I started out Sunday by myself. Sallie had to thaw out her frozen pipes and Lou wanted to sleep in. I was running late due to frozen pipes also, but I got there just a little after "Seadrift vs.Big Guy" started. I’m glad I didn’t miss it.
These folks work hard at having a good time. Jeff McAdams, the Big Guy, and director Randall Dark were here to handle the Q&A. There was never a dull moment in this well photographed and edited film.
At11 a.m., Sallie, Lou and Annamarie arrived so see four terrific shorts. "Grace" reminds us to slow down, listen to the real meaning, don’t jump to conclusions in a well-acted professional film. "Knocked Down" dealt with parents trying to live through their kids and kids trying to balance pleasing them and self-preservation. Good acting, script and photography.
"Genre" was really fun with a fresh off-beat presentation. The ending scenes seemed chopped off though. I enjoyed it very much. "Sleeping with the Bear" had great acting that was very natural. It also had a great plot that emphasized changing focus from one’s self to other’s needs.
Later, I loved "Hands Up" inspite of not being fond of gore or bad language. I guess sometimes they are necessary. This was a very good film, hands down.
I got to talk with Scott Foster of "Success Driven" prior to seeing the film so I wanted to like it since he was so charming. Unfortunately the whole attitude of the film is foreign to me and quite repellant. The music and photography distracted me from “do anything to anybody to get ahead“ theme.
I was enthralled by "Soliloquy." I have a pro-Shakespeare bias. There’s no help for that. It was elegant and jewel like in presentation with onyx facets. The harsh lighting reflected the dark aspect of the Scottish play. Of course Josh Murray wasn’t hard to look at either.
"Road to Jacob" was touching with great character development which could have been easy for the director considering the quality of the actors. The predictable ending was avoided and a hopeful one provided. I really like good endings.
"The Trial of Ben B" was engrossing had me right up to the end. This was a very good film. It was a bit too subtle for me, but Sallie got it right away. The Q&A made everything clear and it really lived up to the synopsis.
This was a great Festival. We enjoyed the improvements and lamented the drawbacks. Steve Savage said that next year we will have the community wide banners back. We really missed them.
Steve and Phil Calderon are to be congratulated for a better and better Idyllwild CinemaFest. Each year there are improvements and expansions.The amount of work needed for this wonderful Festival must be mountainous. Next year, we need to jump in and help. Phil said he is going to take a week off and before starting on next year’s Idyllwild CinemaFest .
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