Last night, The Reel Roundtable finished the season screening Bukowski: Born Into This. The reception was buzzing...or should I say, the audience was buzzing from the Reingold beer being poured by Roundtable volunteers. Magnolia Pictures proved themselves once again, with another smart release. The film is full of interviews from Bukowski, his friends, his wife, his daughter, and some celebs (Bono, Sean Penn, Tom Waits). The story is told extremely well, and the film is not just for Bukowski fans, because it tells the story of a person, his life, his inspirations, his determination, his hard work, his insecurities and his shortcomings. The film allows you to understand and feel for this person and the person just happens to be the one and only, brilliant poet, Charles Bukowski.

A symposium with John McCarron from Magnolia Pictures, followed the film and he explained the production of the film and the need to have releases of every still photo used in the film, amongst many other things.

The momentum continued across the street to Patio (2nd Avenue, betwn 1st and 2nd Streets). We set up a microphone and Jon Solomon & Andrew McGraime brought a variety of Bukowski books. The audience was drinking and reading Bukowski poems at the mic through the night. Eventually everyone who was there read, and most said it was their first time reading in public, including myself.

I recommend this film! It's NY release is on June 4th at the Cinema Village. It's also being released in other cities this month, so definitely check it out.