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 The Best CineVegas Yet
"If you can't have a great time at CineVegas,
you can't have a great time anywhere."
~ Dennis Hopper, 2006
CINEVEGAS 2006 DEMONSTRATES our local film festival is beginning to hit its stride. It was again held at Johnny Brenden's theatre complex inside The Palms Casino Resort. You simply have to experience a film festival, at least once—here in Vegas, you can indulge yourself every year for a reasonable price of admission—festivals bring you up to date on what's newest and most innovative from our techno-storytelling artists. Festival operation managed a smooth, productive experience this year for viewers and filmmakers alike. Hailing from all four points of the compass, all were there for The World's Most Dangerous Film Festival.
 
The label was apt, since the Festival moved, in 2002, to its new environs at the Brenden Theatre, and supported graciously by The Palms. Everyone finished each day in high-energy networking and partying mode in their 'Director's Suite, 'Rain' and 'Ghostbar' nightclubs (and other hosting after-party clubs about town: Tao, JET, Foundation Room, Caesar's poolside and lounger, Club Rio, etc.). Deep slumbers ended in time for a late breakfast and a full day of festival activities. Mercifully, the scheduled screenings began at 12:30 or 1:00 p.m. most days. The last screenings began at 10:00 most evenings, making the days long, but full of surprisingly good quality, unique stories by nearly 100 filmmaking crews. Nine days of a grueling schedule like this can be tough, but, of course, someone has to do it. Bottom line, a good deal of fun, temptation and work does make CineVegas exactly what one exhausted filmmaker said (with his goodbyes to Robin Greenspun, President of the Festival), at a previous CineVegas—that it was the most dangerous film festival in the world! Very apropos for Vegas.
 
 The collection of films offered for the 2006 CineVegas program exhibited a bit of everything. Trevor Groth, Director of Programming, along with Mike Plante, Associate Director, and a full staff of screeners sift through hundreds of submissions. Their selections included everything from shorts to feature-length films, documentaries, works of emerging filmmakers, as well as those of long-established filmmakers. The program was immensely diverse. Happenings: after-parties every evening and into the wee hours and Red Carpets hosted by Robin Leach once or twice a day. Johnny Brenden, always around, the consummate host, greeted and mixed with the non-stop flow of celebrities through the Brenden.
 
 
Time-honored actors were on hand to accept their CineVegas awards, as well as visit with a host moderator to spark conversations in front of auditoriums packed with fans. Laurence Fishburne (Half-life Award) was the first actor to be honored. Sylvester Stallone was on hand for the 'unveiling' of his star, which now is a permanent part of the Brenden 'Sidewalk of Stars.' Dennis Hopper also was honored with a star toward the end of the festival. CineVegas is a young festival, and lucky to have attracted Hopper as their 'Chairman of the Board' (Advisory Board).
 
 
Of especial note was the afternoon with Taylor Hackford (Vanguard Director Award) and evening with Dame Helen Mirren (Marquee Award). Engaging to a fault, and full of humorous observations and anecdotes of their careers and lives, the second Friday of the festival, devoted to them, was memorable. Unexpectedly insightful and mature, Christina Ricci (Half-Life Award) won everyone over with her unsullied view of the filming environment from the perspective of a child actor. She has worked with and learned from some of the giants of today's film community. As the last actor to be honored on the second Saturday, closing day, she helped keep the schedule fresh to the end.
Also in the schedule was an entertaining and stimulating panel 'Outlaw Cinema: The Impact & Influence of Dangerous Filmmaking' which featured five top independent outlaw filmmakers known for their provocative messages, challenging and definitely censor fodder. The audience crowded into the Lounge at the Palms to hear insights from these veterans.
 
For me, the closing night movie, 'Lies And Alibis,' was the best of the 'movie' lot. This was the US premiere of Matt Checkowski and Kurt Mattila's dark comedy thriller, from a brilliant screenplay by Noah Hawley and Collin Friesen. Noah Hawley was one of the filmmakers on hand after the screening, so I got to praise him personally for such an intriguing and plausible premise completely dependent on crisp, witty dialogue. Steve Coogan plays Ray, a con man suddenly at risk of being exposed. Coogan, with his own style of understated elegance and charm called up echoes in my mind of many roles so astonishingly mastered by the likes of David Niven, Cary Grant, Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan and few others. Coogan is one to watch. Rebecca Romijn (a possible candidate for the Rene Russo-type roles) shown in her quick-to-catch-on, smart aleck role of Lola, truly an ideal foil for the Ray character. Sam Elliot, the sexiest guy on my Hollywood list, was a pleasure to watch.
 
Also well cast for the pivotal front desk character was the chameleon actress of many hues and talents, Deborah Kara Unger (accompanied on the Red Carpet by a gorgeous Chris Cirillo, her manager.) Having the feel of 'The Sting' with the elegance of 'It Takes A Thief,' 'The Thomas Crown Affair' or the kookiness of 'The Inlaws,' all wrapped up in today's criminal and technological flash a la Mission Impossible (current tech-y stuff, with the suave feel of the '60s original). That this convoluted story comes together at all is fun, and it was as clever as 'Entrapment' reincarnated. These filmmakers have a gem of a movie that deserves wide circulation as one of the first masterful, enjoyable and elegant stories of this new century of movie making.
Notably, a few comedies and three documentaries lead the rest of the pack. Space permits only a few can be mentioned here, and these are my choices.
 
The documentary, 'Once In A Lifetime, The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos' was a joy to the initiated, and a startling revelation to those in the audience who were completely unaware of the '70s Cosmos team formation and meteoric rise after recruiting Brazilian national sports hero, Pelé. A trendy new upstart sport imported during the stumbling years of early sports casting on TV, it birthed, lived and died in the space of a decade. Responsible for the legions of soccer Moms since then, the phenomenon of 'football' on the rest of the planet spread through the young people, into the dominant childhood after-school sport of today.
In addition, for those (Moi) who never understood the avid fans of American Football, let alone Football, the international sport, this documentary truly was an eye-opener. This intensely played, difficult to decipher game is considered too intricate and uninterrupted for American audiences to appreciate. Organized like a play, in two 45-minute free-for-alls separated by one intermission, devotees cannot take their eyes off the game for a second, lest they lose the whole gist of the drama unfolding. Unlike American Football, this international sport we know as Soccer in our country, is playing the last strains of The World Cup right now. Occurring every four years, this final sprint for the Cup is the culmination of two years of playoffs—definitely not the usual American TV fare.
A film in the documentary fashion, 'Road to Guantánamo' was quite subjective, which demonstrates the difficulty of doing a documentary/drama/recreation based on interviews married to news reports and government revelations. The events and extremes represented in the story occurred, and continue to occur, at the hands of the free world's military. Although the press has revealed a good deal about military misconduct and embarrassments overseas, human rights of citizens and militia of countries we invade continue to be violated, thusly, this film is quite relevant. It was also extremely upsetting, to me.
Of the films presented by independents, my favorites are in several categories. Of the Nevada Filmmaking showcase, some stood out from the others: The ensemble effort by Realm Films, '19 Miles to Vegas'; 'Buffet: All You Can Eat Las Vegas' by anthropologist Natasha Schull; Jason Leinwand's 'Wrestling With The Past'—all of which are featured in my ancillary Emerging Filmmakers article. A young filmmaker from the Clark County Community College showcase, Blake Hilbourne, was also included in that filmmakers' viewpoint coverage. His 'Ocean View' was quite brilliant.
A few worth mentioning in other categories were Doug Shutte's 'Last Laugh,' another one of his priceless messages communicated masterfully in a short of only a few minutes; 'The Puffy Chair,' an engaging first effort of the Duplass Brothers. A vignette with their real-life Dad standing in as their filmic father was mint; and a nod to 'Strangers With Candy,' not because I particularly liked it, but because of the perk of seeing Stephen Colbert out from behind his news desk—he was great fun. A truly delightful documentary, 'Wet Dreams' follows Rebecca Romijn through the process of obtaining permission from the Bellagio to design a water dance for their lake water fountain shows. Catch it if you get the opportunity.
After hearing outlaw Abel Ferraro's philosophies, I caught his mighty effort 'Mary' instead of 'Thanks To Gravity,' which I was told was quite wonderful. 'Mary' featured Juliette Binoche, as an actor so moved by her role as Mary Magdalene in a film about Christ she drops off the radar for a year and lives in Jerusalem. Her manic jerk director, is angry with her, and apparently the entire world, and is drawing attention to him and the movie she was in. A TV News Feature host experiencing his own emotional pilgrimage hounds the director to appear on a week-long documentary series he is doing on Christ. Forrest Whitaker stole the show as a reasonable journalist who, in the course of doing these shows, convinces this controversial director to appear on his show. During this week, our reporter's personal life suddenly takes a major emotional hit. He explores coping mechanisms for his own spiritual crisis. An inexpensive film to make, 'Mary' is certainly as noteworthy as the mainstream explorations of our world's most inconvenient woman. Born and raised a catholic in The Bronx, Ferraro answered some of his own needs and was inspired in his rejoinder to Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ.'
There were so many more wonderful films, events and anecdotes…available if you email me.
The Brenden Theatre auditoriums were jam-packed for most screenings, even during the week, during the day—which was a welcome sight for those of us that have wished CineVegas well since its inception six years ago.
From beginning to end, the Festival itself wasn't dangerous, but everything else before and after kept everyone entertained and left satisfied that 2006 CineVegas was the best yet. See you there in 2007.
Robin Greenspun, President, captains a team of notable professionals in operations, concierge, box office, technical operations, volunteer coordination, and theatre operations management, in coordination with the capable Brenden Team. Operations, headed by Jen Jurgens, has matured, as well, with considerable seasonal support from Wendy Adams, the Volunteer Coordinator of a fleet of cheerful locals who help man the box office, the screening auditorium doors, and everything else needed to glue together everyone's efforts, to prevent the 'ship leaking' possibilities. The filmmakers' royal treatment, managed by Concierge Coordinator Ben Adler and his staff of eight, kept them happy, as can be gleaned from the responses from the filmmakers in the Emerging Filmmakers' article, ancillary to this article.
Together with Ian Jankelowitz, PR Specialist, the high-energy team of Kirvin Doak Communications generated the buzz, handled the news and managed the needs of the Press corps. Stephanie Clark marshaled the considerable forces of the Festival auditoriums, entry doors and halls, called the shots and kept the screenings transitioning smoothly.
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