Until now, I really haven’t found much to be excited about when it comes to this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. Last year’s festival opened with the premiere of Spider-Man 3, while this year’s festival is set to open with the Chiwetel Ejiofor mix martial arts actioner Redbelt — and while Redbelt will probably be a better film than Spidey 3, I don’t see that as a reason to make the trip all the way out to New York.

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. This will be mark the world premiere of the Warner Brothers film, which is scheduled to hit theaters nationwide on May 9th. Now, if you are in New York and can weasel your way into tickets, you may be able to see the film 6 days early, on May 3rd.

“Warner Bros. has been a big part of the Festival many times over the years and we are thrilled that the Wachowskis and producer Joel Silver are bringing Speed Racer to us this year to close the Festival,” said Jane Rosenthal, co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival in a press release sent out this morning.

So while this announcement isn’t going to have me scouring the internet for a cheap flight to NYC, it is pretty cool. As well, we will not be without coverage of the event, as our own Robin Ruinsky is taking to the streets of the Tribeca district to cover the festival when it gets underway on April 23.

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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 Despite being out of date technology wise the original film did a better job creating fuller characters, allowing viewers to become more attached and invested in them.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.

What makes the film even eerier than the original is the recent real life tsunami that happened in Asia, which makes the outlandish plot and circumstances uncomfortably possible. Seeing the massive boat flip over and being pummeled by the rogue wave as the water cascaded inside is amazing and terrifying, although reminiscent of Titanic. It got to the point that if I was one of the survivors I’d be envying the passengers that were on top deck who simply floated out to sea.

While a remake was definitely not necessary, the new special effects do make the story faster paced, more action packed and quite a ride. I literally felt like I was on one of those virtual reality rides at MGM, where your seat moves along with what action is playing on screen. Even though I was saying “come on” and “oh pahlease” out loud in protest to the constant crazy things happening on screen, I was still enjoying the spectacle of it all.

I was most surprised that the rogue wave hit the luxury cruise ship so soon into the film, since it didn’t allow for much time to get to know the characters; and from the moment the wave hits the action doesn’t let up for one minute.

It was nice to see Richard Dreyfuss in a film again, but was sad to see that he barely had more than 5 lines throughout the film since the narrative didn’t seem to provide much dialogue for him or anyone for that matter. Kurt Russel played his usual tight lipped action hero minus the Snake Plissken eye patch. This time he’s Robert Ramsey, a former NY mayor and fireman as well as a concerned father on board. Overall it was hard to say if anyone did a good or bad job since the action took precedence over the acting. I was impressed with Mia Maestro of Alias who played Elena a claustrophobic stowaway on board. Josh Lucas (Sweet Home Alabama), Emmy Rossum (Phantom of the Opera), Freddy Rodriquez (Six Feet Under) and Andre Braugher (City of Angels) also star in supporting roles.

The Upside:
An action packed thriller and a technology spectacle worth seeing on the big screen to get the full feel.
The Downside:
Unbelievable, outlandish and disturbing.
On the Side:
The band leader on board during the New Year’s festivities is Stacy Ferguson a.k.a. Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas. Also check out the official website for a cool video clip of the tsunami upon entering at www.poseidonmovie.com

Film Stats:
Starring: Kurt Russell, Emmy Rossum, M­a Maestro, Josh Lucas
Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen
Writing Credits: Mark Protosevich (screenplay) Paul Gallico (novel)
Country: USA
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense prolonged sequences of disaster and peril.
Run Time: 99 min.
Studio: Warner Brothers (official site)
Trailer

Technorati Tags: New Release, Preview, Review, Movie, Poseidon, Tribeca, New York, Celebrity, Entertainment

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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 character have to go through,” he said adding with a nod that “But I think we pulled it off.”

Then came 19-year-old Emmy Rossum from Phantom of the Opera, wearing an elegant red Ralph Lauren dress and a sweet smile. I had asked her if before accepting the role in the film if she had ever seen the original 1972 film The Poseidon Adventure, which the new Poseidon is based on. She admitted that she had never seen it and still hasn’t, but that Poseidon “is not a remake but more of a rein-visioning” (Pretty solid PR messaging there!). I also talked to her about being from NY and happy to be at the festival and got it on video as well as when her costar Josh Lucus came by and goosed her.

Next to make it way down the line to me was Mia Maestro, who I was most looking forward to seeing since I liked her from Alias. She looked beautiful in a black Audrey Hepburn like dress, very doll like. While speaking with her I said she is no stranger to doing action scenes due to Alias but I asked her was hit hard pretending to be on a flipped over cruise ship. She replied in the affirmative saying it was a completely different action, fun but challenging. I then dropped the film and moved to what I was most interested in–Alias. Although it’s not as great as it was two years ago, the series finale is coming up and I asked if she had any information she could share about the shows end. She laughed and said “I can’t!” She did throw me a bone by saying “A lot of the old characters are back.” I didn’t let it go by saying I just saw you wake up in the last week’s episode and she said, “I’m dead, yeah but I’ll be dead but present.” Hmmm, I now have visions of Yoda and Obi Wan like appearings happening on Alias.

Maistro’s costar Victor Garber was there as well, but quickly walked by since he’s not really in the film. I did find it funny that he also appeared in a sinking ship film as well–Titanic. Joan Allen (super skinny) and Hayden Panettiere (who I liked in the Lifetime Christmas film If You Believe) also were guests at the premiere and walked by me.

I briefly spoke with the director Wolfgang Petersen too, who said how he was very glad to have his film at the festival for closing night and how he previously spoke with DeNiro years ago about having Troy premiere there too, but it didn’t work out.

Sadly all good things must come to and end and like the film festival so does my red carpet coverage. I’ll be posting my review of Posedion, which opens on May 12th, here on Film School Rejects soon, since I was able to go into the auditorium after the press line broke up this time.

Click “more” below to see Tara’s awesome video coverage from Tribeca…

Technorati Tags: Tribeca, Poseidon, Movie, Premiere, Celebrity, Red Carpet, Famous, New York, Film, Popular

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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.

Right off the bat, the former SNL writer Al Franken says, “What I do isn’t propaganda. What I do is I take what they say and use it against them. What I do is jujitsu. They say something ridiculous and I submit them to scorn and ridicule; that’s what I do.” From there on out the film follows Franken as he tries to fulfill this purpose.

The film mainly consists of footage from past interviews, speeches, political events and clips from Franken’s continued on air feud with Bill O’Reilly over Franken’s best selling book, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them. The clips do a great job at showing how good these media hosts are at spinning things and turning the tables on attacks aimed at them. It’s also depressing because they successfully make Al look useless at times in his fight against them, especially since the majority of the story takes place during the 2004 Presidential elections and we all know that did not turn out well for Democratic candidate John Kerry.

A rather interesting scene is where Franken is addressing a group of high school students and dissects a misleading comparison chart that was shown on the Fox News Network. In this regard at times the film is very much like the better executed documentary Outfoxed, which also focuses on The Fox News Channel and its right wing biases and effective spin.

Franken’s attacks through out his film are strong; his comedy though is weak as are his rather boring personal stories and his attempts at humor off camera amongst his colleagues. Overall the narrative could have been punchier and by taking out 30 minutes of the slower parts would have made for a much stronger film in the end. I kept waiting for a big wrap up or a strong left hook (forgive the pun) to come, but it never came and the story just fizzled out.

Meanwhile for a cinema verite film the camera work isn’t jumpy or dizzying like produced on a handheld, and is spliced together with archive footage effectively. The film has been hitting all the film festivals across the country including in San Francisco and Austin.

The Upside:
Provides an interesting debate and a behind the scenes look into the political media and 2004 elections.
The Downside:
Rather slow, not fun to sit through in theaters, more of a rental in the comforts of your own home.
On the Side:
Franken has been married to his wife for 28 years and he has done four USO tours providing humor for the troops overseas. Also, Janeane Garofalo has a very brief appearance in the film.

Film Stats:
Director: Chris Hegedus, Nick Doob
Cast: Al Franken, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Henry Kissinger, Michael Moore, Bill O’Reilly
Release Date: 2006
Run Time: 90 min

Technorati Tags: Politics, Right Wing Bias, Media, Fox News, Al Franken, Bill O’Reilly, Conservative, Liberal

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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 he said that he likes the city and that he especially like’s New York gangster films like Goodfellas. It was his first time at Tribeca Film Festival; in fact he said it’s his first film festival in general.

Laura Linney dressed in a brown trench coat, jeans and heels. Her smile was constant but not fake. She spoke elegantly and was very nice to me but got flustered on my question of her favorite New York film since she said that there are so many great ones; but she kept trying to think of one, then she apologized with a smile and said that she was tired. Regarding an easier question she immediately said that what most attracted her to the role in Driving Lessons was the script and director Brock’s charm when he flew out to meet her and to discuss the project.

This time I took a video of the red carpet instead of still shots. Enjoy! Sorry I couldn’t film my interview myself, not that ambidextrous.

Technorati Tags: Tribeca, Film Festival, Red Carpet, Celebrity, Premiere, Interview

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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 where I should stand. I was right next to NY Arts Magazine and a college TV station out in the Bronx. The red carpet itself is actually a plush long red carpet, not just simply a flat red tarp. I don’t know, but I found that interesting.

Check out more pictures and tales from the Red Carpet. Just click “more”…

First down the carpet came Donal Logue who I recognized but it took me until the time he reached me to place him. I finally remembered him playing the friend in Just Like Heaven. He also stars in the TV Show, Grounded for Life. Since none of us had seen the film yet it wasn’t easy coming up with questions but Donal described the film as a fun guy’s movie. He was very personable and like every other actor that I’d speak to that evening he got a kick out of the name Film School Rejects. Kudos to our site creator Neil!

Next came the lively Matthew Lillard of Scream and Scooby Doo fame. Like the zany characters that he plays his real life persona seemed to match them as he joked his way down the red carpet even grabbing NY1’s microphone and starting to ask his own questions. When asked about the 80’s from a Canadian entertainment show he made the comment that he was miserable in high school since he was “large” and “not smart.” When he came to stand in front of me, I had to take a step back to look up at him, since he was standing quite close and is very tall. He told me that what he likes best about The Groomsmen is that “it’s about a filmmaker trying to say something, not just making Poseidon but something artistic.” Frankly he sort of made me a little uncomfortable maybe because I couldn’t get the image of a Scream masked killer out of my mind, but I was relieved when his publicist quickly whisked him away.

Heather Burns (no relation to Edward) was next in line and sporting brown hair and a cheery smile. Burns, a NYU graduate from the Tisch School of the Arts plays the wife of one of the groomsman in the film. She mentioned that her husband in the film is an alcoholic and as his wife she’s helping him deal with that. I joked by saying it sounds like it’s a very different role than her performance in Miss Congeniality, she laughed and said “Yes, no tiaras.” She also said she hasn’t had the chance to see the completed version of the film and was kind of nervous to see it now, but also excited.

Meanwhile Bonnie Hunt walked by, but since she was attending as just a guest and not a star in the film she didn’t stop to speak to the reporters. It’s too bad, because I really like her.

Anyway, finally Edward Burns (man are his eyes blue) and wife Christy Turlington made their way down the carpet and I couldn’t wait. He said to one of the television stations that he enjoys creating personal stories and all of his friends are getting married now later in life and he used art to imitate life. Ed is no stranger to the Tribeca Film Festival since most of his films are shot and produced in New York City or Long Island; The Groomsmen is no exception and also takes place in NY. After his fourth writing/directing effort, Sidewalks of New York he said, “I hope people watch this movie and still see New York as the greatest city in the world. I certainly do.”

Thus, I kept my question centered around NY and asked him what his favorite NY film is. He said it was a toss up between Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters or even Goodfellas, but then he admitted that they were the obvious ones. As he searched for a better answer I teased by asking how about Sidewalks of New York. He smirked and replied that he wasn’t going to argue with that and then answered my question by adding Spike Lee’s film She’s Gotta Have It to the mix. Then the very down to earth and good looking Ed was asked to enter the theater. *sigh*

[Editors Note: Great job to Tara! She is representing Film School Rejects wonderfully at Tribeca. How exciting is it that Donal Logue likes our name?! I like his too...]

Technorati Tags: Tribeca, Film Festival, Celebrities, Red Carpet, Hollywood, New York, Press

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