Father Geek here with Optimus Prime and his last report from the SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL in the far Northwest. He looks at five more films this time out including his picks for BEST, and WORST of fest. He also gives us a nice look at Eduardo Rossoff's great little Mexican Joan of Arc styled tale, AVE MARIA, featuring lovely Teresa Lopez Tarin in the breakout title role of Maria. I can't wait for this one to hit the arthouse circut...

My Fifth and final set of reviews from SIFF.

The Tao of Steve

A really good romantic comedy, from a male point of view. Played by Donal
Logue, (famous for his MTV crazy cab driver spots) Dex, a big man, both
in his weight and in his influence of women. He used to be the big man on
campus, good in class and out of. However, he hasn't done anything with
his life since, but he's still good with the ladies. He's into
philosophy, owns many books, and is constantly quoting the greats, it's
mostly to impress girls. He and his roommates have come up with their
own philosophy for dating. It's called the Tao of Steve. Steve
represents the cool guy, the Steve Austin or McQueen, in all of us.

This is until Syd comes into his life. As he starts to pursue her, all
these philosophies go out the door. He still has advice for one of his
roommates who's having trouble. "Women pursue that which they can not
have. So #1: Don't lust after them. #2: Do something excellent
in their presence #3: Retreat from them." Donal really throws himself
into the character of Dex, he seems to believe everything he's saying. He
won best actor at Sundance for the role. The film is full of great
dialogue, and the most of the advice is sound. It's a great
date/relationship film.

Ave Maria

A Mexican Joan of Arc story based in 1659. Maria Inez is the daughter of
a rich and influential Spaniard. Because of her father's wishes she's
living in a Mexican monastery. She's a an advanced woman, interested in
astronomy, botany, everything but the church. A new Padre comes to
the church from the old world, very set in his ways, and believing that
women are only good for cooking and cleaning. He and Maria start
clashing, and it's not long before he gets all her activities ruled sinful
and takes them from her. However, it's actually a good thing, she
realizes how greedy she has been. She decides to help the Indians who are
all dying from Spanish disease. This only infuriates the Padre more, as
she starts becomes an icon of the people, more important than the church.
He makes it his job, to ruin or end her life.

A beautifully photographed film, with some strong ideas. Very biased
against the church, showing some of the evil and wrongs that were
committed in God's name. The film has a strong spiritual sense to it, that
God is in all of us, that we do not need the church to talk to God.

Preston Tylk

Ugh.. the worst film I saw at the festival. Maybe it seemed worse than
it was, because I had just seen the brilliant Blood Simple on the big
screen for the first time. These two films are the exact opposite in the
exact same genre, low budget thrillers made by first time film-makers.

Starring Luke Wilson, who has a bit of charm to him, but no acting skills,
as Preston Tylk. He's having a bad day. He's just found out that his
wife is cheating on him, that night she's killed, he kills the other man,
and buries him. Bad day #2; he finds out that he's killed the brother,
now he's being chased by the other man and the cops. Desperate, he goes
to a smarmy PI played by Dennis Farina (Get Shorty). Dick the private
dick is no help either, and they do stupid things followed by a dumber
things. They keep getting further into trouble until there is really no
way out. There is absolutely no tension built in the film, instead it's
filled in with numeral chase scenes. Running through a warehouse
district, the forest, etc. It seems Luke was cast for his running skills,
because his acting is eye-rolling good. I really doubt that this will
ever get picked up for distribution, so luckily I'll be one of the few
people to ever see it.

Nobody Knows Anybody

A Spanish thriller and another dud. The director said that this film was
designed to appeal to a young audience and a big box office. To me it
felt designed for late night Cinemax viewers. This is one of those
films you see at the video store, with a very attractive, nearly naked
girl, who's not in the movie, on the cover.

What does a cross word puzzle answer "advisory", nerve gas enclosed in a
statue of Jesus, and a naked dead priest all have in common? Who the hell
knows, and it takes the film forever to reveal why. By that point I just
couldn't have cared less. It all had to do with a video game, or maybe a
role-playing game, or it could even all be a dream. The lead character is
as confused as the audience. The only thing the film has going for it, is
its beautiful cast. But who am I to say what's going to be a hit in
Spain. I thought it was a dud.

Girlfight

Possibly the best film at the festival, it tied for the Grand Jury Prize
at Sundance. Two incredible debut performances from director Karyn Kusama
and lead actress Michelle Rodriguez. Life is tough for Diana. Growing up
in Brooklyn, with a bum father and no mother. Her brother is taking
boxing lessons, because he needs to toughen up from his artistic ways.
She's been getting in a lot of fights at school, but is determined to
change her ways. Training to be a boxer looks like a good idea. She's
told by the trainer that girls can't box, but he'll do it for the money.
She's forced to steal money from her father, and sell her jewelry to
afford the $10 a lesson. With perseverance she gets through it all, and
starts to become a decent boxer. She meets a nice boy, another boxer and
her life really starts to come together.

This is not really a film about boxing though, it's character driven.
These are real people with real problems. It's filmed in muted colors,
that match the theme and feeling of the plot. With boxing films galore,
Karyn manages new ways to show the matches. It being amateur boxing she
can't show the glorious knockout. Making the point system more
entertaining then most of the Rocky films, because of the vested interest
we hold in the characters. This is a great film, and I highly recommend
it.

Overall it was a good festival with really no well known films showing.
The majority of the films I saw were good. It's great to see films that
I normally don't get to see on the big screen, foreign, documentaries, and
a few revival flicks (Raging Bull, Blood Simple, The Pink Panther).
I guess it's time to get back to the big, dumb films of summer.

Optimus Prime shedding a tear for the end of the Seattle Film Festival.

Optimus
Prime Films