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From the Stevens Point
Journal April 1, 2004:
Mummy Mayhem
Marks Trivia movie
Thu, Apr 1, 2004
By KATE GARSOMBKE
Journal staff
An elderly Elvis and a man who thinks he's John F. Kennedy battle a
soul-sucking mummy at their nursing home in this year's Trivia kickoff
movie.
The off-beat horror flick "Bubba Ho-Tep" is "definitely a
comedy," said Trivia organizer Jim Oliva, who picked the film. It
stars Bruce Campbell - who's best known for his role in the cult favorite
"Evil Dead" movies - as Elvis. Ossie Davis plays opposite Campbell
as a man who's convinced he's JFK.
"Bubba Ho-Tep" begins the countdown to the world's largest trivia
contest, which runs for 54 hours over April 16, 17 and 18. This year's
contest, Trivia 35: Thanks for the Contest, is an homage to entertainer Bob
Hope.
The movie begins at midnight Friday and Saturday at Rogers Cinema, 2725
Church St., with the doors opening at 11:15 p.m. Admission costs $3.
Oliva said he picked "Bubba Ho-Tep" as the Trivia movie in
November, but it wasn't until Monday that he got confirmation from a
distributor that the film would come to Stevens Point. "I was tearing
my hair out," he said.
The movie is based on a short story by Joe R. Lansdale, according to the
film's Web site.
In "Bubba Ho-Tep," Elvis is still alive - he switched identities
with an Elvis impersonator years before his "death," then missed
his chance to switch back, according to the movie's Web site. He's now a
senior citizen, living at a nursing home in a Texas town. Elvis teams up
with a fellow resident, who believes he's JFK, to fight the ancient evil
entity that threatens to destroy them.
JFK describes to Elvis in the movie trailer that "What we have at Shady
Rest is an Egyptian soul-sucker of some sort. A mummy hiding out, feeding on
the sleeping."
Oliva, who hasn't yet seen the film, said it fits in with the fun,
irreverent style of Trivia kickoff movies from years past. Last year's movie
was "Tribute," a documentary about cover bands. Other Trivia
movies include "Being John Malkovich," "The Adventures of
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" and a national premiere of
"Bridget Jones's Diary."
Oliva said "Bubba Ho-Tep" slowly has been gaining acclaim.
"When I first latched onto it, nobody'd heard of it," he said.
"Near the end of March, everywhere I look, it's 'Bubba Ho-Tep.' More
and more places are booking the movie."
Garsombke can be reached
at 344-6100, ext. 2509, or at kate.garsombke@cwnews.net.
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