9-12-2004
I must begin by thanking Linda for her delightful commentary throughout
yesterday’s diary entry. [LINDA: The pleasure was all mine... really!] It was, in a word, HI-larious! I’d also like
to express my gratitude for the lovely photo of Ms. Bullock, who – I
neglected to mention – looks fabulous in Crash.
Moving on…
I’d like to start today’s entry with a public service announcement for
anyone attending screenings at the Paramount: the incline pattern of
the stairs in all the theaters is short-short-long. Write that down
somewhere and memorize it: short-short-long. That is, there are two
short (or shallow) steps, and then one long (or deep) step. Then two
more short and another long. And so on and so on all the way to the
very top row. I mention this because of the (literally) dozens and
dozens of people I’ve seen trip up the stairs over the past
couple of days because they can’t seem to grasp this design concept and
walk accordingly. It’s like suddenly everyone forgot how to climb
steps.
And I know I said I wouldn’t mention Mouthy Martha this year unless she
did something outrageous, but I do feel it’s worth noting that I had my
first MM sighting today, on day four! That’s three whole
Mouthy-free days! Not bad! I also saw Dora the Dope out and about at a
screening, and felt the urge to glare at her in a very unfriendly way.
My first film today was a new comedy from writer-director-actor Don
McKellar called Childstar. The film pokes some sharply
skewed fun at the film industry (particularly the American star system)
and follows professor turned filmmaker turned production-company driver
Rick (McKellar), who’s assigned to play chauffeur for popular preteen
actor Taylor Brandon Burns (Mark Rendall), who’s a completely
self-absorbed jerk. His mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh) isn’t much
better, and she makes sure her meal ticket is always at the top of
everyone’s priority list. The hijinks begin when Taylor decides
to break free from his Star Persona and the world that revolves around
him suddenly stops spinning.
McKellar showed for the screening and did a terrific opening bit (which
was later repeated, verbatim, in the film). The Q&A session
afterwards was equally spirited, with McKellar reveling in being called
“clever.”
I followed that with Les Choristes, which I’ve been incorrectly
calling Les ChOIRistes for, oh, the past two weeks. (Oops.) The
film is an unapologetically sweet, sentimental – and, I’m sure, some
will argue sappy – French drama about a well-meaning supervisor
(Gérard Jugnot) sent to teach at a strict school for troubled
boys in the late 1940s. There, he uses music to rein in his charges and
soon forms a choir. Yes, it sounds a whole lot like Music of My
Heart or Mr. Holland’s Opus or Dangerous Minds, but
it’s such an overwhelmingly heartwarming film that I didn’t care. The
music was beautiful, the performances pitch-perfect and the story
(though predictable) fully enjoyable. I was teary for most of the film
(and so was the rest of the theater, judging by the sniffles and
blowing of noses), just because of how moving it was…but I suspect they
could have played the boys’ choir singing over a blank screen and it
would have had a similar effect. Nevermind the fact that there’s one
adorable little boy, who waits at the gate of the school every Saturday
believing that his father (who has died) will come to get him, who
won’t only tug at your heartstrings, but will pull them out and twist
them into a sniffly, snotty, sobbing knot.
But the kicker was after the film – which, by the way, was given
a ROUSING standing ovation! – when they trotted out an actual boys’
choir! (They may or may not have been the choir used for the vocals in
the film, I’m not sure.) They started singing, and the song they sang
was the one playing over the closing credits. So, imagine the closing
credits music fading into a live performance onstage. It was very kewl
and the audience sat enraptured.
Decidedly less wonderful was my third film of the day, which became my
second walkout of the fest. It was a prison drama from Poland (sounds
super-fun already, right?) called Symmetry (or The
Symmetry, depending on which subtitle you believe). It just didn’t
hold my interest at all, which is odd because I normally enjoy a good
prison flick. But no. When I realized I didn’t know the names of any of
the characters, or care what their stories were, or have the faintest
interest in how the film would end, I left.
I almost skipped my last screening of the day – the documentary
Three of Hearts: a postmodern family. See, I went to bed late
last night and got up at the crack of dawn this morning, so I was
already pooped and the screening wasn’t starting until 9pm, which I
knew meant another late night (and I know I’ll be up early again
tomorrow). So, for a few minutes after arriving at the theater, I
contemplated selling my ticket to someone in the rush line, going home
and going to bed at a reasonable hour.
But I decided to stay and I’m SOOO glad I did because the movie was
fantastic. It chronicles eight years in the life of Sam, Steven and
Samantha, who make up a “trinogomous” relationship. Directed by Susan
Caplan, the film tells the story of the trio and their unique
arrangement. It starts out by documenting their decision to have a
child, and then flips back around to explain how they met (Steven and
Sam were in love and decided to bring a woman into the relationship),
etc. But halfway through the carefree, whimsical and extremely funny
love story, things change. People change. The idyllic set-up is
suddenly turned on its ear. But the film remains just as compelling, if
not more so. Overall, it’s touching, personal, delicate, funny, silly,
heartbreaking, sad, painful and healing.
During the Q&A afterwards, which featured Caplan alongside Sam and
Samantha, Sam actually got choked up and rather tearful. The emotion is
still very close to the surface for the participants and you could feel
it in the air. You could have heard a pin drop in that theater as Sam
thoughtfully and openly discussed his feelings. I tried not to cry.
And then, all sleepy and dopey, I came home to write this. I only have
three films tomorrow, and a nice big break in between #2 and #3, so I
should have a fairly easy day.
(She says, as the Moviegoing Fates cackle in anticipation…)
Roger Ebert Sightings: Okay, seriously, I don’t think he’s here. It’s
day FOUR!!
Celebrity Sightings: Director Lukas Moodysson on his way out of A
Hole in My Heart.
Line Buzz: My linemates were unusually un-chatty today. Like, SILENT.
No speaking. Ditto the folks in the theater seats. Must be a
Saturday-night hangover thing. ;-)
