2013 NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL — My Top 10 Films
Here are my 1o favorite films from the 2013 Nashville Film Festival. I’m not including the retrospective screenings, otherwise I KILLED MY MOTHER, SAFETY LAST, and KICK OFF would appear high on my list. #10. NAIROBI HALF LIFE #9. FAR OUT ISN’T FAR ENOUGH: THE TOMI UNGERER STORY #8. PARADISE: LOVE #7. A LETTER TO MOMO #6. AFTER TILLER #5. A RIVER CHANGES COURSE #4. STORIES [...]
2013 NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL Days 6 – 8
After 30+ films in 8 days, I’m glad to say the Nashville Film Festival is officially over. But, boy, was it fun while it lasted! I had a great time, and I rated more films 5 out 5 than any year prior. Here’s what I saw on days 6 through 8. IN THE FOG is WW2-era [...]
2013 NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL Days 4 & 5
I’m back with a few quick blurbs about the films I screened during days 4 and 5 of the 2013 Nashville Film Festival. Part of the Kurdish cinema series, IN THE LION’S DEN explores the paths of two young men in post-Hussein Iraq. One signs up for the U.S. backed Iraqi National Guard, the other a resistance cell. Both [...]
2013 NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL Days 2 & 3
I’m starting to feel the mid-festival shakes — that period when I realize my eyes were way bigger than my stomach. It’s one thing to sit down at the computer and work out a schedule. It’s another thing to live through it. Some of today’s insights: “Interesting. I forgot to schedule lunch and dinner breaks.” [...]
2013 NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL Day 1
Nashville may be internationally-known for music, but I’ll let you in on a little secret: Our film community is top notch. We have one of the best art house cinemas in the country, The Belcourt; a strong film and television industry that produces shows like ABC’s Nashville; and residents such as director Harmony Korine and actor Nicole [...]
NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL Days 6-8 + Wrap Up
After 8 exhausting and exhilarating days, the 2012 NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL is at an end. I was so consumed with the fest and my day job that I haven’t had a free moment to post on The Film Talk for the past three days. Here’s what I saw Tuesday though Thursday. LA CAMIONETA: THE JOURNEY [...]
NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL Day 5
While I sit in theatre chairs waiting for films to begin, my mind wanders. At film festivals, my mind wanders farther, deeper, and, at the end of 11 solid hours of screenings, straight off the deep end. Occasionally, I think of little nuggets to post. For example: Things to Bring to a Film Festival: 1. [...]
NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL Day 4
I’ll have to make this one quick. I have to leave to see ELENA in 25 minutes. First up on Sunday was BEAUTY IS EMBARRASSING, a very nice documentary about artist and former Chattanooga resident Wayne White. Wayne is responsible for designing and voicing Randy, Dirty Dog, and other puppets on Pee Wee’s Playhouse. For [...]
NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL Day 3
After assembling my list of films to see at the 2012 NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL, I worked out a schedule. Unbelievably, Saturday (the day with potentially the largest audience of the fest) was bare. I had PILGRIM SONG at 1pm and V/H/S at 10pm with nothing in between. So I re-studied the films and worked out [...]
NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL Days 1 & 2
As I write this, the clock strikes 12AM on Saturday morning, and I come upon a realization: I’m going to be doing quite a lot of hustling this week. For the past two nights, I’ve hustled from work to cinema, cinema to concert, concert to computer, and computer to (presumably) bed. And those were the [...]
2012 NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL Preview
Tony Youngblood here coming back from a long absence to tell you about the 2012 NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL, beginning today at the Regal Green Hills Stadium 16. I helped Jett and Gareth engineer The Film Talk podcast live from the fest for the last two years. While they won’t be able to attend this year, [...]
NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL Day 3
For my third day at the Nashville Film Festival, I screened three of the best movies in the fest: Steve James’ THE INTERRUPTERS, Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES, and James Marsh’s PROJECT NIM. I began the day engineering The Film Talk podcast live at the festival. Jett and Gareth interviewed [...]
NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL Day 2
I’m a few days behind on my day-to-day Nashville Film Fest posts, and for that I blame the Nashville Film Fest. The schedule is so chocked full with must-sees, I don’t have a moment to catch my breath. I am trying to get this particular post out in the 25 minutes left on my lunch [...]
NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL Day 1
My first day of The Nashville Film Festival was filled with some pretty spectacular cinema. Takashi Miike’s new film 13 ASSASSINS is a few dials less crazy than his average fair and a few notches more assured. Cut from the SEVEN SAMURAI mold, the film follows a group of samurai as they plot to kill [...]
SUCKER PUNCH, CERTIFIED COPY & The Nashville Film Festival
After an exhausting week of a Disney World vacation and NOT riding the new Harry Potter ride at Universal Studios because the park closed one hour earlier than I expected, I’m back for quick reviews of SUCKER PUNCH, CERTIFIED COPY, and the 2011 Nashville Film Festival. The Belcourt’s game-changing series VISIONS OF THE SOUTH has [...]
VISIONS OF THE SOUTH and 50s Cinema Morality
Dear Belcourt Theatre, I hate you. Your VISIONS OF THE SOUTH series is eating up every available moment of my spare time. Should I write a Film Talk blog or go watch THE PHENIX CITY STORY? Sorry, Film Talk.
KABOOM, ENTER THE VOID Director’s Cut, VISIONS OF THE SOUTH, and the OSCAR Snorefest
So, the 83rd annual Academy Awards happened. I think. The effort to revitalize the franchise for the “young and hip” demographic failed miserably. Twitter was abuzz with grand pronouncements of “most boring Oscars ever.” The historically-inaccurate THE KING’S SPEECH robbed the historically-inaccurate THE SOCIAL NETWORK of all the highest honors. The most entertaining part of [...]
A Second Opinion on BLUE VALENTINE
I spent the afternoon watching the Liam Neeson thriller UNKNOWN with Jett at the Regal Green Hills. I don’t want to reveal my impressions until Jett and Gareth get a chance to review it on the upcoming Film Talk podcast; but for now, let me co-opt a Jett phrase and say, “Oh boy.” I also [...]
9 Movies to Mend a BROKEN-HEART
As last week’s This Week in TFT revealed, I was supposed to write about the global financial crisis documentary INSIDE JOB for my next TFT article. Because of an important podcast release of my own — the 50th episode of THEATRE INTANGIBLE – and some personal drama, I missed the last screening of INSIDE JOB [...]
MARWENCOL, THE KING’S SPEECH & A Leader Tragically Ousted!
A great injustice occurred this week. This heavy blow strikes me breathless, but I must find within me the lung capacity to cry out! A leader has been ousted from his place of rule, leaving unrest, upheaval, and the ashes of what once were. No, I’m not talking about what’s been happening in Tunisia. No, [...]
Youngblood on Film: My TOP TEN Films of 2010 Part 2 plus RABBIT HOLE & COUNTRY STRONG
I’m sure you’ve all been waiting with bated breath for the continuation of last week’s TOP TEN films of 2010 part 1. If you’ve yet to read part 1, go do so, then come back. Good? Before I get to my top 5 of the year, I have to talk about two films I saw [...]
Youngblood on Film: My TOP TEN Films of 2010 Part 1
I have a confession to make. I hate writing. . . . . . with every fiber of my being. When I’m staring down a deadline and a blank screen, I’m filled with overwhelming anxiety and a terminal case of the IDontWannas. I think about all the other things I could be doing: Watching a [...]
TRUE GRIT, BLACK SWAN, TRON LEGACY, and IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE
I’ve seen a few films over the past few weeks, but none hold a candle to IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, which I viewed for the first time in 10 years at The Belcourt Theatre. It’s neither a Christmas film nor a religious one, although the holiday trimmings may suggest otherwise. (Lucky that. I’m not a [...]
TRON LEGACY: 3 Dimensions of Cliche
Most of the time, I’m quite content with my indie and foreign film diet. But every now again, I crave the high-calorie, high-fat content of an EVENT film. These are the films for which you soak up the production diaries; buy tickets for in advance; stay up late for the midnight premiere; pack yourself into [...]
