CineVegas - Las Vegas Sun

Justin M. Bowen

John Voight poses for pictures Sunday during the CineVegas 2009 Honorees reception red carpet at Rain nightclub at The Palms Hotel and Casino.

Jon Voight continues criticism of Obama, Democrats: June 15, 2009 | 7:36 a.m.; By Melissa Arseniuk; Jon Voight may have come to CineVegas last night to accept an award but that didn’t stop the outspoken actor from sharing some of his partisan political views on the red carpet.

Willem Dafoe makes first visit to Las Vegas: Mon, Jun 15, 2009 (8:03 a.m.); By Melissa Arseniuk; Willem Dafoe has had plenty of opportunities to come to Las Vegas over the years but nothing ever convinced the actor to visit the city - until Sunday night.

review:
'World's Greatest Dad' long but funny along the way: Mon, Jun 15, 2009 (2:07 p.m.); By Josh Bell; Comedian-turned-filmmaker Bobcat Goldthwait may seem like a depraved sicko, what with his movies about bestiality (2006’s Sleeping Dogs Lie) and selfishly capitalizing on a loved one’s death (CineVegas selection World’s Greatest Dad), but if you get past the synopses and actually watch his films, you’ll discover that the guy’s clearly a softie at heart.

CineVegas celebrates with awards ceremony: Sun, Jun 14, 2009 (11:50 p.m.); By Sarah Feldberg; After five days of popcorn, celebrities and independent films, the 11th annual CineVegas Film Festival celebrated the best of the best Sunday in an awards ceremony at Rain Nightclub at the Palms.

CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS:
Las Vegas abuzz with celebrities, including Willem Dafoe, Terrell Owens: Mon, Jun 15, 2009 (8:33 a.m.); By Melissa Arseniuk; There was no shortage of celebrity sightings in Las Vegas this weekend as actors, athletes, and a range of other stars shined across the city.

From letters to sketches, 'Found' is a great find: Sun, Jun 14, 2009 (10:40 p.m.); By Sarah Feldberg; “Sometimes, you just find the eighth page of a letter and you wonder what happened to the other seven pages,” says Davy Rothbart drawing a battered sheet of paper from a stack of documents.

review:
'Thor at the Bus Stop' a film in magic realism: Sun, Jun 14, 2009 (1:12 p.m.); By Josh Bell; Local filmmaking brothers Jerry and Mike Thompson turn in a winning, whimsical film for their feature debut, a mélange of quirky stories that represent a side of Vegas rarely seen in films. "Thor at the Bus Stop," expanded from a pair of Thompson short films, interweaves various stories catalyzed by the title character, whose angst over being the unsung savior of the world sets off a string of random lightning strikes.

review:
'The Revenant' longer than it should be: Sun, Jun 14, 2009 (1:08 p.m.); By Josh Bell; One thing that scrappy little genre B-movies should never be is over two hours long; Kerry Prior’s horror-comedy "The Revenant" just barely passes the two-hour mark, but it’s a good 20-30 minutes longer than it ought to be.

FILM FESTIVAL:
'Asylum Seekers' film gets noticed with nuptials: Sun, Jun 14, 2009 (9:47 a.m.); By Melissa Arseniuk; With so many films on the 2009 CineVegas docket, choosing which films to go and see can be a daunting task. Meanwhile, the competition between films to attract audiences can be tough, too.

FILM:
Filmmaker indicates real tale even darker than 'Darkness': Sat, Jun 13, 2009 (4:28 p.m.); By Sarah Feldberg; It’s virtually impossible not to think of Joseph Conrad’s "Heart of Darkness" while watching "Sea of Darkness," a CineVegas documentary that chronicles the lives and demise of members of the 1970s’ elite surfer community.

Zen and the art of spotting faux celebrities: Published Sat, Jun 13, 2009 (2:20 p.m.), Updated Sun, Jun 14, 2009 (11:45 a.m.); By Allison Duck; So far I am three for three. I’ve been volunteering and working at the CineVegas Film Festival for the past three years and each year I have had a celebrity sighting psych out.

There is no place like home, unless it's CineVegas: Published Fri, Jun 12, 2009 (7:12 p.m.), Updated Fri, Jun 12, 2009 (8:07 p.m.); By John Katsilometes; A media center featuring an Imperial Palace Dealertainer is just one reason to appreciate our CineVegas Film Festival.

Small talk dominates as CineVegas gets under way: Published Thu, Jun 11, 2009 (7:59 a.m.), Updated Thu, Jun 11, 2009 (8:11 a.m.); By Sarah Feldberg; The first night of CineVegas is like a high school reunion. There are familiar faces and not so familiar ones, a lot of introductions and re-introductions and many rounds of catch up small talk as people jostle for position at the bar, getting friendlier with each glass of Stella Artois.

Dennis Hopper, Jon Voight, Willem Dafoe in Las Vegas this weekend: Fri, Jun 12, 2009 (7:14 a.m.); By Melissa Arseniuk; While there will be no shortage of celebrity sightings in Las Vegas this weekend, the sightings will be as varied as they come, with famous faces drawn from the worlds of acting, athletics and everywhere in between all coming together.

FILM FESTIVAL:
Sarah Silverman steals CineVegas red carpet: Thu, Jun 11, 2009 (6:48 a.m.); By Melissa Arseniuk; Sarah Silverman may have had a minor role in “Saint John of Las Vegas” but that didn’t stop the hilarious actress-comedian from stealing the show out on the red carpet.

FILM FESTIVAL:
Stars align for CineVegas: Thu, Jun 11, 2009 (7:21 a.m.); By Melissa Arseniuk; While the celebrities might not be exactly lining up for this year’s CineVegas film festival, Las Vegas’ miniature version of Sundance is attracting a decent number of stars both big and small.

FILM FESTIVAL:
Our kind of culture: Wed, Jun 10, 2009 (2 a.m.); By Joe Brown; This is a diatribe. A jeremiad, a manifesto, a proclamation. For all of those — and I include myself — who have rolled their eyes and sighed and whined that “there’s no culture in Las Vegas,” please get over yourselves and do something about it. The CineVegas film festival begins its 11th edition today, and it is the single best current example of a homegrown cultural event that’s really vital and growing and evolving.

review:
Solid performances keep 'The Square' grounded: Fri, Jun 12, 2009 (12:51 p.m.); By Josh Bell; It treads a pretty well-worn path, but the noirish Australian thriller "The Square" hit its crime-story beats so well that the familiarity is more an asset than a liability.

review:
'Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo' disappointing: Fri, Jun 12, 2009 (12:31 p.m.); By Josh Bell; The title promises a much livelier, more irreverent take on the material, but the documentary "Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo" is a disappointingly tedious slog through a seemingly fascinating subject.

A few finishing touches on those zombies: Wed, Jun 10, 2009 (6:04 p.m.); By Josh Bell; Kerry Prior has forgotten to pay his power bill. The writer, director, producer and editor of CineVegas zombie/vampire horror-comedy The Revenant is standing in his house on the west side of town with the doors and windows open, multiple fans running and a loud generator pumping away in the backyard.

FILM FESTIVAL:
Brother act: Wed, Jun 10, 2009 (2:30 p.m.); By Josh Bell; Jerry and Mike Thompson just might be the nicest guys in the Las Vegas filmmaking scene. The brothers — who wrote, directed, shot and edited CineVegas entry "Thor at the Bus Stop" — have been central figures in the world of Las Vegas movies for years. Both graduates of UNLV’s film school (Jerry in 2001, Mike in 2005), they’ve made numerous short films, which have shown at past CineVegas festivals as well as the Dam Short Film Festival in Boulder City.