Cyberworld 3D
Cyberworld 3D 2000, NR, 48 min. Directed by Elaine Despins, Colin Davies, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Dave Foley, Robert Smith, Matt Frewer, Jenna Elfman. Images seem to pop out of the giant screen in this 3D Imax extravaganza, and if the Polarized glasses they give you to watch the movie aren’t positioned…
Smashing Pumpkins: A Documentary
Smashing Pumpkins: A Documentary 2001, NR, 80 min. Directed by Bart Lipton, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . A feature-length profile of the Chicago rock band.
Viva Knievel!
Viva Knievel! 1977, PG, 106 min. Directed by Gordon Douglas, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Evel Knievel, Gene Kelly, Lauren Hutton, Marjoe Gortner, Red Buttons.. Seventies stuntman extraordinaire tries to make the leap into movies but falls way short of the mark.
Hamlet (Gamlet)
Hamlet (Gamlet) 1964, NR, 140 min. Directed by Grigory Kozintsev, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Innokenti Smoktunovsky, Anastasiya Vertinskaya, Mikhail Nazvanov. With a translation by Boris Pasternak, this Russian version of the Shakespearean play emphasizes an “active” Hamlet rather than a conflicted Freud-driven hero. The music and camerawork stresses the epic.
Dancing About Architecture
Our resident Marshmallow Peep relates the news and hearsay in and around the Live Music Capital…
Postscripts
Why a local representative of Random House has the most popular garage in Austin among a certain segment of book industry insiders.
Mixed Media
Television election coverage was minimal at best.
Naked City
Dessau Road zoning case moves forward
Heist
Heist 2001, R, 110 min. Directed by David Mamet, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito, Sam Rockwell, Delroy Lindo, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ricky Jay. It was a genuine surprise to arrive at the free, public screening of Heist and find a huge line already queued and waiting impatiently outside. It was…
Phases and Stages
U2@Frank Erwin CenterNovember 5 They say a true sign of love, the ultimate symbol of trust and comfort with another person, is having sex with the lights on. With UT’s sold-out Frank Erwin Center still teeming with empty seats and Stevie Wonder and the Beatles echoing through the hall’s P.A., the segue into a recorded…
Page Two
The war on drugs works in opposition to the battle against terrorism.
Tax and Spend … and Pave
Travis County voters say yes to more roads.
Naked City
Statesman editor Rich Oppel finds Lloyd Doggett’s words distasteful, but not the Re-publican’s actions.
Audition
The war of the sexes as a horror film
Phases and Stages
Tori Amos@Bass Concert HallNovember 2 “Do you want to see my pictures of Tori?” The breathless fan paged through her photo album, offering glimpses of her portable shrine to the line waiting to enter UT’s Bass Concert Hall. Admittedly, the performance itself began with all the familiar Tori-associated clichés present and accounted for, from the…
Mr. Smarty Pants
A whole chockful of trivia for your nut
Council on Kirk
Council members comment on Kirk Watson’s administration.
Naked City
Political action committees spent big bucks in Texas in 2000, and most of it came from businesses.
Spriggan
Spriggan 1998, R, 90 min. Directed by Kawasaki Hiroshi, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Mike Kleinhenz, Kelly Manison, Andy Mcavin, Ted Pfister, Kevin Corn, Chris Patton. This animated 1998 actioner about a Japanese superspy out to defend the world’s most guarded archaeological secrets from evil Americans has to be seen to be believed.…
Phases and Stages
Bill Frisell With Dave Holland and Elvin Jones (Nonesuch) Sometimes it can be downright maddening listening to guitarist Bill Frisell. His achingly reticent and deliberate style creates unbearable tension as the listener waits, often in vain, for him to ratchet up the tension and explode into a barrage of searing, fractious blue notes. Well, Frisell…
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.
Suttle Scuttled?
Development lawyer Richard Suttle no longer finds himself on the Stratus payroll, coincidentally (?) at a time when the company tries to clean up its image.
Naked City
Thursday, Nov. 8: Women’s Health and Family Planning Association of Texas Executive Director Peggy Romberg addresses the Travis Co. Democratic Women’s Committee. 6:15pm. Marimont Cafeteria, 623 W. 38th. Friday-Sunday, Nov. 9-11: “Race to Space: the Renewed Risk of Nuclear War,” Peace Action’s 14th annual national congress. Holiday Inn Austin South. Register at www.peace-action.org/ncaustin.html. Monday, Nov.…
Dreams and Nightmares
Dreams and Nightmares 1974, NR, 54 min. Directed by Larry Klingman, Abe Osheroff, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . They hardly make ’em like Abe Osheroff any more. This 95-year-old survivor of the legendary Abe Lincoln Brigade – a formation of some 3,000 Americans who went over to Spain to join the fight…
Phases and Stages
New OrderGet Ready (Reprise) A long, long time has passed since we last heard from New Order. 1993 — wasn’t that about the last time the Yankees failed to win a world championship? Well, Get Ready is as much a breath of fresh air as a Diamondbacks win, with none of the novelty. The greatest…
Day Trips
The USS Lexington has gracefully retired from fighting ship to military museum.
You Can Ask, But We Won’t Tell
Much like with his gubernatorial pa-pers, Bush is now trying to hide federal papers from public scrutiny.
Capitol Chronicle
Just for the Kids’ school rankings seem like just a lot of baloney.
Phases and Stages
Death Cab for CutieThe Photo Album (Barsuk) What are your options when you’re a sensitive, musical boy from the Pacific Northwest who’s not inclined to take the piss out of everything like, say, Pavement, or scream your discontent like Modest Mouse? You form Death Cab for Cutie, named for a song by Sixties vaudevillians the…
About AIDS
Viread is a new Anti-HIV drug
Please Abuse Me
A reknowned terrorism “expert” says Arab-Americans don’t mind ethnic profiling; an actual Arab-American disagrees.
Austin @ Large: Austin at Large
Mayor Watson’s final days dwindle to a precious few.
The Toxic Border
Researchers ponder increasing birth defects in the Valley.
To Your Health
I don’t want to overreact, but I also want to be prepared in every feasible way for potential terrorist attacks. What is reasonable with regard to nutritional preparation?
Road Raging: The Video
Bike / Car conflict in Austin hits the video screen and the Internet.
The Hightower Lowdown
Dick Armey gives money to the rich, agribusiness creates deadly “superbugs”, and Consumer Reports reads the fine print.
All Aboard for Middle Earth
Fans of J. R. R. Tolkien needn’t wait until the December 12 opening of the film of Lord of the Rings to take a journey to Middle Earth. Second Youth Family Repertory Theatre, an Austin arts company acclaimed for its intelligent, highly theatrical stage shows for family audiences, will ferry you there this weekend via…
Central Texas BBQ Dynasties
Barbecue is everyman’s chance for culinary greatness, where cheap cuts of meat like pork butts, beef briskets, and ribs can magically be turned into everyday haute cuisine with the application of spices and smoke. Most geographic regions in the American South boast a time-honored barbecue tradition. In eastern North Carolina, it’s not barbecue unless it’s…
A Little Fixer-Upper
The state tries to sell Woodlawn, site of the historic Pease Mansion.
Truth or Consequences
Frances Reid and Deborah Hoffmann’s Long Night’s Journey Into Day confronts issues of justice and forgiveness as it documents the hearings of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The film screens Wednesday, Nov. 14, at the Alamo Drafthouse as part of the Texas Documentary Tour.
Frailty, Thy Name Ain’t Woman
When it comes to the female gender, Shakespeare is not to be trusted. For every fully realized, three-dimensional heroine in his plays — say, Rosalind, Beatrice, Juliet — there are two or more women who cleave pretty closely to some medieval male ideal of the Perfect Woman, i.e., pretty, subservient, and willing to take whatever…
Central Texas BBQ Dynasties
The Meyers Meyer’s Elgin Smokehouse In Elgin, 188 E. Hwy. 290, 281-3331 Sunday-Thursday, 10am-7pm; Friday & Saturday, 10am-8pm The Meyer family has been making sausage for the groceries of Texas since 1949. Whether you order the original flavor beef sausage or our fave, the pork and garlic sausage, you’ll get a taste of old German…
Wasted Wildlife?
Are diseased elk imported to Texas a threat to Texas wildlife?
The Don and Bill Show: Slightly Bent
Two titan animators drew crowds at the Alamo Drafthouse Downtown last weekend.
Second Helpings: Austin Barbecue
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 Cuisines Editor Virginia B. Wood from an original publication date of March 10, 2000 (when it was written by Greg Beets). When…
Articulations
Tapestry wants you to see its show .com for free, and Scott Swanson wants you to find the arts on your TV, through his show Scene After Dark.
Central Texas BBQ Dynasties
The Coopers Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Q In Mason, S. Hwy. 87, 915/347-6897 Daily, 7:30am-5:30pm Cooper’s Pit Bar-B-Q In Llano, 604 W. Young (W. Hwy. 71), 915/247-5713 Daily, 10am-8pm Cooper’s Pit Bar-B-Q In Round Rock, 403 N. Mays, 255-5638 Tuesday-Saturday, 11am-8pm Cooper’s Pit Bar-B-Q In Junction, 2423 N. Main, 915/446-8664 Daily, 10:30am-9pm The Cooper name…
Naked City
Goofy costumes and copious beer drinking not withstanding, attendance for Sixth Street’s annual Halloween celebration was down this year. According to APD spokesman Paul Flaningan, approximately 25,000 ghouls attended this year’s event, down from nearly 75,000 last year. Naturally, arrests were down too, from nearly 30 in 2000 to a mere eight this year; most…
Web Drinking Games: Surfing to Get Soused
Sure, ritualized drinking can make trash like The A-Team more fun. (“Drink when Colonel Decker says, ‘You’re mine now, Smith.'”) But what if you want to spice up more wholesome and highbrow pursuits? WHAT IT IS: The Sound of Music Drinking Game is one of my favorite things. Example: “Take one sip each time the…
Central Texas BBQ Dynasties
The Mikeskas Rudy Mikeska’s Bar-B-Q Inc. In Taylor, 300 W. Second (Hwy. 79) 512/365-3722, 800/962-5706 www.mikeska.com/ Monday-Saturday, 10am-8pm; Sunday, 10am-2pm Clem Mikeska’s Bar-B-Q Restaurant In Temple, 1217 S. 57th 252/778-5481, 800/344-4699 www.clembbq.com Monday-Sunday, 9am-9pm Mikeska Bar-B-Q & Catering In El Campo, two locations: 4225 Hwy. 59, 218 Merchant 979/543-8252, 800/388-2552 www.mikeskabbq.com Monday-Friday, 9am-9pm; Saturday, 9am-8pm;…
Central Texas BBQ Dynasties
The Inmans Inman’s Kitchen In Llano, 809 W. Young St., 915/247-5257 Tuesday-Saturday, 8am-6pm Inman’s Ranch House Barbecue In Marble Falls, Hwy. 281 & Sixth St., 830/693-2711 Tuesday-Friday, 9am-5pm; Saturday, 9am-2pm; Sunday, 9am-1pm When Lester Inman returned from World War II in 1945 he ended up owning an Exxon station in Llano. In 1960 he decided…
Naked City
The Holly Power Plant catches fire again, prompting further neighbor outrage.
Short Cuts
Kids do the darndest things when armed with Super-8 cameras.
Central Texas BBQ Dynasties
Do it Yourself Central Texas BBQ Trail Now that you’re better acquainted with the members of the legendary barbecue dynasties of Central Texas, we’ve created an annotated list of the best barbecue joints in the area so you can sample them yourself. Think of it as a Do It Yourself BBQ Tour. There’s no need…
Fall Book Reviews
From the Dust Returned: A Family Remembrance by Ray Bradbury Morrow, 205 pp., $23 I took a break from reading Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes — a book I’ve read every single October for the past 21 years — to read this, his newest collection of short fiction in the form of a…
Central Texas BBQ Dynasties
The Bracewells Southside Market & Barbecue Home of Elgin Hot Sausage In Elgin, 1212 E. Hwy. 290, 281-4650 Monday-Thursday, 8am-8pm; Friday-Saturday, 8am-10pm; Sunday, 9am-7pm Ernest Bracewell Sr. bought the old Moon family sausage factory in 1968 and developed one of Central Texas’ most loved restaurant/meat markets. He went home and told wife Adrene that they…
Naked City
The Cedar Door moves yet again.
Video Reviews
Controversial writer Hanif Kureishi teams up again with director Stephen Frears for Sammy and Rosie Get Laid, a vibrant and uneven portrait of a Thatcher-era progressive relationship in perpetual crisis.
Food-o-File
It seems like forever since I’ve written a column but that’s just because so much has happened in the past two weeks.
Fall Book Reviews
Shoes Outside the Door: Desire, Devotion, and Excess at the San Francisco Zen Center by Michael Downing Counterpoint Press, 384 pp., $26 What happens when a dharma bum gets stars in his eyes, wants more than a bag of rice and some green tea? What do you do when Japhy Ryder trades in his tatami…
Central Texas BBQ Dynasties
The Muellers Louie Mueller’s Barbecue In Taylor, 205 W. Second (Hwy. 79) 512/352-6206, 800/580-6687 Monday-Saturday, 9am-8pm John Mueller’s Bar-B-Q 1917 Manor Rd. 512/236-0283 Daily, 10am-8pm The Mueller Barbecue saga began in 1936 when Louie Mueller arrived in Taylor from Illinois via Montana and Waco. After managing the town’s first Safeway store, he opened his own…
Naked City
KUT hires a captain for its soon-to-be-created news team
Video Reviews
Blood: The Last VampireD: Hiroyuki Kitakubo. A few years ago Production IG Studios released Ghost in the Shell, a movie that gave us most of the breathtaking imagery that would be co-opted by the Wachowski brothers in The Matrix. But despite the jaw-dropping action sequences, at its heart lay the soul-searching of Major Kusanagi, its…
The Last Sunset
The day the DEA came for Dan Del Santo
Fall Book Reviews
Flights of Love by Bernard Schlink translated by John E. Woods Pantheon, 288 pp., $23 Exploring love at certain boundaries — historical, personal, societal — is the thematic thread connecting the seven stories in German author Bernard Schlink’s Flights of Love, the follow-up to his highly successful novel The Reader. A boy haunted into adulthood…
Central Texas BBQ Dynasties
The Blacks Black’s Barbecue In Lockhart, 215 N. Main Street 512/398-2712 Sunday-Thursday, 10am-8pm, Friday-Saturday, 10am-8:30pm Black’s Barbecue is the oldest continuously run barbecue restaurant in the state and ranks in everyone’s top lists. During the Depression, in 1932, the Black family ran a subsistence farm in Delhi, 20 miles east of Lockhart. Their cattle-raising neighbor,…
Naked City
Can the Democrats take down Rick Green?
TV Eye
The Emmy Awards finally come to fruition, local boxer Jesus Chavez hits HBO, and the most delicious diva show on television.
Fallen Star
Champ Hood was, I truly believe, one of the pre-eminent sources of creativity and inspiration at the heart of what caused our town to become known, eventually, as “the Live Music Capital of the World.” He covered the entire beat, from the old Waterloo Ice House to the Continental Club. It is ironic, to me,…
Fall Book Reviews
Dispatches From the Tenth Circle: The Best of the Onion Three Rivers Press, 174 pp., $16 (paper) “I refused to laugh at them, for I was jealous of anybody who was funnier than I,” one character says of another’s jokes and parodies in Robertson Davies’ Fifth Business. Do you ever feel that way when reading…
Central Texas BBQ Dynasties
The Schmidts Kreuz Market In Lockhart, 619 N. Colorado, 512/398-2361 Monday-Friday, 9am-6pm; Sat, 9am-6:30pm Smitty’s Market In Lockhart, 208 S. Commerce, 512/398-9344 Daily, 7am-6pm When longtime Lockhart barbecue master “Smitty” Schmidt of Kreuz Market died in 1989, he left the family business to his son and the building that housed it to his daughter. There’s…
Naked City
Will Hyde Park Baptist finally get its way?
Innocence
Innocence 2000, NR, 95 min. Directed by Paul Cox, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Robert Menzies, Terry Norris, Charles Tingwell, Julia Blake. Gloriously romantic and bitterly realistic, Innocence is a paean to the durability and longevity of love — not just the spiritual kind of love, but the physical and lustful kind that…
Dancing About Architecture
Champ Hood takes his fiddle to heaven.
Fall Book Reviews
Rolling the Bones by Kyle Jarrard Steerforth Press, 320 pp., $24 Rolling the Bones is like one of those pokey rides at the original Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels. You drift along pleasantly until you realize that you’re in one of those backwaters where you have to stand up, pick up your tube, and haul your…
Gus and the Others
Gus Garcia takes the mayoral election.
Naked City
The battle continues over the Villas at Guadalupe
Shallow Hal
Shallow Hal 2001, PG-13, 113 min. D: Peter Farrelly and Bobby; with Gwyneth Paltrow, Jack Black. Shallow Hal. Shallow Movie. The notorious Farrelly Brothers (Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary) fire a dud in their new film effort designed to tickle the heart as well as the funny bone. Although the premise — which…
