The Iceman Cometh
The Iceman Cometh 1973, PG, 239 min. Directed by John Frankenheimer, Starring Lee Marvin, Frederic March, Robert Ryan, Jeff Bridges, Martyn Green, Moses Gunn, Bradford Dillman, Evans Evans. This famous traveling film series was sold by subscription in the Seventies and was dedicated to films made from great American plays and also starred some of…
The Killers
The Killers 1946, NR, 105 min. Directed by Robert Siodmak, Starring Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmond O’Brien, Albert Dekker, Sam Levene. Developed from an Ernest Hemingway short story, Robert Siodmak’s film noir classic The Killers (not to be confused with Don Siegel’s also wonderful 1964 version of The Killers, co-starring Ronald Reagan in his final…
Exhibitionism
The SilverStar Theater Group production of Fame — the Musical can’t rise above the triteness of the script, but its rewards are multitudinous, with some energetic, and truly talented, young people as well.
Making the Grade
Ventana11400 Burnet Road #2100, 339-3850 Tuesday-Friday, 11am-1:30pm, 5:30-8pm Here’s a great idea. When advanced students at the Texas Culinary Academy take their haute-cuisine lab course, they can work in a bona fide restaurant. Located right on the TCA campus, Ventana is both a classroom and a true fine-dining restaurant, complete with tablecloths, silverware, nice crystal,…
Naked City
Quote of the Week: “There’s a reason why the Bible called them eunuchs and why they were guarding the harem. Let me put it that way.” — The inimitable Rep. Robert Talton, R-Pasadena, speaking in favor of his HB 679, promoting the castration of imprisoned sex offenders. Borders Group Inc. announced Wednesday that it’s bailing…
The Hightower Report
French’s Mustard ain’t French — or American; and a traveler wonders what country he’s in.
Exhibitionism
Hearing clarinetist Richard Stoltzman and pianist Emanuel Ax at Bass Concert Hall is like watching chess at Memorial Stadium, but the seasoned musicians still managed to dazzle with their virtuosity and plant music in your head that could lure you into a speeding ticket on the way home.
Food-o-File
Virginia B. Wood shares her considerable files on food with you lucky folks.
Naked City
Travis Co. prosecutors will seek to try 16-year-old Marcus McTear as an adult for the March 28 stabbing death of 15-year-old Ortralla Mosely in a stairwell at Reagan High School. Pretrial hearings in the case begin in juvenile court on May 29. If District Judge Jeanne Meurer decides to certify McTear as an adult, his…
American Movie
What to see at the sixth annual Cine Las Americas.
Rise and Shine
The quiet and uncalculated approach of John McManus
Liquid Assets
World-class white wine — from Texas!
Naked City
As predicted, Farmers Insurance has taken its ongoing battle with “Mold Queen” Melinda Ballard to the Texas Supreme Court. Farmers’ brief, filed on April 22, challenges the 3rd Court of Appeals’ award of $4 million in damages to Ballard, even though the appeals court had dramatically cut Ballard’s original $32 million judgment in her suit…
All Over the Map
The “thoughtful production, informed consumption” of the Taos Talking Picture Festival
WILL@epicqwest.com
SWT creative writing director Tom Grimes’ new novel: an excerpt
This Is Electroclash
Eighties retro-synth bands like the Faint, Fischerspooner, and Austin’s This Microwave World prove that the best way to move forward is to look back first.
Naked City
Both Gov. Rick Perry and Lege leaders began to concede last week that reforming the Texas school-finance system would likely require a special session. Since most Texas school districts benefit from the current “Robin Hood” system of recapture payments, it’s awkward for lawmakers, even Republicans, to readily endorse the growing determination of wealthy districts to…
Short Cuts
Dobie goes digital, understanding Sikhism, and Tom Copeland celebrates two decades at the Texas Film Commission.
Also This Week…
Borders Books & Music has withdrawn as a prospective tenant from the Schlosser Sixth + Lamar Development. For the reasons why, turn back to p.32… Social/literary critic and UT professor Ann Cvetkovich (An Archive of Feelings: Trauma, Sexuality, and Lesbian Public Culture, Duke University Press) will be at Book Woman on Friday at 7pm… At…
The Pleasure Principle
Local bands find the dance-driven heart underneath post-punk’s industrial pall
Naked City
The 17th annual Heman Sweatt Symposium on Civil Rights at UT explores “Progression vs. Regression,” the effect hip-hop culture is having on American society, and how this generation views civil rights. The symposium began Wednesday and continues tonight (Thursday), 6-8pm, at the UT Law School’s Francis Auditorium, with a panel discussion featuring UT professor Craig…
TV Eye
Films in Complicated Women — TCM’s new festival of precode pictures — feature many legendary actresses in film history: Greta Garbo, Norma Shearer, Jean Harlow, Barbara Stanwyck, Marlene Dietrich, Bette Davis, and others.
Take Me, Instead
An interview with SWT’s Arturo Mancha, whose novel in progress was a recent break-in casualty
Phases and Stages
Bob DylanThe Backyard, April 19-20 Common knowledge asserts that the least of a dragon’s worries is liver cancer. It was with great confidence, then, that while witnessing a bristling, occasionally raging Bob Dylan on Easter weekend, I waved off any online rumors of 2003 being a chemo-ravaged End to the Neverending Tour. Sure, the sixtysomething…
Naked City
The Legislature may consider congressional redistricting this session — and then again, it may not. As Naked City reported last week, U.S. Rep. Tom “The Hammer” DeLay, R-Sugar Land, has been twisting Texas Capitol arms to redraw the congressional map in order to send more Republicans to D.C. Texas House Redistricting Committee Chair Joe Crabb,…
All the Real Girls
All the Real Girls 2003, R, 108 min. Directed by David Gordon Green, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Paul Schneider, Zooey Deschanel, Patricia Clarkson, Benjamin Mouton, Maurice Compte, Danny McBride, Shea Wingham. There’s a Silver Jews song called “Inside the Golden Days of Missing You” that laments the twin states of getting over…
Readings
Maria Hong reviews Anne Carson’s translation of Sappho.
Phases and Stages
WireSend (Pink Flag) This is no fat, bloated reunion. This is Wire, the first band labeled “post-punk” and probably still the best. Their herky-jerky sound has always kept listeners on edge, and time has not blunted that edge one iota. Last year, the London quartet self-released a pair of sizzling EPs, Read & Burn 01…
Naked City
On April 21, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it will indeed review the case of Texas death row inmate Delma Banks Jr., whose 1980 trial is widely believed to have been tainted by prosecutorial misconduct and ineffective defense counsel. “We are delighted with the news,” said Banks’ attorney George Kendall of the NAACP Legal Defense…
Identity
Identity 2003, R, 90 min. Directed by James Mangold, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, Clea DuVall, John Hawkes, William Lee Scott, John C. McGinley, Rebecca De Mornay, Jake Busey, Alfred Molina, Bret Loehr. I had a dream a while back – not the one with Vanessa Paradis…
Readings
Margaret Moser reviews Rosalind Miles’ take on Tristan and Isolde.
Phases and Stages
Yeah Yeah YeahsFever to Tell (Interscope) Who needs White Stripes when you can have red welts, the kind left by Karen O’s whippoorwill shriek down the back of her “Man” (“I got a man who makes me wanna kill …”)? That same banshee wail is glimpsed on the slap-down grind of its predecessor, “Date With…
Naked City
In a hearing that was practically over before it began, District Judge John Dietz ruled April 17 that discovery can proceed in officer Jeff White’s whistle-blower lawsuit against the Austin Police Dept. Dietz denied the city’s requests both to dismiss White’s suit and to prevent White’s attorney Donald Feare from deposing city-hired attorney Lowell Denton.…
The Real Cancun
The Real Cancun 2003, R, 97 min. Directed by Rick De Oliveira, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . New Line wins the race to become the first company to transfer the TV reality-show craze to the movie theatres. Rest assured, there are plenty of these projects in the works (New Line has already…
Readings
Tom Doyal reviews John Irsfeld’s latest collection.
Phases and Stages
EvanescenceFallen (Wind-Up) Hailing from the unlikely locale of Little Rock, Ark., Evanescence gives standard radio alt-metal a Gothic twist. It comes from 21-year-old Amy Lee, whose haunted, operatic vocals fall somewhere between Sarah McLachlan and Tori Amos and lend an otherworldly cast to the group’s hyperconfessional lyrics. Musically, the tableau is equally bleak, Ben Moody’s…
Naked City
At Monday night’s meeting of the Austin ISD board of trustees, President Doyle Valdez announced the formation of a Reagan High School Safety Review Team, charged with reviewing policies and procedures at Reagan to determine whether violence at the school is “beyond what exists at similarly situated campuses both locally and nationally.” Further, the team…
Confidence
Confidence 2003, R, 98 min. Directed by James Foley, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Edward Burns, Dustin Hoffman, Rachel Weisz, Andy Garcia, Paul Giamatti, Donal Logue, Luis Guzmán, Brian Van Holt. Confidence is the bastard child of so many con capers, from The Sting to The Usual Suspects to Heist, and never is…
Second Helpings: Catfish
“Second Helpings” offers tasty, bite-sized restaurant listings compiled from new and previous reviews, guides, and poll results. This week’s entries were updated by Erin Mosow. For quick, reliable info about Austin eateries, check here. Catfish Parlour 4705 E. Ben White, 443-1698 Daily, 11am-10pm 11910 Research, 258-1853 Monday-Saturday, 11am-10pm These two large, informal fish houses have…
Page Two
Songs of democracy in distress
Phases and Stages
Ben HarperDiamonds on the Inside (Virgin) Four years since his last studio album, Ben Harper re-emerges in a world dominated by the likes of John Mayer and Jack Johnson, guitar virtuosos borrowing from his acoustic-based formula. Maybe Harper should be worried, but he doesn’t sound all that concerned with anything — including good songs –…
Naked City
Many residents of North Central Austin’s Crestview neighborhood are acutely aware that April is Alcohol Awareness Month, due to the amount of liquor flowing through their ‘hood. Recently, area residents were outraged when the City Council approved on first reading a rezoning that permits a new liquor store in their neighborhood at 7600 N. Lamar,…
Better Luck Tomorrow
Better Luck Tomorrow 2002, R, 101 min. Directed by Justin Lin, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Parry Shen, Jason Tobin, Sung Kang, Roger Fan, John Cho, Karin Anna Cheung. As it so often is in the hyperreal world of high school academics, it’s not the lazy stoners drifting around the auto-shop classes that…
TCB
Austin wonders if Billy Bob Thornton will hop onstage with Tori Amos.
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
In the film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, a pod from the Discovery (the ship from 2001: A Space Odyssey that goes to Jupiter) can be seen behind Qui-Gon in Watto’s junkyard.There is a bagpipe-and-drum band in Oman that plays while riding camels.The Gerontology Research Group keeps an up-to-date list of all supercentenarians…
Phases and Stages
David OlneyThe Wheel (Loudhouse) David Olney wasn’t born in the South, but he got there as soon as he could and now carries a suitcase of lyrics and melodies stunningly realized on The Wheel’s 15 tracks. Olney’s writing is merciless on a song cycle that’s at once infinite and closed. “Wheels” calls the album to…
Naked City
Are cyclists and pedestrians taking a back seat to motorists in the Envision Central Texas regional planning process, currently under way? Texas Bicycle Coalition Legislative Director Robin Stallings, himself a member of the ECT board, says the transportation modeling conducted thus far hasn’t sufficiently weighed the costs and benefits of increasing the number of pedestrians…
It Runs in the Family
It Runs in the Family 2003, PG-13, 109 min. Directed by Fred Schepisi, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Michael Douglas, Kirk Douglas, Cameron Douglas, Diana Douglas, Bernadette Peters, Rory Culkin. There’s so much affection onscreen between the Douglas clan – father Kirk, mother and ex-wife Diana, son Michael, grandson Cameron – that it’s…
Speaking of Dance
The difficulty of describing dance inspires choreographer Kathy Dunn Hamrick to create an ingenious 30-minute dance out of phrases from dance reviews.
After a Fashion
FX TO THE MAX Thank god Maximum FX came to my aid right before SXSW, rescuing me from complete oblivion by giving me shockingly stylish new hair. I was so bored with blond that it became a crisis situation, and I was afraid I’d melt into the woodwork. Faced with a slew of events in…
How Can Wynn Lose?
The mayoral odds are with Wynn, but could a run-off be a race?
Naked City
On April 22 the House Committee on Corrections considered HB 2929, by Rep. Glenn Lewis, D-Fort Worth, which would mandate that an inmate’s mental health be timely assessed when booked into jail. These assessments would take place at each level of the corrections system — Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice penitentiaries, state jail facilities, and…
Crank Up the Machine!
When Austin Symphony conductor Peter Bay leads the UT New Music Ensemble in a performance of George Antheil’s Ballet mécanique, he’ll not only be giving the 1920s work its Austin premiere, he’ll be reviving the notorious masterpiece of one of the true bad boys of music.
To Your Health
Is coral calcium really better than other calcium sources?
Mayoral Candidates
Brief profiles of the 2003 mayoral candidates
Naked City
This week’s hot date on the candidate-forum circuit was probably the Warehouse District confab Tuesday afternoon in the basement at Trulucks, where Max Nofziger, Marc Katz, and Brad Meltzer all used Will Wynn as a scratching post. Of keen interest to the club, bar, and restaurant owners (not all from the district) in attendance: the…
Piece of Work
The materials that make up Shellife are commonplace, likely to be found in any thriving household: eggshells, a white ceramic bowl, tulle, a small wood table, fabric. Yet the way artist Regina Vater has placed them together elevates them from everyday to shrinelike, allowing the installation to strike a spiritual chord.
About AIDS
Project Transitions is currently seeking volunteers for its eighth annual Texas Swing on Friday, June 6. Come kick up your heels in support of individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS while enjoying live music by Alvin Crow, excellent barbecue, and an amazing silent auction. Volunteers are needed throughout Friday, to help set up and decorate…
Borders Backs Out
A setback for Sixth + Lamar, a victory for keeping Austin weird
Capitol Chronicle
This year’s House budget debate reads suspiciously like Catch-22.
Articulations
Two arts institutions end their runs: the iron belly muses theatre company and the South Congress visual arts venue Gallery 1313.
Making the Grade
Rachel Feit and Wes Marshall are on campus at the Bleu River Grille and Ventana, the Texas Culinary Academy’s training restaurants.
Barton Springs Reopens, With Great Pleasure
The Statesman-spawned toxics crisis is finally over, but threats to Austin water quality remain.
Austin @ Large: Austin at Large
For mayoral candidates, the rubber has yet to meet the road (or rail).
Exhibitionism
In The Black Tower, the experimental performance company ethos creates another theatrical museum through which audiences may examine living dioramas populated by Greek gods engaged in struggles with each other as old as the human race.
Making the Grade
Bleu River Grille11400 Burnet Rd. #2100, 339-3841 Tuesday-Saturday, 6-9:30am, 11am-3:30pm, 5-8pm Located next to the IBM campus in North Austin, the Bleu River Grille might just be the best place in town to spy on computer geeks or, alternately, to gawk at the culinary students themselves. The Bleu River Grille is not only staffed by…
Lies, Damn Lies, and Polls
As the Texas Senate holds fire on HB 4, various interest groups for and against tort reform have been busy with letter-writing campaigns, ads, and polls. On April 16, the Quorum Report featured a poll by Allyn & Company conducted on behalf of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, which opposes HB 4. Allyn polled 1,200…
On the Lege
Sen. Bill Ratliff’s committee shows what good government looks like as it takes up controversial HB 4.
