| TITLE:: | TIME:: |
| TOPA TOPA BLUFFS | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 7:00PM / LOS FELIZ 3 |
| Dir.: ERIC SIMONSON, LOS ANGELES PREMIERE, VIDEO, USA, 86:00 | |
| Two down-on-their-luck writers head off for a weekend of backpacking. When one of them comes up with a million-dollar movie idea, the other tries to make sure it’s his last -- and he’s the one left standing. With a nod to Treasure of the Sierra Madre, this dark comedy takes a deadpan look at the vast wilderness both inside and outside L.A. Directed by Eric Simonson, whose documentary On Tiptoe: Gentle Steps to Freedom was nominated for an Academy Award. | |
| TOTAL LOVE | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 12:00AM / VISTA THEATRE |
| Dir.: GUR BENTWICH, LOS ANGELES PREMIERE, 35MM, ISRAEL, 85:00 | |
| This avatar of the New Israeli Cinema is gritty and gripping from the very first frame. Shot in Tel Aviv, Amsterdam, The Himalays, Bombay, and Goa, Total Love is the story of a fine-looking girl and her three ex lovers. When the men folk join forces to rescue her from an Indian prison, a romantic quadrangle and nonstop action begin. But even if they can save the love of their lives, which one of them will she choose? | |
| TRADING WOMEN | SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 11:30AM / LOS FELIZ 3 |
| Dir.: DAVID FEINGOLD, 2002, VIDEO, USA, 77:00 | |
| The culmination of five years of research, Trading Women investigates the trade in ethnic minority women and girls in Southeast Asia. Focusing on the plight of highland communities and examined from economic, social, and culture standpoints, the film comes to a disturbing conclusion: that many of the most well-meaning programs (including the suppression of opium production) has caused the most harm--with prostitution as the only money-making option left for these girls. Politically astute and exceptionally moving, this is a film that demands to be seen. | |
| ULTRACHRIST! | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 12:00AM / LOS FELIZ 3 |
| Dir.: KERRY DOUGLAS DYE, 2002, VIDEO, USA, 91:40 | |
| Jesus in spandex and cape? In modern Manhattan, the answer’s a definite yes. In an effort to save today’s youth, the Big Man becomes savior and superhero--and an instant sensation in NYC. But Satan’s waiting in the wings with Hitler, Richard Nixon, and Jim Morrison of the Doors. Smart, sweet, and downright irreverent, Ultrachrist! shows us a heaven and earth you won’t soon forget. Let the Holy Wars begin! | |
| UNPRECEDENTED: THE 2000 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION |
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 9:30PM,
LOS FELIZ 3 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 11:30AM / BARNSDALL GALLERY THEATRE |
| Dir.: RICHARD RAY PEREZ AND JOAN SEKLER, VIDEO, USA, 50:00 | |
| More riveting than fiction could ever be, Unprecedented is the story of battle for the Presidency in Florida, and of the consequent undermining of democracy in America. What emerges from this story of the most contested election in American history is a disturbing picture of an election marred by suspicious irregularities, electoral injustices, and sinister voter purges in a state governed by the winning candidate’s brother. Most compellingly, the film reveals how the Voting Rights Act was defied as thousands of African Americans in Florida were denied their right to vote--and how the Supreme Court acted as a surrogate for the Republican Party, not as impartial arbiters of the law. In short: George W. Bush stole the Presidency of the United States. . . and got away with it. | |
| UNREEL: A TRUE HOLLYWOOD STORY | SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2:00PM / LOS FELIZ 3 |
| Dir.: SCOTT SEGALL, WORLD PREMIERE 2003,VIDEO, USA,84:20 | |
| In this dark “mockumentary” about selling your soul for a shot at fame, we discover that real life is sometimes stranger than reel life. But in this town, even reality has to be altered to sell. When Rod Wadler decided to revive his defunct career by making a documentary about the actors who starred in the only film he ever made, he finds the subjects all too worse for the wear--so he creates his own reality. It bites, of course. A trenchant reflection on the price of fame and the struggle of good works vs. working good. | |
| VAKVAGANY | SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 5:00PM / BARNSDALL GALLERY THEATRE |
| Dir.: BENJAMIN MEADE AND ANDRAS SURANYI, 2002, VIDEO, 86:00 | |
| Translated from Hungarian: dead end. This haunting film, whose aim is to be “an experiment in cinematic language” seeks to explore the meaning and memories created by celluloid images. There are no actors and no plot, only a trenchant commentary by demon dog James Ellroy, filmmaker Stan Brakhage, and psychiatrist Dr. Roy Menninger. The catalyst: found (stolen, to be honest) home movies from Budapest. We see the Locsei family live through the War intact, warts and all--and dysfunction doesn’t elude the younger generation. Throughout it all, we feel like voyeurs peeping into windows that are best left alone. If humanity leaves a bad taste in your mouth, don’t expect fast relief: these images will only draw up bile from the depths of your soul. Proceed with caution, but do proceed. | |
| WARMING BY THE DEVIL'S FIRE | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 10:00PM / BARNSDALL GALLERY THEATRE |
| Dir.: CHARLES BURNETT, VIDEO, USA, 2003 | |
| Director Charles Burnett’s (To Sleep With Anger, Annihilation of Fish) chapter in the history of the Blues focuses on the period when the music blossomed with the advent of sound recordings. No longer confined to backroads, the Blues found a national audience hungry for music that spoke to universal themes with an authenticity never heard before. The documentary, which incorporates dramatizations, is part of a series executive produced by Martin Scorsese in response to the Blues official 100th anniversary. The screening marks the film’s world premiere. | |
| WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE | SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 4:30PM / VISTA THEATRE |
| Dir.: LASSE HALSTROM, 35MM, USA, 118:00 | |
| Director’s Lasse Hallström first film after the cult favorite My Life As A Dog was a bonafide commercial hit with American audiences. Nevertheless, the film managed to keep its independent cinema credentials intact with a quirky slice-of-life storyline, misfit characters and offbeat themes. Johnny Depp is Gilbert, the eldest brother of a large dysfunctional family (the Grape nuts?) in a dysfunctional American town. In addition to teenage angst about his future adult life, Gilbert must deal with a moribund, morbidly obese mother (Darlene Cates) and a severely retarded brother (Leonardo di Caprio). Even his best friends (John C. Reilly and Crispin Glover) are increasingly remote as they plot their dead-end careers at the local undertaker’s. Only Becky (Juliette Lewis) a straight-forward, well-traveled stranger who unexpectedly arrives in town, seems to get what’s eating Gilbert. | |
