Campus MovieFest 2014
Universal Studios
DAY 3: The Films
I’ll let my brother John Brown handle this:
“So seven hours later 71 short films seen. Lots of laughs, incredible cinematography, great writing and story lines some touching moments and all with the best movie watcher in the world — my big bro!”
John Brown, left, and Marvin Brown at the 2014 Campus MovieFest at Universal Studios. Photo credit: John Brown
Campus MovieFest 2014
Universal Studios
DAY 2: Workshops
Producer-writer-actor Grant Heslov (Argo, The American) details the struggles and successes of the collaborative process. (Credit: Marvin Brown)
Tom Shadyac, with Marvin Brown. Shadyac, director of hits Ace Ventura, Bruce Almighty and the Nutty Professor remake, shares his experience of walking away from commercial films. Shadyac, seriously injured in a bike accident, would reevaluate his life and career, culminating in his life-affirming documentary I Am.
Director Jake Kasdan (The Zero Effect, Bad Teacher) fields question concerning his career, while promoting his upcoming comedy Sex Tape. (Credit: Marvin Brown)
Up next: Day 3, The Films
Campus MovieFest 2014
Universal Studios
DAY 2: Bloodcast
Clarke Wolfe of Nerdist.com and Ryan Turek of ShockTillYouDrop.com participated in the Bloodcast workshop during the 2014 Campus MovieFest at Universal Studios.
The humorous duo can whip up engaging discussions out of thin air. That fact that they know their stuff, horror-wise, made this one of the best workshop sessions of the festival. Horror topics ran the gamut, from old school flicks to torture porn gross-outs to meta-rrific genre classics like Scream.
Great stuff.
Clarke Wolfe, left, of Nerdist.com and Ryan Turek of ShockTillYouDrop.com
Up next: Workshops
Up first:
Very Good Girls, starring Dakota Fanning and Elizabeth Olsen.
John Brown at Universal Studios Cinema (Credit: Marvin Brown)
Universal Studios Cinemas
Next: Day2: Bloodcast
Campus MovieFest 2014
Universal Studios
Day 1: Setting Up
The CMF bills itself as the “world’s largest student film and music festival.” In its 13th year of doing what it does best, the event brought together college and university students from around the globe to screen their films, workshop and network with each other, and walk the Red Carpet for the culminating awards ceremony.
The affable cofounder and Vice President ViJay Makar and his skillful team undertook what must have been (but didn’t feel like) a daunting task of corralling hundred of students and managing dozens of workshop hosts, celebrity presenters and an untold number of film screening.
How this thing works: Students at participating colleges and universities are supplied with Apple laptops, Panasonic HD camcorders, and training–all for free. The students are given one week to create their own short movies, with each school hosting red carpet finales to showcase its top movies. The movies must be five minutes or less, and use music created by the students themselves or contributed by independent artists.
This thing can only get bigger by the year.
Off to the Campus MovieFest in Los Angeles.
Sundance Film Festival 2011*
Park City, Utah
Lights come up
Sundance goes on, but for us it’s time to head back to work and families. In all, we took in 10 screenings and Q&As, an opening ceremony party and a trip up Main Street. We had countless conversations with people like us, people who
The Brothers Brown: Marvin (left) and John, caught in flurries at Sundance in Park City. (Credit: John Brown)
seemed like something special, and people who seemed like they were from Mars.
Two things I will take back with me is the memory of the special time I shared with my brother, and the fun of being around so many strangers who, like me, just love the experience of watching films. Good films, bad films, long and short ones. Funny, serious, crazy, romantic and disturbing.
But I’d have to say the most powerful experience of Sundance is that for me it served as a linking tool of my life, tying together the decades between two kids—Marv and Amp—stomping off to the movies like little Siskel and Eberts, and the two married men—Marvin and John—who returned to that era (if only for a few days) and found they’re still a lot like those two kids who loved watching movie magic together.
| Check out our time at Sundance 2011 by clicking here.
Sights and sounds of Sundance
A dance party on opening night at Sundance (Credit: John Brown)
Demi Moore, during the screening for her film Another Happy Day (Credit: Marvin Brown)
The cast of Another Happy Day (from left): Ellen Barkin, Demi Moore, Kate Bosworth, Daniel Yelsky, Ezra Miller and Siobhan Fallon. (Credit: John Brown)
Susan Sarandon at the screening for Another Happy Day (Credit: Marvin Brown)
Marvin Brown in Eccles Theater (Credit: John Brown)
| Check out our time at Sundance 2011 by clicking here.
*Note: Since marvincbrown.com had not been created at the time of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, I decided to go back and repost these reviews and festival items, which were catalogued elsewhere—mainly because I needed to get these reviews into my archives, but also because it was an enjoyable experience I’d like to share.
Sundance Film Festival 2011*
Park City, Utah
The Main Event
Among Day Three’s assortment of films and stars was a nice diversion to the heart of Park City and the Sundance Film Festival: Main Street. Nestled between the Wasatch Mountains and adorned with quaint and sleek storefronts, the main strip is alive with celebrities, tourists and industry hopefuls.
The Wasatch Mountains surround Park City. (Credit: Marvin Brown)
With mountains peeking over every roof and around every bend, Main Street seems at once an upscale getaway and an inviting hometown. Great shops and eats on every block. Friendly crowds, which is status quo for Park City, never took away from attractive smallness of the Main.
Lunch was had at The Eating Establishment—yes it was—a great restaurant near the top of the ascending Main Street. The breakfast portions are huge and the burgers have to be held with two hands. Interestingly, some store facades are manipulated to hype up the Sundance angle, so you might wonder why your favorite shop suddenly has a new name.
Main Street was great. If you’re going to take a break from screening films, yeah, this will do the trick!
Eccles Theater is one of several theaters around Park City that screen Sundance films. (Credit: John Brown)
My brother seems surprised to find a Playboy store on the main strip. It’s either new, or one of those Sundance Surprises.
Snow alert: Up until today it’s been clear skies. But today on Main Street, Sundance got its snow. And snow. And more snow. By the time lunch was done, the sidewalk and streets were covered.
OK, on to the shows.
| Movie reviews from Sundance screenings:
Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest
John Brown at Eccles Theater in Park City (Credit: Marvin Brown)
| Lights come up. Saying goodbye to Park City.
*Note: Since marvincbrown.com had not been created at the time of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, I decided to go back and repost these reviews and festival items, which were catalogued elsewhere—mainly because I needed to get these reviews into my archives, but also because it was an enjoyable experience I’d like to share.
Sundance Film Festival 2011*
Park City, Utah
Win Win (2011)
Rated R
Reviewed by John Brown
Win Win, directed by Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent, The Visitor) and starring Paul Giamatti (Sideways, American Splendor), was definitely the first movie I saw at Sundance that I think families will enjoy–aside from a little language. Giamatti plays Mike Flaherty, a small-town lawyer who, struggling to get by financially, turns to desperate measures by lying to the court about one of his clients in order to make extra money. While things seem to be going as planned, a kid
Marvin Brown and director Tom McCarthy at the screening of McCarthy’s film Win Win (Credit: John Brown)
related to his client shows up and just happens to be a great wrestler. As Mike tries to use the kid, Kyle (newcomer Alex Shaffer), to turn around the losing high school wrestling team Mike coaches, the lies continue and the laughs begin.
The storyline is lighthearted and funny, which makes you feel for Mike and his situation while laughing at him and his friends as incompetent coaches. Shaffer was actually found through a casting call and is actually a successful high school wrestler, which makes the storyline more believable and his acting just seems like he is being himself as a teenager.
The movie reminds me of the feeling I had watching Little Miss Sunshine (2006) as I laughed and felt sorrow throughout, but much more laughter and in the end walked out with a very happy feeling from a feel-good story. On the Marvin Brown scale: See it.
*Note: Since marvincbrown.com had not been created at the time of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, I decided to go back and repost these reviews and festival items, which were catalogued elsewhere—mainly because I needed to get these reviews into my archives, but also because it was an enjoyable experience I’d like to share.
Bloghouse
