Headin’ back to the DOBIE at dawn to start off with a documentary on one of my favorite filmmakers an’ his most infamous film, John Waters and the creation of PINK FLAMINGOS was documented by Steve Yeager and he did a fantastic job… Filled with interviews with everyone from Mink Stole and David Lochary to Mary Vivian Pierce and Edith Williams and of course the legendary Divine, brought the film full circle by interviewing the living cast members once again years later to gain their perspective on everything and how PINK FLAMINGOS affected their life… John’s parents are also interviewed as well as his brother and just about everyone who’s anyone in independent and underground filmmaking: Jim Jarmusch, Hal Hartley, Steve Buscemi, Herschell Gordon Lewis, George and Mike Kuchar, and the list goes on and on, anyone who is either a fan of PF or of Waters himself will get a huge kick out of this film which I loved. You’ll cringe with glee as you hear and see the behind the scenes exploits of the most infamous scenes there is – the gulp heard ‘round the world…
My next stop on my first day o’ makin’ up fer lost time was GOD SAID, “HA!” a one woman show featuring Julia Sweeney of IT’S PAT! fame, alright, alright, I can’t stand that fuckin’ character neither, but this one woman show, which Julia wrote, performed and helped to edit is a masterful balance of comic genius and tragedy as the HILARIOUS Sweeney talks of her moving out to LA bungalow after her SNL stint, and just as her brother Mike is diagnosed with cancer. Her fun female home for one is soon invaded by both of her parents as well as her ailing brother. Her hysterical recount of the events surrounding this morbid topic took on an all new perspective once she discovered that she herself was also diagnosed with a rare form of cervical cancer. Julia copes through stage antics, family stories anyone with parents can relate to, and her tremendously strong will. Her stage show (which ran in LA and San Francisco) was transferred to film at the suggestion of her friend and eventual executive producer Quentin Tarantino. This film is guaranteed to give you a new opinion of she who is Pat, a much needed boost that I’m glad I was part of, she now has my respect and admiration which would have never been gained through her portrayal of that hideous androgynous character. Good stuff…
Strolling back toward the Convention Center, I was standin’ on a corner, waitin’ for the light to change, soakin’ up the rays of sunshine and lovin’ ev’ry minute of it when I heard someone yell out, “Go back to Oklahoma!!!” glancin’ up, none other than Harry Knowles, the master of the ceremonies of cool himself, flying by with his pa in their van, razzin’ me along the way… little did I know I’d be hookin’ up with him in a matter of moments for a screening of John Sayles’ new flick MEN WITH GUNS.
But sure ‘nuff, once I entered the theater and made my way to one of the only available seats, off to the side, Harry strolled over and told me that they had a seat saved for me in the middle, awed agin’ at Austin hospitality to a lowly Okie, I obliged and we enjoyed the second shared experience of the fest. A true treat for any film lover, Sayles’ once again proves that he is truly gifted with the art of storytelling. Teaching himself Spanish and incorporating ancient Indian dialects, he constructed a film that everyone must follow along with the subtitles in order to understand it. Likened to Lou Reed, whose career was long, yet had not had a hit prior to “Walk on the Wild Side.” He then followed up with his most incomprehensible album in his career. Sayles has decided to follow up his most successful box office film, LONE STAR, with his “you-must-read-this-to-get-it-movie,” his “I am smarter than you film,” Harry commented afterwards, and too true, the man is a living legend.
With Frederico Lupi of CRONOS in the lead, he absolutely carries the film with his burning desire to discover what has become the students of his program that he trained to administer modern health care to the Indians of northern Mexico three years prior. His search takes him through many of the hostile villages where his students were stationed only to discover that they have been “vanished” by way of the men with guns. Filmed entirely on location in beautiful Mexico, this is a visually stunning tale of a doctor in search of answers to his own questions and the lengths he will go to get them. This is one of those films you cannot rush to judge. I mean sure, it immediately registered as a work of art and beauty, but this one needed to sink in for awhile. An incredibly powerful film that will affect you on many different levels with a surprising amount of humor laced throughout, this one will make you laugh, cry, tremble in fear and in true Sayles fashion, love every minute of it.
Afterwards, takin’ Harry up on the invite, he, his dad, Johnny Wadd and myself headed to a coffee shop to discuss what to this point was the sole film that had knocked our collective dicks in the dirt. Through many mugs of warm, tasty brew, we all bonded over mutual stories of the love of film and marveled at Sayles’ latest incarnation of perfection. An absolute blast which was windin’ down when I remembered a tape I had brought for Harry, AFROS, MACKS, & ZODIACS, by far the most enjoyable collection of blaxploitation trailers ever, for his viewing pleasure, which I retrieved from my jalopy and handed to him over mutual intentions to hook up the next day…
