HOLLYWOOD POV: BAFTA/LA British Comedy Festival: You're Invited to Free Screenings of RUN FAT BOY RUN, HOT FUZZ, and MAGICIANS

April 18, 2008 06:31 PM EDT
© 2008 by Digital Dogs

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Living in Los Angeles just can't be beat. We've got perfect weather, access to great art museums, fantastic restaurants, tons of movie theaters showing the latest films that haven't even opened up in most other cities, a blossoming theater scene, amazing shopping and we're even developing our own Fashion Week (look out Manhattan, here comes LA!). We have the ability to surf the waves at the beach and then drive up the mountain to ski... all in just one day. We've even got multiple Farmer's Markets held in every city and neighborhood every day of the week. How can any other city beat that?

Industry screenings are another plus for those of us lucky enough to work in the filmbiz; one of many perks Hollywood insider's can take advantage of. And now you have an opportunity to take advantage of the same great perk too. As part of the 2008 BritWeek celebrations, BAFTA/LA is hosting the inaugural BAFTA/LA British Comedy Festival Presented by British Airways. Comedy has long been one of the UK's most acclaimed entertainment exports, and this festival will honor the best of Britain's film and television comedies from 2007. The Fest takes place from Monday, April 28 through Wednesday April 30, 2008... and you're invited!

BAFTA/LA are inviting the general public to join in their celebration of British comedy and these three screenings are free for you plus one guest. You can't cast a vote (only BAFTA/LA members can), but you can enjoy three free British comedy features which will be screened along with a few short Brit TV comedy episodes from a variety of nominated shows. No RSVP is required to attend, and seating is on a first-come first-served basis so be sure to get there early to secure yourself a seat.

Over the past few weeks, a select panel of top UK-based comedy talent chaired by Michael Hurll has short-listed 10 television programs, 5 films, and a list of comedy performers. This short-list is currently being judged by a panel of U.S. based comedy talent and executives.

The film panel includes Judd Apatow, Jake Kasdan, Adam Shankman, Nicholas Stoller, Steve Gaydos and Elizabeth Guider. The television panel includes Greg Daniels, Bill Hilary, Jeff Ingold, Al Jean, David Kissinger, Mike Schur, Mike Scully, Wendy Trilling, Dana Walden and Jane Wiseman.

Once the finalists are decided, the Voting Members of BAFTA/LA will receive screeners of the short-listed titles and be asked to vote for the winning Film and TV program. The finalists will be screened in late April, and the winners will be honored at an Awards ceremony on May 1st.

Members are now submitting their votes for the inaugural BAFTA/LA British Comedy Festival, and of course, the BAFTA/LA members already have special DVD screeners of these films. The nominated titles will be screened at three special Festival screenings that are open to the general public:

Monday, April 28 7:30pm
Screening of RUN FATBOY RUN and an episode of EXTRAS
Writers Guild of America Theater
135 S. Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills

Tuesday, April 29 7:30pm
Screening of HOT FUZZ and an episode of THE IT CROWD
Writers Guild of America Theater
135 S. Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills

Wednesday, April 30 7:30pm
Screening of MAGICIANS and episodes of GAVIN & STACEY and LITTLE BRITAIN.
Directors Guild of America Theater
7920 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles

Just remember, you won't be able to buy popcorn, and the WGA and DGA Theaters do not allow food of any kind in the theater (and that's a good thing! It means you won't have sticky shoes when you leave.)

It's a real pleasure for me to be able to invite you all to enjoy these free screenings! ENJOY!

----ABOUT THE FILMS----

HOT FUZZ

Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is the finest cop London has to offer, with an arrest record 400% higher than any other officer on the force. He's so good, he makes everyone else look bad. As a result, Angel's superiors send him to a place where his talents won't be quite so embarrassing - the sleepy and seemingly crime-free village of Sandford.

Once there, he is partnered with the well-meaning but overeager police officer Danny Butterman (Nick Frost). The son of amiable Police Chief Frank Butterman (Jim Broadbent), Danny is a huge action movie fan and believes his new big-city partner might just be a real-life "bad boy," and his chance to experience the life of gunfights and car chases he so longs for. Angel is quick to dismiss this as childish fantasy and Danny's puppy-like enthusiasm only adds to Angel's growing frustration. However, as a series of grisly accidents rocks the village, Angel is convinced that Sandford is not what it seems and as the intrigue deepens, Danny's dreams of explosive, high-octane, car-chasing, gunfighting, all-out action seem more and more like a reality. It's time for these small-town cops to break out some big-city justice.

Written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright
Directed by Edgar Wright
Starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent, Paddy Considine, Steve Coogan, Timothy Dalton, Paul Freeman, Bill Nighy, Lucy Punch, Anne Reid, Billie Whitelaw, Stuart Wilson and Edward Woodward

Rated R, Running time 121 min

RUN FATBOY RUN

Five years ago Dennis (Pegg) was at the altar about to marry Libby (Newton), his pregnant fiancée. He got cold feet and ran for the hills and he's been going in circles ever since. When Dennis discovers Libby's hooked up with high-flying-go-getter Whit (Azaria), he realizes it's now or never. He enters a marathon to show he's more than a quitter but then finds out just how much sweat, strain and tears it takes to run for 26 miles. Nobody gives him a chance but Dennis knows this is his only hope to more than a running joke.

Directed by David Schwimmer
Written by Michael Ian Black
Starring Simon Pegg, Hank Azaria, Ameet Chana, Dylan Moran, Thandie Newton, Harish Patel


Rated PG-13, Running time 97 min

MAGICIANS

Lifelong friends Harry and Karl (David Mitchell and Robert Webb) are the greatest magic double act in the country. But after a guillotine illusion goes horribly wrong, their friendship and careers are finished. Now, out of luck and totally broke, Harry sets his sights on the prize money of the prestigious 'International Magic Shield' tournament. But to win he will have to compete against the world's weirdest magicians - including his deadly rival Karl, performing as the psychic "Mindmonger". Can new tricks and a new assistant (Jessica Stevenson) help Harry triumph?

Directed by Andrew O'Connor
Written by Jesse Armstrong & Sam Bain
Starring David Mitchell, Robert Webb, Jessica Stevenson, Darren Boyd, Steve Edge, Andrea Riseborough and Peter Capaldi.

Rated 15 (UK), 97 Min
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© 2008 by Digital Dogs
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2007 YEAR END MOVIE REVIEW: Digital Dogs Grades the Films of 2007

Everyone has an opinion, and everyone who sees a film has an opinion.

Here’s Digital Dogs’ call on the films of 2007.

E-Ticket Rides

300
28 Weeks Later
Beowulf
Die Hard 4.0: Live Free or Die Hard
I Am Legend
Transformers: The Movie

THE TOP FILMS

OF 2007:

The A List

300
3:10 To Yuma
Amazing Grace
American Gangster
A Mighty Heart
Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The
Brave One, The
Bourne Ultimatum, The
Bucket List, The
Beowulf
Charlie Wilson’s War
Die Hard 4.0: Live Free or Die Hard
Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The
Enchanted
Hairspray
Hot Fuzz
Hoax, The
I Am Legend
Into the Wild
Juno
La Vie en Rose
Lust, Caution
Ratatouille
Rescue Dawn
Sicko
Transformers: The Movie

THE FILMS

OF 2007:

The B List

28 Weeks Later
Atonement
Away From Her
Blades of Glory
Breach
Darjeeling Limited, The
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Eastern Promises
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Fracture
Golden Compass, The
Gone, Baby, Gone
Great Debaters, The
I’m Not There
In the Shadow of the Moon
In the Valley of Elah
Kingdom, The
Kite Runner, The
Miss Potter
Music Within, The
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
Namesake, The
No Country For Old Men
Oceans 13
Reign Over Me
Rendition
There Will Be Blood
Savages, The
Simpsons Movie, The
Spiderman 3
Smokin’ Aces
Sunshine
Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Water Horse: Legend of the Deep

Zodiac

THE FILMS

OF 2007:

The C List

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
December Boys
Control
Grace Is Gone
Invasion, The
Joshua
Knocked Up
Lions For Lambs
Lucky You
Michael Clayton
Mist, The
Number 23, The
Once
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Reservation Road
Sleuth
Superbad
Things We Lost in the Fire

War

THE BOTTOM TEN FILMS OF 2007: The D List, an incomplete grade

Don’t even waste your money on renting these losers...

Grindhouse – Yet another violent, unwatchable and incomplete film by the most over-rated director of all time, Quentin Tarantino. Folks, there’s a reason he has a hard time writing one complete film… he can’t! Stringing multiple stories together without reason does not make a feature length film, no matter which starlets you walk down the red carpet and no matter what kind of advance press you manage to get. The Robert Rodriguez section works much better.

Margot at the Wedding – Starring Director Noah Baumbach’s real-life wife Jennifer Jason Leigh and a botoxed-botched Nicole Kidman, this film was painful to watch because of detestable characters, ridiculous plot, and uneven direction.

Reaping, The - A painful waste of Hilary Swank’s talent.

Wind That Shakes the Barley, The – An important film about the beginnings of the IRA that was ruined by incomprehensible dialog. This film would have been more interesting were there subtitles. Please tell us director Ken Loach….exactly how many people in the world do you think are fluent in Irish? Don’t you think an important film deserves to be understood by your audience?

Youth Without Youth – A complete embarrassment for director Francis Ford Coppola and actor Tim Roth. This is a clear case of an auteur director indulging his fantasies in a confusing plot while forgetting that an audience has to be able to make sense of what’s going on. The look is beautiful, but the film is painful to see.

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© 2008 by Digital Dogs

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2006 YEAR END MOVIE REVIEW: Digital Dogs Grades the Films of 2006

THE TOP FILMS OF 2006: The A List

• Casino Royale
• Dreamgirls
• United 93
• The Queen
• The Last King of Scotland
• Catch a Fire
• Apocalypto
• The Prestige
• Borat
• Blood Diamond
• Little Miss Sunshine
• The Devil Wears Prada
• Venus
• Stranger Than Fiction
• Pan’s Labyrinth
• Notes On a Scandal
• Flags of Our Fathers/ Letters From Iwo Jima

THE FILMS OF 2006: The B List

• The Illusionist
• Miss Potter
• Charlotte’s Web
• Pursuit of Happyness
• Children of Men
• An Inconvenvient Truth
• The Departed
• Flushed Away
• Déjà vu
• World Trade Center
• The Departed
• Happy Feet
• A Scanner Darkly
• Who Killed the Electric Car
• Mission Impossible III
• The Da Vinci Code
• X-Men: The Last Stand
• Bobby

THE FILMS OF 2006: The C List

• The Lake House
• The Good Shepherd
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
• The Black Dahlia
• For Your Consideration
• Little Children
• Hollywoodland
• Marie Antoinette
• The History Boys
• The Navity Story
• All The King’s Men
• Poseidon

THE BOTTOM TEN FILMS OF 2006: The D List: an incomplete grade

• Babel – The second most annoying and pretentious film of the year. Babel is yet another triad of short stories strung together by the flimsiest of excuses. The one interesting story of the three told here involves Japanese newcomer Rinko Kikuchi whose performance is so interesting she deserves a supporting nomination for it. But her short story had absolutely nothing to do with the supposed story-line of this poorly plotted film. Babel is a big nothing mess that the less-educated will think is an important film (because that’s what they were told in the ads!). Wake Up! A feature film is NOT 3 short stories strung together!


• Running With Scissors – A big failure with no likeable characters and a story-line that forces you to hate everyone in it. Annette Benning overacts to save her life… but nothing can save this mess of a film.


• The Fountain – Completely pretentious and annoying, this new-agey yoga-spacey film makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.


• The Wind That Shakes the Barley – An important film about the beginnings of the IRA that was ruined by incomprehensible dialog. This film would have been more interesting were there subtitles. Please tell us director Ken Loach….exactly how many people in the world do you think are fluent in Irish? Don’t you think an important film deserves to be understood by your audience?


• Lady in the Water – Director M. Night Shyamalan keeps using the same old tricks. Get off your one-trick pony horse Night and live up to your reported talent!

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© 2006 by Digital Dogs

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