‘Familiar’ take on Bond

There was a pretty big lineup of films at Regal Downtown last weekend. Barry Sisson put his locally made film, “Familiar Strangers,” head to head with the likes of “Soul Men,” “W,” “Secret Life of Bees,” “Burn After Reading,” “Zack and Miri Make a Porno,” “Rocknrolla” and the ever-popular “Beverly Hills Chihuahua.”

Guess what? The small, independent film that was shot in Augusta County beat them all.

“It did really great,” Sisson said. “We were No. 1 at the theater last weekend.”

The strong showing prompted theater owners to book his film for another week, and, if it does well again this weekend, it could be booked up even longer.

Sisson said he also was encouraged by the audience response.

“I talked to so many people who told me they really liked it,” he said. “Some of them had already seen it two times and they said they liked it better the second time.

“When you make a film, all you can do is hope and pray that you can touch someone.”

He touched quite a few people in Charlottesville.

Now you might expect the hometown crowd to pull for the local team, but “Familiar Strangers” fared well in Northern Virginia, too.

“FS” was No. 2 at the Cinema Arts Theatre in Fairfax.

“We were beat out by ‘Quantum of Solace’,” Sisson said with a laugh.

Imagine that.

Daniel Craig donned his James Bond suit in what turned out to be the best opening weekend in the James Bond series. The sequel to “Casino Royale” earned $67 million nationwide. (“Casino” had only cashed in $30 million on its first weekend.)

So Sisson was pleased to play No. 2 to Bond.

But wait. There’s more to the story.

“I got a call from the theater owner,” Sisson said. “He was shocked. He told me, ‘You aren’t going to believe this. You were No. 1 on Sunday.’

“I guess people wanted something a little lighter than Bond on Sunday.”

The trend is likely to continue tonight when the “Familiar Strangers” opens at the Visulite Theater in Staunton. Tim Estep, who helped with the production, will be on hand at the 7 p.m. screening for a Q&A session.

One would expect Staunton to turn out to see how the town looks on the big screen. There is plenty to recognize from downtown, the train station, the hardware store. Even the family’s home was filmed on location near Stuarts Draft.

“We are hoping that people will come out to see it,” Sisson said.

After this weekend, the film will open in Kansas City on Wednesday, and Nashville, Knoxville and Richmond on Dec. 5. Luckily, we won’t have to travel to Tennessee.

All we have to do is go downtown.

See you at the movies.

On the other hand …

If you would like to be seen in the movies, there is a casting call this weekend.

Actors and actresses are needed for the 100 Hour Film Racing Grand Prix. Rehearsals and shooting will take place all day Saturday and Sunday, so you must be available both days. Basically, filmmakers have 100 hours to make a 5½-minute film.

So, you aren’t going to get rich. Your pay includes meals, copy and credit. But if you are looking for exposure or just a chance to learn to the ropes, send Jon Shaivitz a short email, including your headshot and resume, to .

There may be a few spots still open.

Check out more on Grand Prix filmmaking at http://www.filmracing.com.