Linux Top Gun
Linux Top Gun NR. Directed by Various, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . Linux Top Gun is a computer competition taking place at the Alamo. There will be visuals and a DJ spinning records too.
The Magnificent Seven
The Magnificent Seven 1960, PG-13, 128 min. Directed by John Sturges, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Charles Bronson, Eli Wallach, Brad Dexter, Horst Buchholz, Robert Vaughn. The basic outline was adapted from Kurosawa’s classic Seven Samurai and made into an American Western by one of the great…
Voodoo Black Exorcist
A mummified priest comes to life aboard a cruise liner and decapitates people while pursuing his long-lost love.
Dream a Little Dream
Dream a Little Dream 1989, PG-13, 113 min. Directed by Marc Rocco, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Corey Haim, William McNamara, Harry Dean Stanton, Piper Laurie, Jason Robards, Meredith Salenger, Corey Feldman. The Alamo has the word of Corey Feldman that this body-swapping movie is his personal favorite among his entire oeuvre. Hard…
Jimmy Scott: If You Only Knew
Jimmy Scott: If You Only Knew 2002, NR, 76 min. Directed by Matthew Buzzell, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . This encore presentation of a SXSW Film Festival favorite is a documentary about the unique life of singer Jimmy Scott. Born with a hormonal malady that impeded his physical development, Scott has ironically…
The Polyester Prince Road Show 2003
The Polyester Prince Road Show 2003 NR. Directed by Various, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . The show is a traveling showcase of of Super-8 films by an international array of filmmakers. Also incorporated into the event are a variety of communal activities. Filmmakers represented include Jojo Hilsenrad (Jackson, Wyo.), Mike Ott (Los…
Larry V. Lockney
Larry V. Lockney 2002, NR, 57 min. Directed by Jim Schermbeck, Mark Birnbaum, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . Larry Tannahill, a farmer in a small West Texas community, just said no when the local school district instituted mandatory drug testing for all its students. He refused to sign the voluntary consent form…
The Magic of Flight
The Magic of Flight 1997, NR, 39 min. Directed by Greg MacGillivray, Narrated by Tom Selleck, Voices by , Starring . The large-screen movie starts off with magnificent shots of flying birds and the history of man’s early attempts to re-create their effortless flight. The concepts of thrust, gravity, and lift are ably demonstrated. Then…
Flicker No. 12: The Second Year Anniversary Show
Flicker No. 12: The Second Year Anniversary Show NR. Directed by Various, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . This bimonthly film festival showcases short films by local and national filmmakers who submit works via mail. This January screening celebrates the ongoing festival’s second year of operation in Austin. Flicker guarantees an array of…
Swept Away … by an Unusual Destiny in the Blue Sea of August
Swept Away … by an Unusual Destiny in the Blue Sea of August 1974, R, 116 min. Directed by Lina Wertmüller, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Mariangela Melato, Giancarlo Giannini. No, it’s not the much-ridiculed Madonna and Guy Ritchie remake that stalled in its tracks before making it to Austin – or much…
One Extreme to the Other
For every creative triumph in the Austin arts community in 2002 — and they were plentiful — there seemed to be a corresponding defeat, usually tied to the economic downturn and its problems for the arts community.
Tasting 2002
Claudia Alarcón’s Top 10 Dishes In no particular order (that would be too hard): Quesadillas at Taquería El Mesón: The homemade corn tortillas filled with huitlachoche (corn mushroom) or flor de calabaza (squash blossom) and melted cheese remind me of snacking in the markets of Mexico City. Dressed with a generous spoonful of Marisela Godinez’s…
Naked City
Quote of the Week: “The work is unglamorous, I realize. To some, it may seem like eating vegetables or doing chores.” — City Council candidate Brewster McCracken, telling supporters he’s willing to do the heavy lifting required of the next council. McCracken announced Dec. 22 that he’s running for the Place 5 seat currently held…
Top 10 Onstage Works of Wonder in 2002
Austin Chronicle Arts Editor Robert Faires delivers his list of the Top 10 most memorable productions in the performing arts for 2002.
Tasting 2002
Wes Marshall’s Top 10 Things to Happen to Austin’s Adult Beverage Admirers1. Great restaurants with lots of wines by the glass: An emerging trend during 2002 was huge lists of wine by the glass at great restaurants. Let’s hope everybody in town decides to play catch-up with Wink, Mezzaluna, Mirabelle, and Demi Epicurious, all of…
Naked City
It’s still Southwest Texas State University until at least 2005; the San Marcos school’s new president wants more time to consider SWT’s proposed name change to plain ol’ Texas State University. The idea was a pet project of former President Jerome Supple, who retired in August. Predictably, administrators, many current students, and the SWT athletic…
Most Memorable Theatrical Offerings That I Chanced to See in 2002
Austin Chronicle reviewer Barry Pineo delivers his list of the Top 10 most memorable moments in Austin theatre for 2002.
Tasting 2002
Rachel Feit’s Top 10 Local Restaurants to Take a 2-Year-Old 1. Marimount Cafeteria: There’s something for everyone at this home-style cafeteria. It’s fast, inexpensive, and your child will love the extra-plush highchairs. 2. Juan in a Million: Most 2-year-olds I know love beans, cheese, chips, and guacamole. This place is inexpensive, informal, and always full…
Naked City
The Austin Independent School District’s Cultural Connections to Teaching and Learning Task Force will hold a half-day community forum Saturday, Jan. 18, 8am-1pm, at Reagan High School. The CCTF initiative seeks to help AISD eliminate the “undeniable” achievement gap between students of different ethnicities. Dr. Margarita Espino Calderon of Johns Hopkins is the keynoter; breakout…
Articulations
Ridiculous Theatre Company’s Everett Quinton comes to Austin to do a “twisted” version of Oliver! for Zach, Ballet Austin gets in touch with New York, and honors for painter Michael Ray Charles and Austin Babtist Women.
Tasting 2002
Mick Vann’s Top 10 Restaurants1. Madam Mam’s Noodles and More (2514 Guadalupe, 472-8306): My favorite Austin restaurant, and it’s right across the street from my job! Thai food that equals or surpasses that found in the home country, large portions for little prices, and many home-style dishes not found on the standard Thai menus (and…
Naked City
The Houston Chronicle reported last week that just 48 wealthy Texas families provided more than half the campaign funds for the major Republican candidates this fall. The Dec. 22 report by R.G. Ratcliffe, based on an analysis of campaign finance filings with the Texas Ethics Commission, found that $34 million of the $64 million spent…
Atonement, Etc. — Top 10-plus, Special 2002 bonus edition
Books for which we confess our true feelings, reconsider our disdain, or finally find room: top 10-plus, 2002 edition …
Mad World
All around me are familiar faces Worn out places, worn out faces Bright and early for their daily races Going nowhere, going nowhere Damn that Donnie Darko. Escaping the recesses of Moria during the siege of SXSW 02, a broken-beaked cave troll fled north seeking asylum at a newly inhabited Village known as the Alamo…
Naked City
“It would be a stretch to try to put the image of Trent Lott on the newly designated speaker. I know Tom Craddick. I can’t say he’s a personal friend of mine, but I can say he’s no Trent Lott.” That was Houston Democratic Sen. Rodney Ellis’ ringing defense of House Speaker-to-be Tom Craddick, R-Midland,…
Readings
“To say that Kathy Hepinstall’s third novel demonstrates her accomplishment in the suspense genre doesn’t go far enough (previous books include The Absence of Nectar and The House of Gentle Men),” writes Tommi Ferguson of the author who will be at BookPeople on Tuesday, Jan. 7, at 7pm. “What distinguishes her fiction is the sincerity…
Critics Poll
BEST LOCAL SHOWGreg Beets: Pong/Masonic/Coco Candissi, Mercury Jim Caligiuri: Weary Boys CD release, Continental Club Michael Chamy: Fivehead, Hot Freaks Christopher Coletti: The Broke, the Vibe Christopher Gray: Coco Candissi, Privilege Raoul Hernandez: Okkervil River CD release, Emo’s Andy Langer: Patty Griffin, Stubb’s David Lynch: Terry Bozzio, One World Theatre Margaret Moser: Cornell Hurd’s anniversary…
Naked City
Vilification of the Villas on Guadalupe, the supersized, upscale student housing complex being built on the Drag, persists. Some neighbors speculate that utility repairs now underway near 29th and Guadalupe — a block north of the Villas — are being made specifically for the Villas’ benefit. Such suspicion has prompted calls to the office of…
Page Two
Our Top 10s give you another chance to laugh, and rail, at us; Republican dominance and a state budget crisis bode ill for government services, and for Austin; we bid a fond farewell to “Dancing About Architecture” and chart a new course, a bit.
Dancing About Architecture
The last installment of “Dancing About Architecture.”
Naked City
The official U.S. reason for its delay in sharing the complete Iraqi declaration on weapons of mass destruction was to prevent sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands. But according to reports in European papers, an unedited version of the declaration was leaked to a German newspaper — perhaps directly from Baghdad — and…
Letters at 3AM
In 2002, cinema has been the healthiest of our arts. The movies’ range and variety relieve what has otherwise been a bleak time for our culture and our Constitution.
The Hightower Report
An anonymous Congressman gives generously to Eli Lilly by sticking it to autistic children; and something stinks at the Pentagon — literally.
Mr. Smarty Pants
A gin and tonic appears to fluoresce under black light because of the tonic or quinine.Thermoacoustic refrigerators, which use sound waves to chill or freeze items, may finally reach consumers, thanks to scientists at Penn State University who have made them more efficient.Aboriginal people had a fiery dreamtime spirit called the Lighting Man who carried…
News Top 10s
STORY OF THE YEAR, 2002: The War On –: 2002 began with a war on Afghanistan, and 2003 is likely to begin with a war on Iraq. Somewhere in between proceeds a “war on terrorism,” although progress on that front — the official crusade of post-9/11 America — is a little bit cloudy. There are…
Short Cuts
Heaven Is a Place on Earth Dept.: After the hell-spawned Pandora’s Box o’ Funlessness that was 2001, this past year seemed a downright cakewalk, with all sorts of nifty film-related events jockeying for position on your PDA virtually every weekend. Sure, there were some bumps in the two-lane blacktop, like Regal Cinemas’ decision to shut…
Day Trips
“What is your favorite day trip?” the television show hostess asked me innocently. Little did she know the torrent of thoughts and memories that she turned loose behind my blank stare. “I have two favorite day trips,” I answered as if I had good sense. “The last trip I took and the next one that…
News Top 10s
Top 10 Members of the Future Council Club Some of these people may already be running by the time you read this. Some may never run. Some of them may throw things at us for putting them on this list. But all of their names come up whenever council races are discussed. 1. Robin Rather:…
TV Eye
TV Top 10s
After a Fashion
TOP 10 MOST REPREHENSIBLE STYLE DEVELOPMENTS OF 200210) Liza Minnelli’s Marriage Poor Liza. We know that this undoubtedly short-lived union will not have a happy ending. It’s just not in the cards for her. See you soon at Betty Ford. 9) Clip-On Hair It looks as tacky as it sounds. 8) Kelly & Jack Osbourne…
News Top 10s
Top 10 Ex-Members of the Future Council Club Of course, there are lots of people who will never serve in City Hall, but of people whose prospects have actually been floated in our presence, several names stand out on the not-a-chance list. 1. Max Nofziger: OK, “never again serve in City Hall.” Lightning doesn’t strike…
About Schmidt
About Schmidt 2002, R, 124 min. Directed by Alexander Payne, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Jack Nicholson, Hope Davis, Kathy Bates, Dermot Mulroney, Howard Hessman, June Squibb. At the age of 66, Warren Schmidt (Nicholson) is a man unprepared to face life’s ambiguities. As the movie opens, we see Schmidt alone in his…
To Your Health
What do “green drinks” provide in the way of nutrients, and are they any better than eating green vegetables?
News Top 10s
Top 10 Election night moments 1. Dept. of Wishful Thinking: At 10:15pm, Democratic hopeful Tony Sanchez told a cheering crowd of Democrats at the Hyatt, “This race is a long, long, long way from being over.” A few minutes earlier, incumbent Gov. Rick Perry had declared victory at the Convention Center, for the understandable reason…
Pinocchio
Pinocchio 2003, G, 108 min. Directed by Roberto Benigni, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Carlo Giuffrè, Mino Bellei, Kim Rossi Stuart, Max Cavallari, Peppe Barra. Rarely have I so longed for fondue forks to be plunged with feverish abandon into my eyes and ears, the better to enact stoppage…
About AIDS
The Senate Under Frist: Good News? The recent deposing of Trent Lott, R-Mississippi, as Senate majority leader, and the installation of Bush’s good friend, Bill Frist, R-Tennessee, was coolly accomplished — all without seeming to dirty White House hands. Sen. Frist certainly will be more dependable in serving the administration, but what does this portend…
News Top 10s
Top 10 Local Election moments 1. Driving through the mud: After riding the good government high road for most of the state Dist. 14 Senate campaign — he could certainly afford to — Republican challenger and Dellionaire Ben Bentzin swerved sharply into the gutter with a melodramatic COPS arrangement of Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos’ year-old drunk-driving…
25th Hour
25th Hour 2002, R, 132 min. Directed by Spike Lee, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Edward Norton, Rosario Dawson, Barry Pepper, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Brian Cox, Anna Paquin. As Woody Allen slides perilously close to irrelevance, Spike Lee has emerged as the quintessential New York filmmaker, using the microcosm of New York to…
Texas Top 10s
GREG BEETS1. Spoon, Kill the Moonlight (Merge) 2. Orange Mothers, Traditional Love (Jim Thunder) 3. Peglegasus, Learning Curve 4. ST 37, Down on Us (Emperor Jones) 5. The Tuna Helpers, Starring in the Suspicious Fish (Monkey Boy) 6. Independence: An Austin Sampler (Austin Music Community) 7. Bing Bang Boys, I’m Feelin’ Good (Rubinchik) 8. The…
Tasting 2002
The Austin Chronicle Food staff looks back at the year in food, 2002.
News Top 10s
Top 10 State Election Moments 1. They thought they were dreamboats, but the dinghy capsized: It seemed like a Dream Team at the time: Hispanic businessman Tony Sanchez, Anglo Capitol journeyman John Sharp, and charismatic African-American Mayor Ron Kirk would triangulate for governor, lieutenant governor, and U.S. senator and appeal to Texans across all demographic…
Tully
Tully 2000, NR, 102 min. Directed by Hilary Birmingham, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Catherine Kellner, Glenn Fitzgerald, Julianne Nicholson, Bob Burrus, Anson Mount. In a season packed to the gills with big, splashy seasonal offerings, it’s easy for the little movies to slip through the cracks. This one probably will, but it…
National Top 10s
GREG BEETS1. The Best Bootlegs in the World Ever 2. Interpol, Turn on the Bright Lights (Matador) 3. Beck, Sea Change (DGC) 4. David Cross, Shut Up You Fucking Baby! (Sub Pop) 5. Ramsay Midwood, Shoot Out at the OK Chinese Restaurant (Vanguard) 6. Imperial Teen, On (Merge) 7. The Sunshine Fix, Age of the…
Tasting 2002
Virginia B. Wood’s Top 10 Savory Bites1. Lamb Ribs at Gonzalez Food Market: Out of all the delicious Texas barbecue I tasted in preparation for the Southern Foodways Alliance Taste of Texas barbecue field trip last summer, Steve Lopez’s smoky, toothsome lamb ribs were the most outstanding bite of barbecue by far. 2. Roast Chicken…
News Top 10s
Top 10 Media Moments 1. They never spoke Spanish to us — until now: Although the immediate political effect was slim, the symbolic reverberations are immense — Tony Sanchez and Dan Morales took part in the first Spanish-language gubernatorial debate in Texas history. The GOP took nativist potshots, and even Morales crawfished (that’s Cajun-Tex for…
Chicago
This film adaptation doesn’t so much recall the glory days of movie musicals as give it a new, era-specific reason to wake up and shake its tail feather.
Top 10s of 2002
The Austin Chronicle film reviewers offer their end-of-the-year lists and combine their individual lists to reach a group Top 10.
Tasting 2002
V.B.W.’s Top 10 Sweet Bites 1. Pomegranate Sorbet at Demi Epicurious: Absolute puckery perfection; thinking about it still makes my mouth water. 2. Miles of Chocolate: A friend showed up on my porch one day with a chunk of Miles Compton’s decadent chocolate treat that’s a cross between a brownie and a truffle. I’m not…
News Top 10s
Top 10 Silver Linings to the Republican Takeover 1. Never a shortage of news. 2. It can’t get that much worse; then again, that’s what we thought about the stock market. 3. Trips out of state for abortion make for nice vacation opportunity. 4. Prayer back in schools, which will, of course, solve all our…
