My Favorite BIFF Year So Far.
I visited the Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF) for its 20th anniversary. I didn’t watch every movie there, because even film critics need to breathe, but there are a few I have seen and would love to talk about. These are just short summaries of each review, but when they do get their release dates, you’ll get more content. This is just a taste of what to expect in the future.
“Happy Clothes: A Film About Patricia Field” (Release Date: TBA)
To start off this festival, my cousins and I got a look at this documentary on the iconic costume designer Patrica Field, who has worked on “Sex and the City,” “Emily in Paris,” “The Devil Wears Prada” and “Ugly Betty,” among others. She has a happy taste in clothing (hence the title: “Happy Clothes”), a cavalcade of friends and collaborators, and she also has her decisions regarding on her career and life. And we also see how colorful and exuberant she likes to see in costumes, and how they change the way people look at fashion on television or movies.
The interviewees in this movie include Lily Collins, David Frankel, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Catrall, Darren Starr, Michael Urie, Bresha Webb, and Vanessa Williams. And they all about Field’s ideas and designs, and how iconic they became through the years.
Before I saw this documentary, I’ve never heard of Patricia Field. However, since it would talk about her involvement with hit shows and movies, I just had to see how she designs those gorgeous outfits. But it’s also about her feelings and her experiences, and what she learns throughout her 82 years (and this doc celebrates her 80th birthday, for the record). This is a movie made for people who love fashion and the designers behind them. I’m no fashion critic, but I still think she has great taste.
“Cirque du Soleil: Without a Net” (Release Date: TBA)
Before I saw this doc, I was asked if I ever saw the Cirque du Soleil in New York and Las Vegas. I said: “No, but I have seen their 3D movie “Worlds Away.” The documentary with the subtitle “Without a Net” takes place after the COVID-19 pandemic, when the show lost its crowd, and when things were clearing up, the cast and crew prepare for the comeback show. Their water themed show known as “O.”
The stage of water features synchronized swimmers, who are now known as artistic swimmers, and rescue divers are always required to help performers during the show. And the baby steps to getting this whole show back in the saddle must require time and commitment. That means the costumes and sets must be legit, and the performers must rehearse.
Certain interview segments are basically the same with certain conflicts and rehearsal issues, but still “Without a Net” is high-spirited in the ways it recovers from a global pandemic and wants to continue its legacy. And seeing the behind the scenes look-from the sets to the crew-is really cool. And I was reminded of how I came to B.I.F.F. for the first time, literally a week before the shutdown in 2020.
“Ezra” (In Theaters May 31)
Bobby Cannavale plays Max Brandel, an NJ comedian with an autistic son Ezra (newcomer William Fitzgerald), whose inappropriate behavior gets him expelled and placed in a special needs school. When the kid gets injured and Max injures the doctor prescribing his kid medicine, he’s given a 3-month restraining order which prevents him from seeing Ezra. However, he kidnaps him and takes him on a cross country trip to spend time with him, and because Jimmy Kimmel wants Max to guest star on his show.
Cannavale’s wife Rose Byrne plays his ex-wife, who is currently dating a lawyer (Tony Goldwyn, who also directs), while his “Irishman” co-star Robert De Niro plays his tough guy gourmet chef-turned doorman father. And all of them are worried for Ezra’s well-being when Max takes him.
As an autistic film critic, I must say “Ezra” is miles and miles and miles ahead of Sia’s “Music.” It’s far from offensive. In fact, it tries to remind people that the “R” word should never be said anymore. It was also written by Goldwyn’s friend Tony Spiridakis, whose autistic son is the inspiration for this movie. It’s very funny and warmhearted, and I could easily relate to this movie, because of how my mother wouldn’t let anyone belittle me for my condition. And it also serves as a personality check for Cannavale and De Niro’s characters.
“Wildcat” (In Theaters May 3rd)
This was probably the weakest film I saw at the festival. My cousins and I agree that the acting is good, but the story is disorganized and artsy. Even they got a text from their friends that they walked out on it. Ethan Hawke directs his daughter Maya as Flannery O’Connor, who struggles to get her first book published.
This movie shows us various stories of characters played by both Flannery and her mother Regina (Laura Linney). Some of half them are mother-daughter stories, while in the real world Regina tries to get her daughter to see a doctor for her lupus disease. At the very least, Flannery starts to use crutches and the priest (guest star Liam Neeson) tries to motivate her.
The performances from Hawke and Linney are good, but “Wildcat” is meaningless. None of the short story segments have any direction or drive, and they’re often difficult to follow. And I took notes. Maybe I’ll give it another look at it in the future, but right now, I’m only seeing the acting as the bright spot of the film. Ethan Hawke did a fine job directing “Blaze” in 2018, but he doesn’t present O’Connor’s story with the right ambiance.
After the movie, Linney was awarded the BIFF Vanguard Award and was interviewed by Ron Bostwick. And after his questions, they allowed the audience to go up to the microphone to ask some questions. Here is my question to Linney on her views on independent movies.
“All About the Levkoviches” (Release Date: TBA)
The festival introduction to this movie explains how BIFF is more committed to Jewish movies, and what it means to this community.
“All About The Levkoviches” represents a Jewish family on the verge of reconciliation, in which it tries to bring out their best and worst qualities. I’m not Jewish, so I don’t understand all traditions, but at least, I’m able to acknowledge certain things. But the movie has to choose some annoying elements within the screenplay that has us mixed.
In Budapest, we meet the aging boxing coach Tamas (Bezeredi Zoltan), whose wife passes away, and is visited by his estranged son Ivan (Szabó Kimmel Tamás), who has converted to Orthodox Judaism, and grandson Ariel (Leo Gagel), who doesn’t speak Hungarian, but Hebrew. They have to celebrate Shiva, which is supposed to honor the mother, but Tamas doesn’t believe in this religion, especially for the way he lost his son to it. But it’s really him who is to blame for Ivan leaving for Israel.
My cousin and I have mixed reactions towards this movie, because while the performances from the adults are good, the humor is honest, and its processing of the rules of Shiva are interesting, the child is annoying from start to finish. He’s basically a little twerp, who believes his grandma’s spirit is still in the house and that a Dybbuk (demon) may be after her. There are some good qualities in the film, but it’s not enough for me to recommend it.
“One Life” (Release Date: March 15)
Anthony Hopkins plays British stockbroker and humanitarian Nicholas Winton, who helped rescue Jewish children in Czechoslovakia just the Nazis were about to invade there in 1938. Back when he was played by Johnny Flynn. These kids are in poor living conditions with barely any food or shelter, and so, he makes it his mission to save them.
And as we see Winton in his 70s in 1988, he donates his recorded documents to a Holocaust Museum, while regretting that he couldn’t save all the children. But he’s assured that he saved all he could, and that he should be proud of what he has done.
“One Life” is a profoundly acted and important film about one man’s dedication to saving innocent children from certain doom. On both sides of the story, Hopkins and Flynn both deliver with the right tone and consistency to remind us on who this figure was and his impact on the Jewish community. And the final 20 minutes of the film packs an emotional punch.
“The Cowboy and the Queen” (Release Date: TBA)
This Closing Night film is a terrific and emotional documentary about how Monty Roberts and Queen Elizabeth II loved horse enough to see that there’s a better way to train them without violence: peace, love, and understanding.
We see Monty in his youth when he competed and won his first Rodeo award at the age of 4, when his abusive father beat him and killed some of his beloved injured horses, and when he saw that the movie industry was killing horses. We also see how Elizabeth had a passion for horses, and eventually when she hears of Monty’s horse whispering gifts, she puts him to the test, which he passes with flying colors.
Running at 84 minutes, there’s enough love and support in “The Cowboy and the Queen” for us to be reminded by these two celebrities that horses have feelings, too, and that breaking them shouldn’t require violence. It’s also complex when the movie tells us how Monty and Elizabeth went through life in various circumstances, and how they learned to overcome them. What a way to close off this festival.
On a closing note, Laura Linney also told people to go to the movies to keep the spirit of the theater alive. she says: “Don’t just go to film festivals; go to the movies, and bring 3 friends with you.” And as I’m telling this to you readers, you shouldn’t only rely on streaming for movies; you should go to the theaters for the right cinematic experience. And even though my site says: “I care less about the format and more about whether the movie is good or not,” I still believe traveling to theaters can be adventurous.