| Flicks

FLICKS: Grudge Match, Keir Dullea & Miami Intl. Science Fiction Film Festival

Posted on 16 January 2014 by LeslieM

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

The Steve Martin/Eddie Murphy film Bowfinger was my first Observer movie review 15 years ago. It was a positive review, but I noted the tepid box office and how this film would have been a bigger hit a few years prior when the duo were stronger in the box office. The same could be said about Grudge Match, the Robert DeNiro & Sylvester Stallone boxing comedy.

Despite a shaky beginning, Grudge Match is an entertaining motion picture and both actors spoof their iconic images with gravitas. The story has some depth; the ensemble cast consisting of Kevin Hart, Kim Basinger & Alan Arkin give Grudge Match a warm heart. As time has been good to Bowfinger, when it plays on TV, time will also be a friend to Grudge Match.

This weekend, the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival and Cinema Paradiso (Ft. Lauderdale and Hollywood) begin 2014 with a tribute to Keir Dullea, the actor best known as astronaut Dave Bowman from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Dullea made his film debut as a juvenile delinquent in Hoodlum Priest in 1961. Through the ‘60s, he drew critical notice for his performances in Bunny Lake is Missing and David and Lisa. In later years, Dullea could be found in motion pictures with a distinctive cult following, most notably Black Christmas, DeSade and The Good Shepherd directed by Robert DeNiro. He and his wife, Mia Dillion, often perform on the New York stage.

This Saturday, film historian Foster Hirsch will host a Q & A with Dullea, who will also receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. It is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., but double check as the times have fluctuated … 954-525- FILM or www.fliff.com.

The inaugural Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival begins Friday at the Hyatt Regency Miami with an awards ceremony held on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. Oscar-winning special effects producer Dean Lyon (Lord of the Rings) will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Of the many films being shown this weekend, NI-28 Strate-1 is one to mark on the calendar. Filmed in the Pacific Island nation of New Caledonia, NI-28 Strate-1 is independent filmmaking at its best, basically a “chase” film with a dark message about the zombie apocalypse. For schedule and pricing, visit http://miscifi.com.

Comments are closed.

Advertise Here
Advertise Here