MIFF 2012: Day Six

Falkenberg Farewell 11am @ the Forum

Kyle's review based on the title alone: A Swedish remake of the 1963 film adaptation of the play Bye Bye Birdie. Great songs, groovy clothes, far out dialogue, a rollercoaster ride of fun, fun, fun! 4/5 Conrads

According to MIFF: "Jesper Ganslandt’s visionary debut is a farewell to his own childhood, created in collaboration with his real-life friends. It captures the emotional memory of one fateful summer in the lives of David, Holger, Jesper, Jorgen and John. Holed up in small-town Falkenberg biding their time, these companions are consumed by the overwhelming experience of being young, on the precipice of adulthood, and deciding what to do with the rest of their lives."

What DeeDee thought:I was initially finding this a very soothing, easy 11am movie, but then, ah, something happened & it became something I wasn't expecting. Good, but left me with a slight case of the heebies.

Wunderkinder 1:30pm @ ACMI

Kyle's review based on the title alone: A German politician notices that a local school for the gifted and talented is only attended by attractive blond haired and blue eyed children. 20 years that politician is the now Führer of a new Nazi Germany. This movie felt a little farfetched. 2/5 Umlauts.

According to IMDB: "The story takes place in the Ukraine (Poltava) in 1941 before and during the German invasion. This story is about deep friendship between three musically talented children . Two Jewish children both virtuosic and a talented German girl who share a love of music. Their friendship extends beyond the gaps of different religions and nationalities, The Nazis invasion to the Soviet Union destroyed their world and they and their families deal with death threats War brings with it."

What DeeDee thought: Ok, I totally cried. Must stop wearing mascara. I was utterly disappointed that the multiple groups of high school children watching this as part of an excursion weren't more rowdy. The teachers only had to ssshhh them once. Sheesh, kids today.

Side By Side 4:30pm @ the Kino

Kyle's review based on the title alone: A documentary about conjoined twins. It’s candid and at times moving but doesn’t feel like anything you haven’t already seen in full length features or shorter television documentaries. 3/5 miracles.

According to IMDB: "The documentary investigates the history, process and workflow of both digital and photochemical film creation."

What DeeDee thought: Well, this was quite fantastic. Explained things simply (but not tooooo simply) for people like me who have little knowledge of the technical side of filmmaking. Also, David Lynch & Keanu Reeves need to star in an Odd Couple style sitcom together, stat.

Note: Instead of a 6:30pm screening, I attended the Mads Brügger/John Safran Q & A @ the Wheeler Centre. I'd earlier spied Mads & his son at ACMI attending the Game Masters exhibition & during question time I desperately wanted to ask him whether it's worth a visit, because I'm thinking of going between films. But I didn't, because I didn't want to be THAT guy. God, I hate/love THAT guy.

Killer Joe 9pm @ Greater Union

Kyle's review based on the title alone: A cup of coffee is drunk by Joe Johnston, however this isn’t any regular cup of Joe. This coffee Joe has consumed begins to take over Joe’s mind and forces him to commit a range of violent acts. 4/5 Cawfees.

According to IMDB: "When a debt puts a young man's life in danger, he turns to putting a hit out on his evil mother in order to collect the insurance."

What DeeDee thought: THIS WAS FUCKING BOSS, SEE IT AT YOUR EARLIEST CONVENIENCE!!!