Paul Giamatti and Alex Shaffer in Win Win.By Hap ErsteinPalm Beach County used to be film-festival challenged, but now we have a glut of options for moviegoers who want to get away from a steady diet of studio fare and perhaps rub shoulders with some of the filmmakers. It is, after all, not a hard sell to get directors and actors to come to Palm Beach in the final, … [Read more...]
Film appreciation: Remembering Dennis Hopper, counterculture icon
Dennis Hopper in Easy Rider.By Hap ErsteinI was in college when I first came under the influence of Dennis Hopper, going with my roommate and fellow counterculture rebel wannabe to see a movie called Easy Rider, which Hopper wrote, directed and appeared in.It was a call to all of us closet revolutionaries to leave our humdrum lives behind and hit the open road, … [Read more...]
Film feature: Palm Beach Film Fest fading at 15th anniversary
The cast of Altar Boyz at Jacksonville’s Stanton CollegePreparatory School, from Thespians.By Hap ErsteinCut down to five days, and minus the glitzy gala that always seemed more important to its organizers than the movies themselves, the Palm Beach International Film Festival at 15 is reportedly on its last legs.After a decade and a half, the event never really … [Read more...]
Film reviews: At PBI Film Fest, documentaries rule
The hip-hop seniors of Gotta Dance.By Hap ErsteinWhether it is because of which films were chosen to be screened in advance and which others I could get my hands on, this year’s Palm Beach International Film Festival (on through Monday, April 27 around the county) seems to be strong in documentaries. Here are some capsule reviews of films available to be seen this weekend.Gotta … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: April 23-27
England's Chichester Cathedral.Music: The Master Chorale of South Florida wraps its 2008-09 season with the Chichester Psalms of Leonard Bernstein, proof positive that it was good for the composer to stay away from conducting for a while and write; it was his 1965 sabbatical from the New York Philharmonic that engendered the creation of this classic of contemporary choral … [Read more...]
Film feature: Joel Zwick’s big fat Greek killing
John Corbett and Nia Vardalos in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.By Hap ErsteinJoel Zwick is rarely mentioned in the company of such great directors as Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese or Francis Ford Coppola, but he has achieved something that none of them has.He directed the highest-grossing romantic comedy of all-time, a little independent film called My Big Fat Greek Wedding, … [Read more...]
Film review: ‘Stone of Destiny’ weightless bit of whimsy
Charlie Cox and Kate Mara in Stone of Destiny.By Hap ErsteinThere’s a jaunty, jingoistic caper picture waiting to be made from Ian Hamilton’s account of how he and handful of his college pals tried to steal the so-called Coronation Stone from Westminster Abbey on Christmas Eve in 1950.Unfortunately, Stone of Destiny, Thursday’s opening night feature at the Palm Beach … [Read more...]
ArtsBuzz: Palm Beach, Delray film fests smaller this year
Charlie Cox and Kate Mara in Stone of Destiny. By Hap Erstein“Downsizing” is the operative word for this year’s local film festivals, both the Palm Beach International and the Delray Beach Fest.The countywide Palm Beach International Film Festival, now in its 14th year and in search of a new chairman to steer it, will run a mere five days -- down from its usual eight -- and … [Read more...]