rikumovie

For me, I began the festival with one goal in mind. Make this MY Film Festival.

Based for me at the Ridge – it was different than if I spent the days at the Oriental (Film Festival Central). But this was what was convenient for me and allowed me to not only see movies, but also be the man my family deserved during the festival.

I came up short on what I had hoped to see, but still ended with 15 films/packages at the theater. (Got Milwaukee Brewers tickets on the last day of the fest – thanks Bob and we had a dance class and Creek Crawl to deal with during the fest.)

That said, what did I see?

So after spending nearly 30 hours of my last week or so at the theaters what did I learn.

Chicago has a great group of individuals trying to make a difference in the violence of our neighbor to the south. (The Interrupters)

Paco needs to be freed. (Give Up Tomorrow)

Chely Wright is extremely talented, no matter what her sexual orientation is! (Wish Me Away)

If there is a record to be broken, there will be someone to break it. (Breaking and Entering)

Haitians are an extremely resilient group of people even when you don’t count the Earthquake impact. (When the Drum is Beating)

Magic is alive and well with the youth of the world. (Make Believe)

Despite it’s title, The Redemption of General Butt Naked is not a comedy. (The Redemption of General Butt Naked)

Love him or hate him, David Carr is tenacious! (Page One: Inside the New York Times)

Films can be projected poorly at film festivals. (The Flawat Ridge)

People will complain about anything and everything. (Rumblings in the crowd about having to drive all the way to New Berlin for one of the films)

Directors and producers of even the smallest of films are passionate about filmmaking and are fascinating to listen to at film festivals (Directors/Producers from Make Believe, Give up Tomorrow, When the Drum is Beating, Wish Me Away, Breaking and Entering all did Q & A sessions after their films at the Ridge)

Sure there are things that could be done better – but I’m not here to focus on those right now…but if the Milwaukee Film Festival crew wants my ideas – I’m here! :-)

Overall, Milwaukee Film Festival was a real success. Attendance up 17%, 22 sell-outs and over 35,000 people took in a film. Plus members of Milwaukee Film more than doubled.

Actual festival winners were included in a previous post but here are my picks from what I saw.

I mean it when I say this is the bar for all other documentaries I’ll view before the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards gets my vote.

Most FUN film: Page One: Inside the New York Times, Make Believe (TIE)

Quite frankly, David Carr is the reason, but this film just had a smile on my face throughout. And I just had a smile on my face throughout the magic film Make Believe.

Sure with films it takes a side, but the blatant difference between the passion we fight Casey Anthony and others could be used to help Paco get freed with the ACTUAL evidence in his case.

He really is naked at points in here…and he’s now a Christian…but he had impacts in 20,000 deaths (by his admission).

Surprising Moment: Wish Me Away (Chely’s prayers)

I know Christians that would condemn Chely for no other reason than her personal life that don’t pray as well as she admits to in this film. To ask the Lord for peace is so much more effective than wanting a new car, or a job to pay them more money.

Film I Missed that I Really Wanted to See: We Need To Talk About Kevin

Wanted to see this Tilda Swinton film but unfortunately, schedules wouldn’t allow it.

Ahh…Day 6 of MY FILM FESTIVAL – That’s the Milwaukee Film Festival to the rest of you.

Today, feeling good but wondering aloud how many documentaries I can take. MORE, MORE!!!!

So it’s off to the Ridge without seeing my wife and daughter to take in two films that are really different….Wish Me Away and The Redemption of General Butt Naked.

First up on this evening -- the documentary Wish Me Away about country singer Chely Wright and her journey to come out as a gay country singer. Lucky for those of us in attendance, we’d also get a Q and A period after the show with co-directors Bobbie Birleffi and Beverly Kopf. But on to the film now.

Country music is traditionally the home for many god fearing, proud American military backing fans. Chely Wright is no different than those fans at all. But Chely has a secret that she has been hiding. She is gay.

Wish Me Away concerns itself with the days leading up to Chely’s announcement that will rock the country music world.  No one is out and performing in front of this audience. Traditionally country music fans have been a more conservative lot than in other music segments, and the future in a post announcement word is truly uncertain.

The documentary follows the fact that Chely prayed to have this taken away from her when she was young. She avoided it as she plowed herself into her career. And then she promised herself she would come clean after a hit, then after a top 10 hit, then after a number one; but she just couldn’t do it.

The journey has all led to this point. And while some may question whether this is a publicity stunt, others know that in this genre of music it will hurt more than it will help on a professional level.

Filmmakers Bobbie and Beverly give you those intimate videos with Chely wondering if she can go through with it. They give you some of Chely’s family and how they handled the announcement. And you’ll get a look at … at least one of the members of the country music community having comments.

The country music community hasn’t embraced Chely, the gay community has embraced Chely somewhat – they endorse her person, even if they don’t quite get the musical format.

What does the future hold for Chely? Only time will tell. Personally she seems like a happier person, but professionally she’s still trying to find her new niche.

From a personal note…she is still Chely. Gay, straight, white, black or whatever that doesn’t change her talent. She was always gay; people just didn’t know it! If you are a fan of her music, why should it matter? Everyone deserves to be loved.

Remaining screenings for the festival – Thursday, 9/29 9:30PM at North Shore and Saturday, 10/1 at 9:45PM at the Oriental.

Funny, true story – as Wish Me Away was letting out…some of the crowd was talking about how FAR out in the sticks New Berlin (where the theater is) was.  As a resident of the fair city…I just say…really?

Anyway, I digress – On to the next film….The Redemption of General Butt Naked.

Yes – I giggled when I saw the title too.

Two TOTALLY different films, back to back, Butt Naked is NOT a comedy.

It’s the story of a General who was in charge of a group that fought, butt naked. Now years after the civil unrest in Liberia, Butt Naked has become a Christian and is trying to make amends to many of those whose lives he ruined.

We follow the newly known “Joshua” as he goes preaching the gospel to many of his victims. The uncomfortable moments where he recounts having a role in 20,000 deaths in the country are mind boggling.

Not everyone buys the new Joshua; he’s still the mass murderer to some of the crowd. And folks want justice against him, to the point where he exiles himself from family to keep preaching.

While stories of redemption are nothing new – here it is hard to feel sympathy for a man with such a brutal past. While as a Christian, I am happy he has found God and the love he promises, I still can’t get by the past. Forgiveness is important in the Christian religion. But there is never a place where it says that also has to mean no punishment for your actions. Startling and graphic at times, The Redemption of General Butt Naked will leave you conflicted no matter what your beliefs are.

No more showings during the festival.

And the night was over – headed home late but satisfied with two more solid docs at the Milwaukee Film Festival. (Thank goodness home is only 3-5 mins away!)

Sunday and after church it’s a quick change into some shorts and over to the Ridge Cinema (hey people…you don’t have to go down to the Oriental to see many of these great films!)

And great is the applicable word as another of those films I had circled on the calendar was ready to start my day at HIGH NOON!

The Interrupters had shown the night before to a packed house at the Oriental theater and I couldn’t wait for my chance to experience the documentary that I’d heard so much about.

The film follows the story of members of Cease Fire Chicago as they try to “interrupt” retaliatory killings on the streets in their city. It is there goal to get to the problem, before it explodes. Within the course of the film we are introduced to a number of these brave men and women who always throw caution to the wind and get in between whenever possible.

The Cease Fire team is not filled with goody two shoes individuals. Some of them have a real past, they have street cred as they stood in the same shoes as the individuals they are trying to stop. There are people who have done time, people have run with the gangs an people who know what it’s like to want to pull a trigger in retaliation. They are folks that the kids listen to and whose voices they are willing to examine. Not everything works out for them, but preventing just a couple of killings can make a world of difference.

The stories are emotionally draining. What has a child that is just 13 ever done to deserve a bullet? What has a youngster done to deserve to be beaten to death? What can we do to legitimately intervene?

This film set the bar, off the charts, for the remainder of the docs I see this year. I was visually moved. I cried. I got angry. I felt Ameena and her impassioned cries to the youth in Chicago. I was nervous as Cobe confronted some kids on the verge of running out in front of him and shooting someone. My heart broke as Eddie comes to grips with his own past while working with kids in the present.

These stories moved me and meant something. These are the stories that will move you. It doesn’t matter what color your skin is, where you’ve grown up, who you know; NO child should have to endure sleeping with one eye open. NO child should fear who will be shot in their neighborhood next.

See The Interrupters – you will NOT be disappointed – One of the Best Documentaries this year. If I was throwing grades out here – this is a solid A.

------------------------------------------------------------------

From there I quickly ran home to take in at least the first half of the Packers / Bears and Chiefs / Chargers games. I am, alas, the “Common Guy” and NFL Sunday Ticket was calling my name. But as we rolled into halftime of the games – it was time to head back to the 5PM screening I had circled…Somewhere Between.

Somewhere Between tells the story of 4 girls that were adopted from China and their lives as Americans. It comes from the perspective of a filmmaker who, herself, was looking to adopt and wanted some understanding of some of the struggles that exist for these special children. What she found will leave you emotionally drained but uplifted all at the same time.

The young girls were in different parts of the country and each had their own goals and dreams. They had assimilated to the families they had become a part of but some still wanted to know where their journey began. While it can be impossible to get information in many of these cases, that doesn’t stop all of them from digging deeper.

There are organizations that help these girls cope somewhat, but they still struggle with being the “Asian Girl” within an all white neighborhood or family. As teenagers, they are just like other teens, but with a story that is yet to help them define their life before America.

It is truly an emotionally draining movie that has many highs along with a few lows as well. The story centers on the girls, their thoughts and dreams and their goals and aspirations. And with that you become part of the life of a teenage girl with more on their mind than social networks, boyfriends, or schoolwork.

It was a pleasure to experience and share the story of these girls. With a successful beginning, a successful future is all but assured.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

And I was going to go back for two additional films, but I decided at that point to call it a weekend. Lots of writing to finish, columns to submit – and off I went. So that was the end of Day 4. (I’m taking Day 5 off for family obligations – back on Day 6)

HOWEVER – if I were to give recommendations for Day 5 – I would head to the Oriental to check out The Redemption of General Butt Naked and 445PM followed by We Need To Talk About Kevin at 7PM (Though the 7PM show is currently SOLD OUT).