(no subject)

[lesbiassparrow]

So, I've been looking through a film festival line-up. So far my browsing has shown me:

1. 27* coming of age stories, most of which appear to end in tragedy

2. 12 films where middle-aged people have a gathering of some sort and discuss something about adultery/crime/whathaveyou that turns out very badly

3. 19 films that 'eschew sentimentality' presumably so they can also 'present unflinching gazes' at something or other

4. Approx. 75 personal or film journeys. I do not know what separates the two as presumably as this is a film festival they are all filmed.

5. 4 "ineffably transcendent experimental" works.


* All numbers may be exaggerated for rhetorical effect.

Comments

[unusualmusic.livejournal.com]

In short, 137 loads of boring pretentious crap:)

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

Something like that. In all fairness some of them might be good, but the descriptions are incredibly off putting.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

*falls asleep just from the descriptions*

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

It's even worse when they're up there en masse! Did no one read through the whole list and realize how often they used pretty much the same description, almost word for word?

[raincitygirl.livejournal.com]

Any lowbrow but entertaining comedies?

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

I don't think they have any comedies. Only tragedies. Or personal journeys that may or may not be unintentionally comic.

[raincitygirl.livejournal.com]

Don't they realise that some of us just had to take a swig of Buckley's cough syrup (that nearly took our heads off because it's something like 80% menthol) to pep us up for 20 minutes so we could stagger to the nearest grocery store and buy food? Damnit, if I'm going to watch anything when I'm sick, it's going to be something funny.

Also, this is why film festival movies very rarely make money. Who wants ot pay to see them?

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

It's the sameness of the descriptions that gets to me: just how many tragic coming of age stories set in a brutal climate of repression/ice/heat/urban crime/despair does one film festival need? And why must everything involving someone under 20 be a coming of age story? Don't kids ever do anything else? The same goes for personal stories of discovery. I bet it was a lovely experience but I'm not really sure why I should care about your search for your father/religion/love/hope/pen.

[unusualmusic.livejournal.com]

THIS. THIS. THIS.

[morwen_peredhil]

That list makes me want to watch something really loud and stupid that features lots of explosions and car chases.

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

Me too. Nothing is more guaranteed to make me say 'Want things go smash-smash now' than reading these sorts of descriptions.

[oxymoron67.livejournal.com]

Don't forget these two subcategories:

1)Films in which the writer and director explore their daddy issues.
(These films are especially popular at Sundance)

2) Films in which the director and writer explore their mommy issues.

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, the 'unflinching gaze on a dysfunctional family which is disintegrating as the director goes on a personal journey where they come of age at 43 at a dinner party which goes wrong because of everyone's mother' type of film?

[fivil.livejournal.com]

No wonder you turn to Jump Street! (Also, request for screencaps of this show! I want to see how wonderfully 80's-90's it is.. Also it got me thinking how you'd like my FAVOURITE TV SHOW EVER, Press Gang, which is essentially a show for teens' and pre-teens, mostly comedy/drama but occasionally focused on REAL ISSUES OMG though it does handle the REAL ISSUES OMG with surprising subtlety for kids' TV. And it has clever dialogues and jokes and a wonderful bickering OTP. But I digress.)

Helsinki International Film Festival can be kind of like that but thankfully its alternative title, "Love and Anarchy" makes sure it also provides quirky Asian movies, fun Indian movies and just peculiar foreign cinema you wouldn't otherwise get to see at all!

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

You know I think that you would be traumatized by screencaps! The mullets! The clothes! But if I can do so I will - though I feel it's a waste with this season as it seems largely Deppless (and I should point out that he doesn't have a mullet, thank god). I shall try Press Gang if I ever see DVDs - sounds like a lot of fun.

This film festival is a little disappointing - not one Bollywood! Only one Indian film, which I will go to see with my Hindi class, but sounds not very cheering and will have no dancing which I think is a waste all round. Hmmmph!

[fivil.livejournal.com]

Dude I watch 90's Bollywood (mullets) and adoooore Press Gang's silly fashion. I'm a nineties kid, not much can shock me. :D

Re:PG if you can download, check out: http://fivil.livejournal.com/505655.html
and: http://fivil.livejournal.com/497521.html
AND: http://fivil.livejournal.com/504376.html

What is the Indian film? My film festival had one called Vanaja (Indian/American co-production) besides some Bollyfilms.

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

What is the Indian film?

Faraaq. Firaaq. It wasn't very good; I left halfway through because I felt like I was being hit with message sticks.

Thanks for the links!