As a counterpoint to my previous post, it is also important to remember that the long descriptions from the SIFF catalogue might also convince you that a film will me much more interesting than it actually is. Such was the case with the relentlessly dull How Is Your Fish Today? [siff] After all, these synopses are written by people affiliated with the movie who want to get you into a theater. So sometimes you end up checking something out expecting a Chinese version of Adaptation and get a yawn-inducing narrative that suddenly turns out to be really interested in a village couple slurping away at a really disgusting fish stew.

Anyway, the other important SIFF lesson from last night relates to telephone calls and scheduling. When you’re going to see a movie, why not take a look at any available program to get a sense of the running time? For instance, if you’re seeing something that lasts 90 minutes, perhaps telling your friend to call you back in 45 minutes is not the best decision. Nor is actually taking their call in the middle of the film, even when it adds a tiny bit of excitement to the proceedings.

(How is Your Fish Today? screens again this afternoon: SIFF Cinema, 4:30 pm)

Related posts:

1. SIFF watch : Falkenberg Farewell
2. SIFF Watch: Recommendations for the final week
3. SIFF watch : the Police Inside and Out
4. SIFF Review: Mirageman
5. SIFF: Other voices