Notes from Venice
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez received a movie-star welcome Monday at the Venice Film Festival, where he walked the red carpet with director Oliver Stone for the premiere of the documentary “South of the Border.”
Hundreds of admirers, some chanting “President, President,” gathered outside the casino for the leader’s arrival. A few held up Venezuelan flags and a banner in Spanish that read, “Welcome, President,” Associated Press reported.
Mr. Chavez threw a flower into the crowd and touched his heart, and at one point, he took a photographer’s camera to snap a picture himself. Security outside the casino was tightened in advance of his arrival, with military police checking bags.
Mr. Chavez praised Mr. Stone’s work for depicting what he said were improvements made across Latin America.
“Rebirth is happening in Latin America, and Stone went to look for it, and he found it,” Mr. Chavez told reporters. “With his cameras and his genius, he’s captured a good part of that rebirth.”
Mr. Stone says “South of the Border” is meant to illustrate “the sweeping changes” in South America in recent years as a direct counterpoint to what he sees as the depiction of Mr. Chavez as a dictator by American and European media.
In other festival news, Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Michael Moore — who has made a fortune attacking America’s obsession with guns, its health care system and the Iraq war — is not a man to hold his tongue. In fact, far from holding his tongue, he has proceeded to bite the hand that feeds him by attacking his own studio bosses, Britain’s Independent newspaper reported Sunday.
During an outburst at the film festival that could spell the end of his Hollywood career, Mr. Moore turned on a roomful of executives from the film company that bankrolled his latest movie and ridiculed them as the perfect example of a capitalist corporation he criticizes in his new film. Then he pointed out that he is now wealthy enough to make his own.
Mr. Moore — whose film “Capitalism: A Love Story,” is in the festival’s official competition — stood in front of executives from Paramount and openly mocked them. “Why would these companies give money to me, a guy who is diametrically opposed to everything they stand for?” the Independent quoted Mr. Moore as saying.
“One of the beautiful flaws of capitalism is they will use the rope you give them to hang themselves if you can make a buck. Every single movie I have made over the past 20 years has made a profit. There are not a dozen people who can say that. I’m in a very desirable club,” he said.
Blinded by the light
Over the long holiday weekend, G2 caught up with Nic Offer, charismatic lead singer of the dance-punk band !!! (Chk Chk Chk) shortly after his Saturday night performance at the District’s legendary rock venue the Black Cat.
So, we asked him what he thought about the gig.
“The show was awesome, like D.C. always is for us,” he said.
We also asked whether he thought Washington has become a little more hip and or less buttoned-up.
“As far as I can tell, it hasn’t changed, but you’re asking the wrong guy,” said Mr. Offer, whose band has brought him to the nation’s capital annually for the past decade.
“The lights shine in your eyes at the Black Cat, so you can’t see the audience.”
We appreciate his honesty.
• To contact Stephanie Green or Elizabeth Glover, e-mail undercover@ washingtontimes.com.
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