Tampa Film Fan

gasparilla international film festival's global lens film screening september 9

2010-09-08T07:33:00.001-04:00

The Gasparilla Film Festival is hosting a Global Lens film series screening on September 9:

GIFF presents the sixth 2010 Global Lens film at the Tampa Museum of Art

Ocean of an Old Man, a film from India

September 9 at 7 p.m.

Tampa Museum of Art, 120 W. Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa, FL 33602

Come see a film, stroll through the museum, and enjoy food and wine at the cafe--another magnificent metropolitan experience.

$8 - general admission
$5 - students/seniors and Tampa Museum of Art members
GIFF members free!

Ocean Of An Old Man
A film by Rajesh Shera

Hindi, with subtitles in English
India, 2008 (84 minutes)

Synopsis: In the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and amid the stunning natural beauty of India's Andaman and Nicobar islands, an elderly British teacher struggles to run a small primary school despite the loss of many of the islands' children to the recent tragedy. Ignoring the overwhelming grief that washes over the islands, he continues to teach his few remaining students until a government official delivers a relocation order to all residents, causing him to embark on a heartbreaking search for his missing students, convinced they must still be alive. Blending exquisite vistas with the ubiquitous sound of the ocean to convey the precarious balance between human life and the inexorable forces of nature, Rajesh Shera's debut feature quietly unfolds as a delicate meditation on grief and loss.

About the Director: Rajesh Shera was born in Rajasthan, India. He has a master's degree in economics from Dehli University, and in 2005 he received a diploma in Film and Television, with a specialization in editing, from the Film and Television Institute of India. He has also edited and directed several short films. Ocean of an Old Man is his first feature.

The GIFF's Global Lens series schedule is available online.

news and notes:local film updates

2010-09-07T07:54:00.000-04:00

Lots of things happening on the local film front:

*Film Ranch's film Brainjacked is finally out on DVD. Head over to www.getbrainjacked.com to learn more.

*Prime of Your Life has been accepted into the LA Femme International Film Festival.

*The trailer for Apocalypse Boyz is now available online. Apocalypse Boyz will premiere October 2 at noon at the Tampa Pitcher Show.

freak show film festival in orlando october 8-10

2010-09-07T07:13:00.000-04:00

I just made my hotel reservation for the Spooky Empire Ultimate Horror Weekend and Freak Show Film Festival in Orlando October 8--10. I can't wait! Last year was such a blast.

art institute of tampa's student film showcase on september 10

2010-09-06T18:34:00.005-04:00

This is where I'll be Friday night:

2010 Art Institute of Tampa Student Film Showcase

Friday, September 10
7-10 p.m.
Free and open to the public

The Art Institute of Tampa
4401 N. Himes Ave. Ste. 150

This year's collection of work is more advanced than the previous showcase and features a diverse selection of films, including a medieval action period piece, a documentary portrait of an Alzheimer’s patient, and a short shot on location in India. The Sunscreen Film Festival returns as a sponsor to give the Official Selection Award. The Official Selection Award guarantees the winner a slot in the 2011 Sunscreen Festival’s juried Fresh Florida Filmmaker lineup. St. Pete Times film critic Steve Persall will be giving out a Critics’ Choice award. The event is free to all, and will be catered by the Art Institute’s culinary department.

“Film is not only a collaboration of skills, but also ideas. Anytime you share your work with others, it should be embraced as an opportunity to learn, exchange ideas, network, and most importantly challenge yourself to grow as a filmmaker,” -- Tyler Martinolich, Sunscreen Film Festival Programing Director.

For more info, visit www.aitamparoughcut.blogspot.com.

my own jane austen book (and movie) club

2010-09-05T19:52:00.002-04:00

My mom is obsessed with Jane Austen these days. Well, really just Pride and Prejudice. And only on DVD (so far). After successfully mastering the art of how to insert a DVD into her new Christmas-gift DVD player, my technology-adverse mother has been exploring the wonderful world of DVD special features. Or "that extra stuff that's not the movie," as she says.

Almost every day my mom watches the Kiera Knightly version of Pride and Prejudice, and about every other day she watches the BBC Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth. I suggested to her recently that she and I read all six Austen novels and watch as many of the Austen film adaptations we could find. She loved the idea.

I picked up a Sense and Sensibility book/DVD (the Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet version) combo for ten bucks at MovieStop last week and mailed it to her, so we're going to start with that one. So, after all these years of watching Austen film adaptations and reading about Austen, I am finally, at 40 years of age, going to read my first Jane Austen novel. I'm excited!

nomadic tendencies film festival in st. pete through september 12

2010-09-04T11:03:00.003-04:00

I'm trying to catch up on the local film festival news and -- lo and behold -- there's a film fest going on right now. The Nomadic Tendencies Film Festival is in St. Pete now through September 12. The fest will screen "over 140 independent films from new and emerging filmmakers from around the world ... 34 features, 107 shorts, 12 documentaries and 10 animated films." Venues include Muvico Baywalk 20, Beach Theatre and the Dali Museum. Get all the details at www.nomadic-tendencies.com.

clearwater film festival announces film boutique

2010-09-03T21:28:00.006-04:00

Received via email:

Clearwater Film Festival Announces Film Boutique

In their quest for excellence in creating the newest film festival on the planet, festival organizers at the Clearwater Film Festival have decided to take one step further than most inaugural exhibitions. The film boutique is the beginning of what they intend to become a film market, promising participants an opportunity to promote their films.

The Southeast U.S. does not currently have such an outlet for filmmakers and distributors. If you can’t make it to Colorado, California, Canada or Cannes, the TCFF Film Boutique may be the right place for you to market your current title or slate of films to the general public. In the future, the festival’s goal is to develop the film boutique into a full-fledged film market and trade show.

As attendees enter and exit the Largo Cultural Center, they will be invited to tour the "Film Boutique," where they may learn more about participants and their film and have the opportunity to purchase a copy. This will be set up as a mini-convention hall and take place Thursday, September 30, -- Saturday, October 2, during the festival from noon--6 p.m. The cost for all three days is $200 for a single film promotion or $350 for producers and distributors with multiple titles. This is a flat rate whether the space is used all three days or not.

There are 20 10" x 10" space spots available. To reserve your spot, submit the application form and pay for your space at www.theclearwaterfilmfestival.com/english/boutique.html, or to make arrangements for a more dominant presence, call us at 727-599-5137.

The festival is doing everything possible to encourage the participation of film distributors in our first year and feel this may be a step in the right direction. We have accepted dozens of films from around the world this year, many with filmmakers in tow. Whether you are screening at this year’s event or not, The Film Boutique is your opportunity to gain visibility.
For more info, visit www.theclearwaterfilmfestival.com or contact Executive Director Mike Rembis at 727-599-5137 or by email at mikerembis[at]yahoo.com.

(h/t The Governor's Office of Film and Entertainment)

2010 independents' film fest announces selections

2010-09-03T16:10:00.004-04:00

The Independents' Film Festival has announced its selections for 2010. I've seen No Limit Kids, One Last Stand, Pics, Spaventare, The Complete History of the World (In Seven Minutes Or Less), The Lesson, and Works In Progress so far and there were several film titles and director names on the list that I recognized. (Yay!) Plus plenty of new (to me) films and filmmakers to discover. (Double yay!!)

The 2010 Independents' Film Festival is November 4, 5 and 6.

35 mm -- 35 films in 2 minutes

2010-07-26T18:07:00.000-04:00

Mental Floss calls 35MM "a creative and perplexing animated ramble through 35 famous movies in 2 minutes." I couldn't have said it better myself (and knew better than to even try).

Watch it and see how many of the 35 films you can name. The first time around I only came up with 8 film titles, with 3 or 4 more swirling around in my head, as yet unnamed.

35mm from Felix Meyer on Vimeo.

action film festival on july 31

2010-07-26T08:10:00.001-04:00

During the recent Action Film Challenge, participating teams had a month to make an action film of any genre incorporating the "assigned creative elements" of unique visual scene (must show hero in a scene with an American flag), unique spoken line of dialogue("I won't compromise my integrity, for you or anyone!"), and unique character (pizza delivery guy). It's very similiar to the 48 Hour Film Project, but with a few tweaks and an extended time period.

The twelve competing short action films will be screened at the 2010 Action Film Festival this Saturday, July 31, at the Tampa Pitcher Show (14416 North Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, 33618) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets are $15 each and are available online at www.actionfilmchallenge.com.

on a film fan quest to jacksonville

2010-06-18T09:48:00.002-04:00

I'm heading up to Jacksonville to hang out with my north Florida film fan friends this weekend. We're going to catch the premiere of cult filmmaker Ted V. Mikels' new movie Astro-Zombies:M3:Cloned. (Yes, I like schlocky B-movies and I'm not ashamed to admit it. What can I say? It's an acquired taste.) Enjoy the weekend!

local filmmaker needs your views to win video contest

2010-06-17T19:21:00.000-04:00

Local filmmaker and Art Institute of Tampa student Robert S. Pearson is competing in a video contest and needs help to win:

I just wanted to let you know that I recently completed a video contest entry. The product is Carribean Mist, and I need as many views as possible to clinch the win. If you follow the link be sure to watch fellow Ai Tampa students Rich Inmann's and Tony Aiello's entries as well. As always any critiques and comments are welcome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5guTJj4Xmi4

Thanks for the support,
Robert S. Pearson
Good luck, Robert!

summer classic movie series at tampa theatre

2010-06-12T18:39:00.005-04:00

Tampa Theatre is the place for classic movie fans to be on Sunday afternoons this summer. Their Summer Classic Movie Series kicked off last Sunday with Topper, which I'd always heard about but somehow never got around to seeing. Topper is one of those films that was unique in its day but now seems a little dated, but that everyone should see at least once. Plus it's got Cary Grant, which just makes anything better.

The film was proceeded by a classic cartoon and a compilation newsreel of news footage from the year the film came out. Almost more enjoyable than the movie (or the newreel) was the cinema chat afterwards with USF Professor Emeritus Harriet Deer, who was very knowledgeable and pretty darn funny. She will be leading post-film discussions at five other Summer Classic Movie Series screenings this summer.

Tomorrow's movie is the Bogie and Bacall classic To Have and Have Not, with a cinema chat following the film (and newreel footage prior). It's been a good twenty years since I've seen that one.

June 20 is the fast-talking screwball comedy His Girl Friday (restored 35 mm print; newsreel beforehand; cinema chat to follow), starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. Marvelous, marvelous movie.

On June 27 is Leave Her To Heaven (restored 35 mm print; cinema chat to follow). Gene Tierney is a beautiful but bad, bad woman who always gets what she wants, which in this instance is Cornel Wilde. This is one of my mom's favorite movies, so over the years I've seen it at least ten times. (But never before on the big screen!)

July 4 is Yankee Doodle Dandy, which I'm embarassed to admit I've never seen.

On July 11 is the Ray Bradbury sci-fi classic It Came From Outer Space. And it's in 3D! (With newsreel footage prior.)

July 18 is Hitchcock's great Psycho, which I never tire of seeing.

July 24 and 25 (screening on Saturday and Sunday) is Casablanca, the epitome of classic cinema. (Cinema chat after the film; newsreel footage beforehand.)

On August 1 is From Here to Eternity (restored 35 mm print; cinema chat to follow; newsreel beforehand), the movie that proved once and for all that Frank Sinatra can act.

August 7 and 8 (Saturday and Sunday screenings) brings the sing-a-long Mary Poppins (and the Audience Costume Parade beforehand). I could never get into this movie for some reason, but the sing-a-long Sound of Music at Tampa Theatre years ago was awesome.

August 15 is The Princess Bride (restored 35 mm print). One of my top five personal favorite films of all time. Love, love, love this movie!! The last time I saw it in a movie theater was the year it came out (1987?), so I'm very much looking forward to this one. Sigh...

August 21 and 22 (Saturday and Sunday screenings) -- Gone With The Wind (with newsreel prior). Do I need to say anything on this one? Fiddle dee dee.

On August 29 the silent sci-fi classic Metropolis is screening. Not your mama's Metropolis either -- the newly restored version with 25 minutes of previously lost footage. Live musical accompaniment on the Mighty Wurlitzer (theatre organ) will be provided by Dr. Steven Ball, who is a former student of Rosa Rio. I heard Dr. Ball play -- and speak -- recently at Rosa Rio's memorial tribute, so I know he's up to the task.

The Tampa Theatre's staff has done a wonderful job of bringing together a great mix of films from various genres and decades. Some of the old standby classics are there, along with some lesser-known gems that don't get as much publicity. Check the Theatre's website's Summer Classic Movie Series page for prices, times and ticket info.

summer film fair at usf june 12

2010-06-11T12:20:00.005-04:00

two local short films screening at may 19th florida motion picture and television association meeting

2010-05-17T07:15:00.000-04:00

Two local short films and a movie trailer will be screened at the May 19th general meeting of the FMPTA, Tampa chapter. (7:30 p.m. May 19 at the American Legion Post, 3810 W. Kennedy, Tampa)

Chapter Vice President Dotty Pessillo‟s short movie The Chip was made as part of one of Sunscreen Film Festival‟s film class projects. Running nine minutes, it‟s the story of an attempt by the CIA to send vital information to their operatives. A CIA agent is kidnapped by terrorists attempting to obtain that information.

Dotty co-wrote, co-produced, co-directed and co-edited the movie. She was helped by her Sunscreen film class team and fellow FMPTA members John Matheny and Will Hagans. An excellent cast included new FMPTA members Chris and Edilia Marse. It was premiered at the Sunscreen Film Festival last month.

The second short film is The Lesson, produced and directed by Daniel Brienza. Associate producers included John Matheny and Raymond Sweet, and Phil Vassail was the scriptwriter. The movie stars Jillian Kinsman and Marco DiGeorge and is about a woman who loses her husband in a divorce and has a hard time working for her ex-husband‟s partner. Then, she receives a surprise gift that changes her life.

Third on the program will be the short trailer for the movie Sense of Purpose, currently in production by Manny Locano and Mike Wiatrak.

Visitors are welcome. The first two visits are free. On the third visit, we request that you pay $10 admittance or join us as a member.
Visit the FMPTA-Tampa website for more info.

registration now open for 2010 tampa-st pete 48 hour film project

2010-05-16T11:47:00.002-04:00

Received via email:

Registration is now open for the 2010 Tampa-St. Petersburg 48 Hour Film Project.

This is the fourth year we are having the 48 Hour Film Project in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area. The 48 Hour Film Project comes to Tampa-St. Petersburg on the weekend of July 16.

Early bird registration is $135. Teams must register on or before Monday, June 21, to get this special rate. Afterwards, registration is $155. Teams will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.

To register, please go to www.48hourfilm/com/tampa-stpetersburg.

Also don't forget to become a fan of the Tampa-St. Petersburg 48 Hour Film Project on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Enter today! Space is limited.

Best,

Coco and Kerri Bermudez
Tampa-St. Petersburg Producers
tampa-stpetersburg[at]48hourfilm.com

For more info, visit the Tampa-St. Petersburg 48 Hour Film Project website.

news and notes:wynkoop, woods, clearwater film festival

2010-05-16T11:05:00.005-04:00

As always, there's a lot happening locally. Here's a glimpse:

*Local "King of the B Movies" Joel Wynkoop has a new TV show on the Tampa Bay Community Network. The first episode will air today, May 16, at 9 p.m. and will feature Anthony Wayne as the first guest. The show will replay on Monday nights at 9 p.m. Cable subscribers in Hillsborough County can view TBCN programming on Verizon FIOS channels 30 and 36, Bright House Networks cable channels 949 and 950, and Comcast cable channel 20.

*Local filmmaker Chris Woods was recently a guest on The Underground Lounge, discussing his past movies and upcoming projects. Episode #9 of The Underground Lounge can be viewed online.

*There's a new film festival in town! The Clearwater Film Festival, a "platform built to showcase seasoned filmmakers and emerging artists who demonstrate the synergy of the actor, writer and director," will take place September 29--October 3.

2010 motion film festival now accepting submissions

2010-05-07T19:42:00.001-04:00

The 2nd annual MOTION Film Festival (November 5-6 here in Tampa) is now accepting submissions via withoutabox.com (festival ID 7367). Here’s the press release I received from festival director Bobby Triplett:

The MOTION Film Festival will spotlight short films from artists across the country. Special prizes will be available to local artists. Submissions must be less than 25 minutes and fall into one of three categories: dramatic short, animated short, or documentary short. The submission deadline is August 15, with a late deadline of September 15. Applicants will be notified by October 5 if their film is selected for screening.

DATES:
August 15 – Regular deadline (cost is $15 per submission, $10 for students)
September 15 – Late deadline (cost is $20, $15 for students)
October 5 – Applicants notified of acceptance
November 5 and 6 – MOTION Film Festival

MOTION Mission Statement: MOTION is a movement of investment into a community of inspiration.

The history of the MOTION Film Festival began with the idea of CANVAS, an art premiere. Over its last five installments, CANVAS has been recognized as “one of the biggest and best known independent art series in Central Florida” (Scott Harrell, REAX).

With the success of CANVAS and its open-armed welcome into the art community of Tampa, we began our plans of investment into the medium of filmmaking by launching MOTION. Our idea was born out of a desire to provide a springboard for both the artist and the craft. It is our hope that the art community of the greater Tampa Bay area will continue to prosper from these efforts.

Together we set in MOTION our dreams, inspirations and creativity so that you might set in MOTION yours.
Submission guidelines and other details are available at withoutabox.com (festival ID 7367). The MOTION Film Festival’s website is motion813.com.

2010 sunscreen film festival

2010-04-30T13:15:00.000-04:00

2010 was the fifth year of the Sunscreen Film Festival here in the Tampa Bay area (St. Pete to be exact) and those film fans who’ve been around since the beginning might have noticed a few changes this year. Sunscreen finally moved out of the conference and banquet rooms of the Vinoy Hotel, which it had outgrown, and held all screenings at multiple theaters at Baywalk Muvico. In an ironic twist of fate, however, most of the stores and restaurants at Baywalk have closed, giving Sunscreen attendees the closed-in, private, cozy feel of previous years at the Vinoy. (The major drawback being, of course, having to hoof it a couple of blocks to get something to eat...or else eat movie theater food.)

For the first time, Sunscreen went with a slim tri-fold brochure for its program instead of the larger, multi-page programs of previous years, a decision I ardently hope they reverse next year because I love having detailed descriptions of all the movies and events at my fingertips, instead of the one-sentence summaries in this year’s brochure.

This year’s awards ceremony was the glitziest, most star-studded one yet for Sunscreen, but in another ironic twist, the posh venue (Mirror Lake Lyceum) had a layout unconducive to socializing and terrible acoustics that made it incredibly difficult for those seated in the balcony to understand what was being said. In an unfortunate mix-up completely unrelated to the venue, the awards presenters somehow got off script and went out of order or skipped a name or read the wrong name or something like that….I was in the balcony and could only make out half of what was said, so I don’t know exactly what went wrong, just that something did. I also know that Paul Wilson is one hell of an MC -- funny, sharp, good under pressure, and great at stalling.

Despite a few minor growing pains, the Sunscreen Film Festival had another successful year and continues to earn respect and admiration for its commitment to and support of both film and filmmakers. Here’s a little bit of my Sunscreen experience this year:

FEATURE-LENGTH FILMS:

Thursday night I saw Prime of Your Life, a quirky coming-of-age story of sorts set in New York City but shot in St. Pete. Sandy (Nicole Abisinio) is an aimless, self-indulgent writer-wannabee who is forced to confront her lifestyle and to grow up when her BFF suddenly dies after a birthday drinking binge. Partnering with a smooth-talking con man (Ryan Donowho) she met at the funeral, Sandy begins to re-examine her relationships, her family and her life. The film started off with a bang with an eye-catching opening credit sequence and successfully pulled off the New-York-City-even-though-it’s-really-St.-Pete look. The acting performances were strong and the dialogue sounded realistic (which sadly is a rarity these days, it seems), but the last third of the film felt a little aimless and dragged a bit to me. B+ [WON AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE FILM]

I Met With An Accident is a documentary about Benedict, a Calcutta, India man so severely injured in an accident that he is unable to walk and therefore unable to work and provide for his family. An Orlando, Florida-based volunteer group befriended Benedict and his family and helped them out as best they could: financial assistance, job placement, medical intervention, plus simply spending time with them and keeping Benedict company. Covering several years, the film captures the family’s ups and downs during that time and includes interviews with neighbors and extended family about what Benedict was like before his accident. This film has such noble intentions that I kind of feel bad for not loving it, but it’s way too long, leaves lots of questions unanswered and points unexplored, and is in desperate need of a firm editing hand. C+ [WON AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM]

Barry Munday is Patrick Wilson’s new oddball comedy and I had no idea what it was about before I walked into the theater. (That’s the film-fan version of Russian roulette.) Based on Frank Turner Hollon’s novel Life Is A Strange Place, the film tells the story of a slightly sleazy schlub (Barry, played by Patrick Wilson) who hits on one woman too many and wakes up in the hospital to learn that he’s lost both testicles. During his recovery, he’s slapped with a paternity suit by a woman he has no memory of ever sleeping with (Judy Greer). Barry Munday is full of eccentric characters, great cameo performances (Cybil Shepherd, Malcolm McDowell, Billy Dee Williams, Christopher McDonald, Jean Smart), funnily awkward moments and – of course – lots of castration jokes. It’s not a frat-house-style comedy, thankfully, but more of a subtle, quirky, offbeat humor, with almost a 70s vibe, somehow. B+

CELEBRITY ENCOUNTERS:

The celebrity encounters were relatively few and far between for me this year, by choice. I’m feeling a little anti-social these days and really just wanted to sit in a theater and watch movies. Patrick Wilson did a Q&A after the screening of Barry Munday, but I was too mesmerized by his dreamy good looks to pay much attention to what he said.
I did have the honor of meeting Billy Dee Williams at the opening night party. As I was doing my usual wallflower-standing-against-a-wall bit, I spotted him getting a drink at the bar. After the throng of fans had dissipated, he started making his way to the VIP section, which meant he had to walk right past me. (Hee hee hee.) When he did so, I pounced...um, I mean I walked up to him...and thanked him for coming to the film festival. He seemed a little surprised by that – which is the reaction I wanted (hee hee hee) – so I went on to explain that it was such a thrill to be able to see him in person and that we really appreciated his coming to Sunscreen to give us that chance. (Don’t know why I said “we” – maybe I meant us film fans – but I do remember using that word.) He said something along the lines of “It’s my pleasure” and then thanked me for thanking him . After graciously signing my program, he gave me a big smile and then drifted away into the crowd. I went back to hugging the wall and texting everyone I know that “I just met Billy Dee Williams!!!!”

After the film financing and distribution seminar – which I popped into to kill time but ended up sitting in for two hours because it was the most educational, informative, useful, insightful, honest discussion of filmmaking I’ve ever come across – I briefly met the speakers, Napoleon Dynamite producers Sean Covel and Doc Wyatt, both of whom are cool as hell.

SHORT FILMS:

I saw almost 50 short films at the 2010 Sunscreen Film Fest, so in the interest of time, I’ll mention only my personal favorites (in no particular order):

The Source – A cop tormented by a past drug bust gone wrong seeks solace in his local parish, only to discover that solace isn’t so easy to find. Nicely-done drama/action short with a great actor (Paul Hickert) in the lead role. A-

Behind the Bulb:The Triumph and Tragedy of Less Kessler – A simple, silly, surreal “mockumentary” about the rise and fall of an arrogant inventor. If it were five minutes shorter it would be practically perfect. B

True Beauty This Night – Quirky, whimsical rom-com/drama about love, crime and kismet. Great music, creative camerawork, entertaining credit sequence, zippy pace. A [WON AWARD FOR BEST SHORT FILM]

A More Perfect Yellow – Eccentric minimalist artist Lucas Brekenstead discusses his art and its impact on society. Not everyone understands his work, however, seeing as how Lucas’s actual job is designing street signs for the city. Beautifully shot, clever, funny, with a great score. A

Perennial Love – A sweet story – with no dialogue – about a woman waiting for the military man she loves (first her father, later her husband) to come home. Interesting use of zoom-in shots of words on a Scrabble board to tie things together and move the story along. B

Pawned – A washed-up, drug-addicted musician plays his trumpet on the street corner to earn enough money to stay alive and stay high. What would happen if he had to pawn his trumpet one day? Sad and searing, with a great jazz trumpet music score. B

Twilight of Youth – This gut-wrenching sci-fi short about a young, arrogant scam artist who contracts a mutant virus that causes him to age rapidly doesn’t give the protagonist – or the viewer – any breaks. A-

2095 – In a futuristic world where dating is illegal and your office computer tracks your bathroom breaks down to the second, asking out the attractive woman two cubicles over is difficult but not impossible. Bladerunner meets Office Space meets Gattaca meets THX 1138. A

Worth – A moving morality tale about a non-descript violin being sold at a ritzy auction. Beautiful in both style and sentiment. A

Champagne Supernova – Spanish-language short film about a middle-aged woman having dinner with the 20-something man she’s hired for the evening…it’s so not what you think. Well done and intriguing. A [WON AWARD FOR BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE SHORT FILM]

Skylight – An animated documentary about how the hole in the ozone layer is affecting the penguin population. Except it’s really a mockumentary and it’s freakin’ hilarious. A

That’s it in a (rather long-winded) nutshell, folks.

2010 ybor festival of the moving image (long version)

2010-04-24T22:01:00.002-04:00

The Ybor Festival of the Moving Image is different from most other local film festivals. It's not about parties or celebrities or finding a distributor for your film at the YFOMI; it's about film, straight up: watching movies that challenge, inform and entertain, and that you might not get a chance to see otherwise. This year's film fest opened with a multimedia art exhibit titled Dreamers and Troublemakers, a title which could also be called the YFOMI's unofficial theme.

Are you a dreamer? An artist? A troublemaker? Since you are here at the Ybor Festival of the Moving Image you must be one of these...perhaps two. Maybe all three! Filmmakers certainly aspire to all three. That's how good movies got made. ... -- from the YFOMI program

Here's a quick summary of the films I caught at the 2010 Ybor Festival of the Moving Image -- the good, the bad and the troublemakers:

Piece of My Heart -- A beautifully-shot short film about a convenience store clerk who fell madly in love with the woman who shot him during a robbery. Good music, creative cinematography, but too long. Loved the first two-thirds; have no idea what happened during the final third. B

Chicken Cheerleader -- Cute little short film about the double misery of an unrequited high school crush combined with an embarrassing after-school job at a goofy fast-food joint. B

Scoops -- Touching short film about life, love and loss with the unique twist of having the voice-over narration done in rhyming couplets. The scoops of the film's title refer to many things throughout one's life journey: scoops of ice cream as a child, scoops of cold beans straight from the can as an unemployed adult, scoops of applesauce as a senior citizen. One of my favorite films of the festival. A

The Great Indicator -- Bodies filmed in shadows lighting up during various medical tests, pulsating music, vivid colors, flashing strobe lights...I have no idea what was going on here but it was fascinating to watch. B+

Gentlemen, We Have Got To Go -- A short "mockumentary" about filmmaker and jack-of-all-trades Chano Rodriguez that was probably funnier to the people in the audience who knew or had worked with Chano than to those of us who didn't. B

Prom Date -- A depressed guy who just got turned down for the prom gets out his sketching pad and creates his ideal prom date. B-

Faithless -- Short Spanish-language drama about a father angry with his three daughters. I have no idea why, because the subtitles were very difficult to read. C+

Ground Is Lava -- Retrieving the dropped remote control isn't going to be easy for these college roommates because the ground has turned to molten lava. Good thing their friend from down the hall is there to serve as sports commentator during this ultimate challenge. Oh so silly -- and the special effects were cheesy -- but hilarious. B+

March 31 -- This exquisitely filmed, surrealistic short film about a little girl's reaction to her dad's death is one of the best shorts I've ever seen. Beautiful, creative, moving and original. One of my favorites of the festival. A+ [WON 1ST PLACE IN THE FLORIDA STUDENT FILMMAKER AWARD CATEGORY]

Tampa UE: Urban Decay -- Bleak but beautiful montage of photographs of local urban decay (demolished buildings, flooded rooms, deserted homes, rusted beds, rain-damaged furniture, etc.) set to sad music and somber narration. A- [WON 3RD PLACE IN THE FLORIDA STUDENT FILMMAKER AWARD CATEGORY]

Ichthyopolis -- The YFOMI program describes this animated film as a "short psychedelic technomation" that "occupies a realm where high camp, the absurd and the esoteric intersect." That's the perfect way to describe a film that has fish singing opera. B

Spam Letter -- One spam email read by a computerized voice + images culled from Google searches = one bizarre and intriguing short film. B+

The Valedictorian's Moment -- A short and sweet film about a high school valedictorian with writer's block. B+

Hungry For Green:Feeding the World Sustainably -- I watched this short documentary about eco-farming, ending world hunger and agricultural sustainability while eating junk food and drinking soda that I'd smuggled into the theater in my purse. I started out just killing time until the next screening, but ended up learning a hell of a lot from this succinct and very informative documentary. B+

Complete History of the World -- A delightfully whimsical short film about language, love and how even a linguistics professor can get tongue-tied when talking to a woman he likes. One of my favorites of the festival. A+ [WON 2ND PLACE IN THE FLORIDA STUDENT FILMMAKER AWARD CATEGORY]

The One and the Many -- In this experimental short film, the words and sounds spoken by a series of strangers are combined into one philosophical statement. B

Elevator Music -- In this short film, a couple pop some pills, hop in an elevator and have some hellacious hallucinations. The sped-up images, crazy colors and pulsating music made me want to pop some Tylenol. C

What Lurks In The Dark -- A short Claymation-style animated film about a father's nightly quest to protect his family from something terrible that is lurking in the dark. B+

I've written separate reviews of the feature films Rocaterrania, Crackie and My Dog Tulip.

Now in its 8th year, the Ybor Festival of the Moving Image didn't seem to draw as many people in as in recent years. My guess is the hectic overlapping local film festival schedule negatively impacted attendance. No matter whether there are ten people in the audience or one hundred people, however, the YFOMI will continue bringing unique and unusual films to the Tampa Bay area. Dreamers and troublemakers don't give up easily.

film fan finding (review):rocaterrania

2010-04-24T19:12:00.005-04:00

You know how most people had an imaginary friend when they were little? Well, in the feature-length documentary Rocaterrania, we learn that 76-year-old scientific illustrator Renaldo Kuhler has taken that to a whole new level. He's spent the past 40+ years creating -- through both copious text and exquisitely-intricate drawings -- the imaginary country of Rocaterrania, which is located between the northern U.S. and Canada. He's studied their language, tracked their politics, explained their monetary system, learned their history, investigated their businesses, followed their fashion trends, befriended their citizens, analyzed their customs, observed their religious traditions, romanced their women and charted their filmmaking industry. The depths to which he has detailed his elaborately-constructed universe are astounding.

Rocaterrania allows Kuhler to tell his own story, so he only briefly touches on the unhappiness and loneliness of his childhood, which of course has to be the root cause of why he concocted an elaborate fantasy world in which to hide. Kuhler comes across as eccentric and a little sad, but at times also courageous, in a way. He took something negative and turned it into a positive in the best way he knew how. I'm glad this man's bittersweet and incredible story has been captured on film with such respect and gentleness.

Film Fan Finding: A

(screened at the Ybor Festival of the Moving Image)

film fan finding (review):crackie

2010-04-22T12:11:00.001-04:00

This depressing Canadian feature film tells the story of three generations of a dysfunctional family of females eking out a living as best they can in their remote blue-collar town. There's the gritty, foul-mouthed grandmother who has to dumpster dive and entertain lonely men to make ends meet (Mary Walsh); the slutty, absent mom who left her daughter with her own mother to raise for her (Kristin Booth); and the lonely, needy, aimless, sad-sack daughter Mitsy (Meghan Greeley) who is the center of this film.

Desperate for love and attention, Mitsy befriends a dog -- a "crackie," which is slang for a mutt -- and convinces her grandmother to begrudgingly agree to let her keep her newfound pet in their house. Unfortunately for Mitsy, her dog isn't the perfect pet she'd expected, but just someone else who disappoints her. Unfamiliar with being loved and unable to love herself, Mitsy's desperate search for affection leads to a series of bad choices that puts her squarely on the same bleak path as her mother and grandmother. It's a vicious, dead-end, dysfunctional cycle.

The two leads (Mary Walsh and Meghan Greeley) were powerful, and Crackie did a good job of portraying the emotional numbness and geographical isolation of its characters. By the end of the film, however, I was also emotionally numb.

Film Fan Finding: B

(screened at the Ybor Festival of the Moving Image)

fmpta training video casting call april 24

2010-04-19T21:07:00.001-04:00

From the FMPTA-Tampa Chapter's newsletter:

Training Video Casting Call April 24

There is a casting call for actors to take part in several Sheriff‟s Office training videos on Saturday, April 24, at the Sheriff‟s Office in the #400 Building, 10750 Ulmerton Road in Largo from 10 a.m. until noon and again that day from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The Tampa Bay Area Chapter of the Florida Motion Picture and Television Association (FMPTA) has agreed to assist the Pinellas County Sheriff‟s Office with the production of several training videos.

The several short video scenarios will need to be shot on probably four or five separate shooting dates. The first shoot will take place on Saturday and Sunday, May 1 and 2, and will be shot at the Sheriff‟s office.

The project needs quite a few actors. However, each actor will probably only be involved in one or two days of shooting. We need a multi-ethnic cast of both men and women from 20 to 60. Actors need to look physically fit (not beach-type abs or anything like that but you need to look like you haven‟t spent the last ten years on a couch).

Uniforms for the actors playing law enforcement officers will be provided by the Sheriff's Office. Clothing sizes will be requested at the time of casting. This is a public service project of the FMPTA and all cast and crew will be volunteering their services (no pay).
Visit www.fmptatampa.org for more info.

film fan finding (review):my dog tulip

2010-04-19T07:12:00.002-04:00

J.R. Ackerly's popular 1956 novel has finally made it to the silver screen in the feature-length animated film My Dog Tulip, the first animated film to be entirely painted and drawn by hand with paperless computer technology.

In My Dog Tulip, Ackerly (voiced by Christopher Plummer) wryly reminisces about his beloved "Alsatian bitch" Tulip and how sharing his home with her for 14 years unexpectedly and profoundly changed his life. A staunch bachelor, Ackerly is not used to sharing his home or having to rearrange his schedule for anyone, least of all an irrepressible, barking, slobbering, unpredictable pet.

Don't be lulled by the veddy proper British gentleman narrator, the distinguished voice casting, the fluid and whimsical animation, or the "man's best friend" story angle. This is no Marley and Me, and it's not really suitable for children. Most of Ackerly's stories are about the down-and-dirty duties of dog ownership such as finding a suitable mate for breeding and dealing with every bodily excretion possible.

Although the gross-out subject matter becomes a tad repetitive towards the end, My Dog Tulip -- unusual in both its look and tone -- is a bittersweet and funny film that deserves attention.

Film Fan Finding: B+

(screened at the Ybor Festival of the Moving Image)

2010 ybor festival of the moving image (short version)

2010-04-12T11:50:00.003-04:00

Whew! I'm finally coming up for air after spending a few days at the Ybor Festival of the Moving Image. Over the last few days I saw some good movies, some odd movies, two great movies (Rocaterrania and My Dog Tulip), and a few live performances. As always, there were some YFOMI offerings that were out of the ordinary, and, as always, I'm glad that I challenged myself to watch something that fell outside my comfort zone.

I'm working on the reviews as fast as I can....