Hey folks, It's Capone, our Chicago regular spy chiming in with the latest from the Windy Film Community. And just to answer Capone's inquiry... According to Ebert, I'm supposed to go back on S&E sometime this July, but I don't have the details just yet. But enough of that hooie, on to the news....
CHICAGO ALT.FILM FESTIVAL REPORT, INCLUDING A NEW CAMERON DIAZ MOVIE THAT YOU'VE PROBABLY NEVER HEARD OF; NEW JON BON JOVI MOVIE; MEETING KAREN BLACK; AND JOHN C. HOLMES DOCUMENTARY.
Hey Harry. Capone in Chicago here, still eagerly awaiting your triumphant return by Roger Ebert's side.
This past week, Chicago hosted the 2nd Annual Chicago alt.film Festival. It's a small but worthwhile festival that is trying to present films that truly capture the spirit of independent film (or some shit like that).
Anyway, the personal highlight for me was meeting Karen Black in the lobby of the theatre. Man, she still looks hot. I told her that the next day I was going to see "Nashville" at a revival matinee theatre, and she said, "Ah, one of my hair's better performances. We talked a little bit about the made-for-TV masterpiece "Trilogy of Terror" and she said, "That movie could never be made for network these days, especially the episode with the doll. Too scary." I agreed as I gazed lovingly in her eyes. She's a local Chicagoland native, so she still has family in the area. She was there in connection with a new movie of her's screening at the festival (didn't see it; don't remember the title), and she was just hanging out, catching other screenings, and being very cool.
I saw three of the festival's offerings. The first (and lamest) was a parody of French new wave cinema called "Man Woman Film." I don't remember (not do I want to) the writer/director's name, but the film may get some play nationwide for one simple reason: Cameron Diaz has an extended two-scene cameo in it. If you've ever wanted to see how beautiful Cameron can be without makeup and in black and white, this may be your only chance. Her scenes are particularly good as she plays what is labeled in the credits "A Random Celebrity." As many 60s French new wave films sometimes did, American celebrities suddenly appear for no reason, say some lines, and disappear. (At least according to the director.) The whole thing was so boring, not funny, not even clever enough to be considered an "homage." Diaz's scenes aside (I guess she's friends with the director), this movie blows.
The second film I saw was "Row Your Boat." My guess is this will end up premiering on Showtime or Cinemax later this year. It stars Jon Bon Jovi, Bai Ling (from Red Corner, The Crow, Nixon), and William Forsythe. I had mixed feelings about this one. The performances were pretty good. Bai Ling in particular engaged me by playing a different, less serious part than she usually does. Forsythe plays his typical heavy, leather jacket-wearing thug. Bon Jovi plays his brother, who gets out of prison at the film's opening. There's lots of blood-is-thicker-than-anything kind of talk, very cliche. But the relationship between Bon Jovi and Bai Ling really got to me. It's not worth going into the details of the plot, but Bon Jovi is hired by Bai Ling to teach her English and they form a relationship that is destined not to work. (I'm not spoiling anything; it's made pretty clear from the first time they meet.) The ending is somewhat unsatisfying, and I probably wouldn't bother with it unless it was on cable.
My favorite and final film from the festival was the documentary "Wadd: The Life and Times of John C. Holmes." I understand this won the best doc prize and SXSW's festival this year, so you may have already seen this, Harry. I was amazed by this film. The honesty of many of the non-porno types (especially Holmes' first wife and his manager) was unparalleled. They took a very tough subject and one that could have been exploited and made it interesting and riveting. The interviews with porn stars were typical, but the comments from film critics, historians, and especially Paul Thomas Anderson were insightful. "Boogie Nights" was my favorite film from two year's ago, but I knew very little of Holmes' life and what parts of it Anderson lifted and what he made up. I was shocked (in a good way) to hear almost word-for-word quotations from films and older documentaries about Holmes that were later used in "Boogie Nights." They managed to tell a story about the biggest star in porn without showing scenes of penetration too, which probably means this film may end up on HBO or Showtime. What a great experience. Seek this film out at your local festivals if possible.
Capone
