'Waitress' heads festival lineup
By John Loesing newstip@theacorn.com

Christopher Plummer

"Waitress," the late actress/ filmmaker Adrienne Shelly's romantic comedy starring Keri Russell, has been selected as the opening night film at The Method Fest independent film festival starting this week in Calabasas.

"Waitress" will screen at 7 p.m. Thurs., March 29 at the Motion Picture and Television Fund's Louis B. Mayer Theatre.

Other Method Fest movies will be shown at Viewpoint School's Carlson Theater.

"Waitress" is the story of one woman trapped in a life from which she dreams of escape.

Jenna's- Keri Russell- secret ambition is to save enough money from her waitressing job to leave her overbearing and controlling husband- Jeremy Sisto. Jenna is a sharp, sassy woman with a gift for making unusual pies whose recipes are inspired by the trials, tribulations and circumstances of her life. An unwanted pregnancy changes the course of events, giving her an unexpected confidence via letters to her unborn baby.

"Waitress" had its premiere at the 2007 Sundance film festival only a few weeks after Shelly, who also stars in the film, was found dead in her New York apartment, the victim of an apparent murder. The film was acquired by Fox Searchlight at Sundance and will be released later this year.

Audiences also will be impressed with "Steel Toes," a provocative story about racial and religious intolerance in today's society. The film features Academy Award-nominated actor David Strathairn, who plays a Jewish lawyer defending a neo-Nazi skinhead who's on trial for the racially motivated murder of an East Indian immigrant.

"At its heart, the drama 'Steel Toes' deals with one of humanity's more pressing questions: When we encounter evil in humankind, do we try to kill or cure that evil?" said David Gow, the film's writer, coproducer and co-director..

The Method Fest- named after the famous school of acting- will open its ninth season with what organizers say is their strongest lineup ever.

The festival schedule includes a full slate of strong, story-driven films such as "Jindabyne," starring Laura Linney and based on a Raymond Carver story; "Lonely Hearts," which features Salma Hayek, Jared Leto and John Travolta; and "The Man in the Chair," in which Christopher Plummer proves once again why he is one of Hollywood's finest actors.

Plummer will receive the festival's 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award for a career that has spanned a halfcentury. The presentation will take place at 6:30 p.m., Sat. April 1 at the Louis B. Mayer Theater.

The Method Fest lineup also includes director Andrew Currie's Canadian film, "Fido," a public favorite at both the Toronto and Sundance film festivals starring Carrie-Ann Moss and Billy Connolly.

In other showings, film and television actor Stephen Baldwin ("The Usual Suspects," "The Young Riders") stars in the awardwinning independent film "Midnight Clear," based on a short story by blockbuster "Left Behind" novelist Jerry B. Jenkins.

Produced and directed by Jenkins' oldest son, Dallas Jenkins, "Midnight Clear" will screen Fri., March 30.

A total of 28 features and 45 shorts will play in this year's festival. In only eight years, more than 80 films that have played at The Method Fest have gained theatrical release and TV and home video distribution. The screening schedule is available at www.methodfest.com.