Fourth Annual Little Rock Film Festival

The fourth annual Little Rock Film Festival was a smashing success. Every year the festival grows and becomes more polished. It is truly a crown jewel for the city of Little Rock. http://www.littlerockfilmfestival.org/

I was lucky enough to see approximately fifteen films over the course of four days. Unfortunately I missed Winter's Bone, the opening night film, which won Best Narrative. I heard nothing but high praise from all who saw it.

Here are some of my favorites:

Alamar -- Part documentary, part narrative about five year old Natan who embarks on a journey with his Mexican father, Jorge, before he is taken back to Rome to live with his mother. Through their experiences, Jorge instills in Natan a sense of his Mayan heritage. It is a moving bittersweet film with breathtaking scenery.

Black White and Blues -- Jefferson Bailey, a troubled blues musician with a bad case of stage fright, travels from Austin, Texas to his hometown of Huntsville, Alabama to collect an inheritance left to him by his grandfather. He is accompanied by a a mysterious stranger (Augy), played by Michael Clarke Duncan, who claims to work for the attorney handing his grandfather's estate. As their stories unfold, they discover they are connected in an unexpected and life altering way. Directed by Mario Van Peeples.

Interesting note: Tom Skerritt plays a bar owner called Santa. During the film I noticed a gentleman sitting three seats over from me who looked VERY familiar. I finally realized it was Holmes Osborne, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0651660/ (That Thing You Do and many other roles) who during the Q & A, said that he had read for Tom Skerritt's role.

Happythankyoumoreplease -- A romantic comedy that hits all the right notes about six New Yorkers balancing friendship, romance and life's intricacies. Josh Radnor of "How I Met Your Mother" makes his directorial and screenwriting debut. He plays Sam, a struggling writer who sees a young boy separated from his family on the subway. He takes the child home with him intending to contact the authorities, then cannot bring himself to do it. I loved this film and hope it gets a theatrical release.

I Am Comic -- A documentary about stand-up comedy narrated by Ritch Shynder who was at the top of his comedic game in the 80's during the heyday of stand-up. Shynder gets so jazzed by the energy of the comics he interviews and the atmosphere of the clubs, he decides to try stand again himself. A penetrating look behind the scenes at the life of a comic. This film can be seen on Showtime this month.

American: The Bill Hicks Story -- A documentary about the life and comedy of Bill Hicks whose died in 1994 of pancreatic cancer at the age of thirty-two in Little Rock. He grew up in Houston, Texas, but his parents moved to Little Rock and still reside here. His in-your-face cutting edge comedy about politics and social mores never caught on in the US like it did in the UK and Europe. His ground breaking commentary has paved the way for the likes of Jon Stewart and Bill Maher. The Q & A featured Mary and Steve Hicks, Bill's mother and brother. They said a feature film about Bill's life is being discussed and Russell Crowe is interested in playing the lead.

Table at Luigi's -- A sparkling romantic comedy about the chef in an Italian restaurant who spices his gourmet creations with a little magic. The Feature Film Making Class at the University of Central Arkansas produced this enchanting film and they did an excellent job. I was very impressed by the screenplay, the acting and the production values.

Documentary Short: In Queso Fever: A Movie About Cheese Dip -- I am relieved to know my obsession with cheese dip is shared by the entire state of Arkansas. Of course everyone interviewed allowed as how their taste for the cheesy concoction was influenced by an Arkansas institution, Mexico Chiquito. The Tex Mex restaurant opened in Protho Junction in 1935 with dirt floors. In those days people came from all other the state to dine there. When questioned about putting cheese dip on his menu, the Head Chef at Ashley's in the Capital Hotel, was nonplussed, but then admitted that most Arkansas restaurants do have cheese dip on their menu, even if they serve nothing else even remotely Mexican. We do love our cheese dip!

Sex and the City II: Not all Bad (Spoilers)

I have always been a fan of Sex and the City. I loved the clothes and shoes and the show's humorous look at dating, relationships and friendships. The movies, though falling short of the success of the show, is like a reunion of old friends, even if the vehicle for bringing them together is less than stellar.

There were some cringe worthy moments in SATC II, but there are also some scenes that harken back to the glory days of the series. It made me wish that instead of a a feature length film, they would make a SATC miniseries of say, six episodes for HBO again. The tightly constructed thirty minute shows involved each character having a story line tied together with a theme. In the movie the themes were about, women finding their voice, and figuring out how to combine tradition and individuality. As the movie opens, all the characters are struggling with this.

Carrie (is she nuts??) is finding marriage to Big to be less than exciting a bare two years after the wedding that almost didn't happen. I have to say, I thought their life together looked pretty good. I can think of worse things than watching old movies in bed with Big (Chris Noth).

Miranda is dealing with a senior partner at her law firm that dislikes her. Charlotte is finding motherhood more taxing and exhausting than she thought it would be (doesn't everyone?) and Samantha is determined not to let menopause slow her down (more power to her).

One of my big gripes is Samantha's story line. I think it's great to portray her as a sexy and brash, but couldn't they give her something else to do? Fighting off menopause is a one trick pony, that could have used some help. Also, she takes off to Abu Dhabi with no understanding of Arabic culture, behaving like one of the Pussy Cat Dolls, all the while hoping to win an account representing a posh hotel there. How can Samantha, who having built a successful PR business in cutthroat New York, jeopardize a multi-million dollar account even for the joy of a little illicit sex? Samantha is not that dumb even in the throes of a menopausal melt-down. The story could have been written so that when Samantha did have her melt-down, the audience would have been cheering instead of thinking she acted like an ass.

With Carrie, I know they had to add some drama, and it was good to see John Corbett again, but come on. Carrie didn't marry Aiden years before, because she couldn't let go of Big and now, she is tempted by him? When Carrie and Aiden kissed, it made her realize she loved Big. I was a little disappointed in a straight arrow like Aiden falling prey to temptation. I know being in a foreign country can make you do crazy things, but Aiden was most unforgiving about that sort of betrayal in the series.

I thought it cathartic when Carrie, sobbing, tells Charlotte that seeing Aiden reminded her of her old life and when she kissed him, she remembered what it was really like. "Running around New York like a crazy person trying to convince the one man I loved to love me back." When Samantha comes in and advises Carrie NOT to tell Big about the kiss, she seems almost wise.

Then there is the excellent scene with Charlotte and Miranda at the bar discussing motherhood and its frustrations (Sip). In the show, Miranda faced motherhood somewhat reluctantly and pretty much alone. She has no qualms about articulating how difficult it is. In the end Charlotte discovers that taking a break is not a bad thing after all.

While I thought I would enjoy the fun and flashiness of the girls' trip to the middle east, it became distracting. Too much time changing outfits, not enough time spent on a more interesting and cohesive plot.

The bottom line is the series was at its best when it focused on the friendship between the four women. Like Samantha said, "Men, babies, doesn't matter, we made a deal a long time ago. We're soul mates." If there is another movie, the writers would do well to remember that.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Official Trailer [HD]

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a riveting, edge of your seat thriller with memorable characters that leave you wanting more. It is based on a series of three books by Stieg Larsson, who sadly, died before he could see the success of his work come to its fruition. http://www.amazon.com/Stieg-Larsson/e/B001J95ACO/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1275718364&sr=1-2-ent

Lisbeth Salander, computer hacker extraodinaire, and Mikael Blomkvist, a disgraced journalist become embroiled in a decades old missing persons investigation which puts them on the trail of serial killer. Lisbeth Salander has anger issues dating back to when she was a child and at twenty-four is under guardianship of the state. When her current guardian has a stroke, she is assigned a new guardian who sees it as an opportunity to brutalize her unmercifully. While I knew she would get the upper hand, before she does, there are two very graphic scenes, that are extremely difficult to watch. She does indeed finally have her revenge and puts her anger issues to good use.

Lisbeth works for a security company and is assigned to investigate journalist Mikael Blomkvist, specifically his prosecution for libel, at the request of Henrik Vanger, an old school titan of Swedish industry. Vanger wants to hire Mikael to search for his niece, Harriett who disappeared almost forty years ago. As Mikael begins his investigation, Lisbeth hacks his computer and begins offering her expertise to help with his search. Before long they are collaborating, working in a cabin on a remote island where almost all the Vangers live. (Remote, creepy islands have certainly been a popular setting in films this year) Under no illusions about his family, Henrik tells Mikael that is his family is a nasty bunch and any one of them could be responsible for Harriet's disappearance. as Lisbeth and Mikael come closer to answers, they don't realize that danger is lurking, even after forty years.

Please don't avoid seeing this film because of the subtitles, trust me, you will not notice them after the first few minutes. You will be on the edge of your seat until the end.