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The first film I saw was A Slipping Down Life written and directed by Toni Kalem from the novel by Anne Tyler, starring Guy Pearce and Lili Taylor. This film deservingly won the best non-competitive feature prize. It takes place in Georgia and centers around a depressed young woman (Taylor) who develops a crush on a visonary rock singer/guitarist (Pearce). Wonderful acting by both Pearce and Taylor made this story feel like a true slice of backwoods life. The script, while meandering at parts, felt like a complete story by the end and leaves the viewer satisfied. Beautiful scripting/direction and secondary performances by Tom Bower as Taylor's father and Veronica Cartwright as Pearce's mother shows exactly how the two main characters became what they are at the start of this story. Overall a good quirky romance set in Georgia. (Oh, and I could swear that Pearce's character, Drumstrings Casey, was based on Eddie Vedder, especially the costume design.) 7/10 The next film I saw, Song for a Raggy Boy, was from Ireland. Written by Patrick Galvin and Kevin Byron Murphy and directed by Aisling Walsh, this film stars Aidan Quinn as a lay teacher hired by the principal of St. Jude's Reformatory School in Ireland in 1939. Soon after arriving, he confronts the prefect of the school for beating the children unnecessarily and starts an authority struggle. There were only two scenes in this film that I thought could have been improved upon, one where Quinn first meets the prefect, Brother John, to be met by many cliched lines about how the children are just dogs and can't be taught. Basically like every other movie you've seen about a teacher, or every movie where they expose the future villain immediately. The second was the last scene in the film which seemed very forced and almost anti-climactic. I won't ruin it any farther than that. Other than those two scenes this movie was absolutely brilliant, and probably the most powerful "teacher fights oppression" movie I've ever seen. Despite the few stomach turning scenes involving child molestation, I would recommend this movie to everyone. 8/10 The third film was a "coming of age" comedy, if you can call it that, about a twenty-something girl, Fish Without a Bicycle. Written by and starring Jenna Mattison and directed by Brian Austin Green, this movie was genuinely witty in the style of Kevin Smith, but unfortunately centered around an unlikeable main character. If you've ever known a girl who falls for guys that treat them like dirt, and felt the frustration of not being able to dissuade them from it, you'll be almost ready to yell at the screen from the very beginning when she dumps her "perfect" fiancee for a stage director that shows her no attention or affection. The best part of this film was the script. It has all the comedic interactions and archetypes of a movie like Chasing Amy, including the irreverent best friend, and you'll find yourself laughing with these girls during the simplest of scenes. The plot progression, however, is slow, and at some parts you'll find yourself wondering if this movie is indeed going anywhere at all. Eventually it does, and you'll probably leave the theater ultimately satisfied, but you'll wish you got a little bit more for your money. Just be happy you didn't see Jersey Girl. (I just realized that Jennifer Sky was in it, and now I'm pissed I didn't recognize her.) 6/10 Fish Without a Bicycle on IMDB The fourth film I saw was Monika Mitchell's dark comedy, Break a Leg, written by Frank and John Cassini, about an actor who goes a little too far to get a job and accidentally becomes a murderer. But hey, he gets the part and becomes a rising star. This film, to my great surprise and gratitude, won Best Picture at the festival. It was probably my second favorite there. The writing was wonderfully dark and satirical, and the direction matched it perfectly. The cinematography was probably my favorite at the festival. Frank Cassini's performance as the murderous actor was brilliant, and he really told his story through his actions and subtext more than his words. Molly Parker, Frank's girlfriend in the film, was fantastic and as beautiful as ever. There was something for every movie fan, one example being the struggling actor that speaks only in Godfather quotes, or another being the two buddy cops on Cassini's tail with their terrible movie puns. the climax of the film was absolutely genius, and one of the most original scenes I've ever seen. I would recommend this movie to everyone who enjoys a smart dark comedy. 8/10 The final film of the evening was Lindsay Crystal's documentary about her father, Billy Crystal's irreverent uncle. My Uncle Berns, of which I can't find a website, was a clever and touching story about a silly old man trying to walk again while telling dirty jokes and making his young nieces and nephews laugh. There's really not much else to say, other than instead of showing his drawings two dimensionally, they would cut parts out and animate the drawings and add depth and camera moves that were just beautiful to behold. An overall heart-warming and tickling documentary. 7/10
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