By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

It is one of the great ironies of the holiday season that the motion picture industry issues their Oscar consideration flicks with dark themes about the end of the world or mental illness. Happy Feet Two and Melancholia are no exception this holiday season.

Told in two parts, Melancholia opens with the story of “Justine” (Kirsten Dunst), a bride who is late for her elaborate wedding reception in a stately mansion. John (Keifer Sutherland) complains about the cost of the wedding, while Gaby (Charlotte Rampling) complains about everything. Justine is supported by her sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg – the daughter of the recently reviewed Gainsbourg – A Heroic Life).

Claire’s story dominates the second part of the story. As the wedding ends in a shambles, the planet Melancholia is on a collision course with planet Earth.  Given his knowledge of science, John poo poos the notion about the end of the world, Claire is neurotic, but Justine seems pacified by these events.

Given the serious drama, Melancholia moves at a snail’s pace, broken up by the humor generated by John Hurt and Rampling. Technically, Melancholia is an impressive art film with visual nods to French Impressionism. Dunst manifests her melancholia with a brave and naked performance.

While the subtext of Happy Feet Two deals with global warming, at least this animated sequel lacks the condescension of an Al Gore/Michael Moore documentary. In fact, it celebrates public problem-solving based on individual actions.

It has been at least five years since the events of the first Happy Feet.  Mumbles (Elijah Wood) and Gloria (Pink – replacing the late Brittany Murphy) are the parents to Erik (Ava Acres), a young penguin with learning disabilities.  Given his painful youthful experiences, Mumbles attempts to impart his wisdom upon his son, but the boy is too young to understand. Calamity happens and Mumbles must save his community yet again.

Don’t fear kiddies. Happy Feet Two never ventures into melancholia. The musical score is upbeat and families were dancing in their seats at the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery IMAX theater. Like the first Happy Feet, ticket buyers will leave the show with a hitch in their giddyup. At least this columnist is thankful that he did not have to review The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 this weekend! Happy Thanksgiving, dear reader.

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

The Artist claimed the “Best in the Fest” award at the 26th Annual Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival. A black-and-white silent movie with a grand musical score, this film was a labor of love for the participants involved, including Uggie the Jack Russell terrier.

In a recent telephone interview, Malcolm McDowell commented on his involvement – ”I met with the director about another part, which I could not do due to my commitment to Franklin & Bash. However, we managed to shoot my part in one day.”

McDowell’s one-day cameo became the focus of attention at the recent Cannes Film Festival.

“Cannes was celebrating the 40-year anniversary of A Clockwork Orange, but 25 percent of press conference questions were about The Artist. I am happy about how well-received The Artist has become,” he added.

Like The Artist’s celebration of a bygone era, FLIFF 26 has become cinema history. With the exception of two uppity celebrity handlers for the opening weekend festivities and the illness of Senator George McGovern, this fest fulfilled its unique promise of understanding the challenges for future filmmakers while acknowledging the debt of our founding filmmakers.

Despite volunteer staff shortages locally, the outreach programs in Pompano, Sunrise and the Bahamas proved to be a financial boost to local business. Muvico Pompano sold extra tickets during a traditional slow period at the box office.

Given Dennis Farina’s surprise appearance for the screening of the award-winning The Last Rites of Joe May at Muvico Pompano, expect more volunteer opportunities in North Broward County for FLIFF 27.

An Evening with Piper Laurie was one of the most talked about events of the fest. Foregoing the planned screening of The Grass Harp, Piper reflected upon her six decades in the movies and her experiences with stars like Ronald Reagan and Paul Newman, and playing Carrie’s harpy mother. Cinema Historian Foster Hirsch conducted Piper’s insightful interview.

The ocean conservation documentary Islands of Life, which earned a Spirit of Independence award, featured Sidney Poitier and his daughter Pamela. Pamela Poitier attended the screening 3:10 to Yuma starring Glenn Ford. Ford’s son, Peter, was in attendance to discuss his new book Glenn Ford: A Life. Ford and Poitier’s meeting acknowledged a piece of cinematic history. Both of their fathers starred in an important film – The Blackboard Jungle, released 61 years ago.

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

John Wayne portrayed Tom Doniphon, The Man who Shot Liberty Valance, although Ranse Stoddard (James Stewart) got the credit for eliminating the bad guy, portrayed by Lee Marvin. As your humble swashbuckling journalist and information scientist, I have always sought the Tom Doniphons lost in the shadows of history.

Often considered the stepping stone in the overhyped career of Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier is the Tom Doniphon of pugilistic history. The South Paw from Philadelphia was the heavyweight champion of the world from 1969-1973 and only lost to two men – twice – Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. After his heavyweight heyday, it was revealed that “Smokin’ Joe” was partially blind from cataracts when he was World Heavyweight Champion.

Overcoming handicaps is something Joe Frazier was trained to do at a very young age. Frazier’s father, Rubin, lost his left arm a year before Joe was born. Growing up in rural North Carolina, Frazier became his father’s “left hand man.” There is no irony that when Frazier knocked down Ali in Superfight I 40 years ago, he did it with a left hook. Given his perseverance growing up, it is appropriate that he has a cameo appearance in the original Rocky.

The search for Tom Doniphon is apparent in my book, The Adventures of Cinema Dave in the Florida Motion Picture World. In the final chapter, I wrote about the importance of letting go of the many artifacts in my apartment, which has been hard since they remind me of the people associated with them. While it would be “easy” to throw them out, I feel it would devalue the spirit of generosity in which I received them, so I have been donating them to nonprofits “From the Cave of Cinema Dave.”

While the “Cinema Dave Adventure Pack” raised $50 for the 26th Annual Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival, I wonder how much money will be raised at the Doreen Gauthier Lighthouse Point Library Semi Annual Fall Book Sale next Thursday, Nov. 19?

LHP Library has received eight boxes from my cave, with more on the way. Besides “special collection VHS” and movie related books, one will find text books, biographies and historical books that were used to supplement the curriculum for a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence circa 1996.

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

France has dominated the foreign motion picture world his year. The heralded release of The Artist opening the 26th Annual Fort Lauderdale Film Festival shows an emphasis on visual art, making films like these pure cinema protein.

While Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life is a biography, it is also influenced by the surrealistic motion pictures from the 1960s, most notably Blow Up and La Dolce Vita. (Given the egotistical nature of the title character, the protagonist may have thought that he invented those acclaimed motion pictures). Not for all tastes, but this film is visually arresting.

Born to Jewish parents in Nazi-occupied France, the precocious Serge Ginsberg fantasizes about the world around him through music and art. After changing his name to Serge Gainsbourg (Eric Elmosnino), the musician becomes an international pop sensation. Gainsbourg romances the sex symbols of the 1960s (Bridget Bardot, Jane Birkin) and releases controversial music that becomes disguised as elevator music. While physically he grows into an adult, emotionally Serge remains a man-child.

Although a bit long, this film is fascinating. The ensemble cast is European and actresses cast as Bardot and Birkin look like twins. Contortionist Doug (Pan’s Labyrinth) Jones mimes the part of Gainsbourg’s alter ego with dark and humorous results.

As we reach the center point of FLIFF 26, actor Dennis Farina takes center stage in The Last Rites of Joe May (www.
FLIFF.com for showtimes). Introduced to the American Public in the 1980s television series Crime Story, Farina has portrayed John Travolta’s arch rival in Get Shorty, Jennifer Lopez’s dad in Out of Sight and Robert DeNiro’s nemesis in Midnight Run.  In The Last Rites of Joe May, Farina is top-billed and portrays a composite character that sums up the actor’s previous two decades in the public eye.

Also in the fest is Troupers. In his book Born Standing Up, Steve Martin wrote about The Amazing Ballantine’s influence upon his comic persona. We lost Carl Ballantine two years ago, but his final words of wisdom can be heard in the documentary Troupers. Directed by his daughter Saratoga Ballantine, Troupers interviews 12 familiar faces from the acting profession, among the most recognizable: Kaye Ballard, Betty Garrett, Pat Carroll and Harold Gould. While the fame of Steve Martin may have eluded these individuals, these performers seemed to enjoy their work and lives.

Women of Entre Nous with creators of About Fifty on Chairman’s Cruise

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

Having portrayed Hunter S. Thompson in Terry Gilliam’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Johnny Depp now crosses the line from reality to fantasy with The Rum Diaries.

Written by Thompson in the 1950s, but not published until 1998 (to coincide with the release of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,), The Rum Diaries is a fictional adaptation of Thompson’s escapades as a journalist in the Caribbean. It’s probably closer to the truth than Terry Gilliam’s biopic.

Depp portrays journalist Paul Kemp, a writer in search of his voice. Lotterman (Richard Jenkins), the editor, hires Kemp to write horoscopes for the only newspaper in Puerto Rico. Chaperoned by Sala (Michael Rispoli), Kemp uncovers the white collar corruption of Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart), the lure of Sander-son’s skinny-dipping fiancée (Amber Heard) and the call of the wild.

Containing an aire of anti-capitalist propaganda, The Rum Diaries is a fun ensemble piece with a great soundtrack and beautiful scenery. In contrast, Margin Call retains some of the “anti-capitalist propaganda” themes, but sets the story in the urban jungle known as Wall Street.

Unlike Oliver Stone’s manic Wall Street movies, Margin Call contains a deliberate pace that explains how the stock market fell apart in the autumn of 2008.

The story begins with the firing of Eric Dale (Stanley Tucci), who gives a flash drive to his former trainee Peter Sullivan (Zachary Quinto).

While analyzing the data, Sullivan realizes that a financial time bomb has been lit. From this point forward, Sullivan follows the chain of command, beginning with his immediate supervisor (Kevin Spacey) and ending with the corporate editor (Jeremy Irons).

Margin Call is a good serious movie that may be far more appropriate than some of the Halloween releases this weekend.

The Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival (www.
fliff.com) begins their outreach to Muvico Pompano this weekend. Playing Saturday, About Fifty has received positive buzz from the press and FLIFF ticketbuyers.

Halloween weekend, FLIFF will feature a trio of unrelated horror movies, Vamperifca, Deadheads and Dr. Limp-tooth. While entertaining in their own right as contemporary B-Monster Movies, all three movies contain a sense of déjà vu.

Vamperifca will be remembered as a showcase for Martin Yurkovic, played with limp-wristed zeal. He is both funny and frightening. While Dr. Limptooth deals with flaccid vampire teeth, Deadheads has nothing to do with Jerry Garcia and everything to do with Zombies.

Cinema Dave’s “Adventure Pack” is raffled off for FLIFF.

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

Variety is the theme for this weekend’s movie openings, Sholem Aleichem is a spirited documentary about a Jewish writer who came to America and helped define his culture. A contemporary of Chekhov and Gogol, Aleichem was a major influence on Philip Roth and Woody Allen. Fiddler on the Roof is based upon his stories about Old Europe.

A French film with English subtitles, Mozart’s Sister is a tale for music historians. The older sister of the famed Wolfgang Amadeus, Maria Anna “Nannerl” Mozart (Marie Féret) lives in the musical shadow of her famed brother. A musical prodigy herself, Nannerl sheds gender conformity by making friends with the royal children of King Louis XV.

This weekend formally  kicks off the 26th Annual Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF), which moves the opening night gala at the Signature Grand to Saturday night. Besides Penelope Ann Miller, Senator George Mc-Govern and Dennis Haysbert, Beau Bridges has been added to this weekend’s festivities.

Bridges will be screening Don’t Fade Away on Sunday at Cinema Paradiso. It’s likely he will discuss “the family business;” his brother is Jeff Bridges, his father is the late Lloyd Bridges. The family Bridges filmed the classic television show Sea Hunt, which was partially shot in South Florida.

Beau played husband to Norma Rae, the film that garnered Sally Field her first Oscar. Jeff and Beau portrayed The Fabulous Baker Boys and attempted to woo Michelle Pfeiffer by tickling her ivories.

It is on television that Beau received his most critical praise, most notably earning the Emmy Award for portraying a historical figure in Without Warning – The James Brady Story. Not one to stay typecast in a genre, Beau had a recurring role in Stargate SG-1 and was the patriarch in Harts of the West, co-starring Harley Jane Kozak.

With the expansion into the Bahamas, Sunrise and Pompano, the emphasis for FLIFF26 is community outreach, which is why I have donated a hardcover edition of my book, The Adventures of Cinema Dave in the Florida Motion Picture World to the gala’s silent auction.

Along with the 665-page volume, I have donated various cinema artifacts from my “cave,” all encased in an old-fashioned suitcase that used to transport a ventriloquist’s dummy. For film and party listings, celebrity sightings and information about “The Cinema Dave Adventure Pack,” contact FLIFF staff at 954-525-FILM.

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

Located on the Florida Atlantic University campus on 777 Glades Rd. in Boca Raton, Living Room Theater celebrates their one-year university next month. Given these rough economic times, The Living Room has managed to negotiate a unique partnership between the bureaucracy of education and the demands of private industry. It has triumphed by supplying culturally-diverse motion pictures to our community.

Based on the Best-selling memoir Retter in der nacht, by Marga Spiegel,  Saviors in the Night is a film that will find an audience within our community.  Directed by Ludi Boeken, Saviors in the Night is a 100-minute film about German farmers who hid Jews targeted for extinction by Adolph Hitler from 1943 thru 1945.

It opens in the trenches of World War I, in which young Jewish soldier Menne Spiegel earns the German Cross of Iron for his heroics in the trenches of battle. The film flash forwards and Menne is hunted by the German government that honored him 25 years prio.

Now with a wife Marga (Veronica Ferres) and child, Menne (Armin Rohde) has knowledge of family members being sent to concentration camps. For safety’s sake, the mother and child split from the father. After making a simple request for sanctuary, Menne leaves his wife and child with Herr Aschoff (Martin Horn), a German patriot whose son is fighting for the Nazis.

Up to this point, Saviors in the Night is a gritty war film with echoes of Schindler’s List, The Pianist and The Diary of Anne Frank. Yet it provides a different perspective of German individuals who are not Nazis.  Despite their political leanings, the Aschoff family has the humanity treat Menne’s family with dignity and respect. While the Nazi threat never dissipates, Saviors in the Night celebrates the domestic joys that enrich our lives.

One particular scene stands out for its cultural symbolism. As Frau Aschoff bathes in a bathtub, she invites Marga to join her. While modern audiences might interpret it as lesbianism, the scene represents the subtle baptism of two women washing away the ghosts of the cultural past.

This film is a triumph of individual actions over entrenched ideology. Given political current events and news, boy, do we need more stories about Aschoff, Pentrop, Sudfield, Silkenbohmer and Sickmann families to remind us how to be Saviors in our community.

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

In its second week of release, Dolphin Tale has not enjoyed the critical acclaim of 50/50 and Moneyball. However, this film will be remembered as an influential motion picture for young people with disabilities.

At a recent Saturday matinee screening, young people in wheelchairs cried, cheered and applauded this motion picture shot in Clearwater, Florida.

As the opening credits roll, we witness Winter (the marine mammal portrays herself) gallivanting in her element, under the sea in the Gulf Coast. When Winter becomes entangled in a crab trap and is beached, Sawyer (Nathan Gamble) contacts Dr. Clay’s (Harry Connick Jr.) Animal Hospital. The patient survives, but with the loss of her flipper.

Nonetheless, the animal rescue is a turning point for Sawyer, who is a shy student failing summer school. After much consternation from his mother (Ashley Judd), Sawyer finds his niche in the  marine world. When his wounded warrior cousin returns from the battlefield, Sawyer makes friends with Dr. Cameron McCarthy (Morgan Freeman), a man who specializes in making prosthetic limbs.  Together, Sawyer, Dr. Clay and Dr. Cameron pool their individual talents and create a special flipper for Winter.

Much like his previous motion pictures Air Bud and Stone of Destiny, Director Charlie Martin Smith creates personal movies about big subjects. While this movie bows to the concession of 3-D entertainment, Dolphin Tale provides a life-affirming story about growth, maturity and community. With Martin-Smith’s sure hand, Dolphin Tale is a rollercoaster ride from the height of comedy to the depth of tragedy.

While Connick Jr., Judd and Freeman provide strong ensemble support, this film’s success falls on the shoulders of Gamble as Sawyer.

For the first 15 minutes of the movie, Sawyer is a mumbling mess. When he finds acceptance from his single mother and Dr. Clay’s marine community, Gamble makes the transition believable.

Urban elitist critics have noted the mounting clichés in this motion picture – shy kid, injured animal, foreclosures, grumpy teachers; yet, there was no denying the tears of joy from the ticket-buying audience. The fact that Dolphin Tale was top at the box office last weekend, reveals that movie consumers are hungry for such a life-affirming motion picture.

Dolphin Tale is a gentle movie that approaches harsh subjects. As one little girl (perhaps 5 years old) whispered to her momma, “This is a good movie.”

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

At the poster unveiling at the Hilton Hotel last Thursday, Sept. 22, Festival Director Gregory Von Hausch announced the expansion of the 26th Annual Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival (Oct. 21-Nov. 11). While Cinema Paradiso will act as the main hub, venues are expanding as far west as Sunrise and as far north as Muvico Pompano on Federal Highway. Info: www.fliff.com

Among the films premiering at the Muvico Pompano is the documentary about cowboys, Florida Cracker, and a WWII documentary titled Lost Airmen of Buchenwald. About 50 is a comedy about middle age. Newlyweds is a project from FLIFF25 honoree Ed Burns. The Last Rights of Joe May features Dennis Farina in a performance generating Oscar buzz.

Dennis Farina, Penelope Ann Miller, Piper Laurie, Senator George McGovern, Dennis Haysbert and son of acting legend Glenn Ford, Peter Ford, will be at this year’s festival. Ford has recently compiled his father’s biography, Glenn Ford: A Life and will attend a retrospective at Cinema Paradiso on Nov. 10. Besides selling and autographing his book, Ford will answer questions about his family (his mom is Eleanor Powell) after the screening of original 3:10 to Yuma, starring Glenn Ford in the Russell Crowe role.    FLIFF remains a vacation from ordinary film and a
celebration of our unique Florida culture. On Tuesday, Oct. 25, FLIFF will present The Legend of Ivan Tors, a documentary about the producer of such iconic Florida animal shows as Gentle Ben and Flipper. Sponsored by Carrabba’s Grill, this evening will feature a baked dinner alfresco in the courtyard. A regular sponsor of FLIFF, Carrabba’s also sponsors a monthly opera series at Cinema Paradiso featuring the works of Verdi and Puccini.

Released last week, Alice Cooper’s Welcome 2 My Nightmare should be considered a modern day Rock Opera. A sequel to the similarly-titled album rock classic from 1975,W2MN features Alice’s modern nightmare involving inferno, hip hop music, elevator music and auto tuners. For the most part, the W2MN music is fun, energetic and humorous with songs titled Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever and Ghouls Gone Wild. However, there are some tear jerking ballads (I Am Made of You, Something To Remember Me By) and two operatic moments worthy of the opera Don Giovanni. With the Miami Dolphins going zero and three this season, W2MN provides a comforting solace.

Barry S. Anderson will be at Spooky Empire. Will you?

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

Last Monday night at Bru’s Room, the Deerfield Beach Reunion Committee adjourned for 10 years, making plans for the 40-year class reunion in 2021.

Many of us felt we had arrived at a domestic crossroads; one individual is buying her first house, some were dealing with their children graduating high school and  some are dealing with being the guardian to aging parents.

Opening tomorrow in limited release, My Afternoons with Margueritte is a beautiful and poetic French film about many characters at their crossroads. Gérard Depardieu portrays Germain, the town handyman who feels short-changed by life. His true solace is spent on the park bench with Margueritte (Gisele Casadesus), a 92-year-old bibliophile. Beyond talking about life, liberty and romance, the couple take pleasure in naming pigeons.

Told with flashbacks, Ger-main recounts having a verbally abusive mother. Margueritte becomes Ger-main’s mentor. Conflict ensues and Germain must set things right. Since the drama is not forced and the acting is subtle, this film becomes a pleasant cinematic choice.

For those seeking, instead, experiences of horror and terror, Spooky Empire’s Ultimate Weekend of Horrors will commence the second weekend in October. (www.spookyempire.com). The guest list now includes Malcolm McDowell, horror author Clive Barker and Barry S. Anderson, renaissance artist. Like Bill Hinzman, Anderson holds perfect attendance with Spooky Empire.

A “monster kid” from upstate New York, Anderson came to South Florida during Spring Break, got a regular job in Miami Vice and stayed here. He later joined Tom Savini’s special effects and makeup team on the set of George Romero’s Day of the Dead (1985).

He said, “This was a dream come true for a ‘monster kid,’ who grew up during the 60s and 70s watching Chiller Theatre every Friday and Saturday night while eating Jiffy Pop Popcorn!”

Besides a 17-year stint with Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum, Anderson has contributed to the motion picture industry in a variety of films, from Hairspray to his recent independent feature shot in Orlando, Astro Zombies M4 Invaders from Cyber Space, which features a cameo appearance from his wife of 22 years, Chickie, and 9-year-old son, Miles.

Recently, he showed Miles the original Boris Karloff Frankenstein movies.  At first fearful of the monster, Miles later told his father, “The monster wasn’t bad, he was just looking for a friend.”