Sun Wu-Kong is a character in Chinese lore that I grew up with, so it is of particular interest to me that Alexis Gideon will be reinventing it in rock opera form. This will be showing at Disjecta at 8:00pm on September 3rd.

Check out this description:

A one-hour multimedia video opera based on the 16th-century Chinese novel The Journey to the West, Video Musics IIjoins the brightest lights of contemporary animation (Becca Taylor (Punk Planet, Arthur); Cynthia Star (Coraline, Moral Orel, Robot Chicken); Ezra Claytan Daniels (The Changers and Black Violet)) with the most promising talents of contemporary music (Rachel Blumberg (M Ward, Arch Cape); Cory Gray (Norfolk & Western, Carcrashlander);Shelley Short (Hush)) to create an aural and visual universe that gleefully transcends both media. Is it film or music, high art or pop? Gideon’s work would fit snugly at either the Whitney Biennial or SXSW, which is to say it cannot be contained, really, by either venue. Marked throughout by the ambition, commitment to detail, and refusal to settle that have earned Gideon a cult following on both sides of the pond.

Judging by the company Gideon keeps, this is going to be amazing, musically, visually, and all around creatively.

Alexis Gideon Video Musics II: Sun Wu-Kong Official Trailer from alexis gideon on Vimeo.

After four years and 20,000 guests served, filmmaker George Motz and the team behind the NYC Food Film Festival are pleased to announce the first annual Chicago Food Film Festival, taking place September 24-25 at the MCA Warehouse. Packed with mouth-watering documentaries, features, short films and food, the festival brings you the opportunity to taste what you see on screen for a multi-sensory, full-bodied experience.

Kicking off with Edible Adventure #002 on September 24th, each film is paired with a tasting of its subject matter. Nuggets of fried cheese curds, corn dogs, and other fair foods are served with the film Eat Your Fill, directed by Mark Irving, where a man eats every menu item that is fried and/or on a stick at the Wisconsin State Fair, to special ice creams paired with trippy The Death & Life of Ice Cream, directed by Orrin Zucker. Look out for other delectable matches of films and food involving oysters and exotic sodas like Fanny Bay oysters served during the screening of Craig Noble’s The Perfect Oyster and exotic sodas paired with the award-winning Soda Pop.

Closing night, September 25th, takes you on the Chicago Burger ‘N Beer Experience, curated by Chicago’s own Chef Michael Kornick. While feasting on burgers supplied by Kornick’s DMK Burger Bar and drinking independent beers from Chicago and beyond, festival-goers can feast their eyes on films such as Beer Wars, directed by Anat Baron, and The Best of Hamburger America, directed by Festival Director George Motz.

The festival sprang from the imagination of George, after the critical success of Hamburger America film and book, along with co-creator Harry Hawk, formerly of Schnack and Water Taxi Beach. ??In 2009, acclaimed director Ron Mann called the festival “his absolute favorite” after his film Know Your Mushrooms was screened and followed by a 10-course mushroom-inspired tasting menu from Next Iron Chef star Brad Farmerie of Public and Double Crown. Other past events have included a screening of Whole Hog by Joe York, during which over 1000 people feasted on whole hog barbeque. Following a screening of the food film classic Big Night, the audience enjoyed a re-creation of the famous Timpano featured in the film. And at the World Premiere of Florent: Queen of the Meat Market for one night only the audience was treated to memorable menu items from the shuttered iconic restaurant.

For those who act quickly, the Festival is offering a limited number of discounted VIP Passes and Pre-Sale Tickets to most events beginning this evening, Thursday, August 19th at 5 PM CST. Visit www.chicagofoodfilmfestival.com to order online.

Sally Tomato’s rock opera, Toy Room, arrived with a cover that boasted of four acts and ten accumulated laurels from the 2009 festival circuit. I pretty much always watch rock operas with hesitation, for their qualities are largely determined by the quality of their music. Toy Room was met with similar levels of hesitation.

The music of Toy Room is mostly competent, falling under all genres, from synthpop and alternative to hard rock and new age. There’s even an electronic track replete with Autotune! Not all of it is top-notch, but there are a couple songs that stand out; the rest are generic songwriting central, but they seem to fit pretty well with this film. Take that as you will.

What did seem like it took intensive time and energy was the editing. Toy Room was originally a stage-performed rock opera, the film swaps between scenes filmed from live performances to clips of weird karaoke-cheesy shots. The transition scenes are heavily edited, with fade-ins and montages galore. Whoever edited this film decided to pull out all the stops, and stylistically, it seem like every basic post-production trick was included… in an early ’90s sort of way.

Toy Room tells the story of a young lady who grows up lonely, finds refuge in her fantasy world, becomes involved in a shoddy marriage, and then finds freedom in rock concerts and coincidental self-enlightenment. Like the editing, the storyline goes all over the place and was certainly aiming kind of high when it was crafted. Nonetheless, some of the songs and lyrics are downright dumb; one childhood flashback recalling Sally’s purchase of a doll features a boring alternative rock song with horrendously mundane lyrics: “Don’t worry about the price/ Just pick one that’s nice.” And to describe the doll: “She has big eyes and a frozen tear/ There is no crying here.” Remedial English lyrics, galore.

It is the moments when the play/film/music turns slightly darker that the music is actually tolerable. That makes the accompanying visuals in those scenes also somewhat tolerable.

Musically, stylistically, and visually, this film is all over the place… and I have a hard time determining who on Earth the target market could possibly be. No matter, though. I can’t say I would really recommend this film to anybody, despite the hours and hours, I’m sure, that were put into it. To the filmmakers’ credit, though, everyone certainly went all out. Balls to the wall, if you will. I suppose if it were the actual performance and not a hodge-podge of a DVD, things would fare slightly better.

A band’s claim for being the “loudest live band on the planet” gets thrown around quite often — and why shouldn’t it? If your band is reliant on distortion, just crank those knobs and make some eardrums bleed. That is, at least, the mentality for a lot of bands. And while the Scottish post-rock tour de force Mogwai don’t quite fit into that mentality, they are one of the loudest live bands you’ll ever see — a fact that is no doubt agreed upon by everyone who has witnessed the sonic force.

Burning was recorded over three shows Mogwai played in April of 2009 in Brooklyn, New York City. The subsequent black and white film by Le Blogotheque directors Vincent Moon and Nathanael Le Scouarnec attempts the largely impossible task of capturing the ferocity and the serenity of Mogwai on stage. By far and large, the filmmakers succeed.

The film opens with “The Precipice”, one of the heavier jams Mogwai are known to break into, and it is clear from this song how the film will unravel — with lots of long takes, lots of close-ups on guitar-playing hands, and lots of contrast. This third aspect is really the key to the film, though. Moon and Le Scouarnec juxtapose a soothing black against a very hard and light white, and it is perfectly fitting to what the band projects through their sound. Mogwai, after all, virtually wrote the book on how to go from nothing to everything in a heartbeat.

The filming on songs like “I’m Jim Morrison, I’m Dead” is much more subdued while still maintaining the style of long shots and close-ups. But the pacing of the shots are longer and lack jerky motions – the style fitting Mogwai’s gentler moments. When the song picks up, however, the intensity of the camera’s shots and movements do as well. When Mogwai get roaring musically, jerky movements render the film nearly unwatchable; during similar moments in a live setting, the band’s is nearly
unlistenable due to sheer noise volume. Once again, Moon and Le Scouarnec do a great job of mirroring the band.

The key with Burning is that it is for Mogwai fans only. The film is not a good introduction to the band, because no matter how hard they try, Moon and Le Scouarnec have an impossible task of capturing one of the most dramatic live bands around. At only around eight songs, the film is a bit short, but the filmmakers’ simple and artistic approach lends itself fantastically to Burning.

REVIEW BY PETER WOODBURN.

And so another year’s Seattle International Film Festival comes to a close. You might be saying “Hey! You only watched like eight movies? What kind of publication is this?!” Tut tut, readers.  We here at Redefine watched a boat load of movies! We just couldn’t find the time/space/wherewithal to write about every single one.

But because we love you guys, and to prove to my editor that I really did watch all those movies I said I watched, here’s 29 mini-reviews of all the films I saw that I didn’t get a chance to write about.

Air Doll - Japan

Korean actress Bae Do Na (The Host) stars as a sex doll given a soul. “Nozomi” partakes of all the wonders of human life: some sunshine, a part time job, some casual sex, and murder. But does she deserve this gift? It’s like Pinocchio, if Geppetto gave him a rubber vagina.

Amer - Belgium

Giallo is more than just the color red and extreme close ups of sweaty women. There’s supposed to be a little bit of pulp in there too! All style no substance. Second portion is exceptionally long and drawn out.

Beyond Ipanema - Brazil

Brazillian music is cool. A bunch of Americans think that. Brazillians are surprised that Americans think that. A musical movement is born! Too bad it’s already over.

Cargo - Switzerland

What do you get when you cross Sunshine and The Matrix? An irredeemable, Hindenburg-esque atrocity of a movie. When it starts you ask “where is this going?” When it ends, you answer “absolutely nowhere.” Shitty European CG doesn’t help either.

Castaway on the Moon - Korea

Korea’s take on Castaway. Worthless man is trapped on an island in the middle of Seoul. Internet-living woman sees him out of her window.  Woman wants a human connection, man just want Black Bean Noodles. Duck boat suffers.

The Concert - Russia

Charming, slightly cloying movie about an over-the-hill orchestra. Also, Jews being Jews. Take your parents, they’ll think you’re the best. The woman from Inglorious Basterds is gorgeous.

Crossing Hennessy - Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s take on When Harry met Sally. Asians feel love too! Especially over dimsum. Director Ivy Ho has a way with dialogue, but when the dialogue disappears, the movie plods.

Dear Lemon Lima - USA

Charming, adorable, cute, funny and earnest. Like all the non-sci fi parts of Donnie Darko. Even half-eskimo, suburban girls just wanna have fun! Fun movie for all ages.

Disco and the Atomic War - Estonia

Low, low, low budget documentary on propaganda experiments during the Cold War. More interesting than it sounds! Estonia is used as a media lab rat by the USSR due to its proximity to Norwegian radio waves. Communists want to see what all the fuss about, Estonians ask, “Who Shot JR?”

Hipsters - Russia

It’s hard out here for a teenager in Communist Russia. Glee meets Glasnost as young good-fer-nothing Russians trade their bootstraps for wingtips, wear Technicolor clothes. I personally liked the uptight Katya more than either of the leads.

Holy Rollers - USA

It’s hard out here for a young Hasidic ecstasy dealer. Jesse Eisenberg is probably a better actor than Michael Cera. The dude from the Hangover plays the best orthodox douchebag. Based on a true story.

Howl - USA

Pros: James Franco plays Allen Ginsberg. Cons: Like watching a Wikipedia article about Howl. Useless and disappointing if you’ve read the work. Who’s bright idea was it to animate Howl? Animation looks like a Fantasia fan-project loaded with cocks.

I Killed My Mother - Canada

It’s hard out there for a French-Canadian gay teenager. Pretty good movie for a 21 year old. Moms are the worst! Aren’t they? Main protagonist still comes off as a bit entitled and bratty.

K-20: The Fiend with 20 Faces - Japan

Batman Begins with a lower budget and a mounted camera. Kids in movies are still annoying. When did Steam Punk = Nikolai Tesla fan-fiction? There’s probably going to be a sequel.

Kanikosen - Japan

What the hell is this movie about? Proletariat prisoners on a crab canning prison ship invent unions, have dreams about tossing a beach ball. Chinese caricature on a Russian crabbing ship imparts valuable wisdom. I can’t tell if it’s interesting or not.

Like You Know It All - Korea

Talky movie about a young, shitty director and the shitty things he does. There isn’t a single likable person in this movie. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing! Also, film directors are all fucked up people.

Night Catches Us - USA

Philly in the 70’s never looked so cool. Good performances by all the leads, excellent costuming. Even better music. It’s hard out here for a young black man in a post-Panthers world (no joke).

The Oath - USA

Excellent documentary about reformed Jihadists. Abu Jandal might be the greatest motivational speaker of our time. He’s so good even I considered Jihad for a second.

The Penitent Man - USA

Fuck this movie. This is the movie the douchebag in your quantum physics class tries to make. Blah blah blah blah blah wormhole blah blah blah blah die. This is the worst movie Lance Henriksen has ever been in.

Plug and Pray - Germany

Could God build a robot so smart even God couldn’t beat it? Could man? SHOULD man? Also, the Japanese are still creepy.

Protektor - Czech Republic

Czech radio ain’t what it’s cracked up to be. Leading lady Jana Plodkova has gorgeous eyes, Protektor has gorgeous art direction. But ultimately, if you’ve seen one Nazis vs Films period piece you’ve seen them all.

Queen of the Sun - USA

Bees are really important. Bees are really in danger. Beekeepers are 95% crazy people. This documentary makes it’s point about half way through, and then goes off the deep end of bee admiration. Credits song is ridiculous, on par with the Monster Squad closing theme.

Rapt - France

French Asshole rich guy is kidnapped, no one cares. Criminals, frustrated that no one cares, release him sans a finger. Asshole levels up in assholery. Too Haneke or not too Haneke?

RoboGeisha - Japan

Unlike it’s nihilistic, unfeeling brethren (Tokyo Gore Police, Meatball Machine), RoboGeisha offers a little bit of heart and soul with its pop-culture detonation and gory slapstick. Exactly like aforementioned brethren, the movie lags a bit in the middle during the exposition. Bad guys: “It hurts when you cut me!”

The Sentimental Engine Slayer - USA

Mars Volta guy makes Mars Volta-esque movie about El Paso teen life. Masochistic to make, masochistic to watch. Joyless. It’s hard out here for a sociopathic, hooker choking, tranny fucking teen.

Skeletons - United Kingdom

Finally, a sci-fi movie that actually kind of works! Two dudes go around cleaning out people’s closets (read: secrets). Probably more enjoyable then that DiCaprio “I’m in ur dreams solving ur crimes” movie. Maybe it’s because everything sounds wittier with a British accent.

Some Days Are Better Than Others - USA

It’s hard out here for a twenty-something in Portland. James Mercer does a decent job, especially with the atrocious dialogue he’s given. Me and You and Everyone who watched this movie should demand their two hours back.

Vengeance - Hong Kong

Vengeance is not blind; it just has a memory problem. Old hitman seeking revenge for his daughter’s assault hires cool looking hitmen to kill cool looking hitmen. But sometimes even he can’t tell Asians apart! Lol! Nice to watch Johnnie To movie that isn’t about Triad politics.

William S Burroughs: A Man Within - USA

Burroughs is insane, we all know that. But did you know that he was like the King Midas of Insane? Everything he touches goes nutso. Even Peter Weller is batshit crazy now.

Whew! Glad that’s out of the way. See you next year, SIFF.

Director: Arvin Chen
Taiwan, 2010

Taipei is a gorgeous city at night. Writer/Director Arvin Chen obviously knows this, and reveals this (poorly kept) secret to the world in his debut feature Au Revoir Taipei. This unrelentingly adorable film focuses on a single night in the titular city, following a young man named Kai (Jack Yao) and his quest to win back his ex-girlfriend who is studying in Paris. This involves him acquiring a one-way plane ticket to his former love, which he can only get with assistance from a local “made man” who is quietly trying to go legit. With the help of his tall but meek friend Gao (literally “high”), and the mousy but surprisingly forward Susie, Kai dodges wanna-be gangsters in bright orange suits with only one thing on his mind: love.

The leads may be a capable, adorable couple but the city is the true star. The film captures eloquently some of the most charming aspects of the city: the multicolored broadways, the lush night markets, the hedge maze that is the Eslite main store. Au Revoir Taipei is a caper that is constantly interrupted by the city’s many treats. Kidnappers take a side route to pick up some dumplings.  A chase through the park is stopped by the neighborhood midnight exercise squad. A conversation between gangsters is interrupted by the loud slurping of beef noodle soup. It’s quintessential Taipei.

A perfectly balanced hybrid of Wong Kar Wai’s chaotic urbanism and Wes Anderson’s quirky cadence, Au Revoir Taipei is a universally enjoyable movie, a strong first film and an endearing document on the natural charm of Taipei, a city that never sleeps.

Au Revoir Taipei was screened at the 2010 Seattle International Film Festival and can be seen on these dates:

June 12^th - Kirkland Performance Center @ 6:00 PM
June 13^th - Pacific Place Cinema @ 9:15 PM

This week’s recommended picks! Go to the website for the Seattle International Film Festival for more details.

8: The Mormon Proposition

A documentary studying why Proposition 8, the constitional amendment banning gay marriage, passed in California. The primary reason they point to is the Mormon Church’s heavy involvement in the movement to stop gay rights.

SHOWTIMES
Mon, June 7 @ 7:00pm (Egyptian Theatre)
Tue, June 8 @ 4:15pm (Egyptian Theatre)

Gordos

Five overweight individuals struggle with images of self in this black comedy, and it doesn’t help that their skinny therapist feels more and more revulsion towards larger individuals as time goes on — especially for his pregnant wife.

SHOWTIMES
Wed, June 2 @ 9:30pm (Egyptian Theatre)
Fri, June 4 @ 11:00am (Pacific Place)
Mon, June 7 @ 9:20pm (Uptown Cinemas)

The Two Horses Of Genghis Khan

The Two Horses Of Genghis Khan (Chingisiyn Hoyor Zagal) is a documentary film about a Mongolian vocalist, Urna Chahar-Tugchi, who is from a family livestock farmers from Inner Mongolia. She promises to repair her grandmother’s violin and find the song inscribed on the violin’s neck — one which originated in the Middle Ages and is utilizes a specific singing technique which makes it possible to sing on horseback for hours.

SHOWTIMES
Thu, June 3 @ 5:00pm (Everett Performing Arts Center)
Sun, June 6 @ 4:00pm (Uptown Cinemas)
Tue, June 8 @ 9:15pm (Egyptian Theatre)

Robogeisha

Robogeisha is an outlandish film where cyborg geishas fire machine guns out of their hands and chop off heads with blades emerging from leg warmers. Directed by Noboru Iguchi, creator of Tokyo Gore Police, RoboGeisha is meant to be ridiculous, and it revels in it.

SHOWTIMES
Fri, May 28 @ Midnight (Egyptian Theatre)
Tue, June 8 @ 10:00pm (Neptune Theatre)

Altiplano

A village falls sick due to pollution from a local mine, and its superstitious residents turn their rage on local doctors. It’s a study between old beliefs versus new ones, and how they connect in our world today.

SHOWTIMES
Wed, June 7 @ 6:30pm (Pacific Place)
Fri, June 9 @ 4:00pm (Egyptian Theatre)

Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist, And Rebel

Hugh Hefner is known as an old man with Playboy girlfriends, but who is he really? This documentary explores his life and how he has influenced female rights and legislature such as Roe v. Wade.

SHOWTIMES
Sat, June 5 @ 6:30pm (Egyptian Theatre)
Sun, June 6 @ 1:30pm (Egyptian Theatre)
Wed, June 9 @ 9:30pm (Egyptian Theatre)

Protektor

A stylish drama set in Nazi-occupied Prague, which explores the fragility of relationships by means of bright, minimalistic visuals.

SHOWTIMES
Wed, June 9 @ 9:00pm (Kirkland Performance Center)
Fri, June 11 @ 6:00pm (Pacific Place)
Sun, June 12 @ 4:00pm (Egyptian Theatre)

Hipsters

Set in 1950s Moscow, Hipsters shows how musicians can break free in the midst of Soviet conformity. A love it or hate it musical some will swoon over and others will abhor.

SHOWTIMES
Sat, June 5 @ 5:45pm (Kirkland Performance Center)
Thu, June 10 @ 6:30pm (Egyptian Theatre)
Sat, June 12 @ 2:30pm (Pacific Place)

Brotherhood

Brotherhood explores how homosexuality changes when placed under the weight of society. Lars and Jimmy meet when training together in a neo-Nazi group and soon find themselves feeling deeply passionate about one another. The atmosphere of intolerance forces them to keep their relationship under wraps.

SHOWTIMES
Mon, May 31 @ 9:00pm (SIFF Cinema)
Fri, June 4 @ 9:30pm (Uptown Cinemas)
Wed, June 7 @ 4:30pm (Egyptian Theatre)

I Kissed A Vampire

It’s a vampire musical. That’s all you need to know, really. If you like guys who look like Adam Lambert, this is the boat for you.

SHOWTIMES
Sat, June 10 @ 7:00pm (Neptune Theatre)
Mon, June 12 @ 4:30pm (Egyptian Theatre)

The Wildest Dream (IMAX)

Go along with Conrad Anker as he recreates the journey of Geroge Mallory, a man who died upon scaling Mt. Everest in 1924. Using the same equipment and clothing as Mallory, Anker finds just how difficult it really is, and why Mallory departed with the words, “We shall go, and if it is a one-way ticket, so be it.”

SHOWTIMES
Fri, June 11 @ 7:00pm (Pacific Science Center IMAX)
Sat, June 12 @ 1:30pm (Pacific Science Center IMAX)

The Sentimental Engine Slayer

The debut full-length film of The Mars Volta’s Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, The Sentientl Engine Slayer is a grimy look into the life of Barlam (played by Rodriguez-Lopez himself), who seems to be spiraling out control. The film is loaded with bright colors and iconography, and a killer soundtrack one would of course expect.

SHOWTIMES
Thu, June 10 @ 9:30pm (SIFF Cinema)
Fri, June 11 @ 4:00pm (SIFF Cinema)

Micmacs

The newest film by Delicatessen screenwriter and director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Micmacs is a surreal dark comedy where a homeless and jobless Bazil finds himself associating with a whole slew of eccentric characters.

SHOWTIMES
Fri, June 11 @ 7:00pm (Uptown Cinemas)

Plug & Pray

A documentary that looks at the creation of artificial intelligence and where the future of it might lead us.

SHOWTIMES
Wed, June 9 @ 9:30pm (Harvard Exit)
Sun, June 13 @ 6:00pm (Harvard Exit)

This week’s recommended picks! Go to the website for the Seattle International Film Festival for more details.

Some Days Are Better Than Others

Four Portlanders with different — yet very Portland, Oregon-esque — lives spend their days trying to find meaningful human connections. The sell here is the acting debut of The Shins’ frontman James Mercer and Sleater-Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein.

SHOWTIMES
Mon, May 31 @ 9:00pm (Pacific Place)
Tue, Jun 1 @ 4:00pm (Pacific Place)

Garbo: The Spy

Certainly there is no shortage of stuff we don’t know, and Garbo: The Spy is a reminder that we really don’t know anything. An account about a Spanish doube agent during WWII who manipulated just about everyone, Garbo compiles archival footage, interviews, and music to show us the life of Catalan Juan Pujol, who ultimately retired by faking his own death.

SHOWTIMES
Tue, June 1 @ 5:00pm (Everett Performing Arts Center)
Thu, June 3 @ 7:00pm (Pacific Place)
Sat, June 5 @ 11:00am (Pacific Place)

Waste Land

Chosen as best documentary by audiences at Sundance and Berlin International Film Festival, Waste Land follows New York artist Vik Muniz as he heads to Brazil to take on a project in the world’s largest landfill. He creates portraits of local garbage pickers using recycled materials and uses time lapses to document the transformation of the portraits.

SHOWTIMES
Tue, June 1 @ 7:00pm (Pacific Place)
Wed, June 2 @ 9:30pm (Pacific Place)

Gordos

Five overweight individuals struggle with images of self in this black comedy, and it doesn’t help that their skinny therapist feels more and more revulsion towards larger individuals as time goes on — especially for his pregnant wife.

SHOWTIMES
Wed, June 2 @ 9:30pm (Egyptian Theatre)
Fri, June 4 @ 11:00am (Pacific Place)
Mon, June 7 @ 9:20pm (Uptown Cinemas)

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo

Apparently, in Japan, beetles are a respectable creature that are collected and sometimes even sold in vending machines. In this experimental documentary, Jessica Oreck explores this fascination and abstractly draws parallels between the lives of the Japanese and beetles.

SHOWTIMES
May 31 @ 1:30pm (Pacific Place)
Wed, June 2 @ 9:15pm (Harvard Exit)

Disco And Atomic War

resented in a combination of Estonian, Finnish, Russian, and English, Disco And Atomic War reveals the strained relationship between Finland and Russia during the Soviet era, as residents of Tallinn, Estonia did everything they could to rig their television sets to watch illegal Finnish television and get a handle on “dangerous” Western culture.

SHOWTIMES
Thu, June 3 @ 7:00pm (SIFF Cinema)
Mon, Jun 7 @ 9:30pm (Egyptian Theatre)
Wed, June 9 @ 7:00pm (Kirkland Performance Center)

Father And Guns

The highest-grossing French language film in Canada, Father And Guns (De pére en flic) is an outrageous buddy picture between father and son cops, Jacques and Mark Laroche (French-Canadian comedians Michel Côté and Louis-José Houde).

SHOWTIMES
Thu, June 3 @ 9:15pm (Uptown Cinemas)
Sat, June 5 @ 9:00pm (Uptown Cinemas)
Fri, June 11 @ 4:30pm (Kirkland Performance Center)

Ride, Rise, Roar

David Bryne’s collaboration with Brian Eno was a musical dream come true for many individuals, and this concert film documents a 2009 tour where the two decided to collaborate again for the first time in 30 years.

SHOWTIMES
Thu, June 3 @ 9:15pm (Everett Performing Arts Center)

Brotherhood

Brotherhood explores how homosexuality changes when placed under the weight of society. Lars and Jimmy meet when training together in a neo-Nazi group and soon find themselves feeling deeply passionate about one another. The atmosphere of intolerance forces them to keep their relationship under wraps.

SHOWTIMES
Mon, May 31 @ 9:00pm (SIFF Cinema)
Fri, June 4 @ 9:30pm (Uptown Cinemas)
Wed, June 7 @ 4:30pm (Egyptian Theatre)

Fight Club

This film needs no introduction. A part of SIFF’s Tribute To Edward Norton, Fight Club will be airing at the Egyptian as a midnight screening this year. You don’t want to miss it.

SHOWTIMES
Fri, June 4 @ Midnight (Egyptian Theatre)

Hidden Diary

An estranged mother-daughter relationship leads Audrey to her grandparents’ old home, where she discovers an old diary that recalls her grandmother’s life in the 1950s. The result gives Audrey new insight on her own relationships with the female figures in her life.

SHOWTIMES
Sat, June 5 @ 11:00am (Egyptian Theatre)
Thu, June 3 @ 4:00pm (Neptune Theatre)

Cell 211

New prison guard Juan Oliver falls unconscious after a minor accident, and after fellow guards place him in a cell to recover, inmates escape and seize control of the prison. When he comes to, he decides not to give himself away and fakes being a prison inmate through all the turmoil.

SHOWTIMES
Sat, June 5 @ 7:00pm (Neptune Theatre)
Mon, June 7 @ 4:00pm (Neptune Theatre)

The Two Horses Of Genghis Khan

The Two Horses Of Genghis Khan (Chingisiyn Hoyor Zagal) is a documentary film about a Mongolian vocalist, Urna Chahar-Tugchi, who is from a family livestock farmers from Inner Mongolia. She promises to repair her grandmother’s violin and find the song inscribed on the violin’s neck — one which originated in the Middle Ages and is utilizes a specific singing technique which makes it possible to sing on horseback for hours.

SHOWTIMES
Thu, June 3 @ 5:00pm (Everett Performing Arts Center)
Sun, June 6 @ 4:00pm (Uptown Cinemas)
Tue, June 8 @ 9:15pm (Egyptian Theatre)

Turtle: The Incredible Journey
Director: Nick Stringer
United Kingdom, 2009

An Interpretive Review by Lillian Sullam

I am a Loggerhead turtle.

I break out of shell and sand. I traverse the land to reach the sea. The crabs and gulls see me as prey, but I am determined, I must satiate this driving hunger that permeates my being, I must continue forward.

It is along the Gulf Stream that I navigate. Heading north on my float-sum raft with companions in the shape of sea horses and fish that have camouflage exteriors to mimic the vessel we reside upon. I am still soft shelled. I need to grow and rest.

A strange stillness envelopes our journey. We have been driven off course into a timeless Sargasso sea. Within moments a great beast obliterates our raft, tossing apart what kept alive my companions. I am alone now. I must use my arms to regain my sense of direction. I search and search. I swim through swamps of black sludge that sticks to my body. I pass the carcass of a turtle just like me, hollow in the eyes, covered in thick oil. I pass beautiful shinny float-sum. I am so hungry I eat it, but it does not break apart. It does not taste like anything. Ahead of me I see translucent orbs with beaded strands swaying in a breeze created by the creatures. Their movement is hypnotic. Their movement entices me, fuels my hunger. Is that a fish I see, encased in their arms, encased in death? I can’t tell, all I know is that I must eat this tantalizing creature. The first bite releases delicious chewy sustenance. In this consumption I am aware that eons of ancestors developed a tolerance to the poison, to make food out of an enemy. I again am hopeful. I know I can find my way out of this limbo.

Back in the Gulf Stream. How long has it been? I am older now. Larger, but still not as large as the magnificent humpback whale. Or the sleek blue shark. I trail behind them on my own journey, but I am curious about where they go. How long have they been making this voyage? In the North Sea the sky above the roof of the ocean sends down torrents of water droplets. It sends down thousands of hands that thrust apart portions of the surface, making waves, colliding with each other. I am too small to fight this energy. I give up and allow the current to take me towards the imposing rocky pillars of the shore.

Tranquility again. I swim away from the stone island, in a sea that is rapidly cooling. I makes me sleepy, as though I could just rest forever. But at night, I see the magnetic beacon. The shimmery curtain of light in the sky. I reminds me of my journey. Of the path I need to continue to follow.

Back south I have broken free of the Gulf Stream and head towards the warm waters of the Azores.  In this place I can truly rest and build up my strength. Among the schools of fish and coral, are others like me. Some have been here a long time. Some are just arriving. I see their shapes floating by and wonder what their paths were like. I burrow into the sandy floor and sleep.

My shell is hard now. I am larger. I must continue traveling. I leave the peace and comfort of the Azores and continue south toward the heat of the equator. Along the way I see the bounty of the ocean. Schools of small fish form bait balls that shimmer and spiral like a whirlpool. Into this funnel dive sea birds, dolphins, sharks, and more, to eat whatever they can grasp. I look for stragglers. I am not fast enough to navigate those twirling masses. As I continue onwards I see the belly of a shadow hovering at the surface. From it descends delicious morsels of food. I swim up to one and investigate. It is a small squid. I am hungry and have been traveling for a while. I eat the squid. I am pricked in the jaw. I cannot control my movement. I am lifted up towards the edge of the water, towards the light. I struggle, but I cannot out maneuver this stronger beast. Hanging above the surface I am grasped. I see a blue shark drying up on the deck of the beast. The hook is removed from my jaw and I am tossed back into the water. As I reenter, I see others being lifted out of the water. My mind tells me to swim away and not look back.

I know I am close. I have been traveling for years. I know I am almost there. Finally, I reach the Caribbean. These clear warm waters feel like home, though I’ve never been here before. I know this is where I must stay for a while. Here, where food is bountiful, I swim through coral that sways an alluring dance. Past sting rays with their ghostly white bellies. I see hammerhead sharks. Fish the colors of sun beams passing through sparkling water. I make a home and rest. I eat the crunchy shells and sweet meat of crabs scurrying along the sandy floor. The seasons pass. I wait. I am patient.

One day, I wake up and know my time has come. My body is healthy and ready. I must return to the sands where I was born. I bid the Caribbean goodbye. I will be back, but not for a while. I begin to swim north again. To go back to those sands I must bring something. I must give something to the land. I wait in the shallows of sea grasses. The sun drops beads of light. I sense his presence. There in the distance, heading toward me is another turtle. Like me. We are few at this age. Our lives are solitary. But we know were to go to find each other. In the descent of a timeless sun I am ready to bestow upon the land my burden, my gift.

How many years has it been since I left? Twenty summers have passed. I catch the scent of my home waters and swim with greater determination. My mind is a map and I am making a complete circle. The beach is obstructed by a barrier. A dead reef barrier. I must find a way around it. There are large shadows, large sentinels guarding the beach. They do not move, but blink a light display when the sun disappears. With all of my might I make it across the strange obstruction. I allow the tide to take me onto the shore. I have not touched land since I left this beach, breaking out of the shell. Here, on a surface that makes me awkward and slow, I move at a pace that is filled with determination. I find the spot. I begin to dig, I shift sand and shift sand and I stop when I know that it is the right depth. I lay my eggs. Hundreds. I encase them in sand and return to the ocean. I leave them behind, entrusted to the land, entrusted to millennia of knowledge.

My journey is complete.

Turtle: The Incredible Journey screened at the 2010 Seattle International Film Festival. All screenings have passes since the posting of this review.

Review by Yair Rubinstien

Directors: Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass
USA, 2010

Brothers, and Cyrus co-directors, Jay and Mark Duplass have not shied away from their stated intent to make ‘genre films.’ It’s an odd conceit from a duo who’ve been lumped in with the for-better-or-worse-entitled ‘mumblecore’ movement; a style more prone to moody atmospheres and sparse dialog than showboat character acting and predictable plot developments.

I suppose it’s fitting then that Cyrus splits the difference between the two. The plot is fairly formulaic – lonesome divorcee John C. Reilly befriends equally lonesome single mother Marisa Tomei at a swanky LA dinner party.  Their courtship quickly escalates, only to be sabotaged by Tomei’s needy, 21 year old man-child, Cyrus (played by Jonah Hill).

Photo by Chuck Zlotnick

Hilarity abounds throughout the film, emanating mostly from Reilly and Hill’s combative, juvenile relationship (and more generally from Cyrus’ bizarre demeanor).  The film swiftly charts its course, ending with little fanfare. However, it’s clear from early on the Duplass brothers have little interest in making an Apatow-like farce.

Rather than descend into pure caricature, the Duplass brothers treat their subjects with a tenderness and introspection that pushes them more towards their mumblecore peers. While the stellar cast deftly explores these dimensions, it’s clear that Hill, either as a result of his prescribed role or his acting chops more generally, has the most trouble breaking out of the one-dimensionality of his character. Overall though, the film was able to be entertaining without losing its empathetic sensibility. In other words, it’s mumblecore for the masses.

“Cyrus” has screened already at the Seattle International Film Festival. It opens in theaters everywhere during the summer.