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Karl Malden dies
Great character actor Karl Malden has died at age 97. Known for roles in such Elia Kazan classics as “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “On the Waterfront” and “Baby Doll,” as well as TV’s “The Streets of San Francisco,” Malden was a master craftsman with an unmistakable, almost avuncular mien.
Other Malden films we love include “Patton,” “How the West Was Won,” “Kiss of Death,” “Boomerang,” “Birdman of Alcatraz,” “I Confess” and “The Cincinnati Kid.”
Here’s a partial obit from the Los Angeles Times:
Karl Malden, one of Hollywood’s strongest and most versatile supporting actors, who won an Oscar playing his Broadway-originated role as Mitch in “A Streetcar Named Desire,” died today. He was 97.
Malden starred in the 1970s TV series “The Streets of San Francisco” and was the longtime American Express traveler’s-check spokesman, warning travelers to not leave home without it. He died of natural causes at his home in Brentwood, said his daughter Mila Doerner.
With his unglamorous mug — he broke his bulbous nose twice playing sports as a teenager — the former Indiana steel-mill worker realized early on the course his acting career would take.
“I was so incredibly lucky,” Malden once told The Times. “I knew I wasn’t a leading man. Take a look at this face.” But, he vowed as a young man, he wasn’t going to let his looks hamper his ambition to succeed as an actor.
In a movie career that flourished in the 1950s and ’60s, Malden played a variety of roles in more than 50 films, including the sympathetic priest in “On the Waterfront,” the resentful husband in “Baby Doll,” the warden in “Birdman of Alcatraz,” the outlaw-turned-sheriff in “One-Eyed Jacks,” the pioneer patriarch in “How the West Was Won,” Madame Rose’s suitor in “Gypsy,” the card dealerin “The Cincinnati Kid” and Gen. Omar Bradley in “Patton.”
His varied performances established Malden, former Times film critic Charles Champlin once wrote, “as an Everyman, but one whose range moved easily up and down the levels of society and the IQ scale, from heroes to heavies and ordinary, decent guys just trying to get along.”
Malden was a longtime holdout to television until he agreed to play Lt. Mike Stone on the ABC police drama “The Streets of San Francisco,” with Michael Douglas. The series, which ran from 1972 to 1977, earned Malden four consecutive Emmy nominations as lead actor in a drama series.
When he finally won his sole Emmy, it was for outstanding supporting actor in a limited series or special, as a man who begins to suspect that his daughter was murdered by her husband in the fact-based 1984 miniseries “Fatal Vision.”
Malden also starred in “Skag,” a short-lived 1980 NBC dramatic series in which he played a Serbian family man and union foreman at a Pittsburgh steel mill.
But for all his movie and television roles, it was primarily the series of American Express traveler’s-check commercials Malden made between 1973 and 1994 that gave him his greatest public recognition. (Even Johnny Carson, complete with fake proboscis, dark suit and short-brimmed fedora, spoofed Malden’s sober-faced commercials on “The Tonight Show.”)
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Robert Rodriguez premieres his new one, ‘Shorts’
When Robert Rodriguez debuts his family-friendly films in Austin, he likes to go all-out. For his latest Austin-made kids movie “Shorts,” a Day-Glo fantasy, a carnival with rides and games will spill out in front of the Paramount Theatre before the show.
The screening, the film’s local premiere, happens at 2:30 p.m. Aug. 16 at the Paramount. Proceeds go to the Thoughtful House Center for Children. Expect a red-carpet event with the filmmakers and some of the young cast.
Tickets and details HERE.
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Modigliani looks beyond ‘Crawford’
Following the success of his doc “Crawford” — enjoying a second life at Hulu and Netflix — Austin filmmaker David Modigliani is working on his second feature doc, “61 Bullets.”
Here’s his pitch for it: “Fiery Louisiana Senator Huey Long was assassinated in 1935 by a young doctor with a 3-month-old baby and no clear motive. Now, 74 years later, that baby is out to clear his father’s name. And the bottom line is that he’s probably right. 61 BULLETS follows Dr. Carl Weiss Jr.’s mission to recover a bullet from Huey Long’s buried body, exonerate his father, and overturn Louisiana history before it’s too late. The quest for exoneration is a unique angle on bona fide whodunit — the biggest American political assassination between McKinley and Kennedy.”
The director has done some shoots in Louisiana and is actively seeking funding and all that other indie filmmaking fun.
Modigliani is also at work on THIS.
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Alamo honcho taps film production
The Alamo Drafthouse is getting into the producing racket — or at least the Alamo’s co-founder Tim League is. League, also co-founder of Fantastic Fest, is putting his name as executive producer on a new “slacker revenge movie” called “Red, White and Blue,” directed by Simon Rumley (“The Living and the Dead”).
The film is in production in Austin and stars Noah Taylor (“Shine,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”), Amanda Fuller (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) and Marc Senter (“Cabin Fever 2”).
Rumley’s film “The Living and the Dead” was a smash at Fantastic Fest, where it won five awards. Producers say to expect “Red, White and Blue” to be a deep-dish Austin effort, with favorite local spots and local extras.
They also say: “An unashamedly tough and uncompromising movie, ‘Red White & Blue’ is a fearlessly frank, gut-wrenching romance and a merciless exploration of the futility of violence. Like Rumley’s ‘The Living and the Dead’ before it, the movie — with its casual nudity and scenes of extreme violence — is no doubt destined for controversy.”
Sweet.
Senter, Rumley, Fuller, League and Taylor, posing badd-like
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Noteworthy DVDs released 6/30/09
OTHER TOP PICKS
“Lookin’ to Get Out” (Warner Bros.): Star and producer Jon Voight has championed this never-before-seen edit of the late-career comedy by Hal Ashby (“Harold & Maude,” “Being There”), swearing it restores a director’s vision badly mangled by the original distributor.
“Eastbound & Down” Season 1 & “Entourage” Season 5 (HBO): The HBO debut of love him/hate him funnyman Danny McBride’s quirky series shares a release date with the latest installment of the cable channel’s most guilty pleasure, which happily hasn’t been derailed by costar Jeremy Piven’s little sushi problem.
“Jonas Brothers: The Concert Experience” (Walt Disney): The performance film from Disney’s mega-stars is available in both video formats, but only the Blu-ray version offers the theatrical 3-D experience.
NEW ON BLU-RAY
“Flawless” (Magnolia)
FRESH FROM THE MULTIPLEX
“Dark Streets” (Sony); “Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li,” “12 Rounds” (Fox); “Two Lovers” (Magnolia)
BEST OF TV
“Ali On Ali: The Lost Interviews,” “Swiss Family Robinson” Complete Series (Image); “Apollo 11” (Acorn Media); “The IT Crowd” Season 2 (MPI); “Secret Diary of a Call Girl” Season 2 (Lions Gate); “Stargate: Atlantis” Season 5 (MGM)
DOCUMENTARIES
“Kamp Katrina” (Carnivalesque); “RiP! A Remix Manifesto” (Disinformation)
ARTHOUSE/FOREIGN
“Los Bastardos” (Kino); “Tokyo!” (Liberation)
FROM THE VAULTS
“British Cinema: Renown Pictures Crime & Noir” (VCI); “M. Butterfly” (Warner Bros.)
STRAIGHT(ISH) TO VIDEO
“The Education of Charlie Banks,” directed by Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst (Anchor Bay); “The Human Contract,” directed by Jada Pinkett Smith (Sony)
CULT CORNER
“Door Into Silence,” “Fulci Frenzy” (Severin); “Header” (Synapse); “Kaidan” (Lions Gate); “Women In Prison” (Shock-O-Rama)
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Virginia Shahan, owner of Alamo set, dies
Virginia Shahan, widow of rancher Happy Shahan, who owned the movie set called Alamo Village, has died at 93, the San Antonio Express-News reports.
Even though she became known as owner of the ranch that held the replica of the Alamo, she had lifelong ties to ranching. She was born on a ranch in Edwards County and later lived on a ranch in Kinney County, the newspaper said.
To read the rest of the obituary, follow this link:
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Ten — 10!! — best picture nominations
Writing with the terseness of bad news we wish we never heard, Variety reports this:
There will be 10 best picture nominees starting with the 82nd Oscar ceremony, skedded for March 7, at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. The announcement was made Wednesday morning at AMPAS headquarters in BevHills by Acad prez Sid Ganis. Oscar noms will be unveiled Feb. 2.
Of course, the tradition is five best picture nominees, but we think even that tidy figure is, in many years, too high. Ten nominees comically dilutes the value of a nomination by advancing a group-hug inclusiveness. Many of us at year’s end grapple with filling out our Top 10 lists, so expect some pretty iffy noms in the newly expanded pool. We smell the rank stink of marketing minds.
Thinking about this, what do you think are early contenders for best picture noms next year, especially with 10 titles allowed? Off the top of my itty-bitty head, I’m thinking “Up” (which I have yet to see), “The Hurt Locker” (the best film I’ve seen in ‘09), possibly “Star Trek” and surely “The Hangover” (we jest).
And the Oscar for Best Dumb Decision goes to …
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Coen brothers double feature on Thursday and Friday
The dark quirkiness of the Coen brothers will be on full display this week at the Paramount Theatre as its Summer Film Series shows “Fargo” and “The Big Lebowski.”
“Fargo” screens at 7 p.m. Thursday and 9:50 p.m. Friday, and “The Big Lebowski” will be screening at 9:25 p.m. Thursday and 7:45 p.m. Friday.
Both are double features, so one ticket will get you both.
Tickets are $7 in advance and $8 at the door, at 713 Congress Ave.
As every Coen brothers fan knows, 1996’s “Fargo” was widely hailed upon its release, with Frances McDormand winning the Oscar for best actress and Joel and Ethan Coen taking home the original screenplay award.
McDormand stars as an intrepid police chief, Marge Gunderson, who’s investigating the arranged kidnapping of a woman by her troubled husband (William Macy). He needs the ransom money, and his wife’s father is wealthy. But the plan goes awry, and Marge is on the trail.
Two years later, the Coens released “The Big Lebowski,” which wasn’t nearly as critically acclaimed as “Fargo.” But it has gone on to become a cult film.
Jeff Bridges stars as the Dude, a Los Angeles slacker who’s the victim of mistaken identity. When some gangsters show up at his home and pee on his rug, the Dude is mightily disturbed.
After all, that rug really tied the room together.
It turns out that the gangsters had the Dude mixed up with yet another Lebowski in L.A., a millionaire far removed from the Dude’s regular bowling-alley environs. So the Dude goes to the rich guy’s home in search of restitution. In the process, he becomes mixed up in a kidnapping scheme, a few nihilists and all sorts of unsavory characters.
Bridges makes the Dude come alive, but he has plenty of help in carrying the movie from trusty sidekicks Walter (John Goodman) and Donny (Steve Buscemi).
The Coen Brothers, who rarely try to explain their movies, have actually acknowledged that this effort is an homage to classic Hollywood hard-boiled mysteries, most notably “The Big Sleep” of 1946 with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. It has about as many twists as the original, which still is regarded as a head-scratcher.
For more information, check out www.austintheatre.org.
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Noteworthy DVDs released 6/23/09
PICK OF THE WEEK
“My Dinner with Andr´” and “Last Year at Marienbad” (Criterion): Two archetypes of arthouse cinema get the Criterion treatment this week: the first, a hyper-brainy slice of urban narcissism consisting solely of two people talking; the latter, an inscrutable French puzzle-film full of ambiguous symbols, impossibly crisp visuals, and characters with names like “X” and “A.”
OTHER TOP PICKS
“Waltz With Bashir” (Sony): One of last year’s most praised films uses animation to enliven a documentary account of filmmaker Ari Folman’s experience as a soldier in Lebanon during the early ’80s.
“High Hopes” (BFS): Critics’ darling Mike Leigh made the jump from British TV productions to big screen renown with this partially improvised 1988 ensemble piece.
“Jesus’ Son” (Lions Gate): Billy Crudup stars in this 1999 adaptation of Denis Johnson’s celebrated book.
“At the Death House Door” (Facets): The latest doc from the makers of “Hoop Dreams” profiles a chaplain at the Huntsville prison who, after overseeing nearly 100 executions, became an opponent of capital punishment.
NEW ON BLU-RAY
“American Gangster,” “Casino,” “Eastern Promises” (Universal)
FRESH FROM THE MULTIPLEX
“The Code” (First Look); “Confessions of a Shopaholic” (Walt Disney); “Inkheart” (New Line); “Mr. Troop Mom” (Warner Bros.); “Phoebe In Wonderland” (Image); “The Pink Panther 2” (MGM)
ARTHOUSE/FOREIGN
“Diary of a Suicide” (Facets)
FROM THE VAULTS
“The Don Is Dead,” 1973, starring Anthony Quinn (Universal)
DOCUMENTARIES
“Fema City” (Vanguard); “Louise Bourgeois: The Spider, the Mistress and the Tangerine” (Zeitgeist); “Our City Dreams” (First Run Pictures); “Pick Up The Mic” (Chicago Independent)
CULT CORNER
“Monster Squad,” the goofy ’70s TV show (Virgil Films)
KIDS’ STUFF
“Tom and Jerry: The Chuck Jones Collection” (Warner Bros.)
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Open letter from Richard Linklater
Rick Linklater has posted an open letter at the Austin Film Society site, which you can read HERE.
It concerns the Austin Studios and the small donnybrook brewing about THIS ISSUE.
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Adrianne Palicki, ‘Drake & Josh’ actor, join ‘Red Dawn’ remake
Peck plays the Charlie Sheen role while statuesque Palicki steps into Jennifer Grey’s (likely smaller) shoes.
The movie’s due out Sept. 24, 2010.
WOLVERINES!
(Photo by Omar L. Gallaga, AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
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New Central Texas rep named for TXMPA
Local producer, filmmaker and ubiquitous film guy about town Paul Alvarado-Dykstra has been elected the new Central Texas Representative of the Texas Motion Picture Alliance for the period of 2009 — 2011.
Shelly Schriber was elected as Alvarado-Dykstra’s Alternate, he tells us.
Congrats to both. More about Paul right HERE.
Paul Alvarado-Dykstra
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Noteworthy DVDs released 6/16/09
TOP PICKS
“The Diary of Anne Frank” (Fox): The grade-school literary fave got a ’50s movie adaptation courtesy of director George Stevens, who was then fresh from “Shane” and “Giant.”
“The Seventh Seal,” “Bergman Island” (Criterion): Criterion reissues one of the first titles they put on DVD, with both a two-disc standard DVD and a very welcome Blu-ray; “Island,” a recent doc, is available packaged with the reissue or as a standalone disc.
“Strange One” (Sony): The feature-film debut of Ben Gazzara, set in a military school, is remembered for homosexual overtones considered quite daring in 1957.
“My Breakfast with Blassie” (MVD): Beating Criterion’s “My Dinner With André” into stores by a week, this cult favorite finds Andy Kaufman hanging out in a diner with pro wrestler Classy Freddie Blassie. No Algonquin references here, folks, but plenty of bizarro energy.
“Scott Walker: 30th Century Man” (Oscilloscope): One of pop music’s great mysterious introverts gets his documentary due.
NEW ON BLU-RAY
“Dr. Strangelove,” Ghostbusters” (Sony); “Generation Kill,” “John Adams” (HBO); “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” “Lost” Seasons 1 and 2, “Miracle” (Walt Disney); “Kickboxer” (Lions Gate); “Spaceballs” (MGM); Three “Visions of…” titles, focused on France, Italy and the British Isles (Acorn Media)
FRESH FROM THE MULTIPLEX
“Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes To Jail” (Lions Gate); “What Goes Up” (Sony)
ARTHOUSE/FOREIGN
“L’Important C’Est D’Aimer” (Mondo Vision)
DOCUMENTARIES
“Morning Light” (Walt Disney); “Nerdcore Rising” (Virgil Films)
BEST OF TV
“Burn Notice” Season 2, “Family Guy” Season 7, “Saving Grace” Season 2 (Fox); “Everwood” Season 2, “Tom and Jerry’s Greatest Chases, Vol. 2” (Warner Bros.); “House of Payne” Season 4 (Lions Gate); Four “Nature” titles: “America,” “Kilauea - Mountain of Fire,” “The Dragon Chronicles,” “The Wolf That Changed America” (Questar); “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” Season 2 (Walt Disney); “The Three Stooges Collection” (1949-1951) (Sony); “Transformers” Season 1 (Shout! Factory)
REISSUE/REPACKAGE
“Essential Art House Vol. 3” (Criterion); Four “Friday the 13th” flicks, including “A New Beginning,” “Jason Lives,” “The Final Chapter,” and this year’s remake.
STRAIGHT(ISH) TO VIDEO
“Body Armour” (Image); “The Cell 2” (New Line)
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New tenant at Austin Studios raises eyebrows
Austin Studios is glowing about its possible new tenant Soundcheck Austin, which is in negotiations to ink a five-year lease on Stage 4. Soundcheck Austin specializes in ” full production rehearsal, tour prep services, set and equipment storage, cartage and backline” for bands.
Not everyone is so sanguine about it, despite the fact that the Studios need the business badly during a harsh filmmaking drought.
“In recent days the Austin Film Society has learned that this move has brought consternation to members of the local film community, from UPMs to craft guild members,” say Studio honchos.
“The concern we hear is that now that film incentives are in place, Austin’s film crew is finally going to get some business, only to lose a key facility that gives Austin a competitive edge when fighting for business, and makes it a pleasure to film in Austin.”
Ergo, they are holding an open forum from 11 a.m. to noon Thursday, June 25 at the Austin Film Society/Austin Studios campus, 1901 E. 51st St. (Phone: 322-0145)
RSVP for the forum HERE.
Read the Film Society’s FAQ about Soundcheck Austin HERE.
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A Texas indie wants your vote
It’s always nice to champion homegrown talent, so go vote now for Texas filmmaker Robbie Pickering’s movie “Natural Selection” in the Netflix Find Your Voice Film Competition.
Contestants have posted three-minute clips of their projects, and you can vote by going to the site and watching Pickering’s clip. Ten clips have been selected as semi-finalists. The winner gets more than $350,000 to finish their feature film.
“Natural Selection” — starring lanky DJ Qualls and produced by Paul Jensen and Brion Hambel — is the only Texas flick in the bunch.
The top five vote-getters move to the finals and are then judged by the likes of Josh Brolin and John Sayles for the big prize.
View and vote right HERE.
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48-Hour Film Project ready to roll
You get two days. To make one movie. Two days.
That’d be the now legendary 48-Hour Film Project, presented by Austin’s beloved Reel Women and happening the weekend of June 19 — 21. This is the eighth year RW is sponsoring the now global event.
They’re expecting 36 teams to compete, so enroll now right HERE. There you can also learn rules and details about the contest, in which filmmakers write, shoot, edit and score a short in 48 hours.
In other film contest news, Austin filmmakers Bradley Jackson, Russell Groves and Andrew Lee are vying for a $100,000 grand prize in the Doorpost Film Project, having advanced to the final round.
Their comedy “The Biggest Weakness” — which you can watch HERE — garnered enough votes from industry pros and interested Web viewers to move to the finals, one of 10 finalists out of 100 selected films.
More about Doorpost HERE.
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Noteworthy DVDs released 6/9/09
PICK OF THE WEEK
“Woodstock” Ultimate Collector’s Edition (Warner Bros.): You can’t get the whole “3 Days of Peace and Music” on home video, but a four-hour cut of the famous concert film should last you a while. This new version offers 18 new live performances, including material from the Grateful Dead, who unbelievably were not included in the original film. Also available on Blu-ray.
OTHER TOP PICKS
“Crawford” (Virgil Films): David Modigliani’s doc about Dubya’s briefly adopted hometown gets wider distribution this week, thanks to the company that just released Richard Linklater’s “Inning By Inning.”
“Gran Torino” (Warner Bros.): Clint Eastwood directs himself in what is reportedly to be his final acting role — that of a edgy old dude quick to point guns at people. It’s a stretch.
“The Jack Lemmon Film Collection” (Sony): A handful of lesser-known Lemmons, including: “Phffft!,” “Operation Mad Ball,” “The Notorious Landlady,” “Under the Yum Yum Tree,” and “Good Neighbor Sam”
NEW ON BLU-RAY
“Fatal Attraction,” “Indecent Proposal” (Paramount); “Predator 2,” “The Siege” (Fox)
FRESH FROM THE MULTIPLEX
“Fired Up,” “The International” (Sony)
ARTHOUSE/FOREIGN
“Goddess” (Image)
DOCUMENTARIES
“Home” (2009) (Fox)
BEST OF TV
“The Cleaner” Season 1, “Perry Mason” Season 4, Vol. 1 (Paramount); “Father Knows Best” Season 3 (Shout! Factory); “The Norman Lear Collection,” “The Shield” Season 7 (Sony); “Open All Hours” Complete Series (BBC); “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” Best-of (Warner Bros.); “Z Rock” (Anchor Bay)
STRAIGHT(ISH) TO VIDEO
Harrison Ford and Ashley Judd in “Crossing Over” (Weinstein Co.); Alan Rickman in “Nobel Son” (Fox); Ray Liotta and Forest Whitaker in “Powder Blue” (Image); Sarah Jessica-Parker and Beau Bridges in “Spinning Into Butter” (Universal)
KIDS’ STUFF
“Bob the Builder: Truck Teamwork,” “Care Bears: Tell-Tale Tummies” (Lions Gate); “Wonder Pets!: Ollie’s Slumber Party” (Paramount); “Shaun the Sheep: Sheep on the Loose” (Lions Gate)
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It’s tacky and tacky. Also: It’s tacky.
This press release just shambled, stupidly, across our desk:
“Shaolin Cardio Kick Boxing” Workout Starring Legendary Actor and Martial Arts Expert David Carradine Coming to DVD for the First Time on Sept. 8, 2009
(MMD Newswire) June 8, 2009 — A martial arts based workout featuring Emmy and Golden Globe nominated actor David Carradine entitled “David Carradine’s Shaolin Cardio Kick Boxing is coming to DVD for the first time through BayView Entertainment. Martial Arts expert Carradine utilizes the natural, simple, and graceful movements of the Shaolin Five Animals into a cardio workout routine that thoroughly strengthens the entire body. The DVD has a suggested retail price of $19.99 and will be available in stores throughout the country …
Man dies, cash register ca-chings.
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What I’m watching
Wherein our movie critic periodically shares what DVDs he’s been viewing in his spare time …
- “The Strange One” (1957; Jack Garfein): Most notable for being the first film of both Ben Gazzara and George Peppard, this offbeat drama has Gazzara playing a raging jerk in a Southern military academy, who takes his malicious hazing of underclassmen too far. It’s based on Calder Willingham’s play, and feels stagy and literary. It’s fascinating and frustrating, mostly for Gazzara’s compellingly obnoxious performance. Newly out on DVD.
- “Galaxy Quest” (1999; Dean Parisot): A small cult of fans has bloomed around this novel comedy, which shows what happens when the cast of a “Star Trek”-like TV show is mistaken for real space cowboys by admiring aliens. As the head of the cast — the Cptn. Kirk role — Tim Allen is surprisingly smooth and funny. For some of us, he’s a revelation. He can act! (For more on this note, see David Mamet’s “Red Belt.” Allen is terrific.) A pleasant, inventive diversion.
- “My Dinner with Andre” (1981; Louis Malle): Two smart guys having dinner for almost two hours. Talking. The whole time. About themselves. This impossibly eccentric classic of arthouse cinema, starring Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn, is a small miracle. It tinkles with insights about art and life and being. With Louis Malle’s silky, invisible direction and Gregory’s plummy tones, it puts you under its logorrheic spell. Now out on a two-disc set from the Criterion Collection.
“Story of Women” (1988; Claude Chabrol): The fine Isabelle Huppert plays an illegal, back-room abortionist in Occupied France during WWII. As much a portrait of a woman forced to compromise herself in dire times, Chabrol’s film, based on actual events, is a condemnation of the Nazi regime specifically and benighted minds in general.
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‘Order of Myths’ at iTunes
“The Order of Myths” by part-time Austin filmmaker Margaret Brown is now available at iTunes for rental or purchase. The acclaimed documentary, which won an Independent Spirit Award and heaps of praise, looks at racial divisions during Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama. Find it HERE.
Movies pop out of Texas as from a jack-in-the-box, and the tiny-budget, Texas-made comedy “Funny Books” is one you might’ve missed in the flurry.
No more. Set in a comic book shop and made by UT grads, “Funny Books” gets a special screening at 8 p.m. June 26 at the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex (1156 Hargrave St.).
Producer Twitchy Dolphin Flix (fine name, that) calls its second feature a “comedy told by comic fans for comic fans and non-fans alike. The movie features a cast of four-color characters as they navigate the outrageous customers and hilarious situations found on any given Wednesday in the friendly, neighborhood comic store.”
Sounds rather “Clerks”-y.
Get tickets and watch the film’s trailer HERE.
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Local director makes film that ‘Matters’
Austin filmmaker Angela Torres Camarena’s short film is only one of 12 that’s been picked for the ninth annual Media That Matters Film Festival. The New York-based fest “showcases short films that inspire audiences to think, laugh and take action on today’s most pressing social issues.”
Camarena’s film chronicles the struggles of five siblings in America after their mother is deported to Mexico. Watch it HERE.
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Latest comments
Simon Rumley has the gift. If Hollywood doesn’t wake up and give Simon a shot, they are going to miss out at the box office.
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Remakes are always worse than the originals. But in this case, the original “Red Dawn” was so excruciatingly bad, that this one has got to be better.
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