Tribeca 2009: Day 4

Today was an easy day for me. I started with a 9 am screening of Serious Moonlight. I was looking forward to it since I heard Cheryl Hines speak so passionately about it at the Adrienne Shelly Gala that I attended a few months back. I enjoyed the film and while at times it may have needed some work, it was a smart comedy that was a lot of fun at times. It also has a lot to say about marriage and the concept of love. I think Justin Long stole the film with his performance.

After Serious Moonlight, I settled in for the biggest surprise of the festival. I wanted to see the documentary Con Artist because the trailer looked interesting but it wasn’t something I was really anticipating. I just needed something to hold me over till Midgets Vs. Mascots. Well Con Artist blew me away. Mark Kostabi (who I had previously never heard of) was such a fascinating documentary subject. The film was hilarious and extremely entertaining. It was also well done technically with a nice narrative structure that utilized old photographs and old footage. Unfortunately, it will not win any awards because it is not about some third world country, terrorism or a major world event. I highly recommend it.

After some lunch at Subway and a Snapple taken from he Press Center, I headed back to the theater for my final film of the day. While waiting in the lobby I overheard someone being introduced as the director of Con Artist so I approached him after and introduced myself. I told him how much I loved the film and hopefully and interview will be set up soon. I then went up to the last film. It was the hilarious Midgets Vs. Mascots, which is a well made, completely psychotic, politically incorrect, gross-out quasi-documentary in the same vein as Borat. Gary Coleman is awesome in this, as is the rest of the cast. At the screening I ran into Bob Bledsoe, a very funny actor/comedian from LA that I’ve been talking to on Twitter. He seemed to love the film as well. It was very funny but there are other stunts hinted at or seen briefly that I’d rather see then the ones in the film. Although at the Q & A that followed, we were told the original cut was around 160 minutes and hopefully all the cut stunts will end up on the DVD.

After the film I headed back to the Press Center to check on a message I received. While there, I saw Johnny Knoxville pass by on his phone. I went for my camera and thought I’d try an ambush interview, in a polite way of course. By the time I got my camera out of my bag, he was walking out the door with his publicist. Damn you Scott, Chase Whale and everyone else who told me to get a Flip Mino HD. You were correct. He seems like a nice guy so I am now pissed at myself for missing that opportunity. And yes, I am a fan of his acting work. I happen to love The Ringer. And on that note, Day 4 is done. Hope you are all enjoying the coverage so far. Reviews are coming soon. I swear.

Jerry Cavallaro – www.AreYouStuckLikeChuck.com