Operation Filmmaker, Helvetica – A pair of documentaries caught on the PBS series Independent Lens. The first tells the story of an Iraqi film student who gets the opportunity to work on a Hollywood film. The confluence of liberal guilt and the inability to to appreciate and take advantage of the good things that come one’s way make for a maddening but ultimately satisfying documentary. I wanted to strangle equally producer Peter Saraf and the Iraqi film student Muthana. I hope Liev Schreiber delivered a huge apology to director Nina Davenport. The second documentary somehow made 80 minutes of talk about a typeface quite interesting. I am now both appalled and enamored by Helvetica.

Sunshine – Another time through with this one. Something to fight the cabin fever of being stuck at home during the ice/sleet storm.

The Fall – What a delightful surprise. It was sort of a longer, more complex, multi-colored version of The Red Balloon. With a little bit of The Princess Bride thrown in. And however director Tarsem coaxed out the performance from Catinca Untaru as Alexandria, he and she both deserve great praise.

Sundance 2009 Short Films on iTunes – Ten short films from the festival that were available for free download: Acting for the Camera, Countertransference, Field Notes From Dimension X: Oasis, From Burger it Came, Hug, I Live in the Woods, Instead of Abracadabra, James, Magnetic Movie, This Way Up. My favorites were Countertransference, I Live in the Woods (Honorable Mention in Short Filmmaking – Sundance Film Festival), Instead of Abracadabra, and This Way Up (Oscar nominee).

The Trials of Ted Haggard – I have to admit that after seeing this I kind of feel sorry for Mr. Haggard. He actually seems sort of human. Unlike his successors. I do wish there was a little more to the documentary though. It almost seems that Alexandra Pelosi relies too much on her ability to develop repertoire with her subjects instead of delving deeper into the story at hand. How has Haggard really dealt with his sexuality? And what does he really feel about those who were once his friends and supporters?

Let The Right One In – I loved this one. Vampires have been done every which way on film. But this film seemed to bring something fresh, even if it isn’t really a vampire movie. The cold and dreary Swedish landscape, with the occassional touch of color, was beautifully shot. Warm red blood on cold white snow. That’s what this movie was all about. Complementary. Life complementing death. Warmth complementing coldness. Laughter complementing terror. Love complementing misery. This movie, more so than perhaps any other from 2008, is one that I can’t wait for its DVD release so I can watch it again and again.

2008 Sundance Short Films (Sundance Institute Art House Project @ OKCMOA)

Sikumi (Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking) – Beautifully shot and framed. The Inuit landscape is as beautiful as it is frighteningly isolating.

My Olympic Summer (Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking) – This one may have sparked the most discussion afterwards over sushi at Gaijin. While Sarah presumably took it as a more straight-forward documentary, I took it as a fictionalized account tacked onto found footage. Turns out it’s a little bit of each, which works just fine for us both. While there may be a line of deception that shouldn’t be crossed (and still honestly call it a documentary), I still think it’s all about the story. And, ultimately, it’s all about the subject. So, for example, if James Frey writes a memoir about his drug use with lots of embellishment, it’s not as bad as if a Presidential candidate writes a memoir with lots of embellishment. There’s a different standard of veracity. Still, some level of embellishment is human–memory is, essentially, fake. So, I’m on board with this one because it’s about relationships. If it were “about” the Olympic hostages, I’d have a different take.

Spider (Honorable Mention in Short Filmmaking) – A fun little “thriller” that had me jumping on more than one occasion. That’s more than most full-length thrillers usually get out of me.

W. (Honorable Mention in Short Filmmaking) – This one was quite funny. Even if it took me a while to fully absorb the punchline (because I’m, uh, a bit slow).

Yours Truly – Nicely animated film noir collage. Wouldn’t it be great if the big studios could get behind a feature length animated film that pushed animation beyond its comfortable limits?

FCU: Fact Checkers Unit – Funnier before Bill Murray shows up. Then everybody just seems to rely on his odd presence rather than the comedic timing and gags that show up in the first half.

I Love Sarah Jane – Zombies. And childhood crushes. How sweet. I, too, love Sarah Jane.

Dennis – Disturbing. But then aren’t all moms a bit disturbing eventually.

Man – The most traditionally narrative of the group. You could almost see this one expanded upon into a feature length film. Excellently acted by the two girls–Sarah Steele and Addison Timlin–whom I hope to see show up in other films.

Conventioneers – I moved this one to the top of the queue so it would coincide with the 2008 Democratic and Republican Party conventions. It was an interesting use of current events (the 2004 Republican Convention in NYC) as a frame for the broader story. Much like many left-wing protestors, the film was full of a lot that I liked but the arguments weren’t solid enough for me to completely get behind. Granted, this “weakness” is probably due in large part to the improvisational nature of the film. Maybe it’s not even a weakness at all and just a style preference. Who knows? I was turned off by the comments in the closing credits that stated how many hours some of the crew were detained for filming protesters at the World Trade Center site. For me, a strong argument is always much more persuasive than simple protestations. Speaking truth to power isn’t quite the same as filming without a permit.

Brand Upon the Brain! – After seeing BUTB! and The Saddest Music in the World, and anticipating My Winnipeg, I’m left both totally getting Guy Maddin’s vibe and not having a clue. I love it. It’s at once both derivative and original. It’s both something that you can let go and simply enjoy and something that can be a bit challenging. A movie like this is one that makes you love movies. And its a movie that makes you want learn about the movies that Guy Maddin loves.

Annie Hall – It’s been a while since I’ve seen this one. Like Guy Maddin, Woody Allen’s films show such a love of film. You can see how films of the past work their way into this one. But with this one, you can see how it has worked its way into the films that succeded it. It’s both influenced and influential. Strangely though, the one film that came to mind as I watched it this time was Doug Liman’s Swingers. I’m not sure what the connection was…perhaps some of the Alvy & Rob scenes reminded me of the Swingers dialogue. Oh, and my favorite of Annie Hall fashion was just the gray t-shirt and green cargo pants. Still fundamentally the unisex/androgynous “Annie Hall look” but not at all dated. I must see more Woody Allen. Maybe Vicky Cristina Barcelona and then on to some older stuff.

Sarah and I caught Rossellini on Letterman last week where she talked about making these short films and screened the Praying Mantis video. Besides the Mantis film, be sure and check out Snail and Fly.

(Cross-posted on Two-Headed Blog)