November 2009

Two of Austin's most-loved theaters are showing their support for the community with special screenings during Edible Austin Eat Local Week. Kicking off December 5, this week provides opportunities for Central Texans to explore and celebrate the abundance of local food by eating out and shopping at participating area restaurants and markets. Money raised by participating businesses will go towards YouthLaunch's Urban Roots, a youth development program that uses sustainable agriculture to effect change for 14- to 18-year-olds, and to nourish East Austin residents who have limited access to healthy foods.

On Saturday, December 5, the Paramount Theatre presents a special screening of the powerful and inspiring food documentary Fresh, which has been compared to the eye-opening Food, Inc. Joel Salatin, who is featured in the film, will join Fresh director/producer Ana Sofia Joanes for an audience Q&A after the screening. Ticket prices are $15, $25 and $100. The limited $100 tickets include reserved seating and admission to a pre-screening reception with Joanes, Salatin and other featured guests in the State Theatre lobby. The reception will feature Austin's top chefs preparing locally sourced food tastings and local beverages. The event will also provide opportunities to meet and connect with many of Austin's local food nonprofit and support groups. Tickets are on sale now.

V For Vendetta director James McTeigue and producers Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers join forces again to splatter the screen with gore galore in Ninja Assassin. This film is not for the weak of heart or stomach -- be prepared for graphic dismemberment and fountains of blood. Ninja Assassin has displaced Daybreakers on my list for the amount of blood used in a film production.

The story centers around Raizo (Rain), a renegade ninja from the Ozunu clan. The clan is a secret organization that kidnaps young children, training them to become silent killers. After the merciless killing of the female ninja who touched his heart, Raizo denounces his Ozunu family. Skilled in the use of a kusarigama weapon, Raizo takes revenge on his former family by executing them.

Just in time for the holidays, John Travolta and Robin Williams team up for the family comedy Old Dogs. The premise of the story is that two longtime friends and business partners find their lives turned upside down when strange circumstances lead to them being placed in the care of 7-year-old twins.

With the encouragement of buddy Charlie (John Travolta), Dan (Robin Williams) gets wild during a night in South Beach which apparently results in more than a 24-hour marriage, hangover and annulment. When Mommy aka South Beach Vicki (Kelly Preston) is ordered by the court to serve two weeks in jail after chaining herself to a tree in protest, Dan offers to take care of the kids. Screwball comedy ensues, Japanese businessmen are both impressed and offended by the antics of the buddy team along with their junior executive, played by Seth Green.

As we head into Thanksgiving week, Austin-area filmmakers and film fans have a lot to be thankful for. Here are a few reasons:

• The Academy Award shortlist for Best Documentary Feature nominees was released last week. One of the 15 films was SXSW 2009 selection Garbage Dreams. The doc tells the story of the Zaballeen, who live in "garbage villages" made of the city's garbage, and until recently were the only system in place for trash removal. Their livelihood is now being threatened by international outsourcers. 
• Good news for another movie that premiered at SXSW 2009: B-Side Entertainment has picked up now-Austinite filmmaker Alex Karpovsky's latest film: Trust Us, This is All Made Up. Jette caught the movie in March and although it took a few minutes to get going, really enjoyed the long-form, detailed improv performance staged by T.J. Jagodowksi and David Pasquesi.
• One more from SXSW, this time 2008: David and Nathan Zellner's feature film Goliath will be out on DVD on January 12, 2010. You can pre-order it now from Amazon. Jette loved this Austin-made comedy about a guy who just can't live without his cat, which premiered at Sundance in 2008. Slackerwood interviewed the Zellners via email about the film.

Probably the most anxiously awaited sequel of the year, The Twilight Saga: New Moon is breaking records for pre-sold sellouts as Twilight fans prepare for the second installment in the series. Director Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass, About a Boy) takes the helm of this teen romance/fantasy, with screenplay writer Melissa Rosenberg returning to bring Stephenie Meyer's novel to life.

Bella (Kristen Stewart) and "vegetarian" vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson) begin to publicly display their romance, much to the chagrin of her other friends including childhood friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). Following a potentially fatal incident at Bella's 18th birthday party, the Cullen family abandons the town of Forks, Washington. Bella is heartbroken and inconsolable, isolating herself completely from all friends -- until Jake helps her refurbish a pair of old motorbikes. Their relationship helps her to slowly heal from the loss of Edward.  However, it turns out that as a member of the Quileutes tribe, Jake has his own secret supernatural powers to deal with, which are tied to the reason why Edward ended his relationship with Bella.

The Other Worlds Film Series concludes at the Harry Ransom Center with Stardust (2007) on Monday, December 7, at 7 p.m.

Stardust tells the story of Tristan, who ventures into a magical kingdom to retrieve a fallen star for his beloved, only to find he's one of many who seek the star. Directed by Matthew Vaughn, the film stars Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ricky Gervais, Rupert Everett, and Robert De Niro, whose archive is housed at the Ransom Center.

Seating is free, but limited.

This screening complements the Ransom Center's exhibition Other Worlds: Rare Astronomical Works. Discover "other worlds" and the changing notions of the solar system, the moon, and the planets over the centuries. In conjunction with the International Year of Astronomy in 2009, this exhibition, drawn from the Center's collections, showcases important astronomical discoveries of the last 500 years. The exhibition is on display through January 3, 2010.

Directed by ELLEN FRANKENSTEIN and produced by SHIRLEY THOMPSON, EATING ALASKA is an exploration of what happens when a vegetarian encounters the "last frontier" and subsequently falls in love with a hunter/fisherman ... and the land.  It is a serious and humorous film about connecting to where you live and eating locally; about trying to break away from the industrial food system when that means not only buying fresh seasonal food from local farmers, but also taking part in a world of hunting and gathering. Made by a former city dweller now living in a small town in Alaska and married to a fisherman and deer hunter, it is a journey into regional food traditions, our connection to the wilderness, and to what we put into our mouths.
 
Snacks will be provided by WHOLE FOODS MARKET.  The Independent offers a cash beverage bar.

The filmmakers will lead a workshop on documentary filmmaking earlier in the day.  See Item # 3.

Screening Only: $10 / $8 RW Members.  Workshop AND Screening: $35 / $25 RW Members. New Member Deal: Workshop/Screening/Membership for just $55!

A portion of the proceeds from the screening will be donated to Youth Launch's URBAN ROOTS, a youth development program that uses sustainable agriculture as means to affect lasting change for youth participants, and to nourish East Austin residents who currently have limited access to healthy foods. On a 2.5 acre urban organic farm, the project provides employment, life and job skills and service opportunities to under-served youth aged 14-18 in East Austin.

One of the most anticipated films at Austin Film Festival this year was Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, a movie that is both a condemnation of "the system"and a tribute to the human spirit.

It's set in 1987, when the AIDS scare is in full swing, and an HIV diagnosis was a death sentence. The epidemic of teen pregancies is being treated with punitive action, and girls like Claireece "Precious" Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) are the epitome of failure of the system. Illiterate, raped, abused and tormented, Precious is a walking ghost with no hope other than a fantasy life where she's loved, and occasionally white, slender, and gorgeous. Precious has sailed through school despite never even doing homework or being able to read, and usually only noticed by bullies.  When she's told by her principal she's being expelled, it seems like that's it for her, but it's just the beginning.

The documentary The Eyes of Me, which screened at the Cinema Touching Disability Festival earlier this month, presents an extraordinary look at four blind teenagers living in Austin. Their stories unfold over the course of a year at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI), a public residential high school. Nationally, over 9,000 students attend similar residential schools. Director Keith Maitland worked closely with the film’s subjects to produce sequences of stylized rotoscopic animation to complement the film’s observational aesthetic. Created from over 250 hours of footage, this documentary captures a visually engaging and textured portrait of its characters’ lives.

"How do you see yourself, when you can't see at all?" The stories of the film’s central characters offer a perspective on growing up, fitting in, and preparing for the future. Forced to confront the world without sight, the high-school students share their thoughts, perceptions and inner-visions of the outer world. 

The Eyes of Me follows their high-school experiences of dating, academic responsibilities, fitting in, family issues and preparing for college over the course of one dynamic year. High school senior Chas wants greater independence, and therefore he leaves the school’s dorms to live independently in his own apartment. His greatest passion is creating hip-hop music. When Chas drops out of school halfway through his senior year, his resolve to chart his own path is tested.

New for 2010, the SXSW Film Conference and Festival has established the annual SXSW Film Design Awards, including a new competition for the "Excellence in Title Design" Award that will feature the best in contemporary title sequence design. All title sequences that exist as part of a completed film finished in 2009 or later are eligible, and includes international submissions. The deadline to submit is December 11, 2009.

Finalists will be announced in early February 2010, and will be showcased at a dedicated screening during the SXSW Film Festival. Contestants will be judged by an expert panel and will also be eligible to be chosen by the public for an Audience Award. Due in part to the success of the 2009 SXSW Film/AIGA Austin Film Poster Award and as part of the Design Awards, SXSW will continue to honor exceptional film posters under the "Excellence in Poster Design" label (open to all accepted films). 

Title sequence submissions are $10 per entry, and can be made via the SXSW Film Title Sequence Competition application form. All title sequences must be hosted online -- YouTube, Vimeo, or personal website. Finalists will be notified upon acceptance and will then need to send a broadcast-quality version of the sequence.

Tonight the four-day Austin Asian American Film Festival ended its 2009 run with two documentaries: the short My Mother Said (Kuna ni nanang) and the feature Old Partner (Wonangsori).

My Mother Said, by filmmaker Jessica Sison, is the highly personal musings of her 99-year-old grandmother, recounting highlights from her life. Starting out with images of an old woman in a church, and the titular song, it's a documentary with an abstract feel as the woman recounts her history, such as being there for her own mother's death and lacking any mementos of her mother. My Mother Said was the second film in two days that used Ilacano, a language spoken in the Philippines, the other being Fruit Fly.

Old Partner, a South Korean documentary, is an uneven film with some powerful moments, but rambles on more than the film's complaining wife. An aging farmer who does everything by hand faces the inevitable death of his equally elderly ox, which he's had for half of his life. Despite the constant nagging of his wife and his own failing health, every day the farmer goes out to his fields with his ox; it's painful to watch both of them move, although not as painful as it is for either of them. At times seemingly callous, it's hard to deny the intense bond between the two. While the farmer's typical response to his wife is is a grunt, or "huh," if the ox makes a noise, it gets his full attention. 

What a great day at Austin Asian American Film Festival.  I managed to see four features despite a migraine, because the last film was the one film I absolutely had to see (and it didn't disappoint). 

The day started with People in the Shadows, a documentary on people in the streets of Tehran. It was more verite, and not enough cinema for me (specifically, not enough context). 

But then there was White on Rice, with a quick introduction by co-star Lynn Chen. Hiroshi Watanabe (Letters from Iwo Jima) plays Jimmy, who, despite being in his forties, is still relying on other people to get by -- currently his sister, nephew, and long suffering brother-in-law. When his brother-in-law's niece Ramona (Chen) comes to stay, Jimmy becomes obsessed.  Look for a supporting role by James Kyson Lee (Heroes), including an unexpected breakfast-cereal-related costume scene.  It's funny, and a crowd pleaser, which is good, because it was another sold-out crowd.

The Austin Asian American Film Festival's second night has ended.  The only film on Opening Night, The Speed of Life by UT's Ed Radtke was sold out.  I didn't make it to the opening party because I had to get up in the morning.  I did get a chance to talk briefly with Chi Pham by lucky happenstance. [pictured above, center].  

Chi Pham happened to strike up a conversation with a friend and me and ended up sharing quite a bit of his story. Pham plays Dad in All About Dad, the story of a domineering Dad who just can't control his kids any longer.  Pham had quite a journey into becoming a bit of a celebrity. Mark Tran and his production were in jeopardy of shutting down because they couldn't find a bilingual actor to play the father. They scattershot posters all over San Jose, California.  Pham happened upon one, but before he could actually have the audition, his home was lost in a fire, and lost his voice for some time.  But despite the circumstances, he was hired.  He's quite a character, too.  After the screening of All About Dad he was surrounded by dozens of people wanting a photograph with him. 

As a kid growing up in the late Sixties, my secret late-night habit was to listen in the dark to pop music on my tabletop Hi-Fi transistor radio, glowing on the lightstand next to my bed. As I listened to the DJ, I imagined that the band was playing right there in the studio. The new ensemble comedy Pirate Radio -- released in the U.K. as The Boat That Rocked -- captures the romance between pop music and the young people of the Sixties.

How do you make a film about one of the most documented delinquent characters in the British penal system? Turn it into an interpretive theatrical extravaganza. And that's just what director Nicolas Winding Refn does in the Fantastic Fest hit Bronson. 

Charlie Bronson, who's earned the epithet of most violent/famous/expensive prisoner in the UK penal system, has more character than most 10 people put together. And he knows it.  Looking at a list of the man's escapades, with violence and ridiculous demands, it make sense to turn the story into an absurdist commentary on the cult of celebrity and the addiction to fame. 

John Krasinski (Away We Go, The Office) will be in Austin this weekend to premiere his directorial debut of Brief Interviews with Hideous Men as part of the Celebrity Guests Signature Series at the Alamo Downtown. I spoke with John by phone before his arrival in Austin, and here's what he had to say.

Tell us about your film Brief Interviews with Hideous Men.

It's a book by David Foster Wallace that I had read in college. Without being overly sentimental, it's basically not only been my passion to get it made into a movie, but it was also the thing that made me want to be an actor. I had been acting in college just for fun with friends, and after being a part of this staged reading that we did, it made such an impact on me emotionally. In one of those big ways it had a huge impact by how provocative and honest it was. It was one of those things where I really wanted to give acting a shot after that.

Austin Java is a small local coffeehouse/restaurant chain. This location hosts a Movie Night every Monday and Saturday at 8 pm. Austin Java also occasionally hosts special events.

Herpes Boy won the Austin Film Festival Audience Award in the Comedy Vanguard category, which should come as no surprise to anyone fortunate enough to catch either of the sold-out AFF screenings. The  filmmakers and stars -- including the charming Beth Grant who also co-produced the film -- chose to stand during both screenings so that more festival attendees could see their film. With such an endearing and supportive force, it's no wonder that heart and passion transfers to the screen in this funny and poignant film.

Herpes Boy was directed by Nathaniel Atcheson and is based on the Herpes Boy YouTube web series created by Byron Lane in 2007. In the screen adaptation Byron wrote, he plays the lead character Rudolph Murray, who hates his life and is a bit of a hypochondriac. He has a large purple birthmark on his upper lip and everyday he finds someone staring, pointing, or calling him names—like "Herpes Boy."

Rudolph makes videos for the Internet in which he rants about his quirky life and zany family, including his New Age mother played by Beth Grant (No Country For Old Men, Little Miss Sunshine, Donnie Darko), emotionally distant father played by Michael Chieffo (L.A. Confidential), and grumpy grandmother (Julianna McCarthy). When his "actress-slash-model-slash-dancer" cousin Christeee -- yes, with three e's -- played by Ahna O’Reilly (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) re-edits his videos, it attracts a huge new audience. Rudolph becomes an unwilling cyber-celebrity at the worst possible time in his life.

Rated R; 95min; Director:Rick King (1990)
From the website:  HeckleVision is the Action Pack's newest interactive way of enjoying a movie, and the basic premise is super simple: There's a spot at the bottom of the screen that holds five lines of text, and audience members in the theater can text in whatever they want to say about the movie while we all watch it together. Our debut HeckleVision show, a screening of the classic Lifetime Original Movie INVISIBLE CHILD, was a raging success and one of the most fun experiences we've had in the theater in a while. Unlike regular hecklers who get loud and ruin the movie for everyone, the silence of the texts mean that you don't miss a second of the hilariously bad dialog in the wonderfully cheesy movies we pick for this series, but you also have an endless supply of extra jokes enhancing the experience for you. And when those jokes aren't funny enough, of course, you can text in your own!

PRAYER OF THE ROLLERBOYS is a redux of one of our original (and failed idea) Heckler's Paradise screenings, and as we've been digging through the '90s to prep up for the 1997 Sing-Along one inexplicable trend had one perfectly inexplicable movie role - Corey Haim plays a Rollerblading pizza delivery driver in a bizarre future dystopia that is lorded over by the Rollerboys, a gang of white trench coat wearing synchronized skaters who are pushing a special sort of drug that should sterilize the poor people and lead to a brighter, Nazi-ish future. Yeah, reread that sentence and try to get a handle on what this movie is about. We're pretty sure audiences leaving the theater after it's insanely short run were the first people to coin the term, "WTF?" (Henri Mazza)

After wondering whether she could just have a Q&A without actually making a film, longtime local filmmaker Mocha Jean Herrup (The Lancebian, A Few Good Dykes) decided it was time to start focusing less on making films (aka fixing technical problems and begging friends to work for free) and more on live performance (aka stand up comedy, storytelling, and sometimes fixing technical problems and begging friends to work for free).

In this presentation / performance / screening / and yes, Q&A, Mocha will show films from her collection of short works, perform her one woman show, “Letters of Compliment & Complaint,” and discuss how forms and theories such as systemic critiques, editing based decisions, and optimizing interaction overlap and diverge.

Ingmar Bergman's The Silence.  From the website:  Two sisters—the sickly, intellectual Ester (Ingrid Thulin) and the sensual, pragmatic Anna (Gunnel Lindblom)—travel by train with Anna’s young son Johan (Jorgen Lindstrom) to a foreign country seemingly on the brink of war. Attempting to cope with their alien surroundings, the sisters resort to their personal vices while vying for Johan’s affection, and in so doing sabotage any hope for a future together. Regarded as one of the most sexually provocative films of its day, Ingmar Bergman’s The Silence offers a brilliant, disturbing vision of emotional isolation in a suffocating spiritual void.

All screenings are held at the Texas Union Theater on the UT campus and are FREE and open to the public. Bring FRIENDS and NEIGHBORS.

Range Life and the Onion's AV Club are bringing a week's worth of special engagement screenings to Austin starting on the 14th.  All are independent comedies, with the first film, White on Rice, is screening as part of the Austin Asian American Film Festival at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. With the exception of White on Rice, all films are at 9:30pm at the Dobie.  Check out the list below, as three films will include Q&A, and one will be followed by a live band performance. 

• 11/14 2:00pm White On Rice  (Screens at Alamo Lamar as part of AAAFF)
• 11/16 9:30pm Visioneers
• 11/17 9:30pm On The Road With Judas (Director Q&A included)
• 11/18 9:30pm Box Elder (Director and Cast Q&A included)
• 11/19 9:30pm Last Cup: Road to the World Series of Beer Pong
• 11/20 9:30pm Assassination of a High School President (followed by a performance by Capybara)
• 11/21 9:30pm Impolex (Director Q&A included)

For more information about the Range Life Fall Tour '09, or to view trailers, go to their website. 

From the website:  Bob Byington, whose RSO [REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER] was a highlight of last November's Slacker Bliss! festival, is establishing himself as one of the freshest new voices in American film comedy. Shot in Austin, Texas, HARMONY AND ME stars Bishop Allen lead singer Justin Rice (MUTUAL APPRECIATION) as Harmony, a recently dumped loser who wallows in self-pity but receives scant sympathy from family, friends, neighbors, and, least of all, his hilariously insensitive ex (Tucker). This twisted romantic comedy is also a stealth musical, as indicated by the punning title, a batch of shaggy spontaneous songs, and a soundtrack that includes Modern Lovers, Bob Schneider (who has a cameo), and Bishop Allen.

Read Jette's review for more details about this Austin-made film.

Website: http://harmonythemovie.com/
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLps55DmJj0

From the website:  Outrageous but true, LAST CUP: ROAD TO THE WORLD SERIES OF BEER PONG chronicles America’s wooziest subculture and follows participants as they compete to conquer the fun and frothy sport of competitive beer pong. Beer pong practitioners from across the US meet in Nevada for the second annual World Series of Beer Pong where the team with the sharpest accuracy (and highest tolerance) stands to walk away with $20,000. LAST CUP cuts through the drunken revelry and sets its cameras on four very different teams, culminating in a sobering, nail-biter of a conclusion.

Website: http://www.rangelifeentertainment.com/film/lastcup/
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYybNJmck-k&feature=player_embedded

From the website:  Stay afterwards for an exclusive performance by Capybara!

George lives a comfortable yet completely uneventful life, and when he starts having dreams in which he’s the first president of the United States, his doctor informs him that they could be signs of impending explosion. Later, as the dreams become more frequent and his co-workers continue to detonate, George is prompted to reevaluate his mundane existence. As George’s life slowly descends into chaos, his dreams intensify, and he becomes increasingly involved with a mysterious woman from work. With the threat of explosion looming, George must choose to continue living the life he knows, or to break free in the hope of achieving a more fulfilling existence.

Website: http://www.ontheroadwithjudas.com/
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxHYme3iG5M

From the website:  A genuinely funny fish out of water tale, WHITE ON RICE follows Jimmy, who loves dinosaurs and sleeps on the top bunk. Unfortunately, Jimmy is 40 and shares that bunk with Bob his 10-year-old nephew. Freshly divorced and living with his sister and her family, Jimmy boldly searches for a new life, and although he lacks social grace and is prone to accidents, he's more than convinced that the best years of his life are just beginning. He just needs a little direction.  When his sister's beautiful niece Ramona moves in, Jimmy finally has something to focus on; stealing her from his best friend Tim, however his intentions go hilariously awry. 

"Hilarious and heartwarming, WHITE ON RICE hits every comedic beat with surgical precision, while Hiroshi Watanabe  masterfully walks the fine line between court jester and village idiot." 

-- Michael Tully

Website: http://www.rangelifeentertainment.com/film/whiteonrice/

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2f9vj60lfI

Here are a few of the Austin-related, movie-related news items that have been floating around recently:

• Nancy Schiesari's documentary Tattooed Under Fire (pictured at right) airs on KLRU on Tuesday, November 10 at 9 pm. Tattooed Under Fire is about the stories and secrets that Fort Hood soldiers share while getting tattoos. Schiesari is a professor in Radio-TV-Film at The University of Texas in Austin.
• I'll Come Running, directed by former UT Austin instructor Spencer Parsons, is now available to watch via IFC On Demand. The film played Austin Film Festival in 2008 and was shot in Austin and Denmark. Melonie Diaz stars as a young woman who befriends a Danish tourist and forms an unusually strong connection. Jette recommends it.
• Cine Las Americas will host its 2010 season kickoff and happy hour fundraiser on Tuesday, November 17 at Malverde. All proceeds benefit the 13th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, including 10 percent from diners at La Condesa after the happy hour. 

From the website:  Bollywood Film Series: An IBTU Fundraising Event.  Fundraiser to sponser 150 “Gimme a Break”: The Single Mom Project family scholarships.

Its Bigger Than You is very proud to bring you an exciting opportunity to support nutritional awareness and accountability in Austin and abroad by attending IBTU’s premier Bollywood Film Series Fundraiser Event at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. The film series offers opportunities to stay involved through sponsorship, volunteering, and ofcourse, having fun true Bollywood style! Seats to this exclusive event are limited so hurry, and purchase your tickets online today!

Here comes the bride… – but is she ready – in this romantic comedy from New Delhi native Mira Nair. Monsoon Wedding is set in contemporary India where bride to be Aditi has to contend with her traditional father Lalit Verma who loves his family dearly but does not have time for their “modern ways.” The Punjabi family travels from all over to enjoy the festivities surrounding the wedding. Aditi faces the dilemma of an arranged marriage and how it conflicts with her contemporary take on relationships. We also get to know the stories behind her family members who also have conflicts between past and present. During Vijay Raaz as P.K. Dube provides comic relief as the hysterical wedding planner who is busy working and wooing the family’s maid.

Pairing obscure vintage film programs with live scores composed and performed by specially chosen musicians, Cinema 16 recreates the shared experience and awe of the 1920s silent film era.  Admission and cocktails will be complimentary. RSVP now.

The program includes:

• Blue Movie, 1994
  Mark Street's 16mm shortof repeated performances culled from old porno films and hand painted. A man bends over a body, but what we really notice is the texture of the wall behind him. A woman stares back at the viewer with annoyance
• Chumlum, 1964
  Ron Rice's footage of the making of Normal Love with Jack Smith and some of his cast portrays the whimsical and sensual interactions between actors.  The textural piece draws from experimental traditions as it flashes from flesh to color to movement.

Sunset, an Austin musical collective, performs an original soundtrack specifically composed for this occasion. With DJ Wazaaaaap.

Nancy Schiesari's documentary Tattooed Under Fire is about the stories and secrets that Fort Hood soldiers share while getting tattoos. Schiesari is a professor in Radio-TV-Film at The University of Texas in Austin.

KLRU-TV is a local PBS affiliated station that occasionally shows local and Texas documentaries.

Classic Western Films @ Manchaca Road Branch presents The Searchers. 

Director: Doug Pray , Runtime: 89 Minutes , Rating: NR
From the Alamo Lake Creek Website:  ART & COPY is a powerful new film about advertising and inspiration. Directed by Doug Pray (SURFWISE, SCRATCH, HYPE!), it reveals the work and wisdom of some of the most influential advertising creatives of our time -- people who've profoundly impacted our culture, yet are virtually unknown outside their industry. Exploding forth from advertising's "creative revolution" of the 1960s, these artists and writers all brought a surprisingly rebellious spirit to their work in a business more often associated with mediocrity or manipulation: George Lois, Mary Wells, Dan Wieden, Lee Clow, Hal Riney and others featured in ART & COPY were responsible for "Just Do It," "I Love NY," "Where's the Beef?," "Got Milk," "Think Different," and brilliant campaigns for everything from cars to presidents. They managed to grab the attention of millions and truly move them. Visually interwoven with their stories, TV satellites are launched, billboards are erected, and the social and cultural impaf their ads are brought to light in this dynamic exploration of art, commerce, and human emotion.

Foleyvision is BACK!

Rated Unknown; 94min
Alamo Website: Foleyvision features some of the weirdest foreign films ever made, shown with their original soundtrack turned off. Instead, all of the voices, music, and sound effects are performed live in the theater, hilariously synced to the film, before your very eyes (and ears)! Now, the world's most unique film-viewing experience is returning to tackle jolly old Saint Nick in the most riotously bizarre holiday movie you'll see in this lifetime! This holiday season, Foleyvision takes on an incredibly ludicrous Christmas movie from south of the border that features your favorite laughing fat man in a red suit versus your favorite laughing skinny man in a red suit. And this time, it's personal. But when this turf war is over, the only casualty will be your abdominal muscles, sore from laughing for over an hour an a half straight. Watching this movie at Christmas time with the full Foleyvision treatment is one of the most extravagant joys those of us with hopelessly warped minds can hope to experience.

Rated NR; 89min; Director:John Waters (1974)
Alamo Website:  Nice girls don't wear cha-cha heels and this holiday season Hey Homo! is bringing you the movie that proved it. If you have already seen Dawn Davenport (Divine) beat her mother with a Christmas tree then you know why you need to watch it again as part of a great big Homo Holiday celebration. For those unfortunate souls that have never witnessed Dawn later beating her teenage daughter into unconsciousness with a chair, this December is your chance to repent and see FEMALE TROUBLE the way it should be seen; on 35mm on the big screen with a whole big bunch of boozing homos. I don't want to ruin it, but just in case it doesn't sound filthy enough you should all know that the disgusting behavior portrayed in this film doesn't end with mere domestic violence. There's still a human bird cage, a crime ring, and full frontal to help convince you. FEMALE TROUBLE, arguably the best and most perverse of the early John Water's collection, brings back the entire PINK FLAMINGOS cast for a film that is nonstop total indulgence for our depraved and filthy-minded audience. (Kayla Williams)

Rated R; 110min; Director:Jay Chandrasekhar
Alamo Website:  How did this film become an Alamo holiday tradition? When brothers Todd and Jan Wolfhouse travel to Germany to spread their grandfather's ashes at Oktoberfest, they stumble upon a centuries old underground beer games competition -- "Beerfest," the secret Olympics of beer drinking. The brothers receive a less-than-warm welcome from their German cousins, the Von Wolfhausens, who humiliate them, slander their relatives, and finally cast them out of the event. Vowing to return to defend their country and family's honor, the Wolfhouse boys assemble a ragtag dream team of beer drinkers and gamers to return and restore the honor of their once-proud suds-guzzling name. Broken Lizard's comedic take on Oktoberfest and competitive drinking may just be the single greatest feat in cinematic history. Who can say? To be honest, we can never really remember the ending because we're always trying to keep up with the drinking onscreen.

Rated R; 114min; Director:Alejabndro Jodorowsky
Alamo Website:  With Best Drug Story contest before the film. 
Alejandro Jodorowsky's most daring film, as well as THE celluloid mind-roaster of all time! An epic hallucination crawling with wall-to-wall mega-weirdness, in which Christ, The White Master and a pack of symbolic thieves (each named after a planet, and each representing a different ill of society) link up to raid The Holy Mountain and steal its secrets. This pic would cost a billion dollars to make nowadays, and its first half hour of in-your-face imagery (crucified, skinned animals; storm troopers; cripples; flowers blooming from stigmata; exploding toads) is like prime Fellini on really prime Peyote. Outrageous, pretentious, unbelievable, and unforgettable. There will never be another film remotely like it! (Steven Puchalski, Shock Cinema)

Rated NR; Director:Daniel Lindsay
Alamo Website:  Outrageous but true, LAST CUP: ROAD TO THE WORLD SERIES OF BEER PONG chronicles America's wooziest subculture and follows participants as they compete to conquer the fun and frothy sport of competitive beer pong. Beer pong practitioners from across the US meet in Nevada for the second annual World Series of Beer Pong where the team with the sharpest accuracy (and highest tolerance) stands to walk away with $20,000. LAST CUP cuts through the drunken revelry and sets its cameras on four very different teams, culminating in a sobering, nail-biter of a conclusion.

Rated R; 135min; Director:Richard Curtis (2003)
Alamo Website:  The super swoony girlie night holiday tradition returns! Forget about A CHRISTMAS STORY or Charlie Brown. Heck, forget about Baby Jesus! LOVE ACTUALLY is basically the whole reason I celebrate Christmas. For without this masterpiece of a romantic comedy, there would be no love in this cold, cruel world. Plus, we'd all be stuck singing "Jingle Bells" instead of everyone's favorite carol, "Christmas Is All Around." I challenge you to find one other movie that combines Colin Firth, an adorable little boy with a dead mom, the British Prime Minister, the porn industry, Mr. Bean, a washed up rock star and a kid in an octopus costume into something that makes me cry tears of shimmering, golden joy into my mug of spiced wine.

This film TROUNCES all other holiday films in the "squee" category. I mean, ask me how many times I've rewound and watched the scene when Mark shows up at Juliet's door and shows her a sign that says, "To me, you are perfect." Because OMG YES YES!!!! Join us for this very special holiday edition of Girlie Night, where you're allowed (and expected) to squeal, sigh and grab your neighbor's arm when Colin Firth finally proposes to that Portuguese lady. (Sarah Pitre)

Rated Unknown; 90min; Director:Various
Alamo Website:  SICK & TWISTED show! Though it's filled with laughs and entertainment, NEW GENERATION ANIMATION contains less monocle-spinning gross-out gags than S&T, and rather focuses on the flat-out best and funniest animated shorts that the world has to offer. It's a brain-slapping assortment of award-winning (and worthy) animated accomplishments from the top talents around the globe, including Bill Plympton, PES, the TOWN CALLED PANIC crew and many, many more! Don't miss your chance to witness the most impressive and electrifying possibilities that creativity has to offer...join us for the debut of the most incredible animated shorts program ever seen. Zammmm!!!

Rated Unknown; 100min; Director:The Maysles Brothers (1975)
Alamo Website:  There are certain times in a person's life when a miraculous door of wonder and amazement opens to reveal a spectacle of unimaginable circumstance and historical significance. When the nature of the human being as we all know it reveals itself as a new creature of otherworldly styles with immaculate dialogues of song. Fellow Homos, Film Buffs, Lonely Hearts and Loony Heads...this is sure as hell one of them times. HEY HOMO! is proud, ready and willin' to offer y'all a documentary film that's gonna change ya' stankin lives forever, and make ya' so very honored to meet such amazing individuals on the big screen. Wrap a towel around ya' head and haul out the canned pate cuz we're giving you the masterpiece by David and Albert Maysles that is...GREY GARDENS. What's it about ya' say? Picture Big Edie, the 80-somethin'-year-old aunt of Jackie Kennedy Onassis, livin' in a shit-stanked rundown no-water raccoon-filled busted-windowed cat-infested piss-smellin' condemned-to-hell mansion in the Hamptons with her 50-somethin'-year-old daughter Little Edie. Picture two of the best documentarians in the world going into the mansion and living there while capturing these two women in their most vulnerable and beautiful phases of a life steeped in enough tongue lickin' history and drama to make any queen scream and run with glee! If you don't see this film, chickens....I don't know what's wrong with ya'. Join ya' booya-bangin' hostess REBECCA HAVEMEYER for a night that's gonna change ya' life...seriously kids. (Rebecca Havemeyer)

Rated Unknown; 94min; Director:Nicholaus Goossen (2006)
Alamo Website:  We've had TONS of requests for this 2006 stoner classic ever since we first started doing Quote-Alongs over at the Colorado Street Alamo location. Most of those requests came from people with really red eyes who smelled like they'd just come from a Phish concert, so we were sure this would be the perfect Quote-Along for this year's High for the Holidays fun. Here's just a bit of the amazing synopsis for this film from Adam Sandler's production company, in case you missed its three day long theatrical release:

Alex (ALLEN COVERT) has one sweet life. After walking away from his death by accounting job, he's now a video game tester at Brainasium, the company responsible for the worldwide gaming phenom of... Alex (ALLEN COVERT) has one sweet life. After walking away from his death by accounting job, he's now a video game tester at Brainasium, the company responsible for the worldwide gaming phenom of "Eternal Death Slayer." At 35, he may be the oldest tester in the business (he's called "Gray Bush" by his co-workers), but he's also the best. But when his roommate fails to pay the rent for six months because he's spent every last cent at Madame Wu's Filipino Palace ("They're not hookers, they're massage therapists!"), Alex unfortunately finds himself on the street. His friendly dealer Dante (PETER DANTE) can't let Alex crash because he has a business to run and besides, the guard lion will be arriving any day. His friend Jeff (NICK SWARDSON) agrees to put him up, until that unfortunate accident involving Alex and the action figure in the bathroom…which Jeff's mom happens to, well, catch. Alex's last resort is to move in with three hot babes—that's what he tells his friends, at any rate. In actuality, the 35-year-old finds himself living with his sweet and loving 80-year-old grandma Lilly (DORIS ROBERTS), along with her two roommates: the "been there, done that repeatedly" octogenarian Grace (SHIRLEY JONES) and the not-quite-all-there, overly medicated Bea (SHIRLEY KNIGHT).

Rated PG; 97min; Director:Jon Favreau (2003)
Alamo Website:  Fun and tasty prizes provided by Flipnotics Coffeespace Cafe'! Last year we offered the ELF Quote-Along as an event purely available to private parties, and it almost killed us. This show was soo much fun, from the spaghetti and syrup eating contest at the open of it to the mandatory group tickle fight at the end, and it didn't feel very Christmasy of us to not share it with everyone. So this year, Christmas comes early, and we're all going to spread that Christmas cheer the best way we know how - by singing and quoting loud for all to hear. And don't worry, if you can quote alone, then you can quote around other people. There's really no difference!

Oh man, just writing out a paragraph with jarbled versions of Buddy's quotes from this movie is getting me all sorts of excited. Will Ferrell's take on a North Pole elf trying to figure out Manhattan just might be the funniest he's ever been, and this is certainly the best holiday movie from the past ten years. To celebrate, we'll have jingle bells for everyone, bubbles for a few key scenes, and a present for whoever can eat their spaghetti the fastest!

"Buddy the elf, what's your favorite color?" That's how I'm answering my phone all through December. (Henri Mazza)

Rated R; 103min; Director:Michael Lehmann (1988
Alamo Website: Before Diablo Cody made talking in a teenage lingo mean dropping in dated Internet references as often as you can, Daniel Waters perfected the art of bitchy high school teen speak dialog in his screenplay for HEATHERS. "What's your damage?" "Where's your urge to purge?" This is the movie that established the teen black comedy as the ultimate way of viewing high school, and way before Lindsay Lohan learned about a new way to play through the social politics of the clique system in MEAN GIRLS, Christian Slater taught Winona Ryder that there are much more...physical ways of handling queen bees. This movie may not be as chock full of one-liners as some of the Mel Brooks types of comedies we've done as Quote-Alongs in the past, but the magic of hearing everyone say, "Lick it up, baby. Lick. It. Up," all in unison should be magical enough. And if that line alone isn't enough, "I love my dead gay son!" will clearly make this show worthy of surviving our adolescence for.

We'll start the show with a liquid draino drinking contest, have some puke available should you need to pay anyone back for getting you into a Remington party, and fill the night with other props and surprises as well! Teenage suicide: don't do it. (Henri Mazza)

Rated NR; Director:Various
Alamo Website:  nimation Block Party, NYC's premiere animation festival, won't return to Brooklyn until July 2010, but the Alamo Drafthouse will offer your last chance to get a taste of ABP in 2009. This November, Animation Block Party will be showcasing some of its very best films in the history of the six year festival at the Drafthouse with a program that incorporates classics from the 2004-2009 archives alongside new films that premiered at the ABP festival this past summer. The exclusive Drafthouse program includes a never before seen stop-motion cartoon starting iconic stoner, Chef Barry in his culinary show Cooking 420 with Chef Barry. Other keynotes will include Backwards from Texas native, Aaron Hughes and producer, Lisa LaBracio, Craig T. Squirrel from Mike Hollingsworth, art-school opus MFA Show from Rob Bohn, lovesick tale Replacement Dog from Garrett Koeppicus, cute bunny gone bad blip In the Beginning by Choom, fresh shorts from cartoon duo nockFORCE and much more.

Click on the link, to see full course offerings and optional wine pairing menu, as well as purchase tickets.

Rated PG-13; 640min; Director:Peter Jackson
Alamo Website:  Each of the seven(!) courses is served during each Hobbit meal time! By the time the King (spoiler alert!) ascends to his rightful throne, you too are ready to go back to the Shire and be greeted as a hero by your loved ones who didn't think you would make it all the way...and then pass out. Epic

DISCLAIMER: The first two films will be the "director's cut" versions in 35mm, while the third will be the original theatrical release in 35mm. The "director's cut" of the third film was only released in DVD format, but the story goes that by the third film, Jackson had almost complete creative control... so, the theatrical cut is really like a director's cut. Based on this, we've decided to go 35mm all the way through, because it's just too pretty to pass up!

Alamo Website:  DEC 23, MIDNIGHT, $1, DIR. RICHARD PARISH, 1964, 35MM, 60 MIN, G

Special seasonal reprise of the Christmas-killing hit! Here it is: the evil holiday movie we've all secretly been waiting for. It made its producers wealthy men and turned a generation of children into santaphobic sociopaths. We are still paying the cost. It's a very strange film and we're not sure why anyone would make it, but two words come to mind: Malicious Intent. Why else would the young hero be abducted by a witch and forced to uh, plant Satan's magic seed in his backyard? The seed grows into a tree that gives him three wishes. Then the kid abducts Santa Claus, straps him to a chair and abuses him until he gets all the toys in the world. Plus there's a long race between a lawnmower and a turtle and more tomfoolery presided over by the powers of Darkness, including the appearance of a giant who says inappropriate things. We cannot be held responsible for any lasting trauma. (Lars)

Alamo Website:  DEC 9, MIDNIGHT, $1, DIR. ARTHUR MARKS, 1975, 35MM, 90 MIN, R

Some of the best, most vigorous and intelligent films of the drive-in era came from writer/producer/director Arthur Marks. Unlike some of his contemporaries, Marks was careful not to insult his audience. He probably could have gotten away with much less and still scored at the box office. But he gilded his action thrillers, sexy melodramas and blaxploitation movies with little grace notes and winks at the discriminating film-goer. We'll always be grateful to him for BONNIE'S KIDS, THE ROOMMATES, J.D.'s REVENGE, FRIDAY FOSTER and others. This rarity stars the great Keenan Wynn as a rich patriarch who returns from Las Vegas to his family home with a glamorous new wife in tow. Not surprisingly, she's a ho - and Wynn's two sons (Andrew Robinson and Peter Hooten) are soon involved in a pitched contest with each other and with their pop over the sexy trophy wife. Made during Marks' busiest period, we're eager to see how down and dirty it gets. (Lars)

Alamo Website:  NOV 25, MIDNIGHT, $1, DIR. EDDIE SAETA, 1973, 35MM, 87 MIN, R

This dark, sick black comedy is almost totally unknown but it's a classic waiting to be discovered. A man whose wife has died in a car accident broods over her death without relief. Finally he approaches a shady charlatan who dresses flamboyantly, calls himself Doctor Death and claims he has the power to bring the dead back to life. The grieving widower makes a deal with the "doctor" that he soon comes to regret. Things go from bad to worse to hopeless to brutal and it gets more ridiculous as it gets more awful. The excellent actor John Considine plays the velour-clad "mortality pimp" Doctor Death with real conviction. It's a broad performance, but not exactly tongue-in-cheek. His full-blooded approach to the character turns what could be a pretty silly melodrama into something better. Most of the other performers go about their work with the lassitude of soap opera actors, which only sets off Considine's fine work to better advantage. If your heart is as black and shrunken as mine, you won't want to miss this. (Lars)

Rated R; 80min; Director:Joseph Adler (1978)
Alamo Website:  NOV 11, MIDNIGHT, $1, DIR. JOSEPH ADLER, 1978, 35MM, 80 MIN, R

On the surface this is one of those '70s "group of girls" movies, inspired by the success of New World Pictures' nursesploitation movies. There were tons of films that followed the day to day problems and concerns of a group of shapely nurses, cheerleaders, student teachers etc. Finally the interesting and talented Florida exploitation director Joseph Adler (SCREAM BABY SCREAM) got around to making one about the hookers who populate trade shows and industry functions. That's the starting point, anyway. On a deeper level it's about integrity and the pride of doing a good job. Rather than simply serving as a backdrop for sexploitative highjinks, the toy convention is at the core of the film. The hero of the piece is a dollmaker who refuses to sell out to a dark toy conglomerate, and it's not hard to make the case that he's like a film maker who does the best he can under every circumstance - like Adler himself. The story arcs that illustrate the central conflict of the film are tied together by the prostitutes who attend the convention and weave in and out of the various relationships. It's a really good film, with more similarities to Altman than to the usual flesh pageants of the era. (Lars)

Rated R; 93min; Director:Larry Cohen (1982)
Alamo Website:  GROSSLY OVERDUE DAVID CARRADINE MEMORIAL SCREENING!  A carnivorous prehistoric monstrosity takes roost in New York’s famed Chrysler Building, spending its afternoons decapitating innocents and spraying the city with human blood. Exploitation megalord Larry Cohen (IT’S ALIVE, GOD TOLD ME TO) presents the tale of the Quetzalcoatl, an enormous pterodactyl with a ceaseless craving for rooftop tanners and window washers, which creates some unwanted overtime for winded cop David Carradine. The only man who knows Q’s secret hideout is the less-than-cooperative Jimmy Quinn, an out of work pianist played to the jazz-scatting, self-loathing hilt by Michael Moriarty. Also featuring Richard “SHAFT” Roundtree as bird lunch. The body count rises as the hideous insatiable beast once again eclipses the sun to continue its reign of terror. Probably based on a true story. (Zack)

Rated PG-13; 96min; Director:Ron Underwood (1990)
Alamo Website:  Yep. That TREMORS.  We strive to present you with unseen treaures and R-rated (!) obscurities, but sometimes it’s more important to grab what’s good and throw it onto the screen. TREMORS was the last great American monster movie, filled with hell-spawned wildness and family-friendly gore created before computers showed up to permanently poop the party. The plot: carnivorous subterranean man-eating beasts gobble up the townsfolk of Perfection, Nevada, chasing hobos up telephone poles and swallowing station wagons whole. Kevin Bacon battles the hideous giant worms with a gusto not seen since FOOTLOOSE. At his side is the incredible Fred Ward, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA’s Victor “Egg Chen” Wong and Reba McEntire and FAMILY TIES’ Michael Gross as gun-obsessed survivalists! Followed by three sequels and a TV series that are straight doodoo. (Zack)

Rated R; 93min; Director:Max Kalmanowicz (1980)
Alamo Website:  Terror Tuesday continues its ongoing educational series on The Evils of Reproduction with this monumentally offensive assault against pre-adolescence. A schoolbus full of singing children (booo) travels through a cloud of toxic nuclear gas (yaaay) but the kids survive (BOOO). Fortunately, their radioactive vaporbath has transformed them into wee annihilation machines who microwave their victims by giving them adorable hugs. After several local residents meet their crispy demises, it’s learned that the rampaging nippers can only be stopped if you cut off both of their hands. This discovery leads to a rich array of satisfying child mutilation scenes. Sure, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but if I have the opportunity to watch a toddler get dismembered, I’m not asking any questions. (Zack)

In addition to the Music Monday screening, there's an encore screening of this rare 35MM print.

Rated G; 90min; Director:D.A. Pennebaker (1973)
Alamo Website:  The stunning chronicle of David Bowie’s final electrifying performance as Ziggy Stardust in 1973 at London’s Hammersmith Odeon Theater. This feature length film captures the aura surrounding one of the most unusual stars of the contemporary music scene. Framed by a smattering of behind-the-scenes footage, the bulk of this stunning document concerns the actual concert, notable as the final time that Bowie would perform under his alternate persona...an announcement that, at the time, led many fans to mistakenly believe Bowie was retiring altogether.

If you can't make this showing, check out the additional screening on Dec 9

Rated NR; 112min; Director:Sam Dunn
Alamo Website:  FLIGHT 666 is a full length documentary film, about the first leg of the band's historic SOMEWHERE BACK IN TIME WORLD TOUR in February and March of 2008, considered to be the most ambitious and adventurous tour in rock history. The film is a revealing portrait of one of the world's most successful rock bands and an inspirational and often humorous account of the chaotic world of a band on tour around the stadiums of the world. Circumnavigating the globe in just 45 days, the band flew in a specially customized Boeing 757 airliner, piloted by lead singer Bruce Dickinson, with the entire tour crew and 12 tons of music and stage equipment on board, to 23 sold out stadium and arena shows in Asia, Australia and North, Central and South America. The band played in 13 countries, also landing in Azerbaijan and Papua New Guinea en route for fuel stops, traveling 50,000 miles (70,000 km) and performing to almost half a million fans - a schedule that was only made possible by having their own "magic carpet" which enabled them to go where they wanted with all the key elements of band, crew and equipment on board one plane, christened ED FORCE ONE.

Rated G; 90min; Director:D.A. Pennebaker (1973)
Alamo Website:  The stunning chronicle of David Bowie’s final electrifying performance as Ziggy Stardust in 1973 at London’s Hammersmith Odeon Theater. This feature length film captures the aura surrounding one of the most unusual stars of the contemporary music scene. Framed by a smattering of behind-the-scenes footage, the bulk of this stunning document concerns the actual concert, notable as the final time that Bowie would perform under his alternate persona...an announcement that, at the time, led many fans to mistakenly believe Bowie was retiring altogether.

If you can't make this showing, check out the additional screening on Dec 9

Rated R; 111min; Director:Allan Moyle (1980)
Alamo Website:  Two girls run away from a mental institution and forge a relationship on the streets of New York. They soon link up with disc jockey Johnny LaGuardia (Tim Curry) and form an underground punk rock band - The Sleeze Sisters - who become a hit with the city's disillusioned youth after broadcasting their volatile songs and speeches on LaGuardia's radio station. Will the Sleeze Sisters be torn apart? Or will they tear themselves apart? One of the first teen movies to feature predominantly punk and New Wave music, TIMES SQUARE captures the essence of post-'70s New York decay, immortalizing the famous porn district that has since been transformed into a characterless mega-mall. featuring music by Gary Numan, Roxy Music, The Ruts, Patti Smith, Ramones, Talking Heads and more.

Rated Unknown; 87min; Director:Tricia Todd, Eric Matthies 
Andre Williams has written and recorded a number of landmark hit songs and has worked with legends of the industry: Berry Gordy, Ike Turner and Stevie Wonder to name just a few. He's also struggled throughout his life with addiction, poverty, homelessness and the legal system. The doc's star says, "I'm going to show you the right way, because I've gone so many wrong ways". With this statement the man known as "Mr. Rhythm" takes us along a fascinating, funny and distressing journey. Andre doesn't always go "the right way" and this leads to tenuous relationships with friends, family and business partners, time in jail, eviction from his "old folks home" and subsequent struggle to pay for his room at the "Hotel 6" where he lives between tours. The filmmakers follow the charismatic underground recording artist through his day-to-day existence. For Andre, this could mean rehearsing for a show in Chicago, recording with Jon Spencer in Michigan, performing for enthusiastic fans in Croatia, doing a radio interview in Serbia or marching in a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans. Throughout his 72 years, Andre has never stopped driving his creative visions forward, regardless of cost or consequence. The consequences turn out to be severe as Andre's addictive history catches up with him.

Ultimately doing the right thing could be the choice between life and death for a musician who is perpetually on the cusp of newfound success.

While the film will have a full run at the Alamo Drafthouse, these four screenings, actor/director John Krasinski (THE OFFICE) will be in attendance for a Q&A. 

Alamo Website:  Adapted and directed by John Krasinski (THE OFFICE, AWAY WE GO), BRIEF INTERVIEWS WITH HIDEOUS MEN is a darkly funny and disturbing exploration of men and their complex relationships with women. Based on the book by David Foster Wallace, the film features an all-star cast that includes Timothy Hutton, Ben Shenkman, Christopher Meloni, Ben Gibbard, Will Arnett, Chris Messina, Bobby Cannavale, Will Forte, Dennis O'Hare, Lou Taylor Pucci, Max Minghella, and Julianne Nicholson.

A graduate student (Nicholson) endeavors to explore the male psyche for her thesis by interviewing a cross-section of men. The men's twisted and revealing stories are juxtaposed against the backdrop of her own experience. As she begins to listen closely to the men around her, she must ultimately reconcile herself to the darkness that lies below the surface of human interactions.

Krasinski and his fine cast successfully bring the first-ever David Foster Wallace work to the big screen with a film that audiences will be talking about for a long time.

While the film will have a full run at the Alamo Drafthouse, these four screenings, actor/director John Krasinski (THE OFFICE) will be in attendance for a Q&A. 

Alamo Website:  Adapted and directed by John Krasinski (THE OFFICE, AWAY WE GO), BRIEF INTERVIEWS WITH HIDEOUS MEN is a darkly funny and disturbing exploration of men and their complex relationships with women. Based on the book by David Foster Wallace, the film features an all-star cast that includes Timothy Hutton, Ben Shenkman, Christopher Meloni, Ben Gibbard, Will Arnett, Chris Messina, Bobby Cannavale, Will Forte, Dennis O'Hare, Lou Taylor Pucci, Max Minghella, and Julianne Nicholson.

A graduate student (Nicholson) endeavors to explore the male psyche for her thesis by interviewing a cross-section of men. The men's twisted and revealing stories are juxtaposed against the backdrop of her own experience. As she begins to listen closely to the men around her, she must ultimately reconcile herself to the darkness that lies below the surface of human interactions.

Krasinski and his fine cast successfully bring the first-ever David Foster Wallace work to the big screen with a film that audiences will be talking about for a long time.

Rated NR; Director:Jeffrey Iwanicki, David A. Kleiler Jr.

Alamo website Description:  With frontman Roger Miller and other members on hand for a post-film Q&A.  Special Co-presentation with FunFunFun Fest, November 7-8 at Waterloo Park.  Tickets and schedule available at www.funfunfunfest.com.

As the old saying goes, legendary Boston post-punk band Mission of Burma may not have sold a lot of records in their time, but most everyone who bought one started a band, with such bands as Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Sonic Youth citing them as influences. Breaking up in 1983 due to lead guitarist Roger Miller's tinnitus (made worse by the band's notoriously loud shows), Mission of Burma was one of the most important bands of its time, and when they reunited for 2004's ONoffON, documentary filmmakers Jeffrey Iwanicki and David A. Kleiler followed their return, and NOT A PHOTOGRAPH: THE MISSION OF BURMA STORY is the result. When some once-prominent bands come back after several years away, the danger of those bands destroying their legacy with substandard new material often looms large (we're looking at you, Big Star), but NOT A PHOTOGRAPH proves that Mission of Burma's return shows that some bands not only never lose what made them great in the first place, but that they're able to pick it up again after nearly 20 years apart.

Rated R; 93min; Director:John Hughes (1987)
Alamo Website description:  "Those aren't PILLOWS!!!" Hollywood has provided us with no shortage of classic Christmas films, but there is only ONE great Thanksgiving epic, and it is HERE. No fibbin'...this is the flat-out funniest holiday feature ever made, and deserves to stand tall in the ranks of Perfect Movies! John Candy gives his best-ever performance as shower curtain ring salesman Del Griffith, a carefree loser who takes uptight businessman Neal Page (Steve Martin) on the misadventure-ride of a lifetime. Thrill to flaming cars, maniacal hijinks, emotional blowouts and a faceful of really big, really dirty underwear. So join us at The Ritz and spend the holiday with John Hughes, John Candy and Steve Martin now that none of them are still with us. Don't believe me? Watch PINK PANTHER 2.

Rated R; 96min; Director:Matthew Robbins (1985)
Alamo Website description:  One of the great Texas films of all time! Not on DVD!  Helen Slater and Christian Slater (unrelated, despite their roles of sister and brother) star in this indisputable '80s youth classic about a Corpus Christi teenager who becomes an outlaw in her quest for justice. Fighting under the slogan "Fair is fair," Billie Jean goes on the run from the law with her brother and best friends, becoming an unlikely hero for oppressed teens everywhere. After cutting her hair as an homage to Joan of Arc, the once demure Billie Jean transforms into an authentic Texas outlaw by taking a stand against The Man. A rousing, blood-boiling no-rules rampage in the name of anti-adult empowerment!

From the Alamo Website:  Free admission with DVD purchase. Just select the DVD option when you buy your ticket.

In the heart of Tim and Karrie League's Alamo Archives there is a small climate-controlled room. It is the unassuming home of one of the best trailer collections in the world. It is lined with filing drawers, labeled alphabetically, housing over 2000 trailers, ranging from...AND SARTANA KILLED THEM ALL to ZU: WARRIORS OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN. Regular patrons of the Alamo theaters get a chance to see the best of these trailers one or two at a time. People who aren't lucky enough to live nearby have never had the option to delve into this magic collection. Until now.

Synapse DVD has partnered with your favorite film programmers - us - to put together a fifth installment of their hugely popular 42nd Street Forever DVD series, this time focusing entirely on the Leagues' Alamo trailer archive. And as a very special treat, we are going to string up the actual film trailers and run them for you as a TRAILERTHON. Some of these trailers are for films you know and love, some are for movies that no one has seen in thirty or more years. And since these are the actual trailer elements you'll be seeing, you'll get all the grime, all the splices, and all the magic you can handle. From kung fu to insane kids' movies to softcore porn: do not miss this orgy of fun!

As a special bonus, you can buy a special ticket that includes the show and the DVD - all for the price of the DVD alone - $15!

Every third Saturday of the month. 2:30 to 6:30pm.  The Alamo Village makes babysitting accomodation to allow parents to watch a movie knowing their children are well cared for. However, this does involve advance scheduling and understanding the requirements to participate, so check out the website for all the details. 

The Rocky Horror Picture Show plays at the Alamo Village every Saturday night at 11:59pm through the end of the year.  Use the link above for ticket purchases as well as information about the RHPS experience, including:
- What every Rocky Horror Virgin should know
- How Audience Participation Began...
- Prop List Instructions

The Rocky Horror Picture Show plays at the Alamo Village every Saturday night at 11:59pm through the end of the year.  Use the link above for ticket purchases as well as information about the RHPS experience, including:
- What every Rocky Horror Virgin should know
- How Audience Participation Began...
- Prop List Instructions

The Rocky Horror Picture Show plays at the Alamo Village every Saturday night at 11:59pm through the end of the year.  Use the link above for ticket purchases as well as information about the RHPS experience, including:
- What every Rocky Horror Virgin should know
- How Audience Participation Began...
- Prop List Instructions

Most people may not realize this, but RUMBLE IN THE BRONX helped turned Jackie Chan into one of the greatest cinematic legends of all time. When he released this U.S.-set action flick in Hong Kong in 1995, he was already the biggest movie star in the world and had little use for U.S. stardom prefering to stay at home to make the movies he wanted to make. But thanks to the bootleg video market his films were gaining notice with U.S. audiences and New Line Cinema, sensing an opportunity, bought RUMBLE with plans for a U.S. release to re-introduce Jackie to American audiences, marking the first time in nearly 20 years that a Hong Kong film was released by a major studio in this country. Much to the surprise of many, RUMBLE was a surprise hit, not only bringing Jackie back to the U.S. but doing so on his terms, helping to make him the legend he is today. The film itself is a lot of fun, and it's especially remarkable when you consider that Jackie experienced one of his worst injuries on this one, breaking his foot during the Hovercraft chase, which led him to finish the film wearing a shoe-painted sock over the cast on his feet!
(Matthew Kiernan)

Cinematography by Timo Salminen
Finland, 1990, distributed by Janus Films, 35mm, color, 1.85:1, 68 min.
Cast: Kati Outinen, Elina Salo, Esko Nikkari, Vesa Vierikko
Finnish with English subtitles
Iris works in a brain-dead job to support her mother and her do-nothing stepfather. The young woman goes out to clubs but isn’t ever asked to dance. A bright new dress gains her a one-night stand and a pregnancy by a business executive, who eventually sends her money and a note telling her to “get rid of the brat” and leave him alone. More

Austin Film Society presents: The Chilly Humorist of Finland: Aki Kaurismaki.  Nov 17–Dec 15, 2009.  Tickets available at www.austinfilm.org - Free for members of AFS or $6 at the door.

Produced by Mika Kaurismaki
Cinematography by Timo Salminen
Edited by Raija Talvio
Finland, 1986, distributed by Janus Pictures, DVD, color, 1.85:1, 76 min.
Cast: Matti Pellonpaa, Kati Outinen, Sakari Kuosmanen, Esko Nikkari
Finnish/Swedish/English with English subtitles
Nikander, a reticent garbageman, has few dreams and little to enjoy in life, but when he meets Ilona, a grocery clerk, he begins to hope that his life can be more enjoyable. However, choosing a bingo parlor for his first date with Ilona really doesn’t make a good impression.

Austin Film Society presents: The Chilly Humorist of Finland: Aki Kaurismaki.  Nov 17–Dec 15, 2009.  Tickets available at www.austinfilm.org - Free for members of AFS or $6 at the door.

Cinematography by Timo Salminen
Original music by Melrose Finland, 2006, distributed by Strand Pictures, 35mm, color, 1.85:1, 78 min.
Cast: Janna Jyytiainen, Maria Jarvenhelmi, Maria Heiskanen
Finnish and Russian with English subtitles

When an attractive blonde inexplicably befriends him in a café, Koistinen is initially confused but then intrigued. He finally begins hoping for a relationship, before realizing that Mirja has something else in mind.

Austin Film Society presents: The Chilly Humorist of Finland: Aki Kaurismaki.  Nov 17–Dec 15, 2009.  Tickets available at www.austinfilm.org - Free for members of AFS or $6 at the door.

AAAFF is an Asian/Asian-American film festival committed to celebrating the best in independent Asian cinema from across the globe. For five years, our festival has highlighted the complexity and vitality of Asian/Asian-American communities through cutting-edge narrative, documentary and experimental films. We aim at bringing awareness to important global issues like saving the environment and supporting other causes through the strong impact of media.

"What is art?" is one of those eternal questions that you have to be at a certain kind of party to discuss without feeling totally pretentious. Lots of people use the question to denigrate certain types of art -- the "my kid can paint that" school of snark. (Untitled), which opened Friday at Arbor, asks the question in a playful way, and the ensuing "discussion" of the film is more enjoyable than you might think.

See, now you're all turning away because I've made it sound like this is some upscale-y film that drones on about Art. No. Stay with me, here. (Untitled) is from the same filmmakers who brought us the curious adaptation of Bartleby starring Crispin Glover, back in 2001 -- co-writer/director Jonathan Parker and writer Catherine DiNapoli -- and their latest movie is slightly less strange and has more sly humor.

Adrian Jacobs (Adam Goldberg) is a composer whose atonal music features sounds from chains hitting a bucket, children's toys, and torn paper. His quartet makes the Triplets of Belleville look positively conventional. His brother Josh (Eion Bailey) is a more conventionally successful artist, who paints large canvases that are snapped up by hospitals and hotels. Josh is trying to date his art dealer Madeleine (Marley Shelton), who's happy to make money from his work but focus on increasingly strange exhibitions in her gallery. Adrian dislikes her at first -- she's always wearing clothes that make disruptive sounds, like plastic coats or noisy high heels -- but gradually that starts to change.

After the phenomenal success of Paranormal Activity, audiences are hungering for the next sensational film experience, and by the trailers, The Fourth Kind wants to be it. Unfortunately, it's an incoherent mess that overreaches its potential.

The pretense is that a newly widowed psychologist, Abbey Tyler, is continuing with her husband's work and notices eerie similarities among some patients, resulting in horrifying discoveries that suggest alien abductions.  It's hard to avoid that conclusion early, because the all the trailers and marketing material emphasizes that. 

I've watched The Men Who Stare at Goats twice at this point -- once at the Fantastic Fest screening where the film lacked credits and color correction, and once in its final release-ready version. And here's the thing: I enjoyed watching the movie both times, and some moments were truly fantastic ... but the movie does not quite hang together. It may be fun to watch, but overall it doesn't quite work. It's a mystery.

The movie opens with the words "More of this is true than you think" (or something to that extent -- you'd think after two viewings I'd write these details down), and this is not idle boasting. The Men Who Stare at Goats is based on a nonfiction book by Jon Ronson about some odd, New Age-y programs the U.S. military started in the 1980s, and how certain aspects of these programs lingered on and were used by the U.S. in Iraq in this decade. Ronson is in the book only as an interviewer; he doesn't bring much of his personal life into the book.

Next Thursday, the sixth annual Austin Asian American Film Festival (AAAFF) begins for four days of films, panels and special events celebrating the best in Asian and Asian American independent film.  Like other niche festivals, it's got a lot more to offer than the title might suggest to the uninitiated. 

This is a town that celebrates film, not just the big festivals, so it should not be surprising that the films will have universal appeal despite their only common themes being an Asian connection. It is also a good reminder that Asia is much more than the countries with a northern Pacific coastline, and are as far west as Israel. And that Asian films are not just chop-socky; the program at AAAFF includes documentary, experimental, animated, narrative and social justice films. 

Two such films are Sita Sings the Blues and Persepolis, the former an Independent Spirit Award nominated film, and the latter nominated for an Oscar. Both are beautifully made, personal stories within animated works that are equally poignant and sharp. And luckily for us, both are screening for free to the general public. Sita Sings the Blues is screening at the MACC, and Persepolis is part of an outdoor celebration that will include bands and food vendors. 

Among the other films and events to catch during AAAFF:

At first glance, writer/director Gary Lundgren's Calvin Marshall could be mistaken for just another "baseball movie," but this poignant and humorous film delivers much more. Baseball is the focus of the main character, yet the heart of this film, which had its world premiere at Austin Film Festival, is more about passion and human nature.

Title character Calvin (Alex Frost) lives and breathes baseball, getting up before dawn to practice -- unfortunately it's a lost cause, as he just doesn't have the skills for the local junior college baseball team. Despite his gruff exterior, the team's head coach (Steve Zahn) has a soft spot for Calvin, and can't bring himself to cut him from the team despite the constant urgings of his assistant Coach Dewey (Abraham Benrubi).

I've got plenty of Austin film news to share today, from premieres to DVD news to some articles you won't want to miss. Here we go:

• Slackerwood is sponsoring a special preview screening of The Men Who Stare at Goats (pictured at right) on Thursday night. Follow our Twitter feed to find out how you can get free passes.
• The general release date for Richard Linklater's latest film, Me and Orson Welles, has been pushed back to December 11. No word yet on whether that's the date when the film will open in Austin.
• However, if you live in Austin, you can see Me and Orson Welles at the Austin Film Society gala premiere on Monday, November 30 at the Paramount. Tickets are on sale now for AFS members, and will go on sale for the general public on Nov. 9. Linklater will be at the event along with actors Zac Efron and Christian McKay. Proceeds from the screening benefit the Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund.

If it's a weekend in the fall, that must mean there's a film festival going on in Austin. This weekend, we have the Austin Polish Film Festival, which runs from Thursday, November 5 through Sunday, Nov. 8. Sponsored by the Austin Polish Society, the movies and festivities will take place at the Texas Spirit Theater in the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum.

The opening-night film this year will be God's Little Village (U Pana Boga za miedza), a 2009 comedy from writer/director Jacek Bromski. This is the third movie in a series of comedies she's made that focus on a small Polish town, Krolowy Most. Bromski will attend the screening, along with composer Ludek Drizhal and actress Agnieszka Kotlarska.

You can buy tickets for individual films or for the whole Austin Polish Film Festival online through the fest website. You also can buy the fest posters, which as you can see on the right, are very striking and lovely.