Ten Suggestions for True/False

I promise. This will be my last post on the True/False Film Festival until next year's event. I just have a few requests of the fest since there were none of those suggestion boxes sitting around at the theaters. There are probably very good reasons why these few ideas are not already in place, but you never know. One of my ideas could be that thing that everyone else wishes would change about the event.

1. Sell the merch online. I like to buy at least a t-shirt and possibly a sweatshirt or poster every year. I already know that I'm going to do this. It would be cool if we could order our merch online around the same time we purchase passes or reserve tickets. I'm sure there was some merchandise left over at the end of the weekend. An online story would allow those who didn't get a chance to buy a souvenir.

2. Feature or help curate at least one local film to feature in the festival.True/False already does a ton of great things for new and upcoming filmmakers and features locals in Gimme Truth. What if the festival either offered some funding and a festival slot for one local filmmaker or even curated a film about something unique to COMO? This would be a big hit with the community.

3. Find films on the following topics: Deerhunter's Bradford Cox, the local food scene in central MO, the craft beer movement, Ragtag & True/False story (or save it for T/F's tenth year), the failures of No Child Left Behind, Werner Herzog eating a shoe, etc.

4. Show more films throughout the week leading up to True/False. The full gambit of films available on Thursday (along with other random screenings) just makes my mouth water. What if T/F were to show a few of the more anticipated films throughout the week at The Ragtag? I'd be there and it would allow me to see more films.

5. Promote the music of T/F more. The only thing I found on the musical acts was this page that just has a short bio, not even a link to anyone's MySpace page. Every band has a MySpace page. The festival could also put together a compilation of music from the artists, available at every venue. The sales could replace the tip jars that get passed at every screening.

6. Hire Beirut to play the March March. I am loving Beirut's new double EP March of the Zapotec/Holland. Zach Condon's band of merry hipster Gypsies would be perfect for such a whimsical event. Then they could play the Note for the opening night concert.

7. Allow Simple pass holders to see films on Thursday aside from involving the Q. It is difficult to see eleven or twelve films in a weekend (with a sick baby). Making that one extra day available to Simple pass holders would greatly help in our efforts to overdo the nonfiction film push.

8. Provide lactation rooms. It's not fun to have to run from a movie, hop in the car, drive to an unpopulated level in a downtown parking garage, and eventually hurry back to see the next movie. we did this several times over the weekend. If R had a place to pump that didn't require us to run around so frantically, we would have enjoyed the weekend more and been able to stay for the Q and A's.

9. Involve 9th Street Video in selling the filmmakers' wares. A lot of the filmmakers have other films to sell or their own merchandise. Make 9th Street the headquarters for such transactions. Not only could the filmmakers make a little extra cash, but 9th Street would surely benefit from the added traffic.

10. Hold a workshop for bloggers and aspiring film critics. I know very little about film (as you can probably tell), but this festival really seemed to rely on bloggers getting the word out this year about all the great films that came to town. A workshop, similar to those for filmmakers, for bloggers, aspiring journalists, and critics could be a nice way to further the conversation about nonfiction films.

Regardless of whether True/False takes any of my suggestions seriously, the festival is still my favorite thing that happens here in COMO.

True/False Film Festival: Day 3

True/False finally came to a close today. R and I squeezed in three more films before taking it easy this evening. The children of the corn took in another four flicks and I grilled them over pizza and beer.

The day began with us heading over to Stephens College for The Mosque of Morgantown. If you recall, R had a particular interest in the film since it took place in West Virginia, her home state (unless you count her birthplace of Detroit as her home). Anyway, the film was really well done by the first-time filmmaker Brittany Huckabee. The film focused on journalist Asra Nomani's fight to liberate her mosque. At times, Nomani comes off as overly dramatic, pushy, and intolerant...Then I wondered if I just felt that way because she was a woman. Either way, she was right to fight for equity in her mosque, but the argument is anything but black and white.

Thanks to folks leaving town this morning, we were near the front of the Q for Love on Delivery. Thai women travel to Denmark to find a better life for themselves and their families back home through marriages to Danish men. Although I suspected a highly politicized drama about human trafficking, it was a pleasant surprise to see that it was really a story about improving one's position in life and learning to love both a new partner as well as a new home.

Before I move on, I should mention the openers for Love on Delivery. "Scared" was an audio short from the Third Coast International Audio Festival that described the fears of parenthood in a way that made all the new parents in the audience weepy. Tongzhi Love was a doc short that followed the closeted lives of young gay men in China. This was maybe one of the three best things I saw the entire festival.

Our festival ended with Burma VJ, the recipient of the True Life Fund. The military junta in Burma brutally imprisoned and murdered all who protested their fascist regime, including rather "dangerous" Buddhist monks. A group of underground journalists have recorded their governments brutality and have smuggled the footage via the Internet to the international media. The film was gripping and intense. The only problem, as with several films we watched this festival, it lacked any sort of context. It would really help to know some of the background of Burma without having to visit Wikipedia.

After returning home early to eat some Indian (and drink yet another Hopslam), the children of the corn arrived with pizza and a report on the weekend's films. Here's a rundown of their list...

• We Live in Public: So many stories have been done before, but this one was new. The dude who created the Internet (along with Al Gore) filmed volunteers in a basement of a hotel with Japanese-like pods and interrogation rooms. A mind fuck. Whoa.
  
• Secret Screening Blue: They liked the prison rodeo. Actual title:[Title: Redacted]. "I like an Oklahoma prison documentary every now and then."
  
• Necrobusiness: Interesting story, needed to be edited. It's very typical of a Eastern European doc where you're not exactly sure who they're talking about...like an Eastern European spy movie.
  
• Waltz with Bashir: The one thing that made it was that it switches format from animated to not. If you're scared of those Charles Schwab commercials, don't see this. It makes Mrs. Children of the Corn nervous.
  
• Pressure Cooker: We've seen this story before: a school story with a competition, but still good.
• Crude: They spent the last 20 minutes just waiting for it to end.
  
• At the Edge of the World: Beautiful...and bleeding whales. The film was about a guy taking a bunch of hippies who have never been out to sea out to sea. Someone's gonna get hurt.
  
• Rise Up: Apparently the filmmaker walked around Jamaica on his own, filming musicians. It was the best documentary about the Jamaican music business at 11:30 pm.
  
• Food, Inc.: They loved the clever opening credits...and the rest of the film.
  
• War Against the Week: "Our war against sleep." A step above a film strip. "We found our dud."
  
• Big River Man: Strangely narrated by the subject's son and not the filmmaker. A guy swims the Amazon. Who would do that after watching Crude.
  
• The Yes Men Fix the World: Loved it! Maybe the favorite film, perfect festival ending. Possibly the only closing film people have loved more was American Shopper.
  

A final beer note: Mr. Children of the Corn and I shared an O'Fallon Barrel-Aged Smoked Porter. It's really smooth and actually tastes like a cold whiskey. It's a good beer, but I don't think it's $16 good. Oh well.

Eventually, I will get around to making my suggestions for True/False. Overall, I have little to complain about, but I feel a few things could be better. Still, I'm glad True/False is here and can't wait until next year's festival.

True/False Film Festival: Day 2

Lucia still was not herself this morning, so we skipped any early opportunities at a Q. Instead, we had a nice, leisurely morning. We decided to alter our schedule a little, opting to see The Yes Men Fix the World instead of Reporter.

R suddenly realized that in order to make the Q for our first movie of the day, we had to leave an hour earlier than if we just used our tickets for the other film. There was a mad rush to get us to the Macklanburg on time. Luckily, we slipped in and a ticket-carrying friend saved us some prime seating.

I was already familiar with the Yes Men's work. They jam the corporate culture with gags that would impress Michael Moore. In one such gag, the men of yes convince the BBC that they are representatives of Dow Chemical. Let's just say that was not their last deception as they cost the company millions on the stock market, all in the name of social justice. It was truly one of the most enjoyable films I've seen at T/F over the years. I laughed out loud as the Yes Men took down corporation after corporation. It turns out that I could have saved some of those laughs for what was to come.

(We actually saw one of the Yes Men hurrying into the theater as we were leaving. R told him we loved his film. He had a look of horror, "The movie's already over?" and ran inside.)

After a lunch break at home (and a Hopslam), we headed back out to see Rough Aunties. Where The Yes Men... was maybe the most enjoyable film I've seen at the festival, this one was the most gut-wrenching. The film follows a groups of women in South Africa who advocate for abused and neglected children. I have always had a hard time watching tales of child abuse on film, but now that I am a father, I couldn't stop crying. On top of all this was the fact that the filmmaker was able to capture so many intimate moments like when one of the aunties would interview a child concerning her sexual abuse or when an auntie mourned the tragic drowning of her only son. You can donate to their cause here.

Crude, like Yes Men, was another David vs. Goliath story. However, this one was not nearly as fun or as entertaining. The film followed the lawyers for indigenous groups living along the Amazon in Ecuador who are now suffering from the decades of drilling and polluting by Chevron/Texaco. The film was extremely well-done and really made the case for policy changes in environmental protection, human rights, and judicial systems. It seems that if you're a giant, multinational corporation, you can afford to keep any case in litigation forever no matter what the facts say.

On a side note...In Crude, Sting's wife - who will now be referred to as "Sting's wife" or "Mrs. Sting" or "Trudie Styler" - did a lot for raising awareness and in providing a temporary solution to some of the people's fresh water problem. Mrs. Sting made sure to mention that her husband Sting is very supportive of the plight of the Amazon and the people who call it home. Trudie called her husband by the name "Sting". I wondered aloud, "Does Trudie Styler really call her husband 'Sting'?" I mean, he's more than earned the right to only be referred to as "Sting", but doesn't a spouse get to call her partner by his given name? I just found it rather humorous that Ms. Styler refers to her husband as "Sting" and not "Gordan".

I think I'm off-track here...

Food Inc. was a slick, well-produced, and comprehensive rundown of what's wrong with our food. The film did very little to change any minds in the audience of slow food-loving farmers market regulars. It confirmed everything R and I think/feel whenever we go grocery shopping. In fact, the entire audience seemed to be filled with the already-converted as cheers would go out for higher E. coli counts or ammonia in our beef. R had the misfortune of sitting next to a perpetual agreer. Every point made on the film - and there was a lot of them - was followed with an emphatic "mmm-hmm". I thought I was in church for a moment.


We've seen very little of the children of the corn this weekend. They did hold seats for us at Crude before taking off for At the Edge of the World. So far, they've enjoyed the festival. Here are the children of the corn highlights...

• We Live in Public was as intriguing and voyeuristic a film as appeared in the trailers and not the mental masturbation described in the program. (That's my synopsis of what they told me. In other words, it was good.)
• The children also saw Secret Screening Blue (which is a terrible name for a film). They liked it, but it seems some other audience members wanted more. The film told the story of a female prison in Oklahoma where the inmates participate in a rodeo. It revealed some rather unsavory details about the prison system in the Sooner state. One audience member asked why the government officials in Oklahoma were not called out. The filmmaker carefully explained that in the spirit of objectivity and cooperation, no names were named. What do people want? If the film is well-made and the case makes itself, why do you need a PSA in every film. Figure it out for yourself.
• I hear that Necrobusiness was a slick piece of work but a little slow.
• They also liked Waltz with Bashir, Pressure Cooker, and Rise Up. I don't remember what the children thought of those films except that they liked them. I'll get back to you once we review the weekend over Shakespeare's pizza and beer.
  

Sunday has us hitting the screens in the AM. The Mosque in Morgantown kicks off our morning. We chose that one because it's one of the few women's issues films of the fest and that R is from West Virginia. No matter how much she claims that she's from Detroit, she spent her high school years in Wheeling, WVA. That means she's all-mountaineer.

After Mosque... we will hit the Q for Love on Delivery (expecting it not to be about human trafficking, but one can always hope) and have tickets for Burma VJ. We're calling it quits after that. Sick babies will do that to you. Apparently you can't run around like your 22 anymore.

True/False Film Festival: Day 1

After much hype (mostly on this blog), our little documentary film festival has arrived. And that's what it is: ours. Sure Paul Sturtz and David Wilson founded the fest, but they made it a community event. We citizens of COMO have claimed the festival as our own, volunteering and attending faithfully annually. Hell, it's maybe the only worthwhile thing that happens here every year.

I took the afternoon off so that I could get started on the festival properly. A Schlafly Extra Stout was calling my name. It's a solid stout. Imagine an imperial stout without whatever makes it imperial. It's good, just not overwhelming.


I also was hanging out at home with my mom and Lucia. We took Lu in for some shots yesterday and she's still feeling the effects of it today in the form of a fever. Her condition made us wonder if we could leave the house at all.

R and I did sneak out to the 'Tag to hit the Q for Gaea Girls. I was handed #31 which made me skeptical of the Q systems effectiveness. We waited at the bar. R sipped some bourbon and I Trois Pistoles which is currently on tap.

Time came to see if the Q would work. I knew that at least 50+ folks had Q numbers, but there were only maybe one or two empty seats by the time the film began. The Q really did work. (I was all ready to write a scathing critique of the Q system, but it actually worked yet again.)

Anyway, the movie proved to us how far documentary film has come...not in a good way. Director Kim Longinotto is this year's True Vision recipient and this was a piece she filmed back in 2000. As R pointed out, Gaea Girls had no narrative woven in the story (or something like that - She has a PhD in English.). It just felt disjointed and sort of mysterious...not in a good way.

Gaea Girls portrays the behind-the-scenes world of Japanese female professional wrestling. Instances of physical and emotional abuse dominated the film but with little resolution. It is amazing how brutal professional wrestling can be while simultaneously being a fictional performance. While the subject was intriguing and perfect for True/False, the execution and lack of a cohesive narration made it one of the weaker films I've seen over the years.


Sadly, we had to call it a night at this point. There was no Waltz with Bashir or late night films via the Q. Lucia still had a fever, so we headed home. I picked up Chinese food from House of Chow and sipped on a Hopslam (yes, I still have some of those).

I was going to wait on the children of the corn to return with a report of their evening of two films, but I'm sort of tired myself. Hopefully tomorrow will be more fruitful. We are skipping morning screenings in order to make sure the baby is better before checking out Reporter. Either way, look for some cornology and more info on the films I'll see.

One More Day Until True/False Begins...for some of us

When a friend posts this picture (not the one above) on Twitter and tells you not to be jealous, it makes you realize that the cheap "Simple" Pass you bought was not worth it. Next year we will purchase two Lux passes, join the fun on Thursday, and not miss a film from our wish list. Oh well. C'est la vie.

The children of corn are quickly approaching as I write this and they want their sushi. The children arrive tonight as will countless other film fanatics and film makers. That's not just a storm rolling in; it's an influx of really cool, smart people invading our already smarter-than-average burg. The IQ in this town will go up ten-fold in the next 24 hours.

Apparently, according to T/F's box office Tweets and the T/F blog, there are still hundreds of tickets available. This when we find out whether a small town, independent, documentary film festival is recession proof. My bet is that the fest's success will begin to plateau this year. How much bigger can a film festival like True/False really grow?

I'm warming up on the eve of the festival with a Mikkeller Stateside IPA. If you don't know the story of Mikkeller, you should. It's a documentary waiting to happen. These two Danes travel around to various breweries all over the world where they make their own approximations of popular styles. I fell in love with the Beer Geek Breakfast my sister brought me. I've had this IPA before at Sycamore. It's impressive how Mikkeller has found a way to make an American-style IPA so close to what all the craft brewers here are making. There's a load of these beers at Arena Liquor. Go there now an drink one so that they buy more Mikkeller brews.

I'm not sure there's really much else to report except that things get into full gear for us around 5:00 when (hopefully) the Q allows us to see our first film of the festival. Several blog posts to come...

True False Countdown Overkill

We're still two days away from the start of True/False and I already feel like I've overdone the T/F-related blog posts. Just you wait for the weekend. In between films, beers, checking in on the kid, and possibly some sleep, I will be giving you my take on the day's films...as well as the opinions of our house guests, the children of the corn.


Anyway, ticket day has arrived. At about 5:00 this evening, the box office opens to pass holders. I'll pick up R's and my passes as well as our reserved tickets tonight. Other pass holders will hit the Cherry Street Artisan tomorrow morning from 9:00 to noon.

Then, the box office opens up to the public. I've heard that this scene is a madhouse in the past. Get there early if you're planning on buying individual tickets. Of the films that still have tickets available, I find the following to be the most interesting...

I see two good options for Friday evening, but you'll only be able to see one. If you are not a student or missed tonight's screening, Afghan Star has some tickets available. It's always interesting whenever a film looks at Western influence in a war-ravaged, third-world nation. The other film I thought might be entertaining (I'm considering the Q on this one.) is Glastonburykids Kids. Silly adolescent boys doing stupid things is always a good time. Besides, I might be a little giddy by that point. It's been a long month.


You should buy tickets for We Live in Public or Carmen Meets Borat. Since their times overlap, you would have to choose one or the other. We Live in Public is a sort of art project on voyeurism as people volunteered to live in a warehouse while their every move is recorded for our pleasure. Carla... takes a look at the other side of a Western cultural phenomena.


Even though there will be a lot of room in the Q for entrance to a film on Sunday due to hangovers and people returning to their homes, you can grab a couple of tickets to avoid the lines. Reporter is looking a lot like it could be this year's Man on Wire, the academy award winner. Burma VJ also has some tickets available. This film is this year's True Life Fund recipient, meaning that money is raised throughout the weekend in order to support the subjects' cause.

The children of the corn arrive Thursday, mainly so they can get sushi at Osaka. I've mentioned this before, but it is a sad day when someone has to drive five hours to COMO for some raw fish. I'll be sure to share a beer or two with the corn kids as we map out the weekend.

I'm taking Friday afternoon off to insure a spot in the Q for Gaea Girls at 5:00. It appears this will sadly interfere with my opportunity to see the annual parade. Legend has it that the parade started as a march since the festival took place during the first weekend of March, earning it the name March March. However it started, the parade has become a favorite event of the community. The march starts at the Note and ends at Macklenburg. Anyone can join and will.

Rumor has it there are filmmakers wander the streets of COMO. Soon, film fans will join them. True/False is almost here...

Day 3 of the True/False Countdown (except that I seem to be counting up)

There isn't much to report. Word has it that folks are frantically setting up the theaters and various venues around town for True/False.

Much of the action can be followed on Twitter and some on the T/F blog.

T/F co-founder Paul Sturtz was on KBIA's "Thinking Out Loud" with everyone's favorite DJ Darren Hellwege. The current episode isn't up yet, but it will be here eventually.

I'm very excited to get this thing started. I pick up passes and tickets tomorrow night. My mom also arrives as our weekend daycare provider.

And my real reason for posting about T/F again....the children of the corn will arrive Thursday to sleep on our futon.

Stay tuned...

Day 2 of the True/False Countdown

True/False week is in full swing. Of course, there are no films today, but the anticipation is growing, especially for the children of the corn. They's got no documentary film festivals on them plains.

Check Pete Bland's post at Cool Dry Place for all the latest info regarding the Trib's coverage of the fest. Lindsey Howald gives some excellent insight into the selection process for the festival in whittling over 500 films down to around 60. Additionally, you will find schedules and tips for attendees. Of course, you could just read Pete's post and find that out for yourself.

Students at Hickman and Rockbridge high schools as well as MU and Stephens have been raising money for the True Life Fund. Every year, groups attempt to raise money for a cause promoted by one of the festival films. This year, the aforementioned students have attempted to raise $10,000 for the underground journalists of Burma from the film Burma VJ. I have a ticket for this film and am very interested to see how it portrays the events of the "saffron revolution" in 2007.

Films finally start to hit the screens on Wednesday when MU students can check out a screening of Afghan Star for free. For the four or five Mizzou students who read my blog, you can get all the specifics here. And for the one or two Rockbridge students who read lim, you'll get your chance to see some clips and talk to the directors on Thursday before the festival gets started.

Thursday is the big opening night concert with Brian...er...I mean Ryan Adams. That makes two years in a row that the big musical act of the weekend is not Of Montreal. (They did it for like two straight years.) Whatever, I just hope people scream and yell for "Summer of '69".

Finally, I'm taking a half-day to not only make the Q for Gaea Girls, but also to take in some of the True/False parade. It will be Lucia's first parade and possibly the last I'll see my daughter all weekend.

The Countdown to True/False Begins

I've already previewed the films on our docket for the upcoming True/False Film Festival, but I thought I'd build up some hype throughout the week. Since buying a pass and reserving some tickets, this was the first day I thought of the festival.


We were in KC this weekend. Before heading home, R and I did some shopping in the Plaza. I wandered through stores, eventually landing in American Apparel. Say what you want about AA (I have.), but they make some good products. As I contemplated a purchase, I remembered that I love to buy AA t-shirts and sweatshirts from T/F every year. Besides using my favorite casual wear for their paraphernalia, T/F usually has some cool graphic design silk-screened onto the fabric. This year's design of a rowboat being lifted by a bunch of balloons is inspiring and aesthetically pleasing. Remembering this helped me not to make an ill-conceived purchase at the sweatshop-free, hipster boutique.

Also reminding me of the events to come, we have been making arrangements with friends from Nebraska who come in every year for the fest. For the purpose of anonymity, I will refer to them as "the children of the corn" from here on out. The children of the corn will arrive promptly on Thursday night so that no doc is missed and will head directly from our house to Osaka's for sushi. You know the sushi situation in Lincoln, NE must be bad if folks gotta drive five hours to COMO for some raw fish.


Anyway, the children of the corn will see almost every film we won't making it possible for all of us to rehash every film at T/F over beers each night. So, you should look forward for the children of the corn report on the docs I don't see.

In case you're wondering, the children of the corn will sleep on the futon. My mom is coming into town to watch Lucia. It will be a full house this weekend for sheezee.

Oh, and one last thing that's getting me pumped for True/False...Man On Wire just won the Oscar for best doc. This was the closing film of last year's festival. I didn't see it. I had to see the one about the deadbeats who stalked Tiffany instead. Maybe I'll choose better this year.

Reason #4 Why I Live in Misery: The best stuff is too popular.

First, it was the Hopslam. Then, it was True/False tickets. Something's going on here. As we creep closer and closer to 100,000 people in COMO, the best things are becoming scarce. I really thought I'd never get my Hopslam. It took me going to Hyvee every day for a month to get my portion of the hop juice. I still never made it over to Sycamore in time to try it on tap. I've already lamented about being shut out of several films at True/False. The tickets were literally being ripped from my hands as I was reserving them online.

Let's face it. COMO is overcrowded.

It's like back in 2001 when Columbus, OH only had one Trader Joe's. It was a tiny TJ hidden in an out-of-the-way shopping center, but it had all my favorite treats. Then, one day, word spread. I could no longer get my frozen Thai dinners whenever I showed up. Forget the peppered cashews or frozen guacamole. They were gone too. I had to then make a point to hit TJ on a weekday. The Sunday afternoon trips to Trader Joe's became obsolete.

So goes anything cool in COMO. People will find out about it. Since there's only one, the demand rises beyond reality until there's nothing left.

The demand for cool things in this town has made me consider driving to STL as soon as the Hopslam hits our border, ordering the more expensive Lux pass for next year's T/F, and leaving this town all together (as soon as the economy clears up and both R and I can secure good jobs in a bigger, cooler city).

Until then, I'll complain and make do.

A Peek at True/False

Tuesday night was the night to reserve tickets for the True/False documentary film festival. We've been waiting patiently since last year's festival ended and we bought our passes for this year. This is by far the best thing that happens in COMO every year.

There was a mad rush for reservations on the festival's website as films were being booked in front of our eyes. Apparently, several people we know had trouble getting the films they desired..That is, except for some out-of-state friends who did rather well. I don't begrudge them their good fortune. I just wonder why they got all their films when people here had so many problems. Whatever.

Anyway, we have tickets reserved for some films (a few that are oddly during the same time slot) and some films ear-marked as a possible Q. The "Q" refers to the system where people without tickets wait in line to see if there will be extra seats. Those with passes go to the front of the Q. I've never heard of anyone being turned away, but with the growing popularity of the festival anything is possible.

The first film may be a Q film. Gaea Girls plays at the 'Tag around 5 pm to get the festival off to a great start. I will have to take some time from work on that day to be in line for this one. The film tells the gritty story of Japanese female professional wrestlers. It doesn't look nearly as fake as the American counterpart.

The next film is the opening night flick at the Missouri. Waltz with Bashir is one of the most acclaimed films of the year, nonfiction or otherwise. This animated film tells the story of a former Israeli soldier in Palestine.


I may try to sneak into the Q for the late showing of Glastonbury Kids at the 'Tag. In a post-Jackass world, even kids in the UK yearn to do stupid things.

For some reason, we were unable to reserve any films for Saturday morning. So, in the Q we'll wait. Our hope is to slip into Necrobusiness, a film about crooked funeral directors and ambulance drivers in Poland. It would be a shame not to fit a film into Saturday morning. (Hopefully the film will have English subtitles.)


We are set to return to the Missouri for Reporter, one of the festival's top draws. Reporter follows a New York Times journalist as he travels and documents the poverty and violence in Congo. The twist is that Nicholas Kristoff, the reporter in the title, makes some ethically questionable choices along the way.


It will be two-in-a-row for reserved films at the Missouri with Rough Aunties. This doc won the festival's True Vision Award. The film follows a tough group of women in South Africa who take care of orphaned children.

We move to Stephens' campus to check out Crude. Ecuadorian Amazon residents take on big oil companies and their polluting ways.

The Windsor is where we'll stay to see Food, Inc. We're obsessed with food, especially locally grown, organic food. However, the state of food is heading in a troubling direction. This film explains our predicament.

R and I do have a ticket for Sunday morning. The Mosque in Morgantown holds a special interest for R. She lived in West Virginia for a while and is often drawn to anything that explores the unique stories in that state. Being from Ohio, I usually just make fun of West Virginia. However, I think I'll keep my humor in check for this flick.

Next up will either be Q time for War Against the Weak or Love on Delivery. Both films were high on our pre-reservation lists, but we were shut out. War covers the Eugenics movement and its close ties to Nazism. Love follows Thai women who move to Denmark to marry lonely men. This is really the only tough decision we'll make all weekend.

If we don't get in for one of these films, we at least have a ticket for Burma VJ. I'm sure many of you remember the tragedy at the hands of Burma's military a while back. This film chronicles the video footage shot by some brave Burmese activists.


The weekend closes with The Yes Men Fix the World. If you have ever seen their work on the Internets, then you realize what we're in for. The Yes Men set up fake corporate websites in order to be asked to speak on various corporation's behalf, but instead of promoting these companies the Yes Men expose them. It should be a good way to end the weekend.


I know I've complained about the ticket situation, but I still think it will be a great festival. It was really hard to pick between films this year. Hopefully the Q won't let us down. I'll have more to share. Stay tuned.

Some Things Worth Mentioning

Here are a few things that I have not had time to give proper space on this blog. Please forgive me. It mostly applies to local stuff. So, for my readers in New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Nebraska, and Georgia, you should also forgive me and come back tomorrow.

I did end up going to see my friends in Bald Eagle open for Cursive. BE was as solid as ever. The crowd was uncomfortably young and emo for my tastes, so I didn't participate much. BE traveled to Omaha over the weekend to join Cursive in their home digs. This is a big opportunity for them. Hopefully it went as planned. (Maybe Nardy will comment and fill you all in.)

Speaking of locals taking big steps in their careers, a certain band called Tops will play Mojo's this Tuesday. You may know the band members better by their work at the bathysphere. (I dare someone to review the show and post pictures on their blog. That would be so postmodern.) If their own material is anything like the bands they herald, it should be a good time. It also may or may not have been promised to me that the band will cover something I may or may not like. My guess is Pavement, but we'll see. I don't know whether I will be able to skirt my baby duties for this one, but you should definitely go. Tops go on at about 8:30. If you can't make Tuesday's gig, they will play Eastside on February 6th.

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It has been suggested by the Columbia Beer Enthusiasts and Make Mine Potato that much needs to be done to raise the beer IQ in COMO. This would allow for our little market to entertain better and wider beer distribution, benefiting all, really. However, no one is exactly sure how this can be accomplished.

Personally, I think the beer community will only improve when we get a greater presence online. There should be a wiki or forum sharing beer menus and what's occupying shelf space in town. There should be a beer blog that lets people know what's coming to town, what's on tap at Sycamore, and when's the next beer dinner. The Columbia Beer Enthusiasts (Can we get a new name?) has a nice site that's rather informational, but it's static. We need something with some interaction and daily updates.

I mean, why isn't there a blog encouraging me to buy up the Mikkeller Stateside IPA at Arena Liquor so that they'll order more from this pricey-yet-creative brewery? Who gave me a tip that Hyvee received a boatload of Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot Barley Wine on Saturday? How am I supposed to know that Bell's Hopslam will arrive at Hyvee on Tuesday? We need some Beer 2.0 action around here and quick!

...

In case you live in a cave...or at least outside COMO, True/False is coming very soon with the full lineup to be announced at the beginning of February. Pete Bland over at Cool Dry Place has leaked a few of the titles. None of them have me too excited, but this festival never disappoints, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

As usual, I have a pass and plan to use it to its fullest. There will be ridiculous amounts of words at this URL during the days leading up to, during, and following the festival. We like our nonfiction films in the Show-Me State.

There's noting to do in COMO this winter.

Sorry for the hyperbole, but there is actually very little going on. What is going on can be found in the lines below.


On Friday, tickets go on sale for Handsome Furs who will play Mojo's on St. Patrick's Day. Be sure to wear green that night, but only if you're being ironic. I'm hoping that I'll be able to get a ticket, because this might be the only show I attend all winter.

Of course, there are other shows. I'm just not super thrilled about any of them. I already am missing Colourmusic tonight at Mojo's. They might be the loudest band I've ever heard. I may have to miss the January 22 show with Cursive, Ladyfinger, and Bald Eagle, but I'm working one it. On January 28th, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin will make their semi-annual trip to COMO. Then, Tapes 'n Tapes will make their third appearance here since I moved to mid-Misery on February 3rd. I might be too busy that week to make it out. And that's about it for Mojo's until that Handsome Furs show (unless there's some band on the schedule that I have not read about in Pitchfork yet).

The Blue Note pretty much has nothing.

The Ragtag almost has less. They are showing Milk and Slumdog Millionaire for the entire month of January. I've already seen both. They were good films. The people at the 'Tag must be busy planning some big event. More on that below.


I have a beer tasting on Monday. It's been a while since I've attended one of these. We will be sampling barley wines and old ales (plus several home brews), so the number of beers to get in has been halved due to the brew's abnormally high ABV. I'm not sure that the Great Divide Old Ruffian I'm bringing will be the most exotic beer ever tasted, but it is a solid beer that can be bought locally. I'll bet at least one person in the group has not tried it before. I did offer to take a '07 Schlafly Reserve Barley Wine, but the group sampled some the previous month and thought I should continue to cellar it.

There might be a birthday party at my humble abode as R and I are both set to hit the big 3-4. We realize that it's not all that monumental of a birthday, but we have to do something to spice up the winter. BTW-R is older...by two days.


Thankfully, the end of February will bring another True/False Film Festival. I have said it before: This festival is the best thing about living here. I'm not kidding. The home-grown documentary film festival is overwhelmingly eventful and affirming. Filmmakers, studios, doc bloggers, musicians, etc. descend upon our fair city and inject a ton of flavor into the community. R and I have our passes and are waiting for the schedule to be announced so that we can start planning the weekend. This is such a big deal that my mom is coming into to town to watch Lucia, while friends who moved to Lincoln, NE a few years back return to sleep on our futon and get their doc fill for the year. My hope is that our friends David and Ashley get their film Invisible Girlfriend accepted to the fest. We'll see. I've got my fingers crossed.

And that's about it. I probably don't have time to do anything else anyway with work and school and a baby. Oh well. I don't call it Misery for nothing.

Funerals, Flights, and Films, Part 3

One day of documentary overload was nearly over and another lay ahead.
Saturday night of True/False ended with Owen Lowry's An Alternative to Slitting Your Wrists which, surprisingly, was as uplifting a film as I have ever seen at the festival. After a mental breakdown, Lowry spends a year checking off a list of 52 alternatives to slitting his wrists. The items vary from hang-gliding to squirrel fishing to picking a fight with his childhood abuser. I felt I had a connection with the director thanks to our ties to the buckeye state. He liked my tattoo anyway.

Actually, the most disturbing part of the screening happened after the film was over. Lowry, a young, charismatic, good-looking guy was surrounded by a hoard of young women. There was a definite groupie feel in the room. Of course, I was no better in trying to impress him with my tattoo...

We awoke the next morning to join our house guests, T and M, for breakfast at the new Uprise Bakery within the equally new Ragtag. Thank god this change happened. The new space for both operations (soon to be joined by 9th Street Video) is aesthetically pleasing, modern, and practical. A place like this makes living in COMO worth it...well, almost.
The first film was Lucio, shown at the Tiger Hotel's Forest Theater. This film followed the life of an anarchist, counterfeiting brick layer and his efforts to bring down governments and world financial institutions all by his lonesome. The opening credits were maybe the slickest I've ever seen. The rest of the film moved along and was vastly interesting. The trouble was when, for whatever reason, the filmmaker abandoned the story's chronological trajectory in order to piece together the narrative. This only confused an already dense topic. Despite this little snafu, the film was a highlight. (You have to love films about anarchist leaders, an oxymoron if I've ever heard one.)

Afterwards, we ventured over to The Den for Paradise 3: Journeys in this World. The film attempted to give a 21st century take on the African Diaspora, sometimes inadvertently drawing close comparisons to the US/Mexico immigration issue. The premise was sound, but the execution was disjointed and cluttered. The filmmakers presented one primary story but muddled it with supplementary tales of other African men trying to succeed in the new European economy.
In the same cinema, we hung around to watch The Mother, a film we originally wanted to see on Friday. Festival co-founder Paul Sturtz was right to point out the fine cinematography of the film as one of this year's best. The great camera work was used to tell the story of...you guessed it...a mother. The woman is a single Russian mother of nine who struggles to make ends meet as she does her best to raise her children. It's very European in narrative style, but memorable to say the least.
One of the funniest films of the festival had to be Please Vote for Me, the story of an experiment in democracy that takes place in a Chinese elementary school. Besides the comedy of third graders campaigning for class monitor, the film provides an interesting look at the dirty underbelly of republican politics (as in the "republic" not the party...although...). Bribes are made, faults are pointed out, and tears are shed as both the students and the audience learn a lot about democracy.

I skipped the next film in order to feed the animals and allow R to get a much-deserved massage before checking out the last film of the festival.I Think We're Alone Now is the story of two die-hard, almost stalker-y fans of eighties pop sensation Tiffany. Although the premise and story are sometime humorous, a dark yet very human story is revealed. I was beat from the previous three days of funerals, flights, and films, but this film was a pleasant and thought-provoking finale to the weekend.

Despite the funeral and missing the opening of this year's festival, the weekend was not one I'll soon forget. It only makes me hunger for next year's edition.

Funerals, Flights, and Films, Part 2

On Saturday, around 1:00, our plane made its final approach toward St. Louis. The pilot had just informed us that the temperature was in the 60's. This fact only made us more excited to hit the road in hopes of making our first True/False film of the day, or weekend for that matter.

For my work, I drive on I-70 all the time. I know how fast I can drive without getting stopped by the po-po (ghetto term for the police). In other words, I made excellent time.

The temperature rose closer and closer to 70 as I stripped my suit from that morning's funeral. It was hard to believe that we were in cold, snowy Detroit, Michigan just a little over an hour before. Now we were fully in T/F mode and ready for the marathon to come.

After frantically changing clothes and picking up our passes, we rushed over to Macklanburg Cinema to see our first film, Very Young Girls. Our friend, E, saved us seats and we quickly settled in for the film.
VYG was a well-done, professional doc with plenty of tear-jerking moments, but the audience sort of missed the point. The filmmaker and some of the subjects spoke of the trafficking of (very) young girls in this country, New York specifically. However, New York City is still a world away from Misery. The point is that the trafficking of young women (the average age is 13) is happening in our own backyard. So, that means it's happening here just as it happens in other countries or NYC. The tone of the questions from the audience suggested that this fact was lost on them. Either way, it was a compelling film.

With such a heavy start to our festival, we later returned to the Macklanburg to catch the ironically scheduled American Teen. It's ironic in that the previous film in the same theater was about teenage prostitutes, and this film was about typical high school drama as played out in a mostly white, middle-class community.

The screening had an auspicious beginning when a security official from Paramount Studios warned that if he and his people caught anyone recording any video or audio of the film, such offenders would be promptly arrested. I don't believe this happened. I mean, come on, where is there a market for bootlegs of documentaries? I've never bought a copy of Manufactured Landscapes at the local barber shop. Of course, a doc about teenage angst is not the most artistically sophisticated film subject, but I still don't think it would be a hot commodity on the black market.

Next, we headed across the street to the Windsor Cinema to see Forbidden Lies, a story about the woman who conned the publishing industry (and many, many other people) with her fictionalized memoir of honor killings in Jordan. This highly stylized, very slick doc was very intriguing, but like so many films at T/F, it delivered the message and proceeded to beat you with it over and over again. However, the film was one of the few I've seen at T/F that really played on the idea of truth versus fiction, causing the audience to constantly go back and forth on whether they believe the subject or not. As far as it's big film style, it was this year's Manda Balla.
By this point, R had had enough (the pregnancy thing seems to suck the life force out of her) and headed home. I, on the other hand, had another film to catch...

To be continued.

Plans Rearranged

I had planned on posting several previews of the upcoming True/False festival this weekend as well as some record reviews and probably some other worthless information, but that will have to wait.
R's grandmother died Monday morning and so to Detroit we will travel. Helen lived a long, fruitful life. It was one of those deaths you kind of expect and are generally at peace with by the time it happens, but it's still a death in the family, nonetheless.

So, my witty assessments of films, in-depth interpretations of all things indie rock, and laments about my ever-advancing age will have to wait a few days. In the meantime, here is a quick rundown of what I expected to blog.

This kid was screwed over by the T/F folks, as were these people.

Vampire Weekend has recorded a really great album. Animal Collective also recorded a great album, but I'm not going to dance to it any time soon. The anticipation for Stephen Malkmus' latest release is growing, despite the availability of a free stream of Real Emotional Trash.

We'll most likely miss the first two days of the film festival (which amounts to 8 docs), but hopefully we'll catch all of Sunday's list which includes Please Vote for Me and I Think We're Alone Now.

That is all.

Update: Our flight may have us back in town for some films on Saturday evening. Half a festival is better than no festival. Plus, we're going to see a screening of Mardis Gras: Made in China tonight on campus (the same filmmakers I said were screwed over). Also, I'm obsessed with the Vampire Weekend. Well, off to Detroit...

My True/False Agenda

In case I hadn't mentioned it before, True/False is coming. I am really excited to dedicate an entire weekend to nonfiction film in our little college town. In all, I have reserved tickets for fourteen films. This is sort of a preview of my festival agenda.

Friday...

We wanted to catch the first showing of The Mother at five, but were unable to fit it in. So, our festival won't officially begin until later that evening. Girls Rock! at 7:15 in the newly opened Big Ragtag opens our marathon of documentary overload. Girls is a film about the camp where future riot grrrls are born and trained. Later that night, we'll hopefully be able to stay conscious for the Joy Division rocumentary, titled un-ironically enough: Joy Division. Love may not tear us apart, but the 10 pm start time might as R has had trouble staying up past 9 in recent weeks.

Saturday...

Here's where the real marathon begins as we prepare to see the remaining 12 films on our docket in two days. The day starts at 10 am with My Mother's Garden, a film that tells the story of a mother who suffers from a mental illness where she collects and gathers ridiculous amounts of stuff...I call it "being American".

After a quick lunch, we'll see Paradise: 3 Journeys in this World, where a young man's journey "illustrates the African Diaspora", whatever that means. (I know what it means!) It's R's choice, but her picks are usually intellectually stimulating to say the least.

Very Young Girls is a doc that chronicles the stories of prostitutes in their early teens. It should plenty depressing. Ironically enough, we follow that film with American Teen that features the drama swirling around small-town, high school cliques.

A very popular pick, at least among our friends, seems to be Forbidden Lies. A woman writes a best-selling memoir about honor killings in Jordan. Inconsistencies in her story then cause investigations into whether the events she describes happened or it's just one big con. Besides the intrigue around someone fabricating such a story to sell books, there's the whole other angle of honor killings. It should be intense.

The final film of the evening does not do much to lighten the mood. It's all explained in the title alone. An Alternative to Slitting Your Wrist is, well, the one man's documentation of all the things he tries instead of committing suicide.

Sunday...

The Christian Sabbath starts off with Lucio, a doc that reveals the exploits of a bricklayer who bankrolled numerous radical groups around the world...and had time to lay a few bricks. That bit of fun is followed up by Secret Screening Green (terrible title) which tells the odd tale of a homeless doctor who has performed surgeries to correct the facial deformities for thousands of Indians.

We will finally get to see The Mother, a look at a single Russian mother of nine, on Sunday afternoon. We're really excited to see the next film, Please Vote for Me. A friend pointed out that a very similar film was shown last year...but it didn't take place in China. It's one thing to watch experiments in democracy occur in American schools, but a whole other to see how it plays in China.

The aptly named Working Title is a collection of shorts about various occupations from lumber mill workers to organic bakers to tailors. The films are supposed to show the many reasons and ways in which we work. Great, and right before Monday.

The weekend comes to a close with what might be the creepiest film of the festival. I Think We're Alone Now follows the futile existence of the crazed fans of 80's pop star Tiffany. I just hope I can stay awake for the whole thing.

Well, that's the weekend for us. 14 films in three days. I can't wait.

The Ragtag Move

Our only indie movie screen is actually moving this week. Tonight is the last night for films at the 10th Street "cinemacafe" known as the Ragtag. The move to two screens and actual theater seating is really going to happen!

This means a lot to those of us who come from cities with vast indie screens to COMO: land of one indie screen. Now, we will be able to show up last second and have a choice of films instead of getting there plenty early just to see something we're only moderately interested in and to squeeze onto a crummy couch...oh wait, they're actually taking the couches with them. But that's OK for now. We will have choices in the near future! Granted, we will only get two choices but that's something.

Either way, this is a welcome change to COMO's enntertainment landscape. Now, all I have to do is see if I can talk R into going out for one last film at the old Ragtag.

This is getting me uber excited for True/False in less than two weeks...

True or False?

With the announcement of passes available for True/False next week, I thought I'd give my own guide to COMO's only documentary film festival in the form of a true/false quiz...that I answered simply b/c it's my blog.

The pricing for True/False festival passes sucks!
True. Last year's basic pass was slightly more expensive, but it did allow the pass-holder entrance to Reality Bites. RB is the event on Friday where lots of free food and beer is passed out right before one of the featured screenings of the festival. I believe it led into Manda Balla, one of the festival's greatest highlights. The only way I see this not ruining my first night of the festival is if RB is not tied to a premier screening.

This could also be "False" if one just looks at the price alone. We'll save some money and still get into all the films we like come February 28th. I see it as a draw, but I'm not happy about limitations on the Poor-People's-Pass (AKA Tiple P).

Despite my own issues with the new passes, I'm still pumped about True/False.
True. I don't even know what films will be shown, and I'm very excited about the festival. It's the most fun we've had since coming to COMO. I doubt I'll be let down this year. All I want to know now is what films will be shown.

Just volunteer. You'll see plenty of films.
False. While this opinion is not very popular or in-line with the spirit of the festival, I maintain that it is false. I volunteered the first year we lived here and only saw films for which I purchased tickets. After you put in a bunch of time keeping the events moving along, you are either too tired or out of time to see the films of your choosing. Besides, if the film is overbooked, volunteers are the first to be booted. Although it may be yuppie, I support the festival with my dollars, and I think that's OK.

One must attend the festival with a strategy.
True. Right now we're debating which strategy will be best. I'm leaning toward the "one venue" strategy where one chooses films based on the venue in order to insure prime seating without having to run around town. Someone shared the "Netflix" strategy where one checks to see which films will be available on Netflix and skips those in order to see more obscure fare.

Don't bother with the True Vision Award screening at the Blue Note.
False. Apparently last year's featured filmmaker, Brett Morgen, gave a sneak-peak at his highly anticipated film, Chicago 10. Whomever T/F is honoring this year will surely screen his or her latest work. I missed this event last year but I won't be so foolish this year.

There will be ample opportunity to grab food and drink while high-tailing it to Stephens College for screenings.
False. I don't know if the rumors of screenings on Stephens and MU campuses are true, but I do know that there will be some long commutes between films with the Missouri Theater being closed this year.

You should attend the True/False Documentary Film Festival in Columbia, Missouri from February 28th to March 2nd.
True. If ever there was a reason to visit and/or return to COMO, it's this here film festival. I have stated many times in this blog that it is the best part of living here and I maintain that opinion.

Passes for the 2008 True/False Documentary Film Festival are available here on Monday, January 7th at 9:00 AM. See you at the end of February.