The movie "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" may never win an Academy Award, but it definitely won the approval of audience members who watched the bizarre film late last Friday night during the Back East Picture Show, sponsored in part by The Hudson Reporter Newspaper Group, and held at Hudson Cinemas on Hudson Street in Hoboken.Created by director Doug Miles, the 75-minute flick was a hilarious black and white 1953 sci-fi genre movie, dubbed with new dialogue and a few added scenes. The movie, originally about creatures from out of space invading Earth, was transformed into a lampoonish comedy about homosexuals in the military.
During the screening, Miles said to the almost sold-out crowd, "We tried to make a movie that would offend almost everybody, and I think we succeeded."
The movie did not win an award from the festival, but it looks like it will be headed to cult-film heaven.
Another creative film, also in black and white, was the 25-minute short "Mr. Rose," by the very talented director Jason Giampietro. The movie was a weird glimpse of the life of a frustrated middle-school music teacher who is obsessed with 1980s rock opera bands and donuts.
"The movie is based 90 percent on a true story," Giampietro told the audience during the matinee screening on Thursday.
"Mr. Rose" was funny and skillfully shot. It captured the essence of students stuck in a classroom with a very, very boring teacher. The dialogue was delivered authentically, and a thoughtful soliloquy at the end managed to capture the viewers’ attention.
Throughout the four-day festival (April 25-28), local residents, as well as New York City artists and filmmakers from Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Miami and Seattle, attended the event. Most of the screenings were sold out, according to spokesman Stuart Ginsberg. The festival was able to create the ambiance of a large independent movie extravaganza, with the small town charm. The majority of the films shown had some footage of Hudson County, enabling local viewers to have a connection with the movies.
"We wanted to bring the best possible talent to Hoboken and I think we succeeded," Ginsberg said, during an interview last week.
Awards gala
The organizers of the film festival, Anthony D. Costanza and Maria Perfetto, hosted an awards gala at Liberty House at Liberty State Park in Jersey City on Saturday night. The black tie-optional event honored popular Italian movie-genre actor Frank Vincent, formerly of Jersey City. Vincent is better known for his supporting roles in Hollywood features like "Casino," "GoodFellas," and "Raging Bull."
During his acceptance speech, Vincent thanked his colleagues and his friends in show biz, and the event’s organizers.
Also winning awards were the creators of the movies "The Russian Job," for Best Feature Comedy; Danny Provenzano of "This Thing of Ours," for Best Feature Director; "The Little Red Toilet," for Best Animated Short Film; Victor Colicchio and Nicholas Iacovino of "High Times’ Pot Luck," for Best Screenplay; Paul Borghese of "Four Deadly Reasons," for Back East Buzz Award; "Suspended Animation," for Best Feature Film (Thriller); "3 Weeks from Paradise," for Best Documentary; "Null Null," (a short, pleasing and well-directed urinal tale) for Best Foreign Film; "Melting Glass," for Best Cinematography; "Curiosity Killed Brian," for Best Comedy Short; and "Caught in Time," for Best Short Drama.
"The Russian Job," shot in Moscow and the mile-square city, was a heart-warming 84-minute comedy about an Italian goofball (Bobby Capelli) from New Jersey who travels to Russia in search of the con-artist mail-order-bride who scammed his family. The cinematography was superb. Also appearing in the movie were Artie Lange, Jackie "The Jokeman" Martling, Vincent Pastore, and Danny Aiello.
Many scenes in the film were shot in Hoboken, Capelli’s native town. q