Yesterday was Day 15 at SIFF in my estimation (Day 16 in theirs - bah!) and was a mixed sort of day. Two meh films and two really fun and excellent films!

EDIT: Whoops! I totally forgot that I saw a press screening today - the closing night film! Review to come soon. Yeah, yeah, I know, I say that all the time! :P

Life in a Day -

Juan - A modernized version of Mozart's Don Giovanni where a dashing womanizer accidentally kills the father of his latest conquest, but doesn't have the good sense to get out of town while he still can, leading himself deeper and deeper into disaster. The trailer for this film looked very exciting and dynamic and I had high hopes for it. Alas, while I was watching it I found I kept just thinking of ways that I would have made the film that would have been (IMHO) an improvement. For myself, I wished that this film was more dynamic both visually and cinematically. The music of opera lends itself toward the dramatic, and though I enjoyed the idea of modernization, which does take away from the traditional dramatic presentation of fancy costumes and sets, I felt they could have emulated these effects through distinctive lighting, camera angles, brilliant color (or the opposite, stark and striking B&W) and stylish costuming. There are certain moments that captured these aspects and my interest briefly, but so much more could have been done. Additionally, I did not agree with the choice of changing the language from Italian to English. There were English subtitles anyways, and the English language just really didn't fit the music and it made some of the modernized translations sound rather foolish.

Our Home - If one is a fan or a reader of the works of spiritualist medium Chico Xavier, then this film will most likely appeal to you. I, alas, found the film both rather annoyingly preachy and, by turns, slightly cheesy. The lessons shown here I have certainly seen in other films, but done with a much more subtle and deft handling. A man who lead a somewhat selfish and self-absorbed life, finds himself struggling after his death with the choices that he made and the prejudices he held during his life on earth. Though the production values are certainly quite elegant, I found it a rather boring and overly familiar rendition of 'heaven', where everyone wears flowing loose outfits of white and pale colors and sit about on perfectly manicured lawns, listening to elegant and demure classical music. Though there is a tip of the hat toward an inclusivity of all religions, there is very little shown to express the diversity of individuals. As with Juan I found myself watching and picking out all of the things that I would have done differently to make this a more interesting and inclusive film. But, seeing that it's based on a specific work of a specific author, I suppose there was not much room for alteration or exploration on the theme. My biggest problem with the film is that it all felt just a little too obvious. Familiar themes on hell/purgatory, familiar themes on letting go of control and opening yourself up to God and having faith, familiar themes on learning from your past and becoming a better person. Though many people have raved about this film, neither I nor most of the people sitting around me during the screening were particularly enamoured of the film.

Detention - If you want a high-octane, wicked fast and funny, whiplash dialog movie then this is the film to see! Students at a high school are tossed into turmoil when one of their own is murdered by a character from a popular horror movie, all of them wondering who will be struck next. This is the ultimate teenager/highschool horror flick, with a bizarre twist. Harkening to such films as The Breakfast Club, Heathers, Real Genius, and Scream this movie makes a mockery of them all and then some. The peculiar choice of the director is to move the film past the obvious horror parody and into the realm of mocking multiple genres, tropes, and culture. The movie is bursting at the seams with references to films, pop culture, and music, at a pace that is so dizzyingly fast that you probably need to see it several times just to catch them all. Personally I think it would have been more successful if it had reined itself in a bit more and dropped a few of the film and genre references as some of them quite simply do not serve either the film or the story as a whole and, in fact, detract from the perfection of the rest of it. That said, its an utterly hilarious and wild romp, with clever uses of text and fonts throughout, witty dialog, and excellent cinematography and editing used to capture that crazy and traumatic time and place that we call "high school".

The Whisperer in the Darkness - For those of you who saw and enjoyed The Call of Chuthulu (SIFF 2006), prepare yourself to be similarly dazzled and delighted by the second film of this talented team of filmmakers! Based on yet another work by H.P. Lovecraft, this time they give us a full-length feature done in the style of a 1930 horror/mystery film. A professor of folklore finds the original documents of a infamous writer of "folklore" depicting a strange and disturbing cult and creatures at the same time that massive flooding in Vermont brings to the surface reports of strange and unnatural remains. Invited to come and examine new and shocking evidence, the professor soon finds himself embroiled in the dastardly plans of monsters beyond human comprehension and the possible end of the world. Lovingly filmed in a film-noir style, this movie manages to beautifully capture the look, style, and performance of a period film. From the absolutely perfectly written musical score, to opening credits, to the spot-on performances of the actors, to the creative props, this film is a treat for the eyes and a charming and entertaining homage to the films and serials of the 1930s.