DAY 1--I SAW MALLORY!

The trip has started on a good note. The rental car people bumped me up to first class once learning about the "Victory Lap" theme of this week's visit.

But enough of this small talk, let's get down to movies. I said earlier this week that, if I could do anything, I would buy a round-the-world plane ticket. In the film world I did something pretty close to that.

Wrestling Grounds
A film from Senagal about the country's national sport. Fascinating, really. It's more than just beautiful men grappling in a dirt pit, there are shamans, rutual clensings, singing, and more dancers than you can shake a stick at. Perhaps they were just trying to pad things, because the film's climatic match lasts only 45 seconds, and that's with slow motion. Odd narrative structure, but I found myself enjoying it anyway. Beautifully shot scenes of a place I am utterly unfamiliar with.

The TV Set
A comedy about a writer/director trying to get a TV pilot off the ground. I wasn't going to see this one because it just seemed too easy. But my friend Rich said I would like it, and he was right. It helps if you've had some experience in the entertainment industry, and most people in this audience did. Only one complaint, the writers forgot to write an ending. The film should have been about 2 minutes longer. But it was still a pretty fun ride to that unsatasfying end.

The Aura
A thriller from Argentina from the same director who brought us Nine Queens. A man with a photographic memory and epilepsy finds himself in the middle of a heist during an ill-fated hunting trip. Stunning visual storytelling. There was a sequence of about 15 minutes where there were no words at all. My friend Hallie thought the film should have been about 20 minutes shorter. She may be on to something. But that didn't stop either of us from giving it the highest possible rating on our audience ballot.

Famous People Seen:
Dustin Hoffman shuffling down Broxton in Westwood.
Most of the cast of "The TV Set" was on hand, which including David Duchovny and Justine Bateman. Justine Bateman is notable for a few reasons. First, I had a crush on her when she was Mallory on Family ties some 20 years ago. I gotta say, she still looks like a million bucks. Bravo, Justine. Also, I once worked as a personal assistant for Marc Price, who played "Skippy" on family ties. (It was an odd job, it mostly involved picking trash up off the floor of the trailer he lived in... I'd rather not talk about it.) So now I've seen Skippy and Mallory. Oh yeah, I also saw a band called "Jaded" once. Tina Yothers is that bands lead singer. I don't know what it is with me and Family Ties.

LA Food Consumed:
Abbots Pizza, with the bagel crust. Yum.