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May 9, 2004

It May Not Be Sundance, But It’s Warm - The Santa Barbara Film Festival, Part II

It May Not Be Sundance, But It’s Warm
A diary of two weekends at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Part 2
By Lauren Isaacson

Day 8 – Friday, February 6th

Film ~ Mayor of the Sunset Strip
Growing up as a sheltered Jewish American Princess in the Valley, I heard rumors of the mysterious Rodney on the Roq - the little imp with a perfectly unsuitable voice for radio, and an undeniable gift for finding the next big thing in music. This is his story, and it is nothing short of remarkable.
No matter what genre you’re into, Rodney Bingenhiemer had something to do with your favorite band’s success and they probably make an appearance in this documentary.
A highlight was the Q&A with Bingenhiemer and director George Hickenlooper afterwards. Hickenlooper complimented Bingenheimer on his selflessness, stating that success was never a priority for Bingenheimer; it was always about the music. I approached Hickenlooper after the Q&A because he had directed one of my favorite romantic movies, Man from Elysian Fields. He invited me to a private party up the street. Before, I was an official “hanger-on.” Now I’m one level closer to being a fake celebrity, just like Kato.

Film ~ Destiny Has No Favorites
Borrowing from the Bard’s classic tale of Hamlet, this first time director from Peru creates a humorous melodrama about a bored and pampered housewife who must put up with a soap opera filming in her back yard while her neglectful husband is away on business.

Music ~ The Lost and Wandering Jazz Band
Fronted by a lead singer with a striking resemblance to Red Foxx, this band of street musicians from New York by way of Paris entertained the passers by on State Street. I had to stop. It was just too amusing.


Day 9 – Saturday, February 7th

Film ~ Bright Young Things
A film about the vices and misadventures of the idle rich in English society during the 1930’s, and boy, did they know how to dress! Subplots, cameos, and misadventures abound, making this a very worthwhile film.

Film ~ The Boys From County Clare
The 70’s are back in Celtic fashion as three estranged brothers enter a Ceili band competition with their own entries and try to deviously undermine each other’s chances.

Film ~ Love’s Brother
Giovanni Ribisi’s character (an Italian immigrant in Australia during the 50’s) keeps getting rejected by his potential letter-brides. So, he sends the picture of his more aesthetically gifted brother instead, which receives an immediate acceptance. Now, how do you tell her that she’s actually marrying the ugly one?

Acrobatics
Did you know that on the streets of Santa Barbara you can get kids to give you back flips for $1? Being my mother’s daughter, I was able to talk them down to a hug in exchange for their feat. I do my people proud.

Day 10 – Sunday, February 8th

Panel ~ Creative Forces: Women in the Business
Producers Denise Robert [The Barbarian Invasions], Susan Jackson [Cabin Fever], director Mary Kay Place [The Big Chill], set designer Jeanine Oppewall [Seabiscuit], and costume designers Judianna Makovsky [Harry Potter, Seabiscuit] and Nigilla Dixon [Lord of the Rings, Last Samurai] discussed the universals of working in the movie industry.

Oppewall was my favorite: a real ball buster, and not in a bad way. You could just tell that she was capable of going head to head with the big boys and hardly missing a beat. She spoke about how anyone in this business needs Charles Atlas for the ego and being okay with terror. Fear can be your best motivator to do your greatest work.

Lunch with Panelists
After the panel, some of the speakers joined a few lucky members of the press for lunch at Left of Albuquerque. I sat with Jackson, Oppewall, and Place. We talked about product placements in film and television and how offensively obvious it’s gotten. We also talked a lot about Seabiscuit, and the lack of historical preservation in America. A few of the old tracks where they filmed the race scenes are being torn down in favor of housing developments, which would eliminate the one unique property in the area to attract filmmaking. Can we blame filmmakers for going abroad while we are diluting our own local color?

Film ~ Until the Violence Stops
This documentary about the work being done the with the Vagina Monologues V Day organization is a must see for all women and men. Everyone should sit through an hour of quilters talking about sexual abuse, Nigerian women opposing female circumcision, Lakota tribeswomen admitting to experiencing physical abuse, and Pilipino grandmothers coming forward to ask for reparations for being held as sex slaves by the Japanese soldiers during WW2. Violence against women is a horrible worldwide epidemic and this film helps make it visible. See it and bring tissues. You will be moved to tears.

Film ~ The Reckoning
Closing night was fairly anticlimactic -- only half the seats around me were filled. Not quite the full house of Day One. In this film, a former priest joins a band of traveling actors during the Middle Ages. Business is down, so troupe leader Willem Defoe decides to try taking a story from the town itself as opposed to the Bible and discovers the dark truth behind a local mystery.
It’s a solid $10 candidate.


If you have any interest in movies, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival is a great choice. Gorgeous setting, lots of Q&A session with filmmakers and informative panels. High on quality and low on attitude, I can only hope that I’ll be invited back next year.

Posted by Ms. Jen at May 9, 2004 11:36 PM