In Pictures: "ONCE"

My good friend Christine and I went to catch the final performance of "Once" last night at Pantages. I have been waiting for this musical to come to town after it bowed to glowing reviews more than two years ago on Broadway. It went on to sweep the Tony Awards - winning 8! - the following year. I loved the movie the musical was based on and this version makes the story, though sad and heartbreaking, just more special.

I loved the cast, too! Amazing! The play did not require an orchestra because the cast played multi-parts and acted as their own orchestra. It was an awesome display of theatrical ingenuity and talent. If there's an instrument to measure talent, the cast of ONCE would surely shatter that to pieces! They are so great!

They played for three weeks in Los Angeles and San Diego will be their next stop. I believe they are playing for 7 straight nights at the San Diego Civic Center (or something). If you live in San Diego, make time to catch this wonderful production and experience the awesome talent of the cast.

Here are some pictures we took yesterday...

...and here are our selfies with the cast!

my signed playbill!!

with Stuart Ward

with Dani deWaal

with Raymond Bokhour

with Donna Garner

with Evan Harrington (he was Brian in "Avenue Q")

with Ryan Link

with Erica Swindell

with Claire Wellin

with John Steven Gardner

xxx

Raymond Lo

Film Review: "The Hundred-Foot Journey"

I had no great expectations going into “The Hundred-Foot Journey” when my good friend (Oliver Carnay) and I went to the Arclight in Hollywood last Monday upon the invitation of Disney to watch a sneak peek. I had two reasons why I wasn’t so keen about it: first, the trailer was not really catchy and, second, I am not aware there was a book of that title and, of course, I never got to read it.

You can forget all that because the movie turned out to be such a heartwarming little gem that made me feel really, really good about the world and about myself. You would want to live in that small Parisian town where the story is set. You would want to live in their part of the world and experience the inherent kindness and, well, competitiveness in people, and feel secure about your surrounding.

There's a certain charm in the kind of movies that Lasse Hallstrom has been making lately and “The Hundred-Foot Journey” is a worthy addition to his already impressive filmography. The material itself is not really groundbreaking – it’s rather a simple story of a young boy's rise to fulfill his destiny despite the typical odds but that uncomplicated premise and the simple elements in the movie are the very reason that lends the movie its charm. 

We long for a world where we can root for our hero to succeed and to have a triumphant homecoming. We long for a world where there's simplicity and sophistication but the genuine shared respect and understanding among neighbors permeate the air. We long for a world where a small town can have the sophistication and worldliness of a big city but retains its genial charm and innocence.  We get all that in this movie. Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg are two of the producers that take us to that world and for that we owe them our thanks.

Finally, this movie makes us long for a fusion not just of a particular cuisine but of culture and people so that the world will just be a much better place to live in. It may take a hundred-foot journey or a thousand hike (which is what the family actually did when they were forced out of India) to get there but it's the promise of peace that makes us take that initial step and continue on with the journey.

Rating: 4 ½ Stars

XXX
Raymond Lo

2015 Palm Springs International Film Festival Tickets - On Sale Now!

Hello dear readers!

Here's an important announcement concerning tickets to the film festival that opens the festival season every year! We can now buy tickets this early!!! Let's go!

Below is the official invite.

Greetings!

Mark your calendar now for the 26th Palm Springs International Film Festival, scheduled from January 2 - 12, 2015. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you to the Festival for another year of the best feature films and documentaries from every corner of the globe.

Passes, event tickets and ticket packages are now available for sale on-line at
www.psfilmfest.org.  

Demand for passes always exceeds supply so we urge you to go on-line and make your purchases today.

Our hugely popular Platinum Pass  provides the pass holder with the opportunity for priority entry at all International Gala, Special Presentation and regular screenings, along with our Talking Pictures line up of seminars and in-person interviews. Benefactor Passes (no-wait, no-line reserved seating and a VIP seat at the Awards Gala) are available now in a very limited number. A full explanation of the benefits of each pass can be found on our website.

Other ticket options available for purchase include the Reel Deal Six Pack , which make great gifts, and individual tickets to the Opening and Closing Night Screenings & Galas.

Order soon because once this year's limited number of passes sells out, they're gone for good!   Go on-line today to www.psfilmfest.org, call our special ticket line at 760-778-8979 during regular business hours.

Seating and tables are now available for the prestigious Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala. Presented by Cartier, the Awards Gala will take place on Saturday, January 3, 2015 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. This star-studded event is an exciting and glamorous evening that you won't want to miss.

Book your hotel accommodations now!
Visit our website and take advantage of the special Festival rates offered by our great hotel partners.

We promise to deliver eleven unforgettable days of the best in world cinema and want to thank you for making PSIFF one of the most prestigious and well-attended film events in the world.   
See you in January!

Palm Springs International Film Society

See you at the fest!

xxx
Raymond Lo
                 

Trailers: Christopher Nolan's "INTERSTELLAR"!

Folks - how are you today? If you are feeling good, bad or anything, i hope (Chris Nolan, actually) that this new poster and trailer for Interstellar will change all that for the better.

Check out the new trailer for one of the fall's most awaited movies here.



"Interstellar" opens November 2014!

Can't wait!

XXX
Raymond Lo

Film Review: "Boyhood"

I finally got to see "Boyhood" yesterday afternoon. It is an ambitious film that pays off enormously. I loved it.

The movie tracks the years in the life of a young boy named Mason from the time he was seven until he went to college. The part is played with surprising tenderness by Ellar Coltrane (he had no previous acting experience when he was cast) who literally grows up before our very eyes. Amid a summer filled with movies populated by state-of-the-art computer-generated special effects, Ellar Coltrane stands out as the best special effect there is this summer!

"Boyhood" is a heartwarming and moving film that reaffirms how precious and fleeting time is and that what we have in the present is the only thing that really matters.

I will echo the sentiments of many critics here, Richard Linklater has definitely crafted what is perhaps one of the most important and greatest contributions of America to world cinema. What he has achieved here is beyond magic; he created life on screen -- a life that mirrors pretty much our lives to some varying degree, of course. It makes you long for the childhood that you've had and also makes you look forward to more milestones, more special moments that you will create in the life that you are trying to build.

Did I already mention that I loved it? This early, the Best Screenplay and Best Director Oscars are Linklater's to lose. And if the academy would try to look ahead and place themselves in a position where they can judge "Boyhood" from some twenty years now and see its importance in the evolution of cinema as a medium to capture life then "Boyhood" is your rightful Oscar Best Picture winner already!

Rating: 5 glorious stars!!!

XXX
Raymond Lo