There are several reasons why October is my favorite month of the year (the temperature is no longer ungodly scorching, AMC continues its tradition of running the same four "Friday" and "Halloween" sequels back-to-back daily, "pumpkin spice" is a staple of every other spoken sentence) and no better way to kick off the Fall than the annual Milwaukee Film Festival.
Living within walking distance of both the Oriental and Downer Landmark theaters means smelling digital emulsion and excitement on the air for the entire two week run (the longest run yet) of the festival. All I have to do is take a glance down Murray to spot the flashing bulbs of the Oriental's marquee and lines wrapped around the corner where Twisted Fork and Replay used to be.
Today marks Day 10 of the festival, with Thursday, October 8th the end date. Here is my quick analysis of what I've seen, what I want to see, and what I was supposed to see what didn't in order to avoid a complete film burnout.
Youth
Seen It: Thursday, September 24th at the Oriental
Review: Oscar Winner (2013's "The Great Beauty") Paolo Sorrentino's follow up borrows plenty from Bergman in terms of visuals and a cast of stars playing elderly artists reflecting on their respective swan songs. Word on the award street is that Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel are on the Oscar hunt this year, as is Jane Fonda (who appears for a whole five minutes playing basically herself). The cast brings their all, giving more to their characters than what appears on paper. But the real star is the camera, which paints each frame with a gorgeous surrealist brush. "Youth" won't be appearing on my 2015 Top Ten (unless "Spectre" and "The Force Awakens" go horribly, horribly wrong) but there's enough here to engage of the interests of anyone with more than six Criterions on their shelf at home.
Neptune
Seen It: Wednesday, September 30th at the Oriental
Review: An impressive independent debut from filmmaker Derek Kimball and co-writer Matthew Brown (from Milwaukee) shot mostly in Mane but with some footage in Milwaukee as well. The cast brings some serious talent (especially lead actress Jane Ackermann) although the dialogue isn't the strongest tool in the box. As with "Youth", the camera muscle was one most exercised with plenty of shots to make one forget about the low budget nature of the film. The story packs heart and ideas about the social pedestals people put themselves on when religion and class come into play.
The Look of Silence
See It: Monday, October 5th at the Avalon Theater
Review: Joshua Oppenheimer's follow-up to 2012's "The Act of Killing" continues to explore the 1965 ant-communist genocide conducted in Indonesian. While Oppenheimer's first film points the camera directly at the leaders of the former death squads and gradually forces them to see themselves as the monsters they are, "The Look of Silence" focuses on the victims of the crimes. A man named Adi, who was born in 1968, not only interviews his family about the violent period but also directly confronts the men responsible for his brother's brutal murder. Just like with "The Act of Killing", Oppenheimer isn't afraid to keep the camera going even when accused murderers are demanding that he shut it off. He gets right where the emotion is and with many uses of the name "Anonymous" in the credits, this clearly wasn't a safe film to make. Powerful doesn't begin to describe what is shown on screen. There were tears and audience members walking out at my showing.
Turbo Kid
Seen It: ...I didn't.
Review: Yeah, this one was at midnight and I pretty much just needed another ticket to fill out my six-pack. But hey, at least my money went to supporting the festival, so whatever. Sometimes you just need to pace yourself. Or apparently I only enjoy bummer documentaries.
Stop Making Sense
Review: Easily the most fun concert video ever, directed by Jonathan Demme ("The Silence of the Lambs"). It was like being at an actual concert, complete with obnoxious drunk people and beach balls. The film itself isn't anything you really need to own, but being with a live audience granted permission to dance is a blast. And yes, David Byrne wears the suit in this one.
The Seventh Seal
See It: Sunday, October 4th at the Oriental
What to Expect: Even though this Criterion has been sitting on my shelf forever, I've only ever seen the first twenty minutes. I easily could've skipped this and just popped it into my DVD player, but nothing beats black and white 35mm prints on the big screen. Anyway, a Knight plays chess with Death for the fate of the world or something.
The Armor of Light
What to Expect: A documentary which is sure to have the Festival's 99% liberal audience standing and applauding. A minister finds his own pro-life beliefs at odds with his pro-gun ones after witnessing the epidemic of mass shootings taking hold of this country. I'm hoping that this film focuses more on personal growth and ideals rather than politics, but I'm expecting the camera to lean pretty heavily towards the left.
The Shining
See It: Tuesday, October 6th at the Oriental
Review: Just like "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Dr. Strangelove" before it, this one will be projected in 35mm film (and presented by former Brewers pitcher and film fan John Axford). Easily the best horror movie of all time, and in contention with "2001" for best Kubrick movie of all time, start your Halloween season off right. And remember, no TV and no beer make Homer something, something.
2015 Film Festival Secret Screening
See It: Wednesday, October 7th at the Oriental (for Film Members only)
What To Expect: Usually this film festival gets the Chicago film festival's table scraps, but last year's doc "Last Days In Vietnam" went on to receive an Oscar nomination and one year the festival screened "Silver Lining's Playbook", so who knows. My guess is "Captain America: Civil War".
Cartel Land
See It: Wednesday, October 7th at the Times Cinema and Thursday, October 8th at the Downer
What To Expect: Easily the film I'm most excited to see at this festival will also be my last. Every year there is a documentary about the cartel issue in Mexico, but none have looked more intense than this one. Executive Produced by Kathryn Bigelow ("The Hurt Locker" and "Zero Dark Thirty"), the film focuses on two vigilante groups, one in Mexico and the other in the Arizona desert, battling to put an end to cartel violence once and for all.
2015 Film Festival Sponsor Trailer
What To Expect: Dogs!
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