First I get a report from Aspen, now one from Rotterdam -- and all the while Harry is traipsing along the Caribbean with Ebert and The Dude? That may be Tuvan throat singing I'm hearing, but ol'ROBOGEEK thinks it sounds like time to get out of town! I guess I'd better check in with the BPRD and rustle up a field assignment...

Anyway, our good pal Dr. Zaius just filed another report from this year's Rotterdam Film Festival, one of the coolest events in one of the coolest cities in one of the coolest countries in the world. Ah, the Netherlands... chocolate, cheese, diamonds, tulips, windmills, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Van Gogh, Verhoeven, and Olympic speed skater Marianne Timmer. Who could ask for anything more?

Damn, I didn't know there was a porn branch of Dogma 95 -- I'd better tell El Cosmico! In the meantime, take it away, Dr. Z!

Dr. Zaius here with a some time to filling in the blanks in my earlier posting on some films from the Rotterdam Film Festival. My apologies to gg, I hope this and my earlier report on Swimming make it up to you (and one monkey to another, "get off my back").

PINK PRISON

My programme guide (that I lifted from the Rotterdam Hilton; thanks, but you owe it to me for the expensive room and luke-warm shower) says the following;

"Lisbeth Lynghoft, Denmark, 1999, 35 mm, 90min, in English

"Puzzy Power is the porn branch of the Danish Dogma 95 manifesto. The films are made by women who dislike the fact that most porn is directed at men. Part two from the series was produced on the empty seat left by Las von Trier after he shot his latest film.

"Chosen by Peter van Bueren, de Volkskrant"

The Friday 2/4/00 edition of the "Daily Tiger" had the following article by Jorn Rossing Jensen entitled, "But it's all in the very best taste," which included a picture of the heroine of the story, Mila, about to enter a door marked "Kitchen."

Set up by Zentropa Entertainments, which is owned by Peter Aalbaek Jensen and Lars von Trier, Puzzy Power has almost taken adult movies into the conference room. Screening in Rotterdam as a critics' choice, Lisbeth Lyngoft's PINK PRISON has already unspooled in the official programme at Stockholm, where its qualities were discussed on panel.

"However - they are still good business. Produced on a $200,000 budget and shot entirely on digital beta, Puzzy Power's first feature, Knud Vestergaard's CONSTANCE, has sold 30,000 high priced units ($35.00) in Scandinavia alone. According to CEO and head of Zentropa Entertainments' legal department, Lene Borglum, PINK PRISON is still new on the market, and the company has just started its first gay feature, Vestergaard's HOT MEN, COOL BOYS.

"PINK PRISON is the story of Mila, a photojournalist who is working on an erotic book. She bets with her publisher that she can penetrate into Pink Prison and interview the otherwise inaccessible warden. If she wins, she will get all the profits from the book. If she loses, she must spend a weekend in Paris with him. The way to the governor, however, is paved with a variety of sexual displays.

"Tennessee Williams once said that 'nothing human is alien to me.' This was my own conclusion as I ended several weeks of deliberations whether I should enter a new genre," explained Lyghoft, an educated actress, who has mainly directed experimental stage productions. 'I have no illusions that this film will revolutionize porn. It is just my personal demonstration of what it may also be.'" [end of article]

On a personal basis, I went into this movie expecting more of a commentary by women on porn and not a porn show itself. Still the film was not without its charms. There was the cook in the kitchen who has a certain sense of humor (I won't even get into all the dialogue which was loaded with references to the cooks "meat"). There was a bit of a mystery about who was "Sam" (I won't spoil it for you), and the three guys in the shower who looked like the members of the band Green Day. The audience chuckled at a few points at the absurdity of some of Mila's escapes and ability to climb an 8 foot hurricane fence to get into the prison (what no razor wire, no guard towers?).

EATING AIR

My Programme Guide has the following information "Kelvin Tong Weng Kain / Jasmine Ng Kin Kia, Singapore, 2000, 35mm, 100min, Mandarin, English subtitled.

"Notorious truant and motorbike freak falls in love with a dutiful girl who has no less than two holiday jobs. Together they ride through the night and brightly lit tunnels. Colorful visualized portrait of kids who can live on air and love."

The Thursday 2/3/00 edition of the "Daily Tiger" had the following article by Pauline Kleijer entitled "Everybody is Kung Fu fighting" (The article was accompanied by a rather lame sketch of a girl on a motor cycle):

"A 'motorcycle Kung Fu love story,' is how the film EATING AIR (Zhi Feng) should be described, according to its makers, Singapore duo Kelvin Tong and Jasmine Ng. 'Young people in Singapore are fast, loud, reckless and cause a lot of damage. And a motorcycle is the perfect metaphor for all of these qualities,' says Kelvin Tong. 'Jasmine Ng and I had been wanting to make a film about youth in Singapore for some time - about today's teenagers who are growing up with action films from Hollywood, Hong Kong Kung Fu films, tasteless cable television and manga comics. The culture transcends borders, language and races.' According to Kelvin Tong, Singapore is a strange country. 'We are Chinese, but we speak English. Our background is Asiatic, but we know the films of Pedro Almodovar better than those of Tsia Ming-liang. I hope that our film is a good representation of this degenerated, topsy-turvy world.'

"Motor cycles play a central role in Eating Air. A group of friends kill time with racing around, practical jokes and gambling. Petty crime is then a small step. The boys come to a bad end, but they show that they can be real Kung Fu heroes, even if only in their imaginations. Kelvin Tong: 'The fantasy scenes consist of a bizarre mix of John Woo fights and Japanese manga. I think that a lot of young people in Singapore are influenced by this. You could say that dreaming is the only form of escape the main character has from this island it only takes thirty minutes to cover on a motorbike.'

"Kelvin Tong and Jasmine Ng have been cooperating for some time. 'Usually, I write the scenario and Jasmine does the editing.' Tong says about their working relationship. 'We direct together. This works very well, especially because once we get on the set, we have already had interminable discussions about the script. And because Jasmine is a professional editor, we saved on expensive film material during the recording phase. We don't shoot more than we need.' Which is just as well, as Eating Air was made on a very small budget. Tong: 'The film industry in Singapore is still at a very early stage, so the concept of film financing is not yet very well known. To date, some two films a year have been produced in Singapore, that number has to increase.'" [end of article]

Personal note: At the show on 2/3/00 directors Kelvin Tong Kain & Jasmine Ng Kin Kia were present, but were not even given enough time at the opening for comments and no Q &A at the end. The film rather surprised me in its portrayal of the break down of the traditional reverence for parents that I am accustomed to in Chinese culture. Here the lead male (his character has no name throughout the film, in the credits he is referred to as "boy") has amazing fantasy flashes of sudden violence and Kung Fu magic. Anyone who did not get along so well with their parents growing up will be a bit disconcerted by these images. I also noticed and kept noticing in other movies the lack of reliable adults / parents. Does a movie about young adults / teen really require adults that are to busy, stupid, emotionally unstable or other wise incompetent? How do you write a movie for young adults with parents that are actually in touch with reality?

The lead female (also a character with no name just "girl" in the credits) was very good. The subtle chemistry between the two (especially when she got on the back of his bike and indicted her attraction or not by how hard she held on to the boy). Finally, the movie left me a bit crisis fatigued. There were one too many gangs of tough guys out to get these guys.

However, this movie epitomizes what I like about foreign independent movies. I never really knew what was going to happen through out the film. Since it's foreign, it's not loaded with typical American guide-posts that eventually give away the ending 1/2 to 3/4 (some times 20 minutes!) into the film - that's very boring! Since it's not Hollywood, and the directors and company aren't concern about the sequel possibilities - characters you like just might end up dead. (Note to George Lucas: I would have paid extra to see Jar-Jar get cut in two by Darth Maul last summer!)

Dear readers, this monkey's paws are getting tired banging away on the keyboard so I will stop here. However, I would like to submit one more report on the remaining movies I saw (O!Warning and the Making of a New Empire). Also I have some information on movies I would have liked to have seen (I have industry packets on "No Where to Hide" and "I.K.U."). If you would be so kind as to indulge an old Orangutan.

Also, just so you know old Dr. Zaius is not some kind of "Damn Dirty Monkey" with nothing better to do than watch porn in Rotterdam, I have to excuse myself and get over to the bus station. I have to make it to Koeln (Cologne) this evening so I can catch to overnighter to Milan and eventually make it to Florence some time tomorrow (and if your wonder why you go to a bus station to catch a train, there is no direct train connection from Maastricht to Koeln, so you take a bus to Aachen, Germany (20 minutes across the border, then take the train to Koeln). If you're wondering, why take the train? -- I have a 3 month Eur-rail pass and I'm going to use the hell of of it. BTW Harry, you're not the only one getting some adventures in right now.

Arrivederci,

Dr. Zaius