Travelin' Local » Film

It’s time for the Old Pasadena Film Festival

Lisa Newton — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:18:27 +0000

Mark your calendars: The Old Pasadena Film Festival starts tonight. The Pasadena Film Festival is totally free. That’s right, it’s a free four-week movie series that unites film with urban settings, taking place on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, from July 8^th, through the 31.^st.

The Old Pasadena Festival showcase, is the largest outdoor film festival in Southern California, and is known for the depth and breadth of the variety of genres that reflect the urban environment of Old Pasadena’s famous and historic downtown.

In order to make it easier for you to find the film you want to watch at the venue you’re looking for, here’s a mapped location of each venue and the days and films being shown at each one.

One Colorado Courtyard, 41 Hugus Alley

Thursday, July 8^th: Annie Hall (1977), 8:30pm
Friday, July 9^th: Mary Pickford shorts+ orchestra, 8:30pm
Saturday, July 10^th: The Women (1939), 8:30pm
Thursday, July 15^th: Harold and Maude (1971), 8:30pm
Friday, July 16^th: How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), 8:30pm
Saturday, July 17^th: The Way We Were (1973), 8:30pm
Thursday, July 22^nd: Sorry Wrong Number (1948), 8:30pm
Friday, July 23^rd: Death Becomes Her (1992), 8:30pm
Saturday, July 24^th: Bringing up Baby (1938), 8:30pm
Thursday, July 29^th: Labyrinth (1986), 8:30pm
Friday, July 30^th: Mae West Double Feature, 8:30pm
Saturday, July 31^st: All About Eve (1950), 8:30pm

Distant Land, 56 S. Raymond Ave.

Friday, July 9^th: Chocolat (2000), 7:30pm
Friday, July 16^th: Seven Years in Tibet (1997), 8:30pm
Friday, July 23^rd: Before Sunrise (1995), 7:30pm
Friday, July 30^th: Before Sunset (2004), 7:30pm

Mills Alley, 22 Mills Place

Saturday, July 17^th: Jurassic Park (1993), 8:30pm

Central Park, 260 S. Raymond Ave.

Saturday, July 24^th: Troop Beverly Hills (1989), 8:30pm

View Old Pasadena Film Festival Venues in a larger map

On the last day of the Festival, another venue will also be featured, but is yet to be disclosed, although it’s hinted to be a drive-in. And the movie to be shown at said drive-in?

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

After all, what right minded film festival wouldn’t end without a showing of George Romero’s classic film of Zombies.

The Hurt Locker a Gritty Film about Urban Warfare in Iraq

Tom Jones — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:05:49 +0000

The Hurt Locker, garnering a win for Best Picture for 2010, is a contemporary war movie, that’s accurately portrays the reality of today’s type of warfare.

Its gravitas is because the movie’s main elements of plot, character, and theme can be explained in terms of its timeliness, sense of identity, causality, and the kinds of freedoms which are universally accepted as the norm of storytelling.

Motive, and cause and effect are brilliantly established by the movie’s director, Kathryn Bigelow, as she takes us into the heart of Iraq, in Baghdad, where our main protagonists are a three man crew that depends on each other in their day to day struggle for survival in Iraq, circa 2004 in the movie.

The title is a colloquialism for being injured in an explosion, as in "they sent him to the hurt locker", or for "a place of ultimate pain". It dates back to the Vietnam War, where it was one of several phrases meaning "in trouble or at a disadvantage; in bad shape.”

The combat crew is comprised of three Americans, in a foreign land, during wartime, and acting and reacting both offensively and defensively.

Each one of their daily rotations are literally a matter of life and death for the crew members, and Bigelow’s screenplay never lets the viewer out of that prism, putting us into the passion play of the motif that War is Hell as both a sense of identity, and its consequences to the soldiers, to the people caught in the crossfire, and to the insurgents.

The three man team of the movie’s protagonists are part of the United States Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) otherwise known as Improvised Explosive Devices, aka “IED’s.”

The movie stars, Jeremy Renner as the Sergeant First Class William James, the leader of the EOD squad. He’s the quintessential universal soldier and bad ass, whose intelligence is masked under the many complex layers of his character—he’s brave, as the IED bomb diffuser brilliant and professional, reckless, selfless, and emotionally smart. His bravery and courage doesn’t come easily in such a hostile environment.

At times he shows a remarked emotional side as he befriends an Iraqi teenager, known as “Beckham,” who later Renner’s character finds literally sliced open as a victim of a premature bomb that was inserted into him.

And he’s remarkable in his pursuit of trying to diffuse a bomb that the insurgents strapped onto an Iraqi innocent, although he didn’t have to do so; while many moments of courage, carnage, and difficult situations are constantly thrown at the soldiers and the viewers at the same time, the movie’s ability to convey that this was what it was—the insanity of war—we bonded with the characters, and realized that what’s going on in Iraq, and Afghanistan is very ugly business.

We find all three characters timely, they all have their own reasons why they’re in Iraq, and they all have different temperaments as to what is true for each one of them, may not be for the same reasons as the other—yet the viewer easily accepts this premise because the texture of their world—the society portrayed, values assumed, the emotions rendered—may be alien, but the shape of that world will be true to life, and each character’s behavior is believable.

That Bieglow’s movie, among most recent war movies doesn’t take a political point of view, is part of the layered texture of which the movie’s plot, themes, and characters are able to reflect today’s realities with both extemporaneous fragility, and super-human endurance and courage at the same time.

While he replaced the previous Explosive Ordnance member of the team who was blown up, newcomer, Jeremy Renner is not held, initially, in high regard by the other two members of their squad. Anthony Mackie, as Sergeant J. T. Sanborn, proffers a stellar performance as a career army intelligence officer now stuck in Iraq, and his methodical manner of trying to survive in the face of unrelenting adversity. He views the actions of Renner’s character, William James, as a “cowboy,” and at one point in the movie was thinking about fragging him.

The remaining member of the crew is actor Brian Geraghty who stars as Specialist Owen Eldridge. He’s both the youngest soldier in the crew, and definitely the unsure soldier amongst the three– yet they all must endure the grinding chaos of their situation. Geraghty, as Specialist Eldridge, is at times funny, quite, angry, and also displays early signs of suffering Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. At times he’s surprisingly tough, though he suffers mental distress and believes he’s to blame for the death of his original squad leader, SSG Thompson, having not fired at the insurgent responsible for allowing the IED that killed Thompson, to remotely detonate.

At the bitter end of their rotation, Geraghty’s character is wounded and is flown out of the combat zone; Mackie’s character Sanborn, can’t take it anymore and wants to have kids.

And Renner’s character, Sergeant James, being the universal soldier, is ready for another tour of duty, because to him–it’s just “Combat.”

Considered a mini-masterpiece by many, a dramatic adventure by others, it’s not a movie that’s on par with previous cinematic tour de force’s including Platoon, Apocalypse Now, and Full Metal Jacket, but it will retain its much deserved and vaulted place among war movies, for everything that it does say, and a lot of what it doesn’t.

It Might Get Loud a brilliant Rock and Roll Documentary

Tom Jones — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:34:33 +0000

With three famous and larger than life Rock & Roll guitarists, Jack White of the White Stripes and the Raconteurs, Jimmy Page of the Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin, and The Edge of U2, together in one room, one’s not sure what you’re about to see, hear, and get.

With regard to “It Might Get Loud,” the brilliance, electrifying, and simply exquisite experience of seeing up close the voices–and sounds–and names of those that we grew up with, spanning three generations of musicians and bands, is nothing short of magical.

The movie is a complex weave of artist to art, concept to creation, how to get away with it all while staying true to yourself, and why having a good axe is always an important component.

But the entire movie is not focused on all of them together in one room continuously.

The theme and message of the movie is how each guitar genius initially became exposed to the electric guitar, how they each had their initial trials and tribulations, their early embrace of the electric guitar in their collective formative years, their early descriptions of how they were able to “breakthrough” the existing barriers that held them back from fully expressing s themselves the way they desired as artists, each musician’s desire to push the then envelope of guitar playing, their musical influences, each of their musical directions and decisions, and how they were able to “get from here to there” in their quest for individual musical expression to be a part of them, and as an unintended result, how they became part of musical history.

Who hasn’t wanted to be a rock star, join a band or play the electric guitar? Music resonates, moves and inspires. Strummed through the fingers of The Edge, Jimmy Page, and Jack White, somehow it does more. This is the premise of It Might Get Loud, a new documentary conceived by producer Thomas Tull.

It Might Get Loud isn’t like any other Rock and Roll documentary. Filmed through the eyes of three different generations, audiences get close and personal, discovering how a furniture upholsterer from Detroit—Jack White, a studio musician and painter from England—Jimmy Page, and a seventeen-year old Dublin schoolboy, each chose the electric guitar to develop their unique sound and the pantheon of superstar. Rare and insightful discussions are presented and provoked when Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White travel to influential locations of their pasts. Born from the experience is intimate access to the creative genesis of each legend, such as Link Wray’s Rumble’s impression upon Jimmy Page, who surprises us with an impromptu air guitar performance knowing every move as it was the driving force and his favorite recording to this day; the raw artistic impact of Son House’s “Grinnin In Your Face" to be Jack White’s favorite song of all time; and how The Edge’s desire to fulfill his destiny to be a Rock and Roll Musician was fueled by the bands such as the Buzzcocks, The Clash, and The Sex Pistols, and further fueled by his disgust at the violence and hopelessness he felt living in Belfast during his childhood.

Although, it was quite obvious that technically, musically, and artistically, Page and White are better musicians than The Edge, they were at all times gracious to him. The Edge’s firm belief in his vision, his use of double loops, and his constant dedication to his talent, made him an equal and perfect compliment for this incredible cinematic and dive into the guitarists personal stories, secrets about how they achieve their individual sounds with their guitars, and how they approach the creative process in the “moment.”

For Jimmy Page, his life was the guitar and the guitar was his life; for Jack White, he had to figure out how to go backward in order to break the doors open toward the future; and for The Edge, his motivation is to see things that you cannot see from one angle, but always from another.

Such is the genesis of a movie about three music geniuses, who share their love of Rock and Roll and the Electric Guitar with unabashed lack of ego and self-consciousness, and a chance to connect with the viewers.

In the end, it all came together as the three jammed on the song, The Band’s “The Weight” on acoustic guitars.

This is one movie that defines genius as to both film documentaries as well as to its subject matter. As a fan of all three musicians, there wasn’t a flaw in the movie.

Who will take Home an Oscar Sunday Night?

Tom Jones — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 23:45:21 +0000

By now, you all know the drill!

We eagerly put the television on to watch the Oscar’s live, and hope to watch an exciting and eventful Oscar’s event. Of course, seeing what the celebrities are wearing is always fun. More often than not, we’re bored to tears, well into the first hour. Ahh, somehow that’s part of the tradition. Every once in awhile, there is a good Awards Ceremony, but this is an annual event that we’re nationally, and internationally hooked on. With Steve Martin and Alex Baldwin hosting, it could be great.

It’s the "Oscar.com’s must-see site content," so until the live event, select a category to explore, and to enjoy.

Until then, hit the Nominees header link, and you’ll be redirected into a scroll over bar of the pictures and names of all this year’s Oscar nominees. Also, check out the History and Organization of the Academy. Their homepage and other pages are very cool, and also provide a look into cinematic history, as well as an eye to the present, while mindful of the future of the Cinematic Arts.

Predict the Oscars Winners

Make your Oscar predictions, share your picks with friends, and come back again and again to make changes right up until show time. See how you’ve done after every Oscar is won.

Travelin’ local’s always interested in what you think, who won, who should have won, and give us your opinions, or dish the dirt, no matter, it’s all about having an evening of fun.

Nominees for the 82nd Academy Awards

Best Picture: "Avatar," "The Blind Side," "District 9," "An Education," "The Hurt Locker," "Inglourious Basterds," "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire," "A Serious Man," "Up," "Up in the Air."

Actor: Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart"; George Clooney, "Up in the Air"; Colin Firth, "A Single Man"; Morgan Freeman, "Invictus"; Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker."

Actress: Sandra Bullock, "The Blind Side"; Helen Mirren, "The Last Station"; Carey Mulligan, "An Education"; Gabourey Sidibe, "Precious: Based on the Novel `Push’ by Sapphire"; Meryl Streep, "Julie & Julia."

Supporting Actor: Matt Damon, "Invictus"; Woody Harrelson, "The Messenger"; Christopher Plummer, "The Last Station"; Stanley Tucci, "The Lovely Bones"; Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds."

Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, "Nine"; Vera Farmiga, "Up in the Air"; Maggie Gyllenhaal, "Crazy Heart"; Anna Kendrick, "Up in the Air"; Mo’Nique, "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire."

Directing: James Cameron, "Avatar"; Kathryn Bigelow, "The Hurt Locker"; Quentin Tarantino, "Inglourious Basterds"; Lee Daniels, "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire"; Jason Reitman, "Up in the Air."

Foreign Language Film: "Ajami," Israel; "El Secreto de Sus Ojos," Argentina; "The Milk of Sorrow," Peru; "Un Prophete," France; "The White Ribbon," Germany.

Adapted Screenplay: Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, "District 9"; Nick Hornby, "An Education"; Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche, "In the Loop"; Geoffrey Fletcher, "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire"; Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, "Up in the Air."

Original Screenplay: Mark Boal, "The Hurt Locker"; Quentin Tarantino, "Inglourious Basterds"; Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman, "The Messenger"; Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "A Serious Man"; Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Tom McCarthy, "Up."

Animated Feature Film: "Coraline"; "Fantastic Mr. Fox"; "The Princess and the Frog"; "The Secret of Kells"; "Up."

Art Direction: "Avatar," "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," "Nine," "Sherlock Holmes," "The Young Victoria."

Cinematography: "Avatar," "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," "The Hurt Locker," "Inglourious Basterds," "The White Ribbon."

Sound Mixing: "Avatar," "The Hurt Locker," "Inglourious Basterds," "Star Trek," "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."

Sound Editing: "Avatar," "The Hurt Locker," "Inglourious Basterds," "Star Trek," "Up."

Original Score: "Avatar," James Horner; "Fantastic Mr. Fox," Alexandre Desplat; "The Hurt Locker," Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders; "Sherlock Holmes," Hans Zimmer; "Up," Michael Giacchino.

Original Song: "Almost There" from "The Princess and the Frog," Randy Newman; "Down in New Orleans" from "The Princess and the Frog," Randy Newman; "Loin de Paname" from "Paris 36," Reinhardt Wagner and Frank Thomas; "Take It All" from "Nine," Maury Yeston; "The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" from "Crazy Heart," Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett.

Costume: "Bright Star," "Coco Before Chanel," "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," "Nine," "The Young Victoria."

Documentary Feature: "Burma VJ," "The Cove," "Food, Inc." "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers," "Which Way Home."

Documentary (short subject): "China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province," "The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner," "The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant," "Music by Prudence," "Rabbit a la Berlin."

Film Editing: "Avatar," "District 9," "The Hurt Locker," "Inglourious Basterds," "Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire."

Makeup: "Il Divo," "Star Trek," "The Young Victoria."

Animated Short Film: "French Roast," "Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty," "The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)," "Logorama," "A Matter of Loaf and Death."

Live Action Short Film: "The Door," "Instead of Abracadabra," "Kavi," "Miracle Fish," "The New Tenants."

Visual Effects: "Avatar," "District 9," "Star Trek."

The Wolfman: Howls of Laughter?

Douglas McBride — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 05:38:27 +0000

In 1941 they called the film of man turned animal, The Wolf Man. Shot in black and white, the film is still considered a classic of the horror genre today. The original Wolfman starred Lon Chaney, Jr., Claude Rains, Eveyln Ankers, Ralph Bellamy, Patric Knowles, Bela Legosi, and Maria Ouspenskaya.

Well, times have changed folks. That was then, this is now, and classic is definitely not the word for the 2010 version of the film.

So, here’s a caveat: If you can appreciate The Wolfman as a campy, over the top work of suspense, and an accidental comedy, you might actually enjoy it. Seeing old London re-imagined is sort of a kick, and you could make an argument that some of the film’s elements actually work fairly well.

That being said, you’ll need to come expecting very little, armed with your most generous sense of humor. An appreciation for cheap thrill horror and a serious werewolf fetish wouldn’t hurt either, but you get the idea.

If it’s at all telling, The Wolfman did have a production budget of $150 million. In the world of big budget filmmaking, there are more than a few bad films, bad choices, and bad accents. Did we fail to mention big paychecks? Well, The Wolfman is a film that seems to have sunken it’s bloody fangs deep into all of the above, in the worst kind of way. Benicio Del Toro (Lawrence Talbot), who is an otherwise talented actor, serves up what might be one of his most embarrassing performances on film to date.

Del Toro has justifiably captivated audiences in the past. The actor’s work in The Usual Suspects, Traffic, and 21 Grams come to mind immediately, but his hard to mask accent does him no favors in this film.

Some of Del Toro’s choices in Wolfman also seem uncharacteristically clumsy. Maybe he intended to maximize his clumsiness, so that his performance might dovetail smoothly with the noticeably clumsy efforts of the film’s Director Joe Johnston. In this particular case, that actually takes some doing. Johnston leaves his lead actor looking pretty foolish at times, but it takes two to tango, so Del Toro will have to take much of the blame for dialing in a clunker here.

The fact that the actor earned a Producer credit on Wolfman (and with it a larger take of the film’s gross) is not overly surprising, in light of the performance.

Even Sir Anthony Hopkins (Sir John Talbot) serves up a few moments of wolfishly, inadvertent comedy. So, what the hell is ‘wolfishly, inadvertent comedy?’ Truth be told, there may not be a legitimate answer to that very reasonable question. But, fear not, filmgoers. The closest thing to that legitimate answer will be coming soon to a theater near you, in the form of this film.

In a nutshell, The Wolfman is a halfhearted cheap thrill, and an accidental comedy, but a weak film overall. Putting too many words, and too much effort into lambasting a film that roasts itself so well, always seems like a waste of time and energy. So, we’ll leave this one for dead right here, and let any howls of protest come later. For now, enough said.

If you disagree with us, or if you really loved The Wolfman, we want to hear all about it. Likewise, if you agree with us, or if you hated the film, we’d like to hear your thoughts.

Either way, feel free to start a conversation below, or shoot us a comment at the bottom of the page. We appreciate your love and your anger in equal amounts, and we’ll get back to you with our thoughts.