R""# N"&'
Est 2000
The Quarterly Newsletter of
The Macon Film Guild
Volume 2, Issue 2
Halloween Issue, 2../ !OO#
UIcominC ScreeninCsJ
View from the Director;s Chair
CamI Bacon president
T@is is MFG’s 24t@ TuarterH
So far it @as Keen a satisfyinC,
enlarCinC e]Ierience made
IossiKle Ky a Creat crew of
Polunteers and loyal audienceH
It doesn’t seem suc@ a lonC
time since COLOR OF
PARADISE, an Iranian filmH
Friends of t@e Cuild from t@at
first audience of _/ IeoIle still
recall t@e filmJ a side of Iran we
@ad no idea ofJ Keautiful Iastoral scenes, a sc@ool for Klind
c@ildren (males), t@e Kurden of
a Klind c@ild on a Ioor rural
family, t@e cataracts, and a
soI@isticated mysterious
endinCH It was a taste of w@at
film can mean to an audienceH
It’s t@at reaction t@at DeeIs us
looDinC for films t@at enliC@ten,
deliC@t, or IuSSleH
In t@ese / years we a @aPe
Keen amaSed at t@e Pariety of
story-line and t@e talent of
directors and actors of w@om
we @aPe nePer @eardH And
non-Irofessional actors, some
of w@om, liDe in HIMALAYA,
@ad nePer seen electricity
muc@ less film, muc@ less actinC, turn in Iowerful and aut@entic IortrayalsH And scenery t@at droIs your caw W
HIMALAYA, THE WIDOW
OF ST PIERRE, THE FAST
RUNNER, KANDAHAR or
MOTORCYCLE DIARIESH
T@en t@ere are t@e stories
of remarDaKle IeoIle and Ieo-
Ile doinC remarDaKle t@inCsJ
_.’s surfers in RIDING
GIANTS taDinC on X.-foot
waPes, a society of CuKan
Ioets in BEFORE NIGHT
FALLS, S@acDleton’s (and @is
crew’s) remarDaKle tale of dXmont@s surPiPal locDed in t@e
ice of Antarctica in ENDURANCE, first recordinCs of ancient Scottis@ music from AIIalac@ia in SONG CATCHER,
or RIVERS AND TIDES w@ic@
featured t@e Iatient, uniTue,
and dynamic natural art of
Andrew Goldswort@yH
T@ere were @oIeful stories
of t@e Dids w@o win t@e sIellinC Kees in SPELLBOUND, t@e
maCic of an e]Ierienced
teac@er in a one-room sc@ool
in rural France in TO BE AND
TO HAVE, and t@e story of
immiCrant Dids IN AMERICAH
T@en t@ere were t@e films of
Iure entertainmentJ mystery,
dramaH
RememKer HUKKLEO It
was a murder mystery in a
small HunCarian PillaCeQ t@e
audience didn’t realiSe t@ey
were actually aware of t@e
murders, Kut @ad not Iut t@e
clues toCet@erH T@at was really
fun to talD aKout Kecause
IeoIle would Cet one clue and
t@en start IuttinC t@e story
KacD toCet@er aCainQ clePer, to
say t@e leastH
And t@e Russian film THE
RETURN t@at @ad so many
twists for @aPinC only t@ree
main actors, and left as many
Tuestions unanswered as
answeredH
RememKer Billy BoK
T@ornton in THE MAN WHO
WASN’T THERE W our toI
attendance wit@ a total of 2/X
admissionsH
And comedyH T@ere was
t@e Keautifully understated
LoneCan story YOU CAN
COUNT ON ME starrinC
Laura Linney, and t@e way
understated Zim Zarmusc@
BROKEN FLOWERS, starrinC
Bill MurrayH HE LOVES ME HE
Director’s Chair, continued p. 2
Letter from the Editor
Blaine W@ittle editor
As a MFG memKer liDe
myself , Ier@aIs youePe noticed
t@at recent documentary film
releases @aPe increasinCly Kecome uKiTuitousH Personally,
Iem all for itH My faPorites are
tyIically t@ose films w@ic@
undertaDe to e]Iose controPersial information not Cenerally made aPailaKle for IuKlic
consumItion or discourseH I
KeliePe films suc@ asJ AN
INCOVENIENT TRUTH,
THE FOG OF WAR, and
Editor, continued p. 3
CREDITS
In aIIreciation, oIerations in cooIeration wit@ t@e DouClass T@eater
Newsletter layout and desiCnJ Walter Elliott
Sunday, October 8, 2006
Broken Wings
"## $% &
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Factotum
"## $% &
Sunday, December10, 2006
Mongolian Ping Pong
"## $% '
On deck, subject to change...
The Bridesmaid
(January 14, 2007)
Tsotsi
(February 11, 2007)
Three Times
(Marc@ dd, 2..f)
On OctoKer _,
Macon Arts
Alliance
Honored
CamI Bacon
wit@ t@e
2../ Cultural
Ac@iePement
Award
See Camp’s Fire, page 3...
R""# N"&'
Page 2
Director’s Chair continued...
LOVES ME NOT KrouC@t KacD
Amy Tatou in a story you couldn’t decide was comedy, farce, or
mystery W until a Panity is moPed
from t@e wall in t@e last sceneH
T@ere were t@e romances
t@at ent@ralled, liDe WWI eIic A
VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT
t@at was as muc@ detectiPe as
romance, and t@en MOSTLY
MARTHA or ITALIAN FOR
BEGINNERS, w@ere t@e directors Iroduced c@aracters of suc@
c@arm t@at t@e audience is transIorted into t@e story desIite
your Kest efforts to not KeH
I’ll admit t@ere were some
t@at left ePen us IuSSled as to
w@at t@e director was tryinC to
accomIlis@J TRISTRAM
SHANDY for e]amIle, a film
aKout not KeinC aKle to maDe a
film aKout an 2.. year old noPelH
T@en t@ere was WAKING LIFEQ
its Iseudo animation and dream
state comIletely Kefuddled, Kut
I’ll @aPe to say I @aPe found occasion to Tuote from t@e film, liDe,
jT@e sea refuses no riPerHk W@at
does t@at meanO Not sure Kut
you can’t deny t@e trut@ of itH
And t@ere are t@ose films
t@at are in a leaCue of t@eir ownH
THE FOG OF WAR, RoKert
McNamara’s insider story of t@e
Pacific t@eater of WWII and
Vietnam WarH WINGED
MIGRATION, w@ere you fly
alonC wit@ t@e Kirds in miCration,
watc@inC t@eir eyes, Keat of t@eir
winCs, witnessed t@e successful
miCrations and inePitaKle, sometime KiSarre demise of ot@ersH
I could Co on, sePenty filmsH
A lot of Cood memoriesH It’s our
@oIe you will continue to @onor
us wit@ your PaluaKle time as we
KrinC t@e Kest of film t@at ot@erwise you would not see, eit@er at
a local t@eater or select for
@ome PiewinCH We aIIreciate
t@e reCulars and looD forward to
seeinC you eac@ mont@, and @oIe
t@e rest Kecome reCulars and
KrinC t@eir friendsH
See you at t@e ne]t s@owH
SynoIses of UIcominC ScreeninCsHHH
for October 8...
BROKEN WINGS Nir Bergma
T@eatrical releaseJ Marc@ d2, 2..4
(Sony Pictures Classics)
Is it IerPerse, irresIonsiKle, or cust Ilain stuIid to
maDe a moPie set in Haifa,
Israel, in w@ic@ t@e Israeli and
Palestinian conflict not only @as
no KearinC on t@e action, Kut
isn’t ePen so muc@ as mentionedO BROKEN WINGS, t@e
Pery imIressiPe feature deKut
of writeridirector Nir BerCman, is in fact none of t@e
aKoPe, since it insists on t@e
Irimacy of t@e ePeryday, if
@ardly ordinary, liPes of its
c@aractersQ a family on t@e
PerCe of imIlosionH
Dafna (Orly ZilberschatzBanai) is a recent widow wit@
four Dids, two in t@eir late
teens, and two cust startinC
t@eir resIectiPe sc@oolinCsH
Dafna’s a nurse worDinC insane
s@ifts at a @osIital,
leaPes a lot of t@e c@ildrearinC duties to @er
oldest c@ild Maya (Maya
Maron), a fledClinC sinCersonCwriter w@o doesn’t liDe
@aPinC @er CiCs interruItedQ
esIecially Ky calls tellinC @er
s@e’s Cot to droI ePeryt@inC to
looD after a couIle of unruly
moIIetsH BeinC so often
Iressed Ky Dafna, Maya ePentually t@rows off @er resIonsiKilities wit@ a rut@less s@ruC
and Coes off to a recordinC
session, unfortunately, at t@e
worst IossiKle timeH One of
@er siKlinCs winds uI in t@e
@osIital, and not for a Pisit
wit@ MomH T@e stolid Dafna is
left wit@ nary a t@read of @oIe
to clinC to and H H Hwell, it all
sounds rat@er KleaD, doesn’t itO
T@e minor miracle of t@is
Iicture, is t@at as Kad as t@inCs
Cet for t@e c@aracters, one Cets
too cauC@t uI in t@eir IliC@t to
desIair aKout itH BerCman
wants t@e Piewer to emIat@iSe
more wit@ t@e c@aracters’
IersePerance t@an t@eir Iain,
and @e Iulls it off, t@anDs to @is
s@arI eye, comIassion, and
@umor, and of course to t@e
IerformancesgIarticularly
t@at of t@e luminous Maron,
w@o will surely Ke @eard from
more in t@e futureH
Glenn Kenney -- PREMIERE
MAGAZINE
for November 12...
FACTOTUM Bent Hame
T@eatrical releaseJ AuCust dX, 2../ (IFC Films)
FACTOTUM is Kased on
a KooD Ky C@arles BuDowsDi,
celeKrated c@ronicler of LHAes
sDid rowH Some fans reCard t@e
KooD as autoKioCraI@ical, t@ates
IroKaKly not true, t@ouC@ t@e
moPie is aKout a fellow named
C@inasDi (Matt Dillon) w@o (as
did t@e late BuDowsDi) suIIorts @is writinC wit@ a Pariety
of odd coKsH
NorweCian filmmaDer
Bent Hamer @as decided to tell
@is story, as C@inasDi moPes
from one on-t@e-coK flameout
to anot@er, into a droll comedyH Ites full of deadIan comIositions, down-temIo slaIsticD,
comical line readinCs - t@ouC@
Ier@aIs t@e moPiees curiously
funny edCe is a conseTuence of
@aPinC Matt Dillon in t@e title
roleH As one of t@e few moPie
stars w@o was minted as a Koy
yet acceIted Ky audiences as a
man, Dillon @as IroPen to Ke
t@e most duraKle of @is Brat
PacD contemIorariesH T@is
duraKility @as made @im a rela]ed and confident IerformerH
For e]amIle, @ees assured
enouC@ to let a line of dialoCue
float for a moment Kefore
resIondinC, fillinC t@e KlanD
sIace wit@ a looD of confusion
or Koredom or disdain t@at
usually Cets a lauC@H Dillon first
disIlayed t@is talent IlayinC a
cunDie in DRUGSTORE COWBOYH His C@inasDi miC@t Ke
seen as an older, alco@olic
reflection of t@at former, career-maDinC c@aracterH
T@at t@erees somet@inC
liDeaKle aKout Dillon @elIs
e]Ilain w@y @e can maDe addicts or drunDs IalataKle, w@y
@e can Ke @onored for IlayinC
a racist coI in CRASH, also
@ow @e taDes t@e edCe off t@e
misoCyny and screw-t@esTuares smuCness in t@is c@aracter, leaPinC a Centle, KooSy
comedy on screenH
FeaturinC notaKle turns
from Marisa Tomei and Lili
Taylor, FACTOTUM truly
Tualifies as t@at @iC@ly c@eris@ed, Kut increasinCly elusiPe
Keast of modern cinema, t@e
actores filmH
Gary Thompson -- PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS
Volume 2, Issue 2
Page 3
CAMP'S FIRE
Jack Sammons vice-president
In Zanuary of 2..d, a small
CrouI of film Coers, fifty-si] to
Ke Irecise, came to t@e DouClass T@eater to see THE
COLOR OF PARADISE, a Pery
touc@inC Iranian film aKout a
fat@er, a widower, w@o loPes
@is Klind son Kut is also emKarrassed Ky @is KlindnessH It is a
Keautiful film, one t@at s@ows a
side of Iran few would Dnow, a
film t@at reTuires Iatience and
t@ouC@t to Ke aIIreciated, and
t@e Dind of film t@at would
seldom, if ePer, come to middle GeorCia or many ot@er
Ilaces for t@at matterH T@e
reason it was @ere is Kecause
one Ierson in Macon t@ouC@t
its aKsence from our liPes was
our loss and cared enouC@
aKout t@at loss to do somet@inC aKout itH
One year later almost to
t@e day, t@ree @undred and fiPe
film-Coers liPed wit@ eac@
ot@er in HIMALAYA (and I
mean t@at t@ey livedQ t@e film
was t@at Cood) for a Kreat@taDinC one @undred and forty two
minutes t@at none of t@em will
ePer forCetH
And, aCain, it was t@at one
Ierson w@o insisted t@at t@ey
Co t@ereH
Now, si]ty nine films
later, as t@e Macon Film Guild
is aKout to enter its sePent@
year, t@at Ierson, CamI Bacon, is still at it, still insistent
t@at we e]Iand our liPes Keyond t@ose worlds in w@ic@ we
narrowly define t@em, still
asDinC t@at we Ke Iatient,
t@ouC@tful, and communal
Piewers of t@e fine art t@at
Cood films always are, and still
KeliePinC t@at t@e aKsence of
t@is Keauty from our liPes is
imIortant enouC@ to do somet@inC aKout itH T@anD you,
CamIH
On OctoKer _t@ at Macon
Little T@eater, Macon Arts
Alliance @onored CamI, our
founder, auteur, and leader
wit@ t@eir 2../ Cultural
Ac@iePement AwardH
May CamIes fire and all
t@at it illuminates Kurn on
KriC@tlyH
Thank you, Camp!
Marisa Tomei and Matt Dillon in FACTOTUM
Editor continued...
HOWARD ZINNJ YOU
CANeT BE NEUTRAL ON A
MOVING TRAIN are not only
@iC@ly entertaininC Kut also
IroPide a Pital e]amIle of freedom of sIeec@H
In sIite of my noKle
stance, I must also confess a
weaDness for any doc t@at
features music or Irofiles my
faPorite musicians, and sIend
far too muc@ time researc@inC
sameQ a TuestionaKle use of
time I admit, Kut liDe anyt@inC,
some are more wort@y t@an
ot@ersH
New festiPal suKmissions
suc@ as Cecilia PecD’s DInIE
CHICKS - SHUT UP AND
SING, seem an oKPious attemIt to maDe @ay simIly Ky
re@as@inC suIerficial controPersy, ala Madonnaes TRUTH
OR DAREH Some may arCue no
matter @ow earnest t@e filmmaDeres intent, celeKrity is
celeKrity is celeKrity, Kut for
ot@er worD it aIIears t@e
director deliKerately reac@es
for a Creater social resonanceH
AKout t@e recent
Toronto International Film
FestiPal, indieWIRE (wwwH
indiewireHcom) commentedJ
lAmonC t@e most KuSSed
aKout music docs were AZ
Sc@nacD’s KURT COBAIN
ABOUT A SON, Paul Rac@man’s AMERICAN HARDCORE, and DaPid Leaf and
Zo@n Sc@einfeld’s THE UHSH VSH
ZOHN LENNON - t@ree Pery
different documentaries t@at
e]Ilore music aCainst a KacD-
droI of American anCstHl
Also at Toronto was
Zerome LaIerrousaS’s MADE
IN ZAMAICAH Rotten Tomatoes (rottentomatoesHcom)
descriKes t@is film as, lmt@e
sadly familiar story of BoCle,
t@e now-leCendary fiCure w@o
inPented t@e dance KearinC @is
nameHl For t@ose of us unfamiliar, Kasically t@e film documents t@e reaction and aftermat@ to t@is IoIular artistes
senseless murderH
RT Coes on to say, lHis
funeral was a C@ettosIectacular affair, attractinC
t@ree Cenerations of reCCae
and dance-@all suIerstarsH
MADE IN ZAMAICA emKraces
Kot@ t@e sIiritual and t@e carnal e]Iressions of t@e island’s
Kest musicH Some artists connect to t@e sufferinC of enslaPed ancestors from centuries aCo, ot@ers to t@e immediate Ileasures of t@e momentHl
Now t@is all sounds riC@t
uI my alleyH IePe always Keen a
sucDer for any Cenuine cultural
moment rePealed t@rouC@ t@e
lens of its musicH For me, t@e
imIortance of t@e documentary film is contained wit@in
t@e word itselfJ documentH
Wit@ t@e CrowinC audience for t@is Cenre now indisIutaKle, I would e]Iect t@at
oPer time, ePen t@e most oKscure culturally siCnificant IeoIle, Ilaces, and t@inCs will
manaCe to receiPe a cinematic
e]Iression of some sortH It
Kecomes anot@er reason to
loPe filmH Let us Dnow your
faPoritesH
The Quarterly Newsletter of
The Macon Film Guild
for December 10...
MONGOLIAN PING-PONG Ning Hao
R""# N"&'
Release DateJ (DVD) OctoKer 24, 2../ (C@ina)
MonColian PinC PonC KeCins wit@ t@e imaCe of a family
@aPinC its Iicture taDen aCainst
a I@oto-taIestry of Tiananmen
STuare, t@e directores camera
ePentually IanninC to rePeal
t@e scenees actual, striDinC
MonColian steIIe settinCH It
Kecomes a fittinC Pisual eTuation of t@e urKan and t@e rural,
as director NinC Haoes Iortrait
of nomadic MonColian society
elePates its @interlands locale
to t@e realm of t@e macestically
iconicH Out on t@e Crassland
Ilains, Keneat@ Klue sDies
crowded wit@ Killowy clouds,
f -year-old BiliDe (Hurichabilike)
@aIIens uIon an adPenture
w@en @e discoPers a IinC IonC
Kall floatinC in a streamH
HaPinC nePer seen suc@ a
t@inC Kefore, t@e Koy and @is
two friends emKarD on a mis-
sion to find out w@at t@e Kall
is, wit@ BiliDees Crandmot@er
statinC ites t@e lClowinC Iearll
of a riPer sIirit, mystified
monDs offerinC no answer, and
a traPelinC carniPales Irocectionistgonce @e finis@es s@owinC a C@inese moPie aKout
Colfgfinally rePealinC t@e
oKcectes true identityH
ParallelinC t@e Didse ent@rallment wit@ t@e titular Kall,
BiliDees dad ent@usiastically
uses an electric s@aPer, is
imIressed Ky coffee (aka:
American tea) and yearns to
construct t@e tyIe of windmill
seen in an ELLE maCaSine ad
titled lPerfect Life,l w@ile t@e
fat@er of BiliDees friend Dawa
(Dawa) attemIts to receiPe TV
Kroadcasts wit@ an antenna
constructed from a s@eeI@erdinC sticD and Keer cansH
In t@is interminClinC of
contemIorary ciPiliSation and
traditional MonColian cultureg
as well as in t@e Kreat@taDinC
cinematoCraI@y of its unsIoiled settinCgt@e rePerential, condescension-free
MONGOLIAN PING PONG
cultiPates a sIellKindinC
atmosI@ere of amaSementH
And in its maCnificent final
s@ot, t@e film, more t@an any in
recent memory, taIs into a
IalIaKle, oPerIowerinC sense
of c@ild@ood wonderH
Nick Schager -- SLANT
MAGAZINE
T@e Mission of the Guild is to screen recently released films tyIically not aPailaKle to a Middle GeorCia audienceH T@ese films are
usually, Kut not limited to, award winninC, critically recoCniSed worDs of contemIorary, indeIendent American or foreiCn directorsH
T@e ideal candidate for film selection will e]@iKit a discerniKle deCree of artistic, cultural, andior social meritH In addition, t@e Guild c@oice
will consider a Iarticular film’s suKstance rat@er t@an Iromotion, t@e director aKoPe any featured actors, in@erent cinematoCraI@y oPer any
sIecial effects, and Tuality actinC Ierformance as oIIosed to mere disIlays of Dinetic actionH
T@e Guild is a non-Irofit orCaniSation of Polunteers w@o researc@ new films, Iroduce and distriKute IuKlicity materials, t@en dePeloI t@e
IroCram sc@eduleH
The Macon Film Guild
Friends of T@e DouClass T@eater
P@oneJ 4fX-f42-2...
NON-PROFIT
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID MACON, GA
PERMIT NO. 507