1-on-1
with The MassBay Film Festival’s Robert Newton
By Elizabeth Meyer

The MassBay Film Festival has become a staple of the Massachusetts film/entertainment/culture scene, increasing in both visibility and scope each year. And Rob Newton, the Festival’s fearless leader, is a familiar face to many of us, the man with, amongst other things, the big inflatable screen. So from where did this Festival spring? We got to sit down with Rob, now 37 and a well-known film reviewer, and get not just a little history, but also a sneak peek into what’s in store for this year’s event.

Pulse: When did you first realize you liked movies?
Rob: I’m afraid my answer will reveal my inner dork! It was Star Wars, 1977. Before that, my life was the bookmobile and of course, The Wizard Of Oz on TV every Easter.

OK, where’d this Festival come from?
In 2002, Cynthia [Rob’s wife] and I hosted Oscar-nominated actor Robert Forster for a special screening of Diamond Men and a Q&A at the now just-a-memory Bijou Theater. Then we formed the non-profit MassBay Film Project in 2003, and 3 years and hundreds of film screenings later, here I am, presenting the 2nd Annual MassBay Film Festival. This year we’re running from November 3-12 in a variety of venues in and around Worcester and we’ll feature 60 films.

How many movies a week do you watch when you’re figuring out what to show at the Festival?
Between reviewing and previewing for the festival, about 20. Once in a while I get to watch something for fun.

How do you pick movies for the festival?
I do a lot of research online to see what people are talking about, what’s in the news, and what’s winning at other festivals. I get to other festivals when I can, but with all the work running the festival and the film work, I can’t get away for more than 3 or 4 days at a time. And anytime I get 3 or 4 days off in a row, I do silly things, like eating, sleeping and exercising.

What are some of the highlights of this year’s festival?
The big one is Shortbus, from the creator of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. It is the single most sexually graphic non-pornographic film ever made, and a bold one at that. For more conventional tastes there’s Who Killed The Electric Car?, the Bukowski-based Factotum, Terry Gilliam’s extremely disturbing Tideland and of course, Stephen Tobolowsky’s Birthday Party, with the never unemployed character actor Stephen Tobolowsky in attendance as our guest of honor. We’re pretty excited about that.

You have a lot of other guests in your line-up…
Karen Young from Heading South is coming, and director Joe Cultrera will talk about his extremely personal documentary, Hand of God. We’ve got local talent, too ~ Andrea Ajemian is presenting for the first time her documentary The Green House Girls, and Rogan Marshall will be talking about his way-out dark comedy, FreezerBurn. And keep your eyes on our website ~ we hope to announce a couple of last-minute surprises, too. It’s all part of creating a movie experience that folks can’t get during a regular night out, and getting people to think a little bit more about what they watch.

Go to www.MassBayFilmProject.org for a full listing of venues, guests, showings, and more.

Celluloid “Truths”
Have You Ever Noticed…
By Steph Moore

Ever notice that there are some very humorous “film facts,” truths that seem to exist only in the celluloid world? Well, we noticed, and here’s a list of some of our favorites.

A detective is only able to solve a case once he has been suspended from duty and had his badge and gun revoked.

It is necessary during any and all police investigations for the detectives to visit a seedy strip club at least once.

All grocery bags contain at least one loaf of French bread.

When in pursuit of a “perp,” it is necessary for the officer driving the car to turn the steering wheel vigorously from side to side ~ even when driving down a perfectly straight road with no traffic.

When you settle into bed and turn out the light to go to bed, everything in your bedroom will still be clearly visible, just slightly bluish.

Once applied, lipstick and other make-up will never rub off, no matter how much kissing, swimming, or sweating you do.

The Eiffel Tower can be seen from any window in Paris.

Large, loft-style apartments in New York City or Paris are completely affordable by anyone of any age ~ whether employed or not.

All beds have special sheets that reach up demurely to armpit level on a woman but only to waist level on the man lying beside her.

Scared young women staying alone in large houses will investigate strange noises only in their most revealing undergarments.

If you decide to diffuse a bomb, you will automatically know the right wire to cut.

It doesn’t matter if you are laughably outnumbered in a martial arts fight. Your attackers will wait patiently and attack you one by one after dancing around in a threatening manner until you have knocked out their predecessors.

A man will show no pain while he’s being beaten to within an inch of his life, but will wince and whine like a baby when a pretty woman tries to clean his wounds.