The Shirelles played BB King’s
May 28th, 2013 by Mr. C
(Beverly Lee)
The Shirelles featuring one of the original members – Beverly Lee were on hand at BB King’s Blues Club on 42nd Street to rattle off a fun set of timeless Shirelle songs as well as other familiar hits from the Temptations, The Four Tops, Chuck Berry, Aretha Franklin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Anita Baker, & more! The Shirelles were a 1960s all girl group that originated from Passaic High School in NJ who then went on to blaze a trail for the future women artists of pop/doo-wop & motown alike. Beverly Lee was accompanied by the new generation of Shirelle’s Diane Spann and Louise Bethune. Diane and Louise have been on tour with Beverly Lee as The Shirelles for the past 25 years or so.
The original sound of The Shirelles with the four young ladies from Passaic, NJ can never be duplicated but Beverly Lee and her new friends come very close in recreating the vibe! Beverly still provides excellent harmonies and great lead vocals on “Mama Said”, “Dedicated to the one I love”, and “Tonights the night”. Lee also went off on the dancefloor as she busted out more than a few moves during her performance of Chuck Berry’s – Johnny B. Goode! It was mucho fun watching her let loose on the stage like hat! Beverly Lee also came out on stage earlier with a skit holding coca cola signs to show that the Shirelles were the first girl group to do a coke commercial. Other memorable performances from the night included singing SOLDIER BOY to a few of our soldiers in the audience who were invited on the stage in honor of our Militiary forces on Memorial Day. “I met him on a Sunday” was also a memorable tune from the night as Beverly Lee introduced this song as a song that The Shirelles created in the auditorium of Passaic High School in 1958. Lee invited male audience members to come sing a few verses from the song. Other timeless Shirelle classics on the set that night included Mama Said, Tonights the Night, dedicated to the one I love, Will You still love me tomorrow, Everybody loves a lover, and Baby it’s you. All in all – The Shirelles put on an entertaining set that lasted almost 2 hours at BB King’s. Thank you ladies for the memorable performance! We couldn’t ask for a better way to celebrate Memorial Day!
As an additional note: THE TOYS, a pop girl group from NYC formed in 1961 but disbanded in 1968 were in the audience! I wished they could of performed LOVERS CONCERTO!
SET LIST
Remember the Time (Michael Jackson)
instrumental medley by the band:
Soldier Boy
Will you still love me
Mama said
Dedicated to the one I love
This will be (Natalie Cole)
Mama Said
Dedicated to the one I love
Tonight’s the night
Money (That’s what I want) – The Beatles
Baby it’s you
I met him on a Sunday (song written in the auditorium of Passaic High School)
What I’d say (Ray Charles)
*Coca-cola commercial skit*
Everybody loves a lover
You can reach me (Anita Baker)
Baby please don’t go
Dr. Feel Good (Aretha Franklin)
I can’t get next to you (The Temptations)
It’s the same old song (Four Tops)
Rolling on the River (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
The way you do the things you do (The Temptations)
Soldier Boy
Will you still love me tomorrow?
I’ve got a testimony
Johnny B. Goode (Chuck Berry)
(Beverly Lee recreating the coca cola commercial by The Shirelles!)
(Singing “Soldier Boy” to a bunch of soldiers on stage at BB King’s)
(“I met him on a Sunday” on stage at BB King’s)
(Beverly Lee busting out a few moves to Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode)
Tags: 1960's girl groups, doo wop, girl group, music, the shirelles
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Presby Memorial Iris Gardens
May 27th, 2013 by Mr. C
To counteract the events in the city that we often find ourselves diving into with a swarm of hip folks on the hunt for the coolest events that our metropolis has to offer, I sometimes love to take refuge at places that your mom or grandmother might find cool. I’m no gardener or plant connoisseur but I do enjoy the beautiful colors that these irises emit when at full bloom. I definitely find solace looking at these plants under the beautiful manicured space known as the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens tucked away in Upper Montclair, NJ! There are literally thousands of different iris varieties to gawk and admire at! Go-Go-Go before the bloom season is over! The grounds of the garden boasts a large open field with a few picnic benches so you can enjoy your lunch. The Presby gardens also plays host to free outdoor movies in the summer as well as live jazz bands and book signing events! Checkout their schedule pronto! By the way, the garden is technically free but donations are highly appreciated.
The garden is open during bloom season which is May 10 – June 5. The Bloom Room Gift Shop is open from Monday-Saturdays 10am-5:30pm and Sundays from 11am-5pm.
Presby’s Iris Plant Sale continues all season 10am-4pm weather permitting.
The Essex County Presby Memorial Iris Gardens was established in 1927 to honor Frank H. Presby of Montclair, a leading horticulturalist and a founder of The American Iris Society.
The Essex County Presby Memorial Iris Gardens
474 Upper Mountain Ave
Upper Montclair, NJ 07043
973-783-5974
Tags: presby memorial iris garden
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Fab 5 Freddy at The Museum of the Moving Image PART II
May 26th, 2013 by chocko
Legendary Hip Hop Pioneer, FAB 5 FREDDY was at the Museum of the Moving Image last week for a discussion about many things including hip hop music, videos and graffiti art. Check out Mr. C’s review of the event in the previous post which includes the music videos Fab presented during the evening. I had no idea that Fab directed dozens of hip hop videos for artists like Boogie Down Productions, Queen Latifah and Nas. I enjoyed watching early footage of the influential public access cable television program called TV Party where Fab 5 Freddy was a camera operator and frequent guest, rubbing elbows with great artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, The Clash, and Blondie. Blondie immortalized Fab in their song “Rapture” with the lyric “Fab 5 Freddy told me everybody’s fly…” Fab made a cameo in the music video for “Rapture” and in 1983 starred in the classic and first hip hop feature film Wild Style. The film which captured hip hop in its early years in the South Bronx was directed by Charlie Ahearn and celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.
Fab 5 Freddy also talked about his years on the groundbreaking music video show Yo! MTV Raps hosting the show and taking it to the streets to interview artists such as the BEASTIE BOYS. It was great to see one of my most favorite hip hop groups ever up on the big screen…Mike D, Adrock and MCA (RIP). Check out some footage below of Beastie Boys in full effect along with DJ Hurricane and Fab walking the streets of Chinatown in NYC. After Fab 5 Freddy finished his discussion at the museum, he dropped more knowledge during a Q&A which was moderated by Museum Trustee, producer/director Warrington Hudlin. A member of the audience brought up the Wu-Tang Clan’s television debut with Fab on the scene at the video shoot of “Da Mystery of Chessboxin'” which featured Ghostface Killah wearing a mask during the whole time on camera. Fab had a great recollection of that show where Ol’ Dirty Bastard was keeping it real and talking about being so poor that he had to keep the milk and eggs out on the window sill because he didn’t have a refrigerator. Check out that ILL footage below too. PEACE to Fab 5 Freddy for a fun and memorable night of stories, insight and art.
BEASTIE BOYS on YO! MTV RAPS
FAB 5 FREDDY Q&A moderated by WARRINGTON HUDLIN at MOMI
WU-TANG CLAN on YO! MTV RAPS
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Tags: fab 5 freddy, graffiti, hip hop, momi, museum of the moving image, pioneer, wildstyle
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Fab 5 Freddy at The Museum of the Moving Image
May 20th, 2013 by Mr. C
(Fab 5 Freddy at the Museum of the Moving Image)
To celebrate SPECTACLE: The Music Video exhibit, Chocko & I attended the event “An Evening with Fab 5 Freddy” hosted at the Museum of The Moving Image in Queens which was moderated by Warrington Hudlin last friday night! We almost didn’t make it because of concerns with traffic from NJ at the height of rush hour on a Friday evening and with the prospects of the Yankee game looming large at 7pm BUT we mysteriously were able to bob and weave through the traffic like Ghost Riders gliding into money making Manhattan to “The Bridge, The..The..The Bridge..Queensbridge”.
For those that do not know who Fab 5 Freddy is – he basically is an intellect from the streets of Bedford-Stuyvesant who blossomed into a legendary hip hop relic before the term hip/hop even existed. Fab 5 is a pioneer, a transporter, and champion of urban culture through the use of visual arts (grafitti, fine arts), directing music videos,producing movies,making commercials, & just influencing pop culture in general with his eagle eye from the urban jungle! Fab 5’s hustle also led him into the punk rock party scene in the lower east side in the late 1970s with the likes of Deborah Harry, Chris Stein, The Clash, & the Sex Pistols! Fab helped introduce the world of hip hop to the punksters which in turn influenced hip hop to some shades of punk & nu-wave as well! We can all see where this is going now! Fab 5’s fever for the flavor of combining cultural mash ups in New York’s downtown film, music, and art scenes to the emerging hip/hop scene in Harlem and the Bronx which gave birth to a new style onto itself. Fab is a major influence in bringing hip hop culture to the mainstream for some serious consumption!
(Warrington Hudlin + Fab 5 Freddy)
I can remember how Fab 5 Freddy and his personality helped feed my habit of rap/hip-hop in the late eighties along with Ed Lover & Dr. Dre from the TV show – YO! MTV RAPS which juiced me to buy the 12” vinyl singles, 45 singles, and god forbid cassette albums of all our favorite joints! Fab 5 brought the swagger, the hustle, the style as he introduced the streets into our living rooms as he interviewed soon to be larger than life artists like Eric B/Rakim, Beastie Boys, EPMD, Naughty by Nature, RUN DMC, Big Daddy Kane, & Wu Tang Clan to name a few while segueing into their music videos! Between Ralph Mcdaniel’s Video Music Box TV show available to watch on public TV to YO! MTV Raps which was on cable, we would have tremendous access to the latest and greatest from hip hop culture. As I became more fascinated w/ FAB, I ventured over to his grafitti laced movie called WILDSTYLE. The rest is history.
Getting back to the talks on hand at the Museum of the Moving Image, Fab 5 Freddy churned out a TREMENDOUS presentation full of flashbacks and good times filled with music, stories, & music videos of artists that we grew up listening to. We knew Freddy had directed a few music videos (60 plus, wow!) but we did NOT know that he directed videos to rap songs that were basically our soundtracks, our anthems into hip/hop fandom. Music videos that he directed and showed at the talks included: Boogie Down Productions’ – My Philosophy, Stetsasonic’s – Talkin all that jazz, Kool G Rap & DJ Polo – Road to the Riches, Queen Latifah + Monie Love’s – Ladies First, NAS – One Love, Gangstarr – Just to get a Rep, and Shabba Ranks – Mr. Loverman to just name a few! He even showed a really cool Yo! MTV Raps clip of an interview that he did with the Beastie Boys as they showed Freddy where they used to live on location in Chinatown near the Manhattan Bridge! The whole talks that night at the Moving Image comprised of just Freddy being Freddy with his smooth operator talking self as he discussed the evolution of hip hop from the boogie down and uptown to mingling with the downtown scene which helped to manifest itself to movies like Wildstyle & shows like Yo! MTV Raps which further spawned fans of urban culture which propagated to the whole world! Fab 5 had a memorable story that he shared with us during the talks at the Moving Image that night on how he was trying to convince Chuck D/Public Enemy into creating a music video for them with a budget of $40,000 that would make them explode in the industry. Public Enemy would turn it down, stating that for $40,000 they can front a whole album! In retrospect, we can see how the visuals from music videos can play a big part in getting the message across to your audience. Another fact that we didn’t know pertained to Fab 5 Freddy’s single in 1982 – “Change the Beat”, this song has been sampled and most definitely scratched a zillion times over by old skool and new skool DJ’s alike! We knew about the **FREeeESH** scratching/sampling of course but did not know it was Fab 5’s single that everyone was scratching on! Right on! It was made famous by Grandmixer DST in Herbie Hancock’s “Rockit”.
This presentation by Fab 5 Freddy was entertaining as all hell and captured our attention for a few hours! It really seemed like a flashback to Yo! MTV Raps in a certain way, but 25 years later! You know – talking, showing music videos, talking, telling stories, showing music videos – stylin’ and profilin – REPEAT! It seems like a magic formula especially if you dig the tunes! FAB 5 mentioned that he should take this spoken word/lecture on the road with DJ WIZ on hand to provide the cuts and some added visuals! Fab 5 should very well take the talks on the road because the story should be told! It’s part of american culture. I have got to say that this was one of the most entertaining spoken word events that I’ve been to and we’ve been to quite a few! I say John Leguizamo – Fab 5 Freddy would make a nice combo broadway punch!
Below are some music videos that Fab 5 Freddy directed. He showed these videos as part of his presentation at the Museum of the Moving Image! I added some linear notes from his talks to supplement this!
(Boogie Down Productions – “My Philosophy” – FAB 5 Freddy’s 1st music video venture. KRS-One is one of the most lyrical and positive conscious artists in the business.)
(Stetsasonic – “Talkin all that Jazz” – Fab 5 talked about Stetsasonic’s response to all the naysayers about sampling.)
(Kool G Rap & DJ Polo – “Road to the Riches” – Fab 5 discusses gangsta’ rap from Queens & the crack epidemic at the time. This video helped inspire the movie NEW JACK CITY. Fab 5 helped produce the film.)
(Queen Latifah + Monie Love – “Ladies First” – DJ Mark the 45 King discovered Latifah but wasn’t crazy over her, but when Fab 5 heard her, he was blown away. He mentioned this to Tommy Boy records and the rest was history!)
(NAS – “One Love” – Filmed in the Queensbridge projects not far from this Museum. The video was shot when crack still had a choke-hold on the neighborhood. NAS had all his homies act in the video.)
Nas – One Love (1994) from Golden Era Videos on Vimeo.
(Gangstarr – “Just to get a rep”– One of the lowest budget videos he shot. The video was about a stickup kid in the neighborhood. Filmed in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.)
(Guru + MC Solaar – “Le Bien, Le Mal” – Guru’s influence with Hip Hop in France / MC Solaar. Solaar was a smooth rapper and this song blew down the doors in France.)
(Shabba Ranks – “Mr. Loverman”) – Fab 5 Freddy showed the adult cut of this video! Fab did 6 videos w/ Shabba and Mr. Loverman was one of his favorites. This was in a time when R&B was big mixing in w/ reggae and rap. The adult cut of this video was shown on the Playboy channel were you can be a bit more risque!)
(Crucial Conflict – “Hay”) Fab 5 mentions this Chicago group helped influence the No Limit/Cash Money/down south hip hop movement. Fab wanted to instill the southern rodeo attitude aesthetic to this video. There’s a cameo of an urban “lone ranger” in the video as well!).
Tags: hip hop, lecture, museum of the moving image, music videos, spoken word
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Little Boots played Diesel (NYC)
May 15th, 2013 by chocko
Little Boots (aka Victoria Hesketh) celebrated the release of her new self-released album, Nocturnes, last week at a Diesel store (135 Spring St.) in New York City a day before the album’s U.S. release. People began queuing up an hour before the free ticketed live set. GBH/Webster Hall DJ, Alex English spun some party rocking tunes while the crowd got their drink on. Good luck in having a conversation with the person next to you, the system was booming! Free Peroni beer and Ciroc provided a lot of smiley faces in the audience and once the U.K. electro-pop star emerged, the party and booty shaking commenced. The set list was comprised mostly of brand new songs from the Little Boots sophomore album which was available at the event. The upbeat dance songs got my head shaking and fist pumping especially to the older track “New In Town.” From the start of the set with the hypnotic “Motorway” to the crowd-pleasing “Shake” Little Boots got the audience moving. Looks like your summer soundtrack came early. Pick up Nocturnes – out now!
LITTLE BOOTS shaking her tambourine and looking fit
ALEX ENGLISH at Diesel
SET LIST
Motorway
Confusion
New In Town
Beat Beat
Every Night I Say A Prayer
Broken Record
Shake
LITTLE BOOTS performing “Motorway” and “Confusion” 05.06.13
LITTLE BOOTS performing “Shake” 05.06.13
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Tags: alex english, diesel, little boots, live, new york city, nocturnes, nyc, set, show, victoria hesketh
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PULSE Contemporary Art Fair NYC
May 15th, 2013 by chocko
PULSE Contemporary Art Fairs are annual events that take place in Miami and New York. The art fair set up shop last week in New York City from May 9-12, 2013 at The Metropolitan Pavillion with various galleries from around the globe displaying a dazzling mix of paintings, photographs and sculptures. Shout out to Ariela for putting me on to this fantastic event!
I enjoyed what artists had displayed at the Mike Weiss Gallery. Pictured above are life-size figures created by Brooklyn-based sculptor Will Kurtz. The sculptures were created with a variety of household materials such as newspaper, masking tape and wood. Also represented, art by Los Angeles based Cameron Gray whose multimedia works offer the viewer some eye-popping visuals. Pictured below on the left is his piece titled The Barbarians Are Almost At Your Gates which features among other things: found sculpture, digital photos (lots of naked chicks!), hat pins and acrylic paint. Below on the right is his piece My Crazy Ex-girlfriend and features a lovely girl in a bikini that features swirling colors.
Tim Youd
During the fair, the click-clacking sound of a typewriter could be heard and it was driving me crazy. I later found out that located in the middle of the exhibitor floor was a Los Angeles based artist Tim Youd focused and busily typing and reading aloud Henry Miller’s controversial novel Tropic Of Capricorn. His project was being done on only two pieces of paper, creating a huge blot of ink and countless illegible indentations.
Implement by Jessica Drenk (pencils and glue!)
The West Collection featured some of my favorite pieces of the fair. The photos below features Bach by Long-Bin Chen which is a sculpture of the classical composer made out of carved up books, magazines and glue. The books can be seen from the “Bach” of the sculpture.
OJ and Pete Rose pencil drawings by Mark Stockton
Trainset Ghetto by Peter Feigenbaum
painted cigarette packs by John G. Slaby
Miro In The Mirror by Patrick Hughes
The painting above by Patrick Hughes was definitely one of my favorites at the art fair. It is an oil on board construction piece that blew me away. The painting can only truly be appreciated when you stand in front of it and then check it out from the sides. It isn’t painted entirely on a flat surface and the background is actually painted in the foreground and vice versa, creating a really cool optical illusion of depth. Check out a couple more photos below and be sure to check out the art fair when it comes back to NYC! Chocko will be looking forward to it. The next event: PULSE Miami 2013 takes place December 5-8 at The Ice Palace Studios.
Conan The Barbarian by Michael Scoggins
Inkling No. 2 by Gregg Louis
Campfire (Waiting for the Eclipse) by Kent Dorn
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Tags: 2013, art, contemporary art, fair, galleries, gallery, new york city, nyc, paintings, photographs, pulse, sculptures
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THE TRIALS OF MUHAMMAD ALI screening : 2013 Montclair Film Festival
May 8th, 2013 by Mr. C
Director: Bill Siegel
Genre: Documentary on Muhammad Ali
This film is easily one of my favorite Muhammad Ali movies as it sets forth to document his other brand of fisticuffs which did not take part inside the boxing ring but rather in a staunch toe to toe fight with humanity and the United States court of law. This was arguably his best fight but then again without his boxing greatness, the stage would have never been set. From the realization of his religious beliefs as he converted to Islam to his refusal to be drafted into the Vietnam War as he filed as a conscientious objector, Ali would be sentenced to prison but his resilience in the fight with the appeal against the Supreme Court had him victorious in the end but not without consequences like being stripped of his heavyweight title and banned from boxing for 4 years along with getting villainized in the eye of the public. In these 4 years, he would reinvent himself as he continued his Ali shuffle from another point of view to support himself including lecturing, going on speaking tours, teaching, and starring in a Broadway play (Buck White)?!
The archival footage of Ali and Elijah Muhammad, the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr. as well as the Olympic Gold medal Ceremony in 1968 with the famous Fist raise while the Star Spangled Banner was being played served as a nice way to transport the viewing audience to the times of struggle in the 1960s for black americans. Others that opposed Ali’s stance like Jackie Robinson, Joe Louis, and black americans serving in the military made its way to the screen as well. Interviews and stories with Ali’s brother and Ali’s ex-wife Khalilah gives you a different perspective of the legendary man behind the fists. Kudos to the director – Bill Siegel in getting interviews with Louis Farrakhan and John Carlos – 1968 Olympic medalist. Farrakhan’s words about Ali were very instrumental in gaining insight to his stand in what was right.
(Director-Bill Siegel w/ a Q&A after the screening; photo by mr. c)
The Q&A after the screening with Bill Siegel shed some light on some of the issues and challenges in making this film. The fair use doctrine for archival footage was instituted in much of the video footage in the film but the cost of the licensing for footage as a whole still added to a insurmountable figure.
A great question/comment during the Q&A after the screening that was posed by a Professor that specialized in the writings of The Nation of Islam and Islam in general that was directed at Bill Siegel was: In terms of the film, how did you bring the viewing audience back to the period of the 1960s who weren’t there so that they can comprehend what was going on? To understand Ali’s responses, attitude, and desperation in that moment, you have to understand the period of time that the blacks were going through when they were basically under siege.
That was a heavy hitting question and the director mentioned that he himself is as white as he can be from Minnesota so he’s not pretending that he can relate to what went on during that time. It was not a lived experience and that he was relying on being as honest to himself as he can be in finding the answer from people who lived that experience. The use of archival footage, interviews, and research were basically the tools he used in capturing the essence of what Ali was fighting for.
Bill Siegel (Director) then proceeded to ask the professor: Did the film help bring you back to this period in time? The Professor’s response: Parts of the film did like when the image of the lynchings helped illustrate the type of trauma and less than human feeling that the blacks felt.
The director also mentioned that he had spent some time at Muhammad Ali’s home to show him a cut of the film. Ali could not speak but he can still communicate by body language and expressions and by the reactions on his face – Bill Siegel knew that he loved the film! But jokingly (or maybe not so jokingly), Siegel said that he was told that Ali loves nothing more than watching Muhammad Ali on the screen besides watching black & white Westerns!
In his closing comments, Bill Siegel stated that he wanted to distinguish his film from all of the other Muhammad Ali stories being told by the virtue of the limited number of talking head interviewees by only talking to those who were there during the times of Ali’s struggle like his brother, the ex-wife, the founder of the Louisville Sponsor group, & Minister Farrakhan who was there from the very beginning when Cassius Clay joined the Nation of Islam. Siegel only wanted the principle first-hand storytellers & witnesses in telling the Ali Story which was history in the making. Siegel hopes that he captured the importance of this Muhammad Ali story with strides to educate the youngsters of this relevant part of american history.
Go and see The Trials of Muhammad Ali when it rolls around to a theater near you! You will be enlightened by Muhammad Ali’s spiritual transformation and guaranteed, it will provide motivation for us to overcome today’s issues of race, faith and identity.
Tags: 2013 montclair film festival, documentary, mff13, muhammad ali
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reflections of Montclair/MFF13
May 8th, 2013 by Mr. C
(all photos by mr. c)
The following are just a few images that we captured that sums up our weekend at the 2013 Montclair Film Festival. Besides catching a few screenings, we went to a documentary panel of filmmakers; a comedy event starring the three writers and producers of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart – Rory Albanese, Adam Lowitt, and Elliott Kalan who performed stand-up comedy and commented on a collection of esoteric film clips; and just soaked up some Montclair culture in general like attending the Glenridge Avenue street fair across the street from the festival and soaking in some jazz music in the lobby of the Clairidge before the BULLITT screening. All in all, the 2nd Annual Montclair Film Festival was fun and we hope to be invited back to do it all over again next year! Thanks to all of the festival organizers including co-directors of the MFF – Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen! Also a big thank you to the 600 volunteers for making the event such a smooth one along with providing much enthusiasm with a smiling face!
(Raphaela Neihausen/co-director of MFF introducing Wasteland at Bellevue Theater)
(Trolley to shuffle festival goers to the different venues at MFF13)
(savvy kids w/ favorite films: Cheaper by the Dozen and The Wizard of OZ)
(The Croods and Jurassic Park)
(Despicable Me)
(Home Alone 4)
(Jazz music in the lobby of the Clairidge before BULLITT screening)
(Jazz musician Christian Mcbride discusses the musical score in BULLITT)
(Decorative storefronts in Montclair)
(Glenridge Avenue Street fair)
(Daniel Battsek introducing THE ATTACK – distributor of the film and one of MFF founding members)
(The offices of MFF at 494 Bloomfield Avenue)
(Mondo movie poster collection at the MFF office)
(Thom Powers/co-director MFF introducing the writers of the Daily Show w/ Jon Stewart at the What-Is-It event)
(Rory Albanese/The Daily Show doing standup at the What-Is-It comedy event)
(Elliott Kalan/The Daily Show doing standup at the What-Is-It comedy event)
(Adam Lowitt/The Daily Show doing standup at the What-Is-It comedy event)
(L-R: Elliott Kalan/Rory Albanese/Adam Lowitt from The Daily Show w/ Jon Stewart – The trio comments on a collection of esoteric film clips at the What-Is-It comedy event at MFF13)
(a beautiful cherry blossom tree on South Fullerton ave)
(Also a big thanks to the UNOFFICIAL eats of choice for MFF for the Planet Chocko crew – HOT GRILL in Clifton,NJ!)
(1 Hot dog/all the way + 1 w/ mustard & onions; fries with chili/cheese!)
Tags: 2013 montclair film festival, mff13, montclair
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DOCS-IN-PROGRESS panel at the 2013 Montclair Film Festival
May 7th, 2013 by Mr. C
(All photos below by mr c)
(R-L: Jerome Bongiorno,Marylou Bongiorno,Julie Winokur,Dawn Porter,Nancy Abraham)
We had missed the Race and Film panel earlier in the day in which film critics from Grantland, New York magazine & Variety discussed how they approach race when writing about film. But we were able to catch the very informative DOCS-IN-PROGRESS panel held at the Montclair Public Library. This panel would include film clips and a discussion on 3 documentaries in progress by acclaimed NJ Film Teams: Dawn Porter (Spies in Mississippi), Julie Winokur (Bring It to the Table), and Marylou Tibaldo-Bongiorno & Jerome Bongiorno (The Rule). Nancy Abraham from HBO Documentary Films was also on hand for the discussion.
THE RULE directed by Marylou Tibaldo-bongiorno & Jerome Bongiorno
This seemed to be a very interesting film about the long history of the Monks of Newark Abbey the so called Monks in the Hood and their strong commitment to Newark,NJ and their teachings at the Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School. The school’s success can directly be attributed to the monks who work and teach there. The Monks of Abbey have strong ties to the community of Newark. The Rule’s main objective is to tell the tale of this dynamic group and their influence on the culturally & demographically diverse student body at Saint Benedict’s.
BRING IT TO THE TABLE directed by Julie Winokur
This enlightening documentary is meant to ignite sparks to unite citizens together in order to open up a friendly dialogue to discuss issues that would normally drive us all apart. Talking about politics seems to be such a taboo these days that conversations and debates on important topics amongst the different political parties are all but rare. Bring it to the Table is an attempt to engage the community to talk in order to bridge the gap between political parties so that we can really begin to solve problems in society instead of being loyal and just hiding behind party affiliations. This project’s goal is just as simple as sitting at the table to talk politics and to have an open discussion on the best way to get to the bottom of issues at hand. The director Julie Winokur mentioned something at the panel that rang so true to me. Julie said that when you gather like minded individuals together, they often become extremists which sometimes creates an atmosphere akin to a gathering of bullies. It’s very hard to open up free conversations in an environment like that. Julie’s statement really hit home with me.
SPIES IN MISSISSIPPI directed by Dawn Porter
This documentary was a very intriguing story of a secret spy agency formed by the State of Mississippi in order to preserve segregation and support white supremacy during the 1950s and 1960s. This secret agency’s main strategy was to undercut the civil right activists to gain a stronghold in their agenda for supremacy. The agency employed a healthy network of informants and investigators to infiltrate these civil rights organizations. Talk about some serious spy files in our backyard during the civil rights movement! I’ll have to add this film to my to watch list!
(Julie Winokur – director of Bring it to the Table)
(Nancy Abraham – HBO Documentary Films)
(Marylou Tibaldo-Bongiorno & Jerome Bongiorno – directors of The Rule)
(L-R: Nancy Abraham and Dawn Porter – director of Spies in Mississippi)
Tags: 2013 montclair film festival, docs in progress, mff13
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THE INEVITABLE DEFEAT OF MISTER AND PETE screening at Montclair Film Festival
May 6th, 2013 by Mr. C
Director: George Tillman Jr.
Stars: Skylan Brooks,Ethan Dizon,Jennifer Hudson,Jordan Sparks
Genre: Drama
The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete is a down and out urban version of Home Alone with additional subject matter that addresses much of the social and economic issues flooding our cities today. Instead of the suburban home, we are presented with an apartment in the low income housing projects of Brooklyn. Instead of an upper to middle class caucasian family, we have a set of poor, working class African-american & Korean-American single moms. 14 year old – Mister (Skylan Brooks) and 8 year old – Pete (Ethan Dizon) are dealing with individual issues of their own such as being bullied at school and having bad grades but nothing can compare to the real issues at hand in their home life. Both of their moms hustle the streets to make a living and in situations of child neglect it is inevitable that DYFS and the housing authority will get involved. Of course when their moms are nowhere to be found or incarcerated, Mister & Pete will do their best to make due by themselves in their rundown apartments with no resources. Meanwhile, the housing police are on the mad hunt to take custody of these kids. Just as in Home Alone fashion, these two savvy city kids will do by any means necessary to get by until their moms come home. By all means necessary, we mean dodging the police, the local thugs, shady babysitters, thieves, and the local bodega monger or shall we say bodega mongrel!
The film is sad & disturbing yet inspirational and uplifting in terms of offering a glimpse of hope in our society. The theme of brotherhood despite the obvious differences between Mister and Pete was something to make note of. The question of morality and making ends meet is a very thin line indeed. We will see how addiction truly affects our children firsthand. The film exposes the lack thereof of real role models for our kids and the lack of quality time being spent with them. Authority figures such as the Police and teachers are cast in such a light that sometimes they seem to be more menacing than helpful at times. Besides some of the bleak offerings that this film is surrounded by, shades of humor and charm also joined the party. The Pete character is so cute and innocent while the more street smart Mister is very creative and enchanting in his very own way. Mister was a character, though only 14 years old was a kid that thinks on his feet and was able to adjust to difficult situations. Jennifer Hudson plays Mister’s mother in a role that I could have never ever imagined her perform in! Suffice to say, she knocked it out of the park! Jordan Sparks has a secondary role in the film but she plays a very important part in Mister’s struggle. Alicia Keys provides some of the excellent soundtrack in the film!
I did find the film to be a bit longer than I anticipated and felt portions of the movie could of been edited. After the screening the director, George Tillman made it clear that we saw a cut of the film that would be different than the official release in October. I’m gathering it means that the film will go under the knife for further editing.
(Director-George Tillman Jr in the lobby of the Clairidge; photo by mr c)
The Q&A after the movie revealed that Tillman had been sitting on the script of The Inevitable Defeat since 2009. It was a 3 year struggle to make the film mainly because no studio believed anyone would want to see a movie with a 14 yr old black kid hanging out with a 8 year old asian american boy. Hollywood believed that it was a marketing nightmare to try to promote such a film with kids in it but was not really a kids film. Hollywood wanted Tillman to continue making the blockbuster actions (FASTER) or comedies such as he did with – Beauty Shop, BarberShop, & BarberShop 2. The director mentioned that he had similiar struggles making Soul Food. As it goes, he went the Indie route with a 3 million dollar budget for Mister and Pete.
As far as Tillman’s latest project, he stated that he is still working on The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete and continues to think about the film everyday. It’s slated for a release later in the year. He’s trying to get Alicia Keys to add more music to the soundtrack. Lastly, he truly believes in the message of this film and hopes that we all will come out to support it! Stay tuned for the release of The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete at theaters near you!
Tags: 2013 montclair film festival, drama, mff13
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Q&A: Director Ron Morales on His Film GRACELAND
May 6th, 2013 by chocko
GRACELAND is a gritty Filipino thriller that pulls no punches and will open the viewer’s eyes to a near hopeless, poverty stricken world infested with crime, corruption and violence. In the film, Marlon (Arnold Reyes) must find a way to rescue his daughter Elvie (Ella Guevara) who becomes a victim of mistaken identity in a kidnapping gone terribly wrong.
BUGGY makes her return to Planet Chocko with the following interview we did with writer/director Ron Morales about his latest film.
Where did the idea for GRACELAND come from?
The idea behind GRACELAND started while I was in a car driving around in Manila. I was reading a recent news article about a kidnapping then all of a sudden a police officer on a motorcycle pulled the car over. In the Philippines the police are known for shakedowns and corruption, so in this situation, I imagined what if something horribly went wrong.
What was the message you were trying to convey by making the film?
We are what we are. People will do almost anything in their power to save their loved ones even if the actions are morally wrong. We all are susceptible to the evils within humanity.
It took 5 years to make the movie. Was it primarily research or were there obstacles that you had to overcome to complete the film?
The original script of GRACELAND was an action thriller. I had to shelve it after I realized that it would be too expensive to make. In the interim, I researched a different screenplay in the Philippines. I was very close to receive funding, but in the last minute the script did not get the green light. It wasn’t until producers Sam Rider and Rebecca Lundgren jumped on board that I was able to make GRACELAND in 2010. But with many low budget independent films, raising funds is the biggest challenge.
Where exactly was the film shot in the Philippines?
GRACELAND was filmed more or less in the entirely Metro Manila. The locations were spread out through out the city, but the majority of locations spanned Taguig City and Quezon City.
The film focuses on underage female prostitution. Were you apprehensive about including the nude scenes?
We were apprehensive about including the scenes, but when it came down to the final edit, I felt that the research and the reality of these issues would be wasted. I feel that these scenes are necessary and done in a way that forwards the story, as well as portray the harsh reality with in the world we live in.
What did you learn about filming in the Philippines?
Being a Filipino American, filming in my homeland allowed me to investigate my culture and grow as an artist. Filipinos have a talent of making something out of nothing. What we accomplished with the small budget we had and the time restraints still amazes me. This is the product of some of the hardest working crew I have ever had the pleasure to work with.
What future projects can we look forward to?
I have a couple of new scripts that I am working on. One is a US Mexico Border crossing thriller and another film that partially takes place in the Philippines.
GRACELAND is available on VOD/iTunes and out now in select theaters. Click here to purchase tickets.
Tags: drafthouse films, film, graceland, interview, ron morales
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Montclair Film Fest Weekend
May 4th, 2013 by chocko
If you love movies and you can get to Montclair, New Jersey this weekend…come on down. The Montclair Film Festival wraps nearly a week of screening 80 films and hosting free panels. MFF has an excellent mix of films including documentaries, comedies, family films and drama. More reviews of the movies we have seen will be coming up on the website shortly. In the meantime, check out some movies this weekend in Montclair. It’s a great town with lots to see and plenty of restaurants and places to fill your belly with yummy food. Please check the Montclair Film Festival website for ticket availability. Many of the screenings this weekend may be sold out in advance, but if you show up at the theater before the screening you might just score some rush tickets at the box offce. If you tweet, follow them on twitter for the updates. #MFF13 Congratulations to all the filmmakers participating in this event and a special shout out to the 600 volunteers who make the festival happen.
check out some photos from the Montclair Film Festival 2013
Robert Trachtenberg, director of AMERICAN MASTERS MEL BROOKS: MAKE A NOISE (2013) at Clairidge Cinema (486 Bloomfield Ave)
Director Morgan Neville (left) at a Q & A after a screening of JOHNNY CASH’S AMERICA (2008) with Festival Director, Thom Powers (right) at Clairidge Cinema. Neville’s latest film TWENTY FEET FROM STARDOM made its NJ Premiere at this year’s Opening Night Gala at the festival.
(L-R) Thom Powers (he’s everywhere!) and writer/Staten Island native Chris Galletta introduce THE KINGS OF SUMMER (2013) at Montclair Kimberley Academy (6 Lloyd Rd). THE KINGS OF SUMMER is funny, smart and well written. The movie is about three teenage boys who decide to run away from their families and build a house in the woods. THE KINGS OF SUMMER will be in select theaters May 31. Highly recommended!
left: Oscar-winning writer Geoffrey Fletcher at a Q & A after a screening of VIOLET & DAISY at Bellevue Theater (260 Bellevue Ave)
Check out some awesome art work done by young fans of movies.
Tags: 2013, film, mff, montclair film festival, movies
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