Putting festival’s films to the test

Young Chang

NEWPORT BEACH -- Jon Muir’s television and VCR are in the bedroom of

his Corona del Mar home, but he doesn’t let himself get comfortable in

bed while screening features for the Newport Beach Film Festival.

Instead, he sits on the floor. He watches the films alone. He dims the

lights and focuses, as if the task isn’t just recreational.

His one distraction: buttered and salted popcorn.

“It seemed important to me that you give each movie your full

attention,” said Muir, 48. “When you realize how much work goes into a

movie, you owe it to the [filmmakers].”

Muir is the sole non-industry community member on a jury of 12 whose

job is to judge each feature screened at the festival and help decide

which title will earn best feature, best documentary, best director, best

cinematography, best screenplay and two audience awards.

Muir landed the jury spot after writing a review of “Brotherhood of

the Wolf” in January for the “Everyone’s a Critic” contest co-sponsored

by the film festival and the Daily Pilot’s promotion department.

His review won and garnered him the prize of being a festival judge

and screening every movie for free.

“We are a festival that celebrates the rich diversity of film and the

rich diversity of our community, and we felt it was natural to further

integrate our city and our community into the process of the festival,”

Executive Director Gregg Schwenk said.

Muir, a former attorney and now a trust officer for Commercial Capital

Bank in Irvine, entered the contest simply because he’s always loved

films.

“When I realized I’d get to see all these movies and not pay, it was

like being a kid in a candy store,” he said.

Four weeks before the festival started, Muir picked up available

videos three or four at a time to screen in advance. Nowadays, he devotes

his weekends and evenings to watching videos and attends a number of

screenings at the four Newport Beach theaters for titles that are only

available on the big screen.

On Sunday, Muir watched the 4 p.m. run of “The Cabbie,” the 6 p.m.

screening of “The Trespasser” and the 8 p.m. showing of “Rodents.” Each

was subtitled and shown at Edwards Island 1.

“That was fairly grueling,” Muir said, of reading subtitles for half

the day.

But the fun outweighed the stress for the longtime movie fan.

Muir’s earliest favorite movie was John Ford’s western “The Man Who

Shot Liberty Valance.” Muir watched it when he was just 7 or 8. As an

adult, he appreciates the movie because it shows so much about America.

There was just one theater in Muir’s native Pennsylvania town of 7,000

people. It used to offer Saturday movie packages including 17 cartoons

and a “Three Stooges” short for 25 cents. Muir spent a large part of his

childhood in this theater.

“There are still 7,000 people, and there is still one movie theater,”

he said.

So far, his favorite feature at the festival is the German work “As

Far As My Feet Will Carry Me.”

“It had great cinematography,” Muir said. “And without sounding

pretentious, it had great economy in storytelling.”

* Young Chang writes features. She may be reached at (949) 574-4268 or

by e-mail at o7 young.chang@latimes.comf7 .

FYI

WHAT: Awards Night

WHEN: 7 p.m.

WHERE: Tent at Newport Beach Marriott Hotel, 900 Newport Center Drive,

Newport Beach

COST: $30

CALL: (949) 253-2880