Inside Movies

• It sounds like 'The Quiet' — the debut feature from the University of Texas Film Institute and Burnt Orange Productions — got some nibbles during the Toronto International Film Festival, which wrapped last week. Producers are talking to potential buyers for distribution, yet no deals have been inked. And while we couldn't find reviews of the thriller in the trades, Quint at Ain't-It-Cool-News.com had this to say: 'The real revelation here is director Jamie Babbit. ... The look of "The Quiet" is very neo-expressionist — all cool, desolate blues and street light creeping in like smoke through half-drawn venetian blinds.' He notes 'excellent performances all around' in this 'smart, sophisticated piece of work that proves Babbit is clearly someone to watch.' — Chris Garcia

• Martin Sheen's younger brother Joe Estevez is in town to shoot the low-budget crime thriller 'The Third Degree,' directed by Jeff Stohlhand and written by Mike Burns, an FBI special agent. Estevez has made a staggering 125 movies, including such blockbusters as 'Hercules in Hollywood,' 'Green Diggity Dog' and 'The Legend of Rollerblade 7.' We know little about the production, but we do know Estevez's character is called Vince Cornelius, and his co-stars include Kerry Wallum, who plays the beautifully named Bruce 'Legs' Creighton. — C.G.

• The all-new Fantastic Fest -- its maiden voyage embarks Oct. 6 at the Alamo South -- keeps getting better. Besides the local premiere of Jon Favreau's 'Zathura' and the U.S. premiere of 'The Big White' with Robin Williams (reported here earlier), the sci-fi/horror celebration will have sneak previews of Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller's 'Sin City: Recut & Extended,' Werner Herzog's sci-fi-fantasy 'The Wild Blue Yonder' and footage from Richard Linklater's 'A Scanner Darkly' presented by producer Tommy Pallotta. There's much more. Details and badges at www.fantasticfest.com. — C.G.

• The Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival celebrates its second year Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at the Alamo South with a small but mighty lineup. William Wyler's 1946 Oscar-winning war drama 'The Best Years of Our Lives' kicks off the fest. The film stars Myrna Loy and Harold Russell, a real World War II veteran who lost both arms in combat. Army Chief Warrant Officer Don Greer, recently back from Iraq, will introduce the film. The following day has the 1949 Three Stooges short 'Hokus Pokus,' about a wheelchair-bound woman; the world premiere of Austin filmmaker John Cates' '350 Miles ... 7 Days ... By Hand!,' documenting a polio and cancer survivor as he wheelchairs 350 miles; and the 1993 Texas-made feature 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape?,' starring Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio as a mentally challenged boy. More info at www.ctdfilmfest.org. — C.G.