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September 2011
Fantastic Fest capsule: ‘Comic-Con: Episode Four: A Fan’s Hope’
Ending a fanboy celebration of genre film with a documentary about the mecca of fanboy exultation is a pretty meta way to conclude Fantastic Fest. It’s also a rather fitting one.
Director Morgan Spurlock’s ‘Comic-Con: Episode Four: A Fan’s Hope’ takes a behind-the-scenes look at the convention in San Diego that over the last 41 years has become a one-stop shop for fanboys of all stripes. What began as a convention of about 150 people in 1970 has exploded into a branded, corporate behemoth. Fortunately, the documentary is not a vintage-footage filled slog about the history of the annual gathering.
Instead Spurlock follows several attendees on the pilgrimage from their homes across the country to Southern California. Skip is a wanna-be comic book artist who tends bar at the nerdiest (and possibly coolest, depending on your love of multi-sided die) spot in Missouri. Backed by the loving support of his geeky parents, he sets off to show his portfolio at the convention.
Eric Henson is a graphic artist and military man living in a small town in Montana with dreams of a career in comics. Chuck Rozanski is (as all nerdy collectors likely know) one of the kings of comics, his Mile High Comics warehouse store in Denver home to millions of issues. Holly Conrad lives in a small meth-riddled town in Colorado and makes incredibly intricate costumes with her friends and harbors hopes of one day making them professionally.
All of these folks make their trips fueled by a shared and unabashed passion for comic culture and imbued with personal dreams.
Those who have been to The Con, as it is repeatedly refer, will recognize the massive halls of costumed nerds on parade, flooding the halls in hopes of seeing their favorite graphic novel artist or comic writer or possibly even touching the hem of the great Stan Lee’s robe.
While these obsessives may seem odd due to the nature of their passion, one often associated with children or overgrown children in their mother’s basements, the film does a touching job of showing that Comic Con is really about folks coming together as a family, or as one attendee puts it, a country of their own.
Sharing the passions of the would-be (and possibly will-be) artists are established figures such as Joss Whedon and Eli Roth, luminaries whose nerdy passions mark them as equals among this tribe of misfits. Spurlock intersperses commentary from these notables along with random fest attendees to give the festival context and explain how comics can captivate our imaginations and inspire ideas of heroism in us all.
The film also dutifully notes what to many must be a sad change in the festival. Over the decades Comic-Con has slowly moved away from being comics-centric to a fest used by multinational corporations to shill their products to a juicy target demographic. But despite the corporatization of Comic-Con, there is no denying that at it’s heart is an unbridled passion for a culture colored by the bright colors of superheroes and the dark workings of fantastic villains.
And speaking of heart, the most moving storyline of the film is the tale of James Darling and his girlfriend Se Young Kang. Having met at The Con in 2009, Darling hopes to propose marriage to his girlfriend at the 2010 festival. All with the help of an engagement ring fashioned after ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and an assist from Kevin Smith. The only thing a geek loves more than geek culture is other geek’s who share their love.
Much like his previous film, the title here is probably too cute by half, but is fitting in its nod to ‘Star Wars’ and the hero’s journey. Spurlock can be a funny and charming presence in his films, helping lead viewers along like a cinematic tour guide, but his absence from ‘A Fan’s Hope’ is certainly a breath of fresh air. One can imagine footage of this doc with Spurlock leading the camera through the crowd, approaching unwitting nerds in Darth Vader costumes to ask questions as the camera cuts to the director’s feigned looks of surprise. Fortunately none of that is here. Spurlock shows incredible restraint in this amusing and often tender look at a singular cultural phenomenon that may be evolving but has its feet firmly planted in a world of fantasy.
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Part of the ‘The Alamo’ set destroyed in fire
Photo: Buildings from the set of the movie “The Alamo” are shown damaged from an overnight fire on Wednesday, September 28, 2011. Deborah Cannon/AMERICAN-STATESMAN.
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Fantastic Fest introduces new system for VIP badges
Fantastic Fest director Kristen Bell (no, her name may not be League or Knowles, but she runs the fest and makes sure the Alamo hums during the festival) has posted a blog to the fest’s website explaining how VIP badges for the 2012 fest will be handled.
The VIP badges for the following year usually go on sale during the festival and sell out in minutes. This year they are changing things a bit, thinning the herd with a first stage before putting the VIP badges on sale to the public. All paid press and industry badge holders will be placed in a lottery, with 100 of those folks selected at random given a chance to purchase a VIP badge. After that process, the remainder of the 200 VIP badges will be put on sale to the general public.
More information about the ticketing process is available at the Fantastic Fest website.
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‘Bullhead’ and ‘You’re Next’ win big at Fantastic Fest
The Fantastic Fest Awards ceremony at the Alamo South Monday night was once again long on beer chugging and short on speeches. Winners had to drink the contents of their beer stein trophies when accepting their awards, leading to a wet stage, some hearty belches and probably a few hangovers today.
“You’re Next” screenwriter Simon Barrett had his hands (and stomach) full, as he accepted multiple awards and beers on behalf of the film, including best screenplay, best director and best picture in the horror competition. He also consumed Sharni Vinson’s beer on behalf of her best actress win in “You’re Next.”
Belgian filmmaker Michael Roskam also left with an armful of steins. The first-time filmmaker won best picture and best director in the AMD and Dell Next Wave Spotlight Competition for his powerful drama “Bullhead.” He also accepted the best actor award on behalf of his film’s lead, Matthias Schoenaerts.
Other notable winners included “A Boy and His Samurai” in the Audience Award category and “Milocrorze: A Love Story” in the Fantastic Features competition. Danish comedy “Clown,” which follows two men and a boy on a ridiculous camping trip filled with sexploits and mishaps, won for best comedy in the inaugural Gustbuster category.
The full list of winners is below.
AUDIENCE AWARD (Presented by Maxwell Locke & Ritter)
A Boy And His Samurai (Yoshihiro Nakamura)
Runners Up: You’re Next, Juan Of The Dead
AMD & DELL “NEXT WAVE” SPOTLIGHT COMPETITION
Best Picture - “Bullhead”
Best Director - Michael R. Roskam (“Bullhead”)
Best Screenplay - Josh MacDonald (“The Corridor”)
Best Actor - Matthias Schoenaerts (“Bullhead”)
Best Actress - Jessica Cole (“Aardvark”)
Special Jury Award for Boldness Of Vision: “Beyond The Black Rainbow”
HORROR FEATURES
Best Picture - “You’re Next”
Best Director - Adam Wingard (“You’re Next”)
Best Screenplay - Simon Barrett (“You’re Next”)
Best Actor - Sean Harris (“A Lonely Place To Die”)
Best Actress - Sharni Vinson (“You’re Next”)
FANTASTIC FEATURES
Best Picture - “Milocrorze: A Love Story”
Best Director - Noboru Iguchi (“Karate Robo Zaborgar”)
Best Screenplay - Olafur Egilsson, Grimur Haonarson (“Summerland”)
Best Actor - Julián Villagrán (“Extraterrestrial”)
Best Actress - Sawa Masaki (“Underwater Love”)
GUTBUSTER COMEDY FEATURES
Best Picture - “Clown”
Best Director - Steffen Haars, Flip Van Der Kuil (“New Kids Turbo”)
Best Screenplay - Casper Christensen, Frank Hvam (“Clown”)
SHORT FUSE: HORROR SHORTS
Winner: “How To Rid Your Lover Of A Negative Emotion Caused By You” (Nadia Litz)
Runner-up: “The Unliving” (Hugo Lilj)
Special Jury Award for Outstanding Achievement in Special Effects and General Badassery: “Brutal Relax” (David Muñ oz, Rafa Dengrá, Adrián Cardona)
FANTASTIC SHORTS
Best Fantastic Short: Decapoda Shock (Javier Chillón)
Runner-up: All Men Are Called Robert (Marc-Henri Boulier)
Special Jury Mention for Acting: Robert Picardo (The Candidate)
DRAWN AND QUARTERED: ANIMATED SHORTS
Best Animated Short: “Last Norwegian Troll” (Pjotr Sapegin)
Runner-up: “Lazarov” (NIETOV)
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Fantastic Fest capsule: ‘Clown’
The title sequence for Danish comedy “Clown” features some jaunty music reminiscent of early 70s TV shows. The theme is fitting in that the film is a bit of broad slapstick, but misleading in the sense that the risque subject material of the movie would never been seen on 70s television.
Frank is a bit of a floundering wimp. He’s the ugliest guy in his book club and his newly pregnant girlfriend doesn’t think he has what it takes to be a dad. His best friend Casper, however, seems to have the world on a string. He lives in a cool, modern house, has a gorgeous girlfriend, can charm the pants off of man or woman and has concocted a brilliant scheme to get him and Frank out of town for the weekend, away from their ladies and in touch with some much more intriguing ones. Casper and Frank tell their girlfriends they are going on a canoe trip, but it’s really just a clever ruse to head to a rare brothel that opens one night a year and take in a local music festival.
The only problem: Wimpy Frank has decided to bring along a 10 year-old son of friends whom he and his girlfriend were babysitting. By taking care of the kid, Bo, and showing him a good time, Frank intends to prove to his girlfriend that he is father material.
But the road to relationship hell is paved with good intentions. The camping trip devolves into a series of sexual hi-jinx and humiliation fueled by high-grade marijuana and German liquers.
Part “Vacation” and part “Wet Hot American Summer” for grown-ups, “Clown” is a hysterical and bawdy romp that plays off of innocent and likable Frank’s ability to always end up in a bad situation despite the desire to do the right thing. There is probably a bit too much “Hangover”-type juvenile sexual humor, much at the expense of the child, that would make it a hard sell for American audiences, but at it’s heart, it’s a riotous buddy comedy that gets much of its humor from the Odd Couple of Frank and Casper. Cue the music.
Note: “Clown” won best screenplay and best picture at the Fantastic Fest awards on Monday night.
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Fantastic Fest capsule: “A Boy and His Samurai”
“Adorable” isn’t a word that anyone in their right mind would associate with Fantastic Fest.
“Asian?” Definitely. Plenty of Asian horror and gangster fare for everyone.
But “family” isn’t — can’t take the kids to “Human Centipede II.” Or almost anyone, really.
And yet, one of the best movies at this year’s Fantastic Fest is the adorable, Asian, family-ready “A Boy and His Samurai.”
Directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura (“Fish Story,” “Golden Slumber”), “A Boy and His Samurai” is the kind of live-action general audience movie that just isn’t made in the United States anymore. If you’re seeing a picture with this level of skillful sweetness, it probably has a Pixar logo on it.
Yusa (Shiori Kutsuna) is a single mom living in small apartment with her six-year old son, Tomoya (the almost superhumanly cute Fuku Suzuki). Like many single mothers, she is tired most of the time, her job affording her time to microwave dinner and that’s about it.
One day, she and her son see a man standing on the sidewalk looking quite lost. He is Kijima Yasube (Japanese TV star Ryo Nishikido), a samurai from the Edo Period who has been transported to 2009 Tokyo thanks to a rather effective prayer to the Buddha.
Profoundly confused yet deeply polite like any good samurai, Tasube has no idea what to make of the modern world. Tomoya, abandoned by his own father, is intrigued by this new potential role model.
Feeling honor-bound to help out around the house, Yasube soon takes over domestic chores, including cooking (his voice-over meditates on “The Way of the Supermarket”) and discovers a knack for desserts.
Charming without ever becoming grating, “A Boy…” finds its footing early, its deft, light touch never wavering. It is essentially a romantic comedy, but never a crass and particularly sexual one — the paternal love story is about Tomoya and Yasube more than the adults. Suzuki’s grin could melt glaciers, while Kutsuna and Nishikido develop a chemistry that never feels forced.
There are subtitles, but it’s precision entertainment for ages 5 to I-was-at-the-Randy-Newman-ACL-taping. Can’t say that about “Yogi Bear.”
“A Boy and His Samurai” screens for the final time at 5:45 p.m. today.
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Ringside at the Fantastic Debates
The KNUCKLE Fantastic Debates were once again a hot ticket at Fantastic Fest this year. So I imagine more than a few people were disappointed when the email arrived Saturday alerting people that there had been a ticketing snafu that gave many attendees the impression they would get into the event at the South Austin Gym Saturday night. Apparently more than 250 people were able to reserve spots, but only 150 were allowed into the steamy gym.
What they missed was another battle of wits and absurdist wrestlemania showmanship between the Zellner brothers (Nathan and David), who argued whether robots or humans were superior. Production value was enhanced by the appearance of “Medium Wonder,” a female robot summoned by David to do his dirty work.
The second bout featured the best display of athleticism to date at the Debates. “Lord of the Rings” alumni Elijah Wood (a huge fan of the fest) and Dominic Monaghan argued the merits of a life spent playing World of Warcraft. After their war of words, the two former hobbits donned pink gloves and danced nimbly about the ring, exchanging jabs and crosses. No word on whether the actors trained for the fight, but they both looked rather comfortable in the ring.
The penultimate showdown featured a battle of cosmic and comic proportions, as Andy Howell, a professional astrophysicist and host of National Geographic’s “Known Universe,” argued with and then delivered a beatdown to Hunter, a goofy, rambling NASA-hater who has come to some small internet fame of late due to a series of confusing and profanity-laced YouTube tirades against the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The debate, coherent only during Howell’s speech, gave way to a one-sided fight, as the much taller Howell delivered several blows to a staggering Hunter.
The final fight promised the best chance for a real injury, but fortunately “Knuckle” star James Quinn McDonagh showed Fantastic Fest co-founder a bit of mercy. The Alamo honcho entered the ring with great flair, sporting a small cowboy hat, Texas flag shorts and cowhide chaps after the Irish bare-knuckle brawler said he wanted to skip the chit chat and get down to business. The guys fought a couple of rounds, with McDonagh doing a decent job of keeping League at bay. But the ferocious film-lover did land quite a few punches amid his flurry of fists. I ran into McDonagh the next day, who said he had a bit of a sore jaw Monday morning, so it seems while League may not have proven that Texans are tougher than Irishmen, he still made his state proud.
All photos courtesy of David Hill.
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‘Bernie’ screening raised over $150,000 for Bastrop’s wildfire relief efforts
Despite going head-to-head with the final day of the Austin City Limits Festival, the benefit screening of Richard Linklater’s “Bernie” on September 18 raised $155,810 through donations and ticket sales.
The benefit, presented by Austin Film Society, the Paramount Theatre, Linklater, Jack Black and Matthew McConaughey, raised money for the Bastrop Emergency Food Pantry, Heart of the Pines Volunteer Fire Department and Friends of the Lost Pines State Parks.
The film was partially shot in Bastrop, where Linklater is a part-time resident.
“There is so much going on this weekend, and for you to show up to help our friends in Bastop means so much. The Austin community never ceases to amaze,” Linklater said at the screening.
“Bernie” recounts the bizarre mystery involving Bernhardt “Bernie” Tiede (Black), an assistant funeral home director in Carthage, Texas who admitted to murdering wealthy and eccentric socialite Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine).
The film is expected to open next spring.
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Fantastic Fest capsule: ‘Bullhead’
Jacky Vanmarsenille (Matthias Schoenaerts) is a hulking, simmering bull of a man who serves as the heavy for his family’s interest in the illegal steroids trade. His anger constantly lurks just below the surface, occasionally exploding with violent force.
The back-story of Vanmarsenille’s anger is revealed in a flashback to his adolescence, when as a fresh-faced China doll of a child his life takes a life-altering turn. A local bully terrorizes Vanmarsenille, and smashes his testicles with a brick. The brilliant blend of silence and sound give staggering emotional profundity to the unthinkable act. It is one of the most startling scenes I’ve seen at Fantastic Fest.
The devastating violence leads to Jacky’s parents injecting their son with hormones in hopes of replacing that which was so brutally stolen from him. The incident will, naturally, end up defining Jacky’s life, his relationship with women and his understanding of himself as an incomplete man.
Most films feature a character who must face and overcome an obstacle. The fascinating thing about “Bullhead” is that its protagonist will never be able to fully conquer or resolve his conflict. It defines him and circumscribes his life. The fatalism of his life is tragic and unavoidable.
As Jacky haltingly attempts to come out of his shell of shame and misery, he commits an act of violence that will eventually return to torment him.
The narrative is built around a somewhat vague crime ring that sometimes confuses with its intricacies. But the real thrust of the story is Jacky’s internal conflict. Schoenaerts gives the massive Jacky (Belgian actor Schoenaerts put on close to 50 pounds of muscle for the role) a stunning vulnerability cloaked in a brooding intensity. Roskam uses extreme close-ups give the film a raw intimacy, and put the viewer in unsettling proximity to this tortured animal of a man.
At times you wonder what is going on in the narrative of the corruption, betrayal and murder. But Roskam often clears up confusion in subsequent scenes, a device which helps give a nice pace to the mystery.
A pair of bumbling French mechanics who unwittingly get wrapped up in the criminal activities and a male police officer who flirts with a gay informant give the thriller a a bit of comedic relief and Coen-esque absurdity, providing a slight release for the slow-boil.
Last week the film was selected as Belgium’s entry for the Academy Awards, a distinction that should bring some much deserved international attention to this staggering work.
“Bullhead” is an incredible accomplishment for a first-time director. Roskam chose as his film’s central premise a conceit that could have ended up playing very melodramatically, making the film unbelievable and almost silly, and infused it with an amazing amount of tenderness, truth and humanity. The movie is stunning in its stark noirish beauty and balances humor and rage as well as hopefulness and despair.
Roskam is one of the things that is great about Fantastic Fest — and film festivals in general — you get to see the beginning of what is almost certain to be a wonderful career.
“Bullhead” screens again Monday at 5:30 p.m.
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The wit and wisdom of Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier’s meditation on depression and man’s futile existence, “Melancholia” is stunningly beautiful, superbly acted (I could see Oscar noms for Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg) and directed in such a way that you can really feel the main character’s desperation and resignation. It also has a few comedic moments, mostly thanks to Kiefer Sutherland’s character. The humor should be no surprise to fans of von Trier, who, at Fantastic Fest got a dose of wit from the director before the screening.
Before the screening Saturday at Fantastic Fest, the audience was treated to film of a taped Skype conversation between the director (whose fear of flying prevents him from overseas travel) and Devin Faraci of Badass Digest.
Some highlights:
- The Danish director said he was alerted to the brilliance of Dunst by, P.T. Anderson. (a name he briefly struggled to recall). Von Trier said he was in luck as Dunst was “not doing ‘Spiderman’ at the time.”
- He shared a funny anecdote about how, upon being complimented by Martin Scorsese about his effecting use of slow motion black-and-white, he told the legendary director that it’s impossible to go wrong using such an effect, before realizing he was telling this to the man who made “Raging Bull.”
- He confessed that he thought “Melancholia” was “on the edge of being kitsch and unbearable,” a sentiment I doubt hardly anyone shared after the screening.
- Although the director has admitted to battling depression, he says that making the film was in no way instrumental in him working through those emotions himself.
- Despite no trace of the Spanish actress, von Trier mystifyingly said “Melancholia” “came out of the idea I should make a film with Penelope Cruz.”
- The director did a lot of scientific research about the possibility of a large planet careening toward earth and was very happy to find out such an event could happen tomorrow. It saved him from having to do a bunch of “future stuff.”
- Although the movie is very grounded, there is a bit of CGI used in the cosmos scenes. He originally thought the computerized work would be a breeze, but soon learned that the images (which would eventually take six months to complete) were much more labor-intensive than simply inserting a CD-ROM disc.
Photo: In this photo taken on Wednesday, May 18, 2011, Danish Director Lars von Trier displays an obscene word on his fist as he poses during a photo call for “Melancholia” at the 64th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France.
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The benefits of the Daytime pass
While film festivals have a reputation as luxuries, Austinite Ben Kim sang the praises of the Fantastic Fest “Daytime” pass, which allowed access to any movies before 5 p.m. for $50. “It was just perfect for those of us who are unemployed,” Kim said, perhaps affirming that slacker culture is not quite dead in Austin. Kim said his favorite movie was “The Yellow Sea,” saying the South Korean gangster film that had generated considerable buzz. “It was absolutely relentless and mind-blowing,” Kim said.
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‘Elite Squad II’ director Jose Padilha on the dichotomies between art films and entertainments
After screening his epic Brazilian crime saga “Elite Squad II: The Enemy Within,” director José Padilha said that dichotomies between art films and entertainments don’t appeal to him. “There are good movies and bad movies, that’s it,” he said. This was reflected in “Squad II,” his final movie in a series — the documentary “Bus 174” and the two “Elite Squad” movies — on urban violence in Rio de Janero.
“I think I have said all I have to say about it,” Padilha said, adding “Bus 174” was from the perspective of a criminal, the first “Elite Squad” was from the perspective of a right-wing military policeman and “Elite Sqaud II” explored the systemic, governmental roots of the violence, folding in a left-wing intellectual who becomes a legislator. “All of the things in ‘Elite Sqaud 2’ actually happened,” Padila said.
MGM tapped Padilha earlier this year to direct the “Robocop” remake, which Padilha addressed after a couple of fan questions made it impossible to avoid. “The concept is great regardless of the film that came before,” he said of “Robocop,” the story of a dying policeman outfitted with robotics to serve the interests of the corporation that built it. “I would want to direct that movie anyway.”
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‘Snowtown,’ ‘Retreat’ and ‘Urban Explorer’ at Fantastic Fest
Genre films, specifically thrillers and horrors, are the meat and potatoes of Fantastic Fest. And three movies that screened over the weekend illustrate how up-and-coming directors can use genres to display their talents.
Australian director Justin Kurzel, making his feature-film debut, takes on the serial-killer drama with “Snowtown.” Based on a real-life series of killings in an Adelaide suburb, “Snowtown” succeeds mainly because it focuses on young man named Jamie Vlassakis, who would eventually be persuaded to help mastermind killers John Bunting and Robert Wagner.
As Jamie, Lucas Pittaway epitomizes a young man who has been both sexually abused (by his older brother) and unduly influenced by the seemingly charismatic Bunting (Daniel Henshall).
Kurzel uses Jamie, who would eventually cooperate with investigators, to show how someone can suffer through so much brutalization that he might begin to become immune to the sufferings of others.
The cinematography, soundtrack, set design and soundtrack all serve to highlight the bleakness of life. And Kurzel has managed to pull off a movie that details a seamless progression into depravity.
“Snowtown” will be far too disturbing for many viewers. Scenes of torture, which Bunting clearly enjoys, are numerous. And the grisly hacking up of the bodies kangaroos doesn’t help matters. Still, “Snowtown” displays a surprising amount of directorial control. And Kurzel clearly has a future in filmmaking.
“Retreat,” from first-time British director Carl Tibbetts, shows a similar command of cinematic skills. This thriller focuses on Martin and Kate, a troubled couple who go to a remote island to try to repair their relationship. As Martin, Cillian Murphy gets to expand his range beyond the usual psychotics he has been playing lately. This time, he’s a cerebral, somewhat ineffectual professional. His wife Kate (Thandie Newton) is trying to recover from the loss of a baby as well as figure out how to re-establish her marriage. But she seems so withdrawn that no reconciliation appears to be likely.
Then the two discover the injured Jack (Jamie Bell), who somehow has ended up on the island and appears to be from the military. He’s the masculine force thrown into the volatile mixture of a disintegrating marriage. And he has something to tell the couple when he wakes up from a serious concussion. The world is being overtaken by a viral epidemic and they must board themselves up in the cabin to avoid being overtaken - and infected - by people fleeing the mainland.
These types of triangles and enclosed terrors are well-established in cinema. And Tibbetts says he drew inspiration from such classics as Roman Polanski’s “Knife in the Water.”
“Retreat” isn’t perfect. Murphy’s Martin makes some very dumb moves in his cat-and-mouse game with Jack. But Tibbetts manages to build suspense and keep the audience engaged. It’s a good debut.
Then there’s “Urban Explorer” from Andy Fetscher, a German-Romanian director who throws five young people into the underground caverns of Berlin, where they meet some unsavory characters.
Fetscher shows that he has a great future in cinematography, managing to pull the viewer into a claustrophobic, Nazi-haunted world. He also has a wicked sense of humor.
Grotesqueries abound, and it’s almost impossible to watch “Urban Explorer” without a growing sense of nausea.
Genre movies have long served as a breeding ground for tomorrow’s auteurs, in part because such stories can be filmed on a low budget, with highly limited locations such as tunnels, cabins and a low-rent neighborhood. “Snowtown,” “Retreat” and “Urban Explorer” are not unqualified artistic successes, but Fantastic Fest has managed to find three new directors who show great promise.
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‘Black Rainbow’ vs. ‘Melancholia’
Fantastic Fest can be a hit-or-miss event, with a wide range of movies of drastically varying qualities.
Sometimes, you get to see a high-art movie like Lars von Trier’s “Melancholia.” And sometimes you end up watching “Beyond the Black Rainbow,” which ends up seeming silly, despite its obvious artistic pretensions.
Director Panos Cosmatos, who introduced his film Saturday night at the Alamo South, said that he had just left a screening of “Melancholia” and was still “processing” what it all meant. But his mention of “Melancholia” only highlighted the failings of “Beyond the Black Rainbow.”
To be fair, Von Trier, albeit a bit wacky on a personal level, is a respected European auteur. Cosmatos, who says he has a background in videos, is making his feature film debut with “Beyond the Black Rainbow.” And the differences in budget — and experience — are apparent.
“Melancholia” is filled with beautiful, surrealistic imagery, while Cosmatos relies on such cheesy visual effects as red screens to indicate emotional high points. The soundtrack also screams “important” moments. And if that weren’t enough, we get extra sound effects, with frequent synthesized bwaaahhh, bwaaahhhs. It’s almost like watching a bad sci-fi B movie from the 1950s or 60s. And then there’s the set design, which consists of stark rooms and an odd pyramid that seems to ooze telekinitc energy. Bwaaahhh, bwaaahhh, again.
The plot is almost nonexistent. But it consists of a young, silent woman (Eva Allan, as Elana) who apparently is being observed, for psychiatric reasons, by a sinister doctor (Michael Rogers, as Barry). He talks. She listens. Sometimes she vibrates. And it looks like she might be able to make things explode. Naturally, she wants to get out of the sterile environment. And that’s about it, except for a few silly scenes involving a smoking nurse and an old man who wants a shot between his toes.
Some critics have tried to aestheticize such banalities and make “Beyond the Black Rainbow” seem to be more than it really is. Remarkably, Magnet Releasing, a division of Magnolia Pictures, has even picked the movie up for distribution. And it has played several festivals, including Tribeca in New York and Fantasia in Montreal. So it’s clear that this movie will draw a wide variety of responses.
Look for it soon at an arthouse theater near you. Or not.
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Fantastic Fest capsule: ‘A Lonely Place to Die’
A sharply realized, beautifully photographed and charismatic thriller in spite of having the weirdly overrated Melissa George at the center, “A Lonely Place to Die” confounds expectations by changing up mise-en-scene a couple of a times without seeming gimmicky, no small trick.
A vertigo-inducing shot of expert climbers in the Scottish mountains and a near-fatal accident point to some standard man-versus-nature stuff. Rob (Alec Newman) and Alison (George) are the experts, Jenny (Kate Magowan) and Alex (Garry Sweeney) are the couple on vacation, and Ed (Ed Speelers) doesn’t seem to have a clue what he’s doing and is obnoxious to boot.
To the credit of director/co-writer Julian Gilbey and co-writer/editor Will Gilbey, nobody feels cliched — these are all reasonably lived-in people, their emotions authentic and reasonable when faced with disturbingly credible terror. (It’s also the credit of the production designer or costumer that everyone is decked out in his or her own color of fleece for opening scenes, a welcome visual organizer.)
When a small child, speaking only Russian (or is that a Baltic language?) is found alive in an underground wooden tomb, questions start piling up as fast as the panic starts to rise. Are they being hunted? Is the child? Was she supposed to live or die? And where is the nearest village?
It would be rude to say any more, save that Sean Harris (Ian Curtis in “24 Hour Party People”) has a knack for portraying cold, cold men. It’s nice to see Eammon Walker (Said on “Oz”) doing anything, and I want one of those rifles with the built-in tripod.
As for George, there’s a tabula rasa element to her look and style that makes her a good fit for horror work, I suppose. And yes, she was quite convincing as the spurned, possibly disturbed lover on “In Treatment.” But there are things that should simply never be shown in slow-motion, and George emoting is one of them.
“A Lonely Place to Die” screens again 9 p.m. Wednesday.
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Fantastic Fest capsule: ‘Manborg’
This Canadian micro-budget goof is loving tribute to, and gentle parody of, the 1980s straight-to-video revolution, when thousands of genre movies were cranked out without hope of (or intention of) theatrical release. (For more information on this genre unto itself, check out the Alamo Drafthouse’s series Video Hate Squad, which spotlights straight-to-video movies that never made it to DVD or the big screen.)
“Manborg”manages to stuff all sorts of genres into its maw. The gates of Hell are open, and thousands of latex-masked demons (dressed vaguely like Nazis) roam the earth. Fighting them are a shirtless kung fu fighter (his dialogue brilliantly dubbed, poorly), an anime-type gal who fights anime-type fights (a lot of streaking backgrounds) and a Max Mad-type Australian who insists you stay out of his way lest he kill you. Also, there are stop-motion monsters and hoverboards.
Directed by special effects artist Steven Kostanski, “Manborg” does a lot with a little, stretching its dollars to the breaking point with effects so cheesy you can taste the queso. One wishes the narrative had been played a little straighter, but the breaks into sitcom humor actually help it along. Anyone with an affinity for the very bottom row of the video store will find a lot to smile about here.
“Manborg” screens again 11:45 p.m. Tuesday.
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Fantastic Fest capsule: ‘Aardvark’
Larry Lewis tells his Alcoholics Anonymous that he used to get “blind drunk.” The self-effacing statement from the blind middle-aged man is indicative of his spirit. He refuses to let his impairment disrupt his life. Walking by a jujitsu studio one day, Lewis is drawn into the building by the sounds. He ends up befriending the young instructor, Darren, with whom he instantly forms a close bond. Though unassuming and almost sage in his demeanor, Darren has a secret life that includes heavy drinking and dealings with underworld operatives. The verite-style film brilliantly utilizes colors and sounds to define Lewis’ world and slowly morphs into a noir-style thriller backed by a hypnotic, electronic soundtrack that helps build tension in this unique film. The information on the Fantastic Fest website says the movie “is based, at least in part, on the life of lead actor Larry Lewis.” I have no idea what that means, but it adds even more intrigue to this puzzling film.
‘Aardvark’ screens again at 9:30 p.m. on Monday.
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Fantastic Fest capsule: ‘The Corridor’
It’s been several years since Tyler lost his mind and attacked his friends with a knife. His mother lay dead in the hallway. There were questions but few answers. The five childhood friends have all returned to Tyler’s mother’s cabin in the wintry woods, ominously draped in snow. They approach their friend with sensitivity and fear, as they attempt to bridge the gaps in their friendship and reconcile their old personalities with responsibilities of adulthood. With Tyler’s psychotic break looming like a specter over the weekend retreat, tension slowly mounts between and within the characters. When Tyler discovers a mysterious electro-magnetic “corridor” in the woods, he begins to reexamine his sanity before realizing the others see it, as well. The discovery of the supernatural passageway leads to a fracturing of reality, as the friends personalities begin to inhabit one another, psychic energy transferred in cryptic and dangerous ways that lead to paranoia, confusion and terror. First-time director Evan Kelly takes a familiar setting - old friends reconnecting on a weekend trip - and gives it a fresh, spooky and unexpected twist.
‘The Corridor’ screens against at 11:45 a.m. on Sunday.
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‘Human Centipede’ offers a queasy start to Fantastic Fest
An EMS vehicle was stationed outside of the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar Thursday night for the opening night film, ‘The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence).’ And with good reason. The film is the raunchiest, goriest thing I’ve ever seen on the big screen. While the medics were ostensibly a joke (and an expensive one, according to Fantastic Fest co-founder Tim League), festival representatives said that one woman was treated for nausea following the screening.
Newly minted father to twin girls, League kicked off the screening by saying that fatherhood had changed him. Fantastic Fest would now be more family-friendly, and to prove it, he brought up Fest fanatic Elijah Wood and a cast of dozens in yellow t-shirts to do a dance while watching a “Yo Gabba Gabba” video featuring Wood. The intent was to ring in a “kinder, gentler” Fantastic Fest. Of course, the cartoon gave way to exploding heads and other violent images, and League assured us nothing had changed. On with the film!
“The Human Centipede 2” begins where the original film ended, but that ending is being shown on the computer screen of a rotund, bug-eyed, dwarfish man (Laurence Harvey), who sits at his station in a parking garage in London watching director Tom Six’s film with perverse fascination. For those not familiar with the original, in it, a disturbed doctor comes up with the idea of making a “human centipede” by sewing its three members together, mouth-to-rear end. Yep.
In the black-and-white sequel, the parking attendant, Martin, is a deeply disturbed man who lives with his mother and the memory of the incarcerated father who sexually molested him as a boy. Obsessed with “The Human Centipede,” Martin pores over still images from the film and watches the movie on a loop, leaving his cave in the parking garage to attack innocent victims with a crow bar. He then stuffs their mangled bodies in his trunk and takes them to a warehouse. Once he accumulates a dozen victims, he begins to sew them together, replacing stitches with staples, in the way the doctor had in the original film. The result is an orgy of blood and torture that includes cut knee tendons, dentistry by way of tire iron and all manner of intestinal grotesqueness.
The early part of the film has some artistic merit. The stark black-and-white film relies on high-angle shots that replicate the surveillance cameras at Martin’s job and the images and tone resemble that of a Tool video. There also seems to be some social commentary going on about the way in which obsessive viewers can make fiction their reality and take ownership of it in a bizarre and unsettling way. But after the initial 25 minutes or so, the meta film devolves into an unnecessary challenge to viewers: How much disgusting and pointless violence can you take? Maybe that is a continuation of the social commentary at the beginning, but it felt more like irresponsible showing off than anything else. It must be said, however, that Harvey gives an astounding and almost wordless performance as the deranged killer, his psychosis palpable and unnerving as he methodically and ruthlessly goes about trying to pacify his inner demons.
After the movie mercifully ended, Six took the stage and assured an audience that had offered only tepid applause that there would be a third movie to complete the “Centipede” trilogy. So, it seems we have not seen the last of the phenomenon that has led to death threats for Six, was spoofed on “South Park” and will be, according to the director, referenced in the first episode of the new “Beavis and Butthead.”
“Part three is going to be really sick,” Six said.
Great.
Why would anyone want to subject themselves to such a movie, you may wonder. Well, many thought the original had quite a bit of artistic merit and were hoping for an equally successful second iteration. Others, like SXSW film honcho Janet Pierson, simply didn’t want to miss out on the fest’s buzziest film and succumbed to peer pressure. But Manchester, England resident Graham Goring, seated next to me, may have had one of the best reasons. A friend of his back home bet him 20 British pounds that he wouldn’t see the film. After the screening, I asked a shaken Goring if it was worth the money. “I’m not sure,” he said. “My soul is tainted.” Agreed.
Following the movie, Six and cast members headed over to the Highball for the opening night party, which featured a “porcine centipede,” of three roasted pigs lined up nose-to-tail. How anyone could muster the strength to eat is beyond me.
‘The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence)’ does not screen again at Fantastic Fest. Thank god.
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Fantastic Fest capsule: ‘Boys on the Run’
Tanishi (Kanzunobu Mineta) is spending his 29th birthday having awful sex with an overweight sex worker. To make matters worse, the pay-for-pleasure takes a decidedly unromantic turn when the prostitute thinks that Tanishi feels bad for her. He is the one who should be ashamed, she says, as she tries to beat him to a pulp before chasing him through the streets. But such humiliation in the name of getting his jollies seems standard operating procedure for the nerd who, with his bowl haircut, looks a bit like Jerry Lewis in ‘The Nutty Professor.’
Amazingly, Tanishi, who works as an inept salesman at a bubble vending machine company, has drawn the attention of his impossibly cute virgin co-worker Chiharu (Mei Kurokawa). She has such a crush on him that she even overlooks the fact that he (accidentally) lent her a beastiality porno.
After several endearing false starts, the would-be couple seems on the verge of consummating their nascent relationship, when Tanishi almost begrudgingly falls victim to Chiharu’s sexy neighbor. Chiharu’s puppy love shattered, she turns her back on Tanishi, who then makes it his mission to win her back at all costs, while challenging her new boyfriend, and his bubble salesman nemesis to a fight.
Tanishi attempts to shed his dorky image, even going so far as to shave a Travis Bickle-inspired mohawk, as he attempts to protect the honor of a woman who has not asked him to do so.
“Boys on the Run” feels like almost three distinct movies. It begins as a silly sex comedy, replete with erection gags, before becoming a sweet romantic-comedy with a stifled protagonist. Eventually it becomes a dark comedy that reveals just how difficult and painful love can be and how devastating it is when the person whom you love does not reciprocate the feeling.
Mineta, a popular musician in Japan, plays the character with over-the-top goofiness early but shows some real humanity as his heart is rended from his chest and pulverized in front of him. While Chiharu’s character has good reason to feel betrayed, and needs no excuse to fall for Tanishi’s much more suave rival, she is painted in a very harsh light at the end of the movie that offers just a slight aftertaste of misogyny.
‘Boys on the Run’ screens again Tuesday at 2:45 p.m.
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Fantastic Fest capsule: ‘Blind’
Min Soo-ah (Ha-Neul Kim) wants to be a police officer. So much so that young police academy student even feels the need to dictate her brother’s whereabouts. After forcibly removing him from an underground dance competition, Min Soo-ah and her brother suffer a catastrophic accident thanks to her overzealous protection and his rambunctiousness that leads to his death and her loss of vision.
The narrative then jumps ahead three years to find a blind Min Soo-ah living a stubborn yet admirable life of independence, aided by the touching companionship of her guide dog, and heart-broken by her banishment from the force due to the fatal accident years earlier. One dark and rainy night on the way home from the orphanage where she and her brother were raised, Min Soo-ah accepts a ride from a man whom she believes to be a luxury cab driver. When this mysterious and dashing stranger hits what Min Soo-ah believes is a person in the middle of the rain-slicked road, she abandons her ride and flees.
The soft-spoken and intuitive young woman then becomes the primary witness for a well-intentioned and hyperactive police officer who feels stymied by Min Soo-ah’s impairment. He soon realizes that Min Soo-ah has powers of insight beyond that of the sighted, and along with another young man, slowly pieces together the mystery of the hit-and-run driver who has much more to hide than he could ever imagine.
Director Ahn Sang-hoon capably uses sounds to connect the viewer with Min Soo-ah’s experience, providing an aural window into the protagonist’s reality. Action scenes are paced wonderfully in this game of cat-and-mouse that is heightened by the fact that the audience is often privy to lurking danger that Min Soo-ah can not see. The climactic scenes effectively blend visible danger and terror cloaked in darkness.
The movie does contain saccharine elements — Min Soo-ah finds in a young witness to the accident a surrogate for her lost brother — and the soundtrack relies on some corny keys and chimes for emotional effect, but the movie does not rush to offer an abundance of happy answers. There is plenty of collateral damage here, rendered with stark violence.To echo a sarcastic line from the man who introduced the film, I can already envision this thriller being remade for American audiences.
In order for any kind of remake to succeed, however, it would need an actress who can give as vulnerable and captivating performance as Ha-Neul Kim does here.
‘Blind’ screens again Thursday at 1:15 p.m.
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Fantastic Fest capsule: ‘Sleepless Night’
“Sleepless Night” begins in medias crime: two men pull on ski masks and try to rob some drug couriers. They get the drugs, a duffel bag stuffed with more cocaine than they suspected, but one courier gets away having seen their faces. Not good. Cut to….a police station. Our robbers are cops, Vincent (French stand-up comedian Tomer Sisley) and Manuel (Laurent Stocker). Vincent has been recognized and local drug lord Jose Marciano (Serge Riaboukine) kidnaps Vincent’s adolescent son to get his coke back.
From here, director Frederic Jardin refused to take his hand off the throttle. With Vincent looking for his son, Marciano’s Turkish connection Feydek demanding his product and internal affairs beginning to suspect something is up, everyone converges on Marcino’s packed nightclub for one of the year’s most relentless, claustrophobic crime movies. (Yes, it has already been optioned by Warner Bros for an American remake. Apparently, we outsource absolutely everything now.)
“Sleepless Nights” owes much to the style and pacing of Michael Mann (but without Mann’s slickness), from the blown heist and violence in “Heat” to the jammed club settings and deep cover police in “Miami Vice.” Vincent even feels a bit like (and is named after?) Vincent Hanna, Al Pacino’s electrifying cop in “Heat.”
But where Hanna was a force of nature who lived almost entirely for the job, the Vincent of “Sleepless Nights” is trying to wiggle his way out of a jam he made for himself. The only reason he doesn’t get lost in his own cover identities is his need to find his son — it propels him constantly, moving him through the exhausting night club, pushing him into smaller and smaller spaces, physically and emotionally. (And did I mention the stab wound?) Intricate plotting folds into vertigo-inducing hand-held camera work for a tense, thrillingly exhausting ride.
“Sleepless Nights” screens again as part of Fantastic Fest at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Alamo South Lamar.
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IFC Midnight acquires Fantastic Fest title ‘Penumbra’
IFC Midnight announced Thursday that it had purchased the North American, Malaysian and Singapore rights to directors Adrian and Ramiro Garcia Bogliano’s “Penumbra.”
The deal was made prior to the Argentinian thriller’s world premiere at Fantastic Fest Thursday night.
“We’ve been big fans of Adrian and Ramiro Garcia Bogliano since we saw ‘Cold Sweat,’” Jonathan Sehring, President of Sundance Selects/IFC Films, said. “We’re thrilled to be in business with them on ‘Penumbra,’ which shows them only growing stronger as filmmakers. Cristina Bondo gives an amazing performance as the Boglianos slowly and expertly turn up the dread and tension in this thrilling film.”
“Penumbra” screens again Thursday at 11:50 p.m. at Fantastic Fest.
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Fantastic Fest capsule: ‘The Borderline’
Nothing has gone the way David had hoped. A legal career initially inspired by the teachings of Ghandi has hit a dead-end. He can’t afford Christmas presents for his wife Christine. And his attempts to hide his cigarette smoking from his newly unemployed and bossy wife have left him quaking in the basement like a teenager. Then he finds the bag. In it, bricks of cocaine large enough to make him a very rich man. All he has to do is figure out how to sell the stuff. At first his wife is terrified and offended by the suggestion that the couple become drug dealers, but after realizing the possibilities the money could afford them, the two join forces and start slinging baggies of cocaine, an act of joyful rebellion that reinvigorates their marriage. But when that much cocaine goes missing, the rightful owner is going to come looking for it. When the gangster finds David and Christine, their comedic romp through the drug becomes fraught with peril and the serious threat of danger. A dark comedic tale of marriage, responsibility and failed good intentions, this French film expertly blends nerve-suspenseful drama and laughs.
‘The Borderline’ screens again at 11:55 p.m. on Sunday.
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Fantastic Fest capsule: ‘Kill Me Please’
Ensconced in his castle-cum-treatment facility in the mountains, Dr. Krueger is one of the world’s foremost authorities in assisted-suicide. The trouble is he would prefer that his patients chose not to end their lives. They obviously have other ideas, even the ones in perfect health. French filmmaker Olias Barco’s spare black-and-white film begins as a dark comedy about the moral implications of irreversible decisions and our right to control every aspect of our lives, even death, then takes an even darker turn when citizens from the local town attempt to impose their will through violence. Actor Aurélien Recoing brings great nuance to Krueger and Saul Rubinek is hilarious as an American hoping to end his life while lying to his wife about his whereabouts.
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Fantastic Fest capsule: ‘New Kids Turbo’
Their lives slowly being sucked into the economic crisis in the Netherlands known as The Black Hole, five idiotic friends decide to become the vehemently moronic versions of Bartleby the Scriver (or was that Thoreau?), refusing to work. Outraged by the government’s refusal to let them live a high life on the dole, the 80s looking fools, who constantly sling crude sexual jokes at one another (and anyone within shouting distance), decide they will pay for nothing. This leads to a bumbling life of crime and a reality-TV series that makes them folk heroes for a numb-minded populace. The movie relies on quick editing, non-sequiturs, delayed punchlines and hijacking of conventional narrative structure to make for a riotous and absurdly stupid (and brilliant) comedy that satirizes popular culture. Think “Run Ronnie Run” meets “Borat” meets “Mr. Show.”
(11:30 p.m. Friday, 5:40 p.m. Sunday)
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Austin Film Festival announces lineup
The Austin Film Festival announced its lineup Tuesday, including some of the best movies from this year’s slew of international festivals as well as several high-profile Texas-made independent films.
“Like Crazy,” which won the grand jury prize for best picture at the Sundance Film Festival, will be one of the biggest regional premieres. The heartbreaking love story stars Felicity Jones, who won a special jury prize as best actress at Sundance, as well as Anton Yelchin.
“Shame,” which caused a sensation at the recent Toronto International Film Festival as well as the Venice Film Festival, will also play in Austin. Michael Fassbender, who won the best actor prize in Venice, stars as a sex addict.
Other highlights include “The Artist,” a black and white silent movie that wowed audiences at the Cannes Film Festival and garnered the best actor award for French star Jean Dujardin; “The Descendants,” which had its premiere in Toronto and stars George Clooney; “Sal,” a biographical look at the final days of Sal Mineo, directed by James Franco and premiering in Venice; and “Jeff, Who Lives at Home,” which premiered in Toronto and stars Jason Segel and Ed Helms. It is directed by former Austin residents Jay and Mark Duplass.
Other festival favorites include “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” which premiered in Cannes and stars Tilda Swinton, and “Pariah,” an African American drama from Sundance, focusing on the troubled lives of young women.
The festival will also host the world premieres of the documentary “Ecstasy of Order: The Tetris Masters” and the horror film “Beneath the Darkness,” which was shot in Central Texas and stars Dennis Quaid. And in a first, the festival will host a 3D screening of the new animated film “Puss in Boots.”
Independent Texas films that will have their world premieres at the festival include: the stoner comedy “Austin High,” directed by Alan Deutsch; the drama “Deep in the Heart,” directed by Christopher Cain; the high school reunion comedy “Searching for Sonny,” directed by Andrew Disney; the drama “A Swingin’ Trio,” directed by Kelvin Phillips; the drama “Sironia,” directed by Brandon Dickerson; and the thriller “Uncertain, Tx.,” directed by Eric Steele.
Other Texas independent film screenings will be held for “Strings,” directed by Mark Dennis, and “An Ordinary Family,” directed by Mike Akel.
The opening night film, as well as the centerpiece and closing night films, have not yet been announced.
Here’s the full list released by the festival on Tuesday.
Marquee screenings: “The Descendants,” “Shame,” “The Woman in the Fifth,” “Sal,” “Jeff, Who Lives at Home,” “Coriolanus,” “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” “Like Crazy,” “Martha Marcy May Marlene,” “Pariah,” “Albert Nobbs,” “Cinema Is Everywhere,” “6 Month Rule,” “After Fall, Winter,” “Age of Champions,” “All I Know: The Cattle Sessions,” “American Teacher,” “The Bully Project,” “The Conquest of High Passes,” “Hell and Back Again,” “Jiro Dreams of Sushi,” “Let Go,” “Manenberg,” “Push: Madison Versus Madison,” “Sawdust City,” “Shakespeare High,” “Wish Me Away,” “You Hurt My Feelings,” “Roadie,” “Despicable Dick and the Righteous Richard.”
AFF Presents: John Lasseter presents “Toy Story,” Caroline Thompson presents “Edward Scissorhands,” a tribute to Polly Platt presented by Luke Wilson with special taped intro by Wes Anderson, an Afternoon of Nicholas Ray: “Don’t Expect Too Much” and “”We Can’t Go Home Again,” presented with the Harry Ransom Center.
Comedy vanguard: “Freak Dance,” “Fred & Vinnie,” “High Road,” “Treatment.”
Dark matters: “Below Zero,” “Beneath the Darkness,” “Deadheads,” “Some Guy Who Kills People.”
Family films: “Puss in Boots,” “Inuk,” “Small and Creepy Films.”
Texas independents: “Austin High,” “Deep in the Heart,” “An Ordinary Family,” “Searching for Sonny,” “Sironia,” “Strings,” “A Swingin’ Trio,” “Uncertain, Tx.”
Narrative feature competition: “The Dynamiter,” “Harold’s Going Stiff,” “Leila,” “OK, Enough, Goodbye,” “Restive,” “Seamonsters,” “Somewhere West,” “The Stand Up,” “Stuck Between Stations.”
Documentary feature competition: “Ecstasy of Order: The Tetris Masters,” “One Night Stand,” “Township to the Stage,” “Thank You for Judging,” “When Dreams Take Flight,” “Darwin,” “Stories from an Undeclared War,” “Goold’s Gold.”
Film passes and festival badges are on sale at a discounted rate until Sept. 30 and can be purchased at www.austinfilmfestival.com.
Festival screenings kick off Oct. 20 and continue through Oct. 27.
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Linklater discusses ‘Bernie’ benefit screening and fall-out from the wildfires
Linklater, who spoke at the offices of the Austin Film Society, said his property received some damage but that he was one of the lucky ones. Soon after the fire started in early September, Linklater said he and stars Matthew McConaughey and Jack Black started discussing how they could help the Bastrop area, where much of “Bernie” was filmed. They decided to turn what was originally meant to be a cast-and-crew screening into a benefit event at the Paramount Theatre downtown.
“I think it’s an excellent opportunity for Austinites and members of our community to help out their neighbors in Bastrop,” Linklater said. “There’s a lot of great work being done, and there’s been this outpouring of support for the relief effort, and we’re just happy to be one more thing Austinites and people in our area can do for our neighbors.”
Black will join Linklater at the screening, which will raise money for the Bastrop Emergency Food Pantry, Heart of the Pines Volunteer Fire Department and Friends of the Lost Pines State Parks.
“I’m really proud one of our beneficiaries is the volunteer fire department out there, who’s underfunded. They put their lives on the line. They fought the fire while their houses burned,” Linklater said. “One of our other beneficiaries is Friends of the Park. As everyone knows, over 5,900 acres of the 6,000-acre park — the crown jewel, Bastrop State Park — has been burned. That doesn’t mean totally lost, but it needs a lot of attention right now. They lost a lot of equipment. Their window of helping the park survive is now.”
Event co-presenter McConaughey is currently shooting a film and will be unable to attend Sunday, though Linklater said he will read prepared remarks from the actor, who he says has given “by far the biggest donation” to the event.
Linklater said he has talked with many of his neighbors and visited the convention center in Bastrop a few times since the wildfires.
“It’s devastating when you talk to someone who’s lost everything, even if you have insurance and you have a job - which not everybody has … But in a situation like this, what a community has to do to stay together, it’s endless. It’ll be a process,” Linklater said. “Everybody has to do everything they can. There’s never enough; so everyone has to help out every way they can. But they’re really resilient. People have taken a loss but you get this sense of immediate renewal. The goal would always be that people don’t just leave the community, that somehow they find a way to stay there and rebuild and stay in the community.”
“Bernie,” a PG-13 comedy about small-town Texas life, is a good fit for the benefit event. The film, which Linklater calls his “Jack Black black comedy” recounts the bizarre mystery involving Bernhardt “Bernie” Tiede (Black), an assistant funeral home director in Carthage, Texas, who admitted to murdering wealthy and eccentric socialite Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine).
Tickets for Sunday’s 4p.m. benefit screening start at $100 and are available on the Paramount Theatre’s website. Those unable to attend but still wanting to contribute can purchase tickets and donate them to Bastrop-area residents affected by the fire.
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Chuck Palahniuk, Jim Uhls,Tom Perrotta to appear on joint AFF/TBF panels
Authors such as Chuck Palahniuk, Jim Uhls, Kathy Reichs, Ernest Cline and Tom Perrotta are all slated to appear on panels about the relationship between prose and the screen co-sponsored by the Austin Film Festival and Texas Book Festival on Oct. 22.
“Fight Club” (the movie) screenwriter Jim Uhls and “Fight Club” (the novel) author Chuck Palahniuk will discuss adapting the novel in a “Script-to-Screen” panel.
“Bones” writer/producer Hart Hanson will join novelist and forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs to discuss “the Collaboration Process”
Authors/screenwriters Ernest Cline, Tom Perrotta and Jenny Wingfield will all discuss their moving work from the page to the screen.
Only “Lone Star” AFF badges and above will get you access to all panels. Film passes can be purchased here.
Benefit screening of Linklater’s ‘Bernie’ this Sunday at the Paramount
Linklater and “Bernie” star Jack Black will be in attendance at the screening this Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre. The film, shot primarily in Bastrop, recounts the bizarre mystery involving Bernhardt “Bernie” Tiede (Black), an assistant funeral home director in Carthage, Texas who admitted to murdering wealthy and eccentric socialite Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine).
Linklater says a cast and crew screening has been scheduled for September 18, but the tragedy brought on by the wildfires in Central Texas changed their plans.
“After the catastrophic fires of the last week, we quickly jumped on the idea of opening it up to the public as an opportunity for Austinites and members of our artistic community to help our neighbors in Bastrop that have been so devastated,” Linklater said. “It seems like an appropriate movie for the cause - not only was it filmed largely in the Bastrop area, but it’s a PG-13 comedy about small town Texas life. It’s the least we can do for this wonderful community that opened its doors to us during production.”
Tickets start at $100 for general seating, with sponsorships, that include six reserved tickets and pre-show reception with cast and crew, available for $2,500. Tickets go on sale to the general public tonight at 6 p.m. on the Paramount’s website. Those unable to attend but still wanting to contribute, can purchase tickets and donate them to Bastrop-area residents affected by the fire.
Richard Linklater, co-founder of the Austin Film Society, and filmmaker, walks in on the red carpet during the Austin Film Society’s 2011 Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards held in Austin, Texas on Thursday March 10, 2011. (American-Statesman/Rodolfo Gonzalez)
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Fantastic Fest schedule released (we list a few highlights)
On your marks, get set … nerd out. Fantastic Fest has released its schedule, which you can find here.
A few highlights (all screenings at Alamo South):
- Markus Schleinzer’s controversial “Michael,” a film about a middle-aged, run-of-the-mill man who just happens to have a young kidnapee living in a custom-built soundproof room in his basement, is the second film to screen. It plays at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 22 and 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday September 27.
- Lars Von Trier’s “Melancholia” will have two screenings. Saturday, September 24 at 2:30 p.m. and Tuesday, September 27 at 8:30 p.m.
- “Human Centipede 2” will screen twice, almost simultaneously, on Thursday, September 22 at 8:45 p.m. and 9 p.m.
- John Landis’ 1981 classic, “An American Werewolf in London,” screens Saturday, September 24 at 6 p.m.
- Austinite Jeff Nichols’ “Take Shelter” will screen Sunday, September 25 at 6 p.m.
- Morgan Spurlock’s Comic-Con documentary Thursday, September 29 at 7 p.m., as the closing night film.
- Fantastic Fest vet Ti West will screen “The Innkeepers,” at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 29. It will be the last film screened at the festival.
‘Ugly Betty’ actress to co-chair AFF’s Film & Food
“Ugly Betty” actress America Ferrara and Ryan Piers Williams, director of “The Dry Land,” will be the honorary chairs of the 9th Annual Film & Food event presented by the Austin Film Festival.
The culinary event will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 19 at the Driskill Hotel, 604 Brazos.
Tickets: $90, $75 for AFF members and badge holders. 512-478.4795. www.austinfilmfestival.com.
Proceeds from the ticket sales and event auctions benefit AFF’s Young Filmmakers Program.
Restaurants participating in this year’s Film & Food include Austin Cake Ball, The Driskill Grill, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, Whole Foods Market, Polkadots Cupcake, Ranch 616, Driskill 1886 Cafe & Bakery, Buenos Aires Cafe, Eddie V’s Prime Steakhouse, Roaring Fork, Haddington’s, Mullberry, Garridos, Passion Cafe, Parkside, Truluck’s Seafood Steak and Crab House and others.
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Alamo Drafthouse screening free family movies in Bastrop this weekend
The Alamo Drafthouse will screen three free family-friendly movies at the Bastrop Opera House this weekend. “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” screens today at 4 p.m. and “The Iron Giant” screens at 7 p.m. Tomorrow night, they will screen “The Princess Bride” at 7. The movies are first-come first-served and open to Bastrop-area residents. The Opera House is located at 711 Spring St. in Bastrop.
Additionally, the Drafthouse and Highball will be donating five percent of their total sales from all Austin locations to local wildfire relief efforts.
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Thoughts from the world premiere of ‘Slacker 2011’ (a week late, in true Slacker form)
In addition to the 24 teams of filmmakers responsible for the remake of the Richard Linklater classic, it seemed almost everyone from the Austin film world was in attendance at the screening, lending the evening a complete party vibe. Some people even got dressed up for the event. Kudos to filmmaker Bob Ray and producer Daniel Metz for rocking black tuxedos. True to his “Slacker” roots, Linklater kept it casual with cargo shorts and a t-shirt. The godfather of Austin indie film briefly took the stage to humbly kick off the screening that must have been a trip for him.
Ray had the duty of tackling the first sequence and added a nice touch with his modern update: gone was Roy’s Taxi, replaced by a pedicab and a cast of active characters in the background that represented Austin’s increased vitality over the past 20 years.
Spencer Parsons’ scene was one of the remake’s highlights. The former Austinite now teaching in Chicago remade the hit-and-run scene and replaced the original 20-something character with a kid, who runs over his father (with a Prius) and then calmly shows his friends the accident on his iPhone.
Acting standouts included Chris Doubek, who mesmerized in his meandering walking-and-talking scene, as well as John Wesley Coleman’s wild-eyed take on the Madonna pap smear scene, directed by Karen Skloss. The Zellner brothers deserve hardy credit for their stunt casting of Austin favs Peelander-Z in the jilted boyfriend scene. It was a head-scratching and hilarious move, and the New York-based Japanese punk band seemed to relish their time in front of the camera.
Kudos go to local production company Stuck On On for editing the work of the 24 filmmaking teams. With so many different aesthetics and tones, the completed film could have looked like a messy patchwork, but “Slacker 2011” came off as a beautiful work of jazz, with each segment representing an instrumental solo. At times dark and tempestuous (Mingus-Parsons) and at others lyrically rhythmic, playful and exaggerated (Monk-Doubek) or rapid bursts of color (Parker-Coleman) the film showcased individual voices while still holding its center as a single work of art.
For those interested in checking out the Sunday night screenings this month at the Alamo South and Alamo Village, I would suggest re-watching the original “Slacker” first. While “Slacker 2011” paints a good portrait of Austin today, the movie works best as a companion piece to the original.
But last Wednesday at the Paramount Theatre was about more than just this fun and inventive remake. It was about celebrating independent film in Austin and the spirit of camaraderie fostered in the city’s film community. It was the kind of night where you see two guys passing each other in the bathroom and one says, “Hey, man, I can’t wait to see your film.” And the other responds, “I can’t wait to see yours, either.” And they both mean it.
I tracked down “Slacker 2011” co-producer Daniel Metz the day after the premiere to get his thoughts on the big night. His comments follow:
What’d I think about the screening? At first, when we were setting up the red carpet, it was an amazing experience. Lines forming around the block. And even more so, seeing all of the cast from the movie that I’ve been falling in love with for the past few months. I know maybe half of the actors from the remake, so most of the faces I know only from my endless watching of the rough cuts. The characters in the movie are like my friends now, and seeing them come to life - some very much resembling their characters, some totally different - was so damned exciting to me. I was giddy, pointing to the various minor characters from the movie. That was, of course, just a distraction to keep me away from my crushing anxiety. But when Bryan and I got on stage I experienced the fullest applause I ever received, and it was clear from the beginning that it was a supportive crowd that really GOT what we were doing. And the audience stayed with the movie, laughing knowingly at all of the right points, so that I felt that they sincerely felt the passion and the love that created this movie. Whatever happens to this movie from here, we can know that it played in Austin to the crowd it was made for, and I think it played well.Being with so many of the original slackers last night, I felt a generational camaraderie and I knew we were all in it together. It was a beautiful, complicated, and heavy moment, and one which I will both never forget and never fully understand.
Tickets for “Slacker 2011”: Alamo Village, 9/11 @ 7 p.m.. Tickets for 9/18 at Alamo South and 9/25 at Alamo Village are not yet on sale.
Photos: Scenes from the “Slacker 2011” world premiere at the Paramount Theatre on August 29.
Related: For more on “Slacker 2011,” check out my preview piece that ran in print on August 26.
Related: “Parks and Recreation” star Nick Offerman shares his love of ‘Slacker’ and Texas
Note: This post was originally meant to go up last week, but technical failures and user error prevented it. My apologies.
Photo: Chris Doubek, Berndt Mader, Ben Steinbauer and Daniel Metz, left to right, during the red carpet arrivals for the screening of ‘Slacker 2011’ held at The Paramount in Austin, Texas on Wednesday, August 31, 2011. (Rodolfo Gonzalez AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
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New IMAX screen opens Friday at AMC Barton Creek Square
The wait is almost over.
The IMAX screen at AMC’s Barton Creek Square theater is set to open Friday.
“Contagion: The IMAX Experience” will be the first film shown.
Upcoming features to be released in IMAX format include “Real Steel” on Oct. 7; “Puss in Boots,” Nov. 4; “Happy Feet 2,” Nov. 18; “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol,” Dec. 21; and “The Adventures of Tintin,” Dec. 23.
IMAX promises theater-goers “crystal-clear images, powerful digital sound and customized theater geometry to create a uniquely immersive movie experience.”
Austin’s new IMAX screen is one of 125 AMC is adding at cineplexes across the U.S. and Canada.
The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum also shows IMAX features.
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‘The Human Centipede II’ to make world premiere at Fantastic Fest, ‘Take Shelter’ to bow for first time in Texas
When “The Human Centipede (First Sequence)” phenomenon reached its height last year following its 2009 world premiere at Fantastic Fest, people began to wonder whether there would be a follow-up to the shock-horror fetish film that features bodily functions not appropriate for discussing at length in this space. Let’s just the phrase “a Siamese triplet connected by the gastric system” makes an appearance.
Well, the sequel was made, naturally. And there was really only one place you could imagine “The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence)” makings its world premiere: Fantastic Fest. Dutch filmmaker Tom Six will kick off the festival that runs September 22-September 29.
At the complete other end of the tonal spectrum, Morgan Spurlock’s documentary, “Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope,” an exploration of the yearly fan-boy fest in San Diego, closes the fest. The closing night film will be followed a superhero-themed carnival with costume contests and activities.
Austinite Jeff Nichols “Take Shelter,” which won the Grand Prize of the 50th annual Critics’ Week at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as the Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers Screenwriting Award, will makes its Texas premiere. The movie stars Michael Shannon (“Boardwalk Empire”) as Curtis LaForche, a man who becomes haunted by realistic nightmares that he feels portend danger for his family. “The Tree of Life” star Jessica Chastain co-stars.
Fantastic Fest will also present a special screening of 1981’s “An American Werewolf in London,” with director of special makeup effects Rick Baker in attendance. In addition to the screenings, Fantastic Fest co-founder and Alamo Drafthouse CEO Tim League will once again enter the ring for the Fantastic Debates. After challenging Michelle Rodriguez of “Girlfight” and “Machete” last year, League has upped the ante and lunacy, by taking on undefeated Irish bare-knuckle brawler James Quinn McDonagh, star of the documentary “Knuckle.”
For the complete list of final wave films at this year’s Fantastic Fest, follow the jump. For more information about Fantastic Fest, visit FantasticFest.com.
AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (1981)
Special Screening
Director of special makeup effects Rick Baker live in person!
Director: John Landis, USA, 97 minutes
“Keep to the roads.” A simple warning, but one that is not heeded by two Americans backpacking across the Yorkshire Moors. Now, they must learn to follow a new warning, “Beware the moon.”
A BOY AND HIS SAMURAI (2011)
US Premiere
Director: Yoshihiro Nakamura, Korea, 109 minutes
From the director of festival faves Fish Story and Golden Slumber, the ultimate time travelling, father-son, samurai pastry chef, food movie ever made.
BUNOHAN (2011)
US Premiere
Director: Dain Said, Malaysia, 100 minutes
BUNOHAN is the tragic story of love lost between three estranged brothers and their ailing father.
CARRE BLANC (2011)
US Premiere
Director: Jean-Baptiste Léonetti live in person!
Director: Jean-Baptiste Léonetti, France, 77 minutes
It’s eat or be eaten (literally) in an absurdist future where a woman struggles to reclaim her husband from the bleak corporate machine.
CLOWN (2011)
Texas Premiere
Director Mikkel Nørgaard and producer Louise Vesth live in person!
Director: Mikkel Nørgaard, Denmark, 90 minutes
Casper and Frank are on a canoe trip to glory, (edited for content) with an exclusive brothel waiting at the end. Probably shouldn’t have brought the kid.
COMIC-CON EPISODE IV: A FAN’S HOPE (2011)
US Premiere
Director: Morgan Spurlock, USA, 88 minutes
The documentary film follows five people as they descend upon the Mecca of geek culture, San Diego’s Comic-Con Convention.
THE DAY (2011)
US Premiere
Producer Guy Danella and actor Dominic Monaghan live in person!
Director: Douglas Aarniokoski, USA, 90 minutes
A group of weary post-apocalyptic survivors find refuge in an abandoned farmhouse. The house, however, may not be as safe or abandoned as they first assumed.
THE DEVIL’S BUSINESS (2011)
International Premiere
Director Sean Hogan and producer Jen Handorf live in person!
Director: Sean Hogan, UK, 75 minutes
Two hitmen are ordered to assassinate an old associate. While waiting for their target to come home, one shares a story of love lost which brings out the demons - first figuratively, then literally.
ELITE SQUAD: THE ENEMY WITHIN (2011)
Regional Premiere
Director: Jose Padillha, Brazil, 116 minutes
In the slums of Rio de Janeiro, dirty cops and corrupt politicians gain notoriety by capitalizing on the vulnerable weak and poor. Two men with polar opposite ends of the political spectrum dedicate their lives to exposing the corruption.
THE HOLDING (2011)
North American Premiere
Director: Susan Jacobson, UK, 93 minutes
After the sudden departure of her husband, Cassie is struggling to keep the family farm alive. After reluctantly accepting the assistance of a drifter, she realizes he may have more sinister plans in mind.
HOW TO STEAL 2 MILLION (2011)
International Premiere
Director and writer Charlie Vundla and producer Mfundi Vundla live in person!
Director: Charlie Vundla, South Africa, 109 minutes
Freshly released from prison, Jack needs to pull one last score to finance his move to a legit life in this classically styled noir.
THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE 2: FULL SEQUENCE (2011)
World Premiere
Director Tom Six and producer Ilona Six live in person!
Director: Tom Six, Netherlands, 90 minutes
Tom Six’s follow-up to THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE: FULL SEQUENCE ups that ante with a brute force unparalleled in motion pictures today. It is sure to be one of the most controversial films of our time.
JUAN OF THE DEAD (2011)
US Premiere
Director Alejandro Brugues and producer Gervasio Iglesias Macias live in person!
Director: Alejandro Brugues, Cuba, 100 minutes
50 years after the Cuban Revolution, a new one is about to begin. That revolution is zombies; filthy, flesh-eating zombies.
JULIA X (2011)
North American Premiere
Director and producer PJ Pettiette, producer Claudie Viguerie and associate producer Courtney Rawls live in person!
Director: P.J. Pettiette, USA, 92 minutes
Super sexy serial killer Kevin Sorbo (in 3D!) gets a nasty surprise when his latest potential victim puts up an unexpected fight.
KARATE-ROBO ZABORGAR (2011)
Austin Premiere
Director Noboru Iguchi live in person!
Director: Noboru Iguchi, Japan, 101 minutes
Happy 70’s crimefighters: a boy and his motorcycle-transforming, karate-fighting robot…only the kid’s grown up now and is pushing 50.
LAST SCREENING (2011)
US Premiere
Actor Pascal Cervo live in person!
Director: Laurent Achard, France, 81 minutes
In this stylish, giallo-inflected thriller a strange young man, the single employee of a doomed French repertory cinema, lives a secret life, making regular trips into the night to victimize women and collect a certain body part. As the bloody story progresses we find out why.
LIVID (2011)
US Premiere
Director: Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, France, 88 minutes
A group of amateur thieves stumble across something very strange and unexpected in this horrific fairy tale from the directors of INSIDE.
THE LOVED ONES (2009)
Special Screening
Director: Sean Byrne, Australia, 84 minutes
Girl likes boy. Girl asks boy to the prom but boy says no. Girl kidnaps boy and holds him hostage. THE LOVED ONES is PRETTY IN PINK meets MISERY, but worse; much, much worse.
MANBORG (2011)
World Premiere
Director and writer Steven John Kostanski, co-writer and actor Jeremy Gillespie and actor Andrea Karr live in person!
Director: Steven John Kostanski, Canada, 60 minutes
Part man, part robot, all killing machine! Only the awesome power of the MANBORG can drive the demon hordes back to hell!
POLVORA NEGRA (2011)
North American Premiere
Director: Kapel Furman, Brazil, 89 minutes
A man is hunted down and left for dead. Years later he returns, hired as a hitman by the same criminals who gunned him down. They are in for a surprise.
RABIES (2011)
Regional Premiere
Director: Aharon Keshales and Novat Papushado, Israel, 90 minutes
For two cops, a ranger, four teens, and a pair of sibling runaways, it was supposed to be just a walk in the park. They chose the wrong park.
RETREAT (2011)
US Premiere
Director: Carl Tibbetts, UK, 90 minutes
Martin and Kate’s much needed getaway would be perfect except for
power issues… and the guy covered in blood that unexpectedly
stumbles onto their lawn.
SENNENTUNTSCHI: CURSE OF THE ALPS (2011)
North American Premiere
Director: Michael Steiner, Switzerland, 110 minutes
The residents of a small village in the Swiss Alps start to distrust their local police officer after he decides to shelter a mysterious young woman who arrived directly after the death of a priest.
SLEEPLESS NIGHT (2011)
US Premiere
Director: Frédéric Jardin, France, 98 minutes
Dirty cops use police intelligence to rob drug dealers as a moonlighting venture, but when they are identified by one of their marks, the drug kingpin mobilizes a serious payback.
SMUGGLER (2011)
US Premiere
Director: Katsuhito ISHII, Japan, 115 minutes
Ultra-stylish gangster comedy from the director of FUNKY FOREST and THE TASTE OF TEA pits a failed actor against a lethal assassin.
TAKE SHELTER (2011)
Texas Premiere
Director: Jeff Nichols, USA, 120 minutes
Curtis LaForche is having apocalyptic nightmares which progressively get worse, blending reality with the dream world. As paranoia starts to take a toll, he decides to build a living quarters underground, risking his job security, marriage, and friends.
TWO EYES STARING (2010)
US Premiere
Director: Elbert Van Strien, Belgium, 112 minutes
9-year-old Lisa loves her father but has always felt disconnected from her mother. When the family moves from Holland to Belgium, Lisa makes a new friend who will dig up long buried secrets.
URBAN EXPLORER (2011)
US Premiere
Director: Andy Fetscher, Germany, 100 minutes
Four 20-somethings hire a guide to escort them through a network of tunnels underneath Berlin. Things start to spiral out of control when a member of the group falls, breaking a leg.
THE YELLOW SEA (2011)
Regional Premiere
Director Hong-jin Na, Korea, 157 minutes
The director and stars of THE CHASER team up for an action packed crime epic featuring the most knife and hatchet combat you are likely to see this year.
YOU SAID WHAT? (2011)
US Premiere
Director Syversen Patrik, producer Kjetil Omberg, producer Terje Stromstad and
actor Stig Frode Henriksen live in person!
Director: Patrik Syversen and Nini Bull Robsahm , Norway, 107 minutes
The producers of DEAD SNOW re-imagine Takashi Miike’s AUDITION as a rom-com and make Peter Stormare ride a paper mâché dragon shrieking that he is the King of Darkness.
ZOMBIE ASS (2011)
World Premiere
Director Noboru Iguchi live in person!
Director: Noboru Iguchi, Japan, 85 minutes
A mad scientist conducts experiments on alien parasites and zombies in turn. Will karate save the day, or…fart power? Ass-obsessed madman Noboru Iguchi creates the most crap-tastic zombie movie ever to emerge from Japan’s cinema sewer.
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