Rest In Peace, Grasshopper.

Yesterday I returned to Taughannock Falls in Trumansburg, and walked around its surrounding trail. As I was walking, I got thinking: "When was the last time I went camping?" I used to go camping all the time when I was little. I'd love to spend a couple of nights with nature and the woods again. I might try to do that this summer. Meanwhile, here are two pictures of the falls:

Today I had my first electrolysis appointment. Boy, did that hurt! But after years of tweezing, waxing, shaving, bleaching, I'm ready to do away with it once and for all. The needle itself feels like a pinch. Initially, I felt more pain from the tweezing (when she was doing my chin), but the upper lip is a very sensitive area, and I squirmed through the last part.

I'm wrapping up the DVD and going to start coordinating new interviews soon. I'm also planning on finishing up the High Falls Panels this week.

Meanwhile, David Carradine died.

Being of a certain generation, I've only seen him in Kill Bill, but being a follower of popular culture, I've always been aware of his reputation.

His death was (and is) a shock, but I can't say that I'm surprised he died the way he did. My first real exposure to Carradine was a 1998 People Magazine article which documented a lot of his wild past. (Later, I found out the article was written to repair damage done by an article printed in People's Australian counterpart, WHO.) That article isn't online, but here's another article that explains a little bit. Another item was also posted at The Smoking Gun recently. With that being said, I hope his family does have an opportunity to investigate what happened.

I'm considering joining Twitter. I've been following other people's Twitters for awhile now, and I need to group them together. Dunno if I'm going to Twitter myself.

The High Falls Experience

So It's been awhile. To tell the truth, I haven't really missed blogging much.

High Falls is a nice local festival geared toward older people. I'm glad I got a press badge, because in all honesty, I'm not sure if I would've wanted to spend the $175 on it. At the risk of losing my press credentials for next year, I'm going to launch a critique right now:

I think the festival could do more to attract younger people. They showed The 500 Days of Summer (which wasn't too bad, but another post) and Easy Virtue, but a lot of their guests aren't really youth-friendly: even guest (and High Falls board member) Lesley Stahl commented that there weren't too many young people in the audience. From what I observed, most of the main people involved in the festival don't seem like people who are too interested in attracting young people to the festival. I'm not saying they should do away with having people like Lesley Stahl and Lynn Redgrave as guests, but do these people know that Kristen Wiig grew up in Rochester? Or even know who Kristen Wiig is? I suppose that clips from SNL, Knocked Up, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, and Adventureland wouldn't be enough to constitute the 10 minute montages they compiled of each guest to fill up time.

Given how the schedule is laid out, I don't know if these people attend any other festivals besides their own. Other than the movies that win their awards, no film gets a second screening, and the only panels they offer (Lesley Stahl aside) revolve around the recipients of the Susan B. Anthony "Failure is Impossible". When I told one of the staff members that I was doing work on behalf of The Film Panel Notetaker, she asked "What's A Panel?" More panels and more screenings might attract more people from outside the area.

As well as actually giving directions to their venues. I had directions to the Geva Theater from Google, but the address listed at Google was that of their storage building. Printing the directions on their program might have saved me from missing the CCH Pounder Panel.* Their shuttle was hardly ever on time, and they didn't even bother to give their volunteers any schedule as to when the buses show up. I ended up cutting out of Easy Virtue early because I didn't want to keep my brother waiting too long, and I didn't trust the shuttle. When the artistic director remarked that she thought the festival was "running smoothly", I thought, "If it's running so smoothly, why can't they keep their shuttles on time?"

I suppose that the trip was made somewhat worthwhile was meeting and speaking with Jack Garner (anyone who's lived in the Rochester area at some point and is a movie buff knows who he is) and Lynn Redgrave. Meeting Lynn Redgrave was the highlight of the festival, easily. Still gorgeous at 66, I told her how much I loved Georgy Girl, and that I had just seen This Sporting Life (which she's not in) the weekend before. She's a very nice lady, and quite honestly, I'm pleased to meet anyone who was involved in the British New Wave, especially Tony Richardson's sister-in-law (Richardson also directed Lynn in Tom Jones). I should have her panel up on TFPN sometime next week.

I might go again next year if they have some worthwhile guests (like Ms. Redgrave), and I'm not too far away.

Last night, though, I watched Steven Soderbergh's The Girlfriend Experience on Demand. I enjoyed it. Soderbergh said he looked to his own movie The Limey for inspiration, and if you liked that movie (or Out of Sight), you'll probably like this one, too. I thought Sasha Grey did a good job, and while casting her might have been stunt casting, I could see Grey crossing over from porn. She's icy without being stilted, she's vulnerable without being over the top. I hope it comes out on DVD soon enough, since I doubt I'll get a second chance to watch this before 6:30 tonight.

* I did get to meet Ms. Pounder later, and what a nice lady!

Little Noises and 'The Limits of Control'

Today I went to Rochester to pick up my Press Pass for the High Falls Film Festival. On the way, I passed by The Little Theatre, Rochester's best known art house movie theater. What are they playing?

The Soloist. And State of Play. Real Art House movies, you know?

The Little used to play all kinds of quirky independent films. I realize this not a great time for the economy, or mainstream independent films, and maybe they're bringing in more mainstream movies to offset losses. Either way, it's a shame. I saw so many entertaining independent films at SXSW this year, and the only reason why they're not coming to The Little is because they don't have mainstream distribution. The Little is a non-profit organization, so it's not like it can't take a chance.

In other Independent Film News, Salon.com's Andrew O'Hehir has an interesting interview with Jim Jarmusch about his new movie The Limits of Control. Dunno if this one is coming to The Little, though. Doubt it. Also, Richard Linklater was named Woodstock's Maverick for 2009. I like his response:

"Although the term 'maverick' was greatly devalued in last year's election cycle, I'll humbly take on this honor and as a Texas filmmaker help reclaim the term in the tradition of the famous Texas cattleman Samuel Maverick who refused to brand his cattle. I would like to think it was for humane reasons but the legend goes that he was just too lazy and uninterested in ranching to care. I think there may be an indie filmmaking analogy in there somewhere... regardless, I look forward to being with all of you up in Woodstock this fall."

I only hope I can go back! This should be a good year!