February 2012

Many people may never have heard of the early '70s band Big Star, and aren't aware that "In the Streets," the theme song for That 70s Show performed by my personal favorite band Cheap Trick, was actually penned by Big Star's Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens (correction: Chris Bell). Attendees of the 2010 South by Southwest Music Festival became more aware of the band's influence when Chilton died unexpectedly of a heart attack on March 17, only three days prior to a Big Star reunion show in Austin. That show turned into a tribute with many musical guests from near and far, with several other tribute moments throughout SXSW that year -- including several songs played in tribute by Cheap Trick as headliners at the Auditorium Shores outdoor stage.

In addition to the fans that have supported the band throughout the years, many musicians credit Big Star with inspiring their careers. More importantly, music critics who were often disillusioned with the rock "gods" of the early '70s were attracted to the heart and soul that Big Star gave to its music. One such rock writer is Lenny Kaye (pictured above), who wrote for several magazines including Creem and Rolling Stone. He is one of the interview subjects of an upcoming film, Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me, which will have a special sneak preview at the 2012 SXSW Film Festival.

I interviewed one of the film's producers, Danielle McCarthy, and editor Chris Branca, a native Texan, who are busy working on the final edits. Find out what they had to say about Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me.

Say what? You don't recognize the name Ben Steinbauer? Perhaps you remember the hit documentary Winnebago Man, which wowed crowds at film festivals everywhere it played, including SXSW 2009. In 2010, the Austin Film Critics Association awarded it Best Austin Film. This time around, Steinbauer brings a documentary short about Stephen Friedland called Brute Force to SXSW 2012.

Slackerwood: Describe your film for us in a couple of sentences.
Steinbauer: Brute Force is the story of Apple Records recording artist Stephen Friedland, who in 1969 released the song "King of Fuh" that became the most controversial single Apple ever recorded.

What's one thing about the film that is going to make it impossible for people to resist seeing it?
The relationship between Stephen, aka "Brute Force," who is now in his seventies, and his daughter Lilah, aka "Daughter of Force," is funny, charming and endlessly relatable. It will appeal to anyone who has a complicated relationship to their parents (who doesn't?)

Writer James Ellroy, asked about the film adaptation of his novel White Jazz in a 2009 interview, replied, "No I didn't like that movie. White Jazz is dead. All movie adaptations of my books are dead." The author of The Black Dahlia and L.A. Confidential seems to have an antagonistic relationship with film adaptations of his novels, or rather with their producers, directors and cast. This is probably because they are so much better known than the books, but of such lesser quality.

This rule holds true for the latest adaptation, Rampart, based loosely on the Rampart Scandal of the CRASH anti-gang unit of the LAPD in the late 1990s. The movie stars Woody Harrelson and a bevy of other names in mostly small, even unrecognizable parts: Ice Cube, Tim Russ, Ned Beatty, Robin Wright, Sigourney Weaver, Steve Buscemi, Anne Heche, Cynthia Nixon, Ben Foster, and Jon Bernthal, most of them appearing for just one scene. Adapted and directed by Oren Moverman (The Messenger), the film looks as though it were shot like a mid-90s VHS porn flick. It is gritty and ugly as its subject matter.

Woody Harrelson is "Date Rape" Dave Brown, one of the last old-school LAPD officers, a holdout from before the Rodney King era. His fellow officers look up to him and affectionately gave him the nickname "Date Rape" for the 1985 killing of a serial date rapist, an act for which he should have been prosecuted or at least relieved from duty. However, Brown has a guardian angel, Hartshorn (Ned Beatty), an old friend of his father's with powerful connections who covers for him and advises him.

Plagued with anger management issues, new troubles for Brown start when he is caught on tape beating nearly to death a driver who accidentally rammed into his car. The department is already under siege from Rampart lawsuits, and the lawyers he needs to defend himself are cleaning out his savings. To help with his money problem, Hartshorn advises him the time and place of a high-stakes poker game, which he can break up, pocketing the money he seizes. The situation only gets worse when two gang members also show up to rob the players, and he shoots and kills one. Now faced with prosecution not just for the beating but also for murder, he begins to believe he was set up by forces working to find a scapegoat and clean up the department's reputation.

Normally we focus on Austin theaters for Movies This Week, but we're more than willing to go a little north of town to Pflugerville for Cinemark's Best Shorts Festival 2012, for three screenings only up at Tinseltown 20. On Monday, the Texas Film Hall of Fame presents No Country for Old Men at Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar -- the cast includes Barry Corbin, who will be honored at the award ceremony next month.

Wednesday you have three (count 'em!) very different cinematic experiences to choose from. Cine Las Americas is hosting a benefit sneak preview of Oscar-nominated Chico & Rita, a contender for Best Animated Feature, at the Metropolitan. AFS Best of the Fests screens SXSW 2011 selection Better This World at Alamo Village with special guests David McKay and Bradley Crowder, the two young men from Midland, Texas who were arrested on terrorism charges at the 2008 Republican National Convention.  And the Paramount Pub Run series is screening Back to the Future if you're looking for something less provocative; you don't have to participate in the pub run part, but that ticket includes beer and other goodies. Decisions, decisions.

Movies We've Seen:

Comin' At Ya! -- This restored 1981 film may not be for everyone, but apparently is the ultimate 3D experience.  Me, I'm intrigued by the fact that one of its stars is Victoria Abril, who costarred with Penelope Cruz in Don't Tempt Me in 2001. Jette saw it at Fantastic Fest and says, "The 3D effects are wonderfully cheesy and eye-popping ... I wish the story had been more engaging. Worth it for the goofy 3D factor."  (Alamo Lamar, Village, Lake Creek)

Rampart -- If you're a fan of dirty cop movies, or Woody Harrelson, this is the film for you. Think The Shield, but less so.  On the other hand, Mike says it "attempts to do with the LAPD what The Wrestler did with wrestling, only poorly. This is not a happy story, and unfortunately it's also not dramatic, funny, gripping, engaging, or even vaguely interesting. Only a week later, and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance has competition for worst film I've seen this year." Full details in his review this weekend. (Alamo Lamar, Tinseltown 17)

Wanderlust -- David Wain's latest features Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston as a down-on-their-luck couple who end up at a commune and not a B&B as they travel cross country. Look for J.C.'s review this weekend. He says, "There's a lot for fans of David Wain fans to like in Wanderlust, general audiences might be in for a bit of a surprise though." (wide)

Jenn Brown and I often say we could write volumes on two topics: How to have the best film-festival experience, and how filmmakers can effectively promote their films. However, we're looking at these topics from the point of view of the press and people who like to watch movies. We're not filmmakers, so we can't speak from that point of view about film festivals.

Fortunately, Austin Film Society has a Moviemaker Dialogue next week just for filmmakers, in which a panel of experienced local writers/directors will offer their advice about how you can get the most out of a film festival, whether your film is screening at that fest or not. The "Maximizing Your Film Festival Experience" panel is moderated by me, and includes Kat Candler, Clay Liford, and Geoff Marslett. (That's Candler and Liford in the above photo.)

These filmmakers have taken their indie shorts and features around the country (and possibly out of the country; did you go to Sitges with Mars, Geoff?) to film festivals of all sizes. They've also all had films at SXSW, so they're certain to have advice specifically related to next month's film fest. They're a lively bunch and I think this is going to be an excellent session.

The panel takes place next Wednesday, February 29 at 7 pm at the Austin Studios screening room. If you have a Filmmaker-level AFS membership, admission is free, otherwise it's $5. You can get tickets online in advance -- it's not a huge space so I recommend buying (or reserving) now. Bring your best questions.

Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone originally screened at SXSW in 2011, and the filmmakers and the band were back in town last October to support Austin Film Society with a special screening and Q&A, as well as a sold-out show at Emo's Austin. I thoroughly enjoyed this compelling and dynamic tale of punk rock pioneers Fishbone and their rise, fall and subsequent revival -- read my review. The documentary was released on DVD this week, and is available for purchase on the Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone website. Bonus features include deleted scenes, band commentary, interview outtakes, and rare concert footage sure to please any Fishbone fan. 

During their October movie-and-music tour, I spoke with band members and frontmen Norwood Fisher and Angelo Moore -- listen to the podcast interview -- as well as filmmakers Chris Metzler and Lev Anderson. Find out how Metzler and Anderson used a variety of visual storytelling techniques to portray the story of one of the most influential punk rock bands of the last 20 years and the social and personal issues surrounding them after the jump.

Debbie rounded up all the Austin films at SXSW Film Festival this year, but there are just a few more films in this year's SXSW fest with Texas connections... as far as we can tell, anyway. In addition to the features mentioned below, you can also catch Lone Star films in the Texas Shorts program (screening times) and the Texas High School Shorts program.

The folks who brought us Intimidad, which premiered at SXSW 2008, made documentary Girl Model (screening times), which follows an American model scout and the Siberian teen she has discovered. Nadya, a 13 year old, seems prime for the Japanese market and heads to Tokyo. Meanwhile, Ashley, the model scout, keeps searching Siberia for more young female faces. Girl Model comes from Carnivalesque Films directors Ashley Sabin and David Redmon. Redmon hails from north Texas.

The Dallas International Film Festival has announced 15 of the films in its 2012 lineup, and not only does Texas make a great showing, but Austin is well represented. I'm hoping to attend the festival this year, the selections look so good so far. Some notable non-Texas films include Lawrence Kasdan's Darling Companion, which has former Austinite Mark Duplass in the cast; The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best, the directorial debut of actor Ryan O'Nan (The Dry Land), and Takashi Shimizu's Tormented.

Cinema Six, the latest feature from filmmakers Mark Potts and Cole Selix (S&M Lawn Care), will have its world premiere at the festival, which takes place from April 12-22 (corrected from original text). Jenn and I visited the set in Lockhart last year (when the movie was called A Splice of Life). The filmmakers aren't from Austin, but many of their cast and crew are: producer Kelly Williams, Director of Photography Clay Liford, editor Don Swaynos, and actors John Merriman, Shannon McCormick, Chris Doubek, Kerri Lendo and Byron Brown, among many others. Barry Corbin, who will be honored at the Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards next month, has a cameo. Film Threat premiered the trailer today, which I've embedded with other trailers at the bottom of this article.

A couple of Austin-connected films that have played Austin fests will be at DIFF, in case you missed them. Local actor Jonny Mars' documentary America's Parking Lot, which premieres at SXSW, will make its way to Dallas -- appropriately, since it's about die-hard Dallas Cowboys fans. Austin Film Festival 2011 selection Sironia (Jenn's review), about a musician whose life changes as he moves from L.A. to the title town (which is really Waco), will also screen at DIFF. Filmmaker Brandon Dickerson made the move from California to Texas himself and now lives in Austin.

But wait, there's more. Bindlestiffs, which won an audience award at Slamdance this year, is from Houston filmmaker Andrew Edison, who started working on the movie in high school and is now a student at NYU. The comedy is about high-school boys, suspended from school, naively trying to be bad in the big city. Film Slate has a great summary and interview with Edison. The movie will be a midnight selection at DIFF.

The Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards is gearing up with a special screening of Infamous on Monday night at Alamo Drafthouse Lamar. It's directed by Douglas McGrath, one of this year's Hall of Fame honorees. If you haven't seen this movie because you saw the "other" Capote movie, check it out. Toby Jones is fantastic as Truman Capote, and Sandra Bullock isn't bad herself.

Did you miss Slacker 2011? Texas Independent Film Network is screening the film (Don's review) at Violet Crown on Tuesday. In addition, the provocative documentary Incendiary: The Willingham Case (Jenn's review) is having a DVD release party and special screening with filmmakers Joe Bailey Jr. and Steve Mims, on Wednesday at Violet Crown -- buy a ticket to the screening and get a discount on the DVD as well as a movie poster. A reception for the movie starts at 6 pm and the movie screens at 7 pm.

Bullhead -- This Belgian nominee for a Best Foreign Film Oscar has already had several local screenings -- Drafthouse Films is its distributor -- but now the Fantastic Fest fave is officially in limited release in Austin, LA and NY, and expanding next week. Don says Bullhead is "extraordinarily intense, a gripping and often unpleasant tale of organized crime." Read Don's review and Debbie's Fantastic Fest review for more.  (Alamo Lamar, Alamo Village, Alamo Lake Creek)

Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance -- Nicolas Cage is back as Johnny Blaze. Do I really need to explain the motorcycle or the fiery whip? Mike saw the movie at Butt-Numb-a-Thon and says, "Nicolas Cage turns his insanity up to 11 in the sequel to Ghost Rider, a string of over-the-top action sequences by the makers of Crank 2 with no recognizable story connecting them together. This is in the running for my worst movie of the year." (wide)

This Means War -- A "spy versus spy" rom-com couldn't get a better cast with Tom Hardy and Chris Pine as best friends battling for the heart of Reese Witherspoon. Mike says in his review, "Some of the dialogue is quite witty... this was a fun escape from reality for a couple of hours. Not too serious, not too silly." (wide)

One of Bullhead's production companies is aptly named "Savage Film." The name fits because Bullhead (Rundskop) is entirely savage, a grim and brutal story about, as director Michael Roskam describes it, "people being driven to extremes."

Distributed by Austin's own Drafthouse Films and nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, the Belgian import Bullhead is extraordinarily intense, a gripping and often unpleasant tale of organized crime in the Flanders area of Belgium. The story follows Jacky Vanmarsenille (Matthias Schoenaerts), a young, impressively muscular cattle farmer with a penchant for steroid abuse and an outlook haunted by a long-ago trauma. A veterinarian coerces Jacky to make a crooked deal with an equally crooked Flemish beef trader; as Bullhead is an intricate thriller, it's impossible to say much more without spoilers. I'll say only that the story involves gangsters, a stolen car, a murdered cop and confrontations with characters from Jacky's painful past.

It's that time of year: SXSW news is flying around thick and fast. Even if you're just concentrating on the film conference and festival, it's hard to keep up. In addition, SXSW has announced some new titles and conference sessions today. Here's the new information and some other recent news, all in our handy-dandy news tidbit format.

• SXSW has just added 15 features and four shorts to this year's lineup. The features announced today include the world premiere of  Todd Rohal's Nature Calls, Sundance selection Safety Not Guaranteed (the cast includes former Austinite Mark Duplass), the cameraphone-shot King Kelly, and Blue Like Jazz, about a Texas student who escapes to the Pacific Northwest. Oh yes, and a restored print of Yellow Submarine, which I might not be able to resist.
• SXSW also announced five new Film Conference panels today, including "A Conversation with Seth MacFarlane." Personally, I'm interested in a panel about restoring films at Universal, on Monday at the Paramount, which I hope means they'll show some restored footage.
• If you're more interested in the movies than the panels, and you're on a budget, be aware that SXSW Film Passes will go on sale starting tomorrow, Feb. 16. The passes cost $80 and are available to buy from Waterloo Records and three Alamo Drafthouse locations (Ritz, Lamar, Village). A limited number are sold so if you want one, don't wait. Look for our updated guide about getting the most out of SXSW with a film pass as we get closer to the festival.

The experimental documentary Yakona will take viewers on a visual journey from prehistoric times through the present day from the perspective of the San Marcos River. San Marcos filmmakers Paul Collins, Anlo Sepulveda and Dean Brennan started collaborating on the movie 10 years ago because of their personal bonds with the river. Now they're working to finish the movie in time to screen it in early 2013.

Sepulveda, a digital video specialist at Texas State University- San Marcos, remembers tubing down the river as a child on annual family vacations from Corpus Christi. However, he said his bond with the San Marcos River really began when he started working for Texas State and moved into a house along the river, where for four years, he would swim every day.

"I really started to see what was under the surface there," said Sepulveda, whose film credits include the Austin-shot Otis Under Sky, which premiered at SXSW in 2011 (Jette's review). "It's such a dynamic environment."

Here's the latest Austin film news.

• Deadline New York reports that a sequel to the 2010 Robert Rodriguez exploitation film Machete is tentatively scheduled to begin production in April. Machete Kills will find Danny Trejo's title character working for the U.S. government. He is sent on a mission in Mexico to take down an insane drug cartel leader and an eccentric billionare, who have teamed up to create weapon of mass destruction in space. The Deadline article does not mention whether the film will be shot in Texas. (via Film School Rejects)
• Beginning Feb. 17, Austin Cinematheque will screen experimental films and rare documentaries in their original formats, if available. A selection of French filmmaker and academic Rose Lowder movies will kick off the free series, now screening in Studio 4D in the CMB building at The University of Texas.
• This week's Austin Chronicle cover story is about graphic designer and filmmaker Yen Tan, who plans to begin filming his next movie Pit Stop in May in Texas. Pit Stop was accepted into the 2009 Outfest Screenwriting Lab, a three-day mentor-led workshop in LA, and received a 2011 Texas Filmmakers Production Fund grant. The Malaysia native's movies Happy Birthday and Ciao have received accolades from the Philadelphia Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival and Dallas International Film Festival, and screened at the Venice International Film Festival. Tan has collaborated with other Texas independent filmmakers such as Bryan Poyser (Lovers of Hate) and Heather Courtney (Where Soldiers Come From) to design and create posters for their movies -- you can see examples in the Chronicle feature.

On Saturday night, Blue Starlite is screening a Woody Allen double feature: Annie Hall and Sleeper. Next week, the Big Screen Classics series at the Alamo Drafthouse is pulling out the stops with what's considered one of the most romantic classic movies ever -- Gone with the Wind. You can catch it Monday through Thursday up at Alamo Village.

If you're looking for something a little different, then head over to the Alamo Ritz on Monday for a special screening of Best in Show complete with all-you-can-eat hot dogs. APL's Weeknight Cinema series is playing A.I. Artificial Intelligence at Milwood Branch on Tuesday if you're looking for something a little less romantic. Or you could trek out to Round Rock, where Flix Brewhouse has picked two "romantic" (with the air quotes) movies to show on Feb. 14: War of the Roses and True Romance.

Movies We've Seen:

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island -- It's telling that the big-name star of the first film didn't sign on for this sequel. Mike braved the film and says it's "a story so inept it appears to have been written by members of its target 13-year-old audience." Read his review for more.  (wide)

Pina -- Wim Wenders' 3D documentary of choreographer Pina Bausch, whose work was so influential she inspired Pedro Almodóvar to make Talk to Her. Don says in his review that the film gave him "a newfound appreciation and understanding of modern dance." (Violet Crown)

I've never claimed to be a fan of modern dance. While I have great respect for dancers' and choreographers' creative talents, physical abilities and dedication, I've always thought of modern dance as an art form that's more entertaining to do than to watch. Admittedly, I've seen only a handful of modern dance performances. Perhaps I'm but a mere philistine -- frankly, I just didn't get most of them.

After seeing Pina, however, I have a newfound appreciation and understanding of modern dance. The captivating new Wim Wenders documentary about German choreographer Pina Bausch is a feast of striking imagery that makes the art of dance come alive like no other movie I've seen.

Pina is a film of great beauty, although one that stems from great tragedy. After a long and distinguished career as a dancer, choreographer, teacher and ballet director, Bausch died suddenly of cancer at age 68 in 2009. Her death came only days before shooting for Pina was scheduled to begin, so what was to be a film about an aging artist still at the height of her career is instead a moving tribute to her artistic legacy.

Last week, SXSW announced the feature film lineup for the 2012 Film Festival, and today we've heard word about the short films and midnight screenings that will be headed our way this March. In recent years, some of my favorite finds at SXSW have been short films, and here's hoping this year is no different.  

Two of the programs will especially focus on films by Texans: Texas Shorts and Texas High School Shorts. A large slate of music videos is also in the lineup, including one by Austinite PJ Raval for Christeene ("African Mayonnaise"). Among the 135 shorts screening at the festival:

• Kat Candler's Hellion is part of the Texas Shorts program. The Austin filmmaker's short premiered at Sundance earlier this year. In his Sundance preview, Don calls it "an unexpected twist on how fathers, sons and brothers deal with other."
• Using stop-motion animation, Abuelas reflects on the past violence in Argentina through a grandmother's narration. I caught this beautifully haunting short at AFF. It returns to Austin through the SX Global Shorts program. 
• Remember how 12 Monkeys was a long-form remake of the 1962 short La Jetee? Well, Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke takes the French short to modern-day Miami and throws in 2 Live Crew's Uncle Luke. What say you, Terry Gilliam?

February brings us a new film from Japan's Studio Ghibli, internationally known for its animated movies. The Secret World of Arrietty will open in Austin on Feb. 17. But that's not the only treat for Ghibli fans in Austin. Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar will host a Studio Ghibli Retrospective starting later this week and running through early May (with a break for SXSW). The series features new 35mm prints of nine animated films, all subtitled, seven of which are directed by Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki. Each movie will screen once a night for a week-long period.

Here's a list of the films being screened and dates:

• Spirited Away (2001), Feb. 10-16 [tickets/info] -- The Academy Award winner for Best Animated Film follows a young girl in her adventure in a spirit world populated by masked wraiths, a witch with a huge head, a big baby and more.
• Castle in the Sky (1986), Feb. 17-23 [tickets/info] -- I haven't seen this one, but it seems this movie tells the story of a flying city named Laputa, a boy and a girl searching for it, and involves a glowing crystal and sky pirates. 

Actor and filmmaker/producer Zalman King died last week. Judging from reactions on social media, it appears many people remember him for producing the popular Showtime erotic TV series Red Shoe Diaries. But me, when I heard he had died, my first thought was, "Chickensh*t bingo." Here's why.

The first SXSW Film Festival I covered professionally was in 2006, and although I was writing for Cinematical -- a website with national readership -- I was still interested in the Austin-shot movies. My attention was caught by a documentary about musician Dale Watson called Crazy Again, which screened at the Dobie. I was on a festival press email list for the first time and was even invited to the film's after-party at Ginny's Little Longhorn Saloon on Burnet Road. (I didn't go. I didn't want to stop watching all the movies. This is often my problem at film fests.)

Dale Watson used to perform regularly at Ginny's, which is also notorious for its weekly game of "Chickensh*t Bingo," in which patrons predict which square at the bottom of a chicken coop is the one that the bird will poop upon. The game is included in the documentary, and I found out there really is a Ginny, too, who runs the establishment. She was at the screening, along with Dale Watson. (I believe that's Ginny Kalmbach on the left in the above photo.)

If there's one trend in Hollywood that has worn out its welcome pretty quickly, it's the "found-footage" genre of filmmaking. Since The Blair Witch Project in 1999, Wikipedia lists 79 other film projects in the genre. In the grand scheme of things, 79 films in 13 years may not seem like that many, but when you consider that the biggest problem with the genre is that the movies are on some level all the same, therein lies the issue. We need something different, and we need it badly.

Cloverfield and Paranormal Activity deviated from the formula a little bit but at the heart, they weren't that different. Chronicle promises something different, but can it deliver on that promise? Director Josh Trank and writer Max Landis certainly have had a hard task before them.

The plot of Chronicle is pretty simple. Andrew (Dane DeHaan), an unpopular loner, decides to document everything in his life as a way of opening up. Naturally, everyone thinks it's weird, including his cousin Matt (Alex Russell). One day while at a party in an abandoned part of town, Andrew, Matt and their friend -- the popular Steve Montgomery (Michael B. Jordan) -- discover a weird hole in the middle of a field. Of course, in abandonment of all sensible logic, they go down the hole and discover something mysterious. The next day after their discovery, they've figured out that they have the ability to move things with their mind, and that they're getting stronger by the day.

I've mentioned before Stephen King's nonfiction Danse Macabre, in which he delineates three levels of the horror genre: terror, horror and revulsion. He states that terror is the "finest element," the suspenseful moment before the actual monster is revealed -- horror occurs when we actually see the monster. He equates revulsion with the gag reflex, a bottom level that he considers a cheap gimmick. With films like Human Centipede and other visceral gory films pushing the boundaries of revulsion, fans of the classic horror of H.P. Lovecraft are welcoming the latest film in the horror genre, The Woman in Black, based on the novel by Susan Hill.

Opening with the death of three young girls, The Woman in Black is one tragedy after another for the entirety of the movie. Young and nearly penniless lawyer and widower Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) reluctantly leaves his four-year-old son with his nanny in London to travel to an isolated village to settle the estate of a deceased recluse. Kipps learns quite quickly that his presence is not welcome in the village, and despite warnings he travels to the remote estate surrounded by the sea during high tide.

While at the estate, he learns of the death of a young boy who was trapped in the family carriage during a rising tide. Kipps spots a mysterious woman dressed in black, and upon his return to the village a young girl dies after intentionally drinking lye. Local superstition believes that whenever the woman is seen, a child's death will soon follow.

SXSW announced its film lineup today, which is full of all kinds of features and documentaries. The big splashy Hollywood news is that the movie 21 Jump Street, starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill, will premiere at the fest as its Centerpiece Film. In addition, the closing-night film will be the music documentary Big Easy Express from Emmett Malloy.

One marquee movie with a Texas connection is the Dallas-set Killer Joe, reuniting Bug filmmaker William Friedkin and playwright Tracy Letts, and starring Matthew McConaughey (and that's not the only film he's in that will play SXSW). Other notable movies playing the fest include Bobcat Goldthwait's God Bless America, the Will Ferrell-starring Casa de mi Padre and Guy Maddin's Keyhole ... among many many others announced.

SXSW Film has no Lone Star States category this year, but the overall lineup of narrative and documentary features includes many local and state connections. We'll have a full list later this month of all the Austin and Texas features and shorts screening at the fest this year. In the meantime, here are some Lone Star-connected films that stuck out in today's announcement:

• Gayby (Narrative Feature Competition)-- Jonathan Lisecki has expanded his popular 2010 short of the same name. It stars Jenn Harris and Matthew Wilkas (from the short) as well as Dule Hill and Samantha Buck. The cast also includes Austinites Alex Karpovsky and Anna Margaret Hollyman. Dallas-to-Austin filmmaker Clay Liford (Wuss) is director of photography.
• Somebody Up There Likes Me (Narrative Spotlight, pictured at top) -- The latest feature from Bob Byington (Harmony and Me) will have its world premiere at the fest. The movie stars Keith Poulson, Nick Offerman (also in Casa de mi Padre), Jess Weixler and Kevin Corrigan. The cast also includes local actors Chris Doubek, Andrew Bujalski, Allison Latta, Anna Margaret Hollyman (also in Gayby) and Jonny Mars ... and once again, Bob Schneider as a wedding singer. The trailer is already available on the film's website.