8 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, March 18, 1997 35th Film Fest wraps up at Michigan Bo n Ghose D its Writer you know that non-dairy creamer is-highly explosive? Neither did I, until I went to the Ann Arbor Film Festival's Awards Screening where Michigan Theater audiences' feasted on an eclec- tic array of visuals - from Bruce C~ er's hypnotic, V_4 i v e t Underground-esque search for magic mushrooms to Johr on Sunday night, RE 35th Fi The Mic n Scott Matthews' homage to New York's gay S & M scene. Shocking, disturbing, challenging and, at times, irritating, the Film Festival was and is not directed toward the con- Mmfional "Sack Lunch" moviegoer. RTs does not mean that only preten- tios ., David Lynch-worshipping hersnmians will appreciate the Fest. No Mi^Like free-verse poetry and stout Guinness, experimental films grow on yp. Hipness is not a prerequisite for beftst, but open-mindedness is. -St$l, even with my brain's welcome ewenthusiastically unfurled, I must dmiii* that I could not comprehend some cAha winning films. David. Gatten's tifnilm, "Hardwood Process," won the Festival's highest award, yet I found this experimental film overly vague, frustrat- ing and inaccessible to one-time viewers. Although his looped-over footage was a visual masterpiece, the Endgame-like meditation made audiences feel dumb. Selected by Festival judges over .VIEVW the weekend, the Ann Arbor winning films were ilm Festival spread across Sunday's three dif- higan Theater ferent 120-minute March 16, 1997 screenings. These segments contained some of my personal favorites, including Dan Tice's "Thank You For Not Smoking," Dylan McNeil's "NY: the Lost Civilization" and Don Hertzfeldt's "Genre." Tice, who hails from Ann Arbor, explores the fear of real communication and the inability to take action. "Thank You For Not Smoking," which resem- bles Samuel Beckett's play "Waiting for Godot," is complex, hilarious and sad all at once, with clever writing and sur- prisingly good acting. Dylan McNeil's "NY (pronounce like the word 'knee'): the Lost Civilization," winner of the Michael Moore Award for Best Documentary Film, is a faux anthro- pological study of a city built upon smoke, better known to us as New York City. Tongue planted firmly in cheek, McNeil unapologetically studies ("mocks" would be more accurate) our modern civilization the way an alien vis- itor might, shedding harsh light upon the oddities and ridiculousness of our cul- ture. McNeil's commentary is sharp, smart, but remarkably endearing. "Genre," by California's Don Hertzfeldt, was the funniest film of the Festival. In this five-minute joyride of recklessly funny animation, a hapless cartoon bunny gets dragged through a variety of cinematic genres by his wan- ton animator. Our poor bunny endures romance, horror, black comedy, porn - with each new genre, Hertzfeldt's wicked humor burgeons and swells until peaking at the Itchy- and Scratchy-esque closing that is sure to please any "Simpsons" fan. In addition, Awards Night possessed plenty of great dramatic films that deserve attention, including Marilyn Levine's "Life, Death, Baseball," Jennifer Reeves' "Chronic," Tina DiFeliciantonio's and Jane Wagner's "Two or Three Things But Nothing for Sure" and Charlotte Lagarde's "Swell." Levine's documentary is a touching examination of her own life and loss, triggered by the filmmaker's pregnancy, and a moving remembrance of Levine's sister. Charlotte Lagarde's "Swell," an extremely professional documentary featuring four generations of women longboard surfers, closed the festival on a heartbreaking note when Beth, one of the teen-age surfers, dies while catching a wave. If you are kicking yourself right now for missing the 35th Ann Arbor Film Festival and coping with your anger through self-mutilation, you really should stop. One, because it hurts; two, because a four-hour tape of the Film Fest's primo entries goes on tour this spring and summer! On March 29 and 31, the Fest will be showing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. On May 5, the Fest will be at the Detroit Institute of the Arts. On July 13, it will be back in Ann Arbor, and on Aug. 1 and 2, the Film Fest will finish its tour in Kalamazoo. And if you can't make those tour stops, don't worry - the Ann Arbor Film Festival will be back next year. They promise. Charlotte Lagarde's "Swell" closed the Film Festival on a heartbroking note. v ~~q UAC Committee Chairs Wanted! for the 1997-1998 school year Universities Activities Center is the largest student-run organization on campus. UAC's purpose is to enrich the student community. UAC has a spot for everyone. If you enjoy the arts, the entertainment field, or are interested in technical work, business, or advertising, UAC would love to have you join the team! UAC is made up of a fantastic team of students. We're so much more that just programming; we're about fun, too. Not only do we work together, we play together! There is never a dull moment at UAC! Committees Include: y our ;ource for campus e news - 'rxyi : 4 b Amazin' Blue Comedy Company Impact Dance Theatre M-Flicks The Rude Mechanicals (formerly Soph Show) MUSKET Mini-Courses Multicultural Programming Board Michigan Academic Competition Laughtrack Soundstage Special Events Viewpoint Lectures Eclipse Jazz Homecoming Michigras Ticket Central Applications are available at the UAC office, 2105 Michigan Union Due Noon, Monday March 24 Univers4 Activities Ceate r Universities Activities center 2105 Michigan Union 763-1107 www.kaplan.com ~ Consumer Psychology Experimental Laboratory at U-M Business School I K / Students needed to participate in market research 1 0 $1.0per hour ( 1-3 hours with some readings and survey) Date Place : Call to schedule : School of Business Administration