LA Film Festival

Back in June, N and I attended a few screenings at the LA Film Festival. I've been putting off blogging about it for awhile (I really don't know why), but now the time as come! Here's the grand list:

• Cyrus (this one hit most regular theaters...a comedy with John C. Reily, Jonah Hill and Marisa Tomei)
  
• Cane Toads: The Conquest (in 3D...a strange and fascinating documentary on the toads that are taking over Australia)
• The Hand in the Trap (a great 1961 Argentinian film)
  
• The Seven Madmen (a not-so-great 1973 Argentinian film)

N watched a couple more on top of those during the week. Cyrus actually premiered at the festival and we happened to attend that specific screening. There was red carpet, really annoying security guards who seemed convinced I was paparazzi, and lots of celebs. Half of the theater was reserved seating for those in The Biz. John C. Reily, Jonah Hill and Marisa Tomei sat in the row in front of us. Seth Rogen and a few others sat to the right of us. I could have reached out and touched them! But I didn't.

The cast did a short and awkward Q&A after the screening. Here's my extremely poor photographic proof:

I was struck by how very different the LA Film Festival was from the New York Film Festival...and how the way they differ follows the stereotypes of both cities. The LA Film Festival featured a lot of Hollywood blockbuster films and actors...the energy of the festival was young, glitzy and energetic. The New York Film Festival shows serious art films that usually don't get distribution, and the crowd consists of either young film snobs chuckling at some inside film joke or old rich ladies who attend every cultural showing in Manhattan, regardless of what it is. It's a pretty solemn and serious event.