MuleMomma Posted September 7, 2003 Report Share Posted September 7, 2003 This was forwarded to me, and I kinda thought everyone might want to know about it - holy crap, I've been waiting to see this for a long time. Wow, between the "Greendale" premiere and the "Go Further" movie in the spirit of the Merry Pranksters, there's sure a bunch of movies for heads this year. Seems "A Head's Tale" would fit in quite nicely with this year's lineup The Toronto International Film Festival SCREENING TIMES: Tuesday, September 09 09:15 PM VARSITY 4 Saturday, September 13 02:45 PM VISA SCREENING ROOM (ELGIN) Box Office at the new location: College Park, Market Level, 444 Yonge St http://www.e.bell.ca/filmfest/2003/boxofficeinformation/singletickets.asp Film Title: Festival Express Production Company: Apollo Films Executive Producer: Ann Carli, Garth Douglas, Willem Poolman Producer: Gavin Poolman, John Trapman Director: Bob Smeaton Cinematography: Peter Biziou, Bob Fiore Editor: Eamonn Power Sound: Eddie Kramer Music: The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Eric Andersen, Buddy Guy, Great Speckled Bird In the summer of 1970, a series of music festivals were held across Canada. After the first concert in Toronto, the musicians, roadies and a film crew boarded a private train to travel to the remaining events in Winnipeg and Calgary. The Festival Express was the brainchild of two brash, young promoters named Ken Walker and Thor Eaton. Not satisfied with assembling one of the most incredible travelling concert bills in history (performers included Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, The Band, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Eric Andersen, Buddy Guy, Great Speckled Bird, and many more) Walker and Eaton decided that "packaging" the tour in the form of a CN railcar moving across the vast landscape would make for good times and good music. How right they were. At the crest of the musical and social explosion that was the sixties, this contrast between the greatest musicians of their day (and, arguably, any day) and a leisurely mode of travel made for a combustible bell jar that vibrated with artistic camaraderie. They rocked, they rolled, they jammed - all part of a bacchanal that chugged its way across the Canadian Shield and all documented on film. The performers were confronted at every concert stop by protesters angry about the $14 ticket price ("Free the music - the music should be free!") but this did not prevent them giving their all for the thousands who flocked to see them. This never-before-seen footage (in which Willem Poolman, father of producer Gavin Poolman, captured performances both on stage and onboard the train) reminds us of the sheer electricity performers like Joplin were capable of creating. The footage was lost in legal proceedings for years, but ninety hours of raw negative and forty hours of uncut sound recording fortuitously found their way to the Budge Crawley vault in the National Archives of Canada. With music mixed by Eddie Kramer (producer of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Santana), Bob Smeaton's documentary immortalizes performances that - in comparison to those found in the controlled set-ups of most concert films - are unmistakably raw and immediate. Festival Express is more than the sum of its extraordinary parts; it captures a uniquely Canadian experience and the spirit of an age. - Jane Schoettle Bob Smeaton is an established director of musical documentaries featuring such performers as The Beatles, The Band, The Who, Meatloaf and Genesis. He was the series director on ABC's award-winning "The Beatles Anthology" (95) and directed an episode of the VH1 series "Classic Albums" (97) that chronicled the making of The Band's self-titled 1969 album. Festival Express (03) is his latest documentary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaimoe Posted September 7, 2003 Report Share Posted September 7, 2003 I'm going to next Saturday's screening and will be doing an " exclusive " review of this movie for Jambands.ca ( located on the main page ). Stay tuned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esau Posted September 7, 2003 Report Share Posted September 7, 2003 Sweet,hopefully I will be in town for one of those screenings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaimoe Posted September 7, 2003 Report Share Posted September 7, 2003 If you're there on Saturday, I wouldn't mind meeting you Esau. We can organize a music swap among other things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esau Posted September 7, 2003 Report Share Posted September 7, 2003 Sounds good Jaimoe,I should know monday,which day I will be able to head to Toronto,more then likely sat.Have to see my work schedule. This time I won't be spilling any beer like at ABB. Cheers~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaimoe Posted September 7, 2003 Report Share Posted September 7, 2003 Hey Esau, I forgot that I have met you. How uncharacteristically flaky of me. You dumped that $11 beer all over the pavement. Nice. I still laugh at that image. Is Jay going to the movie too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esau Posted September 7, 2003 Report Share Posted September 7, 2003 Cheers Jaimoe, Well looks like saturday it is then,works better for me anyway.Dropping that beer was surely an expesive disappointment,......dam rye Not sure which Jay your refering to? Hey Mulemomma, Long time no speak,seems we always do that Are you going to make it to a screening?Want to meet up sat? Hope so,be great to see you again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyberHippie Posted September 7, 2003 Report Share Posted September 7, 2003 So, when it comes to the festival I don't have the first idea how it works... How do I get to see this movie? Do I have to line up for days somewhere to get a ticket or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuleMomma Posted September 7, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2003 Don't know why, but I heard that the Tuesday night's show is sold out - that was the one I was contemplating calling in sick to work for.Hey Trevor, it's possible that the link I posted might take you to some sort of ticket purchase site, but I'm not quite sure.And Greg, yeah, the damn scheduling conflicts - in fact my schedule seems to conflict with everyone's since I work nights and many weekends. Looks like I'm heading out of town that weekend, so I'll have to wait until the movie (hopefully) hits the reps. Might make it out to PJC tonight for Slammin Jack though - you gonna be there?Peace - MM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esau Posted September 8, 2003 Report Share Posted September 8, 2003 Mulemomma, Yeah I plan on hitting SJ tonight,hopefully I'll be running into you there. Keep smilin' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B & Z Posted September 8, 2003 Report Share Posted September 8, 2003 This sounds great. Must be Janis without Big Brother? If you've never seen the film "Nine Hundred Nights", you should. It's a good slice of Janis with Big Brother - raw, jammy and original. Big Brother were sooooooooo sloppy but capable of such greatness.Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phishin4groove Posted September 8, 2003 Report Share Posted September 8, 2003 never had such a good time......in my life before Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevO Posted September 9, 2003 Report Share Posted September 9, 2003 This sounds good!Are there any good shows going on this Saturday in Toronto to sweeten the deal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoned free Posted September 11, 2003 Report Share Posted September 11, 2003 does anybody if the saturday showing is old out or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoned free Posted September 11, 2003 Report Share Posted September 11, 2003 i meant SOLD out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basher Posted September 11, 2003 Report Share Posted September 11, 2003 Yes, it is sold out, but there may be rush tickets available day of the show. From the FilmFest website:Sold Out? Maybe not — check out the rush linesSometimes tickets become available at the last minute. These tickets are sent to the theatres to be sold to the Rush Lines. Here's how it works: when a screening is sold out, a line of non-ticket holders may form outside the theatre — this is known as the Rush Line. If there are empty seats available just prior to the screening, the Festival's Theatre Representative may allow people from the Rush Line to purchase tickets or exchange an appropriate pass or coupon to gain admittance. There is no guarantee that anyone in the Rush Line will gain admittance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basher Posted September 12, 2003 Report Share Posted September 12, 2003 I just found out I am seeing this flick tomorrow! Woohoo! It's not what you know... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patchoulia Posted September 12, 2003 Report Share Posted September 12, 2003 Oh, I freakin’ love my job sometimes…often comps are floating around, but none were available for this..I asked one of my Directors, she called someone at the fest and voila! goin’ to the show!I’m sooo excited! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la mantequilla del pollo Posted September 12, 2003 Report Share Posted September 12, 2003 its NOT sold out! I just went to the box office and picked up 6 tix. They're 14.50 each, and there's a limit of 4 tix, but its pretty easy to sweet talk the ticket lady.(i had to promise i wouldn't scalp them!!) The box office is at 444 Yonge St. and they don't take debit cards, but VISA or cash is cool. See y'all there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booche Posted September 12, 2003 Report Share Posted September 12, 2003 I am actually anticipating the dvd release (there has to be one, right?)Nothing will beat a drunken Garcia jamming with Janis! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basher Posted September 12, 2003 Report Share Posted September 12, 2003 It was sold out, I know that for sure. A friend of mine tried to get tickets earlier in the week. They told him more tickets may become available day before/day of the show. Looks like that's what happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouche Posted September 12, 2003 Report Share Posted September 12, 2003 I can't wait to bring this film over to Phred's home theatre Enjoy the show Jaimoe...I can't wait to read your preview/review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esau Posted September 12, 2003 Report Share Posted September 12, 2003 quote: Originally posted by chicken butta: its NOT sold out! I just went to the box office and picked up 6 tix. They're 14.50 each, and there's a limit of 4 tix, but its pretty easy to sweet talk the ticket lady.(i had to promise i wouldn't scalp them!!) The box office is at 444 Yonge St. and they don't take debit cards, but VISA or cash is cool. See y'all there! WOO-HOO,thanks for gettin these.You rock girl. Talk to ya later on today I guess,if not then tomorrow. On the sold out rumor,I talked to a guy today thats working the festival and he was saying that this show was not sold out but was only sold out for the tuesday screening NOT the saturday screening.Tickets were on sale all week he mentioned. See ya'll there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basher Posted September 12, 2003 Report Share Posted September 12, 2003 Greg, I swear that my friend tried to get tickets earlier in the week for tomorrow's screening and they told him it was sold out.Oh well, I'll look for you there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basher Posted September 12, 2003 Report Share Posted September 12, 2003 Here's a review from The Globe and Mail:Festival Express***Bob Smeaton (Canada/U.K.)Talk about your slow train coming: 33 years after some of the world's greatest rock acts -- the Band, the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Delaney and Bonnie, among them - climbed aboard a CN passenger train to perform in stadiums in Toronto, Winnipeg and Calgary, the long-lost film footage of that fabled journey has finally been pulled together in one groovy documentary. The music does most of the talking here, as director Smeaton wisely gives us entire performances of songs, instead of excerpts intercut with interviews or voiceovers. The trans-Canada trek was a financial disaster and beset, too, by the politics of the time but musically it was a triumph both on the train -- as musicians jammed day and night between the stadium gigs -- and off. Best moments: Rick Danko, Jerry Garcia, Janis Joplin and Bob Weir doing a drunken but heartfelt Ain't No Cane on the Brazos ; Festival Express organizer Ken Walker's acerbic postmortem 30 years after the fact: "I gave the public too much and they didn't deserve it." -- J.A.(Today, 9:15 p.m., Varsity 4; Saturday, 2:45 p.m., Elgin.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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