Tribeca

In April, Film School Rejects will once again send our crack staff of NY-based critics (we call them “the cool ones”) over to the neighborhood known as Tribeca to cover the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival. There, they will be delighted with a wonderful slate of uniquely artful and uniquely New Yorky films. And Shrek Forever After.

Today we got some cool news from the Tribeca Press office that the festival, which was founded in 2001 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, will close with The Wachowski’s tripped out, CGI-infused cartoon adaptation Speed Racer.

Final Grade: B-Release Date: May 12, 2006
Like most accident thrillers, the remake Poseidon is full of unbelievable twists and turns, but it also makes for a fun action packed ride despite its story shortcomings.
The plot consists of a colossal tidal wave in the North Atlantic Ocean hitting Poseidon, a luxury cruise ship, on New Years Eve causing it to capsize, reeking havoc among its passengers as they make their way to the bottom, which is now the top.
First let me write that I’m a fan of the original 1972 film, The Poseidon Adventure. Despite being out of date technology wise the original film did a better job creating fuller characters, allowing viewers to become more attached and invested in them. Although Poseidon is a remake that borrows the same plot, all of the characters are new, so there isn’t the Gene Hackman reverend character or even the same stunts. Like the original, who lives and who survives is random like life itself and I appreciated that aspect despite its cruelty at times. Going with the gritty cruelty point, Poseidon does spotlight the causalities littered throughout the ocean liner, so do be prepared for that. I thought it was a little crazy that no one besides the handful of characters featured survived the initial onslaught. I kept expecting them to stumble upon someone else as they climbed their way to the hull, but only carcasses were shown.

For the Tribeca Film Festival’s last day it concluded with the premiere of the upcoming thriller and remake by Wolfgang Petersen (Troy, Neverending Story) Poseidon starring Kurt Russell, Richard Dreyfuss, Josh Lucas & many more.
This was by far the largest media turn out I’ve seen yet during the festival, the red carpet line was extended and nearly doubled in size. By the time the actors got to me I was warned I could only ask one question and unfortunately all Kurt Russell could do was smile and say “Hi” to me and keep going. The big shocker among the media was that Goldie Hawn wasn’t there with him, maybe recent trouble in paradise rumors are true? Hope not. She was expected since she was on the confirmed section of our media update sheet. I did get to briefly interview the other attending stars besides Kurt though and take some more red carpet clips (see below).
First to arrive was actor Andre Braugher of Thief, Glory and City of Angels who carried himself with such sophistication, as he does on screen as well. In the film he plays the unfortunate Captain of the luxury liner. I had asked him if it was hard making a film with so many special effects. He responded that the special effects aren’t the hard part. “The hardest part is the emotional content, the emotional despair that the [...]

Final Grade: B-
In a cinema verite film, the makers of The War Room follow comedian, political writer and liberal radio show host, Al Franken, in the documentary feature in God Spoke, exposing right wing bias in the media while showing Franken’s struggle during the 2004 presidential campaign against O’Reilly and the forming of his Air America radio show.
The film starts off with a crazy beginning featuring a Moses like reenactment where Al sports a very fake beard, is holding tablets and hears God inform him that liberal bias in the media is total BS and then he’s ordered to attack back, i.e. take on right wing pundits like Ann Coulter, Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity. It’s rather a quirky start for such a serious political/media discussion that’s ahead in the film.

I’m filmed out after seeing all these films this weekend at the Tribeca Film Festival and taking notes. Not that I’m complaining I just feel a bit 2D. To break it up a bit, I got to briefly ask questions to the talented Laura Linney and Harry Potter’s Rupert Grint at the premiere of Driving Lessons. The film is about a shy teenager (Grint) living in London who is trying to escape from the clutches of his religious mother (Linney). He finally gets his chance when he meets a retired actress (Julie Walters) who whisks him off to Edinburgh, where he learns to drive, dance and pick up girls. It’s also the directorial debut for Jeremy Brock.
Dressed in jeans a camouflage jacket and Converse sneaks, Rupert Grint was sweet and spoke in a soft voice. Outside the screening room meanwhile was a line of screaming fourteen year old girls wanting to meet him, who knew Ron Weasley was such a heart throb? I did notice that his eyelashes like his hair were red but a lighter shade. Either way he was barely 5′4 and still doesn’t have his license. He told me that he never drove before but had to for the film. He laughed remembering how he forgot to put up the parking break and the car started rolling backwards down a hill towards the film crew.
It’s not his first time in New York since he says he goes every year for the Harry Potter premiere, but [...]

With the Tribeca Film Festival in full force, and me armed with my approved Tribeca/Film School Rejects press pass, I attended the media screening of The Groomsmen, written and directed by Edward Burns (who I loved in 15 Minutes and Life or Something Like It) The film stars Burns, Matthew Lillard, John Leguizamo, Heather Burns, Brittany Murphy and Donal Logue. It’s about a groom hanging out with his four groomsmen the week before his pending shot gun wedding. The film will be distributed outside of the festival circuit in July 2006.
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to go to the festival screening of the film after the red carpet arrivals, but I’ll be able to review the film in the press screening library soon. Full review to come on Film School Rejects shortly.
I checked in two hours before show time like requested. US Weekly, Premiere, NY1, and other outlets were there. They separated the photographers, TV crew and then the reporters into different sections and in that order. So as each actor arrived they’d first smile for the camera’s by standing in the middle of the carpet with the Tribeca Film Festival backdrop behind them as the photographers shouted out their name, then they’d progress to the TV interviews and then answering questions among the press (That’s where I come in). Second to last my “interview” time was limited to say the least. Along a steel divider hung a white paper with Film School Rejects written on it, indicating [...]