Ah, LA parties. If you want to see a bunch of people packed into a small space with little to no food, all sort of talking to each other but mostly looking around the room to see if there’s anyone more exciting nearby, get yourself to any industry related party in Los Angeles.

And “industry related” really just means there are actors there, I think.

Tonight I went to one such party. AFI Fest is happening now, and I want to do a huge shoutout because, at least for now, it’s my second favorite film festival in LA. The American Film Institute appreciates and celebrates the art of film in an important way, and their festival reflects that. If you get a chance, get your tickets now. (They have a Robert Altman career retrospective this year. What else do you need?)

Tonight my girl Kristine and I went to a screening of Scott Cooper’s new film Hostiles. It’s an epic western starring Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike, and a generally incredible cast, and I definitely recommend seeing it. It isn’t a perfect film by any means, but I like to judge art based on how it moves you and what it makes you look at inside yourself or out in the world. I was definitely moved, and I think the types of conversations this movie sparks are important to have.

Christian Bale thinking about something or other in a moody fashion in “Hostiles”

I always get excited to see anything at the Chinese Theater (TCL- formally Grauman’s- don’t get me started on the name change. Ugh.) Hollywood history never fails to get my blood pumping. It’s possible my opinion was somewhat lifted by virtue of the viewing location….but I don’t think so.

Fun fact: Scott Cooper’s daughters have roles in the film, and I can’t imagine what he must have gone through watching their performances. You’ll see…..

Then, the afterparty. With the filmmakers, all that. At the Roosevelt- another Hollywood location I can just never pass up. They had the first ever Academy Awards there, guys! Come on! I will never get over it.

Major points for no cash bar. Free alcohol sort of makes it a party. Otherwise…aren’t we all just really at a bar that you invited a bunch of people to? You could tell everyone involved with making this film was incredibly passionate and excited, and it came through at this event. It was cool to be around.

But man can a room full of industry people suck the air out of the room sometimes!

Luckily I had my friend to talk to, and she’s a total sweetheart, a longtime friend from back in my Chicago days. We had plenty of catching up to do since I’ve been MIA for so long. (Shameless plug- she just wrote a children’s book called Cuppy the Special Cupcake which you can buy HERE! This woman gets things done.) I couldn’t help but people watch though, and what I watched was a room full of people watching each other!

Guys! I’m part of the problem!

Here are the major takeaways from this blog post:

• Hollywood landmarks are cool, and I’ll never stop being a nerd about it
• If you go to a Hollywood party, bring a good conversationalist with you or prepare to feel very awkward
• All parties should have free alcohol
• Go to AFI Fest. It’s awesome.
• See Hostiles, because we really should talk more about our relationship to Native Americans in this country
• While I wrote this, a bug that looked like a cricket mated with a cockroach walked across my floor, and I had to catch it with tupperware and let it go outside. My life is incredibly glamorous.

*Check out AFI Fest here: http://www.afi.com/afifest/