Peckinpah Tv
Peckinpah Tv NR. Directed by Sam Peckinpah, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . This eight-part film series dedicated to a reassessment of Sam Peckinpah’s career is curated by local access TV’s Show With No Name and runs through Dec. 16. Also featured in the series are rare screenings of some of Peckinpah’s TV…
Intentions of Murder
Intentions of Murder 1964, NR, 150 min. Directed by Shohei Imamura, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Masumi Harakuwa, Shigeru Tsuyuguchi. Intentions of Murder is based on a true story about the slovenly wife of a tyrannical librarian, who triumphes over her family, an assaultive burglar, and antiquated patriarchal traditions.
Postscripts
Carl Anderson’s unique perspective on Christmas; local authors with reissued books in the works; and upcoming literary events.
Coach’s Corner
The Longhorns are back, and Austin media should be ashamed.
Live Shots
Los PinkysEl Sol y la Luna, November 5 “It’s polka time!” came the amplified introduction from Bradley Jaye Williams, one of two multi-instrumental vocalists in Los Pinkys. Together with Isidro Samilpa, the two form the frontline of this stalwart conjunto quartet, a South Austin band also familiar with conjunto’s cousins: cumbia, ranchera, bolero, and Norteño.…
A Glorious High
When I asked Pauline Kael if she’d like to contribute around 750 words on Sam Peckinpah, she responded by telling me that she didn’t feel she could write something that substantial. She explained that she was 80 years old and suffering from Parkinson’s disease, so we settled on short answers to a few questions. The…
Book Reviews
The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story by Michael Lewis W.W. Norton & Co., 256 pp., $25.95 Not by accident, Michael Lewis’ new book The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story, begins aboard Jim Clark’s massive toy: a huge computer-controlled sailboat. It is the central metaphor for the restless Internet mogul, seeker of…
About AIDS
New studies show that teen girls are still ignorant about sexual health issues.
Live Shots
Kiss Offs, Britt Daniel, Shindigs Hole in the Wall, November 11 It was nice to see a line in front of Hole in the Wall — on a weeknight! A faint glimmer of hope in what has been a positively dismal six months for the live music community. Or rather it would have been, had…
Peckinpah Schedule
The Getaway Thu, Nov. 18; 7 & 9:30pm TV Program I — Noon Wine Sun, Nov. 28; 3:30pm Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid Thu, Dec. 2; 7pm Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia Thu, Dec. 9; 7pm TV Program II — The Westerner and others Sun, Dec. 12; 3:30pm Cross of Iron Thu,…
Book Reviews
The Edge of Marriage: Stories by Hester Kaplan University of Georgia Press, 192 pp., $24.95 The Edge of Marriage, awarded this year’s Flannery O’Connor Award, is a set of emotive short stories that invokes the disillusioned state of aging baby boomers at critical crossroads in their lives when there is no option of turning back.…
Tasty Twosomes
Wes Marshall lays out the laws of pairing food with wine at Thanksgiving and provides some recipe ideas.
Live Shots
Stereolab, Olivia Tremor ControlLa Zona Rosa, November 15 New World Pop. Same as the Old World Pop. In the case of Athens-based pop nerds Olivia Tremor Control, they were one in the same. Given the rag-tag quintet’s 45-minute opening set flitting away like a butterfly on nitrous oxide, it seemed like a glorious new day.…
Short Cuts
Upcoming events and workshops of interest to the Austin film community.
Book Reviews
Through the Windshield by Michael DeCapite Sparkle Street Books, 457 pp., $14.95 (paper) One of the better American novels published in the past several years, Through the Windshield is an autobiographical work dealing with the life of author DeCapite in the mid-1980s, when he drove a cab and worked as a day laborer. He lived…
The Good Cook List
Virginia B. Wood explains why “the best food in the world is cooked with love and is a joyous gift for the cook as well as the guest.”
Grow and Prosper
With neighbors still reeling from 1990 expansion, Hyde Park Baptist plans another growth project.
Video Reviews
The Fantastic FourD: Oley Sassone (1994); with Joseph Culp, Alex Hyde-White, Michael Bailey Smith, Rebecca Staab, Jay Underwood. Imagine this scenario: A young scientist invents a space-worthy rocket ship, and while taking it on its maiden voyage, brings along not a team of experts but his three best chums. En route through space, they are…
Book Reviews
Beautiful Necessity: The Art and Meaning of Women’s Altars by Kay Turner Thames & Hudson, 176 pp., $19.95 (paper) Former Austinite Kay Turner has finally gotten serious. After singing of menstrual huts and pantyhose (as band leader for Girls in the Nose in the 1980s), collecting women’s dreams about Madonna (the singer) in a kitschy,…
Food-o-File
Virginia B. Wood explains why she regrettably missed her reservation at the French Laundry in Yountville, California, and updates readers on local food events and restaurant changes.
The Hyde Park Civic NCCD
In 1990, the Austin City Council approved the Hyde Park Civic Neighborhood Conservation and Combining District (NCCD), which established guidelines for development on the 15 blocks of land immediately surrounding the Hyde Park Baptist Church property on the two blocks between 39th and 40th streets, and avenues D and F. Land Owned by the Church…
Video Reviews
Justice League of America D: Lewis Teague (1997); with David Ogden Stiers, Jon Kassir, Ken Johnston, Matthew Settle, Michelle Hurd, Miguel Ferrer. On the other hand, if you want to see the supposedly mature, adult angle on dealing with the superhero genre, or are interested in finding out just how misguided Hollywood can possibly be,…
Off the Bookshelf
Skateaway by Michael Grant Jaffe Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 352 pp., $24 In Skateaway, Michael Grant Jaffe writes the lives of the three small-town Boone siblings. Much happens in the day-to-day course of their lives, and yet the sea of plush details Jaffe offers transcends the particular. Though the artist-father goes crazy (he thinks he’s…
Mini-Review
Saveur Cooks Authentic French: Rediscovering the Recipes, Traditions, and Flavors of the World’s Greatest Cuisine by the editors of Saveur Magazine Chronicle Books, 320 pp., $40 As much as I adore French food, it’s hard for me to get excited about new French cookbooks. Often, they aren’t “new” at all, and if they are truly…
The Wal-marts of Religion
Once upon a time in America, before the days of six-lane freeways, super-Kmarts, and SUVs as big as the garages people park them in, the massive megachurch was unusual enough to raise eyebrows among members of nearly every Christian denomination. In the days when walking to a small neighborhood church on Sunday morning was the…
Video Reviews
Legends of the Super-Heroes D: Bill Carruthers, Chris Darley (1977); with Adam West, Burt Ward, Frank Gorshin, Jeff Altman, Charlie Callas, Howard Morris. Anyone who saw Legends of the Super-Heroes in its brief original run in the late Seventies will no doubt be astonished to find that any film or TV production house could find…
Off the Bookshelf
Leading the Cheers by Justin Cartwright Carroll & Graf, 256 pp., $23.95 Sorry to be leading the jeers, but I did not find much to recommend about this dry novel. No doubt its protagonist, Dan Silas, a Brit in the throes of a midlife crisis, would sneer at my desire for sympathetic characters. Dan spends…
Just Call Him “Coach”
Westlake senior Eli Kooris profiles the Westlake Chaparral football’s legendary head coach, Ron Schroeder.
Quarries Qualms
To many Hyde Park residents, moving part of Hyde Park Baptist Church into Northwest Austin, where most of its congregation members live, sounds like the answer to their prayers. But to residents of Balcones Woods and Mesa Park whose neighborhoods surround the Quarries property just southwest of MoPac and Duval Road in Northwest Austin…
TV Eye
David E. Kelley is one of the most gifted and savvy television writers of the late Nineties : So why is he degenerating into Aaron Spelling?
Off the Bookshelf
Empires of Sand by David Ball Bantam Books, 608 pp., $23.95 I suspect the alternate title for Empires of Sand would have been Blood and Sand. The characters in this melange of French and Near Eastern history are either despicably evil or unrealistically good. The evil characters are sexually voracious, treacherous, and materialistic. The good…
Playoff Outlook
Westlake’s chances at going to state this season are good for two reasons. First, the two teams ranked in front of them in the overall state rankings (Midland Lee and Lewisville) are playing in Division I of the playoff bracket, whereas Westlake is in Division II. In fact, no top 10 team in the Division…
Gasoline Alley
The proposed Longhorn Pipeline fuels debate because of its proximity to South Austin neighborhoods, schools, and Edwards Aquifer.
Happy, Texas
Happy, Texas 1999, PG-13, 104 min. Directed by Mark Illsley, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Jeremy Northam, Steve Zahn, Ally Walker, William H. Macy, Illeana Douglas, Ron Perlman. After a series of escapades plant them in the small Texas town of the title, two escaped convicts are rifling through the mobile home they…
Off the Bookshelf
Ghost Quartet by Richard Burgin TriQuarterly Books, 288 pp., $25.95 Ray Stoneson, an ambitious young composer, compromises his integrity and sacrifices true love with Joy, a soprano with a Mona Lisa smile, by sleeping with Perry Green, a famous conductor who will help Ray’s career. In what could be a provocative, painful tale of tragic…
Go, Girl! Go!
A father beams as her records his daughter’s first season as a middle school football player.
Huge Turnout Postpones Meeting
PIPE coalition leader Jeff Heckler’s phone-banking campaign to get people out to Tuesday night’s public meeting on the Longhorn pipeline worked better than even he thought it would. But when nearly 1,000 people tried to cram into the 399-seat auditorium at Bowie High, Austin Fire Chief Gary Warren declared the meeting a public hazard, and…
Anywhere But Here
Anywhere But Here 1999, PG-13, 114 min. Directed by Wayne Wang, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Susan Sarandon, Natalie Portman, Shawn Hatosy, Bonnie Bedelia, Nart Bochner, Caroline Aaaron, Corbin Allred. The relationship between mother and daughter is often a prickly one, as Clytemnestra and Electra can attest. In recent films — Terms of…
Second Helpings: Gourmet Takeout
In this week’s installment of the weekly dining guide Second Helpings, Rachel Feit covers the local gourmet take-out scene.
Local Bestsellers
Local bestsellers are based on recent sales at Austin bookstores selected to reflect varied reading interests.
Doing Sports the Craig Way
Mike Butts profiles sports stats man and voice of the Texas Longhorns, broadcaster Craig Way, of KVET’s Sports Day and Fox Sports Southwest’s High School Extra Live.
The Price of War
Don Martin, a Longhorn Partners Pipeline public affairs consultant, believes that the real conflict surrounding the operation of the Longhorn pipeline stems from a turf war between two oil companies. Now, with the EPA’s environmental assessment calling for $10-20 million in pipeline improvements, as opposed to the $100-million-plus cost of rerouting the pipeline around the…
Joe the King
Joe the King 1999, R, 100 min. Directed by Frank Whaley, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Peter Anthony Tambakis, James Costa, Max Ligosh, Austin Pendleton, John Leguizamo, Ethan Hawke, Karne Young, Val Kilmer, Noah Fleiss. Contrary to Mel Brooks’ dictum, it’s not always so good to be the king. Whaley’s directorial debut may…
Wandering Preachers, Holy Fools
What best describes the modern playwright? Itinerant preacher? Holy fool? Several artists with an intimate knowledge of the playwriting life offer their views in this roundtable discussion.
Page Two
The Hyde Park Baptist Church development may be legal, but it’s wrong; and it’s time for Statesman editor Rich Oppel to go.
Blow Harder
The use of horns in local rock & roll bands
Naked City
North American Properties pulls out of Triangle project; Charlie Jones of Middleman Music heads up New Year’s Eve celebration downtown, Bernice Butler leaves her directors post at the ARA, Darlene Byrne runs for judges seat, Dawnna Dukes has an opponent.
The Legend of 1900
The Legend of 1900 1998, R, 124 min. Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Tim Roth, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Bill Nunn, Clarence Williams Iii, Melanie Thierry. 1900 is the name of a character, not a century, in this lush drama by Italian director Guiseppe Tornatore (Cinema Paradiso), his first filmed…
Articulations
The loss of the architects for the new Blanton Museum of Art; a home for the Rude Mechanicals.
Page Two: Tim Jones Tapes
Here are downloadable versions of the these three memorable conversations. These occurred on three different dates. The subject’s phone number was edited out of tape 3, resulting in a short pause. RealAudio Tape 1 Tape 2 Tape 3 WAV Windows Audio Files Tape 1 Tape 2 Tape 3
Spinning Yarns
Tracing generations’ worth of jazz and R&B history through the Texas Trumpets
Naked City
When Wimberley’s single grocery store expanded into a new building this year, Brookshire Brothers had to do more than just offer wider aisles and a deli counter to please area residents. The store landscaped its parking lot with trees, used native stone on the building’s exterior, and agreed to build an adjacent retail strip well…
Splendor
Splendor 1999, R, 90 min. Directed by Gregg Araki, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Kathleen Robertson, Johnathan Schaech, Matt Keeslar, Eric Mabius, Kelly MacDonald, Dan Gatto, Linda Kim, Audrey Ruttan. A kinder, gentler Gregg Araki film? Surely this signifies that the seventh seal has finally been broken and chaos (in the form of…
Exhibitionism
Robert Faires examines Artists Repertory of Texas’ debut production, the world premiere of Tennessee Williams’ Spring Storm
Public Notice
Buy Nothing Day? Public Notice tells what it knows about this annual international event while encouraging you through the rest of the column to buy lots of things (or at least donate the stuff you no longer use) for the less fortunate.
The Texas Trumpets Reviewed
The Texas Trumpets featuring the Eastside Band(Dialtone) This local all-star association’s cup brims with talent: Ephraim Owens is a young lion, bandleader/composer; Mark “Pat” Patterson has worked with Etta James and Otis Redding; Donald “Duck”Jennings spent time in the bands of Lou Rawls and W.C. Clark; and Martin Banks is well-known for his tenure with…
Naked City
University of Texas law professor Lino Graglia was once again at the center of controversy during a panel discussion last week, when he stood by his 1997 comments that blacks and Mexican-Americans are not competitive with other students because their cultures do not condemn failure. About 250 people crowded into the LBJ Auditorium on the…
Guinevere
Guinevere 1999, R, 104 min. Directed by Audrey Wells, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Sarah Polley, Stephen Rea, Jean Smart, Carrie Preston, Gina Gershon, Emily Procter, Sandra Oh, Jasmine Guy. Talk about your movie clichés … Have you heard the one about the older man and the younger woman? Do you think you’ve…
Exhibitionism
The State Theater Company production of The Good Doctor
After a Fashion
Alexander McQueen minces no words; and the flip side of good customer service.
Dancing About Architecture
Bands seek out SXSW, SXSW searches for places to put them; the late (Liberty) Lunch gets later; plus all the news that gives us fits…
Naked City
The Austin Tejano Democrats will sponsor a mock presidential debate and straw poll at Scholz Garten, 1607 San Jacinto, today, Thursday, Nov. 18, at 5:30pm. Former Texas land commissioner and gubernatorial candidate Garry Mauro and AFL-CIO representative Eric Hartman will represent Al Gore; City Council Member Gus Garcia and political consultant Peck Young will play…
Devil’s Island
Devil’s Island 1996, NR, 103 min. Directed by Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Ingvar E. Sigurdsson, Guomudur Olafsson, Sveinn Geirsson, Halldora Geirhardsdottir, Sigurveig Jonsdottir, Gisli Halldorsson, Baltasar Kormakur. America and Iceland may have been allies during the Second World War, but in this boisterous period piece from the director of…
David Shields Reflects on Race in the NBA
“In the NBA, as nowhere else in America, white people are utterly beholden to black people, and they’re not about to let us off that easily; it’s a kind of very mild payback for the last 500 years.”
Mr. Smarty Pants
I saw miles and miles of stuffed crust.
Live Shots
Susana Baca One World Theatre, November 13 It started with a show of hands, One World Theatre founder and executive director Hartt Sterns asking the see how many patrons had ventured out to the Tuscon-style villa on Bee Caves Road before. Who had been to Argentina, Cuba, and Cameroon all while sitting in the dark,…
Council Watch
Council considers issues ranging from the Seaholm Power Plant, to the Gotham condominium project, to Southpark Meadows.
Sleepy Hollow
Sleepy Hollow 1999, R, 105 min. D: Tim Burton; with Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci. You’ll notice Washington Irving’s name is absent from the title of Burton’s new film. That’s due in no small part to the fact that this version of the story owes less to Irving’s original tale than to screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker…
Taboo Topics, True Subjects
The National Basketball Association, which began its 1999-2000 season a few weeks ago, is a photo negative of American race relations: strong young black men have some of the power, much of the money, and all of the fun. The NBA is a place where, without acknowledging it — and because it’s never acknowledged, it’s…
Day Trips
Hard work is its own reward at Brazos de Dios, a community north of Waco.
Live Shots
Garth Brooks/Clint BlackAustin City Limits, November 3/November 8 This Chris Gaines business is all very amusing, but who knew the true Seventies rockchild would turn out to be Clint Black? Anyone who witnessed the country singer climb behind the drums for a fuchsia-tinged cover of Steely Dan’s “Josie” — complete with Eric Johnson on guitar…
Pauline Kael Remembers Sam Peckinpah
Pauline Kael discusses the myths surrounding the work of Sam Peckinpah in this excerpt from the monograph that accompanies the Peckinpah retrospective sponsored by the Austin Film Society.
