Tuesday, March 1, 2005
Bob Eastman isn't a big fan of high art.
His documentary "Eatin'" - which will screen Monday at Liberty Hall along with a half-dozen other locally produced films - is exactly what it claims to be: a diary of his eating habits. (Trailers available here)
"I think it's kind of funny just to watch the food disappear," Eastman says of the film, which features a month's worth of meals crammed into six sped up minutes. "Everyone really likes the part about the Oreos."
It's not exactly the stuff Sundance award-winners are made of, but it is nonetheless a coherent statement that merits a look.
According to co-organizer Matt Toplikar, those few minutes of consideration are all the seven filmmakers involved in "An Evening of Local Film" are really hoping for.
"These are people who are in town who are artistic-type people who are just trying to get their work out," Toplikar said. "You have to realize there's like no money that goes into these things - it's all out of the filmmakers' pockets."
An Evening of Local Film
- When: Monday, March 7, 2005, 9:45 p.m.
- Where: Liberty Hall, 644 Mass., Lawrence
- Cost: $3
- Age limit: All ages
Toplikar will debut his year-in-the-making short films "Solitaire" (co-directed by Alan Weil) and "Friends Forever." Other films scheduled to be shown on Liberty Hall's big screen include: "The Dump" by Jason Sachse, "Requies" by Bobby McGee, "Eyes in the Sky" by Chris Burket and "Hell to Pay" by Patrick Rea.
The lineup represents a diverse cross-section of KU film school grads and current students, many of which were involved in the "Out of Focus" KUJH television program. In most cases, the film directors also multitask as screenwriters, camera operators, editors and sometimes even actors.
"That's the good and the bad thing about starting off in this industry - you kind of have to do everything," Toplikar said. "In some ways that makes it a lot harder, but at the same time it's so much more your piece and your art."
The evening will also showcase Patrick Rea's "Hell to Pay," a Twilight Zone-esque narrative that got a nod from B-horror film aficionado Rob Zombie.
Koufax + "SEX: AKA Weiners and Boobs" :: The brainchild of frontman Rob Suchan, this sometimes-Lawrence band brings the heat with poppy yet offbeat songs that cover a wide spectrum of musical influences from Roxy Music to Elvis Costello to Joe Jackson ... More info
- Split Lip Rayfield
- Truckstop Honeymoon / Drakkar Sauna / Luna Tart / Laura Freeman
- Football: KU vs. Colorado
