San Diego Film Festival--Day 5

I admit it, I was tired on the last day of the festival. As a result, I decided to reflect on the festival and write. My intention was to go to the film on closing night and possibly the closing night party. But at that time, I did not know that Missing in America had finally arrived. Oh well, that's how it goes... Emmanuel's Gift was an incredible documentary about a disabled man from Ghana. At first, he was just another boy who was discriminated against in Ghana. But, not having a functional leg did not stop this boy from becoming an athlete and an incredible man. If you ever feel sorry about your lot in life, watch this film about the human spirit narrated by Oprah Winfrey. It shows you that physical limitations cannot fetter the human spirit. I learned a lot from this man who lives in poverty yet accepts it. Last year, the festival ended with another "triumph of the human spirit" film--Swimming Upstream. Great Choices! Thank you SDFF staff and volunteers. You did a great job! Until next year... Before I sign off, I'd like to mention films that I did not see but seemed to hold promise according to other festival attendees: RX, Transamerica, and Cape of Good Hope. There's always a next time, right? Mukul Khurana
P.S. Thanks Karl Kozak!

I am not big on parties, but I feel I should comment on the "other" events at the festival. The gala on the opening night at Jimmy Love's was a tight squeeze. So, I just dropped in to greet some friends and acquaintances and left. The "After Hours Happy Hour" party at the Sidebar was supposed to be accessible to passholders, but they insisted on charging everyone entrance--also very crowded. The "Industry Night Party" was more of a social mixer, but again gave me the opportunity to meet and greet some known people. I would have to say that the "Actor's Ball & Awards Ceremony" was the best social event of the festival. John Walsh and Joan Collins were in attendance. Walsh who helps catch fugitives with the help of TV audiences, received a humanitarian award. He gave a good speech about child exploitation. However, I am not discouraging others from going to the parties. Make them better with your presence--maybe larger venues? Mukul Khurana

In the tradition of Fargo, laughing about death and killing is a guilty pleasure. The Matador was another film like that. Starring the excellent and tight performances of Pierce Brosnan (Julian, a facilitator of fatalities) and Greg Kinnear, this story highlights the meeting of both characters in Mexico City. This meeting will change lives. But it is the black humor of this film that gets you. From the dysfunctional sexuality of Julian to the quirky behavior of the wife (played by Hope Davis) of Greg Kinnear's character, you know you shouldn't laugh (after all, it is about death and killing) but you can't help it. Hit-man films are fast becoming cultural icons. I hope it doesn't become a viable career choice. Meanwhile, let's laugh and admire the well-written and well-acted film. This is what we celebrate, truly character driven stories that entertain. Mukul Khurana

San Diego Film Festival--Day 4

I was not expecting this. L.A. Riot Spectacular was not a documentary but a biting satire. That does not mean that it wasn't honest. In fact, it was more honest than so-called objective reports in the media. No one was spared in this film--every community was roasted for its role in the L.A. Riots. It was probably the most non-PC film I have seen in a long while. But, it was all in the service of a message. Make that a few messages... First and foremost, the media was lampooned (everyone identifies with this aspect of our culture). Then, every racial and religious group got its share of abuse. Yes, we are all at fault. As it is said--the enemy is us. If you like equal opportunity offenders with sharp and incisive humor, enjoy this one (and I really enjoyed the visual rewinding of history at the very beginning of the film--very clever)! Mukul Khurana

Very Important Note

Very Important Note: You may use this material for your purposes. However, you must give me credit and link back to this site. Unauthorized duplication or distribution will be prosecuted as allowed by the extent of the law. Mukul Khurana

Lest I forget, SDFF also features panels related to the movie industry. I had the chance to attend two of those: Are you Serious about Screenplay Writing and Anatomy of the Industry. They were excellent. I won't write much about them as it is important to attend these sessions if you want to get anything out of them. However, I do have a comment. It seems to me that it is a good idea to start the festival early and end it early or start late and end late--but not both. People who work can generally not make it to events before 2:00 P.M. or so (after all, we have to work and be able to rest). I find that 12 hours+ are hard to devote to something--even if it is a passion. But, we can all swing 8-10 hours if the work situation allows it. Just a thought in terms of programming and a way to promote better attendance. Mukul Khurana

On the flip side, Innocent Voices showed the consequences of armed conflict. No one really wins in warfare. In the end, we all end up as victims. This movie, set in El Salvador during the 12 year civil war, is seen through the eyes of a 11 year old child. Actually, at some point, he becomes a 12 year old child, but it can't be acknowledged. Both sides recruited boys into their side as soon as they turned 12. Here's the sad part--it is a true story. Embattled El Salvador leaves its scars on Chava, charmingly portrayed by Carlos Padilla. Directed by Luis Mandoki, and written by Luis Mandoki and Oscar Torres, Innocent Voices is about how children lose their innocence and their childhood when warring sides force people to make choices they don't want to make. The universal love of mothers was played with great depth by Chilean actress Leonor Varela. The whole cast was present for the Q & A session. Mothers walked up to Leonor after the session to tell her that they could identify with the loving looks she gave her children in the movie. This was another one of those rare cinematic finds that you can only find at film festivals. Support this film. Children shouldn't have to live with gunfire. Mukul Khurana

I said that one of the great things about film festivals is that you can plan all you want, but things can be changed. After watching Everyone their Grain of Sand, I felt the need to watch Ears, open. Eyeballs, Click. You could ask yourself why would I want to watch a movie about marines going through boot camp after watching a movie on social activism? Because they are both parts of our world--it is reality. We share a border with Mexico, but we are also at war with Iraq. Marine recruits are being trained in our region to fight this war. This documentary was written, produced, and directed by Canaan Brumley. This film about USMC recruits going through 3 months of boot camp was not scripted. Also, the recruits were not asked their opinions or how they felt. We just got to see the experience. In Robert Altman's tradition, Canaan told a story visually. We were voyeurs getting a peek into the process that turns civilians into military killing machines. Ears, open. Eyeballs, click was not a political film. I don't think the marines would have been open to the filming had that been the case. The audience was left to draw its own conclusions. There was no guided narration. Mukul Khurana

San Diego Film Festival--Day 3

One of the great things about film festivals is that you can plan whatever you want, but things will change anyway. I watched Everyone their Grain of Sand and was planning to watch Max and Grace, but my plans changed after I watched the documentary about Maclovio Rojas. Everyone their Grain of Sand, directed by Beth Byrd, was a San Diego feature. O.k., it wasn't about San Diego. It was about our neighbors across the border. Did you know that they use our discarded garage doors to make classroom walls in parts of Tijuana, Mexico? But that is not what this excellent documentary was about. Life is a struggle for many people in the world on a daily basis. And yet, they can teach us so much. I learned more about the human spirit, democracy, and community activism in a few hours sitting in front of a screen than I have sitting in a classroom learning political theory. Mukul Khurana

Caveh Zahedi's I'm a Sex Addict could have been slightly shorter. Having said that, Caveh has been able to achieve a rare feat--he has written and directed a funny and brutally honest film about sex and sexual addiction. What makes this project work is the fact that it is very funny! This sexual autobiography highlights the thinking associated with addiction. It is fine to follow our sexual instincts. After all, the sexual urge is just as basic as the need for food and shelter. However, when the compulsive element enters into it, we have a problem. Here is an unflinching look at that side of our lives that polite society would rather not address. I laughed and I thought. When the laughter was over, I was still thinking... Mukul Khurana

Contrast that with The Thing about my Folks... Peter Falk and Paul Reiser are a father and son working out their issues on a road trip. Paul Reiser was the writer of this serious yet funny movie. The family secrets and surprises uncovered in this movie could be any race or nationality. When a writer taps into the universal medium of human emotions, he knows he has done something right. Olympia Dukakis and Elizabeth Perkins play the lovable women in this movie about love and relationships. It could be a "chick flick," but it is about men. And it is about time that male issues be discussed just as seriously as female issues. Prime and The Thing about my Folks is the reason that indie film festivals are a pleasure to attend. If they run again, go watch them! Mukul Khurana

If unsettling is the word best used to describe The Dramatic Edge, the word that best describes Champagne Gang is insipid. It sounded promising--shot in San Diego, based on a true story, and four lovely girls... Even if you have a great story, it has to be tight and well-acted. Assuming that these were newcomers to the acting profession, the writer/director has to look beyond sex appeal (though Charlie's Angels did well). In this era of short attention spans, the story should have had more than the thrill of trying to identify San Diego landmarks. After a while, even that gets boring. This material could have yielded more. Still, at least people are willing to try... Oh yeah, it was a story of more than a hundred heists. Mukul Khurana

On the other hand, Mute was revenge made digestible by virtue of comedic twists. It goes to show that everything is better with a little humor thrown in. This dark story was directed by Melissa Joan Hart (yes, that cute actress) and it tackles sibling rivalry in a bold way. Eileen is deaf and mute, but she wasn't always that way... To see and hear a movie from the point of view of someone who can't hear or talk--genius! It is clear that the star of Sabrina has a future as a director if she so chooses. Bad Blood was another such movie. Well made and well acted, it left me with a sense of outrage. Does the end justify the means? Is it o.k. to drug a child? Mukul Khurana

If betrayal and revenge elicit strong emotional responses from you, The Dramatic Edge, is right up your alley. Unsuitable was the opening short. Everyone is a little nervous when it comes to getting married, but if this is the dark side that comes out in your relationship, consider calling it off. Redirect was a professional masterpiece when it came to effects and photography, but the story was hard to follow. I am sure that the filmmakers had a blast making it. However, as an audience member, I was left wondering that I was never "asked" to care. The story was about a heist--something went wrong... I think the operative word was "purpose." The "why" was never answered. Mukul Khurana

Parking is a nightmare in Downtown San Diego. With construction sites abounding and all the public parking lots running full, it was impossible to get to the first movie screening for the day on time. Luckily or unluckily, Missing in America got cancelled (always looking for that silver lining...). As a result, I wasn't late but rather "early" with enough time for a cup of coffee at the local Starbuck's. I regrouped and planned a new line of attack. Under my old plan, I would have missed a part of The Dramatic Edge (a collection of drama shorts). The new plan consisted of starting with the shorts. Mukul Khurana

San Diego Film Festival 2005--Day 2

It is my basic philosophy that writers are supposed to communicate with readers. In order to do that, we need to know what readers want. As a veteran of multiple film festivals, I have found that people want to know what films are worth watching. The information overload principle so present in our lives is also at work here. I will try to "stick to the facts." However, film critiques have an element of subjective opinions. I will give you straight and honest opinions, but I will also try to describe the atmosphere of what it is like to be in a festival setting. So, here goes... Mukul Khurana

Love is a complicated subject. It gets even more complicated when we take everyone else's perspective on a relationship. Friends and relatives are affected and have opinions. In the end, however, it is about the two people involved. As I understand it, Prime opens on October the 28th. Go see it. Mukul Khurana

The thing about movies in America (aside from indie films) is that they are short on character develpoment and long on action--not in this case. Still smarting from a recent divorce, Rafi (played by the always beautiful Uma Thurman), starts exploring feelings of love with a younger man. Dave (played by Bryan Greenberg) is a closet painter. He has not even been able to convince his parents that he has a passion--painting. Like most people in their 20s, Dave is still trying to find his place in the world. Mukul Khurana

Bryan Greenberg (the leading man), gave a great performance given the fact that it was probably his first time opposite such Hollywood heavyweights as Meryl Streep and Uma Thurman. The production values of this film were excellent in spite of the fact that most of the film was made "guerilla style" (i.e. most shots were done on the streets of New York and not on sets). We got the touch and feel of New York. As anyone who has visited New York will attest, the different neighborhoods felt very real. Mukul Khurana

Prime is a romantic-comedy with a slight twist (or maybe not)--can love survive if the woman is 37 and her love interest is 23? If you want to see how the story ends, you have to go see the movie. I don't give away endings. I will tell you this... Ben Younger who wrote and directed this film is also the talent behind Boiler Room. He took the genre of romantic-comedy from its present formulaic state and injected it with authenticity. Mukul Khurana

San Diego Film Festival 2005--Day 1

I was trying to figure out what experience I was reminded of when I was sitting to watch the opening night film Prime at the San Diego Film Festival. And then, it hit me. I was reminded of sitting in a plane waiting to take off. The theater filled to capacity and we were running half an hour late (that sounds bad, but is music to the ears of filmmakers and festival organizers). It was well worth the wait. Prime did not disappoint. Mukul Khurana