I'm back!

Okay, here we go again! I will do better this time, I promise!

Funerals can be funny after all

Theatre 98 successfully opened its second show of the 2008 season last weekend to applause and a lot of laughter. Comedy is what this little theatre does best, and it truly delivers with Dearly Departed, a story about a Southern family dealing with the death of their father.

Led by director Timothy Guy, this cast made up of newcomers and Theatre 98 veterans truly embody the spirit of a Southern family. Dearly Departed stars Becky Thornton, Joshua Pirtle, Angie LoPresti, Catherine Phillips, Randy Hicks, Leslie Herring, Anthony Lee, Marcus Willis, Haley Moore, and Jennifer Spruiell. Special attention should be paid to Becky Thornton as the mourning (and somewhat relieved) widow. She plays the part beautifully, with the right amount of force and warmth, reminding me a bit of my own grandmother before she passed away. Also watch for the comedy of Marcus Willis as the Reverand, Angie LoPresti as the extremely religious and completely hilarious Margarete and Haley Moore as Delightful and Nadine. At the heart of the story, though, is Catherine Phillips as a woman who married into the Turpin family. She and her husband have been trying to have children, but she can't seem to carry a baby to term. She is the one who takes care of the entire cast when things go wrong - mothering them in such a way that makes her inability to have a child even more tragic, in my opinion. This sadness does not drag the story down, but gives it even more depth and heart, as she comes to realize her family is complete without a child, but does that realization come a little too late? These particular characters stood out to me, but other characters will resonate with other audience members differently, I'm sure. The acting is superb from the entire cast and much credit should go to director Timothy Guy and stage manager Hilary Martin for their attention to detail. By the way, the set is beautiful - this is a very colorful and vibrant show!

Dearly Departed opened at Theatre 98 on April 18 at 8 p.m. Upcoming showtimes are: April 23-26 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 27 at 2:30. Tickets are $15 per person or $10 for students. Prorated season tickets are still available. The box office opens on Monday, April 14 and the hours are 5:15-7:15 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Please call 928-4366 for tickets.

Take a look at these pictures from my photo sesson last week!

Vote in the Poll!

I've been thinking about revamping this blog a bit to include more local (Mobile Bay Area) entertainment news and reviews, as well as some regional (Alabama/Mississippi/Florida) and the standard movies, TV, books, internet, and other entertainment reviews and news. I want to pay more attention to this blog and I think this may be a good way to enhance the content. Take a second to vote in the poll and let me know what you think about this!

Fairhope Film Festival Winners

WINNERS ANNOUNCED!
Grand Jury Award"Racing Daylight" Directed by Nicole Quinn
Best Feature Film"Cold Play" Directed by D. David Morin and Geno Andrews
Best Documentary Film"In the Wake of the Assassins" Directed by Robert Clem
Best Short Film"The Gift Wrapper" Directed by Daniela De Carlo
Audience Choice Award"All Along" Directed by Robert Masciantonio
Special Mention Best Cinematography"A Thousand Hills" Directed by Mary Allison Wilmarth
Honorable Mention Creative Romance"Boyfriend Latte" Directed by Mark Sanders
The Heart of Fairhope Award"Jim and Jung" Directed by Matt Paulson

Fairhope Film Festival Recap

A slight breeze and gently crashing waves were the perfect soundtrack for the opening night film at the Fairhope Film Festival, held at Fairhope beach. Yes, a film was screened on the beach. It was seriously the coolest thing I've ever attended in my life, and I think the city of Fairhope should host films on the beach all throughout the summer.

What an incredible beginning for the first ever Fairhope Film Festival, and I hope it will become an annual event that grows and grows throughout the years.

So now to the recap, and I'm sorry it was so late.

Opening Night

Short film: Jim and Jung
A story about a nerdy guy who loves fortunes from fortune cookies. He collects them and pins them to a wall, which is actually kind of a cool way to decorate if no other options are available. I connected with this guy on that level, because if I get a particularly interesting fortune, I tend to save it. I think that's pretty normal, though. Anyway, one day he gets a fairly disturbing fortune, telling him he has one week to live. He takes the fortune to heart and does things that he wouldn't ordinarily do, including asking out a beautiful waitress at the restaurant. Hilarity ensues as he goes through his week with several incidents that my have actually cut his week short. A heartwarming ending rounded out this film beautifully and made it enjoyable to watch.

Feature Film: Racing Daylight
I loved this film - there is just no other way to say it. Told from the perspectives of different characters and spanning different time periods, it tells a love story that lasts through the ages. But romance is only the beginning. There is also intrigue, murder, supernatural incidents, and ultimately the truth of a buried family story. Racing Daylight was a beautiful story that was artfully told with amazing photography and a wonderful soundtrack. It also helped that we were watching it on the beach, so anytime water was featured on screen, there was a natural soundtrack of waves gently crashing only 20 feet away.

Friday Night

I missed the films on Friday during the day because I was at work, but I made it to Fairhope just in time to watch two shorts and two features, all four of which were quite enjoyable.

Short Film: Boyfriend Latte
This crazy story had enough insanity and heart to make it an instant favorite for many audience members. It was fairly obvious what everyone thought through their enthusiastic applause at the end of the film. This story follows the adventures of a lonely woman who one day sort of snaps at the coffee shop and orders a "boyfriend latte." To her surprise, the latte delivered to her was able to talk, and they instantly begin a relationship. They go through the normal ups and downs of relationships until one day, something unthinkable happens. This hilariously outrageous short film is funny to all, but has a special meaning for us single gals who sometimes think a talking latte would be better than trying to find an actual boyfriend in this day and age!

Feature Film: All Along
A sweet and sometimes crazy film about a man who questions his life through fantasies, and wonders why his fantasies are taking over his life. The fantasies are funny, sad, and sometimes shocking, and the part of the middle-aged man trying to figure out what's missing in his life is beautifully played. I really enjoyed this film, especially the ending, which proved to him that he had what he wanted "all along." It was a very nice message mixed in with some pretty crazy imagery, but blended well enough to create a good combination.

Short Film: The Gift Wrapper
This was my favorite film of the festival, hands down. It was so sweet and beautiful. This short film should be played every Christmas and families should gather around it and watch as the young hearing impaired girl who wraps gifts for a living keeps wrapping gifts for the handsome man who returns to her shop day after day during the holiday season. On Christmas Eve, he brings one final gift to be wrapped, but when she hands it back to him, he gives it right back to her. They share a silent moment and you just know they will be happy together. Yes, I'm a sucker for the sweet romance and this one absolutely fit that category. Well done!

Feature Film: Cold Play
As this is the name of a band I'm very fond of, I thought it would be an interesting film. I was right. It was very interesting and very good. When it was introduced, the organizer of the festival mentioned that the film kept him guessing until the end about who was the murderer. I am sorry to say, it didn't stump me in the same way. I had it pegged from about 30 minutes in, but wasn't absolutely sure. The filmmakers did a good job of weaving in enough clues and red herrings that it really could have been anyone, but for some reason, I just thought it had to be the scenario in my head. It was, with some variations. I didn't have it exactly right, but I was so close! That didn't end my enjoyment of the film, however, because I love a good mystery and this one had lots of mystery indeed. The characters were gritty and real, which is always a plus for me. You really believed this could happen (and I'm sure it has before, though not quite in the same way) and it was interesting to watch the story progress. I am being vague on purpose because it's just a really good movie that everyone should find and see at some point, but to tell too much would really just ruin it for you!

I did not attend Saturday's films because of a prior committment that I had forgotten about. Oops! Therefore, this ends my commentary on the Fairhope Film Festival. May it become an annual event that is enjoyed by all! I will support it any way that I can.