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July 2010
AFF Conversation in Film: Ryan Piers Williams presents “The Dry Land”
More on “The Dry Land” from AFF:
“The Dry Land,” starring America Ferrera, Ryan O’Nan, Jason Ritter, Wilmer Valderrama and Melissa Leo, tells the story of a young soldier returning home from Iraq and trying to fall back into small town life. James (O’Nan) returns from Iraq to face a new battle—reintegrating into his small-town life in Texas. His wife (Ferrera), his mother (Leo), and his friend (Ritter) provide support, but they can’t fully understand the pain and suffering he feels since his tour of duty ended. Lonely, James reconnects with an army buddy (Valderrama), who provides him with compassion and camaraderie during his battle to process his experiences in Iraq. But their reunion also exposes the different ways that war affects people—at least on the surface.
Tickets ($8 for AFF members and $12 for non-members) and can be purchased at the AFF site or by calling 478.4795.
A Conversation in Film: “The Dry Land”
Tuesday, August 10 @ 7:30pm
Texas Spirit Theater
AP photo: Ryan Piers Williams and America Ferrera arrive at the the 2010 New York International Latino Film Festival opening film “Day Land” on Tuesday, July 27, 2010.
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Pierson’s Master Class returns to airwaves
Just because you’re not in college anymore doesn’t mean the education has to stop. And, with the help of technology, you don’t even have to audit a class to get erudition and entertainment.
Austin film scene eminence grise and University of Texas lecturer John Pierson offers a weekly Master Class in the Radio/Television/Film department every spring. During the semester, Pierson brings in about 10 guests from the film world to discuss the craft. Those conversations are later edited down by students and condensed to 30 minute shows which air on KUT. This Sunday night marks the return of Pierson’s Master Class to the public airwaves. But note a scheduling change: In previous incarnations, the show aired on Sunday mornings, but will now air at Midnight on Sunday nights, taking the lead-off spot on O’Dark 30.
The first episode of this four-part series features director Spike Jonze. We attended the conversation in April (highlights here), so we can guarantee you will be informed and entertained, with topics that may range from Weezer to “Where the Wild Things Are” to the director’s forthcoming short with Arcade Fire, shot here in Austin. No word on where/when the short featuring the Montreal-based band will be released, but their new CD is slated to drop next Tuesday.
Future shows include Elizabeth Avellan (August 8) — hot on the heels of the release of the producer’s film “Predators” and just weeks ahead of the world premiere of “Machete” at the Venice Film Festival; Timur Bekmambetov (August 15); and locals author Alison Macor and writer-director Richard Linklater.
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Texas Filmmakers Showcase
Texas filmmakers get a chance to show off their latest work tonight in a special event sponsored by the Houston Film Commission at the Alamo Lake Creek.
The “Texas Filmmakers Showcase” features six shorts by up-and-coming Texans, all of whom are expected to attend tonight’s screening. Last month, the filmmakers went to Los Angeles, where their shorts were screened for Hollywood honchos. Tonight’s screening in Austin, which is free to members of the Austin Film Festival, will be one of several hosted throughout the state in the coming weeks.
The program offers an excellent look at the variety - and quality - of shorts being developed in Texas.
The shorts that will screen are:
- ‘Der Vater’ (The Father) by James T. Moore - Moore’s intense World War II drama presents one man’s devastating moral dilemma under Nazi pressure.
- ‘Katrina’s Son’ by Austin’s Ya’Ke Smith - Smith turns his focus on the people, not the politics, of Hurricane Katrina, namely a young boy whose life is upended in desperate ways by the tragedy.
- ‘Love Bug’ by Austin’s Kat Candler - This six-minute, multi-award-winning family comedy explores a 9-year-old boy’s torturous, budding feelings for a bug-adoring girl.
- ‘Mnemosyne Rising’ by Miguel Alvarez - A deep-space transmitter pilot begins to experience unusual flashbacks while in orbit around a newly discovered moon. Alone on his ship, he must uncover the truth behind the reawakening of his long-forgotten memories.
- ‘The Natural Order of Things’ by Van Blumreich - Shot on location in Beijing, `Natural Order’ tells of two different fathers who are brought together by a tragedy.
- ‘Never Do This’ by Scott Rice - Partly shot in Austin, this comic short features quick sketches of things that you really shouldn’t do.
‘Texas Filmmakers Showcase’
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: Alamo Lake Creek, 13729 Research Blvd.
Cost: $4 general public; free for Austin Film Festival members
Information:austinfilmfestival.com, houstonfilmcommission.com
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World premiere of ‘Machete’ announced
Robert Rodriguez gave fans at Comic-Con a taste of his upcoming splatter-fest ‘Machete’ last week, and yesterday news came that the director will be premiering his film near the border. It just happens to be close to the border of Italy and Slovenia.
The Venice Film Festival announced that they would be hosting the world premiere as the midnight film on the festival’s opening night, September 1.
The film will be screened out of competition, which will avoid any conflict with the jury’s president, Rodriguez pal Quentin Tarantino.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Rodriguez, who is making his first visit to the Venice fest in seven years, will screen his film shortly after fest opener “Black Swan,” Darren Aronofsky. “Machete” opens in Austin on September 3.
Today the festival announced that the following films will also be screening at the fest, which runs from September 1 - September 11: “La Pecora Nera,” (Black Sheep), by Ascanio Celestini, Italy; “Somewhere,” by Sofia Coppola, United States; “Happy Few,” by Antony Cordier, France; “La Solitudine Dei Numeri Primi,” (“The Solitude of Prime Numbers”), by Saverio Costanzo, Italy; “Ovsyanki” (“Silent Souls”), by Aleksei Fedorchenko, Russia; “Promises Written in Water,” by Vincent Gallo, United States; “Road to Nowhere,” by Monte Hellman, United States; “Balada Triste de Trompeta” (“A Sad Trumpet Ballad”), by Alex de la Iglesia, Spain; “Venus Noire” (“Black Venus”), by Abdellatif Kechiche, France; “Post Mortem,” by Pablo Larrain, Chile; “Barney’s Version,” by Richard J. Lewis, Canada; “Noi Credevamo” (We Believed), by Mario Martone, Italy; “La Passione” (The Passion), by Carlo Mazzacurati, Italy; “Jusan-nin no shikaku” (“13 Assasins”), by Takashi Miike, Japan; “Potiche,” by Francois Ozon, France; “Meek’s Cutoff,” by Kelly Reichardt, United States; “Miral,” by Julian Schnabel, United States; “Noruwei no mori” (“Norwegian Wood”), by Anh Hung Tran, Japan; “Attenberg,” by Athina Rachel Tsangari, Greece; “Di Renjie zhi Tongtian diguo” (“Detective Dee and the Mystery of Phantom Flame”), by Tsui Hark, China; “Drei” (Three), by Tom Tykwer, Germany.
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The Alamo preparing to get explosive
Say this about the Alamo Drafthouse — they like action and they like to go big. And when you look at the roster of action stars in this summer’s “The Expendables,” the names don’t get much bigger when it comes to flying elbows, machine guns, high leg kicks and choke holds. Seeing the names Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Jet Li and Jason Statham on one movie poster almost seems like something out of The Onion. Oh, but it’s real. As real as an adrenaline shot to the heart.
To herald the arrival of this over-the-top film written and directed by Sylvester Stallone, the Alamo is breaking out the cinematic trumpets with an all-night testosterone fest on August 6 that they’re calling “The Expendables Cinemapocalypse.” Beginning at 10 p.m., participants are in for a murderer’s row of movies from the murderers in “The Expendable.” There will be back-to-back-to-back screenings of “Die Hard,” “I Come in Peace” and “Demolition Man.” Then, for those who are man enough to stand it, a free screening of “The Expendables.” No word on a one-armed push-up contest at 4 a.m. Tickets for this celluloid man-a-thon go on sale this Friday at noon. For more information, click here.
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‘Citizen Architect’ screening
The documentary “Citizen Architect” will screen at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Alamo Ritz — the last such showing before premiering on PBS in August.
Directed by Austin’s Sam Douglas, “Citizen Architect” focuses on the Samuel Mockbee, who started the Rural Studio in Alabama. The design/build architecture program created buildings for lower-income communities in Alabama. And the documentary focuses on one such home for Jimmie Lee Matthews, a destitute client.
The screening starts at 7 p.m. at 320 E. 6th St. Tickets are $10. The screening benefits the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund and is sponsored by Austin Film Society.
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Noteworthy DVDs released 7/27/10
FRESH FROM THE MULTIPLEX
“Clash of the Titans” (2010) (Warner Bros.); “Repo Men” (Universal)
NEW ON BLU-RAY
“Battlestar Galactica: Season 3 (Universal);
“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (Sony); “Fanboys” (Vivendi); “Johnny
Handsome,” “Lock Up,” “Rambo” (Extended Cut), “Rambo: The Complete
Collection” (Lions Gate); “The Prowler” (Blue Underground); “Victor
Victoria: The Broadway Musical” (Image)
TV-ON-DVD
“21 Jump Street” and “Hunter” Complete Series, “The Stephen
J. Cannell Collection” (Mill Creek); “The Agatha Christie Hour,” Set
1, “Poirot: Classic Collection,” Sets 4 and 5 (Acorn Media); “The
Black Arrow” Complete Series, Ian McShane in “High Tide” (VCI);
“Dragon Ball,” Season 5 and “Curse Of The Blood Rubies” (FUNimation);
“The Mothers-in-Law” (MPI); “Red Vs Blue”
Season 6 (New Video); “Sabrina The Teenage Witch” Final Season, “Sgt.
Bilko: The Phil Silvers Show” Season 1 (Paramount); “Stargate
Universe: 1.5” (MGM); “Stephen Fry in America,” “The Sweeney”
Series and Two (BFS)
ARTHOUSE/FOREIGN
SXSW alum “Artois the Goat” (Indiepix); “Getting
Home,” “Song from the Southern Seas” (Global Lens Initiative); “Home”
(2008) (Kino); “IP Man” (Well Go USA); “Kites” (Big Picture); “The
Secret of the Grain” (Criterion); new limited- edition releases
including “Memory of Water” and “Viva Castro!” (Facets); “Vincere”
(MPI)
DOCUMENTARIES
“The Art of the Steal” (MPI); “Chow Down” (Virgil
Films); Cliff Richard and Ian Dury volumes of “Rare and Unseen,”
“The Rolling Stones 1969-1974,” “We Fun: Atlanta, GA Inside/Out,”
“I Need That Record!” (MVD); “The Eyes of Me” (Indiepix), recipient of
a Texas Filmmakers’ Production Fund grant, which follows four teen
students at the School for the Blind and Visually Impaired; “Huxley On
Huxley,” “Joan Mitchell: Portrait of An Abstract Painter (New Video);
“Loos Ornamental” (Facets); “Project 798: New Art in New China”
(Microcinema); “Water Wars” (Cinema Libre)
FROM THE VAULTS
Eclipse Series 22: “Presenting Sacha Guitry”
(Criterion); Five reissues from Olive Films, including “Appointment
with Danger,” starring Charlton Heston, and the William Holden vehicle
“Union Station,” both from 1950; obscure titles from VCI including the
Maureen O’Hara-starring “The Australian Story.”
CULT CORNER
“G.I. Joe: The Movie” (Shout! Factory); “Gold: Before
Woodstock, Beyond Reality,” “Night Of The Living Dead:
Reanimated” (MVD); “Don’t Look Up” (E1 Entertainment)
STRAIGHT(ISH) TO VIDEO
Ray Bradbury’s “Chrysalis” (E1 Entertainment);
Rob Corddry, Ellen Barkin, and Zach Galifianakis in
“Operation: Endgame” (Anchor Bay)
KIDS’ STUFF
“Barney: Furry Friends” (Lions Gate); “Batman: Under the
Red Hood,” “Batman: Legends Begin” Vol. 1 (Warner Bros.); “The Busy
World of Richard Scarry,” “Wimzie’s House” (Mill Creek); “Goodnight
Moon,” “A Pocket For Corduroy” (Scholastic)
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Robert Rodriguez offers taste of ‘Machete’ at Comic-Con
Austin Troublemaker Robert Rodriguez showed up at the fanboy fest known as Comic-Con last night in San Diego with footage from his forthcoming ‘Machete’ in tow.
But instead of trudging the movie inside to the masses, the director — joined by stars Danny Trejo and Michelle Rodriguez — screened seven minutes of his slash-action film for a block party that featured free tacos, margaritas, scantily clad dancers, low-riders and a graffiti wall, according to the Associated Press.
Of the movie based on a trailer shown in 2007’s “Grindhouse,” the AP says, “In one scene, Alba puts out an attacker’s eye with a stiletto heel. In another, Trejo’s character slices open an opponent’s stomach and rappels down a wall with his intestine.”
The film focuses on Trejo’s character, Machete, a renegade who’s fighting against corruption in the United States and Mexico. Robert Rodriguez wrote the part for Trejo, his first starring role in a 25-year career.
“No matter where you go, there’s always going to be corruption,” Robert Rodriguez said. “So you almost have to create this superhero that can solve a problem that we find unsolvable ourselves.”
“This is the first Latino superhero,” said Michelle Rodriguez, who sports an eye patch in “Machete.”
In conjunction with the buzz generated at Comic-Con, the red-band trailer for the movie that hits theaters in September was also released on IGN.com. Beware: Before you click on the link to the trailer, please know that it is very much Not Safe For Work due to disembowelment, foul language and partial nudity.
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‘Temple Grandin’ hits DVD
Austin-made drama “Temple Grandin”, a biopic starring Claire Danes as the livestock and animal behavior expert with high-functioning autism, comes to DVD on Aug. 17.
The well-received HBO movie co-stars Julia Ormond. The DVD list price is $26.98, and it will be available on Netflix as well.
Read Statesman TV writer Dale Roe’s review HERE. You will have to scroll down a bit.
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Bill Murray reflects on his time at SXSW 2010
The irrepressible Bill Murray — who dove repeatedly into a New York trash dumpster filled with water on last night’s Letterman — reminiscences in GQ about his wild time at this year’s SXSW, where he famously played bartender at a Sixth Street watering hole.
The Arizona Republic offers this tidbit from the GQ article, in which Murray also discusses the chance for a “Ghostbusters 3”:
“Bill Murray, who apparently wanders the Earth conducting informal interest surveys, tells GQ magazine that he sees a shimmering “Ghostbusters 3” hovering on the horizon since the gossip mill embraced the idea of another movie in the series. … “It’s still one of the biggest movies of all time. And ever since that story broke, everywhere I go people are like, ‘So are you gonna make that movie?’ ” he says. “I was down in Austin at South by Southwest, and you go at it hard down there — fun but, man, you need to sleep for days afterwards. Anyhow, I got into it one night with a bunch of younger people who were like, ‘Oh, I love Peter Venkman! I grew up with Peter Venkman!’ We got to talking, and the more we talked about it, the more I thought, ‘Oh Christ, I should just do this thing.’ “
The link, right HERE.
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Former Austinite named rising filmmaker
Indie film journal Filmmaker Magazine has compiled a subjective list of the 25 New Faces of Independent Film, which includes one-time Austinite and UT alum Susan Youssef.
Youssef, who now lives in Amsterdam, won grants from the Austin Film Society’s Texas Filmmaker’s Production Fund for her projects. She’s currently working on her long-gestating debut feature “Habibi Rasak Kharban,” a “Romeo and Juliet”-type romance based on a 12th century Sufi parable.
Read the full magazine write-up HERE.
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Fantastic Fest adds more fun — again
Fantastic Fest, the world’s biggest genre film festival running in September, is going bonkers again, this time with the Fantastic Arcade, a new independent games festival that’s part of FF.
There’s more. As part of the Arcade, there will be a 48-hour Machinima Film Challenge, with prizes and all that happy stuff.
Everything you need to know is HERE
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Fantastic Fest releases handful of titles
Fan boys and oddball genre lovers (in addition to every other stripe of movie lover and film freak) are likely all atwitter about the first wave of titles released by Austin’s Fantastic Fest.
The list of a baker’s dozen for the fest that runs September 23-30 includes German zombies, Swedish musical terrorists and blood-soaked entries from Korea and Australia.
Below are the 13 titles released today, with descriptions provided by FF. For more information, visit fantasticfest.com.
“Bedevilled” (2010)
Director: Cheol-soo Jang, South Korea, 115 minutes
If you beat, brutalize, dehumanize and torment a country girl for her entire life, take note: when she reaches the breaking point, you’d best hide the farm implements.
“Corridor” (2009)
Directors: Johan Lundborg & Johan Storm, Sweden, 80 min
Lonely medical student Frank is pleased with his flat, a quiet place to focus on his coming exams. But when he meets the girl upstairs, his peace and quiet, his sanity and possibly even his life become jeopardized.
“The Dead” (2010)
Directors: Howard J. Ford and Jonathan Ford South Africa, 100 min
After his plane crashes in the South African bush, Rob Freeman (SAVING PRIVATE RYAN) joins forces with Prince David Osei (a superstar actor in his native Ghana) to cross the vast desert by any means necessary. A daunting task under normal circumstances becomes particularly challenging after the zombie apocalypse.
“Gallants” (2010)
Directors: Derek Kwok & Clement Cheng, Hong Kong, 98 minutes
The funniest, most ass-kicking, hard-rocking, pedal-to-the-metal movie of the year. It’s COCOON with kung fu! (New York Asian Film Festival)
“Golden Slumber” (2010)
Director: Yoshihiro Nakamura, South Korea, 139 minutes
Last year, Yoshihiro Nakamura’s FISH STORY saved the world from certain annihilation and became the word-of-mouth hit of the festival. This year, Nakamura’s back with another ode to the human connection, GOLDEN SLUMBER, a brain-melting thriller send-up that’s two parts THE BIG CHILL, three parts BOURNE IDENTITY and a million parts awesome. (New York Asian Film Festival)
“Ip Man 2” (2010)
Director: Wilson Yip, Hong Kong, 108 minutes
It’s a rousing Canto-fable, a Hong Kong empowerment movie, a return to old school martial arts filmmaking with AVATAR-era production values, and on its opening weekend in Hong Kong it beat IRON MAN 2 at the box office like a redheaded stepchild. (New York Asian Film Festival)
“Life and Death of Porno Gang” (2009)
Director: Mladen Djordjevic, Serbia, 90 minutes
Adult movie director Marko steals money from his mobster producer Cane to create his masterpiece: an experimental black and white erotic horror film. When the film bombs and he can’t repay his boss, he slips away with the cast and crew to produce live porno-theater in the Serbian countryside. Then it gets weird.
“Outrage” (2010)
Director: Takeshi Kitano, Japan, 109 minutes
Takeshi Kitano is back in classic form, directing and starring in the genre God intended for him: a ruthless, bloody and very violent yakuza crime thriller.
“Rammbock” (2010)
Director: Marvin Kren, Germany, 59 minutes
Hoping to rekindle the sparks with his ex-girlfriend, Michael makes a surprise visit to her apartment in the city. Bad timing. As luck would have it, this is also the same day the zombie outbreak hits Berlin.
“Red Hill” (2010)
Director: Patrick Hughes, Australia, 95 minutes
On his first day on the job as a rural Australian constable, Shane Cooper (TRUE BLOOD star Ryan Kwanten) has a daunting assignment: face off against an escaped-convict Aboriginal tracker whose current prey is the entire Red Hill police department.
“Rubber” (2010)
Director: Quentin Dupieux, France/USA, 85 minutes
Quentin Dupieux (the real name of legendary DJ Mr. Ozio) has directed my hands-down favorite film of Cannes 2010. Robert, a very disgruntled psychokinetic automobile tire explodes the heads of birds, beasts and humans alike on a high-desert killing spree like no other.
“Sound of Noise” (2010)
Directors: Ola Simonsson and Johannes Stärne Nilsson, Sweden, 102 minutes
Musical terrorists have launched a full-scale musical attack using the city - its buildings, its machinery and its ceaseless noise - as their instrument. The group’s leaders are the “Bonnie and Clyde of underground rock,” hell-bent to dismantle the harmony of the world with their anarchic performances.
“The Violent Kind” (2010)
Directors: The Butcher Brothers, USA, 95 minutes
What starts as a biker bash gone awry first gets unfathomably bloody before finally transcending into truly bizarre territory.
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Noteworthy DVDs released 7/20/10
PICK OF THE WEEK
“Black Narcissus” and “The Red Shoes” (Criterion): Two color-coded
masterpieces from the heyday of the Powell/Pressburger team, the
latter of which is well known as one of Martin Scorsese’s favorites,
get reissued on both standard DVD and Blu-ray.
OTHER TOP PICKS
“The Bong Joon-Ho Collection” (Magnolia): “The Host” joins two other
features for this box set starring one of South Korea’s hottest
filmmakers.
“The Runaways” (Sony): Kristen Stewart takes a break from vampires to play Joan Jett in a much-discussed biopic.
“A Town Called Panic” (Zeitgeist): More a series of stitched- together episodes than a feature film, this bizarro Belgian animated tale (which premiered at Fantastic Fest) is a real charmer.
“Favela on Blast” (Mad Decent): A world of slum-bred Brazilian funk is unveiled in this sweaty SXSW-alum documentary directed by M.I.A. producer Diplo.
FRESH FROM THE MULTIPLEX
“Cop Out,” “The Losers” (Warner Bros.)
NEW ON BLU-RAY
“Music Lover’s Europe,” “The Great Cities,” and “San
Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver” (Questar); “Cats & Dogs” (Warner
Bros.); “Tin Man” (2007) (Vivendi)
ARTHOUSE/FOREIGN
“May 18” (Virgil Films); Jean-Paul Belmondo in “The
Professional” (1981) (Lions Gate)
DOCUMENTARIES
“College, Inc.,” “Ground War,” “Mt. St. Helens: Back
from the Dead,” “The New Recruits” (PBS); “Howard Zinn: You Can’t Be
Neutral On a Moving Train,” “The Most Dangerous Man in America:
Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers,” “Prodigal Sons” (First Run
Pictures); “Nollywood Babylon” (Kino)
TV-ON-DVD
“Being Human” Season 1, “Desperate Romantics,” “Look Around
You” Season 1 (BBC); “Courage the Cowardly Dog” Season 1 (Warner
Bros.); “Degrassi: The Next Generation” Season 9 (Echo Bridge);
“Elaine Paige: Celebrating 40 Years on Stage” (PBS); “Jersey Shore”
Season 1, “Matlock” Season 5 (Paramount); “My Boys”
Seasons 2 & 3 (Sony); “Simon & Simon” Season 5 (Shout! Factory)
CULT CORNER
“2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams” (First Look); “Forbidden
World,” “Galaxy of Terror” (Shout! Factory); “Rin:
Daughters of Mnemosyne” Complete Series (FUNimation)
STRAIGHT(ISH) TO VIDEO
“Entre Nos” (Indiepix); “Evil Aliens” (Image);
Jane Lynch in “I Do & I Don’t,” Jean Reno in “Ultimate Heist” (Phase
4)
KIDS’ STUFF
“Caillou: Caillou’s Fun Outside,” “Martha Speaks:
Martha Goes to School,” “Super Why: Attack of the Eraser” (Paramount);
“Music, Music Everywhere” (Lions Gate); “Super Friends!” Season 1,
Vol. 2 (Warner Bros.)
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Austin Film Society names annual fund’s panelists
Oscar-nominated documentarian Sam Green, animator Emily Hubley and Sundance award-winner Alex Rivera are the review panel for the Austin Film Society’s annual Texas Filmmakers’ Production Fund.
With the help of these three panelists, the film society has a goal of giving $100,000 in cash, plus in-kind support to emerging film and video artists in the state of Texas. AFS has raised $70,000 to date and is actively raising the remaining $30,000 from its broad base of supporters. AFS received 183 applications to the Texas Filmmakers’ Production Fund this year.
Grant recipients will be announced Aug. 27.
While in Austin, the panelists will screen their movies:
Sam Green presents “The Weather Underground” at 7 p.m. Aug. 23 at the Alamo South.
Alex Rivera presents “Sleep Dealer” at 9:30 p.m. Aug. 23 at the Alamo South.
Emily Hubley presents “The Toe Tactic” at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 24 at the Alamo South.
Show tickets and more about the fund HERE.
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Scott Pilgrim on sale tonight, tomorrow.
Austin Books is hosting a midnight sale tonight for “Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour,” the sixth and final volume of Scott Pilgrim, the dynamite OEL (original English language) manga series that has become something of phenomenon.
“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” a movie based on the books starring Michael Cera, opens Aug. 13.
The party includes a costume contest, door prizes, a Rock Band video game competition and “slacker grub” (snack cakes, honey buns, bottled water and free ramen noodles with every book). The party starts at 8 p.m., the book goes on-sale at midnight.
As Austin Books delights in pointing out, Cera first purchased Scott Pilgrim at the long-time Austin comic store when he was in town for “Superbad.” (See also the photo here.)
Any other stores doing midnight sales for this book?
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AFF “pass frenzy”
The Austin Film Festival is sponsoring a “pass frenzy” starting Saturday, with 17 days of gifts.
Anyone who buys two film passes to AFF will be entered into a daily drawing to win a prize. The prizes range from Fun Fun Fun Fest tickets to a Soul Train box set to a $150 gift card to Uchiko.
The AFF will announce the winners on its Twitter and Facebook accounts.
The Austin Film Festival event lasts till Aug. 2. The actual festival will be held from Oct. 21 through 28.
Film passes cost $42 and grant admission to eight nights of film screenings. Pass prices will increase to $50 on Aug. 1.
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Extras call for Robert Duvall movie
Golfers, golf fans and families are needed as extras for the movie “Seven Days in Utopia,” starring Robert Duvall and Lucas Black that will be filming in Fredericksburg July 29 through Aug. 10. The movie is based on the “inspirational” novel by area writer David Cook.
How to get involved:
Attend the casting call. No appointment or acting experience is necessary. It’s at 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday, July 17 and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday July 18 at The Inn on Baron’s Creek, Walch Haus Conference Center, 308 South Washington St. in Fredericksburg. Call 830-965-6601 with questions.
Apply by mail. Email your name, best contact phone number and a recent photo to UtopiaExtras@gmail.com.
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This week’s new DVDs
PICK OF THE WEEK:
“Greenberg” (Universal): Many viewers recoiled at this new Noah Baumbach film because its title character (played by Ben Stiller), is so deeply, unendearingly messed up. Others of us were thrilled to see Stiller do so well in a role that isn’t a kid-flick or numbskull comedy. (Not that we didn’t love his “Tropic Thunder” numbskullery.)
OTHER TOP PICKS:
“Insomnia” (2002) (Blu-ray): Christopher Nolan’s remake of a psychological thriller set at latitudes where night never falls.
“Brewster McCloud” (Warner Bros.): Robert Altman’s Astrodome-centric film (starring Bud Cort of “Harold and Maude” fame) finally hits disc — but is only available at Warner’s web-retail Archive (www.wbshop.com).
“Film Noir Classic Collection: Vol. 5” (Warner Bros.): Eight titles, some from such star auteurs as Anthony Mann and Don Siegel, for a cool fifty bucks.
“Two Films by Tasujiro Ozu: ‘The Only Son’ & ‘There Was a Father’” (Criterion): Little-seen early work by the Japanese master, one of which was his first sound film.
FRESH FROM THE MULTIPLEX: “The Bounty Hunter,” “Chloe” (Sony); “The Greatest” (E1 Entertainment); “Our Family Wedding” (Fox)
NEW ON BLU-RAY: “Alpha Dog,” “Assault on Precinct 13,” “In Bruges” (Universal); “Aquarium Impressions,” “Fireplace Impressions” (C & B Productions)
ARTHOUSE/FOREIGN: “Girl By the Lake” (MPI); “Here and There” (Lightyear); “Terribly Happy” (Oscilloscope); “Vivere” (E1 Entertainment)
DOCUMENTARIES: “8: The Mormon Proposition” (Wolfe); “Saving Marriage” (E1 Entertainment); “Don’t You Forget About Me” (Phase 4)
TV-ON-DVD: A quintet of “Lifetime” originals (A&E); “The Lucy Show” Season 2 (Paramount); “Mystery Science Theater 3000” Vol. XVIII, “Street Hawk” Complete Series (Shout! Factory); “Psych” Season 4 (Universal); “Saturday Night Live” best-ofs: Tracy Morgan & Will Ferrell (Lions Gate); “Saving Grace” Final Season, “White Collar” Season 1 (Fox); “Selling Hitler,” “Venice Revealed,” “World War I in Color” (Acorn Media); “Tori Amos: Live from the Artists Den” (Artists Den Records)
STRAIGHT(ISH) TO VIDEO: Austin-shot SXSW alum “Artois the Goat” (Indiepix); 50 Cent in “Caught in the Crossfire” (Lions Gate); James Van Der Beek in “Formosa Betrayed” (Screen Media Films); Ron Livingston discovers Cambodian sex trafficking in “Holly” (Cinema Epoch); Susan Sarandon in John Stockwell’s “Middle of Nowhere” (Image); Steve Buscemi in “Saint John of Las Vegas” (Vivendi)
KIDS’ STUFF: “The Backyardigans: Operation Elephant Drop,” “Nick Jr. Favorites: The First Day of School,” “Spongebob Squarepants: Triton’s Revenge” (Nickelodeon); “Sesame Street: 20 Years…And Still Counting,” “Thomas & Friends: Creaky Cranky” (Lions Gate)
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Alamo’s Rolling Roadshow summer schedule
The schedule for the Rolling Roadshow:
Aug. 6: “Jackie Brown” at Los Angeles’ Del Amo Fashion Mall
Aug. 7: “Dirty Harry” at San Francisco’s Washington Square Park
Aug. 8: “There Will Be Blood” at California’s Kern County Museum
Aug. 8: “Convoy” at the Ft. Davis drive-in in Las Vegas, N.M.
Aug. 13: “The Blues Brothers” at Chicago’s Joliet Prison
Aug. 14: “RoboCop” at Detroit’s Russell Industrial Center
Aug. 19: “Rocky I-III” at the Philadelphia Art Museum
Aug. 20: “On the Waterfront” at Hoboken’s Pier A
Aug. 27: “The Godfather Part II” on a Manhattan rooftop near Little Italy
The good folks at Entertainment Weekly
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You’ve got chills, they’re multiplying
But Paramount is going a step further. Thursday, it’s releasing “Grease Sing-a-Long,” which is not a remake or a sequel, but a slightly retouched version of the 1978 musical film “Grease,” which starred John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John as a pair of 1950s-era high-schoolers.
The movie, a smash in its day, could turn a sizable profit again. After all, how much could a few subtitles, which appear during each number, karaoke-style, possibly cost?
What’s more, Paramount is launching a publicity campaign with a grass-roots feel, similar to what the studio did for last year’s cheapo chiller “Paranormal Activity.” Instead of booking thousands of screens across the country and then trying to attract audiences with costly advertising, Paramount is opening “Grease Sing-a-Long” in fewer than 20 markets, including Austin, and asking fans to vote for additional screenings in their towns through Eventful.com.
In Austin, the sing-along will be held at the Alamo South for two weeks, starting Thursday.
“Grease Sing-a-long”
Alamo South
1120 S. Lamar Blvd
Tickets: $12
More information: Originalalamo.com
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Malick’s ‘Tree of Life’ gets rated
Terrence Malick’s locally shot and long-delayed “Tree of Life” was screened for the Motion Picture Association of America’s Ratings Board, which gave the film a PG-13 rating. Ropeofsilicon.com reports that the rating was based on “some thematic material.”
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Superlative early word on ‘Inception’
Today New York Magazine’s Vulture blog assembled exciting — even breathless — responses to Christopher Nolan’s enormously anticipated sci-fi thriller “Inception,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The movie opens July 16 and we see it Monday.
Vulture’s headline: “Impossibly High Expectations for ‘Inception’ Raised Even Higher”
More:
“A spate of reviews lead us to believe ‘Inception’ will just be awesome. The dozen or so early critiques are all raves, with some reviewers mentioning the O-word (“‘Inception’ is also a strong contender for multiple nominations, including Best Picture”), and others comparing the movie to all sorts of spectacular cinematic achievements.
“So that your expectations for Inception are in the right place — meaning, as high as humanly possible — we have collected the highest-brow comparisons in one place.”
Here are some of the excellent things that Inception is like:
“The writer-director has devised a heist thriller for surrealists, a Jungian’s ‘Rififi’ that challenges viewers to sift through multiple layers of (un)reality.” — Variety
“Only repeat viewing will reveal if this comparison is truly justified, but it feels like Stanley Kubrick adapting the work of the great sci-fi author William Gibson (‘Neuromancer’) — except Nolan appears to like people more than the 2001 auteur.” — Empire Online
“Imagine a film being made in 2010 where you have absolutely no idea where it is going or how it will end. These were the worlds created by revolutionary filmmakers, like Stanley Kubrick, Woody Allen, David Cronenberg and David Lynch.” — Awards Daily
Read all the raves HERE.
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Noteworthy DVDs released 7/6/10
PICK OF THE WEEK
“Reggie Watts: Why S—- So Crazy?” (Comedy Central): Ever wonder what
kind of stand-up comedy Brian Eno digs? Then observe the
uncategorizable brilliance of Watts — the beatboxing, ivory- tinkling
chameleon who can sound like Prince covering “Flight of the Conchords”
one minute, veer into a profane deconstruction of hip-hop clichés, and
wrap up with an analysis of women’s tent-sized handbags that never
once sounds like an average comic’s “did you ever notice…?” bit.
OTHER TOP PICKS
“Film Noir Classics II” (Sony): Five more noirs from the Columbia
vaults, including titles by Fritz Lang and Jacques Tourneur, with
video appreciations from folks like Martin Scorsese, Christopher
Nolan, and Emily Mortimer.
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” (Music Box): While we await David Fincher’s English-language version of the best-selling trilogy, here’s the very popular Swedish take on it.
Buster Keaton: Kino has a treat for fans of the silent-comedy genius, offering both “Lost Keaton: Sixteen Comedy Shorts, 1934-1937” and a Blu-ray edition of the old fave “Steamboat Bill, Jr.” (also available on standard DVD).
“A Single Man” (Sony): Colin Firth is fantastic as an emotionally bottled-up gay man in what will likely be the most complex role he’ll ever get.
FRESH FROM THE MULTIPLEX
“Brooklyn’s Finest” (Anchor Bay)
NEW ON BLU-RAY
Warner double features: “Dr. Giggles”/”Otis,”
“Funny Farm”/”Spies Like Us,” “The Getaway” (1972 and 1994 versions),
“The Last Boy Scout”/”Last Man Standing,” “Practical Magic”/”The
Witches of Eastwick” (Warner Bros.); “Jason and the Argonauts” (Sony);
“Jimmy Hollywood,” “Ladybugs” (Lions Gate); “Larry the Cable Guy:
Git-R-Done,” “Love and Other Disasters” (Image)
FROM THE VAULTS
“Gamera Vs. Barugon” (Shout! Factory)
DOCUMENTARIES
“Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin,”
“Sophisticated Misfit” (Passion River)
TV-ON-DVD
Doctor Who sets: “The Horns of Nimon,” “The Space Museum” /
“The Chase,” “The Time Monster,” “Underworld” (BBC); “Dragnet” (1968)
Season 2, “Rhoda” Season 3 (Shout! Factory); “ER”
Season 13, “Squidbillies” Vol. 3 (Warner Bros.); “Have Gun Will
Travel” Season 4, Vol. 2 (Paramount); “Into The Deep: America, Whaling
and the World,” “The Science of Healing with Dr. Esther Sternberg,”
“Secrets to Love,” “A Sense of Wonder” (PBS); “Last Chance to See,”
“Margot” (BFS); “Life On Mars” Complete UK Collection, “Touching Evil”
Complete Collection (Acorn Media); “Project Runway” Season 7 (Vivendi)
STRAIGHT(ISH) TO VIDEO
Jason Mewes (the sleazier half of Jay & Silent
Bob) in the vampire flick “Bitten” (Vivendi); “Eyeborgs” (Image);
“Street Boss” (Maverick); “The Wind Journeys” (Film Movement)
KIDS’ STUFF
“Hot Potatoes: The Best of the Wiggles” (Warner Bros.);
LeapFrog: “Let’s Go to School,” “Math Adventure to the Moon” (Lions
Gate); “Sesame Street: ABCs with Elmo” (Warner Bros.)
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Fundraiser for Emily Hagins vampire romance
Remember teenage Austin DIY filmmaker Emily Hagins, the semi-famous director/writer of bloody zombie flick “Pathogen,” made when she was a tween?
Well, she’s working on a new movie, “My Sucky Teen Romance,” — a vampire picture — and she needs funds to complete it. Hence, a benefit concert starring Elizabeth McQueen of Asleep at the Wheel will be held at 7:30 p.m. July 21 at Scholz’s Garden. The show is free, but donations are welcome.
More about Hagins, who’s now 17, and her films HERE.
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‘Harmony and Me’ available all over the place
Austin filmmaker Bob Byington’s very funny, creeps-up-on-you comedy “Harmony and Me” — which boasts a 92% rating at Rotten Tomatoes — hits the DVD shelves July 13.
After a successful festival run, the movie, starring Justin Rice, will also be available at Amazon and Netflix. Watch it instantly HERE.
The DVD features deleted scenes, a “making of,” a rehearsal and a Q & A.
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Preview: ‘Crospey’ at the Alamo Drafthouse
The documentary focuses on the legend of a boogeyman known as Cropsey, and how that urban legend was revived during the 1980s, when several children disappeared on Staten Island, N.Y.
Filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio grew up on Staten Island and heard the Cropsey stories when they were kids. Most of the tales they heard centered on the abandoned Willowbrook Mental Institution, where Cropsey was believed to live.
But the filmmakers began to suspect that the Cropsey legend might not be all fiction when the body of 13-year-old Jennifer Schweiger, who had Down syndrome, was discovered in 1987 near the institution.
Zeman and Brancaccio began to interview various residents, and police began to raise questions about earlier disappearances of children - and whether those cases were related to that of Schweiger.
“Cropsey” is filled with ambiguity, and the true story of all of the children’s fates is still unknown. But the documentary makes clear that the community wanted answers - and that people turned on a mysterious man who lived in makeshift hovels on the institution’s grounds. His name: Andre Rand.
The film follows Rand’s eventual arrest and conviction, as well as the various efforts to get Rand to speak about his role in the children’s cases. But Rand plays cat-and-mouse with the filmmakers, promising jail-house interviews and then changing his mind at the last moment.
“Cropsey,” which was well received at last year’s Fantastic Fest, will play Monday (7/5), Tuesday (7/6 )and Wednesday (7/7) evenings at the Alamo Ritz, 320 E. Sixth St.
For tickets and other information, visit www.originalalamo.com.
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‘Spy Kids’ screens free Saturday
The 2001 Austin-shot family film that was made cheaply and made a bundle, Robert Rodriguez’s “Spy Kids” gets a FREE screening at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Texas Spirit Theater at the Bullock Museum. Everyone is welcome.
Adding coolness to coolness, Elizabeth Avellan — producer of “Spy Kids,” “Grindhouse,” and the upcoming “Predators” and “Machete” — will be there to chat up the popular movie. Family-friendly activities precede the movie, so come early.
Details HERE.
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Disability film fest’s line-up
From Oct. 14 through 16 at various Austin theaters, the seventh annual Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival will screen three films that “examine the meaning of independence, including films honoring veterans, celebrating the American dream, and exploring the reality and possibilities of American life under the light of disability.”
2010 SXSW award-winner “Marwencol”
“Warrior Champions,” a documentary look at wounded U.S. soldiers who overcome with their own Olympics
Austin-made biopic “Temple Grandin,” with Claire Danes in the title role
All the details you need HERE.
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ColdTowne heats up summer movie season with heckling and improv
Hot improv group ColdTowne Theater teams with I Luv Video to present “3, 2, 1 Kill! Instant Movie” each Thursday in July at 8 p.m. at ColdTowne Theater, 4803-B Airport Blvd., behind I Luv Video.
With an all-new cast, Austin’s top improv-ers perform live commentary tracks to blockbuster movies. Plus: Free popcorn all night and $5 tickets.
Viewers nominate and vote for the movies to be commentary tracked. Do that HERE.
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Texas Archive of the Moving Image bags award
The Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI) and the Office of the Governor’s Texas Film Commission have won an Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History Leadership in History Awards for its popular “Texas Film Round-Up.”
The Round-Up is noted as a “ground-breaking public service initiative to discover, preserve, digitize and disseminate moving images of Texas.”
Learn more about TAMI and its honors HERE.
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Tix on sale today for Fantastic Arcade
Passes for Fantastic Fest’s new Fantastic Arcade go on sale at 4 p.m. today.
The Arcade will “run concurrent with the first four days of Fantastic Fest, Sept. 23-26. Designed as a games spin-off event from the main film festival, Fantastic Arcade will feature fresh, cutting-edge games designed by independent game developers and publishers.” It will feature films, panels, game demos and more.
More info on the Arcade and tickets to Fantastic Fest and Fantastic Arcade HERE.
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