With Melinda Page Hamilton, Bryce Johnson, Colby French, Geoff Pierson, Jack Plotnick, Bonita Friedericy

Website at www.sleepingdogsliethemovie.com

Featuring a wonderful lead performance by Melinda Page Hamilton, Goldthwait leads his cast in and out of scenes that start one way and end another. This rambunctious movie comically explores a serious issue: how much honesty do we REALLY want in our relationships. (from the filmfest-guide)

I have to confess that I remember Bob Goldthwait from the old Police Academy movies, but I had no idea what else he ever worked on or that he directed tv-shows and movies. As usual, you live and learn! Bob Goldthwait directed Sleeping Dogs Lie which was presented by John Waters as his traditional pick of the year. Just like in our previous festival years we let him surprise us and had no idea what we would be in for this time. We were only sure that it would be something interesting and worth seeing.

And what he picked this year was actually a really beautiful, sweet, cute, little, romantic comedy! Yes, a romantic comedy, a genre that is as alien to me as Lifetime movies! But John Waters wouldn’t present a movie without an interesting twist, and indeed Sleeping Dogs Lie was a romantic comedy with twists, dark sides and secrets that would draw even someone like me in. I will not reveal anything here, but I liked it a lot and enjoyed every minute of this very well-crafted, clever and darkly funny film.

Some people called Sleeping Dogs Lie outrageous, shocking… What? I don’t even know what to say about that. Yes, it may be shocking for the 16^th century Puritan, but if you live in the 21^st century you shouldn’t find anything outrageous about this film. It really funny, clever, realistic, and at the same time…quite romantic, working for both men and women in our generation. I’m very shocked about how many people gave it the worst rating on IMDB…unbelievable. What’s wrong with people?

With Hubbel Palmer, William Baldwin, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Kathleen Quinlan, Vincent Caso, Nick Lashaway, Bruce McGill

Website at www.americanforkmovie.com

Tracy Orbison is an overweight, poetry-writing dreamer, stuck in a dead-end town, working in a grocery store where all the employees are assistant managers. At home, he has to put up with his religious mother and his dateless, stuffed-animal-obsessed sister. Ruled by his own innocent fascinations, he is determined to improve his life by making something of himself — though he’d be satisfied to simply lose ten pounds or pass his driving exam. He enrolls in an acting class and quickly falls under the spell of his instructor, overdramatic hack Truman Hope. When acting doesn’t pan out, he sets his sights on mentoring the lost-youth friends of his young co-worker Kendis. Things take a dark turn, and suddenly Tracy finds himself out of work, in trouble with the law, and practically friendless. Only self-determination will turn things around for him. (from the filmfest-guide)

I have always been attracted to outsider-stories. Outsiders in real life, in literature, art, music or cinema always have a very honest and real quality I could very easily identify with. It requires either incredible strength, innocence, passion, craziness or other “disabilities”, or a mix of them to become and stay an individual swimming against the wave of popularity, masses, fashion, and standards. No matter which of these factors formed the outsider in the end: the result is usually very real, honest and true. Nobody would put on a mask for the privilege of becoming an outsider.

American Fork was another outsider story, the story of the outworldish innocent character of Tracy Orbison, one who reminded me of somebody I knew myself once. How could I not enjoy it?! This film didn’t try to be too deep and serious and appeared very light, bright, funny, polished and simply entertaining.

I don’t want to overanalyze this film! American Fork was well written and filmed, the actors were wonderful, it offered a well-balanced mix of funny, dramatic, quirky and dark moments and I enjoyed it very much.