The Boulder International Film Festival is growing up.
Now in its second year, the Feb. 16-19 minifest will bring in Maria Bello, Patrick Warburton and Eric Roberts this year. That’s a pretty good gathering. Last year they attracted zero stars.
Branding itself as a fest with “movies for the smart and easily bored,” BIFF likes to be fun – and funny, says fest exec director Robin Beeck.
“Boulder has given us so much support,” Beeck says. “We have 100 volunteers, food from the Cheesecake Factory and Frasca, and the BIFF shot.”
Bello will be in town for the opening-night screening of her movie “The Sisters.” She’s in the upcoming “Thank You for Smoking” and wowed critics in “A History of Violence.” And she’ll be hanging around Boulder for a few days. She was in “Silver City,” shot in Colorado in 2004, so maybe she likes it here.
Check it out at biff1.com.
Sunshine at Sundance
Denver band DeVotchKa provided the score for the independent movie “Little Miss Sunshine” – and the flick set a festival record at Sundance by selling to Fox Searchlight for $10.5 million on the night of its premiere. The dark comedy starring Steve Carrell, Alan Arkin and Greg Kinnear is being compared to “Napoleon Dynamite.”
You can see DeVotchKa at its annual Valentine’s Ball on Feb. 10 at the Boulder Theatre.
The hills are alive
These are wild days in the hills.
As many as 25,000 fans were expected this weekend in Aspen for the ESPN’s Winter X Games. And the Saturday night concert with Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley was prepared to handle more than 10,000 revelers in Wagner Park – with cops trying to curb underaged drinking and open containers.
Over the hill in Crested Butte, Country in the Rockies gathered fans to hear Hanna McEuen, Aaron Barker, Suzy Bogguss, Gary Morris, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Jeff Hanna, and Clint Black.
Pajama game
Put on your PJs and head to the opening of the new Residence Inn by Marriott 6 p.m. Thursday (1725 Champa St.). Developer Walter Isenberg of Sage Hospitality and Mayor John Hickenlooper will be there in appropriate attire. Hick may bring his son, Teddy, but he won’t be wearing one.
City spirit
Best Valentine shopping: Get her some lingerie. Go to SOL (Store of Lingerie), at 248 Detroit St., noon-5 p.m. on Feb. 12 for its Second Annual Beers, Brats and Bras party, which is exactly what it sounds like … Jay Leno comes to the Broadmoor Hotel on May 6 for the Humor Is Healing funder. Call 719-572-6141 … The Beringer Denver Restaurant Week runs Feb. 25-March 3 … Check out the Kevin Scofield/
Gregory Hunter photo exhibit at 4th Dimension Gallery at Qube Visual at 1247 Santa Fe Drive. Both Scofield and Hunter work in Denver’s TV news. Hunter’s work is traditional, Scofield, well, he’s out there, daddio. The show runs 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays through Feb 28 … Late Night party Friday starts at 8 p.m. at Jackson’s at 1520 20th St. … Ellie and Neil Romano, Pete Contos (Pete’s Kitchen!) and Charles Smith are inducted tonight into the Colorado Restaurant Association’s Hall of Fame … Sez who: “It’s all relatives.” Lynda Cury
Bill Husted’s column appears Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Husted also appears on Fox 31 News. You can reach him at 303-820-1486 or at bhusted@denverpost.com.
