Wednesday, April 5, 2017

My Picks for the 2017 Turner Classic Movies Classic Film Festival

It is a sad fact of my life that I have never gotten the chance to attend the Turner Classic Movies Classic Film Festival. What is more, I will not be attending TCMFF this year either. That having been said, I always look forward to it every year. I know that I can see plenty of photos and blog posts from my many TCM fan friends, and Turner Classic Movies always offers a good deal of coverage of the event. Of course, like many fans who are unable to attend I also like to play armchair quarterback and decide what I would go see if I could attend. Here then are my choices of what I would watch if I were attending this years Turner Classic Movies Classic Film Festival.

Thursday, April 5
12:30 PM At the Chinese Multiplex House 1 Remembering Robert Osborne: As I am sure all of you already know, Robert Osborne died earlier this year. For that reason this year's TCMFF is dedicated to his memory. It is then that they will be celebrating Robert's life at the Festival. I am sure that this is the one event that every single TCM fan will want to attend. Robert Osborne was pivotal to the success of TCM, and important to all of us. This is one of the primary reasons I really wish I could have made it to the festival this year.

7:00 PM Poolside Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory: This is one of those instances where it was hard to make a choice. Some Like It Hot is at 6:00 PM, while In the Heat of the Night is at 6:30 PM. That having been said, I have seen Some Like It Hot and In the Heat of the Night on the big screen. I have never seen Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory any place but on television. An added bonus is that cast members Julie Dawn Cole (Veruca Salt herself), Rusty Goffe (the head Oompa Loompa), and Paris Themmen (Mike Tee Vee himself) will be attendance, as well at the illustrious Illeana Douglas (actress, director, author, and the granddaughter of screen legend Melvyn Douglas).

9:30 at the Egyptian Theatre The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934): I have no idea how far apart the various venues are, so I don't know if I could make it from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory to The Man Who Knew Too Much, but I would certainly try! This is one of my favourite Hitchcock films and I much prefer it to the Fifties remake. It is opposite Harold and Maude, but in the end I cannot resist a classic Hitchcock film made while he was still in England!

Friday, April 7
10:30 AM at the Chinese Theatre IMAX Hand and Footprint Ceremony--Carl and Rob Reiner: Okay, I would hate missing The Maltese Falcon and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, but I am a huge fan of Carl Reiner, as well as his son Rob. If I were at TCMFF there is almost no way that I would miss this.

2:00 PM at the Chinese Theatre IMAX The Princess Bride: As far as recent films go, The Princess Bride is one of my favourites. What is more, Rob Reiner is going to be in attendance.

7:30 PM Poolside What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is the film that introduced to me to Bette Davis and Joan Crawford (and for those who are wondering, I am #TeamBette). I have seen it many times over the years, but I have never seen it on the big screen. Sadly, it would mean I would miss Laura and Twentieth Century. A long time ago I concluded that conflicts in what one wants to see are par for the course at TCMFF!

Saturday, April 8
9:00 AM at the Chinese Theatre IMAX The Court Jester:  Okay, this was a hard choice. The Court Jester is showing opposite another one of my favourite films, Arsenic and Old Lace. That having been said, I have seen Arsenic and Old Lace on the big screen, while I have never seen The Court Jester in a theatre. I must also point out that Illeana Douglas and Fred Willard, two of my favourite people, will be at the showing of The Court Jester.

12:30 PM at the Egyptian Theatre Rear Window: This is showing opposite The Great Dictator, but for me Hitchcock trumps Chaplin (I know many of you will disagree with me on that). And Rear Window is one of my favourite films that Alfred Hitchcock ever made.

2:45 PM at the Chinese Theatre IMAX The Jerk: For me this comes down to one name: Carl Reiner. I have been a huge fan of Mr. Reiner since childhood, so there is no way I would miss a showing of The Jerk with him in attendance!

7:30 PM Poolside Planet of the Apes: This is another instance where I will miss another movie I would really like to see, Theodora Goes Wild. That having been said, I have been a fan of Planet of the Apes since childhood and I have never seen it on the big screen. I really wish they had shown Planet of the Apes at midnight instead so I could go ahead and see Theodora Goes Wild!

9:30 PM at the Chinese Theatre IMAX The Graduate: This is the one movie I would have to see at TCMFF. The Graduate is one of my all time favourite films and, what is more, Buck Henry will be in attendance. I really would not want to miss it.

Sunday, April 9:
9:00 AM at the Chinese Theatre Multiplex House 1 Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb: Dr. Strangelove is one of my all time favourite movies. In fact, it is in my top ten. I have seen it on the big screen, but I really would not want to miss it at TCMFF.

12:30 PM at Club TCM at the Hotel Roosevelt Ask Leonard Maltin: Leonard Maltin is one of my favourite critics and film historians and I would really love to see him in person. I also have a lot of questions about classic animation I would like to ask him (he's one of the world's foremost experts in the field)!

1:30 PM at the Chinese Theatre IMAX The Palm Beach Story: I don't know if I could make it in time from the Leonard Maltin Q&A, but I would certainly try! The Palm Beach Story is my all time favourite Preston Sturges movie and it stars local girl Mary Astor!  I've never seen it on the big screen. I would really hate to miss it.

4:30  PM at the Chinese Theatre IMAX Singin' in the Rain: Have I ever mentioned I  have had a crush on Ruta Lee since childhood? Even if Singin' in the Rain wasn't my third favourite musical (after The Wizard of Oz and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers), Miss Lee's presence would guarantee I would show up! Of course, Todd Fisher will also be there, so it would be a treat to hear him talk about his mother's memories in making the film (Debbie Reynolds, another one of my childhood crushes).

Of course, more than seeing any films or even people I admire, for me the Turner Classic Movies Classic Film Festival would be a chance for me to meet my many classic film buddies, most of whom I have known for literally years, but whom I have never met in person. I am closer to many of my fellow classic film buffs than I am people I do know in person, and I consider many of them dear friends. I have no doubt that much of my time would be spent visiting with them.

Anyway, I am looking forward to the various photos and blog posts that emerge from this year's festival!

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