The 3rd annual Charlotte Film Festival officially closed yesterday evening after a screening of F.W. Murnau's Sunrise. Over a four day span, from Thursday through Sunday, over 70 movies were shown on five different screens at five different locations. From what little I have heard from other people, it seems that the festival was a success and that everyone who came to see at least one film enjoyed themselves. I am one of these people.
As I believe I said in the previous Charlotte Film Festival post, I was disappointed and upset with myself for not attending last year's festival. I was determined to make up for it this year. Over the weekend run of the festival, I was able to sit in on three film screenings. They were all enjoyable experiences, although some more than others. I was very excited that I was able to see the film from Germany that was brought over as part of the new Mecklenburg Connection that the Charlotte Film Festival started this year. It basically involves a connection with the film festival here in Charlotte and a film festival in Mecklenburg, Germany (the connection should be obvious to Charlotte natives.) Starting this year with the 2008 Charlotte Film Festival, one film will be brought to Charlotte and screened for our festival from the FilmLand festival in Germany, and vice versa. I think that this effort says a great deal about how culturally open Charlotte is becoming and I hope that it continues. As I mentioned, I saw three films during the festival weekend and I thought I would post briefly about them and about the experience.
The first film I saw was the Friday evening screening of the German exchange film. The film is called Nacht vor Augen (A Hero's Welcome). Now, digging back into my German classes from college, I knew that "Nacht vor Augen" does not translate into "A Hero's Welcome." The movie is about young German soldier that has just come home from a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Upon his return, we watch as he tries to deal with the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (a common problem that soldiers coming back from Afghanistan and Iraq suffer from.) We watch as, one by one, each of his relationships crumble and fall apart because of his mental problems. As an American watching this film, none of the situations seemed unfamiliar or new. There have been so many films made about American soldiers suffering after time overseas that we can almost write our own movie about it. We, the audience that night, learned from the German festival representatives that this, however, is something completely new for Germans. They haven't been in a war since the '40s, and they arrived in Afghanistan much later than Americans. This gave the film a much more meaningful impact for me. The movie was superbly acted, directed, and shot; an all-around great film. Back to the title for a brief second. Now, it has been a long time since my German classes in college, but I was pretty certain that "Nacht vor Augen" did not translate into "A Hero's Welcome." As I was watching the film, I was trying to figure out the exact translation. I knew it meant something to the effect of "night over the eyes" (that was my very rough translation, mind.) After the screening, I was able to ask the German festival reps about the title. I was mostly right about the title. In English, it means "Night before Your Eyes." At least that's what I think they said. "A Hero's Welcome" was a title the film was given for its international distribution and, incidentally, the director was not happy about that addition. I completely agree. The original title gives the film a much more haunting feel. I truly hope this film gets a wide international release. It is very, very good and deserves to be seen.
Well, I can't help but notice that I have rambled on much more than I expected about the first film. So, I am going to be extremely brief with the other two films I saw. I was able to see Henry May Long. It tells the story of two men in 19th century New York. One, Henry May, has spiraled into debt and shame. The other, Henry Long, watches all of this take place while he obsesses over being with May. Long offers May financial help if he will spend time with him while he is ill. Both men enter into the relationship with hidden motives and, of course, that never bodes well. There are some definite sexual undertones in Long's obsession with May, but nothing ever comes of it. It makes one wonder why even hint at something like that if it is never confronted and brought to the surface. The craftsmanship of the film was very good, but the story came up lacking for me. If it makes it to DVD, it might be worth a look, but I'm not holding my breath.
The last film I saw was Earl Owensby's Rottweiler, a independent horror film from the '80s. The experience watching this film with the audience that was there that night was worth the price of admission, even if the film was awful. The film was shown as part of the festival honoring the local North Carolina film maker, Earl Owensby. Don't get me wrong, the entire movie is bad. But it is one of those movies that is CHEESE instead of just cheese. A CHEESY movie is one that kind of celebrates and basks in its awfulness. You can tell that the actors and film makers know how bad it is. Sitting in a theater with fellow movie lovers (people knowledgeable about films, not just people who like movies) made the movie so much fun. As knowledgeable movie-goers, we laughed till we cried at the absurd script and the amateur acting. If you ever do see this movie, make sure you watch it with other people who know movies so you can all appreciate the absurdity.
All in all, the 2008 Charlotte Film Festival was a great experience, and I applaud everyone who contributed time, money, or just came and saw a movie. You all are encouraging the establishment of Charlotte as strong cultural and artistic center in North Carolina. You are also encouraging these young and unknown film makers to keep making movies and expressing themselves in one of the world's greatest art forms. Now, for those of you who did not participate in this year's festival......DO NOT MISS IT NEXT YEAR! As I'm sure 2009 Charlotte Film Festival will be even better than this one, it would be a crime to miss out on the experience.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
F.F.S. HALLOWEEN MOVIE MADNESS II: "THE MONSTER SQUAD"
I must confess......I have been looking forward to this film series for awhile now. What readers of blog will come to learn soon is that I am a horror fan. There has always been a special place in my heart for movies that can scare the living daylights out of me. If, after watching a horror movie, I am not nervous about walking down a dark hallway or scared to turn the lights off, I know I have had a disappointing movie experience. It takes true horror movie-making skill to scare me.
That being said, the films in this year's Halloween Movie Madness are a little on the tamer side (especially compared to last year's line-up). But, despite being a bit on the tamer side of the scary stuff, they are still enjoyable films nevertheless. This series is a celebration of the diversity in horror films.
The first movie we are screening is The Monster Squad next week, October 1.
The Monster Squad was originally released in 1987 and is directed by Fred Dekker. The Monster Squad is arguably the movie Dekker is most well-known for, though he did only direct four films (Robocop 3 is the other well-known movie). Despite being directed by an unknown director and starring a cast made up mostly by unknowns as well, the movie has developed an extremely large cult following over the years. When one of you're characters is Scary German Guy, you are bound to develop a strong cult following.l
The premise of the movie is built like that of The Goonies. It revolves around a backyard club that some local middle school boys have formed called The Monster Squad. They meet in their tree house to discuss monsters, naturally. Discussions range from where monsters come from, how to kill them, and they even debate whether Wolf Man really does deserve the "Man" half of his name. Little does The Monster Squad know that their world of monsters is about to become much more real than they could ever imagine. Count Dracula shows up and has brought together his fellow Universal monsters from the classic 1930s-40s films: Frankenstein, Wolf Man, the Mummy, and Gill Man (Creature from the Black Lagoon). His plans are, of course, to take over the world with the use of an ancient amulet that has been hidden in the kids' little suburb.
As I said, The Monster Squad borrows a great deal from The Goonies and definitely attempted to ride its popularity coat tails. Unfortunately, it was not as immediately as successful in the theaters and became destined for underground and cult followings. Despite it's disappointments in its early years, The Monster Squad has become a classic film that any fan of 80s films should see at some point in their life. Seeing it for the first time, you won't be able to help yourself from comparing it to The Goonies, but it does separate itself upon further viewing. It is easily just as funny as The Goonies and has just as many quotable lines.
The film's idea has it's origins in the classic Universal horror films from the 1940s. After each of these monster had their solo movies, the studios began bringing them together to spare off against each other. The Monster Squad goes a step further and brings them ALL together and has the kids fighting them all at once; the ultimate in Good vs. Evil. The filmmakers acknowledge the source material for their movie and pay dutiful homage to those films. One moment was particularly poignant for me (poignant isn't exactly the word you'd expect to be used with a movie like this, but...). In the original Frankenstein, there is a scene where the Monster approaches a little girl throwing flowers into a stream. She shows him how to do it, but when they run out of flowers he throws her in, thinking she will float as well. There is almost a shot for shot recreation of that scene in The Monster Squad, but it does not end so tragically.
The similarities to The Goonies are much more evident and some of the characters seem like exact copies. The Monster Squad fights through these comparisons and establishes itself as its own being. On close inspection, it is clear that this movie is not nearly as family-friendly as The Goonies. There are frightening scenes in this film that would be right at home in an average horror movie. The director cleverly laces some of these frightening scenes with just the right touch of humor and absurdity, and that is what makes this film great in my eyes. It is able to find a delicate balance between being a good horror film for kids and adults and being....The Goonies.
The Monster Squad will be screened on Wednesday, October 1 at 6:00pm in the Freedom Regional Library Community Room. It is free of charge and there will be free popcorn as well! Hope to see you there!
Until next time....
P.S. The creature make-up for the movie was done by the late, great Stan Winston and his studio. Stan Winston never disappoints.
That being said, the films in this year's Halloween Movie Madness are a little on the tamer side (especially compared to last year's line-up). But, despite being a bit on the tamer side of the scary stuff, they are still enjoyable films nevertheless. This series is a celebration of the diversity in horror films.
The first movie we are screening is The Monster Squad next week, October 1.
The Monster Squad was originally released in 1987 and is directed by Fred Dekker. The Monster Squad is arguably the movie Dekker is most well-known for, though he did only direct four films (Robocop 3 is the other well-known movie). Despite being directed by an unknown director and starring a cast made up mostly by unknowns as well, the movie has developed an extremely large cult following over the years. When one of you're characters is Scary German Guy, you are bound to develop a strong cult following.l
The premise of the movie is built like that of The Goonies. It revolves around a backyard club that some local middle school boys have formed called The Monster Squad. They meet in their tree house to discuss monsters, naturally. Discussions range from where monsters come from, how to kill them, and they even debate whether Wolf Man really does deserve the "Man" half of his name. Little does The Monster Squad know that their world of monsters is about to become much more real than they could ever imagine. Count Dracula shows up and has brought together his fellow Universal monsters from the classic 1930s-40s films: Frankenstein, Wolf Man, the Mummy, and Gill Man (Creature from the Black Lagoon). His plans are, of course, to take over the world with the use of an ancient amulet that has been hidden in the kids' little suburb.
As I said, The Monster Squad borrows a great deal from The Goonies and definitely attempted to ride its popularity coat tails. Unfortunately, it was not as immediately as successful in the theaters and became destined for underground and cult followings. Despite it's disappointments in its early years, The Monster Squad has become a classic film that any fan of 80s films should see at some point in their life. Seeing it for the first time, you won't be able to help yourself from comparing it to The Goonies, but it does separate itself upon further viewing. It is easily just as funny as The Goonies and has just as many quotable lines.
The film's idea has it's origins in the classic Universal horror films from the 1940s. After each of these monster had their solo movies, the studios began bringing them together to spare off against each other. The Monster Squad goes a step further and brings them ALL together and has the kids fighting them all at once; the ultimate in Good vs. Evil. The filmmakers acknowledge the source material for their movie and pay dutiful homage to those films. One moment was particularly poignant for me (poignant isn't exactly the word you'd expect to be used with a movie like this, but...). In the original Frankenstein, there is a scene where the Monster approaches a little girl throwing flowers into a stream. She shows him how to do it, but when they run out of flowers he throws her in, thinking she will float as well. There is almost a shot for shot recreation of that scene in The Monster Squad, but it does not end so tragically.
The similarities to The Goonies are much more evident and some of the characters seem like exact copies. The Monster Squad fights through these comparisons and establishes itself as its own being. On close inspection, it is clear that this movie is not nearly as family-friendly as The Goonies. There are frightening scenes in this film that would be right at home in an average horror movie. The director cleverly laces some of these frightening scenes with just the right touch of humor and absurdity, and that is what makes this film great in my eyes. It is able to find a delicate balance between being a good horror film for kids and adults and being....The Goonies.
The Monster Squad will be screened on Wednesday, October 1 at 6:00pm in the Freedom Regional Library Community Room. It is free of charge and there will be free popcorn as well! Hope to see you there!
Until next time....
P.S. The creature make-up for the movie was done by the late, great Stan Winston and his studio. Stan Winston never disappoints.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
FREEDOM FILM SERIES PRESENTS: HALLOWEEN MOVIE MADNESS II
After a month and a half break, the Freedom Film Series is coming back and gearing up for an exciting month of October. For this series, I have incorporated a program into the Freedom Film Series that I put on last year at this time. I decided to keep the name, so the Freedom Film Series takes on a kind of producers role. Every Wednesday night, throughout the month of October, the Freedom Film Series will be celebrating Halloween by screening five different scary movies for the film series, Halloween Movie Madness II!
As I mentioned before, this is the second annual Halloween movie series that I will be putting on here at Freedom Regional. Last year's Halloween Movie Madness was quite successful and we had steadily growing crowds every night. I am hoping that with this success and the introduction and promotion of the Freedom Film Series that the crowds will be the biggest that we've had so far. I mean, what's better than scary movies at Halloween?
Since the film series will be centered around the Halloween holiday, I thought it would be appropriate to provide some information on the origins of Halloween.
This annual celebration originated in Ireland as the Celtic festival of Samhain, a celebration of the end of the harvest and Celtic New Year (the transition from October to November). This harvest festival did not remain solely within Ireland for very long. The idea spread across the world and, soon, many countries had adopted their own versions of Halloween. With the immigration of the Irish into the United States, Americans began celebrating the holiday and it was made an official holiday in the 19th century.
Though the traditions adopted for the festival vary from country to country, the general beliefs surrounding the holiday and the traditions remained the same. In one way or another, most of the cultures believed that on the eve of the Celtic New Year and the end of the harvest season (October 31), or All Hallows Eve, the boundary between the world of the living and the world of dead dissolves. Spirits are able to physically affect the living at will. In an effort to ward or confuse the spirits, people would wear masks and costumes. They believed that dressing up as spirits themselves would fool the spirits into leaving them alone. So, the costuming that people love to practice today was born from fear, not the desire to scare. Another common Halloween tradition today has its roots in this same fear. Villages would build huge bonfires in an attempt to keep spirits away and they would dance in their costumes and masks around the bonfires the entire night.
In the United States today, Halloween is the 6th most profitable holiday. Candy and costume sales reach their yearly peaks at this time of the year, which comes as no surprise. It is also one of the biggest, if not the biggest (in my opinion), movie holiday. I'm not referring to the number of releases or it being targeted for big blockbuster releases. When I say that it is the biggest movie holiday, I am referring to the fact that any company that is making a horror movie prays that they can shoot for a Halloween release date. More money is spent buying tickets to a horror movie or renting them than any other time of the year. Watching scary movies in October and on Halloween has become a storied tradition and a consistent part of American life.
So, if you're planning on using movies to scare the pants off of you this year (and I know you are), then why not come out to Freedom Regional Library and do it here with us for free! Every Wednesday night in October at 6:00pm the light from the movie projector will be our own bonfire as we watch a series of five scary movies in celebration of Halloween. Hope to see you there!
Freedom Film Series Presents: Halloween Movie Madness II
October 1: Monster Squad, PG-13
October 8: Friday the 13th: Jason Lives, R
October 15: Fright Night, R
October 22: Scream, R
October 29: Halloween 2, R
**anyone under 17 must have parental permission or be accompanied by an adult for the R-rated features**
Until next time....
P.S. FREE POPCORN WILL BE SERVED AT EVERY SCREENING!!
As I mentioned before, this is the second annual Halloween movie series that I will be putting on here at Freedom Regional. Last year's Halloween Movie Madness was quite successful and we had steadily growing crowds every night. I am hoping that with this success and the introduction and promotion of the Freedom Film Series that the crowds will be the biggest that we've had so far. I mean, what's better than scary movies at Halloween?
Since the film series will be centered around the Halloween holiday, I thought it would be appropriate to provide some information on the origins of Halloween.
This annual celebration originated in Ireland as the Celtic festival of Samhain, a celebration of the end of the harvest and Celtic New Year (the transition from October to November). This harvest festival did not remain solely within Ireland for very long. The idea spread across the world and, soon, many countries had adopted their own versions of Halloween. With the immigration of the Irish into the United States, Americans began celebrating the holiday and it was made an official holiday in the 19th century.
Though the traditions adopted for the festival vary from country to country, the general beliefs surrounding the holiday and the traditions remained the same. In one way or another, most of the cultures believed that on the eve of the Celtic New Year and the end of the harvest season (October 31), or All Hallows Eve, the boundary between the world of the living and the world of dead dissolves. Spirits are able to physically affect the living at will. In an effort to ward or confuse the spirits, people would wear masks and costumes. They believed that dressing up as spirits themselves would fool the spirits into leaving them alone. So, the costuming that people love to practice today was born from fear, not the desire to scare. Another common Halloween tradition today has its roots in this same fear. Villages would build huge bonfires in an attempt to keep spirits away and they would dance in their costumes and masks around the bonfires the entire night.
In the United States today, Halloween is the 6th most profitable holiday. Candy and costume sales reach their yearly peaks at this time of the year, which comes as no surprise. It is also one of the biggest, if not the biggest (in my opinion), movie holiday. I'm not referring to the number of releases or it being targeted for big blockbuster releases. When I say that it is the biggest movie holiday, I am referring to the fact that any company that is making a horror movie prays that they can shoot for a Halloween release date. More money is spent buying tickets to a horror movie or renting them than any other time of the year. Watching scary movies in October and on Halloween has become a storied tradition and a consistent part of American life.
So, if you're planning on using movies to scare the pants off of you this year (and I know you are), then why not come out to Freedom Regional Library and do it here with us for free! Every Wednesday night in October at 6:00pm the light from the movie projector will be our own bonfire as we watch a series of five scary movies in celebration of Halloween. Hope to see you there!
Freedom Film Series Presents: Halloween Movie Madness II
October 1: Monster Squad, PG-13
October 8: Friday the 13th: Jason Lives, R
October 15: Fright Night, R
October 22: Scream, R
October 29: Halloween 2, R
**anyone under 17 must have parental permission or be accompanied by an adult for the R-rated features**
Until next time....
P.S. FREE POPCORN WILL BE SERVED AT EVERY SCREENING!!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
MOVIE-MAN MOVIE REVIEW: "RIGHTEOUS KILL"
Back in 1995, fans of The Godfather, Taxi Driver, Scarface, and Raging Bull flocked to and flooded theaters across the country. The hype could not have been bigger surrounding the first movie in which Al Pacino and Robert De Niro would share the same screen together. People could not wait to see Tony Montana/Michale Corleone and Travis Bickle/Jake La Motta going head to head on the big screen in Heat. Though the movie experienced impressive critical acclaim, fans were disappointed in the limited screen time which De Niro and Pacino shared together.
It has been thirteen years since Heat was brought to the screen and the right Hollywood elements have been assembled, again, to bring these two heavyweights of cinema together for another big screen outing. This time they come together as two cops who have been partners for years with the NYPD in Jon Avnet's crime drama, Righteous Kill. As NYPD detectives Rooster and Turk, Pacino and De Niro are trying to track down a serial killer who seems to have taken justice into their own hands by targeting criminals as their victims. The two detectives are conflicted in their investigation; how passionate can a detective be about hunting down someone they feel is doing a service to the community and to the human race, even though how they are going about it is against the law? As the investigation progresses and the plot twists and turns (as all crime drama and thriller plots usually do), the detectives begin to suspect that it may be one of their own behind the killings.
Once again, the hype around another movie that is pairing these two titans was extremely high. This time it seems that the lesson was learned from Heat and Pacino and De Niro are in almost every scene together and they are rarely seen apart. Do they play off each other as we would expect them to? Sure. The charisma and intensity that both are known for are there and neither one tries to override the other, proving that both of these men are two of the best actors in American cinema. The director, Jon Avnet, knows just what these two men are capable of and what they are individually good at. De Niro is in his element as a tough guy who rarely shows vulnerability and sensitive emotions. As for Pacino, I was so glad to see Avnet use his distinct comedic ability, which, in my opinion, is the one thing that makes Pacino such an amazing actor. He has subtle ways of drawing laughs that leaves me in awe of his acting ability. His character's wise-cracking one-liners and obvious intelligence play the perfect brain to the De Niro character's brawn.
Performances aside, the movie took at bit too long to develop into the slick, well-balanced movie you would normally expect. The first half of the movie seemed disjointed and, at times, it was hard to follow the chronology of the scenes. This seemed to stem from a combination of poor editing choices and some flaws in the script construction. These are not detrimental flaws by any means, but it made an already involved plot difficult to follow. These problems seem to work themselves out later in the movie and it continues in a more or less linear fashion to the ending. The premise of the story works quite well and, as in most crime thrillers, the plot draws you into trying to figure out who the killer is before it's revealed (it was a little too easy for my taste, but interesting nonetheless).
What intrigued me most about this film was one of it's underlying themes: Right vs. Might. Can Might truly make Right, or does Right make Might? This moral dilemma has its roots all the way back in the legends of King Arthur. The Right vs. Might struggle was the central theme in T.H. White's classic Arthurian novel, "The Once and Future King." King Arthur and his knights were conflicted as to whether they should use their Might (strength, power, violence) to make peace and make things Right, or whether to always do the morally Right thing and that would make them Mighty among men.
This is the dilemma that the characters in Righteous Kill face, not to mention real detectives and police officers everyday. Is taking justice into our own hands and using our Might the Right thing to do? Or should we trust in the law and in what we know is the Right thing to do? For this movie, the answer to these questions ultimately determines what kind of person you are. From the beginning of the film, we have some ideas as to where the characters stand on this issue. But, this movie makes it clear that you cannot always assume the answer to these questions by looking at the way someone outwardly appears.
I am awarding Righteous Kill with three stars. With more conscious editing, it could have been an even better film. Despite that fact, it was an entertaining film and fulfilled it's role as a crime drama/thriller. Al Pacino and Robert De Niro do what they do best and meet up to the expectations that movie audiences have had since Heat. I realize that many people will be going to see this movie just because of the pairing of these two again. While this is, indeed, an exciting experience, try and listen to what the movie is trying to say and the reactions it draws from you. You might just learn something about yourself.
Until next time....
P.S. The introductory post for the next Freedom Film Series next month should be up tomorrow and the fliers will be up around the library as well. Hope to see you there!
It has been thirteen years since Heat was brought to the screen and the right Hollywood elements have been assembled, again, to bring these two heavyweights of cinema together for another big screen outing. This time they come together as two cops who have been partners for years with the NYPD in Jon Avnet's crime drama, Righteous Kill. As NYPD detectives Rooster and Turk, Pacino and De Niro are trying to track down a serial killer who seems to have taken justice into their own hands by targeting criminals as their victims. The two detectives are conflicted in their investigation; how passionate can a detective be about hunting down someone they feel is doing a service to the community and to the human race, even though how they are going about it is against the law? As the investigation progresses and the plot twists and turns (as all crime drama and thriller plots usually do), the detectives begin to suspect that it may be one of their own behind the killings.
Once again, the hype around another movie that is pairing these two titans was extremely high. This time it seems that the lesson was learned from Heat and Pacino and De Niro are in almost every scene together and they are rarely seen apart. Do they play off each other as we would expect them to? Sure. The charisma and intensity that both are known for are there and neither one tries to override the other, proving that both of these men are two of the best actors in American cinema. The director, Jon Avnet, knows just what these two men are capable of and what they are individually good at. De Niro is in his element as a tough guy who rarely shows vulnerability and sensitive emotions. As for Pacino, I was so glad to see Avnet use his distinct comedic ability, which, in my opinion, is the one thing that makes Pacino such an amazing actor. He has subtle ways of drawing laughs that leaves me in awe of his acting ability. His character's wise-cracking one-liners and obvious intelligence play the perfect brain to the De Niro character's brawn.
Performances aside, the movie took at bit too long to develop into the slick, well-balanced movie you would normally expect. The first half of the movie seemed disjointed and, at times, it was hard to follow the chronology of the scenes. This seemed to stem from a combination of poor editing choices and some flaws in the script construction. These are not detrimental flaws by any means, but it made an already involved plot difficult to follow. These problems seem to work themselves out later in the movie and it continues in a more or less linear fashion to the ending. The premise of the story works quite well and, as in most crime thrillers, the plot draws you into trying to figure out who the killer is before it's revealed (it was a little too easy for my taste, but interesting nonetheless).
What intrigued me most about this film was one of it's underlying themes: Right vs. Might. Can Might truly make Right, or does Right make Might? This moral dilemma has its roots all the way back in the legends of King Arthur. The Right vs. Might struggle was the central theme in T.H. White's classic Arthurian novel, "The Once and Future King." King Arthur and his knights were conflicted as to whether they should use their Might (strength, power, violence) to make peace and make things Right, or whether to always do the morally Right thing and that would make them Mighty among men.
This is the dilemma that the characters in Righteous Kill face, not to mention real detectives and police officers everyday. Is taking justice into our own hands and using our Might the Right thing to do? Or should we trust in the law and in what we know is the Right thing to do? For this movie, the answer to these questions ultimately determines what kind of person you are. From the beginning of the film, we have some ideas as to where the characters stand on this issue. But, this movie makes it clear that you cannot always assume the answer to these questions by looking at the way someone outwardly appears.
I am awarding Righteous Kill with three stars. With more conscious editing, it could have been an even better film. Despite that fact, it was an entertaining film and fulfilled it's role as a crime drama/thriller. Al Pacino and Robert De Niro do what they do best and meet up to the expectations that movie audiences have had since Heat. I realize that many people will be going to see this movie just because of the pairing of these two again. While this is, indeed, an exciting experience, try and listen to what the movie is trying to say and the reactions it draws from you. You might just learn something about yourself.
Until next time....
P.S. The introductory post for the next Freedom Film Series next month should be up tomorrow and the fliers will be up around the library as well. Hope to see you there!
Monday, September 15, 2008
CHARLOTTE FILM FESTIVAL
In the midst of preparing my next Movie-Man Movie Review and gearing up for the next Freedom Film Series next month, the third year of the Charlotte Film Festival almost passed me by. When I found out that Charlotte was starting their own film festival a couple of years ago, I was thrilled! Film festivals are such an important part of any city's artistic community and Charlotte's artistic community is moving in a very positive direction.
Film festivals can be a whole lot of fun and they are incredibly important and meaningful to the filmmakers whose work is getting exposure. Festivals provide the opportunity for virtually unknown filmmakers to display their talents and projects they have spent precious time and money on. Festivals also provide a venue for like-minded movie enthusiasts to get together, socialize, and indulge in their greatest love: watching movies; and not just the typical Hollywood stuff that the market and the theaters are always flooded with. You can always count on festivals to draw some good independent films and documentaries and every once in awhile you stumble upon and see a really good movie before it's discovered and given a big national release (I love that feeling). These film festivals also give you a way of giving back to the artistic community and helping out struggling filmmakers who are actively pursuing their passions and dreams.
The 2008 Charlotte Film Festival looks like it's gearing up to be a great one. I have recently visited their website and it's filled with good information on the different movies that are being shown, the panel discussions, and the different venues being utilized. After reading through the list of entries this year, I can tell that there is going to be some very good filming-making to be found and good movie watching to be done. I want to point out, again, that these are not the typical Hollywood mainstream movies. I don't want people to go in expecting the big blockbusters with recognizable stars and then find themselves watching movies with limited budgets and unfamiliar faces. That's the point of film festivals, to give unknowns the chance to shine. I say this not to deter people from attending by any means, but rather to inform people of what to expect. I truly hope that every film screening is sold out!
As I mentioned earlier, the festival's website has all the information you would need to know about what films are showing, when and where they're showing, and how to buy tickets. The ticket prices are quite reasonable considering what movie ticket prices are like today. As with most things these days, tickets are cheaper if you buy them ahead of time online ($6.50), but still pretty reasonable at the door ($8.00). There are also some good deals on ticket packages. Personally, I went with the 5-Pack deal, which gives you 5 tickets for $26 (online) that you can use towards any movie during the run of the festival.
The Charlotte Film Festival is running September 25-28 and a total of 70 narrative, documentary, and international films and short films will be shown over these four days. Find some time in your schedule that weekend to get out and see at least one of the movies this year. I'm sure you can find something you like. I mean, there are 70 of them.....
Until next time....
P.S. My Movie-Man Movie Review of the current release Righteous Kill will be posted very soon.
Film festivals can be a whole lot of fun and they are incredibly important and meaningful to the filmmakers whose work is getting exposure. Festivals provide the opportunity for virtually unknown filmmakers to display their talents and projects they have spent precious time and money on. Festivals also provide a venue for like-minded movie enthusiasts to get together, socialize, and indulge in their greatest love: watching movies; and not just the typical Hollywood stuff that the market and the theaters are always flooded with. You can always count on festivals to draw some good independent films and documentaries and every once in awhile you stumble upon and see a really good movie before it's discovered and given a big national release (I love that feeling). These film festivals also give you a way of giving back to the artistic community and helping out struggling filmmakers who are actively pursuing their passions and dreams.
The 2008 Charlotte Film Festival looks like it's gearing up to be a great one. I have recently visited their website and it's filled with good information on the different movies that are being shown, the panel discussions, and the different venues being utilized. After reading through the list of entries this year, I can tell that there is going to be some very good filming-making to be found and good movie watching to be done. I want to point out, again, that these are not the typical Hollywood mainstream movies. I don't want people to go in expecting the big blockbusters with recognizable stars and then find themselves watching movies with limited budgets and unfamiliar faces. That's the point of film festivals, to give unknowns the chance to shine. I say this not to deter people from attending by any means, but rather to inform people of what to expect. I truly hope that every film screening is sold out!
As I mentioned earlier, the festival's website has all the information you would need to know about what films are showing, when and where they're showing, and how to buy tickets. The ticket prices are quite reasonable considering what movie ticket prices are like today. As with most things these days, tickets are cheaper if you buy them ahead of time online ($6.50), but still pretty reasonable at the door ($8.00). There are also some good deals on ticket packages. Personally, I went with the 5-Pack deal, which gives you 5 tickets for $26 (online) that you can use towards any movie during the run of the festival.
The Charlotte Film Festival is running September 25-28 and a total of 70 narrative, documentary, and international films and short films will be shown over these four days. Find some time in your schedule that weekend to get out and see at least one of the movies this year. I'm sure you can find something you like. I mean, there are 70 of them.....
Until next time....
P.S. My Movie-Man Movie Review of the current release Righteous Kill will be posted very soon.
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