TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL 2005 by J. Kim
It's
2005. The once decimated World Trade Center site is now brimming
with activity. While plans for what will be erected on the site
are still being discussed, one decision that was made to bring business and
people back to the area is proving to be a major event within New York City
and in the film world.
Credit
Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff for their love of the city,
film and especially, lower Manhattan. The Tribeca Film
Festival not only helped revitalize downtown post 9/11; it also helped put Tribeca
on the map of the film festival community.
True, New York City has always had a vibrant filmmaking community but the Tribeca Film Festival has made downtown a film destination for residents, tourists, filmmakers and filmgoers. There are multiple public relations firms in charge of everything from PR to screenings. Sponsorships have grown as have ticket lines and sales. There is even a free shuttle bus to help transport filmmakers, filmgoers and more.
So, what did Tribeca offer this year? For one, its slate encompassed an international presence of films from countries like Brazil, France and Czechoslovakia. Also notable were the family film fest, a drive-in, q & a' s, a music lounge and a multitude of screenings.
What
was missing this year? The chaos of years past. Tribeca
has started to hit its stride, making the whole film fest experience
manageable and pleasurable for its attendees.
Among the films were some standouts. Paul Reiser's The Thing About My Folks, explores where families begin and end as distinct individuals and collective units. Starring Reiser, Peter Falk and Olympia Dukakis, The Thing About My Folks starts off with a standard midlife coming of age: walking out, literally and symbolically. From there, life happens onscreen. And, boy does it. This film made me understand how human humans are, which can be hilarious, stupefying and just plain irritating at times.
Vit
Klusak and Filip Reminda' s Czech Dreams captures the current obsession of a
post-Communist Czech Republic that is riding a tidal
wave of capitalism. And what better way to demonstrate that than
the mega supermarkets popping up all over the country. This film
reminds me that what the ears hear and eyes see can sometimes vanish in an instant,
especially to an unassuming and hungry public.
Tribeca will be forever viscerally linked to a tragic event that removed two monolithic figures in the community; theTwin Towers. It's hard to remember their prescence and the shadow cast from them, literally; the area is ironically brighter and sunnier in their abscence. Shedding even more light on the community is the Tribeca Film Festival, now in its third year. The ultra-successful fest has many things going for it, namely famous founders (Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, et al.) and a concentrated, arts supporting community that brings in astonishing attendence numbers. It also has a sponsor who is eager to see things turn around in the financial center: American Express, which provided free popcorn, shuttle rides and signage in addition to funds. Such heavy hitters are the stuff of dreams for film festivals.
Nevertheless,
as 9/11 takes its place in history like so many sad events before it, the catalyst
which spawned the Tribeca Film Festival cannot be the only thing that defines
it. TFF will eventually have to stand on its own merits, not on borrowed sentimentality.
It can't be easy to program a fest that takes place right before Cannes, even in a city like New York. The Tribeca Film festival received over 3,000 submisions this year, which, even over the transom, should have contributed to a greater range of films than were shown. Also unusual were the categories; no explanation, no rhyme or reason. Several New York films were not placed into New York categories. Why? Who knows.
The films themselves were as uneven as the lineup. Killer Diller is a feel good bad-kid-with-heart-of-gold-makes-good story. A small time car thief who is conscripted into a church band by the head of the halfway house (a sadly wasted role for Fred Willard) he's staying in and runs into a local autistic boy who he discovers is an amazing blues piano player. Luckily, Nikki Crawford is also an ex-con and so with a few others round out the group and the movie. The music is really what moves things along; this seemingly pick-up band i great and the predictable ending (actually beginning, middle and ending) is forgiven. All well that plays well.
Completely
different in feeling and tone is The Spectator by Italian filmmaker Paolo Franchi.
A woman who has little to hold onto and no seeming life of her own spends her
time following others. One obsession is followed all the way from Turin, where
she ingratiates herself into his and his girlfriend's lives.
The Magnifico played as part of the family festival running concurrently with
the regular fest. A sentimental film that turns even more maudlin is saved by
the outstanding performance by the boy who plays the title character, the girl
who plays his sister with celebral palsy, and his grandmother played. The young
lad steals every scene, as is the norm with cute kids, but adds something more
to the part than just route acting. Magnifico could end several times before
it does(and you wish it would), but gives a satisfying ending the rounds things
up.
Looking for Kitty is Ed Burns' latest turn and the most NY of all the films.
A high school basketball coach, Abe Krumholtz, loses his wife to a past-his-prime
rock star "Ron Stewart" and goes on the hunt for her in New York with
the help of Jack, a down and out private investigator and widower. More about
character than story, life details than plot twists and, as usual with Burns'
solo work, more about men than women. Despite the hollow representations that
the female characters are given (they are more catalysts for mens' reactions
than full-fledged characters in their own right), Burns' male folk are not just
creatures of habit but slaves to them. Can women really believe that men are
like this? So reluctant to change, so trapped by behavior and routine that the
thought of going outside the norm is not just scary but painful?
Despite its tragedies, life beckons and urges you to move on. Perhaps a metaphor
for Tribeca, New York and the world at large.
Hotels/Places
to Stay
Featured Hotel
Renaissance
Hotel Times Square
The beautiful Renaissance Hotels always take your breath away; between the service,
decor and the all the cool amenities you'll think you've died and gone to hotel
heaven.
High
End
Tribeca Grand Hotel
The belle of the ball in this here parts and in a city of great hotels, that's
saying something. Cool themed lounges and even events for the kiddies make this
more than a swank hangout; it's a part of the neighborhood. 2 Sixth Ave. between
Walker and White.
The Millenium Hilton
Right across the street from Ground Zero, this is a sobering place to imagine
what the view may have been like. Get a room with a view and take it all in.
In front of the World Trade Center station at 55 Church St.
Moderate
Red Roof Inn
Okay, so it's not in Tribeca, but it's only a 10 minute train ride to the financial
center plus it's close to everything else. The best of the "Apple Core"
hotels, in the middle of Koreatown. Rooms start at $89, weekday rates are higher.
6 W. 32nd St.
Cosmopolitan Hotel
No frills and affordable, you can stay in this small, clean hotel near the financial
center and not break the bank. Rooms start at $119. 125 Chambers St. near W.
Broadway.
Budget
The Gershwin Hotel
A cross between a hostel and a real hotel, or you can take your pick. Dorms
start at $33, rooms start at $99. 7 East 27th St near 5th Ave.
Local
Flavor
Fine
Dining
Tribeca Grill
De Niro's own. A local hangout for powerbrokers, and those who live/work around
them. High brow Americana fare. 2375 Greenwich St. near Franklin.
Dylan Prime
Steakhouses are all the rage in Tribeca, thanks to the latest NY diet craze.
But not all meat sans potato eateries are created equal. Ambience and romance
make this place special. Take a date. 62 Laight St. between Collister and Greenwich.
Landmarc
The latest venture from the former chef at Le Cirque, this laid back French/Italian
themed restaurant is a gastrome's delight. Affordable wines. 179 West Broadway
between Leonard and Worth.
Moderate
Shore
The offspring of the more pricey Fresh, this lovely seafood hot spot is just
as enjoyable. 41 Murray St. between Church and W. Broadway.
Ivy's Bistro
Yummy inexpensive Italian for those who still eat it. 385 Greenwich St. between
Duane and Reade.
Budget
It's hard to go anywhere in New York without encountering food, especially cheap
food. Here's a few standouts:
Oliva Gourmet
Great salads, pizza, pastries, you name it. Easy and to go. Fresh juices, really
inexpensive. After 4pm, salads are 20% off.
225 Broadway between Vesey and Barclay.
Franklin Station Cafe
Malaysian themed with good desserts and an easy hang. 222 West Broadway between
Franklin and N. Moore.
Square Diner
The classic NY Greek diner with requisite menu. Good an' cheap. 33 Leonard St.
between W. Broadway and Sixth Ave.