Celebrity Sightings

Sundance 2013 Photos: AFS Brings Texas to Park City

The Texas Party at Sundance

I may not be in Park City, but I am enjoying many aspects of the Sundance Film Festival from the comforts of home (you can too!). Today's vicarious living involves the Texas Party, hosted by the Austin Film Society and Texas Monthly at the height of Sundance festgoing. The party celebrated the number of Lone Star films at this year's Park City fest.

AFS Marketing and Events Coordinator Austin Culp and other photographers to be named later [update: Ryan Long and Chris Cortez] took a number of photos at the event, and I'm amused because if I showed you the photos and didn't tell you where they were taken, you would have assumed it was a filmmaker party here in Austin. Former and current Austinites and Texans were everywhere ... well, admittedly they did seem to be everywhere at Sundance in general this year.

I'm not sure why actor/filmmaker Jonny Mars and producer Kelly Williams appear to be sparring in the above photo. I'll let them tell me sometime. They were at the party shortly before departing for the premiere of Black Metal, which Debbie has detailed in her Sunday dispatch.

I've included more of my favorites below. If that's not enough for you, check out the Texas Party photo set from the event.

Alamo South Lamar Memories: Closing with 'Chainsaw'

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Alamo Drafthouse on South LamarTwo things for which the Austin, Texas film community is well known are The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas. The first is a legendary horror movie from 1974, made by a very independent Austin film community. The second is the theater chain that represents all that is exciting about film exhibition. Owned and operated by true film geeks, Alamo Drafthouse is a home away from home for movie lovers worldwide.

On January 3, these two worlds combined to celebrate the temporary closing of a cathedral of film worship: Alamo Drafthouse Galactic Headquarters, located on Austin's South Lamar Boulevard. 

Last month, the news spread that the Lamar theater would be closing for nine months (or thereabouts) for a massive remodel. Accompanying this closure would be an evening of kick-ass Drafthouse events on January 3, including special screenings of films like John Dies at the End, Pieta, Pretty in Pink, The Big Lebowski and ... drumroll please ... a double feature of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre from 1974 and its most recent sequel, to be released in theaters the next day: Texas Chainsaw 3D. Not only would we be seeing these two movies, but TOBE FREAKING HOOPER (who co-wrote and directed the original film) would be in attendance.

I had to be there! A few days later, tickets went on sale and I managed to score seats for this epic event.

I arrived at the theater an hour early to hang out with friends and see what the Drafthouse had cooked up. True to form, the Drafthouse crew had set up a photobooth with props and costumes. We had a little fun with this:

AFF 2012 Photos: The Red Carpet Experience

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James Franco at AFF

A number of well known faces appeared around Austin Film Festival this year. While some stars walked the red carpet for movies such as It's a Disaster, Silver Linings Playbook and Jayne Mansfield's Car, others happily wandered around the festival, sat in panels and watched movies. Fortunately we had a couple of intrepid photographers covering the AFF red carpet events who captured some lovely photos for those of you who happened not to inadvertantly sit next to James Franco -- pictured above before the screening of Francophrenia -- or his General Hospital co-star Steve Burton. Many thanks again to Molly Dinkins and Dick De Jong for the photos below.

Let's start with Andrea Riseborough, the British actress in Austin for the film Shadow Dancer. She's also been in W.E., Made in Dagenham and Never Let Me Go.

AFF 2012 Dispatch: Building Relationships and Collaborations

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Frank Darabont at AFF

This year, I was disappointed to miss out on my traditional filmmaker networking and photo ops during Austin Film Festival (AFF) at the annual Hair of the Dog Brunch on Sunday. As I walked through the Driskill Bar, I was envious of the cliches of attendees engaged in enthusiastic conversation at every table. I was determined to meet some filmmakers before the day was over, and had to look no further than the well attended panels on the final day of the conference.

I was delighted to hear my personal favorite filmmaker Frank Darabont (The Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption), pictured above, speak with moderator and AFF Executive Director Barbara Morgan about how he got his "break" into movies and the collaborations and friendships that have fueled his career over the years. After his panel he greeted and spoke with attendees, signing autographs and consenting to photos with a stream of fans. Find out what he had to share with the audience after the jump.

Fantastic Fest Photos: 'Aftershock' with Eli Roth

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AFTERSHOCK Eli Roth and Nicholas

When I reflect on the big box office successes of the 1970s, I think most about the disaster film genre dominated by producer and "Master of Disaster" Irwin Allen. Airport, Earthquake, The Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure are the most well known films where characters must overcome natural calamities to escape and survive in the wake of destruction. Most of these movies relied on various subplots based on relationships between the survivors.

This year's Fantastic Fest featured Aftershock, a fictional disaster movie that pays homage to and amplifies Allen's legacy while adding an overwhelming dose of horror. Based on actual events surrounding an earthquake that struck Chile in 2010, the film stars actor/writer/producer Eli Roth (Inglourious Basterds, Hostel). The movie was shot in many of the same Chilean locations impacted by the 8.0 earthquake.

The storyline came about after a conversation between Roth and Aftershock writer/director Nicolas Lopez, during which Lopez described not just the devastation of the earthquake, but also the aftermath of the disaster including chaos and secondary effects such as a destructive tsunami.

Roth and Lopez were in attendance for the premiere of Aftershock, including the red carpet pictured above. See more photos from the event after the jump.

Fantastic Fest Photos: Miami Connection

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Miami Connection Tae Kwon Do Grandmaster Y.K. Kim Watermelon2During my recent interview with Alamo Drafthouse programmer Zack Carlson, we spoke about the American Film Genre Archive (AFGA) and some of the found films that  volunteers that support this nonprofit have saved. One of those titles is the zany 1987 martial-arts film Miami Connection, directed by ninth-degree black belt/philosopher/author/inspirational speaker Grandmaster Y.K. Kim, seen above demonstrating his skills before the movie screened during Fantastic Fest. The story's plot revolves around the members of the synth-rock band Dragon Sound, adult orphans and martial artists who fight criminals -- especially hated ninjas -- in the streets and back alleys of Orlando, Florida.

The special screening at Fantastic Fest 2012 included demonstrations by Grandmaster Kim as well as a reunion of the band Dragon Sound. Attendees at the afterparty pumped their fists and chanted with the band, many of them wearing sleeveless Dragon Sound t-shirts. See more photos after the jump.

Fantastic Fest 2012: Crushes Are Universal

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You've heard it multiple times -- Fantastic Fest is a world unto itself. This year was no different, with everything from dogs in tuxedos to wonder twins boxing over the merits of remakes. Those of us with two X chromosomes enjoy the odd and obscure just as much as our XY counterparts, especially given the sense of team spirit that builds around Fantastic Fest. We're all on this wacky journey together.

This solidarity is no more apparent than in the numerous shared "crushes" that attendees experience when faced with a gorgeous actor or talented filmmaker (not that a filmmaker can't also be gorgeous). It's not unusual to hear "That is a beautiful man" from the very straight guy sitting next to you while the woman on your right decides whether that actor's astrological sign would mesh with hers. Men and women of Fantastic Fest unite over the ogle-able and enviable special guests.

Take, for example, this year's visit by Karl Urban (Lord of the Rings) for the film Dredd 3D. Male and female festgoers flocked to the red carpet for a glimpse of the modern day Adonis. Men (as in the photo at top) saying, "Dude, It's Éomer and McCoy," and women (as in the photo below) proclaiming, "Oh my god, it's Éomer and Cupid." (Any Xena Warrior Princess fans out there?!) Urban's charm and swagger are not lost on either gender.

Fantastic Fest Photos: Meeting the Heads of 'Machine Gun Woman'

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Machine Gun WomanChilean director/writer Ernesto Diaz Espinoza has returned to Austin once again for Fantastic Fest to premiere his latest Latin-sploitation action film, Bring Me the Head of Machine Gun Woman. Accompanying Diaz Espinoza was the Machine Gun Woman herself, Chilean television star Fernanda Urrejola, as seen above on the red carpet. Diaz-Espinoza first visited Austin in 2007 for Fantastic Fest where he premiered Mirageman, along with a screening of his earlier project, the first Chilean martial-arts film Kiltro starring Chilean martial artist Marko Zaror.

With Bring Me the Head of Machine Gun Woman, Espinoza has crafted another humorously entertaining exploitation film that centers around a beautiful and mysterious hit woman clad in machine guns, stiletto boots and not much else. The Machine Gun Woman is tracked by other killers-for-hire including Santiago, a videogame-playing deejay who must deliver her to a crime boss or face his own death.

On the Red Carpet and Onstage with 'El Mariachi'

Antoinette Alfonso Zel (CEO of El Rey Network) and Robert RodriguezLast week the Austin Film Society hosted a special screening of cult favorite El Mariachi as a benefit for the Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund (TFPF), with special guests including a live performance by filmmaker Robert Rodriguez's band Chingon. Antoinette Alfonso Zel, CEO of Rodriguez's general entertainment cable channel El Rey Network -- seen above on the red carpet with Rodriguez -- was in attendance, as well as El Mariachi stars Carlos Gallardo (Desperado, Bandido) and Peter Marquardt.

The event took place the day after the 2012 TFPF recipients were announced, with over $89,000 in cash grants bestowed to 16 projects from emerging Texas filmmakers. I spoke to AFS Executive Director Rebecca Campbell about the significance of the screening as a TFPF fundraiser, and she stated: "Here we are giving out grants to help the next generation of emerging talented Texans, and maybe some of them will go on to have a successful career and keep it in Texas -- just like Robert did." 

Find out more about the special event and see more photos after the jump.

Interview: Thomas Haden Church, 'Killer Joe'

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Rebecca Campbell, Executive Director of Austin Film Society with Thomas Haden Church Actor Thomas Haden Church traveled to Austin recently from his ranch in Bandera County for Austin Film Society's reception and special screening of the darkly provocative and often brutal film Killer Joe (my review). While in town, Church met with local press to talk about the Texas-set movie, adapted by Pulitzer and Tony Award winner Tracy Letts from his own play, and directed by Academy Award-winning director William Friedkin.

During our roundtable interview, AFS Executive Director Rebecca Campbell dropped in for a chat, thus the photo above. Never at a loss for words, Church -- who emceed the Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards in 2009 and 2010 -- expressed his support of Austin Studios and AFS as well as the Texas Film Commission. He also spoke at length about the Lone Star setting of the film, shooting in New Orleans (which pretended to be Dallas) and working with legendary filmmakers.

Slackerwood: What attracted you to the Killer Joe project?

Thomas Haden Church: Chiefly William Friedkin and then this script, which was based on the Tracy Letts play. Whenever Matthew McConaughey became involved, it all started to happen really quickly. I wanted to work with Billy [Friedkin], and I thought the screenplay was dark and violent and funny, and edgy. All the things that challenge an actor in a character.

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