Sonoma Country Life

Dickens Dominates Upcoming Holiday Festivities

Consumed today's first reviews of Disney's A Christmas Carol with baited breath in case Dickens' most beloved, Victorian holiday story had been mishandled in any small way. With modern animation magician Robert Zemeckis (The Polar Express) at the helm and the one and only Jim Carrey infiltrating the very soul of Scrooge, the critics have been frolicking around like Fezziwig at the warehouse, leaping to new heights to applause the season's most anticipated cinematic offering.

Told the boys we'd wait until the holidays were actually here to head downtown to the Boulevard Theater and claim our seats for the festive ride of the year, though after absorbing the reviews I seriously doubt my own self-will to wait that long.

My soft spot for Dickens and his A Christmas Carol is revealed via my own particularly English brand of 'dulcet tones' , recorded at the 800 line for the upcoming San Francisco Great Dickens Christmas Fair! Call toll free on (800) 510-1558 for info and directions and details on how to pre-purchase tickets for the most fantastic Victorian Christmas card come to life:

FOUR WEEKENDS
including the FRIDAY
after Thanksgiving!
Fri. Nov. 27 thru
Sun. Dec. 20, 2009
11am-7pm
In the Cow Palace
Exhibition Halls

 It's one thing to immerse ourselves in the deep, dark depths of candlelit London in the comfort of a cinema auditorium and quite another thing altogether to wander the lamplit streets of the fantastic Dickens Fair, brushing shoulders with the literary likes of Nancy and Oliver, Mr Fezziwig and his family, even the maestro himself is approachable to the time-traveling visitor willing to participate in real life, festive living history of the unbeatable Victorian variety.

And while I'm on the subject, I'm just wrapping up a read of author Mathew Pearl's "The Last Dickens" which I picked up on a mad dash through Heathrow Aiport en-route back to California from England romps this summer. It sat on my bedside table for quite some time as I ploughed through a pile of great books that took me on a literary tour of various regions of the world. Waiting for the air to chill, Dickens would have his way before the winter and Pearl's novel, fictional approach to uncovering the mysteries of Dickens' unfinished, final "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" has forged an exceptionally fascinating link between the epic writer's extraordinary successes in the USA and the inspiration behind his enduring characters.  

Dinner and an Aerodynamic Date with Amelia

It's always advisable to travel on a full tummy and Sugo Trattoria on the Boulevard fit the bill for this evening's bite of supper prior to adventure's in cinematic exploration with Amelia.

My dinner date declared a dish of housemade pappardelle, rotisserie chicken, wild mushrooms, pistachios in a spicy broth just the ticket for taking on Ms Earhart's intrepid life story while I myself opted for even heartier fayre with the simmering special of slow braised short ribs in a red wine sauce over rigatoni. 

Having lunched at Sugo's several times over the past few months, I'd not had an opportunity to sample the cozy, yet stylish Trattoria's dinner menu. Suffice to say this is surely one of the best Monday night pre-movie dining spots in P'Town. 

"Defying the impossible, Living the Dream," Amelia Earhart vanished somewhere over the Pacific on July 2nd, 1937, but not before she had astonished the world with her own brand of historic feminine verve for brave solo discovery of the friendly skies.

On film, rather too much of the love story of which who really knew how much of it was true and not nearly enough of the fundamentals of Amelia herself. Though the planes and the clothes and the scenery were pretty fantastic. Kissing Richard Gere then Ewan McGregor, the Richard Gere again can't have been half bad, either and Hilary Swank's styling as the great Amelia was superb. 

One thing that really bugged me, however, is not knowing what a solo transatlantic pilot would have to do when she needed to pee?   

Berlin Film Festival Winner's North Bay Premier

Winner of Best Picture in the Berlin Film Festival as well as a plethora of additional global film festival awards, the core crew of super-talented Petalumans  who created the dark teenage, self-inflicted comedic movie My Suicide will make its first North Bay screening at the Mystic Theater this Friday night (September 25th).

Ran into Copperfield's Bookstores to pick up a few of these tix which are selling like hot-cakes,by the way,  such is the buzz around town about this quirky, original flick starring Gabe Sunday as Archie Williams, a 17-year old media geek who has suddenly finds himself the most talked-about kid in school.

To quote the movie's website: "Archie has announced that he's going to kill himself - on camera - for a class project. His classmates, parents, Sierra - the most beautiful girl in school (Brooke Nevin), and a "Shady Bunch" of shrinks, doctors, pill-pushers, and counselors descend on Archie. Some are hoping to save him, some want to imitate him, others try to push him over the brink. Archie films every moment of his high school experience, hiding nothing from his audience: realities of life, death, violence, sex, drugs, and the intense media overload and hypocrisy that bombard all teenagers."

Discribed by Vanity Fair Magazine as "'maddening and disarming with a flawless cast." Movie starts at 7.30pm. Meet the movie makers and their Moms (Dads, neighbors, old school friends!) from 6.30pm. Tickets are $15 general, $12 student available in person at Copperfields Book Store and at the Mystic Theater.

"Way too heavy in parts" for his younger brothers to comfortably process, I've taken it on good advice from my oldest film buff son, who saw the flick at its San Fran premier, that it's best not to bring young teens along for the visual stream of consciousness crashing into the Mystic later this week.

Teen Take on the Not-So-Rosy Side of SoCo Life

Warning: Discretionary Viewing Required, this is not your wine and roses viewpoint of local life (and yes, they do wash up well after filming): What does Quentin Tarantino's Mom tell her girlfriends at bridge about her boy's latest renditions on film, depicting the not so apple-pie nice side of American life? I should find out, as my oldest offspring continues to surprise me with his controversial take on Sonoma Country Life, as seen through the eyes of a teen about town. Offering to pen a foreword for his prolific, off-the-wall, cinematic offerings on certain aspects of Petaluma life, circa 2009, he declined me, but did make the following statement as to his particular inspirations for this short, musical film: "The film opens with a guest appearance by lead singer of Japanese Punk rock band Peelander-Z, we spent a few months on it, Damon Karr wrote the music, which samples "Soda Pop" by Britney Spears, with the addition of drums, banjo and bass guitar. The works of David Firth and Christian Pickup who have made a popular internet character named MC Devvo as well as the character Sir Digby Chicken Caesar on That Mitchell and Webb Look inspired this, as well as all the interesting characters that you can meet when you hang around downtown on a Thursday night. This piece isn't in anyway making fun of anyone, but rather hopes to portray these personalities in a somewhat positive light."

State of Play on the Bard's Birthday

"Cry ‘God for Harry, England and St George!" wrote the Bard William Shakespeare of his birthday, Saint George's Day (today).

Wonder what he would have made of the current state of play within the world of the printed word. Electronic reading devices leaving space on the bookshelf, e-cards, e-mail, instant messaging, texts, e-news, blogs, twitter, demise of many of this nation's oldest newspapers.

Half way through the newly released blockbuster "State of Play" starring Helen Mirren, Russel Crowe and Ben Affleck, the penny dropped that this was a Hollywood, big screen remake of the terrific BBC six-part series State of Play, that had held me gripped for weeks a couple years back.

It's always fascinating to see an American interpretation of a British drama unfold, a hit or miss undertaking, which, in this case, the director managed to pull off very nicely. A lot of that had to do with Crowe and Mirren, but it was ideally timed for release considering the current crisis in the U.S. newspaper industry.

There were no  'up-chucking bloggers' in the earlier BBC series, so swiftly has this platform staked a claim on traditional newspaper readership and I had to chuckle at Mirren's tough-talking editor line: "she's cheap, she's hungry and she churns out copy every hour."

The script shone a spotlight on the crushing dilemma of news organizations losing credibility by printing sub-par stories of sensationalism as opposed to maintaining a level of superior journalism at all costs.

In the end there was a meeting of the minds as the great monoliths of printed news know full well there has to be. Fast paced editions, on-line teasers and at the end of the day, a still constant demand for quality, in-depth reporting.

Who Does She Think She Is?

Everyone expects women to choose. Career, family, community or art. This wonderful, new documentary film from artist, writer, filmmaker and activist Pamela Tanner Boll is a must see for women of all ages.

Last time I was at the Rialto in Santa Rosa for a fundraiser my friend Lesley and I were practically the only women amongst hundreds of enthusiastic BMW bikers there to follow actor Ewan McGregor's epic Long Way Down from Scotland to South Africa.

Thursday night's special benefit for The Arts Council of Sonoma County on the other hand, was a very different demographic. Women from all over the county gathered to view artist,writer, filmmaker, activist Pamela Tanner Boll's magnificent Who Does She Think She Is documentary film on five female artists around the United States, following their paths to creative freedom.

I think my favorite of the five compelling women featured in the film was Janis Wunderlich, Mormon mother of five and on the face of it, a stereotypical stay-at-home, soccer mom. Taking a peek into her extraordinarily limited non-parenting time (sometimes a mere one hour a day), we were able to glimpse the phenomenon of her prolific, dark, quirky, compelling, two-headed sculptures, laden with animal-like creatures and kids. "I've never been anywhere," says Janis, "but my artwork has." 

In fact, her artwork has reached such critical acclaim that it comes as quite a surprise to her fellow churchgoers, who have her pegged as the quintessential Mormon mom as she dashes around from schools to piano practice. if you'd put her in a line up of women artists, you too would be unlikely to pick her out as the sculptor creator of such fantastic creatures.

Each character in the film is an inspiration for women wondering how to find the time for creativity and how to put this as a priority in their lives.

The film runs at the Rialto through Monday.

Filling the Sopranos Slot

Mastermind producer David Chase, the man behind “The Sopranos,” is reuniting with HBO for what promises to be another mega new mini-series, this time on the history of another type of mob altogether: Hollywood.

According to news out of HBO this week, the new mini-series, called “A Ribbon of Dreams,” will track the path of two main characters from movie making pioneer beginnings, through to studio mogul status. Chase, it has been widely reported over the past couple of days, will write and executive produce the new HBO project. He took a well earned break from TV after  “The Sopranos” wrapped up biz about two years back. Definitely worth waiting for.

Meanwhile, what a tragedy it is that one of the world's foremost royal family's of acting is mourning the shocking, sudden death of the noble Natasha Richardson. Daughter of Vanessa Redgrave and wife of Liam Neeson, Natasha was the epitome of English elegance, a fine actor in her own right (despite such a lofty, theatrical lineage to have cheerfully lived up to) and a dedicated mum of two young boys.

I can't but help to think of Liam Neeson's heartfelt performance a few years back in the holiday classic "Love Actually", in which he portrayed a newly widowed Dad. How truly sad that life would imitate art in such a few short years.

As for one of Natasha's most recent big screen legacies, 2007's luminous Evening is a lasting example of the lovely relationship she shared with her mother, Vanessa, both on screen and off. I've watched this movie several times with the wonderful Claire Danes, Glen Close and Toni Collette completing the phenomenal five of an ethereal telling of the interweaving life stories of women. Natasha Richardson was not ours to keep.

Beating the Blues In Bruges

How did we miss out on the movie "In Bruges" on the big screen? I can't fathom how this fantastic film slipped by the radar for so many of us last Spring. Granted, I had heard it was good,in an existentialist sort of way and the Golden Globe awards certainly brought a wave of accolades for the acting, but somehow I'd managed to turn a blind eye to this one until it finally came out on DVD.

There's something about Colin Farrell and those undeniably magnificent black eyebrows of his that still managed to elude me before this movie came out.

Now that I've finally seen the film I'm confessing a new found appreciation of the Dublin born, former goalie with a badder than bad-boy reputation. For Farrell's portrayal of hit man Ray on an enforced hide out in the unlikely locale of snow-capped Bruges was absolutely brilliant.

Not only had I missed out on seeing this magnificent film when it was first released, I'd kept myself totally in the dark as to the outrageous appearance of Ralph Fiennes' in the movie until his treacherous role as Harry unfolded at the other end of a long distance phone call to the brilliant Brendan Gleeson's take on Ray's sidekick Ken. Have you ever heard Fiennes tackle the vernacular of an East End mob boss? Completely unrecognizable until you see who it is at the other end of the phone. And let me say just this, when he shows up in Bruges, it's a big moment. The man has presence. No denying that.

I could watch this movie again and again, once for the nuances of the unorthodox relationships, and then for the Christmas time setting, which, despite the irony of Ray's considering this a hell on earth, is really rather beautiful in a stark, solid, Flemish kind of way.

And what's best about watching a film like "In Bruges" right now, it's a sure-fire way to banish the blues and escape our present American doldrums for a cinematic dose of a far different reality for some.

Three cheers for the pregnant hotel owner, a modern day movie hero. Loved it.

 

Il Y A Longtemps Que Je T'aime

If you haven't already, then Netflix the exquisite, though utterly Oscar-snubbed,  Il y a longtemps que je t'aime (I've Loved You So Long, starring the spectacularly steely, French side of bi-lingual Brit, Kristin Scott Thomas.

Nominated for a Golden Globe (Hollywood Foreign Press), Scott Thomas had a little more of a look-in for an American award, but it's good to see that the film swept the Berlin Festival last year, at least.

And although it's a film about women, don't be under the impression that this is a chick flick. The Italian husband made it through the subtitles with me and we both thought it a superbly crafted cinematic offering by French writer/director Philippe Clauder.

Not least for Scott Thomas who transforms from a total emotional shut-down as the haunted Juliette,  newly released 15-year prison-term inmate of some unspeakable crime into a woman of emerging self worth. The sisterly relationship that unfolds between Juliette and Lea is the focal point of the film, despite some dynamite performances by key family members including a couple of adorable adoptees.

The French approach to life and women of a certain age certainly is refreshing and the language & country house scenes just sublime.

It's hard not to think of Scott Thomas in the English Patient (one of my all-time favorite love stories on film) and later for laughs, in Four Weddings and a Funeral and splendid Gosford Park type roles, where her British poise is so perfectly at home. The fact that her French side is so compelling should have won her far more accolades in the awards department, in my humble opinion.

Big Time Berlin Film Festival Win for Petaluma Actor

Contrary to the standard 'Rainy Days and Sundays', a dark and drizzly Sabbath doesn't always get me down! Especially when receiving exciting news from Sunday on Sunday.

The lovely Laura Sunday (tireless Taste of Petaluma & Petaluma Chili Festival producer) is fit to burst with pride as she shares the news of her talented son Gabriel Sunday's prestigious Crystal Bear Award win at the Berlin Film Festival for a movie in which he not only performed the lead role, but also co-wrote, co-edited and co-produced.

Development, production and filming of My Perfect Suicide , Crystal Bear Award winner for the Generation 14 Plus Category, took five long years to complete amidst this dynamic and determined former Petalumans' hectic schedule as an LA-based actor in demand.

Having recently appeared in Year One, opposite the awesome Jack Black and also in lauded director Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock, the future is looking pretty darn fabulous for Gabe.

Not bad at all for a humble start right here as a youngster giving it his all on the hallowed floorboards of Petaluma's Cinnabar Theater. Which certainly explains Laura's incredible passion for fundraising for our favorite theater.

The successes of the inspirational Sundays prove that it pays to dream big. Congratulations to Gabe!