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Note: This article was originally published in Technician on January 17, 2007.

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Sophia Bush hitches a ride

Sophia Bush is perhaps best known for her role as Brooke Davis on the television series One Tree Hill. However, the 26-year-old actress is rapidly making a name for herself in the world of film. Last year she starred in the slasher-flick Stay Alive and the comedy John Tucker Must Die. This weekend, she can be seen starring alongside Sean Bean and Zachary Knighton in The Hitcher, a remake of the 1986 thriller about a murderous hitchhiker.

"It's a major action thriller. The suspense is amazing," said Bush. "We all took a lot of care in making sure you don't anticipate the scare."

In the film, her character picks up a mysterious hitchhiker named John Ryder who turns out to be more than he first appears. When it comes to picking up hitchhikers herself, though, that's a different matter.

"I have never picked up a hitchhiker, and I never would. Nine out of ten times you'd be fine, but it only takes one time to leave you in pieces in the desert," said Bush.

FeaturesAndrew JohnsonJanuary 17, 2007One Tree Hill, Sean Bean, Sophia Bush, The HitcherComment

Feature: Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Heder talk School For Scoundrels

Note: This article was originally published in Technician on September 28, 2006.

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A tale of two 'Scoundrels'

It's hard to imagine two actors that contrast as much as Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Heder. One is an Oscar-award winner known for his dramatic roles. The other is a newcomer to Hollywood who burst onto the scene in a screwball comedy. However, the actors are teaming up in School For Scoundrels, the latest comedy directed by Todd Phillips (Road Trip, Old School). Yet though their acting styles are tremendously different, both found the concept of the film appealing and intriguing.

"School For Scoundrels was a well-written script and I like Todd Phillips," Thornton said. "It's funny because I've always wanted to play a teacher in a movie, like maybe a college professor or something like that. But, in more of a drama and something really depicting school life the way it really is, and it's just kind of odd that I ended up playing up a teacher like this."

Heder said he was looking to get out of Napoleon's shadows by playing a character that has a conflict.

"You know the nerds and the dorks out there have a lot of conflict. So, I guess I'm attracted to those characters more," Heder said.

FeaturesAndrew JohnsonSeptember 28, 2006Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Heder, School For Scoundrels, Todd PhillipsComment

Feature: Steven Hurlburt and Dreadheads

Note: This article was originally published in Technician on September 14, 2006.

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Steven Hurlburt brings subculture to the big screen

Steve Hurlburt once was the publisher and editor of a magazine in Atlanta, Ga. Now, he's traveling around the country promoting his first venture into the world of film, Dreadheads: Portrait of a Subculture. It's a change inspired by, of all things, the Grateful Dead.

"I enjoyed Grateful Dead music and going to the shows, and I noticed these kids that seemed to always hang out with each other," Hurlburt said. "There seemed to be some kind of aura around them and their closed community. They weren't black or gay, there wasn't anything inherent that might set them apart. They were choosing to be a minority of society."

Fascinated by these "dreaddie kids", Hurlburt decided to investigate the matter by filming a documentary. The result is Dreadheads, which the 53-year-old filmmaker will present at the Campus Cinema on Friday night.

FeaturesAndrew JohnsonSeptember 14, 2006Bob Weir, Dreadheads, Fletcher Holmes, Grateful Dead, Steven Hurlburt, dreadocksComment

Feature: Controversy surrounds World Trade Center

Note: This article was first published in Technician on August 31, 2006.

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World Trade Center film inspires controversy

Hollywood is no stranger to disaster. From the attack on Pearl Harbor to the assassination of JFK, one thing seems to be true: if it's shocking and tragic, a movie will be made about it eventually.

The latest production based on real-life catastrophe is World Trade Center, which screened for free at the Campus Cinema Wednesday night. The film follows two police officers who are trapped under debris in the September 11 terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers. And though it's not unusual for Hollywood to make movies based on world-altering events, what makes World Trade Center different is that it's being released less than five years after the events it portrays. Many students at NCSU seem to think it is too soon to make a big-budget production out of the worst act of terrorism on American soil.

FeaturesAndrew JohnsonAugust 31, 2006Andrea Mensch, NCSU, Oliver Stone, United 93, World Trade Center Comment

Feature: The 9th Annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival

Note: This article was originally published in Technician on April 10, 2006.

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Full Frame examines reality through the art of film

How much reality can you handle?

The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival explored this question last weekend from April 6-9 at the Carolina Theater in Durham. More than 100 documentary films were shown, with 73 competing for various awards. However, that's only a fraction of the more than 1100 submissions that were received from documentary filmmakers around the world.

The festival officially kicked off with a screening of The Sketches of Frank Gehry, which delved deeply into the creative process of prestigious architect Frank Gehry and his work. The film was directed by famed actor and director Sydney Pollack, who had never directed a documentary before.

"I didn't know what I was doing," said Pollack. "The only research I could do was to go over to [Frank's] office and wander around and say, 'This is kind of interesting.'"

Despite it being his first attempt at making a documentary, Pollack said he learned a lot from the experience.

"What I came away with was that I found a kind of freedom in that approach that I've never had in narrative filmmaking. There's something peaking in the looseness," he said.

Feature: NCSU's Third Annual Pinwheel Film Festival

Note: This article was originally published in Technician on April 3, 2006.

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Filmmakers and students enjoy Pinwheel Film Festival

Students and independent filmmakers flocked to the Witherspoon Student Center this past Saturday to take part in the Third Annual Pinwheel Film Festival. Started in 2004, the festival is known for its promotion of local and independent short films.

A total of 26 films were presented this year, many of which were made by students from N.C. State. Visitors were free to come and go as they pleased during the four-and-a-half-hour event, but on average there were always around 100 viewers in the theater.

The goal of Pinwheel is to offer independent filmmakers a venue to present their films to a wide audience, a point that wasn't overlooked by graduate student Staci Thornton.

"I have friends who have done movies before, and I had seen them on the small screen, but it was really cool seeing them on the big screen," Thornton said.

The festival was organized by Sonora Bostion, the chair of the Films Committee of the Union Activities Board.

"I think it went really well," Bostian said. "People seemed to really enjoy the films. They laughed and gasped when they were supposed to. It was nice to see all the students come to support their friends and family."

The festival included a variety of styles, including fictional narratives, music videos and documentaries.

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