Tampa Film Fan

florida motion picture and television association gives award to local filmmaker ziad ahmed

(from left to right: Ray Nelson, executive producer Ziad Ahmed, FMPTA President Dr. Felicia Ferrara and FMPTA Vice President Ed Walker Jr.) 

Received via email:

We have some very exciting news to share with everyone!  Executive Producer Ziad Ahmed has received the 2006 Outstanding Achievement Award from the Florida Motion Picture and Television Association for his recent international motion picture production Real Premonition.  Ziad Ahmed was presented with this prestigious award on November 27 in Tampa by the president of the FMPTA Tampa Chapter, Dr. Felicia Ferrara. 

A letter of recognition signed by the Florida Motion Picture an Television Association’s state president Scott duPont was also presented to Ziad Ahmed for his recent outstanding international feature film accomplishments.   

Congratulations!

film fan finding:confusions of an unmarried couple

Canadian filmmakers Brett and Jason Butler are obsessed with sex.  In their film Bums, they chronicled the single guy’s Saturday night search for a hook-up.  Their new film Confusions of an Unmarried Couple takes a look at the sexual issues of Dan and Lisa’s relationship: the excitement in the beginning, the boredom as time goes by, adultery, lesbianism, breaking up, making up, loneliness and the pre-planning needed to successfully participate in a threesome.

Dan and Lisa have broken up because of Lisa’s adultery with another woman.  After weeks of depression spent sleeping on a friend’s sofa consuming too many beers (and not bathing or shaving nearly enough), Dan decides to go back to Lisa’s place to reclaim some of his possessions and hopefully a bit of his dignity.  This leads to a sometimes-hilarious, sometimes-profound afternoon of their yelling at each other, revisiting old wounds and creating new ones. Interspersed throughout this present-day afternoon fight is confessional video footage of Dan and Lisa shot over the past few weeks since the breakup, where they’ve each revealed far more to the camera than they ever did to each other.

The Butlers’ creative use of “chapter breaks” that show past photos of the happy couple and highlight the issues that the couple struggle with (tact, fidelity, maturity) is a unique way to break up the film.  These breaks, coupled with the videotaped confessional flashbacks, give the film a whimsical non-linear quality that avoids the potential overkill of watching a couple fight for an hour.  Actors Brett Butler (Dan) (who also wrote and co-directed the film) and Naomi Johnson (Lisa) portray this couple realistically and passionately without going over the top. 

This is not your run of the mill indie comedy-drama, by any means.  Confusions of an Unmarried Couple is a unique mix: an engaging relationship drama combined with a risque sexual comedy, sprinkled with deeply profound observations about sex and dating.  In addition to the obesession with sex, this film contains all of the other items I consider to be standard in any Butlers brothers’ film: solid writing, creative directing and a kick-a$$ soundtrack. Plus, there’s a small homage to John Hughes and an unusual ending.

This film is like my favorite candy: a little sweet, a little tart, just the right size, leaves no bad aftertaste, and I want to share it with my friends.

Film Fan Finding: A-

film fan finding:deja vu

Deju Vu begins in the usual action/adventure/drama movie way:  a New Orleans ferry carrying Navy seamen and their families suddenly explodes, killing and injuring hundreds of passengers.  ATF investigator Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington) assists with the initial investigation and discovers evidence that proves that the explosion was an act of terrorism and not merely a tragic accident. Carlin observes the autopsy of a young woman whose burned body washed up on the shore and learns that she was murdered before the explosion, her body dumped with the other victims in an effort to cover up the murder.

Another investigator (played by Val Kilmer) asks Carlin to participate in “Snow White,” a top-secret surveillance of audio and video footage gathered days earlier by seven satellites orbiting the Earth.  Here is where Deja Vu departs from anything “usual” and explodes into one of the most intriguing, edge-of-your-seat films I’ve seen in a long time.  Carlin discovers Snow White’s secret: that the surveillance team isn’t watching archived footage, but is actually peering into the past, watching events from four days earlier.  Kilmer’s team admits that they accidentally stumbled upon a way to fold time in on itself and create a wormhole that goes back four days in the past.

The film dips into quantum string theory just enough to tease the characters (and the viewers) with the idea that the past can be changed; that Carlin’s team doesn’t have to helplessly watch past events unfold, but can take steps to change the outcome.  Of course, as any time-travel theorist (and fan of The Butterfly Effect) knows, every action — no matter how seemingly trivial — impacts the world in many different ways.  Changing one small thing in the past can change many important things in the present.

Denzel Washington is at the top of his game and plays his character with the right mix of intelligence, compassion, sarcasm and cynicism.  A pudgy and much-older Val Kilmer is able to summon intensity when needed, and Adam Goldberg plays the role he was born to play to perfection: the geeky, highly-intelligent, fast-talking, sarcastic scientific expert.  Deju Vu is one of the best movies of 2006.

Film Fan Finding: A+

what are you thankful for?

Somewhere in the midst of all the cooking, eating, traveling, eating, football, eating and relaxing during this Thanksgiving weekend, we should reflect on all that we have to be thankful for. Of course I’m thankful for The Husband, my family and friends, and that I have a roof over my head and three squares a day. But here’s some non-traditional (and hopefully more interesting to read) things I’m grateful for:

• TV shows on DVD. In the last two years, I’ve watched every episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Star Trek:Deep Space Nine and The X-Files. I’m on Season Eight of Stargate:SG-1, Season One of Stargate:Atlantis, Season Three of Alias, Season Four of Star Trek:The Next Generation, Season Three of Little House on the Prairie, Season Four of M*A*S*H*, and Season Two of Law and Order. All without watching a single commercial.
• Netflix. I don’t want to change out of my jammies to go the videostore; that would disturb the sanctity of lying in bed all day watching DVDs.
• Time off from my Real Job. I’m WAY behind in my movie-watching and hope to spend some of my long weekend in a darkened movie theater catching up on the latest releases.
• The numerous local venues for viewing films for free or relatively cheap. I’m on a budget, you know. The Ironweed Film Club. The Tampa Film Review. Eckerd College’s International Cinema Series. The Dali & Beyond Film Series. Film series at almost every other museum, library and coffeeshop.
• Theater matinee prices. I remember when paying $6 for a ticket meant you were paying the nighttime, full-price amount. (I think matinee prices were $3, back in the day.)
• Seeing a movie at a movie theater without anyone kicking my seat, talking loudly or answering their cell phones.

What are you thankful for?

thanksgiving quote of the day

I love Thanksgiving turkey… it’s the only time in Los Angeles that you see natural breasts. – Arnold Schwartzenegger

In the mood for a Thanksgiving movie?  This Associated Content post contains a great list.

Gobble, gobble.

film news:gasparilla film festival, tampa film review

*The Gasparilla Film Festival is now accepting submissions in multiple categories.  Click here for the details.  The GFF website also has added an easy email list subscription feature.

*Reviews of last month’s Tampa Film Review’s movies are now available on www.crazedfanboy.com.

*The Tampa Film Review has revamped its website and offers us a tantilizing hint about a newly-added film competition segment coming in December.  Check it out.

american bar association’s short film competition

Received via email (from The Education Channel):

The American Bar Association Judicial Division sponsors an annual film competition open to all filmmakers. The purpose of the competition is to build a connection between the film community and the legal community while recognizing the importance of the art of film in representing people’s visions of justice and the judicial system.The competition is open to both amateur and professional filmmakers and encompasses any genre, including narrative, documentary, animation, etc. Prizes will be awarded to the national winner and one runner-up. The winning films will be screened during the American Bar Association Midyear Meeting, Friday, February 9, 2007.

The submission period for the 2007 competition is now open. Click here for the submission guidelines and entry form.

films at the junction november 24

From craigslist.org: 

Films at the Junction is a monthly event at The Junction in Clearwater, hosted by Leftover Films. Our goal is to provide local filmmakers and film fans an atmosphere to show and enjoy local independent film in a great atmosphere. Our first festival is Friday, November 24, from 8-11 pm.

This month’s screening will showcase local participants of the 2006 National Film Challenge, a competition where filmmaking teams have only one weekend to make a short film.  Local filmmakers are encouraged to email tracy@leftoverfilms.com to submit films for showings at The Junction.

Friday, November 24, 8-11 p.m. 

The Junction, 705 Franklin St., Clearwater

$5 cover.  For more info, call 727-542-8614 or email tracy@leftoverfilms.com.

five questions with online film critic norm schrager

Norm Schrager, senior film critic at www.filmcritic.com, graciously agreed to play Five Questions with me:

1.  What’s the last movie you’ve seen?

The Queen

2.  Which movies have meant the most to you and why?

Oddly enough, two Barry Levinson films have proven meaningful to me. Diner
was one of the first movies that really got me hooked on story, dialogue and
character development, and as a kid I loved all the crosstalk between the
characters. Avalon is one of my all-time favorite films — it reflects many
things that occurred for my parents’ parents so I feel a personal connection
and it has a wonderful melancholy without being sappy.

3.  Which movies could you watch more than once and still enjoy?

Almost Famous, The Exorcist, The Godfather Part II, Boogie Nights

4.  If you could meet any film character, who would you choose?

This might be cheating, but Mahatma Gandhi (as played by Ben Kingsley). That
would be inspiring, to put it mildly.

5.  If you could meet any filmmaker (living or dead), who would you choose?

I think a day with Coppola would be fun. He’s worked inside and outside the
Hollywood system, has tried to maintain integrity, and has admitted to going
for the big bucks now and again. He also likes the arts, good food and wine
and his family. Even if we didn’t talk film, it sounds good. 

tampa film network meeting november 28

Here’s the skinny on the upcoming Tampa Film Network meeting:

TAMPA FILM NETWORK MEETING

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28 AT 8:30 P.M.

THE CUBAN CLUB

Dear TFN Members,

It’s that time again!!  The next meeting will be on Tuesday, November 28, promptly at 8:30 p.m. It will be held at The Cuban Club in Ybor City (2010 N Avenue Republica de Cuba (which is also 14th St.) and on the corner of Palm Ave).

We thought it would be a good idea to touch base with everybody, as we did before the last meeting.  Please RSVP, as it is extremely helpful to us to have some idea of how many people will be attending.  Also, let us know if there are any announcements you would like to make at the meeting and be sure to include all specific information you would like to include in your announcement (event, dates, times, contact information, etc), so that we can be sure to cover everything and do so in a timely manner, as we would like to try to keep all announcements 3-5 minutes.  Please feel free to bring business cards, resumes, or headshots to the meeting.  Once the meeting is adjourned please feel free to mingle and network.

We would like to take this opportunity to let everyone know that if they have any announcements on upcoming events, projects, production needs or anything they would like posted on the TFN website, please email all information to tampafilmnetwork@hotmail.com.

Please note that everyone and anyone at all interested in film is welcome to come.

We look forward to seeing each of you at the upcoming meeting.

Thank you,

Keljean Connolly

Visit http://www.tampafilmnetwork.com/ for more info.