“I’m a minor player in my own life story.” –24 Hour Party People
The film festival has been over for three days now, and I’m going through serious withdrawal. Sunday night after I dropped off Derek Waters and Jeremy Konner, a.k.a. the Drunk History guys, at the airport, I almost returned to the Oriental just to hang out until Buried ended. Instead, I texted film fest hospitality director Angela Catalano: “I already don’t know what to do with myself.” I went home, made a sane dinner involving no popcorn, returned e-mails I’d ignored for two weeks and thought, “Goddamn that was a great festival!” Yesterday I actually drove to the Oriental theater on autopilot instead of Bayshore Mall. It was a crazy couple of weeks for sure, and now my body is consumed by general malaise.
I’d planned, of c
ourse, to write all about my “lost weekend” while it was occurring, but then it wouldn’t have been much of a “lost weekend” now, would it? Still, I have so many highlights that I both don’t know where to begin and can’t help but share! This is where a chronological writing style comes in handy — instant sensible structure.
On Friday, Tami Williams, film studies professor and internationalista, and I took Ken Wardrop to Kopp’s for frozen custard. He ordered the chocolate peanut butter custard and said something like, “I can’t imagine anything more American!” He’s Irish, so I felt pretty pleased he appreciated our dairy. I also saw his shorts program — entitled Home Sweet Home — on Saturday. It was the best festival program I’ve attended. Ever. “Undressing my Mother” sent tears streaming down my face for, if I’m being honest, only minutes, but with a lot of emotional intensity. The intimacy of the piece is overwhelmingly affecting and exceptionally personal. (And I found a link to it!)
While “Undressing my Mother” won my best film for the weekend, the Drunk History guys definitely topped the hangout time. They were the only people I specifically requested hospitality duties for this year because Kara Mulrooney (my Gal Friday Films partner) and I both heart Drunk History very much. (Aside: How do you change “hospitality” into a verb without it becoming hospitalize? “I requested hospitalizing the Drunk History guys” sounds so menacing! Just host?) We took them on a Milwaukee adventure, including the Lakefront Brewery Friday night fish fry, polka dancing, the Best Place on the old Pabst Brewery grounds, Burnhearts and Angelo’s.
Things I learned:
1. Saying “I recognize you from the Internet” sounds a whole lot less creepy dude-to-dude than boy-to-girl.
2. Describing Burnhearts as a “hipster bar” to people from LA is comical when they see who actually hangs out there.
3. Kara’s cousin Leah Delaney used to live in the same building as Jeremy in Park Slope! Leah randomly ended up at Angelo’s Friday night, and Jeremy was like, “Did she used to live in New York?” Why yes, yes she did. Weirdest.
4. Everyone loves Angelo’s.
Derek is good luck, apparently, because after brunch Sunday, Kara, Tate Bunker and I met him at Fanatics to watch football games. (I know I’m getting ahead of myself. Bear with me.) First of all, Derek is one of those unassuming guys who has an evenly good vibe and seems simply to want people to be happy but not in a cheesy way. He appreciates Americana in general, loves American Movie specifically and kind of reminded me of Mark Borchardt with his understated joie de vivre. In a word, he’s solid. Anyway, he was rooting for the Ravens, Tate for the Broncos and Kara for the Packers. I simply felt ecstatic everyone on the field was wearing pink! We decided if all their teams won, we’d get tattoos! Realizing none of us are tattoo people, we celebrated each team’s win playing the punching bag game. (There’s a punching bag: You punch it.) I consistently scored 5 out of like 800 on the game, while everyone else broke 600. This sums up my childhood.
I should back up f
or a moment and return to Saturday though. Saturday, The Milwaukee Show packed the Oriental with the Collaborative Cinema short “Spare Change,” written by high school student Alexis Daubner, crowning the evening. Collaborative Cinema is one of Milwaukee Film’s educational programs wherein high school students write short scripts while working with professional mentors. The mentors choose a winning script to produce with professional filmmakers, equipment, actors and both college and high-school student “interns.” Alexis absolutely glowed as she stood on stage with director Aaron Greer (one of the kindest directors I’ve ever worked with). I’m pretty sure if happiness could make people levitate, she would have floated right off stage. She’s an impressive young woman.
By tha
t point, I was spending a lot of time milling about the Oriental zombie style — doing face recognition to people I normally interact with in conventional ways while feeling unable to muster the brainpower to remember what that meant. To explain: Long ago, when people still used landline telephones, I once forgot how to answer. I picked up and froze. Eventually I conjured the bold words: “I’m Susan!” I have no idea who it was or what we discussed, but I remember that moment when basic skills failed me (or I them). This exemplifies my weekend. Thankfully, my friends got me to Beans and Barley for a liquid dinner (coconut water and fresh OJ) and then into junkie mode for the Blood Junkie dance party!
Kara and I partnered with Bl
ood Junkie director Drew Rosas to host one last festival party, which turned out pretty effing fabulous. DJ Dave Monroe became an instant hit with the filmmakers (Dave — where were your shoes?!?), and Frank Straka brought the jams. I’d slipped into my disco onesie — a black polyester jumpsuit I haven’t worn since 1985! — and was told several times I looked like the cocaine militia. Floors bounced, records skipped, hook-ups ensued, and highlights included: dancing to “Love will Tear us Apart” with Cold Weather executive producer Jack Turner (who is affiliated with 24 Hour Party People and let me rant about Control and how music bio-pics should ***never*** be based on the ex-wife’s memoirs); dancing with Lemmy directors Greg Olliver and Wes Orshoski to random ’80s pop songs; and hearing Brian Gallagher’s story about the “field trip” one children’s screening took from one theater to another, followed by his comment that the audience must have been Canadian. Afterward, the Lemmy guys, the Cold Weather guys, Dave, Tami Williams, Angela and I went to Ma Fischer’s for French toast, French fries and stern looks from the late-night waitress. I honestly don’t remember much of it aside from Dave eating a huge bowl of pink stuff.
Around 3:30 a.m., I decided Greg should get a Dave Monroe historical tour. I think Greg may have passed out in the backseat during, but overall, he seemed pretty entertained and gave Dave the thumbs up. Oddly, we ran into Chris Thompson in the hotel parking lot. Chris invited us to his place in Riverwest for eggs, and Greg w
as like, “I think he really would have made us eggs!” It’s true: He would have because he’s awesome like that, and everyone was in a good mood that night. Instead, I wandered home.
The next morning was the filmmaker/board member brunch at 10 a.m. I planned to be there by 10 and actually made it by 11:15. Thank god for fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice mimosas and the giant red couch upstairs where I holed up. Apparently the Lemmy guys told Angela they came here to school Milwaukee and instead got owned. I think many of us felt that way that morning. Jonathan Jackson finally announced the festival winners (after what seemed like days but probably was only an hour), and when Tate won the Milwaukee filmmaker prize package, I squealed! Irritating every hungover person there, I suspect.
Which brings me back to Derek, who had shrewdly skipped brunch for football. (See story above.) After Fanatics, we met Adam Ochonicky at Feed the Fish. It was the perfect audience for the film — homegrown and super into it — and I waved to producer Alison Abrohams as Derek and I ducked out for the airport. This already is too long, so I won’t go into the TV project he’s working on (which sounds awesome) or the countless reasons Kara and I want him to be our new BFF, but I must mention the money in my car. I obviously love being cruise director for out-of-towners, and part of what’s invigorating about the film fest is meeting other film-obsessed people. It’s like we’re all part of the same support group. They seem to like Milwaukeeans because we’re unpretentious and generally friendly, so I’m no stranger to gracious thank yous. Derek went above and beyond, though, and insisted he leave $$$ so Kara and I could go out for a fabulous “thank you” night on the town! We certainly will, but (sorry Derek) it won’t be on your dime. Instead, expect to receive a kick ass Milwaukee care package from us very soon!
Oddly, the Milwaukee experience didn’t end there, as Derek and Jeremy won the Audience Award for “Tesla & Edison”! This is where I was headed with that “good luck charm” idea I proposed earlier and then failed to pick up on again. Whatever. Instead, here’s the link to their genius.
With that, I’m signing off. Thank you SO much for reading! I’ve had a great two weeks, and I’m delighted to have shared my experiences. Resting up now for Film Fest 2011…
xoxo
Susan
