SBIFF: Booze and Waiting for Forever-Day Two Recap

BOOZE

We got up Sunday afternoon with these intentions: Mimosa Brunch, CRAZY HEART (with Jeff Bridges Q&A) and MIDDLE MEN.

We soon realized that we weren't going to make it to both movies, due to an overlapping time situation, so we let go of MIDDLE MEN, opting instead to try and hit CRAZY HEART. But, a late start and too good a time at Sharkeez resulted in us missing our movie.

We were too late for brunch, so we got lunch- and while we did have solid food, I would be amiss to not call this lunch "liquid."

A margarita, fajita and several sips of these shared bucket drinks later and I am shitty. I wasn't alone in this though. We had such a good time (the ten of us that ended up at lunch) sitting around talking and drinking and eating that we gladly missed the time to get in line for CRAZY HEART. We had a back up option: WAITING FOR FOREVER.

WAITING FOR FOREVER didn't start for another couple of hours after lunch, so Sarah and Denny and I wandered State Street. We ended up in Sephora, where Sarah needed to buy make-up and Denny and I drunkenly tried on all of the colognes. We smelt terrible.

WAITING FOR FOREVER

We got into WAITING FOR FOREVER and aside from knowing it was a romantic dramedy, we knew nothing else.

WAITING FOR FOREVER is the story of a juggler who follows his childhood love around as she moves from city to city.

"Being in a place where I know I might see you is better than knowing I'll never see you."

When the time comes for him to tell her how he feels, a multitude of obstacles pop up for him to overcome.

I loved it.

Sure it had some cliche dramedy moments (dying parents, unrequited love, quirky character traits) but it was such a solid story with such great, defined characters that it didn't matter. Tom Sturridge is a phenomenal actor - look for him to explode onto the scene. His subtlety is spot on, his charm is infectious. He perfectly embodies the lovesick nomad of Will Donner.

Bilson is loveable enough, although clearly the weakest player in the film. Richard Jenkins and Blythe Danner capture any scene they're in. As Bilson's parents - I found myself wishing for more of them. Their storyline comes to an abrupt end and frankly, I wanted more.

One thing noticeably great about this film was the cinematography. It was a gorgeous film to look at. Denny and I both noticed it. The lighting and framing is beautiful.

All in all, this is, as another festivaler put it, a cute movie. They don't make simple cute movies like this anymore. Worth seeing it - assuming it gets distribution. None of these stars are big enough to carry this movie into theaters. Is the charming character and cute story enough to give a distributor the confidence to release it? I hope so. It was the best of the three films I saw at the festival.

SBIFF: Chloe and 8 - Day One Recap

CHLOE

The first movie we (Denny, Sarah and I) saw was CHLOE, starring Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson, and Amanda Seyfried as Chloe. Getting in was hectic, we had a great spot in line, but when we got in it was already near full. We saw the movie from the third row - it just made it that much more gnar.

CHLOE is a sexual thriller. Think FATAL ATTRACTION - but hotter, so much hotter. Amanda Seyfried stars as a high class call girl whose yet to make a human connection. Julianne Moore plays a wife who suspects her distant husband is cheating on her and hires Chloe to find out. Chloe reports back to Moore, unexpectedly causing Moore to feel closer to her husband. Scared by the closeness, Moore tries to end things with terrifying results.

Well- that's what the movie would like you to believe. It is good, don't get me wrong - but leaves very little to the imagination (both sexually and in plot).

Subtlety is dead in CHLOE, hitting the audience in the face with clues (a.k.a. close-ups that the filmmakers are afraid you'd miss otherwise). Beats happen quickly, speeding through moments that should be slower, moments that need more tension, more build up, and more exploration.

Moments could have been pulled from a porn, just a warning.

The consensus among us was that we wanted to see certain moments explored more.

It's intense though, and the ending is wonderfully satisfying. Moore is gorgeous, and Seyfried has yet another versatile role. She's electrifying and proves, yet again, that she can act. Both have great dramatic moments, but I wanted more!

Should you go? Yeah. Worth seeing.

8: THE MORMON PROPOSITION

A documentary about Mormon involvement in the passing of Proposition 8. It was introduced by husbands who snuck in before prop 8 passed. Lucky them.

I went in thinking I wouldn't learn anything I didn't know. I went in thinking that it would recap everything I knew, but be great for those who are less informed about the current civil rights issue.

I was wrong. This movie went deep- tapped into a ton of shit I didn't know. It's wonderfully informative (skewed, of course - but every point made if valid.) I don't want to reveal anything, because I want you all to see it (the film got distribution) but I'll give you this fact: 22 million dollars came from the Mormons. Mostly from Utah (to pass a California Prop).

8 isn't the best made documentary- don't get me wrong, but everyone should see it to understand how the fuck prop 8 passed.

See it for the facts. Remember it for the emotion. It's strength is in the quality of information presented, and the connection it forces you to have with the victims of Prop. 8.

At the end of my day, the better film. I'm a little bit passionate about this issue, so a blog about that will come soon.

Happy Festivaling! More tomorrow...

SBIFF: The Line-Up

Heading up to the Santa Barbara International Film Festival this weekend and I'm super stoked.



Here's our line-up:






(Please note the tagline!)




(With a Q & A with Bridges afterward)




(The Closing Night Film, complete with after party)



Aside from these there will be some much needed sleeping, eating, drinking, & socializing. Maybe even a hike or two.

Complete report upon my return. Happy Festivaling!

The Forgotten starring Julianne Moore

It happens every year. Someone is snubbed.

This is more than that.

Julianne Moore is one of the greatest actresses ever. Period. Nominated 4 time. 0 wins.

Sure, she has some minor issue choosing projects (Blindness, The Forgotten, Next)
or ends up in great projects that no one sees (Savage Grace, Far From Heaven) but-
Try and deny that she didn't stand her own in Jodie Foster's shadow in Hannibal.
Try and tell me you weren't captivated by her and Clive Owen's relationship in Children of Men. Try and argue that she didn't steal every scene she was in with Colin Firth.

As Charley, the alcoholic ex-lover to Colin Firth's single gay man - Julianne Moore triumphed. She was a mess. An absolute mess of a person, with more depth than ever hit the screen. She knew Charley. No one else could have played that role. Julianne Moore stepped into Charley's mod, sophisticated, lush of a life and never stepped away.

So where, please tell, is her nomination?

Take it away from Anna Kendrick and give it to someone who deserves it.



(In other Moore news, I'm going to see her in Chloe at the SBIFF - so stoked, and am eagerly anticipating her brilliance in the newly acquired The Kids Are Alright, opposite Annette Bening)