MIFF 2014 - Day 17

I survived, sort of. A hacking cough remains, but I saw out the final day with my full quota of films. On reflection, MIFF is a marathon and the past year has seen me fall out of shape, so it's unsurprising I ended up being struck down so harshly. Lesson learned. Now it's time to get fit for next year.

Wish I Was Here

If you wanted to sum this film up in one word, it would be earnest. For all it's quirk and humour, the emotion on display is wholly genuine, there's not an ounce of cynicism to be found. Zach Braff's belated followup to the indie hit Garden State is a more complex affair, dealing with the relationship of Aidan and Sarah, a couple both unfulfilled in their work. Aidan is a mostly-failed actor, still auditioning for bit parts, Sarah supports the family working at an office. When Aidan's father gets cancer, he can't pay for their private schooling, so Aidan ends up home schooling them. Then there's his brother Noah, a brilliant but forever roaming mind who can't seem to complete anything. It's a relationship drama with some very intelligent things to say, but it's also overlong and features one in-joke cameo too many. Braff famously went to Kickstarter to raise funds for the film because that would allow him to retain final cut over his film. His instincts may have been correct on a simpler film like Garden State, but here, with a lot more moving parts, he could have done with some help pruning back and pacing things better. Still, it's a worthwhile film.

Giovanni's Island

Thankfully not as grim as Grave of the Fireflies, this Japanese anime deals with the postwar Russian occupation of Shikotan through the eyes of two children. Junpei and Kanta. Junpei befriends Tanya, the daughter of the Russian Commander of the occupation, but his own father is the village leader and is smuggling rice to feed the people. Things come to a head and Junpei and Tanya's friendship is destroyed. About halfway through I got irritated at the film, Junpei and Kanta's uncle Hideo says he knows where their father is being held and they run away to find him. But when Hideo finds them, instead of grabbing them and dragging them back to safety, he helps them, quite irresponsibly. But then I remembered that Hideo is constantly doing irresponsible things. It's in character, even if it's an obviously cheap setup for tragedy. I dunno, I'm left a bit conflicted. It's a really good and affecting film, but there's a few plot points that feel like lazy manipulation. But overall, the charm of the piece wins out.

Hard to be a God

I deliberately chose this to be my final film of the festival. A 170 minute long Russian black and white epic based on a novel by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, the authors of Roadside Picnic, adapted (incredibly loosely) into the amazing film Stalker. I didn't know what to expect, other than that the advance word was it was an incredibly grimy experience. They weren't kidding. It opens up on a couple of peasants smearing themselves in human faeces, and gets worse from there. I haven't seen so many people walk out of a cinema in ages. By the end of the first hour I'd estimate roughly 10% of the audience had left, by the end of the second hour, maybe 20%. But their loss. This isn't a film for everyone, but it was one for me. It's the story of Don Rumata, or at least that's what we know him as. He's one of 30 scientists from Earth now on this new planet, observing a society stuck in the middle ages, where a renaissance seems impossible due to the fact that educated men are routinely executed. Rumata is rumoured to be the son of a god, and is the greatest fighter in the land. Initially, he seems to have abandoned his scientific observation to become a dissolute rogue, antagonising the local church, etc. But slowly, it becomes clear that he is trying to achieve something, though maybe not with much success. The narrative I supposed was that all the scientists had gone native, and were now warring with each other for control of this world. Rumata being the only one with any kind of a conscience. Apparently that's not the plot of the book, but it was what the experience of watching this film created for me. It's not an easy film to watch, but I was almost completely absorbed by it. Quite a remarkable thing to sit through, though I'm not sure I'd have the stamina to do it again. In many ways, those qualities describe the perfect festival film. Something you wouldn't normally seek out, but when presented to you turns out to be an incredible experience.

MIFF 2014 - Day 16

Things are drawing to a close. There's a sense of melancholy in the air. Or maybe that was just the funk from being in the Forum for three films in a row. Those seats are in dire need of re-upholstering. Thankfully, foresight prevailed and I brought my own seat cushion and rode out the marathon session in style and comfort.

I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story

Much like Being Elmo struck a chord a few years ago, this doco about the man behind Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch is an enlightening and occasionally sad story of a man with a big heart. Caroll Spinney may not be as well known as Jim Henson or Frank Oz, but his characters are two of the most iconic figures in pretty much anyone's childhood. From his initial recruitment by Henson following a disaster-plagued performance, right through to the present day, Spinney's story is very different to what you'd expect from such an important performer. The story of how he met his second wife is worth the price of admission on its own, but the whole film is wonderful. A great insight into the man behind the bird.

Listen Up Philip

Or, the joys of misanthropy. A pitch black comedy about a young novelist's descent into narcissism, and the human wreckage it leaves around him. It's enjoyable for the most part, but an ill-advised detour into the life of Philip's girlfriend sucks the life from the piece for a good twenty minutes or so. It's interesting to see the filmmaker try to dramatise the slow awakening from an abusive relationship, but it fails and ruins the pacing of the film. Once the focus returns to Philip both the comedy and the tragedy play out far more satisfactorily. It's overlong and self-indulgent, but also very funny with some great performances from Jason Schwartzman and Jonathan Pryce.

nasty hardcoreXXX amateur couple

A short film about a couple preparing to make a sex tape. As arguments over what they're doing and how they should do it build, the problems in their relationship surface and they have to deal with them. By the end, the idea of the tape has gone from weird to affirming. It's a really well constructed short film.

Obvious Child

Do you like beige? I'm not a fan, and unfortunately beige seems to be the colour used by filmmakers to scream their indie credentials. It's like a special palette reserved for low budget filmmakers unaware that natural light isn't a cinematographer's curse. I hate it. And I really hated it in this film, because the drab lighting kept distracting me from an incredible performance by Jenny Slate, working off an hysterically funny script by writer/director Gillian Robespierre. Jenny play's Donna, a standup comedian who gets dumped by her boyfriend and has a bit of a freakout over it, and then after a one-night stand discovers she's pregnant. She decides to get an abortion, but then Max, the guy, attempts to date her and she can't quite bring herself to tell him what's happened. Bad lighting aside, this is a very sweet film full of very crass humour that'll have you laughing the whole way through.

MIFF 2014 - Day 15

The chorus of coughing is growing louder. We must be approaching the end of MIFF.

Patema Inverted

After scientists try to harness gravity and fail, gravity is reversed for some people and objects. They're lost to the sky, and back on earth a religious totalitarian state takes over, where looking up, or worse, attempting to fly, are mortal sins. But beneath the surface live the survivors of the catastrophe, and the two worlds collide. There's some truly wonderful imagery in this film, and the underlying theme of acceptance of difference is generally well handled. The villain is unfortunately one-dimensional, but it's not a major problem in a story that slowly opens out into a fairly grand piece of science fantasy. Highly enjoyable.

I Origins

The origin of this film lies in another, unmade film that director Mike Cahill was developing. To say what it was about would be to give away game, but it makes me sad that rather than the film he was intent on making, we got this disappointing "prequel" based on the backstory of his unmade film. The basic plot is that Ian is a scientist trying to document the evolutionary process of the eye, since that will shut up all the intelligent design nitwits. It's an admirable goal, but he's a bit of a dick. He meets Sofi, a model who believes in reincarnation and they end up living together for reasons that never make any sense beyond a chance to have debates about the nature of faith versus science. And really, that's all this ends up being. A strawman argument about faith and science, where neither gets a good showing. Mike Cahill made the interesting Another Earth, but he co-wrote it with Brit Marling. Here he's flying solo, though Marling stars as Ian's research partner Karen. There's some good character writing, and the labwork feels realistic, but there are too many lazy accidents of convenience and once the main plot is in train, it's obvious what's going on long before it's revealed. I didn't mind it, but I didn't think a whole lot of it either. Disappointing.

MIFF 2014 - Day 14

What a good day. My mate Kris happened to be in town, so I was finally able to introduce him to the wonders of MIFF, and with a great film as well.

Life After Beth

Zombie films just won't die. Every time I think they're played out, they manage to surprise me. Like Fido and Shaun of the Dead, this is another original take on the genre. Beth has died, her boyfriend Zach is devastated. She was getting ready to break up with him, and now she's gone and he can't tell her all the things that might have changed their final days together. And then suddenly she's back, and her parents are hiding her in their house. Zach realises immediately that she's a zombie, but her parents won't hear the word spoken. She's been resurrected, a miracle. And best of all, she doesn't remember wanting to break up with Zach, she still loves him and wants to spend time with him. So they make out in the attic, go for swims and Zach tries to keep her from realising she's dead. And then she starts eating people and it all goes a bit wrong, with smooth jazz the only thing to soothe the savage beast. With an all-star cast who play the comedy straight, it's an absurdly funny, clever and heartfelt film that brings life to the metaphor of a lost love haunting you. I really hope this gets a regular cinema run, because it deserves an audience.

MIFF 2014 - Day 13

Lucky number 13!

Human Capital

Cinema can be many things, but one the less appreciated ones is that it can take you through a thoroughly unpleasant set of events and see you out the other side. This isn't escapist cinema, it's spending time in the lives of a bunch of thoroughly unpleasant, self-serving, grasping individuals. And their children, who are really quite nice. The basics of the plot are that a cyclist was forced off the road in an accident, and someone is responsible. Maybe it's the rich guy's son, maybe it's his girlfriend, maybe a friend of theirs. But against this event play out the lives of a financial analyst who makes money betting on things failing, his wife who is numbed to life by the luxury she occupies, and a toadying real-estate agent who commits fraud to buy into the fund managed by the aforementioned analyst. They're all horrible people in different ways, though the wife is a reasonably sympathetic figure. And trapped between them all are ordinary people, destined to be crushed. It's a brilliant movie about horrible things.

Amanda F___ing Palmer: On The Rocks

A short doco about Amanda Palmer, formerly of The Dresden Dolls, and still the punching bag of anyone with a gripe about celebrities translating their fame into cash on Kickstarter. It's a really interesting subject, and you get to see her engaging with fans in new and interesting ways, while also pondering some of the more troubled aspects of what she does. I still kinda side with Steve Albini on this topic, but I have more of an appreciation for the counter-argument thanks to this doco.

Come Worry With Us!

This should be mandatory viewing for any artist, maybe just people in general. I don't think I've seen a better analysis of the trials of being a working parent. Jessica Moss and Efrim Manuck are two members of Thee Silver Mount Zion Memorial Orchestra, a fairly well known Canadian band. Efrim is also a member of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, the iconic post-rock band. When their son Ezra is born, suddenly the difficulties of trying to tour the band and just make a living as musicians becomes deeply fraught. We follow them as they tour 20 cities in 22 days, and end up making $1500 each at the end of it due to the cost of needing a tour bus and a nanny to make it work. There's some great (and heartbreaking) discussions between several women musicians about how family is so hard to make work. They are stories that resonate beyond the music community though. I can think of friends who returned to work, only to discover that childcare ended up eating most of their weekly pay packet. There's also some great discussion around the changing face of music, how to make it pay, and if that's even possible anymore. It's a thoroughly engaging documentary about issues that most people will face, even if they're not well-respected musicians.

MIFF 2014 - Day 12

Back to normal (almost)! Ah, MIFF, I've missed you.

Aunt Hilda

What starts off looking like a really preachy kids film about the evils of GM crops manages to transcend its agenda and deliver an immensely fun and incredibly unhinged story of rival siblings, corporate and government corruption and eco-armageddon. It's heaps of fun, and the villains stay villains, which is a nice change of pace to the usual "I've seen the error of my ways" morality play typical for these kinds of stories.

Afronauts

A short film allegedly inspired by a true story of Zambia attempting to beat the US to be first to the moon. It's veracity doesn't really matter, it's a fun little story that taps into the dream everyone secretly has of travelling into space.

Focus on Infinity

If there's a more disappointing or ironic title in this year's festival, I'll be surprised. Focus is something missing from this film. It's basically a video essay, as a bunch of scientists discuss the limits of science in understanding the universe. There's one or two interesting speakers, a Jesuit astrophysicist and another physicist. But the ideas and themes aren't developed, and the rest of the speakers are thoroughly underwhelming. It's a dull experience and a waste of an interesting idea.

Why Don't You Play In Hell?

I think this is my favourite film for MIFF this year. It's not the best or most worthy, but my throat still hurts from how much I laughed. A love letter to cinema and ambition, it throws together a group of hyper-enthusiatic amateur filmmakers who call themselves The Fuck Bombers, two rival Yakuza clans, the runaway daughter of one of the Yakuza leaders, and the poor guy she bribes into pretending to be her boyfriend. Every single one of these elements links together logically, and comically, with a set of relationships playing out hilariously. It culminates in the two clans battling to the death while the filmmakers record it for posterity, and the bloody carnage would make Tarantino feel inadequate. It's a heap of fun, and director Sion Sono's best work of insanity to date.

God Help The Girl

Stuart Murdoch has been telling stories through his songs for decades. Now, he's made a musical that really is like a Belle & Sebastian song brought to life. It's got troubled girls, naive boys, highs, lows, and an inherent sweetness and kindness to the whole thing that lets the darkness play out without ever overwhelming the hope. It's a really lovely, fun film.

MIFF 2014 - Day 11

Are you tired of me complaining about MIFF flu? I'm definitely tired of it. Here's hoping it's gone tomorrow.

Jodorowsky's Dune

One of the great what-ifs of cinema. Back in 1975, Alejandro Jodorowsky had made El Topo and The Holy Mountain. When his producer asked him what he'd like to do next, he said Dune! He'd never read the novel, but friends had told him it was cool. From that moment, the future of science fiction cinema was being shaped. Jodorowsky gathered around him a group of talented artists to help define the look and feel of the movie. Moebius, Chris Foss and HR Giger were his concept artists. Dan O'Bannon was hired to manage the special effects. The four would later reconvene on a little film called Alien, and from there, they went on to other films, defining the look of science fiction cinema for decades. The story of how the film came together, only to fall apart just as production was about to commence, is both heartbreaking and altogether predictable. Jodorowsky's Dune was a film of incredible ambition, with effects that weren't successfully attempted until decades later in some cases. It's one of those things that you wish existed if only to see how close they could have come to the vision described. Jodorowsky's passion for the project continues, and you get to experience it through this film. And yes, he does comment on David Lynch's version, and it's a very smart comment.

MIFF 2014 - Day 10

This is by far the worst MIFF flu I've ever had. Usually I'm over it in a day, but no, four days and counting. If I find the person who decided to soldier on and infect a cinema's worth of people with their disease, I may have strong words with them. Very grumpy. That said, I'm back, sorta. Hopefully the worst is over.

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness

Hayao Miyazaki is a cultural phenomenon, and this documentary tracks him as the makes what he's announced to be his final film, The Wind Rises. Following him around the office and home, we learn that Miya-san is a bit of a curmudgeon. Unsurprising, given he was 72 at the time the film was made, but given the warmth and humanity of his films, maybe a little surprising. He complains about the world changing, about people seeking happiness rather than meaning, all kind of things. One of the more important things he observes is the way the political climate in Japan is changing, and the implications that has for the movies he makes. But as well as complaining, we see the devotion of his staff to him, and the warmly antagonistic relationship he has with his longtime partner at Ghibli, Isao Takahata. Sadly, Takahata isn't in the film much, but his importance in Miyazaki's career isn't neglected. It's a great insight into the inner workings of Studio Ghibli, the creative tensions that exist and the crazy amount of work that goes into producing a Ghibli film. It also explains where the studio got its name, which is surprising.

MIFF 2014 - Day 7

Dammit MIFF flu, why couldn't you wait until Jodorowsky's Dune wasn't the highlight of the day? I've been hanging out for this doco for months. Instead, I'm locked in my apartment, drinking lots of water and praying my nose stops running soon. No reviews today. :(

MIFF 2014 - Day 6

Oh dear, the dreaded MIFF flu seems to have struck. Hopefully I'll sleep it off before tomorrow's run of films...

20,000 Day on Earth

A sort-of documentary about Nick Cave, it consists of recollections, live performances and footage from the recording of his latest album, Push the Sky Away. There's also some interesting sequences where he drives a car and variously Ray Winstone, Blixa Bargeld and Kylie Minogue talk about the artistic process and his music and life. It's a frustrating film though, because it wants to preserve the mystery surrounding the man, and skates around (and outright ignores) some of the more obviously pivotal moments in his life and career. (The trajectory from Henry Lee to West Country Girl being one of the more unpleasant, and Mick Harvey is barely mentioned.) Maybe those involved didn't want to appear, the wounds still too raw, or maybe the decision was made to stay away from touchy subjects. Whatever the reason, it means the film is entertaining and occasionally instructive, but a fairly shallow reflection on Cave's life and career. A must see for the fans, but I'd hesitate to recommend it otherwise, even though I enjoyed it.

MIFF 2014 - Day 5

I'm slowing down in my old age, only two today.

Life Itself

Chances are you know who Roger Ebert is, one of the most influential film critics ever. Siskel and Ebert and their thumbs up/down reviews are more well known in the US, but their fame was worldwide. Documenting Ebert's struggles with cancer, as well as looking back over his storied career, it's an enlightening and uplifting story. I'd forgotten that he'd won the Pulitzer, the first film critic ever to do so. And there was so much more about the man I didn't know. The film is at its best when it talks about Ebert and his family, and his fraught but deep relationship with his on-screen sparring partner Gene Siskel. Off the back of this film, I think I'd like a doco dedicated solely to the two men and the trajectory of their program. The behind the scenes footage is fascinating. What's great is to see how a love of cinema and communication let Ebert remain vital until the end of his life. It's a really lovely tribute to the man.

Phase IV

Saul Bass's only feature film doesn't have a fancy title sequence, instead the titles are cleverly worked into the structure of this very trippy film about two men and a young girl under siege by an army of super-intelligent ants. It's weird, really really weird. And weird in a really good way. The performances are solid, the ant footage is gorgeous, and I really want a copy of the soundtrack. I feel sorry for the people who raced out of the cinema before they ran the alternate ending. It's Bass unleashed, a psychedelic montage detailing (I think) man's subjugation by the ants. I can't imagine why the producers cut it from the original release, but I'm glad it's been rediscovered, and I'm really glad I had the chance to see it all on the big screen.

MIFF 2014 - Day 4

A little girl and a bunch of troubled men...

Anina

Anina Yatay Salas is deeply unhappy. She has a triple palindrome name, and she's bullied for it. But she has friends. When she accidentally causes another student to lose her sandwich, the girl teases her for her name. And she teases back with another cruel nickname. They fight and end up in the principal's office where they're both given sealed black envelopes and told to come back in a week to open them. Over the course of the week, Anina learns to be nice and also that bullies can be old as well as young. It's a sweet little animated tale with a good solid moral. And there's an excellent musical number about sparing the rod and spoiling the child that would have Walt Disney smiling.

Sorcerer

William Friedkin's love letter to Clouzot. I've never seen it before, and I can't believe it took me this long. This is filmmaking. From beginning to end, it's pure cinema. The final moments stumble slightly in my opinion, a few nips and tucks is all it would have taken to fix, but the final shot is striking. And that's my only complaint. It's brilliant, and the bridge crossing deserves all the praise that's heaped upon it.

Locke

Ivan Locke is having a very bad day. He's driving across town, trying to remotely manage a giant cement pour on a building site, while also taking care of some very difficult family matters. Tom Hardy alone in a car for an hour and half is arresting viewing, and exhausting too. You're watching a man who views himself as solid and practical find everything he thinks he knows about himself and his place in the world come crashing down around him. What's equally impressive is the direction, which manages to never bore you, despite the entire film taking place in a car driving on a freeway.

Joe

And another guy with problems. Joe has severe anger issues, and he doesn't really know how to stop himself once he starts. So he drinks, he smokes, he visits hookers, he does what he can to keep control. But occasionally it slips out, and he gets into trouble. Nicholas Cage is a great actor when given good material, and this is great material for him. Equally good is Tye Sheridan as Gary, a kid with an abusive deadbeat father who ends up a surrogate son for Joe. It's a bit unfortunate the end is more conventional than the rest of the film, and in that way it's very similar to Mud. Tye Sheridan is playing more or less the same character in both films too. But shootout ending or not, it's a great character piece and well worth a look.

MIFF 2014 - Day 3

A day of extremes, from sweet to horrifying to labyrinthine to confused.

Love is Strange

I've never seen an Ira Sachs film before, but I'm told this is his most accessible one. It's a very sweet and well observed story of two men, Ben and George. Finally able to marry legally after a lifetime of living together, George loses his job at the local Catholic school because the bishop finds out and is unhappy. Without the income from his job, they're forced to sell their apartment, and into couch surfing with friends and family. The strains of living apart, and living with others, form the backbone for a series of well observed scenes. John Lithgow and Alfred Molina bring depth and honesty to their roles, and while the supporting actors are solid, their characters aren't as well served. Plot threads go nowhere, which is annoying, but I think the intention was to use them as shading for the story of Ben and George. It's a lovely film though.

The Kill Team

The story of a group of US soldiers in Afghanistan who murdered innocent civilians and framed them as Taliban, just so they could say they killed someone in combat. Deeply disturbing, it mainly focuses on the experiences of Private Adam Winfield, who tried to blow the whistle without getting himself killed in the process, and ended up being prosecuted for one of the murders. There's a number of elements at play here, and one of the more disturbing is that the man who eventually did blow the lid off the thing defends the practice, painting a sick picture of a military mindset gone horribly awry. The idea that this kind of thing is more endemic than the US Army would like people to believe is both believable and horrifying.

The Infinite Man

Time travel is one of the go to concepts for low budget science fiction. Primer is the apogee of this kind of cinema, but there are others like Timecrimes that also make use of the conceit to maximise a minimal budget. The Infinite Man is Australia's contribution to this sub-genre, and it's a bit of a ripper. It starts awkwardly, because Dean, our hero, is a deeply awkward person. He wants to recreate what he felt was a perfect anniversary with Lana, mapping out a schedule to relive the past. But it all goes wrong, and he builds a time machine to go back and try and fix it. And then he goes back again, and again, multiple versions of himself vying with each other for Lana, and trying to fix everything. I felt that Lana was underwritten, but a few late third act twists lessened that for me. Alex Dimitriades turn as a jealous ex-boyfriend is weird and fun too. It's a nearly perfect construction, with only a single unresolved paradox that I could spot. And I don't really care. It's a really fun film, tightly written and well acted that you should try and see as soon as possible.

The Distance

At an abandoned power plant, three psychic dwarfs are hired by an imprisoned artist to steal something known as "The Distance". It's weird, very pretty in a drab way, and kinda pointless. If you like weird for the sake of weird, this is definitely your jam. I didn't mind it, but it lacks the personality of something like Rubber, which is probably my favourite example of this genre.

MIFF 2014 - Day 2

After many long years, it was nice to be back in the Capitol theatre again. And thank you to the MIFF volunteers there who helped me find my mobile phone after I lost it there.

Dinosaur 13

It's one of those stories that would can't quite believe really happened. A group of paleontologists discovered the most complete skeleton of a T-Rex found to date. The pay the landowner $5000 for the fossils, but in what should have obviously been a bad sign, he says there's no need to sign a contract of sale and a handshake will do fine. A year or so later the company is raided by the FBI with the National Guard in tow. What follows is a headscratching case where the US Government tries to prosecute the researchers for theft, fraud and a whole bunch of other things. And it doesn't end well for anyone really. The government look stupid, one of the paleontologists serves a two year sentence for "failing to fill out forms" and they lose the rights to the dinosaur they discovered. The motivations for the grandstanding prosecution are never really explained, but the film discusses the fact there appears to be a kind of holy war between academic and commercial paleontologists. Whatever the reason, it's a sad story.

The Overnighters

And speaking of sad stories, this is one of the most provocative documentaries you're likely to catch this year. Williston, South Dakota has become a boom town due to fracking. The oil drilling has attracted people from all over the country, and the increase in population, and rents, means a lot of people seeking work are homeless, even if they manage to find employment. Pastor Jay Reinke, in the spirit of good community, opens his church and carpark to people with nowhere to stay, but the endeavour puts a strain on his church and their relationship with the community. I don't think you'll find a better film about the difficulties and moral complexities of charity anytime soon. The men Pastor Jay supports love him, but many are quick to turn on him when they are expected to be responsible for their actions. Setting boundaries and defining consequences is a tough ask, and very quickly things get ugly. And Jay himself has his own demons to battle. It's a depressing story about people trying to do good, and not always succeeding.

Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films

Mark Hartley is an excellent documentarian, so it's shame he's retiring from the field to focus on narrative cinema. But he leaves it with a thoroughly entertaining look at Cannon films, responsible for so many b-grade blockbusters of the 80s. And, surprisingly, a few quality films too. It's incredible to see how many films they churned out before they crashed and burned. Anyone who remembers films like American Ninja, Missing In Action, Masters of the Universe and countless other examples of trash cinema should hunt this film down.

MIFF 2014 - Day 1

Aaaaaaaaaaaand I'm back. Back in the familiar embrace of dodgy seats at The Forum. Seriously, they're falling apart. One day someone is going to fix them, right? ACMI somehow remains fairly comfortable, by and large, but The Forum is in need of some TLC. Anyhow, movies!

Cheatin'

I love Bill Plympton, I really do. He's a bit of an acquired taste, but like anchovies once you've got it you'll never shake it. This film sees him turning his quirky eye to fidelity and relationships. And it's suitably weird. After rescuing Ella from being electrocuted by a levitating dodgem car, Jake ditches the girl he's with and marries Ella. Jake's a good looking bloke, and every woman he meets keeps trying to seduce him. But he only has eyes for Ella. At least until one wily woman photographs Ella in a changeroom with a bunch of mannequins, and the none-too-bright Jake becomes convinced she's been cheating on him. So off he goes to sleep with every woman who looks his way. Ella's solution involves possessing the bodies of the women and using little tells to make him think of her every time he cheats. It's a mix of sadism and sainthood, as she tries to turn him from his wicked ways. Hysterically funny, as always, and with a cameo from the dog from many of his short films, it was a great way to kick off the festival.

Pulp: A film about Life, Death and Supermarkets

I still remember Florian Habicht introducing his film Woodenhead so many years ago at MIFF. It remains one of the most memorable introductions ever, and he's lost none of his energy or charm in the years since. The path to making this documentary allegedly involves hiring a private detective to dig out Jarvis Cocker's email address, so, well... It's a great doco though, focused equally between the different members of the band and their home town of Sheffield. There's some great characters interviewed, and Habicht achieves what would seem near impossible, he allows everyone a chance to shine, and avoids Cocker's personality overwhelming the film. With great concert footage, and great people from Sheffield, it's an odd rockumentary that's definitely worth seeing.