In Hollywood, it's not what you
know but who you know.
And in Stony Brook, things work
the same way.
The Stony Brook Film Festival,
launching its 14th iteration
Thursday, is starting to see
results from its film-industry
connections, according to Alan
Inkles, director of the festival
and of the
Staller Center for the Arts,
where the annual event is held.
Several movies this year landed
in his mailbox because of
recommendations from past
participants. And the various
sneak previews, world premieres
and celebrity appearances
suggest Stony Brook is
establishing itself as a viable
showcase for movies.
The drama "Tickling Leo"
(playing Saturday), for
instance, is produced by
Mary Stuart Masterson, whose
directorial debut, "The Cake
Eaters," won Stony Brook's Best
Feature jury award last year.
One of the actors in "The Cake
Eaters" recommended the festival
to the producers of "Rosencrantz
& Guildenstern Are Undead," a
zombie comedy screening Friday.
And a confirmed appearance by
Lauren Graham, star of the
opening night film
"The Answer Man," marks a
big "get" for the festival.
HighlightsThursday
The Answer Man(8 p.m.) Graham,
of television's
"Gilmore Girls," will appear
at this sneak preview screening
(the film will be released
Friday). The story centers on an
unhelpful self-help guru (
Jeff Daniels) who encounters
a cheerful chiropractor (Graham)
and a young man battling
alcoholism (Lou Taylor Pucci).
With Olivia Thirlby, Kat
Dennings and Nora Dunn.
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are
Undead(9:30 p.m.) An unemployed
lady-killer (Jake Hoffman,
Dustin's son) meets what may be
a real killer: the author of an
unusual version of "Hamlet."
With Jeremy Sisto ("Law &
Order"),
Devon Aoki ("Sin City") and
Huntington's own Ralph Macchio,
all of whom will appear at this
screening. Original score by
Sean Lennon.
Saturday
Blindness - Saramago in
China (4 p.m.) In this
documentary, a Beijing theater
troupe tries to produce a play
based on the book "Blindness,"
by the Nobel-winning Portuguese
author José Saramago (the film
adaptation with
Julianne Moore came out last
year). The result, however, is a
bureaucratic power struggle over
the rights. Director Xilin Chen
and producer Xiaoni Chen will
appear for this world premiere.
TICKLING LEO (7
p.m.) The film,
written and
directed by
Jeremy Davidson,
Masterson's
husband, is set
around
Yom Kippur,
as three
generations of a
family delve
into dark
secrets dating
back to
WWII. With
Eli Wallach,
Lawrence
Pressman, Annie
Parisse and
Victoria Clark.
Sunday
Life Is a
Banquet: The
Rosalind Russell
Story
(4 p.m.) A
documentary on
the screen
actress known
for gutsy,
proto-feminist
characters in
such movies as
"Auntie Mame,"
"His Girl
Friday" and
"Gypsy." Based
on her
autobiography of
the same name,
with passages
read by
Kathleen Turner.
In person:
writer-director
Jonathan Gruber.
Monday
The Missing
Person (9:30
p.m.) A private
detective (
Michael Shannon,
Oscar-nominated
for his
supporting role
in
"Revolutionary
Road") hopes
to earn a reward
for bringing a
mysterious man
back to his
wife. With Amy
Ryan ("The
Office") and
John Ventimiglia
(
"The Sopranos").
East Coast
premiere.
July 31
A Woman in
Berlin (9:30
p.m.) Based on
an anonymous
diary, this
German-Polish
production tells
of a woman who,
like many during
World War II,
uses her wits
and her beauty
to find a male
protector during
the Red Army
invasion of
Berlin.
Aug. 1
The Little
Traitor
(8:30 p.m.)
Palestine, 1947:
After a British
officer (
Alfred Molina)
catches a boy
out after
curfew, the two
strike up an
unlikely
friendship. A
sneak preview of
this October
release.