Newport Film Festival

This weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Newport Film Festival. One of my friends is doing PR for the event and got me VIP access to some amazing films....and one not so amazing film!  

Newport is a fun place to visit in Southern California...it's quite surreal and totally in-line with all the reality tv shows you see on TV. Amazing homes with unprecedented views of the water, high-fashion shopping, elaborate apparel worn for the most mundane tasks, and the home of the Newport Beach film festival! Shows were previewed at Fashion Island and at The Lido theater on Balboa Island. All sorts of celebrities were in attendance for the showings and the fabulous post parties.  

We drove up on Saturday and Sunday to check out the "scene" and see a few shows. It was quite entertaining! Two shows that I must recommend are "That's It, That's All" and "Rudo y Cursi". 

If you are a snow fan - skier or snowboarder, you'll appreciate "That's It, That's All" - the movie is a breathtaking documentary about snowboarding done with a fantastic soundtrack and the most amazing cinematography. I found myself grasping my seat and moving my feet as if I was riding the Alaskan glaciers and New Zealand terrain with these masters. Check out the trailers to see for yourself.  

For those who enjoy the Cuarón brother's (Carlos & Alfonso) films (i.e. "Y Tu Mama También", "Children of Men"), you'll love this new film with Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, "Rudo y Cursi".  This is Carlos's directorial debut and he couldn't have had a better pair of actors. The film is about two brother's plights to get out of the 'campo' and obtain fútbol stardom as professional soccer players in Mexico City. Gael and Diego are phenomenal together, as always, and the Argentine narrator and talent scout adds a soothing continuity to the movie. Even if you speak Spanish fluently, you still may need to defer to some of the subtitles as the Mexican slang is, as usual, quite prevalent! 

Now I better get on booking a flight for heli-skiing...where to go?! 

PS - the movie NOT to see.... "Made for Each Other". I wanted to poke both my eyes out!