I'm...re..viewing...the situation...

I'm rethinking the film contest idea.  With 48 Hour Film Project an annual event in Dallas, Houston, Austin, and possibly San Antonio, I'm not sure another similar, but less prestigious affair would be well attended.  Maybe it will.  Maybe it will attract those novice filmmakers who want to get their feet wet without the pressure of the Big Time of Little Films.  Just thinking on the keyboard.

Summer Solstice Film Festival

Had an idea.  (Always a dangerous thing.)  I was thinking about starting up a summer solstice film festival competition.  It would be the kind where the film-makers get the topic on Thursday night with the finished video due to the jury on Saturday morning.  The top ten jury selected films are then viewed in the theater on the big screen.  The audience then votes for the final winner.  None of that is very original.

The screenings would be at the "Historic Texas Theatre" in Palestine, Texas- one of the old movie palaces from the 30's that's been 90% restored.  It would be on the weekend nearest the summer solstice each year. The films, like every other festival, would be seen on the festival website for one year. But part of the prize would need to be a viewing beyond that.  Maybe get Time Warner Cable to play the top 3 across their networks.  Maybe something else.  The contest would need to be sponsored, of course, and physical prizes would need to exist.  I have some ideas on that, too.

Could even try to get local hotels to give a half-price discount to the film teams.  There should also be a real party afterward with a "select" crowd.   Lots of things to consider.  Think I should go ahead and get the website address just in case.

Halo? Statue? Yeah, dat's me.

Oscar time is here.  A celebration of movies by the people who make them.  It's a night of self-congratulation turned into a money making franchise monster.  Originally, is was a banquet for the show people.  Snippets might appear in a newsreel, but that was about it.

Don't get me wrong...I love the Oscars.  I'm a SAG member and root for my picks.  I (sometimes) even like the spectacle that follows along with it.  Billy Crystal was my favorite host, but his humor is a little tired now. The problem I have now is how the winners are selected.  You could give the greatest performance in the history of cinema and not even get nominated.  Or you might lose because it was a comedy-farce without the gravitas that Oscar loves.  You could be a great director who brought a difficult story winningly to the screen, yet not get nominated while your film and its actors are (aka: the movies that direct themselves).

No.  The public shouldn't get a vote.  They already voted with their $$$.  But I do think the entire membership should vote, and vote for anyone they want.  The ones with the most votes win.  Cue closing credits.

More than a Ghost of a chance-

I stopped by rehearsal for the new musical production at the Texas Theatre in Palestine the other day while they were rehearsing music.  This is going to be a great show.  Well cast, as Sandy always does, and well balanced in voices.  I'll stop by this weekend and see more.  I'm hearing great things.

Le Miserables: the movie

I sometimes cry at movies.  Yes, I'm a straight man in his 50's who cries at movies occasionally.  Sue me.  I cried at the movie "Les Miserables".  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Was it like going to the stage production? No.  Was the singing perfect? No. Did I have a moving time? Yes, absolutely.  I think what hampered the singing is one of the things I liked.  By now pretty much anyone who cares knows that the singing was not done in studio and then lip-synced on set; all the singing was done live on set with a live piano playing through an earwig in the actors' ears.  It followed them, allowing for acting and emoting instead of worrying about staying with the soundtrack.  I liked the effect.  The costumes and sets were amazing.  I did really like the homage to the stage version in the finale/reprise by using the "barricade wall" with the flagged mast.  Nice touch.  Another nice touch was having many of the cast be veterans of the stage production, including the original Jean Valjean, Colm Wilkinson as the Bishop.  Were there flaws? Yes.  Am I flawed? Yes.  Did I see it twice? Yes.  Do I recommend it? Oh Yes!

Acting tips: Practice makes permanent!

You often hear the phrase "Practice makes perfect." Buuut, that's not entirely true.  Practice only makes perfect if you practice "it" perfectly.  If you practice it wrong, you'll learn it wrong.  If you practice your acting like you're reading out of a book, you will act on stage as though you are reading it out of a book.

Many say to memorize your lines as soon as possible to get out of the book.  Good advice.  But equally important is when you are reading from the book to learn those lines, read with conviction and emotion and modulation as though you were doing radio theater and the only thing people experience is your delivery.  This way the voice becomes another actor within you.

Remember: Practice makes Permanent.  Learn it the way you want to do it, because you will anyway.

Ghosts of Christmas Wow

This past Saturday Kathy and I went to see a new adaptation of Dicken's A Christmas Carol.  This delightful version was adapted by Palestine Community Theater's best actor, Gerry Goodwin, who also directed.  He managed to keep all the most important points and touching vignettes.  His casting sounded unusual to me at first, but that's how much I know; things turned out quite well.  There were new faces and familiar faces (which I love to see both).  The young man who played Scrooge I thought did a very good job, although he did have the fairly common problem of us seeing the back of his head a lot.

One very effective aspect of the production was the use of a pair of "statues" that served as almost a Greek Chorus.  It really sparked the exposition and kept things moving when it would have been easy to be slow.  The Ghosts of Marley, past and present were charming.  Yet to come was a giant sort of muppet.  It worked.  Sarah King sang a beautiful semi-solo that was joined by other chorus members then each of them faded out until she was again in solo.  He voice has really matured.  Gage Concillio was, as always, a bundle of energy and charm.  I see great things for that boy. Many many others did a wonderful job.

There were good numbers in the audience and a good time had by all.  There was a number of other festive things going on as well: Ice Skating downtown, Santa's Workshop,Tour of Homes, Dogwood Jamboree, and Heismann watching parties.  Now called the "Frost Fest" in 75 degree weather, it gave us a real holiday feeling around town.  Fun for all.  Now the theater shifts into gear for "Ghosts" in the spring.  There's no business like show business!