ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, October 30, 1996 TAG: 9610300014
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
A mountain railroad gets a second chance at profitability.
A glib adman is mistaken for a spy.
A nosy mother suspects her son-in-law is unfaithful.
Wile E. Coyote continues his eternal quest.
Those are the subjects of four films at this year's Virginia Film Festival. In the nine years of its existence, the festival has grown and shrunk. Sometimes it has attracted Hollywood's biggest stars; more often it has depended on popular themes and a mix of older films of proven worth and new independent productions.
This year's slimmed-down festival combines all of those elements. Kathleen Turner was scheduled to introduce things in Charlottesville with a pre-festival screening of "Serial Mom," the 1994 black comedy she made with John Waters.
The official opening takes place tonight with a 5 p.m. reception at the Bayley Art Museum for guests Eva Marie Saint and writer Ernest Lehman. Then at 7 they'll introduce their most popular collaboration, Alfred Hitchcock's "North by Northwest."
In the past, such older films have been more enjoyable than the new fare. A whole generation of moviegoers hasn't had a chance to see films like "Chinatown" or "The Grapes of Wrath" on the big screen, and so the new, lesser-known ones face tough competition. This year, though, at least two of the regional premieres are winners.
Christopher Munch's "Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day" is a nostalgic, beautifully photographed look at the last days of the Yosemite Valley Railroad Co. The leisurely paced tale will have special appeal to train fans.
Greg Mottolo's "The Daytrippers," already the winner of several awards at other festivals, is a real crowd-pleaser about a New Jersey family's adventures in New York City. Starring Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott, from the current theatrical hit "Big Night," it's a sharp, picaresque comedy about generational conflicts, sex, literature and suspected infidelity.
The Virginia Festival continues in Charlottesville through Sunday. Ticket prices range from $5 for most individual films to $30 for the reception and the Saturday night party. For more information call 1-800-UVA-FEST (1-800-882-3378), or see the web site at http://www.virginia.edu@vafilm
LENGTH: Short : 50 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Parker Posey and Liev Schreiber are in the cast of ``Theby CNBDaytrippers,'' which is premiering at the film festival in
Charlottesville. color.