You won't believe the number of special screenings and movie-related events in Austin this week, so let's just jump right into the list:
The Pedro Almodovar retrospective Viva Pedro finally hits Austin this week, at last, at the Arbor for a two-week run. Friday through Monday, you can catch Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and All About My Mother. Tuesday through Thursday, the theater is showing Talk to Her and The Flower of My Secret. The ones I'm looking forward to most are next Friday through Monday: Matador and Law of Desire, both of which feature a young Antonio Banderas. It's practically a whole film festival.
On Saturday night, you can enjoy a great movie with some special guests ... all for free. Movies in the Park is screening Rock 'n' Roll High School at Waterloo Park at dusk, and actress P.J. Soles will be there too. Also, The Mullens will perform before the movie.
Tonight, the Austin Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (aGLIFF) starts at the Arbor Theater and runs through Oct. 8, with a variety of films and parties scheduled. The opening-night films will be followed by a gala event down at City Hall. I'm covering the festival for Cinematical, so look for reviews and highlights over the next week.
Other special screenings and film-related events around Austin:
Indie films opening in Austin today include the documentary The U.S. Vs. John Lennon at the Dobie, and Edmond at Alamo Lake Creek.
Alamo's Saturday Morning Kids Club features a Joseph Losey film this month: the 1948 movie The Boy with Green Hair. Free admission to the Saturday noon screening at the South Lamar location, which might provide an interesting contrast with Austin Film Society's series on Losey.
If you missed the epic adventure film Beowulf & Grendel (pictured above) at Fantastic Fest, you can catch it at Alamo Downtown on Saturday afternoon and Sunday night.
The week-long Fantastic Fest started on Thursday night and it's difficult for those of us involved to remember that other film events and screenings are occurring all around Austin this week. But there are plenty of choices for Austinites who aren't interested in science-fiction or horror films ... especially if you like movies with a lot of music:
Indie/arthouse movies opening in Austin this week include the documentary The War Tapes at the Dobie, Time to Leave (pictured above) at the Dobie in collaboration with Austin Film Society, and Confetti at the Arbor.
The Project Greenlight horror film Feast (which played Fantastic Fest last year) will screen at midnight tonight and Saturday at Alamo Village and the Dobie.
This week's local film festival is Cinematexas, which focuses on short, experimental films. Celebrating its eleventh year, the festival hired its first-ever guest artistic director, Ed Halter. The Austin Chronicle recently ran a great interview with Halter about his work with Cinematexas; the festival runs from Wednesday through Sunday.
If you're not drawn to short films, Austin has other moviegoing options:
The AFS@ Dobie collaboration is back, in which indie/foreign films that missed Austin finally get a regular week-long run. This week's selection is the 2005 surrealist Czech feature Lunacy, which opens today at Dobie.
It may be the only theater in the country still showing the unpublicized Mike Judge film, but Alamo on South Lamar is keeping Idiocracy around for one more week, with regular showings every day until Thursday.
Alamo Downtown is showing the documentary Tales of the Rat Fink throughout the week: It'll screen Saturday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. The film, which focuses on the life and work of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, premiered earlier this year at SXSW.
In other parts of the world, people are gearing up for Toronto's big clambake, or those film festivals in Rome and Venice. Here in Austin, the fall film schedules are slowly being released and we couldn't be more excited. We don't even have to leave town! The next couple of months will bring a variety of festivals to central Texas:
Cinematexas, the renowned short film festival, runs from Sept. 20-24. This year's schedule hasn't yet been posted online.
Austin Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (aGLIFF) runs from Sept. 28-Oct. 8 and the schedule went live this week. If you want more details, you can attend the free aGLIFF Launch Party on Sunday at noon at Cafe Caffeine. The festival is also looking for volunteers.
The first Austin Polish Film Festival will run over four Thursdays in October. The festival's theme is "50 Years of Polish Films from the Lodz School."
Austin Film Festival runs Oct. 19-26. A schedule of films isn't available yet, but you can view a list of panelists who tentatively are set to attend the screenwriting conference. Sydney Pollack, Shane Black, and David Milch will receive awards this year during the festival.
You not only can see a variety of movies in Austin theaters this week, but also may stumble across one or two that are currently shooting on location here. Austinist has a handy list of films that have been filming or will film in Austin soon. Meanwhile, Austin Movie Blog explains that Red Apple cigarette billboard for those who aren't giant Quentin Tarantino fans.
Idiocracy opens in Austin theaters today, as well as in six or seven other cities. Here's a chance to see the Mike Judge movie, shot in Austin in 2004, before the rest of the country ... and either thumb your nose at them or warn them all away. The Quiet, shot in Austin with help from Burnt Orange Productions, also opens in town this week.
How can you tell it's Labor Day weekend in Austin? Because The Paramount is showing Gone with the Wind, as they have done every year in recent memory (probably since 1939). Bring a small pillow or blanket for the Sunday screenings, because four hours in The Paramount's seats can get a mite uncomfortable.
The buzz among Austin filmmakers this week is the announcement of the 2006 Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund winners, who will receive grants and/or materials to shoot, complete, or distribute their films. You can read a full list of recipients on the Austin Film Society site. The list is a kind of sneak preview of films you might see locally in the next year or two. While we're waiting for the TFPF winners' films, here are some of the special screenings in Austin this week.
Did anyone else grow up watching Escape to Witch Mountain a lot? I remember the 1975 film being shown on TV often and occasionally in theaters when I was growing up. If you want to relive the nostalgia of Tony and Tia and their special powers, you can see the film at the monthly Saturday Morning Kids Club at Alamo South Lamar this weekend. Admission is free.
The film we've all watched on TV multiple times, The Sound of Music, will screen at The Paramount on Saturday and Sunday. The theater has a digitally remastered 70mm print, so the singing nuns should look and sound more fabulous than ever. The Paramount is also showing Vertigo on Tuesday and Wednesday night, the ever-popular Baraka on Thursday and Saturday night, and Lawrence of Arabia in 70mm next Friday and Saturday night. (I guess they didn't read Chris Garcia's Austin American-Statesman column about overrated films that includes Vertigo and Lawrence of Arabia .)
Several new indie films have found their way to Austin this week: Lower City and The Oh in Ohio open at Dobie, while Jailbait plays at Arbor. In addition, the IMAX/3D version of Superman Returns will screen this week at the Texas State History Museum. If you want to see that trendy new movie with the reptiles on aircraft, Alamo Drafthouse is offering "Snakes on a Plate" as a special menu item.
H.P. Lovecraft's birthday is on Sunday. You can celebrate the horror author's special day with a film marathon at Alamo Downtown, which includes the silent film Call to Cthulhu, a Night Gallery episode called "Pickman's Model," a number of short films, and the made-for-HBO film Cast a Deadly Spell. What, no Re-Animator?
Irvine Welsh, author of the book Trainspotting, will attend a screening of the movie adaptation on Sunday night at Alamo Downtown. If you buy his latest book, admission to the movie is free.
This month, other cities around the U.S. are getting a taste of what Austin enjoys all year long: Alamo's Rolling Roadshow outdoor movie setup, which is travelling around the country with the Netflix Rolling Roadshow tour. Austin Chronicle writer Marjorie Baumgarten has a lovely, touching essay in this week's issue about her personal experiences watching Rolling Roadshow films at Monument Valley. Meanwhile, Austin still has a great lineup of special screenings and movie events.
The Sinus Show has picked an easy target to mock this month: Keanu Reeves on a surfboard. The Sinus guys will be adding their humorous commentary and skits to Point Break at Alamo Downtown on Friday and Saturday nights for the next three weeks.
The Paramount's Summer Film Classics offers a variety of films this week: Bye Bye Birdie and Giant (these are not a double-feature) on Saturday and Sunday, a French gangster double-feature of Touchez Pas Au Grisbi and Classe Tous Risques on Monday and Tuesday, and Black Orpheus on Wednesday. The Paramount has new or restored prints of most of these movies.
The fall festival season in Austin starts up soon: Cinematexas, Fantastic Fest, aGLIFF, Austin Film Festival, and other annual events I'm forgetting right now. But if you're thinking even further ahead, the SXSW 2007 site went live this week. You now can submit films and register for next year's film festival and conference in March. If you're planning to go, Matt Dentler wants to know who you'd like to see at the conference.
The Paramount's Summer Classic Film Series is going 70mm this weekend, with special screenings of Jacques Tati's Playtime and the cult classic It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World on Saturday and Sunday. On Tuesday night, you can catch a Henry Fonda double-feature of Mr. Roberts and Twelve Angry Men. And Wednesday and Thursday's double-bill focuses on "cool cops" -- Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry and Steve McQueen (sigh) in Bullitt.
A couple of independent films are opening in Austin for a regular run this week: Free Zone at Dobie (as part of the AFS@Dobie collaboration) and Who Killed the Electric Car? at Arbor. In fact, Arbor is hosting an electric car rally this weekend to promote the new documentary. Cars will be on display at the theater on Friday night and all day Saturday.
Because it's summertime, Austin has a number of kid-friendly film events this week ... and a few for adults, too.
The documentary Nobelity gets one last theatrical run in Austin, on Saturday and Sunday at the Arbor. Director Turk Pipkin will attend the 7 and 9 pm screenings on both evenings.
Deep Eddy Pool's Saturday night film is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. There's nothing like watching fire-breathing dragons from the comfort of a cool swimming pool.
It's the time of year when an overly air-conditioned theater sounds absolutely wonderful, even if the movie itself is mediocre. I'm not sure I'd want to see movies outside this week, even after dark, except for the ones at Deep Eddy Pool. However, an outdoor nighttime movie would then be a good excuse for lots of frosty beverages and maybe ice cream. If you're really lucky, you were able to score tickets to the sold-out Rolling Roadshow preview of The Descent this weekend at the cool Longhorn Caverns. If not, check out the other special screenings this week in Austin.
Deep Eddy Pool is showing movies you can watch from the comfort of the refreshingly cool water. On Saturday night, you can see Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit if you pay the usual pool admission.
The Paramount's Summer Movie Series continues with another week of comedies: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum on Sunday, a Blake Edwards double-feature of The Party and The Pink Panther on Sunday and Monday, a delightful George Cukor double-bill of The Women and Adam's Rib on Tuesday and Wednesday, and a Billy Wilder/Marilyn Monroe set of Some Like It Hot and The Seven-Year Itch on Thursday and Friday.
The thriller Cavite (above photo) plays at Dobie all week as part of the AFS@Dobie collaboration. John Pierson will attend tonight and Saturday night's screenings to discuss the distribution process; his producing class at UT helped secure distribution for Cavite. One student, Brian Clark, details the experience in this week's Austin Chronicle.
Tickets are going fast for Saturday night's screenings of A Scanner Darkly at Alamo South Lamar with composer Graham Reynolds in attendance, performing excerpts from the soundtrack before the film. The early show is sold out (we splurged and bought tickets online in advance).
The Paramount is focusing on musicals and comedies this week. You can see Guys and Dolls or a Mel Brooks double-feature of Young Frankenstein and 1968's The Producers on Saturday and Sunday. A Preston Sturges double on Monday and Wednesday features Hail, the Conquering Hero and The Miracle of Morgan's Creek. And next Thursday and Friday, you can enjoy two Ernst Lubitsch films, The Shop Around the Corner and Ninotchka.
Of course, the big Austin film buzz this week is about A Scanner Darkly, which opens today at Arbor. I'm waiting to see the film again until the July 15 screening at Alamo South Lamar, when composer Graham Reynolds will perform selections from the movie's soundtrack before the film. In the meantime, there are many other special screenings and events in town.
The AFS@Dobie collaboration is opening The Death of Mr. Lazarescu in Austin this week. Dobie is also opening The King today. And the Arbor theater is bringing the documentary The Heart of the Game to town for the first time.
The Goonies is playing Austin theaters again: this time at Alamo Lake Creek at midnight on Friday and Saturday and at noon on Saturday. Free Baby Ruth bars with admission.
It's a holiday weekend/week, and some of us wish that local theaters held more special screenings on our days off next week. However, theaters seem to assume that people want to do stuff outdoors on July 4, so many ongoing film series are on hold for the week. Alamo Downtown will be closed on Monday and Tuesday.
A few theaters are celebrating the Independence Day holiday. Alamo Lake Creek is showing Red Dawn on Tuesday night. The Paramount is showing vaguely patriotic-themed films all week: Sergeant York and Pride of the Yankees on Monday and Wednesday, and Patton on Thursday and Friday.
This week's AFS@Dobie collaborative screening is the film Lady Vengeance, which will play all week at the Dobie. Also opening at the Dobie today is Drawing Restraint 9.
The Movies in the Park series has moved to Round Rock this month, and Friday night's film is The Wizard of Oz. The movie starts at sundown at Old Settlers Park and admission is free.
