In short, when Mine is very quiet, it is really very smart. When it gets noisy, not so much. But those more meditative moments of silence and contemplation really are worth sitting through the flaws of the film. Guaglione and Resinaro are absolutely an exciting new team whose careers I am thrilled to follow from here.
Craig Elrod’s Mustang Island, released by Pepper Island Films, is a work with a visual palate that hearkens to the Kevin Smith defined indie days of the late 20th century. It blends black and white processing with scenes including vintage pickup trucks, ancient motels, retro diners and throwback grocery stores.
James Faust, Artistic Director of the Dallas Film Society, said, “Our two Dallas Star Award honorees hail back to something this festival has done from its inception – honor cinema legends, icons, and the film artists that made a difference in our film viewing lives. Faye Dunaway has been at the center of a number of certifiably classic films, and we joined so many in being devastated by the recent loss of Bill Paxton, on so many levels.
Galas for Brett Haley ’s THE HERO and more; The Dallas International Film Festival Reveals
There is a balance that someone that has achieved fame and celebrity is always re-calibrating. And it involves being a “good guy,” a “nice guy,” a “sweetheart,” etc. and not allowing themselves to be used, abused, and exploited for that fame. It is not easy, I don’t think. Holding the people around you accountable, and insisting that they “be cool” with what they are asking of you, and yet not being a pain-in-the-ass about it takes some work, actually.
Last year, in a meeting with a major PR firm in L.A., I was told that unless the fest’s dates lined up perfectly with the actual release of the film that there was no way they would recommend that client going to the fest. It was just a pain-in-the-ass for the publicist. And that was a friend of mine. Cutthroat, baby.
James Faust, Artistic Director of the Dallas Film Society, said, “Robert Benton is both an award-winning director and writer as well as a Texas treasure, who has been responsible for some of the most beloved film classics of the past five decades both through his director’s vision and his words placed on the page. The fact that he co-wrote BONNIE AND CLYDE, which was part of the hallowed film class of 1967, makes this a wonderful time to honor him with our Dallas Star Award.”
when Cary posted his story, I found several more details beyond what I included in the press release regarding other festivals some of the films had screened at and awards they won, etc. It’s like Cary actually spent some time researching and looking stuff up.
“Dallas film audiences are among the most knowledgeable, diverse, and enthusiastic in the entire country,” said James Faust, Artistic Director of the Dallas Film Society. “Therefore, programming the Dallas International Film Festival is always an exercise in striking a balance by finding films that appeal to the savvy cinephile, and the weekend escape-seeking film fan, as well as everyone in between. This year, we have already had great success securing films that impressed us at other prominent film festivals around the world, to discovering brand new gems, which will make their debut right here at DIFF.”
We don’t need more Clooney, Kidman, Lawrence, Adams, Streep, Cruise coverage. Monkeys can do that by this point. We need to find the new talent in film, and TV, and VR, etc. We need to give the new voices a forum to discuss their work. We need to help people find the golden film needles in the haystack of VOD titles we scroll past on Amazon and Netflix now.
