Archive for February, 2009February 13th through the 22nd, The Wilma Theatre was overrun with filmakers, volunteers, and fans of the documentary film. I was one of the fans (and volunteers), and here I’ll be sharing with you thoughts from some of the almost fifty films I saw this year. The festival is growing and getting better every time, and I’m proud to have been a part of it once again. 
The Choir directed by
Michael Davie, 2007
Was very glad that this film won an award. To sum it up in three words: Music can heal. Poetry in Motion directed by Ron Mann 1982
 A standout section of the film for me was when Charles Bukowski compared writing poetry to taking a beer shit. Most poetry should be flushed away. There’s some good poetry out there, but I’ve found myself shying away from most poetry, and most poetry readings. A lot of it is too pedantic and overwrought. Bukowski provides the spine of the film with his anti-narrative ranting against poets. I enjoyed the film on many levels, especially because it covered so many different styles of poetry, featuring a variety of poets. Ron Mann introduced the film, telling us that he shot over 100 hours of footage. Anticipating the question of how he chose which poets to include from such a huge library of materiel, he said that some poets wrote great poetry and were poor performers, while others were great performers who wrote horrible poetry. Using that as a measuring stick, he was able to find a middle ground and create a great film. I’ve never been a fan of the over the top avant-garde jazz, preferring Coletrane and Davis to some of the other “weirder” musicians. This film was enjoyable, as it exposed me to music I would never had otherwise heard. Watch Cecil Taylor Bill Dixon – Imagine the sound on youTube. Coober: A Desert Speedway Story 
The description for the film alludes to a big race that promises a celebration by the community and lots of fun. The race never really happens, people just talk about how great it is. I think that is the success of the film. Promise never realized. This is a broken town full of tough, proud people, but it’s also a dying town. I Love Alaska directed by Lernert Engelberts & Sander Plug, 2008
 I was talking to one of the BSDFF staff members about this film. He said he didn’t like it. I told him that I’m fascinated with communication, and that I loved it. he said, “Yeah, but there was no communication”. I agree with him in that there was no communication between user #711391 and her husband, which is why the searches took place, and that if they had communicated better, their relationship may have been better, and the searches may hev been less interesting.
Because the movie was so intimate, it was at times difficult to watch. User # 711391 is lonely, desperate, paranoid, and not very aware of the world. The minimalism here is incredible, building a character around user #711391 that is fascinating. I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed this movie.
Thankfully, you can watch it online. Links below.
Jennifer directed by Stewart Copeland, 2008, WINNER Best MiniDoc 2009
 Growing up in a family of educators, watching this film for me was great. What an achievement for Jennifer to have been able to pull off what is probably the most memorable lesson ever in these students’ lives.
An interesting companion piece to the film would be to track down those kids today and get their memories of the day. The Oldest Tree directed by Dale Elrod, 1997
 The oldest tree in the world gets cut down by a scientist. That’s the film.
Beautifully shot, with a “gotcha” that isn’t terribly surprising if you have a cynical view of humanity. The problem was that Elrod tried too hard to be “poetic” in the film. The Bristlecone is a fascinating tree and the story of Prometheus (aka WPN-114) is one worth telling. This film only gets it part right.
Crude Independence directed by Noah Hutton, 2008
 Hutton does a good job telling the story of Stanley, ND with an objective eye. He first introduces us to the town and its people before the oil men show up and change the town forever. He portrays all sides equally, giving the point of view of the land owners, mineral rights owners, oil workers, company owners, townsfolk, all who have a slightly different take on what’s happening in and to Stanley.
The film, using many long shots of the North Dakota plains, allows the story to seep in and the viewer begin to ask his own questions about oil dependence and consumption in the United States. South: Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance Expedition directed by Frank Hurley 1919
 Incredible story about the ill-fated expedition. The silent film was accompanied by a live performance by the Alloy Orchestra, which made it one of the most amazing film going experiences I’ve ever had.
Goth Cruise directed by Jeanie Finlay, 2008
 Not sure what I expected from this film, but I didn’t get it. More about defining what a goth is than anything, just happened to be set on a cruise ship to frame that definition. I walked away knowing that goths are professionals, own homes, have families, not groundbreaking stuff. The film held my attention, though, and I enjoyed it for what it was.
I Think We’re Alone Now directed by Sean Donnelly 2008  Obsession can sometimes lead to delusion. Very interesting movie about a couple of very interesting people.
Mellodrama directed by Dianna Dilworth, 2009
 This film could have been amazing. The problem with “Mellodrama” is that there *was* no drama. Show me, don’t tell me, and there was a lot of showing going on. Had the people talking been illustrated with more examples and they talked less, this film may have been stronger. Not sure how that could be accomplished without some heavy editing.
BSDFF 2009 Review: Saturday February 14thFebruary 13th through the 22nd, The Wilma Theatre was overrun with filmakers, volunteers, and fans of the documentary film. I was one of the fans (and volunteers), and here I’ll be sharing with you thoughts from some of the almost fifty films I saw this year. The festival is growing and getting better every time, and I’m proud to have been a part of it once again. Even in poverty and chronic fatal illness, the people in this film are able to find snippets of happiness. The singing by the children was incredible, the cinematography amazing. It’s great to see that the gogos are trying to educate the young. It was also surprising to me that those doing the testing and processing of test samples did so without eye protection or gloves.
 Bonecrusher directed by Michael Fountain, 2008Lucas the father is Bonecrusher, and Lucas the son follows his father into the mines for a life fraught with the dangers of coal mining. The women behind the men were largely silent in the film, while Fountain focused upon the relationship between the father and the son in this compelling story where mining overshadows all aspects of life in this small West Virginian town.
There is a beautiful scene in Bonecrusher where Luke has just been honored at a little league softball game. He’s been a huge advocate of and volunteer for the softball program all of his life. The camera cuts away to a train pulling coal cars. As the whistle whines, we are reminded that mining permeates every aspect of the Dante, West Virginia people’s lives.
 In A Dream directed by Jeremiah Zagar 2008Heartbreakingly beautiful film. Isaiah Zagar, responsible, by his count, for over 100 murals, 7 buildings and 7 alleyways in Philly, opens himself, and his family, up to us intimately and without looking away. The film truly was a “mysterium tremendum”. Amazing.
Gogol Bordello Non Stop directed by Margarita Jimeno, 2009
Having heard of Gogol Bordello, and heard some of their music before, I was glad to be able to see what all of the fuss is about. The film is about what happens when you start following your dream and doing what you believe in.
It would seem that these guys must be seen to be believed, and I cannot wait to see them live. The film captured a lot of that energy, fun, love of life and good times.
 American Swing directed by Mathew Kaufman and Jon Hart, 2008Plato’s Retreat is the backdrop for a story that was really about the loneliness and egotism of Plato’s owner Larry Levenson. Kaufman and Hart have fashioned a compelling film using archival footage from Plato’s, talk show appearances by Levenson , and interviews with members and employees of Plato’s.
Good story in today’s Missoulian about Molly Murphy, the local bead artist. She’ll be travelling to Phoenix, AZ in March for the 51st Indian Fair & Market. Read the story here.  Originally uploaded by BigSkyDocFF Thriller in Manilla Directed by Joe Dower, 2008I was too young to remember the details of these fights when they aired, but remember them being on TV. I never realized how much of an asshole Ali was, betraying his friend after Frazier supported him for years when he couldn’t box. Ali was the most barbaric poet in the world – rasicst and mean to his friend. Ali did say, afterwards, that he said some things he shouldn’t have. That doesn’t make up for the damage done to their friendship. A well-told story using interviws and archival footage. We are Wizards, Directed by Josh Koury, 2008Never having read the Harry Potter series, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this film. Its main focus was on Wizard Rock, with bands like Harry and the Potters in the forefront of the movement. The film also delved into the Harry Potter boycott, started by a 16 year old girl who ran a fan site on the interwebs that was sent a cease and decist letter by Warner Brothers. I really enjoyed the film as it took me into a world I’d never experienced before, and erased preconceived notions about what a Harry Potter fan is.
Omen, Directed by Oksana Sokol, 2007Cinemetography really captured the movement of the art as it is being made. Watching the flow of the paint as it came out of the can, listening to the words of the artist – very inspiring. Number One With a Bullet, Directed by Jim Dziura, 2008
Well told story about gun violence and its consequences. Anti-gun without being preachy. Some things I scratched in my notebook as I watched: “Violence begets violence.” Tupac compared to JFK, Martin Luther King, John Lennon. “Hip hop doesn’t show this” (from a doctor in a hospital emergency room.) I’m live blogging the festival as I experience it via Twitter. Find me there, I’m @marcmoss. See you in the theatre.  The Leaving and the Left Gallery Show at Noteworthy* Patina, n. The complex quality of ruins due to its ability to communicate age and history through physical change. Rusty metal, worn wood, decayed wires. Love, when it first sparks, burns hot. Love needs heat to form, just as metal does, and glass. If the fire burns too hot, it burns itself out. When allowed to cool, it forms a solid recognizable thing that is affected by the ravages of time, and becomes more beautiful as it is exposed to the elements. The feelings of intense love may fade, but they have been expressed, and still exist somewhere out there in the ether. Also floating out there in the Universe are these bitter, rancorous feelings. Feelings that are just as valid and important as the I love yous and You mean the world to mes. Both feelings deserve to be honored, and the best way to do this is to honor them in the same space in time. A relationship gains, over time, a collective memory of what the relationship is. The two central figures in a relationship have an idea of what their relationship is, as do those around them. These ideas may be different ones, but they all make up the definition of what that particular relationship is — a collective definition of the relationship. Once the relationship shifts, changes, fades away, what’s left is a collective memory of the relationship. This emotional patina is best explored with old things. Rusty metal. Reclaimed telephone wires, used in communication. Glass, a liquid that behaves like a solid. Glass, like metal and love, needs heat to form. These materials, along with remnants of forgotten love letters and post-love emails, explore collective memory and emotional patina in The Leaving and the Left, a Celebration of Love and Loss. The series will continue on, hopefully, using letters and emails donated by others, so that the celebration of emotional patina may continue. Contribute Marc Moss Thanks |
Today the Hawk Takes One Chick
