Dann in reel life: Naperville natives pour hearts into 'Rigamortis'
Zombie musical sings
It's kind of like “Glee” meets “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” but with zombies! “Rigamortis: A Zombie Love Story” can be seen for free at rigamortismovie.com. I particularly liked the cute second song, a romantic moment dedicated to undying — make that undead — love.
The film's script supervisor, Lisa Sutton, hails from Naperville. The producer, Matt Olson, grew up in Naperville and lives in Chicago. I asked him what he did on the set.
“Oh, man, what wasn't my job?” Olson emailed. “Basically, for the last year I have been working on ‘Rigamortis' almost every day ... fundraising, logistical support and just general low-budget problem solving. We had multiple casting calls in Chicago as well as a talent search across the country. We watched submissions and auditions trying to find that perfect chemistry.
“I attended city council meetings and made hours and hours of phone calls arranging visits for the production team and then eventually permits, helped to arrange arrival times, hotels, department budgets, flights and anything else that kept the production rolling along.”
And?
“I am really proud of what we have come up with and can't wait to hear what the rest of the world thinks.”
You can let Matt know what you think at rigamortismovie.com.
Mutant kills Kennedy?
Rick Barlow of Schaumburg comments on my review of “X-Men: First Class,” in which mutants avert World War III during the 1960s. He writes: “I always wondered how the Cuban Missile Crisis was solved. Another Kennedy conspiracy?”
Yes, Rick. But things could get even weirder. Director Matthew Vaughn told an interviewer in May that he's got an idea for the opening for the next X-Men film.
“I thought it would be fun to open with the Kennedy assassination, and we reveal that the magic bullet was controlled by Magneto. That would explain the physics of it, and we see that he's (peeved) because Kennedy took all the credit for saving the world and mutants weren't even mentioned. And we could go from there.”
Finally, the CIA, Mafia, KGB and LBJ are off the hook: a mutant did it.
‘Cold Weather' coming
The After Hours Film Society presents Aaron Katz's comic crime mystery “Cold Weather” at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Tivoli Theater, 5021 Highland Ave., Downers Grove. Tickets cost $9 ($5 for members). Chicago Film Critics Association member Josh Larsen will host the showing and lead a brief discussion. The story follows a Portland science geek (Cris Lankenau) who falls back on his Sherlock Holmes knowledge to find his missing ex-girlfriend (Robyn Rikoon). Call (630) 534-4528 or go to afterhoursfilmsociety.com.
John Waters live!
Baltimore's maverick filmmaker John “Hairspray” Waters will be at Chicago's Music Box Theatre at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, June 11, to show the movie that inspired him to become a director: 1939's “The Wizard of Oz.”
With him will be former Chicago Film Critics Association member and former Chicago Tribune writer Robert K. Elder, whose new book “The Film That Changed My Life: 30 Directors on Their Epiphanies in the Dark” inspired the Music Box event, the first of several planned pairings of Elder and famous directors.
I caught up with Elder on email last week.
Q. What's the movie that most influenced you?
A. “Reservoir Dogs.” It was the first time I felt the force of personality of the director on the film itself, almost as if each frame was a section of his DNA.
Q. What's the most surprising thing you learned about the choices cited by directors as most influential?
A. Just the vast array of what struck people. Danny Boyle saw “Apocalypse Now” in a second-run theater, actually a porn theater, with his World War II vet dad in England. It was an absolutely transformative experience for him.
You had the true surprises like George Romero, king of the zombie genre, choosing “Tales of Hoffmann,” Michael Powell's adaptation of a rather esoteric opera. Or Richard Linklater encountering “Raging Bull” and finding kinship with De Niro's brooding boxer.
Q. What was the toughest interview to snag and why?
A. Actually, it wasn't as hard as you might think. It was like a giant game of telephone, each director recommending and referring me to another. Peter Jackson was actually the first person to say yes to the book, but we never connected because of his busy schedule. My biggest regret is not being able to include Quentin Tarantino, whose film “Reservoir Dogs” turned me into a complete movie fanatic. I saw it at age 17 and it still holds a raw, visceral spell on me.
To see Waters and Elder, go to musicboxtheatre.com for tickets and details.
Student shorts wanted
The After Hours Film Society wants entries for its 2011 Student Short Film and Video Festival, to be juried by film professionals and educators. Entries must be 30 minutes or less and be submitted on one-half inch VHS or DVD formats by Thursday, June 30. Applications are available at afterhoursfilmsociety.com. Mail it, a $10 fee and the short to The After Hours Film Society, P.O. Box 3534, Glen Ellyn, IL 60138-3534. Winners will be screened in October at the Tivoli Theatre in Downers Grove.
Ÿ Daily Herald film critic Dann Gire's column runs Fridays in Time out!