I’ve spent the last several weeks doing recap posts over at the deadCENTER blog. I went back and watched some of the movies that have screened at previous festivals and shared some of my thoughts. Here’s a list of the years, the films I revisited, and a link to the relevant post over at the deadCENTER blog:

2002 — Sam & Janet, One Thousand Years, Side Effects
2003 — Five Fucking Fables, Nice Night For Murder
2004 — Banned in Oklahoma, Farmingville, Flip
2005 — Rosevelt’s America, Admissions, The Fearless Freaks
2006 — Maxed Out, Outside Sales, Mr. Malikai Battles the Aeroplane, Secession
2007 — UFO’s At The Zoo, Shwarma: Spawn From Hell, BITCH, Man With a Moustache
2008 – American Teen, Disfigured, Gustav Braustache and the Auto-Debilitator, The Aviatrix
2009 — SAFE, Hit Boys II Men, Whore, The SPAM Job, Miracle Investigators

I’ll be doing some blogging throughout this year’s festival as well (along with my wife Sarah). Not sure yet what form it’ll take. Stay tuned!

Super cool.

Remember…anything is possible.

The Flaming Lips encourage you to create your own happiness.

Indeed.

The films were great. They always seem to keep getting better. The venues were great. The parties were great. I loved that they seemed to be featuring food from a wide array of local restaurants. It was an impressive undertaking and the organizers deserve much, much praise. Thank you guys.

For next year, I’d love to get a hotel room for the entire weekend. Make a vacation out of the thing. Then, I wouldn’t have to worry about running home and back in order to take care of the dogs (and to sleep).

The standouts for me this year were Damn the Past!, Gustav Braustache and the Auto-Debilitator, A Beautiful Day, The Aviatrix, disFIGURED, Year at Danger and American Teen.

The official deadCENTER winners were:

Narrative Feature – The New Year Parade
Documentary Feature – Greensboro: Closer to the Truth
Narrative Short – Damn the Past!
Documentary Short – The Jump
Animation – A Faery’s Tale
Student Film – The Aviatrix
Oklahoma Film – Rainbow Around the Sun
Grand Jury Narrative Feature – disFIGURED
Grand Jury Documentary Feature – A Year at Danger

Check out Kathryn Jenson White’s take on the festival over at OFCC.

And, check out reviews of these deadCENTER films over at Film Threat:

OKIE NOODLING II
YEAR AT DANGER
THE VAULT
PRIMITIVE TECHNOLOGY
BARK OR BITE
THREE LITTLE WORDS
THE STANTON FAMILY GRAVE ROBBERY

After boarding the dogs Saturday morning, Sarah and I headed back downtown. We were looking forward to our room at the Colcord Saturday night. The room did not disappoint. Red & black & white. Simple and modern. And, after calling downstairs for an iPod docking station alarm radio, our room was complete. But, alas, we didn’t just come back downtown for the hotel room:

SATURDAY

2:30PM | Screenplay Table Read @ OKCMOA

5:30PM | Unsolved | @ OKCMOA

While I had a few minor problems with it, overall this Oklahoma City University debut feature was very solid. As a university project, it was quite good. I thought it lacked a bit of passion and style that could have made it an exceptional film. But, I was impressed and really look forward to what comes out of OCU in the future.

9:30PM | American Teen | @ Harkins

I really loved this. And, walking through Bricktown on the way back to our hotel room that night, it was evident that things don’t really change. The people I hated in high school grow up to be the people I hate now. Still, there are people like Hannah that make life worth living…they just seem to be unseen minority around these parts.

11:30PM | Awards After Party @ Nonnas

We just stopped in to check out and have a few bites of the food. Neither of us was really in the mood to party or mingle. We really just had our minds set on some of Nonna’s butterscotch cream pie. So, we grabbed one on the way out and headed back to the hotel room. We unwound there with some wine and the pie.

SUNDAY

12:00PM | Brunch @ Soleil

Since we were staying at the Colcord, we decided to just go ahead and have brunch early before all the deadCENTER people had arrived. I had their Hollandaise (one ham, one smoked salmon) and a bloody mary. Sarah had the Poached Eggs with Braised Endive and a couple of mimosas. It was all delicious.

2:00PM | Best of Fest Shorts @ OKCMOA

Best Animated Short – A Faery’s Tale

Okie Short – A Beautiful Day

Okie Short – The Pink Shorts

Best Student Short – The Aviatrix

Best Documentary Short – The Jump

Best Narrative Short – Damn the Past!

Where does it fit into the documentary genre, I ask with pleasure and excitement? Are there Errol Morris recreations within it but without the change in film style to signal them? Do the clever and very, very good animated sequences for each character signal, too, that the lines between fact and fiction/documentary and narrative feature are blurring, blurring, blurred?

Ooh, I love a film that sparks questions. And, I can’t wait to catch this one. It’s playing again tonight at Harkins. And I also kind of wish I was still in school and could enroll in her documentary film class. Oh, well…

I was kind of hesitant going into this one. I was half expecting for it to just be one of those “Let the Bodies Hit the Floor” military porn videos that pop up on YouTube. I was presently surprised. It was a nicely balanced look at what it is to be away from your family while dodging mortar rockets, and IEDs, and VBIEDs, and fraggers. It wasn’t making any sort of judgment on the war or the administration. It was just telling the story of a soldier–Steve Metze–who happens to also be a filmmaker, a father, a son, and a husband. In the Q&A that followed, I was surprised to hear co-director/editor Don Swaynos who was in attendance say that the filmmakers didn’t have to get the final film approved and/or reviewed by the US Army. For some reason, that sort of surprised me. At any rate, I’d really like to see/hear the stories of some other filmmaker soldiers over there. And I think these stories are something that the American public in general should be exposed to. So, hopefully this and similar documentaries make their way onto TV at some point.

5:00PM | Oklahoma Film & Music Reception @ XO Lounge

Our schedule took a turn towards the booze (and food) once again. (One of these days I’m going to see Rainbow Around the Sun, I promise.) This party was thrown by the Oklahoma Film & Music Commission. We hung out for a while–drank a couple of beers and ate a few snacks–while we discussed Year at Danger and planned out the rest of the evening. We talked to Eric Rasmussen who was there with his short film S & M Queen for a Day and also to promote his web series The Retributioners.

In the end, we decided to just go and grab a bite to eat and hold out for IAO. We ended up at Gaijin Sushi (at the Park Harvey). It was great. We ate our delicious roll and sashimi while fantasizing about ditching our suburban home and moving into an apartment downtown. It was the best meal I’ve had in some time. I cannot wait to recreate it sometime soon.

9:00PM | Friday Night Frolic @ IAO

Normally, I’m no so much into this event. Last year was cool because they had a whole tattoo fashion show going on. This year’s event was much tamer by comparison. They had some decent food from a variety of places–all of which beat the salsa poured over a block of cream cheese from a few years back. There was food from La Baguette, Hideaway, Rococo, Bin 73, and The Prohibition Room. Mostly we were there so we could score decent seats for the upcoming shorts programs.

10:00PM | Horror Shorts @ IAO

A Beautiful Day | Adam Hampton

This was better than expected. Maybe just a bit too long. But, it had a Night of the Living Dead creepy vibe to it. Not bad.

For Annie | Andy Collen

A nice little animated short to go along with the Edgar Allen Poe poem.

Dusk | Krystian Lagowski & Ian McCain

Honestly, I don’t remember much of this one. I don’t think it excited me all that much.

Night of the Hell-Hamsters | Paul Campion

This one was pretty funny. My favorite of the night. Plenty of blood, plenty of camp. An all-around fun film.

Itsy Bitsy | David May

Spiders are creepy. Real or not. Just plain creepy.

Bark or Bite | Suzie Bohannon

A group of vegetarians have to decide whether or not to eat the dog. Nice.

The Vault | Justin Owensby

Kind of strange. In a poetically creepy sort of way.

11:55PM | Midnight Shorts @ IAO

The Return of Sergeant Pecker | Pierre Delarue

He may have returned. However, his return may have been a bit premature.

S&M Queen For a Day | Eric Rasmussen

This one was pretty good. The title alone says “watch me.” I’ll definitely have to check out The Retributioners.

The Stewardess | Marcin Glowacki

I don’t know if it’s because I still had disFIGURED in my head, but I didn’t like this film one bit. It was basically a “let’s make fun of fat people” film. And, of course, the audience ate it up. I don’t know. Maybe I was hyper-sensitive or something. But, I don’t think a film that put an actor in black face and then proceeded to both make fun of his color and try to change him would be all that funny either. I still don’t know why it’s okay to make fun of fat people.

Hombre Kabuki | Leo Age

Coming after The Stewardess, I was apprehensive about this one as well. I thought it was going to piss me off in a similar way…only in a mysognist pig way this time. But, this film–unlike the previous one–had a lot more nuance and a lot more balance. It was certainly a much better film.

Rebus Riot! | Robert Dohrmann

I really liked this one. I’m not sure how to describe it. You might just have to check it out yourself (at the link above).

Deus Ex Machina | Royce Sharp & Walker Robins

Again, this was better than expected. That gyrating body is going to haunt me for at least the rest of the weekend.

At any rate, we decided to skip out on the rest of the Midnight shorts and head on over to Rocktown. We were warned to get there early because the tickets would probably go pretty fast.

1:00AM | Christmas on Mars @ Rocktown Gym

After making our way through the mysterious maze and flooded roads to Rocktown, we slopped through the mud past Wayne Coyne and into the tent to find the movie just getting underway. I guess they started the first two screenings early…and canceled the third. At any rate, we got to see most of the movie. The movie, the tent, the popcorn boxes…it was all so Flaming Lips. Just plain fun.

3:00PM | Year At Danger | Steve Metze & Don Swaynos @ Kerr Auditorium

5:30PM | Rainbow Around the Sun | Kevin Ely, Beau J. Leland @ OKCMOA

8:00PM | Half-Empty | Robert Peters @ OKCMOA

10:00PM | Horror Shorts @ IAO
For Annie | Andy Collen
Itsy Bitsy | David May
A Beautiful Day | Adam Hampton
This is the one that got the Muskogee Police Department all in a tiff with their YouTube trailer.
The Vault | Justin Owensby
Dusk | Krystian Lagowski & Ian McCain
Night Of The Hell-Hamsters | Paul Campion
Bark or Bite | Suzie Bohannon

11:55PM | Midnight Shorts @ IAO
Simulacra | Tatchapon Lertwirojkul
The Stewardess | Marcin Glowacki
S&M Queen For a Day | Eric Rasmussen
Hombre Kabuki | Leo Age
Rebus Riot! | Robert Dohrmann
Deus Ex Machina | Royce Sharp & Walker Robins
Happily Ever After | Lidia Sheinin
Drag King | Don Lewis
The Return of Sergeant Pecker | Pierre Delarue

2:00AM | Christmas on Mars @ Rocktown Gym

Photo by tannerherriott used under CC-by-2.5 License

For unknown reasons, the Opening Night reception was held on the 1st floor of the Museum. I missed the rooftop view and all the seating. But, I certainly didn’t miss the sun or the wind. Plus, the location inside allowed for more mingling than the rooftop probably would have provided. Like last night, there was plenty of Stella Artois to be had. For snacks, they had a sort of bruschetta spread with tomatoes & mozarella but also some pesto, hummus, and tapenade. I have no reason to worry about what comes out of the Museum Cafe kitchen, but it’s still a little strange to find yourself second guessing the tomatoes that you eat.

Anyways, we hung out for a while. Sadly, we’re not really the mingling type. But we still talked for a moment with one of the guys with A Beautiful Day. We met the filmmakers behind S&M Queen for a Day as well as the director of disFIGURED. As always, it was a bunch of fun. While we’d been to two parties already, we hadn’t seen any films yet. Now, on to the films…

7:30PM | Whimsical Shorts

Damn The Past! | Juli Kang

This one started out the program. And, what a delight. Very nicely shot. The choreography and music were very good. It was quite humorous while still retaining an emotional connection. It was funny and sweet. (MySpace page)

The Vaudevillian | Bryan Nest

I liked this one a lot too. I don’t know if I’d call it “whimsical,” because it was actually a bit dark, but it was still a very welcome addition. Sometimes you just have to quit listening to that nagging voice in your head and go on with your life and take care of yourself.

Life In Transition | John R. Dilworth

This one was very beautifully animated. For me, it summed up several of the movies I saw Thursday night. Life is a challenging process with a clear and definitive end…so start living it. You can watch this film online on the Stretch Films website through the link above.

Gustav Braustache and The Auto-Debilitator | Rob Cunningham & Tony Mullen

This was our favorite short of the night. It was basically a silent film comedy. Very classic, I thought. It was shot great. The comedic timing was impeccable. And, Gustav Braustache’s gadgets and machines were all so delightful. Later on, Sarah mentioned how they all even seemed to have a sort of personality to them. And, the Auto-Debilitator is perhaps the greatest invention of all time. My love and devotion for Nikola Tesla have suddenly shifted towards the brilliant Mr. Braustache.

A Faery’s Tale | Sylvia Apostol

An uncoventional take on the classic Tooth Fairy tale. Again, very nicely animated. I don’t have a full appreciation of the art of animation. It’s certainly something I’m gonna have to examine further. But, this one was quite nice. You can watch this film on Sylvia Apostol’s website at the link above.

Where Did the Time Go? | Eric Kim & Mary Fecteau

This was what I have to assume was a mockumentary. If that’s the case, I think they could and should have taken it just a little bit further. It was somewhere between a slightly strange (or whimsical) documentary and an almost really funny mockumentary.

9:30PM | disFIGURED | Glenn Gers @ Harkins

L to R: Staci Lawrence as Darcy and Deidra Edwards as Lydia, in Disfigured,
dir. Glenn Gers. Photo by John Stewart Muller, courtesy of Dialogue Heavy Pictures.

Sarah and I were both looking forward to this one, albeit with a little bit of trepidation. The fat girl isn’t usually given a lead role and her weight is usually only used to mock her. But this movie by director/writer Glenn Gers, who previously wrote the screenplay for Mad Money starring Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, and Katie Holmes, did not disappoint. For a quick DV shoot, it was very well acted and directed. I have to give serious credit to the director who was able to balance the complexities of body image, from a fat perspective as well as an anorexic one, in a way that was fair and compassionate but never coddling either. The sex scene was very competently handled–never taking its self too seriously nor devolving into playing it for laughs.

And, as Sarah said, the friendship between Darcy and Lydia was excellently captured by the actors and director alike. Of course, a movie like this that tackles subject matter like this will have its limitations. It’s not going to appeal to everyone everywhere all the time and it’s not going to please everyone everywhere all the time. It’s a niche movie, in a way. But, I’m so glad it was made. Maybe a studio someday will step up to the plate and make a real movie about real people even if their bodies don’t quite conform to the Hollywood ideal. We look forward to purchasing this one when it is released next month on DVD.

11:00PM | Opening Night After Party at Maker’s Cigar Bar

So after a nice first night of films, we headed on over to Makers. After just over five months as non-smokers, it was our first time in a smoking bar. But, it went okay. I even smoked about half of my complimentary cigar. And that will be that. Over some red wine and Guinness, we talked about the films. Which ones we liked, which ones we didn’t like so much. We talked about what our favorite ones got exactly right. Does life get any better than talking about movies over good wine and beer with your best friend? In my book, that is heaven.

Please, uncaring universe, send us some good films.

And on the eleventh day, it answered. In the form of the 8th Annual deadCENTER Film Festival.