I do everything in my power to prepare for a film, but at the end of the day I’ve shot what I’ve shot and I’ve cut what I’ve cut and it’s out of my hands. This is not to shirk responsibility — more to marvel at the moment when all of your time and thought leave your grasp and become something entirely new, all on its own.

Instead of high-tailing it to P-town or sunning ourselves out on the greenway, Emma and I spent our Sunday afternoon hovering over a heavy pot of sticky, viscous, brown liquid goodness. We let it boil (but only just barely), stirred the sediment (with a sanitized spoon) and we cooled the wort (in the coolest of ice-baths).

And after three hours of bubbling and timing and sanitizing and worrying and reassuring, we added the yeast, shut the lid and put the bucket in the corner. We have done all that we can do, now it’s up to the ingredients to mix and ferment and clarify into our first batch of Belgian Amber Ale. We hope. And it’s this exact out-of-control feeling — brewing it all up, breath held back — that’s a critical part of my creative process.

Production for I hope you find what you came here to see begins this Saturday. Glasses raised.

This roll was first shot at a picnic/concert by our friend Robyn in May of 2009. We then went off for the summer, I shot my thesis and promptly forgot about the roll. Earlier this April, I found it again, having no recollection of it being shot, so I tossed it in my bag and drove out to Bard.

Emma and I were celebrating our anniversary with a multitude of picnics, so I brought my new super16 K-100 along. We shot the short end, and sent it in for processing. This is what I saw.

This is why I shoot film. There are surprises in your dailies, and then there are secret films you didn’t know you were making. I feel like a vessel. I rolled when I rolled, cut when I cut and together Robyn and I accidentally wove something timeless and surprising. And to have two picnics at the same time! Divine.

Our very own Brian Barth has officially stepped on to the festival circuit!

His experimental film RICKETS (2010) will be premiering at the Boston Underground Film Festival ’11 and the Kansas City FilmFest ’11.

RICKETS explores a transformed landscape as it follows the simplest aesthetic narrative — white to black. The textures and rhythms of the image come from the serious digital distortion (achieved entirely in-camera) of the perfectly scenic setting of a boat trip down the Hudson River. The camera captures an alternate, underlying world, an almost microscopic vibration that pervades our existence.

Keep an eye out (for all our loyal Boston followers) – make sure to pick up some tickets for BUFF.

And while you’re there, be sure to also check out the extraordinary nunsploitation film Thy Kill Be Done (2010, dirs. Greg Hanson and Casey Reagan). It’s exactly what you think it is in the best way possible.

Our shoulders are all waxed and ready to rub. Come out and support Brian, the Company, Boston filmmaking, and, heck, just to see some really great film.

The Tillman Story (Amir Bar-Lev, 2010)

What a pleasant surprise!

What a horrible way to start this review.  This is an infuriating film.

I had heard nothing about this film, but it gave me a lot to think about.  The Tillman Story retells Pat Tillman’s decision to abandon his multimillion-dollar football contract in order to serve in the US Army in Afghanistan in 2002.  Already a national football star, Tillman’s decision attracted a fair amount of press, but only in his death did he become a household name.  The film examines how Tillman’s death was taken by the government and spun into a pro-war media spectacle.  Tillman was depicted as an American hero, who died in an intense firefight with the opposition, when in reality he died by friendly fire.

The Tillman Story is very much a post-Michael Moore documentary.  Audiences have grown to be wary of documentaries with a master of ceremonies and are much more open to a “figure it out yourself” narrative.  Do not misunderstand, the information is prescriptive and Josh Brolin’s narration is very sympathetic, but it is tempered with self-explanatory footage–e.g. Donald Rumsfeld and other top officials pleading ignorance in front of the supreme court (shameful footage indeed).  I was consistently surprised with the acuteness of Bar-Lev’s eye; he effortlessly dances between the hilarious and the truly tragic aspects of this young man’s death with such speed that I could only keep up by crying and laughing at the same time.

What struck me about this film is how quickly an idea can consume a person.  Pat Tillman did not believe in god or want a military burial, yet the famous politicians attending his high-profile military funeral all solemnly proclaimed how Tillman was now up in heaven and at peace with god.  Following this, one of his younger brothers speaks (skip to 7:25):

He’s fucking dead. I still can’t shake this clip.  It kicked me in the stomach in the theater and I can’t even watch it now.  Consider sitting through your loved one’s funeral as people who never knew him drone on about the country and the glory of war (Tillman is later recounted watching the bombing of Baghdad and saying. “This war is so fucking illegal.”)–I was shaking in my seat.  To feel such a visceral reaction is rare for me, but the blatant truth in some of the footage is undeniable and simply presented.  I never thought I would describe any documentary as “true”, but The Tillman Story is remarkable.

After the film finished, a woman in the back was loudly chatting with her friends: “You know who really upsets me is Donald Rumsfeld.  If I could just shoot anybody in the head, it’d be him.”  Really?  Really.  Films like this leave me feeling helpless because, while a lot of information is presented, no solutions are even hinted at.  This only enrages the viewer and equips her with enough sound bites to keep up conversation at her monthly olive-tasting and short fiction club.  If you ask about it, she’ll tell you to go see the film instead of running for office.  Information is only useful in concert with action, and I’m alarmed by how satisfying and easy it is to take in information without any consequence for inaction. How does one deal with this barrage of corruption and misinformation?

I, for one, postponed my political campaign and went to see two more films.

]]> http://sainteliotandco.com/reviews/the-tillman-story/feed/ 1 http://sainteliotandco.com/reviews/get-low/ http://sainteliotandco.com/reviews/get-low/#comments Fri, 10 Sep 2010 19:52:14 +0000 Brian Barth http://sainteliotandco.com/?p=2346

Get Low (Aaron Schneider, 2009)

Yesterday was Sunday, September 26, and in my mind, the first fully realized day of fall.  As I was riding to the Landmark Theater in Kendall to catch the 1:25 showing of Get Low, I saw that the humble Boston skyline was subdued under the thick cover of clouds.  The muted gray seeped into everything, and though the summer smoldered it had lost contrast and color.  What better time is there to turn to film, which in itself is just color and contrast?  A descending day of white and gray is the perfect world to abandon for another; it is a variable, where nothing is being missed.

This turned out to be the perfect preface for Get Low – a film about regret in the dwindling years of the hermit protagonist, Felix Bush (Robert Duvall).  The strongest part of the film comes far too soon; we watch an enigmatic Duvall escape from a burning building (where his character is formed) and then see him 40 years later hiding behind an enormous beard, where he threatens trespassers on his remote property (what he has become).  It certainly functions, albeit somewhat of an abridged adaptation of the first 20 minutes of There Will Be Blood (2007), and I found myself entranced by his senseless mutterings and heavy breathing.  Personally, I would have watched Duvall putt about his cabin and tend to his mule for the entire film.  Watching him play awkward around his ex-lover’s sister, Mattie Darrow (Sissy Spacek), was also a treat.  Together they completed a history and a lifetime that we were not privy to.  Regrettably, that was about it for decent acting.

Buddy (Lucas Black) has the unfortunate habit of overplaying his thought process on his face (can you count the beats?).  Bill Murray is both out of time and out of character as he attempts to portray Frank Quinn, the destitute owner of a funeral home.  He’s obviously meant to introduce some lighthearted humor, but I left with the distinct impression that he spent most of his lines making fun of the film itself.

Despite that, it was the filmmaking that left the sourest taste in my mouth.  Every scene dripped so much lubrication that at times I felt transported to some early 90′s TV-rendition of On Golden Pond.  Subtle dolly shots for no apparent reason, pushing in to accentuate a beat–torn from the well-worn pages of the hollywood handbook–it was all too much.  It’s unfortunate because the ideas of the film are relatively interesting, but I was so constantly reminded of the director attempting to heighten the emotion I found it impossible to actually engage.

There are certainly some moments, primarily those alone with Bush, that are worth the ticket price, but I wouldn’t rush out the door.

]]> http://sainteliotandco.com/reviews/get-low/feed/ 0 http://sainteliotandco.com/reviews/the-town/ http://sainteliotandco.com/reviews/the-town/#comments Fri, 10 Sep 2010 18:45:06 +0000 Brian Barth http://sainteliotandco.com/?p=2365

The Town (Ben Affleck, 2010)

I’m always cautious of films made about Boston, and while Affleck makes sure to wear his location-specific windbreakers (Celtics, Red Sox, Bruins, Patriots) he sheds them after about the fifth scene and I felt a little less summarized.  The accents are all there, too, which is probably thanks to endless coaching from Affleck.  And I’m not going to lie, it was awesome watching my block in the North End get blown up in a car chase and seeing my apartment in most of the wide shots; I loved my direct connection to the setting.

The big surprise in this film for me was the humor.  One of the easiest pitfalls for an action film is taking itself too seriously, and Affleck’s quick visual humor lets you breathe out at just the right moments.  It’s a powerful effect because the audience has been wrapped up in the robbery without some perspective on how ridiculous the situation looks from afar.

The performances all around were great: Jeremy Renner is the perfect type of twisted, entirely believable and still disturbing, and Jon Hamm felt perfectly at home on the silver screen (I’ll keep my fingers crossed).  Rebecca Hall and Ben Affleck’s romance seemed a little familiar (the educated and compassionate female falling for the hard-working townie with a quick wit) but Hall hit the right notes when she needed to, and Affleck even charmed me a little.

The Town as a film itself does not push any envelope very far, but it succeeds in achieving everything it needs to be to be a blast to watch.  The true achievement of this film lies in the obvious humor, but more so in the less obvious humor.  For example, Jon Hamm puts on a hilarious fake Boston accent for a sentence or two–just enough time to worry that he’s actually acting–but then, phew, he’s just mocking the suspect.  Overall I do feel a bit summarized (the holy grail of their heists is robbing Fenway Park), but who doesn’t want to sit back and laugh at their own city every once in a while?

The Town is definitely worth checking out.  I’d love to hear what some of you non-Boston people think as well.

Ruchiki is, secondarily, the story of nineteen year old Ayumi Takanawa, plucked from obscurity at a young age by GoJam record executive Mushiro Hiboshi, who has been sexually exploiting his pop starlet even as he guides her career to fame and fortune.

It is also the story of Barney and Maxine, Rachel’s quietly desperate parents; of Banner Tutilo, star of the sadistic reality show EAT IT!; of Clark and Mickey, who want only to grow up and join Banner’s gang; of Pickering and Tokyo, of fantasy, reality, naiveté, wisdom, high school, youtube, and of a girl’s insistence on following her dreams, even at the cost of her innocence.

It is, finally, a short narrative film, written by Peter Warren, directed by Matt Paley, produced by Fletcher Deitch, Liz Phelps and Jake Teresi, with cinematography by Brian Barth and Jeff Kulig, and art direction by Sasha Winters.  It is the first true Company film; a collaboration that involves all eight of us in many different roles.  Filming begins in February and ends in June, and we will document every step of the process here.

See the official website, ruchiki.com!

Contribute to our fundraising campaign at Ruchiki’s kickstarter!

————–
Ruchiki has been made possible by the generous contributions of the following individuals:

Laura Goldman and Scott Haas
Gail Davis and Stuart Manitsky
Charles and Nancy Barry
Neva and Yossi Chait
Mitchell and Arlene Frumpkin
Arnold and Seena Davis
Barbara Goldman and Neil Primack
Robert Haas
Alfred and Elaine Frumpkin
Arthur and Cynthia Fertman
Wendy and Stuart Schwam
Joel Becker and Rusty Wiggs
Robert Paley and Marianne Steiner

Yesterday, Brian emerged from his lair once again, with a first peek for sainteliotandco.com!  See it here.