Slackery News Tidbits Fight Melancholy

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Medicine for MelancholyGoodness gracious, this is turning into a big week of distribution news about films I've enjoyed at SXSW, some of which have Austin connections. Is it coincidence, or what? That's not the only news I have, but it's certainly news I'm happy to share.

  • Medicine for Melancholy, which played SXSW 2008, is now available on DVD. This lovely film is one of my top-ten films from that year, and as soon as I'm finished writing this paragraph, I'm buying a copy. Seriously, this is a lovely film about two people who meet in San Francisco ... find a way to watch it, this weekend. One of the film's stars is Wyatt Cenac, whom you might recognize from The Daily Show.
  • Another favorite SXSW film of mine, Gretchen from 2006, has also been released on DVD this week. Gretchen was shot around Central Texas and while its director and stars may not live here now, still seems very Austin-y to me. I'm hoping to get my hands on a copy soon and share the details, but it sounds like an excellent DVD package from Watchmaker (which did a gorgeous job with The Whole Shootin' Match), including several of Steve Collins's short films with actors John Merriman and Courtney Davis. Gretchen is also available on Netflix Watch Instantly.
  • Save the date: It looks like a local premiere of Richard Linklater's latest movie, Me and Orson Welles, will take place on Monday, November 30. Linklater should of course be there, but rumor has it that Zac Efron and Christian McKay may also be in Austin for the event. I caught the movie at SXSW this year and liked it a lot -- can't wait to see it again with others.
  • The TXMPA Spaghetti Western fundraiser has been postponed and will NOT take place on Nov. 1. TXMPA rep Paul Alvarado-Dykstra tells us that the event will be merged with the organization's holiday party, and promises more specific details soon. We'll keep you posted.
  • Not on DVD, but online for you to watch right now for free: The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon, a great short film that won a special jury prize at Fantastic Fest 2008.
  • Finally, Jenn would shoot me if I didn't urge you all to go to the aGLIFF-hosted brunch screening of The Long Haul at Alamo Ritz on Sunday. She is as excited about this film as I was about the ones mentioned earlier in this list.