Slackery News Tidbits, May 7

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Here's the latest Austin film news.

  • Former AFS Artistic Services Director Bryan Poyser's latest feature film The Bounceback began filming in Austin on April 29, according to Joe M. O'Connell's blog. Austin-based cinematographer P.J. Raval and producer Megan Gilbride round out the crew. Little is known about the romantic comedy, set to star Sara Paxton (The Last House on the Left). However, Poyser told Austin Movie Blog that the movie is about the "unique facets" of Austin.
  • Congratulations to Twitchy Dolphin Flix  -- the Austin-based production company's film Turkey Day won the Audience Choice Award and cofounder/writer/director James Christopher won a silver division screenwriting competition award for his script Soldier Dog: Letters From Wolfie, at the Bare Bones International Film Festival. Christopher was covering Texas Frightmare Weekend in Dallas for Slackerwood last weekend; look for his dispatches soon.
  • But wait, there's more: On May 10 at J. Black's, Twitchy Dolphin Flix will host Twitchy-Palooza 2012, a live concert that will feature musicians whose music has been used in the company's films. Twitchy-Palooza coincides with the DVD release party for the company's film Look At Me Again, which won Best Drama at the 2011 Bare Bones festival, among other awards. The production company will also begin filming the new feature References.

  • Drafthouse Films announced the company's first home video releases, which include the Oscar-nominated drama Bullhead (read Don's review) and the comedy The FP. The FP is scheduled to be available on Blu-ray and DVD on June 19, with Bullhead to follow on June 26. Both releases will feature reversible sleeves with alternate Mondo poster key-art.
  • At the suggestion of Austin film critic Scott Weinberg, Alamo Drafthouse in Austin is planning a fundraiser this week for American Cancer Society around a Beastie Boys sing-along, to honor the late Adam Yauch, aka MCA, aka the founder of Oscilloscope Pictures. Details are not yet finalized; we recommend checking the Twitter feeds for @drafthouse and @scotteweinberg later today for a date/time/location (and we'll update this article as well). Update: The rap-along will take place at three Austin-area Alamo theaters on Thursday, May 10.
  • Lost Pines 8 Bastrop reopened on May 4, the Austin Business Journal reported. The facility has been updated with state-of-the-art film and sound technology, and features a community room for local events. Future expansion plans include doubling the theater's size from four to eight stadium-style seating auditoriums.
  • Michael "Mr. Blonde" Madsen will be in attendance at 7 pm on Tuesday, May 8 at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar for the screening of Quentin Tarantino's 1992 film Reservoir Dogs.
  • The University of Texas RTF program will host the Second Annual Longhorn Film Showcase with a reception at 6 pm, screenings beginning at 7 pm and an after-party at 8:30 pm on May 12 at the McCullough Theatre. The showcase features nine of the best student films of 2012.
  • Finally, as part of the Austin Auteurs series, The Show! Austin will screen Austinite Spencer Parsons's directorial feature debut I'll Come Running, which premiered at AFF 2008, on May 22 at Violet Crown. No confirmation yet, but it's strongly suspected that Parsons will be in attendance at the screening of his drama about a broken romance that spans continents, shot partially in Austin. As reported last week, Parsons's latest feature, Saturday Morning Massacre, will premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival next month (Elizabeth's article).