'Due Date' needs extras, cars for one-day shoot

UPDATE 3:29 p.m.: Just checked with City of Shreveport's Arlena Acree. She said the shoot will begin Sept. 30 but it could last longer than a single day. Expect day and night shoots. Additionally, she does not expect the cast to be there.

"Due Date" will film in The Shreve for one day Sept. 30.

The movie stars Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis and is directed by Todd Phillips.

The project is casting extras who can drive their own cars in the background. Cars and trucks must be in muted tones (no red, yellow, white or black) and can be any year, make or model.

The positions are paid.

If interested, register at Elizabeth Gabel Casting at www.egcasting.com. You can also get more info by emailing elizabeth@egcasting.com or calling (505) 227-2685.

Rod Lurie to host ‘Nothing But the Truth’ screening

Writer/director Rod Lurie will present a screening of "Nothing But the Truth" Sunday at the Robinson Film Center. The ripped-from-the-headlines thriller stars Kate Beckinsale as a Washington, D.C. reporter who faces prison time if she doesn't reveal the identity of a CIA source. Also stars Matt Dillon, Vera Farmiga, Angela Bassett and Alan Alda. Read some reviews here.

Lurie's credits include "The Contender" (Oscar nominations for Joan Allen and Jeff Bridges), "The Last Castle," "Resurrecting the Champ" and the TV series "Commander in Chief." He is currently in The Shreve directing "Straw Dogs" with Kate Bosworth, James Marsden, Alexander Skarsgård and James Woods.

A couple interesting factoids on Mr. Lurie, according to IMDb Pro:

Former movie critic for KABC Radio in Los Angeles.

Graduated from U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1984.

If you go

WHAT: screening of "Nothing but the Truth," Q&A with writer/director Rod Lurie.

WHEN: 7 p.m. Sunday (Sept. 27).

WHERE: Robinson Film Center, 617 Texas St., Shreveport.

COST: $6.75-$8.75. Tickets available at RFC's box office or (318) 459-4122.

'Unearthed' needs crew

Need a crew job? Then apply to "Unearthed."

Needed: second assistant director, production assistants, accountant and more.

The flick begins filming Sept. 30 in The Shreve's C. Bickham Dickson Park.

Send production coordinator Jennifer Williamson an email at unearthedproduction@me.com.

ASAP!

All hail the Mac?!

Love Macs? Hate iPods? Lust after the iPhone? Don't get the fanaticism? Check out "Welcome to Macintosh," which plays 7:05 p.m. Sept. 24 at the Robinson Film Center. The screening will be presented by the Shreveport Macintosh User Group.

The doc devles into all the history, reverence, geekdom and myths surrounding the Mac mystique.

As for myself, I'm a recent Mac convert. Totally get the fetishism for hardware design. Totally get how their owners feel their apps are more user-friendly and functional than PCs'. And guiltily, I sometimes find myself acting the Mac shill for my friends: "Why don't you get a Mac? It makes pancakes."

If you share my problems -- or want to laugh at local Macolytes for sport -- contact Sara Colvin at (318) 222-2522 or sara@maccentric.net to reserve a seat. The screening is free!

Singing robots? The future is here

As if we need another movie about animatronic rock gone viral! Oh, wait. “The Rock-afire Explosion” might be the first, and it screens 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Robinson Film Center.

Just talked to RFC’s Chris Jay and he said multiple subjects of the film, including collector Damon Breland, will be coming in for Q&As. As a bonus, there will be an appearance by a guy in a bear suit. (Not my Uncle Harry, incidentally.)

Backstory? There once was an animatronic rock band -- singing robots! -- at the Showbiz Pizza chain, and fans really dug ’em. So much, in fact, that a few fans purchased their rights then resurrected and reprogrammed them to do funny things with contemporary pop. Videos of the experiment are on YouTube. Check out the above Shakira clip.

A tad creepy.

Tickets available at (318) 459-4122. Two screenings only!

‘Unearthed’ needs extras

The feature film "Unearthed" is in preproduction and needs to book extras, says Ryan Glorioso of Glorioso Casting. Specifically needed:

• Males and females, ages 18 to 70
  
• Native American, Hispanic or multiethnic
  
• To play tribal warriors or "tribal types"
  

To register, click here.

Project will shoot for four weeks beginning Sept. 28.

'Leaves of Grass' set to debut at TIFF

The Edward Norton-Edward Norton flick "Leaves of Grass" debuts Monday at the Toronto Int'l Film Festival. Norton plays identical twins in this worlds-collide dramedy. It's about a smalltown pot grower who lures his twin brother, an Ivy League professor, back to Oklahoma to take part in a scheme to bring down a local drug lord. (You know, an everyman story. With marijuana.)

Director, writer and costar Tim Blake Nelson talked to The Hollywood Reporter about the hopes of finding a buyer in a tight market.

Nelson told THR: "If (previous directorial effort) 'The Grey Zone,' which is considerably darker, could get distribution, then even in this environment I believe a movie like 'Leaves of Grass' can get distribution," said Blake Nelson, citing the film's comedic aspects and Norton's performance."

From the scene I observed on the set one night, I'd guess prospects for "Leaves of Grass" are fairly strong. Meticulous comedic work, painstaking production design and cult-worthy dialogue.

We'll see, though. As noted in the article from THR, selling an indie always depends on the execution of a promising idea. Will be curious to see if "Leaves of Grass" earns wide or limited distribution, or no deal at all.

Personally, I hope Norton shows the chops that Nicolas Cage did for "Adaptation." (Or JCVD for "Double Impact.")

PHOTO 1: Actor Edward Norton and "Leaves of Grass" writer/director/costar Tim Blake Nelson. (Photo by Glen Wilson/Special to The Times)

PHOTO 2: In "Leaves of Grass," actor Edward Norton stars in a dual role as the twin brothers Bill Kincaid (right) and Brady Kincaid (left). (Glen Wilson/Special to The Times)

Filmmaker to screen short at meetup

At tonight's La. Produces meetup at the Robinson Film Center, Baily Briggs will screen her short film "The Weak Link." She produced it for the 48 Hour Film Project in New Orleans.

Briggs is originally from Marshall, Texas. While living in Shreveport, she worked as a promotions producer for a TV station and as a marketing manager for a camera rental house. Briggs has since moved to New Orleans, where she recently worked as an assistant in the makeup department on "Jonah Hex."

Tonight, Briggs will speak about her experience in the movie industry and the possibility of holding a 48 Hour Film Project in Shreveport.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. The Robinson Film Center is located at 617 Texas St. in downtown Shreveport.

Gay & Lesbian Film Fest opens Friday

The Robinson Film Center will host P.A.C.E.'s Northwest Louisiana Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Sept. 11-17.

The marquee event is an opening night reception and screening of "Sordid Lives" (sold out), for which actor Leslie Jordan will be the special guest. That's a pretty big deal for a locally organized fest.

The festival's content is pretty varied, too: documentaries about a kickboxer who has a secret ("Beautiful Boxer") and a relationship between a writer and an artist ("Chris & Don: A Love Story"); and features about Shakespearean teen love ("Were the World Mine"), white trash Texans ("Sordid Lives"), getting rid of a body ("Drool"), and a change in wedding plans ("I Can't Think Straight"). Click on the titles below for more info.

RFC recommends you book tickets in advance. You can check screenings, dates and availability here. For more about P.A.C.E., click here.

Festival schedule

"Sordid Lives"
With special guest Leslie Jordan
Friday, Sept. 11, 7:45 p.m.
SOLD OUT, but tickets may be released 30 minutes prior to screening

"Drool"
Saturday, Sept. 12, 5:30 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 13, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 15, 5:15 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 17, 7:45 p.m.

"Were the World Mine"
Saturday, Sept. 12, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 13, 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 16, 7:45 p.m.

"Chris & Don: A Love Story"
Saturday, Sept. 12, 3:30 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 13, 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 15, 7:45 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 16, 5:15 p.m.

"Beautiful Boxer"
Saturday, Sept. 12, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 13, 1 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 14, 5:15 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 17, 5:15 p.m.

"I Can't Think Straight"
Saturday, Sept. 12, 9:45 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 14, 7:45 p.m.