Ebertfest 13 Scarcity-Based Recommendations

"Ebertfest Audience" by rexb, used under CC license

If you're anything like me, you woke up tired yesterday. And then, during breakfast, you saw the list of films to be shown at Roger Ebert's Thirteenth Film Festival, and the excitement energized you a bit [1]. Then you remembered that it was a work day, flopped on your bed next to your cat, and whined a bit about how you ought to call in tired.

I did come in to work, and I'm here to provide you with recommendations of what films to see at Ebertfest. Assuming you do not have a pass and are perhaps cash-strapped, you'll likely pick and choose which individual films to attend. You can read reviews as well as I can, and if you're trying to choose which to see based on quality, go on over the the Ebertfest site and read what's been written about each [2].

I'm basing my recommendations on scarcity. The more rare the experience of seeing a film at Ebertfest, the higher I'd recommend seeing it--if Ebertfest appears to be your only opportunity to see a film, I'll recommend it over others. What follows is a good chunk of discussion and then my recommendations--feel free to skip to the recommendations if you're in a hurry.

Of the twelve films to be shown, the library currently owns four, but I've ordered a couple others that are available. We own The Complete Metropolis, Umberto D, Leaves of Grass, and I Am Love [3]. Coming soon are Only You, and Me & Orson Welles, both of which can presently be requested from other libraries in the system [4].

The other six films are currently touring festivals or being shown on television some time in the future--I'm confident that most of them will be distributed on DVD eventually. The animated My Dog Tulip, which features the voices of Christopher Plummer, Lynn Redgrave, and Isabella Rossellini, is based on a memoir by J.R. Ackerly. Look for the memoir in the library in a couple of weeks--it's in my order to go out next week.

With all of the buzz that Tiny Furniture is still generating, I'm sure it'll see a DVD release after it's finished racking up festival accolades.

"On Stage" by rexb used under CC license

A Small Act and Louder Than a Bomb, this year's music film, have both been picked up for television. A Small Act has already had it's TV premiere, but will air again on HBO 2 Saturday, March 26 and Monday, March 28. As an HBO documentary, I'm hopeful it'll be available for our collection eventually. Louder Than a Bomb will air on the Oprah Winfrey Network. With the awards and acclaim it's picked up, I'd also bet on it hitting our shelves down the line.

The two films I'm less certain about being available to you from the library are Life, Above All and 45365. Life, Above All is a South African film in German, distributed theatrically in the US by Sony Pictures Classics. The V.P. of SPC was on last year's Ebertfest panel for Synecdoche, New York, and noted that SPC looks for "evergreen films," being those of a quality that would stand out over time. My uncertainty of a US DVD release rests on the film's being 1) in a language other than English, and 2) not so well known in the US (overlooked, if you will). In the film's favor are it's being 1) South Africa's Academy Award entry for the Best Foreign Film category and 2) an official selection of the Cannes Film Festival.

45365 is a documentary that sounds fantastic--pardon my lack of experience in film-watching by only being able to compare it to Wisconsin Death Trip in style. 45365 is the zip code of Sidney, OH, and the film shows snapshots of a contemporary day in the life of the townsfolk (see? Death Trip-y in that snapshot style, not the emphasis on the abject). That's not going to work for people who need all stories to be narratives, whom I cynically see as the majority of movie viewers. So I worry, despite the awards, acclaim and Independent Lens premiere, that 45365 will have difficulty finding its way to our library.

So, what to see at Ebertfest a la carte?

Recommendations:

"Roger Ebert Blvd." by rexb used under CC license

See both 45365 and Life, Above All, as you either may not have the opportunity or a really long wait to see either again. Adjust based on your preferences for documentaries or subtitles.

After that, see the restored Metropolis. Yes, you can already watch the DVD in the comfort of your own home, but you will not have the live Alloy Orchestra in your living room--at times, they're as much fun to watch as the film they're scoring.

Next, based on anticipated wait until you have another opportunity to see a film, check out in order My Dog Tulip, Louder Than a Bomb, A Small Act, and Tiny Furniture.

For films already on DVD, it's up to you.

Now adjust for fanaticism. If you're big on Norman Jewison (Only You), Richard Linklater (Me & Orson Welles), Tilda Swinton (I Am Love), Tim Blake Nelson (Leaves of Grass), or any of the other festival guests who will come out for a panel discussion following the film for which they shared responsibility, make their films a higher priority. How many times will you be able see your favorite filmmaker discuss their work in a relaxed environment and receive a golden thumb?

 Make your prioritized list. Put it away and look at it again tomorrow. Make changes. Review again in a week. Be confident in your decisions by April Fool's Day and relax over that weekend. Individual tickets go on sale the following Monday, April 4th. Call The Virginia and order your tickets, and note the lack of regret or uncertainty [5].


They're all gonna be good. It's not like any is a bad choice.


Concessions:
1. Roger Ebert's Film Festival official site

2. To see the write ups on a film, just click on its title on the festival schedule.


3. Check out the films you can get at the Urbana Free:
    The Complete Metropolis
    Umberto D
    Leaves of Grass
    I Am Love

4. Check out the films you can get from other libraries until our copies arrive:
    Only You
    Me & Orson Welles
    Btw, Me & Orson Welles is based on this novel by Robert Kaplow that you may borrow from us.

5. The Virginia Theater's number is 217 356-9063.
blpost

Catch up on Ebertfest Films You've Missed

In fewer than 11 days, on November 1, Ebertfest 2011 passes go on sale.  The worst part about getting a pass is knowing you have months until you get to use it.  "The waiting...the waiting"  Wasn't that from My Winnipeg?

My Winnipeg was shown at Roger Ebert's 11th Film Festival in 2009.  If you had your copy of Ebertfest: The Checklist handy, you could see that for yourself.

Ebertfest: The Checklist is exactly what it sounds like.  Organized by year and listing the films in the order that they were shown, the checklist provides, 1. helpful boxes for you to check out the films you've seen, and 2. the call numbers of DVDs so you can easily find them in our collection.

I do need to make an appeal to you devoted patrons of the Urbana Free and fans of Ebertfest.  In the Checklist, you'll also notice that some of the titles have no call number.  We cannot obtain these films because they either have never been distributed on DVD or they are out of print and sold at high prices among collectors.

We would love to be able to offer the entire slate of Ebertfest-screened films to our patrons, so if you're feeling generous, please consider seeking out some of titles we're missing and donating them to our collection.  Be sure to note that they are to fill this need and that they should go straight to me, Brian Looker, as I manage our entertainment DVD collection.

Now, how can you get your copy of the Checklist?  You can come to the library, where we have them freely available for the taking.  If you're out-of-state, as many Ebertfest fans are, you can print (double-sided) and staple your own copy from the PDF on our website--the call numbers may not help you, but you have to admit it's a good-looking list. 

The online version of the list is up on our site, and we are working to add in links to each DVD record in our catalog.

Separate from the Checklist, I have created a cheat code for our catalog so that you may search and find all of the Ebertfest titles we currently own.  Go to our library catalog, and in the Author search box, type and search for Roger Ebert's Film Festival--the result should be a list of DVDs showing not only call number, but availability, AND, as always, you can place requests on titles with your library barcode and PIN.

Virtual Ebertfest!

Can't attend all the Ebertfest activities this week? Neither can I, alas.
(But check out the Ebertfest website. Some tickets are still available, and you'll get a great taste of what's going on.)

Here's an exciting new Ebertfest option! You can view some of the activities from the comfort of your own computer!

Roger Ebert, an avid user of Twitter, has just tweeted
"Ebertfest will stream live on the net. Here is the *correct* link *with* the guide with days and times. http://j.mp/cOj3pW"

The page Mr. Ebert points to has the schedule, times, and the link to the streaming videos.

Not the movies, of course, but you can access the morning UIUC panel discussions and the Q&A sessions after the films.

Enjoy Ebertfest! Now it's only a computer away!