Superheroes and deficit

Whether you came to the walk of fame as a tourist to snap a picture of The Hof’s star or to haunt clubs on Hollywood blvd, chances are that you ran into Superman, the Hulk, Wonder-Woman, Batman or one of the multiple incarnations of Jake Sparrow. I’m of course not talking about the real ones – because guess what, they don’t exist – but about those “actors” who pose in superhero suits with tourists in front of the Chinese theater, in exchange for a tip. Part of the Hollywood tourist trap that is the walk of fame, these characters are the subject of Confessions of a Superhero, a hilarious and not-to-be-missed documentary that explores the lives and journeys of the people behind the masks, from actors making a living to more obsessive persona's. Superman, Wonder-Woman, the Hulk and the filmmakers were present for a Q&A afterwards.

After fighting through the mess to enter the screening – thanks to AFI’s absurd & unexpected change regarding passes and total disdain for the press – actor-turned-producer Diego Luna introduced the screening of his friend Gael Garcia Bernal’s directing debut, Deficit, which followed a group of rich kids partying at a house for a weekend. Despite some light comments on social classes and racism in the background, Deficit proved to be disappointing, a somewhat pointless work that didn’t bring anymore drama than most parties I’ve attended…but don’t get me started on this. Luna and another producer came back for a Q&A while Bernal was MIA.

AFI FEST 2007: The Telenovela & the Policia

IT'S BETTER IF GABRIELA DOESN'T DIE
(MEJOR ES QUE GABRIELA NO SE MUERA)

Directed by Sergio Umansky

Saturday night we entered the world of a telenovela writer (Mauricio Isaac) and his twisted relationship with a policeman(Dagoberto Gama) in Mexico City. After a not-so-routine stop one night in the city, writer Miguel escapes policie harassment when he reveals that he writes for a very popular telenovela. The policeman Bracho, a fan, feels he has a special link to the inside world of his favorite soap. From there, a cat and mouse game ensues as plot details change and Bracho becomes violent.

The film is hilarious in it's portrayal of the ridiculous telenovela world and in the policeman's increasing frustration when the plotline doesn't go his way. It's also a meditation on police harassment in Latin America and the fact that the bad guys don't always get caught; more often than not they're rewarded.

The film could have been edited down about 40 minutes to be a bit more taut and the ending is not very punchy but it's still a fun ride for anyone who ridicules the genre.

AFI FEST: Romania

Saturday we traveled to Romania just before the fall of Communism.

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, directed by Cristian Mungiu and winner of this year's Palme d'Or at Cannes, proved to be a brilliant study of two women arranging an illegal abortion during the final years of Ceaucescu's dictatorship in Romania. Repression, both political and sociological, comes in the form of an illegal abortion, of the difficulty of doing simple things like renting a hotel room or buying cigarettes. Anyone who lived or traveled to Eastern Europe during this time and remembers the absolutely awful service and gray atmosphere will find this familiar.

From arranging for an illegal abortion, to rape and having to dispose of the fetus somewhere in the streets, the actions here are almost in real time and shocking. While there has been controversy over whether or not the fetus should have been shown at the end (given that many other actions take place offscreen), Mungiu explained that since the whole movie centered on this abortion, it seemed implausible not to show it. I agree--anyone who agrees with the idea that abortion should be legal and safe absolutely and those who seek to have it made illegal must see this film.
Check out the review at: http://www.plume-noire.com/movies/reviews/4months3weeks.html

Tales of Sigur Ros

Only faux pas here, I kicked off the festival with the screening of Southland Tales, Richard Kelly’s notorious sci-fi political epic, which has been missing in action since it’s panned representation at the Cannes film festival two years ago.

The director who was present with his troops – from The Rock to Kevin Smith with whom I shared an elevator ride – announced before the film that he was finally done with post-production. While I haven’t seen the earlier cut of the film, this final version proved to be a bloated and confused piece of work, which is all over the map and takes itself too seriously despite its satirical format. If that was up to me I would classify Southland Tales as Torture Porn, for how painful this 140mn film was to me – fortunately I was able to sleep through parts of that mess, courtesy of the Absolut bar on the rooftop. I’m not sure how Kelly went from the subtle Donny Darko to that failed attempt at being Alex Cox but he certainly lost a lot of credibility in the process.

The second half of the evening offered an unexpected treat, an intimate show from Iceland fave Sigur Ros, which preceded the screening of their live show documentary with an acoustic set of new material. If you’re a fan of the band, you will certainly enjoy that documentary but one can regret the filmmaker went for clichéd shots of Iceland instead of going for an artistic approach that would have matched the visual identity of the band. The band came back for a Q&A afterwards, those 4 nerdy guys offering welcome sarcastic answers to some of the lame questions coming from the audience.

AFI Fest

From November 1st to November 11th, Plume-Noire.com will be covering AFI Fest in this blog. Check out our festival picks below.

AFI FEST 2007
November 1-11, 2007
Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood

The 21st anniversary of AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival features more than 100 films from around the world. And this year’s selection is truly diverse and top notch.
Lions for Lambs, directed by Robert Redford and starring Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep, kicks off the festival on November 1st.

From Cannes to Los Angeles
Several films that premiered at Cannes earlier in the year will have their moment in the California sun, including Persepolis, Southland Tales directed by Richard Kelly and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and Jason Lee, Julian Schnabel’s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Carlos Reygadas’ Silent Light and the Romanian Palme D’Or winner 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. The Last Mistress, starring the versatile Asia Argento and helmed by the always controversial Catherine Breillat will be screened.

Special Screenings include Honeydripper directed by the great John Sayles, Margot at the Wedding directed by Noah Baumbach and starring Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Documentaries
AFI’s documentary selection is always stellar and this year’s selection is of special note.
Fans of music take note. The documentaries Sigur Ros: Heima and Public Enemy: Welcome to the Terrordome will screen, along with surprise special guests.
Atenco: A Crime of State takes a look at government brutality in Mexico against a group of florists and Lynch is a glimpse into the mind of visionary director David Lynch.
Big Rig is a journey through America and Confessions of a Superhero takes a look at those who embody the famous on the streets of Hollywood Boulevard.

Quirky American Films include Look, American Fork, Expired, In Search of A Midnight Kiss and Searchers 2.0.

World Cinema
Women, women and more women. The Lebanese film Caramel is centered on the stories of five women in a beauty salon while Irina Palm stars Marianne Faithful as a sex worker in her 50’s. The Chinese film Night Train features a femail executioner. This year’s African showcase looks promising, with several films from the continent: Faro- Goddess of the Waters (Mali), Nosaltres (Senegal), Clouds Over Conakry (Guinea).

Films from Latin America
The finest selection of films from and about Latin America. This year’s top picks include:
Argentina’s black and white surrealist The Aerial, Cyrano Fernandez- a modern Venezuelan take on Cyrano de Bergerac, Deficit- directed by Gael Garcia Bernal and starring Diego Luna, The Year of the Nail- directed by Jonas Cuarón (Alfonso’s son), the Puerto Rican comedy Manuela Y Manuel and Carol Reygada’s Silent Light.

Tributes
Two tributes will honor the work of Laura Linney and the spectacular Catherine Deneuve. On November 10, the French-Iranian film Persepolis (voiced in part by Catherine Deneuve) will be screened and a tribute in her honor will follow.

TALK/SHOW
TALK/SHOW at the festival Rooftop Village is free to the public and features a series of conversations on an array of topics that includes FROM CHARLIE CHAN TO PANCHO VILLA: MOVIE STEREOTYPES AND AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE on Saturday, November 3, 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. and one we’re really excited about: WHOSE REALITY IS THIS? A CONVERSATION WITH WERNER HERZOG on Sunday, November 4, 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. And on Saturday, November 10, from 2:30 p.m. - 4 p.m. authors James Ellroy and Bruce Wagner will read from their works.

The centerpiece gala is Jason Reitman’s Juno. The closing night gala is Love in the Time of Cholera starring Javier Bardem.