August 2009

The Highball is the latest venture of Alamo Drafthouse founders Tim League and Karrie League, and features a very Alamo/Austin slate of entertainment options, including bowling, karaoke, skeeball, as well as a diner and full bar. While movies aren't usually shown here, film festival after-parties, film-related parties, and other similar events are often part of The Highball's schedule.

KUT's "Best of Public Radio" show will air excerpts from John Pierson's master classes with Mike Judge (2009) and Matt Stone (2008). You can listen on FM 90.5 or through the KUT website.

It has been quite a while since Ang Lee last took on comedies with The Wedding Banquet (1993) and Eat, Drink, Man, Woman (1994), and it shows in his new film Taking Woodstock. It is a decent and enjoyable movie, but it often meanders and is less about comedy and more about transformation and turmoil of the Vietnam era in 1969.

Taking Woodstock takes place at a rundown motel in the Catskills, and is centered around Elliot Teichberg (Demetri Martin), who is based on Elliot Tiber and his book Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert, and a Life. Elliot sacrifices what little money he's made as an interior designer in New York City to keep his Russian immigrant parents from losing their rundown motel in the Catskills, and moves back to help. As president of the local chamber of commerce, he jumps at the chance to give the Woodstock festival a home after nearby Wallkill, N.Y. forces the concert promoters out. Elliot convinces local dairy farmer Max Yasgur (Eugene Levy) to agree to hosting the concert on his farm.

The Belmont is a restaurant/bar that occasionally hosts movie nights.

Nueva Onda Movie Night presents UT RTF Showcase films: "Locomotion" by Russell Bush & Allen Ho, "Nine.5” by Keith Wilson, “Cockroach Project” by Ruth Fertig, “Greatgrandmama for Obama” by Micah Barber, “Refurbished” by John Spottswood Moore, "Time to Listen" by Derek Gildersleeve and Olivia Starr, “Martha” by Katja Straub, “Color by Number” by Marshall Rimmer, and last but not least, “House of Elegance”  by Amy Bench.

Nueva Onda Movie Nights Second Thursday of every month, 8pm, on the covered patio at Nueva Onda. Usually a mix of shorts, sometimes includes a feature.

Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the U.S., specializing in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action and just plain fantastic movies from all around the world.  Film venues include Alamo South Lamar with gala events at the Paramount.  Parties may occur at the Highball. 

USA/Italy, 1972, distributed by MGM Studios, 35mm, color, 1.85:1, 140 min
An uptight captain of industry travels to Italy to pick up his father's body, but he picks up a lot more than he bargained for.

Essential Cinema is a continuous program of common-themed films from around the world, including rare films,sure to expand your cinematic horizons.  Unless otherwise noted, all screenings are at 7pm at Alamo South Lamar. Free for AFS members, $6 for all others.  The current series is Censors, Drop Your Scissors! Billy Wilder’s Later Comedies Sept 8 – Oct 6, 2009.

09/08/2009 One, Two, Three
09/15/2009 Irma La Douce
09/22/2009 Kiss Me, Stupid
09/29/2009 The Fortune Cookie
10/06/2009 Avanti!

USA, 1964, distributed by MGM Studios, 35mm, B&W, 2.35:1, 125 min.
A small-town songwriter tries to interest a famous Hollywood-Las Vegas singer in his songs by hiring a hooker to pose as his wife and seduce the performer. It's even more complicated than that.

Essential Cinema is a continuous program of common-themed films from around the world, including rare films,sure to expand your cinematic horizons.  Unless otherwise noted, all screenings are at 7pm at Alamo South Lamar. Free for AFS members, $6 for all others.  The current series is Censors, Drop Your Scissors! Billy Wilder’s Later Comedies Sept 8 – Oct 6, 2009.

09/08/2009 One, Two, Three
09/15/2009 Irma La Douce
09/22/2009 Kiss Me, Stupid
09/29/2009 The Fortune Cookie
10/06/2009 Avanti!

USA, 1961, distributed by MGM Studios, 35mm, B&W, 2.35:1, 115 min.  James Cagney is hoping to launch Coca Cola into the Soviet Union while simultaneously trying to stop the romance of his boss's daughter with an East Berlin Communist firebrand. Please note that this screening is at Ritz even though the rest in the series are at Alamo South.

Essential Cinema is a continuous program of common-themed films from around the world, including rare films,sure to expand your cinematic horizons.  Unless otherwise noted, all screenings are at 7pm at Alamo South Lamar. Free for AFS members, $6 for all others.  The current series is Censors, Drop Your Scissors! Billy Wilder’s Later Comedies Sept 8 – Oct 6, 2009.

09/08/2009 One, Two, Three
09/15/2009 Irma La Douce
09/22/2009 Kiss Me, Stupid
09/29/2009 The Fortune Cookie
10/06/2009 Avanti!

Quote-Alongs are an Alamo staple, where you're *required* to yell out your favorite lines, stand up and dance to the best songs from the soundtrack, and play with a series of props that are handpicked for most movies. Usually at Alamo Ritz. 

9/10/09 7:00pm Old School Quote-Along and Keg Party
09/17/09 7:00pm Office Space: The Quote-Along
09/24/09 7:00pm Office Space: The Quote-Along
10/01/09 7:00pm Office Space: The Quote-Along 

Quote-Alongs are an Alamo staple, where you're *required* to yell out your favorite lines, stand up and dance to the best songs from the soundtrack, and play with a series of props that are handpicked for most movies. Usually at Alamo Ritz. 

9/10/09 7:00pm Old School Quote-Along and Keg Party
09/17/09 7:00pm Office Space: The Quote-Along
09/24/09 7:00pm Office Space: The Quote-Along
10/01/09 7:00pm Office Space: The Quote-Along 

Master Pancake  Comedians John Erler and Joe Parsons along with special guests skewer bad movies with live comedy in an Alamo tradition that never fails to draw capacity crowds.   Alamo locations vary.  

Shows in August through early October: 
Master Pancake Theatre: The Breakfast Club
Master Pancake Theatre: Titanic
Master Pancake Theatre: Total Recall

Master Pancake  Comedians John Erler and Joe Parsons along with special guests skewer bad movies with live comedy in an Alamo tradition that never fails to draw capacity crowds.   Alamo locations vary.  

Shows in August through early October: 
Master Pancake Theatre: The Breakfast Club
Master Pancake Theatre: Titanic
Master Pancake Theatre: Total Recall

Master Pancake  Comedians John Erler and Joe Parsons along with special guests skewer bad movies with live comedy in an Alamo tradition that never fails to draw capacity crowds.   Alamo locations vary.  

Shows in August through early October: 
Master Pancake Theatre: The Breakfast Club
Master Pancake Theatre: Titanic
Master Pancake Theatre: Total Recall

 Master Pancake  Comedians John Erler and Joe Parsons along with special guests skewer bad movies with live comedy in an Alamo tradition that never fails to draw capacity crowds.   Alamo locations vary.  

Shows in August through early October: 
Master Pancake Theatre: The Breakfast Club
Master Pancake Theatre: Titanic
Master Pancake Theatre: Total Recall

 Master Pancake  Comedians John Erler and Joe Parsons along with special guests skewer bad movies with live comedy in an Alamo tradition that never fails to draw capacity crowds.   Alamo locations vary.  

Shows in August through early October: 
Master Pancake Theatre: The Breakfast Club
Master Pancake Theatre: Titanic
Master Pancake Theatre: Total Recall

Master Pancake  Comedians John Erler and Joe Parsons along with special guests skewer bad movies with live comedy in an Alamo tradition that never fails to draw capacity crowds.   Alamo locations vary.  

Shows in August through early October: 
Master Pancake Theatre: The Breakfast Club
Master Pancake Theatre: Titanic
Master Pancake Theatre: Total Recall

Master Pancake  Comedians John Erler and Joe Parsons along with special guests skewer bad movies with live comedy in an Alamo tradition that never fails to draw capacity crowds.   Alamo locations vary.  

Shows in August through early October: 
Master Pancake Theatre: The Breakfast Club
Master Pancake Theatre: Titanic
Master Pancake Theatre: Total Recall

Master Pancake  Comedians John Erler and Joe Parsons along with special guests skewer bad movies with live comedy in an Alamo tradition that never fails to draw capacity crowds.   Alamo locations vary.  

Shows in August through early October: 
Master Pancake Theatre: The Breakfast Club
Master Pancake Theatre: Titanic
Master Pancake Theatre: Total Recall

Master Pancake  Comedians John Erler and Joe Parsons along with special guests skewer bad movies with live comedy in an Alamo tradition that never fails to draw capacity crowds.   Alamo locations vary.  

Shows in August through early October: 
Master Pancake Theatre: The Breakfast Club
Master Pancake Theatre: Titanic
Master Pancake Theatre: Total Recall

 Master Pancake  Comedians John Erler and Joe Parsons along with special guests skewer bad movies with live comedy in an Alamo tradition that never fails to draw capacity crowds.   Alamo locations vary.  

Shows in August through early October: 
Master Pancake Theatre: The Breakfast Club
Master Pancake Theatre: Titanic
Master Pancake Theatre: Total Recall

 Master Pancake  Comedians John Erler and Joe Parsons along with special guests skewer bad movies with live comedy in an Alamo tradition that never fails to draw capacity crowds.   Alamo locations vary.  

Shows in August through early October: 
Master Pancake Theatre: The Breakfast Club
Master Pancake Theatre: Titanic
Master Pancake Theatre: Total Recall

 Master Pancake  Comedians John Erler and Joe Parsons along with special guests skewer bad movies with live comedy in an Alamo tradition that never fails to draw capacity crowds.   Alamo locations vary.  

Shows in August through early October: 
Master Pancake Theatre: The Breakfast Club
Master Pancake Theatre: Titanic
Master Pancake Theatre: Total Recall

 Master Pancake  Comedians John Erler and Joe Parsons along with special guests skewer bad movies with live comedy in an Alamo tradition that never fails to draw capacity crowds.   Alamo locations vary.  

Shows in August through early October: 
Master Pancake Theatre: The Breakfast Club
Master Pancake Theatre: Titanic
Master Pancake Theatre: Total Recall

Master Pancake  Comedians John Erler and Joe Parsons along with special guests skewer bad movies with live comedy in an Alamo tradition that never fails to draw capacity crowds.   Alamo locations vary.  

Shows in August through early October: 
Master Pancake Theatre: The Breakfast Club
Master Pancake Theatre: Titanic
Master Pancake Theatre: Total Recall

Big Screen Classics is an ongoing series of classic films at the Ritz in the big theater with the  new wall to wall Cinemascope screen. 

09/06/09 7:00pm Dead Man 
09/08/2009 7:00pm Deep Red  
09/09/2009 7:00pm  True Stories 
09/14/2009 7:00pm Super Fly 
09/16/2009 10:00pm  Super Fly 
10/04/2009 7:00pm The Warriors 
10/05/2009 7:00pm The Warriors  

Big Screen Classics is an ongoing series of classic films at the Ritz in the big theater with the  new wall to wall Cinemascope screen. 

09/06/09 7:00pm Dead Man
09/08/2009 7:00pm Deep Red
09/09/2009 7:00pm  True Stories
09/14/2009 7:00pm Super Fly
09/16/2009 10:00pm  Super Fly
10/04/2009 7:00pm The Warriors 
10/05/2009 7:00pm The Warriors

 Big Screen Classics is an ongoing series of classic films at the Ritz in the big theater with the new wall to wall Cinemascope screen. 

09/06/09 7:00pm Dead Man  
09/08/2009 7:00pm Deep Red  
09/09/2009 7:00pm  True Stories
09/14/2009 7:00pm Super Fly
09/16/2009 10:00pm  Super Fly
10/04/2009 7:00pm The Warriors
10/05/2009 7:00pm The Warriors

Big Screen Classics is an ongoing series of classic films at the Ritz in the big theater with the new wall to wall Cinemascope screen. 

09/06/09 7:00pm Dead Man  
09/08/2009 7:00pm Deep Red  
09/09/2009 7:00pm  True Stories
09/14/2009 7:00pm Super Fly
09/16/2009 10:00pm  Super Fly
10/04/2009 7:00pm The Warriors
10/05/2009 7:00pm The Warriors

If you haven't yet heard our most recent podcast, then you may have missed something new for South by Southwest (SXSW) Conferences and Festivals for 2010. The SXSW PanelPicker which has been a staple of SXSW Interactive since 2007, is now available for the Film conference as well. Don't know what I'm talking about? Here's what you need to know:

You can help decide what panels are offered at the SXSW Film Conference by either submitting a panel idea or voting as a member of the community. Panel submission process was closed last month but has re-opened this week. Want to submit a film-related panel idea or vote on all submitted ideas? You will first need to register for a free account.

To vote, all you have to do is visit the SXSW PanelPicker site and click either the "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" button. You can skip voting for any panels on which you don't have an opinion. For more details on how the community voting process works, check out the cool PanelPicker How-To video guide courtesy of Trigger Studios.

The Austin film community news this week is dominated by the Austin Studios/Soundcheck Austin issue (see below), but a few other interesting bits of news are out there as well. If I missed anything, feel free to post news in the comments.

• KXAN has a story about the Austin Studios lease for Soundcheck Austin, which is going before the Austin City Council on Thursday. Michael Corcoran also has a good thorough article in the Statesman. In addition, Austin Film Society has posted a Soundcheck Austin sublease fact sheet. The City Council meeting on Thursday should be interesting.
• Check out Victor Diaz's story for News 8 Austin about the Texas Filmmaker Production Fund awards, which includes an interview with local filmmaker David Modigliani about his upcoming documentary, 61 Bullets.
• The first official stills from Austin-shot horror film Red, White and Blue are now available on Fangoria. Debbie, were any of those pictures set in your house?
• The South Austin Trailer Park and Eatery is now showing movies outdoors on selected evenings at 8:30 pm. Their schedule of upcoming movies includes a time-travel series: Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (Thurs. 8/27), the Back to the Future trilogy (8/28-30), 12 Monkeys (8/31), Time Bandits (9/1) and Groundhog Day (9/2). [via Austin360]

Mystery Team with Derrick Comedy Live!  Derrick Comedy will be coming to the Ritz to present the theatrical premiere of their feature film debut, MYSTERY TEAM! Dan Eckman (director, writer), Meggie McFadden (Producer, writer), DC Pierson (writer, performer, art director), Dominic Deirkes (writer, performer) & Donald Glover (writer, performer, composer, writer for 30 ROCK!) will be at the Ritz to mainline a near-lethal dose of Derrick straight into your Ventromedial Lobe. They've worked up a live act appetizer of multi-media mayhem to be followed by the premiere of MYSTERY TEAM to be follow by a Q& A! This is HUGE. Don't miss it.

Celebrity Guests The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema frequently brings filmmakers, actors, and other film talent to Austin from around the world.   

Dads! Join the four dads of Dadlabs.com (Brad Powell, Clay Nichols, Troy Lanier and Owen Egerton) as they present their award winning, side-splitting, occasionally insightful videos on being a father in the 21st century. The night will also include live interaction including the Male Breast Pump Challenge! Wikipooia! And Favorite Fathering Drinking Games!

Celebrity Guests The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema frequently brings filmmakers, actors, and other film talent to Austin from around the world.   

Current Celebrity Guest Events:

09/07/2009 7:00pm Dadlabs! @ Alamo Downtown 
09/14/2009 7:00pm The Horse Boy w/ Special Guests! @ Alamo South Lamar
09/27/2009 7:30pm Billy Harvey: Everywhere Now @ Alamo Village

Sing-Alongs  are usually at the Alamo Ritz, and include interactive and prop-based activities a well as subtitled lyrics.  The Alamo Sing-Alongs are produced by Henri Mazza and Caitlin Stevens, and frequently co-hosted by Greg MacLennan.   Check the Alamo website for more details on the films/program.

Current Singalongs:

10/01/2009 9:45pm Beastie Boys Rap-Along

Sing-Alongs  are usually at the Alamo Ritz, and include interactive and prop-based activities a well as subtitled lyrics.  The Alamo Sing-Alongs are produced by Henri Mazza and Caitlin Stevens, and frequently co-hosted by Greg MacLennan.   Check the Alamo website for more details on the films/program.

Current Singalongs:

08/27/2009 11:10pm One-Hit Wonders of the 80s Sing-Along
09/03/2009 10:20pm Monster Rock Sing-Along
09/10/2009 9:45pm Monster Rock Sing-Along
10/01/2009 9:45pm Beastie Boys Rap-Along
10/01/2009 9:45pm Beastie Boys Rap-Along

Sing-Alongs  are usually at the Alamo Ritz, and include interactive and prop-based activities a well as subtitled lyrics.  The Alamo Sing-Alongs are produced by Henri Mazza and Caitlin Stevens, and frequently co-hosted by Greg MacLennan.   Check the Alamo website for more details on the films/program.

(1968) (176 min.) (Color) (DTS Digital Stereo) (70mm) (Rated G)

Julie Andrews, Richard Crenna, Daniel Massey, Robert Reed.  Directed by Robert Wise.  Gargantuan musical biopic of British stage star Gertrude Lawrence (the first "Mrs. Anna" opposite Yul Brynner in "The King and I").   Andrews and director Wise re-teamed after the huge success of "Sound of Music," hoping box office lightning would strike twice.   Alas, it didn't, and by 1968 the big-budget musical was almost dead.  But seen today, "Star!" can be appreciated for the spectacular production numbers, gorgeous cinematography (particularly in this newly restored, 70mm print), and an all-stops-out performance by Andrews.  A "must" for musical fans.

(1966) (174 min.) (Color) (DTS Digital Stereo) (70mm)

Michael Parks, John Huston, Richard Harris, George C. Scott, Ava Gardner, Peter O'Toole.  Directed by John Huston.  Well, OK, it's only the first 22 chapters of Genesis!  But here's Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah and the Flood, etc.  All this, and Peter O'Toole cast against type as an angel!   The last of Hollywood's mega-budget Biblical spectacles that kicked off, more or less, with "The Ten Commandments" a decade earlier.  See it for the all-star cast and the beautifully restored 70mm print, but don't take it as the gospel.  (ahem...)

This event is FREE for AFF/TSHM members, $5 for general public, and is included as part of the Conversations in Film with John Lee Hancock  earlier in the evening.

Made in Texas is a year-round film series presented by Austin Film Festival.  Most films in this series are free to AFF members. 

Conversations in Film is a year-round series of film seminars that provide the public with the unique experience to interact with local and visiting filmmakers.

Conference center located at UT Austin. 

Watching the Detectives is a FREE, five part film series on Mondays 9/28-11/23 at the APL Hampton Branch at Oak Hill.  Starting at 6pm, featuring iconic 20th century film detectives.  The series includes:

9/28/2009 The Thin Man
10/12/2009 The Maltese Falcon
10/26/2009 Hound of the Baskervilles
11/09/2009 Murder on the Orient Express
11/23/2009 Murder By Death

Watching the Detectives is a FREE, five part film series on Mondays 9/28-11/23 at the APL Hampton Branch at Oak Hill.  Starting at 6pm, featuring iconic 20th century film detectives.  The series includes:

9/28/2009 The Thin Man
10/12/2009 The Maltese Falcon
10/26/2009 Hound of the Baskervilles
11/09/2009 Murder on the Orient Express
11/23/2009 Murder By Death

Watching the Detectives is a FREE, five part film series on Mondays 9/28-11/23 at the APL Hampton Branch at Oak Hill.  Starting at 6pm, featuring iconic 20th century film detectives.  The series includes:

9/28/2009 The Thin Man
10/12/2009 The Maltese Falcon
10/26/2009 Hound of the Baskervilles
11/09/2009 Murder on the Orient Express
11/23/2009 Murder By Death

Rated PG; 99 minutes; 2008

Walt Disney Studios; Directed by Adam Shankman

Skeeter Bronson, a hotel handyman, finds his life changed forever when the magical bedtime stories he tells his niece and nephew start to mysteriously come true. He attempts to take advantage of the miracle by incorporating his own aspirations into the tales but it's the kids' unexpected contributions that turn Skeeter's life upside down.

Kyle Movies in the Park is a free series of outdoor films sponsored by the city of Kyle, TX.   Movies start 30 minutes after sunset, and are held in Gregg-Clarke Park across from Kyle Pool.

Alamo Kids Club is a free, monthly series of classic, quality family friendly films held the last Saturday of the month at the Alamo South Lamar during the school year.   Check the Alamo website for more details on the films.  NOTE:  Seating is first come, first served.

Learn more and watch videos (seriously, watch the videos) at www.derrickcomedy.com

MYSTERY TEAM opens for a full run at the Ritz on August 28

$10, special guests.  Details

Weird Wednesday is a weekly exploitation/cult film series at the Alamo Ritz and hosted by Lars Nilsen.  Tickets cost $1 for regular screenings, and $2 when guests are scheduled.  Check the Alamo website for more details on the films.

IMPORTANT:  Times are tentative, and subject to change.  The Alamo does not finalize the start time for the $1 weekly events until close to the event date.

Weird Wednesday is a weekly exploitation/cult film series at the Alamo Ritz and hosted by Lars Nilsen.  Tickets cost $1 for regular screenings, and $2 when guests are scheduled.  Check the Alamo website for more details on the films.

IMPORTANT:  Times are tentative, and subject to change.  The Alamo does not finalize the start time for the $1 weekly events until close to the event date.

Weird Wednesday is a weekly exploitation/cult film series at the Alamo Ritz and hosted by Lars Nilsen.  Tickets cost $1 for regular screenings, and $2 when guests are scheduled.  Check the Alamo website for more details on the films.

IMPORTANT:  Times are tentative, and subject to change.  The Alamo does not finalize the start time for the $1 weekly events until close to the event date.

Weird Wednesday is a weekly exploitation/cult film series at the Alamo Ritz and hosted by Lars Nilsen.  Tickets cost $1 for regular screenings, and $2 when guests are scheduled.  Check the Alamo website for more details on the films.

IMPORTANT:  Times are tentative, and subject to change.  The Alamo does not finalize the start time for the $1 weekly events until close to the event date.

Terror Tuesday is a weekly vintage horror film series at the Alamo Ritz and hosted by Zack Carlson.  Tickets cost $1 for regular screenings, and $2 when guests are scheduled. All films are 35mm. Trivia prizes provided by sponsor Vulcan Video.  Check the Alamo website for more details on the films.

IMPORTANT:  Times are tentative, and subject to change.  The Alamo does not finalize the start time for the $1 weekly events until close to the event date.

Terror Tuesday is a weekly vintage horror film series at the Alamo Ritz and hosted by Zack Carlson.  Tickets cost $1 for regular screenings, and $2 when guests are scheduled. All films are 35mm. Trivia prizes provided by sponsor Vulcan Video.  Check the Alamo website for more details on the films.

IMPORTANT:  Times are tentative, and subject to change.  The Alamo does not finalize the start time for the $1 weekly events until close to the event date.

Terror Tuesday is a weekly vintage horror film series at the Alamo Ritz and hosted by Zack Carlson.  Tickets cost $1 for regular screenings, and $2 when guests are scheduled. All films are 35mm. Trivia prizes provided by sponsor Vulcan Video.  Check the Alamo website for more details on the films.

IMPORTANT:  Times are tentative, and subject to change.  The Alamo does not finalize the start time for the $1 weekly events until close to the event date.

Terror Tuesday is a weekly vintage horror film series at the Alamo Ritz and hosted by Zack Carlson.  Tickets cost $1 for regular screenings, and $2 when guests are scheduled. All films are 35mm. Trivia prizes provided by sponsor Vulcan Video.  Check the Alamo website for more details on the films.

IMPORTANT:  Times are tentative, and subject to change.  The Alamo does not finalize the start time for the $1 weekly events until close to the event date.

Music Monday is a weekly music centric film series at the Alamo Ritz.  Tickets cost $2 for regular screenings, and may be higher when guests are scheduled. Check the Alamo website for more details on the films.

IMPORTANT:  Times are tentative, and subject to change.  The Alamo does not finalize the start time for the $1 weekly events until close to the event date.

Music Monday is a weekly music centric film series at the Alamo Ritz.  Tickets cost $2 for regular screenings, and may be higher when guests are scheduled. Check the Alamo website for more details on the films.

IMPORTANT:  Times are tentative, and subject to change.  The Alamo does not finalize the start time for the $1 weekly events until close to the event date.

Music Monday is a weekly music centric film series at the Alamo Ritz.  Tickets cost $2 for regular screenings, and may be higher when guests are scheduled. Check the Alamo website for more details on the films.

IMPORTANT:  Times are tentative, and subject to change.  The Alamo does not finalize the start time for the $1 weekly events until close to the event date.

Music Monday is a weekly music centric film series at the Alamo Ritz.  Tickets cost $2 for regular screenings, and may be higher when guests are scheduled. Check the Alamo website for more details on the films.

IMPORTANT:  Times are tentative, and subject to change.  The Alamo does not finalize the start time for the $1 weekly events until close to the event date.

Music Monday is a weekly music centric film series at the Alamo Ritz.  Tickets cost $2 for regular screenings, and may be higher when guests are scheduled. Check the Alamo website for more details on the films.

IMPORTANT:  Times are tentative, and subject to change.  The Alamo does not finalize the start time the $1 weekly events until close to the event date. 

(1962) (231 min.) (Color) (DTS Digital Stereo) (70mm) (Restored)

Film Fans receive complimentary admission to the evening by showing their Film Fan card.

Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Omar Shariff, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, Claude Rains.  Directed by David Lean.   Quite simply one of the great films of all time (# 7 on the AFI Top 100 list)  and the ultimate use of 70mm.  The story of romantic adventurer T.E. Lawrence's involvement in the WWI British activities in Arabia, told with an intelligence and literacy that grows richer with each viewing, as does Freddie Young's unsurpassed cinematography of the gorgeous and unrelenting desert.  Multiple Oscars, including Best Picture, Director, Cinematography, Score.  O'Toole scores with what must be the most remarkable debut in film history.  Restored print!
 
The Paramount Summer Film Series happens every summer from late May until early September.    Details of the current series and additional screenings can be found on the Paramount Performance Calendar. 

O'Toole, James Mason, Eli Wallach, Jack Hawkins.  Directed by Richard Brooks. Following his sensational performances in "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Becket," O'Toole strode into this lavish adaptation of Joseph Conrad's tale of an idealistic 19th century British Merchant Marine whose life was scarred when he was discredited as a coward.  Recently restored to its original 70mm splendor, "Lord Jim" falls short of dramatic greatness but is a gorgeous reminder of the '60s epics in all of their visual magnificence.

The Paramount Summer Film Series happens every summer from late May until early September.    Details of the current series and additional screenings can be found on the Paramount Performance Calendar. 

(1939) (237 min.) (Color) (Stereo)

Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland, Hattie McDaniel, Butterfly McQueen.  Directed by Victor Fleming.  What's left to say about the most famous film in history?  Just that if you haven't seen it on the big screen, what are you waiting for?  (P.S. -- Rhett still doesn't give a damn...)

Pre-film civil war activities including cannon demonstration. Saturday Evening Only.

The Paramount Summer Film Series happens every summer from late May until early September.    Details of the current series and additional screenings can be found on the Paramount Performance Calendar. 

(1939) (237 min.) (Color) (Stereo)

Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland, Hattie McDaniel, Butterfly McQueen.  Directed by Victor Fleming.  What's left to say about the most famous film in history?  Just that if you haven't seen it on the big screen, what are you waiting for?  (P.S. -- Rhett still doesn't give a damn...)

Pre-film civil war activities including cannon demonstration. Saturday Evening Only.

The Paramount Summer Film Series happens every summer from late May until early September.    Details of the current series and additional screenings can be found on the Paramount Performance Calendar. 

(1984/2002 Restoration) (180 min.) (Color) (Stereo) (Rated PG)

Murray Abraham, Thomas Hulce, Jeffrey Jones.  Directed by Milos Forman. Oscar-winning film of Peter Shaffer’s play about the mediocre court composer Salieri, whose jealousy of brash young genius Mozart becomes all consuming.  Beautifully photographed and well acted, especially by Abraham, who won the Oscar.  Now featuring a half hour’s worth of footage cut from the original release. 25th Anniversary!

Enjoy the music of Mozart by a live pianist in the lobby prior to the screening. Thursday only. 

The Paramount Summer Film Series happens every summer from late May until early September.    Details of the current series and additional screenings can be found on the Paramount Performance Calendar. 

Special event venue, with indoor and outdoor space.  Parking is limited, so arriving early can be very helpful.

Last week, almost at the last minute, my husband and I decided to catch a special screening of Bobcat Goldthwait's latest film, World's Greatest Dad, at Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar. We had toyed with the idea of watching the movie at home through Amazon Video on Demand ... but Goldthwait would be attending the Alamo screening, so we couldn't resist. We both enjoyed his previous film, Sleeping Dogs Lie, and I was interested to hear him in person.

It was an evening of surprises. First, Goldthwait said he wanted to show his latest work in progress before the film. Before I could get excited about the possibility of a huge scoop, however, the footage appeared onscreen and I was laughing too hard to care. It was a short film from the 1930s that, as Goldthwait explained afterward, is called a "Barkie" because the cast is all dogs who are dressed as people, trained to walk on their hind legs and dubbed with human voices. Barkies are primarily old-fashioned melodramas or gangster films. Jules White, who directed many Three Stooges shorts, also directed a lot of Barkies. I love learning film history in the most unexpected places. (Felt sorry for the dogs, though -- there were no agencies for humane animal care monitoring moviemaking in the Thirties.)

Largo is not a typical concert film, and features comedian and actors including John C. Reilly, Fiona Apple, Colin Hay, Flight of the Conchords, Sarah Silverman, Patton Oswalt, and Austin's own David Garza along with many more.  Free admission for Austin Film Festival members, $4 for general public.

I had the opportunity to attend the Shorts premiere here in Austin last Sunday, with writer/director Robert Rodriguez and the young cast in attendance. The film is about a group of kids who find a magical rock that like the morbid "Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs that does more damage than good.

Shorts: The Adventures of the Wishing Rock takes place in the fictional surburbia of the Black Falls, where most residents work for Black Box Unlimited Worldwide Industries Incorporated. Mr. Black (James Spader) has created the Black Box do-it-all gadget that is found in everyone's household. The Wishing Rock can do even more, and everyone including the megalomaniacal Mr. Black wants to get their hands on the rock. Wishes wind up with unexpected results, leaving the residents of Black Falls dealing with walking crocodiles, tiny spaceships and a monster from a most disturbing origin. The kids must band together to save the day.

Just as Racer Rodriguez had inspired his dad to create The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl, older brother Rebel came up with the basic concept of Shorts -- it's a series of shorts, the kids are short, and they wear shorts -- after watching the classic kids' gang comedy series The Little Rascals.

Have you recovered from Cinemapocalypse yet? I haven't. But it was so worth it.  This week is a bit quieter, although we've heard a lot of news about future celebrity events that will make most of you very, very happy, but we can't talk about all of it quite yet. Fewer movies are opening this week, but there's something for just about everyone.   

Inglourious Basterds. Quentin Tarantino's latest, features plenty of Nazis, black humor, and is quite possibly Tarantino's best.  Check out our group review for more.

Paper Heart, a sweet and quirky mix of reality and fantasy, finally opens here at Alamo Lamar and Arbor. My review will be appearing on Slackerwood this weekend, so check back.

Soul Power (pictured above) opens at the Arbor today. In 1974, the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" fight between Ali and Foreman wasn't the only piece of African American history being made; there was a music festival as well, featuring music legends from both continents. It wasn't until more than two decades later that legal issues over the concert footage was resolved. This official SXSW selection was so popular among my friends, now I have to go. 

Shorts had a special premiere in Austin on Sunday, and opens in theaters around town today. Look for her review to appear later today.

My favorite Federico Fellini film is this coming-of-age movie from 1973, set in a small Italian town.

I saw a Carl Theodor Dreyer movie in grad school and for years, could not remember the title or figure out which movie it was from descriptions. Today, I have my answer: Day of Wrath, from 1943. The movie is set in 17th century Denmark and is about a young woman accused of being a witch. It's beautiful and fascinating, and a restored print will screen at 7 and 9 pm at the Paramount.

Every once in awhile, Weird Wednesday gets all interactive and Lars lets the audience vote on which movie they want to see. You get to pick from several movies that Alamo will not reveal in advance. Admission is $1; $2 if you buy online in advance.

The Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival (aGLIFF) lineup is now available on their website for their 22nd annual fest.

While aGLIFF doesn't have the extensive, all-day screenings of some of Austin's other festivals, it has a diverse lineup of 108 films, including 11 narrative and 13 documentary features, and nine reels of short films. Their schedule is also friendly to those who have to work for a living, so unless you're attending the parties, you needn't miss the films.

Some highlights of this year's lineup:

• I Can't Think Straight, the Opening Night film, a feature about two women, cultural taboos, and the battle between family expectations and the heart's desire.
• A Place to Live: The Story of Triangle Square, a documentary about LGBT seniors trying to secure affordable housing.
• Antique, the Centerpiece film, a feature based on Japanese Manga, and focuses on a playboy who hires his schoolboy crush to work in his new bakery.
• For My Wife... chronicles the tale of Charlene Strong, whose story helped spur the passing of the Domestic Partnership bill in Washington state.
• The Big Gay Musical, the Closing Night film, is, well, about a big, gay musical which mirrors the life of the people playing the characters.

What makes me really happy is that aGLIFF is using B-Side to help with schedules, reviews and buzz. The fest is also using B-Side's very nifty Festival Genius feature, which can help optimize your schedule. Now, Festg, as it's known on Twitter, may not have as much to optimize as it does with an extensive, multi-fest extravaganza as SXSW, but it's still a nice feature. Using the rating and review features are a big help to filmmakers and the festival organizers.

This year aGLIFF moves to Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar, a more central location with faster access to the parties. The fest originated at Dobie, moved to the Arbor for many years, and was at Alamo Ritz in 2008.

Online ticket sales will be available through the Alamo Drafthouse website approximately one week prior to the film festival, or at the theater 30 minutes prior to the screening. Individual movie tickets are $10. Festival badges are free with aGLIFF membership, with different levels of access (films, priority seating, parties and plus-ones). 

aGLIFF runs September 8-13. More information is available at the AGLIFF website, as well as their Twitter, Facebook and MySpace pages.

The Independent is a multi-use performance venue that is part of the 501 Studios Soundstage. It hosts concerts as well as occasional special screenings. Slackerwood contributors have not yet been to this venue, and would love to hear your feedback/advice.

Parking: Street parking nearby.

Bus routes: #4 (at Brushy & E. 6th)

Distance: 501 is just across I-35 from downtown, but you might not want to walk in that area at night. You could potentially find a pedicab to give you a lift from downtown to the venue.

Food and Beverages: We don't know what (if anything) is available in the theater. Cross I-35 and head down Sixth Street for a variety of restaurant/bar choices.

Wireless: Unknown.

[Photo credit: "501 Studios" by Gideon Tsang. Found on Flickr, used under Creative Commons license.]

The Texas Spirit Theater is part of the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. The theater shows Texas-themed documentaries, and occasionally hosts special screenings and film festivals. Slackerwood contributors have not yet been to this venue, and would love to hear your feedback/advice.

Parking: You can park in the museum's parking garage (18th at Congress) after 6 pm for free. At other times, garage parking is $6 prepaid. Metered street parking is also available nearby.

Bus routes: The nearest bus stop is across the street, but it serves limited service routes -- the problem is that the Capitol is right in the middle of the direct path to downtown. Walk east to San Jacinto and take the #7, or west to Guadalupe for any low-number bus or the 101.

Distance: The theater is fairly close to downtown -- a cheap cab ride can get you to downtown hotels and theaters. It's a pretty long walk, however. You can walk to the Dobie Theatre and to The University of Texas campus.

Food and Beverages: The museum prohibits food and beverages in the theater. Head to Guadalupe and Lavaca for better luck: Texas Chili Parlor (1409 Lavaca) has a reputation for some of the best margaritas in town (not to mention their chili), and Scholz Garten is a great place to hang out after a screening.

Wireless: Unknown.

[Photo credit: "Texas State History Museum," by J. Stephen Conn. Found on Twitter, used under Creative Commons license.]

Alamo Drafthouse at Lake Creek is part of the Alamo Drafthouse franchise of theaters. The theater has seven screens and shows mainly first-run movies, with some special screenings and events. It's part of a large strip mall off Hwy 183, just south of Hwy 620, in a fairly suburban part of town.

Pros: You can order food, beer and wine from your seat. The lobby includes a nice gathering area with tables and chairs. It's nice to see a suburban strip-mall theater that doesn't show lots of commercials before the movie, or treat its audience members like cattle. It's obviously run and staffed by movie lovers.

Cons: The theater is at the edge of Austin, close to Cedar Park, and is difficult to reach by bus. If you're visiting this theater for a film festival, don't expect to theater-hop: park it here for the evening.

Parking: Big parking lot, right out in front, although it does get a little crowded sometimes on weekends and you may have to park near the edges.

Bus routes: #383. You would need to take an Express bus, then a local bus. To/from downtown by mass transit could take well over an hour.

Distance: It's a 20-40 minute drive from here to downtown Austin, and at least a 10-minute drive to the Arbor, depending on traffic.

Food and Beverages: Alamo Lake Creek has a full menu of snacks, meals and drinks. In the same strip mall, you'll find a Jason's Deli and a Rockin' Tomato. Drive south a little past Anderson Mill to Reale's for a slightly less casual (and quite yummy) pizza-and-Italian experience, or to Hoover's for some good home cooking and barbecue (and pie).

Wireless: Unknown. Any advice?

The main event for Cinemapocalypse was Inglourious Basterds and guests, as I detailed in Part One. However, the all-night movie marathon offered so much more. The theme of the evening (and morning after) was war-centered "men on a mission" films, with each film preceded by relevant vintage trailers. Tarantino programmed the next two films, with the rest programmed by Tim League, and Alamo programmers Zack Carlson and Lars Nilsen.

Film:  Inglourious Basterds
Trailers:  Operation Eichmann, Ski Troop Attack, 36 Hours and Operation Amsterdam

Like I mentioned in Part One, Slackerwood will be doing a full group review later. I will say for now that I really enjoyed Basterds and I'm looking forward to seeing it again, and I suspect even people who aren't big fans of Tarantino will really enjoy it. It has all the spirit of post-WWII anti-hero and noir films. 

Film:  The Losers
Trailers:  The Naked Brigade, Merrill's Marauders, The Dirty Dozen, Casualties of War, The Rescue (I think it was the same film as Let's Get Harry, but I'm not entirely sure) and First Blood

This 1974 Vietnam war-era film, directed by Jack Starrett, was about a bunch of bikers led by Link (William Smith), who are sent to Vietnam to rescue a government advisor on the wrong side of the Vietnam border. This seriously surreal film included a love song/theme song abruptly fit into an unexpected romantic scene ("Life has so much to offer the losers ..."). Tarantino pointed out that this has has the distinction of being filmed during the Vietnam conflict, when it was politically very incorrect to do so. 

Film:  The Siege of Firebase Gloria
Trailers:  Up from the Beach, Play Dirty, Von Ryan's Express, Eye of the Eagle II: Inside the Enemy, Uncommon Valor and Gallipoli

Starring R. Lee Ermey and Wings Hauser, The Siege of Firebase Gloria is an uneasy mix of great filmmaking with some seriously cheesy dialogue (and a great chopper pilot).

Austin Film Society has just released the list of grant recipients for the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund grants this year. The total amount to be awarded in grant money and products/services is $102,000, with an additional $10,000 in travel grants for Texas filmmakers who travel to major film festivals.

The list includes a number of familiar names on the list as well as some interesting new filmmakers. And the really cool thing about this list? It's a tantalizing sneak peek at what we might be seeing from Texas filmmakers in the next year or two. For example, I've been wondering what Kyle Henry's been doing after his film Room, which premiered at Sundance in 2005, and now I know he's working on Fourplay, a four-shorts-in-one feature ... for which he received a $7,000 grant.

Zombie Girl: The Movie, the documentary about young filmmaker Emily Hagins, is available on SnagFilms for free this week ... and the doc's co-director Eric Mauck just received a $7K grant for his next film, The Road to Livingston, about family members visiting death-row inmates. He and Chelsea Hernandez are co-directing The Road to Livingston and received the award together.

Regal Arbor Cinema at Great Hills is usually called the Arbor or Arbor Great Hills. It is part of the national Regal Theatres chain. The six-screen theater focuses on arthouse films and "big indies" like Sideways, Mamma Mia and 500 Days of Summer.

Pros: Comfy seats in roomy theaters. The lobby has some nice little gathering areas with tables and chairs. Good programming of indie/arthouse movies.

Cons: Except during film festivals, the Regal ad reel plays before all movies. There are also TV monitors in the lobby that play trailers and commercials. This theater has also had some audio problems in the past, such as speakers not working properly.

Parking: There's plenty of parking in lots at the front and side of the theater.

Bus routes: #3, 383, 392, 982 & 983. The #383 bus goes between Arbor and Alamo Lake Creek, but it's a long and winding route.

Distance: The theater is in the middle of the Arboretum area of shopping, restaurants and hotels. It's a 15-30 minute drive to downtown, depending on traffic.

Food and Beverages: Arbor offers the usual movie-theater concessions. In the adjacent strip mall, you can find La Madeleine, Fire Bowl Cafe, Texadelphia, Elevation Burger and Pok-E-Joe's. Cross the street to the Arbor mall and enjoy Amy's Ice Cream as well as some other chain restaurants.

Wireless: No wireless in the theater, but you can walk over to La Madeleine, which offers wireless access.

Alamo Drafthouse at South Lamar, aka Alamo South, is one of the three Alamo theaters owned by Tim and Karrie League. It's a six-screen theater in a strip mall, renovated from what used to be a grocery store. The theater primarily shows first-run movies, but also serves as a venue for many local film festivals, and is the primary venue for Fantastic Fest. Locals like this venue during SXSW and other festivals because it's central and has parking.

The six theaters are various sizes: the largest can seat about 200 people. Two of the screens have Sony 4K digital. Lines for the movies may be inside the lobby or outside depending on the size of the crowds and the weather.

Pros: Like Alamo Ritz, you get pre-show clips, food, and beer. Little lights under the tables in front of your seat are meant to make menu-reading easier, but are also helpful if you're taking notes on the film.

Cons: When it gets crowded here, it gets really crowded and verges on the chaotic, although Alamo staff (and volunteers, during fests) have managed to instill very good line control. Avoid the first two rows of the theaters unless you like craning your neck.

Parking: Alamo South Lamar is part of a strip mall with a big parking lot. If the lot in front looks full, you can park behind the theater in a smaller lot. Try to avoid parking in the neighborhood, although that may be impossible during big festivals or events.

Bus routes: #3, #338, #484 Night Owl can take you downtown from here.

Distance: You can't walk to other theaters from here unless you're into hiking, but you can take a bus or find a friendly Austinite with a car. A cab from the theater to downtown isn't expensive, but they're unlikely to hang around the parking lot, so be prepared to phone. Make sure the cab service has your name so they won't drive off with some other film geek.

On-side food and beverages: The menu is similar to Alamo Ritz, except that this Alamo does not serve hard liquor. The milkshakes are my favorite in Austin.

Nearby dining options: The Highball, Suzi's Chinese Kitchen and Casa Garcia are in the same strip mall, and the super-trendy (and pricey) Japanese restaurant Uchi is across the street and down about a block. Almost directly across Lamar, you will find a lot full of food trailers, including Gourdough's huge yummy donuts (open late for your sugar and fat convenience). If you've got a car, you can hit restaurant row over at Lamar and Barton Springs Rd, or go further south down Lamar for Olivia's upscale but tasty cuisine and Kerbey Lane's gingerbread pancakes.

Wireless: Wireless is usually available in the lobby and the theaters, although the signal isn't consistent. If the weather is nice and the wireless is strong, try the picnic benches next to the theater. The Highball also has wireless. The closest and easiest-to-find coffeehouse with free wireless is probably Flipnotics, on Barton Springs Road about a block west of Lamar, but that's not walking distance. About two blocks further south down Lamar (away from downtown), you'll find a Starbucks in a strip mall across the street from Saxon Pub.

Alamo Drafthouse -- Village, aka Alamo Village, is one of the three Alamo movie theaters owned by Tim and Karrie League. The theater focuses on first-run movies with the occasional arthouse feature or special event. Alamo Village has 4K digital projection for all four screens.

The Paramount is located downtown. It's primarily a venue for live performances, but shows movies during film festivals, red-carpet premieres, and the theater's annual Summer Classic Movie Series. The theater seats nearly 1200 people (okay, 1199 to be precise).

During film festivals and gala screenings, lines for the films form outside the theater and wrap in both directions down Congress. The lines often look deceptively long -- just because a line is stretched around the block and halfway down the next street doesn't mean you won't get in.

The balcony may not be open during movies that aren't expected to draw a big audience. However, it's time to dispel a rumor: In previous years, we've heard people claim that sometimes during SXSW, the Paramount will turn away potential audience members if the orchestra level is full, without opening the balcony. SXSW staff have assured me that this is not the case. When the lower level fills, the Paramount will open the balcony area and let you in.

Pros: The theater is so large that it's not difficult to gain admission to film-festival movies here, even if you're not a badgeholder. This is the best venue for celebrity spotting and perhaps even a red carpet or two.

Cons: The seats are narrow and close together, and you may feel a little too friendly with your neighbors.

Best/worst seating: Avoid the box seats. The boxes also may partially block your view if you're sitting far left or right on the lower level. Some short people claim the best view is from the middle of the very last row of the orchestra/mezzanine level. Balcony seats have cramped legroom but offer good visibility if you're short. However, avoid the front row of the balcony; your view will be impeded by a big iron bar.

Parking: No Paramount-specific parking. You can park in nearby garages or, on weekends and after 5:30 on weekdays, on the street in metered spots. Parking at St. David's garage (E. 7th) is reasonably priced if you want to avoid the hassle of finding a spot on the street, although their rates often increase during special events (like the music portion of SXSW).

Bus routes: All downtown routes.

Distance: You can walk to Alamo Ritz or the Hideout, to Austin Convention Center, and many downtown hotels and restaurants.

On-site food and beverages: You can buy bottled water, soft drinks, and beer and wine. Food is limited to popcorn and candy.

Nearby dining options: Jette likes Roaring Fork in the Stephen F. Austin hotel next door, which has weekday happy-hour food specials at the bar, and the Driskill's 1886 Cafe and Bakery, which has some reasonably priced items before 5 pm like soup and salad, and very filling breakfasts. Silhouette, across the street, has happy hour sushi. El Chile has turned back into El Chilito, so it's only open for breakfast and lunch. Sadly, most nearby fast-food places are closed at night (except Pita Pit and Jimmy John's) and even on Sundays.

If you're carrying your own water bottle, stow it in your car/hotel or conceal it in a backpack or purse before you get to the theater entrance. The ushers take pains to ensure that no outside food or drinks enter the theater, although they won't check inside bags and purses.

Wireless: Walk a block towards Sixth Street to The Hideout, or a couple of blocks to Schlotzsky's (closed on Sunday). For a less crowded alternative, walk a few blocks toward the Capitol to Little City Coffeehouse, which has great sandwiches at lunchtime.

I hope you all are rested up, because Austin is exploding with film events this week. Between Cinemapocalypse and two red carpets, including one world premiere, it's as close to film-geek heaven as possible without a film festival.

Opening This Week

My top two favorite films open this week, District 9 and In the Loop. I'd be hard pressed to say which was my favorite, because they're such different films. Sci-fi fans will go nuts for District 9, which cunningly mixes aliens with evil corporation and a corporate stooge whose life gets turned upside down. The explosive third act will make fanboys and girls go wild, and it's sure to become a classic. Check out our group review.

In the Loop (pictured above), a British political satire, rips politicos to shreds with caustic humor as power-hungry assistant secretaries and their assistants battle it out and ultimately prove that funny can be smart. Scathingly smart. Torchwood: Children of Earth fans who were impressed with Peter Capaldi as the quiet career bureaucrat will be shocked and amused to see that character's polar opposite in Malcolm Tucker, the foulest director of communication you can imagine. Don't worry if some of the unfamiliar accents aren't easy to understand with the rapid fire delivery; this is one you'll want to watch more than once (a lot like District 9).

The Fantastic Fest/AICN Presents series of special screenings leading up to the festival at the end of September is surpassing last year's screenings, with Deadgirl, The Collector and Chan-wook Park's latest, Thirst (Bakjwi), in the last two weeks alone.

In Thirst, Sang-hyeon is a man of intense faith who subjects himself to an experiment with unexpected results. Starring Kang-ho Song (The Host, The Good, the Bad, the Weird), and an unsettling Ok-vin Kim, Thirst completely twists vampire mythology into an exotic tale of domestic horror with elements of faith, taboo, family and the inevitable consequences of giving in to forbidden desires.

In case you didn't notice from our recent podcast on Food in Movies, I am a foodie. Therefore I love to attend the Alamo Drafthouse signature events of film and feast, and was intrigued to see what gourmet surprises Chefs Trish Eichelberger and John Bullington would come up with for Julie & Julia. I was unable to attend a full feast due to other screenings I was attending - more on those later! - but managed to take some photos behind the scenes.

The evening started with pink champagne, as shown above. Here are a few more of the dishes, which were referenced in the film in one way or another.

First course - an amuse bouche that included oysters on the half shell, thin rye bread and butter:

[Warning: some of this content may spoil the film for you. Caution is advised.]

This has been a good summer for sci-fi fans, with three outstanding, classic style sci-fi films to hit screens across the country: Star Trek, Moon and now District 9, which opens on Friday. Ain't it Cool News hosted a special screening of District 9 with director Neill Blomkamp and star Sharlto Copley that featured one of the longest, and arguably one of the best Q&As in Austin in a long, long time.

Both Blomkamp and Copley were willing to answer questions for almost an hour. With most Q&As running 15 minutes, this was a rare treat. No one in the standing-room-only crowd left when the end credits started, and the first to leave the theater only missed the last 2-3 questions, and not just because those asking questions were rewarded with a commemorative t-shirt. One lucky audience member, who asked the final question, received an autographed rendering of the alien ship.

Set in the Johannesburg, South Africa area 20 years after an alien vessel has stopped over the city, District 9 is the story of a corporate stooge responsible for overseeing a mass eviction of the aliens, pejoratively known as "prawns" because of their resemblance to crustaceans.

Austin director Emily Hagins hosted a packed private screening of her second feature, The Retelling, on Sunday afternoon. The Retelling is a thriller that unfolds as a boy uncovers old family secrets when his family stays with his grandfather for the summer.

In a brief Q&A session after the screening, Hagins thanked everyone for their support and participation, and said she was submitting the film to festivals. She declined to mention which, in the event the film was rejected.

Hagins, 16, wrote and directed her first feature, the horror film Pathogen, at age 11. She received a Texas Filmmakers Production Fund grant for the film. Emily and her mom Megan were the subjects of a recent documentary, Zombie Girl, which premiered at Fantastic Fest and has also played Slamdance and San Diego Comic-Con.

When asked what her next film would be, Hagins said she's planning a comedy, and that the script has already been started.

Public screenings of The Retelling are not planned at this time.

As a volunteer for South by Southwest (SXSW) Conferences and Festivals Special Venues Crew in the past, I've helped out at many film premieres and so have some experience at red-carpet events. However, last week was the first time I experienced the media side of the red carpet, at a local sneak preview of Bandslam, which was shot here in Austin in 2008.

I was a bit nervous before the event, so to boost my confidence I read Jette's blog entry on red-carpet lessons. I wanted to make sure I was able to cover both audio and video, so I was well equipped with cameras, digital voice recorder, camcorder, and even "The Poor Man's Steadicam" from my favorite tech geek, Johnny Chung Lee. With temperatures hitting the triple digits, I remembered Jette's advice and packed several bottles of water.

The Bandslam red carpet had a few extras not often seen at previews or even premieres. Because a large portion of the film was shot in Austin and featured a couple of Austin bands, a performance was set up in the courtyard at Galaxy Highland. Local bands Joker and The Daze performed outdoors as folks waited to be ushered in for the screening. In the film, the members of Joker played the backing band for one of the main characters, and The Daze were seen as themselves in the "Bandslam" battle of the bands competition. Check out a photo of Joker after the jump:

Next week will be absolutely crazy, with two red-carpet events in four days. But we've already had a red carpet in Austin this week, for Bandslam, which Debbie will tell you about soon. There's plenty this week in theaters to keep you busy.

Opening this Week
Let's just say that Julie & Julia is one film that will leave you salivating. The Alamo Drafthouse had one feast scheduled that sold out in 20 minutes, so they've added two more (8/10-12). Check out our group review, where Jette and Jenn's take on Julie & Julia.

A Perfect Getaway is a serviceable chiller from the man who brought you Below and Pitch Black. It's flawed, but worthwhile. For more, check out my review.

O'Horten, Little Ashes, and The Cove all open at the Arbor today. Unfortunately, we weren't able to review The Cove prior to release, but it's gotten a lot of positive attention. Little Ashes, with Twilight heartthrob Robert Pattinson, wasn't available either. But you can read about the trains and life transitions that make up O'Horten in my review.

A honeymoon in paradise is a newlywed's dream ... unless you're newlyweds in writer/director David Twohy's latest chiller, A Perfect Getaway.

The needy Cydney (Milla Jovovich) is ecstatically in love with Cliff (Steve Zahn), as they explore Hawaii. Their bliss is disturbed when they encounter a suspiciously pushy couple (Marley Shelton and Chris Hemsworth) trying to hitch a ride, and shortly after learn of a double murder in Oahu, from where they'd just come. Unsettled and with only sporadic cell reception, a chance encounter with braggart Nick (Timothy Olyphant) seems to be a welcome salve, only to find out Nick didn't mention his girlfriend, Gina (Kiele Sanchez).

Twohy, who wrote and directed the underrated Below and Pitch Black, has a fondness for twists, and has so many red herrings in the script that it includes a discussion about them. Combined with the tendency for characters to adopt a threatening gaze, it seemed like it would quickly fall into the conventional traps of most slasher flicks.

It's not quite three weeks since Jenn and I blogged about our experiences during the Austin filming of the slacker revenge movie Red, White and Blue. In a recent email, writer/director Simon Rumley revealed that he has already edited over half the film. This is pretty amazing considering he'd been too busy shooting while in Austin to get into the editing suite, and needed some time back in London to recuperate from his first film experience in Texas.

Here's more from Simon:

What was it like filming in Texas during the summer?
Before I came to Austin, everyone was saying how hot it was going to be so I was kind of prepared for the heat and I kept asking "Is it going to get hotter!?" and everyone kept saying yes! In the end we shot on one day when the temperature reached 110 and all the crew kept going, "Oh my God, it's so hot!" but actually, it wasn't clammy. It was a dry heat so compared with a sometime London or, say, New York summer, it was a very bearable climate. Added to this that DP (Director of Photography) Milton Kam is originally from the Tropical Suriname and Noah Taylor, the lead actor playing Nate is originally from Australia. The producer Bob although from London (and probably because of this), was very keen on tanning himself semi-naked at any given chance. I think we adapted to the Texan heat much better than the Texans we were working with! That said I did quite often get severely sun-burnt!

The ninth annual Bicycle Film Festival is coming to Austin this week: Wednesday, August 5 through Sunday, August 9. This 39-city international touring film fest celebrates bicycles and the people who ride them with many short films, a few features and lots of related events, such as an art show and a bike polo tournament.

On Friday there is a benefit for the Yellow Bike Project, an all-volunteer effort "dedicated to providing human-powered transportation for the people of Austin, running a community bike shop, and educating kids and adults."

A Texas film is among the shorts screening at the fest: Ultra Cool Texas Emo Hipsters Ride Fixed by director Donny Hall. Most of the festival films are screening at 501 Studios.

Festival passes are $27, with tickets available at individual events. Visit The Bicycle Film Festival site for more details.

The Wild Man of the Navidad, a Texas film with local cast and crew, is getting a DVD release next week.

The indie horror film, co-directed by Justin Meeks and former Texas Film Production Fund recipient Duane Graves, was an official selection at both Tribeca Film Festival and Austin's own Fantastic Fest, and if you're really savvy, you might recognize a certain Alamo staffer in the cast. It's a 1970s style Texas horror story about a "creature so horrifying it remains legend today" with the typical grindhouse gore stylings of 70s horror.

The DVD release is slated for next Tuesday, August 11, following the film's recent availability through IFC Video on Demand. You can pre-order the DVD at Best Buy and Amazon, and it's already available to add to your queue on Netflix. If you're going to buy, right now BestBuy has the better price. But you might want to check out local stores like I Luv Video and Vulcan Video.

I wasn't able to catch The Wild Man of the Navidad at Fantastic Fest, but the reviews have been positive (and nostalgic). What better way to gear up for next month's edition of Fantastic Fest than by supporting one of last year's films?