Join us on Wednesday May 22 at 6 PM sharp for the 14th "Place Called Sacramento Film Festival - Cast & Crew Call". Curious and want to know more? Professional judges have been reviewing the "PCS" script entries. Each is ten minutes or less, and a family friendly story, with a theme and characters that shed insight on what it is like to live in a place called Sacramento. All are character and dialogue driven but range widely in subject matter. Want to see what has been produced in the past? Go to www.AccessSacramento.org and watch films from the past several years. Now the 2013 judges have selected ten for production and the writers now evolve into producers, eager to see their film come

Multiple bold explorers and a proxy for Monsanto While the big buzz this week will be focused squarely on the latest entry in the decades-long Star Trek franchise, there are also a couple of smaller, counter-programming opportunities, one of which is oddly related to Star Trek. There’s also a second opinion included in today’s column on the Star Trek movie itself, but be warned in advance: Malcolm’s comments contain a character spoiler (although many viewers probably know this particular detail already).   Star Trek Into Darkness Directed by J. J. Abrams When the last “Star Trek” movie came out, I strongly praised its balancing act in terms of respecting the canon and the knowledge of

    For the 14th year, Access Sacramento launches “A Place Called Sacramento” (PCS), a scriptwriting and short film production project for local writers and producers. PCS challenges local scriptwriters to write ten-minute scripts about the people, places, and events that make our community such a unique place to live (entry guidelines on-line at www.AccessSacramento.org). The PCS production format is unique to Sacramento. All PCS scripts entered are reviewed by local professionals and ten are selected. All ages are welcomed to get involved - both experienced filmmakers and newbies are welcome to attend. These ten scriptwriter/producers are introduced to actors and production teams at Th

The Great Gatsby (x3) 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald 1974 film by Jack Clayton 2013 film by Baz Luhrmann There have been four theatrical film adaptations of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” the earliest of which was made in 1926, only a year after the manuscript was completed (and which is now lost). Other than the latest version by Baz Luhrmann, the only version easily found for comparison purposes is Jack Clayton’s 1974 film, with a screenplay adapted by Francis Ford Coppola. In anticipation of the press screening of Luhrmann’s film, I downloaded and re-read the novel in the break between last Sunday’s East Coast feed of “Game of Thrones” and the West Coast feed of “Mad Me

Iron Man 3 Directed by Shane Black Malcolm Maclachlan: It’s often that I’ll think more of a flick the day after I see it than when I’m actually watching it. In this case, I like it less. “Iron Man 3” starts out with some compelling ideas and snappy dialogue, but ends up as a typical overstuffed…well, let’s just say towards the end when Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow argue about which one of them is more of a “hot mess,” my answer is “you’re both soaking in it.” Tony Sheppard: I think we had opposite reactions, or at least opposite post-reaction reactions. I had gone into the film with some fairly specific concerns regarding the storyline and enjoyed the film more than I had expect

Another busy week at the Crest Theatre A little over 100 years ago, in January 1913, what we now know as the Crest Theatre first opened its doors as the Empress, a vaudeville theater - soon to be renamed the Hippodrome. In 1946 it closed for extensive remodeling, re-opening in 1949 as the Crest with an interior much as you can still enjoy it today, thanks to extensive renovation and care from the current ownership team and staff. A couple of months ago, news leaked out that the Crest would no longer routinely schedule films on its two smaller screens, disappointing many who feared that Sacramento would lose its only truly independent movie theater (The Tower Theatre being part of a small

A mixed bag of four new films It’s a busy week at the movies and a mixed bag of outcomes, including veteran stars who elevate their material and films that both benefit and suffer by being associated with true stories.   The Big Wedding Written and Directed by Justin Zackham This is the first of two movies this week that become more than they might otherwise be by virtue of their casts. In this case, what would otherwise probably be a C+ grade comedy romp is pulled up a notch or two by stars Robert De Niro, Susan Sarandon (see below also), Diane Keaton, and a refreshingly understated performance from Robin Williams. It’s a surprisingly raunchy-at-times (and appropriately R-rated) take

Oblivion Co-Written and Directed by Joseph Kosinski This week’s column contains a blast from the past, in the context of blasts in the future, as my former writing colleague Malcolm Maclachlan joins me in reviewing “Oblivion.” Malcolm Maclachlan: When you put “The Matrix,” “Total Recall,” “Star Trek,” “Blade Runner,” “Star Wars,” “Wall-E,” “Architectural Digest,” “Planet Earth,” “The Twilight Zone,” and Tom Cruise in a blender, sometimes the results turn out okay. Tony Sheppard: Yes, I agree, albeit for somewhat different reasons. As I watched the movie, I wasn’t so much reminded of other movies as of the books I read as a kid. I was an avid reader of science fiction and at one point I

The Sacramento Film Festival (SFF) is set host their Latin infused event on the Delta King in Old Sacramento 7pm this Sunday, April 21st. This cultural favorite of the Sacramento community will feature short films produced by Mexican filmmakers, Fran Guijarro's Mexican Cuisine, El Invento- a Giovanni Granada film, as well as Gloria Moran's, The Unique Ladies, "world's 1st lady low-rider car club!" Professor Dr. Jorge Santana of CSU, Sacramento notes, "This event honors and shines light on the great aspects of the Latino community, a true favorite of mine." Since its establishment in 2007, CineLatino is going on its 5th year to reflect and celebrate Chicano, Latin American, and Spanish cul

This continues from Part 1 (link) - uploaded separately due to length. INTERVIEW - PART 2 Tony Sheppard: So, without trying to give too much away, you’ve got this film here with big names on the marquee and yet the characters come and go. By my clock, Bradley Cooper doesn’t even show up until about 55 minutes into the film. Derek Cianfrance: Yeah. TS: Does that make it a hard film to sell to a general audience? I mean you have a poster…. DC: Yeah. TS: …with three characters on it that never appear together on screen. DC: Yeah. Well they…yeah. I always remember “Heat” was like that too – Michael Mann, when De Niro and Pacino are on screen together, they’re never in a two-shot togethe

The Place Beyond the Pines Directed by Derek Cianfrance In “The Place Beyond the Pines,” Ryan Gosling is a motorcycle stunt rider (Luke) in a traveling carnival, who meets up with an old flame (Eva Mendes) as he passes back through Schenectady, New York, only to find reason to consider settling down. But his desire to make money and his riding ability translate into an unlikely series of bank robberies that bring the attention of local police, including Avery Cross, played by Bradley Cooper. Aside from a neat story and strong characters, what really sets this movie apart from most others is a very distinctive narrative structure that spans many years and multiple character arcs. In Febru

On Saturday, April 13, 2013, the Sacramento French Film Festival will bring Gainsbourg-mania to Sacramento for the fourth year in a row, with Serge! a party paying homage to one of France’s most provocative artists, Serge Gainsbourg. Featuring films, music, art and French cocktails, Serge! is one of the most fun and unique parties Sacramento has to offer! Serge Gainsbourg, a major figure in the 1960's, ‘70's, and ‘80's pop-culture, took the world by storm through a fog of Gitanes and alcohol, reinventing himself from Gainsbourg to “Gainsbarre”! Singer-songwriter, director, actor, photographer, provocateur, and iconoclast, Gainsbourg was the lover of sex-symbol Brigitte Bardot and fathered

Aspiring filmmakers -- professionals and weekenders – should come out to the next "Third Tuesday" workshop from the Capital Film Arts Alliance. It's on April 16 at The Art Institute at 7p.m. and will feature director Chris King and sound engineer Jimmy Bell. These guys know what they're doing with camera and sound, they've won awards and accolades galore, and are more than willing to share their "best tips" with others. This particular workshop is part of The Poe Project, a creative filmmaking, writing and literature project from the Capital Film Arts Alliance, the Sacramento Public Library, and a host of other arts groups and businesses. "The Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe" has been

The Sacramento International Film Festival will be continuing its legacy on April 20. This annual event will start with the 48-Hour Film Festival and close with the Digital Odyssey Conference on April 28. There will be numerous film screenings held each day during the week with films from all over the world.  This is an event that you definitely do not want to miss. Join as a member on www.sacramentofilmfestival.com for more information! The biggest event in the Sacramento area is just three weeks away! Hurry and purchase your tickets before they all run out! Editor’s note: Every Thursday we deliver a local event guide straight to your inbox, right on time to make your weekend plans.

The Host One of this week’s new movies is “The Host” based on the novel of the same name by Stephenie Meyer, known to most people as the author of the “Twilight” series of books. Meyer’s association with “The Host” is probably both the film’s best and worst marketing angle, given that the “Twilight” films have legions of both supporters and detractors. So what of the new film? In “The Host,” Meyer again crafts a story centered on a female (or apparently female) character, with relationships seen from her perspective. I say “apparently” because the initial main character Melanie is taken over by an alien parasitic being called Wanderer and the alien species is never defined in terms of ge

The second annual Sacramento Food Film Festival was held last weekend at the Guild Theater. Presented by Slow Food Sacramento and supported by a slew of local sponsors, this year's festival was better than ever. Founder and event organizer Catherine Enfield – who also blogs at Munchie Musings and was one of the originators of SactoMoFo – did a stellar job with both the planning and execution of the festival. In addition to lining up two films on Friday night and a whopping five films Saturday, Enfield organized a series of fun events to complement the films: discussions with filmmakers, a sushi tasting and a scavenger hunt, among others. Below are some scenes from Friday night at the festi

A Directors Week This is an interesting week with a slew of new releases, all of which are from directors with track records that include better or more interesting work than we’re getting now. Given the number of films this week, I’ll keep the reviews and commentary relatively short.   Olympus Has Fallen Directed by Antoine Fuqua Antione Fuqua is building a steady record of crime and action films, probably still most notably “Training Day” with Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke. In “Olympus Has Fallen,” he gives us what is essentially “Die Hard: The White House” only with Bruce Willis being played by Gerard Butler. That said, it’s a far more enjoyable film and also closer to the origi

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

Courage, brains, and a heart … and a movie about Oz Dead Man Down Directed by Niels Arden Oplev Oz the Great and Powerful Directed by Sam Raimi In an odd coincidence this week, after a screening of “Dead Man Down,” I was pondering its release alongside “Oz the Great and Powerful” and also recalling the “The Wizard of Oz” and its three characters in search of courage, brains, and a heart. Much to my surprise, “Dead man Down” which had looked like a fairly run of the mill action film in previews, actually has all three. Having said that, it’s not a fantastic film, and it has some problems, but it’s far more interesting than I was expecting. It’s directed by Niels Arden Oplev who directed

A more upbeat week at the movies After a relatively disappointing month of new releases, and no great expectation of that changing anytime soon, I was pleasantly surprised by two of this week’s new movies. Not that they’re especially wonderful, but they’re both quite a bit better than their previews might suggest.   Jack the Giant Slayer Directed by Bryan Singer Bryan Singer (“The Usual Suspects,” “X-Men,” “Superman Returns”) brings his B-game to this mashup of the traditional English fairy tales of “Jack and the Beanstalk” and “Jack the Giant Killer.” And for anyone who is offended that the movie takes generous liberties in blending and adapting these two stories into a new form, real