Film Festivals are Exhausting!

Film festivals are like sales conventions, you spend 3 or 4 intense days at nonstop workshops and in the case of festivals, screenings, without eating or eating junk, because you don't want to stop and miss anything. Plus there are late night networking events and parties, so sleep is sometimes left to an occasion nap during a screening. That is such a bummer. Because I will fall asleep in a great film to discover the end without the middle. But thankfully, my naps are few.

I'm glad I only do a few a year, but I would definitely change a few things if I did a circuit.

First, there needs to be a stand, like they have for runners, where water is distributed for people going to multiple events. Maybe even spritz our face? Not to mention we need chocolate and coffee here and there. I really wouldn't mind a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for a pick-me-up or low salt trail mix.  Afterall, I am supporting the filmmakers and sharing my honest feedback or sincere appreciation through social media and Q&A. A little nutrition makes for more intelligent questions.

Next I would make sure facilitators remind the filmmakers to repeat questions asked by the audience, and then answer by actually speaking into the microphone. Most often the microphone is somewhere between the navel or folded arms and we audience members get remanent sound. Meaning whatever that mic MIGHT capture as the filmmaker gestures during the reply.

More to come...

Book-signing at Barnes & Noble Manhattan Beach, Ca

I am signing copies of "Marquel"
Saturday Oct 12th 9:30 to noon
1800 Rosecrans Ave.
Manhattan Beach, Ca

Please stop by and say hi!

I Wanna Be A New Yorker

 I am not a fashionista, but I love the creativity that it takes to design and display garments. I rarely purchase anything remotely expensive, in fact my wedding gown was $69 in a 1982 JC Penney catalogue. But I did make it to Mood when we were in NY this summer. I  picked up some fabrics for a project to be determined.
 I'm a "Project Runway" fan, big time! And I would be happy to sweep the floor during any challenge, just to watch the designers create. Hint, hint Tim and Heidi!
Tom and I honeymooned in NY and naturally, we wanted to return for our milestone 30th anniversary.
Not only did we catch The Divine Miss M in the final weeks of her Sue Mengers one-woman show "I'll Eat You Last," but  we got to see "Motown The Musical," Tom Hanks in his Broadway debut in Nora Ephron's  "Lucky Guy" and Judith Light in "The Assembled Parties."
I also took time to embrace the setting of my soon to be released Young Adult Paranormal, "St. Blair: Children of the Night. " This novel is named for our youngest daughter and it's a story that has been brewing in my mind since 1989 and the story behind the story is for another post.
Anyway I want to be a New Yorker, at least one week a year.
Gotta run.

The GREAT Gatsby! Love it!!

I waited to see this film with my mentor's son Howard Whittington and his wife, Lot.

F. Scott Fitzgerald was pulp legend, Harry Whittington's favorite author and "The Great Gatsby" his favorite Fitzgerald novel. Before we became friends and later mentor/protege, I asked Harry about his inspiration and without missing a beat he said, "Scott Fitzgerald." Harry was so enthralled with "The Great Gatsby" that his wife Kathryn purchased him a first edition leather-bound copy in the early years of their marriage. If you got Harry on the subject, he left you and was transported into the novel with his eyes glazed over looking off in the distance and you knew he was in West Egg. 

There is a triangle between these 2 authors and the story's lead, Jay Gatsby. All 3 dreamed large, made his mark, though seemed unsatisfied with his position in life and were largely forgotten by those they entertained in their expiring years. Harry was disciplined and wrote more than Fitzgerald and Harry's work is highly collectible today. Fitzgerald dreamed of being disciplined and regretted he didn't write more and it seems his family felt okay with selling all rights to "The Great Gatsby" to the filmmakers (this is what we learned from the docent of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Museum in Montgomery, Alabama).

Would Fitzgerald or Whittington appreciate the Baz Luhrmann film, The Great Gatsby? Hell yes!

Luhrmann gave us a beautifully stylized, modern view of a classic and took nothing away from the original work. He actually enhanced it.

Yes, I said enhanced.

Luhrmann made Gatsby's insecurities vivid and painful. He wove all the backstory in without distracting us and made Daisy every bit the lovely selfish flake that she is. His graphic novel 3D approach seems very appropriate for younger audiences who might be more likely to read or reread a classic having seen the movie.

I have a great deal of respect for the story, every costume, set, hairstyle, score, production value and performance in this film. I engaged with this vivid spectacular world that is the roaring 20s and I'm hopeful that more classics will hit the big screen in the coming years.

Luhrmann is a gutsy director/storyteller to take on an iconic piece of literature and each person who touched this film was craftsman who has my profound appreciation.

But most especially, I enjoyed seeing it with my husband Tom, and Howard and Lot Whittington. They indulge me and understand how much I cherish the memories of Harry, another true literary classic.

-Emily a.k.a. thefilmmom

Film Mom meets Movie Reviewer's Dad

Ok, so my day job is marketing and I work with every type of client from small to large businesses. During the process of learning about a new client's business, Unconditional Love Pet Care, I learned that Philip Harloff is the very proud father of Kristian Harloff, one of the Schmoes Know film reviewers. The other Schmoe is Mark Ellis.

Crazy how we parents find others equally proud of their up-and-coming offspring. My teacher husband, Tom and I also attended the Sunscreen Film Festival last week, where our daughter Blair's "Relative Eternity" was an official selection in 2012. And, we followed that up with a trip to the SEmmy's (film festival/digital awards) at St. Petersburg College Tuesday, where Blair is an alum and won Best Director 2009 for her noir short "Three's A Crowd." Blair wasn't here for either, but we continue to follow the next to move up the ladder and cheer them on.

Anyway back to the Schmoes...
https://www.facebook.com/schmoesknow

As I understand, these guys were small fish in the Hollywood pond and while pursuing comedic and film ventures, decided to get into the movie reviewing biz. So I went to youtube and started to watch clips and podcasts and I'm just crazy impressed by their knowledge of b-movie actors and cult classics. They are also comic book geeks and having attended our 2nd Tampa Comic Con this year, I kinda get that, too.

So I really hope Hollywood continues to embrace these guys and others like them. The world could use a few more Schmoes!

http://schmoesknow.com/

The Film Daughter

Our youngest, Blair, is the filmmaker and screenwriter. She has made wonderful connections in Hollywood and landed great jobs on The Help, Savages and most recently NBC's 1600 Penn starring Bill Pullman.

Blair's production company Moviechic Productions released its first dramatic short in 2012. Relative Eternity was an official selection at LA Shorts, Sunscreen Film Festival and Short Film Corner Festival de Cannes. Picked up by  www.Snagfilms.com Relative Eternity will soon be available in its entirety.

Blair and her business partner Amy K. Green formed GreenSkin Productions in 2012 and created a comedy pilot Pleasant Pastures as well as a new webseries Stand Up Girls that will be featured on the show's Facebook page soon.

Stand Up Girls features 3 female stand up comedians with horribly misguided outlooks on life.
See www.facebook.com/standupgirls or their website http://www.standupgirlsshow.com/#

Starring Jenna Brister, Stephanie Kornick, and Hollie Meyer.

The characters are left to right:
Harper - Hyperactive, optimistic, and an avid collector of worthless art. Harper makes a living as a magician's personal assistant in Los Angeles. She is an amazing story-teller if and when she can stay focused on stage.
 

Ursula - Unwillingly patient, secretly judgmental, and morbidly single. Ursula performs stand up as her infamous character Louisa Franks, a socially unaware life romantic with a fupa.

Delores - Large and in charge Aussie with a penchant for pissing the world off without noticing. Dolores' stand up routine is in your face, oddly sexual, and occasionally offensive.

 

So where does Blair get her inspiration?

 

See Blair's Twitter Profile Picture

Yes, she's the one in the middle.

Follow her @themoviechic

 

The Acting Daughter

    Many of you are familiar with my novel Marquel. It was written long ago when our daughter Marquel was little and while she didn't read the novel until about 5 years ago, she has become an actress similar to the title character of the book that bears her name. Now the novel Marquel has many twists and I certainly don't want her to go through the life the character Marquel does, but I do wonder if there is some "Ruby Sparks" happening here?

     If you haven't seen "Ruby Sparks" by Zoe Kazan who stars as Ruby, the imdb description is:

A novelist struggling with writer's block finds romance in a most unusual way: by creating a female character he thinks will love him, then willing her into existence.

     Did I will Marquel into existence?

     I'm just a novelist/mom who created a story to fulfill a personal commitment I made to my 15-year-old self to: to have a daughter named Marquel and a novel by the same name.

     Why? I don't know? I was 15 when I started playing with names and ideas of how many children I would have. We have 2 girls in the film business and I just completed the second novel with Blair's name titled St. Blair: Children of the Night. Currently in a finishing stage.

     If Blair fulfills the path of her namesake novel, future generations will have to confirm that Blair time traveled like the character that bears her name. We won't be around to know, but if she does, what a legacy I will have! LOL

     For now, I couldn't resist sharing Marquel's first national role in the promo for ID Channel's Redrum. This 4th Wall Studios trailer is awesome! We are so proud of our girls!

 

See the trailer: http://rides.tv/redrum/video/redrum-trailer/



 



 

Marquel Skinner as Courtney