Saturday afternoon's screening of Cooper & The Castle Hills Gang at NorthPark Center, among the handful of family-friendly offerings at the Dallas International Film Festival, is nearly sold out; all that remain are rush tickets. But if you're desperate to see the 50-minute short about kids who have to help a kindly old man find a lost something special, fret not: It'll stream over the web immediately following its debut and forever after -- because, according to The Wall Street Journal today, it's also a "marketing tool" for the Castle Hills master-planned community off the Sam Rayburn Tollway between Josey Lane and Parker Road.
It was the idea of oil-and-gas man Chris Bright -- son of former Dallas Cowboys owner H.R. "Bum" Bright and the man sitting at the head of many companies, among 'em Bright Realty. Writes Kris Hudson:
The film, featuring experienced but not well-known actors, focuses on its story rather than lingering on obvious marketing shots. One of its few hiccups comes when Cooper uses the term "mixed use urban center" in casual conversation.