“An Evening with Topher Grace” and “The Big Picture" at the Last Picture House -- October 4.
Saturday, October 4, 7 p.m.
The Last Picture House, 325 East Second Street, Davenport IA
A beloved actor from That '70s Show, Spider-Man 3, and the Golden Globe-nominated Scott Beck/Bryan Woods thriller Heretic will make a special appearance at Beck's and Woods' Davenport venue The Last Picture House, the October 4 event An Evening with Topher Grace boasting a Q&A with the film and television star and a screening of director/co-writer Christopher Guest's critically acclaimed 1989 comedy The Big Picture.
Topher Grace broke out as an actor as Eric Forman in the teen sitcom That '70s Show and in Steven Soderberg's 2000 Oscar winner Traffic. Since then, his numerous film and television appearances include roles in Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, Spike Lee's BlackKklansman, Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3, and the Netflix series The Waterfront. Grace also recently co-starred alongside Hugh Grant in the A24 film Heretic, which was directed, written, and produced by Quad Cities filmmakers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who are also co-owners of The Last Picture House. Heretic received several award nominations from the Golden Globes, British Academy of Film & Television Awards, Critics’ Choice, and the Independent Spirit Awards, and grossed $60 million worldwide. Grace will next appear alongside Margaret Qualley, Glen Powell, and Ed Harris in A24's upcoming release Huntington.
Iowa natives Scott Beck and Bryan Woods are best known as the writers and creators of A Quiet Place, starring Emily Blunt and John Krasinski, which grossed more than $340 million worldwide. Beck's and Woods’ other credits include writing and directing Sony Pictures’ 65 starring Adam Driver, which was released worldwide and later debuted as the number-one film on Netflix; the acclaimed thriller Haunt; writing and producing the Stephen King adaptation of The Boogeyman for 20th Century Studios; and most recently writing, directing, and producing Heretic for A24.
In The Big Picture, Nick Chapman (Kevin Bacon) is a graduate film student whose best friend Emmet Sumner (Michael McKean) is an aspiring cinematographer. The two hope to make films together, and Nick is supported in his pursuits by his aspiring-architect girlfriend Susan Rawlings (Emily Longstreth). Nick's prospects look good when he wins the student-film award presented by the National Film Institute, and he has a clear idea for his next film. But agent Neil Sussman (Martin Short) and studio exec Allen Habel (J.T. Walsh) have visions for Nick's movie that are vastly different than Nick's original concept. As the comedy progresses, Nick is unable to control a series of compromises to his high-minded vision, and it's all he can do to maintain his integrity in the midst of filmmaking chaos. Currently standing with an 88-percent "freshness" grade on Rotten Tomatoes, film critic Jim Emerson described The Big Picture as "the definitive and most uncannily incisive satire of modern indie-Hollywood."
An Evening with Topher Grace and the screening of Christopher Guest's The Big Picture will take place in Davenport on October 4, and more information on the 7 p.m. event is available by visiting LastPictureHouse.com.
