2001 Festival Recap

This summary is provided for those unable to attend. Films are listed in the order they were screened. The synopses may include some opinion statements, and these are attributed to Luke Taylor. Jothan Sargent may have a different viewpoint on these pieces.

Note: The first two films listed were shown outside a genre classification, but East 183rd Street was in the Drama category, and The Chromium Hook was in the Comedy group.

1. East 183rd Street - by Mark Gasper, Hoboken, NJ
Some riveting drama about young people living, working, and going to school in the Bronx, New York. The shooting style and subject matter is quite similar to the popular BBC show Eastenders, the most notable differences being that East 183rd Street takes place in the Bronx and the majority of the cast are in their teens.

2. The Chromium Hook - by Ace Allgood and James Stanger, Minneapolis, MN
A high-budget film (eg, actors were cast by the Lynn Blumenthal Agency) in mock documentary format. The documentary seeks to debunk an urban myth about a prosthetically-armed psychopath in the hamlet of Nimrod, Minnesota. This film shared many similarities with the mockumentary work done by Christopher Guest (Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, etc). This film won the Bearded Child Film Festival Award for Best Comedy. (Black & White)

DRAMA

3. Aegri Somnia - by Mark Ryan, Minneapolis, MN
Completed in 1984, this is the story of "the lone survivor of a shipwreck slowly going insane aboard his drifting raft." This film was shot on Lake Superior and features some innovative imagery using water and skyscapes.

4. Landing Lights - by Mark Ryan, Minneapolis, MN
Using landing light pylons as fixed-object focal points, this film shows planes landing at Minneapolis airport. Set to new age music, this film, like Ryan’s other film, includes beautiful cloud and sky imagery.

5. Flat Tire - by Steven Anthony Smith, Shakopee, MN
A young Dakotah man gets a flat tire, then is confronted by three forms of racism. His deep faith is his foundation and his guide. This film presents brutally honest images of the ugly face of racism, but it also presents beautiful imagery of Native culture and religious beliefs. This film has appeared on Twin Cities Public Television’s "MNTV". (Black & White)

6. Leaving the Vortex - by Michael Lindquist, Minneapolis, MN
A professional in downtown Minneapolis finds magic leaves that transport him from the hubbub of the city to the tranquility of the forest.

COMEDY

7. Suburban Cowboys - by TCP, Minneapolis & St Paul, MN
A pool ace and two misfits create havoc during a game of billiards.

8. Free - by TCP, Minneapolis & St Paul, MN
A man observes his neighbor and gets an idea…

9. The Ketchup Conspiracy - by Ron Johnson, Minneapolis, MN
The ‘Tomato Industry’ is the comic stand-in for the Tobacco Industry in this spoof about a conspiracy to get consumers addicted to ketchup.

10. 20/20 Vision - by Chris Newberry, Wayzata, MN
A dark comedy about a couple seeking marriage counselling. Made in the 1980s, this film includes some accidental laughs due to the casting of Jesse Ventura as an unconventional counsellor of sorts. A highlight of this film is the lavish party scene that opens the movie.

LOCAL
Note: The ‘Local’ portion of the evening provided a showcase for the fine filmmaking work of Grand Rapids-area high school students.

11. Unspoken Love - by John Schroeder, Deer River, MN
The moving tale of an elderly man who longs for his lost love. Schroeder does excellent work using music and images to set the mood for each scene. Schroeder cast himself as the elderly man, and his acting is very reminiscent of the work of Artie Shaw from 1960s TV show "Laugh-In".

12. Moody Nelson - by Lindsay Nelson, Remer, MN
This video explores the moods of a 17-year-old girl who never leaves her room. Filmmaker Nelson displays her broad range as an actress through her use of various dialects and personality types. Nelson shows a precocious grasp of multiple personality disorder and how it is manifested. Her use of psychosis as the springboard for creating ebullient characters is very much like the work of former "Saturday Night Live" cast member Molly Shannon; this is said as a compliment to Ms Nelson’s abilities.

13. Victoria’s Secret, And Our Love Is Too - by Jim Bujold, Grand Rapids, MN
An abstract film that follows two parallel love stories. This film was poignantly romantic while maintaining a wonderful innocence.

14. The Ball - by Max Page, Cohasset, MN
A ball, perhaps bored with its typical life, sets out on a self-guided journey. This film features a brilliant original score.

EXPERIMENTAL

15. Pennies for Beer - by Matthew T, Cleveland, OH
A man gathers up all his pennies so that he can buy a six-pack of Red Stripe Beer. Some interesting camera angles, movements, and editing superimpositions, but these devices very nearly belie the plot.

16. What Boys Want - by Roger Beebe, Gainsville, FL
Presented as a ‘feminist polemic,’ a young man is confused by his primal desires: does he want the pretty girl or the hamburger? Short, simple, hilarious. (Black & White)

17. Nothing Can Stop Torg - by Ross Payton, Springfield, Missouri
Excellent computer animation featuring many images of robots.

18. UFO*RIA - by Jeffrey Ragan, San Francisco, CA
Two microscopic aliens land on earth, where they are (among other things) inhaled by a woman, sneezed out by same, and eaten and excreted by a dog. The reactions of the actors who play the aliens are a big highlight.

19. FrankenChrist - by Shannon Kelly, Brighton, CO
A mad scientist drops a jar containing a normal brain and is left to choose what is left -- a prophetic brain. The scientist has a religious experience as a result. Shannon’s animation style is similar to the work of Monty Python alumnus Terry Gilliam. (Black & White)

20. Nazis to the Moon! - by Shannon Kelly, Brighton, CO
Another animation piece by Kelly, this features some zealous ambitions by a cartoon Hitler. (Black & White)

21. Thanksgiving - by Jack Shynk, Santa Barbara, CA
A nihilistic look at the turkey-centric day of celebration. (Black & White)

22. Dirt - by Chel White, Portland, OR
A man with an extreme fondness for dirt evolves into his own ecosystem. (Black & White)

23. Mind@Large by William Cusick
The treatment read, "Three secret agents double-cross each other while operating undercover in an attempt to infiltrate American Culture." (Note: due to an anomaly with the video tape, this film could not be viewed as intended.)

24. Dream - by Hayashi Koichiro, Tokyo, Japan
This film is a provocative and unabashed insight into lust, porn, and onanism. A young man sifts through porn magazines to find life-size posters of nude women. He lays them side by side, then, after studying them intently, masturbates vigorously. Spent, he passes out atop the array of posters.

25. The Musician - by Hayashi Koichiro, Tokyo, Japan
An insider’s look at the creative process behind techno music composed by a 17-year-old boy.

26. Hori Room - by Hayashi Koichiro, Tokyo, Japan
A mysterious film in which a young man seeks out Hori, then brutally murders him.

DOCUMENTARY

27. A Study of Human Movement & the Aging Process - by Wade Ardery & Jesse Holcomb, Minneapolis, MN
This film examines human behavior and aging by taking candid looks at the actions of people in the city of Minneapolis and its inner-ring suburbs. Set in slow motion to a thought-provoking score, the honesty and beauty of this film are among its many strong points.

28. The Minneapolis Wrestling Club - by John Lightfoot, Berkeley, CA
The filmmaker interviewed former professional wrestlers to get their impressions as they look back on their careers. The anecdotes are priceless, and the former wrestlers’ attitudes are predictable in some cases, surprising in others.

Luke Taylor. Available http://www.intothevoid.com/tcp/bc/bcfilm.html, February 8, 2004.