DAY 4—PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO POPCORN

The LA Film Festival has moved to Westwood this year, and the results are wonderful. The festival used to be held mostly at the Director’s Guild theaters in West Hollywood. If felt like a series of really cool screenings. Now that the action is in Westwood, it feels like a happening, an event, a… dare it say it… film festival.

The other advantage to being away from the DGA is that you can now eat popcorn at the films. I’ve seen a few films at a Landmark theater (chain with the best popcorn in LA) and the addition of the popcorn just enhances the whole movie-going experience. But attending 2-3 movies a day is starting to take its toll. That’s a lot of fiber to be eating. I guess I didn’t really think things through when I started eating all that popcorn. Probably should have.

But enough of my yapping, let’s rock:

The Videos of Fatboy Slim
The festival hosted a retrospective of music videos for the Artist Formerly Known As Norman Cook. I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time. Spike Jonez’s “Praise You” is among the funniest things ever unleashed on an MTV audience. There was another one that featured only kittens. But perhaps the boldest one was turned in by Roman Coppola. It was billed as an “incomplete and completely unauthorized” video for “Ya Mamma.” It was the video for Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” with the audio replaced by the Fatboy Slim song. I don’t know if Coppola was proposing re-shooting the “Beat It” video, or if he just wanted to replace the audio. Either way, it was a great idea.

East of Havana
Documentary about underground hip-hop artists in Cuba. I missed almost all of the screening, but what little I saw led me to believe that it is a very worthwhile film. If it gets US distribution, you should look for it.

Wordplay
This film is not part of the LA Film Festival. It just seemed really cool, so I bought a ticket to see it. (Imagine that, paying for a movie ticket.) Wordplay tells the story of the 2005 Crossword Puzzle championships in Stamford, Connecticut. Perhaps I’m just a big old nerd (although I’m not really into crossword puzzles), but I found this film riveting. It’s a credit to the storytelling talent of the director that he could make a solitary act like solving a puzzle great entertainment. It’s in theaters in many cities. Very worthwhile.

The Filth and the Fury, Live!
A special screening of the 2003 documentary about the Sex Pistols. The screening was held at the Ford Amphitheater hosted by former Pistols guitarist Steve Jones, and bracketed by live performances from two different bands. I love this film, and seeing it on a big screen in a cool venue only enhanced the experience. The rise and fall of the Sex Pistols is a fascinating story, with a great cast of interesting, funny, and deeply flawed characters. A great evening, and probably a good way to wrap up my weekend with the LA Film Festival

A huge shout out to Rich Raddon for hooking me up with tickets to all these screenings. I had a great weekend, and I couldn’t have done it without you.

Famous People I Saw:
Jason Statham. He’s that guy from “The Transporter” and the Guy Ritchie films “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch.” He was wearing all black and had sandals on. Hmmm, sandals. Perhaps I’ll have to get me one of those.

LA Foods of the Day:
Grilled cheese at Rae’s Diner in Santa Monica. It’s a great old place that has served as the backdrop for many films that need an authentic 50s diner. Very good malts.

Éclairs at Canter’s Deli. A great 24 hour diner that pretty much hasn’t closed its doors since 1931. I used to go there with friends after performing at the Comedy Store back in the day. It was nice to be back.

Hot dogs at Pink’s. There is a fierce debate between New Yorkers and Angelinos on the subject of hot dogs. New Yorkers prattle on endlessly about Nathan’s. Their left coast counterparts say Pink’s is better. I’ve had both. I’m going with Pink’s.

Tomorrow—back to life, back to reality.