Wednesday

"Le New Yorker"
"Blue Ridge Fall"

"Movie theaters are social: the gossipy ticket line; communal high-velocity eating in the dark. And movie houses preserve the trappings of theaters: the parting curtains, the vestigial stages, too skinny for anyone to walk on but wide enough to suggest their heritage."

- Laurie Anderson
"Stories from the Nerve Bible"

Went to the Dobie at 7. Dreaded the experience after the nightmare of yesterday but had to see "Le New Yorker." Met my friend J.C. who was sitting in our usual spot. Right behind him was the lady I met on day 2 who knows Harry Knowles. As I promised myself, I gave her a flyer for the site and told her who I was. I assumed she already knew (cause I'm an egotistical asshole), but I think she was actually surprised. She is a very nice person and I really like talking about films with her. When we left to go to the Arbor she stayed to see "Natural Selection" which seems to be having sold out showings at the festival. I hope I can see it when it is released whenever. It has Darren Burrows from "Northern Exposure" in it and I have always like him.

"Le New Yorker" is a film about a Frenchman who comes to New York to meet up with a female "acquaintance" he barely knows. The film surprisingly leaves a lot of questions unanswered and, through the course of the film, leaves chunks of the story seemingly missing. It doesn't have holes, but rather seems to avoid the obvious or the inconsequential and compliments the audience by assuming we are wise enough to come up with a coherent reason for the leap. I liked this. For example, two female characters meet to talk about the main character but they do not even know each other. We assume the one has somehow gathered information and tracked down the other, but it is never explained how. It is simply presented as it is.

Director Benoit Graffin, who scripted the film with David Bock, starts the film, after the credits, with one of the most amusing and interesting scenes you can imagine. It sets the tone for the piece and creates a moment rife with possibility. While this scene also acts as a set-up for a flashback, the film wisely only goes into the reverse for the first reel. After that, it is back to the original set-up which, in turn, evolves into the rest of the story. It's a great plot outline and it's filled in with an awesome script full of interesting characters and unique situations.

Matthieu Demy, son of filmmakers Agnes Varda and Jacques Demy, plays the lead, a slightly light-headed Frenchman who comes to New York with no set plans. Of course, he will be victimized at every possible step through his journey, he's naive and innocent and not very bright. But, although their are a few typical moments, most of his victimization is new and unique and fresh. In particular, the plot takes a hairpin turn near the end that is totally unexpected and totally breaks the quaint "feeling" the film has established, taking it into much darker terrain. It's uncomfortable and chancy. And that's what makes it so brilliant. It's so unexpected that it becomes mind-boggling. Those unaccustomed to intelligence or daring in film will find it bothersome. The adventurous will revel in it. Needless to say, I loved it.

Using location shots and seeming Dogma 95 style shooting, Graffin has crafted a low budget indie with a foreign film feel. He doesn't allow convention to stand in his way. The film's protagonist talks in English while in America, but his wry, wonderful, outsider observations about America and New York, which are in narration, are in French with subtitles. This is a marvelous effect that gives the film so much depth and truth. The location shooting makes the film seem real and pointed. We believe the Frenchman's tale so easily. The quirky twists and turns in the plot can go from romantic to delightful, from morbid to harrowing. Graffin never once takes us for granted. He assumes we are adventurous, intelligent moviegoers. His film compliments the viewer at every step. And his ending, again defying convention and the audience's inbred desire, is nothing short of masterful. This is a remarkable film. Truly wonderful. not perfect. But damn near it.

Adding to the grace of the film is wonderful performances by Shawn Elliot. His wonderful American male character Dana, in the throes of discovering a female friend as a lover, is revolutionary on screen. Better yet, it acts as a great impetus for a plot line in the film. Too bad actress Grace Phillips has such a struggle in bringing her character to life for us to truly believe her part in the plot. It's the only poorly drawn character in the film. She isn't given enough of a script to support her character and she can't act her way out of it. Her chemistry with Demy is almost non-existent and it is only his charm that saves the film.

Already released in France, "Le New Yorker" truly gives audiences a wonderful traveling experience. The different languages used help accentuate Demy's feeling of adventuring into a new world. The French pop music soundtrack perfectly accentuates the film's feel of a foreigner in New York. It just always feels right. It's a great film that takes nothing for granted and, in the end, says much about who we are as Americans and how we are truly perceived by the Europeans, or at least perhaps by an average Frenchman. It's a cultural wonderland on film.

Traveled to Arbor for "Blue Ridge Fall." Seemed to start about 15 minutes late but at least the staff were nice and the film presentation was very good. The film started slightly out of focus and the projectionist was immediately on it. Awesome.

"I thought "Blue Ridge Fall" might be like "River's Edge," an 80's film with Dennis Hopper about a bunch of troubled teens who help one of their clique hide a murder. Instead, it is much more 90's and more mainstream. Imagine "River's Edge" meets "Varsity Blues" and that's a pretty good idea of the film.

Obviously shot on a large budget and using some fairly well-known actors, or at least consummate professionals, the film's plot is probably no better than the awful "Wednesday's Child." But here we have professional actors, a professional script, a professional director and a professional crew and all of these "little" things make a world of difference. Even though someone like Tom Arnold and Amy Irving play pretty typical characters, they have the ability to at least make them believable, so it may be familiar, but it least it isn't amateurish.

Still, "Blue Ridge Fall" has loads of problems. It's typical. The bad guy is a religious zealot. The retard is a retard who commits a crime he can't even comprehend. The end of the film can be seen coming. The patsy can be seen coming. Etc... Still, it has some heart and the actors save a lot of the film from failure. Jay R. Ferguson, of "Evening Shade" has grown up and actually gives a damn good performance. His fallen hero has a deep fear of going back to prison and Ferguson emotes this subtly in every moment on screen. Chris Isaac plays a cop but he's stuck in a rather limited role. His character, as well as the character of the girlfriend, his sister, needs to be more a part of the film early on, so that the conclusion of the film
rings more authentic. Rodney Eastman plays a wonderfully subdued "slow" man child without ever being maudlin or hammy.

Neophyte Writer/Director James Rowe does have some interesting moments. The opening shots, where the brutality and populist feel of a high school football game are juxtaposed against the rendering of artistic charcoal drawings of scenes from that game is quite nice. Something I don't recall ever seeing before. But he too often opts for storytelling rather than filmmaking and the script bogs down on too many characters, none of which are all that unique. Rowe needs to work on being more dramatic, more artistic and more withdrawn. He has the beauty of the Carolina countryside at his disposal, but the film brings us none of this in depth. The script, it seems, has been chopped a bit in editing as well and the film sometimes wavers between ideas and plot leaving us slightly confused. The film also ends on a rather well-traveled, albeit sweet, moment.

AKA "The End of Innocence" and "Shepard," the film is going straight to video in the U.S.

Went to Aimee's Ice Cream at the Arbor mall at 11:45pm, 15 minutes before closing and got the most awesome service I have ever received in Austin. The guy behind the counter did not once make us feel like we were a nuisance, even though it was obvious they were trying to get ready to close. I will go there again. The place was awesome. Wish whoever owned this place would open some restaurants too. Aimee, whoever she is, is a customer service genius.

Tomorrow is the last day of the film festival. I am exhausted. Still, can't wait to see "Sweet Thing." God, I love movies!