38th Cleveland International Film Fesitval

CIFF38: March 19-30, 2014

            As I write down the memories of my very first film festival, I admit I am a bit distracted by Daniel Day-Lewis' performance as Abraham Lincoln playing in the background of my apartment. Every single great film, including the one you quote on a daily basis, started with a single idea inside a creative mind. Sometimes these ideas never get past the dreamer's thoughts, but, for those who have a little more drive, that idea appears onscreen and tells a story that captures the attention of even the most random of audience members. Lincoln may be a biography, nevertheless, the vision of making the life of one of America's most revered figures into a film sat in Mr. Spielberg's head at one point. Everything that is great once had to become great.

            Movies are a part of life and I have made them a big part of mine. What better way to celebrate this passion than attending a film festival? Every year, usually in March, Cleveland is home to an International Film Festival that welcomes films from all over the world, most of which have to be accompanied by subtitles. I finally was able to attend it this year and better yet, with my father, Dale.

            After making the RTA trip to Tower City, we found our way to to the cinema. All you have to do is just take the escalator down to the bottom level and hang a left past the food court, you'll see the signs, don't worry. Anyway, we were lucky enough to see two films that afternoon. A Russian drama entitled The Major and an Irish documentary, Here Was Cuba. At the end of the festival, there are awards given out for various categories decided by a panel of judges but the top prize, The Roxanne T. Miller Audience Choice Award For Best Film, is decided by--you guessed it--the audience. How it works is, before each film, you are given a card with the film name, on each of the four corners there are the words EXCELLENT (4 Stars), GOOD (3 Stars), FAIR (2 Stars), and POOR (1 Star). After the movie is over you are to tear off the corner that indicates how you rate the film then place the card in a box held by one of the volunteers. The highest number of praises are calculated from there. Everyone's a critic, right?

            Since this blog revolves around film reviews, why not have a little fun:

            The Major is a Russian drama about crooked cops. A man is speeding through his gears down the street to greet his wife in labor. A young boy runs into the street and is brutally killed by the frantic driver. the only witness: the boy's mother. The driver is the major of the Russian police and, with a lot of help from his friends at the station, gets himself involved in a gripping and mind-boggling journey to cover his crime as well as his reputation. Despite being a touch slow during its 99 minutes, the action is heavy and unforgiving as we are taken into the way cops run things in Russia. Corner Ripped: GOOD (3 Stars)

            Here Was Cuba tells a story that is very familiar to many Americans. From the minds of Irish documentarians, the Cuban Missile Crisis was a point in America's, as well as the world's, history that could have ended a lot different. So different that I would not be able to type this right now. For a 22 year old kid like myself, a film like this is just what I need to see to fully appreciate the turmoil our country was in not too long ago. The tagline for this film is "A Cautionary Tale" and serves very well as so. Equipped with audio recordings inside JFK's Oval Office discussing these pressing matters with much worry and anticipation. Interviews included the likes of Kennedy's chief speechwriter, Ted Sorensen, and the son of Nikita Khrushchev, Leonid. The chilling music that is paired with the dialogues and interviews sucks you in as a viewer and re-creates this very worrisome time. There is no speculation or rumors about it, life on Earth almost ceased to exist in October 1962. Let's pray we can learn from our past. Corner Ripped: EXCELLENT (4 Stars)

             "Awesome! We're doing this again next year." Actual quote from my dad as we made our way back to the Rapid. Find Your Story at The Cleveland International Film Festival!