picture in picture

A writer certainly flexes different muscles when working on a novel versus script, so it makes sense that he'd have to tap different social skills to navigate the shark-infested waters of NY's publishing houses and L.A.'s movie biz. Three Austin writers will have something to say about that on Tuesday, Feb. 17, at a panel titled "Hollywood vs. New York: Three Writers' Perspectives," which is jointly presented by the LBJ Future Forum and the Texas Book Festival. Dishing on the panel will be screenwriter/novelists Stephen Harrigan (The Gates of the Alamo), Owen Egerton (Marshall Hollenzer Is Driving), and Shauna Cross (who adapted her own YA novel, Derby Girl into the film script Whip It! for Drew Barrymore). Sarah Bird moderates. The panel is open and free to the public, but registration is required. For more info on how to RSVP, go here. Read More | Comment »

Local art collective Austin Video Bee will celebrate the release of its second collection of thematically linked shorts, titled "2," on Feb. 19 at the Carousel Lounge (1110 E. 52nd St.) from 7:30pm to midnight. For this go-round, Bee members were asked to team up with a guest artist to make a video "loosely dealing with the theme of binaries, pairs, duplicates, twins or any other understanding of the number 2." The 12 videos kick off at 8:30pm; musical guest Cari Music goes on at 10:30pm. Check out AVB's blog here for more info. Stumped over what the heck AVB is? Check out this Chronicle profile from March '08. Read More | Comment »

How many Coraline's can one book spawn? At least one more than Henry Selick's stop-motion version currently dazzling critics and audiences alike. Word is out that a musical, off-Broadway version of Neil Gaiman's button-eyed book, created by, among others, snarky heartacher Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields, is well underway. From the site Film in Focus: "The Coraline musical has its roots in the relationship between Gaiman and Merritt, who first met over a decade ago. Merritt, the brilliant and prolific pop musician who is the mastermind behind the Magnetic Fields as well as a number of other cult bands, was introduced to Gaiman by mutual friend Chris Ewen, Merritt’s bandmate in the Future Bible Heroes, and from there a friendship grew. They shared a mutual admiration of each other's work, and Gaiman and Merritt began to look for opportunities to collaborate in the future." Color us intrigued and purchasing plane fare to NYC. Read More | 1 Comment »

Here's a twist on the old Zen brain-teaser: When a piece of office equipment falls in the city does it make a sound? The answer is a resounding yes if it it occurs in front of the Paramount Theatre just prior to the 10-year anniversary celebration of the release of Office Space, Mike Judge's hilarious send-up of cubicle culture. I couldn't see what was happening through the multi-ringed throng of people surrounding the sidewalk sacrifice, but the sound of smashing metal and punctured plastic was unmistakable. Co-sponsored by the Fantastic Fest and SXSW, the demolition was inspired by the hallmark scene in Office Space during which the principals maliciously violate a malfunctioning copier, the preshow event was a cathartic warmup to the evening. Inside the packed theatre, the audience cheered as each character appeared onscreen. The communal anticipatory laughter indicated just how frequently this DVD bestseller has been viewed at home. A bust during its commercial release, the DVD has gone on to become Fox's golden goose. The reasons for this still defy perfect explanation. The huge audience response certainly seemed revelatory to the 10 or so cast members (many of whom hadn't seen the film in 10 years), who reunited onstage after the screening. Among those in attendance were John C. McGinley, Stephen Root, Gary Cole, David Herman, Ajay Naidu, Diedrich Bader, Paul Wilson, and others. When asked during the Q&A if he would do anything different if he were to make the same film with the same budget today, Judge replied that the only thing different is that he would no longer be able to afford Scrubs star McGinley. Read More | 1 Comment »

Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, scored a big victory last session by finally getting cash for the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program (aka the film incentives.) The general feeling with the program's first two years is "good idea, needs some work," which is why she's back with House Bill 873 to fix the problems (see last issue's coverage here.) [UPDATE: Joe O'Connell has some interesting comments from the Texas Motion Picture Alliance in this week's issue.] It's not exactly what Texas Film Commission Director Bob Hudgins wants, but he's enthusiastic that the changes will have increased pay-off without selling the family silver (like a lot of people say Louisiana did.) The issue for Hudgins is that the current system works on total production budget, which requires the production accountant his office hired to go through every single receipt from every single production. He explained, "If this became a program about only wages, which the (original) bill started as, that's a lot easier than comparing total expenditure." It's not just a workload issue, but an accuracy question. "That's the fastest way to lose a program – to not live up to the rules," he said. So what exactly does the new bill propose? Read More | Comment »

Got a movie playing at SXSW? We'd love to get our meaty paws on a screener. Shoot us an e-mail at screens@austinchronicle.com and tell us all about it. Read More | Comment »

Various industry sources report that President Obama would like to address the nation three times this month. He’s calling a press conference on Monday, Feb. 9, will make a “brief appearance” on Feb. 16, and make a longer address on Feb. 24. It’s strongly presumed that the current economic climate is among the topics he would like to talk to the American public about. Because he wants to appear in prime time, broadcast networks are grumbling that “his economic stimulus package apparently does not extend to the TV networks.” The networks anticipate losing about nine million dollars in ad revenue, according to the Washington Post. Uhm….whatever happened to the airwaves belonging to the American public? Read More | Comment »

In case you haven't heard the news, a newly released audio tape of Christian Bale is making the rounds, and boy howdy is it a blast. Apparently unaware that his mic was hot, the already too-intense-for-his-own-good actor launched into a lengthy, epithet-laden outburst while on the set of Terminator: Salvation. The unfortunate target of his rage was DP Shane Hurlbut, who likely has some form of PTSD (that would be Post Terminator: Salvation Disorder), so vicious was Bale's harangue. Fittingly, however, the web has bitch-slapped Mr. American Psycho right back: musician and producer RevoLucian has remixed the verbal assault into a borderline addictive club track that's sure to be a floor-filler for at least another 72 hours, or until Mel Gibson finally breaks down and joins Hamas, whichever comes first. The mashup, dubbed "Bale Out", is available for listening on RevoLucian's Myspace page or as a free download via his Twitter. [audio-1] Read More | Comment »

We had a little bit of the Christmas morning feeling when the complete lineup for the South by Southwest Film Festival popped up in our in-box. Sure, the fest doesn’t kick off until March 13, but you might as well start planning now – you’ve got 108 features to choose from, not to mention a whole host of shorts and music videos. In addition to previously announced films like opening night comedy I Love You, Man (the cast of which – including Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, and Rashida Jones – will all be in attendance at the festival), SXSW 09 has some big-buzz films, like Spike Lee’s Passing Strange, Cary Fukunaga’s Sin Nombre, and the locally made Beeswax from Andrew Bujalski. You got return trips from SXSW alums Ry Russo-Young (You Won't Miss Me), Lynn Shelton (Humpday), and Alex Karpovsky (Trust Us, This Is All Made Up), plus you’ll-never-believe-this docs like Ben Steinbauer’s Winnebago Man and Michael Paul Stephenson’s Best Worst Movie (it’s Troll 2, in case you were wondering)… Not to mention the world premiere of Women in Trouble, written and directed by Sebastian “Snakes on a Muthafuckin’ Plane” Gutierrez. And that’s just off the top of our heads. Crazy long lineup after the jump. Read More | Comment »

The inductees, presenters, and emcee for the ninth annual Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards are now locked for the March 12th ceremony. Actor Billy Bob Thornton joins previously announced inductees Larry Hagman, Powers Boothe, and Catherine Hardwicke; new presenters include John Cusack, Dennis Quaid, and Keith Caradine. Thomas Haden Church will emcee the event, which will be held at the newly renovated Austin Studios. For more info, check out the Austin Film Society website. Press release after the jump. Read More | Comment »

First time home buyers in Austin looking for little assistance as they navigate the world of real estate – and don’t mind a camera or two peeking over your shoulder – are invited to be the next candidate on Property Virgins, the reality series on HGTV hosted by Sandra Rinomato. Eligible candidates will receive "five-star service from one of the best realtors in the business" (Rinomato), a crash course in real estate, several targeted home tours, investment advice, renovation tips, and help with negotiating the final deal. Candidates must be available for a five-day shoot. Apply online at propertyvirgins@nextfilms.ca or call 416-531-2500, ext. 675. Read More | 8 Comments »

For our money (what's left of it), there's nothing better for chasing away the old looming depression blues than a short, sharp, shock of the Marx Brothers. And there's no better showcase for Groucho, Chico, Harpo, and Zeppo's talents than Leo McCarey's genius Duck Soup, an absurdist epic of love, war, and the old mirror gag that never fails to make us feel – if only for a little while – that everything is going to be okay, sort of. This Wednesday night, The Alamo Drafthouse South is going a long way towards dispelling the current miasma of doom and gloom with this unmissable Duck Soup feast. Go. Be happy. And brother, could you spare your server a dime? Yes you can. Read More | Comment »

Whoa! Glad we stocked up on all those crates of ammo we found at Smitty's Gun 'n' Fun the other day. Remember, kids: Aim for the head. See it for yourself (and don't forget your 20-gauge) at the intersection of MLK and Lamar Streets. Read More | Comment »

aGLIFF's new site is cute, I just love an organization that makes its goals clear. And on the website today the fest announced its own election results, as the organization says goodbye to current board president Alisa Weldon (L Style G Style publisher) and hello to Calvin Williams. From today's press release:

Calvin, a fan of gay films since he saw two men kiss in Making Love when he was 17, has avidly supported aGLIFF as a festival participant since 1989 and jumped headfirst onto the board only one week before the 2006 festival. He is thrilled to channel his experience as an educator and administrator into his role as President of an organization that brings the LGBTQI community together through film.

Additionally, the board has a new member in Hey Homo! co-organizer Chivonn Anderson. All this newly elected blood makes us thirsty… er… excited? Read More | Comment »

Despite my plea to the ether that no filmic breaking news happen while I was on vacation, the ether went ahead and broke it anyway. Like yesterday's news that SXSW posterboy Joe Swanberg would world-premiere his latest, Alexander the Last, there in a unique twin-platform release with IFC Film's Festival Direct – meaning, as the curtain goes up on March 14 at a SXSW theatrical venue, Swanberg's film will be available on video-on-demand simultaneously.

Two additional SXSW '09 titles will be available on Festival Direct – Javor Gardev's Zift and Matthew Newton's Three Blind Mice – as well as two popular SXSW 08 premieres, Joe Maggio's Paper Covers Rock and Barry Jenkins' Medicine for Melancholy (which stars new Daily Show correspondent Wyatt Cenac).

IFC also announced its new genre sidebar, IFC Midnight, which will traffic in the scarier, sexier stuff common to midnight movies. The Texas-made Wild Man of Navidad, which played the 2008 Austin Film Festival, will be one of Midnight's first titles. Read More | Comment »

The collective of local video artists Austin Video Bee and aGLIFF are presenting a nationally touring night of queer video art. CHANNELING: An Invocation of Spectral Bodies and Queer Spirits happens this Saturday, January 24, 8:30-10:00pm at the Hideout Theater on Congress. (NoCo? I'm sorry I even thought that was a word. Vomit.) The Cockpit on San Jacinto will host the afterparty. Sounds spooky, no? It's supposed to. To wit:

The intent of the program is to re-imagine film and video as occult technologies that allow us to connect with the bodies, experiences, and emotions that are often invisible – ghostly, even – in everyday life.

Boo! (Um, Yay!) It's a veritable who's who in young queer video art. It's the best five dollars you'll spend all winter. Even better than that fiver you spent on those Obama panties. We know you've got them… we've got them too. Read More | Comment »

The current issue of The New Yorker has a superb article on the hard realities of marketing a big-budget studio film these days. It's written by Tad Friend and you can find it here. Depressing but true, the piece profiles Tim Palen, Lionsgate's "co-president of theatrical marketing," and it's the kind of info-crammed articulation of Tinseltown WTFery Friend does best. Good stuff to know, well-explicated, and thoroughly depressing for those of us who don't like "cheese," or at least not cheese that runs upwards of $20 million in marketing and ad costs alone. C'est la Brie. Read More | Comment »

Okay, so you've read the story, you've wept over the death of VHS, and now you're thinking of inviting the rest of Joy Division and Charles Band over for an impromptu necktie party, but wait! Hold up there, sad VHS persons (you Charles Band fans can by all means continue approaching cyanosis)! Our friends at Nakatomi, Inc. have come out with a dazzling T-shirt that'll not only provide you with instant tapehead street-cred but also doubles as a handy hanky (stop your sobbing, already), or, when all else fails, an E-Z-tear, DIY asphyxiation device. Not that it's ever going to come to that, mind you. Based on an idea by Zack Carlson and artistically executed by Justin Ishmael, we think it's better than sliced bread, but not quite as cool as Betamax or old Atari cartridges. But that's just us. Long live the old flesh! Read More | Comment »

Not to be left out of the inaugural fun (or ratings bonanza), ESPN Classic will be airing 10 hours of their Breaking Barriers program on Tuesday featuring groundbreaking African-American athletes such as Arthur Ashe, Jack Johnson, and Eddie Robinson. Today, MLK Day, they are airing seven hours of BB with programs devoted to Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, and others. As far as the actual inauguration goes, SportsCenter will present live coverage of President-elect Obama’s swearing-in ceremony with Jeremy Schaap reporting from the west front of the U.S. Capitol. Schaap will also be interviewing athletes in attendance. ESPN’s inauguration coverage will include “Realizing The Dream” vignettes in which athletes talk about what the election of Barack Obama means to them. The vignettes will air within ESPN studio programming and across platforms (ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, etc.). Sports figures participating include Magic Johnson, Tom Jackson, Paul Pierce, and Craig Robinson, the Oregon State head basketball coach and brother-in-law of Obama. See below for Tuesday's Breaking Barriers schedule … Read More | Comment »

Of all the vanished video stores in Austin's storied VHS culture, the one we miss the most has to be Pedazo Chunk, which opened in 2001 in a tiny (and boy do we mean tiny) space 2009 S. First St. across from Sinsations) before moving approximately thirty feet to the left and re-opening in a considerably larger space in June of 2004. Managed and owned throughout its short life span by Dannie Knowles and her beau José "Lobo" Ramirez, Pedazo Chunk was, simply, the shit. With its emphasis on then-obscure, Region-3 Asian DVDs, Spanish-language titles, and featuring a wealth of VHS treasure, Pedazo Chunk was the epitome of the neighborhood video store hangout. They had their own digital screening room, hosted regular parties for local filmmakers (among them a then-twelve-years-old Emily Hagins, of Zombie Girl: The Movie fame) and best of all, the store came complete with an enormous back deck, replete with Tiki torches, the comforting burbling of Bouldin Creek in the background, and plenty of film fans and luminaries -- Quentin Tarantino, Tim McCanlies, Elijah Wood -- lazing about, shooting the breeze, and arguing the merits of CGI vs. stop-motion. (Harryhausen's camp always won, natch.) It's gone now, no more than another in the increasingly lengthy list of Vanished Austin venues that includes Les Amis, Liberty Lunch, and Randy "Biscuit" Turner (whose art opening/wake was held at PD on Fri., August 16, 2005; it was so successful/happy/sad that the APD showed up to mourn and/or harass Big Boys fans). Pedazo Chunk, which ceased operations in 2006, was a major hub in our life as both Austinites and cinéastes. And it was a place where, to a much larger degree than elsewhere in Austin, VHS still ruled the hearts and minds of its clientele. Accordingly, we chatted up Dannie Knowles' older-but-not-cooler brother Harry in conjunction with our recent piece on Netflix vs. indie video stores. As usual, Harry came up with some spot-on observations. Here's a few of them.... Read More | Comment »