Harry Warren

So I came to the last night of the screenings at Aspen Shortsfest filled with high expectations.  Generally, the first and last programs are filled with great films.  Program 7 fluctuated between good and fair films.  The good ones included: CHIEF, TAXI, and my favorite PETER AND BEN.    It’s another quirky English doc depicting the relationship of Peter (a man), and Ben (a ram).  Both opt to live outside their respective flocks, and with each other.  The eighth and last program of the festival started out really strong.  MY OLYMPIC SUMMER is a powerful personal documentary.  It delves into the relationship of Daniel Robin’s (the filmmaker) parents.  Their marriage was altered during the Munich Olympics when his father was taken hostage and later released.  Daniel was born two weeks after the release.   Recently, he developed a roll of film shot by his mother prior to Munich and discovers that his parents’ solid marriage, which he took for granted, went through a very trying time.  This revelation made him contemplate his recent divorce vis a vis this new knowledge.  THE SOUND OF PEOPLE is an Irish bit of self-reflection and is the most poetic of this years films.  LAST TIME IN CLERKENWELL sent my toes tapping.  I am happy to report that Kate Hudson’s CUTLASS was not the disaster that Josh Brolin’s X was.  She got very good performances from Kurt Russell, Virginia Madsen, Dakota Fanning and the rest of the cast.  The film looked good and played well.  It was not the most original of pieces, but it was a good, solid work.   So, it seems the stars were batting .500.  This year was a very strong one for docs.  ELEGY FOR THE ELSWICK ENVOY, PICKIN AND TRIMMIN, THE CHAMP, SPEED OF LIFE, MY OLYMPIC SUMMER, ONE BRIDGE TO THE NEXT, and PETER & BEN were all outstanding.  All in all, this years Shortsfest was another success. Laura Thielen, George Eldred and the screening committee consisting of all sorts of people from Aspen and the valley deserve a huge round of applause for their ability to successfully program the phenomenon known as the Aspen Shortsfest.