By Ron Gilbert
After attending this event hosted by festival director Roger Durling who created his Valentine event to Annette which truly came from the heart, I give my vote to Annette Bening for Best Actress. Many reasons moved me to this after seeing clips from her film legacy.
Her passion for theatre in which presenter and Oscar winner Kevin Costner called her our Katherine Hepburn and a Woman for All Seasons and then told her to come over and give him a hug. This was part...
International Filmfestival at Museum of ToleranceNovember 13 –November 18 This festival will include some of my favorite films evermade and others which will also become my favorites To Kill a MockingbirdThe Defiant OnesGuess Who’s Coming toDinnerJudgement at NurembergBoys Don’t CryChicago8Reconciliation–Mandela’s MiracleWomen of DagenhamAll Theaters noted below are at the Museum of Tolerance, 9786 West Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035 100 Voices: A JourneyHomeWednesdayNove...
Reconciliation: Mandela's Miracle a film : documentaryReconciliation: Mandela's Miracle a filmby Michael Henry Wilsonby RonGilbert The title of this film says it all. Yes! Nelson Mandela is amiracle and an inspiration. In America we hadMartin Luther King and in SouthAfrica they hadNelson Mandela, who has this fortitude and determination and he never lost hopeeven after spending 26 years in prison. He is a precious gift to everyone. Oscarwinning director Clint Eastwood’s voice is at the openi...
A New discovery of Recent Spanish Cinema XVI in Hollywood
By Ron Gilbert
I must applaud Christopher Columbus who was commissioned by the Spanish
Crown of Queen Isabella and discovered America
in 1492. .Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo officially set foot in California
is 1542 and for over 400 years we have had the pleasure of the influence of Spain.
In the current film program of Recent Spanish Cinema XVI at the historic
Egyptian Theatre Hollywood which is the home of the American Cinematheque we...
Hot Summer Days are the best
Hot Summer Days reminds me very much of a Woody Allen film shot
in Hong Kong.
Perhaps
he will take the hint after his sees this film and shoot his next one there. As
you watch all these characters, you could easily start casting actors that
Woody has used in many of his films. This film really touched me and the
direction by Wing Shya and Tony Chan
orchestrated
with a fast pace and quick flashes with a music video feel will keep y...
The Oscar
nominated Kristin Scott Thomas who has won BAFTA, Cesar Awards and many other
awards at film festivals has also been
receiving Lifetime Achievement Awards but her career is still going very
strong. I had first seen her in Prince’s directorial debut film, Under the
Cherry Moon”, and later in “Four Weddings and a Funeral”,” The English Patient”,
Philippe Claudel's “I've Loved You So Long” and many more. She is one of the
finest actresses who have ever existed an...
A Gracious and
Grateful Closing Night at ARPA International Film Festival
By Ron Gilbert
On one of the warmest
evenings the closing night at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, Alex Kalognomos the festival’s artistic director introduced
the hostess
actress Raya Meddine who welcomed everyone in 6 languages The event
was
attended by many celebrities and dignitaries including
Grigor Hovhannissian, Consul General of
the Republic of Armenia
I was very tak...
After viewing this film I had the opportunity to meet the director Chris D’Arienzo and the actors Patrick Wilson and Judy Greer. That meeting changed my whole perspective because the actors were so different from their characters portrayed in the film.You had to be there to experience it, but take my word for it. What really put everyone in the mood to be candid was the story shared by one of the journalists about knowing 3 men who shared the same unfortunate loss as Barry Munday does in the f...
The 3rd Los Angeles Irish Film Festival Opened with Music and Wit
by Ron Gilbert
I have attended this festival from the beginning and it has
grown in leaps and bounds. Last night was the best one yet. Even though we are
in the heart of Hollywood at the
Linwood Dunn Theatre, if feels like Ireland,
The beautiful and gracious festival director and founder, Lisa McLaughlin fills
the atmosphere with her smile and charms us all. .Even in these difficult times
sponsors like the Irish ...
A Hollywood legend died today.
He was an inspiration to all kids growing up in NYC and was known for his good looks and hair style which was very popular in the 1950’s, If inally worked with him with him in 1986 in a film Club Life. His late son, Nicholas, was on set and I told his son that his dad Tony was bigger than JohnTravolta could ever be back in the day. He was the Man all of us street kids wanted to be because we identified with him as a guy from the neighborhood in N...
The Last Rites of Ransom
Pride, an Authentic Western film
By Ron Gilbert
When
you enter a theater to watch a film, it should you really want it to be an
experience. So best not to read the press kit or the other film festival
reviews. because you do not want to prejudice your reactions to the film if
possible. So I went to a late night screening at the Laemmle Sunset Five
Theatres to see The Last Rites of Ransom Pride. From the opening shot of the
film I knew that this was goi...
Revealing the talent of Deon Taylor and Chain Letter, his film
By Ron Gilbert
I feel like I have been in a chain letter with Deon Taylor
which started over a
month ago with a
phone interview to his home in Sacramento
. We spoke about his beginnings in his film career and his former days as a
basketball player in Europe prior to my viewing his film
on DVD. After seeing Chain Letter, I could not fathom that this sweet and personal
guy was the director of this horror ...
“Ahead of Time” a fascinating documentary on Ruth Gruber
By Ron Gilbert
Ruth Gruber was really ahead of her time.”
I am experiencing that feeling of zest which goes with exploration. I am in the
thick of an historic moment” were the first lines she dispatched from the
Soviet Artic in 1935.
I felt exactly like that as I watched it. This special documentary which
had its LA Premiere at the LA Jewish Film Festival was presented with the help
and associat...
You will meet a Tall
Dark Stranger the film fulfills that promise
By Ron Gilbert
When I heard the song,”
When you wish Upon a Star”, originally sung by Jiminy Cricket, who serves as the official conscience for Pinocchio in the classic Disney film, in the opening frames of this film
,Woody had me. That pulled in memories of
my childhood and the hopes and dreams we wish for. Woody Allen is sort of a
Jiminy Cricket as a director. He makes you laugh and cry and connects you ...
Enter
the Void a film trip you must take
By Ron Gilbert
Gasper Noe is a director who has a vision which I have never
seen, I did not need to take any drugs to watch this film but I got very high
watching it.For a moment there was a similarity to the films, Requiem for a Dream and You Can Count on Me but this film
enters a whole new realm. Peter Fonda should rush out to see it because of his
participation in the Roger Corman film “The
Trip” with the late Dennis Hopper and ...
Never Let Me Go is an Oscar Contender
By Ron Gilbert
The Oscar race for best actress
has begun; Carey Mulligan will be a contender. There are many great elements to
the film but, Carey Mulligan's (Kathy) phenomenal performance is the main focus
of the film), l After seeing her performance in this film you realize that this
actress has “IT” Keira
Knightley (Ruth) is also a big surprise showing me her depth as an actress in this film and also in director Massy Tadjed...
Catfish is a veryfishy filmBy Ron GilbertFacebook has taken over our lives. Will you ever find truelove or your soulmate? Is what you believe to be real? Or is it a figment ofyour imagination? Please do not watch the trailer of this movie. You will findit to be a very good one and it will lead you astray. I try never to watchtrailers or read press kits before I see a filmNow let’s get real personal .Back in the day, a Dutch femalesent me an email from a website on which I had written an articl...
Martin Landau and Ellen Burstyn are in “LovelyStill” the filmby Ron Gilbert How does a young director/ writer with no feature filmcredits woo 2 Oscar winning actors to star in his film in Omahaduring a cold winter? The answer is finding a great mentor, Martin Landau.Martin has been a driving force on the NY stage followed by an award winning careerin TV and films. In addition to hisbusy work schedule he is the West Coast Artistic Director of the famed ActorsStudio along with director ...
A Daughter’s Love of her Father in The Sicilian Girl I went to a veryspecial presentation at the ItalianCultural Institute in Westwood of thisvery touching film which was based on the real life of RitaMancuso (Veronica D’Agostino) and director Marco Amenta’s documentary , “One Girl Against theMafia: Diary of a Sicilian Rebel”. Being a dad myself I could feelthe inner conflict that this young girl would suffer when she loses her dad andalso has to face the reality of who he ...
Falling in love with Bran Nue Daeby Ron GilbertJust to be teenager again and with music to make your hearbeat faster. From the opening scene you know that you will be in store for areal treat. Even though I was unfamiliar as to the origins of this film, I couldimmediately see why it was such a big hit as a staged musical.Bran Nue Dae has a long and influential history in Australia.Set in the summer of 1969The story was inspired by the teenage experiences of writer/musician Jimmy Chi and the memb...
I finally had the privilege of watching “Wilde Salome,” the film version of “Salome” aka “Salome Maybe?”, directed by Al.. In a similar fashion which he explored in “Looking for Richard”, Al digs into the depths of an Actors Studio member to give audiences the internal life of how he works. Scraping the surface and peeling the layers which make him the actor he is today. Always working from the inside to reveal the inner workings of the play and how to share thi...
The 14th Los Angeles Urban Latino Film Festival Shorts Program Hits Home Runs
I Was so impressed with That program That I did not want it to end . Having attended many shorts programs at Film Festivals in the last 2 weeks this one knocked me into a world of reality . Each story you just Involved from the first frame . First out of the box WAS Beleu Jardin ( Garden Heaven ) directed by Ari Candido Fernandez pulled each in the gritty world of Sao Paulo and Itmar ( Flavio Bauraqui ) wh...
Emmanuel Itier provokes in “The Invocation” by Ron Gilbert Emmanuel and I sat down in his suite at the Mondrian Hotel in West Hollywood to discuss his journey. I have known him for over 20 years and after seeing his film, The Invocation, I discovered what I didn’t know about him. So we let the fur fly on this interview and there were no holds barred. RGEmmanuel I just want you to know that since we are very close friends you can let me know about anything that you do not want me to pu...
"Emmanuel Itier provokes in “The Invocation” by Ron Gilbert Emmanuel and I satdown in his suite at the Mondrian Hotel in West Hollywood to discuss his journey. I have known him for over 20 yearsand after seeing his film, The Invocation, I discovered what I didn’t knowabout him. So we let the fur fly on this interview and there were no holdsbarred. RGEmmanuel I just wantyou to know that since we are very close friends you can let me know aboutanything that you do not want me to pu...
Angelina SAngelina Shows her “Salt” Move over all your macho action guys becauseyou will be bowled over when Angelina Jolie shows you how it should bedone. Is she this CIA operative or a Russian spy ? It doesn’t really matterbecause she wins you over either way. She did her own stunts which include falling60 feet from a helicopter, to jumping from moving vehicles, to crawling alongthe ledge of a high rise apartment building. Aussie Director Philip Noyce whohad directed her in the film Bo...
