Just over two years after bonafide Hollywood star/indie darling Kirsten Dunst (Spider-Man, Melancholia, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) came to Humboldt County with fashion designers-turned-movie director-sisters Kate and Laura Muleavy, their resulting film, Woodshock, is about ready to hit theaters.
But before it gets a limited release on Sept. 15, Arcata’s Minor Theatre will host a pair of screenings. Next Saturday, Sept. 9, the Minor will host first a catered, red carpet event before a 6:30 p.m. show (tickets: $30) followed by just a plain-ol’ movie screening at 10 p.m. (tickets: $9.50).
As for the film itself, well, it has yet to be screened for critics, so there’s not a whole lot to go on besides the trailer, which you can watch below:
We at the Outpost have watched that thing at least five times now and we’re still not sure what to expect. So many images!
There’s tiny Kirsten amongst the majestic redwoods!
And there she is hand-rolling a joint!
And helping a bed-ridden woman smoke it!
And look! A magic hour shot of redwood lumber!
And there are Kirsten’s legs on a beach that looks totally local!
And, for a split second, there’s Kirsten floating in the trees at night!
All in all the film looks arty, impressionistic and darkly disturbing. It comes from indie film house A24, which has had an unparalleled run of quality and challenging movies over the last four years, including Moonlight, last year’s Best Picture winner, and Swiss Army Man, the Daniel Radcliffe farting-corpse comedy, which was also filmed up here.
Relive our Summer o’ Kirsten coverage below …
Enjoy this double-exposure image of Dunst’s face …
And read this press release, if you so desire!
The Humboldt-Del Norte Film Commission and the Minor Theater in Arcata are pleased to announce a pair of special screenings of the new Kirsten Dunst film, Woodshock, on September 9. The first includes a catered, red carpet event before the show. The second is a film only encore screening.
A24’s Woodshock, written and directed by Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte fame, was shot entirely in the Redwood Region during the summer of 2015. During the five weeks of filming, the production utilized many local locations as the settings for the drama/thriller. Locations included private homes in Bayside, the Arcata plaza, the Logger Bar in Blue Lake, a storefront in Old Town Eureka (now Sew & Vac Plus!), and multiple redwood groves along the Avenue of the Giants. The film also hired locals crew, actors, and stand-ins for the stars. The local economy saw a boost of over $800,000 in direct spending on equipment rentals, accommodations, catering, and other production needs. The indirect economic impact was $2.4 million. The world premiere of Woodshock will happen over Labor Day weekend at the Venice International Film Festival.
Tickets for the special screenings can be purchased online at www.minortheatre.com, $30 for the catered, red carpet event and $9.50 for the encore screening. If you miss the special screenings, Woodshock’s general release date is September 29. The film stars Kirsten Dunst, Joe Cole and Pilou Asbæk, and is rated R, with a running time of 1h 40m.