November 14, 2007

SLIFF DAY 6 Recap

I don't mean to be nonsequential but I got busy with my job and had to come back ot this one. sorry!

On a day when most festivals take a breather (Tuesdays), the St. Louis International Film Festival got some life.

I saw two great films, had the dickens scared out of me and laughed a lot.

OS 117: Cairo, Den of Spies
This film came highly recommended and with all the heavy stuff I've been seeing I needed a light of frivolity. "OSS 117" is a redux of the French spy film series of the 60s and 70s. I think. French spy thrillers are not my forte'

Anyway, this time around, the franchise has been reshaped is a comedy, a la' the Naked Gun movies or rougher, more politically incorrect version of "Get Smart." It was a non stop laugher of intelligent humor, well timed physical comedy and general silliness. The apex was a fight between two men battling it out with live chickens

When I arrived at the theater the house was packed and few seats could be found. The crowd was laughing and enjoying itself throughout the film.

Big Dream Little Tokyo
One of two Japanese themed films screening on Tuesday, this one tells the story of Boyd a really white kid who wants to be a Japanese businessman and his hapless friend Jerome who is a Japanese-American trying to fit in. jerome's efforts t become a sumo fail miserably. I liked the film because it had the feel and texture of a movie like Napoleon Dynamite without the reliance on gimmicky dialogue. The atmosphere of the film had the air of an Adrian Tomine comic. This is a light, fun film about cultural acceptance. The laughs were bountiful too which is nice.

American Fork
I did not see this movie but there are a lot of people talking about it positively.

There were two people in the Tivoli lobby tonight reading Dickens, I don't think they were in a class or anything. Still in our age of downloading, audio books and smart bombs it's kind of disturbing and refreshing to see someone, much less two someones, reading Dickens.

The new Alan Moore League of Extraordinary Gentlemen graphic novel comes out tomorrow. Yippee!

Posted by at 11:20 PM |
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