Film Fun
The older we get, the more stuck in our ways we seem to become. So, it’s even more fun to “step out of the box” and do something different. We travel to the Dallas-Fort Worth area periodically to visit family or go to OU football games; but we recently headed to Dallas for an “out-of-the-box” event.
Like Oklahoma City’s deadCenter Film Festival, the Dallas International Film Festival offers premieres and viewings of indie films. On a recent Friday we went to see one specific film, “In the Land of Fireworks.”
While “In the Land of Fireworks” was filmed primarily in the Dallas area, the leading actress is from Edmond, Oklahoma. Laura Spencer played the role of Heidi in the movie, and it was especially fun to see a “home town girl” show her talent.
Having worked for a number of years with Laura’s mother, I have watched Laura grow up, graduate from OU, and head to the bright lights of Hollywood. Many young people have made this same trek, some with more success than others, so seeing Laura’s success on the big screen is exciting. Yes, it was an independent film, not a major production from MGM, but it is obvious that this is just a start for Laura. During a Q&A session following the screening, the writer/director, the producer, and several other actors commented that Laura’s abilities made their jobs easier and made the movie “come together” for them.
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- Laura Spencer
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- Laura Spencer, Chad Halbrook (actor), Joey Curry (writer/director), Mike Whatley (producer)
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- Texas Theatre in Dallas
Actually, this isn’t the first production that Laura has played a role in. She was in “Barking Water,” which was screened at Sundance, considered the premier film festival in the nation; has a small role in “Pearl,” the story of the first female Chickasaw aviator; and plays the lead role in “The Familiar,” which we have just viewed on DVD.
Laura has also been seen (if you don’t blink) in a McDonald’s commercial and had a cameo in the premiere episode of TV’s “Mad Love.”
Needless to say, we believe this is just a start for Laura that will eventually make a future headline: “Home Town Girl Makes Good in Hollywood!”
“In the Land of Fireworks” was screened at the Texas Theatre in the Oak Cliff area, just south of I-30, west of I-35E. And yes, it is a famous theatre that has recently been revitalized. Howard Hughes originally financed the Texas Theatre in 1931, but it became nationally famous as the theatre where Lee Harvey Oswald was discovered after shooting President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963! It is quite an interesting place and has been upgraded with new digital projection capabilities, a concessions area and full-service bar.
Next time you are in the Dallas area, step out of the box and go to the Texas Theatre to see an independent film, concert, or theatre event. And keep your eyes wide open for the next step in stardom for Edmond’s own Laura Spencer!
