Pioneering

SHERIFF, directed by Chicago-based filmmaker Daniel Kraus, was one of our hidden treasures this year. The documentary portrait features Sheriff Ronald E. Hewett, a tough but focused North Carolina lawman, whose lines include something like, "I'm a tough boss, but that's because I demand excellence" - a line that many disliked bosses may feel some affinity for.

We showed it for a week in March, and attendance was miniscule. The Star News of Brunswick County, Sheriff Hewett's hometown paper, even poked fun at that fact. Sigh. So it goes sometimes.

Yet in a modest, steadfast way, recalling the style in which he directed the film, filmmaker Kraus has continued to find outlets for this very good movie. And it's a pleasure to pass on a few notes:

• This week, U.S. public broadcaster PBS shows a truncated, 52 minute version of the movie. Click here to see the schedule for U.S. cities and states.
  
• PBS' interactive guide to the movie is here
  
• Noel Murray in THE ONION has written a strong year-end appreciation of the movie, which you can read here. A brief preview, though you should click on the link, is as follows:
  

  ". . . out of all the docs I’ve seen this year, SHERIFF is the one that's stuck with me most. Without getting too political here, this little character sketch - following a North Carolina country sheriff who’s fashioned a benevolent mini-kingdom in the sticks - says more about the current power structure in this country than a dozen hot-button 'issue docs.'"

Congratulations to Dan Kraus, and congratulations to Sheriff Hewett. Keep making movies, and keep fighting crime!

381 individual programs. Or so. Many included multiple short films, many showed more than once, and many showed within larger programs for which you could buy double bill tickets or season tickets. But by one count, 381 programs will have shown at the Pioneer in 2005. The number of screenings, meanwhile, must have reached about 1000.

Whew.

How do you go about picking favorites?

No one saw them all, not even me, and I’m the guy who programs the theater. (Thanks to our wonderful programming partners, I can sometimes depend on others to pick the movies for the night). But I did see most of them, all of which I was very proud we were able to present.

And yet, at the end of the year, despite everything, some favorites do remain. Many are included below. They are ordered by chronology, not by personal preference, and they include both new movies and old. However, I’m going to skim over the great quantity of horror movies we screened this year, since Alex addresses them above.

* * *

January
ASHES AND DIAMONDS
A dashing young assassin pursues his quarry as World War II ends and the Communist era begins in Poland. One of my favorite films, ever: a landmark film in every possible way, whose political, moral, and interpersonal ambiguities continue to speak with force and insight sixty years later, after all of the political regimes it depicts have vanished.

January
GUELWAAR + MOOLAADE
Two films from the great filmmaker Ousmane Sembene. The first is an underseen, underappreciated masterwork, while the latter is a more recent movie that rightly received much attention. GUELWAAR: The political opposition’s leader has died. But his body is missing. MOOLAADE: A village struggles with the question of female genital mutilation.

Like ASHES AND DIAMONDS, these films speak directly, ferociously, deeply to their moments, yet with their deep, poignant, understated embrace of the specificities of their time and their people, the films are eminently accessible and unforgettable.

February
FOUR-EYED MONSTERS
One of a kind, yet evoking the experience of an entire generation, FOUR-EYED MONSTERS is an explosion of digital talent. A young man and a young woman meet on the internet, and their relationship flowers as they attempt to communicate exclusively via artistic media. Screened once, with Slamdance.
Guests at the Pioneer included:
Arin Crumley, Susan Buice, Paul Rachman

February + October
THE GHOST (LO SPETTRO)
Showed twice in a beautiful print, once in the “a date with Barbara Steele” triple bill, and once in October. A treasure. A deceased man haunts his wife and her lover.

March
CRAZY LEGS CONTI: ZEN AND THE ART OF COMPETITIVE EATING
Like ROCKY, but with hot dogs instead of boxing gloves. With his deadpan, perfect comic timing, his penchant for brilliant one-liners, and his truly bizarre lifestyle, competitive eater Crazy Legs Conti is a cinematic subject for the ages. This loving portrait, made by some of Crazy Legs’ good friends, is a lovely little dish. We were delighted as well that Crazy Legs – who lives just up the street – brought the gang by for every screening, usually leading the crowd out for a good night of eating and drinking afterward.
Guests at the Pioneer included:
Crazy Legs Conti, Danielle Franco, Chris Kenneally, Dinshaw, Badlands Booker, etc. Opening night the Pioneer presented a (non-sanctioned) pizza-eating “sprint.”

March
SHERIFF
Scandalously, though not unexpectedly, under-attended, SHERIFF is an exquisite, modest, beautiful documentary portrait of Sheriff Ronald Hewett, a North Carolina Sheriff who believes in what he is doing, and does it well.

March (DR. T) + December (JASON)
THE 5000 FINGERS OF DR. T + JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS
Two “kids classics” whose imagination and brilliant design continue to evoke wonder. DR. T: A boy discovers the fantastic and dangerous world of piano lessons. JASON: a young man seeks a fabled treasure.

March + April
LOLA
A bureaucrat falls for a showgirl. A masterpiece from director Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Guests at the Pioneer included:
Barbara Sukowa

April
ODESSA. . .ODESSA!
Arriving at the Pioneer with Israelis, French people, Ukrainians, and many others in tow, the debut feature from the ferociously talented Michale Boganim forms a beautiful, three-faced jewel from the dust of the Odessa Jewish community scattered across the earth. Part of “Homeland Insecurity: Documentaries from the New Israeli Foundation for Cinema and Television.”
Guests at the Pioneer included:
Michale Boganim, David Fisher, and many Odessans now living in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn

May
THE GIRL FROM MONDAY
An agonizing, shattered, science fiction scream of disgust, rebellion, and hope from Hal Hartley, THE GIRL FROM MONDAY was severely under-rated by the press, but well attended and appreciated by Pioneer audiences.

THE GIRL FROM MONDAY functioned as a centerpiece for an unofficial series of films presented with Hartley’s gang of filmmakers, also including Kyle Gilman (who presented an evening of short films he had made), Richard Sylvarnes (see H.C.E. below), and James Spione (AMERICAN FARM).
Guests at the Pioneer included:
Hal Hartley, Tatiana Abracos, Bill Sage, Leo Fitzpatrick, D.J. Mendel, Steve Hamilton, Kyle Gilman, Richard Sylvarnes, etc.

May
THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN
One of the two very good “farm films” we showed this year (the other was AMERICAN FARM), THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN tells of an eccentric farmer and poet in Northwestern Illinois. Screened once, in May, with Slamdance and in association with Films Transit.
Guests at the Pioneer included:
Farmer John Taggart, Diana Holtzberg, Paul Rachman

May
MOJADOS
A movie of daring and solidarity, MOJADOS is a bare bones, self-made documentary from filmmaker Tommy Davis. Carrying his own equipment as well as his own food and water, Davis and a group of young men cross the desert illegally from Mexico to the United States. The film is harrowing, subtle, poignant, and distinct. And some good news came out of the booking. Davis reports that the reviews of MOJADOS helped get a new movie financed.

May
THE FEARLESS FREAKS FEATURING THE FLAMING LIPS
Full of tough love and wacky music, THE FEARLESS FREAKS FEATURING THE FLAMING LIPS is one of the great rock’n’roll movies, as well as just a great movie in its own right. And it’s not just for people who already know and love the band, either. V.A. Musetto of the NEW YORK POST said he had never heard of the Flaming Lips before seeing the movie, but he liked it so much he just might seek out some of their music.

This was the biggest hit – and probably the best film – in the string of eccentric musician movies we showed through the year, which also included GARY WILSON: YOU THINK YOU REALLY KNOW ME, DERAILROADED: INSIDE THE MIND OF WILD MAN FISCHER, LOW IN EUROPE, STRANGER: BERNIE WORRELL ON EARTH (presented with Slamdance), and two films about the New York Dolls: ALL DOLLED UP and NEW YORK DOLL.

May
H.C.E. (aka HERE COMES EVERYBODY)
In a rare break from Pioneer custom, H.C.E. showed as a work-in-progress, at which director Richard Sylvarnes discussed the film and its ongoing evolution with an audience of friends, family, and onlookers. A black-and-white palimpsest of Western history, with images and sounds flowing hypnotically from the world of books and the universe of stars, through people’s souls, H.C.E. is a work that demands yet defies description, which people may well pour over for many years to come.
A draft of an interview about H.C.E. is here
Guests at the Pioneer included:
Richard Sylvarnes

June
WAGING A LIVING
This is old school, humanist, no frills, social documentary filmmaking at its best. Roger Weissberg and a team of co-directors and technicians follow a number of individuals in the Northeast and in California as they try to wage a living on their non-living wages. Heartbreaking, resonant, and perfectly paced, WAGING A LIVING should be one for the ages.
Guests at the Pioneer included:
Roger Weissberg, Eddie Rosenstein, and some of the stars of the film

August + November
“The Gary Ray Show”
We actually did this show twice. A sort of extended, video-based “Where’s Waldo?” game, “The Gary Ray Show” featured an extended series of short fiction films, music videos, commercials, karaoke sing-a-long videos, and televised shopping clips – all featuring East Village icon Gary Ray. The first screening was part of the Howl! Festival of East Village Arts. Good times.
Guests at the Pioneer included:
Gary Ray

September
PIGGIE
Following an appropriately odd path, PIGGIE showed twice as a “one-off” early in the year, but then came back in September to open for a week. An awkward depiction of social alienation and commitment, PIGGIE features a ferocious leading performance by Savannah Haske, who also co-wrote the script. Alison Bagnall’s understated, resourceful direction offers Haske the perfect framework in which to shine.
Guests at the Pioneer included:
Alison Bagnall, Savannah Haske, Alison Dickey, Dean Wareham, Britta Phillips

October
FAMILY PORTRAITS
One of our best films from 2004 returned in October 2005 for a single screening. And, for the first time ever, anywhere, FAMILY PORTRAITS showed from 35mm. The level of control, force, and weight present in a single frame of this three-part masterpiece about cycles of abuse and guilt dwarfs that in many filmmakers’ entire oeuvres. Writer / director Douglas Buck is a major talent, whose name you will hear again – and soon.
Guests at the Pioneer included:
Douglas Buck, Rita Romagnino, Larry Fessenden

November
LA SIERRA
LA SIERRA begins with possibly the most devastating image shown this year: a dead body, attacked by flies, lying in a ditch. The image is all the more devastating in its context and utter truthfulness, as LA SIERRA is a non-fiction film depicting the horrors of gang warfare in Colombia.

Many of the Pioneer’s best friends collaborated on LA SIERRA’s shows. They included Cinema Tropical, Slamdance, and First Run / Icarus Features, as well as the new group In the Fray Magazine. Thanks to all of them.
Guests at the Pioneer included:
Scott Dalton, Andrew Blackwell, Carlos Gutierrez, Valeria Mogilevich

November
ARISTIDE and the Endless Revolution
A sympathetic portrait of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the twice elected and twice-deposed President of Haiti. An important film, though problematic in many ways, including for its rather angelic portrait of Aristide. Nonetheless, the presentation at the Pioneer was very moving, particularly in the reactions and conversations among Haitians – and others – following the packed screenings.
Guests at the Pioneer included:
Nicolas Rossier, Ben Dupuy, Thomas Griffin, Michelle Karshan, Yvon Kernizan, Brian Concannon, Amy Goodman, Danny Glover, Margaret L. Satterthwaite, Marise Narcisse, Kim Ives

November + December
WHERE IS THE FRIEND’S HOME? + AND LIFE GOES ON (LIFE AND NOTHING MORE)
WHERE: A young boy defies his parents and seeks out his friend’s home. AND LIFE: A few years later, an earthquake strikes the area where the young boy lives. The director of WHERE IS THE FRIEND’S HOME? Seeks the boys who had starred in that movie, to make sure they are okay.

Two beautiful films directed by Abbas Kiarostami. I wish we could have shown THROUGH THE OLIVE TREES, the third part of the trilogy. Hopefully another day.

December
DIAS DE SANTIAGO
The last – and, possibly, best – of our many very good Latin American films this year. DIAS DE SANTIAGO arrived from Peru, telling of a young man fresh from the army who is down on his luck and filled with rage. Pietro Sibille, as Santiago, delivers one of the strongest performances to force its way across the Pioneer’s screen this year.

(many times through the year)
COWARDS BEND THE KNEE + A NIGHT TO DISMEMBER
Two late night movies that left audiences guffawing in disbelief.

* * *

So those are some favorites. Certainly, some wonderful works were overlooked - some accidentally, and some because, well, you have to make decisions.

Of course, year-end lists from the big critics, and critics groups, won’t include most of the movies mentioned above. But does that mean these movies are worse than, I don’t know, movies with Hollywood stars singing country & western songs, or playing gay cowboys? It’s hard to say. But when you consider that most of the people making those lists didn’t even check out the movies we showed, you have to wonder how they go about making grandiose statements about the best movies of the year. Meanwhile, this has just been a personal list, only drawn from movies at the Pioneer.

The 2005 Pioneer Pio-Year-in-Review
by Jeffrey the Projectionist

Let me start by saying that this is actually just a Half-Year-in-Review because I started working at the Pioneer Theater in June so I don’t know NOTHIN’ about any of the movies that played here before that so don’t even call me up on the phone, layin’ down nasty words about how I totally forgot that movie from March. I wasn’t working here so just deal with it. Also, this isn’t too comprehensive or anything. Check out the other wrap-ups if you want something serious.

And now, for a top ten (with a bonus honorable mention) countdown-style rundown of the films that I deem the Pioneer’s “Most Memorable” in 2K5…

HONORABLE MENTION: THE TINGLER – Vincent Price is such a weirdo. But whatever, so are you when you’re all alone in your home and no one is watching. Let the man just do his thing. He’s not knocking down your door when you smell your girlfriend’s underpants so why don’t you just be happy for him. That said, THE TINGLER is fun, but it’s kind of a stupid horror movie. It’s just not very scary. I mean, the damn Tingler moves slower than molasses. I would just step on that bitch.

10. “Gary Ray on Q2 (QVC)” – This was part of The Gary Ray Show, which was cool, but the best part of it was the four-minute section of clips from when Gary was a host on Q2 which is sort of like what MTV2 is to MTV but with home shopping. These clips feature Gary just hamming it up on live TV. It was great. He was all singing and dancing and doing that yuk-yuk haw-haw stupid home shopping shit. I loved it. What is up with home shopping networks these days anyway? Don’t they know about the Internet? I don’t need to watch TV to buy anything. DUH. LONG LIVE THE INTERNET.

9. UNDERCOVER MAN – This movie is good because have you ever thought to yourself, “Oh, wait, women are never portrayed as strong, independent people in cinema. Except like ERIN BROCKOVICH or G.I. JANE or whatever, but those are SO OLD.” Yeah, me too. Well, UNDERCOVER MAN is all about one strong woman who just beats people up and is smarmy and bitchy and everything, and she’ll just two-time and blackmail everyone. And what, might you be wondering, is her name? WHAT ELSE COULD IT BE BUT DIANA LACHARM.

8. COWARDS BEND THE KNEE – This silent film is funnier than ANYTHING from the silent era. You hear that, Murnau? Griffith, you racist bastard? You guys aren’t funny. Oh wait, I forgot about Chaplin and some other guys. Whatever. That’s a different kind of funny. That’s like flowerpot drops on a man’s head funny. COWARDS is different. Don’t hassle me. Oh yeah, and COWARDS BEND THE KNEE is visually stunning. Maddin is a creative visionary with a new approach to an old aesthetic. Dude, fuck the way movie critics write. YOU HEAR THAT, SIEGEL? EBERT, YOU RACIST BASTARD? JK y’all. TTYL.

7. EVIL OF DRACULA – This is a two-minute freakout movie that I really liked. It’s a real freakout, too. I think this needs to be a new genre. TWO-MINUTE FREAKOUT. More people need to make movies like this one by Martha Colburn. Martha, if you are reading this, I want you to know that I really liked your movie, and if you want to be friends, we can be friends. Okay.

6. VAMPYRES – This movie is sort of annoying because one of the lesbian vampires is hot, like REALLY hot, and the other one is sort of busted (bad face, extra pounds) but pretends she’s hot. But you know what? That’s real. That’s real life, okay, MAN? I’m sorry if it doesn’t fit in with your macho dick Penthouse fantasy, but I totally buy their lesbian relationship. This movie doesn’t make a big deal out of them being lesbos. They just are, okay? Whatever, you’re too close-minded to get it. They love each other. And they kill some guys who get d-d-drunk and are all, “Oh yes, I’m going to get some mega-action.” Yeah right, buddy. They don’t want your stick. They’re just faking. Also, have you heard the joke about the lesbian vampires? The punch line is something about once-a-month something. I don’t know. Go get a joke book.

5. CHAOS – Look, we’re pretty far behind Japan when it comes to weird gross-out rape/violence in our culture. Everyone’s freaking out because dude cuts off a girl’s nipple and feeds it to her and sodomizes another girl with a knife in this movie, but the Japanese people are sitting back and laughing like, “Yawn. Bo-ring. We’re not impressed. Maybe that would be okay if he was her dad and he vomits on her while he kills and rapes her.” I guess we’ll never be too progressive as long as that asshole Bush is in office. NOT MY PRESIDENT. WHOSE STREETS? OUR STREETS! Oh, and Sylvester Stallone’s public toilet of a son is in this movie as a chubby weasel drug guy. That’s sort of reason enough to see it.

4. RE-ANIMATOR – Get ready for the end of this movie when it gets really gross, but in a silly way like when a cute kid eats his food all messy, and you’re like “Aw shit that’s gross,” but then you realize you don’t have to clean it up so then you start laughing and telling the kid to keep it up. BONUS: We also played RE-PENETRATOR which is the porno version of this made by Burning Angel. It’s like hardcore porno, too. You see EVERYTHING.

3. PULSE – THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH GOOD MOVIES THAT ARE ABOUT COMPUTER VIRUSES AND THE INTERNET AND WHATEVER THE HELL THIS WEIRD MOVIE IS ABOUT.

2. DEEP THROAT – Man, I’ll tell you what. What if all you had left in life was this movie, some early Black Sabbath albums, some jeans or whatever, and infinity pizza. What else would you need? And I mean, be really honest with yourself. Like look deep within your soul. I’m just talking about basic needs here. You know?

1. A NIGHT TO DISMEMBER – Don’t even kid yourself into starting to think about thinking that this isn’t the best, most important film made in the last fifty years. You can sit around and talk all your bullshit like you know movies, but get the hell out of town if you haven’t seen A NIGHT TO DISMEMBER. I mean seriously, this movie has fucking spirals in it. And there’s this one guy’s face at the end of the movie that is the funniest thing in the whole world.

Okay, that’s it. I hope you found this helpful or informative. If you didn’t, sorry! It’s not my fault! It’s yours! Come see a movie, and come see it at the Pioneer.

“Documentaries and schlock,” said a friend, “the Pioneer is becoming a home for documentaries and schlock.”

I was offended. We show a lot of important movies! What an arrogant, condescending comment! How dare he! After all, we showed a movie he himself had made! Although, of course, that movie was a documentary, and, the night he made this comment, we were showing two different documentaries. And, come to think of it, the horror, exploitation, and other genre movie screenings have been multiplying like radioactive bunnies.

So, okay, I thought, the Pioneer shows lots of documentaries and schlock. But those documentaries and schlock include some really good movies, don't they? Some might even be (gasp) important! And we do other good stuff, too, don’t we?

About a year has passed since the little exchange above. With this current year ending, let’s look back at the films that we’ve screened, and reflect on some of the better and worse moments of the year. Certainly many of the films discussed in the following articles are documentaries and / or schlock (though few are both), but you will also find some non-schlock fiction, some “experimental” movies, and other assorted sundry in there.

The Pioneer has grown enormously over the last year, bringing in both our largest crowds so far, and the greatest critical acclaim in our young five-year history. These articles take a moment to reflect on some of the movies and events that enabled that growth, from a diversity of perspectives. Writers include Pioneer members as well as staff. Pioneer member Alex Daoundakis focuses on the horror movies. Jeffrey the Projectionist overviews some favorite films as seen from the back booth. After that, I overview our Programming Partners’ Programs, take a personal look at some favorite Pioneer movies this year, and also mention some favorite films seen elsewhere.

Horror Movies, by Alex Daoundakis
The 2005 Pioneer Pio-Year-in-Review, by Jeffrey the Projectionist
Repertory Cinema, by Joe the General Manager
Programming Partners
Programmer’s Perspective
Elsewhere. . .