“Twilight” at Old Pasadena Film Fest
By Pasadena Independent
Published: Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
The 2009 Old Pasadena Film Festival fades to black this weekend with, as is their habit, an eclectic spate of films.
Whether you’re a movie snob with a taste for musicals, a tweenage philistine with the hots for Robert Pattinson, or even just a curse-carrying member of the Gypsy clan, there’s something for every demo.
And did I mention, unlike Harry Potter and his capitalist pig corporate cohorts, all shows are free?!
AN AMERICAN IN PARIS is first up Friday with a 7:30pm showing at Distant Lands (54 S. Raymond Ave.).
Gene Kelly stars as Jerry Mulligan in this MGM film centering on a struggling American painter (is there any other kind?) in Paris. After years of toiling away, Jerry is “discovered” by an influential heiress.
Complications, of course, arise when the heiress falls for Jerry while Jerry’s heart belongs to another dame. I know, I know, love triangles can be so square. The film, inspired by a 1928 orchestral composition by George Gershwin, captured a slew of Oscars, including Best Picture.
Why yes, the drapes do indeed match the curtains.
Also screening Friday is GYPSY, a 1962 musical based on the life of famed burlesque dancer Gypsy Rose Lee and her overbearing stage-mom, Mama Rose. If you thought the stage parents of BRUNO were awful, they’ve got nothing on Mama Rose.
The film features a bevy of commanding performances, Natalie Wood as the titular character and the late Karl Malden as Herbie Sommers are especially effective.
And most notable of all: without Gypsy, we wouldn’t have SHOWGIRLS. Gypsy screens at 8:30pm at One Colorado Courtyard (41 Hugus Alley). And rest assured, chairs will be provided.
Saturday brings another dose of the effervescent Natalie Wood. This time she shines as the star-crossed Maria in the acclaimed worldwide smash WEST SIDE STORY.
It follows its source material—Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”—to a fault, yet its stylistic achievements make up for the overly formulaic plotting. And here’s a mighty interesting trivia tidbit: Elvis Presley was originally considered for the role of the doomed Tony, however his manager, Colonel Parker nixed the idea believing the role was wrong for the legendary singer.
These jazz hands'll sure scare 'em!
Even without the King, the film won 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and continues to be the standard-bearer for which all musicals are judged. WEST SIDE STORY screens at 8:30pm at One Colorado Courtyard (41 Hugus Alley).
And for the big finale, it’s the, like, omg, totes-awesome MTV award-sweeping vampire epic TWILIGHT.
This thing is a full-fledged phenomenon—grossing a bloody good $382 million at the worldwide box office, earning nearly $150 million in DVD sales– and with a can’t miss sequel due out in November, those gaudy numbers will just keep multiplying.
Whether or not the film’s any good doesn’t really matter. In fact, an audience of critics, made up mostly of doe-eyed teen girls, have already screamed, texted and tweeted an affirmative.
"So... if you, like, turn into a bat, I'm so totally dead."
It’s easy to see why. The power-pop prose of Stephanie Meyer’s novel translates effortlessly to cinema thanks to a ponderous voice-over by our heroine, the perfectly named, Bella Swan (played by the coldly efficient Kristen Stewart).
Add to that, as Bella’s brooding and sensitive Edward, a star-making turn by heartthrob Robert Pattinson and you have a rare event, a cosmic blast of light, sure to bury any vampires, of the critical kind.
TWILIGHT screens, appropriately enough, under night’s stars at 9pm on the Rooftop of Schoolhouse Parking Garage (33 E. Green Street).
By Matthew Burch, FilmSquirrel.com
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