Lance Around Orlando

Beware the Big Bad Mouse! A Film for Children of All Ages

My lucky number is 3.

And, today, I went to see 3 movies. Coincidence? I think not!

The Gruffalo’s Child, was the most adorable short film I’ve ever seen! It made me smile most of the time, and cry the other few times; just as all good stories should. The voiceover in the movie was effective and beautifully put together. I absolutely loved it! It seems they did the right thing when turning this children’s book into an animated film. It only makes me wonder where these animators were when things went wildly wrong with certain things regarding a certain children’s book I cared about that was turned into a certain movie a few years back which was absolutely horrible.

A Film For Older Children and Up

The film that followed was The Cat in Paris. This animated film was certainly meant to be a movie for young children. Yet, I loved this one too! However, there are some violent scenes with thieves kidnapping a child and threatening her as well as some strong language. Even still, I think that any child over ten would really enjoy the interesting hand-drawn animation and action.

A Film For Teens

The final movie of the day was Magic Valley. This is definitely not a movie for the kiddies. However, it’s perfect for an angsty teen like me. While, I have no idea what the director had against fish, this was incredibly well put together for a first film. (There were a LOT of dead fish in this movie–including fish being chopped up by lawn mowers and fish being blown up by firecrackers!) I loved how the movie left you guessing. This who-dunnit film was something that I enjoyed and I’d recommend it if you’re into murder mysteries.

When the movies were over, LanceAround and I had a great opportunity to speak with an intern who had helped work on Magic Valley. He told us stories about how it was around 16 degrees during the filming of one of the scenes! I feel awful for the child actors who had to go into the freezing river water during the filming!

This intern was lucky to work on such a great film. It was wonderful to get behind the scenes detail on what happened during production. It reminds me why I love to go to the FFF. You get the opportunity to meet the people who create such art.

All in all, this was probably one of the best days I’ve had at the festival so far. I hope to enjoy more days like this. Still, it was my lucky day 3. So, who knows?

Mohamed Fellag as Monsieur Lazhar

As Day 2 comes to a close, I realize my misgivings about this year’s festival were unfounded. It has turned out to be one of the best days I have ever had at the FFF. I decide to see one last film and interview a few more festival patrons.

Doris says Mamitas was great. I agree. Jason says he is with a great date. I’m not sure if that means he has paid any attention to the films or if he is just trying to impress her. Whatever, it’s time to go into the theatre for my last movie of the day.

Monsieur Lazhar
The theatre is almost at capacity. It’s been so busy this year that most films are getting started incredibly late. This is very unusual at the FFF. But I don’t see how it could be avoided. Just exiting the theatre from Mamitas took about 10 minutes because the patrons couldn’t push past the crowds outside the theatre waiting to enter to see Monsieur Lazhar. As I look over the auditorium, I see something unique in a movie theatre. Every seat across each row is completely filled. None of them are empty. Usually, at a normal movie, there are gaps between parties. Not at the FFF. Is it the common bond of love for film that allows us to feel comfortable sitting closer to one another?

The lights dim and Monsieur Lazhar begins. This film was nominated for an Oscar for best foreign language film last year so it’s very popular. A hush falls over the theatre…

The movie is very well done. The title role requires just the right touch of subtlety and depth. Mohamed Fellag provides a sublime performance that is a joy to watch. It’s a good film. I didn’t think it lived up to all the accolades that preceded it. The story was somewhat simplistic yet very moving. Others in the theatre were even more impressed.

“It was great.” “Very moving,” said Kasey and Colleen.

“I thought it was excellent, I liked it,” noted Dawson. “It was a very touching story.”

“Films like this should go beyond best foreign language and into best picture,” said Ken.

A trio of women approach me as I’m conducting my interviews. “It was touching,” said Flora Torra. Her friend, Therese Murphy, confirmed that was her real name and went on to say, “it was beautiful.” “It was moving,” chimed in Rosario. Then, turning away from the film Flora blurts out, “These are great names for a blog,” referring to Flora, Therese and Rosario. “No one’s ever heard of these names.”

“It was beautiful. It was peaceful. And it had a fabulous message,” said Kerry. Her friend Sandy replied, “You said it all. I loved it.”

For me, I loved this day at the FFF and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

From NumberOneEmber
Everyone seems to love Monsieur Lazhar. Well, I must have missed a major component of it. While the story was touching, there didn’t seem to be any other point, besides having to say “goodbye” even when you never want to go–or let go. It’s possible that this is just what everyone else loved about the film, but I, being a person who’s had to say goodbye far too many times, didn’t react nearly as emotionally as many other audience members. After a second viewing, I’m sure I can more accurately explain my reaction, or non-reaction, to this Oscar-nominated foreign film.

From ThatGuyRoberto
Monsieur Lazhar made me feel like I’ve been stabbed in the heart. The heaviness, overall, made me feel empty. Yet at the same time, it made me realize that every moment of every day with everyone is priceless. I can’t say any specific part made me feel this way, just the movie overall. It was powerful–extremely powerful. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone I know simply for the message of it.

Kumare
I think it will be a long time before this film finds its rightful place within my heart and my mind. It’s a simple documentary by an Indian, Hindu man—Born and raised in New Jersey—Who has come to believe his religious family’s beliefs are totally bogus. To prove it, he “becomes” a guru of a made up religion and plants himself in Arizona where he entices 14 different people to become his disciples.

Then, he tells them who he truly is. At least, he tries to. In his own way. But, in my opinion, he does so in a way that is significantly more dishonest than honest.

I won’t say any more about what happens in the film. You really should see it. But I will talk about how it continues to affect me. Because it does.

At the heart of this documentary is the reality that Vickram Gandhi, the swindler who created the character of Kumare, is a fraud-pure and simple. In fact, he’s so good at being a fraud, he appears to even con himself into believing he has done some good by perpetrating this fraud.

L. Ron Hubbard is famous for saying, “If you want to get rich, start a religion.”  Apparently, he said that some time before he founded the “religion” of Scientology and then went on to become extremely wealthy.

In a similar vein, Vickram seems unable to face his own duplicity. When it comes time to “expose” his falsehood, he does so in a way that clearly allows both himself and his followers to latch on to “the truth” behind the lie–a convoluted concept which attempts to portray him, not as the perpetrator of a fraud, but as a bearer of the truth that if he can become a guru, then everyone has it within themselves to become a guru.

Suddenly, not only are both he and his followers embracing this concept, some people who watch this documentary seem to fall for it as well.

Personally, I try to detach myself from the hype. Being as objective as I can be, I observe this phenomenon. Are we, as humans, so desperate to find meaning in our lives that we’re willing to toss out reason and common sense and fall for something like this?

These are the thoughts I have as I watch both the movie and the reactions to it. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Mamitas
I can never figure out why a movie like this doesn’t make it into wide release, while movies like American Pie make a ton a money. Is it because this movie is too real? Too True?  Are most movie watchers like Kumare’s students—too eager for an escaped from reality that they are willing to see…or believe..the most ridiculous tripe?

I just don’t know. But I do know this. If you love good film. If an intelligent story appeals to you. If you’re the kind of person who is open to discovering truth about humanity, then a movie like Mamitas is worth a look.

Where Does Reality Begin and End?

My day was all planned out, after An Affair of the Heart I planned on going to see The Gruffalo’s Child, which looked super cute (opposite of my normal slasher film). While waiting for An Affair of the Heart to start, I run into LanceAround. I ask him where the Garden Theatre is located (so I don’t get lost again like last year), and he tells me an additional 45 minutes away. Since I already live about 2 hours from where the FFF is held, I changed my plans a bit.
 
I look at the schedule and decided upon Kumare, which I originally did not plan on seeing at all during this year’s festival. Before Kumare starts, Peggy announces that the short Maurice will precede the feature. She gives the audience a disclaimer that it has some nudity and that it’s about the last porn cinema in Paris. This short did not capture my attention, and the nudity that was shown was not needed or classy, since it just used as a backdrop behind the cinema owner. I couldn’t wait for it to end and for Kumare to start. 
 
Kumare is about a self appointed ‘guru.’ Vikram Gandhi (Kumare) grows out his hair, uses his grandmother’s accent and goes undercover to start a following. His point is to prove that no one is more spiritual that anyone else. He made up chants and taught nonsense rituals that people followed with no questions asked.
 
This ‘religious belief’ was reported to be the longest prank ever documented. The point behind the film is that you don’t need anyone outside yourself to make you happy.
 
I was actually shocked by this film as I didn’t really want to see it. It captured my attention and really made me think about people and society. What are people thinking? What makes someone follow a person or religion? As Vikram said, most gurus and spiritual leaders a full of it, and I completely agree. You shouldn’t need a religion or person telling you that you can have personal happiness; you just need to recognize the guru within yourself.

These People (with NumberOneEmber and ThatGuyRoberto) Willingly Follow a False Prophet. Why Would They Do That?

Upon entering the Film Festival, I notice three oddly dressed people. Two guys and one girl were all dressed as, what I assumed to be, hippies. They all had beards–even the girl! I approached them and just had to ask what they were doing here dressed like this.

“We’re promoting Kumare,” Shriyantha Wimalasekera explains.

I hadn’t heard of this particular movie, but Chelsea -adorning the lovely false beard- explains to me that it’s a movie about a man who wants to “teach people to be their own guru. He’s a false guru and teaches people his own teachings. His own techniques are called Kumare and he’s made his own website of the false teachings called Kumare.org.”

“It won the audience award at SXSW in California and this is the east coast premier,” adds Jeffrey Pennett.

Maybe it was my spiritual upbringing, but I have to admit I was rather intrigued. So, I ask Shriyantha what he thinks of the movie.

“Kumare’s way of life is a reflection of yourself. It has strong support and it won’t disappoint; it’s not possible.” He says.

After a quick picture, they inform me that the director and star of the movie is going to hold a Skyped Q and A at the Tuesday showing. “He’s a spectacle,” says Jeffrey, “and you can italicize that.” (So I did.) It’s too bad I have school that day.

With that, I bid them adieu and head to Shorts 1. I ask Stuart, the guy standing next to me, if he had seen the shorts and what he felt about them.

He said, “I like shorts. You see a lot of creative stuff and if it’s terrible, it only lasts a short time.”

I completely agree. Although, many of the shorts in this program weren’t short enough. I’ll admit I did love some shorts such as Queen, The Other Side and Jim & Frank. Otherwise, I’d like to just skip over that experience completely.

When those films were over, I took the “hippie” group’s advice and headed to Kumare instead of the second set of shorts (which I’ve lost all faith in). I’d like to block out the short documentary that premiered before this movie as well. However! Kumare has to be one the BEST films I’ve seen all year and was certainly the best documentary I’ve seen in my life time (as far as I can remember). I’ll save the details of the movie for you all to find out, but let me say: it’s true, this movie does not disappoint.

This is One of the Most Powerful Films at this Year's Florida Film Festival

Audience Reactions
As Day 2 of the FFF begins, I realize I’m getting older. Staying up till 4am to finish blog posts, then driving an hour to the FFF later in the morning takes a toll. I find that I’m not overly optimistic. I realize they probably chose the opening night film because it was a local production–and the fact that it sold out two theatres indicates it was the right choice. And while it certainly wasn’t a bad movie, neither did it leave me feeling hopeful for this year’s festival.

So I begin the day with one of my favorite activities–interviewing theatre goers about their festival experiences…

“You can use my alias, Scott,” begins the first person I interview.  He has been attending the FFF since “the beginning.” His favorites are the docs and the shorts. He wants to tell everyone to “get off the computer and get down here to see some films.”  Meanwhile, his fellow theatre mate makes a disparaging comment about people who blog–pointedly looking in my direction–as he corrects my grammar. Then, suddenly, Scott recognizes that I’m the notorious LanceAround blogger. His eyes widen in obvious admiration.

Leonard Feinberg has been attending the FFF for 21 years. He’s looking forward to  some great films.  “All the films have been good,” he says, reminiscing about past FFFs. In the early years, he helped with the volunteer effort.

Someone who identifies herself as Gertrude is talking animatedly to her two friends. “Why did you pick me to interview?” she asks. “Because you looked like a  talker,” I respond. Her male companion nods emphatically. “You’re good!, says her female companion. (I admire her astute observations of my abilities.) “This is our first movie but we’ve come in years past,” her companion says. She goes on to point out, “They’re already primed with the beer,” as if that was not obvious!

A woman in a purple shirt wants to know if there is a line to be interviewed for the blog. “There was a line to get tickets, there’s a line to get into the movie, I’m wondering if there’s a line to be interviewed for the blog,” she laments. I tell her there’s no line and, just as she’s about to speak, the line into the theatre begins to move and I don’t have the opportunity to interview her.

Shorts 1
High Maintenance-Hilarious short about a man’s effort to impregnate his wife, despite his slutty mother-in-law’s interference.

L Train-A powerful film, beautifully shot, telling the story of an impoverished teen in Chicago helping someone even less fortunate than herself. It was only after it was over I realized there was zero dialogue. That’s high praise.

Christmas is Ruined-A cute script about a rogue Santa Elf being interrogated for the disappearance of the most famous person on earth. A clever production that might have worked if it had competent actors.

Queen-Wow! Ryan Eggold gives a tour de force performance that is incredible in his role as a male cross dressing nightclub performer who’s phenomenal act is countered by the tragedies in his/her life.

Mouthful-This would have been a hilarious, well written and superbly acted film if only I didn’t have to watch its x-ratedness while sitting beside my daughter and a friend of hers from school.

Jim & Frank-This one might feel a little slow and a little disjointed. You might be tempted to let your mind wander. But when you understand the unexpected surprise at the end of the film, you’ll wish you had paid close attention the entire time. Then, like the audience at the screening I attended, you will gasp. You will love this film.

The Other Side-This is the kind of film you go to film festivals to see.  Smart, well acted, beautifully directed, it tells the story of an Israeli child living beside the wall who is an outcast within his peer group. When he encounters someone on the other side of the wall, his tender, thoughtful and heartfelt interactions will have an impact on you.

The lights come up and I’m slightly dumbfounded. I realize that this was probably the most powerful and, frankly, the best set of shorts I have ever seen. Several filmmakers come up for the Q & A

#1Ember Interviews Tony Borden

Tony Borden is the writer, director and played a lead in the short Jim & Frank. Without giving away the surprise ending, I am shocked to discover that he did not get any permission to do the portrayals in the movie. Afterwards, the LanceAround blog team catches up with him. He admits that he’s a little nervous about possible legal ramifications. He’s a little shy and seems genuinely surprised by the enormous amount of positive feedback his film is receiving. He’s quick to dismiss it, surmising that people are just being polite. We assure him this is not the case. Everyone we speak with really loves his film. In fact, at the press preview night, his was the only film that was selected to be shown in full.  That’s high praise at the FFF.

Ellis Cahill, a principal actor in Mouthful, likewise seems a little dismissive when I tell her that her performance was one of the best I have ever seen. She is quick to credit the script and the director. I am equally quick to correct her. Yes, both script and director were good–but the role was extremely difficult to pull off and she did so with a lot of depth.

Khen Shalem

Yet nothing prepared me for the interview I had with Khen Shalem, filmmaker for The Other Side. The most amazing aspect of his film was his ability to even-handedly portray both sides of the Israeli, Palestinian conflict. His movie, as told through the innocence of childhood, was as deep and thought-provoking as any movie I have ever seen.

Unbelievably, he spoke about his efforts to fund more films. When he showed potential financiers this movie, he found that he was often turned down because they felt the movie was too one-sided. But what made it weird is that each different financier would insist that one side–or the other–was shown in too favorable a light–each time it was a different side!

I sat and chewed on this insight for a long time. It was the perfect preparation for what I was about to experience in the next movie I would see–a documentary entitled, Kumare.

[NumberOneEmber’s Note: ThatGuyRoberto is a close friend of mine -the same age as myself- who joined LanceAround, SunnyStefani and I on our adventures at the FFF today. We watched Shorts 1 and Karame. Here is ThatGuyRoberto’s reviews of the films he saw]

ThatGuyRoberto

Shorts 1
I have a horrible memory and honestly can’t remember half of the shorts, but the one short that I do remember was The Other Side. It was moving, but in a different way than would be considered moving. The fact that no matter when the main character kicked the ball over the wall, it always came back even though the two towns were separated. The movie touches all the major problems that people face nowadays: bullying, wars, separation, loss, etc. I noticed they don’t say how he losses his brother; maybe to make the audience think. We hope that he was separated by the wall like in the boy’s dream. Perhaps he really was separated from his family when the wall went up.

As for the other shorts, like Mouthful, they may have had good acting. However, I didn’t like the subject. Otherwise, The Other Side was the only film I remember.

Then NumberOneEmber reminds me, “What about Queen?”

“Oh, Queen.” I reply.

What isn’t there to say about Queen? This was a moving story about the troubles of a -for lack of a better word- Drag Queen who sings at what seems to be a gay bar, a bouncer trying to find his way in the world, and the struggles that face them in the aftermath of Nikki’s (the main Queen) break up with ‘her’ partner. I loved it. I felt sorry for Nikki, but the bouncer really should have been more helpful.

On another note, the next movie I saw began with the short documentary, Maurice. It was beyond awkward because I was in the accompaniment of NumberOneEmber’s father, coworker and her. I’m glad I won’t be seeing anything like that again outside the Florida Film Festival. It’s not that it was bad, just awkward.

Next, Kumare. This was the best movie I’ve ever seen in the history of my life – second only to the Star Wars Saga. Why? Because it pointed out that people are ignorant, blind, and that the good in man is found within man and not in the words of another man. I find it interesting that Kumare managed to trick all those people into believe he was a guru when he blatantly told them that he was a fake and just a simple man. When he did truly reveal himself, I wasn’t angry so much as disappointed with the 4 people turned their backs on him after he had shown them that they can be anything they wanted to be as long as they believed in themselves and became their own guru. It’s disrespectful that they did this, especially when they don’t try to understand his motives; they just walked out. Yet, I loved this movie.

That’s my view of the festival.

The Filmmakers for An Affair of the Heart During the Q & A

I arrive at day two of the FFF at noon, just in time to view An Affair of the Heart. I’m not sure if the theatre is so packed because it’s the first film of day two, or because people are eager to see this film. Then I realize this film is about the legendary Rick Springfield, not to be confused with Bruce Springsteen.
 
This film is about people’s devotion and ‘obsession’ to Rick Springfield. I was clearly the youngest person in the audience. The majority of the audience seemed to be obsessed, middle aged women (and some with their husbands that were clearly drug along for the ride). As soon as Rick Springfield first appeared on the screen, the audience went crazy. I thought I was watching a Twilight movie when the audience would hoot and holler any time Jacob would appear with no shirt on. Although Rick Springfield is not my generation, I’ve heard, as I’m sure many people have heard as well, his hit ‘Jessie’s Girl.’
 

David Dean

The film was beautifully edited, especially considering it involved music. After the film I meet up with David Dean, the editor and writer of An Affair of the Heart. The first cut took him 6 months to edit, from January to June of 2011. “I’m thrilled with the final product,” he says. “This is my first feature film I’ve edited.” David has been a professional editor for 30 years, mainly working on cable TV. He’s worked with the Travel Channel, Discovery, Jack Hanna and so much more. He’s hoping this opens some doors for him as a feature film editor.
 
There was 200 hours of film shot that David took down to just 93 minutes. He “loves working with music.” Producer and director, Sylvia Caminer, has been a filmmaker for 20 years, she even won an Emmy. During the Q & A she told us Rick’s wife, Barbara, was “off limits”, and his two kids. “He’s very protective of his family,” she said.
 
Melanie Lentz-Janney, who was also the producer and director, said the film “was 30 years in the making.” She was clearly the inspiration for this film as both David and Sylvia stated they were not fans going into it. “At 15 my whole room was decorated with Rick. I know I might sound psychotic but I went to college in his hometown,” said Melanie. For her, the main point she wanted to get across was “if you have something in your heart, pursue it.” 
 
Audience Reactions
After the film I ran into Jonathan and Natasha Chisdes. They were waiting to see the second set of short films. Natasha was quick to state her husband is a fan of the shorts. “I just love shorts,” says Jonathan, “they’re like little gems.” He goes on to say, “They’re very creative and great for a short attention span.” Jonathan says he has been coming to the FFF “every year since it opened in 1992, except for 3 years.” When I asked how many films he’s seen throughout the years, he paused for a while, couldn’t give me an exact number and stated, “I really don’t know.”  They’re looking forward to seeing Liberty Heights because it was the movie they saw on their very first date.

Renee Spends Some Time Chatting With LanceAround and NumberOneEmber

My eyes droop and my fingers get slower with every typed word. It’s 12:15 in the morning and Day 1 of the FFF was exhausting both emotionally and physically. Regardless, on with the show!

The outside of the theatre was crowded with people and inside was no different. Several volunteers were trying to steer people into the two theaters showing Renee. We were lucky to get 3 seats together in the front row. As I sat through the introduction of the film, playing a game on my phone (much to my father’s disapproval), the spoken intro felt as though it ran the same length as the film.

The opening animated film, Fresh Guacamole,was great for a precursor to the depressing and emotionally unnerving topics of the opening night feature film; it was fun-spirited and made everyone laugh which is just the mood to be in to endure such raw emotions that the following movie would bring.

Renee is a fictionalized account based on the life of a real young woman addicted to strong drugs, alcohol and self-harm; in this case, cutting her arms with a razor blade. I got the opportunity to sit down with Renee herself and discuss the movie. She hadn’t actually known about the premier until several days beforehand. However, she had seen the movie before with her family: which she revealed to me as being quite awkward.

 “The film is intense and surreal,” she tells me. “Fantasies are fantasies for a reason. What really happened would have been more graphic.”

Most movies about drug abuse advocate against it, but this film is much more real than that. This film told the story of a girl who was ‘to write love on her arms’. This story, about one person’s experiences, highlights, bolds and italicizes that we have flaws. We’ll fall rock-bottom sometimes. And sometimes hope seems intangible.

Renee tells me, “Maybe your scars aren’t on your arms: maybe they’re internal; we’re human and that’s okay.”

When her story was released to the public, Renee developed into a kind of role model for others who are experiencing similar “chemical unbalancing” – not disorders: a word Renee doesn’t use for people with “everything under the sun” as she describes her own unbalancing.

“Life is a balancing act,” she says. “I’ve come to accept the pressure and responsibility of being a role model, but I still have to be Renee; I never asked to become this.”

Renee herself has been to rehabilitation 3 times –the movie being set during the second. She was sober for 3 years after relapsing that final time and almost lost her life.

“I’ve let down all those people.” She explains. However, Renee still hopes to be able to smash the chemical unbalances.

If this movie and speaking to Renee has taught me anything, it’s that people make mistakes and we have to except that failing is a major part of life. The most important thing is that we are honest with each other and ourselves. The word “secrets” play a major role in the film.

“You have to be transparent and honest,” Renee confides, “especially in relationships with parents, a significant other, and friends.”

And I mean to.