TFF 2013 DAILY RECAP: Monday April 22nd

I had to skip the press lounge and head straight to the Clearview Cinemas for the 10 am screening of WHITEWASH. What unfolded was a film far stranger than what the Tribeca Film Guide’s summary suggests. This “dark comedy” opens with an all too serious tone but slowly becomes a much more comedic effort. The timeline skips around as well and the audience is left wondering at first what is even real. Thomas Haden Church delivers a truly fantastic performance as a man delving into insanity and facing immense guilt for his crime but the overall film left me a bit unsatisfied.

I had less than 30 seconds to get to the next theater to catch Justin Long’s writing debut, A CASE OF YOU. The film is a fairly predictable rom-com that follows the age-old formula precisely. That isn’t exactly a bad thing though since the film is both fun and funny, with a slew of fantastic performances by Justin Long, Evan Rachel Wood and a series of surprising cameos.  I’m just not quite sure what a film like this is doing at TFF since it doesn’t fit the typical description of what you normally would find at a festival, even one like Tribeca. I’m not complaining though since I thoroughly enjoyed this film which quote-happy critics will surely call a hilarious and charming rom-com for the Facebook generation.

With a little bit of time before my next screening, I made my way to the Filmmaker Lounge for the first time during the festival. It was in a different location than last year, unlike the press lounge, and I was far more impressed with the new digs. There were also a lot more postcards and promotion material amongst the tables in the lounge. Perhaps the nicest surprise of all was the Magnum Ice Cream freezer that actually had ice cream left in it. After a delicious Gold bar, I grabbed some lunch nearby and made my way back to Clearview for my final screening of the day.

Clark Gregg’s TRUST ME is a fun yet increasingly dark look at Hollywood from the perspective of child agent Howard Holloway (Gregg). The film opens with a shot of the protagonist dying but the film still manages to take you on quite a surprising ride right up until it ends. Besides, in the world of Hollywood, especially the one portrayed in this film, you never really know who or what to trust.  Following the film Clark Gregg came out for a fun and informative Q & A, which I recorded and will be posting shortly. After, he stuck around for another 10 minutes to meet with fans. I had the pleasure of talking with him for a bit and must say that he is one of the most personable guys I have ever met. You can tell he truly appreciates and respects his fans, which is sometimes hard to find at events like this. This turned out to be the last screening I attended as press for the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival and it was definitely a highlight to go out on.

Jerry Cavallaro  – @GetStuck  –  www.JerryCavallaro.com