A Walk Into the Sea: Danny Williams And The Warhol Factory Review

Ah, Hot Docs is over. So sad to say goodbye to another year. I'll talk more about my general reactions to this year's festival in a near future post but for now I have to get back to business. Six more films to review and I'm woefully behind!

A Walk Into The Sea: Danny Williams And The Warhol Factory
(2007, directed by Esther B Robinson)

Danny Williams is virtually unknown today, even among those who are familiar with Andy Warhol and his factory of artists and influential friends. A Walk Into the Sea's director, Esther B Robinson, is Williams' niece. At the heart of the film is a search by Robinson to uncover her uncle's films and piece together a narrative about who Williams was and what happened before he mysteriously disappeared in 1966. Through sheer tenacity, Robinson scores interviews with key Factory members like Brigid Berlin and Billy Name. The interviews are mostly interesting as everyone has a different version of events; sometimes the subjects disagree with each other because they never paid much attention to Williams quietly toiling in the film suites or shooting movies around the factory. Sometimes they were too busy trying to win favour with Warhol to notice the nice man who didn't demand attention. Sometimes the subjects cannot remember simply because they were doing too many drugs. In any case it can be a treat to watch them reminisce. Recollections from artists, family members and Warhol historians form the basis for the detective story. Although we meet many eccentric and creative characters along the way, the larger question of Danny Williams remains unsolved.

Danny Williams and the Bolex Camera he Borrowed from Andy Warhol
Any real information about Williams' personality and work arises from his recently discovered short experimental films. The black and white films (shot and edited in Warhol's Bolex camera) reveal all the main players of the Warhol factory through strobe lighting effects, flash editing, and high contrast, haunting images of smiles and grimaces. The short films of Danny Williams are really the reason to watch this documentary, and Robinson wisely includes one in its entirety. Williams was undoubtedly a master of lighting effects (he also did the stage lighting for Velvet Underground concerts), and his position as a Factory outsider and perhaps spurned lover of Andy Warhol permeates his silent images. Robinson, perhaps influenced by her uncle, also tries her hand at experimental film making but her style becomes demanding and ineffective at times. It's a very fine line between experimental visuals that challenge the viewer to think and react, and turning the "atmosphere" dial to eleven. Unfortunately, the film becomes laboured and repetitive as it follows the Danny Williams story to a vague conclusion. This film is recommended for those interested in experimental film making, photography or Andy Warhol. For anyone else, the long journey may not be worth the effort. 3.5 out of 5.

Top 5 Useless Post Screening Questions

One of the great things about Hot Docs is the opportunity to watch a film and then immediately engage the director in discussion. The Q&A part of a screening is often entertaining, and depending on the candor of the film maker you can learn a good deal about the documentary business. There are some discussions, however, that turn south pretty quick. Sometimes directors give boring pat answers to questions. Some use the open mic as an excuse to tell you every little inspiration they had for every single shot of their film.

The other side of the Q&A equation, the audience, is also to blame when a discussion becomes useless or just plain boring. At times I secretly enjoy crappy questions because it forces the director into an awkward, polite dance to answer the question without looking snide or frustrated. The old schoolyard rule of "no stupid questions" is not enforced at post screening discussions. I now present a list I've made of the top five stupid or useless questions asked at Hot Docs. These are questions I have heard, in some variation, at many of the screenings I've attended. They are presented in "types" of questions, not exact words (try using a funny reading voice in your head. It'll work better). You may recongnize a few and if you can think of any more please feel free to share them in the comments section.

Hot Docs Top 5 Useless Post Screening Questions

#5 - The Ass Kisser: Well, I don't know about anyone else in the audience, but let me tell you Mr. Director that you are completely right. I agree entirely with everything you said and everything you think. You are such an amazing visonary and I am a film maker myself so I appreciate how brilliant you really are. I know because I make films how hard it is to do what you did. Really, really, really impressive... (This guy dosen't have a question. He just wants everyone to know that he is the number one fan in the room, or maybe he's just looking for a job. Bonus points if he is a white dude with dreds)

#4 - The "I've Read a Book" Guy: Hello. That was satisfactory work. It would appear to me that your central idea reflects the theories of ___ (film maker you only barely recognize even though you went to film school). As you know, ___ was inspired mainly by the written works of ___ (author you've never heard of - notice that the person on stage looks confused). Now I don't mean to be contradictorian (sic), but how do you explain the dichotomy between your theories and the theories of these lesser known artists?

#3 - That Dude at Every Screening Who Needs to Say Something to Feel Important: Where will you be distributing your film? (As in, where can I see this movie I just saw? And no, I will not write down your answer and yes, I will forget everything you said five seconds after I leave this theatre).

#2 - The Lady who Wants You to Know that she REALLY Cares: Now I know you spent seven years following the plight of armless, legless, orphan gorillas but I really want to do something to help. I want action, not just a film. Do you know where I can send bananas? I cannot just let those gorillas die like everyone else. I care... Hey everyone! Look at how much I care!... I want to do something real about this problem I knew nothing about before tonight. I am commited to talking in great lengths in front of all these people about how much I care.

And finally, the number one useless question at a Hot Docs Q&A...

#1 - All Time Useless Question for Posers: Why did you choose to concentrate on ___ (obvious topic readily apparent from title and synopsis of film), instead of ___(completely obscure niche topic most people would never want to watch a film about)? This question is always followed by a smug smile like the questioner thought of something so brilliant he expects the film maker's head to explode.

So there you have it - useless and stupid audience questions. Did I forget something?

Dreamworld & My Second Life Reviews

I could not resist the late night, gamer double bill of "Dreamworld" and "My Second Life". I've never played Second Life but I have spent more than a few nerdy hours in the World of Warcraft and the Sims. I understand the allure of an avatar and the excitement of joining an online community. Whereas WoW and Sims have, to some extent, game values and goals, Second Life is completely open-ended and a full "metaverse" unto itself. It was because of personal interest and curiosity that I struggled to stay awake through the midnight screenings. I think the effort was worth it. Here are my two short reviews for two short films.

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Dreamworld

Patrick and Danielle are a Dutch couple who spend most of their evenings inside their box suburban home, sitting in computer carols, and living a fantasy through the massive online game "Second Life". The narrative follows the essentially sad attempt by Patrick to live beyond the game and meet some of his virtual girlfriends in the real world. After Patrick travels to America what follows is confusing, awkward and sometimes quite funny. There is a discussion on a motel bed between director Jorien Van Nes and Patrick, especially, that is one of the strangest interactions I've seen in a long time. While Patrick and Van Nes speak in Dutch, Patrick's two female "friends" giggle beside him, not understanding a word. The film's real life sequences are more surreal than the game, and the camera lingers on the pauses and awkwardness without becoming intrusive. Economical editing keeps the events in motion, while the simple visuals still manage to express the isolation of the characters as well as their complete immersion into the Second Life universe. Dreamworld is ultimately neither a sad film nor a particularly dramatic short, but it does say something about the human need for connection and reciprocated love. 4 out of 5.

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My Second Life

My Second Life is billed as the world's first documentary shot entirely within the Second Life metaverse. Director Douglas Gayeton used carefully choreographed shots and voice over to create a narrative about a man named Molotov Alva who transcends his corporal body and enters the world of Second Life in search of its creator. Is this truly, as the summary states, a "documentary within a documentary, a high concept confounding of realities"? It's an experiment, and as someone who's tried to put together rudimentary narratives from other video games, I can attest that this short film represents hours and hours of work. The visuals are really quite well done and the many realms of Second Life are impressive. Alva's exploration of the game uncovers a village of animal avatars (or "furries"), an island where woman are voluntarily playing slaves, and a lovely snowy town where everyone dresses and acts like it's Elizabethan times. These places are the true (although virtual) elements of the film. The story, however, and the dialogue between characters remains very scripted and stiff in their repeated philosophical yearnings to "meet the creator". Especially pretentious is the use of quotations that presume to guide our vapid hero along the road to understanding. I might suggest this film to people particularly interested in video game culture, but even at 35 minutes it requires patience to stay interested. Maybe after six hours of screening docs I was too tired for an existential journey, but even with the truly interesting setting, My Second Life pondered too heavily and postulated too seriously for me to recommend. 2 out of 5.

Molotov Alva is ready with his camera in My Second Life

***Almost all the films I've watched at Hot Docs had the director in attendance for post screening Q&A and Douglas Gayeton, director of Second Life, was no exception. As his own summary notes, Second Life "challenges the definitions of documentary and reality", and is "a film certain to generate fervent debate." When you script a narrative and direct the actions in a video game, someone is bound to ask you how you can categorise this as documentary. When someone asked that very question, Mr. Gayeton took the microphone, paused, and defiantly stated "Because it's true". Then he gave this little "f___ off" shrug and passed the mic back to the moderator without further explanation. That was kind of awesome. Even better, I would have cheered if he had said "Because it's true", then held the microphone out and dropped it like in a rap battle and stormed off the stage (if you don't know what I mean just trust me that it would have been great). When someone later asked him "no, REALLY, how is this a documentary?", Mr. Gayeton accused us of being naive if we didn't know documentaries were edited and scripted. I admire that the director stood up for his work and did not grovel at the feet of public opinion, even if I didn't like his movie.***

Manufacturing Dissent Review

Back again, just in time for your late morning "clicking and frowning so I look like I'm doing work" web surfing. Here's my thoughts on the critical doc about Michael Moore, Manufacturing Dissent.

Manufacturing Dissent
(Canada/Australia 2007, directed by Debbie Melnyk & Rick Caine)

Michael Moore is undoubtedly a polarising figure, even for us here in Canada who are not directly involved in American politics. Canadian directors Rick Caine and Debbie Melnyk begin their documentary claiming to be fans of Moore who want an interview with the larger than life figure. There are some questions, you see, about his methods and some accusations of outright lies. Although she doth protest, Melnyk's voice over gives away from almost the first moment that the innocent act is simply a narrative structure for what will be damning arguments against Moore and his films. I do not doubt much of the evidence raised by this film, however I was disappointed from the outset that Melnyk decided to push an ignorance of Moore that she obviously did not have by the end of her research. It's fine to learn things as you go in a documentary, but they should change your outlook and approach. When you hit the "oh shucks, I'm just an innocent Canadian" note one too many times it just feels like manipulation.

Caine and Melnyk follow Moore around the United States on his "Slacker Rebellion" campus tour. In public Moore proves to be a good showman, loud and obnoxious, as he gets the student body fired up about voting and hating President Bush. Interviews with Moore's old friends, business associates and critics greatly expands the discussion. For me these were the most entertaining and illuminating parts of the film. Moore's unique mix of media mogul / tyrannical boss / everyday slob gives plenty of good ammo for funny quips and recollections. Paranoid megalomaniac or tireless crusader? Perhaps Moore is both. The film also makes good use of Moore's inability to confront criticism. Moore makes lame excuse after lame excuse as to why he cannot do an interview with Melnyk, and then finally has his cronies kick the director out of a talk he is giving about free speech. The irony is perfect. For a man who spends a large amount of his on-screen time hounding his subjects and berating them into one sided arguments, Moore obviously has trouble under the scrutiny of the camera's critical eye.

Although I had difficulties with the essential tone of the film, the evidence presented of Moore's half truths and lies is still compelling. Footage cut out of context, hidden interviews, and plain old made up events are uncovered in Moore's entire body of work. For documentary fans the idea of selective editing is part and parcel to what we expect. Liberties are always taken to make real life more convenient to the story, and more interesting to the viewer. There is a line, however, between liberties and lies. I would have greater respect for "Manufacturing Dissent" if the film makers had chosen to be direct in their accusations. When they have a chance to confront Moore face to face they nod blankly and hide behind their polite Canadian personas. They use a method of accusation, clip that appears to support accusation, and final word to structure their entire argument. In the end, they use the same methods as Moore to win audience approval and limit the amount we will question. While Manufacturing Dissent was undoubtedly well intentioned, the film was weakened by manipulative direction that undermined the strong (but relatively few) concrete examples they had of Moore's deceptions. 3 out of 5

Last Call at the Gladstone Hotel Review

Hooo boy, I'm getting a little tired of popcorn. Yesterday I saw three sets of movies, all in a row and all at the Bloor. From 5:50pm to 1:30am all activity consisted of waiting in line, buying snacks, and sitting on my butt for 2 plus hours. Rinse and repeat. My lower back is still complaining about crappy seats with not enough cushion (Bloor seats are so inferior to Royal). Tonight we take a breather and hang out at home. I think I'll avoid popcorn. Here's my review of "Last Call at the Gladstone Hotel".

Last Call at The Gladstone Hotel
(Canada, directed by Derreck Roemer & Neil Graham)

The stately corner facade of the Gladstone Hotel is a Toronto landmark. For better or for worse, Toronto's oldest continuously operational hotel has reflected the times and people who slept within its walls. Once it housed businessmen and upper class tourists, then like its Parkdale surroundings it declined and became a flop house and permanent residence for those living below the poverty line. Now, it has seen a transformation once again to unique art centre and boutique hotel. Amazingly, film makers Neil Graham and Derrek Roemer were there to capture this most recent transformation over the last five years and document how the residents of the Gladstone, as well as the hotel itself, changed almost completely. The larger question of gentrification, and the displacement of lower income neighbourhoods, remains at the heart of the film. The Gladstone serves as a microcosm for what is happening in urban centres around the world. Who is to blame when people can no longer afford their rent? Is it better to save a building or preserve a home? The film wisely offers no easy answers.

Directors Graham and Roemer were regular patrons of the Hotel Bar. They were filming in the late 90s when the Gladstone was a popular choice for locals who sought live music, cheap beer and a waiting staff "who weren't thinking about their acting careers". A shared appreciation of the hotel was the starting point for the duo to cultivate relationships with hotel staff and residents. Trust was earned and the casual camerawork reflects the sometimes unplanned conversations that were captured. Over the years the old owners had to sell, deals were made, and renovations on the building began. Then dramatically renovations stopped, business partnerships collapsed, and staff complained that the building was literally falling down on top of them. Through it all the camera recorded the heartbreak, anger and excitement from everyone involved. The film appeals as a terrific piece of drama. It draws you into individual lives and the struggle to survive. The long periods of time when little happens are condensed and the pace remains constant. This is not the most polished film, however, with both audio and picture quality sometimes on the rough side of verite.

In the end, a new day dawns for the Gladstone Hotel. It is bittersweet but the issues are too complex for anything but a mixed resolution. The future of the Gladstone, Parkdale and all of Toronto are left to the forces of economic evolution and human compassion. Who knows what changes the Gladstone will see in the next hundred years. 4 out of 5

Helvetica Review

Well, I'm out the door to another documentary. No time to stay and chat, but I wanted to post a review of the first Hot Docs screening I saw last night - Helvetica. True to my prediction, it was honestly the most entertaining film I've ever seen about a font. Take that Times New Roman!

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Helvetica
(UK 2007, directed by Gary Hustwit)

Who knew a documentary about a popular font would be so engaging? Everyone from artists and designers to average web users will find something fascinating in director Gary Hustwit’s first film. From the early history of the font, to Helvetica’s eventual dominance, the documentary confidently follows its narrow lead to expand on the bigger picture. After I saw the film I spent the rest of the evening playing a game of “spot the font”. There was Helvetica in all its round, approachable blandness directing me to the subway, or telling me about how to save on my phone bill, or where to put my garbage. Helvetica is all around us, and like a secret conspiracy uncovered, awareness of it changes the way you see the world.

The strength of the film lies in the passion of the type designers who praise or abhor the ubiquitous font. The men and women interviewed are very entertaining in a geeky eccentric sort of way. Some love the clean even strokes of Helvetica because it is the perfect representation of post WWII modern design. As one designer notes, it was a delicious cold drink of water after the arid dessert of 1950’s multi-font cornball visuals. Other just as impassioned designers scorn the use of Helvetica by big corporations and governments because its neutrality makes even dangerous messages palatable to the mass population. One woman puts it simply that when she started designing, Helvetica was the font of the government and therefore the font of the Vietnam war. It’s hard not to get a bit of a shiver after hearing these arguments and seeing The Gap, for instance, selling us “love” (written in Helvetica of course) with our jeans. Helvetica is the safe, familiar voice advertisers, government agencies and individual people use when they want everyone to listen.

Montages of busy city streets, clothing, IRS tax forms and everything in between really drives home the use of Helvetica in how we interpret the words we read. In general Hustwit keeps the pace brisk but some interviews go on a bit too long, and the history lesson on how Helvetica developed slows into a lecture. Excellent use of abstract rock music plays well with the images, and the cinematography owes a debt to the clean, high definition compositions of Luke Geissbuhler. The wider implications of Helvetica, and all fonts, is left for the viewer to contemplate after the credits end and we go back into the modern cluttered landscape. Helvetica remains after fifty years the most popular, accepted and utilised medium of written communication. If the medium is the message what does Helvetica say about us?
4 out of 5

Hot Docs Begins!

Hot Docs 2007 will officially kick off with an opening gala tonight! It seems like only a few months have passed since last year's festival. My winter subscription to Doc Soup ensures that I see good documentaries on the big screen for at least half the year. I love my Doc Soup but the main event is really what gets the film nerd in me excited. This year Hot Docs anticipates a 25% increase in ticket sales (same as last year). That means bigger venues and longer lines. At least the weather may actually hold out and we can avoid the chilly wet cold that always seems to accompany the last week of April. As with every year I also anticipate eagerly enjoying buttery popcorn and Pepsi for the first 3.5 films. Then, inevitably, I get sick of it but keep eating popcorn because I don't have time for dinner and it's more filling than a chocolate bar. Also inevitably I end up going to the gym more frequently in early May.



My first film is not scheduled until Saturday evening which gives me a little time to brush up on my mad reviewing skillz. From Saturday until Sunday, April 29th we've scheduled ten films; most on the weekends. It is my fifth year attending Hot Docs. Next year perhaps I'll finally be able to do the full Festival Pass but for now I'm scheduled to work and I can't take the week off. One day I'm going to know the butt numbing bliss of watching five documentaries a day for ten days straight. Oh yes. My butt will be numb with happiness.

Anyway, another big improvement this year is the Hot Docs website which features an interactive schedule. I usually have to send an email out to film friends with my picks, but this year I can merely post a link to my personal Hot Docs schedule. Nice touch Hot Docs! In terms of film selection, well, this year doesn't have many "wow, I HAVE to see that" films for me. I am looking forward to watching Michael Moore get his comeuppance in "Manufacturing Dissent", and the strangely comedic take on global warming "Everything's Cool" sounds fantastic. "Last Call at the Gladstone Hotel" and "Let's All Hate Toronto" will be interesting because I live in Toronto, and the very popular but inconceivable "Helvetica" promises to be the most fascinating two hour film ever made about a font. I'm sure these and other selections will surprise me. Every year I choose films based on a paragraph summary and every year I'm impressed by something I didn't think I'd like all that much. Seeing a movie without an advertising campaign and a trailer that gives away the entire plot is one of the best parts of a film festival. You can just walk into a dark theatre and be taken somewhere you never thought you'd go.

Last minute seats are available to many Hot Docs screenings so check out last minute additions on the Hot Docs website. You can also view my personal festival schedule. Finally, keep checking Midnight Herring during the festival for updates and reviews. I'll be blogging so hard my fingers will get cramped. I'll be writing so much criticism I'll need a sarcasm injection. I'll be.... well, you get the picture.

Spiffy New Look

Hi there. Welcome to Midnight Herring.net - version 2.0!

Super heartfelt thanks goes to Anson for helping integrate this blogger template with my new site design. Look ma! I've got labels! Also, thanks to some nerds for writing the code that makes the image at the top randomise every time the page loads. I didn't want to switch over to php and I appreciate this fix. There is still lots of content to add but the design is pretty solid. Please let me know if something looks really wonky on your system.

I know this site looks good on most versions of Safari & Foxfire on Macs, as well as Explorer, Netscape and Firefox on PCs. However, if you try to look at it on the now defunct Explorer for Macs browser it goes crazy and explodes across the screen in all-centred and all-green ugliness. I'll try to fix that but it's mostly blogger not talking to stupid old Mac Explorer so we'll see. Why are you using Explorer anyway? I'm afraid I have to pull out the patented eye roll and snort nerd combo if you think browser choice isn't, you know, really important.

So aside from an obvious lack of content on the "Documentary" section of the site we are up and running! I have big plans for the site and I look forward to giving it as much time and effort as my other labour of love, Folk Art Canada. In the coming days and weeks I will undoubtedly change a few things around so please bear with me. Reload reload reload and empty your cache if you want to keep up with the blazing speed of our improvements. Plus, when you reload the page you get a new photo! What will it be? Paris? My cat? Me in a sombrero? All excellent and exciting options!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you like the new and constantly improving MHP site!