I’ve already seen over twenty offerings from Cinequest 2019, and here are my initial recommendations. As usual, I focus on the world and US premieres. Follow the links for full reviews, images and trailers. I’ve also included some tips for making the most of the Cinequest experience under “Hacking Cinequest”.
FEEL GOOD
- Clownvets: In this documentary, famed hospital clown Patch Adams heals the PTSD of US combat veterans by ministering to neglected souls in the third world. I am generally not a fan of warmhearted movies, but Clownvets moved even me. I expect Clownvets to be the Feel Good hit of this year’s Cinequest and to win the Audience Award. World premiere and Patch Adams himself is expected to attend.
INDIE
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- Auggie : In this brilliant indie, augmented reality produces addictive temptation. Great performance by Richard Kind. World premiere.
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THRILLER
- Mine 9: This is Cinequest’s best thriller, a gripping, smart and remarkably authentic mine rescue cliffhanger. World premiere.
WORLD CINEMA
- Hier: In this brilliantly original and trippy thriller, an executive takes what he thinks will be a quick trip to Morocco, but becomes entangled in a series of mysteries. He becomes a detective but doesn’t fully understand what he is looking for in his own past. North American premiere.
- A Shelter Among the Clouds: In this beautiful and unhurried Albanian drama, a simple man regards human behavior. North American premiere.
- Little Histories: The premise of this inventive Venezuelan anthology is that sometimes the great events of history affect – and even change – our lives. And sometimes those events are merely the backdrop to our own personal dramas. World premiere.
SCIENCE FICTION
- Last Sunrise: In this edge-of-your-seat Chinese sci-fi thriller, we’re in a super-hi tech future, powered almost totally by solar energy – until our Sun dies. North American premiere.
COMEDY
- Vanilla: There’s an odd couple and a road trip, but the portrait of two characters who have trapped themselves in poses elevates this very smart comedy. World premiere.
TWO I HAVEN’T SEEN YET
- Transit: The latest from director Christian Petzold, the master filmmaker of Barbara and Phoenix. This time, Petzold brings us an escape story that takes place in WW II, but the movie is shot in modern Europe.
- The Man Who Killed Don Quixote: The festival’s closing night film is Terry Gilliam’s finally successful attempt to put Don Quixote on film and stars Adam Driver and Jonathan Pryce. Gilliam was the American member of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, the one behind the surreal animation. The trippiness of Brazil, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Twelve Monkeys and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus all sprang from Gilliam’s imagination. The Movie Gourmet usually doesn’t assign homework, but I recommend the 2002 documentary Lost in La Mancha, about Gilliam’s apparently cursed 2002 attempt to film Don Quixote, available to stream on Amazon and iTunes.
TELEVISION
- Taboo: Many will cringe at the promise of this Belgian reality show: a humorist spends time with four dying people and then hosts an entire audience full of terminally ill people for his stand-up comedy show – about their situation. It’s surprisingly empathetic and touching.
DOCUMENTARY
- Travel Ban: Make America Laugh Again: Besides, Clownvets, I recommend this serious documentary with some hilarious comedy. Comedians confront the misunderstanding, bigotry and hatred faced by Americans who are Muslim and by Americans whose families come from the Middle East. World premiere.
CLASSIC MOVIE EXPERIENCE
- The silent Steamboat Bill, Jr. with Buster Keaton will be projected in a period movie palace, the California Theatre, accompanied by world-renowned Dennis James on the Mighty Wurlitzer organ.
BEFORE IT’S IN THEATERS – SEE IT HERE FIRST
- Several Cinequest films already are planned for theatrical release later this year. I haven’t seen them yet, but you can see them first at Cinequest: Sometimes Always Never, Freaks, Hotel Mumbai, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, The Hummingbird Project, Peterloo, The Public, Teen Spirit, The Third Wife, Transit, The Chaperone, The Wedding Guest and Woman at War.
HACKING CINEQUEST
Cinequest retains its Downtown San Jose vibe, with concurrent screenings at the 1122-seat California, the 550-seat Hammer and the 257-seat 3Below, all within 1600 feet of the VIP lounge at The Continental Bar. There will still be satellite viewing in Redwood City.
At Cinequest, you can get a festival pass for as little as $165, and you can get individual tickets as well. The express pass for an additional tax-deductible $100 is a fantastic deal – you get to skip to the front of the lines!
Take a look at the entire program, the schedule and the passes and tickets. (If you want to support Silicon Valley’s most important cinema event while skipping the lines, the tax-deductible $100 donation for Express Line Access is an awesome deal.)
As usual, I’ll be covering Cinequest rigorously with features and movie recommendations. I usually screen (and write about) over thirty films from around the world. Bookmark my Cinequest 2019 page, with links to all my coverage. Follow me on Twitter for the latest.