also aerie. Just like before a storm.

Day 4: I don't know about Keanu Reeves, but I definitely suck!

Before going on with my day, let me remind myself and everyone the following: what I write is complete and utter shit, and just a means for myself to think back on the movies and remember them.

Back to the festival itself now, to make a long story short I arrived at Danaos 5 minutes before five and got my tickets for all three screening that I wanted to see. Had a small sandwich and an amazing apple pie for breakfast-luch and went to see the first aprt of the collected short films that are hosted in the festival. Now usually I avoid short films, the reason being that it is all ready hard enough to grasp one film, never mind 5 or 6 of them in a row without a break or anything. Short films are also harder to get at (most of the times) because of the amazing time management, and the greater freedom and wider variety of artistic means and methods. Nonetheless I went anyways, calm and not much worried; what the heck, they don’t bite! I am glad I did.

Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find the titles from the films, neither at the site nor the pamphlet, which is rather annoying, not to mention I did not keep any notes at all. So here is my best attempt at remembering the titles: The Rat (French), Thought of the Day (Greek), Printed Rainbow (colourful), The Dinner (French) God is in our side (Israel – Palestinian), a german one, The Lady and the Grammophone (or something like that – French I think), Guide Dog (American, UK???) and possibly one more, which I can’t remember at all!!!

Most memorable of them was Printed Rainbow, for the beautiful story and the lively colors, while The Dinner offered an incredibly funny scene which can easily de added to any lighthearted French relationship comedy. The Rat was OK and sympathetic, while the Guide Dog was intentionally delirious, and the dog character itself could easily make his own tv series (my opinion anyways). The Greek participant was nice to watch, and very well themed, while the german one was too fantasy sided for my taste but still very nice to the eye. God is on our side and The Lady-Grammophone one I did not like. One common characteristic among most of the short films, was their freshness and their hopeful attempts at originality, most of the times achieving their goal. It was really good to watch them, lifting up my spirits, exercising my eye a lot, and essentially relaxing me, making me forget for a while my worries for university and this damn blog.

In generally good moods, I proceeded with my coffee drinking and cigarette smoking break and grabbed myself a seat for Laitakaupungin Valot (Finnish for Lights at Sunset). The film will be soon released in Greek cinemas, and it is meant to be something of a really good movie about the human nature by experienced and well respected Aki Kaurismaki. Well let be declare myself stupid and ignorant, because I saw no great film here. Very possibly a good one, but not a great one. Sure, the director manages to provide a story-script, which if directed in any other way it would be amazingly boring and annoying, and he kept us waiting on when his anti-hero (Koistinen) would eventually do the right thing for himself (which he does at the very end of the movie…). Generally, the movie is not flawed in any specific way, nor is it bad or unpleasant or anything like that, but it seems that it is pretty much pointless. I mean, I would not like to see it again, because it does not have anything memorable in any way. Directing is good, acting is good, photography was especially, nice, pace is slow but appropriate, but otherwise it is almost without any proper structure, completely flat, and awkward at times. I guess people will find interest in the way he peels of all the typical elements of a film nouar and turns them inside out, but still, it's flatness remains. Of course, why some people think is great, it is something that eludes me. Not that it is not good, just that it is not great! Possibly I am not used or trained to Kaurismaki's vision, or, he did a flop and people still think he is great. Somehow, I reckon the 1st is more true...

More amazed than anything else, I waited for the film I was most looking forward in seeing tonight, Blue Spring by Toyoda (or Toyota by others…). The movie, follows the short developments in the lives of a group of senior students at a Japanese school, the story based at a popular Japanese manga. That alone guaranteed cult figure to be present, as they were the two main ones, Aoki and Kujo, friends from when they were just toddlers. Although not as mature as 9 Souls (but with plenty of similarities), Blue Spring manages to be both tragic and beautiful at the same time, as Toyoda is offering us (again) a band of damned heroes, whose rage, uncertainty, and fear defines their actions and outcome. The strong and obvious parallelism and symbolism with the blossoming flowers, provides an easy and accessible point for the viewers to witness the traumatic growing process for the characters, as some abandon their hopes and dreams, while others cling to the last remaining corners and railings of their school in an attempt to never grow up. As the flowers blossom and dry up, in the same way the heroes show their innocence and uncompromising free spirit, only to loose it as they kill, get arrested, die or loose touch. Toyoda is again very good, and observant of his characters, never doing them unjust, portraying them as they are, although in this one, he is more remorse and sorry for their fate, but he knows he can’t help them, as they can’t help themselves. The movie is laid out with a good number of intriguing subplots and memorable scenes (Kujo affirming his authority by twisting a guy’s nose, an always sleeping child, nicknamed the Ghost, always leaving school running as fast as he can at the amazement of Kujo who watches him from the roof, the handclapping showdowns between the kids at the roof, Aoki holding himself against the roof top railings for more than 16 hours, Kimura leaving school and joining the Yakuza, Yukio playing the guitar at the stairs just after he stabbed several times and killed Ota), and an amazing and appropriate soundtrack. Toyoda’s reflection on the school makes you think of your experiences, as the camera never leaves school (as pointed out by the director himself at the introduction…) hinting at the prison-like status it has acquired, the only escapes offered to the restless youth, the flowers Kujo, Aoki and Yukio plant, reflections of their lives, and the catapult point to freedom the roof top offers, a strategic and crucial location, where they spend most of their time.

Having seen two of his film, it becomes apparent to me that Toyoda is indeed uncompromising, as I witness the recurring themes in his movies, like the Yakuza momentarily popping up, or the baseball theme and it’s association with failure, or the focus on a group of people rather than on one character, the underlying bonds between two of the main characters, the use of symbolism, and even the use of common casts (I recognized at least 4 actors playing in 9 souls), the freedom and free spirit theme, the use of the same composer for the soundtrack, and probably most important of them all, the damnation of his heroes. Toyoda is attracted to dark themes, and he does not seem too eager to provide us with any hope. Instead, he is just taking us along for the ride, to experience the manifestation of his character’s fate. The outcome of this, are very good films, deeply personal, exciting to watch and visually balanced and intriguing.

Oh well, as you probably have understood, today’s post has reached a new bottom, and so I will stop here; I will probably come back to this, tomorrow morning trying to fix it a bit, I don’t know.

Didn’t like:

- Today’s post. It’s awful, and unfair to all of the movies. Keep notes Jason!!!

- The seating I got tonight, forcing me to take up other seats (after making sure no one else was seating there of course).

Liked:

- The apple pie at the Danaos foyer. Delicious! Haven’t had anything like that for a very long time.

Blackberry award for the night:

Laitakaupungin Valot, I am shallow, no comments.

Best movie of the night:

Blue spring. Toyoda is consistent, daring and always up to the challenge.

Blackberry award for the festival so far:

Black Kiss rock solid.

Best movie of the festival so far:

Tonight’s contender, Blue Spring is very good, and easier to watch and ‘live through’, but Red Road is simply stunning.

Schedule pamphlet status at the time of writing:

Woman: seduced, but still puzzling.

Day 3: Beam up Scottie out of order; use normal means of transport and stress for a few more generations:

Planning ahead and scheduling has never been my strong point. In fact it has never have had any point whatsoever in my life. Of course, there is a price to pay, and I did today. My restless mind awoke my cinema-indifferent body at four in the afternoon (don’t envy, I still needed let alone wanted more sleep), still not having solved today’s scheduling problem. Half Nelson. Red Road, Thundercrack!, Daisies, A Scanner Darkly, En Soap and Severance were all heavy contenders and it was to make any satisfactory combination.

The only thing certain was that I wanted to see A Scanner Darkly. I am a big fan of P.H. Dick (one of the first to genuinely defend pop art with his work, a classic writter lost in his own generation), and A Scanner Darkly is the best book so far make it to the pictures, plus I have seen the trailer and I was excited at the prospect of seeing the digitally mastered glossy photography. So in a decisive moment, I elected for Daisies (if I made it in time) and A Scanner Darkly at Danaos, Red Road in Attikon (taxi or metro, to make it there in 15 minutes was the big dilemma) and Severance back in Danaos (mental, eh?). I finally saw Half Nelson, Red Road and Thundercrack!, all in Attikon and Danaos. I went twice to Attikon and once in Danaos, queued 4 times, confused my screenings at least 3 times, foul mouthed the tight schedule a million times and soaked myself with sweat running up and down metro staircases. A Scanner Darkly was sold out, typical of the Athens crowd and of my lack of planning, the only positive side being I would not witness the day I had to see Keanu Reeves (why? why? if you agree with me check out the link) act himself out during festival days!

Sweating and panting, I sat down to watch Half Nelson, the story of a talented and streetwise Brooklyn history teacher (Dan, a cat-person like myself)), who (alas!) has a drug problem but is admired (if not something greater) by one his pupils, Drey (a girl so that we don’t get confused), with whom they become friends of sorts. The story was interesting, although you could say it had flaws, some things just sticking out let's say. For example the teacher is too good and too cute to be a crackbase, Adrei is too intelligent to be 12, Frank is too caring to be a dope dealer, but then again this movie has a lot to do about opposites. Black vs white, teacher vs pupil, coach vs player, solitude vs healthy social relations, an adult acting as a child and a child acting as an adult, junkie vs dope-mule. In fact opposites are part of what Dan teaches along with change, which in contrast to the first, does not occur, or at least does not happen in any dramatic sense. Dan remains a junkie, eventually looses his job, never finishes his children book about dialectics, his cat dies, he remains isolated from everybody else (with the possible exception of Drey) and still avoids any intimacy of any sorts (‘I want to be alone’ is his trademark line). Photographic, yet not too extravagant, the director chooses to approach his subjects like a child is trying to learn the world but without understanding it fully, managing to provide a scene where Drey delivers crack to Dan at a mini crack party in a motel without any dramatic effects or overtures or any shock of any kind. Simple and to the point, with great productions values and good performances by the two protagonists, Half Nelson is a movie about how human personalities, relationships and interactions are created and evolved, not to any ideal status, but simply exist flawed, misinterpreted and crooked, and how they go on without change most of the times, contrary to our hopes and beliefs, failing us and other most of the times. Like Dan, who fails himself and others (family and students); what is worse is that he accepts defeat with a ease and a smile, he is compromised and has imited himself. With scenes reminding me of Leon, and Finding Forrester, and the trembling emotions and uneasiness of Lolita, Half Nelson has a good story to say and it does so, indifferent to the end results of its heroes, who contrary to their status (‘heroes’), they never manage to overcome themselves, and it accomplishes that without any judgment or criticism, but simple observation. Honestly, I think A Scanner Darkly will have a hard time proving a better film, although the critiques will probably think otherwise (the absence of any good morale will not go down well with them).

Next was Red Road, the only one of the 3 movies I intended to see shortly after I woke up. Its Cannes accreditation and its Great Britain (in fact I am watching Little Britain as I write these lines) legacy for good films were good enough reasons for me. At the end of the film, I remembered why I begun going to the festival a few good years ago: great movies.

You know you are watching a good movie when your body reacts to it. If you get a stomach knot, or smile involuntarily or loose your breath, or cry, or the movie is making you feel like you haven't felt felt for a long time, or making you wanna leave the theatre, not because it is bad, but because it is too good. Red Road is simply realistic, Arnold’s directing is fantastically mature, getting the audience within Jackie’s cold but still breathing body without ever becoming brutal nor cynical, and delivering a very dark movie not because of it’s scenery or style, but due to Jackie’s overwhelming lack of emotion and borderline psychosis. Arnold is slowly taking you to a journey into Jackie’s psyche without you realizing it, bolting you down to the theatre seat and touches you in places sensitive to the some times cruel reality of the nature of things, in areas you don’t expect to (or even don’t want to) be touched by music, cinema, theatre or books, but eventually they do and when they do, as this film does, they reaffirm the greatness of art, the study of the soul. With true devotion not to style (without lacking it of course), easy emotions, pleasure, communication, or even the story itself (one of the not so popular but still classic versions of the revenge and closure theme), but to the depths of the soul, the unexplored areas of it, the anima of our lives which we so easily take for granted, but which is what defines us as human beings and differs us. Arnold is not attempting anything partisan or anything surprising to divert our attention from Jackie, for whom she sets up the perfect conditions for us to discover, by examining her without prejudice or horror but with compassion and understanding to her cause. Red Road could be said to be about revenge, but it is more about death, and how death lives on into our lives, it is a movie searching and finding whatever hope can remain in life (no matter how wretched it can have become), the breath itself which we all seek, as the shell for the soul, the body, thrives to live on and exist, with sequences so great that you forget you are watching a movie, and just stare and awe at how feelings can manifest themselves in our actions and posture. Red Road never bores you, and it even scares you at how sorrow, grief, guilt and loss can bring a person into the brink of non-existence even if he or she walks and talks around us like everybody else, Jackie’s job (supervising and watching dozens of Glascow’s safety cameras) being the ultimate symbolism on the vast lack of affection and intimacy we all share in our lives. Arnold’s directing and co-scripting, and Kate Dicki’s sublime performance, provide a stunning character, who can only be compared with the likes of Yeaong-ae Lee from Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (probably more poetic and more elegant and beautiful visually, but not necessarily better or more soul embracing than Red Road). A truly emotional movie, shattering your defenses, probing your own psyche and essence, which propels you to the deepest foundations and defining characteristics of yourself, as any good piece of art does. I know I might kid about the movies I enjoy watching, but in a way it is funny that it was just yesterday that I wrote that I seek more style (photography, scene layouts-canvases, colours, directing, aesthetics, aiding to the cause soundtrack) than content (scenario and performances essentially) from a movie, not of course not seeking out some of it along with intelligence and expression. The reason behind my style-seeking proness, is that you get content everyday in your regular life, and for me, cinema and art in general is most of the times a release from all of that, if not sometimes a good companion and reflection of our inner selves. However, sometimes art goes further down into the avenues of our subconscious and shakes things up, changing us for the better or worse, like this movie does. Borrowing a lyric from The Cooper Temple Clause, Red Road was ‘…honest, true and from the heart…’ and that is what makes it so great.

I was so moved by the movie, that I was tempted to stay at the Q&A session with Arnold herself, but thankfully I checked my watch and went to Apollon to grab a coffee and a beer to write down my notes waiting for Thundercrack! to start. The movie arrived in one of the four surviving reels in the world (so I count myself lucky for watching it adding to the legend), as Koutras (the Director of the Attack of The Giant Mousaka) explained to the crowd during his introduction. He went on pointing out to the legendary cult status of the movie and how influential it has become ever since. He of course used metamodernism (a tag under which apparently any piece of crap can be justified as art of the highest degree) to elate the value of the film, describing it as cult-underground poetic (?!?!? No way!) polysexual metamodern piece of cinema. Myself, not being an avid cult cinema follower, but always enjoying its taste (I guess it has to be salty…) whenever I want to (without overvaluing it in any way), could not really tell the importance of what he was talking about, and I was waiting to see for myself.

Now the movie itself (described as ‘one of the most walked out on films of all time’ by its own fansite!) is a feast of ridiculous tag lines (‘You had the pipe, now the cigarette, how about my shaft next?’ - ‘Your body is already full of fat, adding a bit more wont make a difference (just after using pig fat for lubricant!)’, - ‘I deflowered the gorilla!’, - ‘…my late husband used to say it [her body] reminded him of an ancient greek sculpture …[Doydy in reply:] …well it reminds me of something Greek but it is not sculpture.’ - ‘…she would put a peacock on my dick…and the bird would shit…and then she would eat the shit from my dick!’ - ‘So you are still a virgin after 3 years of marriage?’ and others of that caliber), explicit sex (MM, FM, FF (with the one unaware that she is participating!) FM while FM watches and performs oral satisfaction, GM –G standing for gorilla-, MDD, the first D standing for doll and the second for dildo, I let you imagine the rest, MM while M watches and tell us of his sex life with his dearly departed wife, and CF, C standing for cucumber – a rather untasty one), situational comedy of high degree (widow Hammond inducing vomit to herself, drops wig into the toilet bowl but goes on and wears it anyhow, Toydy slipping in and out of a rubber doll, Willene discovering a whole bunch of cucumbers the widow Hammond has used in the past – not for cooking -), kitsch(erella) unearthy terrible performances in various degrees (where to begin…) and memorable monologues from Marion Eaton (the widow Hammond – Friday the 13^th the day my husband died….the estate lies between two rivers – please let me finish – blah blah blah) and Mookie Blodgett (Chandler – of the Phillips Unlimited...road 135…Texas…blah blah blah). Obviously shocker of its times, making The Rocky Horror Picture Show blush, Thundercrack! was good entertainment and fun to watch…and that’s about it! Not much more to it (for me that is of course), but definitely one of the movies I would like to have and watch just for a good laugh out of ordinary. If you do follow cult cinema, it is an obvious must see.

Well, the sun is up and shinning, and I have to get some sleep fast; I have to plan out tomorrow’s (or better today’s!) schedule!

Didn’t like:

- I don’t know. The Conne-x sponsoring again?

- My mp3 player messing up the shuffle operation.

- Myself for not planning ahead.

- My leather jacket for making me sweat.

- People raising bad cult movies to the status of great and legendary good movies. We like them, exactly because they are sooooo bad.

- People booking tickets days ahead and never showing up leaving empty chairs in sold out shows and disappointed fans outside.

- My nagging as I am writing all of the above!

- The photographers. I envy them....

Liked:

- The fact that Severance and A Scanner Darkly will be released and so I will get a chance to see them.

- The weird way that occurrences led me to see the best trio of movies for tonight. The festival and the schedule pamphlet still rule my world for now!

- That I sat on the second row for the last 2 movies. It is always good to strain your neck!

Blackberry award for the night:

Thundercrack! It would be extremely unfair and cruel if the movie didn’t get this award!

Best movie of the night:

Red Road without a shadow of a doubt.

Blackberry award for the festival so far:

Black Kiss still rules as the worst among the rest.

Best movie of the festival so far:

As much as I adore asian cinematography, European cinema I know better and understand better, and it is always more daring to reach out. Red Road is here to stay.

Schedule pamphlet status at time of writing:

God

Day 2: What a Day!

I am exhausted; my day essentially started at 4 o’ clock in the evening of Wednesday, and is still going on (six in the Morning of Friday). Starting from this morning. had my hand slit by a stupid cat (well, it was my mistake actually), gave in my reports, had my laughs at the university with Tasos and Marika, went to Danaos, saw 3 films and partyed until five at Aspro in Psirri with Sergios, Hanna, Giannis and Sventlanka , only to come back in Varkiza to find my office soaked wet from the rain! Anyways…

The first movie of the night was the Australian Em 4 Jay, the story of a heroine-addict couple that decide to start heisting liquorshops and off-licenses to fund their habit, as an alternative to screwing in front of a middle class perv. Trainspotting meets Bonnie and Clyde, a depressing (not much, but still) fairy tale for junkies, with the usual and inevitable end, death for both. In fact, it could be said it’s a chronicle of their last weeks before spiraling into their Romeo & Juliet-like death. Realistic, but not brute or raw, the film is not seeking shock value, but instead the director is paying tribute to the Emy and Jay, who despite their faults and weakness and their irrational at times behavior, are madly in love with one another, and that alone should be enough for us to sympathize but still accept without much regret their demise. A simple story, an elegy to a love without any future (something that both Em and Jay know), not failing to make a few points on junkie life (crime, self-loathing, fear, alienation, addiction), while at the same time offering only small glimpses of hope and free spirits in small corners of the movie. A good movie with understated directing, exposing the doomed couple to our viewing discretion. If we like them or not, or if at least we feel sorry for them, it is entirely up to us. Unfortunately this subtlety from Tsilimidos, although diverting us from any movie clichés surrounding drug abuse, it does tend to make the movie drag and monotonous (but not boring), and even uninspiring at times. Generally, I was satisfied, but it’s lack of originality and outstanding performances, and its extreme simplicity, made it seem a little bit out of place in the festival. Of course, it could be a completely undervalued gem that I have misunderstood….

The second movie for the night, was the one I wanted to see the most, and it turned out for good reasons. 9 Souls by Toshiaki Toyoda elegantly follows 9 prison escapees that set out for freedom and end up (most of them) with the ultimate form of their wish, death. Although only his 4^th film, Toyoda shows a distinct cinematography signature borrowing elements of style from Lynch and situational tragedy and comedy from Lynch, while paying tribute to the fundamental principal of drama, the act of fate and the desperate but futile attempts of men to confront it and overturn it. At first, the prison brakers are shown as fresh, eager to enjoy freedom again, but very soon their past sins that led them to jail in the first time, come back full circle to haunt them and doom them. The 9 fugitives (all distinct well played out characters, worthy of their own film portrait) are called to face their personal Chimaeras (the crisis that is passed upon them by fate), each in their own different way (fear, denial, obsession, rage, calm despair, total acceptance, total isolation), while their fates untangle as the film progresses. They all find themselves strangers to the outside world (being denounced by their friends, family, neighborhood or simply everyone), alone but yet together bonded in their condemned -from the beginning- attempt to survive. They might have won freedom from the system momentarily but not from their luck which abandons them more and more, as their numbers thin out. Final catharsis arrives in the form of death, delusional love, self battering, arrest, epilepsy stroke, or violent crime or acceptance of solitude for the two main characters (the first being a father-killer and the second a son-killer respectively), two characters that are in complete opposition in all respects at start, but meet each other in an unfathomed way at the end of the movie, a 20 minute or so progressive crescendo that explodes right into your face making you admire the full control of pace that the director is exhibitng. Toyoda might care for his players, but that does not let stop him from delivering them terrible fates and viewing them from a distance, like ants fighting again a stream of water to live on, or puppets breathing for as long their master desires. Everybody is saying that he is uncompromising, but I like to think that he is telling it ‘as it is’, merging the basic foundations of drama, with modern styles developed both in Asia and Europe. Considering that I am a person looking more for style than content in movies, the result I saw was plenty of content intertwined with balanced and appropriate style, a thoughtful movie that you can watch again and again and uncover different layers of the complexity that surrounds the story of our 9 heroes, which nonetheless does not compromise the utter simplicity of its morale at any time/

The movie was followed by a Q&A session which, as I have explained in previous posts I always try to avoid at all costs. I went out for a fag and a coffee.

My second night at the festival was concluded with the swedish The Storm. The film was surprising, since it managed to contain some very good scenes and elements, and some very bad ones as well. It was as if the movie was a combination of two different ones. Funny enough, just looking at the schedule as I am writing these lind, the film had 2 directors, explaining a lot about the end result! To make myself clearer: Some of it was a blend of The Matrix, Blade and pointless Marvel comics movies with overexerted directing, awful action sequences, lousy performances, too dark to get any good canvas scenes, and generally too lame. The rest of it was a very good aesthetic trip into the main character’s (D.D.) memory lane, where traumatic events of his childhood (some committed, other witnessed) are uncovered one by one (and in fact re-enacted), in a journey to raise his memory blocks and come to terms with loss. The quality of the script was divided likewise in the film. I guess it was a good effort, but totally incoherent and unprofessionally supervised.

Although the flood from ceiling in my office is not yet contained, I ll be going to bed soon. According to my calculations, I am 40 hours without any sleep. This is not good. See you!

Didn’t like:

- The Connex girls. I ‘ll say it again: bring the Assos girls back, now!!! This is ridiculous! We want cigarettes, not fast internet connections!

- The timing of the screenings; sure 5 minutes late are OK, but in every single movie?!?

Liked:

- 9 Souls a lot!!!

- The Festival (again!). It always manages to produce solid specials.

- The guys at the Danaos mini bar. With just a minute gesture of my hand, they know of my desperate need for an espresso and go straight to preparing it! Simply great guys!

Blackberry award for the night:

The Storm. The came, they tried, they failed.

Best movie of the night:

9 Souls without a doubt

Blackberry award for the festival so far:

Black Kiss edges out on The Storm on this one; at least the Swedes tried something new and failed. Tetska, I will never forgive you!!!

Best movie of the festival so far:

Again 9 Souls, no questions asked.

P.S. Some of you might think that I am a complete cretin, and that I am confusing the blackberry and the blueberry. Let me tell you that the relevant award in greek (as far as context is concerned) is ‘βραβείο καλύτερο βατόμουρου’, which literally means ‘best blackberry award’. Of course, it is highly possible that the greek term originated from a mistranslation of blueberry….

1st Day: Finally!!!

Finally!

Amidst report writing, code debugging, working (or pretending to anyways) and approximately 10 hours of sleep in 2 days, the first day of the festival arrived. By the way, Wednesday does not count. Not only was the exam postponed for Friday, but I completely forgot that the very first (technically) night, the premiere is held at a different venue than the festival cinemas (usually it is the Athens College Theatre) and it is mainly a press event (the selected premiere is always shown again during the festival).

When I arrived at the Attikon cinema, the 1^st disappointment of the night manifested itself in the form of a small notice: the see-all tickets were out! In fact it is a see-20 ticket, and it is of no general importance, since you still have to go get yourself a zero value ticket. On the other hand it does have fetish value; it is like a badge of honors for the festival (some even carry it around their neck to be cool of sorts). If I find my last year’s one, I ‘ll take a picture of it and post it.

Second disappointment was the queue, not because it was large, but because it was small! Usually I always find it with 50 people or more (a snake of people covering half of the cinema block), but this time thanks to the rain and the busses strike it was rather smallish and relaxed.

Anyways, after a good meal at nearby Goody’s and a turkish coffee at Orfeas (in the typically urban and delightful Pesmatzoglou Arcade), I went to Attikon to watch my first movie for this year’s AIFF. In Stephanie Daley, a teenager has a stillborn, and is examined by a pregrnant psychiatrist (who had a miscarriage a year earlier, you can see where this is going at...) to see if she is fit for trial. Good performances from both heroines (especially Tilda Swinton), who essentially share the same character, one completing the other not only in their dialogues but also in their actions. Don’t expect anything too exciting or dramatic about this movie; it’s countryside paced and rather calm and subtly scary, only to shock you when Stephanie delivers her baby in a restaurant toilette on a ski resort. It’s exclusive emphasis is on the 2 women rather than any other aspect of the film (sure you get the occasional hint of America’s obsession with God or suburban teenage angst, or some good shots and definite sigsn of cat obsession), making it too obvious at times, with the end result being something like a portrait of two faces, one mirroring the other in ways that are not always obvious. All in all a good film, sensitive and realistic in many ways, but naïve in many others, with good performances, albeit leaving you with an itch for closure.

Perhaps not the most promising start for the festival, with my suspicions already in height. Two specials (queer cinema and Sturges) which at least at first glance don’t interest me much, leave little breathing space as far as selecting movies are concerned. But I don’t really mind. It felt really good to be back; Attikon was shinny as always, its little chandelier dome never failing to impress me and the espresso at the mini foyer was again perfect.

What I really enjoyed the most however coming back to the festival were the faces. It happens very often with me in crowds to think that I see familiar faces (I always find my brain playing tricks with me) but the festival is always a place I know I will see people I have only seen at the festival the previous years, people I have never talked to, but people who share the same feelings I do for the festival. It is almost like a band of brothers (ok it is not…J), like the blonde sitting 2 aisles in front of me with her right dark brown All Star while her left was in the colour of olive oil and her stylish red glasses, or the tall dude always showing up at thrillers, laughing when someone dies in the movie, or the chubby shaven hair middle age guy always opting for the side aisles (me thinks he is a critique for Ta Nea, not sure). In a strange way, it is reassuring that you not the only one with the intent of watching 30 or more movies at the festival. Anyways, more on that on future posts.

Coming back to the queer special, the 2^nd movie (to my surprise) was part of it. Go Fish is apparently the first lesbian movie, made by lesbians for lesbians. I will admit that the evil schedule pamphlet misguided (once again…) into making me think I was gone watch an edgy modern film regarding friendship and lesbian sex, and yes, I was expecting something more colorful (the movie was in black&white) and … more attractive lesbians (foolish me!). Needless to say that minutes before the show I felt like the fly in the milk (greek expression). Still, not a bad movie, not at all. Think lesbian Sex & The City, make it a bit more serious (but only a bit), add comfy jazz soundtrack and a lot of Max (Camille) meets Ely and you get Go Fish.

I used to say that stupid joke ‘I am a lesbian trapped in a man’s body’, but after watching Go Fish and seeing so many lesbians together in one place for the 1st time, made me realize, that at least here in Greece (but I guess in the rest of the world as well) the topic as well as the people themselves are seriously tabooed, much more than I used to think. The fact that the person introducing the film was talking about a ‘lesbian scene’ made me realize how ‘ghettoed’ some groups exist (and feel) within a fast movie society like that of Athens, and no matter how hip or city-wise we may think we are, we can always find ourselves behind, when it comes to understanding, accepting and respecting people. I mean I wouldn’t have found much interest in seeing the film had I known it was lesbian exclusive, but thankfully I did watch it, and I enjoyed it a lot. Also, after a doing a bit of research, I found out that I have seen Guinevere Turner (Max in Go Fish, her 1st film) in her 2nd film (again seen at the AIFF a few good years ago), the very good Chasing Amy (with Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and little Casey Affleck, how sweet!).

After seeing Go Fish and facing my social inadequacies and prejudices (only for a few minutes, that is how much I can bear to ponder over such serious issues) I rushed to Apollon to see my last movie for the night. I was a little bit suspicious, a bit worried and anxious for the next days of the festival and I was looking forward to this one for I thought I would get my fix of gore for the night. Alas! The magical and evil pamphlet was up to its usual tricks! Disappointment struck hard. Black Kiss started off beautifully (sexy leather pantyhose woman cuts bed strapped dude’s chest open while he is still alive, classic) only to have my eyebrows raised when the opening credits rolled (10 minutes into the movie). They were in English (!), making me think that exporting was a priority for this one, and also reminding of good old voice dubbed (oh my grandchildren will never believe me!!!) Hong Kong VHS movies from the 80’s. The movie went on for almost two hours, incoherent, dull and pointless, supposed to merge a good detective story and gothic elements together but instead is completely lacking in style (a complete shocker for a Japanese film), but interesting and self-sarcastic and even funny at points. It was like a Japanese version of Scary Movie but obviously better (that’s easy!). What it lacks in pace, it also lacks in tension and photography (only a few frames being of interest and Reika Hashimoto one of the very few reasons for keeping my eyes on the screen simply because she is stunning). Rubbish script and only the last 5 minutes of the movie being genuinely entertaining. Still good enough for a pizza and a beer (beats Mission Impossible 3 any day!).

Well, it’s only the 1^st day, and although I am not feeling tired, I know I will be in the next few days. I wish I could leave this post to go to sleep, but I have a couple of reports that need to be finished! Back again tomorrow (hopefully)!

Didn’t like:

- The Connex ads before each film. One of the small details of the festival has always been the movies starting straight away once the lights are down. Stir away the Connex marketing people and bring the Assos cigarettes girls back now!!! We need our smokes, not those stupid ads!!

- The small spinach pies in the Attikon foyer. As much as I love you guys, spinach pie is not your specialty. Get us a cake or something.

- The songs in my Chinese mp3 player (screw iPod). Almost every year my AIFF experience is stigmatized by a song or an album (last year it was BRMC’s amazing Howl). Although at first glance I had a good variety (Dummy and Portishead, Puressence, a Depeche Mode compilation, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sonic Nurse from Sonic Youth) it soon became apparent that I seriously needed a new playlist, ideally with a few good new songs.

- The attendance. Given that the see-20 tickets were sold out, I thought screenings would be jammed. I guess more people went to Fabulous! and Unchain (the introducers to the Queer and Toshiaki Toyoda specials respectively).

Liked:

- (almost) Everything else! The festival is back and it rocks!!

- The salad at Goody’s (J).

Blackberry award for the night:

Definitely Black Kiss. Rubbish (in a good sense), but still ‘watchable’, but also a great disappointment with regards to the genre; just thinking that a few days ago in my ‘Give me blood’ post I assured myself that asian filmography cannot fail me, makes me angy.

Best movie of the night:

Suprisingly, Go Fish wins it. I guess being the first of its kind, made it a bit special for me.

P.S. I guess some people might find my 'Give me blood!!!" post offending and irresponsible. My sympathies and apologies, but for now I don't see any reasons to censor myself (how deep and serious......hahahaha!!). Besides, all of this is just thoughts on the screen, and are mainly intended for me.

Small adversities make for great festivals

Just found out about a repeat exam that I have on Wednesday, plus I still have not managed to get my dirty little hands on any tickets. Things can get worse; the exam could finish as late as seven o'clock, and it would take me at least an hour to get to the cinemas, meaning I have 2 or 3 good screenings for that day. Oh, heck! At least that gives me a very good reason to look at the schedule. Back to you soon.

Give me blood!!!!

I know I promised myself to elaborate on how to best choose which films to see at the AIFF, but… I still haven’t had the time to properly check out the schedule! So, with nothing to do or better to write at four in the morning, I would like to defend myself and all of us who enjoy a good splatter movie. I know what most of you are thinking. They are immature, incoherent, stupid, extremely violent. And pointless. In fact, you are probably right. However, proper gore and splatter movies have a certain quality, they have certain characteristics that make them most likable to some us. They involve loads of blood, torn flesh, and faces full of pain or surprise at their (unexpected? Don’t think so!) death. They also involve a lot of technique. Uncompromisingly, let me say, that one of things I am looking for at a gore movie is the new never seen before and thoroughly funny way for some character to be killed (piano crashes onto him after surviving a floor full of broken glass, or has heart attack just before the manic killer stabs him, or screams herself to death, or something blunt and large cuts him in half, or his head is slit just enough so it hangs upside down, or crazy cats start slashing throats, or bear trap gets stuck in somebody’s mouth, or, or, or…).

You probably think that is sick. Might as well be, but at least it is not doing any serious harm. I cannot vouch for oriental youth watching this stuff from the age of 11, but I think that the European crowd watching this kind of movies is doing it for the same reason I am doing it for: fun. You see, I don’t expect much from these movies rather than ridiculous amounts of (intelligent?) violence; anything else, such underground characters, plot and subplots, good photography and a good morale (yes!) is an added bonus for me (and I guess for many more). I go there for a good laugh and possibly a few good scares. Oriental (HK, Japan, S. Korea) tradition in this genre guarantees the result to be above average, and….yes, gore-splatter movies relax me, just like some people relax with spaghetti westerns.

In fact, people watching these kind of movies, are the most peaceful, non-violent persons you can meet. It is a kind of release for them; a release from sucky pretentious movies trying but obviously failing to deliver movies, and a release from any socio-psychological burden they might be carrying, (you know, normal urban stress kind of stuff). Other people act violent, and other people see violent movies. You tell me which is best.

As you can see I am pretty shallow about films. I like being entertained, and b-movies and asian gore almost never fail to do exactly that, not to mention that many of them do have real artistic value (let’s not argue, please….). European and American goal-driven productions (aiming at delivering either something really good, or something high in artistic value) definitely produce amazing gems in all genres, but, especially during the AIFF, you go through a lot that can be mind boggling or difficult to grasp, and some even are complete flops or worse, terrible movies. That is why the scream and blood section will always be the one I will always visit during the AIFF.

What about last year?

I have just realized that my first post contained an easy mistake: AIFF offers the ‘Opening Nights’ instead of ‘Premiere Nights’ that I coined in my first sentence of my first post for the English translation of the original greek ‘Νύχτες Πρεμιέρας’. Oh well. At least the schedule is finally out, and as much as I would like to ponder on schedule pamphlet strategies and how to best pick movies for watching at the AIFF, I will actually check out last year’s schedule and just quickly (SO NOT TRUE) run through some (in fact all...) of the movies I watched.

If there was one thing to remember from last year that is unquestionably Kim Ki-Duk. Truly beautiful and soulful movies from a true cinematographer who has his own distinct style of communicating his ideas, always clearly and elegantly, and never pretentiously. The AIFF crowd showed great admiration and love towards his work, and were thoroughly educated in his graceful cinema language during the festival.

Bad Guy was the first Duk movie I saw, and simply enough, I was stunned! Duk’s main character is both tough and bad (what else?), but yet you can only feel compassion for his feelings and conduct. A low-level pimp who forces a young girl through an elaborate extortion scheme to prostitute herself and the ensuing who-controls-who love game tormenting both heroes. Bad guy almost never speaks in the movie (a recurring theme in all Duk’s films, placing emphasis on photography and the picture itself), adding more weight to a brilliant performance of a fantastic character. But even more so, it the way things evolve in the movie and how they are presented. Wonderful camera eyes and photography produce a simple yet intense set of emotional canvases that makes dialogue unnecessary in many scenes.

But in fact it was that Frozen Land that was the 1^st movie for me at the 2005 AIFF. Finish director Ako Luhimies brings the worst out of his characters, where survival is probably the only remaining instinct in their detached and soon to crash lives, with abuse being ever present in the movie. A real kick in the balls movie, and a promising start for my 2005 festival experience. This good form was continued with Japanese Izo. Splatter catharsis at it’s best and the best guitarist-narrator ever to appear in a movie (if you ever get your hands around it and you see it, you will know what I mean…). Portuguese Odete by Joao Pedro Rodrigues, was my 4^th; refreshing and I bet it would make Almodovar blush with an amazing heroine. Unbelievable script and a very good black comedy. My first real splatter reward (yes I like splatter a lot, I will explain myself in another post hopefully) came with Haute Tension. Everything a good self-resepctingthriller should have, i.e. lots of blood, intelligent killings, lots of screams, high pace and a intelligent but convincing twist. Sweet J.

On Sunday (18/9/2005) I bagged two American productions. The now well acclaimed Crash and Dark Water. Not much to be said about the first, just that is a very good example of where American productions should move on. Dark Water on the other hand could have had the ingredients to become a classic (terribly claustrophobic, scary at times, child ghost always making for a good thriller, and an uncompromising end), yet I was not convinced and so was the general feeling with every one else. Not bad, not good. As suspected, I just found out that it was a remake of a recent japanese film by the creators of Ringu. Figures...

Monday was a mixed night; watched In My Father’s Den, a story that would have been best experienced as a novel perhaps (I think the movie was based on one actually, not sure…), but nonetheless a very decent if not good New Zealand film. Not great impressions probably because it was screen at five thirty in the evening (too early for me!).

Then came The Approaching of the Hour by Graciella Kanelou, a documentary about the promising greek pop band Raining Pleasure. To make a long story short, a welcome effort in an uncharted area for greek cinematography, a thoroughly subjective non-intrusive and rather shallow approach of the band (why is everyone trying to forget their first 2 albums I will never understand) and a rather unfair take on the rest of the greek english-speaking pop-rock bands (Closer, Last Drive, Film and Wide were not even mentioned, Bokomolech’s importance was neglected), as well as the ever lasting nagging arguments over the english-speaking rock-pop scene (έλεος.....). Still this kind of documentaries are very much needed by the music scene in Greece.

Finally Top Spot (Tracy Emin) and Phantom Limb, 2 short but blunt documentaries that kept you in full attention and wandering how things can get fucked up really bad at times.

Thursday came around as well as my 2^nd Duk film, Wild Animals, one of his early works. Again great characters (faulty as they can ever get, but also fragile as we can all be), great directing and an excellent result only to be caped by his later works. To my dismay the next film, Gigi 12X5 was definitely the worst I watched at the festival; mod girl ends relationship, explores her relationship capacity and her sexuality, dull dialogues, supposed to be funny and snappy, was stupid and dry, Gigi ends up with her old boyfriend at the end, how inspiring! Thankfully the night ended gracefully…. Jeff Buckley: Amazing Grace was screened in a jam packed Apollon cinemax with a warm intro by Spilios Lambropoulos. In contrast to aforementioned The Coming of the Hour, this docu-tribute was much more coherent, honest and respectful. Made me appreciate the depth of Buckley’s music even more.

On Wednesday I received my 3^rd Duk treat in the form of Coast Guard, a very grim insight into personal and collective madness. As in his other movies, Duk handles his characters with care and devotion as he delivers them not only into a series of breakdowns and tragedies but also in a desolate landscape, a reflection of their own solitude. Ron Howard’s Cinderella Man was the next movie I watched (all 3 at the Attikon that night), claiming my personal best American movie award for the festival. Great story-telling that goes on for more than 2 hours but never bores you, not even for a minute, and Giamatti being great as ever. Finally came the Great Yokai War by Takashi Miike. I don’t have enough space to even start describing the movie or Miike’s work (which I am still discovering). To be succinct, lovely and wonderful in it’s genre (which is hillarious fantasy movies directed my Miike!!!).

Next day, L’ Annulaire was my favorite leaving me with a strong impression. A beautiful story about memories and getting rid of them, fetish love and Beth Gibbons soundtracking an elegant French movie that left me with a feeling of awe at the power of cinema and how it can combine feelings, stories and senses all in one composition. The same can be said about the Piano Tuner of Earthquakes, although I have to admit I did feel lost at times watching this dark yet innocent in a bizarre fashion brothers Quay work. The night ended with Le Temps Qui Reste, a very good and emotional French flick about a final stage cancer photographer, with a strong performance by Melvil Poupaud.

Friday the 23^rd was my bussiest night as far as I can remember. I can now estimate that I probably consumed 6 or 7 espressos at Danaos bar going through 4 movies, all great in their own way. First was Something Like Hapiness from the Czech Republic. Let me be straight; I have never seen a better relationship film in years. Something Like Happiness was far from what the title promised in many stages of the film (if not most of them) but was also emotionally rewarding in others. I think truthful and mature best describe this movie which leaves you bitter but wiser. Definitely the pamphlet-surprise for me for that year (pamphlet-surprise is a movie which I do not expect it to be very good given the description in the mini pamphlet schedule of the festival, but turns out to be great). The film after that was my last Duk movie for the festival, but probably the best, 3-Iron. I think for the moment, it is best not to say much about it, apart from the fact that silently screaming, beautiful and an eye-delight are probably understatements. The film was followed by Q&A with the director himself (I always hate this stuff, it is a competition of who will suck up most to the guy being honored) which was rather entertaining thanks to the interpreters good spirits! The 3^rd film of the night, was the highest paced, and most upbeat documentary I have ever seen, Rize, an insight into the unknown (in Europe) dance movement of krumping that is happening now in the east US; amazingly fresh in content and lively in every respect. Finally came what I like to think as a reward for my devoted participation in the festival; Kung Fu Hustle. Chicago mafia, HK Kung Fu, spaghetti western, a touch of superman, and loads of comedy salt, all mixed in one gives us Kung Fu Hustle. A great laugh!

The day before the last, was devoted to 1 movie only; The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The most memorable moment for me in the festival (being comepltely unaware of the whole props and late night audience participation thing), laughing in tears all the times, and almost getting up and dancing myself. And to think that I hate musicals!

The final day was concluded for me at Danaos with mixed feelings. First came Barney’s Drawing Restraint 9. Although some parts of the movie (or better film study for that matter or even film art) I could follow, I felt out my league as well as sleepy…Howl’s Moving Castle thankfully came to uplift me a lot. Don’t even dare to think that it’s a cartoon. It is a gratefully conceived animation, better, a fairy tale for everyone to enjoy. It felt like sugar candy! Finally the curtain was drawn with Cidabe Baixa. Brazilian love triangle in-between prostitution, drugs and a long lasting friendship. Powerful and sensual, strong in delivery, leaves you wandering how many different ways a life can take.

Oufff!!! That was about it. The only movie I haven’t mentioned is Three…extremes a brilliant showcase collection of 3 short horror stories from Japan, Korean and Hong-Kong which I can’t remember when exactly I saw it. I think I saw it when Haute Tension was supposed to be screening (which was cancelled due to lack of sound or something like that) and it was eventually screened some other day, or something like that. Also, during one of the festival days I saw Λίστα Γάμου (Marriage List), a surprisingly good Greek movie, well produced, well cast and well directed.

I feel I should mention Screaming Masterpiece, The Bow, The Isle, Transamerica, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring, Crying Fist and Broken Flowers, all movies I intended to see, but never managed to during the festival.

Well, as promised, my critical faculties are worse than a 3-day MacBacon leftover. I also come to realize that my posts are becoming extremely large….hopefully lack of time will restrain me in the future! Next (tomorrow?), I will explain my strategies in picking which movies to watch without knowing a single thing about them!