Will Geers' Theatricum Botanicum, the idyllic setting of the four-day California festival, began life as a refuge for actors who were persecuted in the name of anti-communism
The audience arriving for the opening night of the 8th Topanga film festival at the Theatricum Botanicum are greeted by a veritable wooded wonderland. Think Sundance in the Shire, with drinks in front of the Hamlet Hut, a dusty brook and musicians strumming acoustic guitars under giant oak trees.
A trio of belly dancers perform on the wooden stage of the majestic open-air auditorium before the first night screening of Kyle Ruddick's One Day on Earth, while the half moon throws out a glowing silvery light.
"It's beautiful here, just perfect," says festival director Urs Baur, to a cheering crowd, who in deference to the festival's wolf logo, collectively howl at the moon.
The Theatricum Botanicum, nestled deep in Topanga canyon, which sits east of Malibu,...
The audience arriving for the opening night of the 8th Topanga film festival at the Theatricum Botanicum are greeted by a veritable wooded wonderland. Think Sundance in the Shire, with drinks in front of the Hamlet Hut, a dusty brook and musicians strumming acoustic guitars under giant oak trees.
A trio of belly dancers perform on the wooden stage of the majestic open-air auditorium before the first night screening of Kyle Ruddick's One Day on Earth, while the half moon throws out a glowing silvery light.
"It's beautiful here, just perfect," says festival director Urs Baur, to a cheering crowd, who in deference to the festival's wolf logo, collectively howl at the moon.
The Theatricum Botanicum, nestled deep in Topanga canyon, which sits east of Malibu,...
- 8/8/2012
- by Lisa Marks
- The Guardian - Film News
Ron Howard was a beloved child actor who showed some directing chops with Splash, a fantasy-themed comedy but he truly showed that he was a director to be taken seriously with his follow-up, 1985’s Cocoon . The movie was light-hearted, but a drama, which immediately showed his range. Additionally, Howard worked with a collection of veteran actors and he coaxed terrific performances from them all, resulting in Don Ameche’s Supporting Actor Oscar.
The movie is referenced now and then but has largely slipped from the collective consciousness, which is a shame, because it’s a nice story, well told, and worth seeing again. 20th Century Home Entertainment has released a 25th anniversary edition on Blu-ray and interestingly, rather then now-common combo pack, this a single Blu-ray disc retailing for the reasonable $24.95.
Watching the movie is a delight because we see long-gone veterans like Ameche, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Jack Gilford,...
The movie is referenced now and then but has largely slipped from the collective consciousness, which is a shame, because it’s a nice story, well told, and worth seeing again. 20th Century Home Entertainment has released a 25th anniversary edition on Blu-ray and interestingly, rather then now-common combo pack, this a single Blu-ray disc retailing for the reasonable $24.95.
Watching the movie is a delight because we see long-gone veterans like Ameche, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Jack Gilford,...
- 4/14/2010
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
From John Huston's "The Dead" to Thomas Vinterberg's "The Celebration", large family gatherings on special occasions have been potent subject matter in the hands of an accomplished moviemaker. While rookie writer-director Hope Perello is a little woozy in her direction, the low-budget U.S. indie "St. Patrick's Day" is a satisfying mix of comedy and drama with excellent performances by headliners Piper Laurie and Joanne Baron.
St. Patrick's Day the holiday, the tradition, is a time for singing and wailing, lovemaking and fighting, drinking and praying. These activities and more occur in Perello's mostly gentle, civilized film that has no shocking family secrets like in Huston and Vinterberg's more ambitious but gloomier films.
But the payoffs in "St. Patrick's Day" are well worth spending 105 minutes with the Donnellys and McDonoughs, Irish-Americans who are not far removed from the immigrant experience. Life has been good to the dozen or so characters in the film, but in the tradition of such scenarios, many big and little crises and epiphanies occur. Perello opts for matter-of-fact portraits of individuals, their talents and failings, with some wonderfully intimate moments and singing performances.
Second cousins surrender to their lustful desires, a married couple of 15 years announce their pending divorce, the matriarch of the family declares at the start of dinner that she has taken the "pledge" and forbids any drinking of alcohol, an unpopular but cheerfully honored restriction that is eventually resolved in favor of the imbibers.
Perello keeps the pace moving along nicely but allows the actors to have many unhurried moments where the characters come into focus. The most endearing and satisfying story line relates the long-overdue coming together of widow Mary Pat (Laurie) and gentlemanly Thomas (Redmond M. Gleeson), two great friends who in a exquisitely filmed scene, the film's best, become great lovers.
Both actors are thoroughly engaging in their roles thanks more to Perello's writing than often too-conservative directing. Baron is likewise terrific as Mary Pat's daughter, who is in the middle of breaking up with her husband (Jim Metzler). He delivers a heart-felt and eloquent farewell to the assembled family in another splendid scene.
Working out the story's constraints of time and locale, Perello overall gets the job done nicely. The all-around superb cast includes David Ault, Herta Ware and Colleen Fitzpatrick.
ST. PATRICK'S DAY
Sceneries International
Sceneries Euorpe, Enrique Cerezo Producciones
Cinematograficas, Marvel Movies
Writer-director: Hope Perello
Producers: Hope Perello, Kindra Anne Ruocco
Executive producers: Philippe Diaz, Philippe Lenglet
Director of photography: Denise Brassard
Production designer: Timothy Bride Keating
Editor: Ann Nervin Job
Music: Michael Muhlfriedel
Color/stereo
Cast:
Mary Pat: Piper Laurie
Priss: Joanne Baron
Adam: Jim Metzler
Thomas: Redmond M. Gleeson
Running time -- 105 minutes
No MPAA rating...
St. Patrick's Day the holiday, the tradition, is a time for singing and wailing, lovemaking and fighting, drinking and praying. These activities and more occur in Perello's mostly gentle, civilized film that has no shocking family secrets like in Huston and Vinterberg's more ambitious but gloomier films.
But the payoffs in "St. Patrick's Day" are well worth spending 105 minutes with the Donnellys and McDonoughs, Irish-Americans who are not far removed from the immigrant experience. Life has been good to the dozen or so characters in the film, but in the tradition of such scenarios, many big and little crises and epiphanies occur. Perello opts for matter-of-fact portraits of individuals, their talents and failings, with some wonderfully intimate moments and singing performances.
Second cousins surrender to their lustful desires, a married couple of 15 years announce their pending divorce, the matriarch of the family declares at the start of dinner that she has taken the "pledge" and forbids any drinking of alcohol, an unpopular but cheerfully honored restriction that is eventually resolved in favor of the imbibers.
Perello keeps the pace moving along nicely but allows the actors to have many unhurried moments where the characters come into focus. The most endearing and satisfying story line relates the long-overdue coming together of widow Mary Pat (Laurie) and gentlemanly Thomas (Redmond M. Gleeson), two great friends who in a exquisitely filmed scene, the film's best, become great lovers.
Both actors are thoroughly engaging in their roles thanks more to Perello's writing than often too-conservative directing. Baron is likewise terrific as Mary Pat's daughter, who is in the middle of breaking up with her husband (Jim Metzler). He delivers a heart-felt and eloquent farewell to the assembled family in another splendid scene.
Working out the story's constraints of time and locale, Perello overall gets the job done nicely. The all-around superb cast includes David Ault, Herta Ware and Colleen Fitzpatrick.
ST. PATRICK'S DAY
Sceneries International
Sceneries Euorpe, Enrique Cerezo Producciones
Cinematograficas, Marvel Movies
Writer-director: Hope Perello
Producers: Hope Perello, Kindra Anne Ruocco
Executive producers: Philippe Diaz, Philippe Lenglet
Director of photography: Denise Brassard
Production designer: Timothy Bride Keating
Editor: Ann Nervin Job
Music: Michael Muhlfriedel
Color/stereo
Cast:
Mary Pat: Piper Laurie
Priss: Joanne Baron
Adam: Jim Metzler
Thomas: Redmond M. Gleeson
Running time -- 105 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 3/17/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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