Friday, March 27, 2009

Photo gallery: AFI Dallas opening night gala at Northpark

By John P. Meyer

Not a lot of time to write this before my first filmmaker interview of the festival, so excuse the brevity and enjoy the photos.

The big star of the night (Thursday, March 27) was of course Mr. Adrien Brody, and we who lined the red carpet were told that he didn't have much time to spare (10 minutes on the carpet to talk to, and pose for, several dozen media hounds). Still, he hung around long enough in the vicinity that we were able to do him justice, from an imagery standpoint.

Also on hand was the director of The Brothers Bloom, Rian Johnson, and another of the film's stars, the elfin Rinko Kikuchi. In the film she portrays a shifty young lass with a penchant for explosives named Bang Bang.

The Brothers Bloom

For as long as they can remember, the Brothers Bloom have had only each other to depend on. From their childhood in a long series of gloomy foster homes to their high-flying lives as international con artists, Stephen and Bloom have shared everything. Stephen brilliantly concocts intricate stories that the brothers live out, but he's still searching for the perfect con, the one where "everyone gets what they want." Meanwhile, Bloom yearns for "an unwritten life"--a real adventure, one not dreamed up by his old brother. Eager to retire, Bloom agrees to take part in one last grand scam. He insinuates himself into the life of Penelope, a bored, single New Jersey heiress. When a genuine romance begins to blossom between them, he is reluctant to exploit her naiveté, but Penelope has already taken the bait: She impulsively joins Bloom, Stephen and their "associate," a sexy Japanese explosives expert named Bang Bang on an ocean liner to Greece. Penelope is convinced she's happened upon the adventure of a lifetime and offers to bankroll a million dollar deal. As the quartet makes their way from Athens to Prague to Mexico to St. Petersburg, Penelope quickly becomes addicted to the illicit thrills. But as Stephen's elaborate web of deceit pulls tighter, Bloom begins to wonder if his brother has devised the most dangerous con of his life.

Source: Cinema Source

• Showtimes and more on The Brothers Bloom

It was getting pretty hot on the ground floor of Northpark by the time red carpet activities got good and rolling, and it was crazy to see all the onlookers leaning out over the railing on the floor above us directing a wide variety of imaging devices in our direction. During the Brody appearance some guy made numerous trips up and down the escalator cradling his high-dollar Canon HD videocam on the armrest. Would love to see what kind of footage he got. (Funny, funny stuff.)

The movie screening sold out well before the festival opening, and so the organizers added another auditorium at the AMC Northpark theater to give more folks an opportunity to attend. Which resulted in a bit of a logistical issue, since part of the evening's agenda included the presentation of a Star Award to Mr. Brody, and a Q/A session after the film.

So a video feed was worked up whereby the folks in theater 9 could look in on the award presentation via live feed; the post-movie Q/A was actually held in the other theater (9) to give those folks equal time, with the denizens of theater 8 having the opportunity to trudge next door to participate.

One final quick note and then I'm outta here: Mr. Johnson's film was fantastic. It's an entertaining story of two con artist brothers who operate synergistically to bilk wealthy folks out of their unneeded cash funds. Great performances by Mr. Brody, Mark Ruffalo (who plays his older brother), Ms. Kikuchi and Rachel Weisz, who portrays the love interest/bilk-ee of the story.

O.K., a second and honest-to-God final/final note: there are additional pics to be added here, but I need to confirm some I.D.'s before I can post them. So stay tuned.

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