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.

TCM Classic Film Festival 2017: Day 3 Recap

The Graduate signage at the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival

Another day in La La Land kicks off with the third day of the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival. Still weary from the midnight screening of Zardoz (1977), I managed to get up early for the 9 AM screening of The China Syndrome (1979).

This time I went with Carlos who is a huge Michael Douglas fan. After the movie the man himself came out for an interview with Ben Mankiewicz. It was neat to see him in person and to talk about the making of the film. I've seen numerous Michael Douglas films before but something about hearing his voice in real life was quite epic. You could hear his father's voice in his.

Michael Douglas and Ben Mankiewicz

I was entranced by The China Syndrome and hope to do a full review with transcript from the interview here on the blog soon.

Afterwards I made my way to In-N-Out burger for a quick meal and then headed over to Club TCM. I attended Bruce Goldstein's presentation The Art of Subtitling. He poked fun at those who point out how the subtitles to foreign films miss words or are not direct translations. He did a great job explaining why. He used some examples from Panqiue (1946), a French film I had seen the day before. If the subtitles included a word for word translation the text would take up half the screen. See the example in the photo below.

Goldstein went into detail about how foreign films are translated and how the subtitles are positioned on the different scenes. It's really a technical art. You have to accommodate enough time for the viewers to read the text, the subtitle can't take up too much of the screen, it should be accurate for the time, place, culture, characters and plot and the words can't get in the way of the flow of the visuals. Goldstein demonstrated with examples of different styles of subtitling both good and bad. He always discussed the international culture of dubbing. Here in the US we much prefer subtitles but in foreign markets dubbing is preferred. It was an amazing presentation and I'm so glad I attended. Hat tip to Kate Gabrielle who's enthusiasm for this event made me want to go.

High on my list of films to see at the TCM Classic Film Festival was Elia Kazan's America America (1963). I always end up picking one film that most of my friends skip or is generally overlooked. The theater was half full for this screening and I really wish it was a packed house. A three hour film about a Greek immigrant isn't a big sell but this is such a fantastic movie it was one I didn't want to miss.

Especially after I had interviewed the star Stathis Giallelis on the red carpet just a couple days before...

Me interviewing Stathis Giallelis on the red carpet TCMFF

Alicia Malone and Stathis Giallelis

TCM's FilmStruck host Alicia Malone was on hand to interview Stathis Giallelis before the America America screening. While I've written about this film before, I can't miss an opportunity to write about this wonderful event. Stay tuned.

After a three hour drama, it was time for a light comedy...

Best in Show (2000)! I thought this was going to be a controversial pick because the film is only 17 years old. (Ben Mankiewicz poked fun at the newness of the film by falsely claiming that it was the 30th anniversary). I was pleasantly surprised that this screening sold out the bigger of the three theatres at the TCL Chinese Multiplex.

Stars John Michael Higgins, Fred Willard, Bob Balaban and Jim Piddock were all on hand for a pre-screening interview. I've always had a love for this film and it was great fun to hear the cast talk about making the movie. It was a bit awkward that Balaband couldn't speak because he was on voice rest. However everyone made the most of it and it turned out to be a running joke throughout the presentation.

Cast members of Best in Show with Ben Mankiewicz

It got chilly on Hollywood Boulevard. I made my way to the Grauman's Chinese theatre to get my ticket for the screening of The Graduate (1967). 

I had a great chat with Warner Archive's Matt Patterson while I was on my way to get some food. We had such a good conversation that I ran out of time to grab a meal. It was worth it though.

I sat with Danny of Pre-Code.com and his lovely wife Aubrey for the screening of The Graduate. This was the first time I had seen the film all the way through. I had watched various clips and I knew the ending well. Before the film, Ben Mankiewicz interviewed screenwriter and actor Buck Henry. More on this event to come.

Ben Mankiewicz and Buck Henry

The last recap should be available in a few days. Stay tuned!

TCM Classic Film Festival 2017: Day 2 Recap

Greetings from the Hollywood! On Friday I attended my fifth hand and footprint ceremony and it's my fourth time covering this event for my blog. The honorees this time were Carl Reiner and Rob Reiner. It was the first time a father and son have been honored with dual imprints in cement. There were lots of special guests. We got to hear speeches from Ben Mankiewicz, Tom Bergeron and Billy Crystal. Also in attendance was Norman Lear, Cary Elwes and Kevin Nealon among others. I'll have a full report soon. In the meantime here is a sneak peak.

Kevin Nealon

Billy Crystal

Carl Reiner and Rob Reiner

Cary Elwes and Norman Lear

Afterwards I had some time to kill so I ate lunch and hung out at the Delta charging area. They had three photo stations where you could pose with backdrops. The films featured were Born Yesterday, The Palm Beach Story and The Graduate.

Delta also had a photo printout station. All you had to do was tweet or Instagram a photo using hashtag #TCMFF and they could print out a commemorative copy for you. Of course I had to have a copy of that epic moment when I met Dick Cavett. I think out of all the years that Delta has had a charging station, this year's concept was the best. The seats were great, I loved the backdrops and the photo printout idea was a winner.

Then I attended my first movie of the day, Panique (1946). Every year I try something new. This French film directed by Julien Duvivier was one I had not heard of and I'm glad I saw it. I'll have a full report soon. In attendance was Pierre Simenon, son of author Georges Simenon. The film is an adaptation of Simenon's book. Surprise guest Norman Lloyd was in the audience. Seeing him at TCMFF never gets old.

Then I made my way over to Larry Edmunds Bookshop. I had a great chat with Jeff and Sean and I bought a couple of books while I was there. If you're ever in Hollywood, make sure you stop by. It's a classic movie lover's paradise.

Larry Edmunds Book Shop

Edward G. Robinson's memoir All My Yesterdays

I then headed over to the Egyptian theatre to get in line for my favorite pre-code of all time Red-Headed Woman (1932). We had about half an hour before they seated us so Jay, host of #Bond_Age_ and the Cinema Shame podcast and cocktail connoisseur, and I headed over to the Pig n Whistle for some gin gimlets. Having a cocktail with Jay was high on my list of TCMFF must dos so I'm glad we were able to find a window of time to make it happen.

Cheers!

Cari Beauchamp introduced Red-Headed Woman at the Egyptian. The film seemed a lot sillier when I watched it with an audience.

Jay and I made our way over to Grauman's Chinese theater for Mel Brooks' High Anxiety (1977). I had never seen this Alfred Hitchcock spoof. Mel Brooks was in attendance and we were treated to a hilarious interview that ended up being even funnier than the film. Ben Mankiewicz and Mel Brooks could have talked for hours and we'd all be okay with that. I noticed this year that TCM is projecting the interview on the big screen so people in the back can see the host and special guest. This was brilliant and made the experience much more enjoyable.

Mel Brooks and Ben Mankiewicz

Another item high on my list of TCMFF musts was to attend the midnight screening of Zardoz (1974). While I'm glad I did it, I had a very mixed experience. This film was just terrible and I was so exhausted I slept through at least half of it. Midnight screenings are all about the social experience and so many of my friends were there. Millie of Classic Forever convinced Carlos to come. He had a blast. My favorite moment of the screening was when it's revealed in the movie that the name "Zardoz" comes from the Wizard of Oz. Everyone exclaimed "oohhhhh". It was a nice aha moment when the film was primarily filled with what-the-hell-is-going-on moments.

I don't know if I'll review this film here. Probably not. Let's just say it was really bizarre and everyone involved must have been on some serious drugs.

The midnight screening crew and a bonus shot of Matt Patterson

Day 3 and 4 recaps are coming soon!