NVFF -Day 2

The screenings at the Napa Valley Film Fest (NVFF) are too numerous to mention with movies being shown in 4 cities - Napa, Yountville, St.Helena and Calistoga - and at more than 12 venues.  I watched the documentary, ONE CHANCE, about Paul Potts, the first winner of the Britain's got Talent Show.   It was quite inspirational as he had to overcome so many obstacles just to get on the show.    

It was such fun working the Fesitval Gala and with NAPA Valley being so well-known for its many fine vineyards, well, the wine flowed like water.   The former COPIA Center was resplendent with Hollywood like decorations and rocking with several bands spread throughout the venue.

The Wrestler

"The Wrestler" with Mickey Rourke is an attention-getting, inspirational movie. I enjoyed seeing a picture with a good story line where they hadn't spent millions on special effects or action scenes.

Undoubtedly, Rourke proved that he can still carry a movie as he gave the performance of a lifetime. It's easy to see why he won several awards for portraying "Randy, the Ram". For me, especially moving were the Ram's attempts at reconciling with his daughter in the twilight of his life.

As his fans already know, the story line closely parallels Rourke's real life as he was a hot, rising star in the 80s who fell out of favor with Hollywood due to his wild antics and reputation for being difficult to work with.

I saw "The Wrestler" with a few friends who had never seen a Mickey Rourke movie. They had no idea of his screen presence as a young star -- so we immediately rented "9 1/2 weeks", the film that catapulted him to fame.

For a more detailed review: http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/movies/17wres.html

Note that there is quite a bit of violence in this movie.

Holiday Movies

I love going to the movies! The Holiday Season is one of the best times for taking in a movie as the Hollywood Studios release

several new Christmas movies and Blockbusters beginning Thanksgiving week. I recently saw the movie "Australia". It starts out a bit slow, but I thought it was great movie -- definitely an EPIC which you have to see on the big screen to experience the full beauty of the Australian outback and the magnetism of the "Sexiest Man Alive" Hugh Jackson. I know several reviews were less than complimentary, but the story line of overcoming adversity, the war and an unlikely romance were just the right combination for a memorable movie.

But I was disappointed with "Four Christmases". I thought Reeese Witherspoon was great in some of her earlier movies, but found her performance here lacking --- her delivery was too stiff and she looked bored in some scenes. Most of us can relate to one or more of the dreaded holiday visits that the two of them tried to avoid, but there were just too many cliches to make it a good comedy. When I go to the movies, I expect to be entertained and this movie just didn't deliver.