Local Cast and Crew

Review: Bandslam

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Bandslam

At first glance, Bandslam might appear to be just another "new kid in school trying to fit in," but it's far from the stereotypical outcast story. Will Burton (Gaelan Connell) is a high school who just wants to be left alone. Instead he attracts others to him, including emo girl Sa5m ("the 5 is silent"), played by Vanessa Hudgens in a departure from her High School Musical feature roles, and former cheerleader Charlotte (Aly Michalka) who's intent on forming a new band. Turns out there's a high-school battle of the bands competition, Bandslam, that's "Texas high school football big."

Although not as candy-coated as High School Musical, there's still something slightly odd about the minimal presence of teachers in a high school in New Jersey, not to mention the absence of drug and gang activity. However, serious issues are addressed in a realistic manner once it is revealed why Will welcomes the opportunity to change schools.

'Bandslam' Rocks the Red Carpet in Austin

Bobby Bones at Bandslam Red Carpet Premiere

As a volunteer for South by Southwest (SXSW) Conferences and Festivals Special Venues Crew in the past, I've helped out at many film premieres and so have some experience at red-carpet events. However, last week was the first time I experienced the media side of the red carpet, at a local sneak preview of Bandslam, which was shot here in Austin in 2008.

I was a bit nervous before the event, so to boost my confidence I read Jette's blog entry on red-carpet lessons. I wanted to make sure I was able to cover both audio and video, so I was well equipped with cameras, digital voice recorder, camcorder, and even "The Poor Man's Steadicam" from my favorite tech geek, Johnny Chung Lee. With temperatures hitting the triple digits, I remembered Jette's advice and packed several bottles of water.

The Bandslam red carpet had a few extras not often seen at previews or even premieres. Because a large portion of the film was shot in Austin and featured a couple of Austin bands, a performance was set up in the courtyard at Galaxy Highland. Local bands Joker and The Daze performed outdoors as folks waited to be ushered in for the screening. In the film, the members of Joker played the backing band for one of the main characters, and The Daze were seen as themselves in the "Bandslam" battle of the bands competition. Check out a photo of Joker after the jump:

Quick Snaps: The Daze at 'Bandslam'

The Daze by Debbie Cerda

Bandslam premiered in Austin Tuesday evening, and moviegoers were treated to live performances by two local bands featured in the film's battle of the bands competition. We'll have more on this special screening soon, including an interview with members of The Daze and local radio personality Bobby Bones from 96.7 KISS FM, who also played a small role in Bandslam.

[Photo Credit: (L-R) On the Red Carpet with The Daze members Chris Ritchie, Aaron Lemke, Evan Butts by Debbie Cerda]

'Wild Man of the Navidad' Coming to DVD

Wild Man of the NavidadThe Wild Man of the Navidad, a Texas film with local cast and crew, is getting a DVD release next week.

The indie horror film, co-directed by Justin Meeks and former Texas Film Production Fund recipient Duane Graves, was an official selection at both Tribeca Film Festival and Austin's own Fantastic Fest, and if you're really savvy, you might recognize a certain Alamo staffer in the cast. It's a 1970s style Texas horror story about a "creature so horrifying it remains legend today" with the typical grindhouse gore stylings of 70s horror.

The DVD release is slated for next Tuesday, August 11, following the film's recent availability through IFC Video on Demand. You can pre-order the DVD at Best Buy and Amazon, and it's already available to add to your queue on Netflix. If you're going to buy, right now BestBuy has the better price. But you might want to check out local stores like I Luv Video and Vulcan Video.

I wasn't able to catch The Wild Man of the Navidad at Fantastic Fest, but the reviews have been positive (and nostalgic). What better way to gear up for next month's edition of Fantastic Fest than by supporting one of last year's films?

Slackery News Tidbits of the Undead

Emily Hagins and her wonderfully helpful Mom, Megan Hagins by Ian on FlickrIt's not a big week for Austin film news -- most of the movie news this week is coming out of Comic-Con in San Diego. Mike Judge will be there, showing clips from his upcoming movie Extract, and Robert Rodriguez will show footage from his family-friendly film Shorts, which has an Austin premiere in August. In addition, the documentary Zombie Girl, about how horror filmmaker Emily Hagins shot her first feature at age 12, will screen at Comic-Con, with Emily and her mom Megan (shown at right) in attendance.

But I do have a few tidbits to share:

  • Alamo Drafthouse has a new blog to track progress on The Highball, the new games/entertainment spot they're planning to open in time for Fantastic Fest this year. One of the bloggers is Afsheen, who gave us such wonderful photos and stories about the renovation and reopening of Alamo Ritz.
  • Austin Movie Blog sifted through Filmmaker Magazine's list of "25 New Faces of Independent Film" and found a local connection: animator Geoff Marslett.
  • If you didn't read Marc Savlov's article on Austin microcinema in last week's Austin Chronicle, you may be missing info about some of the best "small" film series/fests in town.

Extra, Extra, So Read All About It

Almost A Wrap RWB by Jenn Brown.

Last week, director Simon Rumley's latest feature finished filming here in Austin. Red, White and Blue, touted as a "slacker revenge thriller," filmed in various locations around town, including one afternoon at local honky-tonk landmark The Broken Spoke.

A few weeks ago, Tim League, executive producer of the film and co-founder of the Alamo Drafthouse theaters, posted a call for extras to the Alamo blog and Twitter, with the promise of fun and standing around and drinking beer.

I've got friends in Vancouver who've been extras on a few films, and they were telling me to bring a book or two, it'll be boring. It'll take hours to shoot a single scene. Well, okay -- it took 3.5 hours from the time we were asked to be there, to "That's a wrap. Thanks, folks." Even if I had brought a book, I wouldn't have had a chance to look at it. We were too busy having fun. And it helped a local film, so even better.

Local Short Doc Wins at Barbara Jordan Media Awards

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BJ Medallion
The Austin-based creators of a short documentary film about children with dyslexia were honored at this year's Barbara Jordan Media Awards, held on June 12 in the new (still under construction) Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Changing Children's Lives director/co-producer Steve Mims, co-producer Patrick Peyton, and Alice Marsel, Director of Education at the Scottish Rite Learning Center, were honored as the "Special Contribution" award winners for 2008. The film was shot in Austin, and you can view a clip here. The short documentary reflects the experience of young children dealing with variations of dyslexia and the conditions of this learning disability.

After the jump, read more about the Barbara Jordan Media Awards, from the Office of the Governor's website:

DVD Review: Mississippi Chicken

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Mississippi Chicken

John Fiege's documentary about the Latin immigrant experience, Mississippi Chicken, has recently been released on DVD. The 2007 documentary, which served as Fiege's MFA thesis film in Radio-Television-Film at UT Austin, was nominated for a "Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You" Gotham Award. You may have seen it locally in 2007 at Austin Film Festival.

The Deep South is not a place most people associate with Latino workers, but apparently the poultry factories in Mississippi have been trying to entice immigrant workers for decades. In the 1990s, they even began to bus workers in from border towns. Mississippi Chicken evocatively puts real faces to the exploitations of South and Central American immigrants and the obstacles they face, whether they are legal residents or not. These are people who feel it's a step up to work for the money available at a poultry processing plant, and the plants want them because they'll work there at least for awhile.

Review: Not Forgotten

Not Forgotten

The summer movie season started last Friday, which means most screens will be showing Hollywood's blockbuster hopefuls. Smaller films have to fight for screens, and usually don't last much longer than a week or two. Still, it's possible to see these films locally. Austin is currently the test audience for an Anchor Bay theatrical release -- a thriller currently playing at Dobie that will expand to screens in Los Angeles and Phoenix later this month.

Director Brad Soref and Producer Donald Zuckerman brought Not Forgotten to Austin this weekend, including a special Austin Film Society screening with a Q&A, and at least one sold-out screening on a sunny Saturday when Pecan Street Festival and other summertime events were all competing with each other.

Not Forgotten is a twisted thriller that begins with unsettling images of a murder then cuts to an idyllic small-town softball game. Jack Bishop (Simon Baker, pictured above) is coaching his daughter's team, and everything looks close to postcard perfect. Even Jack's wife, Amaya (Paz Vega) has a great relationship with her stepdaughter, Toby (Chloe Moretz).

Salvage Vanguard Theater's Micro-Cinema

Salvage VanguardSalvage Vanguard Theater (2803 E. Manor Rd) is hosting screenings of local films over the next three nights, including work from Kat Candler and P.J. Raval.

Each night will have two screenings, with Jumping Off Bridges (which played SXSW 2006) at 7 pm, screening with Candler's short, Quarter to Noon. The 9 pm show will be "Fusion Shorts", including Polar Ops, and "a cinematic carousel of entertainment brought to you by the collaborative efforts of filmmaker P.J. Raval and artistic terrorist Paul Soileau."

Soileau will perform live with the films on Sunday night, with Candler doing live commentary on Monday. Tickets for one screening are only $5, and $8 for both bills.

Check the Salvage Vanguard Theater site for more information.

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