Maui Hawaii Updates

Kids were free under 12 last night (and will be again on Sunday), which made for a fun, lively atmosphere on the golf course.  Many people came to see Megan Fox receive the Iris Award.  She's a very good looking, young actress, but she was a little shy about staying on stage.  She showed up a bit late, and looked as though she'd had a few mai tais (though this should be expected since our visiting stars are on vacation here.  Forgiven.)  None the less, it was a pleasure to see her in person (and even better watching festival organizer Barry Rivers nervously cozy up for a photo with her.) UPDATE: Turns out she hadn't had any drinks at dinner at Gannons.  Her waiter said she drank a lot of tea and that was it.  Maybe it was stage jitters.

THE REAL STAR of last night was Jack McCoy, director of A Deeper Shade of Blue.  This was his 25th surf movie, and a great one at that.  Being an avid surfer, I've seen almost every surf flick out there.  They've made dozens of surf history films, and this one was unique in that it was entertaining while remaining comprehensive.  It felt as though even non-surfers remained engaged throughout.  He did a great job at moving back and forth through the timeline so us shortboarders wouldn't lose interest.  The contrast of seeing guys like Jordy Smith chucking rodeo flips against old-school longboarding shenanigans made for a really fun film.  Jack is a legend and his speeches when receiving the Beacon Award were touching.  He said it was an honor to premiere his movie in Hawaii (his original home.)  He also bellowed, "Maui no ka oi!"  So true!

The second feature was Na Nai'a: Legend of the Dolphins, which is what Megan Fox was there to promote.  The most impressive part of this movie was the fact that they managed to get so many big stars lending their voices to narration.  James Franco, Megan Fox, Whoopi Goldberg, Kate Winslet, Darryl Hannah, Cheech Marin, and many more made the movie more interesting.  It followed the 8 different "Tribes" of dolphins around the world and was narrated in a trippy 1st person.  The film was not totally finished (not uncommon for film festival movies looking for a final push of financing for polishing.)  Some of the shots were incredible, and others were forgettable.  The film was a little too long with forced poetry.  I think I counted the word "magical" being used at least 3 times in the first half.  The 15 minute dolphin orgy made up for it though.

For future reference, the best deal for watching the movies at Celestial Cinema is to go to Gannon's and make an early reservation.  They Call it Dinner & a Movie, where you get parking and Vip seating if you spend more than $29. (YOU STILL HAVE TO BUY A TICKET!)

The Gannon's VIP seating is centered, but it's at the back (we prefer to be a little closer to the screen.)  It is nice to get this seating because people show up pretty early and stake their claim to the best grass plots.

You can follow more of the Maui Film Festival through our Maui Twitter account as we go to every event we can.

We were all very impressed with how gracious, sweet, and friendly she was with her fans.  Malin Akerman has also been in the popular films Watchmen, 27 Dresses, and The Heartbreak Kid.  And Yes, she's just as gorgeous in person as she is on the screen.

This year the Maui Film Festival and much fewer visitors than last year, but it was just as good as ever.  The only down side to this was that they didn't have any of the shows on the beach like previous years.  We've heard some speculation that the Film Fest will be discontinued because of short attendance this year.  If this happens, it would be a tragedy.  The Maui Film Festival is one of the best things happening each year.  Those who have attended will admit that it's the best film festival in the world.  Next year will surely bring more people as the economy gets better.

Big Mahalos to everyone that put the event together this year!  What a success!  From the parties, the screenings, and all the happy movie goers, this was one of the best years yet.

We almost tried every item served, but there was so much great food it was hard to do.

The turn out was great, the view gorgeous, and the food spectacular. We'll be back again next year for The Taste of Wailea.

It's safe to say that we LOVE the Maui Flim Festival! The Taste of Chocolate at the Maui Four Seasons was all time this year! Beautiful women, delicious chocolate treats, and interesting, passionate people all around!

Every person we talked to had a story. And some of them were worth listening to. We met some intelligent, driven film makers and we also met some hideous cheese dicks. Tonight was a mix of all kinds.

We love these events because of the people. Nowhere else on Earth can you meet such different personalities in 1 place. It's a collision of Orange County and Humbolt County. Stoney and fake and ambitious and unique and beautiful and creative and aweful and wonderful. This isn't to say that the Maui locals are the creative, stoney ones and the LA crowd are the fake, pretensious ones. There are both types on both sides. But these events bring out all the Maui natives that want to show off their glossy sides.

Don't get me wrong: we enjoyed dressing up and wearing long sleeves tonight, but we didn't search for the biggest and brightest stars to talk to. It was funny. At many points during many conversations, as soon as the people we talked to found out that we write, blog, and live on Maui, they would start looking over our shoulders to find someone to talk to that would have more relevance to their little LA bubbles. Funny.

Overall, the taste of chocolate was stellar! Everywhere we looked there was some little goody of chocolate happiness. Happy people floated around in warm weather with the ocean behind them. Good music, chocolate sculptures, painted near-naked dancers, and some very talented film people filled the event. We met some amazing people, and we caught up with some very good friends.

We've been lucky enough to enjoy a few large film festivals, but Maui is by far the best. Anyone who has been to it will agree.

We'll be at the movies and events again tomorrow and Sunday. check in again then!! Aloha!

2010 Maui Film Festival at Celestial Cinema

Tonight was about as good as it gets on Maui. We enjoyed watching the NBA finals, lakers barely beating Celtics. We then had a great meal at Gannon's Restaurant sitting across from Taylor Steele and his group. Then we ventured to set up camp on the lawn for the shows.

The sunset was incredible. We found a nice spot to watch the films at and settled in. Taylor Steele was honored for his film making, and did a short, live interview. Having watched his films growing up (Momentum II is forever burned into our retinas) it was pure pleasure learning about the guy that brought us so many unforgettable surf movies.

We then watched a short film about a parapalegic surfer. After this inspiring film, Taylor Steele' new film, Castles in the Sky, was a departure from his regular surf porn (which we love. Surf, surf, and more surf.)  Steele has grown artistically and made a beautiful movie about experiencing life and surfing the world. The surfing was incredible, the back drops stunning, and the people authentic. A great overall movie. Some of the shots in that movie will never leave me. Beautiful.

The 3rd film was a short about circus freaks that weren't as freaky as they appear. Interesting, and built to tug at the heart strings.

Our last film was about the roots of Rock Steady, the precursor to modern reggae. It was created from Ska, and changed music forever in the 1960's. The movie was wonderful with bright characters and solid sounds.

After everything, we caught ourselves in the parking lot with Marty Dread discussing the movie. The positive spirit from the movie was tangible.

A great night at the Maui Film Festivsl in Wailea. One of the best Maui events all year.  Aloha!!

This is not the best photo, but not aweful considering taken at night with an old iPhone.

The party was a ton of fun. Best dance party in Maui in some time. We didn't see a lot of celebrities this year, though the High School Musical star, Zac Efron, was enjoying the VIP section all night.

The Maui Film Festival brings all sorts to the island. People watching was at its best tonight. Maui locals were getting loose, hot little biscuits ran around in tight clothes, and cheesy shmoosers dropped names like there was no tomorrow.

Good party here tonight.

This was the ice sculpture built to make martinis with.  A lot of fun!