Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
Here he is... the man, the myth, the Massawyrm hisself!!
Hola all. Everyone’s favorite Chain-smoking, Dr. Pepper swilling, indie schilling champion of the unseen, the unheard of and the underrated here with a special report on the Win Femme Film Festival. Win Femme is a yearly festival showcasing films that feature women as the main character in a narrative or as the objects of a documentary. I received a few films that were playing at Win Femme this year and so I contacted the festival coordinator and asked that the call be put out to all the participants. Several of them sent their films and here’s my report based on what I received.
Now, there are two major reasons I will be covering festivals like this here in my weekly column. First and foremost, it’s to let film lovers out there who may not have heard of the festival and may be nearby get the chance to catch something they might have missed. You see, there is ALWAYS a film festival going on somewhere. From the big boys like Sundance, Toronto, Cannes, Montreal, South By South West, ect. All the way down to Birmingham Alabama’s Sidewalk Film Festival, Win Femme, CinemaTexas and even smaller, more specialized fests like QT and Vulgar-thon. Even when you live in the towns where these are taking place it’s quite possible that you don’t know a thing about them. And then that glorious opportunity to see all that great undiscovered film slips through your fingers. Well Folks, Massawyrm is here to see to it that you do not miss out.
"But I know all about Win Femme and I already have my pass. What can you do for me, the already enlightened?" Well, here’s the second part of my insidious plan. You see, as any of you who regularly attend festivals know, the toughest part of being there is selecting which unheard of gem to attend, as there is often half a dozen showing at any given time. Wouldn’t it be great if someone you knew and trusted (or at least had heard of) knew something about the films you were deciding between.
I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s the perfect example of what I’m talking about so bear with me. Last year I attended the Austin International Film Festival, and with program in hand, went to a theatre show three different screens of festival films. I attended the first film, which I had gone to the theatre specifically to see, but afterwards I was torn. Do I see the documentary, the comedy, or the film about a Cuban poet? I chatted in the lobby with a few people I’d stood in line with for the previous film. No one knew anything about the films. Well, except, said one "I hear Johnny Depp is in the Cuban one". Johnny Depp usually doesn’t make bad films. "Let’s give it a shot." Bam! We sat down to see an early screening of "Before Night Falls" last years Oscar nominated masterpiece with only about 20 people in the theatre. Sadly, no one had heard of it.
I’m here to prevent movies like that from falling to the wayside at festivals. I want you to attend, look at your schedules and say "Hey! I’ve heard of that. I read a review that said that’s the must see film of the festival. Let’s get in line and be the first on our block to see it." See, now isn’t that nice? Going to a festival armed with knowledge.
Well, enough of my incessant banter. Let’s get on to the first half of my Win Femme coverage, the shorts. My second report, The features, will be up in a day or two.
First up is "Welfare to Love". This is a touching 10 minute short written and directed by Chris Coronado; a brief but brutally honest glimpse through the eyes of a child at the cycle of poverty and it’s effect of the family unit as a whole. What I particularly loved about this film was that while we are seeing what is occurring, we have this wonderful narration by Marisol, giving us insight behind the lies of her parents in a way only a child could tell it. Honest without the slightest bit of slant. Everything is up to snuff in this film, but the acting really shines, giving us a snapshot of a broken family. There are some lines in this that really just struck a chord in me. Highly recommended.
Next Up is "She Never", an interesting short, playing out the aftermath of a date rape cleverly mixed with fragments of memory shot in black and white. This has a very nice build up, although I feel it doesn’t quite pay off in the end, though that may be the point. What I really liked about this picture was the use of editing, each cut working to its full effect to accentuate the frustration and torment that the memories are plaguing upon the protagonist Christine. She Never is nicely shot and smartly conceived and well worth a look.
And then we have "Audit". Okay, this is one weird little short about two actors being called in by the IRS for, low and behold, an audit. However, once they arrive the audit becomes more than it originally had appeared. It turns out the auditor has a history with the couple and it all goes downhill for them from there. This film is weird, kooky and amusing. Chock full of recognizable faces like the alluring Judy Greer (Wedding Planner and Jawbreaker), Alexis Arquette (Pulp Fiction and The Wedding Singer) and Sally Kirkland (EDTV and JFK) this short delivers with a rich brand of indie comedy goodness and a couple of twists and turns along the way to keep you involved in all this strange wackiness. If you dig odd indie comedy, check this one out.
And lastly, "Showbiz is My Life", a touching documentary into the rise and fall of the cabaret. This film probes the lives of three cabaret singers, revealing their origins, their struggles and their attempts to keep their art alive. While most of America has forgotten it, the cabaret still flourishes in small clubs and has unfortunately gone the way of nostalgia. This chronicle serves to share the history of the art and of these three women who sing their hearts out in hopes that they can share a piece of themselves with an audience. Populated with fantastic music sung by the films principals Julie Wilson, Baby Jane Dexter and Natalie Gamsu, this documentary is perfect for music lovers and anyone interested in the history of a dying artform. Showbiz is My Life tells the story of cabaret in a very straight forward manner, giving enough of a background that even the most ignorant about music history (like myself) will be able to understand its origins, while not being bogged down in names and dates like many documentaries. Instead, it sets its sights on the spirit of the craft, and that spirit really shines through. By the time the credits roll, you really feel like you’ve seen what it is about the cabaret that has drawn these women to stick with it for so many years. This film was a real treat.
Well, that's it for this edition, back in a day or two with the rest of the films I recieved. You can find out more about the Win Femme Film Festival by CLICKING HERE!!
Well, until next time folks, smoke 'em if ya got 'em, I know I will.
