Thursday, April 13, 2017

My Thoughts on the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival



Thank you to the good folks at TCM for hosting another fantastic festival and for allowing me media access for the fifth year in a row. I feel so privileged to have been to this festival so many times and to share the love of classic film with my fellow movie lovers. TCM Classic Film Festival is magical and anyone who has attended it will agree. If you've always wanted to go but have never been, start saving your pennies now and make it a point to attend in 2018. (I even have some tips on how I budget for TCMFF.)

Every time I go to TCMFF I come back with memories that keep me going throughout the year. Any time I'm feeling down I just think about all the fun I had at the last festival and I immediately cheer up. My work cubicle is adorned with festival passes, buttons and photos of the red carpet and imprint ceremonies. They serve as a daily reminder of those four wonderful days of the year where I live my classic film dream.

My thoughts:

TCMFF is part of my continuing film education. The festival always pushes me to learn about new-to-me films and to explore aspects of movie history I hadn't before. I always make it a point to read all (yes all) of the film descriptions and special guests bios. At first when I looked at the schedule of films I wasn't too elated. But once I started poring through the schedule and read about the films (I watched some trailers) too, I became more excited about new discoveries and revisiting old favorites.

Old favorites - It was a thrill to see Elia Kazan's epic America America (1963) on the big screen. And while Red-Headed Woman (1932) seemed a bit sillier to me on this viewing it was still great fun seeing it with an audience of Pre-Code enthusiasts. I'm so glad I made time to watch Best in Show (2000) which was even funnier than I remembered.

New favorites - What's Up, Doc? (1974) was hilarious and a great way to kick off my San Francisco adventure. I finally got to see The Graduate (1967) in its entirety. I quite enjoyed the gritty boxing film Requiem For a Heavy Weight (1956), the French drama Panique (1946), Mel Brooks' Alfred Hitchcock spoof High Anxiety (1977) and Michael Douglas' nuclear thriller The China Syndrome (1979).

My approach to this year's festival was the most successful. I relied on a flexible schedule that accommodated time for friends, food and fun. I missed programming blocks to have meals, stop by Larry Edmund's for some book shopping, to write and to rest. I attended fewer events but enjoyed them individually much more than I would have had I been more tired and hungry.

The projection of the interviews on the big screen at TCL Chinese Theatre made a huge difference. I also liked the projection of Club TCM events on the small screens behind the bar. Great idea on TCM's part. I remember in 2015 struggling to see Sophia Loren at the TCL even though we sat fairly close to the front. I hope TCM adds this projection to the Egyptian and the bigger of the Chinese Multiplex theatres too.

The red carpet event was amazing. I feel very privileged to have been able to attend. I got some good face time with Dick Cavett, Todd Fisher, Leonard Maltin, Stathis Giallelis and more and some interaction with Walter Mirisch, Fred Willard and Ruta Lee. Full report and video to come!

Dick Cavett was the top highlight for me. Talking to him on the red carpet and seeing him at Club TCM. My first ever post on this blog was about Dick Cavett and I've been an admirer her for years. I'm forever grateful to have been able to see him and interact with him as much as I did.

The overall flow of the festival was good this year. I had no issues with lines, the volunteers were all super friendly and loved chatting with us, every event I attended started on time and I enjoyed most of the presentations and all of the interviews. I loved spending some time with TCM staffers and seeing them out and about. They are the backbone of the festival.

There were a few negatives...

I did not enjoy Lady in the Dark (1944) at all. It was a downer to end the festival with a film I thought to be boring and sexist. At least it had beautiful Edith Head costumes? While I'm so glad I did a midnight screening and Zardoz was the perfect bad movie to watch with friends, it really threw my schedule off for the remaining two days. I have to face the fact that I'll always be a morning person.

While I had great fun at the Carl and Rob Reiner Hand and Footprint Ceremony, we had a terrible view and security confused us low-level media members with passholders and they unceremoniously kicked us out before we could get a word in edgewise. I unfortunately missed my opportunity to take a photo of the freshly imprinted cement.

I didn't get to see Sidney Poitier which was a personal dream of mine. He didn't walk the red carpet and I wasn't able to get into the opening night screening. I was quite despondent about it.

This was my first year attending the festival after giving up caffeine. With nothing to keep me awake I did end up napping a little through a couple of the movies. Luckily I only missed a few minutes of each rather than whole chunks.

Family reunion with Kim, Carlos, Raquel, Millie, Diana, Sabina, Kate, Casey, Laura, KC and Lindsay. Photo by Doug

For me, the best part of TCMFF will always be spending time with the classic film community. We are the true rock stars of the festival. We are part of Robert Osborne's legacy and we'll continue spreading the movie love for decades to come.

I'm grateful to have spent so much time with dear friends. This is usually my one chance to see them in person. For the rest of the year we're relegated to communicating only through social media. I made it a point to spend more time with folks I hadn't been able to talk to at length at previous festivals. This planned worked beautifully. During TCMFF I treasure every moment I get to spend with them face-to-face. Here are some of the friends I was privileged to spend some time with this year.

Raquel and Millie

Raquel and Kate

Millie, Raquel, Kate and Casey

Casey and Raquel. Photo by Casey

Raquel and Aurora

Danny and Raquel


Karen, Raquel and KC

Jay and Raquel

Carlos and Raquel photo bombed by Danny and Kristen

Raquel and Matt

Marya, Raquel and Noralil

Aubrey and Raquel

Joel and Raquel

Raquel and Sabina

Until next time!


Wednesday, April 12, 2017

TCM Classic Film Festival 2017: Day 4 Recap


And with a snap of the finger, TCMFF was over. Per my yearly tradition, I took it easy on day #4 of the festival in order to recuperate. I had to skip the early morning screening of Cock of the Air (1932) in order to sleep, pack and get a bit of writing in. I discovered that the easier I go on my festival schedule, the more fun I have. You won't have the best time of your life if you're tired and hungry.


Sunday kicked off with a nice chat over coffee with Marya and Noralil of TCM. I love spending time with these ladies.

Then I headed to Club TCM. I caught most of the Conversation with Leonard Maltin event. I sat in the way back and I noticed that this year they had small screens so you could watch the event even if you're view is obscured. These projections make a huge difference. Kudos to TCM for this idea!

I stayed at Club TCM to stake out a good spot for the Conversation with Dick Cavett that followed. I sat with Kate Gabrielle, Casey and Karen and we had the perfect vantage point to watch Illeana Douglas interview Dick Cavett. No more craning my neck or fighting for a seat like last year!


I'll be sharing an in-depth report on this event soon. I have to say, of all of the Club TCM interviews this was by far my favorite. Cavett was charming, funny and had the best stories to tell. Afterwards there was a signing for his book Brief Encounters (books sold by my favorite bookstore Larry Edmunds!) and a photo opportunity.


Dick Cavett loves his fans and he seemed to be having a ball. One of my favorite moments was when a TCM staffer was spelling out my name to Cavett and he responded "I know how to spell it!". People often bungle up my name or they call me Rachel instead. It's one of my biggest pet peeves. Cavett knew how to spell Raquel and for that I'm forever grateful. I brought up Raquel Welch and he said that he knew her well and went on tour with her. In addition to interviewing her on his show of course!


Cavett loved taking photos with fans and did several funny poses. My favorite part of this year's TCMFF was all the time I got with Dick Cavett: interviewing him on the red carpet, watching his Club TCM interview, interacting with him at the book signing and even walking past him at 25 Degrees at the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel. I've been a big fan of him for years and this was more than I ever dreamed of.


Afterwards a group of us headed to the Egyptian for a screening of What's Up, Doc? (1972). We got the news earlier that Bob Newhart would not be attending TCMFF for the screening of Hell is for Heroes (1962). I was in the mood for a comedy so it worked out perfectly.


Dave Karger interviewed director Peter Bogdanovich before the screening. A full report to come on this blog very soon. I enjoyed this film immensely. It was the perfect way to cap off TCMFF especially considering I was traveling to San Francisco the very next day and the film takes place there. Unfortunately...


It wasn't the last film for me. The final one was Lady in the Dark (1944) projected on nitrate at the Egyptian. While many people love the Egyptian, it's my least favorite of all the TCMFF theatres. It's always cold in there and the seats are squeaky and a little uncomfortable. And the film. Well. I just plain didn't like it. I found it quite boring and rather strange. It's very much of its era and had some rather sexist overtones. The film got a mixed reaction from the crowd. Some friends of mine loved it and others were either lukewarm about it or hated it outright. I enjoyed the fantastic Edith Head costumes, including Ginger Rogers' sequined dress with fur lining, but little else. I'd give this film another try but it's a rarity so this was my only shot until it becomes available on DVD or Blu-Ray. I could see why everyone loves nitrate so much. It had a very 3D like quality. I don't have an eye for this kind of stuff so nitrate lovers definitely appreciated that element more than I could. The best part of this whole event was actress Rose McGowan's intro. She gave a very heartfelt tribute to Robert Osborne. I loved how she said that Osborne's spirit lives within all of us who love classic movies.


And that's a wrap on Day #4. I have lots more to share with you including my overall thoughts on how this year's festival went down and more in-depth posts about some of the screenings and special events I attended. Stay tuned for more tales from Hollywood.

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Griffth Observatory



On my fifth trip to Hollywood I finally made it over to the Griffth Observatory. For any classic movie enthusiast, visiting the observatory is a must. Especially if you're a fan of James Dean and Rebel Without a Cause (1954). While we didn't go into the actual observatory, we did get to explore the grounds and take some with the Hollywood sign in the background. Here are my photos from our visit.

Griffith Observatory


Griffith Observatory




Griffith Observatory


Griffith Observatory


Griffith Observatory


Griffith Observatory


Griffith Observatory


Hollywood Sign

James Dean bust at the Griffith Observatory



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