Last Monday we continued our Miami Film Festival viewings with “El Bano del Papa / The Pope’s Toilet."  Screened at the Gusman Theatre...

playing the Mighty Wurlitzer organ before the show

....it’s a work of historical fiction based on the Pope’s visit to a remote Uruguayan village in 1988. “El Bano del Papa” is a beautifully shot film from two Uruguayan directors , one of which participated in a question and answer session – along with the two leading actors – after the film.

And then on Saturday we saw “Stranded – I’ve Come From A Plane That Crashed In The Mountains,” a powerful documentary about a 1972 airplane crash in the Andes.

The director came out for a few minutes before the film began and spoke a bit about the production, which was creative and highly effective in conveying the intensity of the story. A few of the Montevideo scenes were shot in the neighborhood where we stay when we visit.

The entire film is such a glimpse into the Uruguayan culture – the accents, gestures, architecture, landscapes. Although you’ll need a box of tissues to get though it, “Stranded” is well worth watching for this reason alone.

Jonathan and I attended our first Miami Film Festival 2008 movie last night:  “Flawless” starring Michael Caine and Demi Moore.  It was shown downtown at the spectacularly eclectic Gusman Theatre.

Since it was the North American premiere, we were hoping Michael Caine might make an appearance (as Viggo Mortensen did last year when we saw “Alatriste”).  And while I was outside by the red carpet it was reported Marisa Tomei and Kate Hudson were en route.  But I was standing by the press photographers and privy to the information that at the last minute both parties changed their minds and were heading straight to the after-party.

So it ended up being Demi Moore and Michael Radford, both of whom spoke onstage for a few minutes before the film began.

   

Toward the end Demi Moore started talking about the plot line of the movie, nearly giving part of it away before the audience stopped her:

 
Untitled from SeaBird on Vimeo.