TCM Classic Film Festival 2016: Francis Ford Coppola Hand and Footprint Ceremony at the Chinese Theatre

On the second morning of the TCM Classic Film Festival, I had the pleasure of covering a hand and footprint ceremony honoring Francis Ford Coppola in the forecourt of the Chinese Theatre. 

This is the third year that I've attended the ceremony and, as in previous years, it was a fascinating, once-in-a-lifetime event.

I was pleased to get a much better spot to watch the festivities this year. In 2014 and 2015, the bloggers were corralled behind a gate with a crowd of onlookers. This year we got a nice corner near the center of the action.

It's nice to have time to stand by the theatre and soak up its beauty without being harassed by an aggressive Batman or a Spider-man with the shape of Homer Simpson. 

In addition to enjoying some people watching and seeing the staff preparing for the ceremony, I always love finding new things to admire on the facade of the building. This year, I noticed this guy for the first time:

It's also great to see the block of wet cement, all ready to immortalize someone new:

The wait time before the ceremony is also the perfect time to get caught up with friends I only get to see at the festival, and sometimes very briefly once the whirlwind of film screenings begins. Raquel, Jessica and I have enjoyed covering the ceremony together for the past three years:

And this year there were even more fun people to talk with!

One of my favorite things to do before the ceremony begins is to look for familiar faces in the VIP seating. I'm pretty sure I saw John Landis, though I neglected to get a photo.

I picked out Peter Bogdanovich right away. There's no mistaking that serious expression and neckerchief. I was excited to see him, as I admire both his films and his amazing film scholarship. And is it just me, or does the guy next to him look a bit like Edward Arnold?

When Ben Mankiewicz stepped onto the stage, my first thought was that this hardworking man had a long weekend ahead of him. He is always graceful under pressure though. A real class act:

Roman Coppola introduced his father. Seeming to understand what the crowd was thinking, he said that Sofia Coppola was unable to attend due to work commitments. 

I like his look. He's giving me a young Victor Mature here:

And then the great Francis Ford Coppola made his appearance. His speech was short, but sweet:

I had to keep reminding myself that I was looking at one of the most celebrated directors in the history of cinema. While he definitely exudes the confident charisma of the famous and accomplished, he seems more like that cozy uncle who loves to cook and makes his own sauces. An amusing thought, because I think that is also true of Coppola.

He was so kind and thoughtful, making sure to wave to the fans and smile in the direction of every camera:

I remember that lady with the ponytail from previous ceremonies. Jerry Lewis teased her mercilessly in 2014 (doing his job so to speak). This year and Christopher Plummer in 2015 must have felt like a vacation:

As he pressed his palms and feet into the cement, the photographers shouted out requests for various poses, as they do. He complied with every single request, and seemed thoroughly amused by it all:

Then Coppola's wife of fifty-three years, Eleanor, and Roman came out for photos. I love the way she's looking at him in this pic. So much affection:

Sister Talia Shire and granddaughter Gia also joined the group. It's clear this is a close-knit family. They are so relaxed in each other's company:

Then Bogdanovich was brought out for pics. It was funny to hear the photographers yell over and over again for him to smile to no avail. I mean, not smiling is his thing! Like Posh Spice! I shouted "Pull a long face for me Peter!" But of course it was too noisy for him to hear me.Or maybe he did hear me and complied?

Look how happy Coppola is here! This was the most uneventful, and shortest of the hand/footprint ceremonies I have attended, but I loved soaking up the laid back, congenial vibe:

And here they are, still wet:

Later in the festival, I realized I hadn't ever looked for the hand/footprints from previous ceremonies I had attended. I had a bit of trouble finding Christopher Plummer until an attendant at the theatre door told me that newer prints are closer to the building. Makes sense:

It was delightful to spend another beautiful morning watching a great name in the world of film being honored in this way. Each year is a unique, and extremely enjoyable experience. It's always worth missing a couple of films to attend.

Check out my full TCMFF 2016 coverage here.

TCM Classic Film Festival 2016: Opening Night Red Carpet

It's taken me a few days to unpack all the experiences of TCM Classic Film Festival 2016, not to mention catch up on sleep. This was my third year covering the festival. It gets better every year. 

Friendships with fellow film fans deepen, it gets easier to navigate long lines and find places to get a quick bite, and that starstruck feeling of seeing Hollywood greats in the flesh endures from year to year.

All 26,000 of us festivalgoers spent four days collectively high on movies, the reflected glory of glamorous stars and the intensely enjoyable feeling of being in the company of people who love the classics as much as you do.

For me, the red carpet before the opening night gala film presentation is always the true start of the festival. It's much like the opening credits of an all-star flick like Dinner at Eight (1933) or Grand Hotel (1932); the parade of famous faces offering a preview of thrills to come.

I was amused to realize that I must have lined up for the red carpet bleachers at about the same time as last year, because I got the same queue card number. Here's 2016:

Here's 2015:

As difficult as it can be to wait for the honored guests to make their appearance, there's always plenty to take in once seated in the bleachers. Like this guy who must have gotten every speck of dust off the red carpet. He was at it for at least an hour. It was mesmerizing:

It was also nice to have a good view of several fellow bloggers setting up for interviews:

l-r Nora, Kim, Raquel and Kristen

I also loved the way event MC Sean Cameron, TCM VP of Studio Production made everyone feel like a star, from the Spotlight passholders to staffers working the event. The crowd happily complied whenever he encouraged a cheer.

Everyone definitely came dressed to impress too. I love this queen working the tiara:

There always seems to be at least one attendee who goes for the kilt:

I wanted to get a better shot of this guy's mafioso get-up, but I didn't like the way he was looking at me. Guess he was staying in character:

I sat behind this lady on the bleachers. It took me a while to get the joke, but I loved her reference to the opening film, All the President's Men (1976):

As I was determined to make it to my first film of the festival, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945), I didn't stick around for the full red carpet procession, but I did catch some amazing sights.

Of course it isn't a true TCMFF gala without Ben Mankiewicz. Here he is with Sean Cameron:

Leave Her to Heaven (1945) was the last film I watched before flying out for the festival, so it was great to see that film's juvenile star Darryl Hickman, who was attending TCMFF to introduce a screening of Tea and Sympathy (1956):

Can you believe this guy is 84?

And check out his hip sneaks:

I think this first glimpse of The War of the Worlds (1956) star Ann Robinson planted the seed for my eventual interest in catching the film at the festival. And I'm so glad I did!

Isn't she lovely?

It's always fun to see that even TCM staffers can get starstruck. Lee Meriwether seemed a bit surprised to see Cameron crushing so hard on her:

Of course she was gracious about it:

I was charmed by Salvatore Casico, who played the young Toto in the 2016 festival closer Cinema Paradiso (1988). I almost changed my plans to see The Band Wagon (1953) just so I could hear him say the title of the film again:

Oh Italians. (there's the delightful Sister Rose Pacatte in the background too):

It was funny to see everyone essentially ignore Alec Baldwin (he eventually had his moment) and go bonkers for 101-year-old wonder Norman Lloyd:

Baldwin seemed hip to it, and totally in agreement with the crowd.

Look at the amazing smile on legendary songwriter Richard Sherman's face. Wouldn't it be great to spend an hour in that lovely musical brain of his?

Special guest Carl Bernstein was an interesting contrast to the rest of the celebrities on the red carpet. He has definitely influenced the world in a dramatically different way:

It was nice to get a look at A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (1945) star Ted Donaldson before his intro. of the film later that evening:

And who knew that The Office star Kate Flannery was a fan of classic movies? She was much more petite than I'd expected her to be:

I never get tired of seeing the tireless superstars of the TCMFF family too.

Like The Czar of Noir Eddie Mueller:

Whip smart Illeana Douglas:

And the always-congenial Leonard Maltin:

This next shot isn't exactly a shot of Maltin. It is actually the moment when I totally freaked out, because KARINA APPROACHES!

I was only a bit disappointed that Anna Karina slipped by Cameron without comment:

I mean, I love a woman of mystery, but I also probably would have lost it if she'd stopped to talk after appearing so suddenly and catching me completely off guard. After seeing so many stars over the years, I didn't think I was capable of being so utterly starstruck anymore, but I was shaking for a good half hour after she passed by.

My completely emotional response was to shout out "Je t'aime Karina!" After which a woman in the stands said "Anna Karina?" She walked by that quickly.

Though I was disappointed to not catch the rest of the stars on the carpet, I had to miss the glorious presence of Gina Lollobrigida, Lou Gossett Jr., Roger Corman and more to make it on time to my first film.

After that Karina moment, I don't think I could have sat still much longer anyway. 

Check out my full coverage of TCMFF 2016 here.

Correction 5/10/16: Norman Lloyd's age changed from 102 to 101.

Seattle International Film Festival 2016: Picks for Classic Movie Fans

I've barely gotten caught up on sleep (or posts...) after attending the TCM Classic Film Festival this past week, but I am already so excited to cover the Seattle International Film Festival for the fourth year. This year's event will gobble up my calendar space from May 19 to June 12. 

I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it: I am so proud of our diverse, adventurous and enormously popular hometown festival. 

Here are some of my picks for classic film fans, most of which I plan to attend:

I'm a big fan of silent film accompanist Donald Sosin. He impressed me with his skill and creativity accompanying Cave of the Spiderwoman (1927) at the 2015 festival and both a program of Chaplin shorts and the Chinese classic, Song of the Fisherman (1934) in 2014. This year he will perform for The Big Road (1935), another Chinese film which features several of the country's most famous film stars of the day. 
Tuesday May 31 11:00 AM SIFF Uptown Theater

Though I adore Buster Keaton, I've never seen him on the big screen. What better way to remedy that than with a 4K restoration of The General (1926)? I'm also curious to hear the symphonic score which was composed by Studio Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi. 
Saturday June 11 11:00 AM SIFF Cinema Egyptian

I have wanted to see Orson Welles' Chimes at Midnight (1966) for years. This Shakespearean mash-up will be presented with a newly-restored print.
Tuesday May 24 7:00 PM SIFF Cinema Egyptian

Though I don't often write about it here, I love a good Kung Fu flick, and Dragon Inn (1967) is one of the most influential. This 4K widescreen restoration is directed by King Hu, who helmed the entertaining and also highly influential Come Drink With Me (1966).
Wednesday June 8 7:00 PM SIFF Cinema Egyptian

This one gave me heart flutters: George Sanders in his sexiest role as what else? a charming cad, Carole Landis in one of her best films and director Douglas Sirk before he embraced glossy, Technicolor melodramas. A Scandal in Paris (1946) is one of my most anticipated films of the festival.
Sunday May 22 1:30 PM Pacific Place Cinemas

One of my greatest regrets of the TCM Classic Film Festival this year was that I was not able to get into a packed screening of the Argentinean film noir The Bitter Stems/Los Tallos Amargos (1956). I couldn't believe my luck when it popped up on the schedule. Though I hear it didn't rock anybody's world at TCMFF, it apparently offers some solid thrills and a few great twists. This 35mm restoration will be introduced by Eddie Mueller of the Film Noir Foundation.
Saturday June 4 2:00 PM SIFF Cinema Egyptian

Ernst Lubitsch, Gene Tierney in luscious color, Laird Cregar as the Devil: Heaven Can Wait (1943) is going to be a great experience.  
Saturday May 28 11:00 AM SIFF Cinema Egyptian


I'm also considering a pair of late night movies:

Rambu: The Intruder (1986), which appears to be the Indonesian version of Rambo, looks amazing. The comedy team Wolf Choir will be there to present "a unique interactive blend of live comedy and high-stakes bingo." High-stakes bingo at a Midnight movie? Couldn't possibly be dull. Don't know if I'll write that one up here if I see it, but you'll get my review on Twitter.
Saturday June 4 11:00 PM SIFF Cinema Egyptian

I'm also very excited that Mystery Science Theater 3000 mad scientists Frank Conniff and Trace Beaulieu will be live riffing on Ed Wood's Glen or Glenda (1953). This is definitely the can't miss event of the festival for me.
Saturday May 21 11:55 AM SIFF Cinema Egyptian

The full SIFF film guide can be found here.