April 20, 2004

Wendy Dent is a lanky young documentary filmmaker who you will probably hear from sooner than later. She is here at the Palm Beach International Film Festival premiering her second documentary in two years, Girls From Ipanema, a doc about women in Brazil and the life of the beach. She was here last year with Kissed By A Crocodile, a doc that takes a look at love and sex in Bali. Later this year, Dent will release Dear Juliet, a look at romance in Italy. In other words, she is working hard, producing a lot of interesting work, getting better each time at bat and well on her way to the intersection of her hard work and some good luck.

Girls From Ipanema, which is being promoted here in Palm Beach with a lot of shots of girls in bikinis and less, starts by focusing on the wardrobe. But it turns out to be more than that. Body parts are everywhere. But there is an interesting sense of the women not feeling objectified by their near-nudity. There is something so brazen about it all that the focus shifts to the next step in the conversation. The original "Girl From Ipanema" is now in her 50s and appearing nude in Brazilian Playboy with her daughter. Toplessness is illegal on the beaches of Rio. Men frequently leave relationships so they can engage in meaningless and apparently boundary-free sexual encounters during Carnival. The size of the bikini bottom is a constant conversation of both morality and history. The Brazilian preference for "A" over "T" is discussed. The beauty of the Brazilian figure, on the world stage, is discounted for being too fleshy, however exposed. And then there is the undercurrent of possible violence in the streets of Rio.

I can't say that I know exactly what Girls From Ipanema wants to say. The use of the plural is probably indicative of that ambiguity. But after watching it, I felt like I had been given the chance to have a nice, long conversation with some young women from a very different culture about the world in which they live. Surely, Sheila Nevins would be happier with the film if the girls all took off their bikinis from Ipanema at some point or offered lurid tales of sex on the beach. (One of the young women points out that a lot of people do have sex on the beach, but she considers it unhygienic.)

Wendy seems to be the kind of free spirit that is used to carrying the load and doing things on her own. Her energy at festival Q&As is manic, which you quickly realize is enthusiasm. She is in her 20s, and still has that really young energy. You get the feeling that she is rushing to taste every flavor in the world, anxious to find her favorites before he enthusiasm fades. Her website takes you through her personal journey, so you'll be able to keep an eye on her… as well as many of the bikinis of her film.

Cinerama Adventure leaves you hungry for a real Cinerama experience. David Strohmeier and Randy Gitsch spent seven years getting this tribute to the ultimate wide screen film format, leaving the viewer with a taste for the specialty item that has long been phased out by the franchise business that movies have become.

The story of how Cinerama started as a personal obsession, evolved into a military application and eventually changed the face of exhibition, even as it became extinct, is really interesting. It is the story, ultimately, of how so many advances happen, in the film world and outside of it. Who knew that Cinerama, in a very limited number of venues, led the industry in box office in both 1952 and 1962? (IMAX knew, I betcha.)

One of the really great sections is on an industry-famous stunt pilot who did most of the flying for most of the Cinerama films that took viewers into uncharted worlds, from the Grand Canyon to the open mouth of an active volcano. Perhaps the only weakness of the film is that it never quite has the narrative drive that this particular story naturally offers. The film should soon be available on DVD, along with lots of extras. It will be a terrific buy if you really love film and want to get a visceral insight into a truly visceral format.

ALSO: I saw Kill Bill, Volume 2 again. I don't really feel like getting into it right now, except to say that nothing about the movie was quite as irritating as the trailer before hand for Hero, presented by Quentin Tarantino. I mean, really, does anyone really think that QT can carry Zhang Yimou's jock? Even Kill Bill's biggest fans? And of course, Miramax is selling the most lyrical of all kung fu movies as a hard core Jet Li action extravaganza. Oy. Clearly, they are going for an opening weekend because anyone who comes to the theater looking for constant action is going to face a lot of beautiful slowness and most importantly, a lot of feminine power, that is not in evidence in this trailer. And I will leave this one question for KB fans… what did Bill know and when did he know it? As I thought about the entirety of this film as I sat there, the brilliant, complex film that QT forgot to make while picking out cool wardrobe started appearing to me… in my head, of course.

READER OF THE DAY: MIKE THE AUSSIE writes: "So you think Warner should have released The Animatrix in between Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions? I disagree.

Sure, The Animatrix was largely created as advertising for Reloaded, and sure, Reloaded didn't need any extra advertising.

But here's my point - I went and saw The Animatrix at the cinema in the weeks leading up to Reloaded. And I'm damn sure I wouldn't have gone to see it after Reloaded. I'm not trying to Reloaded-bash, but truly, I wouldn't. In the end, it was the hype for Reloaded that sold The Animatrix. As I understand The Animatrix has been somewhat successful for Warner, at least on DVD sales, and it's because they struck while the iron was hot. The weeks where they released it, just before Reloaded at cinemas to just after Reloaded's release on DVD, as I recall, is the only time in human history that they would have been able to convince the audience to watch."

E ME: The fighting continues….