Hop Litzwire in his home studio talking about his work as a musician and filmmaker. Photo by Spencer Jansen.

If you picked up last week’s issue, you may have seen that I had a chance to sit down with musician and filmmaker Hop Litzwire, a super nice guy who welcomed me into his awesome home office/studio to chat about his life and times. Those discussions included talk of his documentary Silent Storytellers, which is about the importance of preserving cemeteries. From the footage I saw, it looks absolutely beautiful. I plan to see the whole thing this weekend at the public premier:

What: Silent Storytellers
When: 6 p.m. Friday, March 5
Where: Clinton School of Public Service
Admission: Free*
*Reserve a seat by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or calling 501.683.5239

If you can’t make it Friday, tune into AETN for the broadcast premier at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 11. Here’s an AETN interview Litzwire about the doc:

Fox’s “Beverly Hills, 90210” made household names of many of its cast members in the early 1990s despite the fact that few of the original gang stuck with show for its entire 10-year run.
But unlike, say, the cast from “Friends,” the mostly teenage stars of this iconic TV show didn’t accelerate to greater heights, which begs the question recently debated by myself and colleagues at lunch: “What’s the best movie to have a star from the original 90210 gang in it?”
We’re not necessarily looking for a movie they starred in or their biggest role, just the best movie that had one of them in it.
While the pickings may be slim, there are at least a few surprisingly good titles in the mix.

Douglas Emerson – played Scott Scanlon, the forgotten kid. He’s not even in the credits. But you remember David’s nerdy friend in the first season and a regular through season two, right? Unfortunately, that’s where the character accidentally shot himself and died. Sadly, the actor’s movie career is equally as tragic, marked at its height before 90210 even started with the 1988 remake of The Blob, in which he, as a teenager, played a crying Eddie Beckner and was comforted by his mother.

The Blob. Not pictured: Douglas Emerson.

Brian Austin Green – speaking of the geeky David Silver, Green most recently got attention for the tragically canceled “Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles,” in which he played Derek Reese, a freedom fighter from the future. On the big screen Green’s notable credits include an ironically uncredited role as a party guest in How to Lose Friends and Alienate People and Kickboxer 2: The Road Back, a sequel to a Jean-Claude Van Damme movie that doesn’t even have Van Damme in it. Ouch.

Fox cancels all their good shows. Not pictured: Brian Austin Green.

Gabrielle Carteris – Unlike the rest of the 90210 gang who were, you know, actual teenagers, the actress who played serious student Andrea Zuckerman was only months from turning 30 when the show premiered. So it’s understandable the titles to her name are more recognizable: Spider Man 3, Minority Report and Avatar… except that the first two are video game voice acting credits and the last is one episode of the animated show, not the blockbuster James Cameron flick. Film-wise, the most notable she’s got is Raising Cain, a 1992 crime drama starring an evil John Lithgow (yes, the dude from 3^rd Rock!).

The lovable Dr. Dick Solomon. Not Pictured: Gabrielle Carteris

Ian Ziering – Ziering’s character Steve Sanders was a stud: popular, monied, and in with the ladies. He also drove a cool car. It’s worth wondering if the actor has the same signs of success. Though he can claim the character Wildwing in the The Mighty Ducks the Movie: The First Face Off, an animated feature based on the franchise established by the 1992 Emilio Estevez movie, his most notable credit is probably in No Way Back, a forgettable 1995 thriller starring Russell Crowe as a FBI agent out to avenge his slain partner (aka the most least original plot ever).

Wildwing. Not pictured: Ian Ziering.

Jennie Garth – One of three characters to reprise her role for the 2008 spinoff called simply “90210,” Garth also voiced her character Kelly Taylor in the The Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story. If you think that shouldn’t count in this contest, she also had a part in My Brother’s War, about a CIA guy and an IRA guy working together. Yeah, it’s only vaguely familiar to me, too.

This was a different and more recent My Brother's War. Not pictured: Jennie Garth

Tori Spelling – Like Kelly, Spelling’s Donna Martin (Silver?) came back for “90210” and appeared in the Family Guy movie. Spelling, though, can otherwise be remembered for her appearances in the made for TV “Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?” and as herself in Scream 2. Even before growing up to attend West Beverly as Donna, though, Spelling was already in the same ZIP code, having had a part in the 1989 Shelly Long comedy Troop Beverly Hills. She also shows up in Cthulhu, a 2007 drama/thriller based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft.

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Tori Spelling R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn. Not pictured: Cthulhu.

Shannen Doherty – Who wasn’t shocked when Brenda left for London? And she was only supposed to be gone a year. They should have made a show about her hooking back up with Dylan there, because Doherty certainly wasn’t distracted by major movie projects. Her most memorable part? Before 90210 as a Heather in 1988’s Heathers, about a girl who, with her boyfriend, murders members of the “in crowd” clique, all named Heather. During the show (after she left) she also appeared in the Kevin Smith directed Mallrats.

Yep, that's Shannen, Winona (not a Heather) and two other girls. Not pictured: Good fashion sense.

Luke Perry – Speaking of Brenda’s loner boyfriend, it is the actor who played Dylan McKay who makes the first real challenge for the title in question. In addition to showing up in the movie version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (which pales compared to the show), Perry played the starring role of Lane Frost in the 1994 rodeo flick 8 Seconds. But more importantly, he can be seen early on in The Fifth Element.

See, he is in it. He even signed it so you would know it's him. Not pictured: Milla Jovovich almost naked.

But the winner is…

Jason Priestly – Brandon Walsh wasn’t without his problems, but he could always be relied on to be the good guy and give the good advice. Proving that nice guys don’t always finish last (except, he is technically listed last here), he takes the title not for appearing in the Family Guy movie along with the others, but for playing Deputy Billy Breckinridge in the 1993 western Tombstone, which is not only the best movie in this list, it ranks among the best movies of all time in any category. Don’t agree? Wanna fight about it? I have two guns, one for each of ya.

Image courtesy of Mr. Priestly's official site. Nice bowler, Mr. Priestly.

That’s right, next weekend is the Little Rock Big Lebowski Fest at Market Street, which is like, far out man.

There will be showings of The Big Lebowski” at 6 and 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 12-13 and at 11:15 on Sunday and 6 on Monday. Tickets to all shows are $5.

It’s a chance to see the greatest cult movie of the past 15 years (at least) on the big screens with other fans of his Dudeness.

Oh, and mark it 8. That is, mark down 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday night, because there will be trivia and costume contests (with prizes) to test your knowledge of El Duderino and pay homage to your favorite character.

Jesus.

The Market Street Cinema
Market & Merrill Center
1521 Merrill Drive
Little Rock, AR. 72211
501-312-8900
www.marketstreetcinema.net

Sponsored by : Market Street Cinema, Little Rock Film Festival, Millennium Bowl

The movie runs 117 minutes and is rated R, if for no other reason than because “the f word” gets used 260 times throughout, or more than twice a minute on average.

Do you have to use so many cuss words?

Maybe that wouldn’t have been the case if Shakespeare had written the movie.

I remember seeing the trailer for this film some time ago, but I never caught it. It’s a documentary about the group, Young@Heart, which is a collection of senior citizen singers with an average age of 80 who sing popular rock songs from the Rolling Stones to Coldplay. The film, shot by Stephen Walker, follows the group over seven weeks in 2006 as they prepare for an “Alive and Well” concert in their hometown of Northampton, Mass.

As one coworker put it, how can you not want to see your grandmother singing “I Wanna Be Sedated”?

Also, there’s a giveaway for the DVD of the movie and free refreshments. Following the screening, a community discussion will be held with panelists from the Arkansas Department of Health Services Division of Aging and Adult Services and other senior services organizations. More details on the Hendrix website.

lol at 1:38

“Storage” writer/director Austin Franke

If you’re in Conway this weekend or downtown Little Rock next week, consider stopping by the Bear’s Den or On the Rocks to help support a local film.

Organized by writer/director Austin Franke, an undergrad film student at UCA, parties at both locations will feature live music, with proceeds from the cover charges being donated to help with production costs of Storage, a project that will be shot this semester.

The Conway gig will be on Saturday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m. and will feature performances by Natural State, Chase Pagan, Townsend and Don’t Stop Please. The On the Rocks show will be Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 9 p.m. and will feature Natural State, Apartment 5, This Holy House and Sean Michel.

Both shows should be around $5 cover, according to Franke, who hosts a radio show about local music called “Under the Radar” on 91.3 The Bear. Franke said knowing the bands through his show, he approached them, himself, to ask they’d be willing to do the pro bono gig to help the cinematic production and all agreed.

The movie itself, which will be shot, edited and go through post-production this semester, is about a divorced couple rummaging through their son’s things in an attic. Despite the current distance between them, particularly from the frosty, remarried female half of the pair, the assorted junk sparks memories of their time together, including both being part of a band in the early 1980s.

The money raised from the shows, said Franke, will help pay for things like costumes – some 40-50 period ’80s outfits were mentioned – as well as funds to pay festival fees when the film is finished.

See also the Facebook page for the Conway event.

]]> http://film.syncweekly.com/index.php/2010/01/15/musicmovie/feed/ 0 http://film.syncweekly.com/index.php/2010/01/11/aliensboats/ http://film.syncweekly.com/index.php/2010/01/11/aliensboats/#comments Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:04:24 +0000 swatson http://film.syncweekly.com/?p=173

Blue is the new green

It’s official: Avatar is number two.

No, nothing has bumped it from the top spot on weekly box office returns. Indeed, at $48.5 million for the weekend, it earned nearly three times what second place Sherlock Holmes did ($16.6 million), meaning for the third straight week the top and second spots are unchanged.

But the second place ranking earned by Avatar is instead to be found on the all-time top 5 international box office takes. That’s right, at $1.335 billion, it has passed Lord of the Rings: Return of the King ($1.129) to settle in behind 1997’s mega hit Titanic, which earned $1.842 billion worldwide. That means we have James Cameron to thank for the two movies that have earned more money than any other in the entire history of cinema. King of the World, indeed.

And perhaps his little blue aliens have what it takes to sink the unsinkable big boat. At $429 million in domestic take, Avatar has done nearly twice as well overseas, and its numbers are still climbing.

Then again, come this weekend there will be some new competition in the heavily marketed Denzel Washington doomsday pic The Book of Eli.

The apocalypse ain't got nothin' on me.

As for what will be released tomorrow worth adding to your Netflix, well, it’s slim pickings.

There is the war drama The Hurt Locker, which has won a lot of critical acclaim and will likely be in the race for the Best Picture Oscar.

But more interesting to me is a film I hadn’t seen much buzz about, a psychological sci-fi flick in the vein of 2001: A Space Odyssey called Moon. It’s got Kevin Spacey as the evil computer! Check out the trailer and add if it moves you.

If it IS gone… well… there’s always this!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Yes indeed, it is time for new year, new you and all that jazz. Avatar? So 2009. Time to move on to bigger and better things. You know, new things. Like all the new movies coming out this year. No really, they’re new. Honest. Completely freaking new. Chances are you’re not familiar with any of these intellectual properties if you grew up in the ‘80s. No chance.

March

SAY WHAT?!

Clash of the Titans
Because nothing is sacred, including Greek mythology and classic movies that shaped my childhood, up to and including my college degree.

April

Home sweet home

Nightmare on Elm Street
Halloween, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th … who didn’t see this coming. It’s hard to imagine the Freddy franchise without Robert Englund wearing the bladed glove. This better be good.

May

And they don’t’ even wear seatbelts. Outlaws, indeed.

Robin Hood
Ridley Scott directing? Russell Crowe starring? Who cares. The question is, where does Bryan Adams fit in?

June

Now more environmentally conscious

The A-Team
I pity the fool that screws this up.

The Karate Kid
Starring Jaden Smith. Oh, and he doesn’t even learn karate in the movie; he learns kung fu. Um, cashing in on a name much (see what I did there)?

Footloose
Someone must have found the were seven degrees removed from Kevin Bacon and conceived this to shorten the gap.

July

“You know you’re next, right? Eight ball, corner pocket.”

Predators
If someone other than Arnold yells “Get to the chopper!” I’m walking out.

December

And you thought the old ones were hot.

Tron: Legacy
Alright, technically this is a sequel, but I still consider it as an opportunistic capitalization on my nostalgia. Honestly, it’s been 18 years since Tron… but I have to confess I’m stoked about this one.

In the same vein, I think it fair to point out that some of this year’s biggest monetary successes will probably be sequels, including: Iron Man 2, Shrek Forever, Sex and the City 2, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Toy Story 3,  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

To: Hollywood. From: Us.

Man, it seems like only a year and a half ago we were collectively spending $260 million over the weekend at the box office, setting a record for the best three-day take ever.
Oh wait, it was a year and a half ago, the weekend of July 18, 2008, to be exact. The Dark Knight came out, and it was the only weekend we’d ever topped that completely arbitrary $260 million spending number — until this past weekend.
Thanks to strong showings from Avatar, Sherlock Holmes, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel and It’s Complicated (in that order), our collective spending from Friday-Sunday, Dec. 25-27, was a staggering — and new all-time high — $278 million.

Not the first result I expected from Google imaging “Avatar.”

Curiously, this is only a month after we very nearly broke the record back in November, spending $258 million on the weekend New Moon came out. But unlike that weekend or the now-topped record set by Dark Knight, the Christmas box office takes weren’t bolstered by one enormously successful film. Whereas New Moon accounted for more than $142 million of it’s near record weekend and Dark Knight was responsible for more than $158 million in its heyday, the highest grossing movie of this Christmas weekend was Avatar at only $75 million. Sherlock turned up $65.4 million and Alvin and his rat friends made $50.2 million, almost guaranteeing this nails-on-a-chalkboard re-imagining will become an unneeded trilogy.

You haven’t seen the last of us (unfortunately).

So, what does this mean?
Well, first of all, it’s fair to say there’s a lot of movies worth seeing in theaters right now, from Avatar to The Blind Side (omg, still?!). Or, at least, there’s a lot of movies people are paying to see, like the Chipmunk movie. The top 10 biggest grossers account for $259 million, meaning there was another $20 million spent on movies that brought in less than $4.4 individually (which is what #10 Invictus collected).
Second, and perhaps more importantly, it might mean a shift, even if a subtle one at first, in the Hollywood paradigm that says big money only comes in the summer. Prior to this year that was true. The two other biggest box office weekends ever were in July 2006 and May 2007, when the second and third Pirates of the Caribbean movies were released. But this year, we were much more willing to spend in the fall — twice, in fact.
Does that mean the era of the summer blockbuster is dead? Surely not, but don’t be surprised if the notoriously clever marketing folks working for the big studios give us several presents next holiday season… though they’ll probably blow it by making them all Christmas themed.

Can’t wait.

As for this week’s DVD releases, I’m most excited about adding 9 and Paranormal Activity to my Netflix queue. Also, Glee Season 1 Volume 1 gets released. I haven’t watched this show, but have heard from several people that it’s quite good. So maybe catching up on video isn’t a bad idea since you can only watch the last 5 episodes on demand.

Ok, so maybe I shouldn’t bash the new Disney pic The Princess and the Frog. Truth is, I know nothing about it. And though Pixar is great and all, I’m honestly excited to see a non-CG animated flick in the vein of Disney classics. But really when the title talks about a princess and a frog and the (presumed) protagonists look like those above, it doesn’t just ooze creativity, does it? Yay for diversity, but isn’t this what Disney has been giving us for, I don’t a know, a zillion years? Then again, they do it better than anyone else, which is why they’re Disney.
Other box office notes: Look who is still holding strong at #2. Yeah, it’s The Blind Side. I still haven’t seen it, but I’m told by friends (just as I predicted would happen some weeks ago) it’s tear-jerkingly good.

"You want a beer?"

Finally, at long last, Little Rock will get to see The Road this weekend. Based on Cormac McCarthy’s best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, it stars Viggo Mortensen as a father making a journey with his young son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) across a post apocalyptic landscape. More than one Sync staffer is looking forward to this finally opening locally, including some of us who haven’t yet read the book (in case you want to get me anything for Christmas).

Zee map. It needs more swastika.

Lastly, if you’re looking for something for the Netflix queue, of course the big name choices from this week’s releases will be The Hangover and Inglourious Basterds. But I’m also intrigued by Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock, the (true, I think) story of how a watershed moment in modern culture came to be thanks to an unsuccessful interior designer trying to save his family’s struggling motel in upstate New York. Far out, man.