Coming Attractions Trailer Night, Winter 2012
By Charles Kirkland, DC Film Society Member
Blame excessive negative campaign ads, partisan politics or an impending fiscal cliff but the democratic process was not only turned on its head but brutally bludgeoned into submission at the Washington DC Film Society’s Coming Attractions Trailer Night on November 15, 2012. After months of negativity, the audience at the semi-annual event clearly wanted to have fun, relax and be irreverent.
Michael Kyrioglou, Director of the Washington DC Film Society, opened the night by welcoming the audience and giving the ground rules. He introduced our moderators for the night, critics extraordinaire, Bill Henry and Tim Gordon. Henry and Gordon also reviewed some more specific instructions of the night’s event particularly that the night was about the trailers and not the movies that they represent. After a few opening polling questions about careers, movies and what people were excited about seeing, Mr. Henry gave the wave for the trailers to start. As soon as the first set of trailers finished playing, it became immediately obvious that the actual voting would not go as the opening polls may have indicated.
The trailers were separated into eight categories, “Maybe It Is Just Me, But I Blame Her”, “And This Is Why We Re-Elected Obama”, “People That Live Alone Do Not Have These Problems”, “History Needs a Rewrite”, “Looking Backwards”, “Another Look, Another Book”, “No Problem So Big You Cannot Solve With a Smile and a Gun” and finally, the ultra-famous “Bonus Trailers” category.
In the “I Blame Her” Category, where the films had female protagonists, the lush Anna Karenina was the clear winner over all of the Catherine Zeta-Jones films and Twilight. There were even mentions of Oscar contention for the film’s lavish design and costumes.
The Oscar discussion continued as Lincoln liberated itself above the competition in the “Obama” category beating out illustrious challenges from the likes of Hyde Park on Hudson, Zero Dark Thirty and… Red Dawn (???). So far, so good.
When the discussion over the romantic category “People Who Live Alone” started, so did the fun. While the voting in the category was not overwhelming, Quartet, a small independent British film about aging opera stars, grabbed a lackluster and narrow win over This is 40, the Judd Apatow sequel-like running mate to Knocked Up.
“History Needs a Rewrite” featured Django Unchained, A Royal Affair and Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. The hunky Jeremy Renner and the ultimate absurdity of the idea powered Hansel and Gretel to slaughter their competition.
Les Miserables won the “Looking Backwards” category and set a precedent. Never before had a film that was previously featured in the Bonus Trailers category come back to win a category at a later Trailer Night. Les Mis showed a bonus trailer one year ago and came back with power with a new trailer to win the category. Amazing!
Silver Linings Playbook came in a close second to Life of Pi in the “Another Book” grouping. Perhaps it would have done better if there were not so many Philadelphia Eagle fans in it. Poor Jack Reacher faced the disdain of an audience amazed at the casting of the diminutive Tom Cruise in the title role.
During the early exit polling, a comment was made about Jennifer Lopez holding back Ben Affleck as a director (Gigli bad, Argo good). During “A Smile and A Gun”, as the Parker trailer played, when J-Lo hit the screen “career killer” could be heard coming from the crowd. Killing Them Softly, the Brad Pitt offering, came out on top.
“Bonus Trailers” were not eligible for the Trailer of the Night awards. However, we got to see a blond Brad Pitt in World War Z, James Franco in Oz the Great and Powerful, a wonder-why remake of Carrie and Johnny Depp as Tonto in The Lone Ranger.
The final vote truly indicated that the crowd for the night was just about having fun. Despite the predictions of our moderators, great films like Anna Karenina, Lincoln and Life of Pi all succumbed to the greatness of… Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters!
Good thing Florida was not voting. We would all be looking for hanging chads!
Thanks to DC Film Society’s coordinating committee for their time, energy and enthusiasm in pulling together this twice annual event, especially Karrye Braxton, Cheryl Dixon, Larry Hart, Annette Graham, Billy Coulter, Jim Shippey, Adam Spector and our volunteers. Special Thanks to Bill Henry, Tim Gordon, Allied THA, Landmark’s E Street Cinema and staff and all the participating film studios.
Quartet: From the London Press Conference
By James McCaskill, DC Film Society Member
Left to right: Dustin Hoffman, Pauline Collins and Maggie Smith at the press conference. Photo from the BFI website.
The London Film Festival describes Quartet (Dustin Hoffman, UK, 2012) as a "charming, funny and insightful film in which four aging opera singers are reunited in a specialist retirement home." It is exactly that. Quartet is Dustin Hoffman's attributed directorial debut (he is listed as the uncredited director of the 1978 film Straight Time) with this genre film, a familiar film form where you take four old British dears and place them in the Tuscan hillside, a run down hotel in India or the lush British countryside and allow four of the most talented British actors to add depth to an excellent screenplay. Here we have three denizens of the British opera spending their wrinkly (as British call them) years in a retirement home for classical performers who are down on their luck. One cannot help starting to play the harp and ending up in Beecham House in leafy Buckinghamshire (Hedson House and Park) that puts Downton Abbey to shame and bears absolutely no resemblance to retirement housing anywhere. This home puts the lux in luxury.
Reggie (Tom Courtenay), Wilfred (Billy Connolly) and Cecily (Pauline Collins) have known each other for ages before they appeared at this elegant spot. The film is based on a 1983 Italian documentary, Tosca's Kiss, where the mansion Verdi actually built for retired musicians needs a financial shot in the arm. This trio needs a fourth to make up a quartet for a fund raiser performance. Maggie Smith arrives carrying some of the suppressed anger she showed as Muriel Donnelly in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. She never wants to perform again and wants nothing more than to remain cloistered in her room.
The screenplay by Ronaldt Harwood (The Pianist, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly among other plays and films) reworked his 1999 play into Quartet's screenplay which continued his interest in aging actors. He has provided a perceptive and entertaining script which the four leads make the most of. When you throw in Michael Gambon who has rummaged through his cast off Dumbledore costume box for the outfit he wears here, you have the makings of an exceptional film.
Hoffman was not the first choice as director. At the London press conference he said, "Tom and Maggie were already cast. I added Pauline and Billy. I asked Maggie whom I should cast as the forgetful Cecily and without hesitation she said Pauline. I hadn't seen Shirley Valentine. I saw it and her Woody Allen films." Hoffman deftly shows he learned a lot in the 73 films in which he was an actor. Here he is an actor's director getting top performances from the stars.
In London, Maggie Smith said, "The moment I read the script I thought 'This is terrific. We'll be safe.' Today, at my age, I'm happy getting any role. Dustin is a dynamo and a darling. I found him easy to work with. The lack of hubris in that man is incredible."
Billy Connolly, ever the wit, said when asked how it was to work with a director of Dustin's stature said, "It was a nightmare. Inappropriate touching." Then getting serious he said, "Dustin was excellent toward us. Nice to be told you are doing a good job." Later in the press conference he confided that, "I've been accused of being inappropriate since day one. Here it was nice to be able to speak your mind."
Sheridan Smith (Dr Lucy Cogan), better known on British television than film, said, "It is such a special film. I wanted to curtsey every morning... the stories they all told me."
When asked what made him decide to direct after all the years as a successful actor, Dustin said, "It was time to take a chance as a director. I decided to direct a film but it takes several years to get around to doing something. There is so much pre-planning when you direct. This came to me with much of the pre-planning completed. It was easy to move in and make the film. Everyone connected to making the film. Some of the cast who were in their 80s and 90s came every day. It was not a job for the cast and crew."
Tom Courtney said that being the youngest principal was "fun being the juvenile lead. Dustin just wanted me to be handsome."
Someone asked how Maggie felt about finally playing someone her own age and she said, "I've been playing 72 for decades. Usually asked to play an older lady. More adults want films about grown ups by grown ups."
Dustin said he learned a lot from working with directors. "Billy Wilder told me that if you tell the public the truth you better be funny or they will kill you. You gotta love getting older, you just jumble everything."
Billy Connolly wanted to improve every scene. "Dustin would tell me, 'Too long, Billy, too long'."
Asked to give brief advice to aspiring actors, Dustin said, "The clothes are the character, be yourself. Billy said, "Get on with it. Learn your words and avoid the furniture." Tom said, "Do nothing. In film nothing is something." Maggie said, "Don't cry too much." And Pauline said, "More blush."
Don't jump up and leave as soon as the credit crawl begins as Dustin has provided us with "Now and Then" photos of the uncredited cast of retired UK concert and classical artists that comprise the non-speaking cast of Beecham House residents. Not just elderly classical musicians but a few we might recognize from those PBS Britcoms: Howard Sibshaw (Robert Fyte) from Last of the Summer Wine and Manuel (Andrew Sachs) from Fawlty Towers.
Quartet is a film to be enjoyed. Come prepared to be entertained and you will be. The films is scheduled to open in the DC area on January 11.
January 3-13
The 23th Annual Washington Jewish Film Festival
Highlights include actor Elliot Gould, Visionary Awards for Israeli film pioneers Noemi Schory and Katriel Schory, U Street pub crawl, spotlights on music and French cinema.
Washington filmgoers will soon have a dynamic program of contemporary films ranging from indie romances and coming-of-age tales to heavy-hitting documentaries dealing with universal experiences such as divorce and mental illness. The Washington Jewish Film Festival (WJFF), one of the world’s oldest and largest Jewish film festivals, offers a contemporary mix of narrative films and documentaries. The festival will span 11 days from January 3-13, 2013 with 55 films from 15 different countries being screened at 10 different venues, and is curated by Ilya Tovbis, the DCJCC’s new film festival director.
“This year’s carefully curated festival is bursting with a wide variety of films and events that will appeal not only to seasoned film-lovers, but also will bring wonderful film experiences to new audiences and casual theater-goers across Washington,” said Carole Zawatsky, DCJCC CEO. “As a regional hub for arts and culture, the DCJCC is proud to bring this exciting lineup of films to locations across the community. The Washington Jewish Film Festival is a 23-year tradition that celebrates Jewish arts and culture and represents the best of what the DCJCC has to offer.”
The festival opens Thursday, January 3 at the United States Navy Memorial. The opening night film is Paris Manhattan, a French film directed by Sophie Lellouche. The romantic romp through the city of lights, with a special cameo by the original Alvy Singer will be preceded by the short film Woody Before Allen.
This year’s Centerpiece Film is Dorfman, and the evening includes an on-stage conversation with actor Elliot Gould, who plays the father in the movie.
The annual WJFF Visionary Award will be presented on January 7 at 8pm at the DCJCC prior to a screening of Slaves of the Sword – Yitzhak Rabin. This year’s honorees are Noemi Schory, one of Israel’s leading TV and film producers and directors, and Katriel Schory, the head of the Israeli Film Fund, which is the largest national supporter of Israeli narrative and documentary films and one of the primary movers in the emergence of Israeli film on the international scene. The Visionary Award recognizes and pays tribute to courage, creativity and insight in presenting the diversity of the Jewish experience through the moving image. As part of the award presentation on January 7, Noemi Schory and Katriel Schory will take part in an on-stage discussion. The festival will also screen Noemi Schory’s documentary Born in Berlin.
For the first time, the WJFF will include a short film pub crawl, which will take place January 5 at 5 pm in the U Street area at a number of bars including Tropicalia and Local Sixteen.
The festival concludes January 13 with Hava Nagila (The Movie), a documentary by Academy-Award nominated director Roberta Grossman. This film takes viewers from the shtetls of Eastern Europe to the nightclubs of New York, as Grossman weaves together the history of Hava Nagila, the Jewish standard that transcended its humble origins to become a worldwide phenomenon. The documentary features interviews with Harry Belafonte, Connie Francis, Glen Campbell, Leonard Nimoy and Regina Spektor.
Throughout the festival there are strong French and German influences, as well as 17 different films from Israel. Fifteen countries are represented including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Nigeria, Luxembourg, Poland, Russia, Serbia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
A special focus on French cinema this year features Jennifer Devoldere’s romantic debut, The Day I Saw Your Heart; Thierry Binistri’s adaption of A Bottle in the Gaza Sea about two friends separated by destiny and geography; Mikael Buch’s gay romantic comedy, Let My People Go!; and Sophie Lellouche’s Paris Manhattan, a breezy romp through an obsession with both Woody Allen and the City of Lights.
Many of the festival films will appeal to music lovers, including a newly restored 35mm print of The Cantor’s Son, which brings to life Moishe Oysher’s legendary singing voice. I Am Secretly an Important Man delves into the life and work of “The Godfather of Grunge”, Jessie Bernstein. A rare clips retrospective of Lou Reed is presented by music archivist Bill Shelley; Orchestra of Exiles looks at the founding of the Palestine Philharmonic Orchestra; and a selection of music videos by Israeli animator Adam Bizanski.
Films include comedies, dramas, documentaries, animated films, and shorts. Many of the filmmakers will be present at screenings. See the website for information on film titles, dates, venues and tickets.
Calendar of Events
FILMS
American Film Institute Silver Theater
The "Holiday Classics" series ends in early January with After the Thin Man, Sunset Boulevard, Strange Days and The Poseidon Adventure.
The AFI is one of the venues for the Washington Jewish Film Festival. Titles include Lore, My Dad Baryshnikov, Sharqia, No Place on Earth, and Paris Manhattan.
Other films in January include Struck By Lightning with screenwriter/actor Chris Colferan in an interactive Q&A, Led Zeppelin Played Here with filmmaker Jeff Krulik in person, and a replay of several films from the past year including Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Bernie, Brave, The Deep Blue Sea, Arbitrage and The Paperboy.
There are two "Opera on Film" shows in January: Georges Bizet's "Carmen" performed by the Royal Opera House, London and Richard Wagner's "Lohengrin" performed by Teatro alla Scala, Milan.
The two ballets on film are "Sleeping Beauty" and "La Boheme."
Freer Gallery of Art
"The Military Eye: War, Aesthetics, and the Ethics of Aerial Surveillance" is a two-part series. On January 11 at 7:00pm is Lessons of Darkness (Werner Herzog, 1992) and on January 13 at 2:00pm is Images of the World and the Inscription of War (Harun Farocki, 1988) with Thomas Y. Levin from Princeton University in person.
A two-part series of "Arab Shorts" is shown in conjunction with the exhibit "Roads of Arabia: Archeology and History of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." Part I is on January 17 at 7:00pm and Part II is on January 18 at 7:00pm. Ala Younis will introduce the films and conduct a Q&A afterwards.
The "Iranian Film Festival 2013" begins in January and continues in February. On January 25 at 7:00pm and January 27 at 2:00pm is A Modest Reception (Mani Haghighi, 2012).
National Gallery of Art
"Sixpack: The Austrian Experiment" is a series of independent films from Austria. On January 6 at 2:00pm is Way of Passion (Joerg Burger, 2011). On January 6 at 4:00pm is Tlatelolco (Lotte Schreiber, 2011). On January 12 at 4:00pm is Toward Nowa Huta (Dariusz Kowalski, 2012) preceded by the short film Workers Leaving the Factory (Again) (Katharina Gruzei, 2012). On January 13 at 4:30pm is Low Definition Control (Malfunctions #0) (Michael Palm, 2011). On January 20 at 12:00 noon is "Five Shorts from Sixpack," a program of shorts.
"Jean Gremillon and the Poetry of Realism" is a series of films by French director Jean Gremillon. On January 19 at 2:00pm is Gueule d'Amour (1937) starring Jean Gabin. On January 19 at 4:00pm is Maldone (1927) preceded by the short film Chartres (1923), Andrew Simpson accompanies the films on piano. On January 20 at 4:00pm is Lumiere d'Ete (1943); on January 26 at 2:00pm is Le Ciel est a vous (1943), and on January 26 at 4:00pm is Remorques (1941).
Other special events in January include the Washington premiere of Fragments of Kubilka (Martina Kudlacek, 2012) on January 5 at 1:00pm; Taming of the Shrew (Sam Taylor, 1929) on January 12 at 2:00pm with an introduction by Christel Schmidt and including newsreel footage and home movies of Mary Pickford; The March on Washington (James Blue, 1964) on January 20 at 2:00pm; and the Washington premiere of the director's cut of The Tin Drum (Volker Schlondorff, 1979) on January 27 at 4:00pm.
In conjunction with the Gallery's exhibit of paintings by Roy Lichtenstein, are three documentaries from different stages of Lichtenstein's career. They include Roy Lichtenstein (Michael Blackwood 1976), Lichtenstein in London (Bruce Beresford, 1968) and Lichtenstein: Tokyo Brushstrokes (Mark Trottenburg, 1995). Showtimes are January 2, January 3, and January 4 at 12:30pm.
National Museum of the American Indian
Shown daily in January at 12:30pm and 3:30pm is Tunniit: Retracing the Lines of Inuit Tattoos (Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, 2010) about Inuit face tattoos, shown with two short films.
On January 5 at 2:00pm is the documentary Return of the Horse (Sharon Eliashar, 2013) followed by a Q&A with the film director.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
To accompany the exhibit "The Civil War and American Art" is Red Badge of Courage (John Huston, 1951), based on Stephen Crane's book and starring Audie Murphy on January 24 at 6:30pm.
Washington Jewish Community Center
The Washington Jewish Film Festival runs from January 3-13. See above.
Goethe Institute
The Goethe Institute is one of the venues for the Washington Jewish Film Festival. Titles shown here include Orchestra of Exiles, Born in Berlin, Oma and Bella and The Last Flight of Petr Ginz.
"Mapping Democracy in Film" is a series of documentary and feature films presenting individual insights into the everyday practices of democracy and its impacts on people. On January 28 at 6:30pm is "Why Democracy," a collection of 12 short films from various countries. More in February.
Strathmore
On January 12 at 8:00pm is Alexander Nevsky (Sergei Eisenstein, 1938) with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Baltimore Choral Arts Society performing Sergei Prokofiev's music. With Marin Alsop conducting and Irina Tchistjakova, mezzo-soprano.
National Geographic Society
The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour will run from January 29 through February 2. See the best films from that film festival.
French Embassy
The French Embassy is the location for two films in the Washington Jewish Film Festival, Let My People Go! and The Day I Saw Your Heart.
Arlington Arts and Artisphere
On January 26 at 8:00pm is The Comedy (Rick Alverson, 2012).
National Archives
On January 1 at noon is the documentary Unchained Memories (Ed Bell and Thomas Lennon, 2003). On January 8 at noon is "The Cuban Missile Crisis," a program of two films One Week in October (1964) and Conversations with the President (1962). On January 30 at 7:00pm is A Whisper to a Roar (Ben Moses, 2012), a documentary about democracy advocates in five countries. A Q&A will follow with the filmmaker, Esraa Abdel Fattah and Roberto Patiño, who appear in the film and Larry Diamond, whose books and life inspired the film.
The Avalon
The "Czech Lions" film for January is Signal (Tomás Rehorek, 2012) on January 9 at 8:00pm.
The Avalon is one of the venues for the Washington Jewish Film Festival. Titles include When Day Breaks and Dorfman.
The Corcoran
On January 9 at at 7:00pm is "Mobile Movie Film Festival."
Anacostia Community Museum
On January 10 at 7:00pm is Troubled Waters: A Mississippi River Story (Larkin McPhee, 2010). Mike Bolinder, Anacostia Riverkeeper will lead a discussion of the film.
Embassy of Austria
My Best Enemy, part of the Washington Jewish Film Festival, will be shown at the Embassy of Ausria.
Atlas Performing Arts
The following films in the Washington Jewish Film Festival will be shown here: Not So Strictly Kosher, I Am Secretly an Important Man, Dorman, and From the Black You Make Color.
Alden Theater
"Classics of the Silent Screen" is a new series of films from the silent era with accompaniment by Ben Model. On January 9 at 7:30pm is "Vaudeville Veterans," a selection of 1920s films.
Reel Affirmations XTra
The January film is Margarita (Dominique Cardona, Laurie Colbert, 2012) (time and date TBA) at the Carnegie Institute of Science, 1530 P Street NW. Reel Affirmations Xtra is a once-a-month screening; series passes are available.
Busboys and Poets
I Am Secretly An Important Man, part of the Washington Jewish Film Festival, is screened here.
On January 8 at 6:00pm is Brothers on the Line (Sasha Reuther) about organizers in 1930s Detroit. At the 5th & K location.
Alliance Francais
On January 18 at 7:00pm is The Rabbi's Cat (Antoine Delesvaux and Joann Sfar, 2011).
FILM FESTIVALS
