Cinequest 2001

Here is my abbreviated take on Cinequest 11, which took place in Silicon Valley, CA from February 22 to March 4, 2001. This was the first film festival I have attended and I have only gotten serious about film in the last year, so take my comments with a grain of salt.

-- Mike, 3/15/2001

Besides the films listed below, I also attempted to see the Billy Bob Thornton event, but he was a no-show. Spike Lee did show, and he was interesting, although I have to admit to never having seen any of his movies, yet.

Here are the films I saw in approximate descending order of preference:

Himmel kann warten, Der (2000, CQ link, English title: Exit to Heaven):
This is a powerful drama with abundant humor and often amazingly good acting; sadly it seems that very few people saw this; in German with subtitles
Amores perros (2000, CQ link, English title: Love's a Bitch):
This film (the closing gala) is an Altman-esque set of three overlapping stories with interesting directing (reminding me of Traffic), a non-linear timeline, and occasionally excellent acting; if it hadn't been such a downer it would have been my top choice; in Spanish with subtitles
Maze (2000, CQ link):
I think Laura Linney is amazing in this film, and Rob Morrow (who also directed for the first time) isn't far behind; this film is a good mix of humor, human drama, and romance, and there is no reason I can see why it wouldn't be successful if released
Fruen på Hamre (2000, CQ link, English title: The Lady of Hamre):
This film is more or less in the Dogme95 style (although it is a period piece which I believe technically disqualifies it), and features excellent acting in the lead parts (especially Bodil Jørgensen) and a strong story; this would have ranked higher if it had been less challenging; in Danish with subtitles
Lady in the Box (2000, CQ link):
This film has a great story with unexpected twists and turns and good production values, and stars Darren Burrows of Northern Exposure; this is only ranked as high as it is because it was just plain fun
North Beach (2000, CQ link):
This start of this film has no plot and an almost Seinfeld-like feel (except with younger people who use drugs and alcohol more), but it works its way gradually and gracefully into a sweet romantic story with very good acting, marred only slightly by below average production values (the sound in particular seemed well below average)
Luna Papa (1999, CQ link):
This is a magical comedy/fantasy that is great fun with occasional serious moments; Moritz Bleibtreu of Run Lola Run has a significant supporting role; in Russian and Farsi with subtitles
Lovers (1999, CQ link):
This is a true Dogme95 film with amazing acting at times (e.g., the staircase scene near the end) from Élodie Bouchez that make it seem almost like a documentary; in English and French with subtitles as needed
Hotel Splendide (2000, CQ link):
This is a fun, dark, quirky Tim Burton-like film with Toni Collette of Muriel's Wedding and Hugh O'Conor of Chocolat, and it seems like it might be successful if released
Bunny (2000, CQ link):
This film is far darker and more depressing than one might expect, and there is no obvious point, yet you have to admire the style and confidence with which it tells its story
Pourquoi se marier le jour de la fin du monde? (1999, CQ link, English title: Why Get Married the Day the World Ends):
I came out of this film thinking it was either brilliant or extremely pretentious, and while I lean more towards the latter viewpoint, it does offer some images of madness and obsession that go beyond anything seen in more mundane fare; in French with subtitles
Shoe Shine Boys (2000, CQ link):
This has been described as "...Natural Born Killers without the graphic violence," which, not having seen the Oliver Stone film, I can't argue with; it is quite unpolished, but most of the film was supposed to have been shot by the main characters, so that is appropriate; I was also quite tired the night I saw it, so to some extent I'm giving it a ranking based on others' reactions
Felicidades (2000, CQ link):
This film is actually much like Amores Perros, described above, in that it is a Spanish language film of interlocking stories, but it doesn't have the non-linear timeline or quite the level of the acting of the other film, and it has no obvious point to make; in Spanish with subtitles
Amargosa (2000, CQ link):
This is the one true documentary that I saw, and despite the subject matter not being something I would normally find interesting, I found it to be a compelling story
Preston Tylk (2000, CQ link):
Comparing this to Lady in the Box, described above, it is a more straightforward whodunit with less humor, more drama, and to me, way less fun; the acting is in some cases better (Dennis Farina) and in some cases worse (Luke Wilson, the lead, whose acting I felt was painfully visible at least once)
Too Much Flesh (2000, CQ link):
This is the second in a Dogme95 trilogy, the first of which is Lovers (described above) and I expect the third of which will be Being Light; it also has Élodie Bouchez, although her character's name is different than it was in the first film; this one is far more challenging (a number of people left the theater) and doesn't have quite the transparency of acting, but I was still glad I saw it
Bawandar (2000, CQ link, English title: Sandstorm):
This film is all about the message that treating people differently (as extremely as rape) due to their gender and/or their caste (it is set in India) is a common occurrence, burned into the generations-old collective unconscious; the film's message is excellent, but as a film it is quite mundane; in Hindi with subtitles
Nasty Neighbours (1999, CQ link):
This is an edgy black comedy about two sets of neighbors in an escalating war; it's well done but didn't seem to click as either a comedy or a drama for me
Boku no ojisan (2000, CQ link, English title: The Crossing):
The Crossing is a film with plenty of symbolism but not much point, although it does have some good moments; in Japanese with subtitles
Morir (o no) (2000, CQ link, English title: To Die (or Not)):
This film tells seven interconnected stories with some interesting alternate reality concepts, but it feels contrived and a little amateurish at times; in Spanish with subtitles
Young Unknowns, The (2000, CQ link):
This technically well made film portrays four young characters heavily into alcohol, drugs, and themselves; the immediate impression was of a highly unpleasant film with no obvious point, but it does make you think well after it's over, raising its rank somewhat
Perfect Son, The (2000, CQ link):
This feels like it would be an excellent TV movie, complete with somewhat obvious clichés
Comedy Favorites (shorts, CQ link):
My favorite segments are Damned if You Do and Sex, Love, and Kung Fu, and I also think Angry Kid, Except You, Fruits of Labor, The Office Party, and Thinking Out Loud have their moments. Driving Home is neither funny nor interesting to me; although it may have been because of the late hour, on a few occasions I found myself wondering whether I should leave early
Your Guardian (2001, CQ link):
This film (the opening gala) has production value problems (fuzzy digital video used not for effect but because it was what they had), story problems (they admitted that they were unable to film the entire script, and yet some of what they did film was superfluous), and more; there are much worse movies out there, but I didn't see any at Cinequest this year

Filmography links courtesy of IMDb and Cinequest.

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