SLO (that’s what the locals call it), pulled out all the stops for their 30th annual Film Festival.
It wasn’t a difficult decision to drive 4 hours down the coast from San Francisco for a double bill of films and touring the countryside.
First stop, Hotel Granada. Cue angels singing! Yep, made the right choice. Beautiful architecture, tons of exposed brick, friendly staff, art, restaurant, free parking, and right around the corner from the downtown venues.
But I digress, it’s festival time! This year the opening night reception was at the beautiful Fremont Theater. Thank you Luna Red for the yummy paella, Ancient Peaks Winery, Insomnia Cookies, Yolo Cannola cannolis, Leo! Leo! Gelato, To Be Honest, non-alcoholic spirits, Central Coast Brewing, oh yeah. Perfect atmosphere for mingling with fellow film lovers, rubbing shoulders with actors and filmmakers, while enjoying the sounds of popular SLO County band IMVA.
Now that we’re all in a good mood, it’s time for the opening night special screening of ….
GHOSTLIGHT
Straight from Sundance, GHOSTLIGHT delivered. We follow a melancholic construction worker keeping his family at arm’s length, unable to process a personal tragedy. The road to recovery surprisingly came after being convinced to act in an eccentric troupe’s production of Romeo & Juliet. The plot cleverly unfolds, and you slowly realize his life parallels that of Shakespeare’s story. Yes, this exploration of grief is poignant, but I swear it’s filled with laughs.
SURF NITE
An annual tradition, SURF NITE is a must-see slice of pure California Coast surf culture. Parked outside the theater were tricked-out vintage VW vans, perfect surfboard transportation. Inside, the theater was beyond capacity, with hundreds of surfer dudes and their fans. Local Riff Tide surf band played tunes reminiscent of 1963 Annette Funicello’s “Beach Party“, followed by a parade of exciting films. Don’t miss this raucous event, dubbed the surfer’s “Rocky Horror Picture Show“.
TO BE FRANK – Short film
One of the highlights of Surf Nite was To Be Frank, profiling 73-year-old Frank Paine, whose life revolves around a two-block stretch of Hermosa Beach. To Paine, surfing is a lifestyle, and through the years he’s created a community of like-minded fans. Frank may be a senior lifestyle surfer, but as experienced at the Surf Nite screening, he has legions of young fans.
MUSIC VIDEO SHOWCASE
Another “Only in SLO” awesome event. Going back in the Way Back machine, young’uns might not remember that MTV played music videos. Well, not the case in SLO. For the fourth year, music videos played on the big screen at Kreuzberg, accompanied by the band KROOKS.
ART AND LIFE: THE STORY OF JIM PHILLIPS
Jim Phillips earned his induction to the Skateboarding Hall of Fame, with his iconic skateboarding, surfboarding, and rock art. Born in San Jose in 1944, he has lived almost all his life in Santa Cruz, California. Early jobs included applying his designs for surfboard manufacturing shops. Starting in the 1960s, Phillips’ signature surf art, including the popular “Woody” illustration, appeared in many surfing publications.
ART AND LIFE explores how Phillips’ designs became synonymous with skating culture and streetwear. His decades-long body of work includes over 100 posters for musicians including Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Neil Young, The Beatles, and Jerry Garcia, along with the iconic Santa Cruz Logo and Screaming Hand. Jim Phillips is truly a living legend.
CITIZEN SLEUTH
Why do women love true crime documentaries so much? Maybe they put themselves in the place of the victim, perhaps learning how not to be killed! Emily Nestor became obsessed with a local murder mystery in Marietta, Ohio, and started the podcast Mile Marker 181.
So, the backstory: In 2012 Jaleayah Davis was struck by her car and found lying on the ground several feet away. Rumors ran high in this small town. Nester had a high school education and zero experience as an investigator, but couldn’t shake her obsession with this case. So what to do? Start a podcast of course
Who knew her creation would for a time make the top of the Apple podcast chart, attracting millions of fans. That’s as far as this review will go, we don’t want to ruin a major surprise plot twist.
JOIN OR DIE
What’s the big deal about joining a club you say? Remember when you were told if you want to meet someone join a club. Turns out it’s true, and the fate of democracy hangs in the balance if you don’t. There’s a crazy amount of information thrown at the viewer in this doc, utilizing Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone research, which should be in everyone’s Audible shopping cart. So don’t just blame social media, well, blame social media, the reason we’re disconnected from real community, not the bunch of followers pretending to care about you. There are interviews from Hillary Clinton, Pete Buttigieg, and Vivek Murthy to further convince you to get off your butt. So call your friends and start a book club, form a bowling league, put down your phone, talk to each other!
LET THE CANARY SING
What a colorful character Cyndi Lauper is, and what an incredible life story, told in her one-of-a-kind New York Accent. Let the Canary Sing introduces us to the woman behind the 80’s Billboard chart toppers. Talking to you “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”.
Lauper was expelled from high school, ran away from home at 17, lived in the Canadian woods with her dog, took art classes, and somehow landed on her feet in a big way. What an inspiration. This is a must-see, informative, and highly entertaining doc.
TUESDAY
If you want to see what else Julia Louis-Dreyfus can do besides comedies, I dare you to see Tuesday, a total departure from Elaine from Seinfeld. There’s a talking bird who confronts this mother-daughter duo and helps them heal from loss. Whew.
TOKYO COWBOY
I mean, the name alone, aren’t you curious? We ride along with Hideki, a Japanese businessman as he deals with culture shock and communication woes. So what to do? Take over a cattle ranch of course! Tokyo Cowboy is an entertaining take on the journey to self-discovery.
Seriously, put the festival on your calendar and book a hotel far in advance. SLO has so much to offer, so add some extra days to play tourist, head to the beach, have a first-class meal, and then head to wine country.
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