Earlier this year at the Dallas International Film Festival, I had the honor of hosting a Q&A for the Gil Cates Jr. movie LUCKY, which at the time I knew little about. It stars Colin Hanks, Ari Graynor, Ann-Margret and Jeffrey Tambor – Cates and Graynor were in attendance for the screening I was at. The tricky thing about getting asked to host stuff like that is that you never know if the film is going to be any good or not, and if it’s not… well, you just have to fight through it and try to stay enthusiastic. Thankfully I found LUCKY to be a whole lot of fun. The basic story is simple – a serial killer wins the lottery. But hey, there’s much more to it that that. In fact I kind of wished they had downplayed the fact that Colin Hanks is playing a serial killer at all, as it would have made a great surprise to the audience within the film. But despite Hanks getting the top bill credit, make no mistake, this is Ari Graynor’s film. The bubbly young actress shines in a difficult performance, and really carries this one pretty much all the way through. I hope it gets decent exposure, as it should serve as a nice showcase piece for her and Gil Cates Jr., and be a reminder of why we all love the great Ann-Margret, who is also terrific here. Check out the trailer below and poster above, and tell us your thoughts in the comments.
It seems like a dream come true when Ben Keller wins the Iowa state lottery… but for everyone else in his life, it’s the beginning of darkly comic nightmare. With 80 million dollars at his disposal, Ben has the newfound confidence to pursue his life-long crush, Lucy St. Martin. But can all the money in the world compensate for the fact that Ben is a fledgling serial killer? As their relationship spirals out of control, and the body count rises, Lucy and Ben do all they can to survive love, marriage… and each other.
LUCKY opens July 15, 2011
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
