Artificial Hip

"Well that was odd" is likely how you'll respond to most of the programs in ResFest, a hipster-doofus festival of shorts, documentaries, panel discussions, and live music events. The visual talent behind the work in ResFest is undeniable -- mostly CG effects and gimmicky art design, it's all balls-to-the-wall gorgeous, every frame of it. The storytelling talent is ... eh ... a bit dodgy, though still stronger than what you'd find at your average film school. Some of the more gorgeous and compelling highlights include "Rehearsal," a clip from "Panique au Village," "Hitchcock: Pheonix Foundation," and "Overtime," which has been floating around the net for a while now with the word "Muppets" inserted, incorrectly, in its title.

Over 150 shorts, a restropective of the bizarre Tractor group's work, a Beck music video compilation, Jackson and His Computer Band, a Mike Mills (director of Thumbsucker keynote, and tours of the very few production studios in San Francisco that have managed to survive -- the ResFestians are busy little bees, aren't they? The fest starts tomorrow, the 21st, and runs through the 25th. Tix are on sale through the website, where you can also thumb through program guides, trailers, and photo and podcast placeholders that have been "coming soon" for a long time now.