Palm Springs Film Fest: More of Rick's Film Picks

The Palm Springs Film Fest is now in it's fifth day, and in full swing. With another six days yet to go, there are plenty of fantastic films and doumentaries being screened. The city is bustling with thousands of visitors, lining up to see films. This film fest attracts some serious film buffs; they do their research and plan out a schedule. Some of the more popular films only sell "Rush Tickets". If a film is listed as "Rush Only", it means that all of the advance tickets were sold, and remaining tickets are sold on a first come, first serve basis. Rush ticket lines form one hour prior to a film's screening. So now you know a film fest term...I hope it helps if you ever go to a film festival.

above: Ricki Lake, Amanda Bynes and Elijah Kelley stop for a photo at the Palm Springs Film Festival.
More of Rick's Picks for the Film Fest

Honeydripper
This American film is a drama starring Danny Glover. It takes place during the 1950's in Alabama. Glover plays a character by the name of Ty Pine-Top Purvis who comes up with a plan to rescue his business by finding a well known blues star called "Guitar Sam" to hire. His big plan is to go all out and get Guitar Sam to do a big show. Pine-Top's problem is that he doesn't know how to get in touch with Guitar Sam, and even if e does, he is basically broke. This film has some buzz at the festival and is a good one to see. It is directed by John Sayles and produced by Maggie Renzi. It boasts a strong cast including Danny Glover, Charles S. Dutton, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Keb' Mo', Stacy Keach, Mary Steenburgen and Gary Clark Jr.

Late Bloomers

(Die Herbstzeitlosen) This Swiss comedy is worth watching. It's a fun story that revolves around a ladies lingerie shop in a small village. It causes a scandal that provides plenty of laughs for the film. The moral of the story is the age old message that no matter how old you may be, you can still realize dreams and goals while having fun. Late Bloomers is wonderfully directed by Bettina Oberli and produced by Alfi Sinniger. It includes a talented cast of Stephanie Glaser, Annemarie Düringer, Heidi Maria Glössner, Monica Gubser and Hanspeter Müller-Drossaart.

The Champagne Spy (Meragel Hashampaniya)

This film is an interesting thriller/documentary from Isreal about a 12 year old boy who discovers his father is a Mossad spy. Shocked and confused, he deals with his father being away on missions. While his father is away on a secret missioin in Cairo, he tries to leard more about his father and the hidden lives he leads as a spy. This film is directed by Nadav Schirman, and produced by Eilon Ratzowsky, Koby Gal-Raday, Carl Ludwig Rettinger, Yossi Uzrad. The cast members include: Oded Gur Arie, Meir Amit, Avrum Shalom, Jacob Nachmias and Arie Sivan.

above: Film Fest banners festoon Palm Canyon Drive in dowtown Palm Springs.

-Rick Rockhill (see posts below for photos of Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Bruce Willis, Brittany Snow and Emile Hirsch)

Palm Springs Film Fest: Awards Gala

Last night I attended the black tie Awards Gala for the Palm Springs Film Festival. (photo at left from The Desert Sun). This event is among the most prestigious awards shows and is the precursor to The Academy Awards in Hollywood. A frenzy of international media waited for the arrivals. Eager reporters were perched with their camera crews to obtain interviews; photographers perked up to attention as celebrities emerged from stretch limousines under the desert sky. It was an exciting event- so much preparation had gone into the evening and there was so much at stake. Would all the celebrities actually show up as promised? Would anyone make a spectacle of themselves on stage from too much champagne? Would the dinner be served to standard? These are things that keep board members of the Palm Springs International Film Society awake at night. But the time for worrying was now over. Adrenaline kicks in and things just come together. THE HOTTIE AND THE MOVIE STARS...ZAC EFRON

above: Rick Rockhill, Zac Efron & Vanessa Hudgens...we're practically close friends now.
RED CARPET ARRIVALS
It was a glamorous evening at the Palm Springs Film Festival Awards Gala. There was a huge crowd of star watchers along the front entrance, may of whom assembled hours in advance. When Zac Efron arrived, the screams of young girls was deafening. Elijah Kelley, Bruce Willis, John Travolta and Jaime Fox also elicited shrieks of joy from the stands. The red carpet was filled with major celebrities as they made their way into the awards dinner.

above left: Stockard Channing and John Travolta, above right: Halle Berry

above left: Author Diablo Cody and above right: Barry Manilow (he's practically my neighbor)

Above left: Brittany Snow, above right: Allison Janney

above left: John Travolta, above right: Nikki Blonsky

Wow, More Zac Efron photos

above left: Zac Efron, above right: Zac Efron. I wonder how many times I can mention his name here?

Oh, here's another Zac Efron photo:

above left: Zac Efron, above right Jack Jones

In addition, other famous attendees included Jason Bateman, Phil Donahue, Tom Bosley, JK Simmons, Senator Barbara Boxer & Adam Shankman
Once inside, the party got started quickly...

above left: the ballroom was festive with potted palm trees and dramatic lighting. above right: a view of the main stage

above left: There were bars made of solid ice. above right: The dinner tables has centerpieces of white roses.

above: Me and John stop for a quick photo

THE AWARDS CEREMONY

Mary Hart, of Entertainment Tonight served as the emcee and host for the evening. Sean Penn was honored with the Director of the Year Award, Daniel Day-Lewis and Halle Berry with Desert Palm Achievement Awards, Emile Hirsch and Nikki Blonsky with Rising Star Awards, Joe Wright with the Sonny Bono Visionary Award, James Newton Howard with the Frederick Loewe Achievement Award for Film Composing, Marion Cotillard with the Breakthrough Performance Award, Jerry Weintraub with the Screen Actors Guild Foundation Patron of the Arts Award, Juno with the Chairman’s Vanguard Award, and the cast of Hairspray with this year’s Ensemble Cast Award.

above: Mary Hart, of Entertainment Tonight was the host for the evenings events

RISING STAR AWARD

above left: Laura Linney introduces Emile Hirsch and above right: Emile Hirsch accepts a Rising Star Award

more awards coverage continued below in the next post...

RISING STAR AWARD

Above: Nikki Blonsky accepts a Rising Star Award
SONNY BONO VISIONARY AWARD

above: Jaime Foxx introduces the winner. Above right Director Joe Wright accepts the Sonny Bono Visionary Award
CHAIRMAN'S VANGUARD AWARD

above left: Drew Barrymore introduces the recipient film, above right Ellen Page accepts on behalf of the cast of Juno
BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE AWARD

above: French Actress Marion Cottilard accepts the Breakthrough Performance Award
DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

above: Sean Penn accepts the Director of the Year Award
SAG FOUNDATION PATRON OF THE ARTS AWARD

Above: Elliott Gould makes remaks about the Screen Actors Guild Foundation

above: Bruce Willis introduces his friend, Jerry. above right: Director/Actor Jerry Weintraub accepts the SAG Foundation Patron of the Arts Award.
DESERT PALM ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

above: Halle Berry and Daniel Day-Lewis accept Desert Palm Awards

ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE AWARD

Above: Stockard Channing announces the cast of Hairspray as the recipient of the Ensemble Award. Above right: John Travolta accepts the award, along with Amanda Bynes, Zac Efron, Brittany Snow, Elijah Kelley, Allison Janney, Taylor Parks, and did I mention Zac Efron too?

Palm Springs Film Fest Awards Gala- Teaser!

It's been a long night out at the Awards Gala for the Palm Springs Film Festival. Following dinner, I headed over to the "after party" at The Parker Palm Springs. The entire evening was jam-packed with celebrities galore.

I'm too tired to post everything tonight, but I wanted to post ONE picture for anyone up early on Sunday. This photo is me with Rikki Lake. She was as sweet as can be. I'll post the rest of my photos from the Awards Gala when I awaken on Sunday.
Enjoy!

The Saturday Seven: Reasons to Support Independent Films

As I watch the Palm Springs International Film Festival open its 19th year, I can't help but think about the many great films I've seen over the years. Many are independent films that never reach wide distribution, but they serve an important role in society, and not just for the film industry. I found this quote from the Palm Springs Film Fest website: "The Palm Springs International Film Society strives for a world in which enlightenment, knowledge and tolerance prevail. We believe film as an art form has the power to bridge cultures and illuminates the universality of the human experience" This brings me to another scintillating edition of The Saturday Seven: Reasons to Support Independent Films
#1 Provide a forum for the exchange of ideas.

#2 Provide hope to aspiring film makers.

#3 Serve as a training ground to the young filmmakers.

#4 Ensure freedom of speech and expression always have an outlet

#5 Allow for stories to be told without interference from big studios and public opinion focus groups

#6 Give foreign films exposure to Americans

#7 Allows unknown actors, writers, & producers to make a name for themselves.

There are thousands of women and men with the vision and a talent for making some really interesting films that are works of art. Very few ever go big and reach mainstream audiences, but they ensure that others can do so for future generations.

So, what can you do to help? Well, the best way is to go out and see independent films once in awhile, you know, the ones at the artsy theatres. Just that small step will foster the future of creativity and vision for ours and future generations.

What about you? Do you ever go see independent fims? C'mon leave a comment with your thoughts. In honor of our film festival this week, I declare that ALL COMMENTS ARE FREE TODAY!

-Rick Rockhill

Palm Springs Film Fest: Friday Film Fun

Friday was the first full day of the Palm Springs Film Festival. It was a full day of film screenings, forty two in fact! The city was quite busy all day. I went out to dinner at The Purple Palm restaurant with friends, and it was jam-packed with film fest attendees who were clearly from out of town. It's always good to see visitors to our fair city, although being a resort city we are quite used to it really. Earlier in the day, on my way to a lunch appointment, I saw a number of film-fest goers posing or photos downtown in front of the festival banners holding up their badges or film tickets with a huge grin for their camera. People seem to be enjoying themselves so far.
Saturday is THE BIG STAR STUDDED AWARDS GALA, so I'll have loads to write about late Saturday evening. But as a wrap up for Friday, I am featuring three films from Friday that might be of interest. One from Germany, one from France and one American film. There are some incredible films being screened here, my intention is to highlight a few for you. If your community has an "artsy theatre", be sure to support it and check out the foreign films and independent films when they come to town.

RICK'S PICKS

The Edge of Heaven (Auf der Anderen Seite) Is a German drama with humanist themes intertwining the lives of six people as they seek love in their lives. The lead character is a college professor who goes to Turkey in search of a woman, ultimately raising intense questions about sexuality, patriotism and role of family. The film was directed and written by Fatih Akin, and produced by Fatih Akin, Andreas Thiel, Klaus Maeck. The primary cast members were: Nurgül Yesilçay, Baki Davrak, Hannah Schygulla, Patrycia Ziolkowska, Nursel Köse & Tuncel Kurtiz
Cosmic Radio is an American film-drama, with a bit of politics and romance thrown in for good measure. It was filmed in a place called Idyllwild, CA (a town close to Palm Springs) and is about an anti-establishment radio station that is basically going out of business, causing the station owner's dreams and passions to be shattered. Things heat up when he runs into the daughter of a conservative US Senator who arrives on the scene with plans to prevent the destruction of a nearby forest. The story unfolds with an impact beyond the town, radio station or forest. It is written, directed and edited by Stephen Savage and produced by Ryan R. Johnson. The primary cast members are: Jonathan Sachar, Irene Bedard, Seymour Cassell, Michael Madsen & Wes Studi.

Conversations with my Gardener (Dialogue avec mon jardinier) is a French dramatic comedy about two men; an artist and a gardener who gain a new perspective on life by seeing the world through the eyes of each other. It is written and directed by Jean Becker, and produced by Louis Becker Editor. The primary cast include: popular French stars Daniel Auteuil and Jean-Pierre Darroussin, along with Fanny Cottençon, Alexia Barlier.

above: The Camelot Theatres are just one of five locations hosting the Palm Springs Film Festival.

-Rick Rockhill