TUESDAY, APRIL3 - 7:30 P.M. (DGA)
SATURDAY, APRIL 7 - 1 P.M. (NORRIS)
very
semester, USC film students have the opportunity to showcase their student
films at the First Look Film Festival. Now in its 10th year, the festival
brings together students, instructors and industry professionals for an
event that spans four weeknights and a weekend. The first round of
screenings is held on four consecutive weeknights at the Directors Guild of
America and has a catered reception following the screenings. The
following weekend the films are replayed at USC's own Norris Cinema
Theater, for those who missed them the first time.The short films
shown in this festival are diverse, produced by both graduate and
undergraduate filmmakers and ranging from narratives to documentaries to
animated shorts. The films are admitted on a first-come, first-serve basis,
said Katie Iannotti of USC's Festivals Office. Once the paperwork has been
filled out, the first 480 minutes' worth of films are admitted, if they fit
the class criteria.Screening a film
does not guarantee filmmakers a jump-start to their career, but with the
majority of those in attendance at the DGA being industry professionals
(approximately 200 RSVP every night), many filmmakers have secured meetings
with studios and agents based on the work screened at the festival.The First Look
Film Festival starts tonight and will continue through Friday, April 6 at
the Directors Guild of America Theater Complex (7920 Sunset Blvd, Los
Angeles) with all screenings starting at 7:30 p.m., andSaturday, April 7
and Sunday, April 8 at USC's Norris Theater, with shows starting at 1 p.m.
and 3:30 p.m. Admission is free and all are welcome to attend. A young,
pregnant wife discovers the simplicity of life when her husband can't fix
their broken-down car. Looking for a house where she can call the towing
service, she finds an old man who's lived a long, beautiful life, and her
faith is renewed.A good
performance by the female lead and strong photography are weighed down by a
slow-moving plot and ambiguous intention. In the end, it does little to
draw the viewer in. Becca Doten
|Film EditorA cute
musical comedy about a nerdy computer programmer who's looking for love,
but keeps getting distracted by the barbershop quartet that is always in
his head. Featuring catchy songs, a creative story, good directing and high
production values, "My Chorus" is a strong film and fun to watch. Becca Doten
| FilmEditor"Pilgrimage"
is a dream-like journey of one man toward his destiny, as he searches for
the concrete reality that his visions promise him. An above-average film
that is beautifully shot and has well-crafted sound, but unfortunately
lacks a completely coherent story. Alexander
Nguyen |Assistant Lifestyle EditorA
computer-animated short about life on other planets. The opening titles
inform us of a theory that suggests that life travels the universe via
microscopic organisms that cling to asteroids and fly from planet to
planet. After being ejected from its home planet, one of these microscopic
particles of life reminisces about the good life with his particle buddies.
Sick of the boring life on Venus, it attempts to go back home once again
ejecting itself into space only to make a wrong turn and end up somewhere
completely new. Beautifully rendered and conceptually sound, this animated
short should not be passed by. Sean Carr
|Staff WriterThe story of
a janitor who finds beauty and truth in everyday life, "thursday afternoon"
begins with him hearing the voice of God in a Lysol bottle, and thinking
nothing of it. Only a small girl can truly understand that for him, it
isn't a question of making this into a huge story, but simply another way
in which to put God and his heart into his work.A sweet story,
the film is slow-moving but never gets boring. An understated performance
by the lead lends credibility to the film as a whole, though it rambles on
longer than necessary and is somewhat open-ended. Becca Doten
|FilmEditorThis film,
set in the 1400s, follows the journey of a young native American boy from
youth into manhood, when his courage and strength are tested by French
trappers.Beautiful
imagery, strong sound design and a good pace save this overly predictable
film. And though the story may be lacking in creativity, the film itself
beautifully recreates the American wilderness.Becca Doten
|Film EditorA jaded
kindergarten teacher is reminded of what it means to care when a young
Spanish-speaking girl joins her class.Overly sappy but
pretty effective in drawing in the viewer, "First Days" features a strong
performance from the young lead, who holds her own next to a
less-than-stellar performance by the teacher. Becca Doten
|FilmEditorSeemingly
inspired by Quentin Tarantino, this fast-paced, intricately plotted action
road movie is slightly reminiscent of "Natural Born Killers," mixed with a
series of Hitchcockian twists. Two cops possess a bag of money, and a group
of six individuals will backstab, two-time and murder each other to get
their hands on the dough. Sean Carr
|Staff WriterFor most
Americans, "multiculturalism" means opening up to people from cultures we
aren't familiar with, either in our own country, or from other nations.
What doesn't show up as often in the discussion is how well people from
other cultures mesh with American culture. Pratik Basu, born and raised in
Calcutta but an American by education, fell in love with a white woman and
clashed with the Indian tradition of arranged marriagesand then dealt with
it by making a documentary about dealing with it. Artistically, it's a
brave decision. In personal terms, "crazy" might be a better description.
This personalized "Oprah" show raises some intriguing questions, but fails
to answer some of the most important ones. John Halbert
|Contributing WriterMovie titles
can be deceptive. There isn't a motorcycle in "Motorcycle," at least not
onscreen. The film takes place in rural Thailand (it's in Thai, with
subtitles), where most transportation is either by foot or bicycle. Playing
with the reference of the title is only one example of how the director,
Aditya Assarat, gently twists conventional cinematic expectations. It's a
character study, but the main character doesn't show up until the movie is
almost a third done, and only has a few lines in the course of one
conversation. We end up knowing very little about this man who walks alone
through the jungle in rural Thailand, but we appreciate him. JohnHalbert
| Contributing WriterRecreating
history is tricky. "Daybreak Berlin" tells the true story of Ilse-Margaret
Vogel, a German who helped Jews escape the Nazis. It takes place on the day
when the Russian Army liberated Berlin. Ms. Vogel is still alive, and lives
in upstate New York, where she is an artist. She seems to have led an
interesting life, and the movie tells an interesting story about what
happened on May 1, 1945. She handles a chaotic and traumatic situation with
grace. But it's not clear that the two stories, about Ilse-Margaret Vogel
in Berlin and about Ilse-Margaret Vogel today, have all that much to do
with one another. John Halbert
|Contributing WriterZooey
Shubert takes an alternative approach to an all-too-common tragedy. Her
parents are getting divorced, and she wants to bring them back together.
The magic she works has some potential for humor, and it's moderately
realized. Divorce is still a matter of dealing with pain, however, and we
don't see enough of how Zooey works it all out to sympathize with her for
any more than the few minutes we are acquainted with her onscreen. John Halbert
| Contributing WriterThe genre of
"Coming Home" is suggested in the titleit's a coming of age story, as a
teenage boy deals with his dysfunctional father. Variations of this theme
have been told before, probably far more times in country and western songs
than on film. What the film lacks in originality it makes up for in
efficiencythere's hardly a wasted moment. Patrick S. Clark, the director,
comes dangerously close to rushing the drama, starting quickly, when it
should be building up. Almost immediately, however, he slows it down, and
we have just enough time to relish a moment. John Halbert
| Contributing WriterA high
school student is followed by his younger brother to a gang initiation.
After almost getting into a gun fight, the two boys decide that gang life
isn't worth it for them. A story that's been done too many times before,
coupled with poor acting and low production values, make for an all-around
weak film. Becca Doten
| FilmEditorAn extremely
well-made and touching documentary, "Apitherapy" focuses on several men and
women with Multiple Sclerosis and their attempt to alleviate their symtoms
by being stung by bees or injecting themselves with bee venom. Good
characters, an interesting topic and true feelings and emotions make for a
powerful, but not entirely informative documentary. Becca Doten
|Film EditorWeird dark
comedy/drama about Siamese twins who are forced to face life and the world
after the death of their mother. Great, quirky cinematography adds
credibility to this very bizarre film, which is worthwhile mostly because
they tried something different and succeeded fairly well. Becca Doten
|Film EditorBased on a
true story, "Game Day" revolves around the interrogation of a marine about
the death of one of his troops during a training exercise. Flashing back to
scenes of the mission and the drowning of a young marine, the film does an
excellent job of moving between present and past, keeping the story
exciting and involving. Strong cinematography, incredible production
values, strong directing and good acting make this tight script into a
great film. Becca Doten
|FilmEditorA large,
overly talkative middle school boy discovers he can read the thoughts of a
quiet girl who sits behind him in class. Learning that she is emotionally
scarred from her father's verbal abuse of her and her mother, the boy
attempts to be her "superhero" and help save her from her pain.Though the story
is at times hard to follow, an intriguing concept and strong acting make
for an interesting and above-average film. Becca Doten
| Film EditorThere is
nothing new to this story of a high school track star who must rebel
against his father in order to go to college instead of straight to the
local factory. Some nice cinematography, but stilted dialogue and weak
acting make for a mediocre film. Becca Doten
|Film EditorA Mexican
family must decide if they are going to enlist the help of a native
medicine man to help rid the grandmother of the devil, even though this
goes against their Catholic faith. Good cinematography is unable to make up
for poor acting and an incoherent story. Becca Doten
|FilmEditorA story of
unrequited high school love set against the backdrop of a night club, "Blue
Love" follows a girl who is in love with a boy who is in love with another
woman. Solid
performances by the two leads and good use of color make this film nice to
look at. However, the film's plot has been done before, and the
actualization of it has nothing new to astound the audiences. Becca Doten
|Film EditorE. Emmet
Walsh plays Coach Cook in this "after school special" spoof. Elizabeth
Allen directs a cynical yet intelligent portrayal of a young man and his
attempt to cope with his handicap. Blind in one eye, Eddie can't seem to
win a single wrestling match until, by either luck or a curse, Eddie's
glass eye falls out during a match. His opponent is so horrified Eddie
takes the opportunity and makes his first pin. From that moment on he is
known as Eyeball; he becomes the star of the team and school all the while
losing himself to the newfound fame. Don't miss this one with either
eye. Sean Carr |
Staff WriterA young GI
deals with the atrocities of WWII as Christmas approaches, and tries to
find some semblance of reason to the killing that is occurring all around
him. Strong production design and interesting cinematography are unable to
save this film from its trite story, poor acting and convoluted plot. Becca Doten
| FilmEditorSet in a
small-town train station, this film tells the story of how several people's
lives intersect as they wait for their train to come. "Whistle Stop"
contains nice moments, but overall it falls short and fails to keep the
audience interested. Also, though most of the acting is more than adequate,
one of the lead male characters (who is deaf) hurts the film through his
grandiose performance. Becca Doten
|Film EditorSimple
animation tells the tale of a blade of grass, and its discovery and
eventual loss of love. Sweet and charming, this film makes the most of its
simple nature, with a terrific score adding to its magic. Becca Doten
|FilmEditorA surreal
story of a man trying to get over his first true love. Just when things
seem perfect, she breaks up with him. Everywhere he turns he sees her and
he just can't get over her, but, the secret to getting over her doesn't lie
within his heart but within a beautiful little snow globe which contains a
tiny log cabin. Sean Carr
|Staff WriterStarting off
like an old silent film, complete with jerky picture, title inserts and
overacting, "Tandolfo the Great" then returns to the modern day to tell the
tragic story of a clown in love with an engaged woman. This highly
creative film incorporates several different styles and film formats, to
make for extremely interesting viewing. Good performances and interesting
sets add to the experience. The main drawback, however, is the poorly
executed sound mix, which makes the dialogue hard to understand at
times. Becca Doten
|FilmEditorThe film
"Memories of Fractured Skies," which was animated and directed by Raqi
Syed, screens at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 4 at the DGATheatre Complex and
at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, April 7 at Norris Cinema Theater. It was not
available to be reviewed.