Fun Filled Weekend with Friends

What a week! The AFI Film Festival and the annual midnight screening for The Phantom of the Opera at the Crest Theater in Westwood. After seeing five movies in one week, I'm exhausted! Slumdog Millionaire, Julia, RocknRolla (yes again!), The Phantom of the Opera (only my 4th time in the theater), and Defiance. I think that's a record for me!

Here's pictures from the weekend with the girlfriends.

At lunch, Lois & me

Lynne & Jane

Having a drink at the bar before dinner, Annette & Lori

At dinner before the midnight screening of The Phantom of the Opera

Lynne & Jane

Sharon, Annette, & me

And lastly, lunch the next day

Movie Review ~ Julia

Julia, directed by Erick Zonca, is a movie about an alcoholic woman, Julia, Tilda Swinton, in a destructive spiral. The movie doesn't glamorize alcoholism and parting. Julia is fired from her job and kidnaps a boy Tom, Aidan Gould, for ransom money. As much trouble Julia gets into she somehow manages to get out of it. The movie was very long, 144 minutes, and very depressing, but wonderfully acted by Tilda Swinton, Aidan Gould, Saul Rubinek, and Kate del Castillo.

Julia doesn't have a release date in the USA, but will be released in the UK December 5, 2008

AFI Film Festival Tribute to Tilda Swinton

Wednesday night I attended the AFI Film Festival's Tribute to Tilda Swinton. First a forty-five minute presentation was shown of film clips of Tilda's body of work and then a Q&A with Tilda. We had an added surprise, the premiere of her new movie Julia. We happen to sit beside a man and his son. The son happened to be Aidan Gould, who played Tom in Julia.

Tilda is a fascinating person and very humble in her vast achievements. The night was long, but very interesting.