New York Film Critics Series: BLUEBIRD (Rhoades)

Front Row at the Movies

NYFC’s "Bluebird" Lands at Tropic

Reviewed by Shirrel Rhoades

What I like about these one-night-only movies presented at the Tropic Cinema as part of the ongoing New York Film Critics Series is what follows the film.

After each NYFCS screening (usually a film that’s being shown in advance of its normal release date) we get to meet the directors and stars.

Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers acts as our host, interviewing the participants in the movie that we’ve just seen. It’s captured live in-person, and then piped to the Tropic’s screen.

This Tuesday night NYFCS presents a private preview screening of "Bluebird," a film starring Amy Morton and John Slattery. You’ve seen Amy play George Clooney’s sister in "Up in the Air." And everyone is familiar with John from his role on TV’s "Mad Men."

"Bluebird" is a drama about a school bus driver whose momentary distraction brings near-tragedy to a snowy community in Maine.

Writer-director Lance Edmands is himself a native of Maine, so the nuances of the so-called Pine Tree State are spot-on.

Slattery who was born in Boston rises to the occasion, as does Morton who hails from Illinois. Acting, it’s called.

Peter Travers draws the details from this trio in his after-film interview. Sometimes meeting the stars is as interesting as watching the film.

srhoades@aol.com