Traverse City Film Festival Line-Up
Spent some time this morning creating my schedule for the Traverse City Film Festival, July 29 - Aug. 3, 2008. I’m a little bummed, because I was waiting for the organizers to let us know which movies qualified for press passes. In the meantime, I missed out on a few movies I really wanted to see: Frozen River, which Ross Partridge praised in my recent interview with him; The Grocer’s Son; Up the Yangtze, which Jena Ball reviewed here on Film Gecko; and a new Woody Allen flick, Vicky Christina Barcelona.
So if anyone reading this has extra tickets to these movies, let me know! And who knows? Maybe they’ll issue press passes for these, and I’ll get to see them anyway. The Film Fest dropped the ball on press passes this year, and I hope it’s a little more organized next year.
Anyway, read on to see which movies I’ll definitely be seeing at the Traverse City Film Festival this year. Of course, I’ll be posting reviews here on the Gecko.
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Helvetica. I’m overly excited to see this movie, just because I’m such a word geek. It’s the first documentary for director Gary Hustwit, which explores the font’s origin in 1950s Switzerland to its current position as the typeface of choice for many international corporations. The film takes us around the globe, tracking the font’s prominence on countless billboards, subway graphics, storefronts, and warning signs. Official Site
Bigger, Stronger, Faster. Director Chris Bell and his two brothers grew up in the 1980s idolizing muscle-men like Sylvester Stallone, Hulk Hogan and Arnold Schwarzenegger. But what would it take to become them? In this no-nonsense documentary, Bell investigates the issue of steroids and America’s body-image obsession. I think I’ll drag my 13-year-old son to see this. Not that this would ever be a problem for my little computer geek. Official Site
CSNY Deja Vu. Following Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young on their 2006 Freedom of Speech tour, this documentary offers a look at an unabashedly political band whose activism never takes a back seat to the music. Though thoroughly committed to the anti-war movement, the band provides an entertaining show both onstage and off. Taking my rocker husband to this one. Official Tour Site
Dust. A 90-minute movie about…dust? Therein lies the genius of this German documentary. Ever-present but hardly ever noticed, the subject of filmmaker Hartmut Bitomsky’s new documentary isn’t something about which most people would think twice. Unless, of course, you’re dealing with Sahara sandstorms, the Oklahoma dust bowl that devastated lives in the thirties, or the toxic dust at the World Trade Center site after 9/11. This doc focuses on the particles themselves and the people who study them. IMDB Site
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney presents a vast amount of material on Thompson’s life, including never-before-seen home movies, archival footage, and interviews with figures such as Jimmy Carter, George McGovern, Pat Buchanan, and Johnny Depp. Official Site
Kenny. Director Clayton Jacobson delivers this heartwarming character study about — ready for it? — a port-a-potty deliveryman named Kenny (Shane Jacobson). Yep, it’s all there — from his troubled relationship with his disapproving father (who calls him “a glorified turd burglar”) to his courting of an airline stewardess on the way to the port-a-john convention in Nashville. This looks very funny — one of those offbeat movies about the common guy, which I always love.
The Deal. This screwball Hollywood satire stars William H. Macy as Charlie Berns, a suicidal showbiz producer who throws caution to the wind and pitches his nephew’s script — a period piece about England’s only Jewish prime minister Benjamin Disraeli — to studio execs. To help sell the pic, he enlists Bobby Mason (LL Cool J), a newly-converted Jewish action star eager to play the lead — as long the script gets a little action added to the plot. The supporting cast includes Meg Ryan as a savvy studio exec, Jason Ritter as Charlie’s scriptwriting nephew, and Elliot Gould as a high-profile Rabbi turned credits-hungry producer. I cannot wait to see this movie! IMDB Site
Theater of War. From filmmaker John Walter comes this gripping look at the 2006 Central Park staging of Bertolt Brecht’s anti-war play “Mother Courage and Her Child” — a project that attracted actors Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, and famed theater director George C. Wolfe. Walter goes behind the scenes, giving an in-depth look at the preparations for the staging of Tony Kushner’s adaptation of this play, featuring a never-before-seen glimpse into lead actress Meryl Streep’s process and preparation for performance. To say I’m giddy about this film is a huge understatement. IMDB Site
Man in the Chair. Michael Angarano stars as Cameron Kincaid, a troubled, movie-loving L.A. high schooler who dreams of winning a short film contest. While watching the classic Touch of Evil at an old movie theater, Cameron meets an old curmudgeon named Flash Madden (Christopher Plummer), who worked as a gaffer on Citizen Kane, not to mention with just about everyone in Hollywood’s heyday. I love Michael Angarano (he was in Sky High and The Forbidden Kingdom), and think he has a huge career ahead of him. Official Site
Flash of Genius. Based on the true story of one man’s decades-long battle with the American auto industry, this film stars Greg Kinnear as inventor Robert Kearns, a humble Midwest family man from Detroit. Denied recognition for inventing a device that would eventually be used in every car in the world, Kearns took an impossible lawsuit against corporate giants all the way to the Supreme Court. Also stars Lauren Graham of The Gilmore Girls. IMDB Site
Man on Wire. You’ve probably seen the picture of the guy crossing a high wire between the Twin Towers in the 1970’s? This winner of the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize for best foreign documentary at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival explores French wirewalker Philippe Petit’s (Paul McGill) 1974 crossing between New York’s Twin Towers (the world’s tallest buildings at the time). It’s a mesmerizing (and dizzying!) look at the daredevil and the crew who helped him smuggle equipment to the top of the Towers and rig the wire, with no safety net to separate Petit and the ground 1350 feet below. Official Site
Anvil! The Story of Anvil. This doc from director Sacha Gervasi follows the overlooked Canadian metal band Anvil — a group whose core members started playing together in high school and are still going strong 35 years later. After nearly making it big in 1984 — when they shared the stage with acts like Whitesnake and Bon Jovi — the band has continually fallen just short of stardom, but hasn’t given up on the rock-n-roll dream. What’s even more cool is the band will be in Traverse City, playing a gig on stage following the screening. Official Site
Captain Abu Raed. This film tells the story of a loveable but lonely old janitor who finds an airplane captain’s hat in the trash, which convinces the kids in his neighborhood that he’s been around the world. Abu (Nadim Sawalha) obliges the kids, telling stories of far-off lands he’s never seen, hoping to expand the minds and improve the lives of the poor children who are starting life much like he did. The director and producer will be at the screening to answer questions.
War, Inc. Been looking forward to seeing this film ever since I interviewed the director, Josh Seftel. The story follows hot-sauce-addicted hit man Brand Hauser (John Cusack, who co-wrote the script) on his mission to assassinate an oil minister in the fictional country of Turaqistan, a Middle Eastern country controlled by a huge corporation run by a former U.S. Vice President (Dan Aykroyd). The supporting cast includes Marisa Tomei as liberal reporter Natalie Hegalhuzen, Joan Cusack as a public relations whiz for a military-corporate tradeshow, and Hilary Duff as Turaqi pop star Yonica Babyyeah. Check out this clip where she puts a scorpion down her pants. Official Site
Hamlet 2. Writer-director Andrew Fleming brings this film about Dana Marschz (Steve Coogan), a failed actor-turned-high-school-drama-teacher whose class is facing elimination by the school board. Dana’s plays, mostly adaptations of recent Hollywood fare, don’t even get a passing grade from the ninth-grader who writes reviews for the high school newspaper, so he decides to write an original script: a sequel to Hamlet featuring a time machine, appearances by Einstein and Hillary Clinton, and musical numbers like “Rock Me, Sexy Jesus.” Stellar supporting cast includes Catherine Keener, David Arquette, Amy Poehler, and Elisabeth Shue. Official Site
Encounters at the End of the World. I love everything director Werner Herzog does, so I’m really looking forward to this closing night film. This new doc focuses on the beautiful landscape of Antarctica and the small community of scientists, researchers, and adventurers who call the South Pole their home. Oh, and Herzog promises that his documentary will not be “another movie about penguins.” I hope we get to see at least a few penguins. I like penguins. Official Site
Images: Traverse City Film Festival, 2008; Helvetica, Veer, 2007; Bigger, Stronger, Faster, HD Net, 2008; CSNY Deja Vu, Roadside Attractions, 2008; Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Magnolia Pictures, 2008; The Deal, Peace Arch Releasing, 2008; Theater of War, White Buffalo Entertainment, 2008; Flash of Genius, Universal Studios, 2008; Man on Wire, Discovery Films, 2008; Captain Abu Raed, David Pritchard Productions, 2007; War, Inc., First Look International, 2008; Hamlet 2, Bona Fide Productions, 2008; Encounters at the End of the World, Discovery Films, 2007
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POSTED IN: Celebrity Pictures, Comedy, Coming Soon to Theaters, Crime, Documentary, Drama, Film Festivals, Film Genres, Film Industry, Foreign, Independent, Movie Stars, Personalities, Posters & Production Stills, Traverse City Film Festival, War
1 opinion for Traverse City Film Festival Line-Up
Karla
Jul 28, 2008 at 7:12 am
We have two tickets we’re looking to sell to Man on Wire at the State Theatre Saturday at 2:45. Show is currently sold out. Contact us at [email protected] if you’re interested.
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