By Dave Montalbano
AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com
With Disney hype and Tim Burton’s return to artistic roots, Frankenweenie is a can’t-miss family movie in glorious black & white. With the Collector’s Edition of The Nightmare Before Christmas, Burton presented his first version of Frankenweenie, a short subject starring Daniel Stern and Shelley Duvall.
Dog lovers loved the short subject, a delightful story about a lonely boy and his dog. Presenting the Mary Shelley narrative based upon James Whale’s Boris Karloff adaptation, this film transitions from heartbreak to life appreciation. This new version of Frankenweenie presents many of the key scenes from the short subject, but the scope is much broader, perhaps too broad because the finale presents an over-the-top ending that mashes the James Whale classic with the Japanese giant monster movies that spawned Godzilla and Gamera. However, the title character is a sweetheart and the film makes a great family matinee.
As certain as the turning of the Earth and the Seminole Hurricane football rivalry in October, The Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) begins its 27th season next week. Despite costcutting measures, FLIFF will return to a sense of glamour not seen in South Florida in years.
Opening Night Gala, sponsored by Entre Nous, will be held on Oct. 19 at The Village at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale starting 7:30 p.m. Independent filmmakers will be in attendance, as well as celebs like Dabney Coleman and James Caan. Most recently seen as an aging racketeer on Boardwalk Empire, Coleman made a career in the 1980s as the quintessential male chauvinist pig. Caan worked with John Wayne in El Dorado and was the hot-tempered Sonny Corleone in The Godfather series. Caan’s resume has lived up to his original promise from the 1960s.
Local actress Bailee Madison is expected also to walk the red carpet this evening. On Oct. 21, Bailee will receive her Star on the Horizon Award at the Sunrise Civic Center in conjunction with a screening of her new movie, Cowgirls ‘n Angels, which also features veteran actor James Cromwell and Twilight heartthrob Jackson Rathbone.
Locally, FLIFF returns to Muvico Pompano for its second year. Monster mavens will be excited to know that George Romero’s original Night of the Living Dead will be exclusively screened and remastered in 3D on Halloween weekend. For more information, visit www.fliff.com.
