REPRISE
7.5/10
Best film of the festival (so far!). Admittedly, it’s my first day of film watching so there’s plenty more to come. This is a norwegian film set in Oslo about two friends who have written their respective first novels and the story that follows. Lots of great musical references throughout, from Joy Division and Le Tigre in the soundtrack to Blur and Joy Division t-shirts worn by the characters (and more than one Fred Perry too I might add). Lots of great interaction between a group of 20-something male friends and had some good moments as well as some serious, but overall a good fun film. Recommended!

BEAUTY IN TROUBLE
4/10

A film about Kenny Rogers getting taken for a ride by eastern euro-trash. Okay, maybe not. It’s a story about a family in Prague who is trying to get by after a flood caused them financial ruin. The husband is doing what he can to get by, but the relationship with his wife doesn’t appear to be particularly strong, and the ensuing story leaves you with very little care for any of them. Except maybe the rich older gent that the wife shacks up with (who looks a bit like Kenny Rogers). Not the worst film I’ve seen, but I wouldn’t bother. Some good performances by the aforementioned Kenny Rogers lookalike and also the slimy and despicable uncle.

BREATH
7/10
I might have mentioned how much I enjoyed Kim Ki-Duk’s ‘3-Iron’ at MIFF a couple of years ago, and so I was highly anticipating this film (as well his other MIFF offering this year, ‘Time’). It’s definitely got whatever it is that made me like 3-Iron. The funny thing is, walking out, I couldn’t really understand why I liked it so much – and, for that matter, how he ever pitched the film successfully. But I did, and so did he, and that’s a good thing. The story is about a couple with a small daughter whose marriage is going through a rocky period, and how the wife goes about visiting a convicted murderer in prison. Anyway, throw away thoughts about the plot and just watch – this was a really enjoyable film and I recommend seeing it. I like 3-Iron more, but this is still worthwhile. And remember, never leave inmates loose with toothbrushes.

SCOTT WALKER: 30 CENTURY MAN
6/10
I’m not sure how I discovered Scott Walker, but it was most likely because I really like The Divine Comedy’s albums and Neil Hannon from the band is definitely influenced by the music of The Walker Brothers and Scott Walker’s early solo material. So, I have a couple of their older albums and really like them. ‘It’s Raining Today’ off ‘Scott 3’ is probably my favourite song amongst that collection. This film is a documentary about Scott Walker and was done by Stephen Kijak who did another great doco called Cinemania at MIFF a few years ago. I guess the thing for me is that I know of a certain Scott Walker, and that’s the guy responsible for some popular music recorded in the 60s/70s. I didn’t realise he was still making records, (althogh only one every 10 or so years) and that he’d certainly taken a more ‘creative’ turn since the 80s. If you’re into haunted house/experimental/goth/clanging dischorded/meat punching fusion, then I highly suggest checking out his later efforts. But, I think I’ll stick with the old cliche, ‘I like your old stuff better than your new stuff’. Anyway this documentary did a good job at getting Scott to talk about his life and had some great interviews with the likes of Jarvis Cocker, David Bowie, etc, and surprisingly no sign of Bono who seems to whore himself around every music doco ever made. It was interesting to see what this artist chose as his musical direction when he didn’t need to care about money or popularity anymore. But I think you’ll probably want to be a fan of his to make it worthwhile.

I’ve posted all the sessions I currently plan to see – we’ll see how I go, as I’ve picked quite a few this year, and there’s a couple of marathon days in there. I probably won’t make it through David Lynch’s ‘Inland Empire’ for example, but I’m sure it’ll come out in the cinemas here at some point…

If I know you and you’re coming to any sessions that I’m going to, let me know so we can save seats etc.

See you at MIFF!

So, how does one choose what films to see at MIFF? There are many different ways – some people I know turn up on the day and wander into whatever takes their fancy. Others pick a theatre and stick to that venue for a stretch to avoid the uphill sprint to a new venue between films.

I don’t really do either. I plan, plan and then do more planning. It’s not very wild or exciting, I know, but my time is limited, and I don’t want to miss a gem due to lack of proper analysis.

So, here’s what I do, in case you’re looking for a system yourself.

1. Get a copy of the Melbourne International Film Festival program guide.

2. In the middle is a Film & Screening Index. I tear this out as it will be with me for the entire festival

3. In the Index, I hunt down all the lower-case titles and cross them off. They’re short films, and I don’t dislike them, but I’m not going to go and see a main feature based on what short film is showing before it

4. Now comes the long and arduous task of ranking the films on offer. For each film, I look at the description to get a sense of whether I’d like it or not. I will also search the film on imdb.com, and watch a trailer if possible. If I’ve seen something by the director that I enjoyed at a previous MIFF it’s more likely to rank highly. There are also some things I keep an eye out for, which I went into more detail in a post from my 2005 MIFF blog, but in essense:
* ACMI only session means it may be a low quality film (very low budget, or shot on video)
* Be wary of words like experimental, dream-like, visual code. There are definitely people into these types of films, but I still like to have some kind of plot (even if not excessive).
* If it’s a South Korean film, it may well be brilliant (some of my fave films in previous year are from there), but if it’s some kind of futuristic police drama where the guide’s entry is a confused outline of the plot points rather than a description of the film, it probably means it is not worth the time.

5. I rank each film from 1 to 4. ‘1’ means ‘must see, can’t miss, no matter what’. There are usually around 4-10 of these each year for me. ‘2’ means ‘definitely want to see it’. ‘3’ is ‘won’t see it unless someone really persuades me that it’s worthwhile’. And, ‘4’ is a very special rating to signify a film that I won’t see. A ‘4’ is the rarest rating of the lot, as usually I’ll keep an open mind about films. But, I’ve seen enough Guy Maddin films to last me a lifetime, so he’ll get a ‘4’ from me this year. Sorry Guy. I mark the rating I give next to every film in the Film & Screening Index so that I can quickly tell what I suspected a film might be like when I’m trooping around the city and talking to others about their highlights.

6. Once I’ve ranked all the films, it’s time to start planning the timetable. I fill in timeslots for the ‘1’s first, and then the ‘2’s. This is a fine art, as there are usually only two sessions for each film, and there are always some conflicts. Sometimes a film needs to be dropped. I’ll give a preference to seeing films on weekdays at the 1pm or 3pm session where possible, since the cinemas are a little quieter then. I’ll choose the Capitol or Regent over ACMI or Forum, and choose all of those before Greater Union. For films that are likely to be popular, I try and see the session before it as well, so I can get a good seat for potential sell-out sessions. I try and be mindful to give a couple of breaks during the festival to avoid burning out in week two. And, I try to plan any social/family commitments before this step to avoid conflicts. Oh, and I consult with my wife and my friends who are going to see if any of us have chosen the same films, so we can try and see them together.

7. Finally, when the grid looks like it’s in place, I book all the tickets using MIFF’s fantastic (and it really is!) online booking system.

Easy, huh?

Note that while I do plan all of the above, the original plan isn’t always right. One year I forgot that I had a commitment on a saturday afternoon/evening, which put my schedule into disarray. I also lose energy at some point during the festival and tend to start skipping days or late sessions. Or, I might get a burst of energy, or hear of a film that is meant to be brilliant, and then add a couple more. So, yeah, I’m not entirely inflexible. 🙂