Film Festival Circuit 2012

[The Narrator Returns]

Maybe when the Academy finally creates the "Best Performance By a Beefcake in a Leading Role" category, it will finally get some recognition.

[Professor Wagstaff]

And poor Magic Mike won't be getting any of the nominations it deserves.

McConaughey's role still seems like a supporting actor nominee, but sadly that's about all the film will probably get.

[knives]

If it gets even just that I'll be happy, though he should win at least for the overall year he's had.

[Perkins Cobb]

DCP clusterfuck on Day 2.

[htshell]

There were some problems with today's Masterworks screening of Manoel de Oliveira's The Satin Slipper. It was soft-subtitled via a Powerpoint slideshow and I think the computer that was running the titles froze up a few times, to the point where the film had to be stopped at one or two points. There were also multiple sync issues throughout the 7-hour film. Not a huge deal as that's a tricky film to pull off, but I hope the rest of the festival gets through without technical glitches, though they're hard to escape in some festival settings.

[hearthesilence]

Weird this is happening. Wasn't last year's screenings mostly DCP? Don't recall any problems then.

[Perkins Cobb]

It's been a sizable majority of DCP for the last three years. It's a little unfair of Cashill to lay the blame solely at the feet of the NYFF -- they'll show 35mm if it's an option (and are doing so with some of the revival screenings), but often the distributor will only supply a DCP or the filmmaker prefers it. I don't think Richard Pena has put up any kind of principled resistance to DCP but he certainly hasn't forced the festival in that direction faster than it was already going, either.

It's sort of an interesting question as to who screwed up, the festival staff or the film supplier or both, but I would argue that the occasional cock-up like this is a sideshow compared to the really crucial issue of the dubious aesthetics of DCPs when they do manage to get them to work.

[Brad]

They need to change this to NYDCPF. Sorry, but anyone who thinks DCP is in any way comparable to 35mm is insane, at best. The Satin Slipper screening was fine. A pristine, shimmering 35mm print, some subtitle issues, not Manoel's best work, but whatever. Likely the highlight of the Fest.

[bearcuborg]

There were some problems with today's Masterworks screening of Manoel de Oliveira's The Satin Slipper. It was soft-subtitled via a Powerpoint slideshow and I think the computer that was running the titles froze up a few times, to the point where the film had to be stopped at one or two points. There were also multiple sync issues throughout the 7-hour film. Not a huge deal as that's a tricky film to pull off, but I hope the rest of the festival gets through without technical glitches, though they're hard to escape in some festival settings.

I was wondering if it finished playing after the 2nd break in action because of subtitles. I eventually walked out - I didn't want to see the rest having missed a good 45min of no subtitles. It's on Youtube anyway. I got a refund and will return next weekend for the Views program.

[htshell]

There were some more sync issues, but no stops in the second or third sections.

[Perkins Cobb]

Miguel Gomes's wonderful Tabu is showing on 35mm, and it looks gorgeous. It even has yellowish optical subtitles in a Courier-like font that reminds me of 1960s-70s subtitled prints, which I'm sure was a deliberate choice.

[Jack Phillips]

It's on Youtube anyway.

I heard that rumor too, but when I searched for it all I could find was an excerpt. Can anyone point me to the whole thing?

[htshell]

It's on Youtube anyway.

I heard that rumor too, but when I searched for it all I could find was an excerpt. Can anyone point me to the whole thing?

Linked here.

[Jack Phillips]

It's on Youtube anyway.

I heard that rumor too, but when I searched for it all I could find was an excerpt. Can anyone point me to the whole thing?

Linked here.

Much thanks!

[Perkins Cobb]

DCP Clusterfuck #2: Press screening of The Last Time I Saw Macao aborted at least 10 minutes into the film this afternoon (not sure exactly how long; I gave up before they did) because of motion glitches they couldn't fix.

[MichaelB]

There's also this...

[Perkins Cobb]

Uh, yeah ... that was Clusterfuck #1.

[Perkins Cobb]

Not a new film, and therefore in the wrong forum, but I want to highly recommend the restoration of Dominique Benicheti's unclassifiable one-off restoration Cousin Jules (1972*), a (basically) non-fiction film that simply observes the daily lives of an old farm couple (and in 'Scope, no less). "Immersive," from the program notes, is a good word, and it's also deeply moving and a sort of pinnacle of "boring cinema," if you find any value in that term. It screens on Friday night.

* All the internet resources, including the NYFF's own page for the film, give this date but the restoration titles indicate that filming lasted from 1968 through May 1973.

[lady wakasa]

I'm a little surprised at how quiet this board has been, but wanted to mention a few films I found notable (and some quick comments since I'm supposed to be getting ready for work):

Punk in Africa (Keith Jones, Deon Maas) chronicles the story of - punk in Africa. To be more specific, the punk movement in apartheid South Africa, which took the form of rebellion against the regime. A few missed opportunities - the focus was a little narrow even given what was shown - but interesting all the same.

Like Someone in Love (Abbas Kiarostami) focuses on a meeting between a Tokyo college student call girl and the retired professor she's sent to one night. Kiarostami's choices are getting more and more interesting with each film. Although there are some familiar "tropes" (the obligatory car scene, for one, although more subtle), and some familiar ways of handling the story, I'd like to see it again before stating that it's clearly a Kiarostami film. (And yes, I do like his films and I did like this very much.)

Ginger & Rosa (Sally Potter) details a coming-of-age with the threat of the nuclear bomb as a background. This is a departure for Potter: a very bare-bones story, in which the "experiment" is to strip the story down to basics (to roughly paraphrase her comments). This might be Potter's most "mainstream" film in a long time. Great acting across the cast (Elle Fanning is very impressive). I haven't been thinking about it *constantly* since having seen it (probably more due to work), but I'm finding hidden bits when I do think about it.

Okay, work calls.