The Sarasota Film Festival is one of the highlights of my year. This will be my third year attending and I'll be seeing more films than I have have ever had opportunity to before: 27. In addition, I'll be seeing the Oscar-nominated Frank Langella in a live on-stage conversation regarding his expansive body of work and to promote his new film Robot and Frank.
Every year, I always look forward to Roger's blog-posts from the festivals he attends. I check in late each night to see what he's seen and experienced at Cannes or Toronto that day. I vicariously experience those festivals through him. I appreciate his daily insights and then mentally file away the names of films that he recommends (even if those weren't the ones getting all the press attention that day) to see upon their theatrical releases. Because of Roger's festival blogs, I discovered two very little known films what are now some of my favorites: Rodrigo Garcia's Mother & Child and Atom Egoyan's Chloe. Those films also alerted me to the talent of their respective directors (both of whose work I researched and now follow).
So I have decided that this year, just as Roger does, I shall post daily festival blogs. Just like Roger, I can't promise that I won't fall behind a day or two (there's a day I'm seeing five films and it is unlikely that I'm going to write about them all that night), but each day will get a post, late or not. As Roger does with his weekly reviews, I will assign each film a star rating -ranging from zero to four. I'll provide a brief synopsis of each movie and all of my knee-jerk thoughts (due to my obvious time-constraints I can't write a five to eight paragraph review for all 27 films) along with some more in-depth commentary on any truly remarkable (or painfully awful) films I see. I will also try to sprinkle in any tidbits I can about the festival-going experience for all of you faithful blog-readers so that just as I vicariously experience festivals like Cannes and Toronto through Roger, you all can experience this one through me.
Now a brief note regarding the zero to four star scale, because I have encountered some confusion among friends as to each rating's meaning (the emergence of the popular five-star scale muddled things):
ZERO STARS:
This film has no value whatsoever -as art, entertainment, or otherwise. It shouldn't have been made and is a detestable worthless thing.
1/2 STAR:
This film is not completely worthless, but almost.
1 STAR:
This film tried, but failed. It is below average and not comically bad enough to qualify as "so bad it's good".
1 1/2 STARS:
This film was almost average. With a little effort it could have reached complete average mediocrity.
2 STARS:
This film is completely average, run-of-the-mill, mediocre. Not bad, just average (the grade C of star ratings).
2 1/2 STARS:
This film had potential. It was above average. With some changes it could have been solidly good. Well done, but essentially a missed opportunity.
3 STARS:
This film is solid. It set out to do what it wanted. It isn't bad, there is nothing it did wrong, but it could have done more right. It is solidly good and exactly what it wanted to be.
3 1/2 STARS:
This film is more than solid. It didn't just do what it set out to, but more. It is almost perfect for what it wanted to be. It's a really good movie (if it wasn't an island *read the third paragraph up from the bottom of this post for more info* it might have been a 4).
4 STARS:
This film is perfection. It went above and beyond what it needed or wanted to do. It's amazing. Unless it's a genre film or just so good in and of itself that it doesn't matter, it isn't an island film (the grade A of star ratings).
I wanted to include that so that my star-ratings will make sense. It is also important to point out (as Roger does when he explains his star ratings -which mine are based off of) that films are graded on the bell-curve of what they are. Spider-Man 2 may be a four-star comic book movie, but it's not comparable to a four-star drama like American Beauty (Roger essentially uses this same illustration when explaining).
The festival starts this Friday (April 13th), and I'll start my posts that night or the following morning (the 14th). But to whet your appetites until then, here's the schedule of what I'll be seeing (more info on each film is available here at the Sarasota Film Festival website, or you can search for their trailers on YouTube):
Robot and Frank
SATURDAY 4/14:
In Conversation with Frank Langella
Oslo, Augsut 31st
Peace, Love,and Misunderstanding
SUNDAY 4/15:
Polisse The Big Picture
MONDAY 4/16:
Restoration
Alps
TUESDAY 4/17:
Las Malas Intenciones
Mosquita Y Mari
WEDNESDAY 4/18:
Goodbye, FirstLove
Elena
FRIDAY 4/20:
Policeman
The Loneliest Planet
Leave Me Like You Found Me
In Our Nature
SATURDAY 4/21:El Premio
Arcadia
Francine
Think of Me
The Day
SUNDAY 4/22:
Keep the
Lights On Compliance
Little White Lies
P.S. Since the Sarasota Film Festival is working with a website called festivalgenius.com, their online film-guide now provides a comment section for each film on its information page. In addition to being available here on the blog, my daily reviews for each film will also be posted on each film's information page under the screen-name Rodney&Roger.
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