Traverse City Film Festival – Day Two
July 30, 2009 by Jane Boursaw
Tonight was ultra-fun, because my husband and I attended a screening of “Woodstock: Three Days of Peace & Music, The Director’s Cut” (available on DVD and Blu-ray).
This Oscar-winning film isn’t a movie you watch, it’s a movie you absorb and let wash over you, like the rains that fell on all those concertgoers 40 years ago. I swear, after four hours with this film, you’ll feel like you were actually AT Woodstock. The digital restoration helps a lot, too.
The audience was a lot of fun, from aging hipsters wearing tie-dyed shirts to youngsters who weren’t even born when the concert took place. Someone stood up and asked if anyone in the audience had attended the festival in person – a few raised their hands. We had our own version here in Old Mission, and when we heard a voice from the balcony yell out “Sun-Ra,” we knew it could be none other than a long-time friend from back in the day. We looked up and sure enough, he was waving at us.
At the screening tonight was Country Joe McDonald, Wavy Gravy, and Paul Kantner, co-founder of Jefferson Airplane. I knew the first two would be there, but when Kantner joined the others onstage, it was an amazing surprise. Each of them played a couple of songs and took questions from the audience. It was like watching history in motion.
Earlier in the day, I saw “The Answer Man,” a hilarious movie starring Jeff Daniels and Lauren Graham. This movie takes a hard look at self-help and spiritual books, and the result is funny, sad, and a little mind-bending.
I must mention the film festival attendees, who are surely the nicest in the world. Everyone is so amiable, and it’s easy to make new friends when you’re standing in line or buying popcorn. There’s this vibe that I’ve heard is present at other film festivals, too. Everyone is there to have a good time and watch great movies.
Anyone in Traverse City seeing film festival movies? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Image: Amazon.com
