So Ebertfest is over, but I’m still telling stories about it. Especially my Herzog experience, which of course, I’m about to share with you.

I was sitting in the same row as Werner Herzog, famed director of Stroszek, Fitzcarraldo and Grizzly Man among many others, but across the aisle from him at the Virginia Theater. We were waiting for the next film to start showing and a few of my friends told me to go chat with him. I didn’t want to bother him, so instead I popped one of his films I had on DVD called Even Dwarves Started Small into my laptop. I was messing around trying to get his attention with the screen, and my friends told me to go sit next to him and see what he does. I couldn’t be more thankful for their peer pressure because when I finally decided to do it, he looked at me, surprised, and laughed.

The next thing I know, he invited me to a special screening of his latest film that he shot in Antarctica. So I found myself spending my Saturday morning in the English Building watching clips from Herzog’s newest picture. After that we watched director Paul Cox’s newest feature as well. It was such an amazing experience. For those of you unfamiliar with Cox, you have to check out his films Innocence and Man of Flowers. He’s a director who knows how to make very moving films.

It was awesome to meet both directors and they had many encouraging words for a young filmmaker like myself. As I get ready to graduate in two weeks, and begin to try and carve out my own niche in the filmmaking world, it was great to talk to these seasoned artists and gain a new perspective on the craft.

I guess that’s just another bonus of Ebertfest. I think it does a lot for our community in general, providing exposure to some really neat movies and getting to hear from the people involved with them. What’s cool about the festival is that it’s not just movies for moviegoers. I think there is enough to appeal to many different types of audiences—people who go to the cinema all the time, people who go once a year, people who’ve seen all the films before, and people who’ve never heard of them or the guests that are invited to chat about them afterwards.

My own experiences at Ebertfest have been very warm and it was fun to get to see the movies on the big screen. Blake and I had a blast covering the festival and encourage you to check out the movies if you haven’t seen them. Well, that’s a wrap for the Silver Screen Madmen on Ebertfest, but don’t forget to look for us over the summer!

Director Werner Herzog discusses his work on Stroszek following the film’s screening at Ebertfest. Media Credit: Ped Naseri.

Werner Herzog is one of my all time favorite directors. Last May I wrote a twelve-page paper on his films The Enigma of Kasper Hauser and Woyzeck (which are both fantastic) and never did I think that nearly a year later I would be chatting with the great filmmaker about it.

The film shown tonight was one I hadn’t seen before, and once again, he’s blown me away. Stroszek is a film about a trio of very intriguing characters that move from Berlin to Wisconsin. The interactions they have in both Germany and the United States are quirky, insightful, hilarious, and dramatic. It’s a movie that can be described with any number of positive adjectives, every scene bursting with emotion and things that make you think; it’s also a great introductory film to one of the most impressive oeuvres in film history.

I have to mention that listening to Herzog speak about his art is something that is completely inexplicable in and of itself, in terms of how exceptional it was. He’s very intelligent and funny, and hearing him share his amazing stories was such an awesome experience.

I might sound overly flattering, but I can’t help but feel inspired by having the opportunity to listen to him on the panel and chat with him afterwards. To me, Herzog represents the best of filmmaking; the art of sharing ideas and emotion, and expressing humanity; filmmaking at it’s most sincere.

I would definitely recommend checking out his movies, which you can find a complete list at the Internet Movie Database and to look for his latest flick with Batman Begins star Christian Bale in Rescue Dawn, coming soon.

Co-President of Sony Pictures Classics Michael Barker addresses an audience question following the screening of La Dolce Vita as Professor David Bordwell looks on. Media Credit: Blake Stubbs.

La Dolce Vita is a must see for any serious movie-goer. I would venture to say that anyone sincerely interested in seeing filmmaking at its finest should watch this film. It is one of those staple movies that so much of today’s work has branched from.

It’s an Italian film from famed director, Frederico Fellini, who people like Martin Scorsese credit as being a huge inspiration to their art. Along with Vita make sure to check out Fellini’s other classics like 8 ½ and Satyricon (among a plethora of others).

While watching this film I started to think about how different the movies are today. Contemporary Hollywood movies seem to lack the type of confidence that Vita radiates from the first shot to the last. It’s a different viewing experience from things I’ve seen recently at the cinemas and it made me think why we don’t see things like this anymore. I’m guessing marketing is a big part, but I think it’d be good for American cinema if we opened the theaters up to more non-conventional movies.

I don’t know, maybe I’m being sentimental after going through so many good movies during this festival that have been overlooked or forgotten. Either way, I think it’s another reason why Ebertfest is so damn cool.

Coductor Steven Larson and Composer discuss creating a new score for a classic silent film following the screening of Sadie Thompson . Media Credit: Blake Stubbs.

So the thing that struck me about Friday’s first film, Sadie Thompson, is the performance by Gloria Swanson. Now for those of you that don’t know (which I guess counts me as well because I haven’t seen many of her movies) Gloria Swanson was one of the biggest Hollywood actresses of the silent era. After seeing her on the big screen, I now know why.

There is something about her that is absolutely captivating. She has a presence, a way that subtly draws your attention to her in every scene she’s in; and when she’s not there, you wish she was.

The movie follows Sadie Thompson’s confrontations with a Christian missionary, a man bent on “reforming” Sadie and her flapper-esque ways. Meanwhile she falls in love with a sergeant who would do anything for her. The movie moves from comedy, (with some great vaudevillian moments) to a drama. The social issues the film brings up are interesting not only within the context of the time period, but also how it may work today.

Although, I didn’t find the movie as great as some did, I have to admit I am now a huge Gloria Swanson fan. There is another famous movie she was in which you might be more familiar with, Sunset Boulevard, and I must say that I now have a better appreciation for her performance and the film.

It’s worth noting that the film was accompanied by live music from the Champaign Symphony Orchestra. They did a superb job and composer Joseph Turrin wrote the music specifically for this film. An added bonus was that the film is the most complete version available, after deteriorating a bit from poor archival conditions and after the last reel was lost. The ending was reconstructed from production stills, the original script and a lot of hard work by some really dedicated people.

For those of you that love silent era films, or know Sunset Boulevard, this is definitely a movie to catch.

Alan Rickman accepts his Golden Thumb Award and throws a thumbs up to the Ebertfest Audience. Media Credit: Blake Stubbs.

So we just got out of watching Perfume: The Story of a Murderer and it was phenomenal. It is such an inexplicable film, that it’s hard to give a brief run down of it, I’ll try, but I urge you to watch it because it’s definitely one that will keeping you thinking about it long after you see it.

Here’s my attempt at a simply outline: We follow a young man in France who has an extraordinary ability to smell things, and this ability leads him down a path of obsession, destruction, and ambiguous actions as he searches for a way to capture the ultimate essence.

But there is so much more, and so many layers to the film that one viewing doesn’t do it justice.

What I can talk about with some certainty, however, is the superb cinematography. This film is centered around smells, and it is portrayed so elegantly—the style, color choices, framing all combine to create a visual tone that goes far beyond what words can describe. It gives you a feeling, an essence, an imagination of smells via its imagery that’s so stunning some people felt like they could smell what they saw. To me it was more of a ghost, a haunting of a smell that roused my imagination. The picture at times was very eerie, defying genre labels, and while watching it I couldn’t help but think about how complex the story was, all the multiple levels of interpretation that come into play—it’s an academic’s dream (or nightmare).

There are some movies that make you take a step back and say, “Wow, what did I just see?!” And these are the movies that I love because they challenge us; they make us think about not only the story, but our relationship to the movie, our roles as spectators. How do I fit in? What was it that made me enjoy it? It makes you appreciate the art, the craft of filmmaking on another level.

After the show, Alan Rickman was on the panel and I was struck by one of the things he said. (Well actually I was impressed by a lot of what he had to say about acting on stage and on film, on life, on Die Hard, etc.) But this film was overlooked in the States, despite its success in Europe, and he mentioned that he thinks of Perfume as “a big movie that celebrates unnamable things.” I find that comforting in a sense; that a big movie can take on such complex ideas. It’s certainly a noodle-scratcher but in such a beautiful and fun way, that I can’t help but feel appreciative of artists who produce such quality work.

Gattaca Producer, Michael Schamberg and University Political Science Professor, Ira Carmen discuss Gattaca, following the screening Wednesday night at the Virginia Theatre. Media Credit: Blake Stubbs.

Ebertfest has begun! And from the looks of things it seems like it will be one jam-packed weekend.

Despite the grey overcast and the constant drizzling, the Virginia Theater was filled with movie-going enthusiasts. As usual, there were tons of people waiting in the rush line for a chance to get in (though normally most people do) so I figured I chat with some of them to see why they were so eager to get into Ebertfest.

Naturally I went to the very front of the line, to the people waiting the longest, and spoke with Megan Whitney and Jen Goheen, both students here at the University. They’d been there since about 6:15, for the 7:00 showing of Gattaca, and they were both excited for the film. This was Megan’s first Ebertfest and she said she definitely wanted to see a few more films before the festival was up. Jen said that she loved the Virginia Theater and is hoping to catch Come Early Morning and Freddie Mercury: the Untold Story as well.

After my brief chat, I decided to head on in and a few minutes later the main man himself came in to a plethora of applause in the lobby. Then a standing ovation in the theater. Then again when he walked down by the stage, and again when he got on with his wife Chaz. She read his opening remarks and made a great speech herself, both poking fun at the lazy-boy Roger has for his seat this year, apparently a lifelong wish.

With all the introductory things out of the way, they rolled the first film of the festival, Gattaca. Now, I’ve seen the film before, but on DVD, and I must say that watching movies on the big screen with a full audience is quite a different experience. I love going to the theaters, but rarely with this many people. At times like this there is a buzz, an intoxicating enthusiasm for the experience of being engaged by a story simultaneously with an auditorium full of other filmgoers. It’s a heightened event, especially in a space like the Virginia. What’s more is I don’t even think Gattaca is a great film, it is an interesting one that’s for sure, but nevertheless it’s something else when you see it on the silver screen.

For those unfamiliar with the film, it has Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, and Jude Law living in a not-too-distant future where children are selected based on their genetic potential, making a superior strand of human beings. Hawke’s character is cast out, based on his genes, but he is determined to find a way back to the top. There are some basic story elements that I find a bit uneven, but on the whole it’s good. The best thing about this sci-fi drama/thriller is that it raises a lot of interesting questions about scientific progress and ethics, which set up an interesting discussion with the panel after the showing.

And speaking of panels, I really can’t wait until Werner Herzog gets on stage. He is one of my favorite directors and I’m so excited to see him talk about his films. But I’ll have to wait a few more days.

As for now, Ebertfest has got off to a great start and the next few days will have a lot to offer.

Till next time, this is your Silver Screen Madman Ped Naseri.