Volume CXXXIII, Number 6 October 19, 2001 f

Movies about movies
JIM FLANAGAN
STAFF WRITER

This weekend, the Film Society is going to give you a behind the scenes look into Hollywood. We have four films lined up for you that deal with directors, producers, and the entire filmmaking process (very appropriate, considering today's common hour). All of the films will be shown in Smith Auditorium, in Sills Hall. They are free and open to everyone.

State & Main - Friday at 7:00 p.m.
David Mamet assembled an all-star cast for his film about Hollywood invading a small village in Vermont. The town has been chosen to complete the filming of "The Old Mill," yet the crew discovers that the town's old mill burned down years ago. This is just one of many problems that the characters have to face, in addition to stubborn actors and pesky townies.

Living in Oblivion - Friday at 9:00 p.m.
Steve Buscemi plays Nick, an independent film director. This movie chronicles the numerous problems and setbacks he faces throughout a single day of filming. There are some great plot twists and tricks, plus it features the best angry midget scene that has been captured on film in a while. Also starring in this film is Catherine Keener, who played Maxine in Being John Malkovich.

Bowfinger - Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
Steve Martin and Frank Oz bring us this tale of Bobby Bowfinger, a cheap filmmaker who is trying desperately to make a great action film. Unfortunately, he cannot convince Hollywood's leading action star, Kit Ramsey, to be in the picture. So what does he do? He gets Kit's dorky brother as a stand-in and films Kit without his knowledge. This is really a well-made, funny film. Steve Martin can always be counted on for comic gold, and he doesn't fail with this outing.

Ed Wood - Saturday at 9:00 p.m.
Like Bobby Bowfinger, Ed Wood is a cheap struggling filmmaker. But Ed Wood was a real person. Tim Burton gives us a loving image of the often-misunderstood man who is recognized as the worst director of all time. This is an amazing film, and one of my favorites. It has the great Tim Burton feel to it, but it also has a great sense of the 50's sci-fi and horror films that Wood tried to make. And since all of Wood's films were unintentionally funny, Burton does all of this as a comedy. Additionally, Martin Landau won an Oscar for his portrayal of Bela Legosi in this film.