I was not surprised that "The Artist" was named the year's best independent feature at the Film Independent Spirit Awards at beautiful Santa Monica Beach surfing over all the competition on a tidal wave to the Oscars on Sunday.
The film also won awards for director Michel Hazanavicius, lead actor Jean Dujardin and cinematographer Guillaume Schiffman, taking home prizes in four of the five categories in which it was nominated.
Indie Spirit Award voters made the Oscar favorites, the...
'The Artist' Dominates Independent Spirit Awards
I was not surprised that "The Artist" was named the year's best independent feature at the Film Independent Spirit Awards at beautiful Santa Monica Beach surfing over all the competition on a tidal wave to the Oscars on Sunday.
The film also won awards for director Michel Hazanavicius, lead actor Jean Dujardin and cinematographer Guillaume Schiffman, taking home prizes in four of the five categories in which it was nominated...
Father’s Day is not a title for a film reflecting on what most of us remember as a special day for dads. What we have is a dark revenge movie going off into the deep crevices, of Grindhouse movies with a the combination of 80s late-night TV and a perverted sense of humor which makes this film something truly unique.
If that is your flavor for film and you are a Troma fan,you will love this movie. How Astron-6 did this film on such a limited budget is mind-blowing.
After the cast s...
Crazy Horse ,an erotic documentary on the Parisian Cabaret
by Ron Gilbert
All I keep hearing on my mind’s sound track when I watched this documentary by talented director Frederick Wiseman , were the lyrics “you make me crazy”.
Years ago I had the good fortune to visit the Landmark Le Crazy Horse cabaret in Paris and so my memories were still intact. This film is a very inside view of the workings of this famed cabaret where all these beautiful dancers are more than just sexy...
by Ron Gilbert
Now it in its thirteenth year this Film Festival .offers a Scandinavian Cinema combined with a Smorgasbord treat starting on January 7, 8, 14, 15 at Writers Guild Theater (135 S. Doheny/at Wilshire) in Beverly Hills. I have been very fortunate to be in attendance at this film festival and have chosen this fest instead of Palms Springs and Sundance on my weekends.
The five Nordic Oscar submissions plus additional current feature films, shorts, and documentaries...
When i was a young actor starting out in New York , I was granted the privlege of meeting Sue Mengers and the advice she offered me was to take a chance on making it in Holywood.She told me to take 6 months in Hollywood and to see what the result would be and if I got a lucky break to stay there.Well it took me 12 years to get to Hollywood from NY and I had an an opportunity to meet with Sue at a conference and we shared our meeting and her advice. We both laughed and ...
LOS ANGELES IRISH FILM FESTIVAL 2011 PROGRAM AND TRIBUTE TO FIONNULA FLANAGAN
THE STEVE BRENNAN TRIBUTE AWARD TO FIONNULA FLANAGAN
Los Angeles Irish Film Festival 2011 Program
OPENING NIGHT
Thursday, September 29, 2011 at 7pm
TRIBUTE TO FIONNULA FLANAGAN
PERFORMANCE BY JUDITH MOK
SPECIAL SCREENING OF "THE GUARD"
Director: John Michael McDonagh
Producers: Chris Clark, Flora Fernandez Marengo, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe
Writer: John Michael McDonagh
Cast...
By Ron Gilbert
Director, Lech Majewski does a brilliant orchestration in this film which is like watching an artist visually show how his painting is created and all of his inspirations.
Opening this complex painting via a combination of actors and horses with blue screen effects and 2D backdrops with historical, religious, contemporary and symbolic figures, with biblical travails depicted alongside sufferings of Flemish citizens persecuted by representati...
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 a personal reflection
By Ron Gilbert
This film won the Sundance Film Festival editing award which was well earned. Watching this powerful documentary brought back some very strong memories for me because I was a college student at City College in New York in the midst of Harlem during that early period. What surprises me most of all is that it took over 30 years to present this documentary which was directed by Göran Hugo Olsson w...
2011 LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL
By Ron Gilbert
You must
explore the LA Film Festival this year to view what has happened to downtown LA
and the films offered. I have seen many of the documentaries and they are must
see films. Of course we have the blockbuster films like Green Lantern but many
indie films are worth watching, This year you can use your phone to view what’s
happening,
Film Independent Goes Mobile for 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival
The fre...
2011 LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL
By Ron Gilbert
You must
explore the LA Film Festival this year to view what has happened to downtown LA
and the films offered. I have seen many of the documentaries and they are must
see films. Of course we have the blockbuster films like Green Lantern but many
indie films are worth watching, This year you can use your phone to view what’s
happening,
Film Independent Goes Mobile for 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival
The fre...
Somewhere Between a
very emotional documentary at LAFF
By Ron Gilbert
Director Linda Goldstein Knowlton has created a very touching
and personal film about four adopted girls from China. It seems that China has
a One Child Policy and girls are usually placed up for adoption based on that
and of course other reasons like too many children in the household.
Knowlton knows the adoption procedure from the inside because
she also adopted a Chinese girl 5 years ag...
Somewhere Between a
very emotional documentary at LAFF
By Ron Gilbert
Director Linda Goldstein Knowlton has created a very touching
and personal film about four adopted girls from China. It seems that China has
a One Child Policy and girls are usually placed up for adoption based on that
and of course other reasons like too many children in the household.
Knowlton knows the adoption procedure from the inside because
she also adopted a Chinese girl 5 years ag...
Inside the 5th Los Angeles Greek Film Festival
By Ron Gilbert
LA Greek Film Festival 2011This Greek Film festival reveals very personal views of Greece
with very exciting glimpse of places which we would never have the privilege to
see on a tour bus in films with very talented filmmakers. Ersi Danou co-founder
and head of programming has created an amazing combination of films.
Opening night gala at
the Laemmle's Sunset 5 theater located at 8000 W. Sunset Blvd, Los Angel...
Djo Tunda wa Munga drives “Viva Riva” into the fast laneBy Ron GilbertDirector Djo Tunda wa Munga has become a director to watch with his first feature which impressived audiences and distributors at the 2011 Berlin Film Festival. He started out as a documentarian and puts his foot on the gas(literally) with “Viva Riva” and the inside of life in the Congo underworld. My former classmate Martin Scorcese will agree with my comparison to his films, ”Mean Streets and Good Fellas” onl...
DUMBSTRUCK is a true family film
By Ron Gilbert
I always enjoyed
ventriloquists as a kid and the skills which they were able to do with their
partners. I refuse to call them dummies because they always seemed smarter then
the humans who made them function but we also know that they are an extension
of their better half.
This film
is an incredible view into their world. It will touch every emotion in your heart,
where you will discover the true feeling of...
The Opening night of Hola Mexico Film Festival in Hollywood
was in the best Mexican spirit of laughter and music. On the Red Carpet were Alvaro Curiel (Acorazado), José Antonio Zuñiga Rodríguez (Presunto Culpable), Jaime Camil (Salvando al Soldado
Perez), Graciela
Beltrán (Recording Artist), Yareli Arizmendi (Un día sin mexicanos), Damián Alcázar (El Infierno, De la Infancia,
Chicogrande),
Jazmin Lopez (Recording Artist), Diego Schoening (ex Timbiriche), Gustavo Galindo (Record...
“An Article of Hope” at 6th Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival
touches all humanity
By Ron Gilbert
I was
extremely moved by this documentary which goes way beyond the Jewish community
and is an inspiration to all races and religions.
In addition
to having astronaut Buzz Aldrin present to discuss his feelings about this film
were a moment that all of us were extremely fortunate to experience.
Director
Dan Cohen was inspired 7 years ago when he re...
Potiche,
a film which entertains everyone
By
Ron Gilbert
Catherine Deneuve is the French equivalent of our
Elizabeth Taylor. She is an ageless beauty whom I first saw back in my college
days in “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg”.
Then of course the film,” Belle du Jour” a few years later. She still seduces
us with a screen presence which has your eyes glued to the screen in her new
film. A star who doesn’t complain about not getting the roles like American actres...
Bill Cunningham New York
Documentary on a Legendary Fashion Photographer
By Ron Gilbert
The preview opening at LACMA presented
by the Costume Council was the best venue to view this film. The Costume
Council provides extraordinary resources to expand audiences’ awareness of
fashion, design, costume and adds to the LAMCA World class Costume and Textile
Collection.
Needless to say all the fans
of Bill Cunningham whose work has graced the fashion world for 5...
Premiere Event - March 31, 2011
By Ron Gilbert
I have been following the journey of this award-winning and critically acclaimed documentary,”MY RUN” which is coming to movie theaters nationwide for an “exclusive one night premiere event” on Thursday, March 31st at 7:00pm (Local Time).Director Tim VandeSteeg and producer Mark Castaldo and co-producer Christine Redlin (who is the voice of the Tim’s late wife) have created an awesome and touching film which has stirred a...
Opening Night of Los
Angeles Italia 2011
by Ron Gilbert
The party has started with Italian friends and family for a celebration
which on this occasion is the Los Angeles Italia Film Fashion and Art Festival.
The festival director Pascal Vicedomini who is from Southern Italy
really has a knack for combining Hollywood
and Italy and
today was the day to reminisce about the Legendary Oscar winning producer Dino
De Laurentiis and honoring him in a way that was well deserved. The...
by Ron Gilbert
In September 2005 I first met Jesse when he was co-starring in a production of Orphans written by Lyle Kessler and directed by Ulu Grosbard with Al Pacino in the lead. It wasn’t a well publicized event which was under the auspices of the Actors Studio. As an Actors Studio member I was privileged to see Jesse in the role of the younger of 2 brothers. He had this unique presence as the introverted acrophobic brother and he definitely made an impression on me. The play was...
On the Bowery, a film that inspired director John Cassavetes
By Ron Gilbert
This Oscar nominated film was considered very controversial when it was released but today we are fortunate to see the restored version in addition to a commentary on the making of On The Bowery by Michael Rogosin the son of the director.
In 1956 the year this film was made ,Dwight Eisenhower was president, Reverend Martin Luther King was heavily involved in racial integration in the South, Fidel...
Paul Giamatti inspired me tonight in his performance in Barney’s Version
By Ron Gilbert
Inspiration is the key to getting you up in the morning to start a new day with excitement and fervor and those goals that you have set for yourself in whatever you do. As a writer I need to be inspired so that I can explode with creative dialogue so that you can read about a film that moves me. Tonight that happened. Michael Konyves’ script based on Mordecai Richler’s novel, Richard’s dir...
