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Thursday, 29 April 2010 09:58

NBFF Day 7 / Gidget / Shoot The Hero / Shine of Rainbows

the real gidgetMaybe I’m just tired and grumpy after long days of festival but today just wasn’t a peak day at the Newport Beach Film Festival.

I didn’t go at all yesterday because of professional obligations so I was looking forward to today.

The first film I saw started the day right although they held the press out until the very last because the showing was sold out. “Accidental Icon: The Real Gidget Story” is a short (60 minutes) documentary based on a book written by novelist Fredrick Kohner who was the father of the real girl called Gidget by the boy surfers in the late-50's. Gidget (Girl mIDGET) was/is Kathy Kohner (Zuckerman) who at about the time of her fourteenth birthday wanted to surf and hang out with the boys at Malibu.

Some might put a cynical slant to this and say Kohner was just boy crazy and the surf boys wanted to take advantage of a cute, young girl. And maybe she was and maybe they did but honestly, watching the documentary you get the feeling that she really wanted to be “just one of the boys” and those boys saw her primarily as a little sister.

Cute as a puppy, athletic, forward, Kohner would go down to the beach and trade her lunch for surf lessons. Her father, enamored of the nascent youth surf culture, would talk to his daughter about the particulars, and about the specific language they used - kook, shoobies, aloha spirit, etc. Kohner convinced her father, a writer, to detail it all. Hollywood found the book after it became a national best seller and the rest was film and cultural history.  Sandra Dee, the first film Gidget, won the hearts and minds of the youth of the time turning surfing and the culture into a national obsession.

Moondoggie, Kahuna and rest - real surf dudes - were made famous and infamous by the silly surf movies of the sixties. Malibu became crowded with kids trying to capture that wild innocence. Shortly afterward, Sally Field in the iconic television series, and the Beach Boys, with perhaps the most infectious pop music of all time, sealed the deal . It was surprising to me how many modern female surfers still identify with Gidget and feel that she represents them.

All real? Who knew?

This is a fantastic documentary narrated by actress Jorja Fox (“CSI”.) Not knowing spit about this I had a lot of pure fun discovering that all the legendary film and television was based on these actual characters.  Hearing them talk about their life and times was some of the best parts of this movie.  They verified some of the movie and television details but laughed at others.  Kahuna's grass shack, for example was real; the romance between Gidget and Moondoggie was not.

James Darren, Cliff Robertson, Sally Field and other celebs and many world-class surfers were interviewed by the director. I am in awe of the access the director had to all these people who recounted their recollections about their part of the Gidget legend.

 various gidgetKohner-Zuckerman was there for a Q&A with a rowdy,  enthusiastic audience.  I was mightily tempted to go to the after-party at Muldoons. But silly me, I wanted to see another film that started immediately afterwards - wrong decision - but more on that later.

At 60 minutes, the film was just right. It’s light, fun and informative. No dark places here; no drug habits or alcoholic car wrecks or suiciding off cliffs - maybe the filmmakers chose not to show the darkness (if there was any) but Kohner-Zuckerman’s life seemed as idyllic as the California beaches in those innocent and kowabunga-driven 60's.

See it. Trust me, you’ll smile through the whole damned thing.

 shoot the heroFrom the sublime to the ridiculous. Ugh. I really hate to disdain anyone’s film. It is so hard to get one made and so much work that I really admire anyone who accomplishes that task. But “Shoot The Hero ” was just a miserable sit. In fact, after about 35 minutes I did something I probably have only done once or twice in my lifetime - I walked.

I have no idea how this film got made. It’s actually three separate short films - two unrelated segments that are tied together by the third. I guess the filmmaker thought “Well, Tarantino did it ("Pulp Fiction") so can I.”  But after the first one and a half segments, I and the person I was with couldn’t take it. We both independently decided to leave and went to the shorts showing next door.

I did come back and catch the Q&A - mainly because I left my tablet in the theater and also because I left the shorts showing after 2.5 of them - but mainly because of scheduling, although I was truly happy to get out of that screening also.

The Q&A for this was about what you’d expect and I’m going to be political and leave it at that. But let me just say that there were some people who were very self-congratulatory about this effort and they were the only ones who didn’t seem to notice that they were simply puffing themselves up.

 You may like “Shoot The Hero” - I obviously did not.

nbffA quick note on the 2.5 shorts I saw (I came in late to the first one.) Is no one telling stories anymore? Or stories that make sense? I have beginning film students who write better material than this. Hey, aspiring filmmakers - a word, please? Just because you have an idea and storyline doesn’t mean you shouldn’t continue to develop it. The story about the handyman who helps a mermaid fix a lighthouse was a cute idea. Now tweak it. Scenes of them talking in front of the big light and riding a bike through a quaint town is not enough.  There's a dramatic structure here that has to acknowledged and you did not.

The film about an agoraphobic who communicates with a girl next door through a hole in the wall is again, a cute idea - now add some dramatic tension and build into it.  Start the hole out small, make it increasingly larger - build it - make me believe that this guy will eventually break that wall out to get to the girl at the end. Symbolism isn’t enough - you need story too.

 I was really disappointed in general at the level of short films I’ve seen all through this festival. Not because they weren’t technically well-done; rather because the stories limped along without regard to basic storytelling techniques. If anyone wants to see really good short films, go to YouTube, find a company called BlueTongue Films and watch those.  

shine of rainbowsAfter the Islands, I went over to the Regency South Coast Village Theater to catch the Irish Spotlight film “A Shine of Rainbows.” I expected the place to be packed and it wasn’t. Maybe everyone knew or sensed something that I didn’t. I wish I had gotten the memo.

The movie isn’t horrible. In fact, the acting, cinematography, and music were very good. The director obviously knows how to move a camera. But the story? Meh. Trite, predictable, melodramatic...who writes these things? I cannot imagine this film getting made in Hollywood. Lifetime, maybe - big maybe - but not a feature.

I’m hoping the book on which this was based was better told than this tear-jerker. I felt (sob) so used afterwards since the director constantly pushed and twiddled buttons that he knew no one could resist. I mean, they even had a freaking baby seal in this - a really cute baby seal who had been abandoned by its mother. And aJohn Bell funny border collie. And a mom (the luminous Connie Nielsen) who was beautiful, sexy and soooo nice and cool - everyone’s dream mom (who dies, of course.) And a gruff, ruggedly handsome Aidan Quinn (who predictably becomes much less gruff.) And gorgeous vistas and Irish pub music, and...oh, well.

I was underwhelmed by this film and found it predictable and without a lot of depth but there is a lot of nice parts to it that may add up to a better experience for you. At least the scenery was beautiful. And the 10-yr-old actor, John Bell, who played the boy was an amazement. This was his first film and he just nailed it. His connie neilsonperformance is almost worth the other tedious parts.

The Q&A afterwards was along similarly predictable lines. Stories about the shoot and the location and the cast. No one talked about the script and I know I should have brought some of that stuff up but the film had sucked the curious out of me and I just sat there and listened.

The producer mentioned that they were premiering the film at film festivals and then stage-releasing it in selected cities in the areas they were premiering. It’s at the Westpark 8 in Irvine if you’re interested.

So...a really good film, a few bad ones and one that I could have easily lived without. The film festival experience in a nutshell.

One more day...

Sidenote: Thanks to Luanne, one of the volunteers at the door at the Island, for all her help and to all the volunteers who put up with me and the rest of attendees going to the wrong places, making too much noise, asking for special treatment and in general, pushing the limits of their patience. 

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Tuesday, 27 April 2010 00:19

NBFF Day 5 / My Run / The Sicilian Girl

my runYou know it's a long festival when you find yourself waiting in the lobby of the Island Cinemas for your camerman (Eric Hensman from Lennexe Productions), eating a cold Wahoo fish sandwich left over from the day before, drinking theater coffee, and downing supplements from a ziplock bag - while talking to a short-film director who desperately wants you to come to his film - which you can't because of a scheduling conflict.  But he continues anyway and all you're hoping is that you won't be burping up either the sandwich or the coffee in the upcoming screening.  Fun.

The first film I saw today was "My Run."  

Inspirational, motivational, unbelievable...words all too often used and overused by our hyperbolic society.  You can't imagine the real meaning of those words until you understand Terry Hitchcock as portrayed in this terrific documentary of his life after his wife's death. (interview video)

Terry decided he wanted to raise awareness of single parenting after his wife, hismy run principals  college sweetheart, died tragically of breast cancer leaving him with three young kids to raise.  He sought some way to do this, to underscore how difficult it was to single-parent children and let all the kids and parents in a similar situation know that there is support for them.   He settled on running a marathon.  Well, more than one actually - seventy five; in seventy-five days.  

Absorb and think about that for a moment: Seventy five marathon-distance runs (26 miles or more) in seventy five days.

Here's what he had going for him: his desire to do this.

Here's what he had going against him:  He was 57; massively out of shape; overweight - fat actually; had high blood pressure; suffered a mild heart attack while training.  Hadn't run for many, many years and even in his peak continually came in last.  He discovered along the way that both ankles had severe stress fractures as well as a knee.  And he was on several medications for various helath problems.  At some point most of his team left him and he was reduced to just his eldest son with a car with 200,000 miles on it to finish more than half the race.

Oh, and the record for consecutive marathons?  Three.  No athete at the time, anywhere, had ever run more than three consecutive marathons.  Why?  Because even after one marathon, the body is so bruised and exhausted that you have to rest between events.  And these are world-class, young, superbly conditioned athletes who run.  Not a 57-yr-old man who looked like Santa Claus in a track suit chugging down the street.

So, in May of 1996, despite many misgivings from family and friends, Terry set out to run from Minnesota to Atlanta (2,000 miles) to the Summer Olympics.  With him he initially had a team comprised of his sons, teens at the time, and some of their friends.  Also, his dog.  Sprits were high when Terry and his team began but they quickly discovered that it's one thing to run - it's an entirely different thing to run every day for 26+ miles.  

Terry was physically exhausted in short time.  His support team was suffering from logisitic nightmares - just washing his clothes up to five times a day to keep them clean and dry because he sweated through them on a regular basis was difficult.  The only time Terry's terry hitchcoclsocks were dry was when they put a new pair on him.  

Along the way, he was almost run over.  He ran in rain.  Cold.  In heat guaranteed to bring on heat exhaustion - which he suffered though at one point.  He'd nightly call his friends to tell them he was going to quit just so they'd tell him why he shouldn't, why he couldn't - so he could then motivate himself to get up and do it for one more day.  There were times when his son had to help lift him out of bed and help him walk.  Then he'd start running and somehow find the will to continue.

In the end, five million steps later, Terry and his oldest son, Chris - the only one to complete the journey with him - ran together into Atlanta.  In all that time, after all those miles, Terry still looked like Santa Claus running down the street.  I think he actually gained weight, not lost it from beginning to end.  Oddly enough, he's much slimmer now years after the brutal trek.

Narrated by Billy Bob Thorton, this is a remarkable film about a wholly remarkable man.  Director, Tim VandeSteeg, and producer Mark Castaldo have insightfully pulled  together interviews, photos, and archival footage to detail this one man's incredible physical, mental and emotional journey.

Terry was at the screening I attended.  He said he still felt fine other than some knee pain once in a while.  I had the pleasure of an on-camera quick interview with him and a much longer one with director VandeSteeg and producer Castaldo which I'll put up soon.

Honestly, I have never seen a more courageous and completely insane performance by any human being.  It's totally impossible and yet it was done.  Terry Hitchcock is the epitome of what is humanely possible when you bend your will to a task, no matter how the odds are stacked against you.  Kudos to the filmmakers for bringing it to the screen.

See "My Run" at your first opportunity when it hits the theaters  - I promise you will not believe it.

Movie website HERE

Terry Hitchcock's website HERE

Interview video HERE

 

I also attended "The Sicilian Girl" ( "La Siciliana Ribelle") later in the evening.  Based on true events in 1991 in Palermo, Sicily, Italy, where dozens of mafiosa henchmen were brought to trial, it was both a very compelling film and a frustrating one.  

17-year-old Rita Atria watched her father and brother being murdered by the mob in her village in Sicily and decided to turn state's evidence against the mob for revenge.  

The mob was obviously not pleased with this and tried to have her killed on several occasions.  Even witness protection and high security wasn't enough against these mobsters who wanted her death to ensure her silence.

At its core, we've seen this movie many times.  What separates this film is not only the true nature of the events but the courageous and firey character of Rita, ably portrayed by Veronica D'Agostino. It seemed, tragically, that the young child who saw her father gunned down in the city square never had a destiny beyond one of pain and sorrow.  This symbolically extends to the theme of being born into emotional and physical slavery in a place where the La Cosa Nostra - any gang really - exists.

And yet, Rita didn't bend to their will; she ultimately provided a means for the citizens of her village to fight and win a measure of victory against the murderers and thugs who arbitrarily controlled who lived and who died.

The frustrating part of the movie was the ending.  I won't reveal how it resolves but it seemed so quick and anti-climactic that I wondered if I had missed something.

"The Sicilian Girl" is at times a powerful film but ultimately, I would have liked a bit more understanding of the young girl's journey.  European filmmaking is different than American so there's that but I never truly got the sense that Rita had a fear of reprisals.  I missed the "moment" where she decides on this doomed path that you would have seen clearly detailed in an the sicillian girlAmerican film. I can't imagine she would not have been emotionally shattered by what she was doing and yet a lot of that was soft-pedalled by the storyline.

Also, Rita's gangster father was a mystery in many ways as was her mother who apparently never loved her and constantly fought her over everything.  Maybe some of this was cultural - I am of Italian heritage but I am not an Italian native so perhaps I missed some nuances that a native would get.  Still, it seemd that some core emotional threads felt like they were missing here and it led to me not getting much of a real jolt from this film which details a life lived in darkness and despair.

"The Sicilian Girl" is a good film with bravura performances from all.  But get a bit of the backstory first to fill in the gaps - I think it helps.

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Sunday, 25 April 2010 23:40

OCC Shorts / NBFF - Day 4

Okay, so student films aren't brilliant, ultra-clean, well-acted productions like professional films.  That's a given.  On budgets less than dinner for four, the productions often suffer from no production money, too little time, too little experience and perhaps a bit too much youthful hubris.

But the energy...oh, my - what a treat to watch the young filmmakers fairly vibrating with enthusiasm and adrenalin (but trying to look chill) as they participated in the after-screening Q&A.

This afternoon at the Regency South Coast Village Theater, film and video coordinator Scott Broberg from Orange Coast College presented the OCC film department's slate of films that were finalists in the entry process for the Newport Beach Film Festival.

The Burglar | Eddie Granado 2009 - nothing is as it seems.
The Shopping Cart Diaries | Steven Reyes, Greg Vander Velde, Mark Day 2009 - the sad truth about shopping carts. 
Apex of Illusion | Richie Laruffa, David Ludwig 2009 - drugs are bad - or maybe you're just insane. 
Parkour | Gustav Sandegard 2009 - documentary about the street sport of leaping and somersaulting through the urban environment.
Photo Project | Alexandre Goyette 2009 - don't find your roommate on Craigslist.
The Warlock of Black Star Canyon | Will Gabriel 2009 - documentary on a legendary oddball family living in SoCal's Black Star Canyon. 
A Week's Worth | Rachel Gist 2009 - a countdown to death.
Soaking Anger | Duy Nguyen 2009 - do not ever steal a dude's laundry - especially when he's forgotten his Prozac. 
Greener | Hannah Barnick 2009 - taking a chance on life's other road.

Although many of the films suffered from a lack of narrative cohesion, the productions were well-done and solidly received by the near sell-out crowd.  Instead of worrying overly much about telling a complete and/or emotionally compelling story, many of the filmmakers opted to just present a "vision" - a moment in time.

The documentarians never quite achieved a "slant" - in other words, I didn't quite catch what they were trying to illuminate with their work but all were intriguing.  Some may say that the job of a documentarian is just to capture the moments - but really, it is so much more than that and almost all documentaries are biased by the way they're put together.   But from a hermit-type in Black Star Canyon to sad little shopping cart moments, the concepts for the films were solid and definitely bode well for these filmmakers.  

The non-documentary films were varying degrees of funny, scary and sad.  Some truly powerful moments captured and filtered through the words and images of these filmmakers who take the OCC class on film production in a vocational-type setting.  Broberg explained: "We want to give the film students an opportunity to learn their craft through hands-on experience so they're ready for professional work in the industry."  I'm sure they all will someday soon.

Congratulations to all the OCC bright stars who shone this afternoon at the Regency Theater.

OCC Film has their 40th Annivesary gala coming up on May 22nd.  There's also various Facebook pages for information (here)

A video interview with coordinator Scott Broberg will follow shortly on our YouTube Page (here)

Please support these students and the college - they are the future of film and the future does indeed look bright.

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Saturday, 24 April 2010 23:31

The Westsiders and NBFF Day 3, Part II

the westsiders movie posterWorld premiers - now just how many of those do we get to go to?  Tonight, the Regency South Coast Village Theater was host to the Newport Beach Film Festival showing of surf documentary "The Westsiders" which was premiering for the first time anywhere.  

I'm an Ohio native - basically landlocked except for Lake Erie.  I played in plenty of lakes when I was a kid but surfing?  Nada.   Zero.  No interest.  I am a huge fan of biolgraphical documentaries however and this film does not disappoint.  

Covering the years from approximately the mid-80's to the present day, the film details the lives of legendary surfers Darryl “Flea” Virostko, Shawn “Barney” Barron, and Jason “Ratboy” Collins from Santa Cruz, CA.  I had no idea who those men were when I sat down but I know now how difficult and twisting their journey was to surfing superstardom.  Directed by Joshua Pomer and narrated by Rosanna Arquette the film is both a love story and cautionary tale.  Pomer, a childhood friend of the three and a well-known surf director, had tons of archival footage to draw from and seemingly total access to all the people in these men's lives and to the men themselves.  It's so rare to have the luck and insight to be making home movies of legends before they were such.

This from the synopsis:

Best friends Darryl “Flea” Virostko, Shawn “Barney” Barron, and Jason “Ratboy” Collins bonded in the icy cold waters of Santa Cruz as kids in the 1980s. Joined by their common tragedies and love of surfing, they supported each other through shattered homes, drug addiction, psychological challenges and hardcore localism. In order to earn their stripes as surfers, they were forced to join The Westsiders, a local surf gang, and go face-to-face with Vince Collier, aka “The Godfather.”
 

What I never understood about surfing - at least this type of surfing - is how competitive and rigorous it was.  I knew the lean, muscular bodies meant an athelete but the guys went so far beyond that, pushing and challenging themselves to be better as certainly as any Russian coach ever pushed a Nadia or a Tatiana. 

The teenage lifestyle of these true California natives was both sad and energizing.  Left to themselves they did little else but party and cause mischief; but they also had ample opportunity to surf - every day, hours on end.  It formed the basis of both their future trouble and glory.

Also, they really created a family who supported and raised themselves to adulthood albeit for some still a dysfunctional adulthood.  In lieu of sometimes missing or irrelevant parents, they formed bonds that have lasted a lifetime and continue to give them strong roots.

The film is told with live interviews with family, friends and loved ones, and video Pomer shot himself of the guys as teenagers, archival surf footage and news clips.  It moves with the strength and leisure of the ocean itself.  Pomer has put together a truly wonderful documentary only losing the narrative thread a few times to what seemed to me to be odd side journeys. 

The surf footage ranges from the black and white to stunning color.  The DLP projector at the Regency certainly was put to good use tonight.  Pomer's surf footage was jaw-dropping - miraculous in some instances with a steady eye on the young men as they were doing the seemingly impossible atop and inside twenty-five foot waves.

The Q&A afterward featured almost everyone from the film but it wasn't exactly electrifying.  Too bad.  This could have been one helluva interesting panel discussion because the theater was sold out, packed with friends and fans.

Both I and Lennexe Productions owner Eric Hensman enjoyed it and were moved by it.  Big ups for this one and whoever on the Newport Beach Film Festival staff chose it.

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Saturday, 24 April 2010 17:31

Newport Beach Film Festival - Day 3, Part I

Today started early(ish) at a screenwriting seminar that was well attended.  I won't cover it here since another member is going to do a write up.  

Afterwards, several of us had lunch and someone commented about the quality of the films, which to this point had been uneven to this point.

I think that's to be expected in a festival.  Many of these productions don't have the huge machines behind them that even smaller films out of Hollywood enjoy - like some of the boutique imprints that most studios support.

In my mind, a festival like this is for experiments.  These films wouldn't be here if they were instantly commercially viable.  Many of these filmmakers used their own money to make these films because Hollywood either didn't believe in their work or the filmmakers had no conduit to the "legit" production companies.  Let's not forget that movies - even bad ones - don't happen by accident.  There are several film market events that take place during the year where film is bought and sold and that points to an entire process that most of us never see or are aware of.  The studios only put out a few hundred films a year - there's thousands released and distributed, including to cable and the networks.

I didn't love "Crash" but it did terribly well once it hit the streets.  It was premiered at the Newport Beach Film Fesitval.  It is an exception.  But maybe something like "Five Star" the featured film on gala night will do the same thing as "Crash" and hit the big time.  Maybe one of the small films on the slate at the festival will catch the imagination of the public, like "Paranormal Activity" did and make film history.

That's the point.  And given all this, uneven is to be expected.

But if no films from the film festival ever break through the festival and filmmakers would still be a massive success since the films were made (a huge accomplishment) and seen in venues like The Island and The Regency Theaters.  Getting just a screening is major news.  And on the other end, getting as many entries as NBFF got shows that it has some clout.

So celebrate your fellow filmmakers and attend a movie or two.  You might just catch someone on the way up.

I'm off to another film - more after that is finished and a review of the film.

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Friday, 23 April 2010 23:05

Newport Beach Film Festival - Day 2

I wasn't able to go last night to the opening gala so this was my first night at the fest.  To see some quick video hits from the opening go here.

In a word the festival is - fabulous.

The buzz is so great at all the venues.  Everyone seems excited just to be there.  And every audience member becomes a film critic coming out of the showings.  "Too slow."  "Didn't hold together."  "Wrong ending."  "Too much jumping around in the narrative."  Gotta love it.  So much interest in film in this county - makes me happy I'm a small part of it.  

The filmmakers too - met so many great ones even in just a short time.  Ran into friends and fellow screenwriters - great energy, great fun.

I think what I enjoy most is watching the excited faces of the directors and producers whose film is showing - they glow like proud and nervous parents showing their children off for the first time.  Having attended many film openings in Los Angeles, I can say categorically that the feeling is exactly the same no matter how many people have shown up to see the film and even in the smallest of venues.  All the hard work, endless hours, constant frustration are put behind - here now is the culmination of many, many days and weeks of backbreaking work.  These men and women are happy and it shows.  This business has so few peak moments, it's really nice to see and vicariously live through a few more.

Our press passes allow us in and out of just about any venue.  That came in very handy when the movie I targeted for early afternoon was canceled because the idiot filmmakers never sent their film to the festival.  I slipped into the "O Canada" Short Film showing instead.  I'll cover the shorts in a different article.

Since the festival is at several different venues, travel can be a challenge at times - especially during rush hour.  But if you plan properly (and the festival guide they have is really terrific for that) you can do it right.  But thank God it's The OC and not L.A. or that burden would be thrice cursed and beyond frustrating.  Just figure out a surface street route and avoid the freeways.

After the shorts at the Island Cinemas, my second venue being the Regency South Coast Village Theater, I had to beat feet across town to see both "Below the Beltway" and the odd, funny "Elektra Luxx." 

"Below The Beltway" is a sly, acerbic look at the machinations in Washington D.C.  It was professionally shot and acted with solid production values.  You could tell that the screenwriters didn't have a ton of experience with which to tell the story, though.  There were lagging moments and the build up to the "climax" was poorly handled (too obvious and there was no real cinemactic moment.)  The story wandered and lost  focus, and the story threads spun out unevenly and without precision but it was entertaining nonetheless with some amusing moments and funny lines.

This was the world premiere and I'm sure you'll see it running somewhere soon.  I thought this film would make an excellent television series and I hope the filmmakers can convince some show runner to do just that.  We have video of the Q&A and some exclusive video with the producer, Jim Wareck (who also co-wrote the script) that we'll post to the YouTube page soon.

electra lux photo"Elektra Luxx" - now how to describe this one?  "Crash" threaded through the porn industry - but funny?  Sexy?  Jaw droppingly inappropriate?  A challenge to follow at times?  Slow?  Profane, Mundane and Insane? (my attorneys)  Yes, all of those.  But the film has a good heart and a ton of stars.  

You get so involved in the lives of the people in the film that you forget (almost) that they're talking, and in some cases doing, the most abberant things in a matter-of-fact manner.  You know you're in dicey territory when the lead is mentioning how her hair looks with her ankles by her ears.

This one was filled with stars including Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Carla Gugino in the lead role.  There's no purpose served in describing the wafer-thin plot - just watch it and smile a lot.  I probably would have dialed back some of the performances - a bit over-the-top - but Gugino was nearly perfect in her role as a former porn star who is now facing the frightening prospect of motherhood.  If you like your films on the raunchy, quirky, sometimes funny side, this is for you.  

"Elektra Luxx" is actually part two of a triology:  The first is "Women in Trouble."  The third ("Women In Ecstacy") is still listed as in development.  There's not even a script yet but hopefully the filmmakers will pull it all together in time for next year's fest.

I do wish that more of the cast and crew had shown up for the Q&A but big ups to actress Adrianne Palicki (Holly Rocket) for coming and brightening our evening with her fabulous smile and entertaining manner.

I begged off from the after parties - just too tired.  Hard to imagine that simply watching films will do that to you.  But I'll continue to post some impressions and quick reviews.  Thanks again to Rudy Garcia for manning the camera.

Tomorrow (Saturday) they have a scriptwriting, directing and music seminar. The Seminar Series is free. No tickets are required. Seating is on a first come, first served basis. Panelists are subject to change.  The scriptwriting one is at 10:30 AM.

Honestly, anyone who loves film should try and get out to see a few flicks.  What a great film resource this is and it's right here!  You don't have to go Sundance or Telluride to see challenging, inspirational, experimental and world premiered films

Great films, beautiful weather, celebrities...is that too SoCal or what?

What more could you ask for?

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Friday, 23 April 2010 12:56

"On The Run" with the Newport Beach Film Festival

The first videos of opening night of the Newport Beach Film Festival are up on our YouTube page.  OCSWA members Tom Sullivan and Rudy Garcia do the reporting thing.

HERE

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Sunday, 18 April 2010 14:09

Anaheim Comic Con - Sunday, 18th

When I was a kid, my dad and I would go fishing a lot.  No matter where we went, what time of year or whatever weather we almost always heard the same thing: You should have been here last week - when the fishing was really good.

That's the feeling I got attending the Anaheim Comic Con today and Friday - I probably should have been there on Saturday.  Unfortunately, I couldn't so I went in-between the show's busiest day.  

Today you really got an end-of-show feeling.  Booth denziens were looking a little ragged; merchandise was discounted, and there wasn't a lot of people there when we walked in at 10:00am.

I didn't stay until the end of the show today but I did stay until about 2:00pm and it unfortunately seemed light in attendance all throughout. I really thought there would be more people there today.  Sunday is usually a zoo at San Diego Comic Con.

As I walked the hall with OCSWA board member and fanboy Victor Phan, I talked to the booth inhabitants about their impressions on the show.  I didn't hear any serious griping about the event organizers or the setup which is good news.  Most felt the space was adequate and even generous.  Some of the vendors I questioned said they were happy with the event attendance on whole and some not.

Both Victor and I noticed that, unlike the big Con, this one you could see everything which was nice.  There is such a thing as too much success.  In San Diego, you really can't even move at times through the aisles.  Here you could and it was much appreciated. 

Most of the celebs were still signing; the Jedi Knights and 501st Legion were still walking the hall and faux fighting, and there were plenty of costumed fans so the energy got higher as the morning wore on even given the lighter-than-expected turnout.  I'm sure next year will be better and better attended.  The organizers obviouly have enough room to grow.

I liked some of what the organizers tried to accomplish regarding the dancing girls of scifi, some of the kids stuff and the "B" celebrities in attendance.  The food was terrible, though.  I'm still belching up the horrible vegetarian egg rolls I ate there today.  Insipid and greasy - not a great combo.  The coffee was good.

Perhaps as the show grows there will be more panels and workshops.  That's become a big part of San Diego Comic Con and it was missing here.  A lot of excitement is generated in the S.D. Con by the idea of listenting to and talking to some of the writers and creators of the various comics, movies and Internet properties.

All in all, today was fun (as was Friday) and I think the organizers have to count the whole event as a success.  Wizard, the company behind this event, is also doing events in various other big cities like Atlanta, Philly, Austin, etc. - 12 in all.  Anaheim was the first.

Perhaps with some additions to the slate, better notice, better press and better word of mouth this event will someday rival the big daddy in San Diego.  I certainly hope it will continue.  It was a solid thumbs up for me and I'm looking forward to going back next year...

Many thanks to the organizers and to Jerry Milani who helped with the press passes and press kits.

Next week - on to the Newport Beach Film Festival

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Saturday, 17 April 2010 23:53

The Square - event review

Since there is already an excellent review of the film and the brothers Edgerton on this site this review will be brief and not talk much about what's already been covered.

On Saturday night at the Regency Theater, I got the distinct pleasure of meeting Nash Edgerton, director and producer of "The Square" and short film, "Spider."  Nash was personable and accessible.  He is totally without pretense.  What you see is what you get and that's already pretty special since his body of work shows a filmmaker who is in touch with exactly what he wants. 

Nash and I got a chance to talk a little before the Q&A at a restaurant near the theater.  I found him thoughtful but as mentioned, he was straight ahead with his ideas and ideals about film.  Even though this is his first feature, he's been working in the business as a director, stunt person, producer and actor for over 20 years.  He's vetted and a veteran of many years of being in the trenches both here in Hollywood and in Aussie Land.  This leads to him being down-to-earth and realistic about his work.  It also gives him a level of skill not normally seen in 1st-time feature directors.  He moves the camera with the best of them and gets terrific performaces out of his actors - the result of doing, learning and absorbing from working as a stuntman on some pretty good features.

Joel Edgerton, Nash's brother, wrote the script (and has a pivotal role in the film) and then Nash and he tweaked it.  According to Nash during the Q&A, the ending was completely different than the stunner we see now.  He wasn't happy with the original ending so he and Joel worked out a different one - a much more existential ending.  All of Nash's work seems this way - very human, naturalistic.

Script in hand and in shape, Nash took a camera and crew and made it real using a crew and people that Nash had worked with over the years.  We unfortunately didn't get too much into the hows and whys of the production - someone in the audience derailed the Q&A a bit with a rather dopey comment  - but the film itself was less than 2 million (American) in budget - less than the salaries of most lead actors.

The movie itself is filled with sly and distracting moments.  Just when you think you know what's going on, trust me you don't.  This tells me that these veterans of the film world are both fans who have a deep appreciation of what's come before them, but also a distinct sense of how to break out of that repetitive Hollywood paradigm.  Nash mentioned "Jaws" as being one of his favorite films and one scene in the movie in particular lends credence to that notion.

The audience who stayed (most everyone) after the feature to listen to the Q&A was very receptive to both the movie and Nash.  I was in the theater when this particular event happened in the movie - a real shocker moment - and everyone to a person made a vocal exclamation when it happened - that told me that everyone there was on the same page - pages that Nash designed specifically knowing what effect it would have.  

The entire film is done that way - deliberate and with precise knowledge about what a person watching would be expecting - then the story goes in a completely different direction than you expect.  Nash said "The affair isn't this amazingly romatic and intense thing.  It's like real affairs - sort of mundane but sprinkled with both intensely good and bad moments."  Nash directs with real people in mind - how would Joe Everyman act.

This tone infuses the production with an amazing vercacity.  You're rarely out of the moment.  What happens happens because it feels organic to the story, not because it "had" to.

This is a serious and creative filmmaker who appears to be building a group of talented film people around him, including his multi-talented brother, Joel.  Check out bluetonguefilms.com (here) as well as Apparition Films, the distributor who seems very capable of recognizing talent.

I wish we had had more time with Nash in the theater so we could really explore his attitudes toward film but there was another showing coming up and we were only able to talk to him as an audience for a short time.  I had the feeling that we could have gone hours and Nash would have been as amiable, funny and interesting no matter how long a time it was.

Thanks to Vicky Eguia from Apparition and Larry Porricelli from The Regency Theater for helping with all the arrangements that lead to last night's showing and a most insightful Q&A.

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Friday, 02 April 2010 18:49

Screening and Q&A

THE SQUARE
some things can't be buried

7 AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY AWARD NOMS!

Mention OC Screenwriters at the box office and get your ticket for only $7.00!

SATURDAY, APRIL 17th, 7:30pm at the Regency South Coast Village Theater. 

1561 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana, CA. (Directly across the street from South Coast Plaza) (map)

With a Q&A following the 7:30pm showing with director Nash Edgerton moderated by Mark Sevi of OC Screenwriters.

“One of the best films of the year. The best film noir since ‘Body Heat’.”
- Harry Knowles, aintitcool.com



“Suspenseful and harshly funny.”
- A.O. Scott, The New York Times

“(The Square) has a smooth rhythm from start to finish, blending elegance with a macabre sensibility...”
“Work(s) like gangbusters”
  - Eric Kohn, Indiewire

When: Saturday, April 17, 2010 - 7:30pm showing
What: Screening and Q&A with director Nash Edgerton and also Edgerton's toxic short film "Spider."
Where: Regency South Coast Village Theater (map)
 

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Tuesday, 13 April 2010 15:28

Screening & Q&A with writer/director Sigurgeir Orri

The Screenwriters Workshop will be screening the Edda nominated documentary Alfred Eliasson & Loftleidir Icelandic. Writer/director/member Sigurgeir Orri will join us to talk about the process of making the film and answer questions.

This event will take place at Orange Coast College. Arts Center Building off Parking Lot D. Room 216.  You can buy a Visitor parking permit at the Arlington entrance or park in metered space.

Non-members do not need to RSVP for this event.  More Information can be found here: http://www.meetup.com/SoCal-Screenwriters-Workshop/calendar/12997221/

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