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Bearing up with Talent
by Brandon Judell
Film Critic

I am blessed, I'm told. Not for my looks. Nor for my wealth. Neither of which register impressively on the "E" Channel Celebrity Meter. Not even for my algebraic skills.

People instead think I'm a lucky person because I have a pass to get in the Loews movie chain free. Yes, year-in or year-out I am welcome at no charge into the inner chambers of any of the venues belonging to the respected theater chain.

It's not exactly being born a Trump or having Diana Vreeland's fashion sense or waking up and discovering you have Martha Stewart's repotting skills, but it's rather nice. Or was rather nice.

"Mr. Deeds", "Stuart Little 2", "The Adventures of Pluto Nash", "Spy Kids 2", "Blood Work", "Blue Crush", "Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat", "Gold Member", and "Full Frontal" are a few of the cultural blackguards out to destroy a thinking man's cinema. Battling these devils with all their might are Gwyneth Paltrow and Tom Hanks respectively in "Possession" and the "Road to Perdition". The angels are losing the war, however, and it's arguably no Loews' fault. The chain's bookers are limited by what Hollywood is offering up to a degree, and Hollywood is offering up more dreck than usual.

Thankfully, within our own diminutive, charming community, the Black Bear Film Festival will be celebrating its third year, playing once again David to the big studios' Goliath. The Festival's goal? Well, you can say it's to correct the state of affairs that German director Wim ("Wings of Desire") Wenders has bemoaned:

"Everything has been reduced to the aspect of how it can be consumed. Films did not escape that. So films give less and less answers to necessary questions, because if they are consumer articles, they are not supposed to give answers. There isn't supposed to be a need for questions. So they are not really about anything in particular. They are not about life, because they are not supposed to distract people, not to concentrate them, not to put them into position whereby they could look at their lives differently, but they are made basically so that they don't look at their lives."

Black Bear, which has completed its final slate of offerings, has already scheduled a selection of movies that do ask questions, that are about life, that are not recycled screenplays with new titles.

In the unforgettable "Roger Dodger", Campbell Scott stars as an Alfie-type cad whose views on women are destroying himself and those around him. "Fast Runner", the first feature completely made by and starring Inuits, might be the most beautiful film you'll see this year. Miles upon miles of snow play home to a mythic tale of adultery, revenge and survival way up north. In a revival of "The Hired Hand", a 1971 western, which is directed and starring Peter Fonda, a man seeks retribution for his best friend's murder while trying to reunite with his wife who only wants him back as a hired hand, not a spouse.

Then there's the amazing "Daughter from Danang", winner of this year's Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at Sundance. This heart-wrenching feature focuses on a Vietnamese girl airlifted to the United States in 1975 who, now living in Tennessee, reunites with her mother 22 years later back in Vietnam.

And these are just a taste of what Black Bear will offer up in October. A bunch of films so satisfying and gripping, you won't need buttered popcorn to enjoy them. A martini might not hurt though.

About Brandon Judell
Brandon Judell is a film critic and writes for the Detour Magazine and Indiewire.com.

About the Black Bear Film Festival
This year’s Festival will take place on Columbus Day weekend, October 10-14 at the Milford Theater, Milford, Pennsylvania, and The Tri-State Theaters Drive-In in Westfall, PA. The Film Salon seminars and workshops will be hosted by the Milford Borough Hall and the Pike County Historical Society. The tickets will be on sale starting September 12, 2002. For schedule and tickets information, please check the program of events on the website at www.BlackBearFilm.com or call the Black Bear Film Festival Office at 570-409-0909.

Photo: Film Critic Brandon Judell at the Seattle Film Festival