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.
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.
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:
