Telling Nights & Celluloid Presence: The 2010 Cleveland Film Festival - Feature
Cleveland sits upon the shore of Lake Erie, a monument of industrial vision, ice flows hanging upon its precipice like an old world Montreal. Its center square reveling in Tower City, looks like a mighty Gotham perception with its angular and neo-realism features. Once one enter the city over the Memorial Bridge, two statues of power great those who dare enter its reserve.
The Cleveland International Film Festival, nestled inside the heart of Tower City, understands both its strengths and limitations but necessitates itself with room to grow. Integrated with Cleveland Cinemas in this gigantic multi-level mall like structure, the festival understands that the necessity of such an event is to keep everything centralized. Hospitality and participating sponsors are within easy reach.Another grand strength of this festival is its community involvement. The lines are long for even the most obscure of films on the opening weekend which shows a city passionate for this culture. On the flip side, two specific points were missing which can be both intrinsic to its survival but also limiting in some ways. The slightly wider area, to be highlighted later, is a grand triangle of wonderful bars and restaurants surrounding the Tower City area but are not brought into the fold via parties or the like. Again, this is a way to keep down costs and let the films speak for themselves but a void seems apparent. The lack of tributes in terms of celebrity is also missing but again, in reverence to many festivals in a shaken economy, this is more than likely a smart move.The films themselves show a dichotomy of range though the focus motivating through Eastern Europe shows both the increasing prevalance of that film industry as well as a reflection of Cleveland's diverse culture neighborhoods. The balance between humor and drama especially in severly emotional situations also creates viability.
"Van Diemen's Land" [Australia] envisions a "Deliverance" style escape through the Outback of Tasmania in the mid 1800s as six prisoners disappear into the wilderness with no sustenance looking of their freedom. The psychology turns decidedely darker as the fugutives becomes more and more desperate, or in other cases, truer to their own primal selves. An interesting angle of the film is reflected in that most of its production team is female showing an interesting dichotomy of self."Black Box" [Mexico] uses the veil of corruption in the heart of crime to betray a story of a man who will not appease to his ultimate destiny. The use of vis-a-vis security cam footage as a way of highlighting the immediacy of some of the scenes allows for a makeshift style that almost vilifies the intent with specific result when the vision shifts back to a more florid stock"Shameless" [Czech Republic] understands its need to make fun of general family structure but does so with a sense of levity which here is in rare form for the former Soviet Republic. The humor shows a whim of old school vaudeville while admitting to a reflection of the times with quick wit and an almost carnival-like style.In mirroring structure reflecting a deeper seated conceit, "A Bad Day To Go Fishing" [Spain/Uruguay] understands in a story about a washed up wrestler suiting up for the comeback fight that the aspect of underlying politics and the lack of cleverness thereof always makes for bad tidings.
More inundated in its own importance, "The Ape" [Sweden] tries to much to place a emotional breakdown in the structure of a conniving man who, after slaughtering those closest to him, moves to assauge his guilt wandering around the city in almost aimless perception of a goal without any true redemption or revenge.
"Accident" [Hong Kong] suffers from a similar affliction of pacing in a story of a would-be assassin who becomes too close to his target. The aesthetics including a well executed eclipse sequence nevertheless cannot save the staggered and dogmatic narrative progression.
While these films do show an intent of culture, Cleveland itself benefits from a thriving and interactive scene, that while a little more laid-back in essence than other cities, benefits from its open and fun residents, all the more willing to have a good time despite any perceptions. The key is that within this small area there is an undeniable richness of experience which is sometimes not interfaced because the city within the city can take care of all needs. But adventure must be pursued.
The truest sentiment of this creative and fluid experiences resides in the mirror of the 4th Street District and the Warehouse District, mere blocks from Tower City and People's Square which also houses the very convenient Renaissance Hotel, opulent and epic in its chandelier laden lobby and ornate staircases.Crop, mere steps away in the Warehouse District, benefits from the generally fun atmosphere perpretrated by Chef Stephen Saderer. The key to the venue's success is its ability to create undeniably poignant dishes while also creating an essence of eccentric comfort food that undeniably challenges both sensibilities and perceptions of what food should be.
Starting off with a popcorn salad tossed within balsamic mastery, the idea of it seems paradoxical but simply feels right once tasted. The regular entrees plays with different perceptions of what fish, pasta and meat can be but even that viewpoint in in flux as the menu changes eight times a year.
The Sunday Supper is an unrivaled deal buoyed by the fact that outside urban centers such as NY, Los Angeles and the like, chefs here can afford to try different things and not break the bank of the customer. After the popcorn salad which can be added extra, like the sushi chefs of some highlighted regarded california pedigree, they try different things. After a hearty beet and pear salad, a scallop surrounded by an almost sea of carrots and corn in no discernible form allowed for ideology to let go.
Before progressing into the main course which is picked from a variety of five choices, the artisan cocktails offer a precise antecedents to the course by again taking perceptions and placing them again in diometric opposites. The Bloody Devil Martini takes the aspect of infused vodka and mixes it with cilantro and chipotle before adding in a deviled egg that soaks in this beauty until eaten after the last drop has been taken. The Maker's New Fashioned by comparison takes the power of this bourbon's sweetness and amplifies it with cherries and oranges soaked in its viable essence.
The main course which perpetrated almost an elegance of a food coma was the heavenly Mac & Brisket which uses the almost universally adored Ohio City Pasta with a creamy vigilence of Amish Cheddar and topped with braised heaven. The result, allied with side dishes of green chile enhanced plamenta and asparagus, was almost god-like in its intentions to say nothing less of the viciously sinister pure chocolate mouse that followed ensconced in malt embellished whipped cream. The experience was reprehensibly divine.The Greenhouse Tavern, mirrored on 4th Street, takes a more practical approached giving the food a more natural and, at times, vivacious feel. In advance of a relaxing and fulfilling meal, Chef Jonathan Sawyer offered a view into his culinary process which is emcompassed in the organic ideology of preparation. Sipping on his new microbrew created in-house, his monthly cooking classes move against convention allowing a more educational viewpoint into the essence of coiture.
Sitting on the downstairs table, the 300-pound swine specimen stands in regal vision. Sawyer does not believe in wasting any part of an animal or ingredient in keeping with the overall concept of the Tavern. In butchering the carcass, he and his assistant chef specify the importance and use of each area of the pig providing a more rounded and hands-on view of the pertinence of each cut.
Upstairs post viewing, the undeniable thought that rests within the mind was Sawyer's earlier discussions of morels which he went to select with his son earlier in the day. Morels, which can be found naturally, are a form of mushroom with undeniable taste especially when soaked and marinated. In adding Buckwheat pasta with a chabli and butter sauce, the heartiness of the intention of the meal shows its undeniable power and leaves one hungry for more. Balanced with a Pinot Noir that perfectly identified the flavors of the morels (and based on Chef Sawyer's recommendation), the addition of the heavenly Gravy Frites and closed by the creamy wonder of Thai Chile ice Cream continues to verify the aspect that Cleveland is a culinary mecca kept secret that might soon receive its due.Many other restuarants pepper the landscape but require a little more initiative to reach as they outly in more extensive areas. One has to know where to look.
L'Abatros, under the auspice of owner Zach Bruell, who was one of the originals at the highly regarded Michael's in Santa Monica, scintilated with the visual morif of its scampies which used thick lobster-like tails over flittering pasta with just a dap of sauce. Not overwhelming poignant but light in its countenance.
Melt, by comparison, in the city's Lakewood district, goes for the gusto with thick sandwiches that are both rich and filling in the best sense of the word. The diversity of showmanship swirl in iterations of meals like The Big Popper which ingratiates rich cream cheese and jalapenos while the Parmagiana vindicates its mozarella and thick meat sauce to an crescendo finish to say nothing about the seasoned and screaming fries and the cool finish of cole slaw.The brewery intentions of Cleveland envisions itself on an upswing but its simple selection across a series of venues scattered around the city only seems to intensify its possibilities.
Ohio City, just over the bridge and a short RTA train ride from Tower City Center, boasts the late night fuel. ABC Tavern with its lithe Vanilla Porter on draft revels in its divey predilections while the nearby Bier Market, utterly confident in its Dutch lineage, offers a rich conundrum of different tastes albeit structured more in a bottle selection. Its Delerium Nocturnum mixes cherry weiss seasonings into an undeniable porter state while the Bells Java thrills with its deep coffee stout origins.
Beneath the halls of Bier as the darkness races into the night, Speakeasy keeps the visuals thumping with a blend of original cocktails that both challenge the mind but also soothe the soul. The Manhattan Pig simply oozes trouble because of its bacon and bourbon tidings while The White Lady mixes gin, lemon juice and Cointreau allows for a smoother escape.
For utter last call vision, the Happy Dog knows its customers but enjoys its fun. With a kitchen open close to the very end, the hot dogs and tater tots are made to order with an undeniable range of toppings from habenero pickled red onions to oaxacan red chile to vodka sauerkraut with the draft and bottled vision of the Great Lakes Brewery. Whether resting in the briskness of the Eliott Ness or the draft vision of the Conway Irish Ale, the taste creates a resounding comfort.The Naughti Mermaid rounds the bend steps away in the Warehouse District (literally crawling feet from Crop). With the looming light of Tower City, the nautical chicanery of this lady is undeniable with tastes of the Red 5 Ale reverberating with the light and playful shots concoctions flying up and down the bar.
Cleveland is a location of untapped possibility. Because of its geographical location, its possibility is sometimes overlooked both within a convention and artistic perspective. The Film Festival, despite being angled more to a community than a national audience, benefits from its originally programming resting within an eclectic genre node despite an absence of tributes and parties. The surrounding area, though not optimized by this function, contains a plethora of culinary experimentation and liquid adventure which needs to be explored to be appreciated. Cleveland has a secret identity, blocked by its attendance to a rock n' roll mainstay. But look beyond the mask and a masterful possibility lies beneath it.