Movie Doc's Top Ten Films of AFF

1. THE ARTIST
2. PARIAH
3. I MELT WITH YOU
4. BUTTER
5. JEFF WHO LIVES AT HOME
6. THE DESCENDANTS
7. UNION SQUARE
8. THE RUM DIARY
9. SOME GUY WHO KILLS PEOPLE
10. BELOW ZERO

Honorable Mention: SAL
Movies I wish I had seen: SHAME, HAROLD'S GOING STIFF, YOU HURT MY FEELINGS

Mark Saldana
The Movie Doc

Thursday October 27, UNION SQUARE

On my final night of AFF '11 I decided to go with the last screening at the Paramount theater, mainly because an old Hollywood crush would be in attendance. The Austin Film Festival closed their marquee screenings with a lovely film about family and dealing with loss. Written and directed by Nancy Savoca, UNION SQUARE stars Mira Sorvino (crush) and Tammy Blanchard as two estranged sisters who reconnect on Thanksgiving after not speaking with one another for some time. Lucy (Sorvino), upset after being jilted by a lover, looks up her younger sister Jenny (Tammy Blanchard). Originally from the Bronx, Jenny left home to get away from the family drama of her mother Lucia (Patti LuPone) and her older sister Lucy who's very much like their mother. Even though Jenny's life is more peaceful, the seemingly perfect life she has made for herself is not completely genuine. Both sisters awkwardly catch-up and the drama that ensues helps both of them face truths about themselves they had avoided for so long.

I was impressed by Savoca's incredible script and also by the performances of Blanchard and Sorvino. The film has a simple structure and limited locations which could translate well as stage play. Driven by realistic writing, character development, and amazing acting, the film exceeded my expectations and was a satisfactory conclusion to my coverage of the fest. Writer/director Savoca and actress Sorvino attended the screening and participated in the Q & A that followed. Savoca stated that her script was "strongly written, but had a breathing space for improvisation." This is clearly evident in the genuine performances by the cast which didn't feel staged at all. Savoca felt driven to capture a "raw emotion" which is often absent from movies. Sorvino claims that the two weeks she spent with Blanchard getting to know her well really helped with their chemistry. Sorvino also contributed all of her wardrobe from the film which is hyper-colorful and often loud. She attributes this to her Italian side. "My Italian side of the family wears strong loud colors which reflects their loud colorful personality." Mira clearly embraced this side for the Lucy character.

Because of the excellent writing and superb performance of Sorvino and Blanchard, I encourage audiences to seek out this film. I, honestly, am not aware of any theatrical video release dates, but recommend that people keep an eye out for it.

Mark Saldana

The Movie Doc

Wednesday October 26, THE DESCENDANTS

When I first heard that the new Alexander Payne movie would screen at AFF, I nearly flipped. Starting with his film ELECTION and continuing with follow ups ABOUT SCHMIDT and SIDEWAYS, I became an ardent admirer of his filmmaking as well his taste in excellent stories. THE DESCENDANTS, like his last three films, is based an a novel. Payne usually selects genuine, true to life stories on which to base his films and his latest is no exception.

Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings, Payne and his co-writers Nat Faxon and Jim Rash tell the story of Matt King (George Clooney) and what becomes probably his most difficult time in his life. King, a successful attorney, has been coping with not only the emotion issues, but also the legal ones associated with having a spouse in a coma. His wife Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie) suffers a traumatic injury in a motor boat accident and her prognosis is terrible. At the same time, Matt has to juggle his responsibilities of his wife's care along with raising his daughters Scottie (Amara Miller) and Alexandra (Shailene Woodley). Finally, Matt, whose family sits on a prime piece of real estate in Hawaii, has to make an important decision regarding its sale.

While I didn't like this movie as much as his past two films (SIDEWAYS, ABOUT SCHMIDT), Payne still made an wonderful picture. He and his writers in his films have the profound talent to take often sad and depressing situations and highlighting the humorous, but real moments that can happen. As usual, he and his casting department assemble a wonderful cast to flesh out the characters beautifully. My only gripe with this film would be a small predictability factor regarding the subplot involving the property sale. The end result of that part of the story is pretty transparent. Still, this one criticism doesn't take much away from my enjoyment of the movie. I must highly encourage fans of Alexander Payne to go see this movie when it opens in theaters later this year.

DESCENDANTS actor and Georgetown native, Nick Krause attended the screening at the Paramount theater and did a brief Q & A following the movie. Krause, who plays Alexandra's friend Sid, has a hilarious part in the film. His facial expressions alone made me laugh hard. Krause seemed to really enjoy working with Payne who took the cast to Hawaii to spend some time preparing for the shoot. This helped Krause get into character as he observed the teenagers who live there and also got a tan to look the part. The preparation definitely worked as Krause often steals the show, even from Clooney.

Mark Saldana

The Movie Doc

THE WOMAN IN THE FIFTH

After gushing with joy and with an almost permanent smile left on my face after THE ARTIST, I was not sure what to expect with my second feature of the night at the Paramount. Well, this thankfully short film left me a tad flat. Honestly, though, I'm not sure why the programmers thought an enigmatic and ambiguous art film could follow a classic-styled masterpiece and still expect to blow people away. This film especially plays out way too understated and brought many questions to mind, but didn't really develop the lead character well enough for me to empathize with him.

Ethan Hawke plays Tom Ricks, a socially awkward (the least of his issues) American author who travels to Paris to reconnect with his estranged daughter. Her protective mother prevents the two from spending much time together, so Ricks, desperate for work, reluctantly takes a job in an unusual and mysterious facility where he works the highly secure door. He also meets an odd, but alluring woman named Margit (Kristin Scott Thomas) with whom he begins a torrid affair. His everyday mysteries along with his sanity raise way too many questions, and by the "end" of the film, I lacked any real connection with his character to really care what it all means. Ethan Hawke offers a fine performance, but writer/director Pawel Pawilowski seems to do very little with the novel by Douglas Kennedy on which this film is based. I have not read Kennedy's book, but what I have read about it sounds much more thrilling and mysterious than this dull film version.

Mark Saldana
The Movie Doc

Tuesday October 26, Beginning with THE ARTIST

When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I became so excited for this film. As a fan of classic cinema, I have enjoyed several films from the silent era, particularly those by Charlie Chaplin. When I heard that AFF added this to the film roster, it rose to the top of the films I highly anticipated at the festival. I mainly had positive feelings going into this screening; however, my cynical side also worried that the movie would come across as too cheesy, sappy, and well, gimmicky. Well, I am overjoyed that my positive instincts were correct. THE ARTIST serves as a beautiful homage to classic cinema, particularly silent movies.

Writer/director Michel Hazanavicius takes audiences back to 1927 Hollywood, an era when silent film star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) ruled the big screen. His reign is soon coming to an end though. Warned by his studio heads that talkies will take over, the prideful Valentin refuses to change with the times. Before he becomes obsolete, he meets a talented young dancer named Peppy Miller (the beautiful and radiant Berenice Bejo) whose own stardom eventually eclipses that of Valentin as she becomes the fresh face of the talkies.

I absolutely loved this movie. I not only consider this film one of my favorites of the year, but one of my favorites of all time. Hazanavicius does amazing work recreating that classic look and feel of movies in film's glorious younger days. I must applaud the gorgeous cinematography by Guillaume Schiffman and the music by Ludovic Bource which really add to the experience. The superb performances by Dujardin, Bejo, and their supporting cast which includes John Goodman, James Cromwell, and Penelope Ann Miller help Hazanavicius create a masterpiece which deserves to be dubbed as an instant classic. I must highly recommend this motion picture to all lovers of classic cinema.

Mark Saldana
The Movie Doc

ROADIE

Following PARIAH, I watched another low budget and understated film about a lost soul/prodigal son who returns home to reconnect with his mother and old friends. Jimmy Testagross (Ron Eldard) left home long ago to become a rock band roadie. He has spent most of that time working for classic rock group Blue Oyster Cult. After being fired from the job, Jimmy finds himself back in Queens with nowhere to go or nothing to do. He decides to visit his elderly mother (Lois Smith) and ends up running into his ex-girlfriend (Jill Hennessy) and her husband, high school bully (Bobby Cannavale). Jimmy lies to his mother and friends, boasting of having worked up the ladder from roadie to manager who sometimes writes and produces. His time at home becomes a huge reality check which slaps him across the face and becomes a major turning point in his life.

I enjoyed the movie, even though I have seen many other like it. Writer/director Michael Cuesta who co-wrote the script with Gerald Cuesta creates a true to life story with solid writing. The film can definitely boast excellent performances by Eldard, Hennessy, Smith, and Cannavale. For the writing and acting alone, this film is worth a viewing.

Mark Saldana
The Movie Doc

Movie Doc's Monday Oct.24 Beginning with PARIAH

Well, Monday I returned for a double feature at the Texas Spirit Theater inside the Bob Bullock Texas Museum. The first feature was preceeded by a similarly themed short titled THE MAIDEN AND THE PRINCESS. Writer/director Ali Scher presented the audience with an awesomely done fairy tale about a young British girl named Emmy coping with her budding feelings towards her same sex. Ridiculed by her classmates, and misunderstood by her parents, Emmy tries to suppress these feelings. In the fairy tale land, The Grand High Council of Fairy Tale Rules charges her guardian fairy Hammond (David Anders) to write her a traditional fairy tale to set her on the "right" path. Hammond begins his tale traditionally, but soon realizes that tradition is not appropriate for everyone. This short adorable tale is written and produced for gay and lesbian children and teens who feel lost and cast out and can't relate to classic traditional fairy tales. Scher does beautiful work with this relevant and modernized fairy tale short.

PARIAH

Following the short and the subsequent Q & A with Ali Scher, the Texas Spirit played an incredible film titled PARIAH. This movie, which is more realistic and takes on a more serious tone than of its preceeding fairy tale, tells the story of high school student Alike (Adepero Oduye) and her day to day struggles to juggle duality. To her family, Alike comes across as a tomboy, but still grudgingly wears girlie clothes her mother Audrey (Kim Wayans) buys her. At school and among her circle of lesbian friends, Alike feels more free to be herself wear masculine clothes. She and best friend Laura (Pernell Walker) spend lots of their nights at the local lesbian club where Laura and Alike try to pick up women. In addition to the marital strife suffered by Alike's mother and father (Charles Parnell), things eventually come to a head regarding Alike's sexual identity and she finally decides to out herself when she grows tired of the deception.

Writer/director Dee Rees does an excellent job with this, her first feature film. Based on her acclaimed short by the same title, Rees shows some genuine raw talent that gives her movie an incredibly realistic feel and look. Along with a superb script, PARIAH showcases an outstanding cast. The entire cast and Rees deserve nominations in all of the major film awards. The biggest surprise for me would be Kim Wayans who normally is known for comedy. She and this film really blew me away. I know for sure that this movie will make my top ten list of films this year.

Mark Saldana
The Movie Doc