Author Archives: basiltsiokos

Coming to theatres and to VOD tomorrow, Friday, March 16:
OUR BLOOD IS WINE

Director:
Emily Railsback

Premiere:
Berlin 2018

About:
An appreciation of the ancient winemaking traditions of the Republic of Georgia.

Curious about the origins of wine, filmmaker Emily Railsback and sommelier Jeremy Quinn travel to the former Soviet republic of Georgia, which has been producing the beverage for 8000 years. They visit traditional wine producers in various regions of the country, making the unusual decision to film the proceedings via iPhone, which unfortunately lends the project an uncinematic feel. While providing some occasionally intriguing history lessons, and some measure of ethnographic interest, such as the early segments exploring the ancient use of large qvevri clay urns for fermentation, the overall project feel scattered and a bit too dry to maintain general interest.

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, March 16:
AUGIE

Director:
James Keach

Premiere:
Nashville 2017

Select Festivals:
Austin, Greenwich, Boston, Hot Springs, Newport Beach, Heartland

About:
A portrait of life with ALS for fitness mogul Augie Nieto and his wife.

Entrepreneur Augie Nieto found success in the fitness industry with the Lifecycle. At the age of 47, in 25, he was diagnosed with ALS. In response, Nieto, together with his supportive wife, Lynne, set up Augie’s Quest, an organization devoted to raising funds for research into the disease. Keach profiles the devoted couple as they contend with the challenges of ALS and of their mission to finds its cure. While treading on familiar terrain as other films addressing life with a debilitating and likely terminal diagnosis, and tending to over-rely on disconnected, indulgent anecdotes about Augie, the uplifting film benefits from Lynne’s centrality and candor.

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, March 16:
MAINELAND

Director:
Miao Wang

Premiere:
SXSW 2017

Select Festivals:
Camden, Vancouver, Maryland, IFF Boston, Durban, Hawaii, San Diego Asian American, Seattle Asian American

About:
An observational portrait of affluent Chinese teenagers in a US boarding school.

Wang’s project focuses on Stella and Harry, who leave their native China to enroll in the Fall 2012 semester at Fryeburg Academy in rural Maine, a boarding school that has found a new market for students in Asia seeking an escape from the rigors of China’s national education system and a leg up in the global marketplace through direct experience with American culture. Following their experiences over three years, Wang subtly explores culture clash and language differences, and how Stella and Harry do – and don’t – immerse themselves in their new surroundings. It’s a quiet film – there’s little evidence of the emotional impact of this major life change on the Chinese students, at least on the surface – but it offers an intimate look at two strangers in a strange land.

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, March 13:
ART OF THE GAME: UKIYO-E HEROES

Director:
Toru Tokikawa

Premiere:
Hot Docs 2017

Select Festivals:
St Louis, Comic-Con

About:
A look at an unusual artistic collaboration melding ancient Japanese craft and pop culture.

Tokikawa’s film focuses on the partnership between Jed Henry, an American illustrator, and David Bull, a Westerner in Japan who has spent decades becoming a master at ukiyo-e, an ancient Japanese craft of woodblock printing. After encountering ukiyo-e, Henry seeks out Bull, proposing a partnership: making a series of prints that integrate characters from old video games into classical ukiyo-e motifs. Though initially hesitant, Bull agrees, and they promote their enterprise via a ridiculously successful Kickstarter campaign. The film recounts this background and then proceeds to spend an interminable amount of time painstakingly detailing the creation of a new print, from Henry’s idea and initial composition to Bull’s translation into the woodblock process and ultimate execution, with cutaways to other Japanese craftsman who function as suppliers of the master’s brushes, paper, and paint. While some of this process is not uninteresting, it does not sustain interest for a general audience. There’s also something odd about this ancient Japanese craft being basically unquestioningly represented by two Westerners. Regardless, the subject matter’s insularity and excessive detail makes this of strictly niche appeal.