[my comments assume that you’ve already read the AFF description that I link to in each movie title]
The TV Set — David Duchovny plays a bearded nebbish of a writer trying to get his shows through the pilot stage and onto the air. Sigourney Weaver steals all her scenes as a viciously stupid yet enormously powerful network executive. Lots of great characters and acting. Written and directed by Jake Kasdan, son of Lawrence Kasdan (big Hollywood writer / producer), so that probably helped him get an early perspective on the corrosive atmosphere of the SoCal entertainment industry. It takes the most well-intentioned talent and slowly whittles them down to the size and shape needed to be part of the machine that pumps crap like “According to Jim” into the nation’s living rooms. Good movie! Although really this isn’t what I’m here to see, with the big names and laughs and all. Nonetheless, very entertaining, recommended, a lot like the hilarious The Comeback, an HBO comedy that starred Lisa Kudrow as a slightly past-her-prime comedic actress trying to goose her career back into the limelight.
12:08 East Of Bucharest — Ah yes, the IMAGE of old rears its head. First, they start the movie 15-20 minutes late. Then, the aspect ratio is wrong and everybody’s got fat heads. Then, their are no subtitles for the Romanian dialogue on screen. Time goes by, people in the audience laugh at the situation, some start trickling out. After about 10 minutes I gave up and walked out, to find AFF staff in the lobby apologizing and handing out vouchers. Apparently they’d received the wrong version of the film, or at least couldn’t figure out how to get the subtitles up. But do they go into the theater and let everyone know? No. Sigh. I hope this isn’t representative of the rest of the festival. 2005 was a mess, 2006 was virtually perfect, so 2007 … ? OK, so I got to go home early. Saturday and Sunday will be full days.