Friday, March 23, 2007

AFI Dallas Update

Several stars at the gala last night. Lauren Bacall looks amazing. Sydney Pollock knows how to shop for ties. Bill Paxton is a creepy polygamist to me (sorry, Bill, can't help it) and Lou Diamond Peter Pan hasn't aged a day since La Bamba. Or, my contacts are blurry.

Lou Diamond Phillips will appear at the El Cortez premiere at 7:30 p.m. today at the Angelika Film Center. He discusses the film with AFI here. Can't make it due to the death of a friend. Curious about this one, though, because according to the LDP interview, the script wasn't written for the main character to be autistic. LDP incorporated that later because he'd worked with the Center for Autism and Related Disorders in Los Angeles and saw some mannerisms in the main character that were typical of people with autism. That seems like a gigantic leap to make without a rewrite.

Oh look. Found it on Netflix. Or, is that Benjamin Braddock staring at Mrs. Robinson? Nope, it's El Cortez. Netflix says it releases on DVD March 27th (same day as Happy Feet). Okie doke. So it premieres at AFI Dallas and four days later it releases on DVD. Is that just how it goes with many Indy films or does that mean it's technically a direct to DVD?

Yeah, my newbie roots are showing again.

APPEARING: Stephen Purvis, director, and stars Lou Diamond Phillips, James McDaniel and Glenn Plummer.
THE FILM: El Cortez is about an autistic ex-con adjusting to life outside of prison when he's caught in a labyrinth of deceit and betrayal after attempting to help a wheelchair-bound miner recruit an investor to re-open a gold mine.
WHEN & WHERE: Friday March 23, 7:30pm, Angelika Film Center [Map]. Also screening Saturday March 24, 1:45pm at Angelika.

AFI Dallas

Film Screening Guide

Free Classics Showing at Victory Plaza

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