The turnout for yesterday’s 11:30 a.m. screening of THE ILLUSIONIST was tremendous and took even the Trustees Theater staff by surprise. With over 800 people in attendance, they wound up opening the balcony — something rarely done during daytime shows at the Festival.

Despite the maddening, selfish rudeness of folks who simply can’t go more than 15 minutes at a time without checking their cell phones (thus distracting everyone else within sight of their phone’s bright screens), the animated French film was a wondrous gem — albeit one with a meandering plot that cold probably have benefited from a bit of careful pruning.

South magazine: As a self-proclaimed “Jedi 4 soc media,” tell us a little about what it is you do on a day-to-day basis?

Scott Stratten: The Jedi title is a little self-depreciating humor. We all take ourselves a little too seriously. My day varies between consulting, speaking engagements and hanging out with my son. But no matter what’s on the schedule, checking into Twitter happens dozens of times a day.

SM: You have more than 62,000 people following you on Twitter, what is the motivation behind your daily tweets?

SS: I really do believe that business is built on relationships, so I make building them my business. Twitter is a great place to start the relationship, discover interesting people and help one another.

Have you ever wished for an extra day in the week? Eight days would give us the opportunity to have an official three-day weekend, have an extra day in the workweek or even have a break somewhere in the middle. Since the days of the week are inspired by famous Greek Gods, we could throw in a “Hadsday,” to mention the Greek God Hades and replace Monday, because we all know what Mondays tend to bring. Or, we could have “Dionsday” between Friday and Saturday to mention the Greek God Dionysus, who is the God of wine, parties and festivals. It’s such a great fantasy to have. But while there is no week-lengthening fairy, we can get an early start to our weekends by honoring Thursday as part of the weekend, especially this weekend.

Yesterday morning’s 9:30 a.m. screening of AUTOMORPHISIS had to be one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had in a movie theater (and that’s saying a lot).

Harrod Blank’s achingly intriguing and laugh-out-loud funny documentary on the USA’s growing “art-car” movement (you know, automobiles which have been gaudily decorated to reflect their owners’ unique personal visions and tastes) was every bit as captivating as the best of Errol Morris’ early work, and builds on the foundation which started with his earlier film, 1995’s WILD WHEELS.

­­­Documentaries very often will change your life.

Those that do won’t very often start with, “I’m the guy who made Jim Carey talk out of his ass.”

My day started at the Marshall House lobby. I’ve learned to always listen to whispers at Coffee Talks: they’re usually about who’s going to sit down next. Yesterday’s whispers where about Tom Shadyac, the director of Bruce Almighty being there (the first and only film I’ve ever gone to the theatre two days in a row to watch). The whispers continued, transcribing his IMDb resume: directed the likes of Liar, Liar and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

First question: can I get an autograph?

Second question: what the hell is this guy doing at a coffee talk entitled “Low to No Budget Filmmaking?”

Writer, actor and director Edward Burns has been a noteworthy presence on the U.S. film scene since he first came to prominence in 1995 with his debut, THE BROTHERS MCMULLEN, a low-budget breakthrough which took home the Best Picture Award at that year’s Sundance Film Fest.

Since then, he’s continued to write and direct smallish, talky films based around what he knows best — interpersonal dynamics between Irish-American families in and around Long Island, New York. A devotee of Woody Allen, Burns injects his own attitude and personality into the films he’s at the helm of (as well as himself — he plays major roles in virtually all of his own projects), but also maintains a lucrative career on the side as an actor-for-hire, appearing memorably in such fare as SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, ONE MISSED CALL and HBO’s ENTOURAGE series.

It’s a surprisingly little-known fact that while most folks who make a beeline to the SCAD Box Office the day tickets to each year’s Savannah Film Fest go on sale are most eager to snap up guaranteed entry to some or all of the event’s nighttime screenings, the early morning shows are most often where you’ll find the more unique and challenging motion pictures.

Those whose schedules allow them the ability to get down to Broughton Street and start catching films around what many would consider a leisurely breakfast hour can generally count on finding more than a few gems that would otherwise go completely undiscovered and unseen on the big screen in a market such as ours.

It’s not very often that I am able to sit and chat with a group of people who have ultimately changed the lives of millions of viewers throughout the world, and are responsible for helping create a cult that lovingly refer to themselves as “Losties.”  So when I sat in the Lennon Bus today with the video, dialog and sound editors of Lost I was extremely eager to learn how it was all done.

Savannah Film Festival is Days Away. Big Names in Town for a Star-studded Event…

By the time you finish reading this, the 2010 Film Festival will be upon us. The stars get all the headlines, but the movies deserve lots of love as well.  In the past, we’ve seen lots of great films come through Savannah on their way to fame and fortune.  Last year, it was The Hurt Locker, but the list hardly ends there.  What’s the point?  We get some quality movies here at the Savannah Film Festival, but many people don’t realize it until the films are gone and making headlines elsewhere.  There is no shortage of support for one of our signature events here in town, but those of you on the fence?  Thinking about taking in some films?  Do it.  Chances are you wont be disappointed.  Oh, and get your tickets now.  They may be gone before you can say Isabella Rossellini.

Saturday night’s 2010 Savannah Film Fest kicked off with a bang, as nearly every available seat at the approximately 1,100 capacity Trustees Theater on Broughton Street was filled with ticket-holders. All were eagerly awaiting the opening screening, Darren Aronofsky’s BLACK SWAN.

A dark and ominous psychological thriller set in the world of professional ballet, the film, starring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey and the reliably great Frenchman Vincent Cassell, did not disappoint, repeatedly eliciting gasps, shrieks and laughter from the (at times far too pleased with itself) crowd throughout its compact hour and forty-three minutes. Aronofsky, known best for his recent mainstream success with the bittersweet drama THE WRESTLER and to some for a visionary approach and tendency towards heavy-handed stylism in his disturbing earlier features such as PI and REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, returns to those more familiar stomping grounds with this unnerving tale of mental illness and the duality of self.