California Split
California Split 1974, R, 109 min. Directed by Robert Altman, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Ann Prentiss, George Segal, Elliott Gould, Gwen Welles. Altman’s movie explores the world of the compulsive gambler as it follows Gould and Segal through their casino highs and lows. In the Altman universe, no one feels worse than…
Pie in the Sky: The Brigid Berlin Story
Pie in the Sky: The Brigid Berlin Story 2000, NR, 75 min. Directed by Shelly Dunn Fremont, Vincent Fremont, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . Erstwhile Warhol superstar and speed freak Brigid Berlin is the subject of this knowing documentary that follows the now sixtysomething Berlin through her daily activities and also includes…
Kidnapped
Kidnapped 2002, NR, 92 min. Directed by Mario Bava, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Don Backy, George Eastman, Maurice Poli, Ricardo Cucciolla, Lea Lander. Italian cult horror director Mario Bava filmed this movie in 1974 as Rabid Dogs, although it remained unreleased and in the vaults for some 25 years. Now, years after…
Murder by Music
Murder by Music 1969, R, 91 min. Directed by Julio Buchs, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Brett Halsey, Marilu Tolo, Fabrizio Maroni. The Alamo is billing this Italian crime relic as “the original Austin Powers” due to its mondo mod style with wild supervillains and even wilder colors.
Jaws 3-D
3-D sharks: nothing more, nothing less.
Pollyanna
Pollyanna 1960, NR, 134 min. Directed by David Swift, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Jane Wyman, Hayley Mills. Hayley Mills won a special Juvenile Oscar for her portrait of the “glad girl” who brings a smile to everyone’s face in an uptight New England town in this Disney treatment of the Eleanor Porter…
The Unknown
The Unknown 1927, NR, 65 min. Directed by Tod Browning, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Lon Chaney, Joan Crawford, Norman Kerry, Nick De Ruiz, John George. Made four years before Tod Browning made his legendary film Freaks, this Lon Chaney [Sr.] horror work is a hidden gem. The presence of young Joan Crawford…
42nd Street
This quintessential backstage musical features great Busby Berkeley production numbers, and such tunes as “You’re Getting to Be a Habit With Me” and “Shuffle Off to Buffalo.”
Take the Money and Run
Take the Money and Run 1969, PG, 85 min. Directed by Woody Allen, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Woody Allen, Janet Margolin. Woody Allen’s first film as the writer, director, and star tells the story of a hapless bank robber. The movie unfolds documentary-style, a technique later used again in Zelig.
Some Came Running
Some Came Running 1958, NR, 137 min. Directed by Vincente Minnelli, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Shirley MacLaine. Of course we all recognize Vincente Minnelli (Mr. Judy Garland and father of Liza) as the quintessential maestro of the golden-age MGM musical (An American in Paris, Singin’ in the Rain).…
BK Baby
The once-future Kurt Cobain, Ben Kweller, grows up to be Elliott Smith.
Naked City
The Virgin West You might not realize it, but those poor tycoons in the Texas oil patch feel mighty insulted by their treatment at the hands of school textbook writers. At least that’s what state Board of Education Chairwoman Grace Shore told the Statesman last year. “The oil and gas industry should be consulted,” said…
Articulations
A Northern California theatre director is combing through the massive Tennessee Williams archive in UT’s Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center for another as-of-yet unstaged drama by the great playwright that he can bring into the spotlight á la Spring Storm.
Reign of Fire
Reign of Fire 2002, R, 100 min. D: Rob Bowman; with Christian Bale, Matthew McConaughey. It’s enough to make you wish Professor Quartermass was still lurking about: In present-day London, a team of miners working on a new Underground tunnel inadvertently frees a dragon dormant since the days of St. George. In short order, the…
Dancing About Architecture
One week after the Hole in the Wall closes, the Black Cat burns down.
Naked City
Court Endorses Livable Wages By a 4-1 vote, the Travis County Commissioners Court approved a resolution Tuesday to support the universal living wage formula developed by local homeless advocates House the Homeless Inc. The formula, which the Austin City Council endorsed in May, uses U.S. HUD data to determine how much workers must earn to…
Exhibitionism
A 6-year-old critic pronounces kidsActing’s latest production of Cyberella to be “the best show ever,” but even her jaded reviewer has to admit that its update on “Cinderella” boasts a playful script, top-notch production values, and a young cast and the cast that really delivers song after song.
Academy Award-Nominated Shorts 2002
Academy Award-Nominated Shorts 2002 2002, NR. Directed by Various, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . As that sublime spectacle the Academy Awards lumbers along each year, you have to pick and choose your bathroom breaks — you don’t want to be caught with your pants down when some packed-in starlet pops out of…
Phases and Stages
De La SoulStubb’s, July 3 No meteorologist could’ve predicted how long the clouds would hold, and yet the sky cleared from a six-day flood watch just long enough for De La Soul’s make-good on a Stubb’s date that was rained out last fall. Instead of keeping the crowd at bay for hours like Snoop Dogg…
Naked City
Lobbying Against AbNORML Drug War For the first time, the Texas chapter of National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws has scraped together enough dough to pay for a full-time lobbyist: Texas NORML Executive Director Howard Wooldridge. During next spring’s legislative session, the group hopes to promote catching more drunken drivers as an alternative…
Exhibitionism
Austin playwright Emily Cicchini tells the true story behind Edward Lear’s magical “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat” in Edward, the Owl & the Calico Cat, and the Pollyanna Theatre Company production delivers it smartly, if at a somewhat breathless pace.
The Piano Teacher
The Piano Teacher 2001, NR, 130 min. Directed by Michael Haneke, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Isabelle Huppert, Annie Girardot, Benoît Magimel. It’s little wonder that Vienna is the city that cultivated Freud’s breakthrough ideas about sex and repression and civilization. The Piano Teacher seems as though it might be a page lifted…
Phases and Stages
Frank SinatraFrank Sinatra in Hollywood, 1940-1964 (Reprise/Turner Classic Movies Music) From Bing to Britney, no singer-turned-actor has matched Frank Sinatra’s ability to excel in both disciplines. Indeed, it was Sinatra’s 1954 Oscar-winning performance in From Here to Eternity that re-ignited his faltering career after his vocal chords hemorrhaged in 1952. Whether he’s romping through New…
Naked City
Council Caught in the Stratusphere Hopefully, members of the City Council squeezed some eardrum Pilates into their busy schedules in the two weeks since their last dais-side appearance, because this week brings the return of Stratus Properties — otherwise known as Beau Armstrong’s summertime project. Will the show again last until 3am? Who will make…
Exhibitionism
Director and sound designer Stephen Balgooyen and his youthful cast bring us the horrors of war live and in living drab green in Tracers, but shouted lines and an overwhelming sound design render much of their work on this difficult material unintelligible.
Road to Perdition
Road to Perdition 2002, R, 119 min. Directed by Sam Mendes, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Tom Hanks, Tyler Hoechlin, Paul Newman, Jude Law, Daniel Craig, Stanley Tucci, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Liam Aiken, Dylan Baker, Ciarán Hinds. That gunshot to the head in the last moments of Sam Mendes’ American Beauty was something…
Phases and Stages
The Pixies(SpinArt) Remember when compact discs would occasionally be a bargain over their vinyl counterpart? It wasn’t a common occurrence, but there were occasions, like when the Pixies seminal Surfer Rosa first came out on CD with its predecessor EP Come on Pilgrim included on the disc at no extra charge. Well, it didn’t take…
Austin @ Large: Saving Austin Now — and Tomorrow
A skeptical analysis of the pending Stratus deal
Everybody Loves Raymond
Vintage / Black Lizard reissues the Raymond Chandler catalog, in the “imprint’s distinctive large-size, high-quality paperback, as classy and colorful as the man himself.”
Pumpkin
Pumpkin 2002, R, 121 min. Directed by Tony R. Abrams, Adam Larson Broder, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Sam Ball, Marisa Coughlin, Dominique Swain, Brenda Blethyn, Hank Harris, Christina Ricci. Schizophrenia is never pleasant to observe, but Pumpkin, a dark-as-pitch comedy that frequently veers into corny sentimentality, probably would not improve much after…
Phases and Stages
AshFree All Angels (Kinetic) Terminally underrated like some pop-punk also-ran, Ireland’s Ash get the short end of the stick with every new release. Their first two albums, 1994’s Trailer, featuring swaggering single “Jack Names the Planets,” and follow-up 1977, with the walloping, hook-laden funbomb “Kung Fu,” were well-received in the UK, but failed utterly to…
The Gods of War
America is distracted by the Pledge “crisis” while our government readies for war.
Readings
Clay Smith reviews Prague, whose author, Arthur Phillips, will be at BookPeople on Tuesday, July 16, 7pm.
Phases and Stages
Jason RingenbergAll Over Creation (Yep Roc) On his second solo album away from alt.country pioneers the Scorchers, Jason Ringenberg pulls together a series of duets with some like-minded, other-side-of-the-tracks Nashville friends. An inspired collection, it features the likes of Steve Earle, Paul Burch, BR5-49, Todd Snider, Lambchop, and Tommy Womack, and it’s all done in…
The Hightower Report
The state department says good journalism is treason; and San Antonians fight a golf course over the aquifer.
Page Two
We mourn the loss of the Hole in the Wall, where many post-publication nights were lost and at least one marriage was born.
Perry’s Imperial Corridor
TxDOT details plans for the Trans Texas Corridor
Fright or Flight
Screenwriter Evan Hunter will be in attendance at the Paramount screening of The Birds, his 1963 collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock.
Mr. Smarty Pants
Itaipu Dam, on the Parana River between Paraguay and Brazil, is the largest hydroelectric complex in the world.The weather forecast page in the Beijing Youth Daily newspaper includes a pollution index listing levels of sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, and nitrogen dioxide in the air.Wildfires travel 16 times faster going uphill.Robert Stroud, known as “the…
Winnowing the Charters
The Lege considers the troubled state of Texas charter schools
Deconstructing Film
The Hideout hosts a retrospective of experimental filmmaker Aaron Valdéz’s work.
Day Trips
Chief Diwali died on July 16, 1839. Hidden away in the annals of Texas history is the story of the Indian leader and the expulsion of his peaceful band of farmers from East Texas. It is the story of a broken treaty. In the sweltering summer of 1839, President Mirabeau B. Lamar ordered the Texas…
The Powerpuff Girls Movie
The Powerpuff Girls Movie 2002, PG, 80 min. Directed by Craig McCracken, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Tom Kane, Roger J. Jackson, E.g. Daily, Tara Strong, Catherine Cavadini. I defy viewers to exit theatres post-Puffery without silly grins on their faces and the urge to save the world in their hearts. The big-screen…
Just Touching Base …
Mars 1610 San Antonio, 472-3901 Sunday-Monday 5:30-10pm; Tuesday-Thursday 5:30-10:30pm; Friday-Saturday 5:30-11pm When Mars opened in Austin in 1992, it was at the vanguard of worldly new restaurants to hit a town starving for a more sophisticated dining scene. Since then, it has undergone a change of ownership and several different chefs. However, in spite of…
Making Radio All Right
If you haven’t noticed, in recent months KLBJ-AM has found some competition in the “news/talk” radio format. KJCE (1370 AM) switched from funky oldies, and the 1260 AM frequency, once based in Taylor, is now called KWNX and features Austin news and even a few local hosts. Owned by Infinity Broadcasting, a New York company…
Crikey!
TV’s Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin wrestles a new beast: the Hollywood movie.
After a Fashion
Stephen gets a nasty letter and tells stories from the “Mommie Dearest” benefit. Bit-chee, bit-chee, bitcheeeeeeeeee…
Just Touching Base …
Emilia’s 600 E. Third, 469-9722 Monday-Thursday 6-10pm, bar 5pm-midnight; Friday-Saturday 6-11pm, bar 5pm-1am www.emilias.com; www.wineisdivine.com After a thorough consideration of Emilia’s last year, I came to the unfortunate conclusion that I was doomed to suffer from a case of unrequited love where the marvelous restaurant was concerned. The exorbitant prices and small portions of award-winning…
An UnStratusfactory Process
Stratus plan heads back to the City Council for round two
High Art and Holy Spirit Team Up at the Ragamuffin Film Festival
The Hope Arts Festival and local film collective Project Seven host an Evangelical Christian film festival at the Alamo Drafthouse Downtown this weekend.
Coach’s Corner
Anna wants to become a top-flight tennis star? Kan o’ kourn. Just become a Williams sister.
Just Touching Base …
Curra’s Grill North 6801 Burnet Rd. 451-2560 Monday-Friday 11am-10pm; Saturday-Sunday 9am-11pm The self-proclaimed “Mother of all Mex” has given birth, and her offspring sits in the old Good Eats location on Burnet Road on the northern reaches of town. For South Austinites who consider Curra’s the new kid in the old Güero’s spot, this will…
TxDOT Scuttles SH 45 South — For Now
For the time being, SH 45 South is off the table.
Short Cuts
Ron Howard helms The Alamo no mo’.
Letters at 3AM
Four meditations on three undefinable words: I love you.
Just Touching Base …
The County Line on the Hill 6500 W. Bee Caves Rd., 327-1742 Lunch: Monday-Friday 11am-2pm; Dinner: Monday-Thursday 5-9pm; Friday 5-9:30pm; Saturday-Sunday 11am-9pm www.countyline.com When the original County Line opened out on Bee Caves Road in 1975, the vista from the old rock lodge on the hilltop was miles of rolling hills and fabulous Hill Country…
Naked City
This week’s roundup of local news and politics
Video 101
The seedy tragimusical King Creole counts as a turning point for both its legendary star, Elvis Presley, and its director, Michael Curtiz, the man who made a little film nearly two decades prior called Casablanca.
Just Touching Base …
Our Food writers stay up to date with Austin’s ever-shifting culinary landscape while still finding time to revisit their favorites.
Run Away With the Circus
In Federico Fellini’s 1954 classic film La Strada, small-time circus performers Zampano and Gelsomina travel the Italian countryside entertaining villagers. On Thursday, July 18, the poignant film will be the centerpiece of a great evening’s entertainment sponsored by the Alamo Drafthouse, the Austin Museum of Art, Siena Ristorante Toscana, The Austin Chronicle, and Austin RentAll…
Naked City
Austin StoriesAfter what seems like decades of hype and buzz, this week the first tenants moved into the Nokonah lofts at North Lamar and West Ninth. Units in the Perry Lorenz-Robert Barnstone upscale condo tower cost about $300 a square foot; among the tenants is former Gov. Ann Richards. In a glowing July 5 business…
TV Eye
Really bad TV deserves really bad haiku.
Second Helpings: Ice Creameries, Part II
Hurry, before it melts! Again! Erin Mosow chills out at local ice creameries in this week’s “Second Helpings.”
Food-o-File
Virginia B. Wood has quite simply gotta lotta news in this week’s “Food-o-File.”
Naked City
Region/State/Etc.At the June meeting of the National Sheriffs’ Association, Travis County Sheriff Margo Frasier was elected to join the association’s board of directors. The first woman ever elected to that body, Frasier will serve a two-year term and work on the legal affairs, domestic violence, traffic, and congressional affairs committees. — J.S. More than 1,000…
Age of Aquarius
With a new production of the “American Tribal Love-Rock Musical” Hair, director Dave Steakley caps 10 years of making the Zachary Scott Theatre Center rock — and so much more.
Totally Tommy Lee
Tommy Lee and his Jerry Springer problem.
Naked City
HappeningsA pedestrian safety workshop takes place Saturday, July 13, focusing on East Fifth Street in East Austin between Comal and Chicon. The half-day session starts at 9am at the Nuevo Leon restaurant, 1501 E. Sixth, with a PowerPoint presentation by Trans Texas Alliance and Lance Armstrong Bikeway “Bike Planner” Charles Gandy. At 11am, participants will…
Dave’s Decade
You’d be hard pressed to find a local director who has worked as hard for as long as Dave Steakley, and this list shows why.
