Contributors's blog

Summer Viewing: Linklater Follows Up 'Jewels in the Wasteland' with Early 80s Film Recs

Contributors — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 19:00:33 +0000

By Richard Linklater

[Editor's note: Austin Film Society co-founder and filmmaker Richard Linklater recently curated "Jewels in the Wasteland," a series focusing on films of the early 1980s. Today, as a guest columnist for Slackerwood, he recommends other movies he was unable to include in the series.]

We're looking forward to continuing the "Jewels in the Wasteland" series at some point with films from 1984-1986! Below are various titles that would have fit nicely in this first section of 80s films. Before we get going again, we'll likely have some one-off screenings (hopefully Pixote and Baby It's You) that represent additional titles from the first part of the 80s, so keep an eye out for them.

In the meantime, please feel free to check out the below suggestions:

Last month's Atlantic City begs you to continue with both Louis Malle's My Dinner with Andre and Bill Forsyth's Local Hero with Burt Lancaster. If you love Local Hero like I think you will, please check out an earlier film of his, Gregory's Girl. I noticed Danny Boyle included a clip from it during his Olympic opening ceremonies.

AFS Essential Cinema Examines 'The Creative in Crisis'

Contributors — Mon, 28 Apr 2014 19:00:01 +0000

By Erica Todd

For May, the Austin Film Society's Essential Cinema series turns to the topic of creative block. "After 8 1/2: The Creative in Crisis" is guest curated by Kimberley Jones, the Austin Chronicle's managing editor. The five films she programmed delve into the creative process for writers and directors of stage and screen. The real-life directors of each movie present elements of their past experiences in show business via the protagonists who are, to varying degrees, their alter egos.

The series begins with 8 1/2 (Federico Fellini, 1963) this Thursday, May 1. The acclaimed film about filmmaking centers on director Guido Anselmi, played by Marcello Mastroianni, one of Fellini's frequent collaborators. Melding fantasy, memory and reality, Guido attempts to navigate his director's block and figure out how to proceed with his next work. Fellini's autobiographical work was commended at the time of its release for its depiction of the moviemaking process and its widespread influence is ongoing. As the remaining four films in the series demonstrate, 8 1/2 has inspired subsequent expressions of creative block in tone, content and cinematographic style.

Blue Starlite Offers Classic Romance for Valentine's Day

Contributors — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 20:00:26 +0000

By Charity Lee

When you think of the perfect movie-loving date night, you definitely have a Texas-sized menu of options. You could enjoy the Austin Film Society-sponsored “Goddard vs. Truffaut” series at the Marchesa, a night on the town at the Paramount on Congress, or even woo your date with a melody at one of the famous local Alamo Drafthouse sing-alongs. However, if you want to get retro, the Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive-In is the perfect classic alternative to an in-house film this Valentine's Day.

On the most romantic night of the year, the Blue Starlite will present a classic double feature of Breakfast at Tiffany's, starring Audrey Hepburn as the sassy and wild young bachelorette, Holly Golightly; and Casablanca, starring the hunky Humphrey Bogart. I’m a big fan of the former with its hilarious featured roles and its non-conventional romantic comedy setup. I also have never been to an outdoor movie so my tickets are printed, my vintage drive-in speaker is ordered and I’m ready to snuggle right from the seat of my little Nissan Sentra.

AFS Preview: Troubles and Paradise: The 'First Wave' of Irish Cinema

Contributors — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 18:00:55 +0000

By Philip Fagan

The latest Austin Film Society Essential Cinema series, "Troubles and Paradise: The 'First Wave' of Irish Cinema," starts Thursday, Nov. 21 and runs through Dec. 19 at AFS at the Marchesa. Fagan is guest curator of this series.

It may at first glance seem curious to refer to films produced between 1982 and 2004 as among those comprising an Irish "First Wave" of cinema. However, as with the island's tempestuous political and social landscape throughout the years, the Irish cinema, to the extent that it has existed, has suffered a long and curious journey that is bound up with the same issues of Irish identity that continue to divide the Republicans and Loyalists of the North. The cinema of Ireland that began emerging in the 1980s can be assessed as part of a long, ongoing intellectual mission of examining and forging a cohesive national identity, a battle that continues to be waged on various other fronts.

Irish identity continues to be inherently fractured and debatable and the Irish themselves often tend to self-identify through the lens of well-worn stereotypes, or "Paddywhackery." Is Ireland one country or two? Are its peoples Irish or British? Catholic or Protestant? Or Christian or Pagan even? Is Ireland's "closest cousin" Great Britain or the United States? Has "Irishness" become so closely tied to America on one hand and the struggle against England on the other that maintaining an indigenous Irish identity has become impossible? Are the Irish at heart a race of saints, scholars, poets, and geniuses; or are they inherently uncivilized, atavistic, violent, racist, intolerant alcoholic criminals? And more recently, how are the changing roles of women and the rise of immigrant and gay subcultures impacting a conceptualization of a modern Ireland?

AFS Preview: Mother of George

Contributors — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 20:00:32 +0000

By Christina Bryant

When it comes to portrayals of Brooklyn, New York on film and TV, we either get Spike Lee's beloved Bed-Stuy of yesterday or Lena Dunham's gentrified Williamsburg. Mother of George offers a refreshing third option. Audiences are welcomed into an intriguing, yet overlooked African immigrant community living in the borough’s Flatbush neighborhood.

Austin Film Society will screen Mother of George this Saturday, November 16 [event info/tickets] at 4 pm at AFS at the Marchesa (6226 Middle Fiskville Rd).

The film opens with the wedding of Adenike (Danai Gurira, who plays Michonne on AMC's Walking Dead) and Ayodele (veteran actor Isaach De Bankolé). In any other movie, they might just be background characters; perhaps the aproned individuals you see pass through the swinging kitchen doors of your neighborhood African restaurant. Instead, Nigerian photographer/director Andrew Dosunmu sets his tale of a newlywed couple facing infertility against an almost Greek tragedy backdrop, full of complexity and nuance.

Gary Kent Prepares You to Meet the "Danger Gods" on Friday

Contributors — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 14:30:29 +0000

By Ellie Kotapish

Prepare yourself for jaw-dropping tales and a night in Austin with five of the most daring men in Hollywood. Starting in the 1960s, these "Danger Gods" have been performing stunts of extreme levels for many years. But they are capable of more than just crashing cars and freefalling from tall buildings.

I had a sneak preview of what's to come at Friday night's "Our Dinner with the Danger Gods" event, as special guest Gary Kent (pictured at right in his early stuntman days) discussed revolutionary cinema in the 1970s along with his experience as a stuntman and filmmaker.

Counterculture takeover:

The '60s were a time of revolution in the streets as well as the studios. This change is evident not only in the content of the films but also in the filmmakers themselves. Kent entered into this counterculture takeover fully aware of this "new energy," as he described it. It was this revolution in filmmaking that lured Kent to Hollywood in the first place.

With television absorbing audiences, drive-ins were left with a different crowd and "no product," Kent said. At the same time, this vacuum at the heart of the exhibition market meant independent filmmakers finally had a place to showcase their work. And with no studio control, the subject matter had virtually no limits.

Love of the stunt:

As all these forces were beginning to coalesce, Kent took a bus to L.A. to pursue acting under the naive impression that the actors performed their own stunts. It didn't take him long to realize that his skills as a stuntman were in higher demand than his acting talents.

Kent's first gig as a stuntman – with no experience whatsoever – was on Monte Hellman's film The Shooting (1966). At the same time -- and shooting in the same locations -- he doubled for actors Jack Nicholson and Cameron Mitchell on the film Ride in the Whirlwind (1966).

A Day at Lights. Camera. Help. 2013

Contributors — Mon, 26 Aug 2013 19:00:37 +0000

By Christina Bryant

The fifth annual Lights. Camera. Help Film Festival at Alamo Drafthouse Village was quite a whirlwind trip around the world and back in time. On opening night, I excitedly sat in the packed theater for A Film About Kids and Music: Sant Andreu Jazz Band. The documentary followed a talented jazz band of students ranging from age 6 to 18 in Spain, led by their fierce conductor Joan Chamorro. It was amazing to see these kids mastering jazz standards by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong that were written decades before they were born. If a six-year old named Elsa can play a mean trumpet to a packed concert stadium, maybe it's time I dust off my grade-school violin.

Director/producer Ramon Tort and Joan Chamorro received a standing ovation as the credits rolled. Later, I wasn't surprised to learn the film went on to win Best Feature at the festival. I'd like to thank the translator on stage after the screening, as Tort and Chamorro were most informative in their native language. A person in the audience asked why the children sang in English. Chamorro simply replied, "It's American music. We learn through the models and the models are American."

Austin Superhero Experts Check In on 'Man of Steel'

Contributors — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:00:11 +0000

By Nico Chapin

In Bryan Singer's 2006 film Superman Returns, Lois Lane won a Pulitzer for an article entitled "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman." With Zack Snyder's reboot, Man of Steel, which opened last Friday, it becomes an interesting question. Since 2006, audiences have seen the Avengers assemble and the Dark Knight fall, then rise. They've watched the Spider-Man trilogy completed and then rebooted, and movies like Green Lantern fail to take flight. One then has to wonder: Is there any place left for the original superhero?

Certainly there's no denying his historical importance. Gesturing at walls lined with stacks of comics, Eric Burke, co-owner of South Austin's Tribe Comics and Games put it simply: "Without Superman, there wouldn't be any of this."

Yet it's been seven years now since the movie Superman Returns came out and by then, 19 years had passed since the dismal Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Meanwhile, since DC rebooted their comic line in The New 52, Superman has seen its sales drop from 118,376 when it debuted in September 2011, to just 52,572 this past November, and Superman Returns maintains a mediocre 72 on the online score aggregate Metacritic.

AFF's Conversations in Film Delves into 'Neverland' with David Magee

Contributors — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:11:11 +0000

By Ciara Gee

Recently, screenwriter David Magee sat down with Barbara Morgan, co-founder and executive director of the Austin Film Festival, to discuss his first screenplay, Finding Neverland (2004). The event was part of AFF's ongoing Conversations in Film series. Magee's discussion about how he ventured into screenwriting hit several topics of interest to writers.

Getting started

In addition to adapting the play Finding Neverland, Magee has worked on two other adaptations: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008) and last year's Life of Pi. Magee started the discussion by sharing how he came to write screenplays.

"I took an unusual route," he told the Austin audience. He meant that he started as a theatre actor and then began doing voiceover work for abridged audiobooks. It was during this time that he encountered a rather difficult project.

"One night, after reading an awful abridgement of a novel, I said to the producer, 'I can do better than this.'" The producer called his bluff, suggesting that Magee try his luck at writing his own abridgement to the piece. He came through and, over the following five years, succeeded in abridging more than 80 audiobooks.

Chancing upon a project

During this time, Magee had the opportunity to become acquainted with a producer who introduced him to Allan Knee, a playwright who had adapted Little Women into a musical for the stage. Knee had recently written "The Man Who Was Peter Pan," a story about the life of playwright J. M. Barrie, which he expanded into a play of the same name. The producer, aware of Magee's knack for successfully abridging novels, encouraged him to adapt the play The Man Who Was Peter Pan for the screen. Always open to trying his hand at something new, Magee agreed.

Getting Up Close and Personal with 'Hands on a Hardbody'

Contributors — Wed, 08 May 2013 18:00:15 +0000

By Margot Newcomer

It was a successful night at the Friday night screening of Hands On A Hardbody a couple of weeks ago, presented by Austin Film Society and Texas Independent Film Network. The event kicked off with director S.R. (Robb) Bindler inside of a pickup truck, and long lines of people waiting to put their hands on the Nissan Hardbody parked in front of the Marchesa Theatre.

The documentary was first shown in Austin almost 15 years ago at the Dobie Theatre. Since then, the Texas-shot movie's been hard to find unless you were able to track down a VHS copy (often sold for around $200).

The excitement before the screening continued to build as guests in the lobby bought the new, remastered DVD (which is now available via the Hands on a Hardbody website). One woman enthusiastically traded her worn-out VHS tape for a brand new disc.