TFF 2013 DAILY RECAP: Friday April 19th

I want to start off by apologizing for the delay in my coverage this year. I thought I’d get everything written & posted sooner this year since I was actually staying in the city but I have been getting back to the room exhausted every day. I am taking the next few days off from the festival to catch up and watch a few more of the films available in the online screening room. But before I get to that, let’s start at the beginning…

As always, my first experience of the Tribeca Film Festival was picking up my press badge at the Cadillac Press Lounge. It also doesn’t matter how early it is, this experience is always marked by my first of hopefully many free Magnum Ice Cream bars. After browsing the tables for film postcards / fliers, which there were practically none, I made my way over to Clearview Cinemas Chelsea for my first screening.

ALMOST CHRISTMAS is almost a good movie. I know that seems like a pretty easy jab but the film actually opens itself up to it quite well. With everything going for this production, especially the fantastic casting of Paul Rudd & Paul Giamatti, this film could have (and should have) been so much more. My expectations probably had a lot to do with my level of enjoyment but in the end, if this really was meant to be a comedy, it simply is not funny.

Following my first screening (and first major disappointment) of the festival, I randomly bumped into Alan LaFave of the Hells Half Mile Film + Music Festival in the theater lobby. I had seen him the last two years at Tribeca so we hung out for a little to catch up. Now that I am a board member for the Orlando Film Festival (Submissions open NOW), we talked a bit about running a smaller festival as compared to TFF. Afterward, I made my way to the next screening.

ADULT WORLD was the most packed I have ever seen a Tribeca press/industry screening. While ALMOST CHRISTMAS was a disappointment because of the quality compared to the cast involved, this film was quite the opposite. ADULT WORLD is a good film mainly because of all the talent involved. It is easy to see how this could have been a mess or at least far less interesting had it not been for the fantastic performances and great skill behind the camera. ADULT WORLD may not be the most original coming of age story but it is a satisfying and darkly funny film.

Outside the theater I again bumped into Alan LaFave. These random meetings may give the illusion of TFF being a small intimate gathering but I promise the festival is actually spread out all around Manhattan (and ironically mostly outside of the Tribeca area). We both decided to check out the RIDER AND THE STORM premiere party a few blocks away at SPIN NYC. Despite Olivia Wilde’s name being plastered all over my invite, I did not see her in attendance but there were a lot of really nice and fascinating people that I did get to meet. One of them being Bryn Mooser, co-director of RIDER AND THE STORM and co-founder of RYOT.ORG. I have not had a chance yet to view his film but I hope that changes before the end of the festival. I left the party after about 90 minutes, thus ending my first day at TFF 2013.

 Jerry Cavallaro  – @GetStuck  –  www.JerryCavallaro.com