SLIFF On The March!
I have now attended 13 SLIFF events this year. All but one were very awesome and well worth my while. The one that was not was due to a variety of things. In addition to just not really caring for the movie, the (DVD) print was horrible, I had the worst toothache of my life that night, driving to Plaza Frontenac was a particularly crappy experience on a variety of levels that time, and so on. Maybe under better circumstances...however, maybe NOT, as I'm told that it received one of the lowest audience-vote averages in SLIFF history, and the second screening that had been planned for it the following day was replaced by another screening of a different SLIFF selection.
That said, I have three screenings remaining, tomorrow. HOWEVER tonight I saw a movie such that, even if every other movie I'd seen or will see this year, in SLIFF and otherwise, was the worst movie I'd ever seen, it would make up for all of them and then some. Really I think Yesterday Was A Lie may well end up in my top 10 or 5 or 2 all-time favorites at some point, if it isn't there already. The director was a local guy of whom I'd never heard, and who hadn't been back to town in a long time. One of the lead actresses was a regular on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (the two of them were at the screening and did a Q&A afterwards). The awesome thing about this Q&A was that, unlike most Q&As, I feel like:
1) I took something meaningful away from it, and it enhanced the experience of just having seen the movie.
2) Those on the Q&A panel were reluctant to explain too much, or to let their own interpretations of the movie get in the way. Since it was a rather non-linear movie, at least chronologically, and since it dealt with somewhat complicated themes on certain levels, and since there were just so many durn levels to the thing period, there were a lot of (admittedly, eye-roll-inducing--see below) questions asked.
The soundtrack was phenomenal (most of it sung by Chase Masterson, the aforementioned actress, herself), the performances were rock-solid, the themes were obscure and universal all at once, the dialogue was snappy, Chewbacca (or rather, the actor that plays him) was in it, and of course, a duo of chesty broads as the one-two-punch of leading ladies hurt it none whatsoever. I don't really know how to explain it. It was kind of like the feel of Thomas Pynchon's novel The Crying Of Lot 49 made into a thinking-person's Fight Club as a sci-fi film noir alchemical love story. I sorta rushed the stage after the Q&A was over just to say thanks for making this movie, I loved it, and when a soundtrack is available I want it. I was asked my name, thanked for my sentiments, and told to keep an eye on that website. Oh yeah, and it was the first time it had ever screened (after about 45 festival appearances so far) as the re-edited "director's cut," awesome.
So see it if you get the chance. You won't (get the chance), probably, and even if you do, you won't (see it), probably. If Jump Tomorrow was ever any indication, "What I consider to be some of my top 10 or 5 or 2 favorites" never seemed to hold much sway with my friends, or anyone else. That's something with which I came to terms as acceptable (maybe even preferable) many years ago, though. In other words, "see if I care."
Relatedly, it seems like every Q&A I've seen this year at SLIFF has included at least one question that was previously already-answered in the course of the Q&A session. Obnoxious! If you care enough about what's being said to ask a question, the least you can do is listen to hear if it has been asked or addressed already.
Booked muh Thanxgiving week/weekend flights today, holy cow! And, I went to see this Norwegian movie called O'Horten this afternoon which Bill woulda liked, if only on account of all the TRAINage (but probably otherwise, too), and ran into my sax-playin' Norwegian Club friend Randy there. He apparently plays with the Zydeco Crawdaddys!
That said, I have three screenings remaining, tomorrow. HOWEVER tonight I saw a movie such that, even if every other movie I'd seen or will see this year, in SLIFF and otherwise, was the worst movie I'd ever seen, it would make up for all of them and then some. Really I think Yesterday Was A Lie may well end up in my top 10 or 5 or 2 all-time favorites at some point, if it isn't there already. The director was a local guy of whom I'd never heard, and who hadn't been back to town in a long time. One of the lead actresses was a regular on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (the two of them were at the screening and did a Q&A afterwards). The awesome thing about this Q&A was that, unlike most Q&As, I feel like:
1) I took something meaningful away from it, and it enhanced the experience of just having seen the movie.
2) Those on the Q&A panel were reluctant to explain too much, or to let their own interpretations of the movie get in the way. Since it was a rather non-linear movie, at least chronologically, and since it dealt with somewhat complicated themes on certain levels, and since there were just so many durn levels to the thing period, there were a lot of (admittedly, eye-roll-inducing--see below) questions asked.
The soundtrack was phenomenal (most of it sung by Chase Masterson, the aforementioned actress, herself), the performances were rock-solid, the themes were obscure and universal all at once, the dialogue was snappy, Chewbacca (or rather, the actor that plays him) was in it, and of course, a duo of chesty broads as the one-two-punch of leading ladies hurt it none whatsoever. I don't really know how to explain it. It was kind of like the feel of Thomas Pynchon's novel The Crying Of Lot 49 made into a thinking-person's Fight Club as a sci-fi film noir alchemical love story. I sorta rushed the stage after the Q&A was over just to say thanks for making this movie, I loved it, and when a soundtrack is available I want it. I was asked my name, thanked for my sentiments, and told to keep an eye on that website. Oh yeah, and it was the first time it had ever screened (after about 45 festival appearances so far) as the re-edited "director's cut," awesome.
So see it if you get the chance. You won't (get the chance), probably, and even if you do, you won't (see it), probably. If Jump Tomorrow was ever any indication, "What I consider to be some of my top 10 or 5 or 2 favorites" never seemed to hold much sway with my friends, or anyone else. That's something with which I came to terms as acceptable (maybe even preferable) many years ago, though. In other words, "see if I care."
Relatedly, it seems like every Q&A I've seen this year at SLIFF has included at least one question that was previously already-answered in the course of the Q&A session. Obnoxious! If you care enough about what's being said to ask a question, the least you can do is listen to hear if it has been asked or addressed already.
Booked muh Thanxgiving week/weekend flights today, holy cow! And, I went to see this Norwegian movie called O'Horten this afternoon which Bill woulda liked, if only on account of all the TRAINage (but probably otherwise, too), and ran into my sax-playin' Norwegian Club friend Randy there. He apparently plays with the Zydeco Crawdaddys!