Movie-goers get ready for the second half of the Magic Lantern Cinemas Spring Film Festival. This week's films' "Win Win" and "The Concert" will start on Friday, May 6. "The Conspirator" will start on Friday, May 13.
At the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, the film "Win Win" premiered to a large audience at the Eccles Theatre in Park City, Utah. Director Tom McCarthy, who co-wrote the film with Joe Tiboni, appeared at a Q & A session after the film with Tiboni. McCarthy and Tiboni engaged the audience with stories and answers on how the project was conceived. McCarthy also directed "The Station Agent" and "The Visitor."
McCarthy said he had never seen a story about a high school wrestling, and it's an undervalued sport. He discovered the actor, Alex Shaffer, who played the character Kyle, at an open audition or "cattle call." McCarthy said the "condensed" suburban characters in "Win Win" needed a real wrestler, and Shaffer was a championship high school wrestler.
"He had never acted," he said. "His mother said the kid is wacky. He stepped into a great cast. Paul Giamatti was unbelievable."
The story behind "Win Win" resonates with everyone who has been through tough economic times surrounded by even tougher life situations. The film is about real people and real life, with an enormous comedic edge.
Also showing is "The Concert." The film is about a renowned conductor of the Bolshoi orchestra who was fired for hiring Jewish musicians. Thirty years later, he is a cleaning man at the Bolshoi Theatre and learns about an invitation to play in Paris, so he gets the "band" back together.
"The Conspirator" is a period film about Abraham Lincoln's assassination. It is a peek into the situation and people surrounding the assassination. This historic story continues to be shrouded in mystery and "The Conspirator" takes a thrilling look at this amazing situation in U.S. history.
For movie times and dates, visit www.magiclanterncinemas.com.
Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com
The film “Win Win” is a hilarious and touching story of overcoming life’s difficulties.
Courtesy photo
