FESTIVALS, PLAYGROUNDS AND NANTUCKET

Cannes, that mixture of polemics, partying and film, is going on now. With its bikini clad and unclad starlets and serious film professionals, it is often the Mecca for film people. That was why I was glad to hear that my entertainment lawyer friend, Vinca Jarrett, with whom I had lunch on the opening day of Cannes, was not going. Having gone for several years, she dropped out. My take is that there is too much schmooze and too little substance. The same way Sundance has become.

Here in New England, we face a mini-version of the same problem. In the middle of June, just before the start of the tourist season, but still having the benefit of warm beach-going weather, three oceanside towns host film festivals, two of them on the same weekend. Newport comes in first, with Provincetown and Nantucket going head to head on Father's Day weekend. So much for family values.

All three festivals have drifted away from reginality and toward celebrity. A few years ago, former UA head and board member Bingham Ray urged Nantucket to cultivate a New England program. Instead, the festival has gone for celebrities. Last year it was Charlie Kaufman and Jim Carrey. This year it's Steve Martin. Certainly worthy participants, but... (To be fair, the absence of sponsorship from the state run Mass Film Office, now out of business, may have contributed to this) But this year, there are only five New England films in the program: STOLEN, SAME SEX AMERICA, GAME SIX, and two short films. Programmer Tom Hall, with whom I talked yesterday, is happy about the program

As much as I have liked Nantucket in the past, I will probably go the Provincetown this year. I have a friend who has a film in the festival, and, quite frankly, it is not as much of a logistical hassle to get there, nor is it as expensive. And it's great to be sitting at a cafe and see John Waters bicycling up the street.

In this context, however, another seaside community, Woods Hole, has to be commended for refusing to go the celebrity route. To be sure, there have been important people there: Gordon Willis, Julie Harris, etc. Here it is, a festival at the height of tourist season (late July-early August), with rooms scarce and lines at restaurants, and there is more of a commitment to regional filmmakers than the other three festivals combined. And it is a fun, filmmaker-friendly festival. And it is the oldest of the four. Director Judy Laster is to be commended not only for her steady hand on the growth of the Festival, but for her commitment to regional filmmakers, whose participation in the festival helps make the festival so festive.

EASY RIDER VS FUNNY HA HA

I took a filmmaker friend to see Andres Bujowski's justifiably acclaimed FUNNY HA HA the other day, and I was struck by the laid back dialogue that Bujowski does, and that Richard Linklater has done so well from SLACKER and DAZED AND CONFUSED to the BEFORE....films, reminds me of the slightly more pretentious dialogue in films like EASY RIDER and the Viggo Mortenon character in the 60's nostalgia piece WALK ON THE MOON. Characters shake their heads while talking, nod in agreement, and not unlike what Vanessa Redgravce tries to do in BLOW UP, move to music. My friend, Nora Jacobson, who has also made a film about young people, a stunning film called NOTHING LIKE DREAMING, shot in Vemont, has young people who do less shaking of their heads and saying "cool" than actually engaging in talking directly about the issues that confront them. For me, that resonates more

DAVE LEWIS NEXT PROJECT - MOB YOGA

Writer/producer/director Dave Lewis is at it again, taking a story line filled with incongruities and finding a synthesis. His recent short comedy, SPAGHETTI AND MATZO BALLS now beginning its try on the film festival circuit, finds a way of synthesizing Jewish and Italian cultures. The feature story, something of an expanded version of the short, preserves the previous incongruity and adds Eastern mysticism and a touch of THE CRYING GAME. There's more to synthesize, but also the potential for more fun.

He's written over 50 pages, and he can't resist the dialogue driven nature of some of the scenes. After all, he's been aggressively taking acting classes, and likes dialogue. But he needs to have a more "show it, not tell it" attitude, so the challenge is to keep expository dialogue at a minimum, which is why he can't relegate the material from the short to back story, Because of a change in productions values, he'll have trouble keeping scenes from the short in the feature.

But with Dave's tenacity, his sense of not only incongruity and the oxymoronic, but also the comic potential of potentially offensive material, both sexual and otherwise, his endless search for feedback, and help from his co-producer, J.P. Oullette, himself an expert in what makes B-movies tick, having written a couple of good scripts himself and directed an HP Lovecraft story. The two teamed up to help produce Garth Donovan's EVERYBODY'S GOT ONE, which I found a little crude and offensive for my taste, but, on the other hand, , I'm also a big fan of THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY and moments of films from old acquaintance Todd Phillips ROAD TRIP, OLD SCHOOL and the unreleased FRAT HOUSE.

Dave's film, which will get made, is another indication of the increasing production activity in New England, with THE BUSKER, LEGEND OF LUCY KEYES and FADE TO BLACK nearing completion, and MILLION CALORIE MARCH, DIXIE STORMS, and the new Jay Craven film with Kris Kristofferson in various stages of preparation. These activities, plus the Beacon Hill initiative and the foundation of the Massachusetts Producers Coalition point toward a healthy future for film and video in the second half of this decade.

FADE TO BLACK - A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH

Tonight I saw a rough cut of a film that has the potentiality to be the most interesting film to come out of Boston since BLACK AND WHITE AND RED ALL OVER, a Sundance competition film made over 10 years ago. (And,yes, I include my heavily liked NEXT STOP WONDERLAND among those that this film can potentially exceed).

A film about racial violence, and more importantly the psychology of violence, it was made by two Boston filmmakers, Trevor Bailey and Bill Singleton, whose knowledge of film is astonishing. I saw an earlier 3-hour rough cut over 8 months ago, and I knew the film was unwieldy, too much sociology on its mind that distracted from the compelling core story. They have cut the film to under 2-l/2 hours and they need another 30 minutes cut out. I brought my friend, editor Loren Miller, whose editing of thesis films by BU graduate students in the 70's and 80's helped put BU's film program on the map. I hope they will retain him for the final cut.

Like local filmmaker Andrew Bujowski's deservedly acclaimed FUNNY HA HA, FADE TO BLACK has the feel of lived in reality. The hand held camera and overlapping editing only add to the intensity of the dramatic and action scenes that are at the film's core. The filmmakers have worked on this project for amost three years. I look forward to helping them bring the film to a successful conclusion.

ENRON-THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM

ENRON, certainly a fine documentary but a thoroughly dispiriting one. A little more in the Errol Morris tradition than that of Michael Moore, it chronicles the trajectory of the fall of Enron. Not that there's anything new to report (although I didn't know about the Asian-American guy who married a stripper and made off to Colorado and Hawaii with $350 million), and it doesn't really take pot shots at the Bush administration.

Nevertheless, while watching Morris" FOG OF WAR one can't help but think about the disastrous thinking that has gone into Iraq. So, too, watching ENRON, one cannot only think about the total moral bankruptcy of the current administration, that wraps itself in patriotism and piety, but one that lies, cheats, steals and kills, one that not only reflects but one that cultivates the very values that led to the fall of Enron. (Cheney even touted the Enron CEO for Secretary of Energy). But the film is bold enough to suggest that the Enron debacle is not isolated, that it happened in a culture of greed and deceit. When one listens to Ken Lay's reassurances to the workers and investors of Enron, one can only be reminded of the deceptions of the Bush administration and the gullibility of the public who voted for him. And, just as the film states that there will be future Enrons, one can only think of the damage this administration has done that will haunt us for decades.

FILMFEST NEW HAVEN - BURSTING WITH ENERGY

Earlier this week I had the good fortune to meet the new directors of FilmFest New Haven, two lovely and energetic women: Heidi Hamilton, Executive Director, and Melissa Bisagni, Artistic Director. The former Artistic Director and good friend Nina Adams invited me down to meet them wanting to make sure that my annual shorts program "Best of the Boston Underground Film Festival," always a hit, would be a part of this year's program. And, thankfully Nina is staying on as "Artistic Advisor."

For a while, it had looked like the festival was in trouble, what with higher overhead due to its internationalization (increased shipping costs with no funding to bring in filmmakers) and also to unrealistic staff salaries. And there was not a proportionate increase in advertising and sponsorship. It was not an atypical regional film festival scenario.

But the Festival found these two highly motivated (and attractive) women to take over. Heidi, with a business background specializing in marketing, wants to keep the New Haven community festival base, while expanding outreach for films that might have more specialized audiences. New Haven doesn't need to be a Mecca for anyone other than the filmmakers who attend. She will focus on developing the core base. On the other hand Melissa has the necessary ingredients that too many administrators of regional film festivals lack: passion and knowledge. Melissa not only knows film, not just historically, but aesthetically. She once took a master's class with Christopher Doyle (HERO, IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE) , but she knows her way around contemporary and historic film. This enables her not only to communicate with the filmmakers, most of whom bring a similar knowledge and passion, but allows her to bring a context to the screening and selection process, that can increase the audience and critical respect the Festival already has. The only other regional festivals that cultivates such people are Maine, where Ken Eisen puts together a superior program, and the Boston Jewish Film Festival, with the incredible Kaj Wilson as Program Director. And I'm reminded of the qualities that led me to bring aboard and transfer power to Anna Feder and Kevin Monahan for the Boston Underground Film Festival. Their passion, knowledge and zeal are saving the festival.

Whatever process or wisdom or accident the Board of Film Fest New Haven came up with these
two women, I don't know. But with Heidi focused on marketing, sponsor development and audience development, and Melissa, focused on programming, the festival has a shot. To be sure , the Festival is in a transitional process. Because of the time frame, there was no call for entries. It is the 10th anniversary of the Festival, and they have decided that there will be three components: highlights from the previous festivals, a stronger presence for Connecticut filmmakers (always a wise move, both politically and financially) and some curatorial work on the part of Melissa, Nina, with a little prompting from others.

I feel good about their future and look forward to going there and participating again. In the final analysis, as Almodovar would agree, it's all about passion.

GOING TO THE MOVIES - ANOTHER TRADITION IN PERIL

I was disheartened to read about the simultaneous release both in theatres and on DVD and pay per view of the next film by the pioneering director of SEX, LIES AND VIDEOTAPE. At the end of Pedro Almadovar's BAD EDUCATION comes the word "passion", which describes the feeling of one of the characters, who happens to be a film director. It is also the sentiment behind Guy Maddin's remarkable short film HEARD OF THE WORLD where the word "KINO' keeps flashing on the screen.

For me, going out to the movies has been a communal experience. Although I often go alone, there is often the joy of discovery and the chance of sharing that joy with others in the theatre. When I ran the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, I would often introduce the shows, and stand in the lobby afterwards to see and sometimes share the responses of my patrons. (Even if it was something like, "Why did you make me watch that piece of shit, David?)

Last week I blogged about how good it was to have institutions like Fenway Park and the Boston Athaneum still around and last night I was able to share my feelings with Jane Holtz Kay, a preservationist friend of mine who wrote the book LOST BOSTON. But my friend in Toronto, who grew up in the Boston area, reminded me that we've lost the Orson Welles, the Central Square, the Exeter, Off the Wall, and Park Square and Kenmore Square Cinemas, places where one could discover new work and rediscover the old and do it not alone with one's video monitor, but with others. It was a joyous time.

At least the Coolidge and the Brattle are still around. In that respect Boston is doing better as a film town than many others. And, this week, the Brattle is showing a series of classic Westerns. I hope they do well, since New Englanders have never been big on Westerns. Brattle programmers Ned and Ivy are excellent programmers. I know they have been struggling, but it's nice to have a theatre being programmed by people who have a passion for film, both the new and the traditional. And going to the Brattle can still be a communal experience.

I just hope Steven Soderberg's experiment underperforms. For those dwindling numbers of us that still have a passion for film, and love to share that passion with others, young and old, we need another nail in the casket due to the demands of economics.

TURTLES CAN FLY

Certainly an extraordinary film from Iraq and Iran, but not a good movie to take a mother to on Mother's Day, which I did. With a cast of seemingly hundreds of children, most non-professional actors, many of whom have lost limbs because of stepping on mines (the American mines are the best) or through the conflict, it is hard to take. There's no make up job here when one of the main child characters with no forearms takes up a child who may or may not be his little brother into the stumps of his arms in an effort to comfort and protect him. With further explosions, suicides and mercy killings, it is a film worthy of the Bunuel of LOS OLVIDADOS, or of Hector Babenco's PIXOTE. But not a Mother's Day film.

Directed by Kurdish filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi of A TIME FOR URNKEN HORSES, another feel good film, TURTLES CAN FLY is not without its moments of surreal humor. And the kids are resilient. Led by Satellite, an entrepreneurial huckster who trades in satellite dishes to get true information on the eve of the American invasion of Iraq. He also trades in mines. As might be expected there are no women and few girls, only a stunning performance by the beautiful Avaz Latif, the sister of the boy with no arms. She is truly heartbreaking. And parts of the film are almost pro-American. Nevertheless, I feel the last image of the film, with the battered Satellite on the road with the American troops arriving says it all.

On one level, the film does not entirely succeed. The narrative is often less than coherent, and it's not clear whether the prophetic vision of the boy with no arms comes from his nature or because he has no arms. Nevertheless, TURTLES CAN FLY is a powerful movie going experience.. I'm glad Mother's Day is over.

BUFF 2006

Yes, there will be an 8th anniversary Boston Underground Film Festival. We are in the planning stages now, with Anna and Kevin already rolling up their sleeves for next year. Although we still have to determine dates (new) and venue(s), we are meeting with the Cultural Attache for the Canadian Consulate to see how we can get more support for the large number of Canadian films we show, and we have contacted Scitt Bernstein of TGF Entertinment about helping us with sponsorship.

And, on Sunday, May l5, we are having a thank you/forward looking dinner party for all who have helped out. A lot of people really did help out. Our limited resources made what success BUFF 7 had all the more astonishing.

BOSTON TRADITIONS

Within a ten day period recently, I had the good fortune of visiting two vital but contrasting Boston institutions: Fenway Park and the Boston Athaneum. Although the two edifices are only two miles apart, they are worlds apart in terms of their patrons, yet both, steeped in tradition, contribute to making Boston a very special place to live.

A former student had bought her boyfriend Red Sox tickets for a Christmas present, and, since she has no use for baseball, he asked me to go with him. Again, it was a sold out night ( Monday). It was good to walk through the old park, which reminded me of Griffith Stadium in Washington DC, where I grew up watching the hapless Washington Senators. The game itself was not great (the Red Sox lost to Baltimore), but it was the audience that made the best part of the evening. Red Sox fans are rabid (that's not news), but I have to admit a 26 year old fan near me provided the evening's entertainment. Armed with statistics, a cell phone where he kept us updated on the Celtics game (they lost, too) and an attitude, he knew he had an audience. In fact, he barely said two words to his very attractive companion, since he did have an audience. In another context, he would be considered boorish, but here, he fits right in. And my feeling is that the stadium and its preservation of tradition fosters such a passion.

To be sure, I was dismayed to see almost no dark faces in the crowd of 35,000, and I don't understand how people can afford to go so often. Our obstructed view seats in the back of the lower grandstand cost $48, Bud cost $6.00, and a sausage dog cost $7.00. I could have seen the game at my local bar with a big flat screen television for a lot less. But then again, I wouldn't have been at Fenway Park, with its unique and almost hallowed atmosphere. I'm glad the current owners seem to be committed to preserving Fenway Park. Boston would be a lesser place to live without it.

Down the street, I was also a guest at Boston Athaneum, now some 200 years old in a building diagonal from the State House on Beacon Hill. One of the oldest and leading libraries in country, its quiet and civilized atmosphere is a world apart from Fenway Park. Adjacent to the Granery Burying Ground ( in fact the children's room overlooks it - one can imagine children fantasizing about the ghosts of historic figures coming to life), one can find books which have been checked out to Harriet Beecher Stowe. In fact, until twenty years ago, books from George Washington's personal library was in circulation. Historic portraits are everywhere, even some good charcoal sketches in the elevator. It's another world. But one worth preserving.

The occasion was the last of a monthly concert series. It was a Beethoven piece performed energetically by a quartet from the New England Conservatory, and, while I listened, I was reminded of the difference between seeing a Red Sox game live and seeing it on television. The small but appreciative audience was enthusiastic in its response, and we were so close that we could see the passion for playing in the musicians' faces and body language that was akin to the passion in the Red Sox fans.

Walking around the Athaneum after the concert, seeing the magnificent reading rooms, I felt good about the fact that such a place could survive. True, it is a bastion of Boston Brahimism, although it is trying to do outreach younger patrons (people under 40 - Kris and Lee take note - hoping to draw younger members from Beacon Hill) but it helps to make one aware of why civilization might be worth preserving in the first place.

Having grown up in Washington DC, with few neighborhoods and having a history that because of the transiently, has no tradition, these two visits made me happy to have relocated to Boston more than 40 years ago. And, as I think of a family member having moved to LA, a city with no community or neighborhood, a souless city in the extreme, I'm glad to live in a city with all of its quirkiness.

And my visit to the Athaneum was topped off with lunch at Durgin Park in Faneuil Hall and a visit of a coffee shop in the North End, around the corner from Paul Revere's house. The day was neighbor a tourist day, nor same exercise in nostalgia. It was a day to savor the good fortune of living in a city that values tradition.

FILM LEADERSHIP IN MASSACHUSETTS

Finally!

Last Tuesday, there were two interesting and contrasting occurrences. On the front page of the City section of the Boston Globe was an article about the confusing state of affairs around the state film office. Joanna Weiss, who wrote the article, and with whom I had talked, did a good job of covering the turf, and it did not only reflect the confusion but the fundamental silliness of the situation. And it is clear that the problem is in part due to the lack of leadership or interest from the top; i.e., Romney.

Cut to the first meeting of the Massachusetts Production Coalition that evening, the best attended, best organized gathering of the film making professionals I've attended in the past 25 years. It was a meeting about leadership, organization and power, specifically around the O'Brien bill that would create tax incentives not only for productions that come into Boston, but also for producers who are making films in Massachusetts. The bill will have a hearing at the State House at ll:00 am this Tuesday. The bill provides incentives for out of state productions to use Massachusetts crew, and provides incentives for producers who spent $250,000 a year in the state. True, that is hard for documentary filmmakers, and investors get ignored, but it is a beginning.

What was impressive was the preparation for the meeting by John Rule, Chris O'Dennell and others. Lyda Luth of the LEF Foundation was one of the speakers. In the audience were Liane Brandon, co-founder of New Day Films, Bill Aydelott, producer of John Sayles first film, Ben Achtenberg of Fanlight films, editor Loren Miller, cinematographer Tom Robotham, media publisher Carol Patton, legendary filmmaker Jan Egleson, emerging filmmaker Kris Britt Montag. I could go on. But the meeting attracted fewer wannabes and actors and more true industry professionals than any other I have attended.

What is clear is that the legislators have little awareness of the film and video community, and that they need to be educated. Romney does, too. It will probably, with enough organization, be easier to reach the legislators.

During the well run Q&A, someone asked about the film office mess. The answer was that that is irrelevant until there is a cohesive tax bill that could both benefit filmmakers outside and inside the state. It seems that Robin Dawson has exited from the competition to take on the even more daunting task of running the Boston Film Festival, one of the worst run festivals in the country and one of the most irrelevant.

But John Rule and company deserve plaudits for the work they have done. Based on what I experienced Tuesday night, all of us who struggle to make a living in film and video might benefit, but only if we help the cause.
Last week, I wrote about the lack of leadership

DAVE LEWIS' SPAGHETTI AND MATZO BALLS

Oh! The power of post production!

I went to the premiere screening of writer/producer/director (and sometimes actor) Dave Lewis' short comedy, SPAGHETTI AND MATZO BALLS, the other night in Arlington. I had read a draft of the script almost two years ago, and had seen a rough cut six months ago. And, I admit, I had reservations. But what I saw Saturday night was a genuinely likeable little film. When he told me that he spent eight months in post-production, I was impressed. And I knew it made a difference.

First, my reservations. When I entered the theatre, I knew that in spite of the giveaway title, that there was a potentially cute film with a somewhat predictable feel good ending. My earlier encounters were based on the fact that I found the humor too broad, somewhat redundant, and even a little too crude for my taste. I had found the Jewish-Italian, characters too stereotypical, even a little insulting. And the acting was uneven, the acting styles mismatched, and scenes stretched out too long.

Not that there weren't still some of these problems in the cut the other night. But with scenes trimmed and some of the joke motifs reduced and less redundant, I was not bothered. The rough cut I had seen was over 30 minutes; this one was 23, and I'm told, might be trimmed some more. The masturbation scene, however necessary, is a bit long. Overall, the film has a nice pace, helped along by a somewhat generic but nevertheless brisk klezmer score, as well as some funny special effects which include animated subtitles, the likes of which I hadn't seen since Murnau's SUNRISE (who would ever think that two such different films could be mentioned in the same blog?) The audience of almost 500 was genuinely supportive, but then again most of that audience was cast, crew, friends and family, of whom Dave has many. But the applause was earned.

Dave Lewis is to be congratulated. I've known him for a good fur years, and in spite of the fact that our taste in film is often polar opposite, I've admired his tenacity. Having been successful at real estate (not unlike Mitchell Robbins, another Boston film producer who went into film at about the same age) he wanted to try film. Like Robbins, he tried to learn everything he could about film production. He even took acting classes. At social gatherings it was not unusual for some member of the film community (sometimes myself) to be cornered by Dave with his probing questions. Short phone conversations were unheard of. But in a collaborative medium, feedback is essential, and the the development of SPAGHETTI AND MATZO BALLS, Dave showed a willingness to ask questions and take feedback. The results show.

In spite of the time and expense (he shot it in 35mm), Dave's expectations for the film are modest and reasonable. He will submit it to 30-40 film festivals, where he will have some success. But he wants to use the film as a basis for a feature film, with some of the early footage the be retained. He may not get his money back on the short, but, in the way he went about the project, this will likely to have been a good investment. After all, four years ago, Andrew Mudge did the same with THE PERFECT GOOSEYS. Dave Lewis may find the "film artist: he would like to be (as he proclaims at the end of his entertaining Making of" trailer, somewhat elusive, but he does have the making of a very good film producer, and one who understands and has the patience for, the post production process.

MILLION DOLLAR BABY - REVISITED AND EXAMINED

My Toronto friend and extraordinary cinephile Ambrose Roche recently responded to one of my blogs saying something to the effect that unexaminable films are more depressing than the downbeat films that seem to lure both of us to certain non-escapist fare.

Having just seen the striking and startling Korean film OLDBOY, I chose not to go to one of the four film community events going on last Thursday night (the premiere of FUNNY HA HA and the screenwriting talk by Laura Bernieri and Vinca Jarrett among them) where one would have to be positive and do the obligatory networking. Instead, I went with an old friend to see again Clint Eastwood's MILLION DOLLAR BABY, at a two screen theatre in a town where the streets are dead at 9pm, and no film starts after 7pm on a weeknight. No networking there. (At least the theatre serves beer and wine at the concession stand)

The film holds up. Hilary Swank's performance was even more impressive in its range and intensity. I had hoped that Morgan Freeman's voice over narration would more closely cohere as a letter to Eastwood's long absent daughter, the scene that closes the film, than it did, but it was affecting anyway And I was not bothered by Swank's cartoonish trailer trash family. But it was Eastwood's performance that stood out. His face, often filmed in close up, etched with lines and shot in patterns of light and shade, his character, with a history of having made questionable life choices, was a model for someone who is examining his life at the end. Not just for the character, but for the actor and director, who probed moral depths in both UNFORGIVEN and MYSTIC RIVER.

There are, as always, with 7 -a dozen films opening every Friday, lots of films to see. But the satisfaction of seeing a film again, one which examines life, both as a story, and, I think, one in which the director/actor is also examining himself, one which, in its cinematic complexity is worth examining, and one which, ultimately, forces us to examine ourselves, beats the experience of seeing the truly depressing feel good escapist films that dominate the screens.

So, my friend Ambrose thinks I ought to see TURTLES CAN FLY. I'll try, for it seems to be having a longer screen life than the brilliant but short-lived OLDBOY

OLDBOY

The United States has a lot to worry about with our friends from the East, It's not just nuclear proliferation, nor Asia's growing economy and its increasing demand for oil. It's their cutting edge superiority in filmmaking.

Fifty years ago, we didn't even know Asian cinema existed. RASHOMON changed all that with its showing at the Venice Film Festival. Now I see almost as many Asian films as I do American. Ten to fifteen years ago, it was all John Woo (THE KILLERS, HARD BOILED. BULLET IN THE HEAD (better than THE DEER HUNTER)) and the fifth generation filmmakers like Xiang Yimou (RED SORGHUM, RAISE THE RED LANTERN, NOT ONE LESS) that startled us with the combination of genre awareness, social complexity and sheer filmmaking brilliance. With HERO and HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, Yimou continues to astonish, while Woo with FACE OFF and MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 2, has only been intermittently successful in Hollywood. But there are new faces.

In this decade, my favorite film remains Wang Kar-Wei's IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE and INFERNAL AFFAIRS (hopefully not to be damaged through the decreasing talent of Scorsese with his American remake)

But now there's OLDBOY by Park Chan-wook, one of the astonishing talents from the emerging Korean cinema. In the handful of Korean films I have seen (thank the gods that the programmers at the Harvard Film Archive and the Brattle follow these films, and that small distributors are able to release these films through chains like Landmark), I've often thought of the energy of the French New Wave - twisting genres, taking changes with form and technique in ways alien to almost all American filmmakers and most European filmmakers.

OLDBOY, a baroque, almost Kafka-esque tale of capture, imprisonment release, search and painful discovery, is filled with a narrative freshness that reminded me of when I saw Francois Truffaut's SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER, when he was reviled for mixing tones (remember, the oval show of the gangster wanna-be saying, "If AI'm lying may my mother drop dead"?)

There's plenty of that sense of trying out new things with the freedom to experiment and to fail that energizes OLDBOY, which, with its tour de force stylistics and astonishing lead performance, is a powerful, and certainly painful journey into the dark night of the soul (Peter Keough of The Phoenix calls it "Seoul Searching") Some of the scenes are almost operatic, an certainly, as often in opera, occasionally over the top, but there is a vigor in the filmmaking, along with not flinching from the darker side of sexual and physical pleasure, danger and pain, that make this director and his colleagues, talents not only to watch, but who might lead the way .

BUFF #8 - 2006

Yes, there is a Santa Claus, or a tooth fairy, or, perhaps, a Frankenstein monster, but,, whatever, there will be a BUFF 2006. With limited resources and manpower, BUFF 2005 turned out to be better than anyone could have rightly expected. And even in the post partem aftermath, plans are already afoot for 2006.\\Dates and venues have to be examined, but already we are in contact with a firm to do sponsorships, and next week we are meeting with the Canadian Consulate about how to maximize our already excellent relationship with Canadian filmmakers. I've met twice with Kevin and Anna, whose heroic, and sometimes frustrating efforts this year, have not diminished their plans to make next year's festival even better. And, whether there are formal submissions for BUFF, or just Local Sightings, an increasing number of filmmakers are sending an increasing number of interesting films for future festival presentations. For the first time in its 7 year history, there are advance preparations, and with a dedicated carryover staff, there certainly will be a bigger and better BUFF 2006