Dances with Films 17
Mann’s Chinese 6 Theaters
May 29-June 8th
Hollywood, California
Dances With Films was delightful, educational and simply put, a cinephile’s dream. Dances with Films is a film festival that takes place in the multiplex next door to where the Oscars are held. The festival is held in a historical building so it must surpass the “hip” factor of being in Hollywood and deliver good films, and it does just that. As you enter the theater, you see the front door of the Oscars, 10 feet away. It is a movie lovers’ paradise and a haven for today’s great voices of independent film. As the trend of film festivals rise, this event stayed on task and presented great panels (casting, publicity and the digital explosion) and a wonderful array of films. It managed to create a place for audience and filmmakers to thrive as one.
The Ballad of Snake Oil Sam (13 min. Short)
Sam is a desert traveler and snake oil salesmen. Driven by a desire for redemption, he pushes himself beyond exhaustion while attempting to create a magic elixir. After a visit from the spirits, Sam is gifted with divine inspiration. With renewed vigor he sets himself to task and finally creates what he hopes to be his long sought after potion. Bu Sam must face nagging doubt from his trusted companion as he takes to the desert to present his potion to the some eclectic desert dwellers.
The Ballad of Snake Oil Sam is an art-house film and requires the audience think. The filmmaker managed to present some good food for thought on and off the screen. What goes on outside the theater, television and computer screen is the sign of a great film. The good ones and thought provoking ones conjure images that are not there. The idea of a potion, can be whatever you want it to be. In our world, we all have our “potion” and are searching for a good feeling. The film is not about or condoning the potion as a drug or drug use. The excellent ’70s-film cinematography and use of the California desert, makes for a superb short film. It is bold, ambitious and has all the passion to become a feature film.
Paul’s Grade B
For Spacious Sky (22 min. Short)
Set on the Presidential Election Day 2008 against the sweeping landscape of rural America, For Spacious Sky is the story of three lost brothers finding their way back to each other-one from jail, one from incarceration, one from addiction and one from discrimination. On this day of America’s most important decision, these estranged brothers find themselves at a similar crossroads and must choose to remain broken or to change.
For Spacious Sky is the ideal film for an after school special if it was melodrama instead of realism. In a rare occurrence, a 22-minute film deals with our justice system, social issues and disgraces (like bigotry) and never once steers away from its unique, concise vision. In a bold move, the director stripped away the unnecessary garbage and showed us his feelings not his opinions. The word bold comes to mind, because it is much harder to show your human point of view before lunging into a tirade about Politics. In stunning black and white cinematography, we spend just enough time with these characters to understand them and see ourselves. America was dark, lost and completely out of control in 2008. Fact or is this my opinion? That is the power of staying quiet. This film is a brilliant chemical reaction to the emersion of all cinematic elements.
Paul’s Grade A
*****
A New York Love Story (77 min. Feature)
An anti-love story about Delphine, a dancer living in New York. Despite her best intentions to keep her relationships casual and simple in the infamous city, she falls hard for a sexy and charismatic painter. Although he is smitten with her, The Painter continues an array of sexual relationships, unable to concentrate solely on Delphine, despite the fact he is falling in love with her. They decide to keep their options open and play it cool, but they soon discover that love is hardly ever that simple.
It is a tall order to tackle relationships, love and comedy in a New York movie. Woody Allen has done it so well, that he almost created the genre of NYC romantic-comedy. In this case, A New York Love Story managed to rise to the occasion with a good story and a great cast. The joy of New York City films is the magical nature of a city many people have not seen outside of films or books. On all levels this movie delivered, the only thing working against it, the genre has been over done. Mainly because Woody Allen’s direct and indirect influence over cinema.
Paul’s Grade B
120 Days (79 min. Documentary)
Family man Miguel Cortes could be forced to leave the country in four months as a result of his immigration status. In exchange for Miguel agreeing to leave the country voluntarily on a $5,000 bond, the judge offers him 120 days to get his life in order before he leaves his wife and daughters in the U.S. to continue their education. Miguel has 120 days to work, save money and weigh out his options about returning to Mexico alone or risk changing his name so he can live illegally in another U.S. city.
One of the truly touchy subjects of our time and the director charges it like a bull. The film was solid, with all the right editing, directing and documentary tools being used. There are big questions in life and to few films ever try to answer them. This film reminds us, as much as movies are for entertainment that, much of the world is in turmoil we can only dream of and only think of in the movies. The real palatable issues presented in this film are never going away, so they must be addressed. The film gives us the facts and does not ask we make a decision, but it does ask we talk about Immigration.
Paul’s Grade B
Skum Rocks! (77 min. Music)
The unbelievable true story of the band that gained East Coast popularity in the late ’80s despite having a complete lack of ambition and talent. A powerful PR machine built their fame and soon their objective was to create new and effective ways to get kicked off stage without actually playing. Narrated by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legend Alice Cooper, Skum Rocks! chronicles the rise, fall and return of this infamous band.
Allow a cliché while reading about this sweet little gem of a rock movie, Skum Rocks! rocks. This movie is funny, absurd, classic and could only in happen in America’s 1980’s. Sometimes rock and roll is about what you don’t say.
Grade B
The Divorce Party (89 min. Fusion Feature)
A heady cocktail of sex, comedy and relationship drama. Kip and Leena were Silver Lake’s ultimate fun-loving couple, but now their marriage is on the rocks. When Leena announces she is leaving town to live with her parents, Kip must fight to save his marriage. Leena surprises Kip by inviting their closest friends and neighbors to one last blow-out, a divorce party. As the party spirals out of control friendships are tested and new romances ignite. Can Kip and Leena make it work? Or is it time to sign the divorce papers?
The Divorce Party is witty, refreshing blend of youth and adulthood. The movie captures the true essence of the male and female tonics of love, potential loss and growth. The director was able to put his own stamp on love’s oldest tale. This film also achieves one of film’s most relevant qualities, it brings us into a city, culture and slice of Los Angeles.The Divorce Party does for hip towns like Silver Lake, what Annie Hall did for Manhattan. The film serves its purpose as entertainment while teaching us about men and women. The director knew what he was doing and held great authorship of his vision.
Paul’s Grade A
Honorable Mention/Film to keep on your Film Festival Map
Targeting (84 min. Feature)
Matti Ridgeway is a trouble career soldier who has just returned home from Afghanistan to her husband Justin and seven-year old daughter Cay. Coming home doesn’t go well for Matti and she is having trouble getting back in the swing of home life, ultimately she is always finding an excuse to leave home. One of her outings she recognizes someone from her past, an Afghan man named Baktoosh Nuri. She sees him exchanging money with a suspicious gas station clerk. Why is this man in the U.S.? Matti infiltrates Nuri’s life, hoping to stop the next terrorist threat in its tracks. Left to her own devices, Matti obsessively reconstructs her basement into a secret torture cell. She kidnaps the Afghan man looking for answers. Will memories of Afghanistan forever haunt her? Or will she be able to live a normal life.
Too important of a film to ignore, especially in our social climate. It is time Veteran’s receive proper attention.
Grade: B
You can visit the festival site from here www.danceswithfilms.com
Article by Entertainment Writer & Festival Reporter, Paul Booth
