Screen gems

By KAREN MARTIN SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

LITTLE ROCK — The stars of the late, lamented Mystery Science Theater 3000 (aka MST3K) and special guest “Weird Al” Yankovic take on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and other Christmas shorts and commercials in “RiffTrax Live: Christmas Shorts-Stravaganza!”

The in-theater event, featuring Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy (MST3K’s Tom Servo) and Bill Corbett (MST3K’s Crow T. Robot), will be broadcast live at 7 p.m. Dec. 16 at Tinseltown in Benton and UA Breckenridge in Little Rock. Tickets ($12.50) are available at participating theater box offices and online at ncm.com/fathom.

“I can’t think of a better way to honor the true meaning of Christmas than by making stupid jokes over ridiculous film shorts,” Yankovic said.

Mystery Science Theater 3000, featuring a man and his robot sidekicks who are trapped in a space station and forced to watch science fiction B-movies, aired for 11 seasons on Comedy Central and the SciFi Channel (now Syfy) in the late 1980s through 1999. They make fun of each film, providing hilarious commentary or “riffing.” Nelson created RiffTrax in 2006 to continue the riffing on blockbuster films such as Star Wars: Episode 1 and Star Trek. Riff Traxare downloadable online at www.rifftrax.com for playing along with the film.

“RiffTrax Live: Christmas Shorts-Stravaganza!” attendees will receive a Web address and code at the end of the event for a RiffTones Christmas song, two downloadable shorts, an autographed digital photo of Michael, Kevin and Bill and a Christmas desktop wallpaper.

A broadcast of the documentary Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders: Live With Elizabeth Vargas will happen at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 14 at 450 movie theaters across the country, including Tinseltown in Benton and UA Breckenridge in Little Rock.The film, shot in the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo and post-conflict Liberia, intersects the stories of four doctors who must confront the limits of their idealism in the face of overwhelming medical needs. Following the screening, Vargas, anchor of ABC’s 20/20, will moderate a live town-hall discussion with frontline aid workers and journalists including Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm. Tickets are $13.50 and can be bought at www.fathomevents.com/doctorswithoutborders . Submissions are being sought for Arkansas Shorts, an evening of short films to be shown at 7 p.m. Jan. 9 at the historic Malco Theater, 817Central Ave., Hot Springs. The program is a fundraiser for The Valley of the Vapors Independent Music Festival, which modestly calls itself “the country's most affordable, down-to-earth, humble, small-town, volunteer run, rock ’n’ roll festival.” Guidelines for film entries:

1. You must be a native or current resident of Arkansas.

2. Shorts must be 10 minutes or less, including credits.

3. Submissions are due by Wednesday.

4. Submit two copies in 16:9 DVD format.

5. Include contact name, e-mail, phone number, film title, and running time.

6. Mail to The VOV, 118 Arbor St., Hot Springs, Ark. 71901.

Admission to the screening is $5. For more information e-mail Bill Solleder at bill@valleyofthevapors.com.

Congratulations to our pal and Little Rock neighbor Ray McKinnon. He's been nominated for a 2010 Independent Spirit Award in the category of Best Supporting Male for his role as Lonzo in That Evening Sun. His competitors are Jemaine Clement in Gentlemen Broncos, Woody Harrelson in The Messenger, Christian McKay in Me and Orson Welles and Christopher Plummer in The Last Station. We’ll find out if he wins on March 5.

MovieStyle, Pages 38 on 12/04/2009

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