Dream Catcher
Dream Catcher NR, 99 min. Directed by Ed Radtke, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Maurice Compte, Paddy Connor, Jeanne Heaton. Two teenage boys travel across America in this road movie written and directed by a filmmaker whom Amy Taubin of The Village Voice calls “highly talented” and who draws “intense, focused performances from…
Ben
Ben 1972, PG, 94 min. Directed by Phil Karlson, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Lee Montgomery, Joseph Campanella, Arthur O’Connell, Rosemary Murphy, Meredith Baxter. This successor to the superntelligent rat movie Willard is not as scary or homicidally inclined as its predecessor – that’s if you’re not counting the creepy theme song by…
The Demons
The Demons 1972, R, 79 min. Directed by Jess Franco, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . A kaleidoscope of sex, torture, and sacrilege from Italy’s most prolific filmmaker, Jess Franco’s The Demons is described as a “nunsploitation” gem in which a kiss from a possessed nun can turn a man into a skeleton.
The Truth About Charlie Benefit Screening
The Truth About Charlie Benefit Screening PG-13. Directed by Jonathan Demme, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Mark Wahlberg, Thandie Newton, Tim Robbins, Charles Aznavour, Anna Karina. Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme will be in Austin to present this benefit screening of his new film, his first narrative feature since 1111’s Beloved. Proceeds will benefit…
Baby Day
Baby Day NR. Directed by Various, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . The 1:30pm show each Tuesday on every screen at the Alamo North has been specially designated for babies and their adult chaperones. It’s not so much an event for babies as it is an oasis for their parents. These will be…
Anna Freud: Under Analysis
Anna Freud: Under Analysis NR, 54 min. Directed by Alana Cash, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . The life of Anna Freud, the youngest child of Sigmund and Martha Freud who grew up to become one of the world’s leading child psychologists, is profiled in this Austin-made documentary that also uses local scholars…
Truckers & Hookers
Truckers & Hookers 2002, NR, 74 min. Directed by Peter Grant, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . This documentary about the truckers of North America and the women who keep them entertained also uses music from The Truckin’ Sessions by Dale Watson. The filmmaker will be on hand for a Q&A following the…
Darktown Strutters
Darktown Strutters 1975, PG, 85 min. Directed by William Whitney, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Stan Shaw, Bettye Sweet, Shirley Washington, Roger E. Mosley, Trina Parks. “Super Sisters on Cycles” screams the poster of this blaxploitation movie about a woman who exposes a plot by a Col. Sanders look-alike to clone the nation’s…
Madame Rosa
Madame Rosa 1977, PG, 105 min. Directed by Moshe Mizrahi, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Claude Dauphin, Samy Ben Youb, Simone Signoret. Simone Signoret steals the show in this Best Foreign Film Oscar-winner playing an aging madam, Jew, and Holocaust survivor who looks after the children of younger prostitutes and forms a special…
King Solomon’s Mines
King Solomon’s Mines 1950, NR, 103 min. Directed by Andrew Marton, Compton Bennnett, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Richard Carlson, Stewart Granger, Deborah Kerr. The many-storied adventurer Allan Quartermain finds love in the jungle while searching for the legendary diamond mines of King Solomon. The polished production won Oscars for its editing and…
Ivan
Ivan 1932, NR, 90 min. Directed by Alexander Dovzhenko, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Pyotr Masokha. Dovzhenko followed up his masterwork Earth with this story about a boy’s progress from peasant hut to workers’ school. The film reiterates many of Dovzhenko’s familiar motifs as it examines the natural rhythms of country life.
Jinxed
Jinxed NR. Directed by Ryan Davis, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring . “Jinxed” is a short comedy about a young woman, who gets her revenge after being peer-pressured into drinking alcohol at a party. Also screening is “Final Redemption,” a dramatic thriller by Stan von Miller.
Page Two
Anyway you cut it, I-35 is a major problem with no easy solution.
Phases and Stages
Tift MerrittBramble Rose (Lost Highway) Bramble Rose may be her recorded debut, but Texas-born/current Raleigh, N.C., resident Tift Merritt has already caused a stir in the alt.country underground with her heartwarming songs and remarkable live performances. Merritt’s clear, powerful vocals (think young Emmylou Harris or Maria McKee), combined with hook-filled tunes and lyrics that belie…
War Drums
In the wake of President Bush’s bellicose and condescending speech to the United Nations last week — “We want the United Nations to be effective and respectful and successful,” Bush said, presumably a Freudian slip for “respected” — the administration continued to demand immediate action from both the U.N. and the U.S. Congress, although it…
Short Cuts
“Short Cuts” as personal party planner.
Mr. Smarty Pants
According to Heloise, when moving to a new home, it’s best to introduce cats to one room at a time.The character Ben Grimm — otherwise known as the Thing (of Fantastic Four comic book fame) — is Jewish, and artist Jack Kirby once drew him with a yarmulke and prayer shawl.The National Institute of Standards…
Phases and Stages
Allison MoorerMiss Fortune (Universal South) Nashville-based Allison Moorer has produced memorable music in the past. However, on Miss Fortune, her third release and first for the fledgling Universal South imprint, she really hits her stride. Like her sister Shelby Lynne, Moorer has always straddled the fence between country and rock, but this time, she adds…
Give It a Rest
Homeless people still get tickets for public sleeping, even though city law no longer bans it.
Video Reviews
If one were to graph Mickey Rourke’s career, one would find the peak way back in the mid-Eighties, back when Rourke was an A-list actor who actually starred in films rather than randomly popped up, as he does these days, as a weathered cameo player swallowing his bit parts whole. Somewhere on the summit of…
Day Trips
The Chautauqua Auditorium in Waxahachie is the last survivor of a national trend in the late 19th/early 20th century that provided news, entertainment, and information to thousands of rural residents. In the days before radio, folks flocked to the auditorium on the west side of town for a day of speeches, lectures, and music. The…
Phases and Stages
The Blind Boys of AlabamaHigher Ground (Real World) There’s a saying in holy music: that which separates secular and gospel music is whether the Lord’s name is used in vain or in praise. An overstatement perhaps, but it underscores gospel’s relation to the other limbs on the African-American sound tree: blues, soul, rock & roll,…
‘Simone’ Premieres — at the Credit Union
Banking services have taken on a futuristic, Jetson quality at three University Federal Credit Union locations, with the recent installation of remote teller systems — inside the buildings. The “virtual” or “video tellers,” as they are variously called, unite computer and pneumatic-tube technologies with two-way audio and video systems in blond wood cabinets. While official…
TV Eye
Keeping one eye on television and the other on pop culture.
After a Fashion
FFF After an extremely slow start, the Designers’ Guild’s Favorite Figure of Fashion party at Le Privilege last Saturday night could have been called the Favorite Figure in Music party. With attendees including Bob Sherman as Ozzy Osbourne, Amy Weaver as Jennifer Lopez, Neil Diaz as Courtney Love, Christina Klisanin as Joan Jett, Seabrook Jones…
Phases and Stages
Joe BonamassaSo, It’s Like That (Medalist) With all due respect to the venerable bluesman, a seal of approval from B.B. King is as common as pubescent navels on the cover of Rolling Stone. New York native Joe Bonamassa is being celebrated as a blues guitarist, but So, It’s Like That has more in common with…
Naked City
Short news items from Austin, the region, and the world
Igby Goes Down
Black comedy about youthful unraveling while on lam from boarding school.
To Your Health
For the past 20 years or so I have conscientiously restricted egg yolks to less than three per week as advised by my physician. Do I need to continue to be cautious, since recent news indicates that eggs are not as bad as once thought?
Phases and Stages
Eyes Adrift(SpinArt) Here’s a supergroup for ya: Curt Kirkwood, Krist Novoselic, and Bud Gaugh, of the Meat Puppets, Nirvana, and Sublime, respectively. Call ’em the tragedy all-stars, what with the deaths of Kurt Cobain and Sublime’s Brad Nowell, and Cris Kirkwood’s well-publicized drug problems. Tragedy continues here, unfortunately, as Eyes Adrift doesn’t add up to…
Naked City
The city of Austin and Travis Co. have received a $10 million grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to buy up to 799 acres for the Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan. This would bring the BCCP, first created in 1996, to within 2,000 acres of its goal of protecting 30,000 acres of habitat for…
The Four Feathers
The Four Feathers 2002, PG-13, 125 min. Directed by Shekhar Kapur, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Heath Ledger, Wes Bentley, Djimon Hounsou, Michael Sheen, Kate Hudson, Kris Marshall, Rupert Penry-Jones. You can’t help but root for Heath Ledger as he meanders between the dunes and the Sudanese wastes, sunburned and blistered and despised…
Chuck Palahniuk and Gabe Hudson at BookPeople
Chuck Palahniuk and Gabe Hudson will be at BookPeople on Thursday, Sept. 26. Wayne Alan Brenner reviews the former’s fifth book, Lullaby, while Martin Wilson examines the latter’s debut, Dear Mr. President.
About AIDS
HIV Re-infection Does Occur, Possibly with Serious Results Yes, an HIV-infected person can become infected with a second strain of the AIDS virus through further risk behavior, and the re-infection may result in faster progression to AIDS. Does that happen often? Probably not, but there was considerable media attention two weeks ago to a case…
Phases and Stages
Sound Tribe Sector 9Seasons 01 (Sacred Sound Ascension) Break out your $400 headphones: Sound Tribe Sector 9 is here to blow your mind. Utilizing the jammy philosophy of groups like Phish and the Dead, yet sounding absolutely nothing like those two ne plus ultra soporifics, STS9 (as their massive Internet following refers to them) instead…
Naked City
Travis Co. commissioners agreed this week to hold an election to create a community library district serving Lake Travis. State law allows small communities that don’t have library service to petition to tax themselves to support one; the Westbank library serving West Lake Hills was the first such district in the state. However, the Village…
Secret Ballot
Iranian film is sharply observed and resoundingly funny, and tackles such heady topics as feminism, democracy, the voting process, communication, external and internal impediments to personal growth, and more.
Second Helpings: A Little More Italy
“Second Helpings” shows you a little of Austin’s Italian.
Letters at 3AM
The White House is intent on totalitarian measures and war; it employs incoherence because it cannot speak plainly of its machinations.
Phases and Stages
Karl Denson’s Tiny UniverseThe Bridge (Relaxed) What is that funky sound? Dunno. Sounds like a cross between Blue Note soul jazz of the late-Sixties/early-Seventies, and more recent acid jazz stylings. There’s some fine improv, but damn if this shit don’t do double-booty-duty too, with chicken scratch guitar, soulful sax, Hammond organ, bubbly bass, and shuffle…
Naked City
Juan Gonzalez, columnist for the New York Daily News and In These Times and host of Pacifica Radio’s Democracy Now, will lecture on “The Perils of Ethical Journalism in the Age of Mega Media” on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 7pm, at Bass Lecture Hall in the LBJ School of Public Affairs (UT campus, Red River and…
The Banger Sisters
The Banger Sisters 2002, R, 98 min. Directed by Bob Dolman, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Goldie Hawn, Susan Sarandon, Geoffrey Rush, Erika Christensen, Eva Amurri, Robin Thomas. Its heart, at least, is in the right place. In an industry that promotes an offensively short shelf life for its female practitioners, The Banger…
What Hath TxDOT Wrought?
The Texas Dept. of Transportation’s latest designs for rebuilding I-35 certainly make the highway bigger — at significant expense and impact to the surrounding neighborhoods. But do they make it better? Anyone who’s frustrated by the stupid TxDOT tricks seen on today’s I-35 probably won’t be any happier with the new-and-improved version. An overview from…
Thank You Very Much, Mr. Robata
Claudia Alarcon tells you about dining with all of the senses at a unique Austin Japanese restaurant.
Phases and Stages
Cross Canadian Ragweed(Universal South) Cross Canadian Ragweed — the name is an amalgam of the band members last names — has been burning up roads from their original Yukon, Okla., home base for a few years now, releasing three self-released discs before being signed to Nashville mover/shaker Tony Brown’s Universal South Records. Stylistically, these new…
Naked City
The Envision Central Texas project — an attempt to produce a conceptual plan for future growth in the Austin area — kicked off in earnest last Friday with a planning workshop at the Austin Convention Center. The 300 attendees’ mission, should they choose to accept it, was to figure out where in the five-county metro…
Notorious C.H.O.
Notorious C.H.O. 2002, NR, 95 min. Directed by Lorene Machado, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Margaret Cho. Rrrrrrowrrr. She’s funny, she’s feisty, she’s a flabulous, fat-positive “fag hag,” and Margaret Cho isn’t apologizing for any of it. If anything, she’s upping the ante from her last one-woman show-turned-concert flick, 2000’s I’m the One…
Food-o-File
Virginia B. Wood comes bearing nothing but glad tidings and good food news in this week’s “Food-o-File.”
Born to be Reviled
Interstate 35’s worst stretch is also its most politically organized — and that’s a problem for TxDOT.
Naked City
On Sept. 11 prosecutors rested their capital murder case against Michael Scott, after APD Detective Robert Merrill testified to details in the confession of Scott’s co-defendant Robert Springsteen. Scott, Springsteen, and Maurice Pierce (jailed awaiting trial since 1999) are charged with the deaths of four girls in the infamous 1991 yogurt shop murders. Springsteen was…
Smooth Ride
When Lana Dieterich is acting, nothing seems calculated or forced, no step is false. Her performances are smooth as glass, as silk, as a ride on the bike that she pedals regularly around her Hyde Park neighborhood.
Forty Acres of Fresh, Ethnic Eats: An Update
Mick Vann teaches you a lesson on UT’s campus-area restaurant resurgence.
Taking the Slow Road
The I-35 improvement project is running way behind schedule — in part because it keeps growing.
Naked City
Eager to break ground on an $18 million parking garage, the city of Austin is seeking a partial summary judgment in its condemnation case against property owner Harry M. Whittington, who has some development plans of his own for the prized block near the Convention Center. City attorneys are asking a Travis Co. judge to…
Dieterich Delights
Select helpings of praise for Lana Dieterich’s artistry, as published in these pages. Picnic, Austin Community College/Zachary Scott Theatre Center, 1984: “There is real power in this production, most of it coming from the secondary plot of an ‘old maid’ schoolteacher and her dull-witted businessman beau. Beautifully played by Lana Dieterich and Pete Calhoun, they…
A2K Meets ‘ACL’
The rise of Charlie Jones, local promoter extraordinaire, ACL Fest main man.
Pols Listen to Voters — What a Concept
Texas politicians court the Industrial Areas Foundation at its Austin conference.
Austin @ Large: No Picnic for PARD
Parks & Recreation downsizes, shedding functions that perhaps it never should have had.
Heart Attack & Fine
Douglas Taylor wasn’t dead for all that long, really. “Between three and five minutes, they think,” he says, almost a year after the heart attack — the second heart attack — that wrenched him from the world of the living. The first heart attack occurred on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 16, the day before he died.…
Austin City Limits’ Season #28 Air Schedule
KLRU (cable channel 9) Saturdays @ 7pm, re-broadcast Tuesdays @ 10pm and Fridays @ 11pm Bonnie Raitt & special guests (Oct. 5) Alejandro Escovedo’s By the Hand of the Father (Oct. 12) Alison Krauss & Union Station/The Flatlanders (Oct. 19) Los Lobos/RatDog with Bob Weir (Oct. 26) Chris Isaak/Norah Jones (Nov. 2) Robert Plant (Nov.…
It’s Still Leaking Sewage
On Sept. 13 the city of Georgetown released a third report detailing the structural state of the Dove Springs Wastewater Treatment Plant — and city officials claim it validates the contentions of folks on both sides of the Dove Springs saga. The plant has been at the center of several years of swirling political controversy…
Barely Adequate
The State Board of Education and legislative finance committees consider the public schools
Articulations
Actor, writer, choreographer, and Troupe Texas company member Sarah Ing has passed away at the age of 29.
Dancing About Architecture
Danny Crooks, down with the ship once again
Easing Into E-Voting
In case you were wondering, Travis County’s foray into electronic voting this November isn’t expected to suffer the same problems that turned Florida’s gubernatorial primary into a fiasco. Earlier this summer, county officials rejected a touch-screen system like that used in the Sunshine State, deeming it too sensitive. Instead, the County opted for a more…
The Hightower Lowdown
San Diegans pay for sorry sports teams; and a small town stuffs Ronald McDonald back into the clown car.
Exhibitionism
The latest production of Twelfth Night from the Austin Shakespeare Festival is full of such strange staging, acting, set, costumes, and sound that viewers end up with less a romantic comedy and more a mass of whirling, flailing confusion.
It’s Bullock Time — and I Don’t Mean Sandra
Our resident Marshmallow Peep relates the news and hearsay in and around the Live Music Capital…
Brotherly Love
After attending the recent SIMS Foundation benefit concert at Shady Grove, Austinite Dan Dinneen and his date decided to take advantage of the mild weather and do a little swinging. The two hopped into Dinneen’s car, drove down the road to Zilker Park, and found a swing set, where they swung and talked quietly. But…
Good Show
It was a good year — not a great one — for the Toronto International Film Festival.
Exhibitionism
Second Youth Family Theatre’s season opener is a perky and enjoyable sampler of the works of Samuel Clemens, better known to readers of literature and fence painters the world over as Mark Twain.
Phases and Stages
Los LobosGood Morning Aztlan (Mammoth) It’s always exciting when an album’s first few notes spell out that a band is back in the groove. In the case of Los Lobos, it’s clambering bass, traffic-jam guitar fills, and the twin-drum churning of opener “Done Gone Blue.” In an instant, any lingering memories of questionable Nineties output…
In the Shadow of the Shepherd
A church’s expansion plans threaten a neighborhood. Sound familiar?
It’s a Screenplay!
Austin screenwriting contest Movie Midwifing helps scripts with their first baby steps.
News/Print
Whatever you’re looking for is right here.
Phases and Stages
Ruthie FosterRunaway Soul (Blue Corn) On her third release, Ruthie Foster has, at long last, put all her talents together. The College Station-based singer-songwriter has long been an amazing vocalist, drawing well-earned comparisons to Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin down through the years. Here, Foster presents the complete package with well-written original songs and some…
APD’s Low Profile
APD Officer Tim Enlow’s firing goes to arbitration
Cinescape
Cinescape offers a weekly home to microcinema.
