Michael Sporn Animation – Splog

- This past weekend was a crazy one. I’m an Academy voter, and I try to see most of the films so that I can feel confident in my vote – which probably doesn’t count for much, but I feel responsible. Consequently, there’re a lot of films to watch in Nov, Dec and Jan.

Well, something strange is happening this year. I’ve been getting invitations to screening with stars and directors present. I don’t know how I’ve gotten on the “A” list, but I’m enjoying it.

Last week, watching Babel with the director, Alejandro González Iñárritu, was much more fun than watching the DVD. It’s also the way that exciting and tense film should be seen.

This weekend, Miss Potter had a screening at the Museum of Modern Art followed by a dinner at the Plaza Atheneum (read expensive). Renee Zellweger, Emily Watson and Ewan McGregor were there to greet every table. There were lots of other interesting guests watching and eating alongside us. Karen Ziemba‘s a Broadway star who sat alongside us, and we had a great conversation about her upcoming show – the final Kander & Ebb musical, Curtains. It had played at the Ahmanson in LA and is now moving to Broadway’s Al Hirschfeld Theater later in the Spring.

On Sunday, there was a screening of Clint Eastwood‘s Letters from Iwo Jima. And yes, he was there as was Ken Watanabe and a number of others from the all Japanese cast. The acting was brilliant throughout the film, which was far and away one of the best of the year. I wasn’t the greatest fan of Flags For Our Fathers, but this one is brilliant.
The film was followed by a reception in their honor.
What a treat to shake the hand of a real master.
(Click image to enlarge.)
(Above: Eastwood with Watanabe moving away, just right of him. I would normally be too shy to take a photo, but there were many Japanese photographers shooting at this short photo moment, that I knew it wouldn’t be obtrusive of me to snap it.

Of course, most of the films aren’t screened this way, and I’ve been seeing five films a week for the past three weeks. My eyes water incessantly, but I’m loving it. The films I’ve seen this way have all been good ones. I wonder if the star factor would make up for clunkers. Somehow I doubt it.

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