Here is the rest of the Newport Beach Film Festival Wrap-up and closing film.  The 2009 award winners are located at the bottom of the article.

Tuesday

6:00PM Late Start

LL: So I got a late start to the film festival but that’s okay because I made up for it with a selection of short films and some after parties. First things first, I had some coffee over at the Variety Lounge, which has seriously been a wonderful thing. Thank you for the free coffee.

7:45PM The Brothers Bloom

LL: After refueling on coffee went to go wait in line for The Brothers Bloom, which was one of the main films we were really excited to see. So we waited and waited, and waited some more. Only to be told that all the seats were filled and that no one else could go in. Sadness is the best word to describe my feeling. But as luck would have it there are multiple films playing at the same time, so we took a chance and decided to go see whatever film was letting people in next. This turned out to be a series of short films called How Low Can You Go.

EV: Like Lamia said, we did not make it into The Brothers Bloom on Tuesday night.  I was actually quite disappointed that we just missed out on the screening by a couple of seats.  Because we put all our eggs in that one basket we had only a few choices to pick from.  So we chose How Low Can You Go.  The world’s most depressing set of movies.

8:15 How Low Can You Go

LL: Naturally we didn’t realize till the second short film that the title of the series meant that the films were going to be really depressing. They were all done very well, I just wasn’t prepared for suicide, crack addicts, or Munchhausen syndrome. The most interesting of the films I thought were Bye Bye Sally, which is the story of a girl (named Sally) who is going to commit suicide until she is given the offer to not only kill herself but others as well. The story line is so clever and crazy that it felt like something Chuck Palahniuk would have written. In the end I was both rooting for Sally to succeed as well as cringing every time she made a move.

The other movie I really enjoyed was Adelaide, which is a quirky romantic comedy about a girl with Munchhausen syndrome who falls in love with a pharmacist and tries to get him to experience his dream of being an MD. Its the most uplifting film out of all the ones shown, and I’m impressed that they were able to take such a serious subject and make it lighthearted. The set design for this film are also impressive; with its usage of pastel colors and simple layouts, it looked like something Wes Anderson would have done.

10:15 After Party

LL: After seeing such intense short films I figured it would be best if we did something to lighten our moods, and what better way than to attend an after party! There were three main ones going on at Fashion Island, and Evan and I managed to attend all three, though I admit we spent most of our time filling our plates up with the most AMAZING cheese ever. I realize this may seem silly, but I can not emphasize enough how wonderful this cheese was. It was some sort of truffle-infused white cheddar, mainly whatever was inside of it it managed to have quite an impression on me. So thank you Old Vine Cafe for your cheese, I will be visiting you very soon.

After the cheese feast it was time to chit chat with people. While at these events held in different furniture stores in Fashion Island, were volunteers, staff, fellow magazine writers, as well as people who used to design for Valentino. You name it, they were there. And so were we till about 1:30 AM.

EV: Not because we saw a bunch of depressing short films that night, but I was still down in the dumps over not making into one of the movies that I was most looking forward to.  So we decided to check out the after party that was going on.  Nothing cheers up my address more than free food.  Not only free food, but good food.  Cheese is probably one of my favorite foods and while downstairs at Fashion Island I noticed people walking around with plates of cheese.  Using my rat sniffing cheese skills I wound up discovering one of the groups catering the event.  Old Wine Cafe.  I had a small sampling of cheese from around the world that was hand picked by the owner.  It was quite spectacular.

After savoring the worldly exotic cheese I noticed the Black Market Bakery was also showing off their wares of some of the most elaborate desserts I have ever laid my eyes on.  Cookies, brownies and tarts were all assembled to the highest degree of excellence and wonderfully laid out on tables.  Some of the desserts were so extravagant I was afraid to eat them.  But I couldn’t resist. I also had a chance to meet Rachel, who owns the Black Market Bakery, and we got a chance to talk about the trendiness of cupcakes and how much I loved donuts.  It was quite the after party.

Thursday

12:00PM Getting Lucky with Bloom

EV: So I showed up early Thursday morning to check out my first feature film of the day.  I was actually interested in the film for two reasons.  First, it would have been my first full length Documentary of the NBFF and second, because the movie sounded so interesting.  It was called Garbage Dreams. So as eagerly  I walked up to the Edwards theater about five minutes to noon, I noticed that the place was empty.  I was actually not surprised.  Standing around waiting, I ran into one of the volunteers who kept helping me get into movies and would chat with me in between screenings.  He was a really nice man and I owe him the biggest THANK YOU of my life.  As I was waiting around for Garbage Dreams to start he had asked me if I was here to see The Brothers Bloom.  I stared back at him blankly.  I had no idea what he was talking about. I grabbed the schedule that was folded over many times in my pocket and read it.  No Brothers Bloom.  I told him I had no idea it was playing and asked for more information.  He then proceeded to tell me that they had added it on and he would check to see if they had seats available.  I crossed my fingers and waited in anticipation for him to tell me that it was sold out.  His radio blurted back, “We have some seats”.  I asked if there was anyway I could get into that movie.  Next thing you know, I’m sitting in the screening of The Brothers Bloom, dead center, about 10 rows back.  Perfect seats.

I don’t want to get too much into the movie, but with my high expectations of Rian Johnson’s second feature length film, I was slightly disappointed.  It’s quite hard to top one of my favorite movies of all time, BRICK. Let’s just say that BRICK is a far superior movie on pretty much every level.  With that being said, I still enjoyed the hell of out it and I do recommend people going to see it.  After leaving the theater, I was on cloud nine.

3:00PM Coffee & Eating Buccaneers

LL: So today was the last day of the film festival and I have to admit I was both sad and slightly happy. Its been a blast seeing the films and talking with everyone involved, but I have seen so many films that I think my eyes are looking forward to taking a break from starring at a screen. But before any of that happens there were more films to see, and before that could happen I needed my daily fix of free coffee from the Variety Lounge.

After that it was the movie Eating Buccaneers, a comedy about five coworkers whose plane crashes in the middle of a forest with nothing but a box of “Buccaneer Bars” to survive off of. It was extremely entertaining in its cliché representation of office people; there was the art director, who was your modern day hippie. The executive, whose only concern was his paycheck and fancy car. The over eager assistant who always knew the answer to any question. The list goes on. But despite the clichés the movie was very enjoyable, and ended up being sort of like The Office meets Lord of the Flies.

4:45 Final Dinner

LL: So since we started the festival off together by eating at Red Robin it seemed only fitting we would end it there.

EV: To be honest, I did enjoy my dinner,  but I spent most of the time worrying about getting into the closing movie and trying to cover all of the crazy red carpet antics.

6:00PM (500) Days of Summer

LL: The closing movie was being played at the Lido Theater, and it was freezing. Standing outside camera in hand waiting for people to show up there were times when I though I might freeze. I understand now why photographers huddle around one another, its to stay warm. I did manage within the huddle to get some photos of the director, writers, and costume designer. Who were mainly the only people from the movie 500 Days of Summer that showed up.

I was also to see photographers and volunteers that I had met at the opening, so it was exciting to see them and chit chat with them for a while. Thank you Barbara for all of your advice throughout this festival!

After the photos and notes were taken it was time to see how many seats were left in the theater. We had been informed that the movie was sold out and that getting in was pretty much impossible. But somehow we managed to get in and see the movie, we didn’t get to sit together. I was in the front row right in front of the speaker while Evan was in the balcony. But we saw the film and LOVED it, which is what really counts.

EV: We arrived at the Lido Theater really early to avoid any parking mishaps and realized we had an hour of time to just stand around before anything started.  It was freezing.  After wasting some time, the crowd began to gather around the Lido and the anticipation for the film was building.  The red carpet was insane.  People running around everywhere, trying to take pictures and do interviews to get that story in on time.  The red carpet was a complete a strobe light with fifty flash bulbs going off every few seconds. I had never seen anything like it.  Once everyone was in, I waited patiently at the front door to see if they had seats left.  I’m not quite sure how, but I got into the movie and sat in the very last row in the upper balcony.  Lamia got in right after I did and they managed to fit her into the very first row to the right hand side.  We made it, just barely.

10:00 Closing Gala

LL: The event was located in the courtyard right behind the Lido, and I have to admit that I was (and still am) very impressed with the way they set it up. Normally walking through there you would never think in a million years that hundreds of people would be able to fit back there along with all of the food, bars, photo stations, and DJs they had. But they did, and it worked out wonderfully, making the closing gala a complete success, we talked with tons of people, Evan managed to talk to the Director of 500 Days of Summer, as well as mention to a few people about our magazine. While still being able to try every single food item available. All in all the Newport Beach Film Festival was  complete success and I am so honored and thrilled that I was able to attend. And I want to thank Cheri Wilson for helping OC Arts & Culture become a part of this event, and also thank you to everyone at The Newport Beach Film festival you all did a wonderful job!

EV: It was quite an event.  I had an amazing time chatting and snacking during the after party.  It is with a very humble heart that I want to thank Cheri Wilson for helping OCAC join the outstanding list of press that was allowed to attend the event and be able to see so many films that screened for the very first time.  I would also like to thank all the volunteers who did an amazing job and should be commended for donating their time.  The entire festival ran smoothly and everything was well organized.  It has been a pleasure and honor to work with all of you and I look forward to coming back next year.

2009 NEWPORT BEACH FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS

JURY AWARDS

Features:
Best Film – Seraphine
Best Actor – Ulrich Tukur – Seraphine
Best Actress – Yolande Moreau – Seraphine
Best Director – Martin Provost – Seraphine
Best Screenplay – Martin Provost – Seraphine
Best Cinematography – Modern Boy
Documentary:
Best Documentary – Blue Gold:  World Water Wars
Shorts:
Best Narrative Short – Through the Ear
Best Short Documentary – 12 Stones
Best Animated Short – The Incident at Tower 37
Special Prize Cinematography Short – Mkrtich Malkhasyan – Nora

AUDIENCE AWARDS

Feature – Street Dreams, Easy Virtue (tie)
Foreign Feature – Rudo y Cursi
Documentary – The Cove
Action Sports – That’s It, That’s All
Family Film – The Music Lesson
Short Film – Kwame
Short Documentary – Center Street Rising
Short Animation – Because You’re Gorgeous

FESTIVAL HONORS AWARDS

Humanitarian Vision Award – Earth Days
Outstanding Achievement in Acting – Jeremy Sisto – Into Temptation
Outstanding Achievement in Action Sports Filmmaking – The Glacier Project
Outstanding Achievement in Action Sports Filmmaking – Waveriders
Outstanding Achievement in Directing – The Brothers Bloom
Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking – See What I’m Saying: The Deaf Entertainers
Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking – Visual Acoustics:  The Modernism of Julius Shulman
Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking – Art & Copy
Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking – No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos
Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking – Dream Weavers: Beijing 2008
Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking – (500) Days of Summer
Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking – Made In China
Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking – My Suicide
Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking – Spooner
Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking – The Perfect Age of Rock ‘n’ Roll
Orange County Filmmaker Award – Echo Beach

SHORT FILMS

Outstanding Achievement in Short Filmmaking – Animation – Granny Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty
Outstanding Achievement in Horror Filmmaking – Mom
Outstanding Achievement in Short Filmmaking – Directing – On The Road To Tel Aviv
Outstanding Achievement in Short Filmmaking – Screenwriting – Gone Fishing
Outstanding Achievement in Short Filmmaking – Acting – For a Few Marbles

This is Evan Vincent and Lamia Larkin’s first hand account into the first few days of the Newport Beach Film Festival.  We will be posting a second part to cover the remaining days and a closing article on the final movie of the festival.  Enjoy…

Friday

2:00 The 27 Club

EV: I showed up on Friday to the Island Edwards theater waiting for my first movie to start.  It was going to be the 27 Club directed and written by Erica Dunton.  I was excited for my first movie, but also dissapointed that Erica Dunton’s flight from New York was delayed and she could not make the Q&A.  As far as the movie goes the cinematography was well done and Joe Anderson’s acting was a pretty convincing.  I think that our screening actually had some sound issues, because for a movie about music, our screening had no soundtrack.  Either it was an odd choice stylistically or something was clearly wrong with the film. Either way, I was very excited to see my first movie of the day and now that It was over, I was gearing up to meet Lamia for some short films.

4:30 Expect the Unexpected

LL: This variety of short films was I think a great way to start off the festival! It was a combination of both American and International films, and both had their own distinct differences. The American films were mainly comedies while the European films were much more serious and dramatic. Both styles proved to work out quite well together, and I think they created the perfect balance. Hooking Up was especially enjoyable; the story of two old people trying to get to a specific destination, has a rather funny surprised twist at the end. This movie is definitely the charmer of the bunch. For the European films; its hard to pick just one. France, Germany, and Italy all managed to create and show really deep and meaningful movies that were executed beautifully.

EV: Just as the title stated I had no idea what to expect in this next session.  It was an amalgamation of some American short films and some European short films.  They were all running various times and lengths with different subject matter.  Some of the shorts were funny and whimsicle and some tackled a variety of issues dealing with disturbing neighbors, confessing sins and death by orange juice.  All of the films that were shown were very good and the crowed really enjoyed all of them. Judging by the loud ovation in between each short the Expect the Unexpected screening went over well.

6:45 Dinner at Red Robin

EV: As much as I love watching movies, I now had a chance to do my second favorite thing.  Eat.  We didn’t have much time in between and we were a tad worried that our next movie might be extremely crowded so we quickly grabbed a bite next to the theater at Red Robin.  We had just enough time to chat about what we had just watched, quickly jot down some notes and swallow our food.  Then we were off to our next screening, which I must admit, it was one of the movies I was most looking forward to.

LL: After seeing so many films (even though they were mainly shorts) it was nice to take a break to go over and collect our notes. Also, taking break to eat was welcomed as well. Got to refuel sometime.

7:30 waiting in line for Surveillance

LL: So everyone working at the festival has told us something different when it comes to waiting in line for the movies. And since this movie was done by David Lynch’s daughter and we weren’t sure as to how many people were going to show up. We decided to wait in line with everyone else….only to get to the entrance and be told we never have to wait in line. Oh well, live and learn. Waiting in line did allow for some fun conversations with everyone else in line.

EV: So we were standing outside, watching the line grow and get longer.  As the line continued to grow my nerves started to gather as I figured I wouldn’t be able to make it in to the screening.  My thoughts were swirling around about back up movies, but I knew I really wanted to catch this flick.  Then just as quickly as the line formed, it begain to dissapear as I noticed they started to let everyone pile into the theater.

8:00 Surveillance

LL: Jennifer Lynch has proven that she is not her father, which was a welcoming surprise. I’ll be honest; I saw this movie because of who she was. I knew very little about the movie itself, but seeing it and hearing her speak afterward made me respect her as a filmmaker so much more. The movie (called Surveillance) was very well done, though very disturbing and quite graphic, it was amazing nevertheless.

EV: Befuddled and slightly amazed that I actually made it in, I quickly grabbed a seat towards the front.  The anticipation started to grow as the lights went down and the crowd began to cheer when the name Jennifer Lynch ran across the screen.  I knew I was in for something special as the movie opened to a brutal killing which then begins to unfold into a mystery between three different stories all twisted together in hopes that the truth might be discovered.  This movie is about as dark and twisted as it can get for someone with the last name of Lynch.  Most people might write this movie off because they think that Jennifer might have big shoes to fill and that she might just be living in her fathers shadow, but I felt like this movie completely stood on its own merits and was as good as any movie that I had seen in recent memory. I really enjoyed this movie and I cannot wait to see it again when it comes out for limited release this summer.

10:30/11

LL: At this point I think we both (at least I know I was) are exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go home and get some sleep. The day was a complete success!

Saturday

11:00 Saddleback Shorts

LL: These were the first student films we saw, and for the most part they were pretty impressive. All of the films had very creative scripts that managed to get their points across very effectively. Two films in particular stood out the most; such as Complex: John. Which was about a man named John and his Ego and ID, and how they are fighting over whether or not John should commit suicide. Its a clever story that turned out to be very amusing. The second film was the movie Chalk. Which was about a little boy who discovers some cursed chalk and by drawing with it is able to cause harm on others. Creepy and creative; this short made me feel like I was 12 years old and watching Are You Afraid of the Dark.

EV: Back in the saddle for the saddleback shorts I met Lamia early and Got ready for day two.  We were both pretty tired and running on lack of sleep so we got some coffee in the morning. After that we we’re off to cover more short films, but this time it by local student film makers from Saddleback College.  First off, I would like to congratulate all the films that screened because they were all very good.  But two in particular that I want to mention are Chalk and Complex: John, both of which I felt were very creative and really well done.  I enjoyed myself very much and all the film makers should be proud.  After a quick Q&A, we quickly jumped over to the wonderful Orange County Museum of Art, where we would spend the next few hours checking out more local film making talent.

1:00 USC Shorts

LL: These were the first films we saw at the Orange County Museum of Art and to be honest I don’t have nothing negative to say about them. They were without a doubt AMAZING! Seriously, all of you students at USC who were chosen to show your films absolutely deserved it. I enjoyed every minuet of these short films and can (and would love) see these being made in to feature length films. As cliché as it may sounds, congratulations on your amazing talent.

EV: This is kind of embarrassing to admit, but, I have never been to the Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA).  So I had Lamia show me around and I met some of the folks who work there.  After the quick tour I was escorted into the screening room for the USC grad student shorts. All of the films that were shown were completely amazing.  In all honesty, I had no idea what I was going to see.  It’s actually quite difficult to pick just a few films to talk about because they were all so good.  One major difference that I noticed was that these short films were so multitextural and so well written that any of them could have been adapted into a full length feature, which is slightly different than anything I had seen yet.  Most of the other shorts I had seen up to this point were all very well executed, but didn’t have the legs to stand as a full length feature.  These all had depth, not only in the execution and in the writing, but the concepts just felt a lot more fleshed out and the worlds in which the characters existed seemed a lot more plausible. During the Q&A  I learned that two of the girls Christina Won and Amber Beard wrote their screenplays along with directing them, which is no easy task.  Congratulations to all of you, it is well deserved.

3:30 Chatting with everyone at OCMA

LL: I come to this museum all the time so it was nice to be able to see and chat with people that I knew. Seriously if you have some free time you should check out the Orange County Museum of Art, its really great.

4:00 Chapman University Shorts

LL: So good films must have been in the air that day because again the student shorts were wonderful! Chapman delivered just like USC. And I’m not just saying that because I graduated from there, they really were great films. I especially liked The Last Page. Its a quirky comedy about a writer trying to figure out the perfect words to end his story. Its full of random events (that looked like they took place in Orange) and even had some recognizable actors in it.

EV: After the USC students had finished we quickly ran outside for some fresh air as we awaited the next set of shorts from Chapman.  I was excited to see what Chapman was going to show and they certainly did not dissapoint at all.  Each one of their shorts also had the same quality as the films USC had just shown a few hours earlier.  All the worlds were well realized and layered.  All the productions were of the highest quality and just like the USC shorts, they could be adapted into full features, even though they totally stand on their own as short films.  It took me by suprise how much each director could accomplish with such a small budget.  I just really want to mention  that anyone of these directors could be the future of Hollywood and its very exciting to see this level of quality coming out of our local colleges. Congratulations to Chapman for such a good screening.

5:15 Quick run to Taco Bell and Photos

LL: So I don’t really eat fast food partly cause it just never looks the way they portray it on the commercials or in the photos. And this attempt was no different, seriously its a taco. But regardless of the food options I was able to get something in my system before the big feature film of the night Spooner. Which we were able to get some photos of the director and lead actor. As well as chat with a few of the people waiting in line for the movie that was going to be showing afterwards; Street Dreams, which was about skateboarding. It was definitely drawing a big crowd fast.

EV: We quickly rushed from the Chapman shorts to the Southern California premier of Spooner Directed by Drake Doremus and staring Matthew Lillard. As we arrived at the red carpet in downtown Newport the theater was already packed.People were crawling everywhere, photo flashes were going off right and left and the line was begining to lengthen down the block. As we were standing on the red carpet, we grabbed a few pictures of the cast and crew while they were being hunted down by different camera crews all trying to cover the opening.  As the time got closer to the screening it became even more hectic and so we decided to go grab our seats.

6:00 Spooner

LL: I had heard about this movie thanks to Evan’s interview with the director and was really looking forward to seeing it. Happily the movie was just and cute as I hoped it would be. It was a romantic comedy without being overly romantic; quirky I guess is a better way to describe it. Regardless of the title It was a hit that fact is certain. The actors were great, the script was great, the cinematography, music, it all worked very nicely together. And the Q &A afterwards went really well also. Most of the crew seemed to be there, which was nice to see. You could tell just by looking at them that they were all very proud of this film, and rightfully so.

EV: As the theater jammed together like sardines we squished our way into the last row just in time before the movie was introduced and the lights went down.  It was a great evening to see such a great movie and the crowed really got into it. It was also nice to see a local film maker, Drake Doremus, and a local actor, Matthew Lillard create such a charming movie with a really likable main character.  It was one of those movies that really just brings you back to that first time you had a crush on someone.  It was a really magical night and I was glad to be apart of it.  After that I was so tired I went home to pass out.

8:15 Time to Go Home

LL: So after the movie the Lido Theater in downtown Newport was packed, literally packed with tons of eager tweens waiting for Tony Hawk and Ryan Sheckler to arrive. So after a few chats and some photos Evan and I took off to go over our notes and call it a night.

Sunday

11:00-3:00 CSUF & CSULB

LL: So the next day was started again at OCMA with some more short films from Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach, and both schools managed to deliver a wide variety of film genres. It was the documentaries that proved to be the most interesting of the bunch; with Fullerton’s documentary short on a grandfathers rocking chair and Long Beach’s documentary of the Los Angeles River. Both documentaries were executed in an informative and touching way that really connected with the audience.

EV: On sunday we had some more local film makers and short films to check out.  I could not make it to Cal State Fullerton, but I did make it to Cal State Long Beach’s shorts.  I thought they had done a pretty good job and I thought it was strange that I had been to so many films in the past few days and I had yet to see a documentary.  But the first film that was screened at the Long Beach shorts was a very interesting documentary called The Journey of the Cola Kayak, which was about the exploration of the Los Angeles river on a kayak made of recycled materials.  I thought it was very provocative and well done.  Congratulations to all those who screen their films.  We didn’t have much time in between so we quickly rushed over to our next screening which was of the Youth Films that was sponsored by Volcom.

4:15 Pinkberry

LL: I hadn’t eaten so I needed to recharge myself before the Youth Films. So I deiced to be trendy and snag some frozen yogurt. Original tart flavor yogurt with strawberries, blackberries, and sliced almonds….so good.

5:00 Youth Film

LL: This without a doubt was the best surprise. These kids are defiantly the future of filmmaking, the stories these kids came up with were so creative. It was just absolutely amazing. There were about 12 films and every genre was covered; horror, stop motion, comedy, musical, drama, animation, documentaries. These kids did it all! There were a few shorts that stood out, such as Superkitten And The Power Pets. This short was done in claymation and told the story of these pets who ate this food that gave them super powers. Its sounds ridiculous, but the execution was wonderful. I hadn’t laughed that hard in a long time. The film was done by Peter Gundling and I really wish he had been at the Q &A afterwards because seriously this film was by far one of the best films I have seen at this festival. In fact, The Youth Films in general as a whole, were some of the best films shown at the Newport Beach Film Festival so far, and I know I’m not the only one who feels that way. This year The Youth films were sponsored by Volcom, and when the CEO of Volcom was handing out the awards at the end of the film you could tell he was greatly impressed by all of the kids. As was everyone else there.

EV: So we head over and get ready to step inside the theater.  The Youth Film showcase is extremelly unique because all the films that will be showing are by film makers who are eighteen years of age or younger.  So these really are the film makers of the future.  I was extremely excited to see what a fresh perspective could bring to the world of short film.  This was also the first film screening I had been in where every seat was taken and people were even standing in the back just to check these out.  To each directors credit, these were some mighty fine films.  I want to mention a few of my favorites who I felt really spoke to me.  First off, SuperKitten and the Power Pets was probably the funniest movie I have seen in years.  I’m not even joking, I don’t remember the last time I had laughed so hard that my eyes were watering and my stomach was in knots.  A few of my other favorites were Half Alive: The Zombie Musical, Wednesday and Johnny Goner.  I really had a great time watching these and it blew me away how much talent these kids had.  Congratulations to all of you!

7:15 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead

LL: So after the Youth Films Jenn met up with us and took went with Evan to see the Next film Rosencrantz and Guldenstern. Which I heard was like a combination of Monty Python and Interview With The Vampire. I on the other hand went home and organized my new collection of business cards I’ve been receiving throughout this festival.

EV: After such a long day I was down to the final movie before going home, but It was one I was really looking forward to.  I had a chance to see the West Coast Premier of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are undead.  I had a great time watching this movie and the crowed exploded into laughter because of how crazy this movie was.  It was like watching Always Sunny In Philadelphia meets Vampires.  Without a doubt, this movie is going to be a cult classic.  It has so many funny scenes, so many great quotable moments and such an interesting premise that I highly recommend it to everyone who likes dark comedies.  It was a wonderful movie with a great Q&A afterward with a few of the cast, the director and the producer, who I met before the screening.  All in all, it was a great film and I can’t wait for it to go to theatrical release so I can chat about it with more people.  It was awesome.

Monday

LL: Our first day off, and we spent it going over our notes and planning out our next set of films.

We will be posting a seperate article for the rest of the week and the closing moving as we continue to cover the rest of the Newport Beach Film Festival.

Thursday night was the opening of the Newport Beach Film Festival and the excitement was visible everywhere. Actors, directors, producers, screenwriters, boom guys, even the volunteers were beaming. It was a celebration of the art of film, and Orange County managed to host an opening that was the perfect balance of upscale names with laid back California style. Which, according to many guests is one of the top reasons that keeps people coming back every year.

This year is the 10th anniversary and to start it off the movie Lymelife was shown. Its a touching coming of age film that takes place on Long Island. Though depressing at times, the quality of acting and clever script lead this film to be a major crowd pleaser. Alec Baldwin and Emma Roberts star in this film, but it was the Culkin brothers who stole the show.

Though none of the cast was able to show up to the opening, one of the producers; Jonathan Cornickand, did. When asked about how he felt about the movie he had nothing but pride for the film. Other guests included McG, who is the honorary chair of the film festival this year. As well as Leigh Steinberg, who has been one of the major (and one of the original) sponsors for the festival.

After the opening movie was the after party which was held at Fashion Island near Bloomingdales. Many local restaurants and cafes hosted tents where they were serving food, everything from spring rolls to frozen yogurt was available. There were also multiple bars and a Perrier water bar as well. The combination of good food, good music, good drinks, and endless conversations made for an exciting night.

But the night wasn’t done yet. Bloomingdales managed to put on a fashion show, showcasing the latest spring trends, where multiple high end designers works were shown. After the fashion show was a performance from Cirque du Soleil’s Zumanity. This performance managed to blow the audience out of the water, it was definitely one of the main highlights for the night.
None of this work though would have been possible without the help of the hundreds of dedicated volunteers that the Newport Beach Film Festival has working for them. The opening went so smoothly, that there were no complaints to be heard. And it makes the expectations for the coming days that much higher. Based on the first night the 10th Anniversary of the Newport Beach Film festival is off to a wonderful start.

Stay updated on what is going on by following both Evan (@evanvincent) and I (@periwinkleme) on Twitter.

The Newport Beach Film Festival goes on till Thursday, tickets are availed online and at the theaters listed below. For more information please visit there website at www.newportbeachfilmfest.com

Lido Theater
3459 Via Lido
(Via Lido and Newport Blvd)
Newport Beach, CA. 92663
949-673-8350

Big Newport
300 Newport Center Dr.
Newport Beach, CA
directly across from Fashion Island
(949) 640-4600.

Edwards Regal Theater
(inside Fashion Island near Urban Outfitters)

Orange County Museum of Art
850 San Clemente Drive
Newport Beach, California 92660
Phone
949-759-1122