Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.

I think the headline says it all:

Hey Harry, Greetings from NashVegas! don't know if anyone has sent in a review of the NaFF gala last night. Here's one geek's take:

Opening night of ANY film festival is a special thing. But let me submit that the Nashville Film Fest has the best food. Paella, pate de foi gras .. only thing missing was fava beans and a nice chianti, but the pinot noir was nice. But how was the MOVIE?

First a little atmosphere ... While last year's Kiefer Sutherland premiere ("I trust you to kill me") brought out all the hollywood hanger's-on, this year it was all about the music. Rob Thomas walked the red carpet with his hottie wife Marisol to the cheers of all the newbies, vets, screaming teen girls, and media alike. The Thomas Clan was here to premiere the music-doc "My Secret Record ...or How i stoppped worrying and learned to love the biz". So how was the movie?

First a little ... okay just kidding. The Movie was an inside look at the formulation and release of Rob's first solo album "Something to be", Which just happened to debut at #1 on the Billboard charts, a first for a solo male artist after he quit his rock band. Okay so we know how the movie ends ... Rob intro'd the flick saying the movie REVOLVED around him, but wasn't really ABOUT him. Oh if only that were true. When the doc focuses on the insider's look at "the biz", how a record is made, from laying down tracks to the ad campaign, the film really shines. It's when the camera actually turns on Rob Thomas that the movie tends to drag. Countless concert clips, and diva-like rants from Rob about people screwing with his "Image and Career". While I get his point from an artist's perspective, especially under the pressure of label demands and trying to go from Matchbox20 rock star to solo artist, the film would have been better served (IMHO) to focus on the effects this had on his family and relationships with those around him.

In the post-screening Q&A, Rob really came off as a nice guy. So perhaps the doc's creative group thought the rants and raves from Rob made for better cinema. In Rob's own words (paraphrased) .. "If you know me and my music, you'll really love this film. If you don't know, you'll find it interesting. If you hate me already, you'll probably hate me more"

If you use this, call me Smallcheetah. I'll send in some more reviews as the week goes on.