Here Comes Cinequest 15

Cinequest 15 is coming to San Jose in three weeks (March 2-13). I already went through this year's offerings. Maybe I'm being too picky, but I had trouble finding ten films I'd definitely want to see. Ten is the magic number for discounted tickets. Here is my preliminary list of must-see movies:

• Amazing Grace: Jeff Buckley - I recently saw Gigantic: A Tale of Two Johns, a great documentary about They Might Be Giants. It blended interviews, live performances and music videos to tell a story about the men and their music. By the way, they'll be on Conan O'Brien this coming Tuesday. For a while now, I've heard reverent whispers about Jeff Buckley and want to see his story and hear his music.
• Chlorox, Ammonia and Coffee! - With a large ensemble of odd characters and interwining storylines, this Norwegian film sounds like it could be smart, funny and poignant. Plus, I refuse to believe that any movie with coffee in the title can be bad.
• Passages - This one sounds like it could be an intriguing coming of age tale set against the backdrop of mainland China. It'll be a nice appetizer just as the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF) begins (March 10-20)
• The Search for the Captain - A former mayor's daughter made this movie about a controversial statue in San Jose that finally saw the light of day (three years ago) after sitting in an Oakland warehouse for over a decade. It looks like it could be an interesting lesson in local history, culture and politics.
• Tales of Intransigence - How does one tell an old story, but make it feel fresh? What makes a story compelling? This is a film about storytelling and there's something extremely appealing about that. It also contains a horse-drawn sleigh and a bright red minibus, two promising signs in my book.

March is all about movie madness, but with a little preparation, there can be a method to the madness. Now I need to check out what films SFIAAFF is showing.