“Four Eyed Monsters”, “Second Life”, Avatars & “Mackies”

As part of the baby boomer generation my participation in electronic games included pinball, space invaders and pac man. Since than the world of gamers has grown exponentially leaving me in the dust. Occasionally I get pulled into the game world when my kids play. But I’m not really interested in advancing my skills. I would much rather read a book or see a movie than pursue the offerings of GameCube, XBox and Nintendo.

But the business of electronic games is huge and its economic impact surpassed movies years ago. The phenomenon bears critical attention if one is to understand where the entertainment industry is headed. Recently theatres have explored interactive video games in movie theatres with Halo and other games.

I recently ran across an article about a virtual movie theatre. You must join the virtual world “Second Life” on the web. Once you create an avatar (a graphical image that represents a you) you can participate in this virtual world. “Second Life” hosted the Machinima Awards at their Luguana Beach Theater.

The Academy of Machinima Arts & Sciences gives their Mackie awards to the best film-making done within a real time, 3D environment.  You can see this years nominees and winners at their website. Real people participated in the ceremonies held at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, New York.

The virtual world premiere of feature length film “Four Eyed Monsters” happened yesterday. Space was limited to 5o avatars at each virtual screening room. Both of the filmmakers were there as their avatars and did a live video stream to introduce the film, answer questions and interact with the audience.

Directors Susan Buice and Arin Crumley

Digichromatography

“Digichromatography” is the process that was used to restore the photos for this extraordinary exhibiton from The Library Congress. “The Empire That Was Russia” presents Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii’s color photographs. Shot for Tsar Nicholas II between the years 1909-1912, and again in 1915 they give us a unique look into the past.

Silent Movie

Queen Antinea (Stacia Napierkowska), a woman so beautiful that men kill themselves when she rejects them.

Yikes!

Wednesday – Day Three (Three Months Later)

The name BackBay is appropriate seeing how often I post. Maybe BarnacleBay would be better. I sometimes get stuck on things and I stop in my tracks. As I wrote of my reaction to La Moustache I mulled on the issue of how much of the film one should reveal. Anyone that loves film prefers cold viewings so that the experience is unmediated by others. Of course we all need gatekeepers; those whose opinions we respect to winnow down the choices and point out paths we might take.

The so called “plasticity of film”, the unique character of film to manipulate time and space is used masterfully in La Moustache. It is a wonderfully enigmatic film that requires viewer investment in the main character and participation in its narrative meaning. La Moustache seems a study of the internal/external psychological space of a man in crisis. What happens to him only becomes clear if you connect the very first images and sounds to the middle and end of the film. I found it fascinating and deserving of a second viewing.

Day Two

Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus is a film that I have purposely avoided on the small screen. I was rewarded today with a big screen experience of this epic at The State Theatre. The presentation included a musical prologue and intermission music. It is a great film with a stellar cast: Woody Strode, Tony Curtis, Lawrence Olivier, Charles Laughton, Kirk Douglas and Peter Ustinov.

Iron Island is a very rich film with a illusive but resonant ending. The print was damaged somewhat badly in spots. I think that it was a testament to Bill Hill’s work that it went through the projector without interruption.

At 10:00 pm. I saw O Lucky Malcolm a really fine documentary about Malcolm McDowell. We waited for Michael to come from cancelling the outdoor screening of Jurasic Park.        He came in soaked for the introduction of director/producer Jan Harlan and Malcolm McDowell . Malcolm bounded on to the stage at Old Town Playhouse exclaiming he came because he would do anything for Michael Moore. He feels that the questions that Michael asks in his films were not being asked. The Q & A after the film was a treat. This program may be my favorite of the Festival which no doubt holds further gems.

Opening Night

My son and I went to the 9:00 pm. screening of Pittsburgh. Jeff Goldblum executive produced and stars in this self-referential comedy. The real dazzle of the evening came before the film started. A band I had never heard of did a mini concert for the audience and they were outstanding. The Archipelago Project from Connecticut is a 12 piece band made up of ten brass players, a drummer and a keyboardist/vocalist. Two of their members are from Traverse City. The band comes to Michigan every summer for two weeks of rehearsing. They will be playing outdoors for Saturday’s screening of Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.

Traverse City Film Festival

The second TCFF opens Monday. Boston Light & Sound is back handling the projection of film. Bill Hill of Hilltop Productions is back film inspection, makeup and traffic control. The Kubrick retrospective is 35mm film. Standardized Technical Services is new this year. They will handle all electronic image presentations.

Michael Moore, Doug Stanton and John Robert Williams are the Festival Directors. They have put together a program that demands sampling but really a diving in by true cineastes.

The fundamentals are in place: a program that you can sink your teeth into, professional presentation and by the early indications a smash with the public.