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Feature: Filmmaker screens controversial doc at NCSU

Note: The following article was originally published in Technician on April 10, 2008.

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Film screening brings award-winning director to campus

The Film Studies program sponsored a screening last Monday night of the award-winning documentary film For The Bible Tells Me So. The screening was held in cooperation with the Full Frame film festival, which concluded in Durham over the weekend.

The film follows five Christian families and how each responds to the realization that one of their children is gay. It also contains interviews with several prominent religious figures about different interpretations of biblical passages commonly used to condemn homosexuality. Director Daniel Karslake was present at the screening and described the film's examination of faith and sexuality as something he personally related to in his own spiritual life.

"It was actually my faith, ironically, that brought me out of the closet and made me really acknowledge who I was," Karslake said. "Most of the time it's the faith background of gay and lesbian kids that drives them toward suicide and suppressing it."

The audience at the screening consisted of about 70 people, some of whom were students. Afterward, the writer-director participated in a brief Q&A with the crowd.

"I think it was very well received," Karslake said. "Very few people left for the Q&A, and that's always a good sign. Unless someone says, 'OK, last question,' people could stay forever and talk about this."

FeaturesAndrew JohnsonApril 10, 2008Bible, Christianity, Daniel Karslake, For The Bible Tells Me So, Full Frame, homosexuality, religionComment

Feature: Adam Brody on In The Land of Women

Note: This article was originally published in Technician on April 19, 2007.

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Brody takes on first leading role

Adam Brody, the actor probably best known for his role as Seth Cohen on the television series The O.C., can next be seen in the film In The Land of Women. It's a film that puts Brody in his first leading role, in company with well-known co-stars such as Meg Ryan and Kristen Stewart.

The actor said he was drawn to the film by the power of the script.

"I really loved the script. It's such a mature script," Brody said. "This is a very old-fashioned, kind of sweet story. It's a very kind of hopeful, sweet, nonviolent story which I think there's a distinct lack of if you look around at movies today."

Brody stars as Carter Webb, a television writer who goes home in an attempt to find healing after his girlfriend breaks his heart. It's a role the actor said has the potential to connect with the majority of viewers.

"I don't want to say [my character's] an average guy," Brody said. "But he's just looking for some answers and, I mean, he gets broken up with. I think everyone can relate to that."

FeaturesAndrew JohnsonApril 19, 2007Adam Brody, In The Land of Women, Jon Kasdan, The O.C.Comment

Feature: The men behind Hot Fuzz

Note: This article was originally published in Technician on April 19, 2007.

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Pegg, Frost, Wright talk Hot Fuzz

First zombies, now cops.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the comedy duo perhaps best known for their appearance in Shaun of the Dead, will light up the screen again this weekend in the buddy cop action film Hot Fuzz. In the film, Pegg stars as Nicholas Angel, a police sergeant so good at his job that his co-workers conspire to get him assigned to a quiet little town with no crime. With the help of a new witless partner (Frost), he'll have to solve a series of suspicious events that hint the town may be more than it seems.

This was a departure for Pegg, who had to play a more serious character than usual.

"It was difficult because I couldn't rely on the comic devices I could use if I was playing a more comic character. Shaun was very much closer to myself, in the sense that he was a regular guy," Pegg said.

FeaturesAndrew JohnsonApril 19, 2007Edgar Wright, Hot Fuzz, Nick Frost, Simon PeggComment

Feature: The 10th Annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival

Note: This article was originally published in Technician on April 19, 2007.

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Full Frame turns 10

The 10th annual Full Frame documentary film festival took place in Durham, N. C., last weekend and attracted filmmakers, press and visitors from all over the country. Approximately 120 films were screened, with around 80 being in competition for various awards.

The festival officially kicked off with a screening of Castells, a film by German director Gereon Wetzel that followed a human pyramid team in Catalonia, Spain. The film had viewers on the edge of their seats with its depiction of towers rising dozens of feet in the air, composed solely of human beings.

To honor the 10th anniversary of the event, 10 curators were invited to each present a film they felt was a particularly meaningful and relevant representation of the genre. The special guests included, but were not limited to: playwright Ariel Dorfman, author Walter Moseley, documentary filmmakers St. Claire Bourne and Michael Moore, and feature film director Mira Nair. Martin Scorsese also submitted a film, though he was unable to attend the festival in person.

Julia Reichert, director of A Lion in the House, presented Michael Moore's first film, Roger and Me, as her choice. She felt the film marked a turning point in documentary filmmaking, as it proved that documentaries could be humorous and entertaining, as well as reach mainstream audiences. In a conversation after the screening, Moore revealed that this was exactly what he was intending to do.

Feature: Hilary Swank and Idris Elba on The Reaping

Note: This article was originally published in Technician on April 5, 2007.

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Movie roles challenge more than skill

Hilary Swank is an established actress, having already won two Academy Awards for her performances in Boys Don't Cry and Million Dollar Baby. This weekend, she can be seen in the supernatural thriller The Reaping, alongside Idris Elba, a relative newcomer to the world of film after having appeared on a variety of television shows, most notably The Wire on HBO.

The Reaping follows a young woman who specializes in debunking supernatural phenomena. It chronicles what happens when she investigates a small town that is apparently being tormented by the 10 biblical plagues.

"It's a smart supernatural thriller," Swank said. "Even though I read the script and act in the movie … when I watched the movie I got scared at certain points."

Her co-star was also attracted to the project by the script.

"The script really opened up my mind while I was reading it. And, you know, the way my character and Hilary's character interact and the relationship they have as they go debunking miracles is really interesting to me," Elba said.

Swank plays a former Christian missionary who is disillusioned by the faith. However, the actress herself claims to be less of a skeptic than the character she portrays.

"I'm more faith driven than skeptic driven," Swank said. "It was definitely interesting, though, to read about these people who are skeptics and how they feel like there's a scientific answer for everything. But I'm definitely more of the faith side."

FeaturesAndrew JohnsonApril 5, 2007Hilary Swank, Idris Elba, The Reaping, biblical plagues, spirituality, supernaturalComment

Feature: Jon Heder talks Blades of Glory

Note: This article was originally published in Technician on March 29, 2007.

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Napoleon takes to the ice

Jon Heder is probably best known to most as the socially inept yet lovable Napoleon Dynamite. However, ever since that small film became a cult sensation, the actor has had the opportunity to work with many veteran directors and actors and make a name for himself in Hollywood. He can next be seen alongside Will Ferrell in Blades of Glory, a comedy about two male figure skaters who end up competing as a pair.

According to Heder, it's a film audiences are lucky to see. There was a brief period of time during which it was nearly cancelled, after the actor broke his ankle during training.

"I wish I could say it was a cool accident and I was doing a cool trick, but I wasn't. I was going into a spin and my foot stayed stuck in the ice, so I just kind of crumpled on top of it," Heder said. "There was a brief time where we really thought the movie wasn't going to happen."

FeaturesAndrew JohnsonMarch 29, 2007Blades of Glory, Jon Heder, Will FerrellComment

Feature: Mark Wahlberg talks Shooter

Note: This article was originally published in Technician on March 22, 2007.

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Shooting up the screen

Mark Wahlberg has risen through the ranks of Hollywood like few have. Once known as the crotch-grabbing rapper Marky Mark, he went on to become admired for his acting talent, even going as far as to achieve an Oscar nomination for his role in last year's The Departed. The actor can now be seen this weekend in Shooter, an action-packed shoot-em-up meant to pay homage to the action-conspiracy films of the '70s.

"The high-intensity action movies that they've been making lately aren't really the kind of character-driven movies that I love and that I grew up watching in the '70s," Whalberg said. This is kind of a throw-back to that."

FeaturesAndrew JohnsonMarch 22, 2007Mark Wahlberg, ShooterComment

Feature: Jonathan and Wes Craven talk Hills Have Eyes II

Note: This article was originally posted in Technician on March 21, 2007.

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Father and son team up on horror film

Thirty years after the release of a remake of his 1977 horror film The Hills Have Eyes, Wes Craven teamed up with his son, Jonathan, in writing a sequel to the 2006 remake. The Hills Have Eyes II which will be released into theaters this weekend, follows a group of military trainees who are attacked by mutants in the desert.

"It was great. I've never had a smoother writing experience," Jonathan said. "We sat in a room for a month and pounded out a first draft. We got along great and had a great time."

Though both Cravens had writing experience, this was the first time they had teamed up and collaborated on a project.

"We could have conversations about being a father, which was a new thing for us. It was two writers and two fathers writing together," Wes said.

As one of the godfathers of the horror genre, responsible for films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream, Wes said there are only a few rules he tries to follow when writing and directing his movies.

"The basic questions I try to ask are, 'Would I like to watch this?' and 'Have you already seen a movie like this?'" Wes said. "Also, don't kill the cameraman."

FeaturesAndrew JohnsonMarch 21, 2007Jonathan Craven, The Hills Have Eyes, Wes CravenComment

Feature: The Beach Party at the Threshold of Hell

Note: This article was originally published in Technician on February 22, 2007.

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Breaking the mold of Hollywood

So you want to make your own movie? Maybe these guys can help.

This Friday the Carolina Theatre will host a premiere of The Beach Party at the Threshold of Hell, an independent feature film made by North Carolina natives. Before the screening, however, the filmmakers will be here on campus as part of a special "Meet the Filmmakers' event sponsored by the Film Studies program. The writer, director, producer, actors and other crew members -- including Jamie Bullock and Kevin Wheatley -- are scheduled to be on campus to show clips from the film and answer questions about how it was made.

Marsha Orgeron, director of film studies, is helping to sponsor the event.

"The whole idea is to allow students to have some interaction with a significant number of the cast and crew,' Orgeron said. "This is an opportunity for anyone interested in any element of filmmaking to come and ask questions.'

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