Miss movies? Move on

The 14th annual San Luis Obispo International Film Festival is over.

Peter Fonda strode off stage Saturday night. The final credits of the final film flickered on Sunday afternoon. Executive director Wendy Eidson packed up the festival office earlier this week.

Only 363 days until the next film festival? What's a movielover to do?

For those who crave thoughtful cinema, there's HopeDance FiLMs, an ongoing, enlightening series of movies and events.

The journey starts tonight with "The Real Dirt on Farmer John," a look at farmer/actor/activist John Peterson.

That film will be screened at 7 p.m. at the San Luis Obispo City Library, 995 Palm St. in San Luis Obispo. A $5 donation is encouraged.

On Thursday, HopeDance FiLMs will screen "Sicko," Michael Moore's controversial documentary about the American health care system, as a fundraiser for Health Care for All.

Learn more at a question-and-answer series featuring representatives of Health Care for All. That free screening is 7 p.m. Thursday at the library; donations are encouraged.

Also playing this month:


"Subdivided: Isolation in Suburbia"
7 p.m., March 24
SLO Library

Filmmaker Dean Terry examines how suburban sprawl is changing the face of American neighborhoods, featuring commentary from "Bowling Alone" author Robert Putnam and James Howard Kunstler, who wrote "The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape." A discussion will follow the screening, for which a $5donation is suggested.


"Bill Hicks"
7 p.m. March 25
Honeymoon Cafe, 999 Price St., Pismo Beach

Celebrate the legacy of comedian Bill Hicks, who mixed outrageous humor with a passion for social justice. This documentary interviews his parents, David Letterman and other cohorts, while offering footage of Hicks' stand-up routines. A $10 donation includes finger foods, which will be served at 6:30 p.m.


"One Giant Leap"
7 p.m. March 26
2975 Vineyard Dr., Templeton

It's a new kind of music documentary. Learn about global music with Baaba Maal, Brian Eno and Michael Stipes, chat about philosophy with Anita Roddick and Tom Robbins, dance, listen and expand your mind. A donation of $5 is suggested.


The Reflecting Pool
6:30 p.m. March 27
Palm Theatre, 817 Palm St., San Luis Obispo

This new "investigative drama" challenges the official version of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Meet the film's producers, director and some of the stars at this special screening, which requires a $10 donation.

The film will be screened again at 7 p.m., March 31, at the library. A $5 donation is requested for that screening.

For more information on the above films, visit the HopeDance Web site.

-- Sarah L.

Sliced ears and underwear -- favorite music/movie pairings

Among the many things I liked about the movie “Superbad” was the music.

On the one hand, funk songs by Curtis Mayfield, Jean Knight and Bootsy Collins might not seem to match a film about geeky white kids trying to score before going to college. And yet at the same time it was just oh-so right.

You see, music used in film doesn’t necessarily have to match the scene thematically. It just has to, well . . . to work.

In fact, at times it seems the best pairings are the ones that make the least sense. Take, for instance, the use of the silly Surfin' Birds to coincide with battle scenes in “Full Metal Jacket.” It works because of the irony – what the character Joker in that movie would call “the dichotomy of man.”


Such pairings create memorable movie moments. Can you ever hear “Stuck in the Middle” by Steelers Wheel without seeing Mr. Blonde cut off that guy’s ear (Warning: that's a bloody clip.) in “Reservoir Dogs”?

This all comes to mind because I just saw this
site about the top 77 song moments in film. But I’ve always felt the pairing of music and film is an art few have mastered.

Quentin Tarantino, of course, is the grand pooh-bah of this art form. His use of surf music in “Pulp Fiction” is legendary – and an inspiration to all future film makers willing to spend a little extra money to license previously recorded music.

Martin Scorsese also nailed it in “Goodfellas.” Two songs in particular – Harry Nilsson’s “Jump Into the Fire” and Eric Clapton’s “Layla” – provided the perfect soundtrack to scenes depicting mob chaos, life on the run and corpses.

When done right, the pairing of music and film makes both the song and the scene cool. (“Snatch” would be a good example here.) On the other hand, association with bad music can ruin everything.

“Titanic” was actually a pretty good movie. But every time I think of it, I can’t get my mind around that horrible Celine Dion song.

Ugh.

Anyway, here are some of my favorite music/movie moments:

• “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”/”Twist and Shout,” the Beatles – After seeing this, I went out and bought my first Beatles record, the beginning of a long love affair with the Fab Four.
• “Midnight Cowboy”/“Everybody’s Talkin’,” Harry Nilsson. I also loved how “Borat” copied this famous walking in the city scene.
• “Apocalypse Now”/ “The End,” the Doors. The opening scene to the movie, where napalm is choreographed to psychedelic 60s rock.
• “Rocky”/”Gonna Fly Now,” Bill Conti. After seeing Rocky work out to this
instrumental classic, I almost wanted to enter the ring myself. Then I thought about that time Ali got his jaw broken and decided to stick with Wiffle Ball.
• “Risky Business”/Old Time Rock and Roll, Bob Seger. The good ole days -- before Seger was washed up and before Tom Cruise was nutty. Could have been an ad for Hanes underwear.

If you have a favorite movie/music scene, drop a line.

--Pat P.

Rocking the Winery Music Awards

A soulful rocker from Los Angeles is heading to the Winery Music Awards finals after winning the music competition’s third preliminary round this weekend.
Justin Hopkins, leader of the band The Guilt, sang and played guitar as a solo artist Saturday at Silver Horse Winery in San Miguel.
Judges from the music and entertainment industries praised his talent, awarding him an average score of 78.30 out of a possible 100 points.
“Justin has refreshingly honest and soulful vocals and guitar playing,” said judge Roy Braverman, who owns a multimedia firm in Los Angeles. Judge Diane Steinberg-Lewis, an actress, singer and composer, described his music as “clearly commercial and still poetic.”
Also performing at Saturday’s four-hour concert were: Los Osos musician Matthias, Assaf Spector of Brooklyn, and The Laurie Morvan Band and Sarah Hethcoat, both from the Los Angeles area.
Hopkins advances to the final competition in October, where he’ll vie with five other musicians for a record deal, cash, a custom guitar and other prizes.
Musicians are graded on their originality, skill and marketability to the ever-expanding demographic of wine drinkers — specifically, men and women age 21 to 54.
Los Angeles singer-songwriter Shannon Curtis won the June competition. July’s winner was a San Luis Obispo band, Dominic Castillo and the Rock Savants.

The Winery Music Awards continue Sept. 15 at Silver Horse Winery, 2995 Pleasant Rd. in San Miguel. Tickets are $40.
For more information, call 467-WINE (9463) or visit www.winerymusicawards.com.

-- Sarah L.

Thirsty for some music?

Los Osos jazz-funk musician Matthias heads the competition this weekend at the Winery Music Awards.
Saturday’s concert will feature four hours of music, wine and sunny North County scenery in San Miguel, hosted by TV “Bachelor” Andrew Firestone and judged by an industry panel.
Also competing on Saturday are:Brooklyn-based Assaf Spector, who merges funk, blues, hip hop and rock with his band Birthday On Mercury, plus soulful rockers Justin Hopkins and the Guilt, pop-rock singer Sarah Hethcoat, and blues combo The Laurie Morvan Band, all from the Los Angeles area.
The Winery Music Awards officially kicked off June 9, when Sacramento pianist Shannon Curtis beat out an all-female line-up from as far away as Portland.
Damon Castillo and the Rock Savants, based in San Luis Obispo, walked away with the most points in July.
As the contest continues, musicians will compete in September to earn a slot at the final showdown on Oct. 7. Musicians are graded on their originality, skill and marketability to the ever-expanding demographic of wine drinkers — specifically, men and women age 21 to 54.
Top acts will take home prizes including cash, studio time and a record contract with RNB Entertainment Group of Los Angeles. Competitors could also walk away with a custom electric guitar by Dave Mason’s RKS Guitars.
Last year’s grand prize winner, Arroyo Grande acoustic rock trio Threes and Nines, plans to release its debut album later this year.

***

Producer Kathy Kelly created the Winery Music Awards, which highlights independent, unsigned bands and musicians, in 2005.
The concert starts at 4 p.m. Saturday at Silver Horse Winery, 2995 Pleasant Rd. in San Miguel. Tickets are $40.
For more information, call 467-WINE (9463) or visit www.winerymusicawards.com.

Music for lunch and dinner

Kick your weekend off right today with a free concert by The Mudskippers.
The Dixieland jazz group performs at noon First Presbyterian Church of San Luis Obispo, 981 Marsh St. It’s part of the church’s monthly Brown Bag Concert series.
Doors open at 11:45 a.m. Don’t forget to bring your own lunch to munch.

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Want to warm up for mariachi singer Manuel Enrique’s performance at the California Mid-State Fair this weekend?
Fans of the traditional Mexican music can get their fill at the 12th Annual Santa Barbara Mariachi Festival, 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Santa Barbara Bowl.
The play list includes Mariachi Cobre, Omar Arreola, Mariachi Imperial, Mariachi Divas and Chula Vista Youth Mariachi. Concert-goers will also catch performances by Mercedes Castro and Amparo de la Jilguerillas
Tickets are $38.50 to $88.50, and can be purchased at the Santa Barbara Bowl box office, 1122 N. Milpas St. in Sant Barbara. For more information, call 962-7411 or visit their Web site.

On Sunday, watch Atascadero singer Manuel Enrique perform with Mariachi Mexicanismo at the fair’s Budweiser Fort Frontier Stage. The concerts, which are free with fair admission, take place at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
The Paso Robles Event Center is located at 2198 Riverside Ave. in Paso Robles.
Call (805) 239-0655 or visit www.midstatefair.com for more information.