IFFR 1999: Day 1

IFFR 1999, day 1

Project A, Survival Guide to the IFFR 1999

Review: A Bug's Life

[-22:30 ] #0004

DIRECTION: John Lasseter

SCENARIO: Andrew Stanton, Donald McEnery & Bob Shaw

CAMERA: Sharon Calahan

CAST: voices: Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Hayden Panettiere, Phyllis Diller

Okay okay, so the ants in this computergenerated movie do not have the right number of feet. And just like Antz this still very much looks like a computer generated movie and things don't seem to have improved that much since Pixar's big hit Toy Story . But this is a very funny movie, with a good story, some nice characters and a lot of excellent wise cracks in visuals as well as dialog and story. Good one, looking forward to Toy Story 2 .

Review: Velvet Goldmine

[-23:00 ] #0003

SCENARIO: Todd Haynes

CAMERA: Maryse Alberti

EDITOR: James Lyon

CAST: Ewan McGregor, Jonathan Rhys-Meyer, Toni Colette, Christian Bale, Eddie Izzard, Emily Woof, Michael Feast

The Glam rock era was as fake as fake can get. All that glitter all the nailpolish, eyeliner and lipgloss. But should you fake your way through making a movie about that era? Todd Haynes certainly thought so. Over and over it has been stressed that this movie is not about David Bowie and his alledged relationship with Iggy Pop. Still it's rather strange to deny that and see Ewan McGowan looking like a spitting image of Iggy Pop, with a whiff Kurt Cobain especially in the name Kurt Wild, doing some excellent Stooges covers. Jonathan Rhys-Meyer hasn't got a hard time looking like Ziggy Stardust either, but he has to sing songs by other artists from the era. Fake as fake goes is superficial and on second viewing rather boring. If you hate glam, avoid it like the plague.

Review: Happiness

[- 23:30 ] #0002

SCENARIO: Todd Solondz

CAMERA: Maryse Alberti

EDITOR: Alan Oxman

CAST: Jane Adams, Dylan Baker, Cynthia Stevenson, Lara Flynn Boyle, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jared Harris, Ben Gazzara, Louise Lasser

American media reacted either with disbelief or were too unsure to react at all. That's why Todd Solondz' second movie probably hasn't had the proper attention it should have had. What this movie will do to European audiences is left to be seen. My guess is it will shock people as much as it did in the States, because everything, though depicted in a very dry comedy style, is so recognizable. The fact you in the end actually feel sorry for the child raping dad, or the sexually fantasizing freak next door makes it such a good movie. It provokes strong emotions and leaves you unsure and you still think you have had a good laugh when you leave the cinema. Excellent.