Special Screening

Oh, boy. I will be out of town for Father's Day (visiting my dad) or I would be first in line to see Fantastic Mr. Fox again and enjoy the mouth-watering feast that Alamo has planned. Yes, there are pate-filled doughnuts. YES, there are nutmeg ginger apple snaps. I hope someday they do this feast again because I am feeling so sad I can't be there. They do not mention whether you get your choice of cider or juice box, but the whole point is that one can be happy with either.

Weird Wednesday's selection this week is the 1974 Spanish film Grasp of the Lorelei, also known as When the Screaming Stops. Let's go to Lars for the play-by-play:

"These European sexy horror movies of the '70s were sort of like a gift from God: an endless supply of beautiful actresses, healthy portions of surrealism and kitsch, all sewn up with an audacious sense of style and color. Logic went out the window (good riddance) and kinky cinephilia was the order of the day. THE LORELEI'S GRASP takes place in one of those ubiquitous 'hot chicks only' boarding schools that seemed to pepper Europe in the '70s. Naked schoolgirls are being killed off at an alarming rate by a hideous beast with claws and green scales. The headmistress hires a greasy, polyester-clad macho man named Sigurd to track and kill the beast. Only the tiniest children and people with head injuries won't be able to figure out the identity of the monster. Could it be sexy Helga Line who wears a shiny green bikini and lives in an underground cave with her army of immortal bathing beauties? Yes. This movie has cheap gore, gratuitous nudity, great music, bad dubbing, and even a 'fear flasher' to warn unusually sensitive audience members of impending unpleasantness. In other words: this movie is better than a crack milkshake. Don't miss!"

Admission is $1, but it's best to buy tickets online for $2 in case the screening sells out.

Austin filmmaker Bryan Poyser will be in attendance for a three-night run of his latest feature, Lovers of Hate, at Alamo Ritz. The film was shot in Austin and in Park City, Utah, and debuted at Sundance before playing SXSW this year.

Lovers of Hate is a comedy about an aspiring novelist whose wife kicks him out and whose brother is a J.K. Rowling-esque successful children's book author. Chris Doubek, Heather Kafka and Alex Karpovsky star in the film. Bring the one you love and order a stiff drink -- Lovers of Hate is the perfect anti-date movie.

Austin filmmaker Bryan Poyser will be in attendance for a three-night run of his latest feature, Lovers of Hate, at Alamo Ritz. The film was shot in Austin and in Park City, Utah, and debuted at Sundance before playing SXSW this year.

Lovers of Hate is a comedy about an aspiring novelist whose wife kicks him out and whose brother is a J.K. Rowling-esque successful children's book author. Chris Doubek, Heather Kafka and Alex Karpovsky star in the film. Bring the one you love and order a stiff drink -- Lovers of Hate is the perfect anti-date movie.

Austin filmmaker Bryan Poyser will be in attendance for a three-night run of his latest feature, Lovers of Hate, at Alamo Ritz. The film was shot in Austin and in Park City, Utah, and debuted at Sundance before playing SXSW this year.

Lovers of Hate is a comedy about an aspiring novelist whose wife kicks him out and whose brother is a J.K. Rowling-esque successful children's book author. Chris Doubek, Heather Kafka and Alex Karpovsky star in the film. Bring the one you love and order a stiff drink -- Lovers of Hate is the perfect anti-date movie.

Why is Tinseltown South showing Annie Hall at midnight this weekend? Best not to question, just to enjoy one of Woody Allen's best comedies.

Why is Tinseltown South showing Annie Hall at midnight this weekend? Best not to question, just to enjoy one of Woody Allen's best comedies.

Local nonprofit organization Reel Women presents Lunafest, a national touring festival of award-winning short films by, for and about women. Reel Women has been the Austin host for 10 years. The event benefits Reel Women’s membership and education programs and the Breast Cancer Fund, which is dedicated to eliminating the environmental factors in breast cancer. The special screening takes place Thursday night at Picture Box Studio.

The program includes 10 award-winning short films selected from more than 600 submissions that made their way through a multi-stage judging process. The films shown at Lunafest embody a wide range of topics dealing with what it means to be a woman in the 21st century. Ranging from animated shorts to fictional drama, they cover topics such as women’s health, body image, spirituality, relationships, cultural diversity and breaking barriers.

The women behind these short films are inspirational -- be sure to check out the filmmakers' biographies on the main Lunafest website. From a young Australian woman fresh out of film school to director Courteney Cox, these women provide a special look at issues affecting women across the world. Visit the Reel Women Lunafest event page for more details about the films and filmmakers.

Austin filmmaker Bryan Poyser kicks off a local theatrical run of his latest feature, Lovers of Hate, with a benefit screening for the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund (TFPF). This is especially fitting because Poyser works for Austin Film Society as Director of Artist Services, and part of his job is promoting and administering the TFPF, which awards grants of money and services to Texas independent filmmakers.

Admission is $10 -- very affordable for a benefit screening. Poyser and other as-yet-unspecified cast and crew will be there for a Q&A.

Lovers of Hate is a comedy about an aspiring novelist whose wife kicks him out and whose brother is a J.K. Rowling-esque successful children's book author. Chris Doubek, Heather Kafka and Alex Karpovsky star in the film, which was shot in Austin and in Park City, Utah. The movie debuted at Sundance this year and also played SXSW. You can read my review for the details.

Before we had Crazy Heart, we had Robert Duvall starring in Bruce Bereford's 1983 film Tender Mercies. Written by Horton Foote, shot in Waxahachie and Palmer, Texas, with musical performances from Duvall.