Rainn Wilson onstage (and unmasked) for ‘Super’ on May 19

admin | April 26, 2012 | 0 Comments

Rainn Wilson in “Super” (Steve Dietl/IFC Films)

“Shut up, crime!” As superhero catchphrases go, the Crimson Bolt’s battle cry might not measure up to classics like “Shazam!” or “Up, up and away!” or even “Flame on!” but it gets the job done just like that trusty pipe wrench the masked man brings down on the sweaty forehead of big-city evil.

The fury and the funny of the Bolt are coming to the 2012 Hero Complex Film Festival on May 19 as star Rainn Wilson appears for an onstage Q&A after a screening of “Super,” the subversive 2010 cult hit written and directed by James Gunn (“Slither”) about a feckless fry cook name Frank D’Arbo (Wilson) who decides the best way to deal with his bruising setbacks is put on a mask and punch back.

D’arbo is pushed over the edge when he loses his wife (Liv Tyler) to the sordid lures of a drug dealer (Kevin Bacon) before finding that the universe and Christian TV action hero (Nathan Fillion) have a plan for him. Ellen Page co-stars as the comic-book store clerk who joins in the bloody fun and there’s even a cop played by William Katt, a legacy figure if you delve into the history of looking uncomfortable in an ill-fitting red costume.

“Super” was one of the gems of 2010 and, if you missed it, this is the perfect opportunity to circle back to its deranged charms. The movie earns its R rating and it’s part of our savage Saturday bill that begins at noon with a 25th anniversary presentation of a new digitally remastered print of “Robocop“ (with a post-screening Q&A with Peter Weller) and continues with a “A Clockwork Orange” (which follows a 4 p.m. Q&A with Malcolm McDowell reflecting on the 50th anniversary of the novel and the 40th anniversary for the Stanley Kubrick film). There may be some surprises as well.

The third edition of the Hero Complex Film Festival runs May 18-21 at the Regal Cinemas L.A. Live. Tickets are now on sale. For a full list of screenings and ticket information, visit the festival landing page.

Geoff Boucher

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