The Shining
The Shining 1980, R, 142 min. D: Stanley Kubrick; with Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall. Who would have ever thought to pair up Stanley Kubrick and Stephen King? But weird as it sounds, this creepy thriller works. Nicholson takes his family up to an isolated hotel for the snowed-in winter and then goes flagrantly bonkers. Redrum,…
Mad Love
Mad Love 1935, NR, 70 min. Directed by Karl Freund, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Peter Lorre, Frances Drake, Colin Clive, Ted Healy. Mad Love features Peter Lorre at his finest as a mad scientist to end all mad scientists. When a concert pianist’s hands are crushed in an accident, Lorre performs an…
The Insect Woman
The Insect Woman 1966, NR, 123 min. Directed by Shohei Imamura, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Sachiko Hidari, Jitsuko Yoshimura. The Insect Woman, from Japanese director Shohei Imamura, one of the most important – and least internationally known – post-war filmmakers, tells the story of a young peasant woman who leaves her mountain…
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919) W/ Live Music Accompaniment
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919) W/ Live Music Accompaniment NR, 69 min. Directed by Robert Wiene, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Werner Krauss, Lil Dagover, Friedrich Feher, Conrad Veidt. live musical accompaniment by the Friends of Dean Martinez. Caligari is often cited as the first true horror movie and one of the…
Casablanca
Bogey and Bergman play star-crossed lovers in this enduring classic set in wartime North Africa.
Off the Bookshelf
The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man by David W. Maurer Introduction by Luc Sante Anchor Books, 320 pp., $12.95 (paper) Ever feel like quitting that nine-to-five and opening “The Big Store?” Actually, you’d be better off not doing so unless you have at least 30 or 40 similarly minded friends. The Big…
The Next Wave
A comprehensive look at the emerging Rock en Español movement in the United States
Record Reviews
Ben Harper and the Innocent CriminalsBurn to Shine (Virgin) That Ben Harper’s gospel-tinged blend of soul and blues music has gotten progressively grittier with each new album is a blessing for the most part. Crankin’ up an amp and kicking a pedal produced the title track off his last release The Will to Live, and…
Naked City
Tobacco lawyers get a Nov. 19 deadline to decide whether to pursue the 15% fee in their original contract with the state.
The Hungry Bachelors Club
The Hungry Bachelors Club 1999, PG-13, 93 min. Directed by Gregory Ruzzin, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Jorja Fox, Bill Nunn, Paul Provenza, David Shackelford, Suzanne Mara, Peter Murnik, Katherine Kendall. Commercially speaking, this ingratiating low-budget romantic comedy seems bound for one of two starkly opposed fates: Death on arrival or modest word-of-mouth…
Second Helpings: Deli-cious Sandwiches
Tasty, bite-sized restaurant listings compiled from new and previous reviews, guides, and poll results. This week’s entries were compiled by Virginia B. Wood. When you need quick, reliable information about Austin eateries, check here. Food, Food 2719 Exposition, 474-8515 Mon-Fri, 9:30am-8:30pm; Sat, 9:30am-7pm Tucked into the corner of a strip center in Tarrytown, this friendly…
Local Bestsellers
Local bestsellers are based on recent sales at Austin bookstores selected to reflect varied reading interests. This week’s list of bestsellers is from BookWoman, 918 W. 12th.
Everywhere Is War
A beginner’s discography to Rock en Español
Record Reviews
Dolly PartonThe Grass Is Blue (Sugar Hill) This release is likely to split audiences into two camps: The traditionalists are gonna hate it, because Dolly Parton’s unmistakable voice “doesn’t fit” the bluegrass arrangements, and the more open-minded are going to embrace it for that same reason — her voice. The girl from Sevierville, Tenn., gets…
Action Items
The Bull Creek Foundation is holding a “State of the Watershed” community gathering to discuss issues related to the Bull Creek watershed on Tuesday, Nov. 16, from 7-9pm at Triumphant Love Lutheran Church, 9508 Great Hills Trail. Call 502-9650 for info. The Austin League of Women Voters is holding its biennial legislative reception for the…
The Bachelor
The Bachelor 1999, PG-13, 102 min. Directed by Gary Sinyor, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Mariah Carey, Brooke Shields, Peter Ustinov, Edward Asner, James Cromwell, Hal Holbrook, Renee Zellweger, Chris O’Donnell. Chris O’Donnell as a nuptials-phobic bachelor who breaks into a sweat at the words “I do”? Sweet, clean-cut, boy-next-door Chris O’Donnell as…
The Whole Package
With Margaret Wiley, you didn�t have a one-trick pony; you had a multitude of talents and personalities in one big and big-hearted woman. Wiley�s friends and colleagues at Esther�s Follies offer their memories of this exceptional Austin comedian who died November 2.
Page Two
The Austin American-Statesmanmanipulates a non-story to slam enviro board.
Dancing About Architecture
Life and death on the live music club scene; Dale Watson escapes, Huey Meaux doesn’t; and more tantalizing tidbits of Terpsichore…
Beat Box
Dr. Dre, Method Man, Redman, Master P, The Artist, Eve, Mos Def, Flo Mob, etc.
Council Watch
The delicate business of funding substance abuse programs for musicians.
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc 1999, R, 148 min. Directed by Luc Besson, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Desmond Harrington, Richar Didings, Tcheky Karyo, Vincent Cassel, Pascal Gregory, Dustin Hoffman, Faye Dunaway, John Malkovich, Milla Jovovich. As the oft-told tale of France’s teenage savior retold as a pop comic book,…
Rave Reviews
“To mark the Summer of ’89’s parade of 40+ rockers on tour, Esther’s raunchiest talent Margaret Wiley, who could eat Pete Townshend alive and spit him out like a peach pit, took The Who’s rock opera Tommy, mulled it over in her heightened mind while watching CNN’s coverage of Jim Bakker’s nervous breakdown and public…
Public Notice
This week’s “Public Notice” goes to Hyde Park, buys some homeless art, and cruises some gay bars.
Record Reviews
Rage Against the MachineThe Battle of Los Angeles (Epic/Sony) In 1992, Rage Against the Machine released their eponymous debut, 10 tracks of politically charged, era-defining, sonically assaulting heavy metal hip-hop. With little initial promotion and much word of mouth, the album eventually went platinum. The group’s 1996 follow-up, Evil Empire, featured the same ingredients of…
Salvation
Former Davidian David Thibodeau recounts life at Waco compound in new book, “A Place Called Waco.”
Media Clips
Media misses the boat when it comes to quizzing Bush on foreign dictators.
Dogma
Kevin Smith manages to makes a film that both pokes fun at the Catholic Church and upholds the faith.
Articulations
ARTS Center Stage making the Big Decision: What architect is going to transform Palmer Auditorium into the Long Center for the Performing Arts.
After a Fashion
Purchasing celebrity detritus on eBay
Record Reviews
The ClashLive From Here to Eternity (Sony)Joe Strummer & the MescalerosRock Art and the X-Ray Style (Hellcat) Like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones a generation earlier, the Sex Pistols kicked open the door, and the Clash walked through it like Mandela leaving his cell. Like kings. All the way From Here to Eternity. Live.…
What Did Ann Know?
What did Ann Richards know about helicopters used during Waco siege?
Small Wonders
They just nabbed two festival awards, next up is HBO, and Ed Wood is their greatest influence. Meet Austin’s most successful 12-year-old filmmakers.
Pokémon: The First Movie
Pokémon: The First Movie 1998, G, 90 min. Directed by Kunihiko Yuyama, Michael Haigney, Narrated by , Voices by Veronica Taylor, Philip Bartlett, Rachael Lillis, Eric Stuart, Addie Blaustein, Ikue Otani, Starring . There is a new definition of the term, “critic-proof movie,” and it goes by the name Pokémon: The First Movie. Depending on…
Exhibitionism
Rebecca Cohen looks at the exhibition of contemporary glass sculptures “Holding Light” at the Austin Museum of Art: Laguna Gloria.
Mr. Smarty Pants
Der F�hrer kann nicht das Volkswagen antreiben.
Record Reviews
EurythmicsPeace (Arista) When Annie Lennox sings, “It feels like I’m 17” and reprises the Eurythmics’ debut single from 1983, “Sweet Dreams,” on the opening track of Peace, it’s less nostalgia than simply a return to form, but the conceptual nature of the group’s first studio album in nearly a decade fills it with such noble…
Ashes to Ashes
David Koresh trusted Texas Rangers more than other law enforcement agencies.
How To Sign Up
BARNA KANTOR’S CENTER FOR YOUNG CINEMA: Initial orientation for parents: Sun, Nov 14, 2pm CYC will offer eight-week-long introductory Super-8 filmmaking courses for ages 9-13 and 14-18. Final dates not yet set. Call 469-0114 for more information. http://www.cinemaker.austin.tx.us/. AUSTIN MUSEUM OF ART MEDIA ARTS: Proposed summer courses include various film, TV, small-format video, and multimedia…
Exhibitionism
Robi Polgar responds to the November concert of the Austin Symphony Orchestra, featuring the premiere of Austin composer Darden Smith’s Grand Motion.
Day Trips
Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg sows the seeds for a colorful spring.
Record Reviews
The Hellacopters Grande Rock (Sub Pop)The HellacoptersPayin’ the Dues (Sub Pop) In an age where cries of “Rock & Roll Is Dead” dominate musical discourse, it’s a pleasure to hear a band that transforms the most overdone elements of Seventies shock rock into something that makes your fingers twitch out invisible air guitar solos. Stockholm,…
Waco on the Web
The Web has numerous sites dedicated to the controversy at Waco. Rules of Engagementhttp://www.waco93.com Perhaps the best single source on the Web. Operated by Michael McNulty, the maker of the film Waco: Rules of Engagement. Go to the press page for links to articles on the latest developments in the Waco story. Dallas Morning Newshttp://www.dallasnews.com/specials/waco…
Family Drama
Filmmaker Jennifer Fox discusses the seven months she spent with Bill and Karen, an interracial couple at the center of her intimate 10-hour documentary.
In Good Company
A casual spectator might not realize just how much Robert Creeley’s long literary career — he’s 73 this year — has been conducted on the edge. But Creeley not only had a finger on the pulse of American poetry, he’s usually been a heartbeat or two ahead of it.
Coach’s Corner
Will the real genius please stand up?
Record Reviews
Paul McCartneyRun Devil Run (Capitol)Paul McCartneyWorking Classical (EMI Classics) To a man, every Paul McCartney fan thought the same thing, whether they spoke it aloud or not: Following the death of his beloved wife Linda, the ex-Beatle’s next album would be one filled with mournful ballads and sweet remembrances. Ol’ Macca threw everyone a curveball,…
Agent Sage
Retired FBI agent Byron Sage is still defending FBI’s role at Waco.
A Waking Dream
Film collective in*situ screens the animation of Harry Smith, avant-garde filmmaker.
Texas Book Festival Wrap-Up
The harmonies and seeming dissonances of last weekend’s Texas Book Festival
About AIDS
Support groups are available for children who have HIV or are impacted by HIV in the family.
Record Reviews
Matthew SweetIn Reverse (Volcano) The owners of Minus Zero, a slim, sweaty record shop off London’s Portobello Road, pack their cramped little store with pop music. In this limited space, Matthew Sweet has earned his own section, because he embodies the house speciality: pop American style. Like most pop fans of their ilk, the owners…
Our Lying Eyes
A New Revelation, like its predecessor, Waco: Rules of Engagement, will face an uphill climb with the intellectual and political establishment.
Short Cuts
Upcoming events and workshops of interest to the Austin film community.
The Neal and Joe Show: Bigger, Longer, Uncut
The Neal and Joe Show: Bigger, Longer, Uncut Neal Barrett Jr. and Joe Lansdale How much of a risk was it for the Texas Book Festival to devote an hour-long slot to the proposition that two incurably wise-ass writers could transfer their unique surrealisimo from the page to the stage? None at all, it seems.…
Letters at 3AM
Poetry is an act of faith.
Record Reviews
Everything But the Girl Temperamental (Atlantic) No matter what you think of ETBG’s new outing, it’s hard not to admire the duo of Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt for the simple fact that they’re still in some form of existence, never mind such a sharp, appealingly adaptable one as this. Four years back, Watt lay…
Men at Work
City’s day laborer program undergoes successful overhaul
Video Reviews
(“Video Reviews” wishes to thank Encore Movies & Music, I Video, Vulcan Video, and Waterloo Video for their help in providing videos, laser discs, and DVDs.)Office KillerD: Cindy Sherman (1997); with Carol Kane, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Molly Ringwald, Eric Bogosian. Now more than ever, the office environment has been portrayed as a fate far worse than…
Perfect Blue
Perfect Blue 1997, NR, 80 min. Directed by Satoshi Kon, Narrated by , Voices by Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, Shinpachi Tsuji, Masaaki Ôkura, Starring . Midway through this animated Japanese thriller I was struck by a sudden sense of deja vu that persisted to the end of the film. Surely I hadn’t seen this somewhere…
Postscripts
Why Pam Houston’s (A Little More About Me, Cowboys Are My Weakness) Austin reading may be a bit more adventurous than most; local bookstore news; and the Chicano / Latina Poetry Power Pack.
Trouble in Paradise
Rebecca Chastenet de Gery explains why her visits to Pacifica Fine Dining have varied in quality.
Record Reviews
AIRPremiers Symptomes (Astralwerks) On May 5, 1961, the first American Mercury spacecraft carried Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. into history. His Freedom 7 was launched from Florida’s Cape Canaveral and soared Shepard to speeds of over 5,000mph. The flight lasted 14.8 minutes. Eight years later, on July 20, 1969, the world stopped to revel in…
Fast Track
The Capital Area Metropolitan Organization approved Capital Metro’s light rail plans; now it’s up to voters.
Video Reviews
Top HatD: Mark Sandrich (1935); with Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Helen Broderick, Edward Everett Horton, Eric Blore, Erik Rhodes, Lucille Ball, Donald Meek. Stretched over several evenings, Top Hat was especially delightful to watch for Astaire and Rogers’ magical dancing, freed from the film’s obviously ridiculous plot. Mistaken identity is stretched to its limit and…
Book Reviews
how to stop time: heroin from A to Z by Ann Marlowe Basic Books, 297 pp., $24 In this brazenly subtle work, Ann Marlowe delivers a hard-hitting memoir in the guise of an abbreviated dictionary of terms — a Fodor’s Guide to heroin addiction. Taking off full throttle from her observation that “rules are the…
Mini-Review
American Home Cooking: Over 300 Spirited Recipes Celebrating Our Rich Tradition of Home Cooking by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison Broadway Books, 544 pp., $30 After years of enjoying and learning from the works of Santa Fe-based cookbook authors Cheryl and Bill Jamison, I devour each new volume they publish with gusto. Now, three…
Record Reviews
Tethered MoonChansons de Edith Piaf (Winter & Winter)Paul Motian & the Electric Bebop BandMonk & Powell (Winter & Winter) The French chanson is the stuff of high drama, evocative to the extreme, with a minor/major key duality that’s symbolic of a divided post-war Europe. No practitioner brought more to the genre than Edith Piaf, and…
A Dam Shame
Trout fishing group and recreational users oppose Guadalupe Blanco River Authority’s plan to sell water to growing communities.
Video Reviews
Bring Me The Head of Alfredo GarciaD: Sam Peckinpah (1974); with Warren Oates, Isela Vega, Gig Young, Robert Webber, Helmut Dantine, Kris Kristofferson, Emilio Fernández. A moment of silence now for the late, great Warren Oates. Too little appreciated, he left an awesome body of work, and this deranged Peckinpah rant offers one of his…
Book Reviews
Gone Boy: A Walkabout: A Father’s Search for the Truth in His Son’s Murder by Gregory Gibson Kodansha International, 224 pp., $24 “If the truth didn’t always set us free, at least it kept us clean and made our lives less complicated,” Gregory Gibson writes in Gone Boy, the story of his son’s murder. Being…
Mini-Review
Weir Cooking: Recipes From the Wine Country by Joanne Weir TimeLife Books, 208 pp., $27.50 In her latest book, Weir Cooking: Recipes From the Wine Country, the companion book to her successful PBS series, Joanne Weir characterizes wine country cooking as a lifestyle, one that is rooted “in the slow lane with all the right…
Record Reviews
Gonzalo Rubalcaba Inner Voyage (Blue Note) Listeners may be surprised by the introspective nature and delicacy of Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba’s work on Inner Voyage, as he has tremendous chops and often plays pyrotechnically. Here, though, his lightness of touch, use of the upper octaves, and employment of pauses to open his solos for the…
Naked City
Candidates line up to run for Rep. Sherri Greenberg’s seat; Austin police disagree with Chief Stan Knee’s defense of officer who entered Matthew McConaughey’s home; LGRL’s Dianne Hardy-Garcia is off to Washington to organize a big march, BFI has received its valuation in the city’s condemnation process.
TV Eye
Ain’t it cool? Harry Knowles pitches a television show based on his cinephile Webzine; also, the NAACP boycott is scrapped, plus other small-screen newsmakers.
Off the Bookshelf
A Sense of Where You Are: Bill Bradley at Princeton by John McPheeFarrar, Straus, & Giroux, 222 pp., $12 (paper) When young Bill Bradley’s teachers, coaches, and classmates were asked to predict the Princeton basketball phenom’s future, the answer that most frequently rolled off their tongue was: He will be governor of Missouri. The only…
The Coffeehouse Chronicles
“Agoraphobes need not apply,” Pableaux Johnson says of Gaby & Mo’s, an infectiously bright new coffeehouse.
Record Reviews
Compay Segundo Calle Salud (Nonesuch) The first sounds on Calle Salud, 93-year-old Cuban Sonero Compay Segundo’s second solo release in Nonesuch’s Buena Vista Social Club series, move with the lithe grace of two Spanish dancers approaching each other with their arms outstretched. Cheek to cheek, the lovers separate, letting their hands trace down the length…
Naked City
City Manager Jesus Garza forms a top-level committee to oversee neighborhood services.
Get Bruce!
Get Bruce! 1999, R, 72 min. Directed by Andrew J. Kuehn, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . You may not know Bruce Vilanch, but you’ve heard him on TV. Remember Oscar host Billy Crystal’s riotous medley of Best Picture nominees? Bruce Vilanch helped pen that. And the Friar’s Roast appearance that blew up…
Off the Bookshelf
Who I Was Supposed to Be: Short Stories by Susan Perabo Simon & Schuster, 192 pp., $20 If you were a fiction writer, wouldn’t you want your strongest material at the front of a collection of short stories? Ill-considered inclusion of weak stories is only one of the problems with Susan Perabo’s Who I Was…
Food-o-File
Virginia B. Wood finds the perfect tamale and much more at the Southern Foodways Symposium in Oxford, Mississippi.
Record Reviews
John Prine In Spite of Ourselves (Oh Boy) John Prine, one of the pre-eminent singer-songwriters of the last 20 years, almost totally sheds his folky trappings for this release, teaming up with a string of female vocalists for country duets. He certainly found the cream of the crop, too, from new artists (Patty Loveless, Trisha…
Naked City
Ted Delisi reportedly leaves press office of Attorney General John Cornyn amidst controversy over his work for Gov. George W. Bush.
Light It Up
Light It Up 1999, R, 97 min. Directed by Craig Bolotin, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Usher Raymond, Judd Nelson, Forest Whitaker, Rosario Dawson, Robert Ri’Chard, Fredo Starr, Sara Gilbert, Vanessa L. Williams. Judd Nelson is finally back to his old Breakfast Club stomping ground, but this time around there’s guns, a wounded…
Off the Bookshelf
The End of Nature 10th Anniversary Edition by Bill McKibben Anchor Books, 240 pp., $14 (paper) Ever marvel at the ubiquity of modern conveniences? At how we can simply plug into the planet to power our needs and desires? Ever feel an accompanying twinge of profound dread? Ten years ago, this book arrived to remind…
A Way With Guns
Young writer Kevin Wood grew up with BB guns, and rifles and hunting, so it was a bit of a shock for him to discover that he wasn’t as comfortable with a handgun.
Record Reviews
Buddy Miller Cruel Moon (Hightone) The first sounds on Cruel Moon emanate from someplace deep inside Buddy Miller’s soul. Against a spare framework of twangy guitar and the shake of a tambourine, he lets loose a ghostly howl that connects the listener to a time long ago. Eventually the tale of anguish and despair, “Does…
Naked City
Hays County transportation plan goes back for further study; MoPac extension to San Marcos is tanked for time being.
Defying Gravity
Defying Gravity 1999, NR, 105 min. Directed by John Keitel, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Lesley Tesh, Seabass Diamond, Linna Carter, Don Handfield, Niklaus Lange, Daniel Chilson. The gentle lift you feel in watching Defying Gravity is propelled by the earnestness of its emotions. This finely modulated melodrama about a college fraternity member’s…
