Nightcap 8/16/20 - Thoughts On Upcoming Fest, Bones Of Fairie Is Back In Print, and Bootleg Batman

This is one of a number of a number of bootleg Batman films made in the Philippines in the 1960's. This one mashes up things with spy films
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And so the universe shifts and with the revelation of the New York Asian Film Virtual Festival’s slate of films came the announcement that they are going to be available only if you use a tablet or mobile device. You will not be able to access the fest via a laptop or home computer. The festival will be able to streamed to smart TVs. The move is being done in order to reduce piracy, a move that is understandable (many films are locked depending upon where you are in the world as well).

I've had a couple of conversations concerning this move. Some of the people were okay with it  and some were not, since they, like myself, don't like to watch subtitled films on their phones and don't have a TV where you can cast the image. There were also some jokes about the app required being of Chinese origin and wondering if it will mine our data and become a target of the President much like Tic Tok.

Joking aside the discussions resulted in some interesting conversations concerning the future of film festivals and technology.  Is it going to be app based? How will this affect the audiences? Will every fest end up with their own app? In an age where people want to simplify is this going to turn people off? How much piracy is there that they have to worry? The conversations were interesting and inconclusive. I'm toying with the idea of a piece on changing tech and virtual fests based on the talks.

I don't know how the need for the app will affect coverage of the fest here at Unseen. I'm probably not going to use it because I don't have a tablet or castable TV. I have reached out to the fest concerning press access and I'm waiting to hear back. I do know that there will be some coverage since several films are crossing over from other festivals such as Fantasia, and I have reached out to some distributors concerning their films.

And of course I may be borrowing my niece's iPad.
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Speaking of Fantasia, the fest starts Thursday and runs to the beginning of September. Because the festival is virtual they are allowing reviews to run early which means you may have noticed that we have already started posting them. More are coming and a curtain raiser, with a few recommendations, will appear tomorrow afternoon.
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I've applied to cover the New York Film Fest.  The fest  has announced its main slate.

Since it is virtual they have altered it's running time- starting ten days earlier on September 17 (normally it the last week of September) and running until October 11.

I am not certain how it's going to go- will it be live streaming or on demand?

I'm curious how it will all play out.

I'm also curious how the need to go virtual altered the slate selections. (again there is another potential piece in that)
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Right now I am now stalled with little desire to do anything film wise. Bouncing between fests and new releases I have been having very mixed results with what has been coming my way. I have a couple of films to watch but they are not priority since they are needed weeks off. I also have some others possibly coming but they are in the wind

I've also been discussing the general state festival programming in the time of Covid, which has been odd. The discussion largely has been to the effect of how has it changed what we are seeing at the virtual fests? Would things have been different if there was no lockdown?

The question was raised since the mix of films for some fests is odd or not as exciting in previous years. The talk of what might have been or could have been is kind of sad, largely because there is no way to know what was offered and pulled back (several programmers have told me they lost films when things went virtual) or what is even out there waiting for release since until a festival happens many films are completely off people's radar.

Mostly things have been turning maudlin in that what we all end up agreeing to is that we all miss the actual social aspect of film going and being able to talk about a film right after we see it. Now everyone is seeing it on their own schedule and then waiting for other people to catch up to talk about it which is not as much fun
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Janni Lee Simner's Bones of Fairie  Trilogy is back in paperback. Buy it here

Seriously it's a great read and something you should get if you love fantasy. I had it since it was first published and it is something I have recommended to many over the years.
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I rewatched SHERLOCK HOLMES A GAME OF SHADOWS and find it has improved with age. Yea some of the humor is wonky and yes the slow motion is dated, but the emotion and the seriousness is excellent. I liked it more now.
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James Wong is getting a star on Hollywood Blvd, what he needs is an Oscar. He's made more movie than anyone and never been bad. Give him a Life Achievement Oscar
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This week is going to be very heavy with reviews owing not only Fantasia but also a large number of new releases.

Who said the Covid Crisis has slowed new releases?