2008 Films
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Babysitter Wanted (2007)
Directed by Michael Manasseri, Produced by Kimberley Kates, Written by Jonas Barnes, Edited by Stephen Eckleberry
A devoutly religious college student seeking to escape her roommate and make a little extra cash becomes the target of a disfigured serial killer who stalks his helpless prey from outside of darkened rural windows.
“We watched a lot of classic Alfred Hitchcock prior to shooting the film and we also became somewhat obsessed with Rosemary’s Baby. But our directing style was very much dictated by our locations. We had this terrific, isolated ranch in the middle of nowhere with a hundred year old barn and a farm house from the 1880’s. We toyed with the idea of shooting everything on a sound stage in Hollywood but our head producer Kimberley Kates demanded that we make the film as authentic as possible and I am forever grateful for that.” – Manasseri
Showing FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, Eureka Theatre, 7 PM, as part of Friday Fright Fest.
Black Stallion (1976)
Produced by Francis Ford Coppola, Directed by Caroll Ballard
Starring Kelly Reno, Mickey Rooney, & Teri Garr
Adapted from the beloved novel by Walter Farley, this 1979 family classic was hailed by no less than hard-to-please critic Pauline Kael, who wrote that 'it may be the greatest children's movie ever made.' A visual feast from start to finish, the timeless tale of The Black Stallion plays out on almost mythic terms. A young boy survives a shipwreck and is stranded on a deserted island with a graceful black stallion, with whom the boy develops an almost empathic friendship. After being rescued and returning home, the two make a winning team as jockey and lightning-fast racehorse under the tutelage of a passionate trainer, played by Mickey Rooney in an Oscar-nominated role. From its serenely hypnotic island sequence to the breathtaking race scenes, this delightful film is guaranteed to enthrall any viewer, regardless of age. The Black Stallion is a genuine masterpiece of family entertainment. - from Amazon.com
Showing SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, Arkley Center, at 4 PM.
The Bluetooth Virgin (2008)
Written and Directed by Russell Brown
Starring Austin Peck, Bryce Johnson, Roma Maffia, Lauren Stamile, Amber Benson, & the legendary Karen Black
In this award-winning feature film, two writers must face a dilemma that is common to anyone who has ever had an artistic friend: What happens when you have to give feedback, and the news isn’t good? Sam, an aspiring screenwriter, and David, a successful magazine editor, have been pals for years. When David doesn’t appreciate Sam’s latest attempt, it opens a fissure in their friendship, one that spreads through the rest of their lives. Ultimately, both men must reevaluate their motivations to write, their need for praise and validation, and what it means to see yourself as you actually are.
Starring Austin Peck (Days of Our Lives), Bryce Johnson (Popular), Roma Maffia (Nip/Tuck), Lauren Stamile (Grey’s Anatomy), Amber Benson (Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Tom Gilroy (Spring Forward), & Karen Black (Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, Day of the Locust, etc.).
“...What's striking, brilliant, and refreshing about this story is its sheer minimalist quality. I think there were seven scenes total in the 80 minute running time, with only six characters carrying the dialogue load. And what dialogue it is! Beautiful and quotable, intriguing and challenging. There are so many great themes here, you truly wonder how writer/director Russell Brown will find something else to write about in future projects...” - Laremy Legel, Film.Com
Showing SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, Eureka Theatre, at 9 PM. This will be shown with HELP, a 20 minute short directed by Karen Black, who will be present to accept her Independent Spirit Award.
Butterfly (2000)
Directed by Doug Wolen
Living 180 feet off the ground in an ancient redwood tree for over two years, Julia Butterfly Hill captured the hearts and minds of the world by showing us that one person can make a difference. Wolens' interviews over two years, including six nights with Hill on her 180-foot high platform, reveal an intensely spiritual and articulate woman determined to accomplish her goal. We get a sense of the awesome beauty of her days and nights lived in an ancient tree, of the horror of being assaulted by lumber company helicopters, and of the strangeness of fierce media scrutiny seeking out a woman in a tree.
Screening time TBA.
Charades (1998)
Written by Karen Black, Directed by Stephen Eckelberry
Starring C. Thomas Howell, James Wilder, Erika Eleniak, & Karen Black
After a street fight in a nice suburban neighborhood, we go back a few hours and learn more about the characters involved. Barry works in the shipping department of Technoworks, a high-tech company. He's invited to a barbecue that his boss Quinn is having. The party gets out of hand, Barry plays a demented version of charades while standing on a picnic table, and the next door neighbor, Targenville, screams obscenities over the fence. When Jude, the widow of the owner of Technoworks arrives, we learn of her husband's demise as part of a kidnapping scheme gone awry. As the film progresses, the question is who was the kidnapper, and how will they pay for the consequences of their crime. The information comes to us like a puzzle, echoing the film's namesake, and we are, by the end, able to, as Jude tells us, "Put the pieces together".
Showing SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, Eureka Theatre, at 9 PM.
Cinderella (1950)
Produced by Walt Disney
Walt Disney's Cinderella, based on the world's greatest fairy tale, has captivated audiences for generations with its spellbinding story, memorable music, spectacular animation, and unforgettable characters. With a wave of her wand and some "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo," Cinderella's Fairy Godmother transforms an ordinary pumpkin into a magnificent coach and Cinderella's rags into a gorgeous gown, then sends her off to the Royal Ball. But Cinderella's enchanted evening must end when the spell is broken at midnight. It will take the help of her daring animal friends Jaq and Gus and a perfect fit into a glass slipper to create the ultimate fairy tale ending.
Showing SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, Garberville Theatre, at 3 PM. This will be shown on an original 35mm film print!
Conscientious Objector (2006)
Directed by Colin Stevens
A powerful and emotional montage of faces and voices united in the compelling words of the poem by Edna St Vincent Millay. "I shall die; but that is all I shall do for Death". A simple and perhaps shocking plea for Peace. All the performers were invited to give their version of the poem to the camera, working with the director for one day each. They were also invited to add their own words and thoughts to the poem creating an original and powerful personal statement. The result is the film that already is reaching audiences around the world and asking in a new way - what part do we all play in the making of Death?
Showing WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, Arcata venue TBA, at 8 PM, on a double bill with documentary WE ARRIVE LIKE AN ECHO.
Hollywood Dreams (2007)
Written and Directed by Henry Jaglom.
Starring Tanna Frederick, David Proval, Justin Kirk, and Karen Black.
Double-click black screen below to play trailer.
Filmmaker Henry Jaglom and actress Tanna Frederick will be at the screening for a Q & A.
• "Terrific & Scalding! A funny, touching and irreverent comedy/drama about Hollywood today." Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune.• "As Hollywood films get worse and worse, Jaglom gets better and better." Roger Ebert
• "Hollywood Dreams is Irresistible!" Jennette Catsoulis, New York Times.
• "Corrosively funny." Grady Hendrix, The New York Sun.
Source of the above video and image: http://rainbowfilms.com/ and www.hollywooddreamsthemovie.com
Showing THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, Eureka Theatre, at 9 PM, and SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, at 7 PM. Actress and 2008 Chrysalis Award winner Tanna Frederick will be at the Saturday screening for Q & A.
Humboldt County (2008)
Directed by Darren Grodsky and Danny Jacobs
Starring Jeremy Strong, Fairuza Balk, Peter Bogdanovich, Frances Conroy, and Brad Dourif
A disillusioned medical student is stranded for a summer in a remote community of counterculture pot farmers, the last place in the world he imagined he would discover himself. This film was shot almost exclusively in Humboldt County.
"...Sharply observed, subtly detailed depiction of the cultural clash that results when an outsider immerses himself in a different socioeconomic milieu." - Variety
Showing WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, Eureka Theatre, at 7 PM.
Tickets will be available in advance at the Works in Arcata & Eureka, Wildhorse Records in Garberville, and online at brownpapertickets.com beginning August 18. Tickets are $10 in advance, $13 at the door.
Limón: A Life Beyond Words (2001)
Written and Directed by Malachi Roth
Narrated by Uta Hagen and Isaiah Sheffer, this award-winning documentary offers a compelling look at revolutionary modern dancer and choreographer Jose Limón (1908 - 1972), once described by the New York Times as the "greatest male dancer of his own or any other time."
"This film is important to the entire dance world and to those everywhere who value artists." - The Village Voice
Showing THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, Morris Graves Museum of Art, 6 PM.
The Loss of Nameless Things (2004)
Produced and Directed by Bill Rose
"A documentary as eloquent as its title." - Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
In 1978 Oakley Hall III was a promising playwright on the verge of national recognition when his life was violently transformed in a mysterious fall from a bridge. The Loss of Nameless Things is the haunting story of Hall's fall from grace, of the vibrant group of artists who surrounded him - and what happens when, 25 years later, a theater company discovers the very play he was writing the night he fell. This film has won multiple awards and and has been shown on the PBS series Independent Lens.
Showing THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, Eureka Theatre, 5 PM.
www.thelossofnamelessthings.com
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Pete Postlethwaite, Richard Attenborough, & Vince Vaughn
"A few years back, venture capitalist John Hammond figured out how to re-create dinosaurs from DNA fragments encased in amber. He started a company called InGen, which placed the genetically engineered dinosaurs in a theme park on an island in Costa Rica. But the park systems broke down shortly before it could open, the dinosaurs got free and had to be destroyed and the island was closed to the public.
In the aftermath, everyone involved moved quickly to quash the story. InGen wanted to limit its liability. The Costa Rican government wanted to preserve its reputation as a tourist paradise. And the individual scientists who had been hired as consultants on the project were bound by nondisclosure agreements to remain silent. But as a resentful Dr. Ian Malcolm is about to find out, Something Has Survived the secret disaster at Jurassic Park..."
Filmed in Humboldt County!
Showing SUNDAY, AUGUST 31, Burlington Campground, Weott, at Sunset.
The Mirror (aka new title Nina & The Mystery of the Secret Room) (2008)
Directed by Stephen Eckelberry
Starring Kelly LeBrock, Erin Cahill, Thaao Penghils, and Brian Callen
A young girl with a seemingly normal mother and father discovers a household secret that leads to some startling revelations about her family past in this tense meditation on voyeurism, starring Kelly LeBrock (Weird Science, Woman in Red), Erin Cahill (Power Rangers), Thaao Penghils (Mission Impossible, Days of Our Lives), and Brian Callen (Sex and the City, Mad TV).
Showing THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, Eureka Theatre, 7 PM.
Outbreak (1995)
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
Starring Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, & Cuba Gooding Jr.
"It is one of the great scare stories of our time, the notion that deep in the uncharted rain forests, deadly diseases are lurking, and if they ever escape their jungle homes and enter the human bloodstream, there will be a new plague the likes of which we have never seen.Wolfgang Petersen's "Outbreak" is a clever, daunting thriller about such a possibility." - Roger Ebert
This film was shot in Ferndale!
Showing SATURDAY, AUGUST 30, Patrick's Point Campground, Trinidad, at SUNSET.
Out of the Past (1947)
Directed by Jacques Tourneur
Starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas
The classic "film noir" mystery that was remade as "Against All Odds." Robert Mitchum is a detective hired by gangster Kirk Douglas to track down girlfriend Jane Greer, who Douglas says ran off after stealing $40,000. Tracking Greer to Mexico, Mitchum falls for her and tries to help her elude Douglas and his henchmen, but who can be trusted...?
"...The paradigm of film noir, [Out of the Past] looks more and more like the supreme visual poem of an extraordinarily rich period of American filmmaking: a supernatural film so uncanny that it doesnât even need the supernatural, and an American vernacular work so un-American that sometimes it feels like the greatest film that Jean Cocteau never made." - Film Comment
Showing SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, Arkley Center, 6 PM.
Phyllis and Harold (2008)
Written and Directed by Cindy Kleine
With the death of her father, Harold, the filmmaker is finally free to spill all about her parents’ connubial travails. Going back and forth in time, Kleine builds and expands on the mom-and-pop interviews of Til Death Do Us Part, forging a frank, multi-sided, feature-length documentary, It’s partly, too, the filmmaker’s story, of a childhood which barely registered with Phyllis, the narcissistic, chronically dissatisfied mother.
Cindy is mostly raised by Annie, a warm, robust black housekeeper, the secret heart of the Jewish family, like Tony Kushner’s Caroline. (The filmmaker swoops in and out of the story, Supergirl over little-boxes Long Island, courtesy of the vivid, retro-story-book imagery of animator Lisa Crafts.)
Phyllis and Harold, like all good dramas, has a volatile second act, the unexpected return to the tale of Phyllis’s long-long-long-ago lover, still making Phyllis shiver and swoon. Here is a wobbly Shakespearean, late-November comedy: in lieu of clever servants, Phyllis’s two adult daughters pass secret notes and arrange clandestine trysts—all under the nose of unsuspecting Harold, still alive at the time. And act three: the demise of the father, the liberation of the mother. Goodbye, suburbia! In her 80s, Phyllis moves bravely into the city. New York, New York! Winner of the Orson Welles Award for Innovative Filmmaking, presented at the Iowa Independent Film Festival, 2008
Showing WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, Arcata venue TBA, 6 PM.
Redwood Adventures (2008)
Directed by Dave Losko
"Got Nature? Johnny Redwood and friends discuss nature from the Redwood National Park. Take exciting adventures and learn important facts about the Redwoods, wildlife and birds that live here. TV Episodes include Kayaking, Hiking, Fishing and the History of the Redwood Forest. You may even stumble on the Tallest Tree in The World!" The 27 minute kayaking episode from this series will be shown.
Showtime TBA.
Remote Control Grandpa (2007)
Written by Rick St. Charles, Brad Goodwin and Matt St. Charles; Directed by Matt St. Charles
"He's got a chip on his shoulder...and in his brain." This cheeky, feature-length satire skewers videogamers, slackers, the U.S. Army, judges, cops, German professors, grandmas, hippies, and more... Filmed locally!
"An inventive, entertaining, and surprisingly timely piece of digital filmmaking... with its focused storytelling, great performances, and impressive camera work, ...Remote Control Grandpa could easily find massive fans with its well-played humor." --Ross Frasier, Northern Lights
"The film was just incredible. Just incredible." --Ross Rowley, Eureka Television Group
"Phenomenal... wonderful... better start working on the sequel!" --John Kenchenten, Kanda Films
"Highly entertaining... I roared with laughter!" --Angeline Pike, Creative Film Society
"A brilliant piece of work." --Beti Trauth, Humboldt Beacon
Showing THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, Minor Theatre, Arcata, at 8 PM, as part of LOCALPALOOZA.
Rural Rock n' Roll (2006)
Directed by Jensen Rufe
This documentary features a week in the life of some great underground bands from a growingly-appreciated music scene in Humboldt County, CA (six hours north of S.F.). The movie also serves indirectly as a scathing indictment on a music business that pretty much ignores small towns (or at least, for inexplicable reasons, all but requires rural musicians to move to one of about five big cities, if they want to make a decent living), which is a shame, because oftentimes making music out in the sticks provides a unique and untarnished rock perspective. Indeed, some of the best bands these days come and go, often unnoticed, in rural towns.
"Rural Rock & Roll" bands include Buffy Swayze, Candy Muscle, Dragged by Horses, Eureka Garbage Co., J.P.G., Lowlights, Que la Chinga, Trash & Roll, The Blue Dot, The Great Salvation, The Hitch, The Ian Fays, The Monster Women, The Ravens, and The Smashed Glass.
Showtime TBA.
Salem's Lot (1979)
Directed by Tobe Hooper
Not to be missed, this film adaptation of the classic Stephen King novel was filmed here in Eureka and Ferndale.
"Novelist David Soul returns to his home town of Salem, finding that things have changed a bit. More than a bit, in fact: the previously warm and friendly community is downright sinister. Soul suspects that the bizarre behavior of his onetime friends and neighbors is the handiwork of oddball antique dealer James Mason..."
Showing FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, Eureka Theatre, 10 PM, as part of FRIDAY FRIGHT FEST.
The Silence After
Written by Kelly De Sarla, Directed by Gregory Avellone.
Margaret thinks she has the perfect life: a beautiful healthy daughter and a loving faithful husband. She sets out on a road trip with her 4-year-old daughter, Meghan, and they drive on the winding back roads of the California countryside. They stop occasionally for gas and snacks or to stop in a motel for the night. But all is not what it seems. The peacefulness of this idyllic setting clashes with the noise going on in Margaret's mind. Margaret has a big decision to make. She has witnessed something she can not understand or define, and she is not sure what to do about it. She is plagued by memories of her life, as what she thought she knew clashes with what she thinks she saw. One false move could threaten the quality of her daughter's life forever, and she must decide before this road trip is through.
Screening SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, at 5:45 PM.
Source to the Sea: The Columbia River Swim (2006)
Written and Directed by Andy Norris
On July 1, 2003 Christopher Swain became the first person to swim the entire 1,243 mile length of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest. His swim brought stories about the river's disrupted ecosystems and dislocated peoples to over twenty-thousand North American schoolchildren, and to a worldwide media audience of over one billion people.
A group of thirty-plus Northwest filmmakers, led by Andy Norris, followed Swain's swim, and created a modern history of the Great River of the West. The result was a ninety minute film that one reviewer called, "a heart-wrenching tale of a man and a river."
The film includes stunning pre-inundation footage of Celilo and Kettle Falls, as well as a broad spectrum of interviews with tribal members, agency representatives, fishers, authors, nonprofit leaders, and citizens who trace the natural history and present-day challenges of the Columbia River in their own words. One educator described it this way: "The interviews weren't just riveting, they made this grown man cry."
Showing SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, Aquatic Center, Eureka, 3 PM. Filmmaker Andy Norris will be present for Q & A.
Spray (2008)
Directed by Brian Solano
To appreciate the spirit of climbing doesn't require practice, technical prowess, or any serious effort at all. The simple act of unencumbered movement can reveal worlds of truth to the climber with an open mind. Filmmaker Brian Solano followed rock climbers Joe Kinder and Chris Lindner on their most recent journey documenting every moment in crystal clear High Definition video. The team set out to explore the treasures of California's northern coastline. They ventured through the delicate beaches of Arcata, the stunning limestone of the Trinity Aretes, the historical shores of Mickey's Beach, and the alpine stone of Donner Summit. The film features numerous first ascents, including Lindner's oceanside dreamroute "Window of Opportunity."
Showtime TBA.
A Trip to Swadades (2008)
Directed by Daniel Kremer
After many years of living away from Philadelphia, a 74-year-old professor named Schweitzer Haas returns to visit his hermit brother, who has perfected his freakish steel-trap memory. As a result, however, his apartment has become unlivable and unsanitary. Schweitzer goes out to find some cleaning supplies, only to find himself lost in a city he no longer knows. By sheer happenstance, he bumps into an old friend, a world-class cut-up, who takes him to a place of importance from their past. Schweitzer realizes there that he must reconcile with the brother he has not spoken to and has refused to understand for most of his life. Shot on Super-16mm in black and white.
Showing MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, Eureka Theatre, 7 PM, on a double bill with the short Yarns To Be Spun On The Way To The Happy Home.
Up! (1976)
Written by Roger Ebert and Russ Myers, Directed by Russ Myers
Filmed in Humboldt County. Actor Monty Bane will be present for a Q & A!"Of Russ Meyer's wild canon, Up! is easily his most frenetic film, a nonstop frenzy of nudity, gore, and bawdy humor that only occasionally makes sense...Meyer is even more focused here on sheer action, to the point where viewers can only give up and let the gorgeous scenery and ridiculous proceedings wash over them..." - All Movie Guide
Showing FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, Eureka Theatre, at Midnight, as part of FRIDAY FRIGHT FEST. 21 and over.
We Arrive Like an Echo (2008)
Created by Jay Ruby and Ishan Vernallis
we arrive like an echo (trailer)
Rough draft screening for audience feedback. Shot in Monterrey, Mexico, "We Arrive Like an Echo" is a documentary about the Carpetbag Brigade Physical Theatre Troupe while they were in residency at the UNESCO sponsored Universal Forum of the Cultures. The film explores the processes and concepts of cross cultural exchange and questions the systems that hinder artistic interaction between nations, cultures, and individuals. Filmed and co-edited by Humboldt local Ishan Vernallis and featuring Eureka's founder of "Synapsis," Leslie Castellano. English/Spanish (with subtitles), 60 minutes, 2008.
Showing WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, Arcata venue TBA, 8 PM, on a double bill with the short CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR. Filmmaker will be in attendance for audience feedback and Q & A.
Where There's Smoke (2007)
Directed by Sean Wilson
A locally produced feature-length documentary chronicling the lives of California wildland firefighters.
Showing THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, Minor Theatre, Arcata, at 6 PM, as part of LOCALPALOOZA.
Yarns To Be Spun On The Way To The Happy Home (2008)
Written and Directed by Daniel Kremer
This is a short, autobiographical documentary essay film about using art as an escape from the limitations of a speech impediment. Filmmaker Daniel Kremer explores and parallels how Spalding Gray, the renowned monologue performance artist, used his own creative life as an escape from his own depression. An analogy is made to how the filmmaker used cinema to escape the pain of his stuttering disorder. 14 minutes.
Showing MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, Eureka Theatre, 7 PM, on a double bill with Kremer's narrative short A TRIP TO SWADADES.
Yem in the City of Angels (2007)
Directed by Julio Medina. A Drjules Boulevard, Amseven, and ñ Films International production
Showing FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, Eureka Theatre, 7 PM.
Zombies of Eureka (2008)
Directed by Jon Olsen
"One town...eight bands... plague of zombies." Zombies of Eureka is a series of zombie-themed music videos featuring rock bands from the city of Eureka, CA. Videos include: "Empty Alcochol Bottle" by The Ian Fays, "Warning Sign" by The Buffy Swayze, "Amnesia" by The Monster Women, "Super" by The Professional Superheroes (covering Say Hi To Your Mom), "Eureka Polka" by Von Richter, "Zombie" by Dynamite Sweater, and "Coney Island" by The Ravens. Several interspersed videos, set to instrumental pieces by zombie rock band The Invasions, give the complete anthology a narrative arc.
Showing FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, Eureka Theatre, 5:30 PM, as part of FRIDAY FRIGHT FEST.
More films to come....