Finally, a Puppet Show for Adults: Sunflower Hour

Have you ever wondered who’s behind the loveable faces of your children’s – and yours? – favorite television personalities? Wonder no more! Sunflower Hour (2011) is a hilarious glimpse into the lives of four puppeteer hopefuls – the suspiciously Irish Shamus O’Reilly (Ben Cotton), closeted homophobe Leslie Handover (Patrick Gilmore), Satan’s Spawn, a.k.a., Olivia (Kacey Rohol) the gothic teenager with the vulnerable underbelly, and the passionate David Spencer (Amitai Marmorstein) – as they complete to win a place on Vancouver’s favorite children’s show, Sunflower Hour.

Run by adult entertainment producer turned children’s television show exec Donald Dirk (Peter New), Sunflower Hour is recruiting new talent and Donald’s ex-porn star wife Melissa (Johannah Newmarch) – who’s out to destroy him – has made sure that only the best of the worst made it through to the final round. This bawdy mockumentary follows Shamus, Leslie, Satan’s Spawn and David as they face down naysayers – often from within their own less-than-supportive families – on their journey to stardom.

With cutting humor, more sexual innuendo than you can shake a stick at – and then some – and heartfelt looks at how these four misfits became the people they are today, Sunflower Hour is sure to please. Don’t miss the encore screening of Sunflower Hour Saturday, October 1 at 9:30pm at The Plaza Theatre.

~Shannon McClennan
@shannoetry

Detective Dee Doesn’t Disappoint

It’s AD690 and, to mark her appointment as the first female Emperor of China, Empress Wu Zetian (Carina Lau) has commissioned a 66 yard statue of the Buddha outside the palace courtyard. When officials associated with the construction mysteriously combust, burning from the inside-out, the Empress is forced to release the great Detective Dee (Andy Lau) from prison to solve the case before her impending coronation.

Imprisoned for treason these past eight years by the Empress, Dee – driven by his curiosity more than love for the Empress – and his band of reluctant colleagues, Pei Donglai (Chao Deng) and Shangguan Jing’er (Li Bingbing) – handmaiden and loyal servant of the Empress – undertake the perilous task of determining who, or what, is behind the inexplicable deaths. Pursued by unknown mercenaries at every step, Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (Di Renjie) (2010) (Cantonese with English subtitles) is filled with intrigue, action and sumptuous scenery.

Drawing from the likes of The Hound of the Baskervilles, Detective Dee is an action-mystery film that at first blush is steeped in magic but, like the Sherlock Holmes classic, is easily explained through science and logic by the cunning Detective. With enough twists to keep you guessing until the film reaches its end, Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame is sure to delight action/drama/mystery/martial arts film fans alike, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the DVD.

Don’t miss the encore screening of Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame Thursday, September 29 at 9:30pm at the Globe Cinema. For more information, check out this review from Press Play.

~Shannon McClennan
@shannoetry

A Revolution in Red

Less than 50 years ago, Beijing had one sex shop. Today, the city boasts more than 2,000 shops, and more than 70 per cent of the world’s sex toys are manufacturered in China. With a population of more than one billion, the Chinese “have more sex than any other people in the world”, making the business of sex is a good one, at least that’s what Shunzi (Jun Zhao) is hoping.

Red Light Revolution (2010) tells the story of a down-and-out cab driver who can’t seem to sort his life out. After losing his job and his wife – who leaves him for another man and kicks him out of their apartment – Shunzi is forced to move in with his parents who, despite their advancing age, lead an active sex life. When Shunzi runs into an old classmate, Jiang  (Xiduo Jiang), Jiang  shares the secret of his success as an accomplished event planner – sex toys. In order to accrue startup capital, Jiang started his business selling a full range of toys and accessories, and is famous as the inventor of the “Karaoke Dildo”. Believing that his might be Shunzi’s ticket out off his parent’s couch and back into his wife’s arms, Jiang introduces Shunzi to Iggy (Masanobu Otsuka), a high-powered Japanese investor who makes much of his living shifting XXX stock through Chinese vendors.

Under the threat of failure – and broken kneecaps – Shunzi opens a small shop with his coworker, Lili (Vivid Wang), and together, the two newcomers blindly attempt to make a living while maintaining some modicum of dignity. While things start off slowly, Shunzi soon learns that, as with most things considered illicit, the purchase of marital aids are best left to the cover of darkness. But when the neighborhood watch threatens to close down Shunzi and Lili’s business, Shunzi’s mother and father are forced to share the secret of their passion.

This endearing film is filled with humor, expertly depicting Shunzi’s awkward journey that’s beautifully-acted by the entire cast. Don’t miss the Hump Night showing of Red Light Revolution, Wednesday, September 28 at 9:15pm at the Plaza Theatre, with an encore screening Sunday, October 2 at 9:30pm at the Globe Cinema.

~Shannon McClennan
@shannoetry

What’s Age Got to do with It?

The Mavericks selection Old Goats (2010) from writer-director Taylor Guterson, was one of the many films that instantly caught my attention. When I first read the synopsis, I had two thoughts: 1) “Sounds like a real-life Grumpy Old Men, I can dig it”, and 2) “My dad will love this”. Old Goats isn’t Grumpy Old Men, but that doesn’t detract from the film one bit. Filled with the honest humor and laid-back realism that made films like Grumpy Old Men such a classic, Old Goats provides a rarely seen glimpse into the lives of “senior” men.

Bob (Bob Burkholder), Britt (Britton Crosley) and Dave (David Vander Wal) come together through a senior’s fitness class in a sleepy Pacific Northwest town. Bob is a “calls-em-like-I-sees-em” wise-cracker who doesn’t let his advancing age keep him down. Constantly busy with a roster of weekly events – and a selection of lady friends – he refuses to cut friends/neighbors/random strangers any slack when passing on his pearls of wisdom and to-the-point honesty. Britt, on the other hand, seems to have lived a somewhat more timid life, spending the past thirty-some years living on a modest sailboat that has never seen the open water. Britt dreams of sailing to Hawaii, but when confronted with the prospect of the ‘newness’ of unknown travel, recoils below deck to wait it out. Meanwhile, Dave, a recently retired businessman, struggles with his lack of routine and forms a deep and unexpected connection with the two men.

When Dave and Bob introduce Britt to the world wide web and the wide world of online dating, Britt is forced out of his comfort zone, armed with a WiFi connection and mobile phone. Not quite a mockumentary, Old Goats offers an entertaining and creative twist on the way we perceive the lives of the plus-5o crowd and is certain to charm audiences, both young and old.

Old Goats sees its Canadian premiere Saturday, September 24th at 7:00pm at Eau Claire Market Cineplex Odeon, with an encore screening Monday, September 26th at 9:30pm at The Plaza Theatre. My dad loved it, and I think you will, too.

~Shannon McClennan
@shannoetry

Of Fathers and Daughters: Piano in a Factory

When I first read the synopsis for Piano in a Factory (Gang De Qin) (2010) it instantly made my “Must see” list. The film opens with a divorce, with our hero, Chen (Wang Qian-yuan) loosing his wife to another, more wealthy man. Against the backdrop of economic hardship, Chen struggles to make payments to keep is daughter in piano lessons, and when the pair is caught practicing at the music school in the middle of the night, he’s forced to manufacture a new way for his daughter to continue practicing.

Chen goes to great lengths to give his daughter access to a piano  – building her a wooden keyboard, breaking and entering, attempted theft – before finally determining that the best way to give her a piano of her very own is to build one. Drawing on his friends, relatives and coworkers, Chen pools their collective skills – steel working, key cutting, music theory – to build a piano from scrap metal and recycled materials. What results is an incredibly touching portrait of a father who’ll do whatever it takes to provide for his child.

In the face of a demanding wife, a budding relationship with a friend and colleague, the threat of losing custody of his daughter, financial limitations, personal struggle and a slew of challenges we face on a daily basis, Chen approaches Brother Jin – who runs the now defunct steel factory – for space, supplies and materials needed to realize his plan. Interspersed with flashes of genuine humor and Russian ballads, Piano in a Factory is a quirky, charming and utterly endearing film that I would happily watch many times over.

Piano in a Factory (Cantonese with English subtitles) sees its Alberta premiere Saturday, September 24 at 11:45am at the Globe Cinema with an encore screening Wednesday, September 28 at 7:15pm.

~Shannon McClennan
@shannoetry

Radio Free Albemuth

Adapted from Philip K. Dick’s 1985 novel by the same name, Radio Free Albemuth (2010) is a curious bird, blending dystopian society, technology, extraterrestrial life, religion and the notion of free will into one Maverick film.

When Nick Brady (Jonathan Scarfe) begins receiving visions – or transmissions –  from an unknown alien presence he refers to as VALIS (Vast Active Living Intelligence System), he uproots his life, and that of his wife, and relocates from Berkeley, California, to Los Angeles. Taking a job as a record executive at Progressive Records, Nick soon discovers that the messages he receives from VALIS offer him insight into the future. Nick shares his insights and visions with his good friend Phil (Shea Wingham), a science fiction writer, Nick soon draws the attention of the Gestapo-like group Friends of the American People – under the rule of the tyrannical U.S. President Ferris F. Fremont (Scott Wilson). As Nick continues to receive information about the purpose of VALIS and the mysterious Aramchek organization, he devises a plan to spread the good word of VALIS via subliminal messages embedded in an upcoming album Progressive Records is releasing.

Part V for Vendetta and part Battlefield Earth, Radio Free Albemuth rejects government dominion, while at the same time seeking answers through aligning with the values of a higher being. Though it was written in 1976 – and published posthumously in 1985 – the themes found in Dick’s novel transcend decades to offer a commentary on government censorship and control that’s relevent today. Featuring Alanis Morrisette in a lead role as Sylvia  Aramchek, a singer and member of the elusive Aramchek organization, the film paints an eerie picture of a society where anything and anyone can be labelled as “subversive”.

Radio Free Albemuth sees its Canadian premiere, with director John Alan Simon in attendance, on Saturday, September 24th at 4:15pm at The Plaza Theatre, with an encore screening Sunday, September 25th at 9:30pm.

~Shannon McClennan
@shannoetry

Let the Festing Begin!

It’s that time of year once again, when summer days grow short and the brisk breath of autumn hangs in the morning air only to be pushed aside by a September heatwave. As the nights begin to grow longer, and the daylight steadily decreases, have no fear – the gently turning leaves signify one thing: the Calgary International Film Festival has returned.

While we may not be able to spend as many of our waking hours floating the Bow or enjoying the river pathways, we take solace in knowing that the next ten days will find us tucked comfortably in a host of cozy cinemas, the buttery sweetness of popcorn wafting through the air as we absorb all the drama, intrigue, suspense, romance, anger, frustration, comedy, questions and heartbreak CIFF 2011 has to offer.

I began this film fest season as I do every year – by meticulously scouring the Program Guide, reading every film synopsis and attempting to balance my calendar full of films. The worst of it is, there’s hardly a film I don’t want to see. As such, I’ve broken down this year’s selections into five convenient categories:

1. Must see
2. Have to see
3. Gotta see
4. Can’t miss
5. Don’t forget to watch

Attending a film festival is both an art and a science. As you can imagine, my combined “Must see”, “Have to see” and “Gotta see” lists account for more than 40 percent of the 2011 lineup. Aside from taking a few days off work, I’ve developed an algorithm specifically-designed to account for all film-related variables and help me maximize my film-watching enjoyment:

With any luck, by the time the 2011 festival reaches it’s sad but necessary conclusion on October 2, I’ll leave the cinema a little bit wiser, a little more bleary-eyed and blissfully exhausted. How about you?

~Shannon McClennan
@shannoetry

Loving Maria

The first five minutes of Maria My Love are a feast for the senses. No dialogue, just life moving forward in quiet regularity.

Struggling under the weight of her mother’s death and her father’s imperfection, Ana (Judy Marte) has closed herself off from her family and, to a certain extent, from life itself. That is, until she meets Ben (Brian Reiger).
Girl meets boy as is often the way – in that unassuming, unexpected and perfect way – simply by chance. There’s something in Ben’s patient, honest affection that inspires Ana to seek contentment, leading her back to her half-sister, Grace (Lauren Fales), where Ana considers the slow and timid process of rebuilding and reviving.

Along the way, Ana stumbles upon the eccentric Maria (Karen Black), a hoarder. Somehow drawn to Maria, Ana attempts to walk the narrow road between “helpful” and “disruptive”, coming into the hoarder’s long-closed-off home offering to clean, as if unearthing Maria’s life will give her own organized chaos some meaning. Slowly, as Maria and Ana share the details of their lives and losses, Maria helps Ana find the value of holding on to things while inadvertently teaching her how to let go.

I was instantly struck by how genuine this film is – the conversations are candid and familiar, filled with the emotion, longing and guarded reserve we’ve all experienced. Every scene feels like real life – from the flashes of heartache, to the struggle to overcome personal fears, to the inexplicable trust we have in the occasional stranger.

Maria My Love sees it’s Canadian Premiere at the first night of the 2011 festival, playing Friday, September 23 at 5:00pm at the Globe Cinema, with an encore screening Sunday, September 25 at 7:30pm. Don’t miss the opportunity to be taken in by this truly beautiful film.

~Shannon McClennan
@shannoetry