Movie Diary 6/8/2009

Soul Power (Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, 2009). More footage from the When We Were Kings events in Zaire in 1974, this time focusing on the soul-music festival that featured James Brown, Bill Withers, B.B. King, Miriam Makeba, et al. It has splendid footage of Muhammad Ali, and the Spinners doing “One of a Kind (Love Affair)” in 100-degree heat, which pretty much sealed the deal for me. Wonderful.

Kaifeck Murder (Esther Gronenborn, 2008). A German exercise in spooky build-up in an isolated rural area. M. Night Shyamalstein? Alas, this movie exhibits only the tricks of the genre, and nothing like film style. (Screens at SIFF 6/13 and 6/14)