Cinema takes center stage with Starz Denver Film Fest

The 34th Annual Starz Denver Film Festival kicks off Nov. 2 with a record number of films from around the world on this year’s slate. Feature films, documentaries, short films and contemporary world cinema are just a few of the many categories.

If you love film, this festival is truly a tasty treat. Many of the films shown have not secured deals with distributors and this may be your only opportunity to check them out.

Films will be presented at the Denver FilmCenter (2510 E. Colfax Ave.) AND for the last time at the Starz FilmCenter in the Tivoli at the Auraria Campus (900 Auraria Parkway). Here’s a sneak peak at some of the films.

For film times and locations go to http://ofcnow.co/fest

Maria My Love

(Drama: USA, 2011)
Grade: B+

There is a lot of wonderful to be experienced in Maria My Love, in which a young woman mourning the loss of her mother takes on new romance and befriends an elderly hoarder – but isn’t sure she’s ready for either relationship.

Jasmine McGlade Chazelle’s debut feature is an impressive mix of women’s emotional stories that doesn’t sensationalize for the sake of drama. Judy Marte as Ana has matured smartly as an actor since making an impressive debut in Raising Victor Vargas (2002). Karen Black as Maria, a damaged elderly hoarder, looks fantastic at 71 and delivers an impressive performance. Black is best known for her Academy Award-nominated performance in Five Easy Pieces (1970), and as the queen of 1970s horror flicks. I love watching her make choices for her characters with full commitment.

Ana is angry at the failures of her father and missing her mother who died. Into her life comes Grace, bringing warmth and connection, as well as Ben, bringing affection and inspiration. Bolstered by her windfall of support, Ana finds a volunteer project in Maria, a woman who has used hoarding to drive people away.

Although the story isn’t amazingly original, it feels real. If you love independent film that works on its strengths, not against lack of funding, this is a film you’ll probably love.

Alle Tijd
“Time To Spare”
(Drama: Netherlands, 2011)
Grade: C+

This good-hearted Dutch melodrama brings together a winning ensemble for a tangle of storylines that take viewers on an obstacle course of hardships and triumphs. Though skillfully shot and earnestly acted, some may find the stories confusing and overwrought.

Maarten (Paul de Leeuw) is a jolly gay fellow who conducts a youth orchestra – that is convincingly out of tune, but attentive. He lives with his much younger sister Molly, whom he raised after their parents passed away.

The film sets up with charm and wit, but as its characters’ stories develop, it suffers first-time filmmaker blues. It feels like the filmmaker can’t let anything go.

On the upside, rotund Maarten lands a hot boyfriend, but that is quite complicated and would have made a fine film story on its own.

One Night Stand
(Documentary: USA, 2011)
Grade: A++

There is a ton of laughter to be had as A Chorus Line gets mashed up with Project Runway. The occasion: the second annual fundraiser for The Exchange, which benefits innovative theater internationally. The task: writing, rehearsing and performing four 15-minute musicals IN 24 HOURS!

One Night Stand teems with innovation, egos, brilliance and insanity, as top talent comes together for the job. Just a few names involved are: (actors) Cheyenne Jackson, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Mandy Gonzalez, Nellie McKay, Rachel Dratch, Roger Bart, Tamara Tunie; (writers) Gina Gionfriddo, Rinne Groff, Brian Crawley; (composers) Lance Horne, Robin Goldwasser and Julia Greenberg, Pasek and Paul, Gabe Kahane; (directors) Ted Sperling, Trip Cullman, Maria Mileaf, Sam Gold.

The giddiness, vast regret (at having gotten into this predicament), wonderful camaraderie and towering humor (from audience and performers) is a sure-fire good time at the movies.

Never Make It Home
(Documentary: USA, 2011)
Grade: B-

The band Split Lip Rayfield sold a LOT of beer with its rip-roaring Bluegrass sound that often spiraled into guitar-banging and screaming. The band’s sound was “too raucous to be bluegrass, too acoustic to be rock ‘n’ roll, and too melodic to be punk.” This documentary follows the band’s final tour, following lead singer Kirk Rundstrom’s 2006 diagnosis with terminal cancer.

Rundstrom was an electric and magnetic character. His charisma is perceptible in the documentary. For Rundstrom, to stop playing would be to start dying, so when doctors gave him two months to live and told him to get his affairs in order, he went out and played for months beyond the two he had been promised.

This film is an intimate portrait of a man and his bandmates who lived for the music.

Postales
(Drama: USA/Peru, 2011)
Grade: B+

Worlds collide in Postales as an American developer and his family intersect in unexpected ways with a working poor Peruvian family in the village of Cuznco. This deftly told story of youths from vastly different cultures coming together is wonderful.
Postales opens with 12-year-old Pablo (Guimel Soria Martinez) selling postcards to tourists and getting busted by police who confiscate his wares. His family is incredibly poor – his mother “works” garbed in traditional costume with her small llama having her picture taken by tourists.

Pablo’s father makes adobe bricks. Pablo’s older brother is a pickpocket.

The developer has a young daughter (Nadia Alexander) and she’s keen to see Sacsayhuaman (which sounds
oddly like “sexy woman”) and Machu Picchu, both of which Pablo has postcards of.

What transpires is an intriguing mix of parental caution, self interest, and a summer crush against a backdrop of intriguing foreign lands – American consumerism never looks as stupid as when it is displayed against subsistence.

Tales of the Waria
(Documentary: Indonesia, 2009)
Grade: B-

Tales of the Waria is a brisk 60-minute film that is funny, revealing and poignant. The documentary takes us into Indonesia and examines the Waria: men who live openly as women.

Director Kathy Huang examines the lives of men who “have a woman’s soul.” Waria aren’t seeking transgender surgery; they believe god sent them to earth as men and that is how they should return to god. A couple of Waria profiled in this documentary work in salons, preparing women for weddings and teaching makeup artistry to other Waria.

The Waria seem to have a universal dream: to be loved by a man, which sometimes occurs openly.

What seems to be missing from this documentary is the persecution and fear faced by transgender women and the men who keep company with them. Nevertheless, this is an intriguing look at daily life for the lovelorn Waria.

The Green
(Drama: USA, 2011)
Grade: C

“Guilty until proven innocent” is a perversion of justice that seems to apply in too many situations with gays and lesbians. The Green boasts handsome production values, great performances by Illeana Douglas and Julia Ormond, and good intentions.

Michael (Jason Butler Harner) teaches high school in a Connecticut seaside town that will surely be described as “idyllic.” He lives with his ridiculously handsome boyfriend Daniel (Cheyenne Jackson), who runs a local cafe and catering service. In this New England paradise, there is a troubled kid – Jason (Chris Bert) – you can spot him a mile away with his sullen attitude, underfed frame and tattered clothing. Jason is talented, but bullied and withdrawn. Michael takes a special interest in the outcast teen yet is later accused of molesting him. Allegations fly (much too shrilly), and townspeople give the two handsome gays the stink-eye and withdraw their business from Daniel.

The sprain in the Michael/Daniel story is unnecessary and egregiously labored.

Wish Me Away
(Documentary: USA, 2011)
Grade: A

This profound documentary about country music star Chely Wright is a knockout. I admit I’m a crybaby, but this film really wrung it out of me. Congratulations to documentarians Bobbie Birleffi and Beverly Kopf for telling this story with such depth and acuteness.
Knowing very little about contemporary country music,  I was stunned upon finding out about her achievements in the enormous and mostly “white, conservative and religious” realm. Top awards, hit songs, numerous albums and sex-symbol status made Wright a household name among country music fans. Hiding and lying about her true nature as a lesbian made her miserable.

Wright grew up believing homosexuality wasn’t acceptable, so she repressed her sexuality and tried to “straighten out” through relationships with men.

Even a relationship with a woman who was also desperate to stay in the closet didn’t satisfy her and she did what she had done all her life, shut down and abruptly distanced herself. It is heart-wrenching to watch her retell of breaking this woman’s heart.

When Wright decided to come out, it was clear she risked losing everything she had built professionally. The anxiety is tangible to viewers as the day of her very highly publicized coming out draws near.

The incredibly human story of Wish Me Away traces the life of a small town Kansas girl to the realization of her big dreams, and her self-discovery along the way. It’s a must-watch film, whether or not you love country music.

TICKET PRICES

Regular Screenings and Panels Denver Film Society members: $11

General public: $13
Auraria Campus & East High School students/faculty: $12

Weekday Matinees
Denver Film Society members: $8

General public: $10
Auraria Campus & East HS students/faculty: $9

For the ultimate film-going experiences, the Festival presents Red Carpet Events with VIP guests
at premier venues.

These events are priced separately. Listed below are ticket prices for the general public followed by prices for Denver Film Society members in (parentheses). To find out more about becoming a DFS member, visit http://denverfilm.org/participate.

Wednesday, Nov. 2, 7 p.m.
Opening Night
Screening: Like Crazy starring Felicity Jones, Anton Yelchin and Jennifer Lawrence. A British college student falls for an American student, only to be separated from him when she’s banned from the U.S. after overstaying her visa.
Location: Ellie Caulkins Opera House/DCPA, 1350 Arapahoe St.
Film Premiere Only: $35 (DFS $30)
Film Premiere & Party: $55 (DFS $60)

Thursday, Nov. 3, 6:45 p.m.
Colfax Opening Night
Screening: Melancholia starring Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg in director Lars von Trier’s film about depression, death and the end of the world. Many reported from Cannes proclaimed that this is his best work, surpassing Dancer In The Dark and Breaking The Waves.
Location: Denver FilmCenter, 2510 E. Colfax Ave.
Film Premiere & Reception: $25 (DFS $20)

Friday, Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m.
Special Screening: Wish Me Away
This documentary chronicles the rise and liberation of country music star Chely Wright, who is now one of the nation’s most recognizable activists for gay and lesbian issues. It is a compelling and very intimate film about an incredible person’s journey from hiding and lying to living honestly. Location: Highlands Church, 3241 Lowell Blvd.
Film Premiere: $15 (DFS $12)

Saturday, Nov. 5, 7:15 p.m.
Big Night
Screening: The Descendants starring George Clooney, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard; directed by Alexander Payne. With his wife Elizabeth on life support after a boating accident, Hawaiian land baron Matt King (Clooney) takes his daughters on a trip from Oahu to Kauai to confront the real estate broker (Lillard) who was having
an affair with Elizabeth.
Location: Ellie Caulkins Opera House/DCPA, 1350 Arapahoe St.
Film Premiere: $35 (DFS $30)

Sunday, Nov. 6, 6:45 p.m.
Closing Night
Screening: The Artist starring Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo and John Goodman in Michel Hazanavicius’ highly acclaimed film about a silent movie idol, George Valentin, who wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion. The film is presented in black-and-white, without dialogue for the most part. There are already several 5/5-star reviews for
this French film.
Location: Ellie Caulkins Opera House/DCPA, 1350 Arapahoe St.
Film Premiere Only: $35 (DFS $30)
Film Premiere & Party: $55 (DFS $60)