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39 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, April 15, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend March 31, 2004 Other Ashland Independent Film Festival offerings Ted Mattison and Paul Kelleher’s "Nothing Without You" proves once again that the old adage "less is more" still has life in it. Mattison shows up at Burning Man, the annual six-day art festival/campout/party in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, with nothing at all, not even clothes. The Burning Man rule is, bring everything you need, especially food, and most especially water, of which Mattison brings none. Many Burning Man participants (now about 30,000) set up "theme camps" involving art or other attractions. Mattison’s theme is to ask for what he wants and depend on the community for his survival. He starts with super glue, zip-ties, water and something with which to cover sensitive parts of the anatomy, and from there the picture gets more amazing as it goes. That the camp works is testimony to the creativity and generosity of the Burning Man community. That the feature film succeeds — it might be my favorite Burning Man film — is testimony to Mattison and Kelleher’s skills. "Burning the Bed" (filmmaker: Denis McArdle, 13 minutes) is an atmospheric riff about the end of a relationship. The Irish coastline is gorgeous, the music fits, and not much happens. Advertisement The act at the film’s center (with, oddly enough, echoes of Burning Man) would be a surprising one if it weren’t for the film’s title. This is an elegiac picture whose power lies not in what it says but what it doesn’t. Those who like things spelled out might find themselves wishing what happens here were an episode in a bigger film. "Dear Mr. President" (Joshua Hester, 5 minutes) was made using stills and voice-over about the filmmaker’s brother, who fought in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It expresses flatly — probably too flatly — the concerns for loved ones in harm’s way. Don’t look for Michael Moore-ish goading of the powerful. Hester says he sent a copy to President Bush and has not received a reply. "Hang Time" (Craig Gerber, 7 minutes) takes on elevator etiquette. What is "elevator jumping," anyway? And what’s up with the way people act in elevators? Plenty, in this fun romp on a goofy, novel idea. "Legends from Camp" (Miles Inada and Evan Carroll, 11 minutes) is the younger Inada’s translation into computer animation of dad Lawson’s poetry about being a young boy in one of the internment camps into which the U.S. government threw Japanese Americans during World War II. Darkly compelling, sometimes hallucinatory and visually stunning, it is powerful stuff. With original music by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Todd Barton. "Broadway: The Golden Age" (Rick McKay, 109 minutes) mixes celebrity interviews, archival films, stills and home movies in this powerful paean to the Broadway of the 1930s to 1960s. McKay spent five years and visited four countries to talk to 100 people, including Carol Channing, John Raitt, Robert Goulet, Carol Burnett, that made the Great White Way what it was. Must viewing for theater lovers, a loving look at a vanished world. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times