Last of The Talkies...

Part 7

The following SIFF 2009 previews are offered in order of their press screening dates. Must-sees from this group are OSS 117: Lost in Rio and Every Little Step.

OSS 117: Lost in Rio (2009)
Sunday June 14, 6:30pm, Cinerama

French secret agent Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath returns twelve years after his silly Egyptian adventure for an equally hilarious send up of nineteen-sixties spy action thrillers in OSS 117: Lost in Rio. Teamed with a super-sexy Israeli agent in search of an ex-Nazi, this South American romp features more than ample amounts of awkwardly inappropriate, side-splitting ethnic, sexual and otherwise tasteless and tacky laughs. Spectacular locations and production values better than the films being spoofed prove that OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies was no fluke and insures a continuation of the franchise. (100 minutes)

In Your Absence (2008)
Friday June 12, 7pm, SIFF Cinema
Saturday June 13, 4pm, SIFF Cinema

Of the 39 SIFF films I previewed this year, In Your Absence is the only one I strongly disliked. Why?
Beautiful images of the Spanish countryside are used as the background for an ugly, dishonest story, which seeks to inform the viewer that people are selfish, ignorant and evil.
A mysterious stranger visits a small town, befriending the son of an old army buddy and arousing suspicions among the locals. Fans of the Paul Haggis film Crash may enjoy this offensive, arrogant lecture. (99 minutes)

Buddenbrooks (2008)
Friday June 12, 9:15pm, Cinerama
Sunday June 14, 1:30pm, Egyptian Theatre

The ambitious history of a once prosperous merchant family in nineteenth-century Germany and their decline, looks the part but lacks sufficient warmth. Beautiful art direction, production values, complex stageing and exteriors filmed in the city of Bruges give this would-be epic a wonderful look, while the lack of sympathetic character development and sumptuous large crowd scenes are reminiscent of better Michael Cimino. Parts should be dazzling to watch at the Cinerama, where almost everything looks better. (140 Minutes)

Hachi: A Dog’s Story (2009)
Saturday June 13, 6:30pm, Cinreama
Sunday June 14, 12pm, Cinerama

A New England college professor (Richard Gere) finds a puppy when he steps off his commuter train and over time they become inseparable. When the professor dies, the dog continues to await his return every night at the station doors for years until the dog itself dies of old age.
Another well-intended but tiresome and hollow Americanized remake of a highly successful foreign language film. Based on the true story of University of Tokyo professor Hidesaburo Ueno, who died in 1925, and his beloved pet Akita who waited eleven years for him at the Shibuya subway station entrance.
I truly wanted to love this film, but my immediate thought after the credits was how much I would have rather seen the 1987 original. (104 minutes)

Every Little Step (2008)
Saturday June 13, 7pm, Egyptian Theatre

A detailed documentary account of the casting process for Bob Avian’s 2006 Broadway revival of A Chorus Line. Audio tape and stills of choreographer Michael Bennett, along with original 1975 cast members are edited together with the contemporary story to provide a layered, multi-generation perspective and freshness, breathing life into this terribly overexposed production. The vibrancy and tedium of the endless audition process is fascinating, intense, joyous and heartbreaking. A must see for any fan of A Chorus Line or musical theater in general. A young actor trying out for the part of Paul reduces Avian and his casting director to tears in one particularly memorable scene. "Sign him up!" (95 minutes)