At the invitation of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, I recently spent a solid week thinking and writing about the Maui Film Festival, a five-night extravaganza much the starrier for its principal screening room under the open sky. My brief was to report, not to review. Two stories were lined up for the newspaper's print edition. In addition, there were seven blog posts on honolulupulse.com, plus a flurry of tweeted notes and snaps @mg1228. Several filmmakers with plenty to say for themselves were on hand, as was the much-celebrated Jessica Chastain, recipient of the festival's Nova Award. Of 51 full-length and short features and documentaries, I attended three full-length features ("Middleton," Joss Whedon's "Much Ado About Nothing," "Short Term 12"), one full-length documentary ("More Than Honey"), one memorable short documentary ("Cavedigger"), and a clutch of shorts instantly forgotten. My brief was to report, not to review. Still, one sees things and has opinions.
Starting today, my reports, interviews, and commentary will be appearing here on beyondcriticism.com, spread (as originally) over the space of seven days. As circumstances dictate, introductory notes or afterthoughts may be added as we roll along.