THE 2003 LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL
June 11 - June 21, 2003
By Warren
Curry
7/16/2003
With apologies to anyone who's ever kept a diary or journal, I've decided that the best way to write a "wrap-up" of this year's Los Angeles Film Festival is to do it as a series of journal entries. Having never done this sort of thing before, I will blame all of this article's shortcomings on my inexperience. In many cases, I have probably included trivial details and omitted much more substantive and important ones -- such is "learning on the job."
Let me preface the below by stating that for a film fan, little is more gratifying than attending a great festival. And the main ingredients of a great festival are quality programming, suitable screening facilities, and, most importantly, organization. LAFF passed each of these tests with flying colors. Screenings began on time, ticket lines were easily distinguishable, and the DGA and Sunset 5 (the two main festival locations) provided a pleasant, comfortable atmosphere to indulge in a very fine selection of independent films. Having attended a few subpar festivals, I've learned not to take the aforementioned attributes for granted. It's also not a bad thing to live about an 8-minute drive from the festival headquarters.
This year's lineup featured 206 films (72 features) from 32 different countries. Chen Kaige (Together) served as the festival's Guest Director; his responsibilities in this role included hosting a two-day filmmaker retreat and programming a sidebar of films that influenced his work (among them were Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai and Truffaut's Shoot The Piano Player). The $50,000 Target Filmmaker award for best narrative feature went to Paxton Winter's Crude (which I didn't see), while the $25,000 documentary award was bestowed upon Tracy Droz Tragos' Be Good, Smile Pretty (click here for a full list of award winners). The festival opened with Wayne Kramer's The Cooler and closed with Todd Graf's Camp.
Without further adieu, let the journal begin:
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11, 2003
The 2003 LAFF kicks off with the opening night screening of The Cooler, which Lions Gate will release in November, and an after-screening bash at the Sunset Room. My press pass doesn't allow access to the festivities, so I miss out on partying with Christian Slater (not pulling this name out of thin air -- I heard he was there).
THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 2003
2:45 P.M.: FRIDAY NIGHT (Claire Denis/France): My first screening of the festival is Claire Denis' (Beau Travail) latest. Before the movie gets underway, the audience is informed that, contrary to information given by The French Consulate, the director is not in attendance. This comes as no disappointment to me, as I was never aware until now that Denis might actually be there, and just assumed that she wouldn't be making her way over from France for the occasion. I like Denis' work, and was quite looking forward to Friday Night, but this film did nothing for me. On the way to moving in with her boyfriend, a woman, Laure (Valerie Lemercier), gets stuck in a Paris traffic jam, picks up a stranger (Vincent Lindon), and finds an unexpected romantic connection with him. It contains most of the usual Denis trademarks (spare dialogue, evocative cinematography), but the film makes about as much progress as Laure's car. Currently in release via Wellspring Media.
After Friday Night, it's back home for some dinner. Anticipating a hellish parking situation, I leave early for my next screening.
The expected parking difficulties don't arise, as I'm able to easily find a spot in the DGA's underground parking garage. Having some time to kill, I head over to the "free literature" table in the DGA's lobby where I grab complimentary issues of the new Filmmaker, MovieMaker, Film Festival Today and RES. I barely get a chance to break one open when I notice a line forming outside of DGA's Theater One for the L.A. premiere of the Sundance hit, Thirteen.
7:00 P.M.: THIRTEEN (Catherine Hardwicke/U.S.A.): (Full Review) A film festival can be a difficult place to formulate a definitive opinion about a film. There's a palpable excitement in the air for "buzz" screenings, and nothing creates more buzz in the indie film world then a film that lands a distribution deal at Sundance. Well, Thirteen lives up to the hype -- an edgy, sometimes bordering on exploitative film that is fortunately told with a generous amount of sincerity. Writer/director Catherine Hardwicke and stars Evan Rachel Wood, Nikki Reed (who also co-wrote the script), Holly Hunter and Jeremy Sisto are on hand for the Q&A. It's interesting to see that youngsters Wood and Reed, whose characters in the films adopt the attitude and look of "bad girls," actually share a similar fashion sense to the people they were portraying. During the Q&A, Wood's mother compliments Holly Hunter on her fabulous performance, and Reed's brother asks the final question. Fox Searchlight will release the film in August.
Back out to the lobby for a few minutes. I grab a spot on one of the plush couches and start reading Filmmaker's cover story interview with Catherine Hardwicke. Apparently, I get a little bit too consumed with the article -- when I look up, a long line of people are already filing into Theater One. I quickly join the rapidly moving line.
9:45: BOMB THE SYSTEM (Adam Bhala Lough/U.S.A.): (Full Review): Have you ever felt like you were the only one who didn't get it? After premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival just a few weeks earlier, 23-year-old Adam Bhala Lough's Bomb The System seems to storm into LAFF. I generally like and appreciate the coming-of-age film about an NYC graffiti artist, but don't share the enthusiasm of the majority of the crowd, who are giddy with post-screening excitement. Lough is joined by many of his cast members and his producer for the Q&A, in which he reveals that he is basically banned from shooting in New York City because of the trouble he got himself into while making this film. When I hand in my audience ballot, I am pretty confident that this will be a strong contender for the both the jury and audience prizes for narrative feature. I guarantee this film will find a U.S. distributor.
FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 2003
Boo -- Friday the 13th! Those LAFF programmers are no dummies, as they use the opportunity to schedule screenings of two high-profile horror films, 28 Days Later and Cabin Fever. Before I get to those two films, my first stop is Lamelle's Sunset 5.
5:00 P.M.: WHOLE (Melody Gilbert/U.S.A.): (Full Review) The one big gaff of the festival happens here, as the feature, Whole, mistakenly plays before the short, Downpour Resurfacing. Predictably, many people wind up filing out after Whole concludes, which leaves the short with a thin audience. On the surface, Whole sounds like an odd, novelty value concept for a documentary, but director Melody Gilbert turns it into a moving examination of an extremely alienated group of people in our society. At the conclusion of the Q&A, the director encourages audience members to exchange e-mail addresses with her to keep in touch. Talk about valuing your viewers.
In the lobby, I meet Whole's talented and personable associate producer, Rita Beatty. We chat for a bit, and she introduces me to Melody, who, just as advertised, is in the midst of a discussion with several audience members. I extend an interview request to Melody, and we make tentative plans to meet up sometime on Monday.
I have quite a bit of time before my next screening, 28 Days Later, which will be held at the John Ford Ampitheater. I head in that direction, stopping to grab a Mahi Mahi burrito at Sharkey's in Hollywood and some Saline Solution and gum at a nearby drugstore. I turn into the parking lot of the Ford Ampitheater (where I've never been), fork over my parking fee to the attendant who then instructs me where to go. I cringe when I realize I'm trapped in a "stacked parking" situation (basically meaning that I can only leave when everyone else parked in my area departs -- a great way to ensure a captive audience). I see a long line of walk-up ticket buyers waiting anxiously, spot a couple of Fox Searchlight (who are distributing 28 Days Later) publicity people, grab my press kit and enter.
8:30 P.M.: 28 DAYS LATER (Danny Boyle/U.K.): (Full Review): This is perhaps the best environment I've ever watched a movie in. Not sure exactly how many people the Ford Ampitheater can accommodate (2000?), but nearly every seat at the beautiful outdoor venue (usually used for concerts) is full. Festival programmer Doug Jones does a good job of whipping up the crowd with his introduction, the weather is perfect, and the movie begins unspooling just as the last glimmer of daylight disappears. Judging by its impressive opening weekend box office numbers, there's a good chance you've already seen this film. I don't find it particularly frightening, but it's interesting enough. No Q&A after the film.
On the way out, I notice several people handing out 28 Days Later t-shirts to exiting viewers. At first, it appears that everyone is receiving one, but a closer inspection reveals that only those wearing red shirts will be recipients (apparently part of some promotion that I wasn't aware of). I'm wearing a maroon shirt, which I guess is close enough, as I'm a little surprised when a t-shirt is handed my way. It's a nice shirt (especially for free), but I doubt I'll ever get any use out of it, thus I realize it will soon become the property of resident CinemaSpeak horror nerd, Ryan Kugler.
It's 10:35 when I return to my car, which is imprisoned by the various other vehicles surrounding it. The Cabin Fever screening begins at 11:45 back at the Sunset 5. The combination of it being a buzz film, the Sunset 5 theater being relatively small, and the announcement prior to 28 Days Later that the C.F. screening is technically sold out (folks with passes are granted access on a first-come, first-served basis), makes me realize that I don't have much time to waste stuck in stacked parking limbo. Although the minutes pass like hours as I listen to a sports talk show on my car radio, I am liberated from the Ford Ampitheater at a few minutes past 11:00. Traffic is surprisingly light as I zoom back to West Hollywood.
The line for Cabin Fever, which I step into around 11:30, is moderate in length. A handful of people (whom I'm guessing are Lions Gate Films, the movie's distributor, employees), stand at the entrance to the theater wearing medical masks over their faces. For some unbeknownst reason, this increases my anticipation level for the film.
11:45 P.M.: CABIN FEVER (Eli Roth/U.S.A.): I grab a seat near the back of the theater and immediately notice the vomit bags that have been placed on the armrest of every chair -- cute. When director Eli Roth introduces the film, in a t-shirt splattered with fake (I assume) blood, every seat is filled. Roth proves to be a funny, witty guy as he relays a story about how the LAFF filmmakers were actually stuck outside of the opening-night party due to the club being overcrowded, but the likes of Tony Danza and Christian Slater (this is my source for the previous note about Slater) were allowed to waltz right in (the filmmakers were eventually permitted to attend the party, which makes great sense since, ostensibly, it was thrown in their honor). Too bad Roth's movie, about a group of dumb teenagers who go to a remote cabin (ala Friday the 13th) upon their high school graduation and become infected with a flesh-eating virus, isn't nearly as clever. Another spoof of the horror genre which tries to marry its satire with gore…but it's not funny (with the exception of the line, "He asked for our help, and we set him on fire!") and not even that gory. This film, which barely even qualifies as serviceable straight-to-video entertainment, fetched a $2.5 million purchase price at 2002's Toronto Film Festival. Lions Gate will release the film in September.
Didn't stay for the Q&A, and arrive home at 2:20 A.M. As I open up my new bottle of saline solution, a piece of sharp plastic somehow rips into the skin beneath my thumbnail. A surprisingly large amount of blood squirts all over my hand. A fitting way to end the evening.
SATURDAY, JUNE 14, 2003
Sleep late and manage to write a few
reviews before heading off to my first screening. I again leave
early, convinced that parking will be problematic, but the underground
garage has plenty of empty spaces when I pull in.
5:00 P.M.: PARTICLES OF TRUTH (Jennifer Elster/USA): (Full
Review) The DGA's main theater is relatively mammoth (I believe
it seats over 500), and Particles of Truth manages to
fill a good portion of it. It's a solid, well-executed movie,
although not anything to get too excited about. Director/star
Jennifer Elster and co-star Gale Harrold are amongst those on
hand for the Q&A. Elster seems so completely genuine during
the session that you can't help but want her movie to succeed.
Back to the couches for a little bit -- flip through the Outfest calendar and attempt to figure out a plan of attack for the rest of the evening. You see, viewing goal #1 is Buffalo Soldiers, which begins at 9:30 in Theater One. I also want to catch Virgin at 7:15 in Theater Two, but worry that it's running time of nearly two hours might spell trouble. Being another much-talked about film with distribution in place (Miramax), and having already had its release date pushed back on numerous occasions, I assume Buffalo Soldiers is a sure-fire sell out. Will I be out of luck if I enter the line 15 minutes before showtime? Hmmm…
7:15 P.M.: VIRGIN (Deborah Kampmeier/USA): I take a seat at the end of one of the rows, knowing I'll have to make a quick break either during the credit roll, or perhaps even before, if the film turns out to be a snooze. Up until this point, there has not been a single technical problem at any of the screenings I have attended. Of course, now that I have time constraints, the beginning of the film is beset by projection difficulties. It takes several minutes before everything's up and running, and at this time I resign myself to the fact that I will not be staying for all of Virgin. For the first hour of the film, this doesn't seem like such a bad thing. It's an oddly disjointed movie that is unclear in its direction. I constantly check my watch, counting down the minutes until I have to depart, and then without any warning whatsoever writer/director Deborah Kampmeier starts to unleash some of the best scenes I've witnessed this year. Elisabeth Moss (The West Wing) plays teenaged Jessie, an outcast in a devoutly religious family, who finds herself pregnant although she has no memories of losing her virginity, and believes that she is carrying God's child. Ambitious is too mild a word to properly describe Kampmeier's debut -- she tackles HUGE concepts here, and although the film, overall, plays a bit more scattershot than it should, there are moments of pure brilliance. Robin Wright Penn has a small role and executive produced the film. I am unable to tear myself away from Virgin until the final credits and lament missing the Q&A.
I dash out of Theater Two, and brace myself for the enormous line waiting outside of Theater One for Buffalo Soldiers. Hold on -- where's the line? I show my pass to a festival attendant and waltz right in.
9:30 P.M.: BUFFALO SOLDIERS (Gregor Jordan/USA): Next question: Where are the people? The theater isn't even half full when I take my seat just around 9:25. The screening starts a bit late, allowing more people to file into the theater, but what I thought would be a packed house is less than ¾ full. Australian director Gregor Jordan introduces the cast members in the audience, including Ed Harris, Scott Glenn, and Gabriel Mann. Miramax bought this film at the Toronto Film Festival on September 10, 2001 -- needless to say, this film's politics weren't going to fly with American audiences immediately post 9/11. While this movie isn't really Anti-American, it doesn't paint a terribly flattering picture of the American military's presence abroad either. Joaquin Phoenix stars as Army Specialist, Ray Elwood, a criminal who joined the military to avoid prison time. Stationed in Germany, he and his corrupt cohorts wreak all sorts of free-enterprise havoc (including running a well-oiled heroin lab). The film is ultimately a black comedy and a very good one at that. Jordan partakes in a Q&A after the screening, and I immediately wonder if he'll have to duck any flying bottles as he did at Sundance. Nope…it's all peaceful.
I walk past Philip Noyce in the parking lot. Wow, is he tall.
SUNDAY, JUNE 15, 2003
I'm torn between two overlapping screenings -- Tracy Droz Tragos' documentary Be Good, Smile Pretty and Andrew Bujalski's indie comedy Funny Ha Ha. Since it's Father's Day, I surmise that it will be more fitting to take in Tragos' love letter to the father she never knew at the Sunset 5.
7:15 P.M.: BE GOOD, SMILE PRETTY (Tracy Droz Tragos/USA): It's Bomb The System all over again, but to an even more severe degree. The theater is packed, the captivated crowd loves every frame of the film, but I'm left mostly unaffected. Tragos' documentary is so utterly earnest in its intentions that I fear I will be the target of something horrific for making the slightest criticism of this film. In 2001, the director, after reading a first-hand account of her father's death in the Vietnam War on the Internet, set out to try and get to know the man via interviews with loved ones, family photos, home movies and stock footage of the war. The director lays her emotions bare, and as a human being, Tragos deserves immense credit for telling this tale (a tale that's obviously broad in reach). However, there's no depth of focus. It almost seems trite to be critiquing this film on cinematic terms, but, after all, that's exactly what Be Good, Smile Pretty is. There's a more powerful story to be told here, and most likely the person who could tell it is one not so personally tied to the material. The perspective is too close; the film is almost demanding that you care every bit as much as the person making it. I appreciate many things about Tragos' effort, but the finished film leaves me feeling as if she's missed her mark. Now excuse me while I get out of the way of that falling piano.
The original plan was to catch the 9:15 screening of the French film, Cold As Summer, but after 10 movies in 4 days, I'm beat. Without much internal conflict, I jump in my car and head home.
MONDAY, JUNE 16, 2003
Having traded phone messages with Whole director Melody Gilbert over the weekend about sitting down for an interview, we finally touch base early in the day. She's available to talk this evening, prior to catching the red eye flight back to Minnesota, which works great for me, as I have no movies on the agenda for the night. Before we hang up, she takes a few seconds to rave about Funny Ha Ha, which she caught the night before. I could kick myself for missing it…but I don't.
I meet Melody in the quiet Target lounge
at 7:30. There's a party going on upstairs, which explains why
the room is so deserted. It provides a nice atmosphere to chat
away with Melody, who's just a completely wonderful and engaging
person. It's always inspiring to meet great people responsible
for great work. After about 45 minutes, the party spills downstairs,
and the once library-like environment suddenly feels like a nightclub.
Melody has been taking advantage of the festival's networking
opportunities, and introduces me to a handful of filmmakers,
including Funny Ha Ha producer, Ethan Vogt. Ethan hands
me a photocopy of the LA Weekly review of the film, which lists
its remaining screening times. I immediately make it priority
#1 to catch the movie. Melody and I wrap-up the interview, say
our goodbyes, and I exit the Sunset 5 parking lot 10 minutes
before my validation will expire.
(DON'T MISS THE THRILLING CONCLUSION IN PART 2 OF THE JOURNAL!)
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