'Lola Versus'
Directed by Daryl Wein
Five reasons to see this indie comedy: 1) You might remember director/writer Daryl Wein and writer/star Zoe Lister-Jones from "Breaking Upwards," the 2009 film they wrote and starred in (and Wein directed), which won the audience award at the LRFF. 2) While the premise of "Lola Versus" may sound tired — jilted woman (Greta Gerwig) tries to navigate single life in New York as she approaches 30 — the execution, based on the 3-minute trailer and early reviews, promises to be stronger than the rom-com norm, particularly thanks to snappier-than-usual dialogue. 3) Greta Gerwig, already beloved by indie film fans, is supposedly the next big thing, or at least the best candidate to supplant Zooey Deschanel as the object of affection of that subsection of mainstream culture that appreciates "quirk." "Lola Versus" marks Gerwig's first starring role in a studio film. 4) For those who appreciate seeing actors play against type: Joel Kinnaman, who looks (and sometimes talks like) a white Snoop Dogg to great effect on "The Killing" and will take on the title role in the "Robocop" reboot, plays the jilter. 5) The flip side to number two: If your film tastes tilt more towards traditional fare, this will probably look and feel like the movies you enjoy. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Riverdale. LM.
'America's
Parking Lot'
Directed by Jonny Mars
This documentary, which opened the festival on Tuesday, focuses on a pair of subjects that will be familiar to Arkansans: Dallas Cowboys super-fans. And not just super-fans who own every piece of Cowboys merchandise and apparel and lead their face-painted brethren in cheers, but super-fans whose lives truly revolve around the Cowboys. Super-fans like Stan "Tiger" Shults, who has a daughter named Meredith Landry and says when his first wife asked him to choose between her or the Cowboys, the choice was obvious. "I hate to say this because I love my children and my wife, but I think I probably think about the Cowboys more than I think about my kids and my wife. And that's nothing against them," he tells director Jonny Mars. You've seen obsessives like Shults in documentaries before, but Mars separates his film from the pack both by avoiding caricature and deftly pivoting from the super-fans' perspective to a broader look at the callousness of professional sports, where owners, like the Cowboys' Jerry Jones, are gouging fans who attend games in order to pay for massive new stadiums, built partially with taxpayer dollars. 3 p.m. Thursday, Riverdale. LM.
'Pilgrim Song'
Directed by Martha Stephens
"Pilgrim Song," which premiered at SXSW, is a well-crafted study in being. It's contemplative, graceful and sparse. Tim Morton plays James, a middle school band teacher whose job just has just fallen victim to budget cuts. He's been in the same relationship for years, he's bored with his life, he's numbly searching for anything more. So he sets off on a two-month solo journey, hiking the Appalachian Trail. He has a few chance encounters with locals, including a single father and his young son, who live in a camper in the woods. After spraining his ankle, James stays with them for a few days. That's when he begins to reconnect, both with others and with long ignored aspects of himself. It's like Kelly Reinhart's "Old Joy" (which, director Martha Stephens acknowledges, was an influence), but with (slightly) more plot. The characters are believable and the acting is suburb. Stephens co-wrote the film, her second feature, with one of its stars, Karrie Crouse. Stephens will be around to answer questions after the LRFF screenings. 5:30 p.m. Thursday, 11:45 a.m. Saturday, Riverdale. CF.
More by Cheree Franco
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Grills on Wheels on hiatus
Those of you who work and play downtown may have noticed that Grills on Wheels, the big black food truck that serves hearty soft shelled tacos and a killer bean and cheese burrito for a very reasonable amount of dinero, hasn't been parked at it's usual President Clinton Avenue location, on the east side of the Arkansas Studies Institute.
- Sep 24, 2012
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Legislator makes case for Little Rock veterans home
Edwards files bill to replace facility.
- Dec 19, 2012
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Argenta Restaurant Week starts today
Argenta Restaurant Week begins today.
- Aug 13, 2012
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More by Lindsey Millar
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The birds and Jen Bielema farm-to-table open line
A belated open line.
- Jun 12, 2013
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Locally made at the Little Rock Film Fest
The latest from Daniel Campbell highlights LRFF Arkansas program.
- May 16, 2013
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Latest in Cover Stories
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Exploring Big Island, where three rivers meet
The Big Island Circumnavigation Expedition took to a seldom-seen wilderness and exposed schoolchildren to the beauty and power of nature.
- Jun 20, 2013
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Will Dawna Natzke's killer ever be brought to justice?
More than a year and a half later, the murder of a Hot Springs Village police dispatcher still has residents puzzled.
- Jun 13, 2013
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No open doors for Oxford House
City's fears, grant process and attitude work against group. houses for alcoholics, addicts.
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Event Calendar
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Re: Exploring Big Island, where three rivers meet
A beautifully written article about a fabulous program! The Mississippi River is one of our…
- on June 19, 2013
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Re: Say McIntosh: The lion in winter
Not mentioned here--but when Say was arrested and taken to jail after he bought a…
- on June 19, 2013
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Re: C'mon strike
OVER THE LINE!!
- on June 19, 2013
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