NOTE: A large portion of this post was re-edited from a status on my Facebook page.
Last week, from
Friday Nov. 7 – Thursday, Nov. 13, the second annual Buffalo Dreams Fantastic
Film Festival was held in Buffalo. Actually, to be precise, it was at the Eastern Hills Mall Dipson theaters, a local art film theater with three screens
and Buffalo Dreams took up residence for the week at one of them. During that
week, all I was thinking about was how to make it to the festival every day and
see as many movies as I could while also dancing around my work schedule at
times, plus other personal responsibilities on the calendar (like, my wife’s
birthday, etc.). I did alright, but I still missed a number of films that I had
hoped to catch. Eh, whatchoo gonna do, you know?
But, now, a week
later, the big news item is not trying to see movies but instead, it’s snow.
Lots and LOTS of snow.
The Buffalo area
and its southtowns have literally been buried under lake effect snow since
early Tuesday (Nov. 18). There are the traditional so-called “snow belt” areas
in Buffalo and usually when it snows everyone gets snow, but the belts get a
lot more due to their geographical placement along Lake Erie (it’s all very
meteorological) but we’re not even talking about that dynamic this time,
because these last few days (starting Tuesday) there’s been a genuine curtain
of weather cutting through the area and so, you’ve either been blasted with
snow that would not let up OR you’ve had… nothing. Zilcheroo.
I live north of
the city, and we got some very fluffy snow yesterday (Wednesday), but I also
can still see some leaves in my backyard. Meanwhile, where I work, 27 miles
south and in the Cheektowaga area (a Buffalo suburb), they were HAMMERED.
In fact, my department
supervisor drove in to work earlier than usual Tuesday morning to check out the
circumstances because they had been predicting a huge snowfall since last
weekend and this was the first snow of the season. Since August I’ve been
working in the maintenance/janitorial dept., which is made up of just my boss
and myself. In other words, we’re the company shovelers. My cellphone rang at
5:30 am, just as I was about to leave for work myself, and I heard my boss say,
“Stay home. It’s nuts out here.” Still driving through the streets while on his
phone, he said that where he lived north of Buffalo (Tonawanda, not nearly as
north as me) they had nothing snow-wise, but at the exit off the thruway (the
I-90) near work, there was a wall of snow coming down. He was still negotiating
the streets in his family van as he spoke, saying it was already pretty bad and
he was slowly winding around the occasional car already stuck or trying to get
moving again until suddenly I heard him say he had to stop behind a guy with
his flashers on. That’s when we hung up. Later that day in the early evening I
called him back and discovered he wound up being stranded since I last talked
to him -- over 12 hours earlier! But, fortunately, local residents of a senior
apartment complex came to the rescue and invited him and other trapped
motorists to stay inside their building in their Common room, which is what
they did, sleeping on the floor through the night. Eventually, after 30 hours
of being a metaphorical fly in the snowy ointment, my boss made it back home
Wednesday.
Now, it’s
Thursday, my third snow day, and there’s a bit of a respite in terms of actual
snowfall coming down. But travel bans are still in place as local towns and
villages frantically try to catch up and clear roads of snow and cars before
another predicted wave of snowfall hits tonight.
There have been eight
deaths so far, a couple from heart attacks sustained while shoveling and at
least one fatality due to ambulances being unable to reach the victim.
So, I’ve been
very fortunate considering everything. We’ve had very little snow, just a few
inches yesterday, and lots of wind and cold. My wife’s been sick since last Friday
and has been trying to recuperate, but that’s been slow. At this point, I
haven’t caught whatever she’s had, at least I don’t think so, other than my
head feels a little sore when I touch it and maybe I’m starting to get a sore
throat.
Anyway, I’m
trying to utilize the unexpected down time to do some… writing.
Every time I
attend a film festival (or any film for that matter), I automatically hope to
write some review or feedback of what I saw. This strong impulse usually
results in, well… nada, actually, at
least here in this blog. Sometimes I get something down in a Facebook status, a
rambling long-ass FB status, so that’s something at least.
Anyway, inspired
by Mermaid Heather’s recent(ish) reviews of movies she saw at the (I think),
HorrorHound Weekend in Indianapolis in September, I plan to do the same.
Whenever
the subject of the Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival comes up, I’m usually
fond of mentioning that this Buffalo film festival is easily my favorite,
although I genuinely enjoy going to any
of the other film festivals in town (if I do
go). When I do fondly say that, I’m usually thinking that the “other” film
festivals are the BNFF (Buffalo Niagara Film Festival, founded by filmmaker
Bill Cowell) and the BIFF (Buffalo International Film Festival, founded by
Edward Summer). There are additional smaller scale themed festivals, like the
Jewish Film Festival, for instance, which schedules a series of films spread over
a few weekends, for instance, and I’m pretty sure that there are more annual
festivals and film series going on in the area that I’m just not aware of. Having
said that, in my head, Buffalo
Dreams, BNFF and BIFF are the three most prominent film festivals in town.
Coincidentally,
I also happen to be friends with the two founders of Buffalo Dreams (I guess
I’m making a disclaimer here), Greg Lamberson and Chris Scioli. If that is why
Buffalo Dreams is my favorite film festival, or it’s my favorite because the
founders of the fest share the same film festival sensibilities that I do, well,
I don’t know. Whatever.
Buffalo
Dreams evolved out of an earlier and now defunct festival, the Buffalo Screams
Horror Film Festival, which was also founded by Greg and Chris and a third
gentleman (and friend), Emil Novak, who also happens to own the oldest comic
book store in Buffalo, Queen City Book Store. After three years of Buffalo
Screams, Emil decided to focus his energies on his business. Greg and Chris
started a new festival the following year, Buffalo Dreams, this time expanding
the programming to include multiple genres, meaning (almost) pretty much
anything: horror, sci-fi, musicals, comedy, fantasy, fan films, music videos,
action films, whatever. Plus, they still focused on bringing a wide variety of
films from around the world and made in WNY. If you look at the five years of
programming between Buffalo Screams and Buffalo Dreams, presenting global and
local entries has always been an important part of their mission statement and
they’ve always been successful achieving that and improving on it each year.
They also get a good amount of filmmakers to attend and talk about their films,
not only from the Western New York area, but out of town, too.
One
of the filmmakers who visited from afar is Isaac Ezban, whom Buffalo was first
introduced to a few years ago at Buffalo Screams when he showed his really
crazy short subject, COSAS FEAS (NASTY STUFF). Isaac came in all the way from
Mexico City along with Mijael Askenazi, his 11 year old star of the film.
Anyway,
I hope to post some reviews or at least some kind of feedback on those films I
did manage to see. But as an appetizer, here’s my introductory overview of this
year’s Buffalo Dreams festival.
Right
off the bat, let me say this: this year’s Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film
Festival had a particularly great slate of films throughout the week. Generally,
even when I don't like some of the films -- for instance, last year, there were
a few I couldn't get into (WRATH OF THE CROWS) or downright hated (Albert
Pyun's ROAD TO HELL, an unofficial sequel to Walter Hill’s STREETS OF FIRE) --
I still enjoy the festival. Any film festival, for that matter. I figure the
quality of the films is just a small part of the festival programming
crapshoot.
But,
holy cow, THIS year all the films I made it to were either pretty good or
excellent! I only wish I could've seen them all.
Highlights:
-
Local co-writer/director Korey Green's THE ROMANS had its movie premiere and
started off Buffalo Dreams with a bang by not only being the first film
screened at the fest, but also completely selling out the theater. Featuring an
epic cast of characters and storytelling, it’s an urban re-telling of Julius
Caesar. Excellent performances throughout, including Jon Cesar as patriarch
Earl Roman, Jennifer Lynette Holmes as his wife, plus Stephen McKinley Henderson and others. My
personal favorite is first time actor Tony Littles as Cicero. Co-written with
former Buffalo Sabres executive/part owner Larry Quinn and sporting some
stylish visuals from cinematographer Matt Quinn. I was impressed with Korey's
soft-spoken confidence a week earlier when he was on the Screenwriting Panel at
the Buffalo Film Expo. At that time he showed the trailer for THE ROMANS which he
used to generate fundraising. Simply but effectively shot, the trailer proved
to be equally effective interesting investors. The film ultimately cost around
$250,000. Some day I also want to check out Korey’s 2006 documentary on the
Buffalo East Side, THE FORGOTTEN CITY, made with fellow Knuckle City Films filmmaker,
Addison Henderson.
-
6 BULLETS TO HELL - This movie was so much fun channeling the 70's spaghetti
western so authentically, that any fan of Sergio Leone and Ennio Morricone would
be hard-pressed to resist it's charm. Added bonus was co-director and star
villain Tanner Beard who came in from Texas. Tanner regaled the appreciative
audience during the Q&A with great stories from behind the scenes. For
instance, Terence Hill's horse from the THEY CALL ME NOBODY movies was in the
equine cast (he was the slower horse)! (NOTE: Maybe it wasn’t Nobody’s actual horse, but the horse was
definitely in those movies. Equine spaghetti street cred!)
-
Although I enjoyed filmmaker Brett Kelly's James Bond spoof, SPYFALL (my
favorite gag was the guy stabbed in the back), I found his Q&A fascinating
as he discussed the film and also what it's like being a director/producer with
a reputation for being able to crank out low-budget films "to order."
“Everybody wants to call me when they have $25,000. Nobody calls me when they
have a million.” Last year, Brett showed his musical zom-com, MY FAIR ZOMBIE.
-
EL INCIDENTE/THE INCIDENT - An anticipated highlight when it was announced as a
festival selection, it did not disappoint. It was great
seeing writer/director Isaac Ezban back in Buffalo from Mexico City after
having first met him at Buffalo Screams showing his memorable short subject
COSA FEAS twice. Ezban's first feature had a strangely simple premise that
asked a lot of questions and offered lots for the audience to contemplate
during the film and afterwards. Excellent cast and performances, and great
production design throughout. What made the screening even more memorable was
the lengthy Q&A afterwards with Isaac who shared some really great stories,
including casting the older actors, coming up with a great promo item to hand
out at festivals ("I just saw EL INCIDENTE and all I got was this
shit"-- and I JUST got the pun!) and about transporting those items across
the border. On a personal note, I kept bumping into Isaac in the bathroom
upstairs, three days in a row. We'd have these great little conversations every
day, so he was sorely missed when he returned to Mexico and the festival
circuit halfway through the festival. But, SOME day, I hope to make it to
Mexico City and check out the drive-in he's a co-owner of.
-
THE SHOWER - Writer/director Alex Drummond's excellent ensemble cast horror
movie was a definite highlight, with thoughtful writing that focused on
character and direction. And his parents were in the audience!
-Tuesday's
block of medium-length local films, HANDS LIKE SUITCASES (director Chris Cosgrave), SCOPE OF PRACTICE (Brandyn
T. Williams)
and THE OUTLAW: EVIL WOMEN (Aceifer and Fawn Genovese) was quite a spectrum of
material.
HANDS
LIKE SUITCASES was a literal blast from the past, made 17 years ago and showing
a radically transformed Chris Cosgrave, who, in his youth, looked a lot like
Ryan Gosling-- weirdly fascinating. But the filmmaking and its Asian film
influences (John Woo most emphatically and some Jackie Chan in spirit) was
phenomenal and a total shot of adrenalin. Unbelievably, I found Chris's Q&A
and discussion of how he made some of the effects work and the various
generations of dubbing and formats he used to get it from Hi-8 to DVD for the
festival also a thrilling and inspirational segment. I know Chris only in the
most superficial sense, but I came away from this screening really impressed by
him as a filmmaker.
SCOPE
OF PRACTICE was a solidly put together drama and Brandyn is another local
filmmaker whom I've only spoken to and know briefly. But from what I've been
reading over the past couple years from his FB posts and related social media,
he always struck me as being very serious about wanting to be a quality
filmmaker and always striving to achieve a high standard with any project he's
associated. SCOPE was a good example of that, showing excellent production
values all the way around in front and behind the camera. Bobby Gott had a small part in the
film and came up during the Q&A as well, and that seems appropriate,
because it seems all the films Bobby's been involved with also have a distinct
higher level of production value (like B.O.Y.D. and BROKEN WINGS).
Aceifer
Genovese’s EVIL WOMEN episode of THE OUTLAW continues the series' reputation
for insane plotting, characters and visuals. Sometimes the low-budget, bare
bones crew dynamic of the filmmaking would peek through, but for the most part
it offered several memorable moments, including the casting of Penthouse's
Jolene Hexx and also Bill Brown's brain searing appearance, the latter being something
difficult to forget even when I saw him briefly on-screen the next day as a
poet at open mic in FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS DATE FRIENDS. I met Ace a few
years ago when he was involved with the filming of DefTone Pictures’ THE FINAL
NIGHT AND DAY. Cool to know that Ace plans on continuing the Outlaw series “forever..!”
-
Speaking of FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS DATE FRIENDS, local (Albion, NY) writer/director
Rhonda
Parker’s feature debut and student
thesis was a delightful ensemble character study anchored by actress Amelia Favata and featuring solid
performances all around. A romantic comedy with some dramatic elements, with
nods overt and subliminal to filmmakers John Hughes and Kevin Smith, which
Rhonda acknowledged were major creative influences during her Q&A (with a
huge line of the film's cast at her side). The film also does a nice job of
having an upbeat ending without tying up things too neatly. I really look
forward to Rhonda's future projects, which should be interesting on their own,
but also I hope to get to know her more as well because she seems like an
intriguing personality.
-
ELIZABETH BATHORY - I saw this locally made film once before at the Buffalo
Niagara Film Festival earlier this year and that's where I also met one of the
stars of it, Tilke Hill, who, not surprisingly, won a Buffalo Dreams acting award for
her part in it. This film is a good example of the acting talent in the area
and also how the local horror genre film has many more possibilities to explore
than the most obvious display of blood and screams (not that I'm complaining
about blood and screams, I'm just saying that's not the only method of
effectively working the genre). The film has excellent production values and an
inventive use of its locations to get across the time period of its historical
subject, including the Armory on Niagara St. in Buffalo acquitting itself
nicely as Queen Bathory’s castle.
-
There were also several short subjects worth noting, including:
-
THE HEEBIE-JEEBIES, about two kids having problems getting to sleep because
they think there’s a monster under the bed was pretty damn entertaining;
-
GAVE UP THE GHOST - Thrilled I was able to finally see this Gregory Lamberson
helmed, Jeff Strand written film (based on Strand’s short story) because I
missed its premiere screening a few months ago. Shot locally (and in Greg’s
house), the entire cast was delightful, but always glad to see John R Renna on the screen working that
ridiculous magic of his, and although I only knew Drew Bialy's name from FB, it
was great to actually see him in action, because he was pretty good! I think I
also saw Drew in a short subject or two at a student screening of films at Buff
State College earlier in the year as well;
-
I finally saw 13 yr old Hope
Muehlbauer's
short film ZOMBIE KIDS, and man, not only did it not disappoint, it was one of
my personal favorite films of the fest. Yes, this is the movie that choked me
up. At the beginning, part of its charm is knowing the film is made by a young
filmmaker, and there are moments you can point out that indicate that. But as Gregory
Lamberson
has also pointed out, the last act is astounding. Hope's choice and use of metal
music throughout is excellent, but her filmmaking actually matures before your
eyes and the timing of it provides an emotional wallop. And it's a freaking
zombie movie featuring a cast of kids! Unbelievable awesome moment of the
festival for me;
-
CHOMP, from writer/director Lynne Hansen. It looked great and was
very amusing, set in a world where some people think that zombies actually
exist. Featuring a funny cast of experienced and inexperienced talent and a
clever script, it was also interesting to hear the struggles Lynne had during
the production to get the film made;
-
A MALEVOLENT MOON – Writer/director Kenneth Yung’s film presents a young man, Will
Mutka, riding a wave of good luck and ready to propose to his girlfriend but
then has doubts which leads to some unexpected consequences. Fairly straightforward
at the beginning but then takes a surprising turn and goes to an unexpected,
darker conclusion. Yet another recurring festival example of me discovering a
local filmmaker (this time from South Buffalo) whom I never heard of before (like
Sam Qualiana and Aleksandar Ivicic
(among others) from past festivals) and whose work was pretty cool;
-
SIGN was actually a commercial promoting local writer, filmmaker and Buff State
professor Lou Rera's new book, SIGN and it was extremely well done, with great
production values, two involving performances and shot in Silo City and
directed by Joe Blodgett;
-
Jamestown filmmaker Nigel Eastman's STARS was a very short film (5 minutes), somewhat
experimental in tone, that was extremely well made and showed an atypical
filmmaking sensibility that was partly a result of the original restrictions
imposed on the filmmaker (there was a tight deadline for a previous contest),
but during the Q&A, you got a sense that Nigel just looked at things a
little differently already, and definitely not in a bad way. Hopefully we'll see
more of this young dude's films in the future.
Finally,
I also enjoyed talking to local actress Kim Piazza and host of WHAT’S THE
BUZZ IN WESTERN NEW YORK on WBBZ-TV and hearing her issues with understanding
Twitter, which amused me to no end, because I'm usually the odd man out with
new technologies. Kim also
The
only real “downside” to the festival was not making it to all the film screenings,
a real impossibility for a variety of reasons. So, I'm still looking forward to
seeing (SOME day) ARMY OF FRANKENSTEINS, CALL GIRL OF CTHULHU, THE DROWNSMAN,
SEPULCHER, CHANNELING, AXE TO GRIND, ATHENA, JULIA, THE SEARCH FOR SIMON, THE
GOD QUESTION, and definitely WITHIN. Also all the short subjects I missed.
ARGGH!
Okay,
hopefully more in-depth reviews of the films coming up! Except now I’m catching
my wife’s cold or flu…
