Special Screenings

Editor's Note, June 11, 4:45 pm: I've just received word that the Bindlestiffs tour is being postponed, with new dates not yet finalized. I will keep you all posted, and am hoping we can still draw a name and give away tickets when a new date is set. I appreciate all of you who have posted such fascinating comments, and apologize for the delay.

When I saw Bindlestiffs at Dallas International Film Festival in April, I was appalled and offended. And now that it's coming back to Austin, I want to see it again. It's that kind of appalling. This is the first feature from Houston schoolmates Andrew Edison and Luke Loftin, who started working on this movie while they were in high school. They not only co-wrote the film but co-star as two of the three high-school boys whose weekend in the big city -- Houston, although it's not specified -- goes horribly awry.

The filmmakers are in their twenties now and taking their movie on a roadshow tour of the country. They're joined by Kevin Smith, whose SModcast Pictures picked up the movie for distribution earlier this year after its premiere at Slamdance, where it won an audience award. It's the first film SModcast Pictures is distributing, using a model similar to the way Smith distributed his movie Red State in 2011.

On Monday, June 18, Bindlestiffs will have two screenings at Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar with Edison, Lofton and Smith here participating in a Q&A afterward. I can tell you from Dallas IFF that Edison and Lofton can hold a very lively Q&A, and most of you know that Smith is a master at audience interaction. Tickets are now available online for the event. Three levels of tickets are available from $50 to $100 -- the higher-priced tickets also get you a pre-order of the movie on DVD. It looks like the 6 pm show is already selling out of the lowest-tier of tickets, so if you want to attend this event you should buy your tickets now.

Slackerwood has a pair of tickets to give away to the 7 pm screening of Bindlestiffs in Austin. After the jump, you can read the details about how to enter a drawing to get them yourself.

By Mike Fleming

Last week at the 29th Street Ballroom, Houston animator Kelly Sears screened some of her work for the latest installment of Experimental Response Cinema. The room, decorated with Seventies mansion kitsch and lit with an oversized disco ball, was a good match for an animation style that made use of found footage, discarded periodicals, books and archival images.

Sears showed a refreshingly varied selection of works that explored dilemmas like the desire to be connected with one another and the relationship between technology and privacy (Voice on the Line, 2010; The Drift, 2007), as well as what she describes as "the darker side of working out" (The Body Besieged, 2009).

Another piece, Once It Started It Could Not End Otherwise (2011), used images harvested from discarded yearbooks to tell a story about a high school in the middle of being consumed by some unknown force. The work, like most of her others, features an interwoven narrative detailing the drama that unfolds. While in some instances, the narration in her work is spoken, this piece features a written narration that allows more room for the ominous audio to augment her images.

By BethAnn Harper

It’s no secret that the film scene in Austin has taken off over the last couple of years. We are home to many interesting film festivals such as SXSW, Austin Film Festival, Fantastic Fest and Cine Las Americas. Starting this weekend, we will also be home to something a little different: the first annual ATX Television Festival. For those interested in a career in television -- or those who just love watching it -- this is the festival for you. Meet writers, creators, showrunners, directors, music supervisors and many other people that help make TV great. 

One of the best things about living in Austin is getting to attend some of the classic films that screen each summer at the Paramount Theatre. The full Paramount Summer Classic Film Series schedule has just been released, with movies screening at Stateside this year, too.

Here are some from the bunch I find worth noting:

• Pillow Talk (1959), pictured above, helps start the summer series off -- screening with the far more serious To Kill a Mockingbird. Although I've been a fan of classic movies since elementary school, it is only in recent years that my love and admiration for Doris Day has grown. This comedy, featuring Day as an interior designer forced to share a party line with playboy Rock Hudson, is now one of my favorite movies, and I can't wait to see it on the big screen! (9:35 Thurs, 5/24; 7 pm Fri, 5/25)
• An Affair to Remember (1957) -- Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, and pink champagne! If you love Sleepless in Seattle and haven't yet seen this drama (dramedy?) referenced throughout that '90s film, here's your chance. (7 pm Fri, 6/1)
• Hooray for a focus on female filmmakers! Films by Ida Lupino (Outrage), Amy Heckerling (Clueless), Claire Denis (35 Shots of Rum), and more are included in this short series screening Tues-Sun, 6/5-10.
• Ishtar (1987) -- One of the biggest box-office bombs, this road-trip comedy directed by Elaine May gets a bad rap. True, I've only seen it once, and that was years ago, but I enjoyed it. You just might, as well. (7 pm Tues, 6/12; 9 pm Weds, 6/13)

I waited too long to grab a ticket to the Sunday happy-hour discussion with director Whit Stillman hosted by Austin Film Festival, but happily made it into the screening of his new film, Damsels in Distress, the next night at the Alamo Village. The last time I watched a new movie of Stillman's was a videotape of The Last Days of Disco many moons ago, so I've eagerly awaited his next project. I think it was worth the wait, honestly (but let's not have such a long break between this and his next film!).

In Stillman's short intro before the film started, he said he knew folks had to get home by "ferry, bus or train" (obviously he's used to being in a city with more mass transit options!) so they should feel free to leave before the Q&A started. But he promised the audience that the ending of Damsels in Distress is the best part. Jette will have more on the film (which I loved!!) in her review later this week, but I wanted to share some of what I learned from the Q&A after the screening.

By Mario Hernandez

I had the opportunity to join the Austin Film Festival at their sold-out event for "Conversations in Film with Rob Thomas" on Wednesday, April 18 at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. For those unfamiliar with Thomas, do not get him confused with the lead musician for the band Matchbox Twenty because this Rob Thomas writes screenplays. He's the creator of the critically acclaimed television show Veronica Mars, and on Wednesday, he spoke about creating a television series from inception to completion using his series Party Down as a case study.

I was the first person to show up to the event at 6:20 pm. The AFF staff was still prepping their setup, but once they were ready, I checked in and formed a line for the event. I met a wonderful couple from Arkansas named Raven and Nathan, and our conversations about Hitchcock, Wes Craven and the Austin Film Society allowed time to pass while more people showed up to the event. The conversations carried over into the theatre where we took seats front and center, a treat since Rob Thomas would later stage himself 5 feet away from me on the stage for the Q&A, with the perfect view of his polka-dotted black-and-gray socks that I found amusing.

Initially, Party Down was a passion project for Thomas that was highly inspired by the British version of The Office. Through that program, Thomas saw the future of comedy.

The backstory to the development of Party Down as told by Thomas goes back to 1995 in our happening town of Austin, Texas. While visiting an Irish pub (that no longer exists) on Sixth Street, Thomas met Paul Rudd (post-Clueless fame) and Rudd's buddy Adam Scott. The Clueless actor and his friend were visiting from Houston where Paul Rudd was filming Locusts. They were in town to experience Austin with Thomas' help.

Years later, Rudd and Thomas reconnected through friends Dan Etheridge and John Enbom for Veronica Mars. After various brainstorming sessions, the friends created an idea for a show about people who are chasing the dream for too long. The idea became the premise for Party Down, which is based on waiters in Los Angeles, an occupation populated heavily with aspiring actors, musicians, and the like.

I don't remember when I first watched Cinema Paradiso but the memory of that loving embrace of a sentimental story propelled me to finally attend a Chef du Cinema class with Austin Film Society member and friend Ron Deutsch. The movie washed over me again just like the warm eggplant fritters served on a swirl of tangy marinara that kicked off the meal, along with a few sips of tempranillo from the Central Market Cooking School stash.

As Ron disclaimed before we walked in the door, the setting isn't a good one for anyone who values the darkened, silent theatrical experience but if you are willing to compromise for the addition of a cooking demonstration, you will be rewarded with a lovely meal while you enjoy the movie.

I had forgotten my favorite part of the film -- the movie reel of kisses and sexy bits. What an astonishingly wonderful detail of a time in movie history that was gone years before I was even born. It's amazing how our history is remembered by movies and food.

Ron's program notes are extensive on both the history of the film and the food. His travels to Italy had inspired the menu, and his meticulous research leaves me wondering how many hours of prep he spends on these monthly classes (he posts recipes so you can make your own "dinner and a movie" night).

I picked up some tips to use in the kitchen. I've been skeptical about the idea that citrus "cooks" seafood, a la ceviche, but I learned that it is indeed a good way to prep fresh fish. The citrus-marinated swordfish over arugula with orange slices (including a special knife technique for juicy segments) was my favorite course. I've been on a restricted diet all week so it matched my eating goals.

If you're looking for something to do this weekend, the Paramount Theatre will host the annual two-night event of the travelling Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour. In their own words, the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour brings Banff to audiences around the globe. Each year, a selection of the best films goes on tour across Canada, the US and internationally travelling to 32 countries at over 635 screenings.

Saturday night at 8 pm, National Geographic presents the Radical Reels Tour, a selection of the most high-adrenaline sport films. On Sunday at 6 pm, National Geographic, The North Face and Parks Canada present The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, which includes inspiring action, environmental and adventure films from the festival. Both presentations are brought to you by Whole Earth Provision Company.

February brings us a new film from Japan's Studio Ghibli, internationally known for its animated movies. The Secret World of Arrietty will open in Austin on Feb. 17. But that's not the only treat for Ghibli fans in Austin. Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar will host a Studio Ghibli Retrospective starting later this week and running through early May (with a break for SXSW). The series features new 35mm prints of nine animated films, all subtitled, seven of which are directed by Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki. Each movie will screen once a night for a week-long period.

Here's a list of the films being screened and dates:

• Spirited Away (2001), Feb. 10-16 [tickets/info] -- The Academy Award winner for Best Animated Film follows a young girl in her adventure in a spirit world populated by masked wraiths, a witch with a huge head, a big baby and more.
• Castle in the Sky (1986), Feb. 17-23 [tickets/info] -- I haven't seen this one, but it seems this movie tells the story of a flying city named Laputa, a boy and a girl searching for it, and involves a glowing crystal and sky pirates. 

Just in time to break up the dark days of winter -- which in Austin apparently means 70 degrees and sunny, not that I'm complaining at all -- the Paramount Theatre is screening some classic and new funny movies in its Winter Comedy Series this month. The films range from Will Ferrell vehicles to Richard Pryor stand-up; Woody Allen to Eddie Murphy; and a certain locally shot favorite. The week-long series runs from January 22-29.

The movies are being shown in double features, and one ticket can get you into both films in one night. If you have a Paramount Film Fan membership, you can get a discount on ticket prices, online or at the box office.

The lineup is detailed below.