With its CoMo Famous series, Ragtag Film Society harnesses power of local celebrity
Aarik Danielsen
Harnessing the power of local celebrity, and its own significant store of goodwill, the CoMo Famous series returns to Columbia's indie moviehouse, Ragtag Cinema.
In June, Ragtag will host five screenings featuring a film selected by a "prominent Columbian." Each participant looks to boost the mission and funding of Ragtag Film Society — the organization behind both the cinema and the True/False Film Fest — by selling as many tickets as they can. The series is in its fourth iteration, according to the Ragtag website.
Here are this year's contestants, and their cinematic choices.
'Crossing Delancey' — Amanda Rainey, Goldie's Bagels
When: Tuesday, June 6
Year: 1988
Director: Joan Micklin Silver
Cast: Amy Irving, Peter Riegert
Premise: Adapted by Susan Sandler from her own play, this romantic comedy, a New York woman is torn between two men: one she set her eyes on, and one proposed by her Jewish grandmother's matchmaker.
Rating: PG
'Bring it On' — Diamond Scott, Principle Salon
When: June 8
Year: 2000
Director: Peyton Reed
Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford, Gabrielle Union
Premise: In this surprisingly sly comedy, Dunst's cheer captain goes beyond her narrowly-constructed world when she learns the team's cheers were pilfered from a predominantly Black school.
Rating: PG-13
'Mid90s' — Cody Finley, Lore Tattoo Studio
When: June 13
Year: 2018
Director: Jonah Hill
Cast: Sunny Suljic, Katherine Waterston, Lucas Hedges
Premise: Hill's directorial debut takes a semi-autobiographical approach, focusing in on the life of an aspiring Los Angeles skate kid in the titular times.
Rating: R
'Next Friday' — Matt Warren, Como Beach
When: June 15
Year: 2000
Director: Steve Carr
Cast: Ice Cube, Mike Epps, John Witherspoon
Premise: In the first sequel to 1995's iconic "Friday," Craig (Ice Cube) seeks to escape trouble by moving in with family who have newly settled in the suburbs.
Rating: R
'Footlose' — Lisa Driskel Hawxby, DogMaster Distillery
When: June 20
Year: 1984
Director: Herbert Ross
Cast: Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, John Lithgow
Premise: Kevin Bacon needs to dance! And he brings that desire, and some fancy footwork, to a repressive small town.
Rating: PG
The winner of this year's CoMo Famous will be revealed June 24 at Ragtag's yearly birthday party. Interested patrons can donate $10 to their favorite contestant — or more than one — to reserve space at the extravaganza.
All CoMo Famous events begin at 6:30 p.m.; tickets for each screening are $20. Learn more about the series at https://ragtagcinema.org/film-series/como-famous-2023/.
Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. He's on Twitter @aarikdanielsen.