DIRTY

Thursday, May 28, 1998

I had a lot of mail to catch up on at work, because of staying home yesterday! But I slowly worked my way through it and got caught up on my bugs and work-related web stuff. Then off to the festival!

I brought along some provisions that I bought Wednesday morning. I must really have a fondness for black peppercorns, because I purchased both salami with a coating of cracked black pepper, and Montrachet cheese with the same spice mixed in. Delicious! I snacked on the salami and crackers (well, it was more than a snack; it was my dinner!) during the first movie.

Hero
Lame Hong Kong action movie, set in Shanghai during the thirties. Two brothers and a "good" gang leader fight against the "bad" gang leader and the local cops. I don't recommend this, not even for kung-fu fans.

I walked from the Egyptian to the Harvard Exit, at the other end of Broadway. The weather was beautiful today! We are all so sick of the rain, so a sunny day is a real treat. When I got to the theater, the Q&A for the previous show was still going on in the lobby. Maggie "War Zone" Hadleigh-West was the center of a circle of folks. A--- was there, listening intently. He had seen the movie at a screening last week, so he was glad to get the chance to hear what the director had to say. I asked her, since she has discussed this film so much, was there anything that she wished people would ask that they didn't ask? But she said there really wasn't. Then we went and go

Fiber Optics
A Mexican film (not too many features being made there right now, with the recent economic crises) that really impressed me. A young reporter is hired to investigate the murder of a rich union leader. Great cast, and lots of spooky atmosphere. Brilliant sound design and some judicious special effects emphasized the "high tech affecting us" theme. The director was very cheerful and engaging in the questions afterward.

Dirty
The second feature by Bruce "Live Bait" Sweeney. Two male housemates who have trouble with women in different ways, whose lives intersect with two women who live on the opposite side of town. This was developed in Mike Leigh style, starting from a two-character play written by the male lead, then improvised and workshopped for an extended period. The dialog and pacing were truly original! There are explicit sex and D/S scenes, so stay away if that is a problem. The director and four of the cast were around for discussion. I was surprised that they thought the male lead, involved in a submissive sexual relationship with an older woman, had a "sexual disorder" (their phrase) that was parallel in their minds with the eating disorder of another female character. In my mind, his problem was the guilt and shame he felt about his preferences, not the relationship itself!

For some reason, there were an unusual number of hits today on my entry for June 12, 1997, "Names are Everything." I have no idea why!