by Larry Richman
September 26, 2006 10:41 PM

Now that the excitement has settled down and it's possible to reflect back on the festival, a few random thoughts come to mind. I didn't say enough about a few films and said nothing about several others which were mentioned in my initial "roundup" post.

Among the indies which have distribution and will be released soon, "All the Boys Love Mandy Lane" is really a must-see. Strap yourself in quickly. The party scene incident within the first few minutes of the film was the first signal that this was not going to be your typical teen sex/romance story. You could hear the audience gasp. It's excting to me when a film takes a dark turn and that was it. It was a wild ride after that and kept me guessing all along. It has stayed in my mind and I cannot wait to see it again.

In the documentary category, "The U.S. vs. John Lennon" was actually the best of all the 30+ films I saw, although it's hard to compare documentaries to indies. But if someone asked me, "what one film is a must-see?" that would be it. I'm not certain it will have more than limited distribution, though. I know that the DVD will be out very soon, possibly before Christmas, with a soundtrack CD as a companion. Get them. You won't regret it.

The other documentary I had cited previously was "Radiant City." It was a standout for me because I studied urban planning in school, albeit a long time ago. Suburbanization is one of my favorite topics. The director follows a family of four as they describe life in their "community." I thought the kid was hilarious, as did the audience. Laughter obscured many of the lines. At that point in the week I was in the mood for something light and that was it. It may not be your cup of tea, but if you live in a suburban tract community you'll be able to relate. And the ending may shock you. It's worth seeing.

There were about ten foreign films on my list. "Chacun Sa Nuit" was one I attended late in the week. It just impressed me for its boldness. It was so un-American and un-Hollywood and that, to me, is what the best foreign films are all about. What is revealed at the end made it that much more profound for me. Films that push the sexual envelope are what art is all about and this one certainly did. Most films are so prudish. It was very controversial, and may not play outside art houses (if at all) but is as good as an example as I've seen of why American films are generally fairly tame in comparison to those who partake of foreign films on a regular basis. It's not for everyone, but if you have an open mind you'll love it.

There are a couple of other films which I have left to write a bit about. In particular, "The Dog Problem" and "End of the Line," which are on my list of indies, and "Glue" and "Nue Propriete," among the foreign films. That will round off the list.

The Woodstock Film Festival will be my next stop, in 3 weeks, mainly for 2 films: "Off the Black" and "Fierce People." A few days later I will be traveling to the Hamptons International Film Festival, which is arguably #1 in its focus on foreign films and indies. The world premiere of "Black Irish" is what I'm looking forward to more than anything. All 3 of those films have friends of mine in them so it's somewhat personal.