‘Beneath Hill 60’ takes top honors at the Savannah Film Festival
The Australian drama Beneath Hill 60 was named Best Narrative Feature at the 2010 Savannah Film Festival. Jeremy Sims was named Best Director for the independent film, which tells the based-on-fact story of a group of civilian miners recruited to blow up a German stronghold in Belgium during World War I. “Australia was a British…
Out-of-control cops, Halloween hijinks
Some cops seriously need to chill Editor, I write to you due to a serious concern I have about the inappropriate, violent behavior, that is becoming more and more common, from officers in the Savannah police department. I have been a witness to multiple events of police violence towards innocent individuals, as well as read…
Review: ‘Blue Valentine’
If Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams don’t receive Oscar nominations for their performances in Blue Valentine, it will be damning evidence in the case against Academy politics and the institution’s failure of integrity. Both of their performances are absolutely riveting. Their characters (Dean and Cindy) exist flawlessly in the world created by the film, immersing…
Due Date
DUE DATE *1/2 Those who found it hilarious when Zach Galifianakis mock-masturbated a baby in The Hangover will find themselves in comedy heaven watching Due Date. Here, audiences not only get to see Galifianakis beat himself off but also get to witness his butt-ugly dog using its paw to bop its own little red pecker…
Interview: Dr. David Hurst Thomas
Dr. David Hurst Thomas is the curator of North American Archaeology with the American Museum of Natural History, and while he’s worked on sites around the country, the one he’s spent the most time researching is St. Catherine’s Island, a barrier island about 50 miles south of Savannah. Since setting out to discover the long…
Ian McKellen: ‘The adrenaline rush is in the theater’
In Savannah to accept a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Savannah Film Festival, Sir Ian McKellen – beloved star of stage and screen for more than four decades – took a moment to talk with Connect about the highs, lows and in-betweens of acting. While he had relatively little to say about Peter Jackson’s upcoming…
A review: ‘The Conspirator’
Wednesday night’s feature at the Savannah Film Festival – kept secret until just before the projector rolled – was The Conspirator, the Civil War drama helmed by Robert Redford here in the waning months of 2009. The Conspirator won’t be released to theaters until next spring, so getting it here for the traditional hush-hush “Director’s…
Exhibits & openings this week
AASU Undergraduate Art Exhibit – A group show, titled “9+1”, featuring work that includes pottery, photography and design by 10 senior art majors at AASU. Reception: Dec. 3, 5:30pm. Savannah Mall, first floor, 14045 Abercorn St. , http://www.armstrong.edu/ Birds in Flight – An installation by Matt Hebermehl of his signature, patterned bird forms hanging in…
Extreme closeup: Blue Valentine
Since its premiere last January at Sundance, Derek Cianfrance’s Blue Valentine has been snowballing down the big hill of industry buzz – it was the talk of Cannes, Toronto, London, New Orleans and just about every other international film festival this year. Cianfrance, with just one other feature film on his resume (1998’s Brother Tied),…
Savannah Film Festival: SCAD student shorts II
The Candidate A cautionary tale about ambition and the perils of the corporate ladder that would have fit right into an episode of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery. A young office drone, consumed by jealousy and spite, is visited by a representative from a bizarre secret society. Filmmaker: David Karlak Age: No thanks! Hometown: Ann Arbor,…
Brushes with greatness
Boy With a Pipe, a 1905 canvas by Pablo Picasso, fetched $105 million at a Sotheby’s auction in 2004, breaking the record for the sale price of a single painting. This caught Jim Holt’s attention. “I’ve read stories that speculated on the possibility that there were more Picassos out there,” says the Savannah–based playwright. “Of…
A picture that’s worth 140 characters
Noah Everett’s bio on twitter says “The nice guy that finished first – the founder of Twitpic.” And that pretty much sums it up. The web wunderkind started Twitpic as a weekend project after discovering he was unable to post pictures to Twitter. At last count, the site had 6.5 million users (and was growing…
The Architect
Think you’ve got a lot of pressure at work? Don’t mention it around Oscar Gerardo, the chief architect of NBC.com, which in 2009 was the most visited site among all the major broadcast networks, racking up over 7 million unique visitors per month and hundreds of millions of page views per year. Although the title…
Castro’s Daughter
There are relatively few icons of 20th century world politics that loom larger than Fidel Castro. While most everyone has seen his face on TV, in a newspaper or history book, the thought of him appearing in one’s living room is practically unimaginable. That’s not the case for Alina Fernandez. Growing up in Cuba in…
The young and the restless
Two weeks ago, a 10–year old kid was arrested after trying to attack a police officer with a knife. His older brother, age 19, was charged with several misdemeanors, including public drunkenness, false report of a crime and obstruction. Police had responded to a call about a stolen vehicle, made by the older brother. It…
Mark your calendar: Belle, Adams, Ludacris
The amazing Regina Belle will sing Nov. 19 as part of Savannah State University’s 2010 Homecoming celebration. She’ll be backed by Savannah’s own Teddy Adams Sextet in the King–Frazier Student Center’s Savannah Room. Tickets are $20 for SSU students, $35 alumni, faculty, staff and military; $40 for the general public. That’s in advance – add…
Celebritocracy
Ben Greenman has decided it’s time for us to talk back to literary characters. His recent projects What He’s Poised To Do and Letters with Character both rely upon reader engagement not only to succeed, but to exist. His latest book, Celebrity Chekhov, inserts present day actors, reality “stars” and otherwise notable notables into classic…
The broad side of a Barnes
I don’t know how this happened, but hardly anyone I know or have talked to that’s visiting Savannah has ever heard of Barnes, the barbecue people on Whitaker by Broughton. Their barbecue is some of the best in Savannah. What they do is so good, I’m surprised it hasn’t been outlawed yet. The pork that…
Athens showcase and a bunch of other cool stuff
ADAM KLEIN, JUSTIN EVANS, TIMBER At 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5. Free Sentient Bean, 13 E. Park Ave. This performance is a showcase for Cowboy Angel, a new indie label out of Athens, with some considerable Athenian talent. Adam Klein is a singer/songwriter with a rural sound (dig that Harvest-era pedal steel!) and a Dylan/Earle…
The rebirth of the Creative Coast
The retail space over looking Wright Square once sold home goods and gifts – picture frames and hand-painted martini glasses. As the new headquarters for the Creative Coast alliance (TCCa), now many hope the space will become the hub for Savannah’s creative, small business community and a key component in the area’s ongoing economic development…
Savannah Film Festival: The final reel
As we head into the second and final week of the 2010 Savannah Film Festival, the one question on everyone’s lips is: Will he or won’t he? Will Sir Ian McKellen, who’ll honored here with a Lifetime Achievement Award Thursday, reprise his iconic role as the wizard Gandalf in Peter Jackson’s upcoming Lord of the…
Napa Smith represents
As the consumer market for craft beer continues to grow, expect to see more and more brewers jumping on the bandwagon The newest to hit town is from Napa, Calif. Napa Smith Brewery sits just south of the undisputed wine making capital of North America. That’s not that odd. Just west of Napa, in Mendocino…
Extreme closeup: Zach Gilford
The final season of Friday Night Lights hasn’t finished airing, but the NBC drama’s young star, Zach Gilford, is knee–deep in his next show. Off the Map, a new medical drama from Grey’s Anatomy creator Shondra Rhimes, has been filming – in Hawaii – for several months. It premieres in January. For the 28–year–old Gilford,…
Hello, world, this is America
Most everyone is familiar with the pop culture-influenced abstract art of Andy Warhol in the late ‘60s. But Warhol’s fame was in some ways made possible by other American abstract artists working decades prior, at a time when New York City was not synonymous with fine art. The hit travelling exhibit “Modern Masters from the…
Extreme closeup: Isabella Rossellini
Even when you’re talking about bugs, sex sells. Green Porno, produced for the Internet and TV On Demand by the Sundance Channel, began in 2008 as a series of short, comical films about the curious (to us, anyway) mating habits of animals. It was a runaway smash. The series, re–titled Seduce Me for the 2010…
Halloween is always on Oct. 31, people
COMPLAINING ABOUT city and county government changing the “official” celebration of Halloween — itself a ridiculous concept considering that Halloween’s not an official holiday, nor one that government would seem to have a need to intrude upon — sounds like a pretty small thing to complain about. And I suppose in the grand scheme of…
Are airport screening machines hazardous?
I work as a consultant and am required to travel by air several times per week. I recently began encountering the new screening devices at all airports. My question is, how do these things work? Have there been any long-term health studies? I’m sure they are probably safe for casual travelers, but what about someone…
