FILM- The best of the Fest: Experts weigh in on their faves

Lindsay Barnes

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)

Friday, November 2, 10pm, Newcomb Hall,

Sunday, November 4, 4:15pm, Regal Downtown

With films like 12 Angry Men, Network, Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon already in the cinematic canon, nobody would blame Sidney Lumet if he took some time to rest on his well-earned laurels. But the 83-year-old filmmaker has shown no sign of slowing down, having made the true-crime-comedy Find Me Guilty last year and packing an emotional wallop in this urban family melodrama starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke as brothers planning to rob their parents' jewelry store.

Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (2007)

Thursday, November 1, 10pm

Newcomb Hall

Thirty years after director Julien Temple made his name as the man who introduced the Sex Pistols to moviegoers in The Great Rock 'n Roll Swindle, comes this personal project about a good friend gone too soon. With help from Bono, Johnny Depp, Anthony Kiedis, and John Cusack, he tells the story of the man who gave punk rock its conscience as the frontman of the Clash. 

The Killer Within (2006)

Saturday, November 3, 7:15pm

Regal Downtown

On April 16, when 32 Virginia Tech students and faculty died at the hands of one of their own, the news hit home for people who had been at Swarthmore College in 1955. That's when student Bob Bechtel opened fire in his dormitory, killing one student and intending to kill many more. Upon his release from prison, Bechtel reinvented himself as a family man and a professor of psychology at the University of Arizona, keeping his crime a secret. Documentarian Macky Alston was there to make this film when Bechtel revealed the truth to his daughters, 50 years after pulling the trigger.

Ghosts (2006)

Thursday, November 1, 7pm

Regal Downtown

After making such provocative documentaries as Aileen: The Life and Death of a Serial Killer and Biggie & Tupac, Nick Broomfield has recently experimented with feature films that re-enact actual events using "actors" who experienced the real-life events themselves. His debut in the genre is this film about Chinese immigrants in Great Britain working hard for not much money.

Romance and Cigarettes (2007)

Saturday, November 3, 6:30pm

Paramount Theater

John Turturro's been known for his share of off-kilter performances on screen (see p. xx) but here he sits in the director's chair to make his third feature: a musical about family and infidelity in working class New York. The darkly comedic romp features  James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Christopher Walken and a host of others singing songs popularized by everyone from Elvis Presley to Cyndi Lauper. 

Lindsay Barnes is the Hook's special sections editor.

COURTESY OF THE VIRGINIA FILM FESTIVAL

Justin Humphreys

Shadow of a Doubt (1943) 

Sunday, November 4, 1pm

Vinegar Hill

One of Alfred Hitchcock's subtlest, most misanthropic films. Brilliantly cast against type, Joseph Cotten shines as the mordant Uncle Charlie, Little Charlie's (Teresa Wright) beloved namesake, who introduces his niece to humanity's vilest side. Among other things, Shadow is a hilarious critique of the adult world: notice how infinitely sharper Charlie and her younger siblings are than their elders. Shadow is also, in short, an absolute masterpiece. 

Crocodile Dreaming (2007)

Saturday, November 3, 1pm

Regal Downtown

The promising young Australian documentary filmmaker Darlene Johnson (Following the Rabbit-Proof Fence) returns to the Festival with her most ambitious film yet, drawn from Aboriginal folklore. Crocodile stars her fellow Film Fest alumnus David Gulpilil, and was filmed in Australia's North Arnhem Land, Gulpilil's home territory.

Mommie Dearest (1981)

Saturday, November 3, midnight

Gravity Lounge

Possibly the best monster movie of the last 30 years. Faye Dunaway's star turn as maniacally ambitious, abusive show-biz mom and make-up addict Joan Crawford is equal parts Cruella DeVille, The Wizard of Oz's Miss Gulch, and the Grand High Witch from Roald Dahl's The Witches. No charge for this free screening, and, of course, no wire hangers!

Mildred Pierce (1945)

Saturday, November 3, 10:15pm

Regal Downtown

This tale of motherly love at its most extreme, starring Joan Crawford, is a hellishly perfect companion to Mommie Dearest's portrait of the real Crawford. A solid film noir directed by the prolific, dependable Michael Curtiz and based on the fabulous James M. Cain's (The Postman Always Rings Twice) novel. 

Killer of Sheep (1977)

Thursday, November 1, 1o:15pm, Regal Downtown

Friday, November 2, 10:15am, Regal Downtown

Charles Burnett's impressive debut focuses squarely on the worst of blue collar adult life in '70s Watts, but is highlighted by its sequences of carefree kids just being kids in the pre-cable TV/computer game era. Scenes like those and the film's often lilting musical selections eerily underscore its bleak portrait of a slaughterhouse worker's daily trials.  

Justin Humphreys is a Hook contributor and author who just completed his second book, George Pal: Man of Tomorrow. His debut, Names You Never Remember, With Faces You Never Forget, was released in 2006.

COURTESY OF THE VIRGINIA FILM FESTIVAL

Derek Sieg

Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

Friday, November 2, 1pm

Regal Downtown

This movie is much more than a rare glimpse of James Dean; it's a masterful work of one of America's greatest directors, Nicolas Ray. Ray worked with actors better than anyone, and it's as evident in Rebel as anywhere. Pitch-perfect performances and relentless tension are the handiwork of a sensitive craftsman.

Ghosts (2006)

Thursday, November 1, 7pm

Regal Downtown

Anyone who has seen his documentaries knows that Nick Broomfield has an extraordinary way of exposing the vulnerable center of personalities and situations. The application of this talent to a narrative makes Ghosts, a story about illegal immigration in Britain, a must-see.

Autism: The Musical (2007)

Friday, November 2, 6:30pm

Paramount Theater

This is a profoundly touching look at this growing segment of our society. The film, produced by Culpeper native Perrin Chiles, is humbling, sometimes frightening, and, in the end, hope-inspiring as it urges us to love equally the challenging members of our families.

Killer of Sheep (1977)

Thursday, November 1, 1o:15pm, Regal Downtown

Friday, November 2, 10:15am, Regal Downtown

This New Wave-esque drama is a mesmerizing piece of realism that broke new ground not only for African-American film but for cinema in general. The filmmaking, which tells its story with exquisite authenticity, appears to have inspired Charlottesville's own Kevin Everson, among many others. 

The Kid (1921)

Sunday, November 4, 1pm

Victory Theatre, Scottsville

Charlie Chaplin is well known for his iconic comedic roles. Less notoriety is given to his ground-breaking work as a director and entrepreneur. Chaplin's first feature-length film, The Kid is an early glimpse into the genius that would go on to form United Artists (in a way, the first independent film company) and create a lasting legacy of both films and renegade spirit. Seeing a movie with live musical accompaniment is always a great experience.

Derek Sieg is a filmmaker who came back to his native Charlottesville to shoot his feature film debut, Swedish Auto, in 2005 and returned again to show the finished product starring January Jones and Lukas Haas at the 2006 Virginia Film Festival. 

COURTESY OF THE VIRGINIA FILM FESTIVAL

Steve Warren

Honeydripper (2007)

Thursday, November 1, 7pm

Paramount Theater

You could go see Rebel Without a Cause on Friday, but if you prefer the ‘50s recreated rather than revisited, John Sayles' latest takes you to Danny Glover's Alabama juke-joint on a make-or-break weekend. Glover is advertising an appearance by a guitar legend who probably won't show, but he may get to discover a talented substitute who will take the blues electric as they begin to morph into rock and roll. If the music's as good as it should be, the drama will just be gravy, but Sayles usually makes good gravy.

For the Bible Tells Me So (2007)

Friday, November 2, 4pm

Regal Downtown

This documentary recaps all the arguments, especially scripture-based ones, for and against homosexuality. Stories of five families with gay or lesbian children are interspersed with well-chosen TV snippets and comments from clergy, scholars, and mental health professionals. Although both sides are heard from, it's obvious where the film's sympathies lie. It probably won't be seen by anyone it could influence, but others may find new talking points for their next debate, since debates on this topic are far from over.

The Savages (2007)

Friday, November 2, 10pm

Paramount Theater

It's being pushed for award consideration, and with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney playing Savage siblings, it could have a shot. The stars are brought together by the need to find a nursing home for their father (Philip Bosco) in this dramedy by Tamara Jenkins, who took nearly a decade to follow up her breakthrough film, Slums of Beverly Hills (also screening and definitely worth seeing.)

Starting Out in the Evening (2007)

Friday, November 2, 7pm

Regal Downtown

It appears that this would work just as well on the stage, where star Frank Langella won a Tony this year for Frost/Nixon. He plays a legendary writer about whom Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under) is determined to do her thesis, despite interference from his daughter (Lili Taylor). The relationship between the old man and the young woman becomes more intimate than either intends.

Grey Gardens (1975)

Friday November 2, Midnight

Gravity Lounge

Speaking of Tony awards, this year's runner-up for best musical was an adaptation of Grey Gardens, the Maysles Brothers' 1975 documentary about Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter, "Little Edie." The two were cousins of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and this groundbreaking work documents their life in a decaying East Hampton mansion. At the time of filming they were 82 and 56 respectively, eccentric codependents living largely in the past. It's bizarre and unforgettable.

Steve Warren is the Hook's film critic.

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