The annual Lone Star Film Festival, taking place November 9-12 at AMC Palace 9 and Four Day Weekend Theater in Sundance Square, is always a nice blend of national, international, and Texas films. But they also take care to pay tribute to filmmakers who are local or who got their start here, something that will be especially poignant at the 2017 edition.
There will be over 70 separate screenings, panels, and other events — an intimidating number for even the most dedicated cinephiles. We've narrowed that down to the five best things the festival has to offer, but you can view the full schedule at the festival website.
Bill Paxton Honors
The untimely death of Fort Worth native Bill Paxton was a huge loss to the filmmaking community, and the Lone Star Film Festival will honor him in a variety of ways. First, they have created the Bill Paxton Achievement in Film Award for Acting, which will be presented to Cybill Shepherd at the Lone Star Film Festival Ball on November 8.
They also have dedicated a good portion of the festival to showing some of Paxton's most noteworthy films. On November 10, they'll screen his 2001 directorial debut, Frailty, starring Paxton and Matthew McConaughey, preceded by Paxton's 2011 short film, Tattoo. That will be followed on November 11 by screenings of Traveller and Tombstone, and finally, The Greatest Game Ever Played, on November 12.
Cybill Shepherd appearances
In addition to Shepherd's appearance to accept the inaugural Bill Paxton Award at the ball, Shepherd will be on hand for the world premiere of Rose. Starring Shepherd and James Brolin, it will be the opening night film on November 9. If you can't get into that one, she'll also introduce a screening of her 1989 romantic comedy, Chances Are, later that same night.
DriverX
Rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft have become so prolific that it was only a matter of time before someone made a movie centered around something ride-sharing. That's part of the premise of DriverX, starring Better Call Saul's Patrick Fabian, in which a stay-at-home dad becomes a driver for a company called DriverX to support his family. But he soon finds out that he may not be prepared for everything the job entails. Producer Mark Stolaroff and Fabian will be in attendance at the screening on November 10.
A Bad Idea Gone Wrong
Film festivals can sometimes be heavy with serious subject matter, so it's nice to get a comedic reprieve every now and then. A Bad Idea Gone Wrong, which was filmed in Fort Worth, does just that. It's a story about two would-be thieves who forge a surprising relationship with with an unexpected housesitter when they accidentally trap themselves in a house they just broke into. The film will screen on November 11.
Izzy Gets the F*** Across Town
It's not often that Fort Worth gets the jump on the rest of the country with a buzzy film, but that will happen when Izzy Gets the F*** Across Town is shown as the Closing Night Film on November 12. Starring Mackenzie Davis, Haley Joel Osment, Alia Shawkat, and other well-known stars, it's a comedy about a woman, already at rock-bottom, who must find a way to get to her ex-boyfriend's engagement party. Cringeworthy humor is sure to play a big part.
Frailty and several other Bill Paxton films will screen as part of the Lone Star Film Festival's tribute to the late actor.
