The Warriors
The Warriors 1979, R, 90 min. D: Walter Hill; with Michael Beck, James Remar, Thomas Waites. Walter Hill’s visually riveting tale about gangland warfare in New York City unfolds like a violent, comic-book Western. Gang colors, desolate streets and subway platforms, and graffiti-emblazoned backgrounds create penetrating images of boroughs gone berserk with block-by-block warfare.
Butcher Baker Nightmare Maker
Butcher Baker Nightmare Maker 1981, R, 96 min. Directed by William Asher, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Jimmy McNichol, Bo Svenson, Susan Tyrell, Julia Duffy, Marcia Lewis, Bill Paxton. Also known as Night Warning, this little known picture stars Susan Tyrell as the sexually repressed harridan/legal guardian of bullied Jimmy MacNichol. The film…
Twentieth Century
Twentieth Century 1934, NR, 91 min. Directed by Howard Hawks, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Carole Lombard, John Barrymore, Walter Connolly, Roscoe Karnes. The great Barrymore. The scion that went to seed – the baby – the brightest of them all. Born Valentine’s Day, 1882, Philadelphia, where his mother’s family, the Drews (Drew…
The Beaver Trilogy
The Beaver Trilogy 2000, NR, 83 min. Directed by Trent Harris, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Crispin Glover, Sean Penn, Groovin’ Gary. Nearly 20 years in the making, The Beaver Trilogy documents one small-town dreamer’s makeover as Olivia Newton-John. Other segments offer inspired takeoffs on this drag dreamer by actors Sean Penn and…
The Children We Sacrifice
The Children We Sacrifice NR. Directed by Grace Poore, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . In this documentary, Malaysian filmmaker Grace Poore examines the incestuous sexual abuse of South Asian girls that is culturally endemic. She will be present to speak at both screenings.
I Don’t Know Jack
I Don’t Know Jack 2001, NR. Directed by Chris Leavens, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . David Lynch is the executive producer of this documentary about the life and career of his Eraserhead star Jack Nance. Dennis Hopper, Lynch, and other colleagues and cronies reminisce.
Beneath the Veil
Beneath the Veil 2001, NR. Directed by Cassian Harrison, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Saira Shah. This fundraiser event in support of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) is a harrowing documentary filmed on site detailing the realities of life under Taliban rule.
The People and the Land
The People and the Land 1997, NR, 57 min. Directed by Riad Bahhur, Tom Hayes., Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . This documentary investigates the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the filters and censorship through which Palestinian realities are represented in the U.S. media. It also emphasizes the direct connection between U.S. tax dollars and…
A Rose Is Still a Rose
A Rose Is Still a Rose NR, 27 min. Directed by , Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . Billed as a “talkumentary” interview series, A Rose Is Still a Rose focuses on four ex-offenders who have transformed their lives and continue to help others.
Clue
Clue 1985, PG, 87 min. D: Jonathan Lynn; with Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn. Is it Colonel Mustard in the library with a rope? Yes, it’s the board game come to life in this live-action whodunit. When released in 1985, the prints were struck with three different endings.
The Hills Have Eyes
The Hills Have Eyes 1977, R, 89 min. Directed by Wes Craven, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Susan Lanier, Michael Berryman, Robert Houston, Virginia Vincent, Dee Wallace, Martin Speer. In this early Wes Craven movie, mutant humans creatively slaughter and cannibalize an all-American family camping-out in their RV in the middle of the…
My Man Godfrey
In this Art Deco screwball comedy, a socialite finds a man while on a scavenger hunt and, thinking that this victim of the Depression needs a job, hires him as the butler for her ditzy household. Hugely popular in its day, this is witty romantic comedy with barbed social commentary.
Screening Salon: Bill Lundberg
Screening Salon: Bill Lundberg NR. Directed by , Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . Internationally recognized film installation artist Bill Lundberg will show video and slide presentations of his work, after which the group will proceed over to the UT campus to see Lundberg’s installation in the “time/frame” exhibition at the Blanton Museum…
Articulations
A weekly rundown of the latest news in Austin’s visual and performing arts scene
Restaurants on the Road
The Huisache Grill & Wine Bar 303 W. San Antonio St., in New Braunfels 830/620-9001 Daily, 11am-10pm www.huisache.com Nestled alongside the railroad tracks in downtown New Braunfels, the Huisache Grill offers quaint small-town charm and big-city food quality without big-city prices. The restaurant is named for the scrubby huisache, or sweet acacia tree, that’s native…
Dancing About Architecture
KUT gets a facelift; the Flatlanders resurrect.
Naked City
Former Texas Land Commissioner Garry Mauro is lending his semi-celebrity status to Jeff Heckler’s campaign for Travis County Commissioner. Precinct 2 residents in Central and North Austin heard Mauro’s familiar drawl in a recorded voice mail splash left on several hundred answering machines this week. Heckler is running in the Democratic primary against incumbent Karen…
Exhibitionism
In The Dinosaur Within, playwright John Walch links people of vastly different worlds, each of whom has suffered some traumatic loss, to show us the necessity of letting go, and the State Theater Company production communicates that message with compassion, humor, and grace.
Restaurants on the Road
Main Street Grill 118 Main St., in Round Rock 512/244-7525 Monday-Friday, 11am-2:30pm; Monday-Thursday, 5-10pm; Friday-Saturday, 5-11pm www.mainstreetgrill.citysearch.com In the Seventies, when I lived on a farm outside of sleepy little Round Rock, about the biggest action to be found on Main Street was a shade-tree checker game in front of the local garage. Now, many…
A Handy Award To Have
In the wake of Grammy nominations a few weeks ago comes announcement of candidates for the 23rd annual W.C. Handy Blues Awards, to be presented on Thursday, May 23, 2002 at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, Tenn. Our local blues contingent is well-represented as usual, with Marcia Ball topping the list with five nominations including…
Naked City
On Jan. 16, Austin firefighter Ray Hendricks announced that he and nearly all of the 52 African-American fire fighters within the Austin Fire Dept. are breaking ranks with the local firefighters union, the Austin Association of Professional Firefighters. “Within the last four months … over 85% of the African-American Fire Fighters removed themselves from the…
Exhibitionism
In Ambiguous Ambassador: SlutforArt, choreographer-performer Muna Tseng, working with multimedia artist Ping Chong, has created an elegant elegy to memorialize the art and life of her brother, photographer Tseng Kwon Chi.
Restaurants on the Road
G’Towne Restaurant 1201-D Church Street, in Georgetown 512/869-4100 Wednesday-Saturday, 5-9pm; Sunday, 11am-3pm I have always felt that the thrill of dining out is like an exotic adventure. Behind the doors of each new restaurant lies an untried world of flavors, waiting to be discovered. Small-town restaurants are particularly exciting because these places often seem so…
Back Room Bangers Vol. 69
What can you say about a man who’s made close to 2,000 movies, yet still is trying to get a decent break in Hollywood? No, we’re not talking about someone who desperately needs a new agent. We’re talking about Ron Jeremy, star of such XXX-rated gems as Family Thighs, Going Down With Amber, Anal-holics, Single…
Naked City
Earlier this week, “Naked City” received a package from the Texas Dept. of Transportation’s “Don’t Mess with Texas” anti-litter campaign — a standard black folder containing a plastic insert stuffed with used straw paper, three cigarette butts, a plastic soda cup lid and straw, pieces of a ripped paper plate, and what appears to be…
Exhibitionism
In Austin Lyric Opera’s production of the opera A Streetcar Named Desire, director Brad Dalton and his design team translate the unsettled mental state of Blanche Dubois into literal elements of the setting, creating a distorted, exaggerated, haunted work.
Restaurants on the Road
The Gruene Mansion Bar & Grill 1275 Gruene Road, in Gruene 830/620-0760 Tuesday-Thursday, 5-9pm; Friday, 5-10pm, Saturday, 11am-10pm; Sunday, 10am-9pm (brunch, 10am-2pm) The historic old German mill town of Gruene sits comfortably in a scenic bend in the Guadalupe River a few short miles west of I-35. Take the Canyon Lake exit off the highway…
Who Will Rule Mueller?
Can the city keep the Mueller redevelopment project on course?
Naked City
On Monday, Gov. Rick Perry told the Austin American-Statesman that, in talking with business leaders and based on info obtained from his staff, he not found “any evidence” that Texas is headed toward recession. “I feel comfortable that, just like in your family, and just like millions of Texans, that if the belt needs to…
Friend of the Family
In Thomas Mallon’s new nonfiction book, the strangest figure in the JFK assassination is the most honest one.
Food-o-File
The story behind the sale of the third long-time Austin hospitality business
Who Are These People?
The proposed developers for the new Mueller
Enron’s Lengthening Shadow
Suddenly, Enron finds itself devalued in every sense, including politically.
Bruce Wagner: West Coast Wizard?
Is Updike’s enthusiasm for Wagner warranted?
Collegia Musikum
How music from the Medieval and Baroque eras impacts us today
Hooray for Muellerwood?
The Austin Film Studios find a Home at Mueller
Austin @ Large: Austin at Large
The roots of the Seton and CSC conundrums
Postscripts
Book news, signings, and author appearances this week
Daniel Johnson’s Early Music Primer
1. Emma Kirkby, Arie Antiche (Musicura Oscura): “Any disc with Emma Kirkby singing lute songs, because of the extreme human-ness of her voice and the expression of complete intimacy and complete openness without artifices. I know that her career alone has turned on so many people to early music. So many sopranos, especially, say, ‘I…
Can Edison Pass the AISD Test?
AISD considers hiring Edison Schools Inc. for East Austin.
The Hightower Lowdown
Enron’s true crimes are the legal things it did; Boeing patriotically rips off us taxpayers; and Bob Barr acts like a crack smoker.
Page Two
Ralph Nader and the Green Party are willfully naive about the consequences of their recent electoral actions, but events such as their upcoming People Have the Power Tour are the birthplaces of broader, more effective coalitions, the setting for new alliances.
Mid-Winter Festival Schedule
All performances except “La Rosa,” which is at Dell Jewish Community Campus, 7300 Hart, take place at First English Lutheran Church, 3001 Whitis. Ticket prices range from $10-$15 with student and senior discounts. Information and reservations, 454-TIXS. You can also see www.early-music.org/ for more info.Friday, Jan. 25, 8pmBaroque Encounters: Sublime Myth and Merriment: Things start…
How Many Villas = MF-6?
NUNA residents feel betrayed, but Villas supporters say the proposed apartment complex is better than the alternative.
Hi Mom, I’m Home
On the heels of threatened industry strikes and life-changing world events, this year’s Sundance Film Festival in Utah featured more deals, more attendees, and more stars.
Letters at 3AM
December 6. Attorney General John Ashcroft’s defense of the Bush Administration’s anti-Constitutional dictates before a Senate committee: “To those who scare peace-loving people with phantoms of lost liberty, my message is this: Your tactics only aid terrorists.” Broadcast comment ranged from tepidly critical (the networks) to rabidly supportive (Fox News), but the press didn’t back…
Phases and Stages
Okkervil RiverDon’t Fall in Love With Everyone You See (Jagjaguwar) Like Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, Okkervil River’s sophomore LP launches immediately into a coming-of-age story, balancing poetic lines with an undeniable emotional investment that sustains itself over the course of the entire album. Okkervil River and frontman Will Sheff are…
What’s In a Name?
Would the real Austin Film Commission please stand up?
Mutant Genius
Greg Falcon makes very funny “fanimutation” — animation in the style of “Web celeb” Neil Cicierega, some kid from the ‘burbs who also happens to be very funny.
Lantana
Lantana is an unconventional suspense film that succeeds on a smaller, more intimate scale. The avoidance of deus-ex-machina plot twists and the reliance upon tension generated by interpersonal situations drives the film. – Marrit Ingman
Mr. Smarty Pants
Facts, facts, and more facts
Phases and Stages
Li’l Cap’n TravisLonesome and Losin’ (Sleepy Bunny) Li’l Cap’n Travis is pretty sweet. Not sweet as in, “Dude, that’s sweet,” rather as in, “Aw shucks, how sweet.” What’s remarkable is not that in the irony-addled post-y’allternative indie world they choose to be somewhat straight, but that they can be so, well, sweet about it, and…
The Devilish Details
Council holds a hearing on the new Brackenridge lease plan.
The New iMac: Futurism Is So Passé
The new iMac may not be the fastest desktop machine on the block, but it’s a real good dancer.
Shoot Or Be Shot
Shoot Or Be Shot 2002, NR, 90 min. Directed by J. Randall Argue, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Johanna Stein, Tony Perija, Marcus Ashley, James Healy Jr., Julianne Christie, Scott Rinker, Harry Hamlin, William Shatner. Shoot or Be Shot is a little indie about Harvey Wilkes (Shatner), a lunatic who had escaped from…
A Walk to Remember
A Walk to Remember 2002, PG, 100 min. Directed by Adam Shankman, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Matt Lutz, Jonathan Parks Jordan, Paz De La Huerta, Al Thompson, Clayne Crawford, Lauren German, Daryl Hannah, Peter Coyote, Shane West, Mandy Moore. Based on a Nicholas Sparks’ novel, A Walk to Remember starts out gloriously,…
Day Trips
Windmills play a powerful role both in Texas’ past and present.
Phases and Stages
Steve Earle/Townes Van Zandt/ Guy Clark Together at the Bluebird Café (American Originals) For fans of Texas singer-songwriters, this live recording is a major find. A benefit show held in 1995 at Nashville’s shrine for songs, the tiny Bluebird Cafe (capacity 60, tops) rounded up Steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt, and Guy Clark for a…
Not Empowered Yet
East Austin gets passed over for a HUD empowerment zone.
Short Cuts
The Alamo Drafthouse is feelin’ alright, while the rest of Austin isn’t feeling too good itself.
Spike & Mike’s Sick & Twisted Festival of Animation 2002
Spike & Mike’s Sick & Twisted Festival of Animation 2002 2002, NR. Directed by Various, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . Come on, fellatio jokes are funny. Admit it. I did. I’d managed to avoid the Sick & Twisted festival — an offshoot of Spike & Mike’s more tasteful Festival of Classic Animation…
Charlotte Gray
Charlotte Gray 2002, PG-13, 120 min. Directed by Gillian Armstrong, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring James Fleet, Ron Cook, Anton Lesser, Rupert Penry-Jones, Michael Gambon, Billy Crudup, Cate Blanchett. For a select portion of the population who like their pleasures guilty, melodrama can be a glorious thing: war, valor, intrigue, star-cross’d lovers, betrayal,…
After a Fashion
Whose weekend was more chic: Austin’s or Hollywood’s? Find out as our Style Avatar ponders the Jingle Ball and the Golden Globes.
Phases and Stages
Ten SpeedBig Mono (ATP) “My grandfather was a very good catch.” Most folks love their grandparents, sure, but it’s safe to say most people probably don’t think of them in those terms. Unfortunately, “Grandma,” the lead off track from Ten Speed’s Big Mono is cornier — as in Norman Rockwell corny — than it is…
KUT and Paste
KUT does major reconstructive surgery on its schedule, risking the wrath of change-phobic listeners.
TV Eye
Life ain’t the only thing that’s like a box of chocolates — talk shows are, too!
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Count of Monte Cristo 2002, PG-13, 131 min. Directed by Kevin Reynolds, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Guy Pearce, Jim Caviezel, Richard Harris, Dagmara Dominczyk, Luis Guzman, Michael Wincott. It’s surely only a random twist of fate, but for a while during the first half of this, the umpteenth recent retooling of…
Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy
Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy 2001, NR, 79 min. Directed by Scott J. Gill, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . “Who are these people?” is probably the second most-asked question when it comes to porn, right after “Why do all the guys look like either Paulie Walnuts or Big Pussy from…
To Your Health
Where else can a teetotaler get the benefits of red wine?
Phases and Stages
AstroblastThis Will Help You on Your Way (Planting Seeds) Combining the feedback and fuzz of My Bloody Valentine and Lush with the sprightly twee-pop of Kitty Craft and Dressy Bessy, Astroblast manages to be explosive and coy all at once. The Austin-by-way-of-Waco quartet’s second disc jumps off the mark in punchy attack mode with “Conversation…
KUT schedule changes
New Programs Marketplace, M-F, 6:30-7pm The World, M-F, 7-8pm BBC World Briefing, M-F, 3-4am Earthsongs, Sat, 4-5am The Best of Public Radio, Sun, 11am-noon World Music,* Sun, 8-10pm Music from the Francophone Word, Sun, 10-11pm Afropop Worldwide,* Sun, 11pm-mid * returningCanceled Soundsight Forum Access Overnight shifts of Jeff Johnston, Jim Caligiuri, Tom Pittman, Carter YorkMoved/…
I Am Sam
I Am Sam 2001, PG-13, 130 min. Directed by Jessie Nelson, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Sean Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dakota Fanning, Dianne Wiest, Laura Dern, Richard Schiff. Viewing I Am Sam is an experience of successive facial expressions: First there are embarrassed winces, followed by uncomfortable cringes, and ending with an open…
About AIDS
Diabetes can be a problem for HIV-positive people taking drug cocktails.
Phases and Stages
Primordial UndermindBeings of Game P-U (Camera Obscura) A careening free rock outfit takes off from deep space, landing deep in the heart of Texas by way of San Francisco and Boston. A couple of years in Austin, and Primordial Undermind lead man Eric Arn has gone from deep space to the deep end, throwing his…
Here Comes the Naderhood
Preview of Ralph Nader and Democracy Rising’s visit to Austin
Second Helpings: More Roadside Cafes
The weekly Chronicle feature “Second Helpings” offers readers the opportunity to sample tasty, bite-sized restaurant listings compiled from new and previous reviews, guides, and poll results. This week’s entries were updated by Chronicle Food Editor Virginia B. Wood. When you need quick, reliable information about Austin eateries, check here. The Hilltop Cafe 10661 Hwy. 87…
Coach’s Corner
In a Vail sports bar, Coach once again meets up with his old pal Cedrick Trout, and the mad-dog Raiders fan isn’t in a good mood.
Phases and Stages
Grupo Fantasma Grupo Fantasma’s energetic live show is given credence by “Lupita,” the one live cut from the Austin collective’s eponymous debut. The real proof of this Latin big band’s melodic wave of power, however, is on their de facto signature tune, opener “Laredo,” and its shortened, Nortec-seasoned closing reprise “Nuevo Laredo.” Composed of Texan…
The Nader Agenda
Ralph Nader will be in Austin for a daylong series of events on Saturday, Jan. 26. The Travis County Green Party will hold a fundraiser, with Nader on hand to sign his new book, from 4-5:30pm at Threadgill’s, 301 W. Riverside. That evening, Nader will lead a Democracy Rising rally, featuring Molly Ivins, Jim Hightower,…
The Dark Goddess Phenom
Most American theatres will tell you that A Christmas Carol is their annual cash cow. Not the Vortex. That home for boundary-pushing drama has a hit in the form of a ritual exploration of female divinity. Dark Goddess is its name, and director Bonnie Cullum says the show, now in its third run, is smashing…
Restaurants on the Road
Time was when you could drive along I-35 from San Antonio to Dallas and find cotton fields, cow pastures, and the occasional Stuckey’s between the major cities. That’s hardly true anymore. The stretch of highway that runs from the Alamo City through Austin to about Georgetown is now one long metro area, with businesses, motels,…
Phases and Stages
Johnny Bush Green Snakes (Texas Music Group) Even though he’s been making music for more than 25 years, Johnny Bush just keeps getting better and better. His latest, Green Snakes, is another feather in his cap, featuring the Texas country legend at the top of his game as a singer and performer. Although a respected…
Naked City
City budget projections continue to droop, and last week the City Council heard financial officers predict an $8 million shortfall this year growing to as much as $68 million for 2003, squeezed by declining sales tax revenues and additional “anti-terrorism” security expenditures. The advisers recommended a 1.66-cent increase in property taxes, which the council will…
