Another Festival Adventure: Newport Beach Film Festival, April 25-May 2, 2013
This was my 3rd year covering the Newport Beach Film Festival, I’d also covered it in 2011 and 2012. The festival always screens shorts, documentaries and feature films from all over the world (at spectacular venues around Orange County — Island Cinemas, Big Newport, The Triangle and Lido Cinema). NBFF kicked off with the West Coast premiere of “Broadway Idiot,” a documentary about Green Day’s album “American Idiot” that was adapted into a Broadway musical. I’m not a Green Day fan (but do respect their music), I loved this film for one simple reason; it didn’t CELEBRATE ITSELF. It was a great film and wonderful documentary, but never said “look at me, I’m cool!” “Broadway Idiot” is a humbling look at musicians and artists doing what they love. The opening night movie (to me) was over-shadowed by an excellent, inspiring, life-changing documentary titled Walk-On that had its world premiere at NBFF. Simple story, a man born with HIV who uses a cane to walk, trains to and completes a 6-mile AIDS. walk. This movie was a great reminder to appreciate.
I also caught some excellent feature films. First off, I was lucky to see the West Coast Premiere of Pasadena starring Peter Bogdanovich (yes, famed film Director of Paper Moon), Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Alicia Witt (Two and Half Men). This film was a pleasant surprise because Pasadena showcased Bogdanovich (The Sopranos) in his first leading role and Cheryl Hines who plays his wife Deborah (in a serious dramatic role). Hines is best known for Curb Your Enthusiasm, a show built off improv comedy. Lastly, Alicia Witt; she starred in two fantastic episodes of “Two and a Half Men” (pure comedy) and here she delivers an excellent, incendiary performance as the “sibling” every family loves to judge. In my opinion, she is an actress to watch, long career ahead of her if she gets the right roles.
I also took in a great feature titled Rushlights, starring Beau Bridges. These two films will more than likely hit DVD, so I don’t want to spoil plot. You movie buffs who loved Beau Bridges in Jerry Maguire or The Descendants will enjoy him as a small-town sheriff in this unique thriller about deception over money. Newport Beach Film Festival did an excellent job bringing in so many great features.
On the short film front, I had the pleasure of seeing Jonny Boy starring an actor I admire named Jon Polito (Barton Fink). The film was in the “alternative films” section or should I say the films were gay themed. Jonny Boy was a great short-film about Jonny Boy (Jon Polito) who is at his dying wife’s bed-side and learns she has been hiding letters from his male lover. It is a wonderful movie, shot in Ireland with a running time of seven minutes. It showed, we don’t need millions of dollars, three hours and fifty explosions to make a great movie. Another great short film was Asekelam from Sal Masekela (son of Jazz-Legend Hug Masekela). The dynamic short laid out an excellent movie about fathers, sons and choosing your own path.
To wrap it up there was a fantastic closing party outside the historic Lido movie theater (a new Steve Carrell movie closed the festival). It was packed with film lovers and was a great-time to see STAFF out of work mode. For this magazine I was given interviews with Sal Masekela for Alekesam, Peter Bogdanovich for Pasadena (and Director Will Slocombe) and Jon Polito for Jonny Boy. I will also be reviewing these films separately.
Lastly, the film I mentioned in the opening paragraph Walk-On, I will be writing a review and doing an interview with it’s inspirational Producer/Star Joseph Kibler. I mention this last, because NBFF is a blessing of a festival and Walk-On showed me, we all need to take the time to count our blessings and celebrate life through FILM.
by Paul Booth
