DIDI – ★★★★

Really enjoyed this film, and lovely to see Twin Peaks’ Joan Chen in her role as the protagonist’s mother. Story about a teenager of Chinese descent growing up in California in the mid-2000s, and his relationships with family and friends during those difficult and awkward teenage years. Had plenty of excellent tech references to the time, including AOL instant messaging, myspace, razr flip phones, etc. One of those films where they seem to get all the important parts of a good film right; pacing, acting, sets, and story. A bit like a cross between Dazed & Confused and Fresh off the Boat. I miss AIM.

EVERY LITTLE THING – ★★★★

Beautifully shot documentary about hummingbirds, and a woman who attempts to help rescue and rehabilitate them at her L.A. home. If you liked The Parrots of Telegraph Hill several years ago, you’ll probably like this one too. Similar to that film, while liking birds probably doesn’t hurt, it’s definitely not a critical factor in enjoying the film, which interlaces the main subject’s background and draws parallels between her life experiences and the role she plays in the lives of the hummingbirds.

MOVING – NO RATING

Japanese film from 1993 about a couple who are separating, and their young daughter who is trying to manage with the change. I made it halfway through before deciding it just wasn’t for me, at least on this day. Probably more me than the film in this case though.

MEMOIR OF A SNAIL – ★★★★

The best opening night film I’ve seen at MIFF, though I’ll admit that the bar for that isn’t always high. Nevertheless I was highly anticipating this new film from Adam Elliot, who’s previously done Mary & Max, and the Oscar winning short, Harvey Krumpet. If you’ve seen Adam’s previous work, this probably won’t surprise you; it’s a stylistically made claymation film. All made by hand without any CGI. It’s an incredible achievement visually, and like the previous films has a health my dose of darkness and black humour throughout. It’s about a girl who’s had her share of traumatic life events, and her recounting it to her pet snail. It may not be to everyone’s taste, but if you enjoyed Mary & Max, chances are you’ll like this one too. 

Still here, but it’s been a busy year, so unsure how many films I’ll succeed at seeing. Might be slow at posting reviews, or maybe even miss some…

I think I made a list of the films that looked interesting to me, but will have to find it and will edit this post if I do.

JOAN BAEZ I AM NOISE – ★★★☆

I’m not overly familiar with Joan Baez’s music, but definitely familiar with her legendary status as an artist. This documentary was perhaps a tad longer than it needed to be, but dug deep into her personal history with much of it interviewing her, and using a great archive of recordings. It was interesting to see that everyone can be impacted by their personal demons, including someone who most would consider a great success in their field, and who has spent a lot of their lives campaigning for needs of others. Am I likely to delve deeper into her history or music after seeing this? For me, not likely; I had enough from what this offered.

ART TALENT SHOW – ★★☆

Documentary showing the applications process for art students at a college in Czech Republic. Pretty miss-able, it seemed to show more about the teachers themselves than the students, and when showing the students, it seemed to be less about their art, and more about twisted and sometimes inappropriate interview questions.