Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best as viewed from the Florida Film Festival

One film that I was able to see that had a great music theme behind it came from The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best. The film is about Alex, a guy that has reached a crossroads in his current life. Alex has lost everything that filled his life; his girlfriend, job, band and regular gig. With everything on the downturn, Alex is approached by Jim to join him to create a music revolution and tour the country.   Can Alex and Jim really pull off this crazy band and tour?   

  The acting talent in the film was really fantastic and fun. The lead role of Alex went to a relative unknown named Ryan O’Nan, he may be best known for the 2010 festival film The Dryland. O’Nan brought a great collection of emotions to the main character. He made me want to watch him play guitar all night. The eccentricity of Jim was given to the fantastic Michael Weston (State of Play, The Dukes of Hazzard). Weston brought a great combination of man/boy as well as unlikely wisdom that makes you want to be his best friend. There is no one else that could have probably played that role the correct way. Arielle Kebbel (John Tucker Must Die, CW’s 90120) round out the cast as Cassidy, a music loving chic who self appoints herself as the band’s manager. Kebbel did a good job as the girl with a ‘tude who is down for a random road trip and adventure.

   The Brooklyn Brothers is the brainchild of director, writer and star O’Nan. O’Nan, who attended the Florida Film Festival, found this story from pieces of his life but it isn’t autobiographical. He is a musician and played in a lot of bands but didn’t really make it big in the music industry. The idea for the two-piece that he plays in the film with Weston came from a group he saw open for one of his own bands a few years back. The band that O’Nan used as a catalyst for his story, which he befriended, also helped him with the music for the film. Beyond the music O’Nan used stories from his life and people from his life to define some of the characters.

  One thing that I am happy to announce is that even though the Florida Film Festival screenings are over this film has some legs. Oscilloscope grabbed the distribution rights for the film in February so there is still a chance to catch Brooklyn Brothers. Also O’Nan and I believe Weston, they actually played the music in the film, will be coming out with an album soon. 

  One thing that I am happy to announce is that even though the Florida Film Festival screenings are over this film has some legs. Oscilloscope grabbed the distribution rights for the film in February so there is still a chance to catch Brooklyn Brothers. Also O’Nan and I believe Weston, they actually played the music in the film, will be coming out with an album soon. It seems the best way to follow any progress on the film is to check back with their imdb page. 

Good luck Mr. O’Nan and I look forward to the album.

 

Florida Film Festival movie thought - Dead Dad

 Ironically I saw Dead Dad right after I saw Dog Years, another family dynamics dramedy. This film is about estranged siblings, Alex, Russell and Jane, being brought back together by the death of their father. With no one knowing what to do with the ashes of their dad, the trio is forced to spend time together causing bottled emotions to come out and address how they relate to each other.

  Something I found out after the film was that much of the film was put together by a group of friends. Two of the main actors Kyle Arrington (Russell) and Jenni Melear (Jane) knew each other because she was the Producer’s roommate. The stories go on like that for a majority of the cast and crew except for the casting of the oldest brother Alex, played by Lukas K. Peterson. But the three had lots of fun family chemistry that rang across the screen thanks to a few days working out the kinks when they filmed a bunch of scenes that did not make it into the film.

   Besides the love of a film full of friends working together it had a great storyline. Yes the idea of a dysfunctional family coming together because of tragedy isn’t new but the spins that were put into the film were fresh. It was nice to see that the film was not overly serious, dramatic or screwball comedy. Each note hit you delicately as pieces of the characters were unraveled for the audience and even some traits kept a mystery. Even though the ending seems s little too predictable it is still an enjoyable movie to behold.

Florida Film Festival movie though - Dog Years

Since it has been hard for me to chronologically get reviews up from a day to day basis while I was at the Florida Film Festival I am going to just start posting my blurb thoughts about each films.

Dog Years is a film about two brothers in Tokyo; one teaching conversational English to young Japanese people and the other working on a short-term project. While in the oldest, Elliott, seems to be trying to distance himself from everything around him and in his life, Ben is embracing what ever comes his way. Can these two be able to bond in this country far away from their own?

The film was a labor of love for co-directors, co-writers, as well as stars Warren Sroka and Brent Willis. The film was very fun, funny and show cased a lot of Tokyo for those that did not have any first hand experience. Also the ease of the two having worked together for so long came across on that screen as they played brothers. I recorded part of the Q&A with the filmmakers after the screening and posted it on youtube. If you would like to find out more about the progression of the film and were it may be accepted next check out their facebook page http://www.facebook.com/DogYears. The Florida Film Festival was their world premier but I see more festivals in the film’s future.

Below I have attached what I recorded from their Question and Answer sessions post screening.

Florida Film Festival Day 2

On the second day I was privy to see Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Think of Me, and Shorts Program #4: Can I Get A Witness.

  Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a documentary about a world reknown sushi chef named Jiro Ono who is seen as being at the top of his game in the industry. Through the documentary we learn a lot about his life, his technique and the love he has for his craft. If you love beautifully shot films this is definitely a film worth watching as every shot immerses you into Jiro’s world and pops off the screen as if you are watching something in Imax. Also another thing to be warned about the film is that you may be craving sushi after this and nothing else will seem worthy. Also from what I saw in the trailer, the film was different than I thought it was going to be, it was a good surprise. So if Jiro arrives in your neighborhood it is highly advised that you watch it. 

  Think of Me is the story of Angela Jerome, a divorced woman trying to raise her child in Las Vegas. Bryan Wizeman, the director and writer, did a great job with the writing and choices of this film. It seems very true to life in the fact that you don’t always love the choices that Angela makes but you can still hold a candle and root for a better outcome. Even some people in the audience made outright comments about some of the actions she takes at the end because they don’t it appalled them a little. Then again that is the beauty of the audience watching the film, hopefully most of us will not get to that point. The film stars Lauren Ambrose (HBO’s Six Feet Under, Wanderlust) as the lead actress in this modern day film of hardship. She does a fantastic job of demonstrating how it is to be a young woman that is just hustling to try and make things work for herself and the person that depends on her. It is no wonder that she was nominated for the Best Female lead for the 2012 Independent Spirit Awards. The film may not see like it gives you a lot, it speaks waves with how people in our country may be working things out today. The last showing at the Florida Film Festival is Today April 20, 2012 at 1:30pm.

 

   Shorts Program #4: Can I Get A Witness had a combination of funny, heart warming and nostalgic shorts. Two of the shorts that I really enjoyed was Curfew and First Match. The first film, called Curfew, was about a man that was about to sever his last tie to the human race when he gets a second chance to reconnect. This chance is in the form of a desperate plea from his sister to watch her 10-year-old daughter while she takes care of business. Is one night’s romp able to bring this man back from the brink? The short was 19minutes long but left an impression on me. Writer, director and star did a great job in the role of the lead character. One thing that an audience member noted was that he showcased a particular place in New York, Brooklyn if I am correct. The short looks like it has been accepted into the Tribeca Film Festival and as well as other festivals. To learn more check out the facebook page http://www.facebook.com/curfewfilm

  Another short that I loved was First Match. The premise is about a young girl wrestling with the guys at school and her excitement over her first chance to show her stuff. The emotions from the actors felt very real and it incredible to find out the is actually not an actor at all but an actual wrestler that received little notes along the way. With all of this information I look forward to seeing the feature film that is going to spring forth from this short.

For more information about films showing at the festival visit FloridaFilmFestival.com

Florida Film Festival coverage Day 2

    It was a long long day for me at the Florida Film Festival today. I had one volunteer shift to complete myself and then I spent the rest of the day watching films. I spent 2pm to 11om at the Winter Park regal watching two short film programs (short programs) and two features.  The first short program that I watched was Shorts #2: Scales of Justice 1 and Shorts #4 Love Me Not 2.  My favorite film from Shorts#2 was a film entitled Thule which made its world premier at the festival.  It was about men in the service working out of a secluded artic base where the only good thing is news from home.  The short starred Chris Marquette (The Girl Next Door) and Noel Fisher. The only part that stunk a little bit was that there were some audio problems during the screening of this and two other shorts in the program, which made it heard to hear.  Luckily the director was very nice and eager to answer questions after the screening, which was great to hear about the film and invited people to stop him during the festival for a chance at a proper viewing of his film.
     In Shorts #4 there were a lot of films that I enjoyed.  This set included Oscar winning short narrative God of Love which was an adorable film with an original idea around an age old question, "Can't I get this person to like me?".  One film that hit many audience members over the head with surprise was The Candidate, which features well known character actor Robert Picardo (Stargate: Atlantis, Star Trek Voyager).
    My first feature length film was called Norman.  It was about a boy that was a very self loathing individual that accidentally gets a rumor started that he has cancer.  The film stars Dan Byrd (Easy A, The Hills Have Eyes, Cougar Town) Emily VanCamp (Brothers and Sisters) and Richard Jenkins (Six Feet Under, Hall Pass).
     The second film that I watched was The Happy Poet.  The film is about a man that has hit a few dead ends in his life and decides to make a small change in his life by opening a vegetarian food cart.  The film has a simple direction and a some interesting performances.  The director also wrote, produced and starred in the film.
  All of the films/ programs have at least another showing coming up this week (The Happy Poet has two more screenings) and I would suggest that anyone go ahead attend anyone of them.

1. Shorts #2 Line up
Inside Out
DIRECTED BY JIM O’DOHERTY
USA, 2010, 24 MIN
SOUTHEAST PREMIERE
Producer Denis Leary presents this hilarious glimpse at the privileged inmates and blue collar corrections officers inside a minimum security prison.

We’re Leaving
DIRECTED BY ZACHARY TREITZ
USA, 2010, 12.5 MIN
SOUTHEAST PREMIERE
Rusty and Veronica have 30 days to vacate their mobile home and find a new place that will accommodate Chopper, their 19-year-old pet alligator.

LaSalle de Jeux (The Playroom)
DIRECTED BY TIM MILLER
USA, 2010, 5 MIN
IN FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
WORLD PREMIERE
Amid a moody black-and-white tableau of cigarette smoke and low-key lighting, two existentialists discuss (en Français, natch) the nature of art, life, and cheese.

Captain Fork
DIRECTED BY G.J. ECHTERNKAMP
USA, 2010, 13 MIN
EAST COAST PREMIERE/2ND US SHOWING
Lyle wonders what his life would be like if his four-year-old, Fox News-loving son were to tragically die. His conclusion: it’d be pretty sweet. A darkly funny new work from the director of Frank & Cindy (FFF 2007).

Spider Fang!
DIRECTED BY JUSTIN PERKINSON
USA, 2010, 2 MIN
2ND US SHOWING
A cute little girl and her goofy grandpa make scary faces at each other—some scarier than others.

After the Snow
DIRECTED BY BROOKE SEBOLD
USA, 2010, 9 MIN
EAST COAST PREMIERE/2ND US SHOWING
In the dead of winter, a very pregnant woman with a gun shows up on the doorstep of the man who raped her eight months ago. A powerful new drama from the director of “The Last Cigarette” (FFF 2010).

Thule
DIRECTED BY ROBERT SCOTT WILDES
USA, 2010, 27 MIN
WORLD PREMIERE
For men in the arctic desolation of a Cold War air base, mail from home means everything—even if retrieving it means risking their lives.


2. Shorts #4
California Romanza
DIRECTED BY EVA MENDES
USA, 2010, 19 MIN
WORLD PREMIERE
No one wants to spend Christmas Eve tracking down her aunt and uncle’s lost cat, but Lena may luck out with love after all. The directorial debut of noted actress Eva Mendes stars Christina Ricci, Daniel Stern, and Kathy Najimy.

¡Una Carrerita, Doctor! (A Doctor’s Job)
DIRECTED BY JULIO O. RAMOS
USA, 2010, 10.5 MIN
IN SPANISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
EAST COAST PREMIERE
A doctor, forced by circumstance to also drive a cab, finds himself challenged by his latest fare.

God of Love
DIRECTED BY LUKE MATHENY
USA, 2010, 18 MIN
A love-struck lounge singer is gifted with a box of darts worthy of Cupid in this Oscar-nominated short. Winner of the 2011 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short!

Ex-Sex
DIRECTED BY MICHAEL MOHAN
USA, 2010, 9 MIN
EAST COAST PREMIERE
She calls him, suggesting one last hook-up for fun. Can he do just sex, though?

The Strange Ones
DIRECTED BY CHRISTOPHER RADCLIFF AND LAUREN WOLKSTEIN
USA/FRANCE, 2011, 14 MIN
EAST COAST PREMIERE
Stranded on the road, a young boy and his older brother each ask a hotel clerk for help in this short from the director of “Cigarette Candy” (FFF 2010 Special Jury Award-winner).

The Candidate
DIRECTED BY DAVID KARLAK
USA, 2010, 20 MIN
WORLD PREMIERE
If you could kill off your most aggravating co-worker and get away with it, would you?

Florida Film Festival coverage Day 1

The Florida Film Festival 2011 (20th year) started today with film, food and a little gluttony on my part.  For the Opening Night Screening the audience was privy to the HBO film Project Nim, which also screened at Sundance.  The film is a documentary about a chimp that was raising entirely by humans for the first few years of its life and almost as if he were a human. The film is a combination of a cautionary tale of treating animals as humans as it is a film about the exploitation of animals for human gain. Many people that I talked to very much enjoyed that film and as an added bonus two of the participants in the film were in the audience.  Unfortunately because I was a little hungry I did not stay for the post screening Question and Answer session and headed over to the party.
  There was samples pf food from many different places in the area.  There were booths for K Restaurant, Black Bean Cafe, Ravenous Pig, 4 Rivers, Eden Bar (Enzian Theater), Whole Foods and there was alcohol thanks to Greygoose Vodka.  Black Bean had some empanadas, a Spanish version of a Shepard's Pie and plaintain chips. Eden Bar had a pepper tart as well as fried aligator.  Everything was fantastic and I am currently full.  Tomorrow looks to be another crazy day and I can't wait.

Rain Wilson is going to save you

     James Gunn, the writer of the live action Scooby Doo films and writer director of Slither, has decided to take a comic book type turn.  With the film Super he has created his own super hero out of the average Joe that has found something to fight for.  Rain Wilson is Frank D'Arbo a man that takes a lot of knocks but it isn't until his wife falls under the influence of a drug dealer that he breaks.  Frank transforms himself into The Crimson Bolt to go out and fight crime.
     Other actors that appear in the film are Ellen Paige, Kevin Bacon and Liv Tyler.  According to imdb the film has not had many showings and its showing at the festival may be part of the film's official domestic release.  So if you believe in truth, and kicking evil to the curb this could be your movie to check out at the Florida Film Festival.
April 16 at 6:30pm at the Winter Park Regal
April 17 at 7:30pm at the Winter Park Regal
for Super page at Florida Film Festival website click here

Eva Mendes: bombshell actress and director?

  Latina screen siren Eva Mendes, like many other actresses, started her career doing small parts in films and television hoping to get the one role that would help her breaking into into the forefront.  Good thing some one saw that special spark in her because she was cast along side Denzel Washington in as his girlfriend in Training Day because that role got her a lot of exposure, small pun intended.  From that moment she has become a very recognizable name and face in films with roles in such films as Once Upon a Time In Mexico, 2 Fast 2 Furious, and The Other Guys.  After so many films under her belt it appears that she is beginning to do a little behind the camera work as well.
    Mendes directed and co-wrote a short film called California Romanza which will be making it's World Premier during the 2011 Florida Film Festival.  The film plot of the film according to imdb.com is "Lena heads to her Auntie JoJo and Uncle Pops' for annual Christmastime festivities. Little does she know, this Christmas will be like none of the rest."   The film which has a reported running time of 19 minutes will be 1 of 26 competitive narrative short films and 1 of 89 different short films that will screen during the festival.   

    The Florida Film Festival will be held in Central Florida, Greater Orlando area, beginning from April 8 to April 17.  If you have any interest in seeing the film or interested in finding out more about the Florida Film Festival head to their website. 

Resources
floridafilmfestival.com
Eva Mendes's Imdb page

The lure of the Film Festival

   Have you ever been interested in attending a film festival but thought it wasn't for you?  I understand that some people may only have heard about these festivals because they caught an interview with a star at his festival or saw pictures of celebs there.  My first thing that I would like to say to that is "you don't have to be a celeb to go to a film festival".  There are more film festivals popping up all over the United States and the world than you would believe along with pre-established festivals.  Some of these festivals can be very reasonably priced and some can cost as much as a used car to attend.  In the end there are many things about festivals that are very alluring.
    As I said, festivals can cost a lot of money but it appears that there are more festivals than you would think that cost reasonable prices to go see films.  I was lucky enough to attend the Orlando Film Festival at the end of last year that have the screenings open to the public for FREE.  Also I was lucky to attend films at the Florida Film Festival (FFF) which has screenings costing only $10 each which s cheaper than see a film in the commercial theaters.
   Beyond the possibilities of cheap screenings there is also the wide variety of people that attend film festivals.  If you are really interested in film you are able to learn things about the industry and make connections to other filmmakers.  Because people that are in love with film you may be able to network with people for any potential business if you are an entrepreneur or need a job. 
    There are also the film related events that occur during festival.  Of course there are the films that are screened that sometimes first run.  At the Orlando Film Festival I saw the premier of Montana Amazon that stars Alison Brie (Community, Mad Men), Haley Joel Osment (The 6th Sense) and Olympia Dukakis (In the Land of Women, Moonstruck) and film won't be offically released until April of this year. Also a lot of the filmmakers or even cast from a film will show up to do a Question and Answer session (Q&A) at a screening.  Last year at FFF I saw Winter's Bone (nominated for 4 Oscars this year) and was able to catch the Q&A with one of the film's stars Dale Dickey.  Not to mention at the opening film for FFF was Paper Man which starred Emma Stone and Kieran Culkin who both attended the screening. Also there are sometime film panels where you  can learn from big industry people.  At the Orlando Film Festival there was a panel that featured Florida based industry people that were leaders in the craft as well as Alison Brie and Haley Joel Osment answered questions. Furthermore some of the films that may show up at film festival may be making their premier, could have been nominated for an Oscar, could be nominated for an Oscar in the future or could have won and Oscar.
     Beyond that if you have noticed you have seen that there is potential to actual see actors in real life.  Besides the ones that I mentioned above, I was also able to get a picture with Amber Benson (Buffy) and Sam Levine who where their promoting a film called Drones.  I actually ran into Gena Rowlands (not literally) on my way into a screening at FFF last year.
    So if you have ever thought of even going to a film festival take a look a round, there could be one not too far from you.  If you decide to go get ready for a new experience if you attend the whole festival.

Not convinced?  Check out a few Q&A video I shot at last year's Florida Film Festival:

Best of Brouhaha program selected for Florida Film Festival 2011

After many filmmakers submitting their films and a weekend of screenings that official selection has been made for the "Best of Brouhaha" short program for the 20th Florida Film Festival.  Brouhaha was held last weekend at the Enzian theater in Maitland and of the 49 films that were screened at the showcase 11 films were picked for the honor of being screen at the Florida Film Festival.  These films are from:

• Florida State University
• BAD INFLUENCES by Kate Emery, 
• CITY OF MURALS by Ricky Rose
• I’M IN LOVE WITH KIMBERLY JOHNSON by Adam Johns,
• UNDERGROUND by Akil DuPont; 

• University of Central Florida
• A COINCIDENCE OF SORTS by Edgar Jorge; 

• Full Sail University
• AFTER: THE KELLIE GREEN STORY by Lavado Stubbs (September FilmSlam winner)

• Ringling College of Art and Design
• NO SOLICITING by Bohdon Sayre, 
• FLIP by Jill Hackett, DILLA by Stanley Moore, Michael Sauls, Michael Klim & Dominic Pallotta, 
• DEPARTURE OF LOVE by Jennifer Rae Bors; 

• Independent Filmmaker 
• Carl Knickerbocker’s A DOG GOES FROM HERE TO THERE (January FilmSlam winner).  

All of these films I personally saw myself and no two are alike and they are all entertaining.  Unfortunately you have to wait until April during the festival to see all of them.  So I would advise you to buy your tickets now.


Tickets are already on sale for the Florida Film Festival at floridafilmfestival.com
You can also find out more information about the festival at the website.  The festival is still finalizing films to be shown at the festival but you will want to be tickets because there is always something amazing to watch during the festival.