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Movies
Check this space all week for reviews and coverage of the 2011 FirstGlance Film Festival.
With a running time just under twenty minutes, Theresa Wu's locally shot Smoke and Mirrors is forced to 
get straight to the point. Within the first ninety seconds, the protagonist, Sarah, (Krystal Yam) has been caught smoking in the bathroom and finds herself knee-deep in a shit storm created by her mother (Vanessa Kai). Throughout the film, the mother/daughter relationship is taunting at best, with Sarah's mom constantly berating her about school, social interactions and the work she does for the family take-out biz. At one point, Sarah's father even steps in and asks the question on everyone's mind, "Why are you always yelling at her?"
The turning point comes when Sarah finds her mother getting friendly with a customer outside the restaurant — something that is normally against the rules. So as far as she's concerned, if her mother doesn't follow the rules then why should she? Sarah becomes incensed, grabs a pack of cigs and climbs into the back of a van with a boy. She immediately rebuffs his advances, but for a brief moment she sees the possibilities that await her. This is the moment the movie goes from just teen drama to something more.
Being a teenager is tough, and breaking the rules generally feels pretty good at least for a moment. The film moves at a quick clip, never leaving time to dwell on any one aspect. Some viewers may spend the entire film wondering what it is that drives this 14-year-old to smoke, but in doing so they'll miss the real point. Don't do that.
CITY PAPER GRADE: B
Sun., Oct. 16, 5 p.m., screens with Sunday Twilight, Take Your Medicine, The Story, Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th St. firstglancefilms.com/philadelphia.
Check this space all week for reviews and coverage of the 2011 FirstGlance Film Festival.
Local filmmaker Andrew Ari Clibanoff's Air We Breathe shows a lot of heart but offers disappointing 
results. If you can get past audio imperfections like the popping P's and S's, and distracting changes in ambient noise in between camera switches, you're left facing an almost shockingly unoriginal script. The film is a twenty-four-and-a-half-minute indie cliché about a washed up alcoholic writer and a visitor with an unknown agenda. It's like a Hal Hartley joint without the post-modernism, which translates to almost unwatchable.
The acting is actually pretty decent, despite the inexplicable casting. Each of the four actors look to be in their mid-20s, which makes it hard to believe the protagonist is a has-been great writer.
This could-be tale of cathartic transcendence needs more narrative. The weight attempted to be hoisted onto these characters in a 24-minute period doesn't have nearly enough fuel to ignite a substantial dramatic experience. Nor does the dialogue offer it's modestly talented (if distractingly young) actors a chance to make any memorable impressions with their material. I hope they keep at it because Air We Breathe shows a lot of ambition. But the end product might as well be a long film trailer designed to reel you in by not showing you any of the interesting parts.
CITY PAPER GRADE: D
Sat., Oct. 15, 8 p.m., $10, screens with Ring Theory, Luz, and Falling Overnight, Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th St., firstglancefilms.com/philadelphia.
Check this space all week for coverage and reviews of the 2011 FirstGlance Film Festival.
Residents on the western side of North Broad Street have been faced with the deterioration of their hood, 
with buildings becoming vacant, trash accumulating and graffiti on the rise. And Wild West of Broad points the finger at Temple University for failing to give back to its surrounding community. Most of the 22-minute doc — produced by Temple film student Ian Rose — is made up of interviews with the locals. The majority of the subjects agree that the local businesses sprouting up in the area have created jobs and local commerce, but they all believe there's still work to be done. They point the finger at Temple students, but can the tagging and apartment buildings being vacated really be caused by them? Regardless, as students continue to live farther from campus and deeper into their neighborhood, the community simply asks that Temple start returning the favor somehow.
Sun., Oct. 16, 3:15 p.m., $8, screens with Bip Bip, Ruby Skye P.I.: The Spam Scam, Connect To, Burma: An Indictment, Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th St., firstglancefilms.com/philadelphia.
CITY PAPER GRADE: B-
Check this space all week for reviews of the Philly flicks making up the 15th annual FirstGlance Film Festival.
We’ll start this review off with a little analogy just to create some perspective: JC Dobb’s was to Philly what 
CBGB’s was to New York City — the end-all-be-all of Philly’s local music scene for over two decades and, at its peak, was the city’s premier rock 'n’ roll stomping ground.
Philly director George Manney’s (pictured right) documentary, Meet Me On South Street: The Story of JC Dobbs, describes the history of the sacred neighborhood bar that was a stepping stone for big namers like George Thorogood, Nirvana and Oasis. Starting in the early-70s when JC Dobbs’ was “the coolest neighborhood bar," Manney tells the watering hole's story through a number of still images, video montages and interviews from those who witnessed Dobbs’ rise from local hangout to Philly music scene mecca.
Check this space all week for coverage and reviews of the 2011 FirstGlance Film Festival.
Set in nearby Mt. Airy, Controlled Burn asks viewers just how far one human can go to support another. Does 
one life have the right to live if it overtakes another? Echoing the sentiments of a forest overrun with foliage and grasping vines, the short film shows how a controlled burn can ultimately let the standing trees shine. Local filmmaker Dan Van Wert based the short piece on his father’s own short story, entitled "The Firebringer." Juxtaposing love and common comfort with the dramatic tones of fire, betrayal and independence, this film works hard to offer an intimate space of troubled love. The cinematic elements — the way light provides both intimate space and confusion — are what keep the narrative alive. While the premise questions basic assumptions about humanity and will surely spark many a philosophical conversation, the prize really goes to the actors (including locals Nancy Boykin and Dan Kern) for their interaction with the scene around them.
CITY PAPER GRADE: B
Sat., Oct. 15, 3:15 p.m., $8, screens with Little Hero, More to Live For, Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th St., firstglancefilms.com/philadelphia.
Check this space all week for reviews and coverage of the 2011 FirstGlance Film Festival.
Already winning awards right and left, Michelle Steffes' The Interview is a testament to the “dark comedy” 
genre. Only 12 minutes long, the short packs in well-scripted comedy, incredible effects, amazing attention to detail and a poignant socio-political taunt. Set in a post-apocalyptic Earth, the last man alive seeks a job from the second-to-last man, a radio host. Traveling past realistic burning cities and empty streets, young Sam Cohen (played by Abington, Pa's Adam Shapiro) comes to sit in front of Howard for a job position as the executive of the radio station — a job recently vacated by a bird-flu victim. Noting his strengths (a great immune system and stellar social skills), Sam should be a shoe-in for the only corporate position left in the world. But then again, all of his references are dead. Perfectly scripted dark humor ensues, touching on the soreness and almost-preposterous scenarios and situations in the current job market — one that doesn’t look too dissimilar to an end-of-times interview.
CITY PAPER GRADE: A
Thu., Oct. 13, 8 p.m., $12, screens with Bad Days, Chord, Calendar Girl, Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th St., 215-448-1200, firstglancefilms.com.
The FirstGlance Film Festival has come a long way from its 1996 debut venue — a dingy, Center City 
basement. And this year's local-heavy lineup is shining proof that the indie film community in this town is on the up-and-up, too.
“Philadelphia’s scene is on the rise … there are a lot of talented people in our area that believe in it and they’re really turning out fantastic projects," says local filmmaker John Guarnere (pictured). "You weren’t getting that five years ago.”
His quirky love story/serial-murder thriller Calendar Girl kicks off the four-day festival on Thu., Oct. 13 along with The Interview, a short narrative starring Philly actor Adam Shapiro.
Be sure to check this space all week long for our reviews of all the flicks making up Philly's contributions to the festival — including every genre from feature film to music video.
Thu.-Sun., Oct. 13-16, various times, $8-$60, Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th St., firstglancefilms.com/philadelphia.
Known for his thrashy dance, seizuriffic live shows and brutal remixes of Kanye, Pink Floyd and, uh, Alan Parsons apparently, Derek Vincent Smith aka Pretty Lights has earned his stripes at the big festivals. It's all glitchy samples, furious synths, flashing strobes, glowing cubes and the guy next to you asking to bum a hit. Check out this ridiculous video of him playing Bonaroo. You could always go home early.
Also playing Popped: The Shins, Rakim, The Hold Steady, Pains of Being Pure of Hearts, Girl Talk, Black Thought and more. Fri. and Sat., Sept. 23 and 24, Single-day tickets $59.50, both days $110, FDR Park, near Broad and Pattison, poppedphiladelphia.com.
Ex-City Paper staffer Helen I Hwang sent in this pic from her current home in Glasgow, which is impersonating Philly right now for the shooting of World War Z.
Adapted from David Nicholls’ bestseller, One Day begins when Emma Morley (Anne Hathaway) and Dexter Mayhew (Jim Sturgess) meet for the first time, on July 15 (St. Swithin’s Day), and end up spending the night together.
Director Lone Scherfig’s film chronicles Emma and Dexter's experiences over the next two decades as their friendship grows more intense. They try not to get their feelings of love and/or interest in sex get in the way of their friendship. As such, the film asks: Can men and women benefit from friendship, or do they always end up as friends with benefits?
“I think it’s possible for a straight woman to be friends with a straight guy and vice versa," said Hathaway in a recent interview. "And yes, sometimes tension can get in the way of friendship; usually that dissipates into what it’s meant to be — which is a friendship.”
But then she added, “But I’m not the person to answer this question. I’ve been in a rock-solid relationship for three years, and I’m a one-man woman, so I don’t really look at other men. The majority of my friends are gay men, and I’ve never had any sexual tension with them — which I consider to be a personal failing. That said, [I’m going to be playing] Judy Garland — so I’ve got to get on that.”
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