The Roar of the Chainsaw, the Smell of the Crowd Dept.: Regardless of what the critics might say, I can think of one Hollywood insider who will no doubt come away from Marcus Nispel‘s remake of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre with a smile on his face: occasional Harry Knowles sparring partner Joel Schumacher, who will get to see his Batman Forever nemesis’ head on a platter, literally. That scene was but one of several that had an audience of unquenchable gorehounds cheering with delight at the Alamo Drafthouse/Ain’t It Cool News/Austin Chronicle-sponsored world premiere of the newest incarnation of ‘Saw at the Travis State School for the Criminally Insane. Stars R. Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket, Willard) and Heather Kafka were on hand for the event, which double-teamed the Nispel remake with Peter Jackson‘s underrated The Frighteners (with Ermey yet again) and a host of trailers, beer, and meat. The Alamo’s Tim League has been making the most of his German-engineered Gigant-O-Screen lately, but this evening it was topped by the sheer creepiness of the surrounding asylum, a series of several dozen buildings in various states of disrepair and decrepitude. So much so, that after Ermey’s post-Chainsaw Q&A — during which he dropped the bombshell that his Saving Silverman co-star Jack Black was a lousy kisser — much of the audience chose to go exploring instead of staying put for film No. 2. How often do you get the chance to go roam around the grounds and vacated buildings of a madhouse? Not often enough, of course, and so the intrepid souls willing to risk probably asbestos poisoning to check out the empty swimming pool — with its complement of disturbingly crimson stains spotting the deep end — had at least as memorable a time as those who stayed glued to their folding chairs. Surely the best time of all, however, was had by Ermey, who was approached by what can only be called a “hot little groupie” backstage after the show and grabbed the opportunity to play a little show ‘n’ feel. Ah, fame, where is thy sting? If you missed out on this Chainsaw, now’s the time to buy tickets to the Alamo’s upcoming Halloween screening of the first, the best, the only Chain Saw (note the difference in spelling), which will be held at the original Leatherface family home — now a country-fried restaurant in nearby Kingsland — in the company of original production designer Robert Burns. Various ticket prices and configurations are available for the event, which will also feature a five-course, gourmet chainsaw-themed meal for those with high-end VIP tix. Check out www.drafthouse.com for info… More news on local Latin Grammy winners/artists Jason Archer and Paul Beck: They’ve now been nominated for the MTV Latin Video Music Awards Video of the Year for their “Frijolero” video for the Mexican group Molotov. And guess what? It’s a people’s choice award, which means you get to help ’em out, should you feel so inclined. Go to www.mtvla.com, and navigate around until you find the “Mejor Artista” button, after which you’ll find “Molotov,” and then “Frijolero.” Click on ’em all, and you’ll have made the animated duo happy, indeed. (And for those who haven’t seen their excellent, Waking Life-style video yet, it’s on the Austin Music Network every time I turn the television on.)… Also online this week is local filmmakers the Zellner brothers‘ video for Precarious Warehaüs Dwellers‘ “Nutella and Gummi Bear Sandwich,” now in the music video section at www.atomfilms.com. Bon appétit.
This article appears in October 3 • 2003.