SIFF 2013 Final List

   
This is the final List!  The first part is a ranking of the films I saw.  The second is an alphabetical list with my comments on each film.  It was a great festival!  Many of these films are showing now or available through Netflix or at Scarecrow video.  Many more will be coming out in the next year.  Search for the ones you’d like to see!

MUST SEE

Anita***** 

BREATHING EARTH*****

EPIC*****

EVERY BLESSED DAY****

FRANCES HA****

THE LAST SHEPHERD*****

More Than Honey*****

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING*****

SHORT TERM 12*****

THE STORIES WE TELL*****

TOUCHY FEELY*****

THE WALL*****

THE WAY WAY BACK****

GREAT

Bling Ring****

THE DEEP****

THE FRUIT HUNTERS****

Garibaldi's Lovers****

The Girl With 9 Wigs****

KEY OF LIFE****

Love is in the Air****

THE PUNK SINGER*****

Ripples of Desire****

SOMM****

Unfinished Song**** 

Wolf Children****

GOOD

The Improvement Club****

A Lady in Paris**** 

A Pervert's Guide to Ideology****

POPULAIRE****

The Trials of Mohammed Ali****

Filmistaan****

Full Circle****

FORBIDDEN VOICES****

Muscle Shoals****

ERNEST AND CELESTINE****

Evergreen: The Road to Legalization in Washington *** 

Ali***

Bitch Hug***

Go Grandriders****

HER AIM IS TRUE**** 

JUMP***

MIDDLETON***

THE SUMMIT***

TERMS AND CONDITIONS MAY APPLY ****

WHAT MAISIE KNEW***

When I Saw You****

OKAY

PAPADOPOULOS & SONS**   

AFTER WINTER, SPRING*** 

C.O.G.***

BWAKAW***

AIN'T THEM BODIES SAINTS ***  

CRYSTAL FAIRY***

Drug War**

FUREVER***

OUR NIXON***

OUT OF PRINT***

Aayna Ka Bayna***

NOT RECOMMENDED

TWO MOTHERS**

Shadowed**

Yesterday Never Ends** 

Youth*

A SHAPE OF ERROR*

2013 opinions:

>>>Aayna Ka Bayna***

Director:	Samit Kakkad
Principal Cast:	Sachin Khedekar, Amruta Khanvilkar, Ganesh Yadav, Raqesh Vashisth, Vivek Chabuksvar
Country:	India
Year:	2012

Bollywood full on.  An absolutely stupid plot that just gets more stupid as it goes along until the altogether stupid ending.  However, the dancing is great!  I mean really, really great.  Particularly at the beginning - this movie is worth seeing to just for the opening number with boys dancing in every possible environment to truly fabulous music.  After that, it’s not so much worth it.  If you can get hold of the trailer for this movie, that’s what you should watch.

AFTER WINTER, SPRING***

France/USA 2012, 74 min

Director:  Judith Lit   

  

The woman who created this doc grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania and now has chosen to move to a small farm in a small village in France. She became so enamored of her neighbors that she decided to film them. You can see her love as we explore the lives of these amazingly diverse villagers and their equally diverse farms. Some bits are horrifying, some charming. I don't think this film is clear about who it wants to be when it grows up, it has moments of socio-political commentary about the plight of the small farmer, and moments of exploratory narrative, but it's mostly a peep into some lifestyles you might not otherwise have known existed. 

 AIN'T THEM BODIES SAINTS ***  

USA 2013, 105 min

Director: David Lowery

Cast: Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Nate Parker, Keith Carradine 

 This is a beautifully shot movie, sumptuous and rich in tone and color. I loved looking at this movie so much that I didn't really care what happened or where the story went. That's probably just as well, since the story, for me, was actually quite thin. I'm not sure i mean that as a criticism, as the smallness of the story presented in this full, lush setting kind of works. What I didn't enjoy was the inevitable ending that I've seen far too many times. I was hoping for something at least a little new and different, but, as I say, this soul filling visual meal is still well worth it. 

>>>Ali***

Director:	Paco R. Baños
Principal Cast:	Nadia de Santiago, Verónica Forqué, Julián Villagrán, Adrián Lamana, Angy Fernández
Premiere Status:	North America
Country:	Spain

Essentially a fluffy movie, it's still enjoyable for the characters and characterizations of the mother and daughter and their relationship.  There are moving moments and movement and quite a few very funny bits.  Nothing stuck with me, but it's good entertainment.

Anita*****

Country: USA, 2013

Director:

Freida Lee Mock

This is a great, captivating documentary about Anita Hill -  what happened then and where she is now. As well as being distressing and pause-giving, it is also heartening and relieving and very informative.

>>>Bitch Hug***

Director:	Andreas Öhman
Principal Cast:	Linda Molin, Fanny Ketter, Mathilda von Essen, Adam Lundgren, Fabian Fouren
Premiere Status:	North American
Country:	Sweden
Year:	2012

This is a friendship love story that is almost great. I loved lots of this and particularly loved the characterizations of the two girls.  The plot line is fun and funny, and really lends itself to an enjoyable romp that then goes deeper.  It doesn’t get there, though, because the timing is off, too much time spent some places and not enough in others. It may be the translation that made it bumpy and uneven, or it just was bumpy and uneven.  Still a film to see, though, for the two performances and their stories, as well as to get a sense of how a young Swedish girl might perceive New York City.

 

>>>Bling Ring****

Director:	Sofia Coppola
Principal Cast:	Emma Watson, Taissa Farmiga, Israel Broussard, Katie Chang, Claire Julien
Premiere Status:	North America
Country:	USA
Year:	2013

Quite a creepy story that sends you on a journey thinking about your young adult life and, perhaps, your own young adult children.  I say this because I talked to quite a few people after this film (the closing night gala of SIFF), and that’s what people were thinking about.  While it’s horrifying to imagine these young people so completely disconnected from reality and morality, it’s all the more horrifying to consider that all people that age live at some degree of this non-connectivity.    Entertaining with great acting and brilliant directing, the film, as is true of all of Sofia Coppola’s films, is a gem.

BREATHING EARTH*****

Germany

Director:

Thomas Riedelsheimer

It's a very precious thing, a film about art. You must hold it gently and humbly with limitless honesty.  You must be able to present the topic and the artist's ideas exactly as the artist being depicted might. I know this, because this film does all that and it's of the best I've ever seen. So beautifully shot, it comes just short of taking your breath away, choosing, instead, to inspire long slow intakes of breath. Like wafting wind, sometimes flipping quickly this way and then that, other times passing straight and true and then slowing and resting finally on the open and amused eyes of a child. 

BWAKAW***

Director:	Jun Robles Lana
Principal Cast:	Eddie Garcia, Rez Cortez, Armida Siguion Reyna, Gardo Versoza, Alan Paule
Country:	Philippines

So sad. I know this story needs to be told, but I truly feel complete with stories about people who are left wrenchingly alone because of their sexuality. This one starts sad, makes some pretense at humor and then ends even sadder. Beautifully shot, even more beautifully acted by its lead actor, it's a story that should have had its day. Selfish, I know. 

C.O.G.***

Director:	Kyle Patrick Alvarez
Principal Cast:	Jonathan Groff, Denis O'Hare, Corey Stoll, Dean Stockwell, Casey Wilson
Country:	USA
Year:	2013

A disappointingly depressing and cynical story. I know that's the way David Sedaris writes his stories, but they don't come off quite so charmlessly  when he tells them. It's still worth watching for the performances, and it was also a tad bit nostalgic for me as I dropped out of college to go pick apples as well. 

CRYSTAL FAIRY***

Chile, 2013, 98 min

Director: Sebastián Silva

Cast: Michael Cera, Gaby Hoffmann, Juan Andrés Silva, José Miguel Silva, Agustín Silva

Interesting combining of characters in this decidedly American film from Chile.  Michael Cera continues his career playing a neurotic, disassociated irritant, so I had to quickly dismiss him as a gnat (stole that from Bernadette* for whom I will always be grateful).  The 3 young Chilean men are lovely and charming, each in their own way, and Gaby Hoffmann is a delightful (though sometimes equally irritating) specimen.  You'll remember her as the little girl with a fateful hotdog in Field of Dreams.  She threw herself into this role, and I felt she almost got there.  The camera did truly love her and I am praying she continues her work as an actor, just so I can keep watching her and marveling at her loveliness and bravery.  

THE DEEP****

Iceland/Norway, 2012, 95 min

Director: Baltasar Kormákur

Cast: Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Jóhann G. Jóhannsson, Björn Thors,Theódór Júlíusson, Þorbjörg Helga Þorgilsdóttir

This film is stunningly shot and a very real feeling slice of one man’s life.   I enjoyed the experience very much. I’ve never seen a film from Iceland that wasn’t bleak and cold. This certainly didn’t change the cold part of that trend for me, but there was something very warm coming from the filmmaker that spread across the screen. I think, also, that it just took cold and bleak so far, you had to squeeze your own eyes and fists, as the hero of this film does, and find your way to something solid and huge and amazing and whatever else the opposite of bleak is. Watching this, just like the islanders in this film dig themselves out from under fathoms of black ash, you travel from the dark to the light.

Drug War**

Country:	Hong Kong , 2012
Language:	Mandarin, Cantonese
Director:	Johnny To

As you might expect from Johnnie To (or even just from the title), this is a shoot-em-up movie with lots of blood and death.  Given that, however, the movie is actually quite compelling with a plotline that works and keeps you wondering how in the world things are going to end up.  I give it the low rating simply because I don’t really enjoy blood baths, but I came close to enjoying this one…

EPIC*****

USA

Director:	Chris Wedge
Principal Cast:	Voices of: Amanda Seyfried, Josh Hutcherson, Beyoncé Knowles, Christoph Waltz

I remember the audience gasping at the beauty and imagination of the scenes at the beginning of Avatar. This happens often in this delightful, animated adventure as well. Additionally, however, are charming chucklings and belly laughs. In many ways this film goes where Avatar should have gone. Though there are still, disappointingly, bad guys and good guys, at least the bad guys make a little bit of sense in this natural world and are definitely not vanquished through mere violent reaction, as they are in Avatar.  Go see this,  sit back and enjoy the sheer beauty, innovation, creativity, warmth and humanity of this best of the best film. 

ERNEST AND CELESTINE****

Director:	Benjamin Renner, Stephane Aubier, Vincent Patar
Principal Cast:	Pauline Brunner, Anne-Marie Loop, Lambert Wilson
Country:	France
Year:	2012

An animated charmer. Great drawings. The story is original and lovely with a somewhat pat ending, of course, but it takes many creative and unexpected turns to get there. 

>>>Evergreen: The Road to Legalization in Washington ***

Director:	Riley Morton
Principal Cast:	Rick Steves, Alison Holcomb, Pete Holmes, Vivian McPeak, Doug Hiatt
Premiere Status:	World
Country:	USA

As someone who voted yes, I was taken by surprise that there was conflict around Initiative 502 in 2012 for legalizing the use of marijuana.  Not the conflict between those who think it should be legalized and those who don't, but those who think the initiative won't result in legalizing the drug and could make things tougher in the short run.  Interesting and compelling footage and head-talking make this an important film, rather than a funny one (ha ha, those silly potheads).  Just to understand the processes and compromises involved in trying to get a whole country-full of people to agree on something that seems pretty obvious.  

EVERY BLESSED DAY****

Director:	Paolo Virzi
Principal Cast:	Luca Marinelli, Thony, Micol Azzurro, Claudio Pallitto, Stefania Felicoli
Country:	Italy
Year:	2012

A transcendent love story about a couple trying to have children. Charming, poignant, and satisfying. The performances by the two leads in this one take it over the top. I'd recommend this one to anyone. 

>>>Filmistaan****

Director:	Nitin Kakkar
Principal Cast:	Sharib Hashmi, Inaamulhaq, Kumud Mishra, Gopal Dutt, Sanjay Mehta
Country:	India
Year:	2012

The main character in this film is just as charming as can be and keeps you involved from the beginning.  As the film progressed, it pulled me in and had me very much rooting for the two men trying to break out of their prisons.  It is very much a love story between these two, and it is not an easy story, despite its comedic affect.  For a brief introduction into cultural issues and a tiny, mostly humorous peek at some of the ideological conflicts between India and Pakistan this is a crack between the bricks.

>>>Full Circle****

Director:	Zhang Yang
Principal Cast:	Huanshan Xu, Tianming Wu, Li Bin, Bingyan Yan
Country:	China
Year:	2012

I think some people might find this movie off-putting because of the potentially exploitive use of the elderly as cutesy or a joke's butt end, however, sticking with this one is well worth it, in my opinion. Particularly for the brilliantly creative skits this group of people perform in the course of their story. Those images are staying very pleasantly with me. 

FORBIDDEN VOICES****

Director:	Barbara Miller
Country:	Switzerland
Year:	2012

This is a very informative and hopeful documentary about three women from three different countries with oppressive governments who are making a difference through blogging. It combines well with the other two documentaries about the Internet from this year's SIFF, Terms and Conditions May Apply and 

Out of Print,  as a third, positive spin since these two are rather dire. 

FRANCES HA****

USA, 2012, 86 min

Director: Noah Baumbach

Cast: Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner

I found myself quite choked up at the end of this film, I’m guessing because it really was a heartbreaking story of friendship love. We leave so little room for this relationship in our culture, yet it is the richest and most diverse connection we have. That said, really this is mainly a movie about a quirky, slow to mature young woman who you kind of like and often find quite irritating. I’m still thinking about her, though… Some fun cameos, some uncredited, so I can’t tell you who they are, but will, instead remember in the middle of the night tonight. One that is credited is Grace Gummer in a lovely, bitchy role – another of Meryl Streep’s talented children.

FUREVER***

USA 2013, 80 min

Director: Amy Finkel   

 This film doesn't pull any punches as it presents the various ways people have chosen to preserve their deceased pets.   Amazingly, for me, good arguments are made for most of these choices, though it is still apparent that the filmmaker is not convinced any of the more extreme choices are a good idea.  It's interesting and thorough, a very good documentary, and proves itself so by pushing a number of buttons.  It's not high on my list because, in the end, it's pretty hard to watch and doesn't really edify despite the difficult imagery.  An interesting side note for those of us Seattle lesbians of a certain age, Pepper Schwartz, UW sociologist who researched, among other things, lesbian sexuality in the 70s (some of her conclusions still controversial), is used extensively in this film as an expert on human-pet relations.  Not sure how she got the gig, but there you have it...  

THE FRUIT HUNTERS****

Canada

Director:	Yung Chang
Principal Cast:	Narrator: Bill Pullman

I spent this whole movie salivating. I even noticed my mouth moving in concert with the various fruit lovers in this film as they took their slow, luscious bites of the pulpy, mysterious interiors of just-picked wonders. I hoped no one could see me in that dark theatre.  So, food porn, for sure. Then there's the politics and the informative aspect of this documentary about people out to preserve exotic fruit. So much to learn about this movement. This film is a great start. We follow a number of different groups, besides hearing from folks at a rare fruit convention, there’s another group in LA led by Bill Pullman pulling together experts and friends to create a neighborhood orchard, then some botonists attempting to preserve various tropical fruits through grafting, recognizing that small villages in rain forests aren't going to necessarily be motivated to save the last of a particularly rare mango tree, another, a banana farmer in Central America working with genetics to create more variety in the marketable banana.  Lots to know and learn, but mostly to scoop out and put in your mouth and roll it around and swallow.

Garibaldi's Lovers****

Director:	Silvio Soldini
Principal Cast:	Pierfrancesco Favino, Claudia Gerini, Alba Rohrwacher, Luca Zingaretti, Valerio Mastandrea
Country:	Italy
Year:	2012

A sweet Italian comedy that gets sweeter as it goes, but never crosses the line into schmaltz. Epitomizes the feel-good film with a couple of quirks all its own. Another of this director's films, "Bread and Tulips", is one I remember well as an equally sweet and endearing portrayal of regular people engaged in their lives in a most compelling way.  I don't love the title of this which is references a statue in an Italian city square who waxes poetic throughout the film.  The Italian title, The Commander and the Stork, captures the mood a bit better for me.

>>>Go Grandriders****

Director:	Tien-hau Hua
Country:	Taiwan
Year:	2012
Running Time:	75 minutes
Producer:	Yi-ying Lin, Ben Tsiang, Xenia Chang

This film is a great deal like Full Circle also shown at SIFF this year.  Some old folks decide to hit the road.  In this case, however, it’s in Taiwan and the people are real.  What they’re doing is riding around the entire island over the course of ten days on motor scooters.  Poignant and fun.

>>>The Girl With 9 Wigs****

Director:	Marc Rothemund
Principal Cast:	Lisa Tomaschewsky, Karoline Teska, David Rott, Maike Bollow, Peter Prager
Premiere Status:	North America
Country:	Germany
Year:	2013

You would think this would just be a grueling experience, watching someone go through 32 weeks of chemo, but it’s not.  It’s utterly compelling.  It may be because the main character is so beautiful, I know that’s part of it, but the story, itself was just enough unique and intimate, that it took me somewhere I hadn’t yet been, particularly when it comes to stories about cancer.  When it was over, I thought, well, that was amazing.  Of course, it only worked because the woman who played the girl with 9 wigs was perfectly cast and could pull off baldness and every one of those wigs with aplomb.  When that actress came up to the stage afterward alongside the real woman that the story is about (and who wrote it), and I saw that she had the same aplomb, I was extra blown away.  This is another one, by the way, in which I preferred the original title – this one was:  Today I am Blonde.

HER AIM IS TRUE****

Country:	USA , 2013
Director:	Karen Whitehead

The subject of this documentary, Jini Dellaccio, an amazing and intrepid musician and photographer who changed the look and feel of rock photography from the early 60s through today, is what makes this film a must-see.  The film, itself, however, definitely leaves you wanting more.  Based on the conversation the producer/director and her editor (shared at the screening I went to in which the editor said that during editing she continually helped the director focus back on Ms. Dellaccio, I was under the impression that there was an unlimited amount of archival data available, both about the groups she photographed as well as about her own history and portfolio.  However, once the completely satisfying first half of the film involving the fascinating arc Ms. Dellaccio’s life, the film then seems to only focus on a few of the album covers and musicians she photographed and keeps reshowing those pictures to the point that it feels there really isn’t much material to work with at all.  I would like to have seen either more on the groups or more on Ms. Dellaccio.  Unfortunately, I got neither. 

>>>The Improvement Club****

Director:	Dayna Hanson
Principal Cast:	Dayna Hanson, Paul Matthew Moore, Jessie Smith, Wade Madsen, Dave Proscia, Pol Rosenthal, Maggie Brown, Jim Kent, Peggy Piacenza
Country:	USA
Year:	2013

A deeply local and personal film about putting on a show, created by and with the troupe that actually did put on the show here in the Northwest.  The extremes they go to in order to get a chance to do their thing are hilarious and marvelously over the top.  Very enjoyable and fun.

JUMP***

Ireland/United Kingdom, 2012, 88 min

Director: Kieron J. Walsh

Cast: Martin McCann, Nichola Burley, Richard Dormer, Ciaran McMenamin, Charlene McKenna, Valene Kane, Lalor Roddy

Enjoyable, somewhat heavy puzzle movie.  There've been others of these and they're always fun. Difficult to pull off though, making sure we get it when we rewind time and then go forward and when we see how each of the complicated intersects make sense. This one is pulled off well and is often quite funny. Light on the character work, but that's not the point. 

KEY OF LIFE****

Japan

Director:	Kenji Uchida
Principal Cast:	Masato Sakai, Teruyuki Kagawa, Ryôko Hirosue

This is just all kinds of fun.  Sometimes it's difficult to trust that a comedy for another culture is going to satisfy, or even make you laugh. This one pulls it off.  It's funny, poignant and has some lovely twists.  As is true for audiences in most mistaken identity farces,  you spend a good portion of the movie very concerned about how things are going to turn out. This one makes it seem hopeless and impossible for all the characters involved, yet somehow things untwist and play out happily and satisfyingly. Great fun.

A Lady in Paris****

Country:	Estonia , 2012
Language:	French, Estonian
Director:	Ilmar Raag

I really enjoyed the premise of this one: a woman who originally came to Paris from Estonia, long ago and who is now quite open sexually and sensually is having to deal with issues around aging and a new, unwanted helper who has just arrived from Estonia and quite closed down sexually and sensually.  It’s beautifully and subtly played by the stars of the film, most notably by Jeanne Moreau in fine form.

THE LAST SHEPHERD*****

Italy

Director:

Marco Bonfanti

Here's what I wrote down in my notes when this movie ended: His eyes. The screen filled with a sea of sheep, their heads white capping down the highways toward Milan. Fantastic soundtrack. Just when it starts seeming too long, a very sweet, even though (or maybe because of), staged ending. I don't really want to say much more.  Go see this.  It's a documentary about a shepherd.

>>>Love is in the Air****

Director:	Alexandre Castagnetti
Principal Cast:	Ludivine Sagnier, Nicolas Bedos, Jonathan Cohen, Arnaud Ducret, Brigitte Catillon
Premiere Status:	North America
Country:	France
Year:	2013

I preferred the French title:  Love and Turbulence.  This is another fluff piece that is absolutely worth it.  I always pronounce loudly that formulaic film is not a bad thing, you just have to be sure to use the structure well and do something wonderful with it.  Like Haiku!  This film uses the romantic comedy formula right and does something wonderful with it.  Pure entertainment, great fun, and you get to see LOTS of Paris.

MIDDLETON***

USA

Director:	Adam Rodgers
Principal Cast:	Vera Farmiga, Andy Garcia, Taissa Farmiga, Spencer Lofranco,Tom Skerritt, Peter Riegert

A fine romantic comedy with scenes that work and scenes that don't. Cringe worthy clichés are mitigated by moments of truly  wonderful filmmaking.  The actors are all great, though often as uneven as the film, with some very fun cameos.  

>>>More Than Honey*****

Director:	Markus Imhoof
Country:	Germany
Year:	2012
Running Time:	90 minutes
Producer:	Pierre-Alain Meier, Markus Imhoof, Thomas Kufus, Helmut Grasser

This is my favorite documentary of the festival.  The photography alone makes it a cut way above the norm, but the evolution from issue of the honey bee's decimated population and the possible and hopeful resolution of that take it all the way to the top of my list.  Right away, because of this amazing photography and special effects, we are pulled deeply and intimately into the lives of honeybees. Once there, I must warn those of you who are sensitive, we experience horrendous and perhaps necessary choices on the parts of human husbandry that are pretty hard to watch. Once there, in that place of hopelessness and destitution, we are brought around to what might be happening naturally and possible human intervention to resolve the plight of our (I mean their) declining population.  

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING*****

USA

director Joss Whedon,  cast Alexis Denisof, Amy Acker, Nathan Fillion, and Clark Gregg

Oh this is just so much fun!  Shot in 12 days and presented in black and white with the actors speaking Shakespeare’s words as they are written, it shouldn't be so light and airy, but it very much is.  Perfect.  Hilarious takes, physical comedy, wry, perfect line delivery and love.  For those of us who adore Joss Whedon, it's just another perfect blending of cast and story.  If you adore Shakespeare, this one is as good a version as you can get.  If you don't belong to any of these fan clubs, you'll still love it, because it's infectious.  It takes about two minutes to get used to the language and to forget you're not seeing color and to stop thinking about the fact that all the scenes take place in Mr. Whedon's house (well, you don't stop thinking about that, but it doesn't distract).  Go see this one.

>>>Muscle Shoals****

Country:	USA , 2013
Running time:	102 minutes
Language:	English
Director:	Greg Camalier

Music lovers and music history buffs should enjoy this rich bowlful of performances, conflict, and lore from a small Alabama village that made its mark. You don't have to be a buff, however to be simply impressed with the story-telling skills of this filmmaker. Clearly he had a massive archive collection, which seems to make the difference between a good documentary and a great one. However, he also made the choice to include the story of the town, itself and the river as the metaphor and holder of spirit it very much is. 

OUR NIXON***

USA, 2013, 85 min

Director: Penny Lane

My political views were shaped from Watergate, so I wondered, as I watched this, how younger folks would experience it. Funny? Horrifying? It doesn’t go as deep as the Pentagon Papers, nor as complete as listening to the many tapes surprisingly never erased from Nixon’s vaults, instead it just fluffs around the top of a few of the major players in the strange interplay during Nixon’s presidency using their own videography from the time and playing some of the taped conversations over these. Revealing a kind of revelry that turns very sour and a creepy retelling of the Emperor’s New Clothes.

OUT OF PRINT***

Director:	Vivienne Roumani
Principal Cast:	Narrated by: Meryl Streep
Country:	USA

I would have been more satisfied with this documentary had I not stayed to listen to the director's commentary. To me, the conclusion of the film is that the digitizing of books isn't any different from other changes that have happened to the written word and our desire to share and partake of it. No worries - those of us who love to read and those who love to write will continue to do so, despite the changes in the tools. We as a culture would benefit from value shifts that cause more people to be interested and engaged and able to think outside the box. Reading and the other arts provide this. Seems like a good message. I certainly agree with it. Apparently, this wasn't the message. Actually, we're going down the tubes and can't stand to spend more than a few seconds reading a tweet. Eventually, even that will be a problem. Never mind Harry Potter - mentioned in the movie. Forget the abundance and availability of the written word as it's never been seen before - also noted. Now I don't know what to think. See this without the filmmaker and enjoy the varied and optimistic points of view presented. 

PAPADOPOULOS & SONS**   

United Kingdom 2012, 105 min

Director: Marcus Markou

Cast: Stephen Dillane, Georges Corraface, Georgia Groome, Selina Cadell, Ed Stoppard

I was planning to love this, but just couldn't. It's very sweet and that's the problem. The formula is set quite clearly as stuffy brother forced to get his hands dirty and carefree brother forced to grow up. This is a wonderful formula, seen in many great comedies, the always enjoyable Sabrina,  for example.  The brothers start out in what looks like these conflictive states, but really turn out to already be where they need to end up. So the plot moves from A to B (thanks Dorothy Parker). This lack of movement results in nothing compelling and no reason to be drawn in. The acting is great, the movie is well cast and of course, the  music is wonderful as one might expect from a  comedy about a Greek family, so go for these reasons. 

>>>A Pervert's Guide to Ideology****

Director:	Sophie Fiennes
Principal Cast:	Slavoj Zizek
Country:	United Kingdom
Year:	2012

Slovaj Zizek is a renowned sociologist/philosopher who speaks eloquently for a living.  He and the director Sophie Fiennes (sister to Ralph and Joseph), had already created a huge examination of film history called A Pervert’s Guide to Cinema.  This is their sequel.  Much less huge and more focused, it’s an enjoyable chunk of time wherein you listen to Zizek wax on about film and its relationship with religion and other forms of ideology, explaining, of course, what that term means.  The humor and film references make it fun, yet aren’t just there for the entertainment factor. They serve, also, to drive all the way home interesting perspectives and points.  It’s like the very best college lecture ever.

POPULAIRE****

France

Director:	Régis Roinsard
Principal Cast:	Romain Duris, Déborah François, Bérénice Bejo, Shaun Benson, Mélanie Bernier, Miou-Miou

This is a wonderful, sherbet colored homage to edgeless romantic comedies of the late 50s.  It did such a good job of this, it made me think fondly of many a Doris Day film. Of course, this was French, so there was also a pretty steamy sex scene that Doris would never have agreed to...  My only complaint is that the male romantic lead always has the same expression on his face, and it's not a very attractive one. Perhaps that's on purpose so the audience can keep its distance and not get too deeply involved in the inane and plot. Inane it is, and strangely charming and strangely refreshing. Interesting sociologically, this film really seems to get what these movies were about. A fun romp.  

THE PUNK SINGER*****

Director:	Sini Anderson
Principal Cast:	Kathleen Hanna, Tobi Vail, Kathi Wilcox, Johanna Fateman, Kim Gordon, Adam Horovitz, Carrie Brownstein, JD Samson, Corin Tucker, Allison Wolfe, Joan Jett
Country:	USA
Year:	2013

An astute and rich documentary filled to the brim with history, music, and story.  I was pretty much unaware of the Riot Grrrl movement, other than knowing the name.  I am now full up with facts and feelings about it.  I'm also astounded at the bravery and vulnerability of this movie's subject,  Kathleen Hanna.  You will be as well.  Go see this one.

>>>Ripples of Desire****

Director:	Zero Chou
Principal Cast:	Michelle Chen, Ivy Chen, Jerry Yen, Simon Yam, Joseph Cheng
Premiere Status:	North America
Country:	Taiwan

A grand opera of a Chinese folk tale.  Not as many dismemberings as can usually be found in this type of film, but there are some, for sure, though there’s not near enough sword play and dance combat as you might have wanted.  There’s a bit of humor in the sprawling and multi-linear plotlines, but nothing ends well and no one really gets what he or she wants.  This should be expected from such a story, of course.  Nonetheless, this is a marvelous eye-feast, sumptuous and rich with sinister evil and pure innocence, irretrievable tragedy and abiding heroism.  Hard to beat, really.

>>>Shadowed**

Director:	Joey Johnson
Principal Cast:	Sean Nelson, Conner Marx, Erwin Galan, Tara Simmons, David Hogan, Alison Monda, Sean Nelson
Country:	USA
Year:	2012

This one didn't get there for me. The plot was somewhat predictable, yet implausible. The characters were undeveloped and therefore quite irritating for those of us insulted by stereotypes. Still, there was some intrigue and some good moments, and it was shot here, so it gets 2 stars. 

A SHAPE OF ERROR*

Director:	Abigail Child
Principal Cast:	Eileen Ryan, Nick Wilding, Aurelia d'Antonio, Richard Wittman
Country:	USA
Year:	2012

I found this art film far too irritating to my senses to sit all the way through, though I stayed longer than half the movie. Too many high pitched, strident sounds and split screens for me. The story might have been interesting, it was, after all, about Mary Shelly, the novelist and her husband, the poet, but it was presented more like a soap opera, attempting to shock with the free love and infidelity of their lives, without setting us into the 19th century so we could experience it with eyes from that time.  

SHORTS:  two must-sees - Walking the Dogs and Ouverture

SHORT TERM 12*****

USA 2013, 96 min

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton

Cast: Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr., Kaitlyn Dever, Rami Malek, Keith Stanfield

This is one of my favorites. Charming, heart-warming, frightening, satisfying and full of hope, this is a small and enjoyable film that should have been a complete downer, yet was anything but. I had the advantage of viewing this with my friend Paulette who has worked at a facility like the one depicted here, and she assured me that there really were amazing people like the characters in this movie.  This made me feel free to imagine horrible childhoods and awful, untenable situations as changeable.  A strong script with mostly realized and complex characters and an equally strong cast put this one over the top for me.

SOMM****

Country:	USA , 2012
Language:	English, French, Italian, German
Director:	Jason Wise

A highly suspenseful and enjoyable doc about a handful of men, all friends, who are studying for and then taking the Master Sommelier test.  The test, apparently, is very, very difficult to pass and we see, in the course of the film, why that is so.  Wonderful.  Lots of wine.  Plenty of emotion. 

THE STORIES WE TELL*****

Canada

Director:  Sarah Polley.  

I keep talking to people about this one, and keep saying "Sarah Polley is a GENIUS", and keep thinking when I write this down that I just won't be able to put that vocal inflection into my written commentary.  So try to imagine me saying that quoted portion.  Here's the thing.  Ms. Polley, a gifted director with "Away from her" and "Take This Waltz" already under her belt, decides to film her family and some revelations that have occurred about her own origins.  Then she peels off a layer and shows us what that meant to her family and how they felt about being filmed, and then she peels off another layer and shows us how things were 30 some years ago and how people looked and how they acted and how things happened, and then she peels another layer off and then another, and finally, and most importantly, she pulls all the layers off.  How she can go so deep, and why she would when she had a good enough story to begin with, is also explained by what the people say to her as she films them.  She gets the whole thing in all its depth, through multiple, brilliant techniques, that she then reveals to us, and we get to go in there with her.  Just genius.  This one is a must-see.

THE SUMMIT***

Ireland/United Kingdom 2012, 100 min

Director: Nick Ryan

This is another documentary with a definite slant, this time for the story that wasn't told in the media about the heroics of one of the climbers of K2 in 2008 and the questionable behavior of others.  Since this side of the story wasn't told, this movie matters, but the slant ended up getting in the way of the experience for me, especially as the story winds itself to the tragic end.  Still, it's a nail-biter and clarifies, yet again, the incredible drive mountain climbers have and the incredible, variable obstacles to reaching the top of mountains.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS MAY APPLY ****

Director:	Cullen Hoback
Principal Cast:	With: Danah Boyd, Doug Rushkoff, Margaret Atwood, Mark Zuckerberg, Moby
Country:	USA

This is a must see for everyone. Not that knowing how extensive our lack of privacy is today will change that fact, but more of us having the level of information and awareness that this very thorough film offers may make a difference in times to come in terms of how our personal information is used. That is the power we have to wield and it's everything. 

TOUCHY FEELY*****

Director:	Lynn Shelton
Principal Cast:	Rosemarie DeWitt, Allison Janney, Ron Livingston, Scoot McNairy, Ellen Page
Country:	USA
Year:	2013

I can't help but love everything that Lynn Shelton creates.  Whatever it is about her films, they vibrate at exactly the right frequency for my sensibilities.  It's gratifying then, to see her become very popular and sought-after.  It's also a relief that this fame has in no way depleted her energy or tainted her unique work.  Touchy Feely is a wonderful, pleasant movie.  Though she makes little use of the adlibbed performances of her previous films, her characters continue to be quirky and real and her actors able to fully embody their complexity.  This one is a particular love song to Seattle.  Those of you who follow the local music scene here will love Tomo Nakayama's soul stirring performance.  Energy workers, particularly energy workers who are dentists (Paul R - that's you), will also feel treated by this film.  This is really a very simple story yet contains moments where each of the actors give their all and leave you quite breathless - either because you are laughing loudly, or hurting to your depth.  

The Trials of Mohammed Ali****

Director:	Bill Siegel
Country:	USA
Year:	2013

Informative and compelling documentary that focuses on the fighter and the fights, but not the bouts. Dives right in to the complicated morass of the black American Muslim movement of the 60s and dovetails nicely with The Warmth of Other Suns which I'm currently reading with my book group and which chronicles the evolutionary migration North of Southern African Americans in response to Jim Crow oppression. 

TWO MOTHERS**

Australia

Director:	Anne Fontaine
Principal Cast:	Naomi Watts, Robin Wright, Xavier Samuel, James Frechevile

Gorgeous women and gorgeous men.  Should be wonderfully titillating as these women sleep with each other's sons. Because both boys have known both women since they were born, and because i have raised children in a non-traditional family structure, I can only define what they are doing as incest, and just can't enjoy it. The film, itself, sort of points out how destructive these actions can be, but, like the mothers, just can't seem to stop itself. By that take, then, this is really just semi-pornographic, and if that's the case, then I'd rather have seen Robin Wright sleeping with Naomi Watts, so there. 

>>>Unfinished Song**** 

Director:	Paul Andrew Williams
Principal Cast:	Terence Stamp, Vanessa Redgrave, Gemma Arterton, Christopher Eccleston
Country:	United Kingdom
Year:	2012

With Vanessa Redgrave and Terrance Stamp at its helm, there can be no apologies that this one is a weeper.  Sweet and unobtrusive, it's a pleasant entertainment.  I have to admit it took me a few minutes into the film to get over the fact that my favorite Doctor Who was playing the son.  But that's just me…

THE WALL*****

Austria 2012, 108 min 

Director: Julian Pölsler 

Cast: Martina Gedeck, Ulrike Beimpold, Karlheinz Hackl, Wolfgang M. Bauer

This is a movie that provokes an inner journey. It is intense, sometimes difficult to watch and deeply beautiful. The wall works very well as a metaphor and quickly becomes unimportant as ideas of humanity and connectedness take and overwhelm. In these explorations, performed by a woman suddenly alone and the animals she takes on and befriends, it looks like this is a mood piece.  You certainly know quite early on that there will be some loss to contend with, but there is also poignant and challenging action and plot twists you don't see coming. In the end, this could be one of my favorite movies of the festival. 

THE WAY WAY BACK****

Director:	Jim Rash, Nat Faxon
Principal Cast:	Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph
Country:	USA
Year:	2013

This movie kept reminding me of one I saw when I was younger called Meatballs starring Bill Murray.  Then I read somewhere that it was an homage to such coming-of-age films from that earlier era, so there you have it.  Even though it harkens back, I found it a bit better than those films, a tiny bit less sexist, quite a bit more funny and much more poignant.  It's got a great cast of course, Toni Collette, Steve Carrel, Alison Janney, for starters, and lots of bite amid the sweetness. Fun and satisfying. 

WHAT MAISIE KNEW***

USA 2012, 93 min

Director: Scott McGehee, David Siegel 

Cast: Julianne Moore, Steve Coogan, Onata Aprile, Alexander Skarsgård, Joanna Vanderham  

It's a fun film, well acted with a predictable, though outrageous outcome.  it's quite charmingly romantic and the little girl is cute as a button, but really, for me, it is mostly a horror story.  By being set from the point of view of this very believable child character, the film lets us know how completely vulnerable children are in their worlds and how easily mistreated even through the best of intentions (which are quite rare here). That's hard to watch, and so, since the movie really ends up as a romantic comedy, I'm not sure the balance works. 

>>>When I Saw You****

Director:	Annemarie Jacir
Principal Cast:	Mahmoud Asfa, Ruba Blal, Saleh Bakri, Ali Elayan, Firas Taybeh
Country:	Palestine
Year:	2012

The device of presenting the tragedy of war from the viewpoint of a child is one that works brilliantly more times than not.  Where we might not otherwise look, we must.  Here, it is a lovely and soft story in an ugly moment in mid-east history, the Six day war.  We follow a young, very independent boy as he insistently attempts to find his way back to the home he is a refugee from.  His mother and a group of insurgents involve themselves in his journey.  We who watch know very well things don’t turn out at all well for these people, but we must watch.  It is a wonder and a pleasure how much beauty and warmth are squeezed from this dusty, dry and hopeless landscape.

>>>Wolf Children****

Director:	Mamoru Hosoda
Principal Cast:	Voices of: Aoi Miyazaki, Takao Osawa, Huru Kuroki
Country:	Japan
Year:	2012

 If you adore big-eyed Japanese animation, this one is lovely. There are a few moments that give one pause (as they involve bestiality), and it goes a little long, but I enjoyed the story and loved the experience of watching two little children grow up and choose their destinies.  There are moments that are wonderfully endearing, particularly involving the children shifting between human and wolf (baby and puppy, really), that have stayed with me.

Yesterday Never Ends**

Director:	Isabelle Coixet
Principal Cast:	Javier Cámara, Candela Peña
Country:	Spain
Year:	2013

A grueling talkie wherein a separated couple tries to work out the tragedy they share and the rift it created between them.  Bleakly filmed, with incredibly brilliant acting, and not really enough of a catharsis to make it worth it for me.

Youth*

Director:	Justine Malle
Principal Cast:	Esther Garrel, Didier Bezace, Emile Bertherat, Lucia Sanchez
Country:	France
Year:	2012

A tedious and unpleasant film that seems to be relying on the fact that it is directed and written by the daughter of Louis Malle, rather than attempting to prove skill beyond it.  The casting is probably the most problematic, its star not able to produce real tears, nor garner any real sympathy from the audience.  Next in line is the script, again, not really designed to bring us in to the story, but to keep us at a distance.