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Merry Month of March

Sure, every month here at i luv cinema is merry. But March 2015 is jam-packed; here is a preview of what is to come.

Rendez-Vous with French Cinema (March 6-15) – a co-curated event between the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Unifrance Films, Rendez-vous is celebrating its 20th year of bringing contemporary French cinema to North America. Starting with the opening night premiere of 3 Hearts, there is plenty to regale yourself with over the proceeding ten days whether you are a Francophile, cinephile or both! I am most looking forward to the aforementioned 3 Hearts, as well as Breathe, The Connection and Love at First Fight.

If you are unable to snag a ticket to a desired screening at Lincoln Center, additional screenings and discussions can be seen at BAM and the IFC Center.

 

Effie Gray (screening in late March; review to come in April) – scribed by Academy Award® winner Emma Thompson goes back to the Victorian England to look at possibly the most the notorious scandals of the time, involving the marriage of Effie Gray (Dakota Fanning) and art critic John Ruskin (Greg Wise). The film features an all-star cast including Emma Thompson, Tom Sturridge, David Suchet, Sir Derek Jacobi, Julie Walters, Robbie Coltrane, Riccardo Scamarcio and Claudia Cardinale.

 

TCM Film Festival (March 26-29) – I have only been once, but from my experience, the TCM fan community is awesome and I look forward hanging out in Los Angeles with my party peeps! I could attempt to give provide a summary view of what’s in store, but why bother, especially when there wonderfully crafted, comprehensive sites I can refer you to? Of course, the main festival website is a great start, but for a ‘boots on the ground’ perspective, I direct you to Will McKinley of cinematically insane for past and present coverage, as well as tips on how to maximize your festival experience.

This year’s theme is ‘History According to Hollywood’ and kicks of with a red carpet 50th anniversary screening of The Sound of Music.

Enough about me – what are you looking forward to this month?

 

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It’s the Weekend ….

tcmff_2014, turner classic film festivalAnd with that, another weekend is upon us. Unfortunately, I had to shift my schedule due to the start of a project, thereby missing out on the TCM Classic Film Festival. It may be too late this year, but if you can, I highly recommend you check it out. The films and to a greater extent, the fans are lovely and a good time is most definitely on the cards. So while you might have to wait until 2015 to head out to Los Angeles, you can still check out the goings on via Twitter by checking out the TCM Social Media Crew.

captain america: the winter soldierBut don’t cry for me too long, I am still fully booked for a weekend of moving going fun!

Saturday my anticipation leading up to the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival continues with a few more pre-festival screenings during the day Saturday. Sunday is Family Day at the cinema, where I will escort my brother and my nephew and nieces to see Captain America: The Winter Soldier. And maybe I will indulge one of my readers in a review of this film, eh?

How about you? What are your plans?

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TCM Film Fest 2013: Recap, Part 2

This is the second of my two-part series wherein I recap my time at the 2013 TCM Film Festival.

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Day 3 – Four!

Saturday morning cartoons were a staple of my rearing and today would be no different. So again at a time that I would not typically be attending the cinema (8:30 or so to queue up) I was entertained by a series of Looney Toons shorts, featuring the one, the only Bugs Bunny, who was celebrating his 75th birthday! The shorts were introduced by Jerry Beck and Leonard Maltin.

I swiftly moved from Chinese Multiplex 1 to 4, prepared for my second Hitchcock screening, The Lady Vanishes that was introduced by Norman Lloyd (age 98), who skipped his weekly tennis game to present this (and several other) film.
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The wonderful thing about attending events like this is that they provide a rarefied opportunity for us in the present to listen to people who provide first hand accounts of people of the stature of Alfred Hitchcock, people who in seem so distant and removed from us.

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The Big Parade: I have to admit; this film was not on my radar as I made my preliminary viewing plan, but I am SO glad that I changed my mind at the last minute. Admittedly I am not a huge fan of silent cinema, but it is a format that I am gradually coming around to. So what better way to continue my silent cinema education than by watching the World Premier Digital Restoration of the WWI classic, directed by King Vidor, and introduced by film historian Kevin Brownlow. What fascinated me above all else with this movie is that it predates the silent epic Wings which until this point was my gold standard in the capturing “the war to end all wars” on film. This response to The Big Parade does not diminish in any way the impact and significance of Wings but it does help inform my further understanding of the canon of silent film. In the simplest of terms, this film was sublime.

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The Tall Target: Check out my previous blog post on this.

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What a way to round out the day! As the evening crept in, a feeling of sadness swept over me … I knew my time at the festival was drawing to a close and it made me sad 🙁 I said hellos (and goodbyes) to the wonderful array of friends I made and ventured back to my hotel to ready myself for my eastbound flight the next afternoon.

Day 4 – No movies, just taking it all in. 

But I enjoyed living vicariously living through my fellow festival goers as to their whereabouts. I did a walk-by of the Cinerama dome prior to the showing of Cinerama Holiday (really wanted to see it).
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Other films I wanted to see if given the time were:

Never in a million years did I think I would utter the phrase – how I hate to leave Los Angeles – but this weekend I did. But the time came sooner than I wanted. I spent that morning prior to departure wandering down the boulevards of legend (H’wood and Sunset) pass through a lovely farmer’s market.
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OH I did also take the time to show my #noncynicalnewyorker stripes and took way too many pictures of some of my favorite stars’ star on the Walk of Fame.
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But now as I write this, LA and Hollywood are in my rearview as I am settled and safely nestled in my East Coast domicile, ready for it to start all over again. See you in 2014!

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