MOVIES: It’s a wrap for CineVegas X

  Local movie buffs are suffering withdrawal this week … because there’s no CineVegas film festival to occupy every waking hour.
  The annual movie bash ended its 10th-anniversary run Saturday night at the Palms, concluding a 10-day wallow of movies, parties, networking, parties and more movies — and drawing a record number of attendees, according to Artistic Director Trevor Groth.
  For those who care about such things, a rundown of festival prize-winners appears later.
  For me, however, the most memorable moments of this CineVegas were the personal ones.
  For example, during the Q&A following the closing-night attraction, “The Great Buck Howard,” someone asked Colin Hanks (yes, his dad is named Tom) whether the movie (produced by Playtone, the senior Hanks’ production company) represented the first time he had shared the screen with his father, who plays his character’s disgruntled dad.
  Yes, Colin replied, noting that his dad “wanted to have on film him chastising his eldest son. He’s done it enough in real life; he wanted it on film.”
  Or, during Anjelica Huston’s Marquee Award tribute, watching Huston’s lovely, gracious patience as New Yorker staff writer Lillian Ross (who celebrated her 81st birthday earlier this month) rambled on and on and on and on about Huston’s legendary father, John, about Huston’s former flame Jack Nicholson, about how Miss Ross doesn’t like the term “Ms.” — in short, about everything but what the audience had come to hear: Anjelica Huston herself.
  Ross, who wrote the book “Picture” about John Huston filming “The Red Badge of Courage,” announced that she had “known Anjelica for many years — I knew her before she was born.” Those of us assembled for the tribute wished we could have gotten to know Anjelica a bit better; and we would have, if Ross had just allowed her to speak for herself more often.
  Half-Life Award-winner Viggo Mortensen got a lot more words in edgewise during his CineVegas tribute, offering extended musings on everything from his performances to his politics (and why he thinks George W. Bush should be impeached) to his philosophy of life (“I like to be prepared  for the worst at all times; that way, I’m pleased to be surprised by how well things are going”).
  Mortensen understands that he’s got a bad case of diarrhea of the jawbone, which is why “I’m terrible like this at this talk-show thing; they want ‘boom, boom, boom.’ ’’ And, clearly, Viggo doesn’t do “boom, boom, boom.” Not that anyone was complaining.
  There’s plenty more in my notebook, from the hometown, family-reunion feeling at a screening of the documentary “Women in Boxes” (after which many of the magician’s assistants featured in the movie took a well-deserved bow) to the sight of Dennis Hopper (chairman of CineVegas’ Creative Advisory Board) relishing a cup of ice cream and chatting with “Great Buck Howard” co-star Ricky Jay near the Brenden Theatres snack bar.
  What are your most memorable moments of CineVegas X?
  Before we close the book on the festival, here are the winners:
  In the Feature Jury Competition, the Grand Jury Prize went to “She Unfolds By Day,” director Rolf Belgum’s tale of a frustrated middle-age son trying to manage his misanthropic 80-year-old mother. “Dark Streets,” a stylish noir musical, won a Special Jury Award for its “collaborative craftsmanship in achieving its visual splendor and showmanship.” And “Your Name Here” star Bill Pullman also received a Special Jury Award for his portrayal of a ‘70s science fiction writer (modeled after Philip K. Dick) trapped in an alternate reality.
  (Members of the feature jury: Screen International film critic David D’Arcy, Matt Dentler of Cinetic Digital Rights Management, longtime film festival adviser Robert Hawk and USA Today film critic Claudia Puig.)
  In the Documentary Jury Competition, the Jury Award went to “Beautiful Losers,” about a group of ’80s artists. “Hi My Name Is Ryan,” about the clown prince of the downtown Phoenix art scene, won a Special Documentary Jury Prize.
  (Members of the inaugural Pioneer Documentaries jury: “Super Size Me” writer-producer Morgan Spurlock, film and TV critic and journalist Robert Abele and magazine editor Tamara Krinsky.)
  In the Audience Award category, the horse-racing documentary “Lost in the Fog” and the dark dystopian comedy “Visioneers” captured top honors.
  The standout in the festival’s “La Proxima Ola” section, showcasing the new wave of Mexican filmmakers: “Año Una (Year of the Nail),” about the romance between a Mexican teen and an older American tourist. (The jury for “La Proxima Ola”: CNN en Español anchor Maria Montero, La Opinion’s Sergio Burstein and Shaz Bennett, associate programming director at Los Angeles’ AFI Film Festival.)
  In the Shorts competition, Myrna Joseph’s “Man” received the CineVegas Short Film Jury Prize, while local filmmaker Jonpaul Lewis’ “Jack the Ripper” won the CineVegas Nevada Short Film Jury Prize, presented by the Nevada Film Office. Receiving Honorable Mentions: “The Fence,” “Glory at Sea," “The Sleuth Incident” and “Jerry Ruis, Shall We Do This?” (Shorts jurors: Vegas magazine writer Humberto Guida, SpoutBlog editor Karina Longworth and Cinematical.com reviewer Patrick Walsh.)
  And so the book closes on another CineVegas film festival — but the festival continues its presence year-round, with ongoing screening series and other programs, so stay tuned for updates. See you next year …