Russell’s Hustle – SBIFF HONORS THE DIRECTOR OF ‘AMERICAN HUSTLE,’ ‘SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK,’ AND MORE

Jordan Strauss photo

The comedian Louis C.K. recently compared David O. Russell’s directing method to playing soccer: no time-outs, no huddles, you just keep moving. “Go big or go home” is often heard on a Russell set. And interviewing Mr. Russell is like that, too. He’s all energy, running here and there from anecdote to anecdote, and even though he’s probably been telling these tales since the very first junket, he sounds absolutely in the moment, like he’s just walked off set and can’t wait to tell you about it all.

Santa Barbara will get a full evening of Mr. Russell tonight in the first of SBIFF’s celebrity tributes, as he sits down for a career retrospective and the Outstanding Director Award.

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Oscar nominee Amy Adams to receive Vanguard Award tonight

With four Oscar nominations to her name, Amy Adams may finally be in line to grab that golden statue next month. Her performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master,” as the wife of a Scientology-style guru, has again raised her profile. Ms. Adams has a broad range and means serious business.

When she sits down at the Arlington tonight to receive the Cinema Vanguard Award, it will be the first time Ms. Adams has watched her career unspool in front of her and a crowd.

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