Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "911"

New films: The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and The Call

2013-03-15T19:32:58Z

Beginnings and endings.

Yet another coincidence this week as I found myself watching a couple of otherwise enjoyable new films that had endings that didn’t really seem to match their beginnings - or their characters for that matter.

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
Directed by Don Scardino

“…and the Amazing Anton Marvelton.”

Aside from the problems associated with very long titles, the fact that the sidekick’s name is missing from the title of the movie is indicative of the character of Burt Wonderstone (Steve Carrell) and his level of blowhard self-importance. He’s the bullied and ignored kid who rose to fame and fortune and lost all sense of reality and scale in his life. Although there’s another “Siegfried and Roy” reference in the film, he’s Siegfried crossed with somebody like Wayne Newton – a Vegas performer who makes no sense in almost any other context.

Having received a magic kit as a kid (on a birthday when his Mom left him a cake in the form of cake mix still in the box), he becomes enamored with the thrill and spectacle of magic and finds a new friend/sidekick in another equally awkward kid at school (Steve Buscemi as the adult Anton). Years later, they’re one of the biggest acts on the Vegas Strip – but all is not well behind the scenes. They’re the Simon & Garfunkel of magic – putting on a great show but bickering constantly off stage.

Meanwhile, traditional magic acts have lost their appeal in the face of stunts and street performers – and Jim Carrey plays street magician Steve Gray as a cross between David Blaine and a raving lunatic. His act is essentially gross-out magic porn and Wonderstone and Marvelton’s old school act can’t compete.

What follows is a classic fall and rise story of loss and redemption and the entire thing is really pretty funny to watch. It’s especially fun to watch Buscemi enjoying himself as something other than a creep or a psychopath, and Carrey (a little of whom goes a long way) in a supporting role. And Carrell nails Wonderstone early on, particularly in a scene where he attempts to perform the two man act by himself.

And while I have misgivings about a couple of aspects of the film, it’s worth noting that on balance I still enjoyed it overall – it’s simply fun and funny – although I wouldn’t want impressionable kids watching much of Carrey’s antics.

But I’ll point out what I think are storytelling flaws in a movie that really isn’t really intended to be dissected quite this much. Wonderstone comes a little too easily to his moment of epiphany in re-evaluating his life. You either have to believe that his prior cluelessness was all an act or that he snapped out of it virtually overnight. And, while the movie requires a grand finale, that ending doesn’t seem to fit well with either the characters or the arc that they’ve been on. Burt has met his original inspiration (Alan Arkin as the aging magician Rance Holloway) and seems to be back on track with the original wonder he felt as a kid – whereas the ending seems more Steve Gray than Wonderstone/Marvelton.

Stick around for the credits – again what you see seems out of character but it’s still funny. And try to spot the writers of the screenplay in the movie – both make brief appearances and one is a recognizable young actor (John Francis Daly) who’s onscreen for a couple of seconds as an EMT.

The Call
Directed by Brad Anderson

“The Call” is another movie that had me on board for all but the last couple of minutes of its running time. I think I’d have enjoyed it far more if something had caused me to leave the theater prior to the final scene. It makes me miss the days when real film would burn or break and cause a screening to grind to a sudden halt.

And, again, it’s a shame as it’s quite an enjoyable film up to that point and one of the more genuinely suspenseful films I’ve seen in some time. Even if I ignore the row of women sitting behind us who didn’t seem to have ‘inside voices’ – the audience as a whole seemed to be on a roller coaster of oohs and ahs through much of the film.

Halle Berry plays a 911 operator who, between random and routine disturbances, endures the heartbreak of receiving a call from the victim of an abduction, while it’s happening. There’s very little she can do and she inadvertently makes things worse, causing her to second, third and fourth guess herself and she no longer feels comfortable in that role. Months later, she unexpectedly finds herself in another situation with an abducted girl and is determined to make a difference.

It’s quite an interesting screenplay and sheds some light on a job that most of us know little about and have very little contact with other than, perhaps, an occasional frantic call. But the operators are repeatedly being inserted into stressful situations that they have little to no control over, often then abruptly disconnected without any immediate feedback (or perhaps any feedback whatsoever) as to what ultimately transpired. It’s not a level of stress most of us would feel comfortable with.

Abigail Breslin is solid in what’s quite a different role for her, as the second victim and in general the acting is about par for a modest action thriller, with one of the strongest “characters” being the call center itself and the associated computer capability (and I’m not going to jump to any conclusions, one way or another, regarding the accuracy of most of what we’re shown).

But despite a good build up and even a generally satisfying dénouement, I still can’t reconcile myself with the very end of the film. I’m not convinced it’s possible and I don’t buy it as what the characters involved would do. But that may just be me – and it was a fairly decent ride up until then.

How could we forget 9/11?

2012-09-09T23:47:08Z

Over 5,000 runners and walkers took off in the 9/11 Run to Remember 5K run/walk and 10K run at 9:11am this morning. After they finished the race, they went on to the Capitol Greens to place a flag inside a Pentagon shaped memorial containing all 3,000 of those killed Sept. 11, 2001.

There was a long line waiting to place a flag next to the name of someone whose life was taken by terrorists on 9/11.

The overall mood of the event didn't feel somber as I roamed around. Firefighters were lined up, talking while waiting for a burger at the Burgess Brothers hamburger stand. Kids were playing inside a few inflatables. Runners were stocking up on free liquids and food.

Here's some images I captured:

Sacramento doesn't forget 9/11

2012-09-03T23:02:32Z

This morning as the first rays of the sun hit Capitol Mall, people from agencies of Metro Fire, Sacramento Fire, Cosumnes Fire, West Sacramento Fire, Folsom Fire, Sacramento Airport Fire, Sacramento PD, Placer Sheriff, Sacramento Sheriff, and Elk Grove PD were constructing a Pentagon Memorial between 5th and 7th Streets, for the second time, to remember the 3,000 people who died from the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
Setting up the memorial this morning was a trial run for the Run to Remember and Tribute in the Park happening Sept. 9. It was later dismantled and will be re-constructed before the Run to Remember.

Metro Fire Deputy Chief (Ret.) Geoff Miller responded to the Pentagon on September 12, 2001. He lost a close friend, FDNY Chief Downey, who died in the Towers.
He placed a flag next to his friend's name this morning.

Last year's run and memorial attracted 4,000 people.

Two more opinions of one more Spider-Man

2012-07-06T10:18:58Z

“The Amazing Spider-Man”
Directed by Marc Webb
Review by Malcolm Maclachlan & Tony Sheppard

Malcolm: The best thing I can say about this version of Spider-Man is that I liked it a lot better than the Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire films. But I would have liked it a lot better if the Raimi/MacGuire ones had never been made. After the film, I keep hearing other people in the audience talked about what a “great reboot” it was. Which left me wondering why we aren’t being offered more original software.

Tony: I hear ya! But Hollywood is a risk averse place and these comic book movies generally sell pretty well, with this new one already beating records for similar opening days/dates. That said it’s often tough to compare with past films, on a dollar for dollar basis, as the newer releases cost more per ticket with even higher premiums for 3D screenings. And as for the past films, I heard another reviewer say something along the lines of “I was worried about how I would feel about the Tobey Maguire films and now I’m thinking Tobey who!?”

Malcolm: To back up, a lot of the ingredients are there. Relative unknown Andrew Garfield has been getting raves for playing a more vulnerable, troubled version of the hero, a kind of Peter Parker meets Holden Caulfield (a line I plagiarized from EVERYWHERE). Emma Stone is always good, this time as original heroine Gwen Stacy. But when the pair start dropping hints about the coming films in the franchise shortly before the closing credits, I found myself thinking that I won’t be there. I’m happy to watch them both—in something else.

Tony: Well, they’re coming – it was announced yesterday that there will be two more films in this series. In an odd way, I liked it enough to almost want it to fail, to avoid bad sequels. But I’m OK with seeing them back together – they have far more onscreen (and offscreen) chemistry than most matchups. And Andrew Garfield has been around, he’s just easy to miss at times because he tends to change his appearance and accent at will and is proving to be pretty versatile.

Malcolm: If this had been a terrible remake, I could have just written it off. If it had been a brilliant recasting of the basic story— something truly troubling, like Spider-Man as an idiot savant or vigilante killer, or better yet a middle-aged Spidey as Michael Corleone, wanting to hang up his Mexican wrestler mask but not knowing how—that would have been something. But instead it’s “darker” without being truly dark. We get the cinematic version of comfort food: even if it’s a noticeably better telling than the most recent big-budget versions, it really is the same old origin story told basically the same way. I found myself having a decent enough time, but I never stopped wondering why this film had to be made, especially given that the last Raimi/Maguire sequel came out only five years ago.

Tony: Then again, if all reboots were this good, I’d be asking for more and sometimes much sooner. How about a better “John Carter”? It’s only been a couple of months but I’d welcome a better retelling of that story. And “better” would be my main descriptor here, rather than darker, it all just seemed to work so very well. It seems more natural with better character development – especially as the super powers kick in. And Sally Field and Martin Sheen add a certain quality/gravitas in quite small roles as the Parker grandparents. It was like hearing the same joke from a better comedian – it just worked. It also looked a lot better than the previews and early glimpses, many of which looked horribly artificial.

Malcolm: I think the hint as to why we’re getting a new film comes in the repeated refrain we’re hearing that this version is “more faithful to the original.” Think about that for a minute: we’re judging a $215 million movie on how faithful it is to a 50-year-old comic book most viewers have never read, and won’t. Maybe the nostalgia we’re being sold isn’t Spider Man, but 1962 (insert your “Mad Men” reference here, because I won’t).

Tony: I’m one of those non-readers of the source material, so I always feel a little out of the loop on those comparisons, but I’ve seen and heard the same thing being said – both in analyses and from audience members leaving the theater.

Malcolm: It looks modern, of course, all smartphones and racial diversity (mainly among the minor characters and extras). But the ethos is something else, a democratization of morality as the working people of New York rebel against the authorities and declare Spider Man a hero, not a vigilante. Meanwhile, the plot, lacking a true bad guy, really centers around biotechnology run out of control in ways that eventually evoke 9/11 and the heroism of the husky urbanites of yesteryear.

Tony: I think there’s more of a clear villain here than in some other recent movies, such as “Brave” or the aforementioned “John Carter” (in which the onscreen villain is a minion of some force we never meet). But I agree that we do get to champion the working man/woman – from Sheen and Field's grandparents to the crane operators of Manhattan, led by C. Thomas Howell, who might once have donned tights himself for an equally mythic role (and who has an amazing actor-man 149 titles in his IMDB profile).

Malcolm: Superhero flicks almost inevitably go for the mythic, but we seem to feel like we now live in a fallen age where we can’t make any new myths. Heck, we can barely make cars anymore. Spider Man isn’t just a time traveler from a time when we had a strong industrial base, he’s an excuse to indulge in the kind of gee-wiz idealism that might feel forced and hokey on the shoulders of any truly modern hero. But I wish someone would try. In the real world, such people still exist.

Tony: Or try telling a story in its own era – as with the remarkably successful “Captain America.”

Malcolm: In short, it’s an update so timeless it didn’t really need to be made. Though I suppose that $215 million had to have created some jobs somewhere in the good old U.S. of A.

Tony: True. Plus all the Chinese workers who are churning out plastic 3D glasses so that, amongst other things, movies are harder to pirate and bootleg. After all, if we’re going to stop Chinese bootleggers from manufacturing DVD’s so we can control more of our copyrights, we can at least keep them busy crafting our stylish cinematic eyewear.

"The Amazing Spider-Man" is currently in wide release and can be found at multiple local theaters.

Crime rate down 18 percent in Sacramento

2011-09-22T00:50:50Z

Despite budget reductions and recent layoffs in the police department, serious crime in Sacramento has dropped 18 percent over the last three years – the second largest decline in California among cities of similar size – according to a report that Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel presented to City Council Tuesday.

Braziel told council members that the core mission of the Sacramento Police Department hasn’t changed since 2008 when he took charge. The mission, he said, is still “reduce crime, engage the community and provide excellent service.”

What has changed, however, is the number of police personnel – 81 sworn officers were laid off in July – and a department budget reduced by $12.2 million this year.

Over the past four years, police department budget reductions have resulted in $35 million in cuts and a loss of 372 positions, according city staff reports.

Still, Sacramento crime rates have been on a downward trend since 2007, Braziel said Tuesday.

Braziel’s report to the City Council included crime rate information compiled from department records and annual crime statistics from the FBI.

Braziel attributes the numbers to a “more focused effort” to achieve department goals, and an emphasis on working as efficiently as possible with the resources available.

“We have really focused on our 911 (call) center and operations in the field,” Braziel said. “We actually have more people answering the 911 line than (we had) three years ago.”

Braziel said staffing for field resources – patrol officers, traffic officers and officers on the streets responding to calls for service – has gone down 15 percent since July.

The investigations staff has been reduced by 35 percent, Braziel added.

“Those reductions are what necessitated a change in our dispatch protocols,” Braziel said.

In his last report to City Council in June, Braziel told council members that, with such a reduction in staffing, the department would no longer respond to some types of service calls, such as “cold” burglaries, where the suspect was no longer on the scene and the victims weren’t in danger.

“However, if we find a pattern or a series (of incidents) or something unique about an incident,” Braziel said, “we dispatch reports out to officers in the field and a patrol will go out to the scene to follow up.”

By prioritizing responses to nonviolent crime calls, Braziel said he is able to streamline operations and focus personnel where they are needed most at any given time.

Councilman Jay Schenirer told Braziel he was pleasantly surprised by the report.

“With budget cuts and an economy that is bad as it’s been in 40 or 50 years,” Schenirer said, “to see crime (in Sacramento) go down, that’s great.”

Schenirer said he would chalk it up to how well Braziel is running the department, and the continuous development of new ideas to reduce crime that are coming from the department.

Braziel told council members that violent crime is down 20 percent, and property crime is down 17 percent over the last year. All crimes together – excluding homicides – year-to-date crime rates are down 12.5 percent from last year.

“We are definitely continuing to trend down,” Braziel said.

The police department was able to bring back 35 laid off officers due to a grant waiver the department received in July.

One more grant request is pending, Braziel said, and he expects to have a result by the end of September or early October. If the city receives the second grant, it will restore another 35 officers to the police department.

“It’s a credit to the (police) department, and to the men and women on the front lines, so to speak, working every day and doing more with less,” Councilman Rob Fong told Braziel after hearing the report. “We obviously have very good people working on the force.”

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Remembering 9/11

2011-09-12T05:31:32Z

Ten years ago Sunday, 3,000 people lost their lives from acts of terrorism in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Today Sacramento honored those people with a Day of Remembrance.

At 5:30am a vigil and reading of the names of those who died took place on the west steps of the Capitol. A moment of silence occurred at 5:46am.

Firefighters participated in Sacramento’s annual 9/11 Memorial Climb. This event honors the 343 Firefighters of FDNY that paid the ultimate sacrifice at the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001. This year’s Climb was held at the “Renaissance Tower” in downtown Sacramento

Over 3,000 runners took to the streets In Downtown Sacramento for the 9/11 Memorial 5K Run/Walk to give those who vowed to “Never Forget” the opportunity to exercise that vow. The 5K will started at 9:11. At the finish of the 5K, American flags were handed to runners as they crossed the line. Each flag represents an American who lost their life on 9/11/2001. Runners carried the flag they were given and will placed it in the grass in the “Tribute in the Park”.
Each American Flag was placed next to a name plate engraved with the name of an American who did not return home. Nearly 3000 flags stand united in the grass as a tribute to those that were lost.

This afternoon The Law Enforcement Chaplaincy Sacramento presented a "Decade of Remembrance" at the east steps of the Capitol. Speakers included State of California Dept. of Justice Attorney General Kamala D. Harris, City of Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, and Director Sacramento County & Sacramento City OES, Chief Rick Martinez.
To commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11, local Life Scout Alexander Aprea erected a sculpture memorial representing one one-hundredth the size of the Twin Towers including a steel piece from the wreckage.

The dedication ceremony was held today at Cesar Chavez Plaza. The sculpture exhibits two 13-foot-tall industrial steel I-beams representing the Twin Towers and an actual 1-foot-by-3-foot piece of steel from the wreckage in between the two taller I-beams.

The day ended with two flyovers the Capitol building and a candlelight vigil. The ceremony was led by former Sacramento County Sheriff John McGuiness and included Rep. Tom McClintock and other officials.
First responders, as well as the FBI, were acknowledged for immediate and follow up work surrounding the attacks.

Reflection Spot at Axis Gallery

2011-09-12T02:53:51Z

Ten years after the events of 9/11, Karen Bearson brings large-scale photographs of Lower Manhattan to Axis Gallery at 1517 19th St. in a solo exhibit entitled “Reflection Spot: Ten years before, ten years after.” The exhibit opened Sept. 3 and runs through Sept. 25.

“On the tenth anniversary of this event I wanted to create a series of images that explored the loss – the absence of what once existed,” Bearson wrote in her artist statement. “I visited NYC in May to recollect my own past history there 20 years ago, photograph familiar places, visit old friends and spend some time at Ground Zero. Ten of the images are a result of this trip.”

Bearson is a painter and professional photographer who studied at the International Center of Photography in New York. This is her third solo show in Sacramento and the first to feature photography.

Man on the street: Sacramento ten years after 9/11

2011-09-10T02:38:14Z

Sunday marks the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The anniversary offers a time to consider that day, and to also question what has changed in the past 10 years. The Sacramento Press spent the past week asking individuals for their thoughts on post-9/11 Sacramento, and in what ways the city has changed.

“Things have gotten more consolidated,” said Stephen Mosquedo, a 23-year-old cook living in South Sacramento. “Much more safety. It was a wake-up call. I’m a lot more scared, and I think about death a lot.”

Mosqeudo believes that Sacramento citizens fear of terrorism is a product of the high percentage of government jobs in the Sacramento area and the attacks on Washington, D.C.,

“Eighty percent of the people here are state-employed, so it put everyone in check. It could happen to me,” Mosquedo said.

Effie Orn, a 33-year-old freelance realtor from Carmichael, said she believes that the event caused citizens of Sacramento to create a more tight-knit community.

“Nine-eleven made us stop, think, and reevaluate our community,” Orn said.

She said she believes that the insecurity created by the attacks has caused people to come together, rather than isolate themselves out of fear.

“I think that Sacramento has become much more community-oriented in the downtown area,” she said.

55-year-old Sacramento resident Chris Void said, “The backlash towards the Muslim community is very unfortunate. It undermines freedom of religion. Sacramento has gone to great lengths to improve this.”

Void’s message is, “We need to protect (our) personal freedoms against hysteria.”

Brett Creamer, a 23-year-old mover who lives in Sacramento said, “A lot of the buildings downtown you have to have badges for now if you want to get inside. But the downtown feels real safe now.”

Rick Keil, a 45-year-old West Sacramento resident who is currently unemployed, said, “It changed everything. Things got stricter. It made us question a lot of things.”

“After they got Bin laden, there were some people out here celebrating for about three days, but after that, it faded fast,” he said.

How do you think Sacramento has changed since 9/11? Share your thoughts in the conversation below.

Remembering 9/11

2011-09-03T01:50:33Z

This morning Sacramento Area firefighters local 522, in cooperation with local fire jurisdictions held a pre-event presentation for Susan Clark, the Sister-in-law of United Airlines pilot Captain Victor J. Saracini, Captain of United Flight 175, which hit the South Tower of the trade center at just after 9:00am on September 11, 2001.She said that 9/11 was "a tragic day and we are a strong country."Clark says her family has wonderful memories of Victor."We should never forget," Clark said. "We should remember what happened to our country - reflect on it. And remember the sacrifice people made that day and that their families continue to sacrifice."When asked what she'll think about when the 2977 flags are 'planted' during the memorial, she said she'll think of everyone that perished that day.

For events held IN Sacramento on Sept.11, 2011 - CLICK HERE>>>

Third annual Sacramento 9/11 Memorial Climb includes new 5K run

2011-09-02T06:11:10Z

The 10-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks is coming up, and throughout the country there will be memorials honoring the dead, but Sacramento firefighters ask that locals take the opportunity to come out and run a 5K race for a good cause.

Through a partnership between various Sacramento area Fire Departments, the Sacramento Police Department, the Sheriff’s Department and more than 2,000 local volunteers, a 5K run/walk has been organized as an addition to their third annual 9/11 Memorial Climb, in which 343 firefighters – the number of New York firefighters killed on 9/11 – climb the Renaissance Tower in downtown Sacramento to honor fallen firefighters.

“It’s very personal for the firefighters. You have to be a firefighter to do the climb, and that’s one of the reasons the why the 5K run was developed,” said volunteer Karen Montgomery, a history and geography teacher at Rocklin High School.

“There are so many other people that want to pay tribute to the fallen firefighters and want to be a part of this memorial,” she added, “so it’s a way of preserving the climb just for the firefighters and then having another way of honoring the fallen.”

To take part in the 5K run/walk, it costs $30 to register through Fleet Feet Sports, 2311 J St. Proceeds for the run will go to the Sacramento Area Firefighters Widows and Orphans Fund.

Fleet Feet Sports will coordinate the run/walk. Organizers will provide timers for the racers to carry, and Fleet Feed will track the results of the run.

On Sept. 11 at 8 a.m., 343 Sacramento firefighters dressed in their fire gear will ascend the stairs of the Renaissance Tower, which is 28 stories high.

They will climb the stairs of the building four times in order to match the height of the Twin Towers, which stood at 110 stories high. Each firefighter will carry a name plaque of a fallen firefighter. There will be a Twin Towers memorial at the end of the climb for the firefighters to leave the names of those who perished.

At 9:11 a.m., the 5K run/walk will begin at Capitol Mall between fifth and seventh streets. There will be two waves of participants, according Montgomery. People who want to run will go first. The second wave of participants who want to walk will follow at 9:21 a.m.

Local Celtic band Stout Rebellion will be performing during the run/walk.

For non-firefighters, a pre-climb event will be held Sept. 9 in which Sacramento firefighters have invited Good Day Sacramento to preview their climb at The Renaissance Tower.

The preview will also include a performance by pop singer Anna Nalick. Her song “Breathe (2 a.m.) was a radio hit in 2005. She will be in the Good Day Sacramento studio promoting the run.

Nalick is also set to perform at the Tribute in the Park concert after the 5K run Sept. 11 beginning at 10 a.m. Other acts set to take the stage include the country band 27 Outlaws. The singer and guitarist Joel Van Horne of the indie alternative rock band, Carbon Choir will also perform.

“When you lose a firefighter, it’s obviously a great impact, but when you lose 343 in one day, it’s overwhelming,” said Captain Tony Peck, spokesperson for the Sacramento Fire Department.

“And to think they were doing what we do every day. It’s a stark reminder that although we never want to make that ultimate sacrifice – it’s a reminder that we’re in a line a work where that can happen. It’s very moving for us when 343 are lost in one day and had no idea it was going to happen to them,” Peck said.

At the end of the run, participants will be given a flag, and they will be asked to go to the Capitol and place the flag on the lawn. 2,997 flags will be distributed to symbolize all the Americans who died on Sept. 11.

“As a history teacher and wife of a firefighter, I have a different perspective,” Montgomery said. Historically, it’s important for us to remember these major events and sacrifices that people make. But also, it’s important for our students – our younger generation – to understand what it’s like to live in a post-9/11 world. The events of 9/11 have affected us dramatically. The way we live our everyday lives has really been impacted by security measures that followed 9/11.”

For more information on the 9/11 Memorial Run/Walk, click here.

French Film Fest Director to be honored as Film & Music Fest Opens Tonight

2011-08-17T18:22:05Z

The 12th annual Sacramento Film and Music Festival opens its SummerFEST program tonight by honoring another long time Festival director. This year's Film Arts Service Award will be presented to Cecile Mouette Downs, director of the Sacramento French Film Festival. Cecille has worked previously for the Film Department of the French Embassy in New York City, and as a Press Officer for the Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel in Paris. She has a master’s degree in history, is a regular contributor to “France Today” magazine, and was the 2010 recipient of the Arts Executive of the Year Award from the Sacramento Arts & Business Council.

This is the fifth Film Arts Service Award to be presented. The first went to Shawn Sullivan, who teaches animation at Sheldon High School and has a remarkable record of placing students in competitive college and industry positions. Subsequent recipients have included: Bill Bronston, CEO of Tower of Youth which showcases and advocates for youth filmmaking; Ron Cooper, Executive Director of Access Sacramento and the "A Place Called Sacramento" screenwriting competition and filmmaking program; and Sid Garcia-Heberger, Managing Partner of the Crest Theatre, co-founder and co-director of the Sacramento Jewish Film Festival, and a Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commissioner. As last year's recipient of the Award, Sid Garcia-Heberger will present this year's Award to Cecile Mouette Downs.

Additionally, this year's opening night features the runway portion of the Sacramento Bee Fashion Challenge. The Bee partnered with the Festival to give local designers the challenge of creating a red carpet worthy outfit from newspaper and no more than $50 worth of additional materials. Winners will be announced on Saturday, August 20th at 6pm.

Tonight's opening night feature film is a documentary about Japanese-American animator and film director ("When the Wind Blows") Jimmy Murakami, who spent part of his childhood with his family at the Tule Lake internment camp in Northern California. "Jimmy Murakami - Non Alien" shows the continuing effects this experience has had on his life and explains his discomfort in living in America. This film is an interesting counterpart to the final feature documentary that will play on Sunday, August 21st. "Fordson: Faith, Fasting, Football" explores the American Muslim experience, as seen through the eyes of the football team at Fordson High School in Dearborn, Michigan - a public high school that is 98% of Arab descent and overwhelmingly muslim. 2011 is the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the 10th anniversary of the attacks of 9/11 and these two films remind us of the impacts of how we collectively treat people who look like, but who aren't, our enemies.

The Sacramento Film & Music Festival SummerFEST opens tonight at 6pm, with a reception catered by District 30 and Pizza Rock, and runs through Sunday. 65 films represent 13 countries, including 23 from this year's 10x10 Filmmaker Challenge - in which local filmmakers are given 10 days to make a 10 minute film. The program also includes an exclusive screening of "Beautiful Youth" at 6pm on Thursday, a film about homeless youth in Sacramento and which has been written about previously in the Sacramento Press. The full schedule and more information, including film trailers can be found online at sacfilm.com. All screenings take place at the historic Crest Theatre.

Disclosure: Tony Sheppard is Co-Director of the Sacramento Film & Music Festival.

Tenth anniversary 9/11 sculpture memorial

2011-07-06T03:28:37Z

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11, local Life Scout Alexander Aprea will erect a sculpture memorial representing one one-hundredth the size of the Twin Towers including a steel piece from the wreckage.

Alexander Aprea, 14, is a life scout from Boy Scout Troop 802 who is working toward achieving the Eagle Scout rank by organizing and building a sculpture representing the Twin Towers as a way to honor the victims and survivors of 9/11.

“Eagle Scout is something that I have always wanted to obtain since I joined scouting, and this is kind of a way for me to really feel like the project that I am doing to earn my eagle scout is a worthy project,” Alexander said.

Alexander explained that in order to achieve the Eagle Scout rank, one needs to obtain merit badges, perform community service, service to his troop and create an Eagle Scout project that benefits the community.

A dedication ceremony is planned for the 10th anniversary of 9/11 at Cesar Chavez Plaza. The sculpture will exhibit two 13-foot-tall industrial steel I-beams representing the Twin Towers and an actual 1-foot-by-3-foot piece of steel from the wreckage in between the two taller I-beams.

“I had the honor of capturing some steel while I was working at the site,” said Lee Ielpi, president of September 11th Families’ Association in New York City. “It was just a special type of event that I was able to give a small piece away, and this was special.”

Alexander’s inspiration came from a December 2009 family trip to New York City. Among the tourist attractions he and his family visited was the Tribute World Trade Center.

A tour led by former New York City firefighter Ielpi, became Alexander’s inspiration to create a 9/11 memorial in Sacramento.

Alexander said he recalls Ielpi giving the tour and stopping at a glass display case featuring a fallen firefighter’s jacket ripped down the back. It was then that Ielpi shared his personal experience with the tour.

Ielpi lost his son, Jonathan, also a New York City firefighter, on 9/11. Three months later, Ielpi retrieved his son’s body from the wreckage. The jacket in the display case is the same one ripped off his son’s back.

Recovering his son from the wreckage led him and a handful of people to build September 11th Families' Association, which provides counseling and support to those affected by the Twin Towers collapse.

“You know, when the towers came down, there wasn’t much left of anything, including the people,” Ielpi said. “Steel withstood. You can bend it; you can twist it, but making it disappear is very difficult, so it has become that iconic symbol of remembrance.”

The steel wreckage from the Twin Towers has become a symbol of endurance, Ielpi said, and it is now distributed worldwide for memorials and places of remembrance.

Alexander is currently organizing the project, seeking sponsors and donations. He is working on getting approval from the city, from the mayor’s office and the department of parks and recreation.

The initial idea for the sculpture involved installing a permanent memorial at Cesar Chavez Plaza.

Jim Combs, director of Parks and Recreation, said that it would not be possible to permanently install the memorial, because it requires a longer process and it would not be ready in time to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

“What we discussed, and what I offered, is to turn this into a temporary project, and so instead of a permanent mounting at Chavez Park, he would do a temporary installation under my special event program,” Combs said.

Alexander said he plans to work with Combs and the city through the lengthy process of finding a home for the memorial sculpture after the dedication ceremony. Once a permanent home is found for the memorial, Alexander said he would donate the sculpture to the city of Sacramento.

“I think it is really terrific that a young man has this kind of inspiration, and I think this has the potential of being a very moving tribute, if it’s done the right way,” Combs said.

The memorial will be installed with the help of his Boy Scout troop, Alexander said.

Andy Peszynski, who owns Davison Iron Works, donated the two steel I-beams and promised to deliver them when the site was ready.

Dave Bearden at Teichert Construction will talk to Alexander about donating the concrete for the memorial’s foundation if approval is granted.

“Because this is the 10th anniversary, I want people to remember the day, remember what caused this, so it doesn’t happen again,” Alexander said.

Alexander said he plans to have an interfaith service to promote religious tolerance featuring religious leaders from Catholicism, Judaism, Islam and Protestantism.

He said he thinks it is important to have representatives from different congregations “to show that this memorial is not just coming from one side or one group, but that it is everyone together remembering that day.”

He said he hopes to have as many people as possible see the sculpture.

“I want people to see and touch the steel,” so that they can connect with the history, Alexander said.

“Not everyone in California or in Sacramento is able to travel to New York and see the Tribute Center, and see the artifacts and what happened that day,” Alexander said. “So I feel that it is important for people who don’t have that opportunity, to have that opportunity in a different way here in Sacramento.”

The shipping cost for the piece of steel from the wreckage is approximately $400, Alexander said. He is raising the money for the shipping costs and materials for the sculpture’s construction.

The interfaith temporary memorial and dedication service will be held Sept. 11 at Cesar Chavez Plaza, 910 I St.

To learn more about Alexander and his efforts to create a 9/11 memorial sculpture click here.

Q&A with 311's Gina Knepp

2010-10-10T17:22:45Z

Gina Knepp has worked in high-stress city government jobs for more than two decades. But even though she spent nearly 20 years at the city’s 911 call center and now heads the 311 call center, her sense of humor remains intact.

Knepp, 48, is the division manager of 311. She reflects her humor in certain activities – designating a day to wear tin foil hats – and in her office décor, which includes a sign that reads: “Dumb should hurt.”

The 311 center, which handles a wide variety of queries about city services, has lost about 65 percent of its budget to cuts in the last couple years, she said.

Though her division is understaffed and 311’s budget is tight, Knepp conveyed great enthusiasm about her work in a sit-down interview with The Sacramento Press on Friday.

SP: What are some of the key differences between 911 calls and 311 calls?

GK: Oh gosh, they’re huge. Although, from the customer’s perspective, whether they’ve just been in a car accident or their water pipe broke, it’s an emergency to them. We speak to a lot of the same kind of excited people.

At 911, you’re in a hurry. And you need to get the immediate facts as quickly as you can to get an officer started, or a paramedic started. So, it’s quick. It’s in, it’s out. There’s not a lot of time to have social amenities with your caller ... The average 911 call doesn’t last more than 60 seconds. People don’t realize that.

Here, our average talk time is 2.5 minutes. And we have some customers that require five minutes of our time. Here, we’re given the opportunity to spend a little more time with the customer, which is kinda cool – which they don’t get to do at 911.

The multitasking and (the) quick, prompt decision-making is much more challenging at 911 than it is here. We do have a dispatch position, but typically, no one is dying. So the sense of urgency is different.

SP: Why spend more time with the 311 callers?

GK: Your average customer/constituent really only calls the city once a year. Most people only call 911 once in their lifetime. So, we know that we’re going to talk to every single customer at least once a year. That should be a good interaction.

Because it’s not just about the stray dog; we’re representing the city of Sacramento. And we get an opportunity to show that customer what the city is about. And my goal is always that it be very professional and friendly.

They’re the ones that decide our fate. They approve ballot measures. They vote our elected officials in and out. And we work for them. We are public servants. So I just think it’s really important to give them that little bit of time.

SP: What are some of the things you really like about 311? What are some of the things you really liked about 911?

GK: 911: It’s exciting. You get to know everybody’s business firsthand. Most people read about it in the paper. The dispatcher is actually present, at least in an audio fashion. When someone calls and says – “I just shot my wife” – you can’t get much closer to the scene than that.

You’re the first person in the chain of evidence ... (In) most domestic violence cases, the audio tape is played in the courtroom in prosecution. I mean, how cool is that? To be part of that? You’re the link between the victim, or the criminals, and the responders. It’s just an amazing job.

Despite the sad, tragic things that I heard when I was there, it’s an amazing feeling, I think, to know that you ... improved someone’s life or you saved someone’s life.

311 was like starting all over for me. It was a whole new profession with a whole new set of people. Because unfortunately, at the police department, you’re kind of sequestered. And your world really involves the police department. And you forget that there are other people and other things going on in the city of Sacramento.

So, it was kind of a like a rebirth coming out – and getting to know and understanding all the different departments and what they do and how everybody’s really interconnected. I love the fact that I get to have conversations with practically every division manager in the city, and know what’s happening in their respective units, because we touch it. I think the citizens are fun – but I’ve always liked talking to people on the phone, even the mad ones.

It’s challenging. It’s never the same. At 911, you had one topic. Here, we’ve got cats and dogs and potholes and Fairytale Town and broken water mains and shoes on phone lines and craziness. People call about the craziest things.

SP: Are there any (crazy calls) that you can share?

GK: This lady called because she wanted to know if you could get rabies from eating the tongue of a dead raccoon. Because her son and his little friends did. They actually ate the tongue — I don’t know why. But she was panicked, obviously. They were like 10 (or) 12 – little kids. Yeah, that’s a weird one.

SP: Can you get rabies that way?

GK: Well, you have to test it for rabies...but most likely, you could, yes.

SP: What are some of the most common 311 calls that you receive?

GK: The No. 1 thing has to do with solid waste. And the No. 2 issue in the city of Sacramento, across all districts, is animal control. Primarily strays.

SP: You used to work for 911 and now you work for 311. What is it like to be the ultimate “go-to” person?

GK: Sometimes I feel like (the advice columnist) Ann Landers. I do. People will come to me with the wildest things that they haven’t been able to figure out, even in other departments ... I like it. For whatever reason, I kind of get stoked figuring things out. Being the one who can put the last puzzle piece together to solve something. It makes my job interesting. And everybody wants to be wanted, right? So, it’s cool.

Photos of Knepp by Brandon Darnell.

Photo: Knepp's office is short on space but big on zaniness.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Firefighters climb in 9/11 memorial

2010-09-13T18:01:38Z

Three hundred and forty three Sacramento area firefighters climbed 110 flights of stairs early Saturday morning in honor of the 343 firefighters who died in the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11, 2001.

The second annual Sacramento 9/11 Memorial Climb was held at the 28-story Renaissance Tower on 8th and K. Fire departments representing cities including Sacramento, Davis, El Cerrito, Placerville and Vacaville participated.

Climbers made four ascents: three from the basement to the 26th floor, and a final ascent from the basement to the roof, bringing the total number of floors climbed to 110, the same number of floors in each of the towers of the World Trade Center.

Lloyd Ogden, operations deputy chief for the Sacramento Fire Department, gave opening remarks to the gathered climbers before the climb started.

An emotional Samuel Giamo, Jr., who joined the Fire Department of New York in 1979 and retired in 2002, took the podium next and shared some thoughts on his personal experiences with 9/11.

Firefighters then proceeded to start the climb, led by a firefighter carrying an American flag.

At minimum, all firefighters making the climb wore their department-issued turnout coats, the type of jacket typically worn by firefighters, and their helmets while climbing the stairs. Some elected to wear full gear, including turnout pants and boots, while others wore shorts and athletic shoes.

Each of the 343 climbers had a small, black banner with the name of one of the firefighters who died in the World Trade Center attacks pinned on the back of their coats, over their own name. This allowed each climber to symbolically carry each fallen firefighter 110 flights to the roof of the building.

As each climber reached the roof, each name banner was unpinned and hung inside two metal reproduction models of the World Trade Center towers. The names were saluted, and each firefighter then rang a red bell, which was embossed with each name of the FDNY firefighters.

Immediately following the climb, a tribute in the park event was held on Capitol Mall between Sixth and Seventh. The event gave families an opportunity to come together in a social environment and honor the families affected by the 9/11 tragedy by sharing the day with their loved ones. Those attending enjoyed food, drink, live music and children’s activities. All proceeds raised from the $5 entrance fee, food and beer sales, and donations went to the Sacramento Area Firefighters Widows and Orphans Fund.

Two-year-old Tyler, son of Vacaville firefighter Jeremy Sirois, joins his father during the climb preparation.

Firefighters prepare to climb 110 stories from the basement of Renaissance Tower.

Heading to the first flight of stairs.

A firefighter touches a piece of glass from the World Trade Center before starting his climb.

Climbing 110 stories in turnout gear.

Leading with the American flag, the first of 343 climbers makes it to the roof.

Hanging the name of a FDNY brother in the memorial.

Waiting to approach the memorial.

A firefighter pays his respects to his fire service brothers who died on 9/11.

Firefighters wait their turn to approach the memorial.

Each climber rang a bell which displayed the names of the 343 firefighters who died at the World Trade Center.

Bagpipes being played as climbers make it to the roof.

Honor Guard on Capitol Mall during Tribute in the Park.

The 9/11 Memorial on the roof of Renaissance Tower.

Photos: Steven Chea