By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

The 18th Annual (PBIFF) wraps up this evening with a screening of Chez Upshaw, a comedy about a bed & breakfast that becomes the home for assisted suicides.

Director Bruce Mason and character actress Ileana Douglas are expected to attend with a wrap party at the Frank CineBowl and Grille in Delray.

Unlike the previous nine festivals, which provided postcard-perfect weather, PBIFF 18 was fraught with traffic jams and tornado warnings.

Yet one must acknowledge the tenacity of Executive Director Randi Emerman and her loyal sidekick Laurie Wein. When the opening night rooftop party was cancelled due to tornado warnings, the party moved indoors. Ticket buyers were entertained by the movie Decoding Annie Parker and music by the Sheffield Brothers Band.

There is no doubt the PBIFF team found inspiration from the Comedy Warriors. This 90-minute documentary lived up to the hype. Director John Wager confidently manages the emotional minefield between tragedy and comedy.

This film also provides a fine tutorial on how to construct a joke for comedy at the Improv. Expect to hear more about this documentary.

Still Mine held a screening during PBIFF. Starring James Cromwell and Genevieve Bujold, this drama about self-determination is scheduled for wide release in May.

In other movie news, On the Road opened last weekend. Based on Jack Kerouac’s cult novel, this film explores the end of the beatnik generation and the beginning of the hippie era. While much of the hype has centered around Kristen Stewart’s nudity, this is an ensemble piece featuring quirky performances from Steve Buscemi, Garrett Hedlund, Kirsten Dunst, Viggo Mortensen and Amy Adams. On the Road will not please every ticket buyer, but neither did Kerouac’s novel of the same name. When PBIFF ends, the summer blockbuster season begins to heat up. The Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery IMAX Theater is presenting a reminder about how much fun a Summer blockbuster can be with a limited engagement of Jurassic Park 3-D. The last screening will be next Thursday. Visit the website – www.mods.org/IMAX/ index.html

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

It has been 10 years since the Boca Raton Resort & Club hosted the 8th Annual (PBIFF).

It was a historical night for the motion picture industry, which featured silent screen legend Fay Wray, recent Oscar winner Adrien Brody, Supermodel Carol Alt, venerable actor/producer Robert Evans, Director Brett Ratner and the King of Pop Michael Jackson-all in the same room. Each year, PBIFF adds to this legacy.

This Thursday, PBIFF 18 begins its future history. Decoding Annie Parker is the opening film this festival. Based on the true story of breast cancer survivor Annie Parker, this film stars Helen Hunt, Marley Shelton and Samantha Morton in the title role. The “real” Annie Parker is scheduled to attend opening night festivities.

Comedy Warriors: Healing through Humor is a documentary that makes its debut tomorrow at 2 p.m. at Frank Theaters CineBowl and Grille at Delray Marketplace, 9025 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach (at the corner of Lyons Road and W. Atlantic Ave.

Comedy Warriors features five severely injured military veterans who undergo therapy of the soul and mind. Under the tutelage of comedians Lewis Black, Zach Galifianakis, B.J. Novak and Bob Saget, the comedy warriors perform in Los Angeles comedy clubs. Can these handicapped individuals succeed? Given that these are veterans with a sense of humor, nothing is impossible.

The most hyped documentary of PBIFF 18 has been Meditation, Creativity and Peace. Director David Lynch conducts a 16-country tour to college students to talk about his favorite subjects-films, meditation and world peace. It is produced by Palm Beach local Joanna Plafsky, who also has another film in the festival, My Reincarnation.

The best thing about a local festival is the international opportunity it provides. Lost for Words is an indie that features Will Yun Lee from Hawaii Five-0/The Wolverine fame.

The Shift presents a generational divide between two healthcare workers. Danny Glover has a role in this film.

These are just a few of the gems! For more information, visit www.pbifilmfest.org.

Happy festival!

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

The 17th Palm Beach International Film Festival (PBIFF) wraps up tonight in Palm Beach Gardens.

Most of the films, especially the documentaries, proved to be serious fare. After viewing Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story and Free China: The Courage to Believe, one leaves the theater feeling annoyed by trivial topics like parking meters, bad customer service and chasing the brass ring of social circles.

Besides attending the world premier screening of Zombie Hamlet, Actress June Lockhart accepted her lifetime achievement award at the beautiful Lake Pavilion on the Waterfront in West Palm Beach. In her 15-minute acceptance speech, Lockhart talked about citizenship. She is actively involved in Los Angeles charities like International Hearing Dog and helps raise funds for Santa Monica Police Department Mounted Patrol and Big Band of Barristers. Though she was the fictional matriarch in Lost in Space, in reality, Lockhart has been an advocate for the N.A.S.A space program.

When asked about the future of N.A.S.A, June answered, “There is a great necessity for private companies to get involved. They have always been involved. There is so much science that comes out of research and it pays dividends.”

Being third generation thespian, Lockhart is very grounded in her approach to show business.

She said, “It is not a matter of survival, regarding work. Dad (Gene Lockhart) told me to audition for its own sake, meet the people, but don’t sweat an audition. Therefore, there is not pressure to get the job. It is only a means to an end.”

There is life after PBIFF.

Tomorrow night, at the Movies of Delray (7421 W. Atlantic Ave.), producer Zack Norman will attend the 7 p.m. screening of his ensemble comedy, Overnight, which will also be playing at the Muvico Pompano (2315 N. Federal Hwy).

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

In the past five years, The Avengers has easily become the most hyped comic book movie since the end credits of Iron Man. At the 2008 Palm Beach International Film Festival (PBIFF), Iron Man’s costar Sayed Badreya walked the red carpet promoting his short subject Prisoners.

(This weekend, Badreya will be seen as an orderly in The Three Stooges).

Standing by my side on the red carpet was a Deerfield Beach High School student and photographer, Jeremy Emmerman. Look for Jeremy’s name at the end credits of The Avengers; he was one of the photographers.

Jeremy’s story is just one example of how PBIFF impacts our community on a local level. Two years ago, the festival was rumored to be going extinct, but last year’s fest revealed its resiliency; it has outlasted two competing festivals. This year, the staff, board and volunteers took additional steps to be more inclusive with the community.

The fact that PBIFF returns to Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center is a major bonus to our local community.

Formerly the Cartoon Museum, the screening room on the second floor will feature two fine documentaries about Jewish culture and Israel on Sunday afternoon – Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story and Violins in Wartime.

Set against the backdrop of the second Lebanon war of 2006, Violins in Wartime features master violinists teaching a music class to young prodigies who have gathered in Israel. Through the horrors of war, music provides solace for dark times.

This 50-minute documentary provides the intimate carpentry of Amnon Weinstein the Violin maker, the film’s central character. Master Soloist Ida Haendel, one of the master soloists in the film, will be at the 4 p.m. screening.

For those who feel like venturing to Palm Beach Gardens or Lake Worth venues, visit http://pbiff.festival genius.com/2012/schedule/ week for more details about screenings and events.

Who knows? One might see a local celebrity … like the return of Eric the Doorman this year!

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

Exciting news for locals – The 17th Annual Palm Beach International Film Festival (PBIFF) will have many events right here in Boca Raton at the Mizner Cultural Arts Centre.

Highlights of the festival include June Lockhart, an actress since the 1930s, receiving a Lifetime Achievement award in West Palm Beach.

In 1938, Lockhart made her screen debut in A Christmas Carol, playing one of the Cratchit children. Her real parents, Gene and Kathleen Lockhart, played Mr. and Mrs. Cratchit.

In the 1950s, she was Lassie’s mommy and, in the 1960s, she was the matriarch in “Lost in Space.”

In the 1970s, she smashed sexual stereotypes by portraying a medical doctor on Petticoat Junction. Still active on the independent film circuit, she will be screening her latest film at PBIFF, Zombie Hamlet, which co-stars Shelley (Cheers) Long.

Speaking of Hamlet, Alex Hyde-White directs and stars in Three Days (of Hamlet), a documentary about a stage production of Hamlet. In three days, he confronts actors and the ghost of his own father, British Character actor Wilfrid Hyde-White.

This year, PBIFF will present some good documentaries. Be on the lookout for the following films:

• 7 Years Underground: A 60s Tale, which pre-dates Woodstock, is a documentary about Café Au Go Go and features unseen footage of stars like Lenny Bruce and Cass Elliot as a waitress in Greenwich Village.

• In Cartoon College, young people go to cartoon college in New Hampshire to become the next Walt Disney or Robert Crumb. This documentary features endearing students, some with learning disabilities, and caring teachers who love their craft.

• Los Dioses De Verdad Tienen Huesos (True Gods Have Bones) shows young doctors trying to move people from Guinea Bissau, an impoverished environment, to Europe, only to have their mercy mission bogged down by bureaucratic red tape.

• The Lost Bird Project features the wood sculptures of birds that have become extinct, created by Todd McGrain. These sculptures can be found all over the United States, including one statue in Florida.

• Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story (from Israel) is a documentary about the older brother of the Israel Prime Minister. As the squad leader, Yoni contributed to the raid on Entebbe, circa 1976.

• Totem & Taboo (from Canada) makes its world premier.

• eMANNzipation is a German dark comedy about domestic abuse against men.

Schedule: http://pbiff. festivalgenius.com/2012/schedule/week.

Enjoy your seder or have a Happy Easter!