By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.Com

One of my favorite memories from last year’s Ft. International Film (FLIFF) Festival was the screening of One Chance, which made The Observer’s Top 10 List for one of the best films of 2013.

As the lovable lunk who aspires to sing like Luciano Pavarotti, James Corden proved his chops and revealed potential.

Starting in January 2015, Corden will now replace Craig Ferguson on The Late Late Show on CBS. Also FLIFF’s 2013 honoree, Lea Thompson, will be on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. Perhaps, this is a reminder that now is the time to gear up for this annual fall event.

FLIFF has been known as the world’s longest film festival, lasting from mid October until Veteran’s Day, but, this year, FLIFF will open its red carpet on November 7 and wrap up the weekend before Thanksgiving. With an opening night, centerpiece and festival finalé, FLIFF promises three weekends of unique cultural activities.

Before November, Cinema Paradiso, (FLIFF Headquarters) will be showcasing some major theme parties. Next week, Sept. 19, Cinema Paradiso-Hollywood will be hosting the 20-Year Anniversary screening of Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. Often imitated, but never duplicated, Pulp Fiction created iconic roles for John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis, who breaks his deal with the devil.

Cinema Paradiso encourages ticket buyers to come dressed in mobster attire or as a favorite Pulp Fiction character for a costume contest. There will also be door prizes and a display of paintings inspired by the movie. Perhaps even a Chuck Berry dance contest?

Last but not least, Cinema Paradiso will be converted into “Cinema Inferno” when Fright Asylum (www. frightasylum.com) moves in this Halloween night. Chief inmates Woody Meckes & Manny Cologne will be hosting the 40th Anniversary screening of The Last Man on Earth, starring FLIFF Lifetime Award honoree, the late Vincent Price.

This evening will also include a costume contest, with one of the prizes being a copy of my latest book, The Querulous Nights of Athena Minerva. Expect a night of thrills, chills and multiple belly laughs.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

On the surface, The 28th Annual Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival was a success. Honored actors Lea Thompson, John Shea, Finola Hughes and Tab Hunter were class acts; they showed up on time and were gracious with their fans. Legendary actor Ed Asner and band leader Pauly Cohen revealed that their star power has not faded. When Free Ride star Anna Paquin was forced to cancel, her husband (and True Blood co-star) Stephen Moyer, executive producer of the film, substituted and he was fanfriendly.

With screenings of Life is Beautiful, Black Swan and The Artist, FLIFF has a history of presenting future Oscar winners through the years. This year, the fest screened the inspirational biography One Chance, Bruce Dern’s performance was honored for his work on Nebraska, while Meryl Streep will likely continue her Oscar streak for her performance in August: Osage County.

The evening with Tab Hunter was particularly memorable. Brooklyn College film professor Foster Hirsch conducted an onstage interview with Hunter that covered his career. In the business since age 19, Hunter has reinvented himself for many generations. He was teen idol with a hit record that rivaled Elvis Presley, and a co-star to iconic leading men like Gary Cooper and John Wayne. Since coming out of the closet, Hunter has earned a new fan base with his autobiography Tab Hunter Confidential. As he exited the Cinema Paradiso spotlight, he received a standing ovation from the audience.

FLIFF acknowledged South Florida history with They Came from the Swamp, a documentary about William Grefe’s movies produced from the ‘60s to the ‘80s. With titles like Death Curse of Tartu, Sting of Death and Mako: Jaws of Death, these independent films were created on a shoestring budget with a loyal crew. Grefe’s knowledge of South Florida swamps led to consultant work on James Bond productions, most notably Sir Roger Moore’s first outing, Live and Let Die.

The Last Hit was named Best Florida Feature. Written by Lou Pappas (who is also the leading man), The Last Hit is a modern gangster/noir film about a hit man with a conscience. Filmed in our neighborhood, this film features FLIFF photographer Irwin Levenstein as an ornery gangster.

The final screening of Krissy Belle, another locallymade film directed by Alyn Darnay and starring writer Carole Wood, was held in the new Cinema Paradiso – Hollywood. This Art House Theater is so new that the paint is still drying on the wall. Located on Hollywood Boulevard, Cinema Paradiso – Hollywood is a great cultural addition to South Florida and is worth an excursion to the south county.

Behind the scenes, FLIFF suffered. One week before the gala, office manager Jane Moguillansky passed away. A lovable presence at Cinema Paradiso, Moguillansky had a keen eye for detail. Her loss reverberated throughout the festival.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

It is amazing to me that a culture like the film industry consistently makes films that are anti-Capitalist.

Based on a French novel by Stéphane Osmont, Capital is a film directed by Costa Gavras, an international director best known for left of center films like Missing, Z and State of Siege. Capital is multilingual with English subtitles.

The film opens on a golf course in which a bank CEO dies. Marc Tourneuil (Gad Elmaleh) becomes the heir apparent and flies to Ft. Lauderdale for a business deal. Upon returning, Marc is given the task of firing his employees to receive a substantial bonus. Tourneuil is your typical Woodstock hero — infidelity and stealing from the rich are morally correct, paying for your sins is considered stupid.

The Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival continues with some interesting screenings this weekend.

The Pin is a minimalist motion picture that takes place in two separate time periods set in either the countryside or the morgue. A Canadian motion picture in Yiddish with English subtitles, The Pin is a tale about a Shomer, a religious watchman who is responsible for guarding the recently deceased. As fate would have it, this Shomer is reunited with the corpse of this long, lost love. The film flashes back to more innocent times when they were refugees hiding in an abandoned farmhouse.

With a literate title, themes about cultural differences and shot composition worthy of a Guggenheim Art Museum, Chasing Shakespeare is your typical “festival” entry. Set in the west, it features a talented Native American who wants to perform Shakespearian monologues in a society that thinks that only pretty white girls should be allowed to perform. Graham Greene and Danny Glover are given strong supporting roles.

While not screened at press time, Alyn Darnay’s Krissy Belle makes its festival debut this weekend. A recently divorced Southern belle relocates to Latin real estate in Miami. Krissy Belle is played by Carole Wood.

More film noir than Halloween, The Insomniac traces the rise and fall of John Figg (Eddy Salazar), a victim of theft. The thief confiscated many of Figg’s personal items, and the protagonist starts an all-night vigil in an effort to catch the thief.

Happy Halloween!

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

For three weeks, Gravity has been an anomaly during a typically slow time at the box office. This film should definitely be seen on the big screen to appreciate the nuances that director Alfonso Cuaron has incorporated into this film. Cuaron takes his time to open his movie; the pace is deliberately slow and all the action occurs within the frame of the shot. There is NO attention deficit disorder editing. When the action breaks loose, the audience is taken for the ride along with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. Not since Space Station 3-D has a motion picture been created that makes one feel like they are in space.

The story of Gravity is very simple — an accident occurs and astronauts are stranded into space. The trailer may lead one to believe that Bullock and Clooney merely float around in space for 1 hour and 39 minutes; however, there is a variety of scenery and situations to keep one involved in the characters’ fates. With themes of survival, regret and loneliness, Gravity is one of the best movies of 2013. See it on the big screen in 3-D to appreciate the wonder.

Sandra Bullock is the voice of Golda Meir in the documentary The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers, which is given its world premier this weekend at the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival. Part of a historical series of documentaries by Academy Award-winner Richard Trank, The Prime Ministers reveals details of the “Six-Day” and “Yom Kippur” wars. This film also examines the strategic relationship between Israel and the United States.

Best known for playing in the soap opera General Hospital and as the “bad girl” in Staying Alive, Finola Hughes is in town for The Bet, sponsored by FLIFF anchors Janet Leavy Schwartz & Irwin Levenstein. Hughes steps behind the lens to direct her first featured film.

The Bet is a family comedy that looks at dating relationships from three generations: teen years, middle age and senior romance. Grandpa is concerned about his grandson’s slow romantic development, so he engages the young lad in a bet — who will be the first to seduce a lady?

On Tuesday Oct. 29, Tab Hunter will attend a screening of John Walters’ trash classic, Polyester. The festival director has gone to great expense to obtain “Odorama Cards” to enhance (or destroy) the cinematic experience. If he survives this screening, Hunter will be interviewed by scholar Foster Hirsch. Hunter is scheduled to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.

With Halloween approaching, House Across the Street and the William Grefe documentary They Came from the Swamp will be two FLIFF entries.

Halloween season would not be complete without a visit to Fright Asylum (www.frightasylum.com). Episode 215 features Woody & Manny with a “special house guest” who does not want to leave the Asylum.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Since the terrorist attacks 12 years ago, I’ve made a point of doing something constructive every Sept. 11. Whether over-tipping at a bar or donating my Thespian services to a film production (by director Jose Prendes). This year, though a Kickstarter campaign, I will be involved in an independent film titled Reach Me, written and directed by John Herzfeld. This is an uplifting story about a “self-help” book (titled Reach Me) that inspires people. This ensemble cast features Sylvester Stallone, Kyra Sedgwick, Kelsey Grammer, Thomas Jane and Tom Sizemore. Sizemore received the Lifetime Achievement Award last May, from the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival.

Next month, the 28th Annual Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) kicks off Oct. 18- Nov.11. For the third year in a row, Muvico Pompano will be included in the mix. Actress Lea Thompson (Back to the Future, Howard the Duck, Some Kind of Wonderful) is scheduled to attend an Oct. 20 screening to promote her latest movie The Trouble with Truth.

FLIFF is making an attempt to balance independent artistic inspirations with mainstream entertainment values, best represented with Anna Paquin’s appearance. Currently on the vampire television show True Blood,

Paquin earned a Best Supporting Oscar for The Piano, starring Holly Hunter. She is also best known for her role as Rogue in the X-Men movies, including next year’s future blockbuster – X-Men Days of Future Past. Paquin, along with director Shana Betz, will be opening the fest with Free Ride.

Paquin portrays a single mother who is immersed in the South Florida drug trades. After the screening at Cinema Paradiso on Friday night, Oct. 18, there will be an opening night party at Villa di Palma hosted by philanthropist Steve Savor.

Legendary actors Tab Hunter, Ed Asner, Ann-Margaret and writer of Boys Don’t Cry, Aphrodite Jones, are expected to be honored this year. Tickets are selling at a faster pace this year. Get your tickets soon. For more information, contact the box office at 954-525-FILM (3456) or visit www.fliff .com.

Mademoiselle C, a documentary about Carine Roitfeld, the operations manager for French Vogue, opens tomorrow [just as Fashion Week ends in NYC]. This film looks at Roitfeld’s transition from the magazine medium to starting her own business involving QR Codes.

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

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.