At this point if you haven't sen a film at the festival,  get going!

As we go into the home stretch there is a lot of excitement!

Tonight is the premiere of two film from some guy named Thomas Crone.

Old Dog New Trick/Spirit of St. Louis

Two nifty documentaries in one program!  One about Pavlov's Dog frontman Steve Scorfina &  one about Danny Liston of Mama's Pride. After the show they will perform at The Duck Room. 7pm Tivoli

Mystery Science Theater 3000 Cinema Titanic Panel

The MST 3000 people roll into town with a preview of their concert at The Family Arena. You can ask them almost anything in this entertaining Q&A.  9:30pm Tivoli

Marcello Marcello

A slapstick comedy set in the 1950s delivers laughs and love. it got a nice reception when it played last night.  Director Denis Rabaglia has shot a gorgeous looking film with a lot of heart. there also is some superb acting in it as well. As Marcello  sets out to woo an island's most beautiful maiden hwe findsa out it's not as easy as it appears. 7:15pm Frontenac

Three Monkeys

It's been a great Fest for Noir and this film continues the run. An award winner at Cannes, Three Monkeys is film noir Turkish style with greed, glory and deceit galore. The cinematography is amazing! 9:15pm Frontenac

Each year at the Festival I am amazed at the wanderers who come to the Tivoli or Frontenac having never seen an independent film or even worse have not been to a non metroplex cinema. It strikes me as odd.

Anyway, I am glad so many have chosen to come to SLIFF. I also am glad that no one is giving any of the volunteers or staff a rough time.

The SLIFF volunteer force has done a great job of handling lines and crowds this year. I also like how the Lobby crowd noise from films letting out has been diminished. This means those in the other theaters aren't interrupted by lots of extranious noise.

As we begin the long crawl into the final weekend I strongly urge people to get advance tickets!

Documentaries are heavy on the programming tonight.

We Live In Public
This documentrary looks at how the internet has impacted society. Since I liked 'Dig!' a lot (also directed by Ondi Timoner) I have hopes for this film. 7pm Tivoli

Say My Name
The world of female hip-hop emcees is tougher than many people think. Finally they get their props. MC Lyte, Monie Love and Erykah Badu are some of the artists featured here. 9pm Tivoli

Documentary Shorts-Sports
A collection of sports themed short films is featured. Zip Rzeppa not included. 5pm Tivoli

Shorts Program5-Dramatic Shorts
Seven short films laced with drama are featured. 9:15pm Frontenac

Hooked
Romania is quickly becoming a player in forgeing cinema. This is one of 2 films from Romania represented this year. A couple having an affair runs over a prostitute only to have her presence threaten their relationship. 7:15pm Tivoli

Day 7 of The 18th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival brought another group of terrific films.

Snow repeated at The Tivoli.

A great Romanian film, First of All, Felicia screened as well.

The German sidebar was capably represented by Jerichow.

It's great to see the venues active and busy with eager film buffs. Especially since the schedule this year is so solid that selecting films has been oftentimes painful since there is so much to see.

You would think the rain would keep people away but in relative terms it didn't as evening shows did very well tonight.

Bosnian Sidebar

SLIFF is featuring two features and a short from Bosnia. 

Snow was a powerful film about how war affects towns both physically and emotionally

 Aida Begic is a filmmaker who will be heard fomr again. This film was vivid and poignant.

Grbavica

A single mother struggles to survive in a district of Sarajevo. Grueling and oftentimes painful the film ideally portrayed the scars of war.

Other terrific films screened as well.

London River

Another film that impressed viewers was London River. Set just after the London bombings in 2005 this film about an African man and a farming woman come together to look for their missing children. A powerful film about prejudice and assumptions. This is a well acted and tense film.

What A Wonderful World

Part of the Global Lens series this Moroccan thriller delivers in action, drama and just enough humor to entice audiences. A serial killer and a cop fall in love in Casablanca with dire results.

There still is a lot of left to go as we approach the half way mark. what is exciting is the energy has never relented and audiences seem interested in coming out to see movies.

Day 5

The long arduous haul that was a weekend of cinema is over and things are more relaxed. Incidentally, Saturday night was the biggest night in the 18 years of the Film Festival as Precious and Up In the Air packed an evening of sellout films.

On Sunday the Tivoli had large crowds turn out for Crude and Game of the Year. I saw Eclipse which was a little slow in places but featured the always solid Cieran Hinds. Aiden Quinn, Jim Norton and Iben Hjejle also starred in this spooky feature. On a completely useless note, Jim Norton played Bishop Len Brennan in Father Ted.

Tonight featured a repeat screening of The Drummer, a beautiful looking film from Hong Kong.

24 City also screened at Frontenac.  This not quite doc mixes real stories with actors describing their days working at Factory 240, a Chinese munitions factory that was demolished to make way for fancy living digs.  Director Er shi cheng ji confronts realism with vivid imagination and realism. Watching this one cannot but help notice how smoggy and polluted China is.

Looking ahead to Tuesday the Bosnian Sidebar rides into town with several great films at the Tivoli. Also screening at Frontenac is a wonderful Moroccan noir film called What A Wonderful World.

-Rob Levy

18^TH ANNUAL WHITAKER ST. LOUIS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Day three was day of fierce activity for SLIFF. The afternoon screening of Branson brought a lively crowd to the Tivoli. Precious sold out the Hi-Pointe and moved audiences. But the big event was the St. Louis premiere of Up In the Air.

Several of the film's extras and actors were on hand to see the work. Director Jason Reitman introduced the film and held a Q&A afterward. Reitman was fun and jovial and very relaxed as he praised our city as a film center for both talent and production crews.

St. Louis native Kevin Renick performed before the film. His song "Up In the Air" is featured in the closing credits.

Day Four

Day four is a day or riveting documentaries at the Tivoli with five terrific doc choices.

9500 Liberty 1:30pm

A powerful film about the rights of immigrants in Virginia.

In 500 Words or Less 2:45pm

This doc follows four high school students as they wrestle with their SATs and personal essays for entrance into college.

Prodigal Sons 4pm

Anyone who has tumult with siblings will appreciate Kimberly Reed’s personal doc about her relationship with her brother Marc.

Pressure Cooker 5pm

A ‘culinary boot camp’ saves three Philly high schoolers.

Crude 6:30

This documentary chronicles the controversial environmental lawsuit between 30,000 Ecuadorians and Chevron. Joe Berlinger will be on hand for a Q & A after the film. The movie has won over 12 awards at various festivals.

There also are some pretty solid features as well.

Amreeka

A Palestinian single mother is the focus of this funny, warm but troubling film from Cherien Dabis. 1pm Hi-Pointe

The Eclipse

The Eclipse is a character-driven, contemporary Irish story about a grieving husband haunted by the ghost of his father-in-law. The problem is, the father-in-law is very much not dead. 9:15pm Tvoli

Helen

This British drama screens again today. The film got a good response from those who saw it yesterday. 5:15 Frontenac

Ciao Bella

From Sweden comes this romantic comedy about a Swedish-Iranian teen and a pregnant woman. 7:15pm Frontenac

The Drummer

The son of a Triad boss finds peace with Taiwanese Zen drummers in this spiritually-centered feature from Zhan Gu. 9:15pm Frontenac.

Formosa Betrayed

One of two James Van Der Beek projects in this year's Fest, this thriller features an FBI agent who investigates the murder of a Taiwanese professor. What he discovers could unsettle some important people. 5:30pm Hi-Pointe

Youth In Revolt

If you want a break from the tension and drama of the Fest, check out this innovatively spun teen sex frivolity with Michael Cera, Steve Buscemi and Ray Liotta. 8pm Hi-Pointe

As a reminder, if you plan on attending a film, allow extra time to buy tickets and park. Also, advance ticket purchasing is never a bad idea.

THE 18^TH ANNUAL WHITAKER ST. LOUIS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Day One

An Education

The 2009 edition of SLIFF is a daunting enterprise. There is just so much being offered this year. Without careful planning, it could end up as a big nerve-wracking experience since it is impossible to do everything or see everything. There is an art to picking your spots and selections. It’s usually best to just to just try and see the movies you have a strong interest in and work from there.

On the flipside, the people that plan the whole thing have a difficult responsibility. They have to get the balance right and align everything. Even harder is picking where to put the big draw films that have a huge buzz on them.

This year the opening film was An Education featuring Belleville’s Peter Sarsgaard, and Carey Mulligan. In early 1960s England, Sarsgaard's character is a pretty creepy guy who manipulates and connives his way into the heart of a young girl. Penned by author Nick Hornby, the film has a nice balance of humor and sadness. Yes, it is coming of age film but it makes no pretenses and doesn’t tiptoe around the inappropriate sexuality that lurks in the story. Sarsgaard is terrific. His blend of charm and sleaze is perfectly timed.

Carey Mulligan has several films in the can already and is poised to become a breakout actress. The film feature terrific turns from Alfred Molina, Olivia Williams and Emma Thompson.

Day Two

A cursory walk by the Tivoli early in the evening was proof that the 2009 SLIFF is off to a flying start. There was a lot of activity and people were genuinely interested in getting tickets for films.

It’s probably never too early to mention that advance tickets are the way to go, since a lot of films will sell out.

The first Shorts program of the Fest was also featured. Each year SLIFF does a remarkable job of getting some pretty interesting short films. The program is highly recommended for both passionate film fans and those who just want to try something new.

North Face

A busy work schedule limited me to only one film tonight. I chose North Face, a gripping drama directed by Phillip Stoltz. The film centers around two German mountaineers who attempt to summit the north face of Eiger, a treacherous pile of rock in the Alps. Set in 1936 Nazi Germany, the two climbers become enveloped in the regime’s propaganda machine and are almost bullied into the climb. It is a daunting film with serious tension and brutal rawness. Make no mistake that the film is a nail biter. The snowy choreography is incredible and the acting is superb. Stoltz tips his hat to the German mountain climbing films of the 1920s and 1930s while offering a vivid portrayal of the brutality captured in contemporary ‘trapped on a mountain’ films.

Day Three

Things are in full swing. The schedule today is nothing short of art. Great documentaries, two sold-out shows and some wonderful retro programming.

Precious

Mo’Nique and Mariah Carey (yes, her) are both generating Oscar buzz with this adaptation of Sapphire’s Push. This is an incredibly emotional film about an abused, obese teen in 1987 Harlem. In a nutshell, she’s got kids, she’s always being picked on and she’s miserable. But things do get better. Kind of. Precious has wowed critics and is a very strong Oscar contender. 7:30 pm Hi-Pointe. This screening is sold out

Up In the Air

The real stars of this buzz-heavy film are the actors, extras and crew from the STL who represented during the film’s shoot here in town. The film, which stars George Clooney, Jason Bateman and the always-great J.K. Simmons, was shot on location here in St. Louis. Clooney is a corporate downsizer who meets the woman of his dreams at just the wrong time. The Clooney charm is turned on to full effect here.

Director Jason Reitman (Juno, Thank You for Smoking) has made another terrific film laced with irony, emotion and introspection. He will be on hand for a Q&A after the film.

Before the screening, St. Louisan Kevin Renick will perform "Up In the Air,” a song he wrote and gave to Reitman on the chance he'd use it in the film. The song appears over the closing credits. 7pm Tivoli. This screening is sold out.

Documentary Shorts-Individuals

This wonderful selection of Shorts also features a panel discussion on Gaslight Square afterwards. 5pm Hi-Pointe

Branson

The sometimes odd behind-the-scenes world of entertainment in Branson is explored in this film through tales of several talents trying to make a living. This is the only screening of the film so get there early. 1pm, Tivoli.

Made In China

If you want to see a light and fun film this may be the first one of the Fest. Johnson is a novelty toy inventor with no real head for business or common sense. So when he heads off to China to get a distribution deal great hilarity ensues. If you are looking to get someone to see some independent film, this is a good place to start. 5pm Tivoli

Helen

Helen is a foster care kid with nowhere to go. So when she is asked to impersonate a missing girl she agrees. What begins as an investigation leads to Helen’s journey to self-discovery. Helen is part of SLIFF’s British Isles sidebar. 3:15pm Frontenac

Once Upon A Time In the West

SLIFF is screening a new 35mm print of Sergio Leone’s classic film. If at all possible do not miss this. Clint Eastwood is terrific. Ennio Morricone’s score is perfection. 2pm Webster

The Power of the Powerless

This documentary explores the Czech Republic’s Velvet Revolution by tracing its origins and history. From Stalinist totalitarianism to the Prague Spring to Glasnost, Director Cory Taylor has not only brought the amazing story of Czech Independence to light but has also made a potent doc about the power of humanity in facing repression. 8pm Webster

--Rob Levy