Wild At Heart
"In Your Eyes" - best song in a movie (Say Anything, 1989). I have always loved the scene where John Cusack trying to impress the girl, Ione Skye, by playing the song over the old beat box. I got thinking of this movie this weekend after meeting a truly beautiful woman who unfortunately is in a relationship. If my life was a movie, I could pull some stunt like this and win her affection. Yet experience tells me doing this would more likely result in getting arrested (Billy Gets Arrested, 1913) or at least a restraining order.
In the meantime, I have the DWIFF this weekend to keep myself occupied. I went to the opening reception yesterday at the Rec Center during what I thought was a major storm (best weather sequence - Wizard Of Oz, 1939) as I was watching the dust swirl over I-75 and packages of foam blow across like some weird obstacle course.
The reception was nice featuring hor d'erves by Andiamo's Restaurants and chocolate covered strawberries from the melting pot (best chocolate moment - Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, 1971). I took some time to pick on my photographer (best movie about a photographer - Blow Up, 1966) and drink some wine (best movie about wine - Sideways, 2004).
Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano gave a little talk about the benefits of the festival here in the Detroit area (best film about Detroit - Robocop, 1987) by creating a positive environment for filmmakers thus hoping to create more jobs in the area for caterers and other jobs that films will bring in like the recent filming of Prayers For Bobby starring Sigourney Weaver here in the area (best Sigourney Weaver film - Alien, 1979).
I got to talk to one resident historian/filmmaker Sharon Sexton about her new documentary "Black Bottom And Paradise Valley: The Forgotten Legend" which looks at some areas in Detroit known for segregation. Black Bottom was an area near Gratiot and Vernor Highway which became a major African-American community until it was demolished in the 1960's and Paradise valley was an entertianment district which contains jazz clubs and night clubs where such luminaries as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Count Bassie played.
The film will be shown on Friday, June 27th at 9PM so make sure to check out http://www.dwiff.org/ for ticket info and learn something about the exciting past of the Detroit area you may not be familiar with.Of course, there are many other fine films this weekend such as the new Jonathan Winters documentary "Certifiably Jonathan" where he tries to get one of his painting in the Museum Of Modern Art, the family film "Flyboys" which involves two kids who discover a mysterious airplane which they sneak into and come to find out they have foiled a heist and many others. I am looking forward to seeing "Minotauro" where a mother's vision of the future sees one of her sons betray her and "Helldrivers" about a traveling band of stunt drivers.
There are plenty of choices for everyone, so make sure to check out the schedules and support this inaugural film festival.In the meantime, I am heading out to the Buick Open (best golf movie - Caddyshack, 1980) and don't forget you can go to the Stars And Stripes Festival today and see the statue of Dave from the new Eddie Murphy film "Meet Dave" (besy Murphy film - 48 Hours, 1982).
