Tag Archives: Adirondack Film Festival

RENDEZVOUS IN CHICAGO Press Round-Up / Newcity’s Film 50

44558265_586098651827038_868311626971873280_n
(left to right: Rendezvous in Chicago Associate Producer Jill Sandmire, Production Manager Armani Barron, me, and Producer Layne Marie Williams)

My new film Rendezvous in Chicago had its World Premiere this past weekend at the fabulous Adirondack Film Festival in Glens Falls, NY where we had two screenings in front of large and appreciative audiences (the first show was sold out!) and were fortunate to take the 2nd place Audience Choice Award for Best Feature. It was great to have some of the “Women of the Now” on hand to celebrate the occasion. The first reviews have also started to appear in print and online. All are positive and all have good insights into the film. Here’s a round-up:

  • “Mr. Price,” a Virginia-based critic writing at the Strasburg Film website, concludes his review by noting, “Superb writing, backed up by standout performances against the gorgeous visual backdrop of the titular city, make this film an experience unlike any other.” You can read his full review here.
  • Pamela Powell, writing at her Reel Honest Reviews site, calls it “Refreshingly fun” and notes “the strength of the women in the first and third stories.” Her full review is here.
  • Leo Brady, at his A Movie Guy site, appears taken aback by the lighthearted tone (after my previous film Mercury in Retrograde) but still writes that “Rendezvous in Chicago is the perfect escape.” Check the full review here.
  • In a print article that appeared in the Glens Falls Post Star, film writer Kathleen Phalen-Tomaselli recommended our Saturday screening as one of the day’s “offbeat” highlights and praised Rendezvous‘ “beautiful” cinematography. She also has a few quotes from me and producer Layne Marie Williams in her story, which you can peep online here.

Finally, I recently made Newcity Chicago‘s annual “Film 50” list for the first time. A lot of talented friends and colleagues have been on this list over the past seven years and it’s a huge honor for me to be in their company. You can read Ray Pride’s write up of me in the October edition of this great alternative monthly – physical copies of which are currently all around Chicago, or you can check out the expanded write-up online here. Thanks so much to Ray for the words and photographer Sally Blood for the photos (one of which I’m posting below):

mgs

Advertisement

Talking FRANKENSTEIN in Wilmette / RENDEZVOUS IN CHICAGO at the Adirondack Film Fest

frank

I’ll be giving a talk about cinematic adaptations of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein from the early sound era through the present day at the Wilmette Public Library next Sunday, October 7. Here’s the description I wrote for their website:

Mike at the Movies Presents: Frankenstein on Film
Sunday, October 7 at 2:00
In all of literature Frankenstein is one of the novels most frequently adapted into other mediums. In this special Halloween edition of “Mike at the movies,” filmmaker and scholar Michael Glover Smith will spotlight some of the most popular and enduring cinematic interpretations of Mary Shelley’s masterpiece – from James Whale’s iconic Boris Karloff vehicle from 1931 and Hammer’s lurid color version in 1958 to classic parodies such as Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein and Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein.
The presentation will focus on how different filmmakers have managed to explore different aspects of the same well-known formula and, in the process, continually revive a story that refuses to die.
Auditorium; Free and Open to the Public – http://www.wilmettelibrary.info

*

My new film Rendezvous in Chicago will be screening TWICE at the Adirondack Film Festival, which is hosting our World Premiere, in Glens Falls, New York next month. Both screenings will be preceded by Clare Cooney’s great short film Runner. The first show will be Friday, October 19 at 3:15pm, the second on Saturday, October 20 at 3:30pm. I will be there to introduce the screenings along with producer Layne Marie Williams and other members of the cast and crew. For more info, including the full festival schedule, ticket info and showtimes, check out the festival’s website: http://www.adkfilmfestival.org/


%d bloggers like this: