SBIFF: camera cars & terrific trailers highlight first weekend

By STEVEN LIBOWITZ

Hail the trailers: Nothing screens as often at SBIFF as the festival’s trailer. Over the years the reel – which runs before every single film screening – has generated awe (the way cool digital version that was like an updated Santa Barbara-themed version of the famous “1984” commercial for the original Apple MacIntosh computer) and controversy (the pseudo-sexual one that more than a few people found gratuitous and offensive). But good, bland or inexplicable, the trailers – which were necessary because they include all the festival’s sponsors – always wore out their welcome by mid-week.

That’s not likely to happen this year. That’s because Dana Morrow, who took over the trailer duties, and turned it into several different interview reels. One features SBIFF staffers talking about their favorite films – the choices are varied and often whimsical – while another has people recounting their earliest experiences at the movies and a third features longtime festival supporters discussing the importance of films in their lives and our culture. The trailers are concise, funny, informative and touching, and quick enough that you don’t mind seeing them over and over to catch what you missed on earlier.

Picture this: Noticed that “camera car” parked near the Metro all weekend? The art car, which is covered by more than 2,500 SLR, Instamatics and Polaroid cameras, is here with its owner, Harrod Blank, director of “Automorphosis,” a fascinating, upbeat doc about his car and dozens of others similarly blanketed with objects by their obsessed owners. The film’s final screening is today at 6:30 at the  Vic… Also winding up its original schedule today is “War Against the Weak,” a powerful, disturbing and creatively-executed portrayal of America’s little-remembered attempts to create a master race back in the early 1900s (4:45 at the Metro). The filmmakers are already the leading contenders for the fest’s best promotion award, as they donned white lab coats for the first Platinum Lounge event on Friday.

 Added screenings: The festival’s official website for schedules and film descriptions at independent.com is not only difficult to navigate (can anyone explain why you can’t open longer film descriptions out of the alphabetical listings in a new or tabbed window but are forced to use a hyperlink navigating away from the schedule?), it’s also not being updated anything close to real time. So here’s a rundown of added screenings today, based on the popularity of films shown over the weekend. The charming crowd-pleaser “Tandoori Love” shows at 10 a.m., the fiercely confrontational Oscar-nominated foreign film “Baader Meinhof Complex” about the German terrorist group RAF gets a fourth screening at 1:15 p.m. and the contemplative film “Vacation” that examines the social-cultural ramifications of the death penalty in Japan unspools a fourth time at 9:30, all at the Metro. Also, the fascinating, timely newspaper documentary “Inventing L.A.: The Chandlers and their Times” shows at 12:30 p.m. at Victoria Hall, and the word-of-mouth champion “Apron Strings” plays at 2 p.m. at the Lobero… And don’t forget the Danny Boyle retrospective all day at the Metro (“Millions,” “Trainspotting” and “28 Days Later” at the Metro, and “Slumdog Millionaire” at 7:30 at the Lobero followed by a Q&A session with the director of the Oscar favorite.

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Camera Van In Town To Promote "Automorphosis" doc : 1/27/2009

The new doc on art cars, by Harrod Blank is really brilliant, and serves as a much needed relief from far-too-many depressing, political docs that seem to dominate film fests these days. Note to festival programmers/selection committee: I know it's important for many of the negative/depressing docs to get seen, but can't you balance it out with more off-beat, humorous docs? Perhaps we should give more kudos to people like Christopher Guest would make moc-umentaries. Bringing some comic relief to the over-stressed subject matter in many docs. Blank's art car doc should be seen by many more fest audience, critics and staff. An additional screenings is coming up in the next few days, check the TBA slots on the calendars at Metro and other venues! By the way, Blank shot his doc on 16mm film and the sound was recorded in analog. Old school filmmaking by Blank, who is the son of the great docmaker Les Blank. Thanks to Harrod Blank and the art car people in his film for keeping on-point :it's about independent vision.

Highway Cinema

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