Cinevegas
I worked the Cinevegas Film festival this year! After meeting Goudge at Sundance this year, I knew I wanted to work other festivals like he does, and Cinevegas was a good one to start with! I talked my sister Joanie, Director of Durango Independent film fest, into working it also and we survived the 10 day festival pretty well! We got to see a few good movies and got into a bunch of parties at cool places as well. I saw a few docs that I really liked and a few good features and we even caught one of the shorts programs.
My pick for best of the fest would have to be Explicit Ills, directed/written by Mark Webber. I fell for this movie hook, line and sinker even though I didnt want to! It stared Rosario Dawson and Lou Taylor Pucci (the kid in Thumbsucker) and other great actors, especially the 8year old kid who played Rosarios son...anyway I loved it, even though it had moments of total predictability. The opening night film was also really good, The Rocker, starring Rainn Wilson, (aka Dwight- from the Office) This movie has distribution and so go see it! It's hilarious...Rainn totally rocks! He was so funny and came in costume to introduce the film, which showed in 3 theatres and he went into each one to welcome everyone and introduce the movie. Later that night he came to the opening party at Moon, on the 53rd floor of the Palms and danced with everyone and was totally cool talking to people and even rubbed up against my sister Joanie on the dance floor!! I hi-fived him once but kept my distance!
Other noteworthy movies were the docs. Hi My Name is Ryan was great, about a cherub of a teenager who decides to accept his life situation and make the most of it, no matter who he offends in the process. He decides to make everyday awesome, which is something we can all choose to do. He just goes about with different performance bands and acts.
Women in Boxes was interesting doc about the women assistants of magicians. Mostly about the older magicians but I found it very entertaining and a great Vegas pick!
The doc about the making of the Cirque show "Beatles Love", called All Together Now, was really good. I loved this "making of" movie because it chronicled the whole story from George and Cirque de Soleil's creater who were friends who first thought of the idea of a Beatles Cirque, to the opening night. Great peeks into what looks to be a true Love story of a show! Now I just have to go see it!
One of the special events was an outdoor drive in movie on Freemont St with a screening of the 1954 movie THEM! You remember this one, giant ants in New mexico due to all the nuclear testing....? I really liked it!
Other docs, Lost in the Fog, The End, Chelsea on the Rocks....we saw a few other narrative features but nothing worth mentioning...except for the one Happy Birthday, Harris Malden, by the cute Sweaty Robot guys. These 5 were adorable and sooo nice! The older ladies were all over them! especially Juan!
I did see Viggo Mortensen, up close and he kindof smiled at me and gave me a nod! Ian said I was grinning and blushing for about 10 minutes after, but I cant be sure. Yes, Aragorn gave me a nod! Sam Rockwell did a panel aslo, Joanie ushered that and I guess he's as spacey as he looks. I saw his movie Choke at Sundance and hated it, so didnt really care about seeing it or him actually. Anjelica Houston who plays his mother in Choke also did a panel. She looks fabulous and is well guarded. She really looks great.
Other noteworthy movies were the docs. Hi My Name is Ryan was great, about a cherub of a teenager who decides to accept his life situation and make the most of it, no matter who he offends in the process. He decides to make everyday awesome, which is something we can all choose to do. He just goes about with different performance bands and acts.
Women in Boxes was interesting doc about the women assistants of magicians. Mostly about the older magicians but I found it very entertaining and a great Vegas pick!
The doc about the making of the Cirque show "Beatles Love", called All Together Now, was really good. I loved this "making of" movie because it chronicled the whole story from George and Cirque de Soleil's creater who were friends who first thought of the idea of a Beatles Cirque, to the opening night. Great peeks into what looks to be a true Love story of a show! Now I just have to go see it!
One of the special events was an outdoor drive in movie on Freemont St with a screening of the 1954 movie THEM! You remember this one, giant ants in New mexico due to all the nuclear testing....? I really liked it!
Other docs, Lost in the Fog, The End, Chelsea on the Rocks....we saw a few other narrative features but nothing worth mentioning...except for the one Happy Birthday, Harris Malden, by the cute Sweaty Robot guys. These 5 were adorable and sooo nice! The older ladies were all over them! especially Juan!
I did see Viggo Mortensen, up close and he kindof smiled at me and gave me a nod! Ian said I was grinning and blushing for about 10 minutes after, but I cant be sure. Yes, Aragorn gave me a nod! Sam Rockwell did a panel aslo, Joanie ushered that and I guess he's as spacey as he looks. I saw his movie Choke at Sundance and hated it, so didnt really care about seeing it or him actually. Anjelica Houston who plays his mother in Choke also did a panel. She looks fabulous and is well guarded. She really looks great.
Parties? Oh yes, there are lots of them. Being a non-drinker I am not all over the parties, but...they were at some pretty cool clubs! Tao, Moon, Rain, The Palazzo, The pool at Palms Place, Revolution Lounge...we even saw Brittany at the Palms Place party! That was also one of the few with food! All the returning volunteers said last year the food was better! The party at the club Rain made me feel like i was at Disneyland..and R rated Disneyland....I have never seen so many big boobs, and dancing girls in bikinis, or beautiful people whos job it is to just stand around in a bathing suit! Is that really a job? All of the parties had beautiful girls, and some guys, standing around in bathing suits> We even saw a couple girls with these huge angels wings and they were stuck up on the wall and one beautiful girl in a huge champange glass with pasties on and she was just blowing kisses and smiling...she was adorable....it was very surreal.
The volunteers were great also! I made friends with a bunch of older ladies who kept me laughing....they were crazy fun! Joanie and I did our share of dancing at these parties! Yes, we danced, mostly with fellow volunteer Rodney who knew all the songs...we did some shopping, and had a good time meeting people and she knew a bunch of industry people! One guy she knew was there with a friend and I thought his friend looked familiar, then later I read his badge and he was Beastie Boy, Adam. I think he was hoping not to be recognized, because later, when I read his name, I realized who he was and said "I know you!", he just kindof shrugged it off. He had a film at Sundance a couple years ago...thats how I knew him. ANyway, Mr. Mitchell had a film that only screened once call The Black List, that I really wanted to see but was working. Elvis (Mr. Mitchell) seems nice and he moderated some of the panels as well. SO...it was a fun week and I really liked all the people I got to work with! Everyone was so nice and really liked the theatre manager Stephanie. She is great. Joanie and I would rather have not had "volunteer" badges, we got kicked out of a couple of happy hours...maybe next year we can have badges that say "Industry", or at least Joanie.
