May 4th, 2009, 11:23 am by RICHARD CHANG, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, left, and Zooey Deshanel in “(500) Days of Summer,” the closing film of the 2009 Newport Beach Film Festival.
OK gang, some final thoughts on the 2009 Newport Beach Film Festival.
It was a whirlwind (and sometimes challenging) experience, with more than 400 films in eight days, scores of filmmakers and special guests, and receptions and parties every night. I’m still kind of recovering.
I’ve chronicled this film festival since its very beginning in 2000. Thus, this 10th annual cinematic gathering has also been my tenth time reporting on the festival. I’ve seen it grow from humble beginnings to one of the biggest film fests on the West Coast.
I’d have to say, this past film festival ranks up there as one of the best. Despite a gloomy economic climate, the organizers, staff and volunteers did an excellent job and attracted record numbers.
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May 2nd, 2009, 2:58 pm by RICHARD CHANG, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
 Garrett McNamara of “The Glacier Project.” Photo by Matthew Ralston.
Review by Matthew Ralston
After 13 years in the making, “The Glacier Project” finally hit the big screen Thursday night with a world premiere at the Lido Theater. Created and directed by Ryan Casey (the son of IMAX filmmaker Sean Casey), the film follows two big wave surfers Garrett McNamara and Kealii Mamala in their quest to ride waves created by Alaska’s Child’s glacier “calving” into the Copper River.
It’s an incredibly dangerous feat, illustrated by a moment where a usually fearless McNamara breaks down in tears during a call to his family. But considering the freezing water, 12 knot currents, high winds, rocks and icebergs, and the shrapnel-like effect that occurs when a piece of the glacier falls, you can’t blame him.
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May 1st, 2009, 6:30 pm by RICHARD CHANG, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Adrien Brody, left, and Mark Ruffalo in “The Brothers Bloom.”
By Cameron Bird
“The Brothers Bloom” shows both the sunny and shadowy sides of swindling. And, as a lot of capers start, someone wants out of the game, but can’t find anyone else to hang around. In this case, the final con job leads the anti-hero toward the romance he’s been lacking, as the film successfully upends convention with whimsy.
The elder Bloom, Stephen (Mark Ruffalo), has a knack for planting smiles on his victims by showing them a good time, something that’s always rubbed his kid brother (Adrien Brody) the wrong way. When the siblings drive away from the scene of a mansion they’ve set ablaze, the younger Bloom, who goes only by his surname, retreats to the backroom of a bar. He brushes aside the advances of a sphinx-like femme fatale, wondering if she’s fawning over him or over his latest role.
“I want an unwritten life,” he tells Stephen, who’s been handwriting their schemes on flow charts since mischievous youth.
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May 1st, 2009, 5:53 pm by RICHARD CHANG, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
 Yolande Moreau in “Seraphine,” the big winner at the 2009 Newport Beach Film Festival.
The Newport Beach Film Festival concluded Thursday night with the West Coast premiere of “(500) Days of Summer,” an outdoor gala at Via Lido Plaza, and a bittersweet sigh of relief among staffers, volunteers and this arts & entertainment writer in particular!
Winners were announced today. The French drama “Seraphine” picked up the bounty of awards, including jury prizes for best film, actor, actress, director and screenplay.
CLICK HERE to read about the other award winners and closing night.
This is not the end of the unofficial Newport Beach Film Festival Blog! I will have more notes on closing day and night, plus a couple of guest reviews coming. So stay tuned!
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April 30th, 2009, 2:58 pm by RICHARD CHANG, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Sara Chevere and Karen Edwards at Muldoon’s Pub Wednesday night. Photo by Richard Chang/The Register.
OK, gang, thanks for coming back to this here Newport Beach Film Festival blog!
I’m going to give you a round-up of what I’ve been up to for the past day or so.
On Wednesday evening, I headed down to the Lido Theater, where an evening of Disney rarities was being presented by Disney producer Don Hahn and creative director David Bossert.
The two fellas screened some funny and rarely seen animated gems. The shorts included “Hell’s Bells” from 1929, “Flowers and Trees” from 1932, “Food Will Win the War” from 1942, “Fun with Mr. Future” from 1982, and a black and white Tim Burton film, “Vincent” from 1982. (It was his first project for Disney.) They also screened a 2008 short, “Glago’s Guest,” directed by Chris Williams, and a trailer for an upcoming Disney/Pixar project.
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April 30th, 2009, 1:33 pm by RICHARD CHANG, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Joey Buran, left, signs copies of his DVD for folks waiting outside the Lido Theater Wednesday. Photo by Matthew Ralston, for The Register.
NBFF: Lights out for Action Sports
By Matthew Ralston
Although the DVD has been in surf shops since October, I was stoked to see Quiksilver’s “Clay Marzo: Just Add Water” on the Lido Theater’s big screen. The bioflick follows the talented young surfer around the world to Tahiti, Fiji, Hawaii, France, Spain and Australia, while also tackling his challenges with Asperger syndrome.
But as I was waiting in line, I heard a buzz about a power outage. The Action Sports showcase, also featuring “Beyond the Dream: The Joey Buran Story,” was soon canceled.
Before I got bummed out, there was a hustle around a few tables set up just outside the theater. A short, blond-haired guy stood up and thanked all of us for coming out. Joey Buran was stoked to have his own film in the festival, regardless of the outage.
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April 29th, 2009, 6:09 pm by RICHARD CHANG, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Max Naylor, Samantha Renzi and Amanda Salazar having fun at French 75 Tuesday night. Photo by Richard Chang/The Register.
All right, folks, thanks for coming back and reading this Newport Beach Film Festival blog!
On Tuesday, I called my friend and festival co-founder Todd Quartararo and asked him, “Should I go see “Arn,” the Swedish Spotlight?
He said, “No, I would recommend ‘Seraphine.’ I’ve heard it’s excellent filmmaking — one of the best films of the entire festival.”
Hmm, those were some good words of advice. However, a lot of other filmgoers heard that tip too. “Seraphine” was packed. Oversold, in fact, like a lot of other films during this festival.
I got in the theater and sat next to Jo King, who’s on the NBFF advisory board, Gregg Schwenk’s mother and her friend, a nice gentleman whose name I didn’t catch.
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April 29th, 2009, 4:47 pm by RICHARD CHANG, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Phillip Woo, a festival programmer, is in the center. His mom is on the left end in white. The other ladies are his mom’s church friends. Isn’t that sweet? Photo by Richard Chang/The Register.
OK folks, I feel like I’ve been neglecting you by not posting exciting “seen-and-heard” notes about the Newport Beach Film Festival.
The truth is, I’ve been doing a lot of crazy technical work, getting NBFF stories and photos up on the Web and such. Oh, and I got diverted with a story about the Getty laying off 97 employees and eliminating 205 positions. See, I write about the arts and area museums as well.
In any case, you came here ’cause you want to know about the festival, the films and those nifty parties. So here goes!
On Monday, I went to see “Modern Boy,” a Korean film about a young, somewhat dandyish man who falls in love with a singer named Laura. The movie stars Hye-su Kim and Hae-il Park and was written and directed by Ji-woo Jung.
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April 29th, 2009, 10:57 am by RICHARD CHANG, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Surfer and film director Jeff Parker in a scene from “Echo Beach.”
“ Echo Beach ”
Review by Matthew Ralston
The world premiere of the surf flick “Echo Beach” was held Tuesday night at a sold out Lido Theater in Newport Beach, appropriate since the film depicts Newport ’s surf scene in the 1980’s.
The Quiksilver bus dropped off surfing legend Peter Townend and Quiksilver CEO Bob McKnight, while Volcom’s co-founder and CEO Richard Woolcott, Newport Beach natives Mark McGrath (the film’s narrator) of Sugar Ray and Alex Knost, long boarder and Japanese Motors front man, also passed through.
The film captures the radical crew of surfers at Echo Beach , the 100-yard strand off 56th St. The crew consisted of Danny Kwock, Jeff Parker, Preston Murray, John Gothard and Mark “Smerk” Mangan, among others.
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April 28th, 2009, 1:31 pm by RICHARD CHANG, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A scene from “Echo Beach,” playing at 7:30 tonight at the Lido Theater.
Hey folks, heading down the Newport Beach Film Festival today?
Today’s lineup includes “Shi Qi,” a Chinese movie starring Joan Chen, playing at 3:15 p.m. at Edwards Island 4. The documentary “Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman” plays at 4 p.m. at the Lido Theater. Shulman is a famous photographer who has captured great architecture throughout the country, particularly the “cool” styles of the 1950s and ’60s.
The festival’s Action Sports Series continues, with the world premieres of “Out of the Pond” at 6:15 p.m. and “Echo Beach” at 7:30 p.m. at the Lido Theater. Guests will include pro wakeboarders Brian Grubb and Kevin Henshaw, director Chris Heffner, director Jeff Parker, Sugar Ray lead singer Mark McGrath (who narrates “Echo Beach”) and others. A surfing art show and reception will follow at 9 p.m. at Sideways Wine and Sake, 501 31st St., Unit B, Newport Beach.
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