This Oscar-winning film isn’t a movie you watch, it’s a movie you absorb and let wash over you, like the rains that fell on all those concertgoers 40 years ago. I swear, after four hours with this film, you’ll feel like you were actually AT Woodstock. The digital restoration helps a lot, too.

The audience was a lot of fun, from aging hipsters wearing tie-dyed shirts to youngsters who weren’t even born when the concert took place. Someone stood up and asked if anyone in the audience had attended the festival in person – a few raised their hands. We had our own version here in Old Mission, and when we heard a voice from the balcony yell out “Sun-Ra,” we knew it could be none other than a long-time friend from back in the day. We looked up and sure enough, he was waving at us.

At the screening tonight was Country Joe McDonald, Wavy Gravy, and Paul Kantner, co-founder of Jefferson Airplane. I knew the first two would be there, but when Kantner joined the others onstage, it was an amazing surprise. Each of them played a couple of songs and took questions from the audience. It was like watching history in motion.

Earlier in the day, I saw “The Answer Man,” a hilarious movie starring Jeff Daniels and  Lauren Graham. This movie takes a hard look at self-help and spiritual books, and the result is funny, sad, and a little mind-bending.

I must mention the film festival attendees, who are surely the nicest in the world. Everyone is so amiable, and it’s easy to make new friends when you’re standing in line or buying popcorn. There’s this vibe that I’ve heard is present at other film festivals, too. Everyone is there to have a good time and watch great movies.

Anyone in Traverse City seeing film festival movies? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Image: Amazon.com

Post from: Film Gecko

“The White Ribbon” scored the coveted Palme d’Or, the festival’s top honor.  Jury president Isabelle Huppert presented Michael Haneke with the prize at the closing-night ceremony held in the Palais des Festivals.

It’s the first time a jury president has presented the award since Clint Eastwood gave the award to Quentin Tarantino for "Pulp Fiction."

Grabbing the Grand Prix award was Jacques Audiard’s "A Prophet," after being announced by Willem Dafoe. Austrian actor Christoph Waltz, who played "the Jew Hunter" in Quentin Tarantino’s "Inglourious Basterds," took home the best actor prize.

For a full list of 2009 Cannes winners, click here.

Image: INF; Source: Hollywood Reporter

Post from: Film Gecko

Other films include "On the Road to Tel Aviv," "Praying in Her Own Voice," "The Lemon Tree," "Broken Promise," and "Toyland," among others. In all, 30 films will be screened at theaters in the Los Angeles area, including Pasadena, Beverly Hills, West Hills, and Encino.

Other festival events include Q&A’s with filmmakers and actors. Actress Lainie Kazan is expected to attend the April 26 screening of "Beau Jest" at Laemmle’s Music Hall in Beverly Hills.

More after the jump, including trailers for "Jump" and "The Brothers Warner"…

The closing night program on April 30 will feature a screening of "The Brothers Warner," at Laemmle’s Town Center in Encino, followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Cass Warner, Stephen Farber and special guests. The documentary tells the story of the four Hollywood pioneers who rose from immigrant poverty to create a major movie studio with social conscience.

For a complete list of screening times, venues, activities and exhibits, go to http://www.lajfilmfest.org.

Jump Trailer: 

The Brothers Warner Trailer:

Photo Credit: Newscom

Post from: Film Gecko

Lindsay Long has graciously volunteered to be a Film Gecko field reporter at SXSW 2009, currently the happenin’ place to be in Austin, Texas. That’s Lindsay pictured with "Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke. More on that later!

Lindsay attended two panels on Saturday. Read on for her report:

Jeffrey Tambor: "Break the Rules"

The first panel was Jeffrey Tambor’s Acting Workshop. For the first part of the workshop, Jeffrey took two actors, Jess Weixler ("Alexander the Last") and Mark Reeb (John Bryant Productions), and directed them through a scene. The two actors had only memorized their lines and the context of the scene they were doing.

More after the jump…

Using different acting tactics such as placing the actors at different distances, telling them to talk to each other the way they would address a family member, or telling them to break "rules," he was able to pull real emotion and develop a scene in under about 40 minutes. During that time, the audience members – comprised of mostly writers, actors, and directors – watched as Jeffrey, Jess, and Mark kissed, cried, and yelled their way through a variety of different ways the scene could be portrayed.

Every Actor is Nervous

Jeffrey stressed the importance of acknowledging that every actor is nervous, and that it is the director’s job to build them up in a positive way and the actor’s job to do the same for the director. Jeffrey said that when an actor automatically rejects what a director is asking them to do and "draws a line," you can actually see the production go "straight to video."

It was amazing to watch him break apart the scene and see what the actors did with Jeffrey’s direction. He told Jess she needed to stop being a "good girl" and do four bad girl things in the scene. The instant she had an objective to accomplish besides reciting her lines, the scene became much more interesting and she discovered another side to her character.

Jeffrey also talked about how flexibility in a script is a great thing to have. He described a script to making a soup — if it’s too sweet, you change it. You don’t say, "Oh well, that’s the recipe." Some of the best moments the actors had were when they broke from the script and were clearly in the moment. Even Jeffrey pointed it out to the audience, saying that you could see in the actors well after the exercise was over that they were still in the moment they had created earlier.

We’re Watching Shows on the Web

The second panel I went to was Comedy on Television and the Web. This panel was also a part of the interactive portion of SXSW. The panelists included Ricky Van Veen (CollegeHumor.com), B.J. Novak ("The Office""), Keith Richman (Break.com), Avner Ronen (boxee.tv), and Meredith Scardino ("The Colbert Report"). They talked about how the shows/websites that they work for are utilizing the web as a way to not only market their TV shows, but also encourage participation among their fans. Meredith, a writer for "The Colbert Report," talked about how the web content on colbertnation.com gives the audience a direct opportunity to contribute to the show and offer feedback. B.J. Novak, writer and actor (he plays Ryan), talked about webisodes and how they allow audience members to see more of their favorite characters on "The Office."

All the panelist predict that webisodes will in the future become a normal part of how new shows are conceived, and that consumers will be moving toward a more web-based way of watching their favorite shows. They also stated that they are seeing a trend of consumers cancelling their cable subscriptions in favor of watching their TV shows online through such sites as Boxee.tv and Hulu.com, which can average a better viewing count than some traditional TV shows.

"That’s What She Said" 

However the best part of the panel was when B.J. was talking about how new technology, such as web based "TV" shows, will work. "No one can shove anything down anyone’s throat … that’s what she said." It was awesome to hear a "that’s what she said" joke from basically the creators and propagators of the ongoing "Office" gag.

"Splinterheads" Breaks Free and Takes Risks

After the panels, I jumped over to the Alamo Draft Hourse to catch the world premiere of "Splinterheads," a coming of age comedy about a guy who is in search of his own "thing." Starring Thomas Middleditch and Rachael Taylor ("Transformers," "Shutter"), the film centers around a guy named Justin (Middleditch) trying to find himself. He meets Galaxy (Taylor) a hot scam artist "splinterhead" from the local carnival, and they bond after a geocaching adventure.

It’s a great little film about breaking free and taking risks. I wouldn’t be surprised if this gets picked up and goes mainstream. Director/Writer Brant Sersen has created a funny, quirky, romantic comedy that has a wide appeal. (See photos from the Q&A with the director and cast of "Splinterheads" at the end of this post.)

Random Notes

It is really hard to watch a movie when the cast and director are in the room. I was so nervous for them! How stressful it must be for them to watch an audience react to their hard work. The film took 25 days to shot, which seems incredible to me. Outside of each theater, there is a mini "red carpet" with a backdrop of the sponsors logos for the actors and directors to have their picture taken.

Last night, I went to the A&E Independent Film Chanel Opening Party for SXSW (celebrating 16 years of film at SXSW). The place was packed with actors and directors and other famous people. The entire cast of "I Love You, Man" was there.

Lindsay Meets Catherine Hardwicke! 

What was most awesome for me was seeing Catherine Hardwicke at the table next to me. When she was getting up to leave, I mustered up the courage to ask her to take a photo with me. She obliged, and I wish I had said something intelligent or amazing to her, but I was a bit starstuck and was unable to come up with anything of substance besides, "You’re awesome. Thank you." The party was super cool, but very odd to see actors "out of context," as in, not at the movies or on TV. Craziness!

Photos from the Q&A with the director and cast of "Splinterheads": 

Images: Lindsay Long, 2009

Post from: Film Gecko

Those were just two stars attending the 20th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival, held at the Palm Springs Convention Center on Tuesday, January 6, 2009.

A few of those honored with awards:

• Anne Hathaway – Desert Palm Achievement Award (Female)
• Dakota Fanning – Rising Star Award (Female)
• Ron Howard – Director’s Lifetime Achievement Award
• Amy Adams (pictured) – Spotlight Award

More pics after the jump!

Amy Adams:

Anne Hathaway:

Ben Stiller:

Clint Eastwood:

Dakota Fanning:

Dustin Hoffman:

Josh Brolin:

Leonardo DiCaprio:

Ron Howard and Frank Langella:

Sean Penn:

Ben Stiller and Dustin Hoffman:

Images: Image.net; John Shearer/WireImage, Alexandra Wyman/WireImage

Post from: Film Gecko