September 30, 2025 • 40 mins
The Bellevue Theater is back and so is the Montclair Film Festival. We sit down with Montclair Film’s Artistic Director, Tom Hall, to break down the 14th edition: what’s bold, what’s risky, and what’s bound for awards season.
Highlights include opening night's Jay Kelly, Noah Baumbach’s meta comedy starring George Clooney and Adam Sandler. Nicholas Britell who scored the film will be there for a Q&A. Get tickets for headline events with Spike Lee and Stephen Colbert, and Pam Abdy on Hollywood’s future. Cinephiles can dive into Rebecca Miller’s Scorsese portrait, Richard Linklater’s black-and-white Godard homage, Jesse Plemons in Bugonia, and Palme d'Or winner It Was Just An Accident by Jafar Panahi.
Docs bring the emotional punch with Come See Me In the Good Light (Tig Notaro + Ryan White), while Saturday pairs the deeply moving (Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value) with the urgent (Laura Poitras’s Cover Up). Brendan Fraser shines in Rental Family, and the festival closes on Christy, a fierce Sydney Sweeney performance that refuses the easy sports-biopic arc.
Grab your tickets, join the Q&As, and meet us in the dark—this year’s festival promises films to argue over, cheer for, and remember long after.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_02 (00:04):
Let's talk movies.
Tom, what year of the festivalis it?
SPEAKER_00 (00:09):
14th annual Montclair Film Festival, my
11th.
SPEAKER_02 (00:12):
How is this one compared to the first one that
you did?
SPEAKER_00 (00:15):
Number four, I guess, was my first one.
Uh it's much bigger.
We have a lot more going on.
That was in the days before wehad year-round programming,
before we had the Claridge,before we'd acquired the
Bellevue.
So things have gone exponentialon us all of a sudden.
And it's um it's a lot.
Our team is relatively the samesize.
So we've added some folks hereand there, but you know, not at
(00:37):
the same rate that we've addedwork for everybody.
So everyone's busy.
We're stretched, we're gettingbigger, we continue to grow.
Because we've moved to October,there's a lot of interest and
demand in the festival withfilms.
And so it's an exciting time,but it's super, super busy.
SPEAKER_01 (00:55):
It is.
I'm sure you guys are busy.
I mean, it's so exciting aboutthe Bellevue reopening.
I mean, everybody's sort of,especially in the neighborhood,
has been waiting and waiting,staring up to see what's gonna
happen, who's gonna get it, whenis it gonna open?
And you guys are gonna open it.
SPEAKER_00 (01:12):
That's right.
We worked on that for uh quite awhile in very quiet conditions
to make sure we got things doneproperly and ready to go.
So we are right now, if youwalked into the Bellevue, the
floors are being leveled,they're ripped up, everything's
being painted and touched up.
It's we're right in the processof renovating for the opening.
So we're opening it on the 18thduring the film festival.
(01:34):
It'll be the first publicscreening at the Bellevue since
it closed in 2017.
We're really excited about that.
Um, I think the focus of theClarage will be more independent
and have more capacity forindependence, and we'll take
some studio chances up at theBellevue that we may not have
taken down at the Clarage.
So that I think is the in theyou know, maybe a high profile
indie like Sinners, which is nota studio movie, but maybe a
(01:56):
riskier proposition, not basedon you know IP that people know
or whatever.
Might go up to the Bellevue.
So what do you do with the BruceSpringsteen movie?
Like, are we gonna open thatone?
I don't know where we're gonnaput that yet.
Like that's right on the linefor me.
It's like uh it's a big BruceSpringsteen movie.
We're in New Jersey, we want todo that, but do we I don't know
where we're gonna put it.
Do people want to see it at theclear edge?
SPEAKER_01 (02:14):
That's a very good question.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (02:16):
So we're like, we're figuring all that out now.
And while we're doingconstruction and putting on the
film festival, we just hired anew executive director.
Nothing, nothing's happeningover at the office right now.
No, it's it's while trying tofigure all this out at the same
time.
SPEAKER_02 (02:29):
So you're starting the festival off on October the
17th.
Is that correct?
Is that right?
That's opening night, and youhave the governor and his wife
coming to kick it all off.
SPEAKER_00 (02:40):
Yeah, so they're the um honorary chairs of the
festival this year.
So as you guys know, GovernorMurphy was crucial in the film
tax credit incentives that wentinto returning film production
to New Jersey.
So, in honor of that, and thisis his you know last couple of
months in office, we wanted tothank the governor for
supporting film and filmcreatives and the first lady as
well for her advocacy fornonprofit art.
(03:02):
She was crucial during COVID uhat a really tough time for
nonprofits rallying the stateand and getting us organized as
a as an industry.
So they're coming to be ourhonorary chairs on opening
night.
I'm thrilled about that.
Um, they've been incredibleallies and supporters of the
work that we've done at MockwareFilm.
And we're opening the festivalwith Jay Kelly, which is a film
(03:23):
by Noah Baumbach, terrific moviethat it could be more meta in
terms of the theme of the film,which is George Clooney going to
a film festival to be honored,right?
So I was like, this is a perfectopening night film festival
movie.
It's a movie about filmfestivals, kinda.
So uh we're thrilled to have it.
The composer of the film,Nicholas Bertel, who did this
(03:43):
theme of first succession.
I think everyone will know himfrom that.
Yeah.
Uh as well as some of his otherterrific scores.
Um, he did Moonlight uh forBarry Jenkins and uh Bill Street
could talk for Barry as well.
Terrific composer.
So he's coming to be honored forhis score for Jay Kelly.
I love this movie.
I'm really excited to see itwith a big audience.
(04:05):
It's a terrific comedy, but alsosort of melancholy comedy.
Uh incredibly, like I said, it'sgonna be incredibly meta to
watch a film about peoplewatching films at a film
festival.
SPEAKER_02 (04:15):
So Adam Sandler's in this film is right, right?
SPEAKER_00 (04:17):
It's terrific.
Yeah, I've heard that he's yeah,he plays George Clooney's
basically a George Clooneycharacter.
So it's like a famous actor whosort of everyone, you know,
takes care of him and everythinghe does in his life, and he's
committed to working, but he hehas a family and doesn't pay
enough attention to them.
And his team sort of, you know,he just floats from place to
place and is a celebrity andgets to do all the celebrity
(04:40):
stuff.
And Adam Sandler's basically theperson who, as his manager,
makes all that happen for himand is sort of also trying to
juggle a family and has acompletely different experience
uh doing that because he's not acelebrity and he's not famous,
and he has to attend to theneeds of a very needy celebrity
person played by George Pitty.
Some part is really terrific,and it ends up being quite
moving their relationship,thinking about sort of family
(05:01):
and how we relate to one anotherin our families and what's
important in life.
I don't know if you guys areNoah Bomback fans, but this is
not as dark or as sort of um, Idon't know, cynical as some of
Noah's movies that I love.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (05:15):
I'm curious, do you think since I went to Enora's
opening at the Welmont lastyear?
Well, I I feel differently inthe audience this year than I
did.
SPEAKER_00 (05:27):
Oh, how did you feel in Honora?
I don't know how you felt.
SPEAKER_01 (05:30):
Well, I just love your introduction to the film.
I lost it when you walked outand you're like, okay, everyone.
I hope everyone's comfortablewatching a lot of sex together
on screen.
Bye.
SPEAKER_03 (05:40):
Yeah, enjoy.
SPEAKER_01 (05:43):
Enjoy.
I was like, well, what does thatmean?
That's what it was.
It's a lot less sex in thismovie.
SPEAKER_00 (05:49):
So you can be comfortable knowing.
Also, Enora was another openingnight.
That was just at the Welmont.
SPEAKER_01 (05:55):
I I'm sorry, I uh I have uh blacked out after that.
SPEAKER_02 (05:58):
So it was a long, but it was Yeah, but it was it
was a winner.
Tell us what is the nextfeatured film that you'd like to
spotlight.
Yeah.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (06:07):
So uh on Saturday we have Spike Lee coming, which I'm
really excited about.
I am a Gen Xer to the core.
Do the right thing is the movieof my generation, in my opinion.
It's the one of the masterpiecesof Gen X.
He is an incredible filmmakerwho basically has defined cinema
for me and for a lot of people,I think, uh, over the years.
Uh he's a very cinematic.
(06:27):
I don't know if you guys got tosee highest or lowest this year,
but he's like it's on Apple TVPlus right now, I think, but
it's so visually interesting andengaging.
And all of his films take hugerisks and huge chances.
He's a real artist.
I could not be more thrilledthat he's coming to Mock
Clarity.
He's talking to Stephen Colbertat the festival.
That's going to be great.
Like their dynamics are gonna begreat.
(06:47):
Spike is super funny.
That's gonna be on Saturday, uhthe 18th, I think at 3:30 at the
Wellmont.
And then we're doing aconversation with Pam Abde, who
is a Jersey uh native and is theCEO of Warner Brothers.
And when I mentioned all thosemovies that saved movie theaters
this year, uh she produced allof those.
So I know.
SPEAKER_02 (07:07):
I was reading about her ordinary.
I was like, what?
Who is this person?
Why do I not know who thisperson is?
I get to get to interview her,right?
SPEAKER_00 (07:16):
Yeah, I'm really excited about that.
Her first job was with DannyDeVito, she was an office
assistant and then ended up likeover the production company and
then produced Garden State.
So, like, she's got real Jersey.
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (07:29):
She's all real Jersey cred.
SPEAKER_00 (07:31):
Yes, for sure.
She also produced One BattleAfter Another, which opens at
the Claridge this week with anew Leonardo DiCaprio Paul
Thomas Anderson movie.
Um that's gonna be in theconversation, I think, for a lot
of awards this year as well.
I highly recommend everyone seethat film.
So I'm really excited to talk toher.
I can't believe she's coming andthere's like you.
SPEAKER_01 (07:53):
Speak speaking of that, how did that come about?
Like, how did you decide?
Pam?
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (07:58):
Yeah, so I she um works with our publicity firm,
Frank PR, who does ourpublicity, also helps out with
Pam Abdi and with some of theWarner Brothers things in their
terrific.
And I went to Frank PR and I waslike looking at the box office
at the Clarage, and I'm like,Warner Brothers is having a
year, like, and everywhere I wasreading online was like, will
(08:19):
they keep their jobs?
Pam and Mike at Warner Brothers,are they in trouble?
Because they had, you know, afilm that didn't do so well.
And I'm like, they are crushingit right now.
So I went to them, I went to hervery early and I said, I think
Warner Brothers deserves a lotmore, or Pam and Mike in
particular deserve a lot morecredit.
Is there any chance I know Pam'sfrom New Jersey?
Is there any chance she'd wantto come to Montclair and let us
honor her?
(08:39):
Because, you know, she'sbasically flipped the Claringe
by herself.
Like that's the F1.
Like, what didn't they do thisyear?
It's an insane, an insane year.
So they put it, we got on a calland I was like, this is coming
from a really authentic place aslike a person who loves movies.
I know everything you'veproduced, and I would love to
talk to you and welcome you tothe festival.
And she's like, Great, let's doit.
I was like, Great.
SPEAKER_02 (08:59):
That's wonderful.
SPEAKER_00 (09:00):
Yeah, it'll be terrific.
I'm very excited to talk to her.
SPEAKER_02 (09:04):
Let's talk about the panelists and then we'll talk
about films.
SPEAKER_00 (09:07):
Oh, yeah, sure.
For um, yeah, so we have somepanelists uh during the
festival.
We're partnering with the Anchoronce again.
So Richard Rushfeld and SeanMcNulty of The Anchler, which is
a sort of up-and-coming tradepublication.
So a lot of like the trade, Idon't know if you guys read
Variety or the HollywoodReporter or Deadline or
IndieWire, but it's all likebreaking news, putting out a
press release, and they'll runthe press release and they'll
tell you the news that'shappening or whatever.
(09:28):
But the Anchor is like more likethoughtful, opinion-driven,
analysis-driven, data-drivenstuff.
Um, they have a great SeanMcNulty who lives in New Jersey
also is coming to do a panelwith us, does a daily email
called The Wake Up, which is boxoffice numbers, TV ratings,
gives you the comings andgoings.
It's like really terrific.
And we love working with them.
So they're they're hosting acouple of panels on the opening
(09:50):
weekend with us.
Uh the first one is Sean andthen Richard Rushfeld, who's a
legendary Hollywood journalistwho started The Anchler, is
coming from California to behere for the opening weekend.
And then uh on Sunday, thePrestige Junkie, which is their
awards season newsletter andpodcast, are recording a live
session at our festival as well.
So we're excited to be workingwith The Anchler again.
(10:13):
I love them.
We have on the first Saturday acouple of things I wanted to
highlight were um Mr.
Scorsese one and two, whichwe're screening.
SPEAKER_02 (10:22):
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (10:23):
That film is directed by Rebecca Miller, who,
as many of your listeners willknow, is the daughter of Arthur
Miller and married to DanielleDay Lewis and an incredible
filmmaker.
She's made this sort offive-part portrait of Martin
Scorsese, who we had at thefestival as our tribute a few
years back.
This movie is outstanding.
It's so good.
If you're a Scorsese fan, it'sunmissable.
Okay.
Um, I'll just pick up the video.
SPEAKER_02 (10:44):
I was wondering about that one.
I was wondering.
So you're a high recommendationon this film.
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (10:51):
It's a five-part thing.
So I think part two ends rightbefore Raging Bull.
So you're gonna have to watchthe rest of it.
I was like, we can they will dothe whole five hours, so it
leads right up to that.
You get taxi driver and NewYork, New York, and all the
early stuff, but it's anyway,it's great.
His life, it's all beh allfamily and behind the scenes and
all the stuff you'd want to knowabout him as a person.
(11:11):
Really good.
And then I have to highlightBegonia.
SPEAKER_01 (11:14):
I wanted to ask about that.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (11:16):
Will Tracy is the screenwriter.
We're honoring him.
Uh, it's an adapted screenplay.
He is a great writer to themovie The Menu a few years ago.
SPEAKER_01 (11:25):
Oh, I remember that.
SPEAKER_00 (11:27):
Yeah.
So if you saw the menu andyou're like, how can this be
darker and weirder?
Welcome to Begonia.
This is for me personally, likeone of my favorite films in the
festival.
It is not gonna be foreverybody.
I just want to flag there'sviolence in it for sure.
SPEAKER_02 (11:42):
Yeah.
Um all of his movies uh filmmateare not for everyone.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (11:48):
Right.
Jesse Plemens is, I think he'llget nominated for best actor.
SPEAKER_02 (11:53):
It's time.
It's time.
It's yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (11:55):
So he's incredible in this movie.
SPEAKER_02 (11:57):
So time.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (11:58):
He plays a conspiracy theorist who thinks
Emma Stone's character is like afemale Elon Musk uh billionaire
science-y type, is an alien, andso he kidnaps her and it gets
crazier from there.
SPEAKER_02 (12:12):
I love it.
Yeah.
The trailer makes me wonderwhether she is an alien.
unknown (12:18):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (12:18):
I am not gonna say anything about anything about
this movie other than it has tobe seen to be believed.
I can't wait for the QA.
The first question is like, whatthe fuck?
SPEAKER_02 (12:31):
It's on my short list.
I can tell you that.
SPEAKER_00 (12:34):
Sunday's the most elite day.
I don't know how people aregonna make any choices.
But we've got the Palm Doorwinning, It Was Just an
Accident, directed by JafarPanahi, who of whose work I've
programmed several films.
I'm a huge fan, huge admirer ofhis work.
This is another great film inthe Panahi Canon.
Must see.
SPEAKER_02 (12:52):
Must see.
I can't wait to see it.
I'm I have to that is his likenumber one on my list.
Great.
SPEAKER_00 (13:00):
You have elite, you have elite taste.
That's it's great.
It's great.
SPEAKER_02 (13:03):
Well, I'm just a big fan of his.
I mean, I know that I just wantto mention that you also have an
Iranian film festival going onat the Montclair film right now,
and you're gonna have one of hisgreat films also showing.
I think it's in December, uh NoBears, which is also a terrific
film of his.
Also is Taxi, which is also aterrific film of his.
(13:24):
So anyway, so just want to saythat I think everybody should go
see this film for sure.
SPEAKER_00 (13:29):
Yeah, he's been a prisoner of the regime multiple
times as a filmmaker.
We had the same conversation, Ithink, last year with Cita the
Sacred Fig and and MohammedRusulaf, who had to flee Iran,
but uh Panahi stayed and fought.
And I know he's out and aboutnow.
He's in the States, I think,going to be at the New York Film
Festival.
(13:49):
But uh, I'm happy to see thathe's a free man uh and
continuing to challengecensorship by the state, which
is terrific.
So that's a really like I said,a really good movie.
SPEAKER_02 (13:58):
And it's about, do you want to say what it's about?
It's about a guy who has a caraccident, hits a dog, tries to
go get his car fixed, and themechanic thinks that this might
be a guy that might havetortured him in the past.
And they all and it's a questionof his identity.
It's kind of like the Yorgosthing.
Is it or is it not this person?
SPEAKER_00 (14:16):
You know, you know, so interesting to be absolutely
that I never even thought aboutthat parallel that parallel, but
that's right.
You know, it's the not knowingthat it's a very much a thriller
that comes from a very simple,small thing that sort of spirals
into something much bigger andmore meaningful.
Yeah.
Um very powerful.
Um a couple a couple of otherthings on this day I just have
to point out.
(14:36):
Um, Nouvelle Vogue, which isplaying at the Welmont, which is
Richard Linklater's new filmabout the making of Jean-Luc
Godard's Breathless.
It's a fictionalized version ofthat process.
And it's if you are a French NewAge, it's great.
If you're a French New Wave fanor film history fan, this movie
is for you.
(14:57):
It's black and white, it'sbeautifully shot, uh, it's the
performances are great.
And you can tell how much heloves the filmmaking process
from watching this movie, LinkLater himself.
Just the idea that he would getto recreate how they're making
breath, like filming someonefilming your favorite movie as
like a fiction idea is soterrific.
And he does it in the style of,you know what I mean?
(15:18):
So it's like an homage, but alsohis own thing.
It's just really lovely.
SPEAKER_02 (15:23):
With a great cast, too.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (15:25):
And it's got a great cast, but also just like the
idea that Jean Luc Godard, like,is his first film, he doesn't
know what he's doing, kinda.
He was like a theoreticalcritic, smart guy who had to
like figure out how to make amovie.
And so you watch him sort ofdoing things that everybody
around him is like, what is thisguy doing?
Like he doesn't know what he'sdoing, and then he ends up
making breathless, and you'relike, oh, okay.
Uh he knew what he was doing allalong.
So it's really quite I I lovedit.
(15:47):
Wake up Dead Man.
I'm very excited for people tosee, which is the knives out
follow-up with Daniel Craig,who's our past guest, and that
we did the the last uh GlassOnion was our opening night film
a few years back.
And I love Ryan Johnson inthese, you know.
I don't know if you guys are.
SPEAKER_02 (16:01):
Those are fun.
Those are fun.
SPEAKER_00 (16:02):
I do like totally 70s children who would like
watch, like, you know, theAgatha Christie Murder on the
Orient Express, all-star castmovies or Sheila, like with a
boat with all the 70s actors.
I just love those big all-starmovie cast 70s homages, and I
love a good mystery.
But the movies of the day areprobably Train Dreams, which is
(16:25):
gonna be, I think, a contenderthis year was at Sundance.
We saw it, and it's beautiful,which is playing at MKA at two
o'clock.
And then Hamnet.
I cannot wait to see.
Yeah, it's probably gonna be abest picture nominee.
And you've read the book.
SPEAKER_03 (16:42):
You guys have both read the book?
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (16:44):
Okay.
So I don't know about theaudience, but basically it's the
story of uh Shakespeare and hiswife, who had a son named
Hamnet, uh one of multiplechildren who died when he was
very young, and about whichpotentially Hamlet was written.
And I don't know, I didn't readthe book, so I only saw the
movie, but I can and it's ChloeZhao who did Nomad Land, um,
(17:08):
which opened the festival duringthe pandemic.
Actually, we showed it at adrive-in that we built out in a
parking lot somewhere.
I'm a big fan of her work, TheRider, Nomad Land are both films
that I really like.
This is just next level moving,powerful, profound.
I've seen five film versions ofHamlet, three or four stage
(17:28):
versions of Hamlet, and I'venever considered the play in the
way that this movie presents theplay uh in the end of the film.
SPEAKER_02 (17:37):
So it also it highlights the wife, his wife,
more than any it kind of makesher the the the story that was
never told.
SPEAKER_00 (17:46):
So I think Jessie Buckley, who came for our
opening night in 2019 for WildRose and won our breakthrough
performer award at the festival,plays her in the film and gives
a heartbreakingly incredibleperformance.
But I'm crying thinking aboutit.
SPEAKER_02 (18:01):
She's so talented.
SPEAKER_00 (18:02):
People are gonna bring your tissues.
SPEAKER_02 (18:04):
I heard I had read some early reviews a while back,
and uh it it was a cry, uh it'sa crier.
SPEAKER_00 (18:10):
I mean, just thinking about it makes me tear
up.
It's really just the way thatshe pulls but it's like as a
filmmaker to just bring thehouse down like that, like
everybody, like you cannot notif you if you're really good at
like choking back tears, you'llmake it.
You know what I mean?
Yeah, if you can really hold itin, you'll be able to hold it
in.
But you know, in your throat,like you're about to cry.
SPEAKER_01 (18:33):
I'll go, you know what I'm gonna do?
I'm gonna bring Bill.
It'll be the Billow meterbecause he has been back and
we'll see.
SPEAKER_00 (18:40):
I would love to follow up and see if he was able
to do it.
As a parent and a person.
Well, you mentioned Inora.
Um Sean Baker produced andedited a film that we're showing
the same day at the same timecalled Left Handed Girl.
It's our Breakthrough DirectorAward for uh Shi Ching Su, who's
the director and has worked withSean a long time.
It's set in um Taipei in Taiwan,uh about uh intergenerational
(19:02):
mother-daughter drama comedywith that same sort of energy,
street energy of like a Nora,but set in contemporary Taiwan.
And it's uh a really great debutfeature.
I mean, I'm almost sad thatwe're showing it on this day
because there's so much to seeand so much to do.
I wish we had like 50,000 peoplebeating down the door to go to
every movie, but like I don'tknow.
(19:23):
This is a really I'm so sorry.
This is when everyone wasavailable.
But if you get shut out or youhave to make a choice, we're
hoping that we can bring a lotof these films back to the
cinemas, and like having theopportunity to do that makes me
feel much better about the factthat you may not be able to see
it during the festival becauseof your making another choice.
So yeah, those are all great.
(19:45):
What a great day.
We were like as programmers, youknow, we sit down, we put the
schedule together, we justlooked at each other like, oh
man.
On Monday night, Lucy Liu'scoming to the festival with the
film Rosemead, um, which isplaying at the Bellevue at seven
o'clock on Monday the 20th.
It's a story of a mother who's arecent immigrant from China
whose um son going through amental health crisis and sort of
(20:09):
how she as an immigrant reactsto that problem here in the
United States.
It's a really interesting Ithink there's going to be a
really great talk with her aboutthis movie.
She's it's very different forher as a performance.
I think there's a lot to talkabout with it, especially at you
know this time and place thatwe're dealing with immigration
and families dealing with a lotof mental health, especially for
young men.
Uh, excited to talk to her onMonday.
(20:32):
Um, the next one would I guessto highlight you know, there's
great things playing all week.
Um, so please come check stuffout on the weeknights.
Um I could go, I could talkabout every one of these films.
We have the Head of Gobbleradaptation by Nia De Costa,
starring Tessa Thompson.
So if you're an Ibsen person,they move this forward.
SPEAKER_01 (20:49):
I want to see that.
SPEAKER_00 (20:50):
Yeah.
So they move it forward to the1920s, so it plays a little
Gatsby-ish.
It's really quite interesting uhadaptation.
There's a the Sondheims uhBroadway production of Merrilly
We Roll Along with DanielRadcliffe and Jonathan Groff
that's playing that night on onTuesday.
Surratt, which is a top threeTom movie at the festival.
If you think Bagoni's crazy, umwait till you see Surat.
(21:14):
Uh uh the sound mix alone isworth the price of admission.
Um we've got the three-hour uhuh bio film about Magellan
starring um Gael Garcia Bernaluh on Thursday, which is a very
interesting movie by a Filipinodirector named Lav Diaz, who I'm
(21:37):
a huge fan of.
And this is a short film for LavDiaz.
SPEAKER_01 (21:41):
It's a recording film at clocking in at three
hours.
SPEAKER_00 (21:44):
They're usually over six, so this is like a short.
Okay.
Um and it's very much a straightyou know, forward.
I would say if you're gonna comesee Magellan, check out the
Wikipedia page about Magellanbefore you come because there's
a lot of things that happen.
Like I had I got to watch it athome, so I had like the
Wikipedia open.
I'm like scrolling along,where's what's happening now?
(22:05):
Like trying to keep up with themovie.
SPEAKER_02 (22:06):
Yeah, yeah, I love that now.
That's the way I remember.
SPEAKER_00 (22:08):
The Jessica Chastain film Dreams could not be more
timely about immigration andsort of the uh ability of uh
certain classic people to notworry too much about it, and
others who have to absolutelyworry about it right now.
It is a dark, dark movie, and Ithink it's gonna have a lot of
conversation around it.
I'd love to see what peoplethink of that one.
I I loved it personally.
(22:30):
Um, she's a great performer.
We did happen to have like allof the award winners from Cannes
this year.
So Sound of Falling, which is aGerman film, which is incredible
about a house that handed downgeneration to generation, and it
jumps through time to all theyoung women who lived in the
house and how their histories aswomen overlapped with one
another um throughout this housein different times from
(22:54):
contemporary time to like theearly 20th century.
It's really smart, well done.
It's like a what a breakthroughfor for the director.
And then that's the same nightwe're showing the Springsteen
film Deliver Me From Nowherewith Warren Zane's coming.
He's gonna do the QA with me forthat film at the Bellevue on
Thursday, the 23rd, the daybefore it opens in theaters.
(23:15):
But we got it in.
I'm really excited about that.
Friday night, come see me in thegood lights.
We're showing that film as ourdocumentary centerpiece.
It's at MKA, it's the only filmat MKA on Friday, the 24th.
Tignataro, the comedian, iscoming.
She's uh producer in the filmand in the film.
Uh Ryan, Ryan White, who's thedirector, is also coming for the
QA.
(23:35):
So very moving documentary aboutAndrea Gibson and her wife, who
are both poets.
Andrea Gibson was like aspoken-word poet in the early
90s.
I don't know if you guys arelike Lilith Fair era feminists,
uh, but she was definitely apart of that sort of nine early
90s grungy poetry uh women inrock scene.
(23:57):
And she has terminal cancer inthe film, and it's about her
journey through that process atthe end of her life as a poet,
as a woman, and they stage afinal performance for her, and
it's um it's really again, bringyour tissues, it's really great.
Uh she's incredible.
I really want to talk to themabout it because it's one of the
most intimate documentaries I'veever seen.
(24:18):
Like again, I don't know how youdeal with these life issues of
end of life and care and loveand marriage and threats against
gay marriage and all of thiswith uh with a camera there, uh,
and you're processing all thistogether as a couple.
And uh I I'm very interested tofind out from from Ryan about
(24:39):
that process and sort of how Tiggot involved and knew them and
uh etc.
So that one's a definitely amust see.
Uh gotta say a word aboutSaturday's Sentimental Value,
which is the most Tom film inthe Montclair film.
SPEAKER_02 (24:56):
It's the most Tom film.
SPEAKER_00 (24:57):
It's my favorite movie in the festival.
Okay.
Um it's from Norway.
It's from Joachim Trier, who didWorst Person in the World, which
you may have seen with RenataRensve.
It's um very much in that sortof novelistic family drama vein.
I loved it.
She's incredible, he'sincredible.
(25:17):
I would like them to make onemovie a year just for me, and
I'll go see it by myself.
And I love that.
SPEAKER_01 (25:22):
Well, I have to see this now.
I have to see that.
You've got two more people goingto see it now.
If you love it, at least.
SPEAKER_00 (25:29):
I mean, if you don't like it, let me know, and then
we have to assess ourfriendship.
Um then a couple other things onthat day that are, I think,
gonna be notable.
First, we're showing Ask Eegene.
Eegene Carroll is coming to thefestival at MKA with Ivy
Mirapol, who's the director.
I don't know if you know Ivy,but her grandparents are Julius
(25:50):
and Ethel Rosenberg.
She has made a film about EegeneCarroll, both uh about sort of
the contemporary lawsuitsagainst the president, but also
her history as a advicecolumnist for women, um, and
some of the bad advice I thinkshe gave early on in her career
and sort of the reclamation ofher past and a reframing that
(26:14):
she's had to go through as awoman uh as part of her public
life.
Um I'm thrilled that she'scoming to be there with us.
And uh I think it's gonna be areally great screening.
She's an incredible just acharacter.
Like I didn't know half of thefacts and details about her life
or her experience.
And then I watched the film andnow I like cannot wait to go.
SPEAKER_02 (26:36):
Yeah, most people just know the the news clips or
you know the stories there, soyou people can take a deeper
dive into the backstory of that.
I think that that I think thatwill get a lot of people
interest for sure.
SPEAKER_00 (26:47):
And I'm a great filmmaker as well.
Uh just want to mention Sheila.
She's got a lot, I think, to dowith this movie is gonna
definitely make waves.
I'm just, you know, I hopesomeone picks it up and puts it
out.
I'm proud to be have been askedto show it.
Really glad that we had spacefor it and that they're able to
come and support it at thefestival.
So please be there.
SPEAKER_03 (27:04):
Yeah, that's it.
SPEAKER_00 (27:05):
Um two other ones that are playing at the same
time that night.
The first is Cover Up, which isour David Carr Award recipient.
We do a award for David's memoryevery year about a film that
sort of deals with journalism orjournalistic themes or
processes.
This is about Seymour Hirsch,the investigative reporter, who
uncovered the May Lai Massacre,but also covered Watergate and
has done, I don't know, athousand incredible stories for
(27:28):
the New Yorker, the New YorkTimes over the years, like just
an incredible uh investigativejournalist who it turns out
doesn't like to be uh personallyinvestigated all that very much
by the documentary filmmakerswho he's agreed to work with.
So it's really quite interestingto watch him sort of deal with
Laura Poitris, who is anincredible documentary
filmmaker.
Her last film, All the Beautyand the Bloodshed, which was
(27:50):
about Nan Golden and her sort ofwar against the Sackler family
for the opioid crisis.
Nan Golden, the photographer.
I saw them.
So that was her like yes, thatwas Laura's last movie.
Um, this is her new one.
She's working with a directornamed Mark Oberhaus on this one,
but they're both coming.
We're gonna have a Q ⁇ A withthem talking about cover-up, but
it's uh it's really if you're Iknow there are a lot of
(28:12):
journalists or people who areinto journalism who live in
Montclair.
We'd love to see you at thatone.
And then Rental Family, which isour fiction center pieces that
night, the return of BrendanFraser.
I'm working to get him to thefestival.
I it's really a beautiful movieabout is he plays an American
actor in Japan who uh goes towork for a company where he in
(28:32):
they sort of insert him intopeople's lives to play a role in
their lives.
Like so a single mother whosedaughter doesn't know who her
father is but is a mixed-racechild, he goes and uh shows up
and acts as the dad, the momsort of agrees like this is your
father.
SPEAKER_01 (28:48):
And so they' such an interesting premise of like
okay, forget going to see atherapist, sweetie.
We're gonna fix this the a a newway.
SPEAKER_00 (28:58):
It's really and it is, it's basically, I mean, he
also has to grapple with thefact that he's sort of forming
bonds and connections withpeople.
And what does it mean about hisown life and what does
performance mean?
He's an actor, he wants to beacting, but like what does that
mean in the context of likehaving this real relationship
with people?
And there's another character inthe film who's like a sort of
elderly man who's losing hismemory, and um, the family hires
(29:20):
him to pretend he he'sresearching a documentary about
him as an artist.
Um, and so he goes and talks tothat uh gentleman and they have
this sort of experiencetogether, and it ends up being
transformative for everybody andum in a in a good, like really
feel-good, interesting way thatmakes you examine the roles you
play in other people's lives andhow you interact with other
people and very thoughtful andlovely.
(29:42):
Uh I think we need a little bitof that for sure right now.
So I I really like that.
And then I guess the last thingI don't know.
Why do we need thoughtfulness?
SPEAKER_02 (29:52):
I don't think about it.
SPEAKER_00 (29:54):
The last day of the festival, uh, just a couple
things to highlight there.
We're doing a conversation withBobby Brown.
About her new book.
I know she just had a book abook launch in Montclair, but uh
this is I think open you know tothe public and more a little bit
more accessible and working tomake that a a a great day for
her.
We did Ina Garden last year.
Um and I just, you know, we welove what Bobby does in
(30:17):
Montclair and want to supportthat book and and help her out
and uh get some attention on it.
So I hope people will come.
SPEAKER_02 (30:24):
I went to her book uh launch uh event and it was
really very interesting tolisten to her talk about her
story.
SPEAKER_00 (30:31):
I just last wanted to mention the the closing film,
which is Christy, the SydneySweeney movie, co-starring Ben
Foster, who plays one of theall-time bad guys in this film.
This is a true story.
SPEAKER_01 (30:43):
She's a little too good at that role.
SPEAKER_00 (30:45):
This is the story of Christy Martin, who, when I was
uh in the 80s and 90s, was Ithink the only female boxer.
I mean, like the only one I knewof.
Like, she really inventedwomen's boxing as a
celebrity-driven.
I mean, she was on Mike Tysoncards, and she's a real deal
boxer or whatever.
So Sydney Sweeney plays thatpart in the film, this is her
(31:07):
story.
I did not know her whole story,and I don't want to spoil this
movie for people who come andsee it.
So I'm gonna say as little aspossible as I can about it.
But I will say, if you know thefilm Star 80 with Muriel
Hemingway and Eric Roberts fromthe early 1980s, which was about
a husband who grew jealous ofhis wife becoming a Playboy
(31:27):
Playmate and became famous, andhe was not ended up murdering
her, uh, Dorothy Stratton, whowas like the playmate of the
year or whatever, Playboy model.
Um, this film has a lot of thatsame sort of vibe to it uh as it
goes.
It's it's a it's a sports filmon the surface, but it's
definitely a film about domesticabuse, women, and sort of the
(31:50):
mixed message that ChristyMartin sent as a woman because
she was trying to hide some darkfacts about her own life from
the public as she was dealingwith her own shame about
multiple things that I againdon't want to spoil in the film,
but it takes a very dark turn.
This is not like uh my daughteruh is 15 and loves Sydney
Sweeney and I want to bring herto the movie movie.
(32:12):
This isn't that movie.
Um, this is really uh a powerfuldrama and not what I was
expecting at all.
I thought it was gonna be likeRocky or something, like uh, and
you know, Sydney Sweeney's like,I put on weight, I'm looking
tough.
I got buff for the role.
It's a boxing movie, and it's somuch more than that.
Like I said, Ben Foster, kudos,like the uh absolute worst
(32:34):
person um as a uh character inthe film festival.
This is like bad guy number one.
SPEAKER_01 (32:41):
He wins, he wins the award for the worst person.
Is it Merritt Weaver in that?
SPEAKER_00 (32:46):
Yeah, she plays her mo she plays her mother.
SPEAKER_01 (32:49):
I like her.
SPEAKER_00 (32:50):
Yeah, she's terrific, also not really
supportive, also a bad guy.
Um I'll leave it, I'll leave itat that.
Yeah, no, but it's you're you'llbe I I walked out of there
incredibly surprised because Iknew her career, like she
fought, she was a champion, shehad a big comeback or whatever.
I'm like, oh, this is gonna belike yay, and it is, but it's
(33:11):
not, it's really uh the thepolitics behind it are you know,
given what we know about likewhat's happening with Sydney
Sweeney uh in the zeitgeist orwhatever, very interesting and
worth seeing.
And I know people might dismissher because of that, or may
think, oh, I don't want to gosee a Sydney Sweeney movie
because XYZ and the culture, butthe film sort of almost
(33:32):
addresses that about prejudgingwomen and not giving them space
to articulate who they reallyare, and it almost like it
comments on the contemporaryidea of womanhood that is being
addressed by those concerns inreal life with Sydney Sweeney.
So it's really quite aninteresting movie.
And again, I I think peopleshould put their judgments aside
(33:55):
and see it.
SPEAKER_02 (33:56):
We want to touch on one film that we are
spotlighting in our panel thatwe're gonna be doing for the
first time on our live Lost inJersey live, which is the
business of trouble.
Is that Shine Global is bringingit?
Oh, yeah, right.
SPEAKER_01 (34:09):
Yeah, it's a short, and we're interviewing them and
possibly the director on October23rd at 7 p.m.
It I mean, you might know thattime and date because there's a
little Bruce Springsteen filmhappening at the same time.
I mean, rough choice, I get it.
SPEAKER_02 (34:26):
For the non-Springsteen fans, the people
who are really into uh movingstorytelling that focus on the
crisis of the children and thefilmmakers that are trying to
bring this to the forefront.
And this particular film isabout um teens having either
psychological or addictionproblems that are put into
(34:49):
rehabilitation industry, andit's unregulated.
That industry is an importanttopic right now, especially with
the the crisis that's happening,you know, amongst the youth
today that we talk about, andwhere do you go for help?
SPEAKER_01 (35:02):
We're really looking forward to being a part of
Montclair film in anotherdimension this year.
So thank you for that.
SPEAKER_00 (35:08):
I'm so grateful to you guys for doing that.
And I just want to add, I expecttickets for the Bruce
Springsteen movie to last aboutfour minutes.
So if you are not one of the 130people who get a ticket to see
Bruce Springsteen, this podcastrecording is absolutely gonna be
on the table for you.
So please go because I there'sgonna be a lot of capacity to
(35:28):
attend the podcast.
We have the the mezzanineupstairs over the Claridge this
year as a new space that we'reoffering, and it's got a lot
more room and seats, and we'dlove to see it filled up for the
panels.
And I'm so grateful to you guysfor taking the time to be a part
of the festival and and joiningus this year.
It means a lot.
So thank you for doing that.
SPEAKER_02 (35:45):
Yeah, it's really it's really fun.
Thank you.
What I'd like to end with is tolet people know that many of
these films that we've beentalking about have not hit the
theaters yet.
A lot of them are films thatyou're gonna be hearing about
talked about for the awards.
This is an opportunity to seesome of them early.
SPEAKER_01 (36:02):
And be in community.
Talk about it with your friends.
You see everybody that yourarely see in town because
you're all busy, but you get togo out and really be proud of
Montclair.
It's such a wonderfulopportunity to bring the entire
town together.
So uh get out there, get yourtickets.
If you're a member, which youshould be, you can buy tickets
(36:24):
early.
So just become a member.
And then if you didn't, it'sokay, but you could then buy a
ticket later.
SPEAKER_00 (36:30):
And the good thing about being a member is you
know, that membership isyear-round.
So the Claridge tickets, theClaridge Popcorn, Bellevue
tickets, Bellevue Popcorn arefundraising events.
You get first crackett ticketsfor all that, first cracket
tickets for the festival,discounted tickets at the
festival.
It really pays for itself and itoffers us a lot of year-round
support.
And like I always say, ifeveryone in Montclair bought one
(36:52):
ticket to see a film at theMontclair Film Festival, it
would be two to three timesbigger than it's ever been.
So uh if we just got everybodyto check out one thing, it would
be a huge Montclair FilmFestival for everybody.
So please come take a chance.
It's not like it's you're goingto Broadway for 150 bucks.
It's like a 15, 17 dollar ticketto take a chance on art.
(37:13):
The director might be there.
We're having a ton of QA's.
Yeah.
You get to have a conversation,see people in your community who
might be interested in the samething.
We have a whole slew ofdocumentaries, fiction.
We have something for everybody,I think.
There's family movies.
Um, I hope people feel welcome.
SPEAKER_02 (37:27):
Well, yes.
Everybody's gonna be part of therevival of going to the movies.
I know we're towards the end,we're over time, but you're
quite the musician as well.
So tell people a little bitabout your band.
SPEAKER_00 (37:44):
God, I see.
I dabble every five years.
We're like cicadas.
Every five years, my REM coverband gets together and we sing
the early music of REM.
And I know there's a MontclairREM cover band.
And um, if they are looking forjust like a guest vocal uh ever,
I sing in this band.
(38:04):
I'd be happy to sit in with youguys.
SPEAKER_01 (38:06):
Contact Tom Hall.
SPEAKER_00 (38:07):
Contact Tom at Montclairfilm.org.
Um, I'd be happy to sing one.
I mean, I'm not trying to takethe lead singer's job or
anything.
I just I can Mike Mills it foryou.
Anyway, we have a we're weplayed a show recently, uh, and
so in 2030 probably is be thenext time we play another.
SPEAKER_02 (38:25):
I'm always surprised when I see your post.
I'm like, that guy is already sobusy and he's out, you know,
seeing bands, he's in a band,he's doing so.
I you have uh a lot of energies.
I'm always really impressed withit.
So but I'm my secret passion.
SPEAKER_00 (38:40):
I also read books.
Like those are my three thingsmusic, books, and movies.
I don't know.
SPEAKER_01 (38:44):
So you must not sleep very much.
SPEAKER_00 (38:46):
I don't sleep well.
SPEAKER_02 (38:48):
Well, thank you for taking the time to join us and
tell us about the this year'sfestival.
We're excited to be part of itand excited to go to the films
and looking forward to it.
I'm so excited.
SPEAKER_00 (38:58):
I'm so grateful to you guys for the opportunity to
talk about this.
And I hope I didn't blather ontoo much, but you guys are the
best, and we really appreciateyou shining a light on our work
because you know we we reallystruggle and every day and want
to connect with people and thekindness that you've shown us
over the years, reallyappreciate it.
So thank you.
SPEAKER_02 (39:15):
Oh, thank you.
I appreciate that.
Thanks, Tom.
SPEAKER_01 (39:17):
Thanks, Tom.
This podcast was produced byRachel Martens and Jeanette
Afsharian.
You can find us on Spotify,iTunes, and Buzz Sprout.
Thanks for listening.
See you next week.
Let's talk movies.
Tom, what year of the festivalis it?
SPEAKER_00 (00:09):
14th annual Montclair Film Festival, my
11th.
SPEAKER_02 (00:12):
How is this one compared to the first one that
you did?
SPEAKER_00 (00:15):
Number four, I guess, was my first one.
Uh it's much bigger.
We have a lot more going on.
That was in the days before wehad year-round programming,
before we had the Claridge,before we'd acquired the
Bellevue.
So things have gone exponentialon us all of a sudden.
And it's um it's a lot.
Our team is relatively the samesize.
So we've added some folks hereand there, but you know, not at
(00:37):
the same rate that we've addedwork for everybody.
So everyone's busy.
We're stretched, we're gettingbigger, we continue to grow.
Because we've moved to October,there's a lot of interest and
demand in the festival withfilms.
And so it's an exciting time,but it's super, super busy.
SPEAKER_01 (00:55):
It is.
I'm sure you guys are busy.
I mean, it's so exciting aboutthe Bellevue reopening.
I mean, everybody's sort of,especially in the neighborhood,
has been waiting and waiting,staring up to see what's gonna
happen, who's gonna get it, whenis it gonna open?
And you guys are gonna open it.
SPEAKER_00 (01:12):
That's right.
We worked on that for uh quite awhile in very quiet conditions
to make sure we got things doneproperly and ready to go.
So we are right now, if youwalked into the Bellevue, the
floors are being leveled,they're ripped up, everything's
being painted and touched up.
It's we're right in the processof renovating for the opening.
So we're opening it on the 18thduring the film festival.
(01:34):
It'll be the first publicscreening at the Bellevue since
it closed in 2017.
We're really excited about that.
Um, I think the focus of theClarage will be more independent
and have more capacity forindependence, and we'll take
some studio chances up at theBellevue that we may not have
taken down at the Clarage.
So that I think is the in theyou know, maybe a high profile
indie like Sinners, which is nota studio movie, but maybe a
(01:56):
riskier proposition, not basedon you know IP that people know
or whatever.
Might go up to the Bellevue.
So what do you do with the BruceSpringsteen movie?
Like, are we gonna open thatone?
I don't know where we're gonnaput that yet.
Like that's right on the linefor me.
It's like uh it's a big BruceSpringsteen movie.
We're in New Jersey, we want todo that, but do we I don't know
where we're gonna put it.
Do people want to see it at theclear edge?
SPEAKER_01 (02:14):
That's a very good question.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (02:16):
So we're like, we're figuring all that out now.
And while we're doingconstruction and putting on the
film festival, we just hired anew executive director.
Nothing, nothing's happeningover at the office right now.
No, it's it's while trying tofigure all this out at the same
time.
SPEAKER_02 (02:29):
So you're starting the festival off on October the
17th.
Is that correct?
Is that right?
That's opening night, and youhave the governor and his wife
coming to kick it all off.
SPEAKER_00 (02:40):
Yeah, so they're the um honorary chairs of the
festival this year.
So as you guys know, GovernorMurphy was crucial in the film
tax credit incentives that wentinto returning film production
to New Jersey.
So, in honor of that, and thisis his you know last couple of
months in office, we wanted tothank the governor for
supporting film and filmcreatives and the first lady as
well for her advocacy fornonprofit art.
(03:02):
She was crucial during COVID uhat a really tough time for
nonprofits rallying the stateand and getting us organized as
a as an industry.
So they're coming to be ourhonorary chairs on opening
night.
I'm thrilled about that.
Um, they've been incredibleallies and supporters of the
work that we've done at MockwareFilm.
And we're opening the festivalwith Jay Kelly, which is a film
(03:23):
by Noah Baumbach, terrific moviethat it could be more meta in
terms of the theme of the film,which is George Clooney going to
a film festival to be honored,right?
So I was like, this is a perfectopening night film festival
movie.
It's a movie about filmfestivals, kinda.
So uh we're thrilled to have it.
The composer of the film,Nicholas Bertel, who did this
(03:43):
theme of first succession.
I think everyone will know himfrom that.
Yeah.
Uh as well as some of his otherterrific scores.
Um, he did Moonlight uh forBarry Jenkins and uh Bill Street
could talk for Barry as well.
Terrific composer.
So he's coming to be honored forhis score for Jay Kelly.
I love this movie.
I'm really excited to see itwith a big audience.
(04:05):
It's a terrific comedy, but alsosort of melancholy comedy.
Uh incredibly, like I said, it'sgonna be incredibly meta to
watch a film about peoplewatching films at a film
festival.
SPEAKER_02 (04:15):
So Adam Sandler's in this film is right, right?
SPEAKER_00 (04:17):
It's terrific.
Yeah, I've heard that he's yeah,he plays George Clooney's
basically a George Clooneycharacter.
So it's like a famous actor whosort of everyone, you know,
takes care of him and everythinghe does in his life, and he's
committed to working, but he hehas a family and doesn't pay
enough attention to them.
And his team sort of, you know,he just floats from place to
place and is a celebrity andgets to do all the celebrity
(04:40):
stuff.
And Adam Sandler's basically theperson who, as his manager,
makes all that happen for himand is sort of also trying to
juggle a family and has acompletely different experience
uh doing that because he's not acelebrity and he's not famous,
and he has to attend to theneeds of a very needy celebrity
person played by George Pitty.
Some part is really terrific,and it ends up being quite
moving their relationship,thinking about sort of family
(05:01):
and how we relate to one anotherin our families and what's
important in life.
I don't know if you guys areNoah Bomback fans, but this is
not as dark or as sort of um, Idon't know, cynical as some of
Noah's movies that I love.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (05:15):
I'm curious, do you think since I went to Enora's
opening at the Welmont lastyear?
Well, I I feel differently inthe audience this year than I
did.
SPEAKER_00 (05:27):
Oh, how did you feel in Honora?
I don't know how you felt.
SPEAKER_01 (05:30):
Well, I just love your introduction to the film.
I lost it when you walked outand you're like, okay, everyone.
I hope everyone's comfortablewatching a lot of sex together
on screen.
Bye.
SPEAKER_03 (05:40):
Yeah, enjoy.
SPEAKER_01 (05:43):
Enjoy.
I was like, well, what does thatmean?
That's what it was.
It's a lot less sex in thismovie.
SPEAKER_00 (05:49):
So you can be comfortable knowing.
Also, Enora was another openingnight.
That was just at the Welmont.
SPEAKER_01 (05:55):
I I'm sorry, I uh I have uh blacked out after that.
SPEAKER_02 (05:58):
So it was a long, but it was Yeah, but it was it
was a winner.
Tell us what is the nextfeatured film that you'd like to
spotlight.
Yeah.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (06:07):
So uh on Saturday we have Spike Lee coming, which I'm
really excited about.
I am a Gen Xer to the core.
Do the right thing is the movieof my generation, in my opinion.
It's the one of the masterpiecesof Gen X.
He is an incredible filmmakerwho basically has defined cinema
for me and for a lot of people,I think, uh, over the years.
Uh he's a very cinematic.
(06:27):
I don't know if you guys got tosee highest or lowest this year,
but he's like it's on Apple TVPlus right now, I think, but
it's so visually interesting andengaging.
And all of his films take hugerisks and huge chances.
He's a real artist.
I could not be more thrilledthat he's coming to Mock
Clarity.
He's talking to Stephen Colbertat the festival.
That's going to be great.
Like their dynamics are gonna begreat.
(06:47):
Spike is super funny.
That's gonna be on Saturday, uhthe 18th, I think at 3:30 at the
Wellmont.
And then we're doing aconversation with Pam Abde, who
is a Jersey uh native and is theCEO of Warner Brothers.
And when I mentioned all thosemovies that saved movie theaters
this year, uh she produced allof those.
So I know.
SPEAKER_02 (07:07):
I was reading about her ordinary.
I was like, what?
Who is this person?
Why do I not know who thisperson is?
I get to get to interview her,right?
SPEAKER_00 (07:16):
Yeah, I'm really excited about that.
Her first job was with DannyDeVito, she was an office
assistant and then ended up likeover the production company and
then produced Garden State.
So, like, she's got real Jersey.
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (07:29):
She's all real Jersey cred.
SPEAKER_00 (07:31):
Yes, for sure.
She also produced One BattleAfter Another, which opens at
the Claridge this week with anew Leonardo DiCaprio Paul
Thomas Anderson movie.
Um that's gonna be in theconversation, I think, for a lot
of awards this year as well.
I highly recommend everyone seethat film.
So I'm really excited to talk toher.
I can't believe she's coming andthere's like you.
SPEAKER_01 (07:53):
Speak speaking of that, how did that come about?
Like, how did you decide?
Pam?
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (07:58):
Yeah, so I she um works with our publicity firm,
Frank PR, who does ourpublicity, also helps out with
Pam Abdi and with some of theWarner Brothers things in their
terrific.
And I went to Frank PR and I waslike looking at the box office
at the Clarage, and I'm like,Warner Brothers is having a
year, like, and everywhere I wasreading online was like, will
(08:19):
they keep their jobs?
Pam and Mike at Warner Brothers,are they in trouble?
Because they had, you know, afilm that didn't do so well.
And I'm like, they are crushingit right now.
So I went to them, I went to hervery early and I said, I think
Warner Brothers deserves a lotmore, or Pam and Mike in
particular deserve a lot morecredit.
Is there any chance I know Pam'sfrom New Jersey?
Is there any chance she'd wantto come to Montclair and let us
honor her?
(08:39):
Because, you know, she'sbasically flipped the Claringe
by herself.
Like that's the F1.
Like, what didn't they do thisyear?
It's an insane, an insane year.
So they put it, we got on a calland I was like, this is coming
from a really authentic place aslike a person who loves movies.
I know everything you'veproduced, and I would love to
talk to you and welcome you tothe festival.
And she's like, Great, let's doit.
I was like, Great.
SPEAKER_02 (08:59):
That's wonderful.
SPEAKER_00 (09:00):
Yeah, it'll be terrific.
I'm very excited to talk to her.
SPEAKER_02 (09:04):
Let's talk about the panelists and then we'll talk
about films.
SPEAKER_00 (09:07):
Oh, yeah, sure.
For um, yeah, so we have somepanelists uh during the
festival.
We're partnering with the Anchoronce again.
So Richard Rushfeld and SeanMcNulty of The Anchler, which is
a sort of up-and-coming tradepublication.
So a lot of like the trade, Idon't know if you guys read
Variety or the HollywoodReporter or Deadline or
IndieWire, but it's all likebreaking news, putting out a
press release, and they'll runthe press release and they'll
tell you the news that'shappening or whatever.
(09:28):
But the Anchor is like more likethoughtful, opinion-driven,
analysis-driven, data-drivenstuff.
Um, they have a great SeanMcNulty who lives in New Jersey
also is coming to do a panelwith us, does a daily email
called The Wake Up, which is boxoffice numbers, TV ratings,
gives you the comings andgoings.
It's like really terrific.
And we love working with them.
So they're they're hosting acouple of panels on the opening
(09:50):
weekend with us.
Uh the first one is Sean andthen Richard Rushfeld, who's a
legendary Hollywood journalistwho started The Anchler, is
coming from California to behere for the opening weekend.
And then uh on Sunday, thePrestige Junkie, which is their
awards season newsletter andpodcast, are recording a live
session at our festival as well.
So we're excited to be workingwith The Anchler again.
(10:13):
I love them.
We have on the first Saturday acouple of things I wanted to
highlight were um Mr.
Scorsese one and two, whichwe're screening.
SPEAKER_02 (10:22):
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (10:23):
That film is directed by Rebecca Miller, who,
as many of your listeners willknow, is the daughter of Arthur
Miller and married to DanielleDay Lewis and an incredible
filmmaker.
She's made this sort offive-part portrait of Martin
Scorsese, who we had at thefestival as our tribute a few
years back.
This movie is outstanding.
It's so good.
If you're a Scorsese fan, it'sunmissable.
Okay.
Um, I'll just pick up the video.
SPEAKER_02 (10:44):
I was wondering about that one.
I was wondering.
So you're a high recommendationon this film.
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (10:51):
It's a five-part thing.
So I think part two ends rightbefore Raging Bull.
So you're gonna have to watchthe rest of it.
I was like, we can they will dothe whole five hours, so it
leads right up to that.
You get taxi driver and NewYork, New York, and all the
early stuff, but it's anyway,it's great.
His life, it's all beh allfamily and behind the scenes and
all the stuff you'd want to knowabout him as a person.
(11:11):
Really good.
And then I have to highlightBegonia.
SPEAKER_01 (11:14):
I wanted to ask about that.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (11:16):
Will Tracy is the screenwriter.
We're honoring him.
Uh, it's an adapted screenplay.
He is a great writer to themovie The Menu a few years ago.
SPEAKER_01 (11:25):
Oh, I remember that.
SPEAKER_00 (11:27):
Yeah.
So if you saw the menu andyou're like, how can this be
darker and weirder?
Welcome to Begonia.
This is for me personally, likeone of my favorite films in the
festival.
It is not gonna be foreverybody.
I just want to flag there'sviolence in it for sure.
SPEAKER_02 (11:42):
Yeah.
Um all of his movies uh filmmateare not for everyone.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (11:48):
Right.
Jesse Plemens is, I think he'llget nominated for best actor.
SPEAKER_02 (11:53):
It's time.
It's time.
It's yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (11:55):
So he's incredible in this movie.
SPEAKER_02 (11:57):
So time.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (11:58):
He plays a conspiracy theorist who thinks
Emma Stone's character is like afemale Elon Musk uh billionaire
science-y type, is an alien, andso he kidnaps her and it gets
crazier from there.
SPEAKER_02 (12:12):
I love it.
Yeah.
The trailer makes me wonderwhether she is an alien.
unknown (12:18):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (12:18):
I am not gonna say anything about anything about
this movie other than it has tobe seen to be believed.
I can't wait for the QA.
The first question is like, whatthe fuck?
SPEAKER_02 (12:31):
It's on my short list.
I can tell you that.
SPEAKER_00 (12:34):
Sunday's the most elite day.
I don't know how people aregonna make any choices.
But we've got the Palm Doorwinning, It Was Just an
Accident, directed by JafarPanahi, who of whose work I've
programmed several films.
I'm a huge fan, huge admirer ofhis work.
This is another great film inthe Panahi Canon.
Must see.
SPEAKER_02 (12:52):
Must see.
I can't wait to see it.
I'm I have to that is his likenumber one on my list.
Great.
SPEAKER_00 (13:00):
You have elite, you have elite taste.
That's it's great.
It's great.
SPEAKER_02 (13:03):
Well, I'm just a big fan of his.
I mean, I know that I just wantto mention that you also have an
Iranian film festival going onat the Montclair film right now,
and you're gonna have one of hisgreat films also showing.
I think it's in December, uh NoBears, which is also a terrific
film of his.
Also is Taxi, which is also aterrific film of his.
(13:24):
So anyway, so just want to saythat I think everybody should go
see this film for sure.
SPEAKER_00 (13:29):
Yeah, he's been a prisoner of the regime multiple
times as a filmmaker.
We had the same conversation, Ithink, last year with Cita the
Sacred Fig and and MohammedRusulaf, who had to flee Iran,
but uh Panahi stayed and fought.
And I know he's out and aboutnow.
He's in the States, I think,going to be at the New York Film
Festival.
(13:49):
But uh, I'm happy to see thathe's a free man uh and
continuing to challengecensorship by the state, which
is terrific.
So that's a really like I said,a really good movie.
SPEAKER_02 (13:58):
And it's about, do you want to say what it's about?
It's about a guy who has a caraccident, hits a dog, tries to
go get his car fixed, and themechanic thinks that this might
be a guy that might havetortured him in the past.
And they all and it's a questionof his identity.
It's kind of like the Yorgosthing.
Is it or is it not this person?
SPEAKER_00 (14:16):
You know, you know, so interesting to be absolutely
that I never even thought aboutthat parallel that parallel, but
that's right.
You know, it's the not knowingthat it's a very much a thriller
that comes from a very simple,small thing that sort of spirals
into something much bigger andmore meaningful.
Yeah.
Um very powerful.
Um a couple a couple of otherthings on this day I just have
to point out.
(14:36):
Um, Nouvelle Vogue, which isplaying at the Welmont, which is
Richard Linklater's new filmabout the making of Jean-Luc
Godard's Breathless.
It's a fictionalized version ofthat process.
And it's if you are a French NewAge, it's great.
If you're a French New Wave fanor film history fan, this movie
is for you.
(14:57):
It's black and white, it'sbeautifully shot, uh, it's the
performances are great.
And you can tell how much heloves the filmmaking process
from watching this movie, LinkLater himself.
Just the idea that he would getto recreate how they're making
breath, like filming someonefilming your favorite movie as
like a fiction idea is soterrific.
And he does it in the style of,you know what I mean?
(15:18):
So it's like an homage, but alsohis own thing.
It's just really lovely.
SPEAKER_02 (15:23):
With a great cast, too.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (15:25):
And it's got a great cast, but also just like the
idea that Jean Luc Godard, like,is his first film, he doesn't
know what he's doing, kinda.
He was like a theoreticalcritic, smart guy who had to
like figure out how to make amovie.
And so you watch him sort ofdoing things that everybody
around him is like, what is thisguy doing?
Like he doesn't know what he'sdoing, and then he ends up
making breathless, and you'relike, oh, okay.
Uh he knew what he was doing allalong.
So it's really quite I I lovedit.
(15:47):
Wake up Dead Man.
I'm very excited for people tosee, which is the knives out
follow-up with Daniel Craig,who's our past guest, and that
we did the the last uh GlassOnion was our opening night film
a few years back.
And I love Ryan Johnson inthese, you know.
I don't know if you guys are.
SPEAKER_02 (16:01):
Those are fun.
Those are fun.
SPEAKER_00 (16:02):
I do like totally 70s children who would like
watch, like, you know, theAgatha Christie Murder on the
Orient Express, all-star castmovies or Sheila, like with a
boat with all the 70s actors.
I just love those big all-starmovie cast 70s homages, and I
love a good mystery.
But the movies of the day areprobably Train Dreams, which is
(16:25):
gonna be, I think, a contenderthis year was at Sundance.
We saw it, and it's beautiful,which is playing at MKA at two
o'clock.
And then Hamnet.
I cannot wait to see.
Yeah, it's probably gonna be abest picture nominee.
And you've read the book.
SPEAKER_03 (16:42):
You guys have both read the book?
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (16:44):
Okay.
So I don't know about theaudience, but basically it's the
story of uh Shakespeare and hiswife, who had a son named
Hamnet, uh one of multiplechildren who died when he was
very young, and about whichpotentially Hamlet was written.
And I don't know, I didn't readthe book, so I only saw the
movie, but I can and it's ChloeZhao who did Nomad Land, um,
(17:08):
which opened the festival duringthe pandemic.
Actually, we showed it at adrive-in that we built out in a
parking lot somewhere.
I'm a big fan of her work, TheRider, Nomad Land are both films
that I really like.
This is just next level moving,powerful, profound.
I've seen five film versions ofHamlet, three or four stage
(17:28):
versions of Hamlet, and I'venever considered the play in the
way that this movie presents theplay uh in the end of the film.
SPEAKER_02 (17:37):
So it also it highlights the wife, his wife,
more than any it kind of makesher the the the story that was
never told.
SPEAKER_00 (17:46):
So I think Jessie Buckley, who came for our
opening night in 2019 for WildRose and won our breakthrough
performer award at the festival,plays her in the film and gives
a heartbreakingly incredibleperformance.
But I'm crying thinking aboutit.
SPEAKER_02 (18:01):
She's so talented.
SPEAKER_00 (18:02):
People are gonna bring your tissues.
SPEAKER_02 (18:04):
I heard I had read some early reviews a while back,
and uh it it was a cry, uh it'sa crier.
SPEAKER_00 (18:10):
I mean, just thinking about it makes me tear
up.
It's really just the way thatshe pulls but it's like as a
filmmaker to just bring thehouse down like that, like
everybody, like you cannot notif you if you're really good at
like choking back tears, you'llmake it.
You know what I mean?
Yeah, if you can really hold itin, you'll be able to hold it
in.
But you know, in your throat,like you're about to cry.
SPEAKER_01 (18:33):
I'll go, you know what I'm gonna do?
I'm gonna bring Bill.
It'll be the Billow meterbecause he has been back and
we'll see.
SPEAKER_00 (18:40):
I would love to follow up and see if he was able
to do it.
As a parent and a person.
Well, you mentioned Inora.
Um Sean Baker produced andedited a film that we're showing
the same day at the same timecalled Left Handed Girl.
It's our Breakthrough DirectorAward for uh Shi Ching Su, who's
the director and has worked withSean a long time.
It's set in um Taipei in Taiwan,uh about uh intergenerational
(19:02):
mother-daughter drama comedywith that same sort of energy,
street energy of like a Nora,but set in contemporary Taiwan.
And it's uh a really great debutfeature.
I mean, I'm almost sad thatwe're showing it on this day
because there's so much to seeand so much to do.
I wish we had like 50,000 peoplebeating down the door to go to
every movie, but like I don'tknow.
(19:23):
This is a really I'm so sorry.
This is when everyone wasavailable.
But if you get shut out or youhave to make a choice, we're
hoping that we can bring a lotof these films back to the
cinemas, and like having theopportunity to do that makes me
feel much better about the factthat you may not be able to see
it during the festival becauseof your making another choice.
So yeah, those are all great.
(19:45):
What a great day.
We were like as programmers, youknow, we sit down, we put the
schedule together, we justlooked at each other like, oh
man.
On Monday night, Lucy Liu'scoming to the festival with the
film Rosemead, um, which isplaying at the Bellevue at seven
o'clock on Monday the 20th.
It's a story of a mother who's arecent immigrant from China
whose um son going through amental health crisis and sort of
(20:09):
how she as an immigrant reactsto that problem here in the
United States.
It's a really interesting Ithink there's going to be a
really great talk with her aboutthis movie.
She's it's very different forher as a performance.
I think there's a lot to talkabout with it, especially at you
know this time and place thatwe're dealing with immigration
and families dealing with a lotof mental health, especially for
young men.
Uh, excited to talk to her onMonday.
(20:32):
Um, the next one would I guessto highlight you know, there's
great things playing all week.
Um, so please come check stuffout on the weeknights.
Um I could go, I could talkabout every one of these films.
We have the Head of Gobbleradaptation by Nia De Costa,
starring Tessa Thompson.
So if you're an Ibsen person,they move this forward.
SPEAKER_01 (20:49):
I want to see that.
SPEAKER_00 (20:50):
Yeah.
So they move it forward to the1920s, so it plays a little
Gatsby-ish.
It's really quite interesting uhadaptation.
There's a the Sondheims uhBroadway production of Merrilly
We Roll Along with DanielRadcliffe and Jonathan Groff
that's playing that night on onTuesday.
Surratt, which is a top threeTom movie at the festival.
If you think Bagoni's crazy, umwait till you see Surat.
(21:14):
Uh uh the sound mix alone isworth the price of admission.
Um we've got the three-hour uhuh bio film about Magellan
starring um Gael Garcia Bernaluh on Thursday, which is a very
interesting movie by a Filipinodirector named Lav Diaz, who I'm
(21:37):
a huge fan of.
And this is a short film for LavDiaz.
SPEAKER_01 (21:41):
It's a recording film at clocking in at three
hours.
SPEAKER_00 (21:44):
They're usually over six, so this is like a short.
Okay.
Um and it's very much a straightyou know, forward.
I would say if you're gonna comesee Magellan, check out the
Wikipedia page about Magellanbefore you come because there's
a lot of things that happen.
Like I had I got to watch it athome, so I had like the
Wikipedia open.
I'm like scrolling along,where's what's happening now?
(22:05):
Like trying to keep up with themovie.
SPEAKER_02 (22:06):
Yeah, yeah, I love that now.
That's the way I remember.
SPEAKER_00 (22:08):
The Jessica Chastain film Dreams could not be more
timely about immigration andsort of the uh ability of uh
certain classic people to notworry too much about it, and
others who have to absolutelyworry about it right now.
It is a dark, dark movie, and Ithink it's gonna have a lot of
conversation around it.
I'd love to see what peoplethink of that one.
I I loved it personally.
(22:30):
Um, she's a great performer.
We did happen to have like allof the award winners from Cannes
this year.
So Sound of Falling, which is aGerman film, which is incredible
about a house that handed downgeneration to generation, and it
jumps through time to all theyoung women who lived in the
house and how their histories aswomen overlapped with one
another um throughout this housein different times from
(22:54):
contemporary time to like theearly 20th century.
It's really smart, well done.
It's like a what a breakthroughfor for the director.
And then that's the same nightwe're showing the Springsteen
film Deliver Me From Nowherewith Warren Zane's coming.
He's gonna do the QA with me forthat film at the Bellevue on
Thursday, the 23rd, the daybefore it opens in theaters.
(23:15):
But we got it in.
I'm really excited about that.
Friday night, come see me in thegood lights.
We're showing that film as ourdocumentary centerpiece.
It's at MKA, it's the only filmat MKA on Friday, the 24th.
Tignataro, the comedian, iscoming.
She's uh producer in the filmand in the film.
Uh Ryan, Ryan White, who's thedirector, is also coming for the
QA.
(23:35):
So very moving documentary aboutAndrea Gibson and her wife, who
are both poets.
Andrea Gibson was like aspoken-word poet in the early
90s.
I don't know if you guys arelike Lilith Fair era feminists,
uh, but she was definitely apart of that sort of nine early
90s grungy poetry uh women inrock scene.
(23:57):
And she has terminal cancer inthe film, and it's about her
journey through that process atthe end of her life as a poet,
as a woman, and they stage afinal performance for her, and
it's um it's really again, bringyour tissues, it's really great.
Uh she's incredible.
I really want to talk to themabout it because it's one of the
most intimate documentaries I'veever seen.
(24:18):
Like again, I don't know how youdeal with these life issues of
end of life and care and loveand marriage and threats against
gay marriage and all of thiswith uh with a camera there, uh,
and you're processing all thistogether as a couple.
And uh I I'm very interested tofind out from from Ryan about
(24:39):
that process and sort of how Tiggot involved and knew them and
uh etc.
So that one's a definitely amust see.
Uh gotta say a word aboutSaturday's Sentimental Value,
which is the most Tom film inthe Montclair film.
SPEAKER_02 (24:56):
It's the most Tom film.
SPEAKER_00 (24:57):
It's my favorite movie in the festival.
Okay.
Um it's from Norway.
It's from Joachim Trier, who didWorst Person in the World, which
you may have seen with RenataRensve.
It's um very much in that sortof novelistic family drama vein.
I loved it.
She's incredible, he'sincredible.
(25:17):
I would like them to make onemovie a year just for me, and
I'll go see it by myself.
And I love that.
SPEAKER_01 (25:22):
Well, I have to see this now.
I have to see that.
You've got two more people goingto see it now.
If you love it, at least.
SPEAKER_00 (25:29):
I mean, if you don't like it, let me know, and then
we have to assess ourfriendship.
Um then a couple other things onthat day that are, I think,
gonna be notable.
First, we're showing Ask Eegene.
Eegene Carroll is coming to thefestival at MKA with Ivy
Mirapol, who's the director.
I don't know if you know Ivy,but her grandparents are Julius
(25:50):
and Ethel Rosenberg.
She has made a film about EegeneCarroll, both uh about sort of
the contemporary lawsuitsagainst the president, but also
her history as a advicecolumnist for women, um, and
some of the bad advice I thinkshe gave early on in her career
and sort of the reclamation ofher past and a reframing that
(26:14):
she's had to go through as awoman uh as part of her public
life.
Um I'm thrilled that she'scoming to be there with us.
And uh I think it's gonna be areally great screening.
She's an incredible just acharacter.
Like I didn't know half of thefacts and details about her life
or her experience.
And then I watched the film andnow I like cannot wait to go.
SPEAKER_02 (26:36):
Yeah, most people just know the the news clips or
you know the stories there, soyou people can take a deeper
dive into the backstory of that.
I think that that I think thatwill get a lot of people
interest for sure.
SPEAKER_00 (26:47):
And I'm a great filmmaker as well.
Uh just want to mention Sheila.
She's got a lot, I think, to dowith this movie is gonna
definitely make waves.
I'm just, you know, I hopesomeone picks it up and puts it
out.
I'm proud to be have been askedto show it.
Really glad that we had spacefor it and that they're able to
come and support it at thefestival.
So please be there.
SPEAKER_03 (27:04):
Yeah, that's it.
SPEAKER_00 (27:05):
Um two other ones that are playing at the same
time that night.
The first is Cover Up, which isour David Carr Award recipient.
We do a award for David's memoryevery year about a film that
sort of deals with journalism orjournalistic themes or
processes.
This is about Seymour Hirsch,the investigative reporter, who
uncovered the May Lai Massacre,but also covered Watergate and
has done, I don't know, athousand incredible stories for
(27:28):
the New Yorker, the New YorkTimes over the years, like just
an incredible uh investigativejournalist who it turns out
doesn't like to be uh personallyinvestigated all that very much
by the documentary filmmakerswho he's agreed to work with.
So it's really quite interestingto watch him sort of deal with
Laura Poitris, who is anincredible documentary
filmmaker.
Her last film, All the Beautyand the Bloodshed, which was
(27:50):
about Nan Golden and her sort ofwar against the Sackler family
for the opioid crisis.
Nan Golden, the photographer.
I saw them.
So that was her like yes, thatwas Laura's last movie.
Um, this is her new one.
She's working with a directornamed Mark Oberhaus on this one,
but they're both coming.
We're gonna have a Q ⁇ A withthem talking about cover-up, but
it's uh it's really if you're Iknow there are a lot of
(28:12):
journalists or people who areinto journalism who live in
Montclair.
We'd love to see you at thatone.
And then Rental Family, which isour fiction center pieces that
night, the return of BrendanFraser.
I'm working to get him to thefestival.
I it's really a beautiful movieabout is he plays an American
actor in Japan who uh goes towork for a company where he in
(28:32):
they sort of insert him intopeople's lives to play a role in
their lives.
Like so a single mother whosedaughter doesn't know who her
father is but is a mixed-racechild, he goes and uh shows up
and acts as the dad, the momsort of agrees like this is your
father.
SPEAKER_01 (28:48):
And so they' such an interesting premise of like
okay, forget going to see atherapist, sweetie.
We're gonna fix this the a a newway.
SPEAKER_00 (28:58):
It's really and it is, it's basically, I mean, he
also has to grapple with thefact that he's sort of forming
bonds and connections withpeople.
And what does it mean about hisown life and what does
performance mean?
He's an actor, he wants to beacting, but like what does that
mean in the context of likehaving this real relationship
with people?
And there's another character inthe film who's like a sort of
elderly man who's losing hismemory, and um, the family hires
(29:20):
him to pretend he he'sresearching a documentary about
him as an artist.
Um, and so he goes and talks tothat uh gentleman and they have
this sort of experiencetogether, and it ends up being
transformative for everybody andum in a in a good, like really
feel-good, interesting way thatmakes you examine the roles you
play in other people's lives andhow you interact with other
people and very thoughtful andlovely.
(29:42):
Uh I think we need a little bitof that for sure right now.
So I I really like that.
And then I guess the last thingI don't know.
Why do we need thoughtfulness?
SPEAKER_02 (29:52):
I don't think about it.
SPEAKER_00 (29:54):
The last day of the festival, uh, just a couple
things to highlight there.
We're doing a conversation withBobby Brown.
About her new book.
I know she just had a book abook launch in Montclair, but uh
this is I think open you know tothe public and more a little bit
more accessible and working tomake that a a a great day for
her.
We did Ina Garden last year.
Um and I just, you know, we welove what Bobby does in
(30:17):
Montclair and want to supportthat book and and help her out
and uh get some attention on it.
So I hope people will come.
SPEAKER_02 (30:24):
I went to her book uh launch uh event and it was
really very interesting tolisten to her talk about her
story.
SPEAKER_00 (30:31):
I just last wanted to mention the the closing film,
which is Christy, the SydneySweeney movie, co-starring Ben
Foster, who plays one of theall-time bad guys in this film.
This is a true story.
SPEAKER_01 (30:43):
She's a little too good at that role.
SPEAKER_00 (30:45):
This is the story of Christy Martin, who, when I was
uh in the 80s and 90s, was Ithink the only female boxer.
I mean, like the only one I knewof.
Like, she really inventedwomen's boxing as a
celebrity-driven.
I mean, she was on Mike Tysoncards, and she's a real deal
boxer or whatever.
So Sydney Sweeney plays thatpart in the film, this is her
(31:07):
story.
I did not know her whole story,and I don't want to spoil this
movie for people who come andsee it.
So I'm gonna say as little aspossible as I can about it.
But I will say, if you know thefilm Star 80 with Muriel
Hemingway and Eric Roberts fromthe early 1980s, which was about
a husband who grew jealous ofhis wife becoming a Playboy
(31:27):
Playmate and became famous, andhe was not ended up murdering
her, uh, Dorothy Stratton, whowas like the playmate of the
year or whatever, Playboy model.
Um, this film has a lot of thatsame sort of vibe to it uh as it
goes.
It's it's a it's a sports filmon the surface, but it's
definitely a film about domesticabuse, women, and sort of the
(31:50):
mixed message that ChristyMartin sent as a woman because
she was trying to hide some darkfacts about her own life from
the public as she was dealingwith her own shame about
multiple things that I againdon't want to spoil in the film,
but it takes a very dark turn.
This is not like uh my daughteruh is 15 and loves Sydney
Sweeney and I want to bring herto the movie movie.
(32:12):
This isn't that movie.
Um, this is really uh a powerfuldrama and not what I was
expecting at all.
I thought it was gonna be likeRocky or something, like uh, and
you know, Sydney Sweeney's like,I put on weight, I'm looking
tough.
I got buff for the role.
It's a boxing movie, and it's somuch more than that.
Like I said, Ben Foster, kudos,like the uh absolute worst
(32:34):
person um as a uh character inthe film festival.
This is like bad guy number one.
SPEAKER_01 (32:41):
He wins, he wins the award for the worst person.
Is it Merritt Weaver in that?
SPEAKER_00 (32:46):
Yeah, she plays her mo she plays her mother.
SPEAKER_01 (32:49):
I like her.
SPEAKER_00 (32:50):
Yeah, she's terrific, also not really
supportive, also a bad guy.
Um I'll leave it, I'll leave itat that.
Yeah, no, but it's you're you'llbe I I walked out of there
incredibly surprised because Iknew her career, like she
fought, she was a champion, shehad a big comeback or whatever.
I'm like, oh, this is gonna belike yay, and it is, but it's
(33:11):
not, it's really uh the thepolitics behind it are you know,
given what we know about likewhat's happening with Sydney
Sweeney uh in the zeitgeist orwhatever, very interesting and
worth seeing.
And I know people might dismissher because of that, or may
think, oh, I don't want to gosee a Sydney Sweeney movie
because XYZ and the culture, butthe film sort of almost
(33:32):
addresses that about prejudgingwomen and not giving them space
to articulate who they reallyare, and it almost like it
comments on the contemporaryidea of womanhood that is being
addressed by those concerns inreal life with Sydney Sweeney.
So it's really quite aninteresting movie.
And again, I I think peopleshould put their judgments aside
(33:55):
and see it.
SPEAKER_02 (33:56):
We want to touch on one film that we are
spotlighting in our panel thatwe're gonna be doing for the
first time on our live Lost inJersey live, which is the
business of trouble.
Is that Shine Global is bringingit?
Oh, yeah, right.
SPEAKER_01 (34:09):
Yeah, it's a short, and we're interviewing them and
possibly the director on October23rd at 7 p.m.
It I mean, you might know thattime and date because there's a
little Bruce Springsteen filmhappening at the same time.
I mean, rough choice, I get it.
SPEAKER_02 (34:26):
For the non-Springsteen fans, the people
who are really into uh movingstorytelling that focus on the
crisis of the children and thefilmmakers that are trying to
bring this to the forefront.
And this particular film isabout um teens having either
psychological or addictionproblems that are put into
(34:49):
rehabilitation industry, andit's unregulated.
That industry is an importanttopic right now, especially with
the the crisis that's happening,you know, amongst the youth
today that we talk about, andwhere do you go for help?
SPEAKER_01 (35:02):
We're really looking forward to being a part of
Montclair film in anotherdimension this year.
So thank you for that.
SPEAKER_00 (35:08):
I'm so grateful to you guys for doing that.
And I just want to add, I expecttickets for the Bruce
Springsteen movie to last aboutfour minutes.
So if you are not one of the 130people who get a ticket to see
Bruce Springsteen, this podcastrecording is absolutely gonna be
on the table for you.
So please go because I there'sgonna be a lot of capacity to
(35:28):
attend the podcast.
We have the the mezzanineupstairs over the Claridge this
year as a new space that we'reoffering, and it's got a lot
more room and seats, and we'dlove to see it filled up for the
panels.
And I'm so grateful to you guysfor taking the time to be a part
of the festival and and joiningus this year.
It means a lot.
So thank you for doing that.
SPEAKER_02 (35:45):
Yeah, it's really it's really fun.
Thank you.
What I'd like to end with is tolet people know that many of
these films that we've beentalking about have not hit the
theaters yet.
A lot of them are films thatyou're gonna be hearing about
talked about for the awards.
This is an opportunity to seesome of them early.
SPEAKER_01 (36:02):
And be in community.
Talk about it with your friends.
You see everybody that yourarely see in town because
you're all busy, but you get togo out and really be proud of
Montclair.
It's such a wonderfulopportunity to bring the entire
town together.
So uh get out there, get yourtickets.
If you're a member, which youshould be, you can buy tickets
(36:24):
early.
So just become a member.
And then if you didn't, it'sokay, but you could then buy a
ticket later.
SPEAKER_00 (36:30):
And the good thing about being a member is you
know, that membership isyear-round.
So the Claridge tickets, theClaridge Popcorn, Bellevue
tickets, Bellevue Popcorn arefundraising events.
You get first crackett ticketsfor all that, first cracket
tickets for the festival,discounted tickets at the
festival.
It really pays for itself and itoffers us a lot of year-round
support.
And like I always say, ifeveryone in Montclair bought one
(36:52):
ticket to see a film at theMontclair Film Festival, it
would be two to three timesbigger than it's ever been.
So uh if we just got everybodyto check out one thing, it would
be a huge Montclair FilmFestival for everybody.
So please come take a chance.
It's not like it's you're goingto Broadway for 150 bucks.
It's like a 15, 17 dollar ticketto take a chance on art.
(37:13):
The director might be there.
We're having a ton of QA's.
Yeah.
You get to have a conversation,see people in your community who
might be interested in the samething.
We have a whole slew ofdocumentaries, fiction.
We have something for everybody,I think.
There's family movies.
Um, I hope people feel welcome.
SPEAKER_02 (37:27):
Well, yes.
Everybody's gonna be part of therevival of going to the movies.
I know we're towards the end,we're over time, but you're
quite the musician as well.
So tell people a little bitabout your band.
SPEAKER_00 (37:44):
God, I see.
I dabble every five years.
We're like cicadas.
Every five years, my REM coverband gets together and we sing
the early music of REM.
And I know there's a MontclairREM cover band.
And um, if they are looking forjust like a guest vocal uh ever,
I sing in this band.
(38:04):
I'd be happy to sit in with youguys.
SPEAKER_01 (38:06):
Contact Tom Hall.
SPEAKER_00 (38:07):
Contact Tom at Montclairfilm.org.
Um, I'd be happy to sing one.
I mean, I'm not trying to takethe lead singer's job or
anything.
I just I can Mike Mills it foryou.
Anyway, we have a we're weplayed a show recently, uh, and
so in 2030 probably is be thenext time we play another.
SPEAKER_02 (38:25):
I'm always surprised when I see your post.
I'm like, that guy is already sobusy and he's out, you know,
seeing bands, he's in a band,he's doing so.
I you have uh a lot of energies.
I'm always really impressed withit.
So but I'm my secret passion.
SPEAKER_00 (38:40):
I also read books.
Like those are my three thingsmusic, books, and movies.
I don't know.
SPEAKER_01 (38:44):
So you must not sleep very much.
SPEAKER_00 (38:46):
I don't sleep well.
SPEAKER_02 (38:48):
Well, thank you for taking the time to join us and
tell us about the this year'sfestival.
We're excited to be part of itand excited to go to the films
and looking forward to it.
I'm so excited.
SPEAKER_00 (38:58):
I'm so grateful to you guys for the opportunity to
talk about this.
And I hope I didn't blather ontoo much, but you guys are the
best, and we really appreciateyou shining a light on our work
because you know we we reallystruggle and every day and want
to connect with people and thekindness that you've shown us
over the years, reallyappreciate it.
So thank you.
SPEAKER_02 (39:15):
Oh, thank you.
I appreciate that.
Thanks, Tom.
SPEAKER_01 (39:17):
Thanks, Tom.
This podcast was produced byRachel Martens and Jeanette
Afsharian.
You can find us on Spotify,iTunes, and Buzz Sprout.
Thanks for listening.
See you next week.
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