Today in Documenting Ares
So Toronto is hosting the Hot Docs film festival, where directors from around the world cover such diverse topics as rock bands, babies, and probably depressing stuff too.
As a dull suburban nerd, I only went to see two films. Well, two so far. It's possible I may take in another one or two by the end of the fest, but that requires driving.
The first film I took in Friday was Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage. It's a documentary about Rush McGillicutty, a lighting tech for Paul Revere and the Raiders.
I am lying. It's actually about Rush, the greatest rock band ever. It's by the same production team that made Metal; A headbanger's Journey, Global Metal and Flight 666.
The film diverges from its predecessor in that the co-director does not appear onscreen; all time is dedicated to the members of Rush, their families, their contemporaries and their admirerers.
The admirers are an interesting bunch. The guys from South Park are fond of them, and the documentary includes a sequence from the show featuring Lil' Rush.
A number of musicians also join the paean to Rush, including Billy Corgan, Trent Reznor (who appears to have been interviewed in a meeting room somewhere), and Gene Simmons. Simmons shares a number of reminiscences from the days when KISS & Rush toured together, contrasting KISS's post-concert debauchery with the tendancy of the members of Rush to retire to their hotel rooms for a quiet night of tv & reading.
Also included is Canuck rocker Sebastian Bach, who has settled into later life with grace and a few extra pounds. His enthusiasm for the band is infectious, and a little scary.
I lucked into getting into the show; Cynra had asked me if I wanted to get tickets, but since the showings were either Thursday night (game night) or Friday afternoon (gotta work for a living), I couldn't make either of them. So I asked for (and received) Friday off in lieu of Family Day, only to discover that the doc was sold out.
So I headed downtown after a delightful picnic lunch in a park (okay, a Subway sub, but it was a gorgeous day) I parked under Mr_weasel's old building and got into line.
I was... I'd say 20- 30 people back in line, and felt confident but a little afraid. I mean, the non-ticket holders line (AKA the Rush line, which was itself a breeding ground for great humour) is a crap shoot at best, and this was the third time the film would be shown ever, in the band's hometown.
That's when an angel in khaki shorts approached me. "Who wants to buy a ticket? I've got one extra." I swooned a little, I'll admit. He was askign $15, which was about what the ticket cost with convenience fees, so it was no scalp. Which, to think about it, would have been kind of lucrative.
I had brought along with me one of my 100 Bullets trades to read in line, so I finished it while waiting.
Finally we were let in, and the film was every bit as enjoyable as I'd have expected. The directors did a Q&A at the end, but I suffer from a paralyzing inability to ask questions at end of film Q&As. I need more time to digest than that.
After the film Mighty Mike & I grabbed dinner and I gave him his gift from India, which was a GI Joe figure. It had a different sculpt than any I'd seen before, but he recognized it as one from the early '90s.
Saturday, after Cynra hosted her semi-regular euchere day, we headed into TO for our second doc, The People Vs George Lucas. yes, Yes, I know David Brin edited a book called Star Wars On Trial, but he was in the film so I doubt he cared.
TPvGL was an interesting film, that dealt with the strength of the Star Wars story and brand, and the strange relationship it's experienced with its worldwide fandom.
Why, I gotta ask, do female stormtroopers have to be pink? Sure, it's cute. But still.
Anwyay, the film looks at the history of how fans have tried to make Star Wars their own, and the reasonable lengths that Lucas has gone to accomodate them. You have to agree that some slack needs to be cut for the support he gives fan films.
It also goes over the directions Lucas has steered his creation, including the universally disliked Special Editions, and the unloved prequel trilogy. His reluctance to remaster the original theatrical versions of the Star Wars films because the negatives were destroyed is met with near total derision by the people talking about it in the documentary.
Lucas himself was not spoken to for the film; he appears in clips from the Daily Show, old interivews, and DVD extras. There's an interview with Francis Ford Coppola (sp?) I think I've seen before, where he says that the success of Star Wars was the worst thing that could have happened to Lucas on a creative level.
Afterwards there was a Q&A, an I froze again.
Sunday was pretty quiet, with us going to the Fun & Games Cafe gaming potluck so I could discuss with the owners options for this summer's Catan tourney at FanExpo (which is gonna ROCK). We did some leftover PVR'd Smallville episodes, which I'm pretty sure counts as penance in some faiths.
As a dull suburban nerd, I only went to see two films. Well, two so far. It's possible I may take in another one or two by the end of the fest, but that requires driving.
The first film I took in Friday was Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage. It's a documentary about Rush McGillicutty, a lighting tech for Paul Revere and the Raiders.
I am lying. It's actually about Rush, the greatest rock band ever. It's by the same production team that made Metal; A headbanger's Journey, Global Metal and Flight 666.
The film diverges from its predecessor in that the co-director does not appear onscreen; all time is dedicated to the members of Rush, their families, their contemporaries and their admirerers.
The admirers are an interesting bunch. The guys from South Park are fond of them, and the documentary includes a sequence from the show featuring Lil' Rush.
A number of musicians also join the paean to Rush, including Billy Corgan, Trent Reznor (who appears to have been interviewed in a meeting room somewhere), and Gene Simmons. Simmons shares a number of reminiscences from the days when KISS & Rush toured together, contrasting KISS's post-concert debauchery with the tendancy of the members of Rush to retire to their hotel rooms for a quiet night of tv & reading.
Also included is Canuck rocker Sebastian Bach, who has settled into later life with grace and a few extra pounds. His enthusiasm for the band is infectious, and a little scary.
I lucked into getting into the show; Cynra had asked me if I wanted to get tickets, but since the showings were either Thursday night (game night) or Friday afternoon (gotta work for a living), I couldn't make either of them. So I asked for (and received) Friday off in lieu of Family Day, only to discover that the doc was sold out.
So I headed downtown after a delightful picnic lunch in a park (okay, a Subway sub, but it was a gorgeous day) I parked under Mr_weasel's old building and got into line.
I was... I'd say 20- 30 people back in line, and felt confident but a little afraid. I mean, the non-ticket holders line (AKA the Rush line, which was itself a breeding ground for great humour) is a crap shoot at best, and this was the third time the film would be shown ever, in the band's hometown.
That's when an angel in khaki shorts approached me. "Who wants to buy a ticket? I've got one extra." I swooned a little, I'll admit. He was askign $15, which was about what the ticket cost with convenience fees, so it was no scalp. Which, to think about it, would have been kind of lucrative.
I had brought along with me one of my 100 Bullets trades to read in line, so I finished it while waiting.
Finally we were let in, and the film was every bit as enjoyable as I'd have expected. The directors did a Q&A at the end, but I suffer from a paralyzing inability to ask questions at end of film Q&As. I need more time to digest than that.
After the film Mighty Mike & I grabbed dinner and I gave him his gift from India, which was a GI Joe figure. It had a different sculpt than any I'd seen before, but he recognized it as one from the early '90s.
Saturday, after Cynra hosted her semi-regular euchere day, we headed into TO for our second doc, The People Vs George Lucas. yes, Yes, I know David Brin edited a book called Star Wars On Trial, but he was in the film so I doubt he cared.
TPvGL was an interesting film, that dealt with the strength of the Star Wars story and brand, and the strange relationship it's experienced with its worldwide fandom.
Why, I gotta ask, do female stormtroopers have to be pink? Sure, it's cute. But still.
Anwyay, the film looks at the history of how fans have tried to make Star Wars their own, and the reasonable lengths that Lucas has gone to accomodate them. You have to agree that some slack needs to be cut for the support he gives fan films.
It also goes over the directions Lucas has steered his creation, including the universally disliked Special Editions, and the unloved prequel trilogy. His reluctance to remaster the original theatrical versions of the Star Wars films because the negatives were destroyed is met with near total derision by the people talking about it in the documentary.
Lucas himself was not spoken to for the film; he appears in clips from the Daily Show, old interivews, and DVD extras. There's an interview with Francis Ford Coppola (sp?) I think I've seen before, where he says that the success of Star Wars was the worst thing that could have happened to Lucas on a creative level.
Afterwards there was a Q&A, an I froze again.
Sunday was pretty quiet, with us going to the Fun & Games Cafe gaming potluck so I could discuss with the owners options for this summer's Catan tourney at FanExpo (which is gonna ROCK). We did some leftover PVR'd Smallville episodes, which I'm pretty sure counts as penance in some faiths.