This weekend we went to the Landlocked Film Festival here in Iowa City. Film Festivals are really fun, and this one was no different. We saw 23 movies in three days (20 in two days - on Sunday we only saw three). Some of them were moderately interesting, some were good, and some were REALLY good. These are the ones we saw, with our favorites in red:
SPANISH-LANGUAGE SHORT FILMS
Estrella - an alcoholic nightclub singer and a housekeeper find they have something in common
Heroes - a documentary about a DJ who was born without arms due to thalidomide
Objects in Mirror Are Closer than They Appear - a model identifies with a street person
Made in Japan - a Spanish guy gives an excuse to his girlfriend for being late, which included a quick run to Japan to meet his real father
Porque Hay Cosas que Nunca se Olvidan - Italian kids get revenge on an old lady who punctures their soccer ball
Valkirias - a documentary about nurses. Boring. We left early.
NARRATIVE FEATURES
Cave Women on Mars -50's style sci-fi movie that fits the title exactly. Very funny!
Stash - This was a hilarious movie about a company called Discreet Removals, a business that removes porn stashes from clients' homes after they die.
The Flyboys - This won the award for best narrative feature in the festival. (justifiably) Two boys from a small town accidentally stow away aboard a Mafia airplane. You might see this movie in regular theaters soon. Starring one of the Baldwin brothers.
Who is KK Downey? - Two losers achieve fame when their novel becomes an underground sensation.
ANIMATIONHorizon Diner - a weird little cartoon about a guy who walks into a diner and experiences altered realities.
Street Musician - a Faustian story with characters that look like they came out of a Tim Burton cartoon.
NARRATIVE SHORTS
About Film Festivals - a film festival veteran gives a comedic introduction to film festivals delivered in monotone.
Bennet's Urn - An 8-year-old boy is dying and asks his parents to throw a going-away party.
Expendable - A temp gets a job as an anonymous henchmen in an evil corporation, only to encounter a British Secret Service agent
Gangster's Crib - A crime boss regresses back to childhood.
Spoonfed - A day in the life of a cafe spoon.
Sympathetic Details - An assassin has a crisis of conscience and tries to leave the business.
The Knuggle Incident - A spoof on the Snuggle bear commercials, in which the bear is murdered after ruining somebody's laundry.
The Perfect Mark - Con men target an elderly widow, but find that she has the upper hand.
DOCUMENTARY SHORTSLooking for Ms. Locklear - Two best friends go on an adventure looking for their first grade teacher, who introduced them 20 years ago. Well, not exactly "introduced" - she held both of them out of recess on their first day of school.
This American Gothic - a story of Eldon, Iowa (pop. 987) and the most famous house in town, which is in the background of the famous Grant Wood painting "American Gothic." By the way, they're not really farmers... it's the painter's sister and his dentist.
STUDENT FILMS & VIDEOSJean Shorts - This collection of short movies includes one in which a nerdy guy nicknamed Billy Jean Shorts comes to terms with his fashion choices. In other stories, a game of Russian Roulette involving an automatic pistol instead of a revolver, light sabers, transformers, and an MTV "Yo Momma" contest.
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