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Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Austin Film Festival announces opening, closing and centerpiece films
Bookending the festival is closing night film “Union Square.” The movie from director Nancy Savoca, whose greatest success came with a Grand Jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival for her 1989 debut “True Love,” tells the story of two sisters (Mira Sorvino and Tammy Blanchard) with personalities at opposite ends of the spectrum who end up careening towards each other and a series of life-altering truths. Academy Award winner Sorvino will be in attendance at the October 27 screening.
The heart of the Austin Film Festival will have a decidedly local feel this year, as “Jeff Who Lives at Home,” the latest feature from University of Texas film alumni, brothers Mark and Jay Duplass, will serve as the festival’s centerpiece film. The heartfelt comedy stars Jason Segel and Ed Helms as estranged brothers who set out on a series of misadventures and struggle to reconcile their delusions with reality. “Jeff Who Lives at Home” screens Saturday, October 22 at the Paramount Theatre.
The recently announced opening and closing night films join a lineup that includes Sundance jury winner “Like Crazy,” the George Clooney-starring “The Descendants,” black-and-white silent film “The Artist” and several high-profile Texas-made independent films.
The Austin Film Festival and Conference runs from October 20-27 in downtown Austin.
Photo: Jennifer Garner at the world premiere of “Butter” at the Toronto International Film Festival. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Paramount Theatre gets deadly serious about cell phones in theater
The Paramount Theatre has a new promotion letting its patrons know they are serious when it comes to providing a peaceful and non-distracting environment for films.
Of course, being a hallowed cultural institution with a slightly different public persona than the Drafthouse, the Paramount can’t feature profanity-laced tirades and exploding heads. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t also deadly serious. They have a new campaign featuring two of the ghosts that allegedly haunt the old theater
The Lady in White and The Man with the Cigar both make appearances in the new ads, along with such Paramount employees as Jesse Trussel and Laura Vilches.
The new rules at the Paramount to limit cell phone disruptions are as follows:
1) Inform an usher stationed at nearly all ends of the theatre of the exact patron. Then sit back down and relax.
2) The usher will give one warning and keep an eye on the patron to see if behavior continues.
3) If behavior continues, the usher will bring in the house manager or security to remove the cell user without a refund.
For more information on the Paramount’s policy, visit the theater’s website.
