The Lakewood Theater is showing independent films from Texas this weekend. The headliner is a full-length film from Houston-based director David Pomes. "Cook County" is the former lawyer’s first film, but it’s getting good reviews at film festivals and it’s won several awards, including best feature at the Hollywood Film Festival and an audience award at the SXSW Film Festival. The show is about a small-town Texas family with a crystal meth habit.
"It’s a huge problem, crystal meth is. It’s killing these towns, and it’s a big problem," Pomes says. "This movie is about crystal meth, but it could be about alcoholism or child abuse or anything. It’s more of a story about a family dynamic and something that’s tearing a family apart."
More after the jump.
Two short films with Dallas roots will play before the feature: "My Mom Smokes Weed," from director Clay Liford, which everyone tells me is really funny, and "Receive Bacon," from James M. Johnston, the executive chef of Spiral Diner.
In other film news, "Topeka," the short film that writer/director Eric Steele shot in the Goldrush Cafe this summer, is finished. He’s mailing me a copy, so I’ll let you know what I think of it. He says, "I think we’ve got a controversial film on our hands." Check out this link to a video for an original song from the film.
The show on Saturday starts at 8 p.m., and admission is $9. All the directors and some of the actors will be on hand for a Q&A session after the show.
