HUMPDAY, which screened in the Sure Bets section at CineVegas 2009, opens in Vegas today at Regal Village Square. From director Lynn Shelton, and starring indie favorites Mark Duplass and Josh Leonard, HUMPDAY is a buddy movie gone wild.

It’s been a decade since Ben (Duplass) and Andrew (Leonard) were the bad boys of their college campus. Ben has settled down and found a job, wife, and home. Andrew took the alternate route as a vagabond artist, skipping the globe from Chiapas to Cambodia. When Andrew shows up unannounced on Ben’s doorstep, they easily fall back into their old dynamic of macho one-upmanship. Late into the night at a wild party, the two find themselves locked in a mutual dare: to enter an amateur porn contest together. But what kind of boundary-breaking, envelope pushing porn can two straight dudes make? After the booze and “big talk” run out, only one idea remains—they will have sex together…on camera. It’s not gay; it’s beyond gay. It’s not porn; it’s art. But how exactly will it work? And more importantly, who will tell Ben’s wife?

Regal Village Square is located at 9400 W. Sahara. Showtimes are 1:15, 3:45, 6:45 and 9:15. For more info on HUMPDAY, visit the film’s website here.

If you didn’t catch the Festival this year, we presented the first ever Planet Illogica Award for New Media: Directing to Jenova Chen and Kellee Santiago, the duo behind the groundbreaking PlayStation Network game “Flower.” We’re not stopping there, however, and are developing the video game aspect of the Festival into a full blown initiative called “CineVegas Arcade” that will highlight independent designers and companies who push the boundaries of, what is essentially, interactive storytelling. With that in mind we will begin blogging about this world through our CineVegas prism and what better way to begin then highlighting the setting of Vegas in video games. read all »

Beautiful black and white photography by Eric Tsou, CV Art and Online Coordinator, taken at the 2009 Festival.

Photography by Michael Rababy taken at the 2009 Festival.

Just recently we released the first version of our iPhone App called CineSlots. It had been in development for several months with the coding ninja skills of Hunter Hillegas who took our pie in the sky idea and made it into a reality (more info on the app here). What follows is in an interview with him about iPhone Apps, CineSlots and this wondrous city we call Las Vegas. read all »

This used to be easier a few years ago: staying out very late every day and then still getting up in the morning for work. Luckily, I am self-employed and my boss cuts me some serious slack during CineVegas. After all, I take my job as official CineVegas party blogger very seriously, and it requires me to stay out late and dance at swanky parties.

The closing night party was held at one of my favorite places, the Playboy Club inside the Fantasy Towers at the Palms. Who doesn’t like to dance and gamble surrounded by, well, bunnies dressed in the traditional outfits? The nationwide search for cocktail servers and dealers who meet the strict standard of the Playboy Club was successful: there are a lot of beautiful women there, and surely the casino does very well on that floor, as male players are likely to be distracted. I came here for the opening a  few years ago, and while I am not a gambler, I did realize that most of the dealers had limited experience and kept on paying me when I had a losing hand (it wasn’t real money). Now, they seem to be very much in control of their casino games, and many players have trouble keeping their eyes on their cards.  But I digress. read all »

To my delight, CineVegas hosted two beach parties in a row, and last night’s took the price for most comfortable space at Moorea Beach at Mandalay Bay. Moorea is the adults-only European-style (translation: topless allowed) pool that is cleverly segregated from the main pool area to prevent the kiddies from peeking in. The place is all sleek and modern, with a relatively small pool (as most people aren’t there for the swim) and high-end chaise lounges with fantastic cushions and pillows, mostly in red. The stylish private cabañas were also open for grabs. The DJ was playing fantastic music, and many folks improvised a dance floor, mainly around the pool. I was very intrigued by the infinity-style Jacuzzi next to the bar (very long and narrow), and so were many others who were checking to see if the water was hot or cold. To some applause, one guy, drink and all, fell in. Ah, good times. read all »

Party at the Palms Pool: my kind of party! In my many years of attending CineVegas, the outdoor parties have always been on top of my personal list, as they make for great mingling and enjoying the balmy (or super-hot, depending on the year) evening with plenty of room to wander around. This year is no different: last night’s party at the Palms Pool was a hit.

With a little help from Mother Nature, the brass handles on the doors at the Palms don’t have to be wrapped in towels yet, which is great because you can pick an outfit without having to worry whether it will stick to your thighs. After a fantastic screening of 500 Days of Summer – one of the top movies in this festival thus far for me – we joined the masses heading for the pool. My husband, who’s usually more of a movie than party guy, agreed to join me. The CineVegas party coincided with the 702.tv party, which is part of the same Greenspun family of companies. The Palms Pool is a good choice for an outdoor event – lots of different places to sit (including swanky cabañas), a large pool deck to walk around and mingle (and enough room to dodge an ex should you happen to run into one), and several bars, which were efficient at keeping the Grey Goose flowing. I didn’t try the evening’s signature cocktail – vodka with lemon soda and sour — and stuck to trusty old vodka and cranberry. I ran into many friends, former co-workers, movie folks, and had the chance to catch up with my former big boss Danny Greenspun, who’s always a delight to be around. We also saw Jack Nicholson, who caused a bit of a stir; until word got around that he was a look-alike. Or perhaps it was him, having fun in “disguise”? Probably not, but people were intrigued.

While I missed the live band while in the movie, the DJ was spinning some great music – and just loud enough to move to, but not too loud to prevent conversation. The 702.tv party was hosted mainly on the second floor deck that overlooks the main pool, but both parties were one big happy family (because, well, they quite literally are). By the time we left, the line to get into Rain, which was also part of the CineVegas package, was insanely long. After a few days of movies and parties, I tend to forget what day it is, but was reminded by the hundreds of girls in short dresses trying to walk in high heels that it was indeed Friday night in Vegas.

Summer, movies I wouldn’t be able to see anywhere else all year, top-notch parties, great weather, fantastic drinks, friends – no wonder this is my favorite week of the year. Tonight at Moorea I must do a better job at distinguishing where the concrete ends and the sand begins (quite hard to tell when it’s packed and raked) so I can prevent another three-inch heel-stuck-in-sand incident. Day four: here I come.

It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it: going to all the CineVegas parties and then blogging about it once one wakes up. It’s only day three, and while I have certainly already partied enough for the rest of the year, I can sleep when CineVegas is over. Day two  marked the first screening of a fantastic documentary, All In — The Poker Movie, followed by the Jackpot Premieres party at LAVO inside the swanky Palazzo. The best parking garage in town and an efficient valet service made it easy to get in and out of the property, and Lavo was a great location choice. It’s a relatively small place, and while it was packed, it was still easy to move around, make your way through the crowd, dance, and people-watch. The place is decadent and sultry and has a classic European-style elegance to it without being pretentious or stiff. The signature cocktail, vodka and pomegranate juice, was calling my name, but after overindulging in Wednesday night’s signature cocktail, I took my role as designated driver very seriously and stuck to Fiji water (CineVegas’ sponsors rock). I invited a friend from out of town who’d never been to a film festival, and she really enjoyed the people-watching part: it was a good mix of hip, artsy, elegant, and generally gorgeous people. The event was presented by the Las Vegas Weekly, and several of their photographers were capturing the night’s highlights for their website (I hope my nose was powdered). Directors were handing out little tchotchkes and promoting their movies;  inviting partygoers to their screenings – grassroots marketing at its best, although I am not sure all folks were sober enough to follow the pitch. read all »

When CineVegas parties, it’s in grand style, and the opening night party usually sets the tone for the rest of the week. This year was no exception. After the opening night movie screening of Saint John of Las Vegas inside the Peepshow theater at Planet Hollywood (stupidity points for those of us who went to the Palms first), Privé hosted the evening’s festivities.

The line outside the club (very long, but moving quickly) was testimony to how many people this festival attracts, just like every year. The evening’s signature cocktail, named after the opening film, was a great choice – vodka and ginger ale (thanks, sponsors). It’s been a while since I danced the night away with lots of friends at a Vegas club, and I got to do that last night. The music was a great mix of recognizable music from decades past (ideal for those of us over the age of 25), reengineered and remixed to perfection – no wonder the dance floor was packed all evening.

I liked hanging out in the comfy VIP area (chic, minimalist furniture and leather benches) without having to fork out the large sums of cash usually required for table service. Thanks, CineVegas! We created our own dance floor right there. Privé started closing down at 1:30 or so – I’d know because I was one of the last ones off the dance floor. I heard and saw that there were some fantastic parting gifts, but I didn’t get my little hands on any. That’s what happens when you dance until the music stops. CineVegas is off to a great start. Getting ready to do it all again tonight at at the Jackpot Premieres Party at LAVO at the Palazzo.