Writer/Director Robert Siegel amazed me with his honesty on the red carpet last night.
When I asked him who he would choose to work with if he could have his pick, he looked me dead in-the-eye and stated matter-of-fact, that he was comfortable with mid-level actors.
"I'm not powerful enough in the industry to control big name stars, like Brad Pitt; besides, they come with too much baggage," he quipped without any qualms or worries about ramifications.
"They're a pain in the butt."
He was quick to add that the exception was Johnny Depp.
"I have have been offered scripts with big names attached, but I passed."
A die-hard New Yorker, he has no desire to up-and-move to the golden state.
Siegel was a great sports enthusiast as a kid, so over the years he longed to lens a feature about the "Giants".
"Big Fan" is an intriguing tale about a sports fan who becomes obsessed with a player who he later gets into a physical altercation with.
Oh, the humiliation.
Patton Oswalt stars in this moody piece.
Although Oswalt is quick on the uptake - and the funnyman is capable of delivering up snappy one-liners at whim (which I have been witness to) - the up-and-coming star chose to closely follow the tightly-written script.
He noted that the "Big Fan" is reminiscent of 70's films like "Electra Glide in Blue" and also "Marvins Gardens".
"It's a tale of fu**ed up redemption," he asserted last night.
I was quite delighted to meet the producers from "Like Dandelion Dust", also.
"We tried to stay true to the best-selling novel by Karen Kingsbury. In fact, fans who have screened the feature have been pleased with the end result," one of the baby-faced Downes brothers (producers) beamed with pride at the glittering premiere last night.
It is a sort-of legal thriller about a battle for the custody of a child.
Respected Jon Gunn directs popular star Mira Sorvino,
The "Two Bobs" director - Tim McCanlies - was basking in the glow of all the attention coming his way for his off-beat project which is a foray into the scintillating world of Video Gamemakers.
In a nutshell, the "2 Bobs" is a quirky who-dunnit about two tecnie nerds who have their software stolen.
As they endeavour to track down the culprits responsible for the theft, they are thrust into the disreputable underworld of spammers and Internet hoodlums.
Janine Taylor (Friday Nights) trotted the carpet on her way to a screening of an old-time classic, "Gentleman Prefer Blondes".
We both joked about the fact neither of us had ever seen the Maryilyn Monroe comedy on the silver screen, only on the boob tube over the years.
Later, at the Festival lounge at the Magnolia Theatre, a tasty smorgasbord had been laid out for theatre-goers - imported cheese and crackers, mouth-watering succulent fruit (including fresh strawberries dipped in rich dark chocolate) - and a wide assortment of finger-licking cocktail food.
The Theatre recently installed an eye-catching series of original artworks by a talented young artist, Clint Scism.
The humorous pieces are basic cut-outs, maneuvered artfully onto layered levels of glass, in a sort-of distinctive collage-like fashion.
Moderately priced, too.
The lobby was buzzing with excited film buffs chatting each other up in the lobby.
AFI Dallas screenings are mostly-sold out this year, after all.
If you haven't slipped into NorthPark Mall or the Magnolia Theatre yet to catch a flick, you have about two days left to say you were part of the AFI Dallas Film Festival phenomenon 2009.
See 'ya there!
Patton Oswalt in the Big Fan
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