It’s another long weekend in Brisbane which is great so let’s get right to it.
I Love You Too: A Red Carpet Experience
Last Friday night, I had a chance to attend the Brisbane premiere of I Love You Too. In attendance were stars Brendan Cowell, Yvonne Strahovski and Peter Helliar.
You can view some photos from the night by clicking here.
I had a chance to speak to the stars for a few minutes on the red carpet and you can hear the interviews by downloading here.
It’s tricky doing red carpet stuff. I hate to ask the same questions that everyone else will ask but at the same time, there’s only so many different types of questions you can ask (if that makes sense). Ah well. I bumbled my way through it and thankfully, the stars came up with some nice answers. Peter Helliar’s response to my film critic question left me a little unconvinced. I’d love to put the question to some other stars down the track.
The Tribal Theatre Experience: Follow Up
In last week’s blog (see here) I wrote about an interesting experience I had at the reopened Tribal Theatre on George Street in the city.
Over the weekend, I received a response from a representative of the Tribal Theatre regarding my comments. She agreed with my comments on cinema etiquette but noted “Last Friday night was a busy night for us, and certainly not one we are used to at the cinema, so I hope that you choose not to use this as your one example of an independent cinema struggling to find its feet within Brisbane.”
She also noted that it’s probably likely that future classic horror screenings are likely to attract an audience that finds it funny in inappropriate places. However, there are still plenty of regular “quiet screenings”.
Yes, she’s right. I don’t think I’ll be seeing any more classic horror movies at the Tribal but I’m more than happy to see other films there. This week’s movies include Amelie and Crazy Heart which are both worth seeing if you haven’t already.
Professor Matt Toomey
Last Tuesday, I had the chance to give a lecture to some journalism students at QUT on film criticism. I have to admit being a little bit nervous. I didn’t know how easy it would be to speak in front of a large group for 50 minutes straight.
It turned out to be a blast. I’d prepared a few notes but things seemed to roll along perfectly. I had a great audience who asked plenty of questions and it was loads of fun.
I’m doing the same thing this Friday at UQ (a little closer to home) with some post graduate students. It’ll be interesting to see if the questions differ given that they’re further advanced with their studies.
Regent Cinemas To Go Out With A Classic Bang
As you’d probably now be aware, the Regent Cinema will close its doors in early June. As if that’s not bad enough, I’ll be away in London for its final week and won’t get to participate in the farewell activities.
It’s been announced during the week that the cinema will finish with a bunch of classic screenings between May 29 and June 5. They’re showing one great film for each decade that the cinema has been opened. They are…
1930s – A Night At The Opera – Sat, May 29
1940s – Casablanca – Sun, May 30
1950s – The African Queen – Mon, May 31
1960s – West Side Story – Tue, Jun 1
1970s – Manhattan – Wed, Jun 2
1980s – ET – Thu, Jun 3
1990s – Titanic – Fri, Jun 4
2000s – The Return Of The King – Sat, Jun 5
Now let me just say that if I was in Brisbane, I would be at every one of those screenings. What an AMAZING list of films. I urge as many Film Pie fans to check these out.
You can book online at www.eventcinemas.com.au or from the box-office itself.
I’ll be doing my own tribute piece on the Regent in three weeks.