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BNAT X

BNAT X is on the books, Becky is still napping, while I am powering through to sleep tonight. I’m a little slap-happy from being up too long, but I’m going to try and finish this coverage tonight. First though I need to get my kiss-ass out of the way. I can’t thank Harry enough for including us in his birthday celebrations again, and to Tim League for providing the best theater experience in the world and top-notch food/beverage to boot. It is the ultimate in film geek experience, and I love seeing films with an attuned audience. This year we saw a lot of partial footage presentations…and I think I may prefer that to the full film experience. It certainly presents an opportunity to see more subject matter, and the Q&As seem more meaningful.

This year’s set list:

• Massawyrm kicked off the “Ten Commandments” themed evening by presenting Harry with an on-loan set of authentic Cecile B DeMille Ten Commandment tablets. They spent the evening propped on a table at the front of the theater and were closely revered by many geeks.
• Classic BNAT/Drafthouse trailer pack. These three trailers are an anchor for BNAT. It wouldn’t be home without them, and they are the proof of Tim’s supposition that some trailers are the best way to see a film. :)
  • (trailer) Invasion USA (on YouTube) – 1980’s Chuck Norris bad-assness.
  • (trailer) The Slumber Party Massacre (on YouTube) – 1980’s horror schlockfest
  • (trailer) Pinocchio’s Birthday Party Birthday Party – one of those odd 70’s cheaply made family films that relies on children, animals, animation and rights-free children’s stories to sell a ticket.
• (trailer) Stunt Rock (on YouTube) – BNAT hasn’t really happened until this trailer is played. Unfortunately we saw the movie a few years back at BNAT.
• Another BNAT tradition is the promise of Teen Wolf for AICN regular Jeff Mahler. This year we even had a full-on costumed werewolf in a Beavers basketball uniform who signed a basketball for Jeff. Then the movie starts and just as it starts to get “good” the projector swallows and melts the print ruining our chance to see it once again, so we have to wait another 364 days for our next opportunity.
• Viva Villa – bookending Harry’s love of Fay Wray is our first rebel film of the night about Pancho “la Cucaracha” Villa. An excellent classic film that (fictionally) portrays Pancho as a charismatic simpleton who follows Francisco Madero through a Mexican revolution. It was particularly interesting to see a 1930s portrayal of a bromance between Pancho and Madero, and to hear a newsman lovingly (in all seriousness) deliver the line “You’re not news, you’re history.” to Villa. (Note the first rebellion against oppression themed content — like The Ten Commandments.)
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons – You’ll have a chance to see this David Fincher ( Se7en, Fight Club, Panic Room) directed tear jerker. I had a few issues but I don’t want to steer you away from it. I think the movie ended at a great level after a failing start, and most of the folks in the theater seemed to like it. I’m really sensitive to computer generated content and the CGI old/young Brad Pitt along with Cate Blanchett’s modulated voice-over/lip-synch in the first Act had my eyes rolling. I also felt that the film cribbed a bit too much, stylistically, from Forrest Gump.
• (selected clips) Coraline – who isn’t excited about this adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s children’s book? We saw several long sections from the film presented in RealD 3D and now I can’t imagine seeing the final print any other way. It was stunningly beautiful, and exactly as enchanting as Henry Selick’s previous instant classic, The Nightmare Before Christmas.
• (classic ad) Cola Wars – remember in the 80s when Dr Pepper dared to step between Coke and Pepsi by making silly post-apocalyptic commercials with puppets from the equally bad 80s tv sitcom Dinosaurs? ah…
• (trailer) The Terrornauts (on YouTube) – late 60s budget sci-fi about a group of kidnapped scientists that rebel against their alien abductors. (again, note the rebellion against oppression.)
• Sahara – Bogart dominates (as usual) in this great ensemble film about a ragtag multinational collection of men fighting Nazis in northern Africa. Another great classic selection. (note: rebellion against oppression)
• (trailer) Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze – pulp fiction character Doc Savage in a story about American Imperialism and a rebellion. (note: rebellion against oppression)
• (trailer) MegaForce – who knew that cheap plastic (albeit well-armed) motorcycles would save us when American Freedom is threatened? (notice a theme?)
• (trailer) The Villain – billed as a “live action” cartoon, this is a cast that may have actually delivered on that billing: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Paul Lynde, Ruth Buzzi, Mel Tillis…wow!
• Valkyrie (video introduction by Bryan Singer) – Bryan Singer directs well but Tom Cruise and his ham laden acting is upstaged even by a cross-dressing British comedian…besides much like Titanic it isn’t that engrossing to see a movie when you know how it ends. There are a lot of older character actors that do deliver amazing performances…but the choice to start the movie in German, shift almost immediately to English with the occasional German exultation, and arbitrarily switch between written German and English, doesn’t work for me. This movie could go either way for you depending on your love of historical reenactments or Tom Cruise.
• (selected clips) Up (followed by Q&A with director Pete Docter and producer Jonas Rivera) – is it surprising that Pixar has made another laugh-out-loud heartwarming story, or that Disney created a movie that starts with family tragedy then quickly brings strangers together? I can’t wait for the theatrical release.
• Metropolis – I have probably seen Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent film about a worker uprising in a future dystopia more than a hundred times in various bars during the 80s under the influence of all-you-can-drink cover or beat-the-clock prices, so I can say that this is the first time I’ve seen it properly. Add to that Harry found a rare copy of the 1980s print that includes a soundtrack featuring Adam Ant, Freddie Mercury, Pat Benatar and Loverboy…well, it was a sublime treat for any film geek.
• (selected clips) Monsters vs. Aliens (followed by Q&A with director Conrad Vernon) – Dreamworks seems ready to serve up a thoroughly entertaining animated action movie…that still isn’t as good as Pixar’s creations. The RealD 3D rendering is more ambitious that Pixar and may help Dreamworks deliver a little more bang.
• My Bloody Valentine 3D (followed by Q&A with director Patrick Lussier and actors Jamie King and Megan Boone) – the horror genre has been experiencing a good resurgence of the schlock that worked so well in the 80s and MBV3D continues that pattern. Supernatural’s Dean, Dawson’s Creek’s gay brother, and fashion model (successfully) turned actress Jamie King keep the film above water. It isn’t high art but it’s great gory fun, and it’s in 3D! This was the third (and final) time we got to wear the RealD 3D glasses, and I gotta say they have developed a great technology.
• I Love You, Man (video introduction from Jason Segal and Paul Rudd) – Jason Segal (“How I Met Your Mother”) and Paul Rudd ( Role Models) team up at multiple levels to tickle our funny bones. Rudd’s character decides he needs to have a male best friend to stand next to him at the alter when he weds his true love (played by “The Office”‘s Rashida Jones) and meets Segal’s slacker cougar-hunter. Hilarity ensues.
• (trailer) Beast Master 2: Through the Portal of Time – who thought that a sequel to the fun but crappy original film involving the Beastmaster and his foes going through a time portal that deposits them in modern New York would be a good idea? Sheesh.
• (classic advertisement) Super Dog and Texas Schooner – Tim needs to add this combo to his menu — a straight-up dirty water hot dog in a plain white bun and a large fountain drink
• (trailer) C.H.O.M.P.s – another classic 80s trailer about hottie Valerie Bertinelli’s character and some sidekick robot dog
• (trailer) Secret of Magic Island (on YouTube) – I bet Becky really wants to see this ASPCA nightmare with an all animal cast
• White Dog – Paul Winfield, Burl Ives and Kristy McNichol try to untrain a dog that was raised to attack only black people. Supposedly so offensive that it almost ruined director Sam Fuller’s career, it really wasn’t that surprising or disturbing. Maybe the problem was that McNichols perfect breasts were their own character, slowly progressing through the movie from completely covered, to see-through shirt, and eventually popping out at the end. Best character development ever. Check out the big climax (no, not the boobs) on YouTube.
• (selected clips) Push (video introduction from actor Chris Evans) – the series of scenes we saw were not promising. We’ve seen much better from Dakota Fanning, but I’ve never seen Fantastic Four‘s Human Torch do any good acting.
• (selected clips) Knowing (video introduction from director Alex Proyas) – Nicholas Cage runs around solving a puzzle that portents bad things to come. I think I’ve seen this before…twice and it wasn’t good those times either. However if you put a gun to my head in the theater lobby and asked me to choose between Push and Knowing I would have to pick the latter.
• (selected clips) Observe and Report (video introduction from writer/director Jody Hill and actor Seth Rogen) – Hill brought the comedy Foot Fist Way into the hearts of independent film lovers this year so teaming up with Rogen is a no-brainer. The film looks like Rogen’s typical schtick so I’m sure it’ll be good stuff. (On a side note I recently caught the trailer for Paul Blart: Mall Cop and I think it’s actually a funnier trailer.)
• (selected clips) Terminator Salvation (introduction and Q&A from director McG) – McG’s been taking more flack than usual on the interwebs ever since it was announced that he was making another Terminator movie, so it was courageous for him to stand in front of this crowd, make his case and show some unfinished footage from his upcoming film. He seemed a little manic — who wouldn’t be in this situation? — but the footage was good enough to convince BNATers that he may have good things coming.
• (select clips) Watchmen (introduction and Q&A from actor Jackie Earle Haley) – the first 22 minutes of Watchmen are eerily a dead-on take of the graphic novel. There’s little question that Zack Snyder has made a succesful adaptation but will non-geeks be interested?
• (trailer) Amin: The Rise And Fall – returning solidly to our theme is this 1981 film about the rebel leader who becomes a dictator

• Che – In New York and L.A. they are showing the edit of Che that we saw, a four and a half hour sprawling epic about Che Guevara encompassing both part one and two of Benicio Del Toro’s dedicated delivery of his take on the revolutionary rebel who led the overthrow of Batista to put Castro in power, then (after a 15 minute intermission) failed to garner enough citizen support for a Bolivian revolution. Maybe the setting — being awake for 26 hours before the film starts — was impactful to my interpretation of the film but Soderbergh’s plodding storytelling with vast time spent on shots of jungle flora and fauna and silent single file rebels marching through the forest, plus (as Becky pointed out to me) every time Che and his men were introduced to a group of potential rebels Soderbergh made sure to reinforce how easily connected Che was to “the people” by showing the entire exchange of names…i.e. “Che, Raul; Camilo, Raul; Esteban, Raul; Fidel, Raul; Che, Jorge; Camilo, Jorge; Esteban, Jorge; Fidel, Jorge; Che, Maria; Camilo, Maria; Esteban, Maria; Fidel, Maria; Che, Juan; Camilo, Juan, etc. etc.” A good edit on this and you might have two great 40 minute short films.

BNAT X was another great success and I hope I get to return again next year. Man, I need some sleep. Maybe tomorrow I will take pictures from the shwag bags (yes, plural) and put them in a Facebook album.

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