What's what at the LA Film Fest:
Talk to Me LAFF's opening night film stars Don Cheadle in a bio-pic of a black DC DJ in the civil rights era. Very unofficial logline is the black Good Morning Vietnam. This one is great! (P.S. Film by my company!)
2 Days in Paris As mentioned before this is Julie Delpy's romp through Paris with Adam Goldberg.
The Beautiful Ordinary Young female filmmaker Jess Manafort's first feature could be a hit or a miss - but the premise sounds fun. It is a Dazed & Confused style "last day of high school" comedy set in the year of my graduation, 1999.
Charlie Bartlett As previously mentioned, high school laugher with Anoton Yelchin as de facto school psychologist. Robert Downey Jr plays the Principal. (Film by SKE)
Dark Side of the Zeppelin: The Laserium Extravaganza! Just thought it was worth pointing out that the LA Film Fest is having back to back laser shows. Trippy!
Does Your Soul Have a Cold Music video director turned feature director (Thumbsucker) turned documentarian (this film), Mike Mills, takes a look at the way depression is treated in Japan.
Dynamite Warrior (aka Khon fai bin) This muay thai actioner from the team behind Ong Bak (maybe) promises to "mingle hard-hitting martial arts with spectacular wire work and abundant pyrotechnics to push its action to glorious, giddy heights."
Exiled HK crime darling of this summer's festival circuit.
Great World of Sound Craig Zobel's SXSW hit about the music hustle.
Hot Rod Pre-release preview of another summer laugher - this one stars SNL/Lonely Island's Andy Samberg as a daredevil stunt man.
The Hottest State Ethan Hawke directed film about two younguns played by Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace) and Mark Webber in a NYC romance.
How to Rob a Bank Andrew Jenkins' debut caper comedy could be good - however it does co-star Gavin Rossdale.
Interview Steve Buscemi directs Siena Miller and himself in this commentary on celebrity culture.
Kabluey Another unknown pic from another young director - Lisa Kudrow leads the cast including director Scott Pendergast.
Love For Sale Popular Brazilian writer/director Karim Aïnouz, writer if Brazil's Oscar entry this year, helmed this story about a woman who must auction herself for a night in paradise after she is abandoned with her newborn.
Miss Navajo This docu about the Miss Navajo pageant looks particularly interesting.
Owl and Sparrow A Playa in the Vietnamese-American film scene and writer of the upcoming Powder Blue, Stephane Gauger makes his directorial debut with this film about two young Vietnamese girls. The film won the best narrative feature at this years San Francisco Asian American Film Fest.
Razzle Dazzle Send up of children's dance pageants by Aussie director Darren Ashton.
Resolved Greg Whiteley's fascinating looking docu about racial politics in high school debate.
Rocket Science Sundance hit about stutterer on the debate team.
Sunshine Danny Boyle and Alex Garland reteam for this epic sci-fi thriller (read: not indie!) starring Cillian Murphy.
Syndromes and a Century SIFF entry from thai auteur Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
Times and Winds Highly aesthetic Turkish coming of age drama.
(Note Italics=I've mentioned these films during other festival previews, Bold=new)
Festival program notes: LA Film Fest 07
Moderator: enderzero