The Poverty Jet Set

Well, after a relatively painless flight, I spent the evening yesterday with Audrey’s parents in Salt Lake. We had a devilishly indulgent time, eating take-out Vietnamese and watching the full 2-hour episode of that horendously commercial-laden and rather unimpressive show, 24.

I haven’t yet put together the first episode of the Sundance video podcast, probably because I haven’t filmed anything overly compelling. All I did today was stand around waiting for my staff pass, my condo keys and my schedule. Now I’m at the public library emailing before I explore the town.

I’ll probably throw something together to upload tomorrow.

I know, I know… the antipation is killing you. Heh.

A couple nights ago, Audrey and I went to see what is surely going to go down as one of my all time favorite films. It’s a quiet little piece called “Old Joy” and… wow. Just, wow.

It’s one of the films that embodies what I regard as the highest forms of art — as simple as possible, yet exemplifying profound truths. This film is about sorrow, worry and confusion in the chaos of modern times, but also about beauty and stillness and nature. I think the characters are metaphors for some vague duality that exists politically in the American left (and inside me) — the hand wringers that can’t get over the dread of apocalypse and the free spirits who can’t get their hands dirty to make positive change.

One of the things I loved most about it is through these themes, it’s a quintessential Poverty Jet Set story. These dudes are saddened by today’s darknesses, yet they continue to search for peace. They are travelers. They are looking for value in things immaterial — friendship, beauty and peace. Kurt, played by Will Oldham, especially, is a seeker.

I could rant on about this film, but as it has literally less than twenty lines of dialogue, to write more would be a sin. Go see it, as soon as you can.

Technorati Tags: adventure, film, freedom, americana, oldjoy, povertyjetset

Here’s a quick teaser from a documentary-in-the-works by my friend Marc Brodzik. I’ve been helping shoot it, and believe me, this is only a small taste of the awesomeness that is Darren… the film’s gonna be sick. Stay tuned.

And as an extra special treat, because you braved the storm, read the blog this far, you are entitled to a peak at my glamorous personal defense of the almighty Speedo.

Technorati Tags: art, darren, film, magdalenus, performanceart, Philly, povertyjetset, speedos, video

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Appears those wacky kids over at VICE are trying their hand at off-beat travel guides (or something to that effect). If you’re in Philly tonight, go check out a preview of their new DVD with the Philebrity gang. Unfortunately, I am indisposed, but would have loved to get the low-down on what is surely to be a Vice-r-ific good time.

Technorati Tags: nomad, travel, film, vicemagazine, philebrity, media, vagabonding, povertyjetset, magdalenus, adventure

Hope all you Philly peeps are going to make it out to the great event of the weekend… TONIGHT! at the International House, presented by the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, a screening of Jaromil Jire’s 1970 classic Valerie and Her Week of Wonders with a new live soundtrack by my friends:

Greg Weeks (Espers, Grass), Margaret Wienk (Fern Knight, Eyesores, String Builder), Brooke Sietinsons (Espers, Grass), Helena Espvall (Espers), Mary Lattimore (The Bitchin’ Harp Babes), Tara Burke (Fursaxa), Jesse Sparhawk (Timesbold, Jaggery), Orion Rigel Dommisse, Jessica Weeks (Grass), Charles Cohen

Stay tuned for a DVD of the Making Of… as well as the final soundtrack. It’s amazing!

Technorati Tags: povertyjetset, music, magdalenus, mashup, film, art, experiment, espers, phillyfringe

I’m going to try and wrap up full days of film watching into one post. I do this because I spent the last two days in a dark theater (or projection booth) and thereby didn’t have time to sit and write. Oh yeah, also, last night I went to a pretty hectic party, thrown by a big corporate sponsor of the festival, that had a totally open bar all night. After carousing for a few hours there, I was hardly in the right state of mind to sit down and blog.

Two days, eight films, four celebrity handshakes, three meals, seventeen cups of coffee, five free beers and one teary moment…

And one more day to go.

My favorite film of Saturday was Little Children, the new feature from the director of In the Bedroom Todd Field and starring Kate Winslet. A bunch of my buddies saw it before me and gave it mixed reviews, but the film is amazing. It’s beautiful, passionate and dangerous. The story floats through a summer of confusion for the characters who are tied together by some ill in life, but are unable or unwilling to confront.

Other films I saw on Saturday were Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (twice, because I projected it… ugh!) and Severence, neither of which blew my mind, and being that my mind is exhausted, I won’t write about. Ask me if you’d like to hear about either.

Today, after listening to Penelope Cruz, Forrest Withaker, Laura Linney and others speak about acting at a panel discussion in Elks Park, I projected Catch a Fire, an amazing film about the struggle against apartheid and The US vs. John Lennon, a pretty straight-forward look at the political activism of the iconic musician.

But the best film of the festival so far, and one that will surely get a lot of attention when it gets released here was Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others). It’s the tale of an East German playwright who gets on the bad side of the communist government’s Stasi police while trying to abide by the system. The amazing film details some of the harsh realities of a culture of surveillance, but has an interesting twist that makes the whole story become deeply textured by the characters. I will be sure to see this film again.

One more day of films. Stay tuned.

Technorati Tags: film, filmfestival, povertyjetset, telluride, telluridefilmfestival, magdalenus

I’m sitting in my condo, it’s after midnight and I’m exhausted. The festival is in full swing, beginning with the Opening Night Feed. It’s been non-stop film immersion. Here’s a goofy shot of me and Werner Herzog, chillin’ out (I couldn’t resist).

I actually had the opportunity to hang out with Werner for about a half and hour, talking about everything from Grizzly Man (his fabulous film from last year) to adventures in Antarctica. He recommended that I see the film Ghosts of Cite Soleil, which I did (one should never turn down a recommendation from a master). It was amazing. Vibrant and gritty, the documentary film traces the lives of gangster “chiefs” in the slums of Haiti during the upheaval in 2004. Really amazing work. The camera is always moving, giving the film amazing energy from start to finish, never shying away from the graphic violence of the streets.

The film I helped to project earlier in the evening was The Italian. It’s a beautiful Russian film following the fictional story of a young orphan boy in search of his mother. Fabulous work, it’s sure to gain notoriety this year among critics. It, too, shows some of the harshness of life in post-Soviet Russia but maintaining utmost dignity and humanity in it’s characters.

For more photos of the festival, check out my Flickr photo set here.

Technorati Tags: wernerherzog, povertyjetset, theitalian, blogging, filmfestival, telluride, ghostsofcitesoleil, grizzlyman, magdalenus

With the Telluride Film Festival about to launch this evening, energy is running high. Lots of anticipation about the films being screened this weekend (the line-up was just announced yesterday afternoon), many of which are making their North American debut. Penelope Cruz is the tributee and Walter Murch is the guest of honor. Some of the films I will be seeing this weekend at my theater (many of which I will be projecting)… Fur, Little Children, Severance, Ghosts of Cite Soleil, Bable, Venus and many more. See the full line-up here.

While working and prepping my booth and doing odd jobs for the festival, I’ve been having a ton of conversations with fellow filmmakers and their ilk. Festivals are awesome places to meet film-buff Poverty Jet Setters… lots of people rolling into town to work for a couple weeks or days, watch films, make friends, have a little adventure.

One of the big issues other staff members and I have been discussing again and again is the future of film and media distribution, which I think is bright. Here’s a great WIRED News article about Netflix’s new distribution ambition. They write:

Netflix is pursuing a similar model, and in just a few years it has distributed as many exclusives as Miramax did in its first 15 years of existence. “Last year we acquired four new titles from Sundance, and this year we’re working on about 12 deals,” says Ted Sarandos, chief content officer of Netflix. “Eventually we’ll be coming to Sundance and saying, ‘We can buy everything.’ There’s a deal for every film.”

Technorati Tags: distribution, filmfestival, telluride, povertyjetset, telluridefilmfestival, film, netflix

In true Poverty Jet Set form, I’ve been hired for a week to do some film projecting at the Telluride Film Festival. Nothing quite like getting paid to fly out to Colorado and work a festival. I was lucky enough to get involved with the festival during my on-again-off-again stint as a ski bum here in Telluride for nearly 4 years. Telluride is one of the best in the world! This weekend will be full of new films fresh from Cannes and bound for Oscar. Many making their North American premier, if not World premiers here. Stay tuned, I’ll give you the run-down on some of the festival highlights, some behind the scenes gossip and maybe a celebrity photo or two.

In the meantime, I got a chance to go hiking up in the mountains around town. The weather’s been great, and the late-summer vide here is full-on. Check it:

Technorati Tags: film, telluride, telluridefilmfestival, projecting, povertyjetset, filmfestival, magdalenus

One of my favorite celebrity bloggers, Xeni Jardin, made a trek to India and Tibet to do some documentary work for an NPR show she’s creating on technology’s impact on Tibetan culture in particular. Part one is on the Gaddi people of Northern India. It’s a great piece discussing how people’s culture, daily life and folk art being changed by the Internet age.

It reminds me of a great film I saw last year at MountainFilm in Telluride called “What Remains of Us”. It’s a film about a Tibetan-Canadian woman who risks being arrested by traveling back to Tibet smuggling a small portable DVD player to bring a personal video message of hope from the Dalai Lama to rural villages. The effect the message has on the people is dramatic. For many, it’s the first time in 50 years they’ve known their spiritual leader is alive. Most break out in tears. Powerful stuff.

Read more about Xeni’s journey on her personal blog. As always, make sure to keep up with BoingBoing.

Technorati Tags: tibet, povertyjetset, media, xenijardin, travel, magdalenus, radio

This rules: