The Case Against 8

Rating: 8

It won the documentary audience award at AIFF and it's an HBO documentary so, not exactly "independent."  I might argue that the Aaron Swartz documentary deserved it more.

Not that this film isn't excellent.  It's exactly what you'd expect from an HBO documentary about the supreme court fight against California's Proposition 8 and it's thrilling to meet all the players, especially the two couples chosen as plaintiffs in the case.  The lawyers are fascinating too, and I was surprised to learn a major detail about them that I won't spoil here. There isn't much suspense since we go in knowing the outcome, but it's still great be witness to the four-year process.

Hank & Asha

Rating: 7

I was skeptical about this one that won the jury award at the AIFF, but it won me over.  The reason I was skeptical is that it's basically a love story told in a series of video-selfies, which sounds fishy but turns out feeling original. I really had the sense that these actors were filming themselves, though based on the cinematography credits that wasn't the case.  But I was totally sucked in and charmed.

The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz

Rating: 9

This story of the life and death of a brilliant and kind-hearted young activist is heart-wrenching, but I'm so glad the film exists so more people like me will learn about it. I heard about it in the news but didn't know the whole story.  I hope a lot of people see it.

Just A Sigh

Rating: 8

Ahh, the film festival is looking up!

It feels creepily pretentious to describe a movie as intimate, but I guess that's what it was.  Emmanuelle Devos is one of my favorite French actors. She's just such a conundrum.  And Gabriel Byrne, well....hubba hubba.

Bluebird

Rating: 4

Film festivals are always a bit of a gamble. My first movie at the Ashland Independent Film Festival turned out to be a dud.  All the actors were excellent (the reason I chose it) but the story was painfully slow and went nowhere.  I think they were going for the the tone of the Canadian film The Sweet Hereafter but it didn't make the cut.  Problem script, I think.

 I was a little worried about the rest of the fest.....