The weekend is here so lots of free stuff is on tap for the L.A. Film Festival. The Festival Promenade on Broxton will be taken over by Family Day activities. There'll be screenings, games, giveaways, pony rides, a petting zoo, magician Ryan Majestic and characters from Playhouse Disney to entertain the kiddies. Events will run from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Two free programs will be held at Bel Air Camera today. At 1:00 p.m. it's Tech Talk: Master Celebrity Photographer: Harry Langdon and at 4:00 p.m. it's Tech Talk: Adobe Creative Suite 3. A cool program is also being hosted by the Italian Cultural Institute at 1:30 p.m. It's Behind the Curtain with ILM: A Talk with Scott Farrar. Scott has done visual effects for scores of movies and has been nominated for three Oscars, winning for his visual effects work on Cocoon. A screening of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? will follow the talk.

The L.A. Film Festival lumbers towards its final weekend today and The Director Lunch Talk series has its best interview yet. John Horn talks to Danny Boyle (Sunshine, Trainspotting) at 12:30 p.m. at the Target Red Room. Another free talk is on tap at 7:00 p.m. at the Hammer Museum. It's Been There, Done That: A Conversation with Mickey Rooney. If you've never seen Mr. Rooney talk in person, treat yourself to this program. Not only is he a legend, but he has absolutely no filter. Expect hilariously inappropriate non-sequiturs. Another Hollywood legend will be at the Italian Culture Institute when Entertainment Weekly talks with Buck Henry at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for that one, though, are eleven bucks.

Bands on Broxton is back at noon and 7:00 p.m. at the Festival Promenade. Another cool concert goes down at 8:00 p.m at California Plaza downtown. It's Double G's Concert 9Net. Geoff "Double G" Gallegos of L.A.'s Dakah Hip Hop Orchestra will be leading a program that features jazz-inflected interpretations of music from the best films of the '70s as well as Disney classics. Best of all, it's free!

There are some films, particularly foreign films--no, particularly foreign foreign films--where you have to throw your critic's hat out the window and just try to keep up. That's how I felt watching Half Moon. I'm fairly certain that there were many Iranian jokes and Persian allusions that I just didn't get. (How do I know that? Well, there was an Iranian guy sitting next to me in the theater who obviously did.) Still, I enjoyed the movie. I liken the experience to someone walking through a museum for the first time. You may not be able to explain or even completely understand everything you're seeing, but it is beautiful.

Half Moon tells the story of Mamo, an elderly and legendary Kurdish composer who is trying to get back to Kurdistan to perform one last concert in his homeland. He enlists the aid of his many (I repeat, many) sons to drive through Iran and into war-torn Iraq. Being that this is essentially a road movie, trouble besets them on all sides throughout their journey. However, since this is an Iranian road movie the nature of those troubles is uniquely strange. For instance, they liberate a woman from a guarded city where 1334 women have been imprisoned for the sin of singing. There's also an extended cock-fighting sequence that can only be described as...well, benign. And did I mention the singing girl who can wake the dead (but only temporarily? Or was it a dream? And is she his daughter? Or his murderer?)

Honestly, I don't even know how to review this film. If it wasn't already confusing enough there's a heavy dose of death-oriented surrealism mixed into the narrative that makes it even more opaque. Director Bahman Ghobadi says the film was heavily influenced by Mozart's Requiem, but even though I'm deeply familiar with that work I was never able to make more than a tenuous connection. Oh well. I guess the final verdict on any movie is, "Should I see it?" If you're a filmgoer who enjoys being challenged, even confused, by a film then Half Moon is one for you.

Photo courtesy of mijfilms

Though Westwood is now a smoking ruin, I am happy to announce that Optimus Prime and his heroic Autobots have defeated Megatron and his dastardly Decepticons. For those of you now whining "spoiler!"--come on. Does anyone really not know how Transformers is going to end? Don't worry. They left plenty of room for sequels. I just want to take this time to personally thank the programmers of the LA Film Festival for finding a space for this little gem in their schedule. But back to the festival proper.

After a two day break, Bands on Broxton returns to the festival today. It's still free and shows are at noon and 7:00 p.m. at the Festival Promenade. Today's Director Lunch Talk is with the exquisite Julie Delpy who'll be talking about her film at the LAFF, 2 Days in Paris. It starts at 12:30 p.m. at the Target Red Room. Julie returns at 7:00 p.m. for the Actors Who Call 'Cut' program at the W in Westwood. It explores the challenges actors face when they decide to step behind the camera. Adam Goldberg (I Love Your Work) and Vondie Curtis Hall (Glitter) are also scheduled to appear. F.X. Feeney from the LA Weekly moderates.

Thousands of innocent Angelenos are expected to perish today when a highly advanced robot civilization descends on Westwood. However, the carnage is not expected to ensue until 8:15 p.m. so you'll have most of the day to get your affairs in order. That's right, the LA Film Festival is celebrating the glory of independent film with a mult-theater premiere of the multi-million dollar budgeted Transformers. Indie favorite Michael Bay directs.

If such esoteric fare is not your speed, today is actually a good day at the festival especially for panel discussions. The daily Director Lunch Talk is with Talk To Me's Kasi Lemmons. It's free, of course, and starts at 12:30 p.m. at the Target Red Room. Another free talk being held is Paint it Black: African American Film Now at 6:30 p.m. at the Hammer Museum. It's moderated by Elvis Mitchell and panelists include former tyro director/producer John Singleton and Black Snake Moan's Stephanie Allain.

The last program of the day isn't free, but it's definitely worth your $11. The New Action Movies: Filmmaking with a Cause starts at 7:00 p.m. at the W. Don Cheadle, Davis Guggenheim and Kirby Dick are expected on the panel to discuss their role in creating movies with social change in mind. Incidentally, if you haven't seen Dick's hilarious This Film is Not Yet Rated, rent it today. Ted Sarandos of Netflix moderates.

Today the festival begins with another Director Lunch Talk at 12:30 p.m. at the Target Red Room. Los Angeles Times writer John Horn talks with Scott Prendergast, director of Kabluey (screening at this year's LAFF). At 7:00 p.m., Who Let the Blogs Out?, a panel discussion of L.A. film bloggers, kicks off at the W Los Angeles in Westwood. Variety's Anne Thompson moderates and one of my favorites, the curmudgeonly Jeffrey Wells, is on the panel. If you're in the audience, ask him about his infamous Last Action Hero story.

After that, it's screenings all day long. Unfortunately, Cannes winner 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days has been pulled from the festival. I don't know about you, but is there a better way to spend an afternoon than watching a depressing Romanian movie about abortion? I guess I'll just have to see something else. Afternoon screenings of note are War/Dance at 2:00 p.m. at Landmark's Regent, Build a Ship, Sail to Sadness at 4:00 p.m. at the Italian Cultural Institute, I Don't Want to Sleep Alone at 4:30 p.m. at Landmark's Regent, The Beautiful Ordinary at 5:00 p.m. at the Landmark and JUMP! also at 5:00 p.m. at the Mann Festival.

A good documentary tells a compelling story that may have otherwise remained unknown. The best ones do so through people you can't believe actually exist. Such is the case with The Town That Was. Using a blend of archival footage and recent interviews, directors Chris Perkel and Georgie Roland tell the sad, strange story of Centralia, Pennsylvania and one of its last remaining residents, the marvelously eccentric John Lokitis.

In 1962, Centralia was a town of over 1,600 people. During a standard, controlled burn of garbage in a landfill, an underground seam of anthracite coal accidentally caught fire. That fire is still burning today. Initially, it didn’t seem to present too much of a hazard, but by the mid-1980’s toxic gasses were seeping out of the earth, brush fires were spontaneously erupting and the local highway was split asunder. When a young boy fell into a smoldering mine subsidence and almost died, the federal government allocated 42 million dollars to relocate the residents of Centralia. Considering the danger, almost everyone left. John Lokitis decided to stay.

Now that the frenzied first weekend is over, it should be much easier going at the L.A. Film Festival in terms of actually getting to see a movie. Virtually every film playing today shows either standby availability or tickets available at the door. Free events, unfortunately, are in short supply. Of course, there's the daily Bands on Broxton at noon and 7 p.m. at the Festival Promenade, but the only other free event is the Director Lunch Talk at 12:30 p.m. at the Target Red Room. Los Angeles Times entertainment writer John Horn will be speaking with Jeffrey Blitz, director of Rocket Science (at this year's LAFF) and the great spelling bee documentary from a few year's back, Spellbound.

As for paid events, there are three doozies today. At 6:00 p.m. Entertainment Weekly hosts a talk with documentarian/provocateur Michael Moore at the Geffen Playhouse. Senior Editor Dan Fierman and Moore will be discussing the latter's upcoming film Sicko, and I'd expect the discussion to get fairly raucous especially if Moore's rumored mistress Jenna Jameson is in attendance (it's a joke. I kid because I love). At 8:30 p.m., also at the Geffen, comedians Jeff Garlin and Andy Kindler will be performing comedy and improv based on suggestions from the audience. Garlin especially--the true star of Curb Your Enthusiasm--should not be missed. If only the LAFF were screening the star-studded I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With. Lastly, if you are in possession of some truly psychotropic weed you might want to re-live the glories of college by attending Dark Side of the Zeppelin: The Laserium Extravaganza at 8:30 p.m. at the Ford Amphitheatre.

The festival kicks off this morning with a director's coffee talk at the Landmark. Scheduled panelists include moderator James Mangold, Paul Haggis and the next Bond director Marc Forster. Tickets are $11. The big event today (and it's free!) starts at noon and runs until 6:00 p.m. at the Landmark Regent Theater. It's Live Earth Day: A Celebration of Earth and includes 50 short films commissioned by SOS-Live Earth. Some of the filmmakers who've contributed are Roman Coppola, Rob Reiner, Chad Lowe, Casey Affleck and Madonna (Madonna?). If you can't attend the afternoon showings, another free Live Earth program kicks off at 8:30 p.m. at the Festival Promenade on Broxton.

Another free seminar rolls at Bel Air Camera at 1:00 p.m. Today it's Tech Talk: Filmmaking on the Cutting Edge. Another seminar (also free) starts at 3:00 p.m. at Bel Air Camera. This time it's Tech Talk: Confessions of a A Shoot: The Signal Case Study. That one should be interesting. The Signal was one of the break-out hits of last winter's Sundance Film Festival. As for screenings, standby tickets are still available for Ad Lib Night at 2:15 p.m. at the Landmark, The Paper Will Be Blue at 4:45 p.m. also at the Landmark, Time and Winds at 7:15 p.m. (Landmark) and Prison Town, USA at 9:45 p.m. screening at, you guessed it, the Landmark.

THE LANDMARK
10850 W. Pico Blvd @ Westwood Blvd.

LANDMARK’S REGENT THEATRE 
1045 Broxton Ave.

FESTIVAL PROMENADE ON BROXTON
Broxton Ave. between Weyburn & Kinross

BEL AIR CAMERA
10925 Kinross Ave. @ Gayley Ave

Photo courtesy of choupigloupi via Flickr

Horror movies seem to come and go in cycles. Just as the wave of Japanese re-makes tapered off, so-called “torture” porn began its ascent. Given that, it’s refreshing to watch a horror film like The Wizard of Gore that doesn’t fit neatly into any category. It certainly has its share of gore (wonderfully specific and gruesome, by the way), but the bloodletting never overshadows the psychological war that is at the heart of the film’s story.

The universe of The Wizard of Gore is a dystopian downtown Los Angeles, half-Suicide Girls, half-Blade Runner. Into this world comes Ed Bigelow (Kip Pardue), a peculiar sort fond of bespoke suits and horn-rimmed glasses. Along with his girlfriend Maggie (Bijou Phillips), he attends a magic show presided over by Montag the Magnificent (Crispin Glover). There they see a trick that startles everyone. To the horror of the audience, Montag eviscerates a woman on stage. As everyone begins to panic, the lights flash off. When they return, the woman stands on the stage completely fine, her intestines safely returned to the comfort of her body.

It's Saturday so expect lots of LA Film Festival action in Westwood. At 9:30 a.m. you can attend a free Hi Def Video Expo at Bel Air Camera. Other free events are the Made in L.A. screening at noon at the Mann Festival Theater, The Game of SKATE Tournament at 1:00 p.m. at the Festival Promenade on Broxton, The Bands on Broxton at 4:30 p.m. (also at the Promenade), A Conversation with Festival Artist-in-Residence Pharrell Williams at 8:00 p.m. at the Hammer Museum and a screening of Night of the Comet at 8:30 p.m. at the Promenade. Maybe my childhood crush Catherine Mary Stewart will make an appearance.

Screenings are still a little tight, but stand-by tickets are available for Straight Time at 6:30 p.m. at the Billy Wilder Theater, Ad Lib Night at 7:30 p.m. at the Italian Cultural Institute, Build a Ship, Sail to Sadness at 10:00 p.m. at the Italian and What We Do is Secret also at 10:00 p.m. at the Mann Festival Theater. If there's something you really want to see, though, it's worth your time to show up early at the theater and see if any new tickets are being released. Venues discussed above are below.

BEL AIR CAMERA
10925 Kinross Avenue @ Gayley Avenue

MANN FESTIVAL THEATRE 
10887 Lindbrook Drive

FESTIVAL PROMENADE ON BROXTON
Broxton Avenue between Weyburn & Kinross

BILLY WILDER THEATER
at the Hammer Museum
10899 Wilshire Blvd (@ Westwood, enter on Lindbrook)

ITALIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE
1023 Hilgard Avenue

A man sitting to my left exited the theater at about the one hour mark, never to return. Were I not obligated to give the film a fair and complete review, I might have joined him.

Rare is the movie that prompts that reaction in me (think Johnny Be Good) but The Year After was so interminably dull that I actually considered it.

The film follows 17 year-old Manu (Anaïs Demoustier) in the year following her father's death. Her life goes on--she makes a new friend, is cast in a play--but an almost permanent ennui infects her.

Unfortunately, she conveys that ennui all too well as it began to infect me after only half an hour. Demoustier has been directed to a lifeless performance, and that's a huge problem considering she's in virtually every scene of the movie.

Literally, at least 20 minutes of the film consists of her doing nothing more than staring silently and emptily into space as she wanders through her daily existence. I don't doubt that this is an accurate portrayal of what a teenage girl might go through following the death of a parent, but it isn't particularly compelling to watch.

It's the first real day of the LA Film Festival so naturally a lot of films have sold out. But take heart--there are plenty of things to see. As of this morning, stand-by tickets are still available for Interview. Directed by Steve Buscemi and starring Buscemi and Sienna Miller, Interview tells the story of a journalist interviewing a celebrity that he doesn't particularly like (imagine that?). An adaptation of Theo Van Gogh's 2003 film of the same name, Interview received glowing reviews when it premiered at Sundance in the winter and is definitely worth your time. It plays at 2:00 p.m. at the Landmark Regent Theater.

A free screening of Miss Navajo plays at 3:00 p.m. at the Mann Festival Theater. The film's press notes describe it with this intriguing blurb, "In 1952, as part of their modernization process, the Navajos began a Miss Navajo Nation pageant." That's good enough for me. Another free screening rolls at 8:30 p.m. at the Festival Promenade at Broxton. It is the awesome fairy-tale, The Princess Bride. If you've somehow managed to never see this movie, go tonight and experience first-hand the ethereal beauty of Princess Buttercup.

Other screenings and events that still have stand-by tickets are The Beautiful Ordinary at 7:30 p.m. at the Landmark Regent, the Entertainment Weekly Talk with the Cast and Crew of Hairspray at 9:00 p.m. at the Italian Culture Institute and The Wizard of Gore at Midnight at the Majestic Crest Theater. I'll be checking out The Wizard of Gore tonight along with The Year After this afternoon. Come back tomorrow for reviews of both. And to whet your appetite, an interview with The Wizard of Gore director Jeremy Kasten and a short blurb with Gore actor Crispin Glover after the jump!

The LA Film Festival returns to Westwood tonight with the world premiere of Kasi Lemmons’ Talk to Me (not Talk To Me) at the Mann Village Theater. The film stars Don Cheadle and Chiwetel Ejiofor and tells the story of Ralph Green, an ex-drug addict and convicted felon who became one of Washington D.C.’s most prominent disc jockeys and community activisits in the 60s and 70s. A sure to be congested after-party follows the screening.

The festival really kicks into gear on Friday as the films and events start to roll. Various passes are available at the festival’s box office and individual tickets can still be bought for most screenings. There’s also plenty of free stuff to catch. The Festival Promenade on Broxton has an outdoor lounge with sofas and tables where you can relax between movies. Live music and free screenings of such favorites as The Princess Bride and A Christmas Story are also gratis. The Promenade will also host a Live Earth Day and a Family Day over the weekend.