It is past the halfway point of the 2012 Florida Film Festival, and we’re in to the home stretch. After a huge variety of film types from independent to foreign Oscar nominated films, we arrived at a tiny indie film. ‘Dead Dad’ is considered a micro-budget film, well below the one million dollar mark. The film’s small budget was at times noticeable, but it may have also helped the very character driven story.

The relationship between the two brothers and one sister drove the movie to both funny and emotional places. The film was written by Ken J Adachi and Kyle Arrington, who both also directed and starred in the film respectively. They, among others, were in attendance, and hosted a Q&A after the screening. They were very gracious, and took the time to explain what it was like making a movie on such a limited budget.

The next screening I attended was for a Norwegian movie not yet released in the US: ‘Headhunters.’ ‘Headhunters’ is an action-thriller about an art heist gone wrong that leads to a brutal cat and mouse chase with twists and turns throughout. The movie was gripping and intense, and felt like a high quality thriller that could have come out of Hollywood. This movie stole the show for me, and should be on everyone’s radar when it arrives stateside.

Before I went to my next showing, I was at the bar at the Enzian Theater, where I experienced a great surprise. The legendary Cloris Leachman emerged from the theater, where they just screened ‘The Last Picture Show’, and began tending bar. She poured shots for the crowd that gathered, and I was lucky enough to get one.

After that affair, I attended the midnight feature ‘John Dies At The End’. This movie is nothing but b-movie horror comedy. It’s full of goofy monsters and deadpan one-liners, and it may have been one of the strangest movies I’ve ever seen. The director, Don Coscarelli, was there for a Q&A afterwards. Coscarelli has a cult following with his previous movies like the Phantasm series, and many of the questions were about his older films and his cult style.

The next film I saw was a low budget British drama-comedy, ‘Up There’. It was about being in purgatory and proving your worth to get into heaven, while also dealing with your own demise. The concept of purgatory here was very good, and all of the inherent drama was broken down with some dry British humor.

To close out the festival, I attended the very last screening: the upcoming summer release ,’Your Sister’s Sister’. This movie stars, almost exclusively, Mark Duplass, Emily Blunt, and Rosemarie DeWitt. The movie is the three of them hanging out in a cabin, and all of the romantic complications that ensue.

That being said, it is not like any stereotypical romantic comedy you have seen. The movie is very charming, and the characters work very well together. There is a good amount of humor to keep it light throughout, and the story is very unique and clever. The story and the humor will no doubt keep your attention till the end.

After all that, the festival is over. It felt like forever, and no time at all. Ten days since the start, the Florida Film Festival 2012, comes to a successful end.

Image Courtesy of     Florida Film Festival – Official

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The 2012 Florida Film Festival pushes on after a successful opening weekend. In the new week, I finally found myself at the festival’s features theater: The Enzian. The Enzian is a wonderful single-screen theater. It has an outdoor bar for regulars to hang out at and talk movies, while the inside of the theater is arranged with dining tables, couches, and comfortable chairs. The theater also provides waiter service throughout the film, providing the ultimate movie experience.

I was in attendance for this year’s Italian Cinema Night, where they pick an Italian classic to screen for the festivalgoers; this year’s selection was Marriage Italian Style notably starring Sophia Loren. The film was about the life and love of an Italian couple, and their very complicated story.

The movie was very creatively told, with two frame stories providing the background for the drama. Speaking of which, the film was very dramatic, but also featured some quality humor to top off the entertainment. Afterwards there were free wine and cheese samples provided by the Olive Garden, to cap off the special night.

The next movie I attended was brought to my attention by very positive word-of-mouth. People who had seen the earlier screening had been buzzing about the movie for a couple days, so I found myself at the second screening of The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best. The story is of two down-and-outs who join together to form a band, and attempt to tour cross-country to California. This road movie is genuinely hilarious and displays some great chemistry between the band mates and their female manager.

The movie really shines through with its music. The band consists of an acoustic guitar and child’s instruments, like toys you would find at Toys R’ Us. The result is an extremely fun indie-pop sound that really carries the movie. Afterwards there was a Q&A with some people involved with the film, including writer, director, and star Ryan O’Nan. His charming and funny personality came out there, and showed that the film really reflects him as a person.

Next I was drawn to the Academy Award Best Foreign Language Film nominated Monsieur Lazhar. This movie comes from Canada, out of Montreal. This emotionally tense film is about a class of elementary school students trying to cope with the teacher killing herself, and her replacement. The movie had great performances by many of the students and by their new teacher. The movie stands out mostly because of its very original story, that one could not imagine any American studio ever making.

After five days of very satisfying films, the Florida Film Festival is officially half over.

Image Courtesy of   Florida Film Festival – Official

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The Florida Film Festival kicked off on Friday, April 13, with a one-film opening night event. That was just the cutting of the ribbon, so to speak, as the festival shifted into high-gear on Saturday. Saturday was the first of the next nine days to feature screenings lasting all day and spread out over multiple venues.

I started Saturday by traveling to Winter Garden, Florida to the furthest offshoot of the festival, the Garden Theater. Winter Garden had its main road shut down, as they were hosting their Garden Festival. The Garden Festival is an outdoor affair with some live music and vendors lined up all the way down the street, selling plants. In the heart of this action lies the Garden Theater, a delightful one-screen theater, lined with decor depicting an outdoor villa.

The screening began with an introduction, then a short film. The film was ‘The Gruffalo’s Child,’ an animated film based on the picture book and the sequel to ‘The Gruffalo.’ The short was done in pseudo-claymation-style and used an enjoyable rhyming scheme in the narration and dialogue. It featured voices most notably from Helena Bonham Carter, John Hurt, and Robbie Coltrane. The adventure story was quite fun and very well told, and it set us up for the feature.

The feature film was ‘A Cat In Paris,’ a film that was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2011. The premise of the film is a family cat secretly moonlighting as a cat burglar with a man named Nico. Everybody gets into some hijinks, and a fun adventure unfolds.

However, the highlight of the film is the animation. It is hand-drawn and simply exudes French art. The style is something resembling Picasso in motion, and it makes nearly every frame look like a piece of art. After the film concluded, the audience handed in their ballots, as both films were in competition for the audience award.

My day was not finished, though, and I returned to the Regal Theater to see a movie in the Midnight Feature category. The movie screening was ‘God Bless America,’ the latest film from Bobcat Goldthwait. The film starred Joel Murray as Frank, and Tara Lynne Barr as Roxy.

The movie is about Frank being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, and rather than killing himself, he decides to embark on a rampage against reality TV stars and other fame-mongers he considers to be ruining America. The premise itself can tell you just how blunt the message of this movie is, and if you agree with it, this movie can be hilarious. The absurdity of the story resulted in many huge laughs from the midnight crowd, and nothing but smiles on the way out.

My first full day at the Florida Film Festival 2012 was only a small sample of the wide variety of films one could come by at a festival such as this.

Image Courtesy of   Florida Film Festival – Official

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