Celebrity Sightings

John Krasinski (Away We Go, The Office) will be in Austin this weekend to premiere his directorial debut of Brief Interviews with Hideous Men as part of the Celebrity Guests Signature Series at the Alamo Downtown. I spoke with John by phone before his arrival in Austin, and here's what he had to say.

Tell us about your film Brief Interviews with Hideous Men.

It's a book by David Foster Wallace that I had read in college. Without being overly sentimental, it's basically not only been my passion to get it made into a movie, but it was also the thing that made me want to be an actor. I had been acting in college just for fun with friends, and after being a part of this staged reading that we did, it made such an impact on me emotionally. In one of those big ways it had a huge impact by how provocative and honest it was. It was one of those things where I really wanted to give acting a shot after that.

Austin Film Festival soared into the skies with the closing-might film Up in the Air, which included a rousing intro and Q&A by Jason Reitman. Yeah, there were other films, but I was in a mood for a major release that night. Plus, it was only a few blocks away from the closing night part at Annie's Cafe.

Before the film, Jette and I had a quick dinner at Parkside Cafe.  She knows I wasn't exaggerating about how great the food was. Service was just as good this time, and the chef even came out to check on us. I don't know if that happens all the time, but maybe it was the fact I ordered the marrow. Whatever the case, he and his team make really good food. 

Up in the Air is a solid, funny film, in the haha only serious kind of way.  The aerial shots alone are worth it, but watching Vera Farmiga and George Clooney is a guilty pleasure, they have such great chemistry.  Reitman was a hoot, almost Kevin Smith-esque in his energy and jokes, but without the profanity. Or toilet jokes. 

Anyone else going to Texas Book Festival this weekend? I figure I haven't had quite enough fest madness with Austin Film Festival, so I'm planning to head down to the Capitol on Saturday and/or Sunday to shop for books, meet authors, and generally have a good time like the bookworm I am.

But since I'm also a film geek, I'm interested in a couple of movie-related events that are part of Texas Book Festival this year:

• Austin Film Festival is co-sponsoring the "Survivin' Hollywood: Three Texas Movie Pros" panel on Sunday at 2 pm in Capitol Extension Room E2.014. The panel includes authors Robert Hinkle, Gary Kent, and Billy Taylor, three Texans who have recently written books about working in Hollywood. You may remember Kent's reading/signing event at BookPeople back in July. AFF co-founder Barbara Morgan will moderate. This looks like a hoot, and I'm hoping to be there.
• Texas author Joe R. Lansdale, who wrote the story on which Bubba Ho-Tep is based, will speak on Saturday at 3:30 pm in Capitol Extension Room E2.016. Local author/film critic Rick Klaw will moderate.

You miss me yesterday? Wondering why I didn't write a dispatch? Well, I was home, watching DVD screeners, so I could get a couple reviews in. So now you know about two films you should catch on Thursday. And I mean that seriously; just because I wasn't overwhelmingly in love with a film does not negate its merit.

This afternoon, I headed over to Guero's for a Baghdad Texas party.  I couldn't stay long, but I did have a chance to talk about movies with co-writer Shaneye Ferrell (pictured above), who also plays Kathy, the FBI agent, in the film.  We talked about the disappointment in the "Hollywood happy ending" and the draw to complex, humanized villains. I wish I could have stayed longer, but only had time to meet actor Booka Michel before I dashed off to The Donner Party.

The comedy Herpes Boy sold out both its screenings during Austin Film Festival (AFF) this week. The director, producer and cast gave up their seats at the second screening so more festival attendees could gain admission. Speaking afterwards with writer/lead actor Byron Lane and lead actress Ahna O'Reilly (who is Tim O'Reilly's niece) confirmed the humility and enthusiasm of cast and crew for what proves to be a funny and poignant film. I also enjoyed talking with director Nathaniel Atcheson about the film and festivals, but the true gem was co-producer and actress Beth Grant. I spent more time talking with her over the last few days than any other filmmaker at AFF. Keep an eye on Slackerwood for a special podcast where Beth talks about Herpes Boy along with Donnie Darko, Rain Man, Sandra Bullock, Marlo Brando, Johnny Depp and so much more.

[Photo credit: Byron Lane and Ahna O'Reilly at Herpes Boy Afterparty, by Debbie Cerda. More photos on Flickr.]

This is the first year that I've attended panels during the conference portion of Austin Film Festival (AFF). Overall I'd say that I was not disappointed, other than the disadvantage of having to miss some screenings I'd really wanted to see such as the screening of Texas Weather at the Texas Spirit Theater.

I thoroughly enjoyed the honest and informative "Texas Film Incentives" panel with Paul Alvarado-Dykstra, Central Texas Representative of the Texas Motion Picture Alliance (TXMPA), along with filmmakers James Crowley (The Rookie, Hidalgo) and Dominic Cancilla (Hope Floats, A Scanner Darkly).

James talked about the high quality of production crews in Texas, with Dominic pointing out that Dicky Deats is the only key grip ever to win an Academy Award, for Hope Floats. During the discussion it was also confirmed that Whip It, which shot primarily in Michigan, is still waiting for incentives because funds are depleted in some other states' incentive programs.

Now that we're in the second half of Austin Film Festival's 8 day run, it's a lot easier for those without a badge to get into the smaller venues.  So now is a good time to point out the remaining that should be on your radar. Astericks indicate films with an Austin connection.  The full schedule is available on the Austin Film Festival website. 

Monday, October 26th
7:00pm Lake Creek Little Fish, Strange Pond (Callum Blue in attendance)
9:30pm Arbor Happy Ending (Chris Holland highly recommends)

Tuesday, October 27th
7:00pm  Lake Creek Creek *Stoner
7:00pm Hideout Shorts 2 Reel (first two shorts are Austin shorts)
7:30pm Independent at 501 Herpes Boy (cast and crew may still be in town)
10:00pm Independent at 501 Thor At The Bus Stop  (Narrative Feature WINNER)

Today is as much about what I didn't do at the fest, as the screenings itself. I overslept and miss the Hair of the Dog brunch and the TXMPA Incentives panel. I believe Debbie made it to the panel, so hopefully she'll be doing a writeup later. I did make it over the Driskill 1886 cafe for some lemony eggs benedict before heading to a screening that I ended up switching with Alabama Moon, so I had a lot of time on my hands today.

Alabama Moon, directed by Austin's Tim McCanlies, harkens back to the vintage Wonderful World of Disney films I used to watch on Sunday nights. Kid in trouble, the requisite mean and inept adults, the bully with a change of heart, and a few good and kind adults to bring about a happy ending. Austin favorite Clint Howard plays the constable who makes Moon's life really difficult after Moon's father dies. Alabama Moon is family fare, and will make some adults nostalgic.

The Paramount seats aren't kind to aching knees, so I left before the Q&A, and I'm glad I did. I got out just in time to catch the tail end of the annual Zombie Lurch to the Capitol, an event the Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek puts on every year. I wished they'd organized it better so there were people in line at the Paramount at the time. It's such a fun thing to see lumbering up the street, and I doubt many festivalgoers caught it.  The video I took is being stubborn about being embedded, so it's linked above.

Calvin Marshall director Gary Lundgren and several of the film's stars, including Diedrich Bader and Andrew Wilson, came to town to support the film's debut during AFF at the Paramount Friday night. I had a chance to interview them on Friday. They talked a lot about the state of the movie industry, independent film, and music -- and of course, Calvin Marshall. If you missed a chance to see their movie at the Paramount on Friday, stay tuned for our review, distribution and release news. We will have the full interview available soon as a podcast here.

[Photo credit: Diedrich Bader, Gary Lundgren, and Andrew Wilson, by Debbie Cerda on Flickr]

This is the stair-iest festival. My knees are killing me.  I seem destined to be climbing lots of stairs, to the point my poor knees can't take. or close to it.  Stairs at the Driskill. Stairs at the Ritz. Stairs at all the party venues.  Owwie.  I may have to put in a worker's comp claim (just kidding, Jette). 

I missed the morning panels, because not having alarms set meant I woke up when I was good and ready, and that was far too late for panels before lunch. So I was very envious when Rich Vázquez tweeted about a very personal panel up on the Capital lawn with Tom Skerritt and some teachers (aka the "Teaching Storytelling Through Screenwriting" panel).

It also meant I missed the An Education screening, which has caused an uproar among some because it was booked at a small venue.  I'm rather surprised, because at least one badge holder I know got there less than a half hour before it was scheduled to start, and there was even room for me.  Remember folks, the TBAs are locked into specific time slots and venues, and the festival has to accommodate certain restrictions and demands when playing films, too many to name here. This is a festival and conference, emphasis on the conference in the first few days. Having films that early in the day is relatively new for the fest.  And the film is opening in Austin in less than three weeks. And the two TBAs filling the Paramount slots are bigger films.

To me, it's a non-issue. Of the things to be frustrated with, a wide-release film coming out in a few weeks is very low. Besides, the emphasis needed to be on the Awards luncheon, which, of course, I missed.  While I'm a little sad my friend and fellow Austinite Patrick Sullivan did not win in his category, he beat out nearly 4,000 people to get to the finalist round.  And from what I've seen on twitter today, Sitcom Teleplay winner Benjamin Healy is an Austinite.