By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

I had no interest in seeing Rise of the Guardians until I heard about Guillermo Del Toro’s involvement.

Visually, this film is full of Del Toro details that reference his mentors, H.P.Lovecraft, Arthur Machen and Algernon Blackwood.

Yet as a narrative, Rise of the Guardians seems to be stitched together by two or three short stories involving Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman and Jack Frost.

Frost (Chris Pine) is the central character. He is commissioned to become a guardian in an effort to help children keep their innocence. Like any hero who reads Dr. Joseph Campbell’s “Hero with a Thousand Faces,” Jack refuses the responsibility. The master antagonist, this time it is a character named Pitch (Jude Law), who threatens the dreams of children and Jack Frost rises to the occasion. Sad to say, midway through one of the many animated action sequences, I lost interest.

One Christmas movie I never lose interest in is March of the Wooden Soldiers, based on the Victor Herbert Operetta starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Until the last decade, this holiday classic used to play on television in rotation with Miracle on 34th Street and Bells of Saint Mary’s. While grownups might feel that children are prejudiced to black & white movies, please expose them to this classic.

Laurel and Hardy are toymakers for Santa Claus. Instead of creating 600 one-ft. wooden soldiers, Laurel reverses the order and creates 100 6-ft. soldiers. While Santa Claus finds this mistake amusing, the pair lose their jobs.

To make matters worse, they are trying to help pay Little Bo Peep’s mortage from the evil Barnaby. Things become more dire when Barnaby unleashes the Boogey Men upon Toyland, Little Bo Peep’s community.

The conclusion is a wild epic, which involves a cameo from an unbilled Mickey Mouse. Yes, the special effects are not as slick as Rise of the Guardians, but March of the Wooden Soldiers has so much more heart. Do yourself a favor, pick up March of the Wooden Soldiers from your local library!

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

Each year since President Obama was first elected, a “Twilight” movie has been released. The box office revenue generated has been more revenue than the president’s taxation policies. With this kind of economic incentive, one wonders if author Stephenie Meyer had secretly written a continuation of her vampire/werewolf middle school Gothic romance. When word “leaked” that a “twist” ending had been added to Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, one feared another four Twilight movies by 2016.

Fortunately, Breaking Dawn: Part 2 does present closure to the Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) saga. In the last flick, the newlywed Bella was on the verge of dying during the birth of her child. Thanks to the timely action of her husband, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), Bella becomes a vampire. This upsets the vampire status quo and an international civil war rages in the forests of Washington state.

As a series of five movies, the Twilight saga improved with each production. To the producer’s credit, they fulfilled fan expectations. It will be fascinating if, in the year 2022, the fan base will feel the same affection to Team Jacob, Team Edward or Bella Swan.

After The Devil Wears Prada and the Anna Wintour BioPic The September Issue, one can grow weary of the narcissism of the fashion industry. Then the documentary Diana Vreeland: The Eye has to Travel” is released, revealing what a joke the industry really is.

With an archive of interviews conducted by George Plimpton, this documentary features the “Forrest Gump” of fashion design, Diana Vreeland. Born in Paris, Diana and her sister witness the coronation of Britain’s King George V. The family moves to Colorado and Diana befriends former cowboy and carnival huckster, Buffalo Bill Cody. As a teenager during the Roaring Twenties, Diana parties with Josephine Baker, returns to Europe and finds Adolph Hitler’s mustache amusing.

Given her personal contacts with the hoi polloi, Diana gets a job writing for “Harper’s Bazaar,” before transitioning to “Vogue” in the early 1960s. Eventually, Vreeland was named consultant to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, cementing her image as a Manhattan elitist.

Given the footage that is revealed and her place in reporting current events, this film provides an entertaining history lesson about the 20th Century.

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

While filming two of her classic westerns, The Big Country and How the West was Won, actress Carroll Baker wrote about her harrowing experiences driving a wagon buckboard with two teams of energetic horses. These experiences prepared her for her recent battles with Hurricane Sandy.

“After the hurricane and not having access to food and water, I never thought I would be so happy to be on an airplane!” said Carroll.

Her daughter, Blanche, added, “It was only after takeoff that we could see an overview of how bad it was in New York.”

Arriving in Ft. Lauderdale with just the clothes on their backs, Carroll and Blanche went shopping on Las Olas before their weekend of personal appearances for the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF). While mom was receiving the Lifetime achievement award, daughter, also an actress, screened two movies: Hypothermia and Ruth Madoff occupies Wall Street.

Both have worked with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Blanche in Deal and Carroll in Kindergarten Cop. Carroll compared actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood with today’s crop.

“They were not as casual as today’s actors. They had perfect manners and took the craft seriously. When shooting Kindergarten Cop, I had to get hit with a bat. I had padding on my stomach … somebody kept checking and adjusting the back. Eventually, I felt hands on my bottom and I turned around … it was Arnold! Gable and Stewart would never do or consider a thing like that.”

In her autobiography “Baby Doll,” Carroll wrote about her “second nervous breakdown” in the late 1960s and talked about her recovery.

“I got out of the pressure of Hollywood. I wanted to get the children out of Beverly Hills before the age of 8. I could see the drugs in the schools already. I was a single mom. I moved to Rome, which saved me,” she said.

An adolescent at the time, Blanche admitted that, “It was a bit of a culture shock, moving to and from Italy. Now knowing what I know, she put us first.”

Ten years later, Blanche earned an Emmy Award for the miniseries, Holocaust, costarring Meryl Streep.

The strongest memories I will remember from FLIFF will be the bond I witnessed with Bailee Madison, Steven Bauer and Blanche Baker with their Moms on the Red Carpet. Happy Thanksgiving!

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

Produced on the 50th Anniversary of Doctor No, the James Bond franchise knew they had to raise their game after their last movie, Quantum of Solace, became a critical and box office disappointment. A movie franchise does not survive a half century if it does not know how to adapt to popular culture while retaining some sense of tradition. Skyfall accomplishes 007’s mission.

After another spectacular pre-credit action sequence, James Bond (Daniel Craig) and his supervisor M (Judi Dench) are contemplating the future of espionage, for computers and drones are eliminating the need for field work. Yet, as an agency becomes more reliant upon technology, British Secret Service fails to notice an obvious internal threat in the guise of Silva (Javier Bardem), a cyberterrorist with a grudge.

While the Bond-M-Silva triangle drives the narrative, it is the character motivations of Eve (Noamie Harris), Q (Ben Wishlaw) and Mallory (Ralph Fiennes) that create tension and misdirection for the plot. Skyfall is a globetrotting narrative, but this 007 film puts the United Kingdom front and center.

As a stand-alone movie, Skyfall will please any ticket buyer. Unlike the manic action sequences from Quantum of Solace, Skyfall provides both breathtaking and unique action sequences, fully enhanced by the MODS IMAX 5-storey screen. Tension is exploited due to James Bond’s poor health from the opening credit sequence.

However, James Bond fans will rejoice with the details that the Eon (Everything Or Nothing) producers provide, including the gags involving successful ingredients for a vodka martini and the care and maintenance of a 1963 Aston Martin.

The theme song provided by Adele is the best Bond Theme Song since Timothy Dalton was Bond 23 years ago. Skyfall is pure escapist entertainment for the holiday season.

This Sunday, the Geek Fest Comic Con and Expo of Florida will commence on the Florida Atlantic University campus in Boca Raton. Vendors like C.J.s Comics will provide early opportunities for Christmas shopping for the comic book, anime and sci-fi fans. There will be a FREE costume contest with grand prize of $250 cash, a trophy and swag. For more info visit www.geekfestflorida.com.

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.

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

As we watched Hurricane Sandy, the 27th Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival presented Giancarlo Esposito with his Career Achievement Award in Grand Bahama Island, after much improvisation. Due to Sandy’s wind and rain, outdoor festivities were moved indoors.

The celebrity focus moves locally this weekend. Oscarnominated for Baby Doll, actress Carroll Baker will attend a screening Sunday night at Cinema Paradiso of But Not For Me, costarring Clark Gable. After the screening, Carroll will be interviewed by Professor Hirsch and will talk about her work in such classics as Giant, How the West Was Won, Ironweed and Kindergarten Cop.

Carroll’s daughter Blanche Baker will likely be in attendance. An Emmy Award-winner for Best Supporting actress for the miniseries Holocaust, Blanche has an impressive resume within her own right. She wrote, directed and stars in the title role in Ruth Madoff Occupies Wall Street, a short subject that will be screened Saturday night at the Sunrise Civic Center.

Tonight at 9 p.m., Director Julia Dyer and actress Molly Parker will bring The Playground to Muvico Pompano. Costarring character actor John Hawkes, this film is a dark drama about suburban life among the beautiful people. If you miss the Pompano screening, The Playground will be playing at Cinema Paradiso and the Sunrise Civic Center on Friday and Saturday, respectfully. Some of the best of this year’s FLIFF films are documentaries featuring music. David Bromberg, Unsung Treasure is a delightful historical documentary. Falling under the spell of the Reverend Davis’s Blues influence, Bromberg thrives in this art form and jams with Dr. John in New Orleans. Bromberg’s dedication leads the young prodigy into musical magic with Phoebe Snow and George Harrison. When he dropped out of the spotlight, Bromberg’s creativity grew.

Blues also influences Joe Camilleri: Australia’s Maltese Falcon. Though Australian, the Joe Camilleri story is similar to that of the Blues Masters from New Orleans and Chicago. Music becomes redemption for a rowdy youth who could have chosen a life of crime.

On Election Day, Cinema Paradiso will screen Mr. Cao goes to Washington, a documentary about a successful Republican politician who won a congressional seat in New Orleans. Representative Cao is scheduled to attend and his story is fascinating.

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

As Giancarlo Esposito accepts his Career Achievement Award in the Bahamas this weekend, locally the 27th Annual Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) continues its three ring cinematic circus at Cinema Paradiso, the Sunrise Civic Center and Muvico Pompano.

Last Saturday night, Muvico Pompano opened FLIFF in grand style.

Premiering to a sold-out crowd, The Sapphires lived up to expectations. Based on a true story about Aboriginal soul singers with the backdrop of the Vietnam War, this film had people dancing in the aisle. If you are seeking a feel-good movie with R & B soul, check it out.

Deadfall followed and was the antithesis of The Sapphires. A film noir thriller set in a Courier & Ives snowy landscape, Deadfall held audience interest for 95 minutes. Within the first 15 minutes of the story, the audience is introduced to nine characters and their conflicting motivations. Credit Director Stefan Ruzowitzky for telling a simple story with character depth.

Ruzowitzky was in attendance Saturday night and answered questions about the film. Having won an Oscar for The Counterfeiters for Best Foreign Language film of 2007, Ruzowitzky talked about directing his first American film with an ensemble cast, featuring Eric Bana, Kris Kristofferson, Olivia Wilde and Sissy Spacek.

“I was not intimidated, but it was a privilege that Sissy Spacek had trust in me. Many big stars do not have guidance from a director. A director should be like a mirror and provide a reflection for the actor,” he said.

In direct contrast to the cynicism of Deadfall, Cowgirls & Angels premiered at the Sunrise Civic Center to another sold-out audience. This family movie earned its laughter and tears while providing a fine performance from 13-year-old Bailee Madison.

While receiving her Star on the Horizon Award, Madison shook hands, hugged and signed autographs for free for her fans. These gracious moments were a reminder of what “Class Act” celebrities ought to be for film fans.

Muvico Pompano has been granted an exclusive screening of George Romero’s zombie classic, Night of the Living Dead, which has been remastered in 3D. Get all the details on this and other upcoming films and events at www.fliff.com.

Happy Halloween!

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

Despite Dabney Coleman’s sudden cancellation, The 27th Annual Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) kicks into high gear this Saturday at Muvico Pompano with highly acclaimed independent motion pictures.

For young people and families, at 1 p.m. is Sammy 2: Escape from Paradise. A hit at the recent Cannes Film Festival, Sammy 2 is a sequel to animated Belgium film A Turtle’s Tale. While protecting a bed of hatchlings from the ocean floor, Sammy and his sidekick, Ray, are captured and sentenced to an aquarium at a swanky restaurant. According to FLIFF Director Gregory von Hausch, the 3D animation is spectacular with a funny and endearing story.

Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut, Quartet will screen at 5 p.m. Maggie Smith, Albert Finney, Billy Connolly and Tom Courtenay portray residents of Beacham House, a home for retired opera singers.

At 7 p.m. The Sapphires is the opening night film. Set in 1968 at the time of the Robert Kennedy/Martin Luther King Jr. assassinations, The Sapphires is about four young women from a remote Aboriginal Mission who become musical rivals to Diana Ross and the Supremes. Set in the backdrop of the Vietnam War, the film features pure soul music in full Dolby Digital Sound.

Stay to see Deadfall at 9 p.m. Oscar-winning director Stefan Ruzowitzky will be there.

Some of the best films this year are about music. Be on the lookout for the following toetapping documentaries on the big screen: David Bromberg, Unsung Treasure – about a musician who collaborated with George Harrison and Bob Dylan. Narrated by Bromberg, Unsung Hero features historical black & white celluloid.

Andrew Bird: Fever Year follows this unique musician on tour, while he battles chronic illness and an indifferent creative muse. Beyond the music, Fever Year features Bird’s artistic visuals of string and analog technology.

FLIFF runs Oct. 19 – Nov. 11 For details, visit ww.fliff.com.

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.

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

Set in upper bourgeois New Jersey, The Oranges focuses on the Walling and Ostroff families. It’s narrated by the depressing Vanessa Walling (Alia Shawkat), who explains how she worked hard in college only to end up in her parents’ home. David (Hugh Laurie) and Paige Walling (Catherine Keener) are financially- stable people, who are actively involved in their community.

As part of the neighborhood ritual, David jogs with Terry Ostroff (Oliver Platt) three times a week. Careerdriven Carol Ostroff (Allison Janney) is concerned about her party girl daughter Nina (Leighton Meester), who used to be Vanessa’s BFF(Best Friend Forever).

In their high school days, Nina seduced a boy that Vanessa was infatuated with. The young women’s relationship is further strained when Nina seduces Vanessa’s father, David Ostroff, on Thanksgiving Day.

The Oranges details how much life can happen between Thanksgiving holidays until Christmas time. Based on the scenery, one expects a dramatic film dealing with the holiday season, much like Christmas in Connecticut or Miracle on 34th Street.

Unlike the warmth one felt from actors like Maureen O’Hara, Donna Reed and Edmund Gwen in the old days, the characters who inhabit The Oranges are hollow individuals. This is not to say that Laurie, Janney, Platt and Keener do not give good performances; it is that writers Ian Helfer and Jay Reiss wrote such shallow characters.

When the climatic scenes arrive, they feel flat and, at times, repetitious. It is only the comic timing between Keener, Platt, Janney and Laurie that force a few welltimed chuckles. That is too bad, because the ending actually has something important to say about family, friendship and the passage of time.