THE FLIFF DIARIES

(PAGE UNDER VISUAL RECONSTRUCTION) Oct. 19-- CHAIRMAN'S CRUISE
RACHEL GALVIN & JOHN RATZENBERGER
RENE FORNARI OF "WORK OF ART," JOHN RATZENBERGER & TERRY LEE--PROD. "WORK OF ART"
RACHEL GALVIN & GORDON SYNN (PROD. "A DEAL IS A DEAL")
CAST & CREW OF "COYOTE" WITH RACHEL GALVIN
RACHEL GALVIN WITH MEMBERS OF SEVERAL PRODUCTIONS, INCLUDING "PUSSYFOOT," "32A" AND "A DEAL IS A DEAL."
I began the day at the Chairman's Brunch & Cruise. As always, this is my favorite activity of the entire festival.
Unfortunately, for the first time, the weather was a little too cold for my taste and overcast. But the ship set sail as expected from the Gallery One Hotel to go up and down the Intracoastal Waterway. As usual, we were served a delicious brunch of scrambled eggs and potatoes. (There was also ham, bagels, fruit, etc.) Some drank champagne. I stuck to O.J. and soda.
The boat was filled with filmmakers from around the world, including the crew from "Coyote," the director of "A Deal is a Deal," the director and cast of "Pussyfoot," the producer and star of locally-made "Work of Art," the heads of the local production companies: Chaos Films and Will Shriner Productuons, the father of Matt Kern of "Saving Face," the director of "32 A," among others. Board members of FLIFF and FLIFF members as well as volunteers and staff were also in attendance. Then there was John Ratzenberger as well and Jack Nicholson ... well, the Jack Nicholson impersonator anyway (who is there yearly). The best part about the cruise is that you have a captive audience. This is a great time to have a one-on-one conversation with filmmakers in a casual laid back setting, away from the "more festive" and fashionable gala event or the hubbub of a movie premiere.
HAPPY GO LUCKY
After the cruise, I headed immediately to Cinema Paradiso to see a movie I have been wanting to see for awhile -- "Happy Go Lucky," which follows the story of a quirky teacher who goes through life being happy and trying to make others happy. In the process, she encounters a grumpy (to put it lightly) driving teacher and many other colorful characters. The film was cute, laugh out loud funny in a few parts, but some moments seemed a bit overdone; for example, Poppy, the leading character, laughs constantly. It seemed a bit much, over the top after awhile.
This was a sentiment echoed by others I overheard in the audience; some took it a step further to call her laughter annoying or to say it has a Jim Carey over-the-top quality. They also commented that the driving instructor also seemed over-the-top. I, too, felt this way, yet, I didn't mind it in him. I actually have known people like this guy who are so miserable nothing pleases them and they see life as a poisonous dump, rather than a world of beauty and harmony.
It was interesting to see the contrast between the two characters and to see what his character made her best intentions mean, something completely different than she had intended. She was merely being herself -- happy.
I would still give the film 2 thumbs up for originality and cleverness as well as interesting characterizations. There is a lull in parts and some commented, "There is no plot! It just goes nowhere." Despite that, it is nice to see that character-driven pieces with an upbeat message such as this are still being made.
PUSSYFOOT


DIRECTOR & CAST OF "PUSSYFOOT" ON STAGE DURING Q&A
After a quick seaside drive, I came back to Cinema Paradiso to see "Pussyfoot," a film that follows a young foreign-man named Irwin who has moved to New York and whose main goal is to get ladies to have sex with him.
The storyline becomes increasingly complex as his best friend, Harry, deals with his girlfriend, Tina, possibly moving in and searches for his inner caveman in order to keep her physically "entertained" and keep their relationship alive. Meanwhile, Tina's friend, Annie, is a mopey mess, unable to find a true love, struggling through one bad relationship after another.
Secondary characters like Irwin's boss, who enjoys listening to Irwin's sexual escapades, and the boss's secretary, who wishes she were one of his escapades, and April, the half-priced hooker, add to the fun.
There is also the intellectual author and older brother of Irwin who we soon see has two sides to his persona. The characters seem very natural, organic with true-to-life pauses mixed with unnatural phrasings. The script includes some powerful laugh-out-loud zingers, one watcher counted over 20 of them, shouting down accolades to the young writer/ director, who said making this movie was his way of "Saying goodbye to his 20s."
The viewer could not believe that Dusan, the director, actually wrote the whole script himself, adding "You're good." The response for this film was better than I expected given the topics covered. From both old and young alike, the mood was upbeat. The attitude was that this was a real feel-good funny movie with moments everyone could enjoy despite its unorthodox topics. I wouldn't be surprised if the film wins an audience award based on the response of those who attended.
October 17
Last night was the official opening of the Ft. Lauderdale Film Festival. At the red carpet, filmmakers talked with the press quickly before hustling into the Miniaci Theatre to see the opening night film "Coyote." (To read an interview with the writer and director of the film, go under FLIFF NEWS pages). For more information on FLIFF, go to www.fliff.com. Cast of Coyote pose with Greg Von Hausch and Bonnie Leigh Adams.
Actor John Ratzenberger was also awarded with a Career Achievement Award after a showing of some of his most memorable moments, including films like "Gandhi" with a young Candace Bergen, TV shows like "Cheers" and as a voice actor for Pixar films like "Monsters, Inc.," "Finding Nemo" and "The Incredibles." The evening ended with mingling at the Signature Grand Starry Starry Night Gala. The band played loudly; there was dancing, dining on sushi, pasta and other eats and most of all there was networking.
The director of "Coyote," Brian Peterson, commented, "This is way beyond our expectations. At other festivals, we may have gotten some hors d'oeuvres, but all this!" The party went to the wee hours of the morning, a fitting kick-off to the longest film festival (it last almost a full month), now in its 23rd year!