Day 1 -- The Short and the Long of It

We are loving the fact that we don't have any early-morning movies this year. Yesterday, we were able to get in a long walk, a decent breakfast and lots of coffee before our three movies. A later start also means the weather is warmer. No scraping ice off the windshield at 7:00am in 10-degree weather. Woo Hoo!

Today's movie watching started with a Shorts Program. Here's a quick synopsis of those seven 10-15 minute movies.

Miracle Fish: This was the unanimous favorite. A little Australian film about a boy who falls asleep in the sick room at school, only to awaken and find everyone gone. It was amazing how in 17 minutes this director told a complete story. It had thoughtful character development, dramatic tension and took the viewer through a range of emotions. It was a simple, tiny gem.

Predisposed: This was also a well-told story. This time about coping with substance abuse. It was based on the absurd and true premise that addicts without insurance can only be admitted to rehab centers if they are high when they come in.

Asshole: A film about a man who personified assholeness (is that a word?) who is visiting a physician because he is having trouble with his body part of the same name. Bitingly funny and extremely well-written, (in my favorite line the main character compares wiping his butt to removing peanut butter from shag carpet) this film had the audience howling. The actor who played Vincent, the asshole, (see photo right) was there for the Q & A afterward and his sarcastic improv stole the show. It didn't go unnoticed that he wore the same shirt to the screening that he wears in the film -- I'm thinking he wants to be recognized.

The Young and the Evil: A difficult (due to graphic imagery and the disturbing subject matter) film about a young, gay African-American who is intentionally having unprotected sex with HIV positive men. Apparently this is a big problem in the African-American community and the filmmaker wanted "to start a conversation" around the issue.

The Dirty Ones: This is the first time I have heard of a potential feature film being made into a short -- usually it's the other way around. In our opinion, it needed to be a feature, or at least longer. This story about two young Mennonite traveling through a big city for the first time left us with more questions than answers. After the movie, we happened to sit next to the filmmaker, a really young guy from Nashville, so we did get some of our questions answered then.

Jerrycan: A simple story about young, impoverished boys with too much time on their hands. It was based on the Australian film maker's childhood and none of the kids in the film were actors. It was a gritty and compelling look at what can happen when you hang with the wrong crowd.

Acting for the Camera: A portrayal of a day in the life of an acting class, starring a perverse and creepy instructor. Two students are acting out the scene from When Harry Met Sally when Sally fakes an orgasm in the restaurant -- over and over again. It starts out as amusing and then gets weirder and weirder, causing us all to squirm in our seats.

We then had a long break, so visited one of our favorite restaurants, Windy Ridge, for lunch and debrief. We then walked to the next film, Art and Copy, our first documentary.

Art and Copy: This film provided an inside look at what is considered to be the best of the creatives in the advertising industry. The director had access to a group of advertising legends and those interviews were very interesting. It also told the story behind many well-know advertising campaigns ("Got Milk?", "Just do it.", etc.) The film itself seemed too long, had some distracting segues (think satellites being launched, billboards being installed and long still shots of nature) and didn't reveal much that people in or close to the industry don't already know. We were happy that Portland's Wieden and Kennedy got their due and both Dan Wieden and David Kennedy were there for the Q & A afterward. My favorite line came from Dan Wieden where he admonished everyone to "Live a creative life."

And finally, Rudo y Cursi: This Mexican film highlighted the relationship of two brothers -- each trying to find fame and fortune -- and the competition between them. A comedy, starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna (the two stars of Y Tu Mama Tambien, also directed by Carlos Cuaron. Cuaron wanted to make a comedy that explored the relationship between two brothers and revolved around soccer, without showing much soccer. Here he succeeded. He also wanted to provide viewers with an authentic view of modern day Mexico. I'm not sure how much he succeeded here, but I felt the characters and their aspirations were fairly typical of many Mexicans. Whether he succeeded in making a movie with appeal outside Mexico also remains to be seen.