First movie of the new year. I’m pretty good about keeping track of what I read (thanks to Library Thing) but tend to overlook movies. Perhaps because we don’t go that often these days.

Avatar was my first 3-D movie since House of Wax with Vincent Price (1953, Ritz Theater in Kennett, MO). The glasses are more comfortable and the effect as pretty amazing. Rather than things zooming out into the audience, I found myself pulled into the movie.

I very much enjoyed the movie. The helicopter pilot brought back memories of Aliens. I never figured out why Sigourney Weaver’s character always had on hiking boots when she was in the alien avatar.

It will be the height of cool to not like this movie.

“Collapse,” a SAG feature film from Iowa-based production companies Iowa Film Production Services/Storybench, will be casting in Coralville Sunday for feature parts, extras and zombies.

Open call with PMS Casting of Pella will be noon to 5 p.m. at production office 805 Second Street, Coralville (the old Scandinavian Design building across from Dairy Queen.)

Principal photography begins Sept. 30 and will run for five weeks in Johnson and Iowa counties. Compensation for speaking parts is equivalent to SAG low-budget scale of $268/day.

Non-agented actors can email a small photo in jpeg format to pmsfilmcasting@aol.com with resume and contact information.

This is Storybench’s third feature, following “The Offering” and “Splatter.” “Collapse” was written by Ottumwa’s Mike Saunders and will be directed by Saunders and fellow Ottumwan Jason Bolinger. Producing is Bruce Heppner-Elgin of Washington.

Characters being cast include:

ROBERT MORGAN – in his 40’s. A care-worn farmer doing his best to take care of his family. Teetering on the edge of losing his farm and dealing with a sick wife, his world is spinning out of control. When the zombies begin to attack the farm, he deals with them brutally and efficiently.

MOLLY MORGAN – Robert’s much-loved wife suffers from spells of pain and exhaustion. She is a loving, dutiful wife and mother but the stress is becoming too much for her.

WILL MORGAN – 13-14 years old and doesn’t quite fit in at school. A quiet child who feels a great deal of responsibility toward his family. Tired from the burden of helping his father and Hank with the farm chores and distracted by his parent’s absence in the stands, he loses his track event.

HANK – Mid-late 20’s, Hank has worked for the Morgans for about 10 years and is more like family than a farm hand. He is a surrogate big brother to Will. Tough and loyal, he is forced to give notice because he has his own bills to pay.

COACH BELL – Female, athletic and fit in her 40’s-50’s, she recognizes that Will is a kid in trouble and needs encouragement. Coach Bell speaks with his parents about her concerns for Will.

Dr. CHARLES MCFARLAND – Small town doctor in his 40’s. A contemporary of Robert’s, he knows that Molly’s illness is not something he can treat and tries to convince Robert to take Molly to a psychiatrist.

NURSE -30’s – She runs Dr. McFarland’s office and is efficient, yet motherly. Fits well into this small farming community and probably knows everything about everybody.

SHERIFF RHODES – Rough and tough local guy who has spent his entire life in this community. Late 40’s -early 50’s, he was probably a high school football hero in his youth. Rhodes is good at keeping his small town running smoothly because he knows everybody and is fair to them all. He wears cowboy boots and an exterior gruffness.

DEPUTY COOPER: An average nice guy in his mid-late 20’s. Single and easy going. Likes the relative peace of working in a small town and never thought he would have to deal with anything like this.

DANA – Just out of high school, Dana is a small town girl who attends community college and works at the local convenience gas mart. Robert rescues her but is later forced to kill her when she is bitten.

MR. LYNN A prosperous neighboring farmer in his 60’s, Mr. Lynn is losing his sight. Molly reads to him on occasion. When he hires Hank away from the Morgan farm, he adds to Robert’s troubles.

EDGAR HENNENLOTTER – A banker in his late 20’s. Because he is a city boy with a business degree, he considers himself to be better than the farmers his bank serves and has an air of arrogance and insincerity about him.

For more information visit PMS Casting’s web site.

New release that came into one of our newsrooms a couple of days ago. Golly, but I’d love to make up to Iowa just two talk with those waiting to audition. I mean, how does “Dana” feel about being “forced to kill her when she is bitten?” Or, how does “Robert” plan to deal with the zombies “brutally and efficiently?”

If you see this movie, leave us a comment.

My thoughts on Quentin Tarantino’s new movie, Inglourious Basterds:

• Mr.Tarantino makes movies for himself. He tells the story he wants to tell, the way he wants to tell it. If it runs two-and-a-half hours, that’s how long it runs.
• He likes actors. He gives them lots of words to say and the time to say them. And plenty of business with their hands while they’re doing it.
• He likes shoot-outs and doesn’t sanitize them. We see the blood and gore but it doesn’t feel gratuitous to me.
• He must have a great music collection. The soundtrack for IB is fun and effective.
• He respects his audience. IB has lots of scenes that are entirely in French or German, with sub-titles. If you’re not still sounding out the syllables, you’ can keep up.

Inglourious Basterds was a smart, funny movie that reminds us what Hitler and the Nazi’s were “really” like. And Brad Pitt was very good.

• Memphis Belle
• Dr. Strangelove
• In the Valley of Elah
• Platoon
• Sergeant York
• Black Hawk Down
• Full Metal Jacket
• Saving Private Ryan
• Bridge on the River Kwai
• Apocalypse Now
• Das Boot
• The Deer Hunter
• Band of Brothers (TV Mini-series)
• Schindler’s List
• Tora Tora Tora
• Gettysburg
• Pork Chop Hill