Friday: Day 3 of the 12th festival

The skies were overcast this morning when we were getting ready to go stand in the passholder line at the festival.  Doors open an hour before the first showing, and generally we try to be there at least an hour before that.  Once we get inside, we always go for the same seats - front row center.  Now please understand, friend, I would never do this in a typical multiplex where moviegoers are crammed into small auditoriums and sitting in the front row is the equivalent of a brain aneurysm.  This is not the case at the Virginia Theater.  The front row here is actually perfect for both the film and the Q&A photo-ops. 

So eventually "Departures" gave way to "Man with a Movie Camera," a silent film accompanied by Alloy Orchestra who returns for yet another Ebertfest.  A Russian avant garde film made in 1928, MWAMC is pretty wild, the culmination of much of the cinematic technique of that era.  Afterwards, during the on-stage panel discussion, the Alloy guys tell us that they are leaving for LA immediately in order to play at the TCM festival.  They're going to accompany the new extended "Metropolis" - and that comment alone generated applause by this audience.  "Metropolis" was shown here once several years ago; even as an extended version, I'd have a hard time believing they'd bring it back to this festival.

The third and final movie of the day was "Synecdoche, New York."  More on that one later.

Photo:  Roger comes up to welcome two of the Alloy Orchestra members.  The theater bursts into applause for Roger as much as the artists.

Photo by Joe Bennett