Sarah guest posts at The Filmcake:
After racking up a serious sleep deficit and a thoroughly marinated liver, I’ve finally mustered up the energy to give a few shout-outs to the films, people, and local buisnesss that made my time at deadCENTER so damned memorable (the parts I remember, that is). In no particular order:
* Clifton Raphael and his film and television program at Jenks High School. As an Owasso alum, it pains me greatly to give any kind of a shout-out to Jenks, but it’s deserved in this case. Filmcake had the pleasure of chatting with Raphael at the OKCMOA Opening Night Party. Not only is he an extraordinarily nice guy, the quality of the films coming out of his program (All That Remains, RSVP) is impressive. I look forward to seeing what these kids do next.
* Joey’s Pizzeria. We stopped in after checking out the Film Row Frolic and before the Late Night Shorts. It was a little before 11pm, and their posted hours said they were open until midnight, so we thought we’d grab some pizza and a couple COOP Native Ambers (the fact that they have my favorite beer on tap is reason enough to love them). However, when we had our beers in front of us and started to order our pizza, our waitress told us that they’d just shut down the oven. We were disappointed, but at least we had our beer. No worries. A few minutes later, though, the manager came by and said that they’d just fired the oven back up, so what kind of pizza would we like? Joey’s, you have a new fan.
* I Wear My Fanny Pack Low. This short screened during the Okie Shorts (which was overall, a very solid block of Oklahoma-made short films) and was easily the funniest couple minutes of the festival. Have you ever seen a fanny pack full of queso? Well, I have – and it’s a sight to behold.
* That fake Wayne Coyne guy. Every time I turned my head during this festival, this guy was there. The very sight of him inspired a great and wondrous rage within me, for reasons I have yet to work out. By the time Saturday night rolled around, I was wanting nothing more than to punch this man in the face. And to his credit, he let me. Now I’m somewhat less enraged.
* Iguana‘s Black Pearl party bus. I’ve always wanted to ride in this thing, and Saturday night, I got to – twice. Some sort of blueberry trashcan punch, Lady Gaga blasting on the speakers, and what is apparently a complete lack of suspension made for one wildly jarring, drunken ride. It was fantastic.
* Bobo’s Chicken. This delicious, smokey, drippin’ with honey chicken is always a highlight of the closing night after-after party, and this year, we got to go on the actual Bobo’s run itself. We hopped back on the Iguana party bus with deadCENTER Tech Director Ian Peterson, Programming Director Kevin Ely, and filmmakers Stefanie Leland (Where Did the Horny Toad Go?), Matt Porter (More Perfect Union) and Jamie Renee Williams (Floating Lanterns). More blueberry punch, more bone-rattling, more fun. And I got to watch a man order $160 worth of fried chicken.
* Mark Potts, Cole Selix and the rest of the Singletree Productions crew. Filmcake was pretty harsh on these guys last year for their Simmons on Vinyl, and since it kind of sucks having to say negative things about people you might like, run into in real life, it’s a relief to say that this year’s film, S&M Lawn Care, is a vast improvement. The story of a small lawn care company forced to compete with a flashier, sexier (well, if you’re one of those who found Tom Cruise’s Magnolia ponytail sexy) lawn care company, the film felt tighter and more disciplined. As a result, it was funnier from start to finish. There was also some experimentation with different styles – I especially enjoyed the black and white Mr. Smith Goes to Washington homage. This felt like the work of filmmakers who have matured quite a bit in the last couple years (but haven’t lost their goofy charm). While the film has received some criticism for being misogynistic, this card-carrying feminist doesn’t agree. S&M Lawn Care was one of my festival favorites this year. I look forward to the next Singletree film (now, with crew and budget!), A Splice of Life.
A big congratulations and thank you to all the festival organizers, volunteers and filmmakers who made this a great experience. Get some rest, rehydrate, and we’ll see you in 2012!