Film Festivals – Page 22 – We Are Movie Geeks

SLIFF 2015 Review – SLEEP WITH ME

SLEEP WITH ME takes a downbeat look at the traditional marriage vows. Well, one in particular, you know “for better or for worse”. For the couple at the center of the story, it’s tough for things to get much worse. It’s as though the Righteous Brothers classic “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feeling” were playing on a constant loop through their home’s sound system. The husband is Paul (Cliff Chamberlain), a frustrated small town Missouri academic who now makes a living by managing the home rental properties owned by his surly, abusive father Henry (Raymond J. Barry). And a good chunk of Paul’s days are occupied by taking care of his mean ole’ widower Daddy’s house. The wife is Gabi (Danielle Canastra), a transplant from South America with a somewhat shady past. She’s eager to rebuild her reputation and begin life anew by starting a family with Paul. But she’s having trouble concieving while Paul’s interest in her is rapidly waning. However he soon becomes interested in Rachel (Kelly O’Sulllivan), one of Henry’s tenants that’s behind in her rent. There’s a strong connection between Paul and the adrift college student. Meanwhile Gabi is in debt to her former beau, the local crime kingpin Santi (Lobo Sebastian), after he sells her fertility drugs. All this happens while she also begins utilizing the services of a much younger male hustler, Kyle (Luke Stratte-McClure). This little Midwestern town has enough adultery and deceit to occupy a major metropolis.

Writer/director Brian Jun expertly exposes the steamy underbelly of lazy, hazy small town America. We feel the frustration of Paul and the yearning of Gabi. Jun inspires solid performances from the cast, especially the terrific Barry as the horrific “daddy dearest”, spewing bile and venom toward anyone within shouting range. No effort is made to soften this abrasive monster, he’s all hard edges ready to cut you to the quick. His verbal menace is nearly matched by the physical menace of Sebastian as the merciless small-time criminal, a man who has his “dirty little fingers” in everybody’s pie. With all these interesting ingredients SLEEP WITH ME makes for a spicy, simmering, sexual stew.

SLEEP WITH ME screens on Saturday, November 7 at 9:15 PM at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas as part of the 24th Annual Whitaker St Louis International Film Festival. Purchase tickets here

SLIFF 2015 Review – THE 33

Here’s a docudrama unique in the long history of films “inspired by true events”. It seemed that during the actual event, many in the media remarked that it was “tailor-made” for the movies, some even speculated, and offered suggestions, on casting. The story captured the attention of the world for several weeks into months, just five years ago. And now that motion picture has finally come to pass. The harrowing ordeal of the Chilean miners is told in the film titled after them, for around the world they were known as THE 33. The story begins the day before the ordeal, at a party thrown by Mario Sepulveda (Antonio Banderas) as he pleads with a mine supervisor to give him tomorrow morning’s shift (foreshadowing). Early the next day, we ride along on the bus as they pick up the daytime mining crew. One man regales his co-workers with Elvis Presley trivia and snippets of classic tunes. An old-timer is congratulated on his upcoming retirement (just gotta’ sign the papers). The womanizer Yonni (Oscar Nunez) breaks up a fight between his wife and mistress before he boards the bus. Alcoholic Dario (Juan Pablo Raca) tumbles off the park bench just in time to catch a ride as his older sister Maria (Juliette Binoche) gazes sadly at her estranged sibling. Arriving at the site, the crew’s safety supervisor Luis (Lou Diamond Phillips) complains to the mine foreman about the shifting rocks to no avail. Not long after the mountain does give way, trapping the men in the “ready room” with little food and water, miles below the surface (the main rock atop them is twice the size of the Empire State Building) In the next few hours, the miners’ families gather at the gate, demanding answers. The Chilean president sends an eager young aide, Laurence (Rodrigo Santoro) to calm the crowds. Eventually rescue teams from around the globe converge on the mine site with massive drills in an effort to reach those trapped before they run out of time.

Director Patricia Riggen, along with her screenwriting team wrangle suspense, heartache, and, yes, humor from this crackling true tale. The energetic performances of Banderas, Binoche, and Gabriel Byrne (as one of the rescue drill captains) elevate the film from standard “ripped from the headlines” TV cable fare. Happily Riggen knows just how to balance the pace between those waiting and the men below. One of the best moments occurs when the men sit down to digest what they believe to be their last meal. Instead of the watered-down tuna they imagine their favorite mouth-watering delicacies served by their much-missed loved ones. A very funny and touching moment as the men battle the intense heat, hunger, and a descent into hopelessness that could lead to madness. THE 33 is an entertaining, inspiring tale of determination and courage.

THE 33 screens at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre on Saturday, November 7 at 7:30 PM as part of the 24th Annual Whitaker St Louis International Film Festival. Purchase tickets here

SLIFF 2015 Interview: Dax Phelan – Director of JASMINE

JASMINE screens Saturday, November 7th at 5:15 at The Tivoli Theater as part of the St. Louis International Film Festival. Director/writer Dax Phelan will be in attendance. Ticket information can be found HERE

In this gripping psychological thriller, Leonard To (Jason Tobin, BETTER LUCK TOMORROW) struggles to come to terms with the unsolved murder of Jasmine (Grace Huang, THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS), his beloved wife. Nearly a year after Jasmine’s death, Leonard finally returns home to Hong Kong. Determined to begin again, he searches for a new job, attends grief-support meetings, and reconnects with a woman from his past (Eugenia Yuan, REVENGE OF THE GREEN DRAGONS). The unsolved nature of Jasmine’s murder — and the Hong Kong police’s seeming indifference to the case — prevents Leonard from attaining true closure, but he appears to be slowly starting life anew. That progress comes to a sudden halt, however, when Leonard crosses paths with a mysterious interloper (Byron Mann, THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS) while leaving flowers at the scene of his wife’s murder on the first anniversary of her death. Suspecting that the man is his wife’s killer, Leonard investigates in the hope of linking him to the crime. But the police remain unpersuaded, and Leonard realizes that the only recourse is to take matters into his own hands.

Dax Phelan, writer and director of JASMINE, took the time to speak with We Are Movie Geeks in advance of his film’s screening at The St. Louis International Film Festival.

Interview conducted by Tom Stockman November 3rd, 2015

We Are Movie Geeks: You’ll be here this weekend for a screening of your film JASMINE.

Dax Phelan: I’m already here. I have a few days before my film screens at a film festival in Kansas, so I thought I’d come to St. Louis and scout some locations for a movie that I’m planning on shooting here next year.

WAMG: You’re from here. What’s it like coming home to St. Louis and showing your first feature film?

DP: There was a period of time where I didn’t come back to St. Louis for many years because my parents had both retired and moved to New Orleans. I came back a year ago for my high school reunion and had a fantastic time and said to myself that I really need to come back to St. Louis more often. It so happens that I have a film project that I have been developing for a while that I want to film here. When you’re shooting a low-budget film and dealing with all the logistics and problems that are inevitable, like when it’s raining when it’s not supposed to be raining, you think to yourself that it will really be a miracle if this film ever plays on a big screen anywhere. To have JASMINE play in my hometown, at a theater like The Tivoli where I saw so many films that inspired me, is like a bucket list moment for me. I couldn’t be happier.

WAMG: So it sounds like you were a big movie buff growing up in St. Louis. Who are some of your favorite filmmakers?

DP: I was a big fan of Steven Spielberg’s work of course. Martin Scorsese’s films had a major impact. I first saw RESERVOIR DOGS when I was living in St. Louis and that shook up everybody. I was very much into filmmakers from that era in the 70s that inspired so many. When I was in college, that was when PULP FICTION came out, I also discovered the works of Lodge Kerrigan and Spike Lee and people like that. It all just kind of coalesced then.

WAMG: Let’s talk about your film JASMINE. How did you come up with this story?

DP: I had an idea for a character in my head for a long time. Whenever I was working on assignments, making a living as a screenwriter, I always yearned to be working on something more personal. This idea kept coming back to me over and over again. I always thought that if I ever turn to directing, I would pursue this idea and flush it out. I happened to be in Hong Kong on a writing job and I met Jason Tobin. Jason had been in Justin Lin’s BETTER LUCK TOMORROW. He’s the crazy one in that film and I thought he was so excellent in it. We were having dinner and I kept looking across the table at him and I thought he had such an interesting face. He’s Eurasian – half British and half Chinese. He had an interesting face and an interesting voice and a little voice in my head said that if I ever get around to writing that idea and that character, this is the guy! A few months later, Jason happened to be in Los Angeles shooting FAST AND FURIOUS TOKYO DRIFT and I took him to lunch and told him that I thought he was a fabulous actor. I couldn’t believe he hadn’t been the lead in a feature yet and I wanted to be that guy that put him in one. I told him we could write the story together, I would write the script, and he would play the lead. He liked the idea of shooting it on the streets of Hong Kong and that’s how it all began.

WAMG: Were you thinking Hong Kong when you came up with the original idea?

DP: I was thinking first and foremost about the character. By being true to that character, and knowing that Jason was going to play the lead, it had to be Hong Kong.

WAMG: Did you speak the language?

DP: I speak just enough Cantonese to get myself in trouble, but unfortunately not enough to get myself out of it.

WAMG: What were some of the challenges of filming in Hong Kong?

DP: The language barrier, though that’s not as bad as it sounds. Hong Kong was a British colony up until 1997, so almost everybody I meet there speaks English to some degree and many speak it fluently. Many even have British accents. Even though it’s a very exotic city, it’s also very familiar. So that was an obstacle but certainly not a daunting one.

WAMG: Would you ever want to make a movie there again?

DP: Absolutely. I have a company called New Silk Road Entertainment that is working on future projects that, like JASMINE, are crossover films. East meets West films that are designed to appeal to audiences from both continents and around the world. Other issues you run into are things like weather. Even though we didn’t shoot during the rainy season, I think every day on the call sheet it said there would be a 90% chance of rain. We lost a day and a half of shooting because it would rain constantly and none of the shots matched. In general though, Hong Kong is a wonderful place to shoot a movie. The filmmaking community there is very supportive and there are a lot of talented filmmakers. They all do not just one job, but multiple jobs. There’s a real can-do attitude there. I think in the U.S., and in Hollywood, people are trying to come up with reasons not to make films. They only make films if their forced into it or they’re afraid someone else is going to make it. In Hong Kong, by contrast – good script, bad script, no script, they’re going to make the movie. I find that energy really refreshing.

WAMG: You’ve worked as a writer and co-producer on a number of films. This is your first film as a director. Have you spent much time on the set of these films that you have worked on?

DP: It depends. On some of them I have. For many years I worked as a script doctor on projects. I made a lot of money but I received no credit. Sometimes I would be hired to just do a quick two-week dialogue polish for somebody, so not a lot of time on set. I was a development executive for Mace Neufeld for several years before I turned to screenwriting full-time. I was on the set of THE GENERAL’S DAUGHTER and THE SUM OF ALL FEARS, which he produced. A few others.

WAMG: Were you involved in filmmaking when you were young and living in St. Louis?

DP: I used to make films with my friend Bill McMahon, who still lives in St. Louis and went to MICDS with me. He’s an associate producer on JASMINE. We used to make films on Bill’s camcorder in place of writing assignments at school. Instead of writing a paper, we would make a movie about the subject, which was a great excuse for us all to go to Bill’s house and turn it completely upside down trying to execute these very pretentious films ripping off every other movie we’d ever seen. I was hoping there’d be a VHS tape of these left, but we haven’t been able to track anything down.

WAMG: How did you get involved in the industry?

DP: I left St. Louis to go to college at Southern Methodist in Dallas. I was studying pre-med and after about one semester, my grades were poor and I realized that I just wasn’t interested in the courses that one had to be interested in or to do well in that program. My freshman adviser asked if I had ever thought about taking film classes. I love watching movies, but the idea of making them was so foreign to me that I had no idea how to go about it. She encouraged me to take film courses and for the first time in my life, school didn’t feel like school anymore. I loved it so much I work through my summers because I couldn’t get enough. After I graduated, I knew I had a lot to learn so I moved to Los Angeles and enrolled in graduate school at the American Film Institute. I was there for two years. The summer after my first year, I started interning at the Paramount lot for Mace Neufeld, this veteran producer who had made the original THE OMEN as well as HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER and NO WAY OUT and so many other films that I loved growing up. I worked for him as a development intern for a year and when I graduated from AFI, he promoted me to story editor under his new deal with Sony Pictures. About a year later, they bumped me up to Creative Executive. Mace was a wonderful first boss to have. I was very fortunate in that regard. I made a lot of connections through that job, but at the same time, at night and on weekends, I was writing my own material. My degree from AFI was in screenwriting so I was hoping to become a full-time screenwriter and eventually I sold one of the scripts that I had written and that enabled me to write full-time. I’m still doing it.

WAMG: How has JASMINE been received so far?

DP: Fantastic. We are very fortunate to have had our world premiere at the Hong Kong International film Festival then we had our U.S. premiere at the Dallas International Film Festival where we got some extraordinary reviews which I couldn’t be happier about. We had our Los Angeles premiere at the Asian-Pacific Film Festival which is a film festival that has long been close to my heart. We won five awards that night including Best Narrative Feature. It had been such a long road up to that point, so to be acknowledged like that by your peers was very heartwarming and meaningful. Since then we’ve toured round the world. We played in New York. We played it in Savannah last week and are playing it in Kansas on Friday. We’re scheduled to play at in Philadelphia and Anchorage Alaska and the Bahamas so it’s just been exploding.

WAMG: What can you tell me about this project that you may be filming in St. Louis? Will you be directing this one?

DP: Yes, the working title is Kirkwood. It’s based on a dream that I had in 2010. Like a lot of writers, I have ideas come to me in my sleep and I keep a notepad next to my bed. I wake up in the middle of the night sometimes and write down any ideas that might come to me, but most of the time when I wake up the next morning and read what I wrote, it’s usually a lot of garbage that doesn’t make any sense. But on this occasion, I basically wrote a story that I thought was very intriguing. It was autobiographical in some ways, but it wasn’t based on my life as much as it felt like sort of a parallel version of my life. It’s an idea that I haven’t been able to shake. I figure if it won’t leave me alone, I might as well make it. It’s a thriller, like JASMINE in the Polanski or Hitchcock tradition. It’s wonderful to be back in St. Louis and great to know that I’m going to be able to make this film here. To come home and make a film in your old backyard, I can’t imagine anything better than that.

WAMG: I’ve lived in Kirkwood all my life so I’m very excited about the project. Good luck with all your films and I’m sure your film JASMINE will do well at the St. Louis international film Festival this weekend.

DP: Thanks so much.

SLIFF 2015 Interview – Patrick Branson – Director of AMERICA’S BLUES

AMERICA’S BLUES screens at The St. Louis International Film Festival Saturday, November 7th at The Stage at KDHX (3524 Washington Boulevard‎ St Louis, MO 63103). Director Patrick Branson will be in attendance. Ticket information can be found HERE

From Charlie Patton’s roots in the rural South to Bob Dylan’s 1998 performance at Madison Square Garden, blues music has transcended generations and racial barriers. The foundation for pop culture and American music, blues not only influenced musical genres such jazz, country, and rock ‘n’ roll but also helped to tear down the walls of segregation and create acceptance of cultural diversity. Director Patrick Branson’s AMERICA’S BLUES takes a new angle on an established narrative, focusing on the evolution of American music and the impact that blues music has had on American society and culture. Through interviews with musicians, historians, professionals, and activists, a compelling story of the music’s significant historical contribution unfolds. The film also pays homage to the organizations and individuals who work diligently in honoring and preserving the legacy of the blues and its musicians.

Patrick Branson took the time to answer some questions for We Are Movie Geeks

Interview conducted by Tom Stockman

We Are Movie Geeks: What was your filmmaking experience prior to AMERICA’S BLUES. Is this your first feature-length documentary?

Patrick Branson: Yes, America’s Blues is my first feature. I got a chance to go back and finish my film degree at Lindenwood University and after I graduated in May of 2012, I jumped right into pre production for this film. I had been doing freelance video work and making a few short films prior to graduating and around March of that year I hooked up with an old friend, Aaron Pritchard, who was now the Vice President of a non Profit called the Killer Blues Headstone Project that raises money to provide headstones to deceased Blues musicians lying in unmarked graves. They hired me to do a short 9 minute documentary that can be seen on their website at www.killerblues.net, and as we were traveling to Peoria and talking, I realized how little credit and respect many of these musicians who shaped the music industry as it is today really got. I mean, one of the most influential musicians of all time, Lonnie Johnson who is from Saint Louis by the way, the man who literally created the guitar solo, was still laying in an unmarked grave. I knew then that there was a much bigger story than I could tell in 10 minutes and that’s when Aaron Pritchard and I decided to take on this ambitious project. Fortunately, Lonnie Johnson now has a headstone thanks to Killer Blues but there are alot that still don’t. We’re hoping this film sheds some light as to how important the Blues really is to our culture and brings a new audience to the Blues because let’s face it, all American Music is derived from the Blues.

WAMG: Explain why you titled your film AMERICA’S BLUES

PB: Originally the film was going to be called Lost Legends and we were going to focus on the last remaining Original Delta Blues Musicians that could tell the real story of the Blues but we realized that this had already been done and we wanted to make a film that was unique. As the story evolved, so did the realization that the name had to change. Aaron actually came up with the name America’s Blues and it just fit perfectly with the story that we were trying to tell.

WAMG: I was expecting a documentary about the Blues and ended up seeing one about the black experience throughout American history. Was this your original plan or did it sort of evolve that way once you started production?

PB: Here’s the thing, You cannot tell an accurate story about the Blues without telling a story about the Black Experience throughout American History. It can’t be done. We wanted to tell the real story of the Blues without sugar coating it and we also wanted to show how music, and more specifically Blues Music, helped bridge the gap between the races. I mean, it wasn’t the only thing that brought the races together, but you can be sure than Music was one of the first and one of the most powerful. I’d like to think our film is more than history though. I want people to see that it isn’t just history that has been impacted and is STILL impacted by the Blues, but it’s modern culture as well. For example, we have a sections on Film and Sexuality that prove just how deeply rooted the Blues is in our culture. I don’t want to give anything away but I think people are really going to be surprised when they see how influential it’s been to our society.

WAMG: Were there any musicians you wanted to interview but were unable to?

PB: There were a lot of musicians that we tried to get interviews with and were unable to for a number of reasons. Some we just couldn’t get the travel funds for and some just never responded to our request. That was one of the most difficult parts. Being an unknown first time director and trying to get big name musicians to be in our movie. In the end, we would up with an amazing cast that includes, Blues & Jazz Legends, Hollywood Film Composers, World Famous Artists and even up and coming Blues Artists.

WAMG: It seems like almost all of these blues legends interviewed are elderly. Is there a new generation of Blues artists to take their places when they are gone?

PB: Well, Yes and No. The original Blues Legends can never be replaced. I don’t think there will ever be another BB King, but there is a new generation of Blues and Roots artists that are doing a fine job of keeping the tradition alive. In fact, I think we are in a time of Rebirth for American Music. We are seeing a lot of younger bands that are heavily influenced by the Blues such as the Black Keys, Jack White, and the Carolina Chocolate Drops. We weren’t able to interview any of them but we did get a chance to talk with Samantha Fish and the 2013 Grammy Nominated Heritage Blues Orchestra and several others that are helping to make Roots Music popular again. We may have lost BB and may be down to just a handful of original delta Bluesman left, but I don’t think the Blues will ever go away. I think we will always find a way to bring the Blues back into modern music.

WAMG: Are you a Blues fan who became a filmmaker or a filmmaker first? What inspired you to make a film about this subject?

PB: I’ve always loved music, and the Blues, but I was definitely a filmmaker first. I got inspired to make this film by realizing how little credit the Blues has gotten for the massive influence it has had on our culture. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that people don’t want to remember the circumstances that ultimately created the Blues. I also think that, in light of the recent racial problems in our country, that it’s the right time for a movie like this. People need to remember that it wasn’t that long ago that these people were treated so horribly in our country. People also need to remember that, just like it did before, the music can bring us all together peacefully.

WAMG: Did you grow up a movie buff? What filmmakers do you count as your favorites?

I definitely grew up engulfed in film. My dad is a big movie buff and he always liked the classic Black and White pictures. I never really got into the classics too much but he also introduced me to some of the best comedy films of all time like Caddyshack and the Naked Gun Movies. In my opinion, I think the 80’s were a pretty rough time for music, but probably the best time in history for comedy films. That’s all opinion obviously but I can never get enough of 80’s comedy movies. Outside of that I’ve always just been fascinated with motion pictures and I love to tell stories. As far as favorite filmmakers, I really don’t have a good answer for that question. There have been so many great films made. Some of them by well known filmmakers and some by relatively unknown filmmakers. I don’t follow filmmakers’ careers, I follow films with great stories.

WAMG: What were some of the challenges you encountered while making AMERICA’S BLUES?

PB: The biggest challenge we faced during America’s Blues was funding. Finding money to make your first film is nearly impossible but we were lucky enough to get what we needed. We were in pre-production for almost a year because we didn’t have the money to get the equipment we needed but once we figured that part out, everything else just kind of fell into place. The other big problem we ran into was marketing. With no budget to market a film, it’s tough to find an audience, even with a topic that already has an established audience like the Blues. Facebook doesn’t make it easy either because after you finally get people to like your page, you have to pay to reach your own audience. Another reason I think it was tough is that a lot of the “Blues” audience is older and might not be as social media savvy.

WAMG: Your film is incredibly well-researched. Tell me about the process of tracking down all of this vintage footage? Was there some footage you wanted to show but were unable to find?

PB: With YouTube and Archive.org, you’d be surprised at how easy it is to find old archive footage. The problem isn’t finding it, it’s being able to afford it. Your average stock footage house will charge about $30 a second for archive footage. Now multiply that by 60 seconds in a minute and then 70 or 80 minutes and it really adds up. Then you have to consider that more well known films and media is going to be considerably more expensive than regular stock footage. Copyrights make it nearly impossible for a documentary to get made. That is without implementing Fair Use. We hired Donaldson & Callif, who are pretty much THE Fair Use attorneys in LA, and it saved us probably 2 or 3 hundred thousand dollars in licensing fees. Now I’m not suggesting that everyone just start claiming Fair Use on everything but if you do your research and have a good enough understanding of what Fair Use actually is and how you can implement it, it can really be a lifesaver for a documentary filmmaker. The downside is that some international broadcast sales reps don’t want to work with Fair use documentaries because it’s fairly new and they don’t want to mess with it, but we were lucky enough to pick up distribution with Espresso TV out of the UK so that isn’t a problem for us.

WAMG: How has the film been received so far? Have any of the musicians you interviewed seen it and, if so, what do they think?

PB: So far we have gotten nothing but positive reviews. Several of the interview subjects such as Hip Hop Producer Drumma Boy have said they love the film and most of the Experts and Professors that are in the film have seen it and loved it as well. We have gotten accepted in to 8 film festivals so far and it has already screened at 5 of them. We haven;t won any awards yet but the film has been very well received. In fact, one festival in Frederick Maryland even scheduled an entire event around our film on June 27th with several live acts and hosted by Bill Wax, formerly of BB King’s Bluesville on Sirius Satellite Radio. After the festival season we are planning on taking the film on a short tour to several cities where we will be hosting similar events with live acts and a screening of the film. We are finalizing the details at 2 cities right now and are hoping to release it in at least 10 more depending on the cost and the funding we can get.

WAMG: Would you like to make more documentaries or would you like to move into narrative filmmaking?

PB: Both actually. I love documentaries, now after making one more than ever, but I still have a few narrative stories that I’d like to see on the big screen.

WAMG: Do you have other ideas for documentaries? What’s next for Patrick Branson?

PB: I’ve already started interviewing and making travel for my 2nd feature documentary which is called ‘Please Drink Responsibly’. It’s about our society’s obsession with alcohol and partying. It will explore the way that drinking is portrayed in the media and will show the real consequences that go along with having a society that not only accepts drinking, but encourages it. This will be a much different kind of documentary for me and I am looking forward to the challenge. In fact, since I started researching, it seems to be coming together much quicker than America’s Blues, but there are still a few pieces of the puzzle that I need to figure out. People can find out more about my projects at www.facebook.com/tragikentertainment and the facebook page for the new film is www.facebook.com/pleasedrinkresponsibly.movie. Finally, I keep the America’s Blues site updated with screenings as we get them and will be releasing the DVD and BluRay on our website at www.americasbluesmovie.com. Thanks so much and I hope you all enjoy the film!

SLIFF 2015 Review – THE KEEPING ROOM

Review by Dana Jung

THE KEEPING ROOM screens Friday, November 6th at 4:45pm and Sunday, November 8th at 9:15pm as part of The St. Louis International Film Festival. Both screenings are at The Plaza Frontenac Theater. Ticket information can be found HERE and HERE

During the last days of the War Between the States, Augusta (Brit Marling, I ORIGINS, ANOTHER EARTH) and her younger sister Louise (Hailee Steinfeld, TRUE GRIT), along with the former slave Mad (Muna Otaru), are etching out a meager existence in the deep South, surviving one day at a time on sparse vegetables they grow in a barren garden, and little meat. Their time is spent working all day, or longing for the days of old when they wore fine dresses and men came calling. The sheer monotony of their isolated lives is slowly wearing the women down, but things change one afternoon when Louise is bitten by a raccoon and needs some medicine to fight the fever from the infection. On a trip to a nearby saloon to find help, Augusta encounters two murderous Yankees, and soon the three women are fighting to survive when the renegade soldiers lay siege to their homestead, in the suspenseful new film THE KEEPING ROOM.

Stories depicting the women of the South left to fend for themselves when their fathers and brothers all went to war are certainly nothing new. From the classic GONE WITH THE WIND to THE BEGUILED to COLD MOUNTAIN, several films have examined different aspects of these fascinating characters. One thing most of these movies have in common is their portrayal of smart and strong-willed females who ultimately survive every physical and emotional tragedy that is thrown at them. THE KEEPING ROOM adds its own twist to these tales, as it navigates a fairly simple story with excellent performances, a sense of historical realism, and themes of who really survives when a war is over.

Director Daniel Barber tells this story with a spare, almost elegaic style, accompanied by a lightly discordant string musical score. The evil nature of the film’s main villains (Kyle Soller and a nearly unrecognizable Sam Worthington) is established in a brutal and shocking opening scene. The mundane daily life of the women is shown as a series of chores, eating, and sleeping. Both of these sequences have almost no dialogue, as Barber lets the camera reveal this information with visual details. The first half of the film slowly builds the tension surrounding the women, as we know nearly from the beginning that they are on a collision course when the violence of the war comes knocking (literally) at their door.

Marling is wonderful as the solid and unflinching Augusta, never yielding one iota (as mama used to say) even as she worries that she’ll end up alone, not ever being with a man. But Marling also shows the depth of her character in a heartrending scene in which she tells a version of the 1001 Arabian Nights to her deathly ill sister. Steinfeld is at first a petulant and stereotypical Southern belle, but soon becomes the focal point of the plot as both older women attempt to protect her. Otaru as the slave Mad is the most sympathetic character, as she relates her own experiences which are just as horrifying as the war.

In one of the most sadly beautiful scenes in the film, Sherman’s march to the sea is referenced as the women realize that war really is hell, even more so to those left behind than the soldiers who fight them. In the end, these survivors have a plan that just might see them to safety, and on the evidence depicted in THE KEEPING ROOM, we understand how such strong and resourceful women truly won their war.

SLIFF 2015 Review – EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT

We often hear people remark about how they’ve got a tune or melody “stuck in their head”. The same thing could be said for certain…magical…memorable films. An image or a sequence can stay in your brain for a long, long while. EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT is one such cinematic experience. It’s based on a true story. Oh wait, it’s based on two true stories, linked together by one remarkable man and, perhaps, the most famous, celebrated river in the world, the Amazon. And the man is Karamakate, the last shaman of his jungle tribe. We first meet him in 1940, deep into his sixties as played by Antonio Bolivar, when he encounters a man foreign to his home, an American scientist Richard Evans Schultes (Brionne Davis), who is in search of the healing plant, the yakruna. He had read about it in the diary of another scientist, Germany’s Theodor Koch-Grunberg. The film abruptly shifts back in time, to 1909 as the much younger medicine man (Nilbio Torres) is startled by the sight of the ailing German (Jan Bijvoet) lying in a canoe steered by his guide/companion Manduca (Yauenku Migue). He too is in search of the plant, believing that it will restore his health. The shaman joins them as they paddle up the river, encountering different tribes and fighting the elements. They stumble upon a disturbed priest protecting the school/orphanage he has started for the native boys. In the later time line the older shaman and the American discover how that incident inspired a strange cult.

These adventures unfold in a dream-like, leisurely pace in this epic journey directed and co-written by Ciro Guerra. He captures the region’s tranquil beauty and unexpected tragedy and horror. The subtle score that adds to the mystery is supplied by Nascuy Linares. But the film’s dazzling beauty is in its unusual look. We generally think of the Amazon jungle in shades of vibrant greens and yellows. Here cinematographer David Galleo has shot the film in shimmering, near silver black and white, giving the story an alien, unearthly quality, invoking the photos of explorers along with fine illustrations and woodcuts. This helps make the single brief color filled psychedelic sequence truly pop. It’s great, but it’s those shades of grey that truly mesmerize. EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT is a lyrical ode to an exotic land, and a feast for the cinema senses.

EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT screens at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas on Saturday, November 7 at 6:30 PM and Monday, November 9 at 9:15 PM as part of the 24th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival. Purchase Tickets here and here

SLIFF 2015 Review – 3 1/2 MINUTES, TEN BULLETS

This award-winning documentary focuses on an issue still making headlines and filling up hours on the TV news. 3 1/2 MINUTES, TEN MINUTES concerns the killing of an African-American 17 year-old high schooler Jordan Davis, not by police officers, but by a legally armed citizen, 45 year-old white software designer Mike Dunn. The location of the incident aligns the story with another famous case. It all took place at a gas station/market in Jacksonville, Florida on Friday, November 23, 2012 (the day after Thanksgiving known to retailers as “Black Friday”). Dunn and his attorney cited the “stand your ground” defense, based on the state’s controversial law that helped acquit George Zimmerman of criminal charges in the shooting of black teenager Trayvon Martin. On that night, Jordan was sitting in the back seat of an SUV driven by Tommie Stornes (Tevin Thomson and Leland Brunson were the other passengers). As Stornes left the vehicle to make a purchase inside the store, the music was playing at a high volume. Mike Dunn’s car pulled alongside in the next parking space. After Dunn’s fiancée went inside the store to buy a bottle of wine and some chips, he asked the young men to turn the music down. One of them complied, but Davis insisted the music resume at the same level. A heated angry exchange ensued between Dunn and Davis, ending when the older man pulled his handgun from his car’s glove compartment and fired ten bullets into the SUV, several of which struck and killed Davis. The incident quickly became known in the news media as “the loud music killing”.

Writer/director Marc Silver trains his camera, from the opening scenes, on the parents of Jordan: Lucia McBath and Ron Davis. Though divorced, the two are united in their quest for justice. They make a powerful team as they sit in on every day of the long court proceedings. Silver provides individual interviews as they share their memories of Jordan, and their struggle to keep him out of danger. The friends who joined him that night also offer many funny stories, but when that Friday is brought up, the high spirits abruptly end. We also get to meet the young woman who caught Jordan’s eye. She tells of his visit to her, at her retail job earlier that night. The real meat of the story is the riveting courtroom footage that Silver has expertly edited. It’s where we finally meet Dunn, through his time on the stand and the legally recorded phone conversations from jail to his fiancée Rhonda Rouer (who seems to be a basket of nerves in court). He’s stunned that anyone can question his version of the night (“I’m the real victim”). Luckily, his defence is legal pitbull Cory Strolla, who works hard to place doubt at the experts, and most harshly at the investigators. Although the outcome was decided last year, Silver still makes this a riveting courtroom drama. Hopeful and heartbreaking, 3 1/2 MINUTES, TEN BULLETS is also masterful and unforgettable.

3 1/2 MINUTES, TEN BULLETS screens at 7:30 PM on Friday, November 6 at Washington University’s Brown Hall Auditorium as part of the 24th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival. Admission is free, with Ron Davis and Lucia McBath in attendance.

SLIFF 2015 Interview – Brian Jun: Director/Writer of SLEEP WITH ME

SLEEP WITH ME screens Saturday November 7th at 9:15pm at The Plaza Frontenac Theater as part of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival. Director Brian Juna will be in attendance. Ticket information can be found HERE

Writer/Director Brian Jun’s SLEEP WITH ME is a dark suburban drama focusing on Paul (Cliff Chamberlain) and Gabi (Danielle Camastra), a young couple unsuccessfully striving to start a family. Paul lives in the shadow of his overbearing father (played by veteran character actor Raymond J. Barry), and Gabi copes by engaging in risky activities that threaten to break up their marriage. Helmed by acclaimed regional filmmaker Brian Jun — whose previous features include “Joint Body” and Sundance competition film “Steel City” — this ensemble drama explores themes of sex, infidelity, and black-market drug use.

Brian Jun took the time to answer some questions about his film for We Are Movie Geeks

Interview conducted by Tom Stockman

We Are Movie Geeks: How did you become interested in films? Did you grow up a movie fan?

Brian Jun: Initially, I was interested in acting and theater. I became an avid reader of Sam Shepard and other contemporary playwrights when I was a teenager, and that lead me to the independent film scene of the 80s and 90s. I was never a movie “fan” growing up, I just realized I wanted to write and express myself visually. I can pretty much thank filmmakers Wim Wenders and Jim Jarmusch for giving me the license to be weird and quirky as a teenager.

WAMG: What filmmakers have inspired you?

BJ: Building on the previous answer, I was heavily inspired by European directors. Ken Loach remains a major influence, Jarmusch, Alex Rockwell, Robert Bresson, Michael Haneke. Also the guys from the golden age; Bob Rafelson, John Schlesinger, Peter Bogdanovich, Martin Ritt, Kubrick – and I watch a Scorsese film at least once a month.

WAMG: How did the script for SLEEP WITH ME come about and how long did it take you to write it?

BJ: I began writing some basic scenes between a young couple talking about having a child and how that was affecting their sex life. The pressure of conception was the catalyst for the loss of attraction, and it slowly became a little story. I wanted to make the film for nothing in my apartment in St. Louis as an experiment, but I wrote a role for my close friend Ray Barry… he said he was in. Then, I knew it was going to be a bigger deal, and I hired a casting director, thought about funding, etc. That’s why it landed on Indiegogo; I needed to get actors to the Midwest and assemble a crew. The script itself took about 6 months to write. I am not a fast writer; and half the script is on post-its and a notepad before it goes into my computer.

WAMG: Were these characters in SLEEP WITH ME based on people you knew?

BJ: Not really. Besides my own journey of intimacy – I’ve never been married or in the position of Paul and Gabi. I imagine myself in these different scenarios, and Paul is really a version of myself. When I met Cliff Chamberlain in Los Angeles, we got along so well, we were the same age separated by 10 days… we were extremely similar. He felt like an extension of myself, so I knew he was the guy. I just wish I wrote a better script for him, to be honest. I’m frustrated with the core relationship in the film, because it should have been much more.

WAMG: What was the budget and the schedule for SLEEP WITH ME?

BJ: We shot the film for around 100k in 12 days with another pick-up day with Sean Trani from First Rule. Sean and First Rule were very integral in making this film happen, and their support and generosity has been amazing. In all my years in Los Angeles I never came across a company like First Rule; they were tremendous.

WAMG: If you had more time and money, what might you have done differently with SLEEP WITH ME?

BJ: I probably wouldn’t have made the film, to be honest. It was fun because I didn’t have any money when I began. While that may be a glib response, it was always an experiment. More money would have given me more days and nicer locations. It wouldn’t have given me a better script. The budget of the film is appropriate for the story. I wouldn’t change that.

WAMG: Tell me about casting Raymond Barry in the role of Henry. I’ve always liked him. Were there other name actors you considered?

BJ: No, I wrote it for Ray. Ever since STEEL CITY, Ray has been my mentor and a father figure to me. Ray is a writer, a painter, a father, an actor… he’s so multidimensional and extremely intelligent. I knew he could play Henry in his sleep; and it had been 10 years since “Steel City.” We were close to working together in “The Coverup,” but I ended up casting John Savage, who is a brilliant actor. We’re talking about method to the core.

WAMG: Do you allow your actors to have much leeway with their roles or are you strict with keeping to the script?

BJ: It varies depending on the actor. In my experience, they all stick to the script. However with guys like John Savage or John Heard; you’re going to get a mixed bag depending on how they’re feeling that day or if they like you personally. To be honest, actors rely on you for ideas and character development. Or you have an anomaly like Tom Guiry, who was the lead in “Steel City,” who just shows up and does it; no questions asked. As a director I always push and challenge; I want them to reach their limit as an actor; as a human being. It’s more, more, more… digging into their own personality, struggles, exploring different facets of themselves.

WAMG: What area locations did you use for SLEEP WITH ME?

BJ: We shot it all outside of Alton, IL. The house was in Godfrey – my brother’s house that was for sale at the time. Other locations were in Bethalto, Collinsville, and Alton.

WAMG: What are your release plans for SLEEP WITH ME?

BJ: Good question. I’m so sick of seeing my work being picked up by bottom tier distributors that do nothing to promote, pay you very little, etc. The only film of mine that has been mass distributed all over the world was “Steel City,” but times were different back then. The DVD market was healthy. I want to screen at some festivals; and see what happens. I’ve been around the block as a filmmaker, so I’m in no rush to sign a deal.

WAMG: What’s next for Brian Jun?

BJ: I seem to ask myself that everyday. My life has changed. I’m producing other peoples’ films, doing some teaching, developing my personal life. Things are good right now; and I’m in no rush to make another film. I’ve been making a film every 2 years since 2004, and I need a break. Being a filmmaker has lost a lot of value; anybody can do it now. The market is over-saturated. It’s very difficult to make a living.

SLIFF 2015: OUTERMOST RADIO Screens Friday Night at KDHX

OUTERMOST RADIO screens Friday, November 6th at 7pm at The Stage at KDHX (3524 Washington Boulevard‎ St Louis, MO 63103) as part of The St. Louis International Film Festival. The event is Free

There are people who lead their lives unapologetically, without fear of judgment. We admire them for their unwavering courage to be true to themselves. OUTERMOST RADIO is a feature-length documentary that takes an intimate look at a community on the tip of Cape Cod far from the mainland and out of the mainstream, committed to keeping their freedom of expression alive, and their non-profit community radio station on the air.

Broadcasting from the outermost region of Provincetown, Massachusetts, WOMR reaches beyond locals and tourists, to a growing fan base around the world, redefining the concept of community. For its passionate and quirky volunteer DJs and diehard listeners, Outermost Radio is the essential soundtrack of their lives. Meet the people who bring their love of music, controversial points of view, and authenticity to the airwaves.

As a kickoff to two weekends of films at the Stage at KDHX, SLIFF offers a free screening of a documentary that celebrates another community-radio station with a similarly admirable mission and strongly engaged audience. OUTERMOST RADIO provides an intimate look at folks living on the tip of Cape Cod — far from the mainland and out of the mainstream — who are committed to keeping their freedom of expression alive and their non-profit community radio station on the air. Broadcasting from the outermost region of Provincetown, Mass., WOMR reaches beyond locals and tourists to a growing fan base around the world, redefining the concept of community. For its quirky volunteer DJs and diehard listeners, OUTERMOST RADIO is the essential soundtrack of their lives. The film serves as a delightful introduction to a group of fascinating people who bring their passionate love of music, controversial points of view, and unvarnished authenticity to the airwaves.

The OUTERMOST RADIO site can be found HERE

http://www.outermostradiothefilm.com/

SLIFF 2015 Interview: Efi da Silva – Director of FOUR WAY STOP

FOUR WAY STOP screens Saturday, November 7th at 9:15pm at The Plaza Frontenac Theater as part of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival. Director Efi da Silva will be in attendance along with cast and crew members. Ticket information can be found HERE and HERE

Writer/director Efi da Silva’s FOUR WAY STOP tells the story if Allen (Paul Craig), a 17-year-old inner-city African-American desperately trying to improve his life but he lacks essential support from family: His absent father is a needy drug addict, and his seriously ill mother offers only relentless criticism. Although offered illegal work by childhood friend Tay, Allen resists the lure of the street and instead seeks legitimate employment. But in his hunt for a better job, Allen ends up jeopardizing his current fast-food position by chronically arriving late or simply failing to show. Legitimately angry at the racism he confronts and the limited options he’s given, Allen all too often engages in self-sabotage, thwarting his attempts to do the right thing.

Efi da Silva took the time to answer some questions for We Are Movie Geeks

Interview conducted by Tom Stockman

We Are Movie Geeks: What was your filmmaking experience before you made FOUR WAY STOP?

Efi da Silva: Four-Way Stop is my first feature film. I had studied film in college knowing that eventually I would make an indie.

WAMG: How did you get the idea for the FOUR WAY STOP story?

EdS: Some years ago, I was yearning to write something, but had no grasp on what until listening to the presidential debates that were held in St. Louis and sponsored by the Urban League. Obama, Hillary Clinton, and one other guy were discussing what changes they would affect within minority communities. Each had something inspiring to say, but I didn’t believe they could realize their words. I also understood that many people believe(d) that the problems within minority communities are problems minorities create. Knowing these things, I wanted to tell the story of our own city (St. Louis) and what I witnessed in minority communities. I wanted to take the audience into a deeper look at the life of Allen, a 17 year-old African American boy, so that his reality instead of common stereotypes could be examined.

WAMG: Is FOUR WAY STOP an autobiographical story? Were these characters based on people you know?

EdS: Four-Way Stop is not autobiographical nor is it based off of specific people I know.

WAMG: How long did it take you to make the film and what was the budget?

EdS: The idea of the film began 7 years before we shot it. But the actual filming was completed in about 2 and a half weeks. We shot for 16days.

WAMG: At what St. Louis locations did you film?

EdS: We filmed primarily in South St. Louis. Some locations include, Adam’s Smoke House, T-Rex (downtown),. Dr. Kevin T. Thorpe’s Dental Office (in Brentwood), and Southern Commercial Bank in the Bevo Mill area. Our mainstays were the South Grand and Cherokee areas.

WAMG: Did you get permits to shoot on St. Louis streets or just go guerilla?

EdS: We didn’t need permits for the shots we captured.

WAMG: Tell me about the casting process. How did you find Paul Craig for your lead?

EdS: The casting process ran smoothly for the most part. Character descriptions were posted on STLAuditions.com (I think that’s the right site). We didn’t have a huge turn out, but the right people came including Paul, the lead. Finding someone to play Terri, his mother, was a little difficult. We found Marty K. Casey, through a local actor’s list of actresses to reach out to. Marty and I connected through Facebook, she sent an audition tape, and after watching it was clear that she was it.

WAMG: I really liked Marty Casey as his mother. Tell me about her.

EdS: First, Marty is nothing like her character Terri, but she’s played the role so well that audiences have had very strong opinions about Terri. Which is a good thing. She stirred emotions in people. Marty has been acting, writing, singing, producing, etc for the past 20 years.

WAMG: Did the actors improvise much or did they stick closely to the script?

EdS: Actors improvised and used the script. While the crew was setting up shots, the actors and I would rehearse the scene. If something worked we kept it. If there was something key in the script that I wanted to be sure to preserve we did.

WAMG: Did you grow up a movie buff? Who are some filmmakers that you admire and inspire you?

EdS: I’ve never been a huge movie buff, but I do admire Vittorio De Sica and Italian neo-Realsim. They used mostly non actors, in real places (e.g. not on sets), to tell stories of everyday life. That’s what Four-Way Stop is—a slice of life.

WAMG: What’s next for Efi da Silva?

EdS: We’re working towards distribution and starting a dialogue about some of the issues the film raises. I’d love to tell more stories, but first, we push Four-Way Stop out as far as we can.

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