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FLICKS: Lincoln & FLIFF to wrap

Posted on 08 November 2012 by LeslieM

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

At the age of 18, I essayed the role of Abraham Lincoln for An American Suite, a dance recital for the Dillard School of Performing Arts. On my first day in full makeup, President Ronald Reagan was shot. It was an eerie parallel given that Lincoln was the first assassinated President in American History.

Lincoln is a film that focuses on the final months of the 16th President’s life and the beginning of his second term in office. With historical hindsight, we know the Civil War is winding up, yet Director Steven Spielberg presents the dark reality of a depressed man who is trying to preserve the union. It takes a master like Spielberg to weave personal empathy with iconic imagery.

When I was cast as Lincoln, it was because I was a rail thin 6’3″ baritone. In my research, I learned that Honest Abe actually had a tenor voice, which he used effectively in his famous outdoor debates with Stephen Douglass.

British-Irish Master Thespian Daniel Day-Lewis accepts this interpretation and channels the spirit of Lincoln. Day-Lewis is likely to be nominated for an Oscar, but he is supported in every scene by a fine ensemble cast featuring Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, James Spader and Joseph Gordon- Levitt. Lincoln is a dry piece of history that should be seen on some free afternoon.

The 27th Annual Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival wraps up this Veteran’s Day weekend. Bring your Kleenex for If I Should Fall, a documentary about a young Canadian soldier in Afghanistan.

Breakfast with Curtis is the antithesis of If I should Fall. This comedy-drama features a curmudgeon hippy at odds with young Curtis. As the odd boy matures, the curmudgeon discovers that he has need Curtis’ talents.

Garbage is a self-conscious comedy about Sanitation Engineers who find Cuba Gooding Jr.’s lost Oscar in a garbage dump. Daryl Hannah and Steven Bauer have cameos in this low-budget comedy that is not cheap with laughter.

To see details on FLIFF films and wrap, awards events, visit www.fliff.com.

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