By Ashley Luu
Daily Titan Staff Writer
Published: April 28, 2010

Correction: The show is actually called “The Real Housewives of Orange County,” not “Desperate Housewives of Orange County,” as previously stated in a caption.

Celebrated as one of the leading film festivals in the United States, the 11th annual Newport Beach Film Festival started with a bang, showcasing a wide variety of more than 350 films from 47 countries.

Success stories have come out of the festival in previous years, such as: Spellbound (2002), which earned an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary; Crash (2004), which garnered three Oscar wins; The Cove (2009), a documentary film about dolphin hunting and (500) Days of Summer (2009) starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel.

Third-year volunteer Margaret Ramondetti said that she is impressed by the quality of work that comes out of these festivals.

“Sometimes a film comes out that no one knows about and it becomes a hit, which is always fun,” Ramondetti said.

English major Michelle Bresnan, 19, said that she found out about the festival on OC Weekly and enjoys communicating with people.

“It’s (the festival) a good way to support people who are trying to get into the business,” Bresnan said.

The world premiere of Five Star Day on April 22 at 7:30 p.m., starring Cam Gigandet and Jena Malone, jumpstarted the festival. Every seat was filled at the Edwards Big Newport theater, according to a New University article.

The film is centered around a student, Jake, whose world spirals out of control after reading a horoscope that gives him a five star rating for the day ahead. Written and directed by Orange County native Danny Buday, the film’s successful screening came out with fairly good reviews.

The festival’s lineup included recognizable faces, such as Elektra Luxx, a sexy comedy starring Carla Gugino as a pregnant porn star; My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend, a romantic comedy starring Alyssa Milano as a girl who falls in love with two men; Solitary Man, starring Michael Douglas as a car dealer whose personal and professional life unravels because of his business and romantic indiscretions and The Good Heart, starring Brian Cox as a New York bar owner who takes a homeless man (Paul Dano) under his wing.

In Elektra Luxx, Carla Gugino plays Elektra Luxx, a pregnant porn star who leaves the adult film industry and teaches sexual education to housewives in need of new ways to please their men. However, chaos ensues when she meets Cora (Marley Shelton), a flight attendant with ties to Elektra’s past.

Though the focus of the film is on Elektra’s issues with her identity, other characters in the film created crowd-pleasing moments. A favorite among the cast, Holly Rocket (Adrianne Palicki), is a ditzy bombshell who fantasizes about her best friend, Bambi. Throughout the film, Holly creates humorous conflict to suppress her feelings for Bambi. Other celebrity appearances in the film include Joseph Gordon-Levitt, an Elektra-crazed nut who films Web shows in his bedroom. Directed by Sebastian Gutierrez, the humorous and energetic film left viewers wanting more – especially skin.

Palicki answered questions after the screening and told audience members that she had an incredible experience working with her friends/co-stars, even though she “worked for pennies.” Palicki said that she was drawn to her character because of the emotional depth of Holly Rocket.

The Good Heart is a dramatic film that focuses on two characters: Lucas, (Dano) a young homeless man who, after unsuccessfully attempting suicide, is tended at a hospital and meets Jacques (Cox), a racist and sexist bar owner who has had multiple heart attacks due to poor eating and smoking habits. As they form an unlikely bond, Jacques makes Lucas his apprentice and successor of the bar, since Jacques’s bad heart is getting the best of him. Despite the dreary and gritty New York setting, the repetitive piano score, and unsatisfying and ending, the film had its positive moments. The contrasting character analysis and witty dialogue of both characters evoked humanity and depth in the overall film.

Videocracy is a documentary about the Italian population consumed with celebrity worship in disjointed ways. The film focuses on several people, including Riccardo, a mechanic who yearns to be in the spotlight, but has difficulty, due to the female population that is favored over males. Most females on television are scantily dressed or nude, as men drool over them. Fabrizio Corona is a narcissistic and famous paparazzo who obsesses over money and fame. He profits by selling celebrity photos to celebrities who are willing to pay in order to keep the photos away from the public. This film sheds a negative light about the president of Italy and portrayed the population as vain people who obtain 80 percent of their information via television, which mostly displays gratuitous sexual images of objectified women.

Upcoming films include an Irish film, A Shine of Rainbows, starring Aidan Quinn, which will screen at 8:15 p.m. on April 28, and fantasy drama, Ondine, starring Colin Farrell, which will screen at 8:15 p.m. on April 29.

The closing-night celebration will begin at 8 p.m. on April 29 at the Regency Lido theater, which features an advance screening of Letters to Juliet, a romantic comedy starring Amanda Seyfried.