Olympics Over. Now, We Have Political Conventions.

I enjoyed the Olympics so much that I haven't had time to see, or write about, a movie. Imagine that? However, I do not apologize for having other interests in the year of a national election.

Almost as soon and the Olympics finished, the Democratic National Convention opened in Denver, CO. The Republican National Convention will begin almost immediately after the Democratic one closes. However, I do not apologize for having other interests in the year of a national election.

Therefore, I am now posting on my "Boggling the Mind" blog, and I shall not be posting here until the RNC Convention is over. Sorry, but there are not enough hours in the day.

Meanwhile, you might enjoy reading Woody Allen's "Excerpts of the Spanish Diary" in the New York Times 24 August about his lastest, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA. It's a hoot!

You might also enjoy my salute to this year's outstanding Spanish athletes on my Foreign Movies Page. There is a heck-of-a-lot there about this year's foreign films, too.

Until I return to the movies, please enjoy my informative "Boggling the Mind" blog. Link on the right sidebar.

Madonna Warmly Received at Traverse City FF - WRAP

AWARDS PRESENTED!
Find them all on my Film Festivals Page (direct link to full list).

Sorry, haven't found out which ball cap Michael is wearing today. Too much partying, I guess!

Actress Christine Lahti, New Board Member

Madonna, and her documentary, I AM BECAUSE WE ARE, were warmly received this evening at a screening at the Traverse City (MI) Film Festival, accoring to the AP. The movie concerns orphans in Malawi, the African country where she and her husband Guy Ritchie adopted a son. Proceeds from the screening will go to a foundation that helps Malawian orphans.

Madonna was accompanied by the movie's director Nathan Rissman and her daughter Lourdes, 11. Michael Moore shared the stage with Madonna before the screening, and it was a mutual admiration society between the two Michigan natives. Read a full AP article by clicking the title of this post.

Last week, Michael sent an e-mail proclaiming this year's festival's opening night the best one ever, even though there were thunder storms. He reported the on-stage introduction of two new board members for the TCFF - - Oscar-winning actress and Michigan native Christine Lahti, and acclaimed Italian director and TCFF-fave Sabina Guzzanti.

Rumors are flying again that Spanish actors Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz (see previous post) will soon announce an engagement. They co-star in Woody Allen's latest movie, and Festival opener, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA (official site). The couple first met on the set of Bigas Luna's 1992 movie JAMON JAMON (Ham, Ham), but only began dating after reuniting onscreen for Allen's movie, which opens in the U.S. 15 August. Trivia: Did you know the working title was "Midnight in Barcelona?"

According to Michael, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA, "was a huge hit - - smart, funny, sexy, and intended for an adult audience that is rarely served these days with smart, funny, and sexy films. What a joy! Ok, who wants to go to Barcelona?!"

Answer - - I do, Michael. I haven't been there since 1998, and I am really home sick for that wonderful city, which really gets going about midnight, and my friends who live there and one, the aforementioned Bigas Luna, who has since moved. Most of them are in the Spanish movie business - - producers, writers, directors, actors, etc. I always try to include a visit to Madrid to see my other cinephile friends. How about it, Michael, are you game? Click.

Back to the Festival, there is a bidding war going on to determine which ball cap Michael will wear this year - - Michigan State University or the University of Michigan? He reports that at the end of the opening night festivities, MSU offered the most for the night. Which one will ultimately prevail? I will update this post with the festival wrap. So, y'all come back now, and y'all will know.

For previous posts about Traverse City FF, click the Traverse City label at bottom of this post.

Michigan Filmmaker Award Today

Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem in Traverse City Festival's Opening Movie

Michael Moore, founder and Grand Puba of the Traverse City Film Festival, will present the Michigan Filmmaker Award to Oscar-winning screenwriter Kurt Luedtke (OUT OF AFRICA and ABSENCE OF MALICE ) at the official opening of the Traverse City Film Festival this afternoon (2:00 pm).

Tonight's opening-night party has been moved to Building 50 as rain is expected. GHOSTBUSTERS is due to be shown outdoors tonight, and should it get rained out, it will be shown on Sunday night. The opening movie, VICKI CRISTINA BARCELONA starring Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, will be shown as scheduled.

Moore reports that Luedtke, "wrote OUT OF AFRICA on Glen Lake! How cool is that?!" Luedtke was born in Grand Rapids.

For those of you who, like me, are not Michiganders, Glen Lake is in Northern Michigan (Leelanau County) next to Lake Michigan. It is separated by a small strip of land, known as Leelanau Peninsular, upon which some quaint towns and a number of resorts reside.

Traverse City, is located at the base of Lake Michigan's western arm of Grand Traverse Bay. When counting its micropolitan area, which it does in order to be a city (an official city has a population of 50,000 or more), is the largest city in a 21-county area of Northern Michigan, with over 142,000. Within the actual city limits of Traverse City, the population is about 15,000. See MAP.

For previous posts about the TCFF on this blog click:(1) (2).

To everyone working at, and attending, the festival - - Happy Festival!

Traverse City prepares for Film Festival

State Theater in downtown Traverse City, MI.

Today, I received an e-mail from Michael Moore asking that I make it clear that there are many films at the Traverse City Film Festival (29 July - 3 August) not sold out. Since documentary is his passion, he wants to recommend the section, "Movies from People Who Want to Kill Us." They are from Muslim countries and half of the directors are women. Surprised? However, Michael tells me he is concerned about the title of the section, because the people involved in these films definitely do not want to kill us. They want us to see their movies.

Chief among them is BUDDHA COLLAPSED OUT OF SHAME, a powerful documentary screening at the festival, and the debut of 18-year-old Iranian director Hana Makhmalbaf. The movie is set in Bamian, a small town in Afghanistan where the Taliban destroyed giant Buddha statues in 2001. Michael says about this film, "A wonderful celebration of the human spirit. My second-favorite film of the festival." Hmmmm. Is he going to tell me his favorite?

Two others in the section are: BAGHDAD HIGH - A group of kids secretly record their life at a Baghdad high school; MY DINNER WITH THE PRESIDENT - A [Pakistani] woman decides to invite a dictator to dinner. He accepts. She asks to film it. He agrees.

Michael is also concerned that people will stay away from the documentary ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL, "because it is about a heavy metal band [Anvil], and perhaps there aren't that many metalheads among you. You do NOT need to like heavy metal to love this film. Anvil is the band that essentially invented heavy metal -- but they were a couple years too soon. . . . ANVIL is at times is hilarious (these guys are the real life Spinal Tap)."

ANVIL, the movie, directed by Sacha Gervasi, features Steven "Lips" Kudlow and Robb Reiner, not the same as Rob Reiner, the actor known as "Meathead" from TV's All in the Family, director of the movie THIS IS SPINAL TAP (1984), and son of the legendary Carl. After the movie on Friday and Saturday night, Anvil [the band] will take the stage and play a set live for the audience.

The historic State theatre in downtown Traverse City, MI, will be dark this weekend (July 25-28) in order to upgrade the already excellent sound system, install a bigger screen, and to permanently install the theater organ in time for the Traverse City Film Festival, mostly thanks to an anonymous donor. Yes, sir, the folks in Traverse City have reason to be excited.

There are some films sold out for the festival, which opens 29 July and runs through 3 August, but dozens are still available. They are available at the walk-up box office located downtown at 300 E Front Street in the Art Center, online, and by phone.
Among the exciting events, Singer / actress / and producer Madonna who, like Michael Moore, is a Michigan native, will appear during the festival for a screening of her documentary, I AM BECAUSE WE ARE, on 2 August. See previous post on this blog for more detail. The event is oversold, but they are trying to add additional screenings of the movie.

The opening movie, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA, directed by Woody Allen, is sold out, and the party afterward may be as well. There are still some tickets for writer-director Andrew Fleming's closing movie, HAMLET.

You can read more, and view some video about the Traverse City Film Festival, a.k.a. Michael Moore's Film Festival, and order available tickets online by clicking the title of this post. There is more about the film in this post on my Film Festivals Page II (link on the right sidebar). On that page you will find more information about this festival, and many others. There is always a link to the official Web site for each festival covered on my Film Festivals Page, and you might find it a handy page to bookmark (favorite) for quick reference.

Woody Allen's Salute to Barcelona at Cannes

In the city of Barcelona, actresses Rebecca Hall, Patricia Clarkson and Scarlett Johansson experience the creations of its famous architect, Antoni Gaudi, as they stand on the roof of his Casa Milá. His famous church, the Familia Segrada (Sacred Family), is far right.


Woody Allen's latest movie, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA, filmed in the Catalonian city of Barcelona, Spain, is considered by some to be Allen's homage to that city, as MANHATTAN (1979) was to New York City.

It is also a homage to Spanish actress Penélope Cruz, nominated for an Oscar® in the best actress category for her role in Pedro Almodóvar's VOLVER (Return, 2006). Allen says the moment he saw her in that movie, he decided he had to make a movie with her. Yep. The guy still has it!

BARCELONA stars Javier Bardém with Scarlett Johansson, Penélope Cruz, Rebecca Hall, and Patricia Clarkson. This could be one of Allen's best sex fantasies yet. I get excited just thinking about seeing the movie, as well as scenes from my beloved city, Barcelona, which I am not now able to visit as much as I would like.

The movie premieres at the Cannes International Film Festival next month, screening out of competition. The scheduled U.S. opening is 29 August. For more about Cannes, see link on right sidebar to my Film Festivals Page. For much more about Bardém, click the link for my Foreign Movies Page.

My Film Festival Page News

My Film Festival Page is updated! Tomorrow, 15th, the 61st Edinburgh International Film Festival (Edinburgh, Scotland), kicks off the late-summer into fall season. The updates begin in Scotland and run through the Times BFI London Film Festival closing 1 November.

In between, you will find information about others, including festivals in New York (NYC), Montreal, San Sebastian, Sitges (Barcelona), Telluride, Toronto, Venice, etc. I try to find and post interesting highlights before the festivals, but you will always find links to the Official Web Sites and a notification, with highlights, when the awards are presented with easy links for more information.

This page is not static. I am constantly updating it as I receive new information, and there is a permanent link to it on the right sidebar of this blog. Visit often and enjoy!

MOVIE & ART EVENTS IN NYC

1. Exhibit of Famous Spanish Artists. The exhibit "Barcelona and the Modernity: Gaudí to Dalí" opened Wednesday, 7 March, at the Metropolitan Museum, NYC, Special Exhibition Galleries, The Tisch Galleries, 2nd floor.

Andalusian Pablo Picasso, the Catalans Joan Miró, Salvador Dalí and Antoni Gaudí are represented in the exhibition that will close 3 June. The president of the Metropolitan, Emily Rafferty, referred to the exhibition as one of the biggest international exhibitions of modern art."

The Metropolitan Museum is located at 1000 Fifth Avenue. New York, New York 10028 -0198. It appears that admission prices are recommended: Adults, $20; Seniors (65 and older) $15; Students, $10 (with some restrictions); and Children under 12 with an adult are free. For more specific information call 212-535-7710. Visit online.


2. "Monday Nights With Oscar®" Screenings. The movie NETWORK (1976) will screen at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences® (AMPAS®) Theater at Lighthouse International in New York City, Monday, 19 March. NETWORK opens the "Monday Nights With Oscar" screening series in New York City (NYC). The movie contains the famous line, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”

Hosted by Robert Osborne, host of Turner Classic Movies, the special guest will be the movie's director Sidney Lumet, and showtime is 7:30 p.m. The Theater at Lighthouse International is located at 111 East 59th Street, New York.

Tickets are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID and may be reserved over the phone by calling 1-888-778-7575. Depending on availability, tickets may be purchased in person the night of the screening. Doors open at 7 p.m. For more information.

General Information

Tickets for these, and other, Academy programs may be purchased by mail, at the Academy during normal business hours, or at the box office which opens one hour before the start of the event.

The Academy's main national office is at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, except most major holidays. For further information on all Academy events and exhibitions in Los Angeles, call (310) 247-3600, unless otherwise noted.

The Academy's New York office is at 111 East 59th Street, New York, New York, closed most major holidays. For further information on all Academy events and exhibitions in New York, call (888) 778-7575, unless otherwise noted.