Out for Blood II: Out for More Blood
Out for Blood II: Out for More Blood 2001, NR. Directed by Viet Nguyen, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Courtney Hopkin, Brian Lynch, Phuong Nguyen, Brian Prestwood, Patrick Hemstreet, Ryan Schuchart, David Saldana, Humphrey Brown III. The world premiere of this action-comedy short by a local filmmaker tracks two detectives trying to catch…
Potluck Cinema
Potluck Cinema NR. Directed by Various., Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . This Super-8 throwdown fest solicited films that explore either metaphorically or literrally the events surrounding Sept. 11. The films run no longer than four minutes each and contain less than four splices.
The Incredible Trailerthon #2
The Incredible Trailerthon #2 NR, 180 min. Directed by Various., Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . Compiled by Anthony Timpson, curator of the Incredibly Strange Film Festival in New Zealand, this three-hour collection of coming attractions focuses on films from the Sixties and Seventies. It also helps pay for Timpson’s ticket from New…
Brief Encounters
Brief Encounters 1967, NR, 96 min. Directed by Kira Muratova, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Vladimir Vysotsky, Nina Ruslanova, Muratova. A young country girl who moves to the city tries to attract the attention of famous geologist.
Mr. Sinus Theater 3000 Christmas Show
Mr. Sinus Theater 3000 Christmas Show NR. Directed by Various, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . In a now-annual tradition, the Mr. Sinus crew hurl their best zingers at favorite holiday movies and TV specials. Some old bits from are mixed with lots of new material. Milk and cookies will be served.
The First Teacher
The First Teacher 1965, NR, 102 min. Directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Natalya Arinbasarova, Bolot Bejshenaliyev. The award-winning first film by Andrei Konchalovsky (Runaway Train) tells the story of an ideological fanatic who learns to temper his beliefs with the help of the isolated townsfolk.
MFA Candidates
MFA Candidates NR, 67 min. Directed by Ken Galen York, Mireille Fornengo, Shu-Chun Lee., Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . Three short documentaries filmed by University of Texas MFA candidates will screen: “Aliman and Lawuyn” (21 min.) by Shu-Chun Lee spotlights a displaced aboriginal family in Taiwan; “Concerto for Two Harpischoprds” (20 min.)…
Spooky Encounters
Spooky Encounters 1980, NR, 102 min. Directed by Sammo Hung, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Fat Chung, Ti-Hong Cheung, Lung Chan, Hung. A vampiric chopsocky picture, Encounters of the Spooky Kind blends slapstick, martial arts, and the supernatural for an Evil Dead-like encounter.
Day Trips
Hermann Park offers a green respite from the concrete canyons of Houston.
Jimmie Vaughan Reviewed
Jimmie VaughanDo You Get the Blues? (Artemis) Kind of a stupid question, don’t you think? We all get the blues every now and then, but Jimmie Vaughan gets them. Just listen to any one of this album’s myriad guitar solos, each a piercing, note-by-note soliloquy of sadness and release. Do You Get the Blues? does…
Doggett Smells a Scam
In case you’re fallen a few steps behind the post-Sept. 11 grieving curve, national trendsetters in the Bush administration, Congress, and lobbyist circles say it’s time to forgive and forget — payment of taxes by corporations, that is. General Motors, Boeing, International Paper, and other billionaire behemoths are so emotionally distraught about the tragedies, it…
Wintry Mix
Holiday Film Preview
Mr. Smarty Pants
Wild turkeys can fly for short distances at up to 55 miles per hour and can run at 20 miles per hour.One medium Louisiana yam supplies more than the recommended daily allotment of Vitamin A and one-third the suggested Vitamin C.The now famous 1621 event between 50 Plymouth Pilgrims and their Wampanoag neighbors had been…
Dancing About Architecture
Death and rain come to CenTex
Palmer Picket Persists
“It’s about as close to a state of war between labor and management as you can get without an actual declaration,” said Matt Holder, attorney for the electricians union (Local 520 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers). The workers are currently picketing the Palmer Auditorium/Community Events Center building site on Barton Springs Road, charging…
Wintry Mix
Fantasy/Sci-Fi THE LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING “Frodo Lives!” This vintage bit of Sixties graffiti could serve as the tagline, ã la “Garbo laughs!” for Peter Jackson’s ambitious cinematic adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. The New Zealand filmmaker has been laboring like Hercules for the past six years to turn…
After a Fashion
Guess who your Style Avatar flitted around town with this week? Check out this first installment about international salon god José Eber’s visit to Austin.
Devilishly Dan Del Santo
Our resident Marshmallow Peep relates the news and hearsay in and around the Live Music Capital…
Yogurt Shop Case Takes a Twist
Last Wednesday afternoon (Nov. 14), yogurt shop defendant Michael Scott returned to court for a pretrial hearing meant to determine whether information he gave police about his role in the 1991 murders would be admissible in court. Although only one witness testified at the brief hearing (a continuation of September proceedings), an interesting contradiction arose…
Wintry Mix
Indie IN THE BEDROOM In the Bedroom, one of the most original and widely praised films in dramatic competition at the Sundance Film Festival last January, is finally rolling out to theatres nearly one year later. This American independent film is a quiet, emotionally wrenching study of family dynamics and the power of grief to…
Spy Game
Spy Game 2001, R, 121 min. Directed by Tony Scott, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Larry Bryggman, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Stephen Dillane, Catherine Mccormack, Brad Pitt, Robert Redford. Ponderous and bulky, swaddled in an aura of flimsy import, Spy Game is the first Tony Scott film I’ve actively disliked on an almost visceral level.…
To Your Health
My mother often asked me if I had a bowel movement every day, but now that I am on my own, it’s more like two to three per week. How can I get back to a daily BM without getting hooked on laxatives?
Phases and Stages
Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double TroubleLive at Montreux 1982 & 1985 (Epic/Legacy) The booing begins three songs into that first 42-minute set from 1982, harsh reward for a typically toe-tapping “Pride and Joy.” It’s louder after the band’s next tune, a 10-minute toiling of “Texas Flood,” which Live at Montreux rightly reminds us won SRV…
Naked City
Thanksgiving is Thursday. Be thankful you’re not an Afghan farmer hiding from the War on Terrorism, a Colombian farmer hiding from the War on Drugs, an American casualty of the War on Welfare, or a contestant on a reality TV show. This holiday season, you’d better buckle up, leave the beer at home, and abide…
Wintry Mix
Foreign THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE Guillermo del Toro’s allegorical ghost story The Devil’s Backbone promises to be a kind of stylistic sequel to Cronos — the unconventional vampire film that first established the Mexican-born, Austin-based director’s name among the arthouse crowd — after his big-budget detour with the monster-bug flick Mimic. Set during the final days…
Black Knight
Black Knight 2001, PG-13, 104 min. Directed by Gil Junger, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Martin Lawrence, Tom Wilkinson, Greg Cooper, Vincent Regan, Marsha Thomason, Kevin Conway, Erik Jensen. After the inexplicable popular success of Big Momma’s House, no doubt Martin Lawrence and his handlers were searching for some sort of follow-up that…
About AIDS
World AIDS Day Observances Dec. 1
Phases and Stages
Matthew Robinson & the Texas Blues Band (Dialtone) Matthew Robinson’s been hard at work in Austin’s Eastside clubs for many years now, as well as heading to Europe and playing with Blues Boy Hubbard, Willie Foster, and of course his own Texas Blues Band. This, his second disc, shanghais other members of the local Dialtone…
Naked City
On Monday, Nov. 26, the Austin Independent School District board of trustees is expected to decide whether to move the Liberal Arts Academy from Johnston High School to LBJ, already home to the Math and Science Academy. Doing so would effectively merge the two programs and end the magnet program at Johnston. AISD staff, a…
Wintry Mix
Comedy THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS Houston native and UT grad Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums may be another film about failed genius, but don’t call it a retread of Rushmore and Bottle Rocket. This time, co-writer/director Anderson, with longtime collaborator and co-writer Owen Wilson, have exploded the wonderfully weird sensibilities of a Max Fisher or a…
Second Helpings: Home Away From Home: Dining Out for Thanksgiving
Tips on where to dine out on Thanksgiving Day
Coach’s Corner
Coach is playing some serious golf on vacation. Why is it, though they change partners every day, his team always loses?
Phases and Stages
The ConvertersYou Got ‘Em! (Voodoo Pie) Open the sleeve to this CD and you’ll see the all-capital exhortation, “Play This Album Loud,” in 24-point type. You should pay heed. There’s no Stevie Ray manques here with clanging Stratocasters doing their mannered take on the blues; instead, there’s Randall Stockton doing some R&B shouting and blowing…
Naked City
The Texas Civil Rights Project last Tuesday filed a class-action lawsuit in U.S. District Court against SandStar Family Entertainment stemming from the company’s use of prison inmates to make telemarketing calls. According to TCRP Executive Director Jim Harrington, SandStar — which markets itself as a purveyor of “clean, wholesome entertainment that reflects your values,” and…
Wintry Mix
Oscar Contenders VANILLA SKY Hollywood’s inability to come up with anything on their own without casting Rob Schneider or Adam Sandler in it continues apace with this Americanized version of Alejandro Amenábar’s stunning 1997 feature Abre los Ojos (Open Your Eyes). Amenábar wowed audiences this past summer with the classic(al) spook show The Others, but…
Halfway Home
The Los Angeles County of Art’s exhibition “The Road to Aztlan, Art From a Mythic Homeland” includes a wondrous survey of pre-conquest Mesoamerican art, but when it comes to contemporary Chicano works, the “road” doesn’t take us all the way home.
Counting Our Blessings
While it’s likely most of us register gratitude many times during the year, by tradition in this country we set aside a late Thursday in November on which to consider and celebrate the bounty of our blessings. Perhaps this year more than most, we can use the time to reflect on a terribly trying year…
Phases and Stages
GoudieEffects of Madness (India) With last year’s red-light Peep Show, Goudie joined the rolls of Austin bands who made it to a major label — or at least a Metallica-drummer-owned offshoot — only to find the suits “forgot” to budget enough money to promote their album. This time, however, it looks like the quartet may…
Naked City
A report recently issued by the Center for Public Policy Priorities provides data confirming that a substantial number of Texans are working full time yet remain unable to meet basic family expenses. “Making It: What It Really Takes to Live in Texas,” reports that a single parent in Austin with one child will pay at…
Wintry Mix
Biopics ALI The erstwhile Fresh Prince of Bel-Air floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee as the eponymous three-time heavyweight champ in this hotly anticipated Christmas Day release, originally slated to go head-to-head with the heavy-hitting Ocean’s 11 on Dec. 7. The script, by director Michael Mann and Eric Roth (who co-penned Mann’s…
Articulations
Austin quiz kids prove they know opera, the Texas Commission on the Arts proves it cares about Republic Square, and visual artist Tré Arenz proves she cares about humanity.
Counting Our Blessings
Austin’s International Foods If one were to give thanks for any single element of the Austin food scene in the past year, it would have to be the growing diversity of international ethnic restaurants. We have had three excellent Pakistani choices surface: Bismillah, Spicy Tandoor, and Tandoor Palace. Madras Pavilion, Little Bombay, and Swad are…
Phases and Stages
BellaUntil the Morning (7 Pedal) It’s got to be a fascinating creative ride, creating an hourlong album out of nothing but the basic trinity of guitar, bass, and drums. Where do you go? Do you lay low, crafting layers of atmospheric fabric in an Eno-esque fashion? Do you unleash full-throttle noise-jams? Create a musical drama…
Naked City
With corporate media feeling pressure from the recent economic downturn, nonprofit media has endured an even tighter squeeze. On Nov. 9, KLRU-TV distributed eight pink slips to its employees as part of its “reorganization.” “In light of what has been happening to a lot of nonprofits, not only here in Austin but around the country,…
Short Cuts
Entry deadline for the Dallas Video Festival and SXSW updates
Exhibitionism
In her new play theevolutionofwoman, author S. Lucia Del Vecchio offers exactly what this male reviewer seeks in the theatre: a peek into forbidden mirrors, possible answers to tough questions, and food fights.
Counting Our Blessings
Cooking for Charity Lately I’ve found myself attending a plethora of social events, all of which shared the purpose of raising money for charity — to benefit Red Cross efforts in New York, for AIDS, to help keep at-risk kids in school, to support the city’s art museum, to fund vegetable gardening projects for low-income…
Phases and Stages
Milton MapesThe State Line (My Aunt Jane’s Recordings) Milton Mapes is a fluid configuration of musicians put together by Austin-based songwriter Greg Vanderpool and named in honor of Vanderpool’s grandfather. Consisting of seven songs recorded in Tennessee and Texas, the group’s debut is a subtle yet touching journey down the two-lane blacktops of bypassed dreams.…
Naked City
The Capitol Area Metropolitan Planning Organization met Monday to consider whether to move forward with Texas Dept. of Transportation proposals to widen or otherwise expand the MoPac Highway (Loop 1). After hearing from West Austin residents and its own Policy Advisory Committee, CAMPO returned the matter to a special committee for further review. As reported…
TV Eye
How to escape turkey afterburn and family overkill
Exhibitionism
In the Different Stages revival of Summer and Smoke, the way that actors Rebecca Robinson and Joel Citty embody the conflicted and conflicting natures of their characters, two people whose differences keep them apart even when they are drawn to each other, provides the tension that gives this production its life.
Counting Our Blessings
Soup’s On There is a reason things become a cliché: They are based in truth. And as clichéd as it seems, what I’ve been yearning for in the days since September 11 is soup. It’s an impossibly reassuring dish that emanates comfort, security, and wholesomeness. Truth be told, soup is always a preferred dish at…
Phases and Stages
Centro-maticDistance and Clime (Idol) One of the best bands in the state puts out its best album yet. Many folks around here aren’t aware of Centro-matic, simply because they’re from the maligned Dallas music scene (actually they’re from Denton). But don’t forget, that’s the scene that spawned Bedhead, and Centro-matic are stirring many of the…
Naked City
Austin developer Gary Bradley’s newly formed Transportation Corridor Constructors is negotiating with the Texas Turnpike Authority to draw up plans for SH 45 South, although the timeline for building the toll road is turning more controversial by the day. SH 45 South, running from FM 1626 in southwest Travis County to I-35, would provide easy…
The Wash
The Wash 2001, R, 94 min. Directed by Dj Pooh, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring George Wallace, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg. I could easily get my liberal knickers in a twist over The Wash’s stereotype-mongering hustlers ‘n’ ho’s take on urban black culture. But I figure, hey — African-American movie fans are a…
Exhibitionism
In Desdemona: A Play About a Handkerchief, Shakespeare’s Othello is retold from the women’s point of view and as if Desdemona were just the sort of wanton slammerkin the titular Moor was tricked into thinking she was.
Counting Our Blessings
An Austin Bounty When the weather turns crisp (fall being a season most Austinites greet with emphatic thanksgiving), my thoughts turn to picnics and, by extension, to those Austin spots I’m most thankful for: Boggy Creek Farm, Pure Luck Organic Dairy, and Grapevine Market. My first stop is Boggy Creek, where I fill a thick…
Cast a Giant Shadow
Evaluating the mayoral legacy of Kirk Watson
Naked City
Q: Why do they bury cops six feet under? A: Because deep down, they’re really good people. This joke appeared across the bottom of several letters packed at the Inside Books Project’s recent 100-hour work party at the Center for Mexican American Cultural Arts. The letters and the books were sent to prisoners across Texas,…
Counting Our Blessings
Trial by Fire Cooking is one of life’s joys, something I do daily and enjoy over and over and over. Growing up, my family wasn’t into food. My mother, a chemist by trade, found the whole thing frustrating, retreating to a “if it’s Tuesday, it must be stuffed bell peppers” concept. After I got married,…
Statewide Watson
An early preview of Kirk Watson’s race for attorney general
The Hightower Lowdown
The White House and Pentagon bomb us with propaganda; Enron’s empire crumbles; stuff you don’t need.
Texas Book Festival Wrap-Up
Saturday, November 17 Tom Wolfe flew from New York to say some kind, memorable things about his old friend William Goetzmann, the noted UT professor and Western historian who received the Texas Book Festival’s lifetime achievement award, the Bookend Award (which famed merchant Stanley Marcus also received). The gamble that the Festival made by featuring…
Counting Our Blessings
A Cornucopia of Grocers Years ago, when I was living in Taipei, I decided to host a Thanksgiving supper. I suppose it’s something that American expats everywhere do. Come November they begin to sniff out the comforting foodstuffs that have come to symbolize the country’s beloved harvest holiday. In Taiwan, though, it wasn’t easy to…
Welcome Back, Gus!
A Heavy Agenda for Garcia’s new council
The Magnificent Six
The cast and crew of the locally made omnibus film Six in Austin celebrate with a screening.
Texas Book Festival Wrap-Up
Sunday, November 18 With two early panels — “New Hope for the Dead: Posthumous Books” and “C’est la Vie: Biographies” — and the Festival-closing “Taps: A Tribute to Willie Morris” an unseasonably muggy day of rest became a day of the dead, though poet Jimmy Santiago Baca’s frenzied Senate chamber reading and the 250-plus phalanx…
Food-o-File
Food editor Virginia B. Wood makes corrections on the Chronicle’s recent “Barbecue Dynasties” article and updates readers on local goings-on.
In Memory of Bob Eckhardt: 1913-2001
A fighter for justice is remembered by family and friends.
Cassavetes on Cassavetes
Cassavetes on Cassavetes By Ray Carney Faber and Faber, 526 pp., $25 When John Cassavetes died in 1989, it was the end of an era. That phrase has been beaten to death again and again, with a very blunt truncheon, but in this case it’s true. Without Cassavetes’ influence on American film — and film…
Postscripts
Book news, signings, and author appearances this week.
Liquid Assets
With all the wonderful food and new recipes hitting your kitchen over the next few weeks, we thought you might enjoy trying some new wines. Any of the examples below will match nicely with turkey, ham, or vegetarian feasts. Since it’s a time to reflect and be thankful, I’d like to start with being grateful…
House Sitting
The Dickinson-Hannig House looks for a home
Songs for Cassavetes
Songs for Cassavetes D: Justin Mitchell; with Calvin Johnson, Sleater-Kinney, Hi-Fives, the Peechees, Dub Narcotic Sound System. Waiter, there’s an emocore band in my soup. Yeah, I know, it’s a punchline that doesn’t seem to go very far, but then you could say the same thing for this painfully earnest documentary. (The title refers, obliquely,…
Page Two
The current movement to restore public school prayer is an act of pure political nostalgia, a step backward toward our own theocracy.
All-American
Jimmie Vaughan at 50
Recruiting for Peace
Even if the “war against terrorism” weren’t going on, the kids at Johnston High School would still be pretty familiar with military recruiters. High schools are populated with the strong, young men (and to a much lesser extent, women) the military wants. For students who attend inner-city, lower-income schools like Johnston, where pathways out of…
DVolution
If you’re one of the many people who’ve gotten their hands on a digital video camera in the past year or so, then chances are you know how endearingly simple they are to use. Push one button and crisp, clean digital images are captured, press another and a host of in-camera effects are rendered, and…
