Day 9: September 17

The fest grinds to a halt, as almost every press/industry screening left is a film from Canada (this is not a good sign).

Had a chance to have a long talk with Ken Burns today, a wonderful experience. He was generous with his time, and clearly seems to be a filmmaker who loves what he does, is earnest without coming across as smug. The full interview will be posted soon.

Primer proved to be a surprise hit for me, a refreshing and impressive debut. Definitely a film to watch, one that treats the audience with appropriate respect. A thinking person's Memento.

Following this screening, and skipping out what was proving to be a very impressive Q&A, I slippped over to the Elgin for a film/concert involving the Weavers. Fun to see the 80-something year old folkies get down with their bad selves on the Uptown stage. More nostalgia than musical epiphany, it was still a rare privilege to experience this type of event at the festival.

Year of the Yao
Directed by: James D. Stern, Adam Del Deo

Way, way better than I thought it'd be, Year of the Yao is actually quite a fascinating look at the cultural differences between China and the Southern U.S., and what happens when a giant moves from one side of the world to the other. With pretty startling access to Yao from before he leaves China through his first year as a pro, the film has all the drama you'd want from a sports movie, with some genuine documentary sensitivities. The film never feels like some sort of shill, but an actual historical document of this strangest of cultural immersions for a national superstar.
Grade: A-

Primer
Directed by: Shane Carruth

Oh, man, they don't make 'em like this often. A film unabashedly for the nerds in the audience (God love us), this is the type of film you could inflict upon your enemies, watching them squirm as they stare uncomprehending at the screen. With more than a little bit of self satisfaction, I rode the wave of this film's story and loved every minute. The rapid fire dialogue is like best of written Jazz, complicated, confusing, but crafted with tremendous skill and dexterity that it feels improvisatory. There's a number of twists in this film to be sure, many that will no doubt lose some of the punch if they're revealed. Talk to no one, just go see it. You will not be disappointed with this film that's certain to become a cult classic.
Grade: A

68

Isn't This a Time! A Tribute Concert for Harold Leventhal
Directed by: Jim Brown

A real-life Mighty Wind, but with worse production values. Leventhal was a folk impresario in NYC, famous for helping launch Dylan to superstardom. In a tribute concert, the likes of Peter Paul and Mary, the Weavers and Woody Guthrie take the stage for a folkin' good time. The overt political message (election year, anyone?) is in keeping with the times, but it all seems like so much 60s banter. The highlight was certainly the fact that the Weavers were in the audience for the show, and played a few numbers. Introduced by Roger Ebert, unabashedly a fan, they stumbled through a number of their hits. Pete Segar's looking a bit worse for wear, but they did do the songs justice, and the audience certainly was receptive. Hard to think I'd ever need to see it under any other circumstance, but it did make for an enjoyable selection at this year's fest.
Grade: C+

Rahtree: Flower of the Night
Directed by: Yuthlert Sippapak

Creepy ghost-in-the-hotel story plays all the notes you'd expect from this type of flick, right down to the sawing scene shown to the right. After Primer, I was hoping for a bit of rocket science in my MM film I guess, and this wasn't it. Pretty good in parts, its unforgiveably slow in others, making for a hard slog this late at night.
Grade: C+