Hey folks, Harry here... looks like American Psycho is going to be giving us the skinny ear on the screenings up in Calgary this year! So sit back and relax.... I'm dying to see BROTHER...
2nd Annual Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF), September 25-30, 2001
Greetings from Canada, eh? I live here in Calgary, and last year they up and started a film festival. Although the films were from all across the globe, they were not anything special. The headliner was waydowntown, whose American release was just pushed back. Some of the bigger (and more recognizable) movies there were: The Tao Of Steve (loved it!), Two Family House, The Terrorist, Shower, and The Eyes Of Tammy Faye. I know what you're thinking, but hey, it was their first year.
This year promises to be bigger and better. Most of the movies here, that ever will, have already had their US release, like Brother (disappointing), The Princess and The Warrior, and The Road Home. Like at Toronto, their is quite an emphasis on Canadian independent cinema, including this year's closing film, Atanarjuat, which won the Camera D'Or at Cannes. However, their is also quite a few American indies, like Mutant Aliens (from Bill "I Married A Strange Person" Plympton), George Washington and Citizen Toxie (ever since I read the aintitcool review, I couldn't wait to see this).
They have organized the fest into several distinct groups, Contemporary World Cinema, American Independent, Canadian Film Works, Documentaries, Curiously Late Movies (that's for me), and Shorts (lots of shorts at the fest this year). There are 61 feature films being displayed this year at the CIFF, and unfortunately there are only 4 theatres showing pictures, so everything is on a tight schedule. The organizers have done a fairly good job, plenty of advertising, and prices aren't that bad ($8, 6 for members, like me).
Sorry for boring you to death there, but I figured I'd give you all the breakdown.
It started off last night with a few movies, Brother being the most prolific of them. I had a bitch of a time getting tickets, although they're were plenty. I would like to give a shout out to the fucks at Ticketmaster. At any rate, it filled up pretty quick and off we went. Started off with an ad from AGF, who sponsors the festival, and the damn people still haven't shut up. In fact, right behind me there is still some inconsiderate bitch spilling her life story on her cell phone (this is, of course, after the announcement to shut all these electronic gadgets off). But it didn't matter, 'cause Brother was about the start.
So it starts. 113 minutes later it finishes. Damn. Damn dee dibbledy dammit. The trailer looked amazing. It looked badass. What I got was more of a kick in the ass. Damn. I was disappointed to say the least. In the end, it wasn't horrible, but it wasn't badass. It was puny-ass. Oy!
Yakuza gangster and all-around tough motherfucker Yamamoto (Beat Takeshi) leaves Japan and goes to meet his BROTHER in America. His teams up with him and his gang (which includes some BROTHERS), and together they take a good portion of the drug trade in LA, first wiping out the Mexicans, then joining forces with the Chinatown boss. This guy that runs Chinatown rivals Ben Kingsley in Sexy Beast as best villain of the year. Boom boom boom. Everything's fine. Omar Epps and Yamamoto become good friends, the best of friends. Just as everything is going perfectly, then the Mafia wants 50%. Hell no. It's war.
"It's war" is one of the recurring themes here. Yamamoto is old-school. He's done the rounds, he knows what he's doing. Takeshi plays this almost completely deadpan, as seen in the trailer. Not a bad job, let me tell you. The part I loved best about his blank face, was that he was constantly twitching. Twitch... twitch... His character changes quite a bit during the course of the movie, but as you would expect, it's hard to tell. He's a hardened gangster with a blank face. But somehow you can tell, as if you can read behind the mask that he's developed over the years. Quite an interesting performance and character.
Another theme is represented by the title itself, BROTHER. Everything from blood brother (the title is shown in red as if written in blood) to black brother to 'family' brother (gang). One interesting ritual that keeps popping up is the gang rituals. These guys are willing to stake their lives on their 'brothers'. And let me tell you, it comes to that. Another one is the cutting of the pinkie. When a gang member changes a gang, the stupid bastard cuts off his finger and offers it to the boss. Crazy shit man...
Overall, it was strictly an 'okay' film. Some good ideas and action sequences, as well as some plot turns, but the first 20 minutes has the WORST editing I have ever seen. It just jumbles up. After that it smooths out, but for those 20 minutes... The acting wasn't bad, although many characters weren't in need of any acting skills (how much of a thespain must you be to be shot 30 times in the chest?).
As I left the theatre, the guy behind me said, "That was terrible!" What a prick. As soon as the movie ended, in traditional film festival fashion, everyone decided to become some sort of weird-ass Roger Ebert, only without the extensive knowledge and vocabulary and metaphorical sense as old Roggie. Yes, I fell into this category myself, and I still wonder why. But whatever.
The festival continues through the weekend, with the official opening gala tonight (Thursday). Almost America, which was filmed here, is being screened. I personally won't be going to a great many films, as I have school and other (just as important) shit, as well as a lack of $$$, but I'll try to get in as many as I can.
American Psychlo
