The Good Girl
The Good Girl 2002, R, 94 min. Directed by Miguel Arteta, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Jennifer Aniston, John C. Reilly, Jake Gyllenhaal, Zooey Deschanel, Tim Blake Nelson, Mike White, John Carroll Lynch, Deborah Rush. At first the flat vowels and empty yearning of the voiceover sound something like that of Linda Manz,…
Willie Nelson: Still Is Still Moving
Willie Nelson: Still Is Still Moving 2002, NR, 90 min. Directed by Steven Cantor, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . “This ain’t no picnic,” warn the promoters of Willie Nelson’s 10K race, mosey, and concert this Sunday. Sure nuff, because at picnics there ain’t no movies neither. World premieres, no less. After the…
Center for Young Cinema Summer Screening
Center for Young Cinema Summer Screening NR. Directed by Various, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . The program features the work by students, ages 11-18, enrolled in the two summer workshops at CYC. (For more info about the program see auschron.com/issues/dispatch/1999-11-12/screens_feature.html or www.cyc-austin.org.)
Nekromantik
Nekromantik 1987, NR, 75 min. Directed by Jörg Buttgereit, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Daktari Lorenz, Harald Lundt, Susa Kohlstedt. Some new corpses must have been unearthed and given rise to this new uncut print of Nekromantic, the notorious German gore film about necrophiliacs that mixes some comedy with the essential gross-outs.
Jailhouse Rock
Jailhouse Rock 1957, NR, 96 min. Directed by Richard Thorpe, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Elvis Presley, Judy Taylor. Elvis’ third movie is surely his best. He plays a guy vaguely like himself, who hits it big after learning to play music while in prison. Not only does this film have some of…
One-Armed Executioner
One-Armed Executioner 1983, R, 95 min. Directed by Bobby A. Suarez, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Jody Kay, Franco Guerrero. A Filipino man learns martial arts in order to avenge the murder of his wife and get some payback from the louse who cut off his arm.
Southern Comfort on SoCo
Lambert’s has the buzz, the location, the pedigree, and the menu to make some noise in Austin. But does it have MM Pack’s recommendation?
Phases and Stages
With Sonic Youth plowing their way across the nation on the steam of their earliest, most fearsome material, what better time for a retrospective on Rhys Chatham, one of the group’s biggest early influences? Chatham, a student of Tony Conrad, La Monte Young, and Morton Subotnick, created a series of dense, overdriven guitar symphonies that…
Naked City
The Austin chapter of the NAACP has created a memorial fund to help pay for the burial expenses for Sophia King, killed by an APD officer June 11 at the Rosewood Courts apartments. Nelson Linder of the NAACP has announced that any funds beyond those needed for burial expenses will be directed to the care…
Blue Crush
Blue Crush 2002, PG-13, 106 min. Directed by John Stockwell, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez, Sanoe Lake, Matthew Davis, Mika Boorem, Faizon Love. Same sport (surfing), same locale (Hawaii), same gender and attire (girls in bikinis). That’s about as close to Gidget as Blue Crush ever gets. In spirit…
Food-o-File
Virginia B. Wood sets the record straight on Rocco’s Grill and sets the town to stompin’ grapes this weekend in this week’s “Food-o-File.”
Internal Affairs
One night on adult trauma at Brackenridge
Naked City
The Lamar Boulevard pedestrian bridge opened for business just a little over a year ago, yet it’s already cracking. Though the crevasses appear to be cosmetic, the city has commissioned an outside engineer to check them out, said Public Works Project Manager Kalpana Sutaria. “They are sinkage cracks,” Sutaria said. “We are concerned.” The bridge…
The Kid Stays in the Picture
The Kid Stays in the Picture 2002, R, 93 min. Directed by Nanette Burstein, Brett Morgen, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . Say what you will about infamous Hollywood producer/shark Robert Evans: He makes terrific copy. His autobiography, upon which this film is based, was a tell-all, read-all maelstrom of back-stabbing, drug-taking, filmmaking…
Liquid Assets
Looking for great white wines under $10? You came to the right man: Wes Marshall and “Liquid Assets.”
Descent into Hell
The City Council kicked off its budget talks in earnest last week, with the least grim part of the FY2003 proposed budget — public safety — along with aviation, the Convention Center, and Solid Waste Services.
Capitol Chronicle
C.L.E.A.T. calls for a moratorium on political advertising; we call that pointless.
Spreading the Word
Six new roots act for roots Austin
Moldering Heights
More mold at AISD schools.
Austin @ Large: Austin at Large
It’s time to look more intelligently at economic development
Spreading the Word
Jane Bond Of all the new artists in Austin, Jane Bond’s music possesses the most original vision. She refers to it as “old-timey,” and while it has its roots in jazz, country, ragtime, and blues, it sounds fresh and totally free. Originally from Lexington, Mass., Bond moved to Austin some seven years ago. Born into…
Hinojosa Busted
Austin singer/songwriter Tish Hinojosa was arrested Aug. 6 at the Laredo border on a charge of conspiracy and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. According a report published in the Aug. 7 Laredo Morning Times, Hinojosa and her companion, Jason Miles of Colorado, were arrested by customs inspectors at the Gateway to…
The Hightower Report
Dubya plays corporate performer — but it’s just pretend; and Congress sells out its trade authority for cold, hard cash.
Erin Cone at the Wally Workman Gallery
“The figurative acrylics and oils of Austin’s Erin Cone reveal no specific flow of story; neither are they reproduced as visual elements of what the hipper literati like to call graphic novels. Cone’s portraits stand alone,” writes Wayne Alan Brenner. See Cone’s second annual exhibition at the Wally Workman Gallery during August, and be pleased…
Spreading the Word
The South Austin Jug Band The South Austin Jug Band formed from the ashes of a band local singer-songwriter James Hyland was using to play his songs. When he lost his bass player and drummer, he hooked up with stand-up bassist Will Dupuy and mandolin player Matt Slusher. After an all-night jam session, it “just…
Former APD Officer “Speaks”
Former Austin Police Officer Tim Enlow lashes out at the department’s renewed campaign to conquer drug dealing, prostitution, and other crimes in the Rundberg area neighborhood.
Confessions of a ‘Little House’ Lover
Bonnets and braids and pioneer lovin’: Christina Smith treks to the land of Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Second Helpings: Gourmet Takeout
Have the need to feed with a relative degree of speed? Erin Mosow takes you on a gourmet takeout tour in this week’s “Second Helpings.”
The MonkeyWrench Manifesto
Volunteers of America: If you’re feeling sinister, North Loop’s newest wants you.
Spreading the Word
Elizabeth McQueen & the Firebrands Can a band that plays tunes from the songbooks of Elvis Costello, George Jones, Banana Blender Surprise, and Robbie Fulks call themselves country? Singer-songwriter Elizabeth McQueen thinks so. Since she’s also one of them folks that moved to Austin without a job and without really knowing anybody, being bold may…
Kind of an Ally
Would Democratic state rep candidate Eric Freeman be willing to challenge Dell Computer to improve its efforts to recycle obsolete PCs? A supporter of Texas Campaign for the Environment recently sent an e-mail to Freeman, who would represent Dell as Dist. 52’s legislator, asking whether he endorsed the organization’s campaign for a transparent, enforceable program…
‘House’ward Bound: Essential ‘LHOP’ Sites
Pepin, Wis.: Where Laura was born and where Little House in the Big Woods is set; there’s a replicated house and museum. Independence, Kan.: Where the family first moved. They built a house, but the government made them leave it after they designated the land for the Indians; there’s a replicated house and museum. Walnut…
Printed Matters
Borders Across Borders: Just weeks after being added to the Sixth+Lamar development plan and thus posing some serious imminent danger to future neighbor BookPeople, Borders has announced that it will also be opening a store in scenic Logan, Utah, home of the 15-year-old, independently owned and operated Chapter Two Books. Although not right next door,…
Spreading the Word
The Weary Boys Anyone who has experienced the Weary Boys live already knows they are a band to be reckoned with. They perform with a wild abandon that is uncommon to any band, much less one that plays country on acoustic instruments. In fact, the Weary Boys play with a reckless spirit that’s the very…
I-35 Planning Not a Two-Way Street
To some East Austin residents, the Texas Dept. of Transportation is an Orwellian evil empire-like state agency that will pave over your house if not watched closely, despite the agency’s best efforts to put on a happy face.
‘Little House’ on the Backlot: A Conversation With Screenwriter Stephen Harrigan
A conversation with screenwriter Stephen Harrigan
Readings
B. Krigstein Volume 1by Greg Sadowski Fantagraphics, 272 pp., $49.95 I was 13 years old when I came across a stack of molding and coverless comic books in the backroom gloom of a secondhand bookshop in New Mexico. They stank of cat drizzle and had obviously seen the business end of the local vermin populace,…
Spreading the Word
Cave Catt Sammy There really isn’t much of a music scene in San Antonio. But the appearance of Cave Catt Sammy may change that. What started in 1997 as four high school buddies attempting to play rockabilly has matured into a pure rock & roll band with an international following. Speaking to them before a…
Naked City
The City Council won’t meet this week but will reconvene next Thursday, Aug. 22. The city inaugurated its new Office of the Police Monitor with an Aug. 13 open house and a seven-way ribbon cutting (shredding?) featuring Police Monitor Iris Jones, Mayor Gus Garcia, and other local luminaries. From Feb. 11 to Aug. 11 the…
Love Story
Brett Morgen and Nanette Burstein’s The Kid Stays in the Picture documents the larger-than-life story of Robert Evans, actor, producer, and “legendary cocksman.”
Page Two
So, here we are, a couple of weeks until September, great pennant races going on throughout both major leagues, and what are the sports headlines talking about? (Not in the Statesman, where they’re all about preseason foosball — I mean in real newspapers.) Why, the headlines are all about the upcoming baseball players’ strike, of…
Spreading the Word
Ruthie Foster The first thing anyone notices about Ruthie Foster is her voice. It seems too big and powerful to be coming from just one person. She uses it to maximum effect, too, in songs that are an extraordinary mix of blues, gospel, roots, and folk. What’s equally amazing is that she makes her music…
Naked City
The Save Our Springs Alliance may be tacking another claim onto its pending lawsuit against the city of Austin and Stratus Properties. SOS leader Bill Bunch says the City Council erred when it consolidated all of the Stratus proposals into a single vote, combining a contract agreement with several zoning cases. “The law prohibits contract…
Short Cuts
Back to school with Professor Mims
Mr. Smarty Pants
In Spain, folks call a city block “una manzana.” In Mexico, that’s an apple.According to William Safire, intelligence analysts have a technique to reveal a foreign government’s internal dissension called “walking back the cat.” Agents use what they know from the point of discovery to reveal who knew what prior to the point of discovery.There…
Dancing About Architecture
The strange border tale of Tish Hinojosa
Naked City
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, a name NPR listeners will surely recognize, has given a $2 million grant to UT to create the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, to promote press freedom and professionalism in Latin America, according to the university. Rosental Alves, a Latin American journalist and holder of…
TV Eye
Film actors take flight for the small screen.
After a Fashion
Stephen goes to a Mega bash and wonders if window dressings can be plagiarized.
Let Him Eat Cake
ST 37 is among the acts in the final lineup for Roky Erickson’s birthday benefit Sunday, Aug. 25 at the Mercury. The rest: Knife in the Water, LeeAnn Cameron, Coffee Sergeants, Primordial Undermind, 13th Floor Elevators contemporaries the Golden Dawn, Shawn Sahm & Dave Derrick, Jad Fair & Adult Rodeo, Winslow, and Spoon. Pong was…
Naked City
It’s a powerhouse tour de force! A superstar lineup! David Bernsen! Tom Ramsey! Sherry Boyles! Who? Okay, sometimes it’s easy to forget the down-ballot candidates, but they’re still running for important seats. Maybe the name Marty Akins rings a bell: He used to play football for the Longhorns, and earlier this campaign season was running…
Video Reviews
Bossa nova and an wonderful spin on a timeless Greek tragedy make Black Orpheus a keeper.
Day Trips
Turner Falls tumbles 77 feet down the dark red cliff into a large pool surrounded by sandy beaches and tall canyon walls. It’s a paradise tucked away in the rugged Arbuckle Mountains of South Central Oklahoma about an hour and a half north of Dallas/Fort Worth. When you get to the park a few miles…
Our Ears Are Burning
Another of our periodic excepts of what critics around the globe are saying about Texas music: Kelly Willis Easy (Rykodisc) “As Willis drapes her voice over the tough but funny lyrics [of a Kirsty MacColl cover], she neatly splits the difference between country-music sentimentality and straight-talking, singer-songwriter self-awareness. She sounds like the queen of the…
Naked City
The “Buy Stratus Land” campaign — the 11th-hour brainchild of Council Member Daryl Slusher — is getting off to a slow start. Slusher’s effort to raise an estimated $20 million to buy what is known as Tract 110 — a large swath of Stratus property along South MoPac — has thus far netted $60, according…
To Your Health
What are the safest non-prescription pain remedies and how do they work compared to the regular pain relievers?
Phases and Stages
YesIn a Word: Yes (1969-?) (Rhino/Elektra) In one form or another, Yes has existed for more than 30 years. With the arrival of In a Word, Rhino’s new 5-CD box set, one has to wonder: “How did that happen?” For sure, this is a band that’s had more lineup changes than most college football rosters,…
Naked City
Supporters of the Save Our Springs Ordinance rocked the house — and the water — last week in honor of the 10th anniversary of the citizen-driven law to protect water quality. The celebrations, including an Aug. 8 party at the Hard Rock Cafe and a daylong festival Aug. 11 at Barton Springs Pool, were bittersweet,…
About AIDS
Worldwide, AIDS and TB Drive Each Other What if someone said that there is a devastating disease that worldwide kills more people than AIDS and is as easy to catch as the flu? Indeed, one World Health Organization official called it “ebola with wings.” Well, there is: tuberculosis. The recent world AIDS conference was liberally…
Phases and Stages
RushVapor Trails (Anthem/Atlantic) The good news is Vapor Trails is Rush’s best album in a decade. The bad news is it’s still no Moving Pictures. Come to think of it, it may not even be Grace Under Pressure. Flame throwing middle-aged fortitude into the hammerlock intensity that marked Rush’s previous studio effort, 1996’s otherwise empty…
Naked City
On Aug. 6, city staff presented the City Council with the major recommendations of the 19-member Public Safety Task Force, which has spent the past five months reviewing the city’s strategies for protecting against and dealing with major emergencies. Consisting of law enforcement, health service professionals, and a host of other security-minded stakeholders, the task…
Coach’s Corner
Cedrick Trout (shudder) comes to dinner. But that’s not quite as big a joke as Major League Baseball’s idea of steroid testing.
Phases and Stages
Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Roadby Neil Peart ECW Press, 460pp., $19.95 Behavioral scientists have taken stressful events — good and bad — and ranked them. There’s no agreement on the precise order of such a list (is getting married or having a serious operation more stressful?), but death of a child and death…
Naked City
Last week, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, became the 112th co-sponsor of H.R. 1810, which would end congressional funding for the U.S. Army’s School of the Americas. The bill, the seventh such attempt to cut off funding to the School, was introduced by Massachusetts Democrat Jim McGovern last year, and is expected to reach the…
Murderous Maids
Murderous Maids 2000, NR, 94 min. Directed by Jean-Pierre Denis, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring François Levanthal, Isabelle Renauld, Julie-Marie Parmentier, Sylvie Testud. Over the decades, “L’affaire Papin” has provided rich source material for scores of writers, dramatists, psychologists, and social analysts. It occurred in Le Mans, France, in 1933, when two maids,…
