#11

I either sleep 3 hours or 13, why?

Cinematexas has been pretty interesting. Met director Guillermo del
Toro. He's hilarious. Better read all about it!.

I don't think Dobie got "I Stand Alone" like they were supposed to.
Wonder what's up with that? Oh, it's starts on Monday after
Cinematexas.

The Dobie did give out a new calendar with lots of info on their 
upcoming season - including Truffaut, Caligula and Gregg Araki's
"Splendor." - see the calendar page

When Lynch's "The Straight Story" arrives, check out this site for a
look at Lynch's filmography - likewise with Araki's "Splendor."

The Austin American-Statesman actually has a story about how Sandra
Bullock stole away the lead singer of the Scabbs from his longtime
girlfriend. Why?

Ideas for films:

Phlegm film - an homage to avant-garde films where actual snot is put
on the film after it has been processed and then the film is
projected with the snot on it.

Guy goes to Disney World to commit suicide.

Saw "I Stand Alone" at Dobie. It's awesome. Preview for Soderberg's new film "The Limey" prior. It looks okay.

I had a ruff weekend and spent it all asleep, at work or at Cinematexas. Check out the notes on Cinematexas. Some pretty interesting stuff occurred. Guess I focused all my energies into
that this week. Guess Notes from Austin will be pretty short this week.

In my Cinematexas stuff, I mention the McCollege tour of short
films. They had a e-mail address so I wrote them and asked for an
list of upcoming showings. They sent me the following response:

Oct. 8 - University of Arkansas, Fayetteville - Giffels Auditorium
in Old Main, 2PM
Oct. 18-19 - University of Colorado, Boulder
Oct. 29 - University of Southern Oregon
Oct. 30 - University of Oregon
Nov. 6 - Yale University
Nov. 12 - Hampshire College, MA
Nov. 13 - University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Nov. 2 - Artist's TV Access, San Francisco, CA - 922 Valencia St.
at 21st in the Mission District - 415/789-8484
Nov. 3 - University of California, Berkeley

PRESS RELEASE
Combined endowments of over $12 Billion dollars. Board of Regents
members who are also CEOs and lawyers for top Fortune 500 companies.
Downsizing, cutbacks, and the "bottom-line." Welcome to the
University of Texas-Austin, the nations largest public university,
and Yale University, the nations most respected private college,
where big business is muscling in on education, student power,
and worker's rights. What is lost in the transaction when
education and commerce collide? That is the central question
addressed from two radically different points of view in UNIVERSITY
INC. and THE SUBTEXT OF A YALE EDUCATION, new documentaries that
investigate the corporatization of higher education. UNIVERSITY INC.
is Kyle Henry's biting investigating into the closing of the
Union Film Program at UT-Austin, a paradigm not only for the new
corporate university order but also the state of student activism.
In SUBTEXT, Laura Dunn follows custodial labor strikes at Yale,
capturing student's indifference, the administration's cold-blooded
maneuvering, and the striker's resolve. Both films constitute the
McCOLLEGE TOUR, traveling in the fall of 1999 to colleges
across the country, including Berkeley, U-Mass-Amherst, Yale, Duke,
Kenyon, Univ. of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Rice, UT-Austin, Univ.
of Arkansas and Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison. Filmmakers will be in
attendance to facilitate discussion and stir up trouble!

Contact for press kit, VHS screener, stills, JPEGS and interviews:

Kyle Henry, Tour Coordinator and director, UNIVERSITY INC.
31-34 36th St., 1F
Astoria, NY 11106
PH: 718/626-3139
EMAIL: mccollege@hotmail.com

An old friend of mine, Debbie, whom I haven't seen in years, once
said something to me that I hold to be universally true: "God looks
out for drunks an deadbeats." How else could you explain tonight?

I took my friend Krissa home after work and then proceeded to 6th street to get drunk. I went to Emo's because last week I had figured out where the front door was but didn't want to go in there after hanging out outside and looking like I was looking for the entrance. There was a band playing their last song, of course, as I entered. Cover was $3 and after I got in, I figured I was the only one who paid for the privilege. They stamped my wrist with the word "HUMP." I had a few drinks and, eventually, a band named Neanderthal Sponge Cake took the stage. This was funny because, after they played about two songs, the crowd of 20 dwindled to 5, their friends and me.

They were from NY. They claimed their single had just been added to "the biggest station in LA" today. They played some originals and Elvis Costello's "Pump It Up." They were good, sort of power pop from the 80's, kinda Nick Lowe and Costelloish and also like Doug and the Slugs or the first Was (Not Was) album.

Their lead singer wore a business suit and skinny tie. Before the show, they had been getting ready to play and then disappeared. A guy came in and the bartender and sound guy started wondering aloud where the band were. I assumed the were outside getting high but the new customer said, "There were some guys outside putting on plastic suits." Sure enuff, about 1 minute later, the band filed in one at a time in silly blue plastic jumpsuits, first the drummer, then bass, each one beginning to play his instrument as he arrived. It was hilarious and delightful. Like an homage to retro Devo.

I kept thinking about how much my friend Stubby would have liked them. They made great sport of the fact that they were playing to and audience of 3 in Austin. It was funny.

Their set ended, for me and their friends, about 1am. Right after that two girls walked in that I recognized. It was Ms. Xanna Don't and her friend whom I met briefly at the John Waters appearance. After a minute or two, I walked up and said "Hi." And we began to talk.

I don't know how I recognized them, as Xanna was not "made up" with her usual flair, she was just enjoying a quiet night out.

Eventually they invited me to Casino El Camino for a nightcap. Xanna and her friend Ann bought me a shot of Jagermeister and a beer. We talked a lot. It was great.

At one point, A cool dreadlocked, pierced-up guy was kissing Xanna's hand goodbye, so I stuck mine out and he kissed it too, without hesitation. I thought that was awesome. I think, in my drunken silliness, I probably blushed like a little girl...

Xanna's friend Ann works for Channel 8, the new news station here in Austin. Xanna is working on a film and, dammit, I can't remember the name, but it's something to do with pinatas.

Xanna has invited me to be an extra in the film. I look forward to seeing them in the future. They are quite fun!

Xanna's website

You can find out more about her upcoming live appearances and her role in "Rowdy Round-Up/Night of The Killer Pinatas" at her site.

I got my film passes for the Austin Film Festival today. $35 gets you
in to all screenings. Go to links to find out more. There's so much
good stuff in the fest! You can get the passes from Star Tickets.

New films out this weekend:

MYSTERY ALASKA (RUSSELL CROWE, BURT REYNOLDS)
Written by TV's David Kelley.

THREE KINGS (GEORGE CLOONEY, MARKY MARK, ICE CUBE)
Set in the 80's Desert Storm War

The Adventures of ELMO IN GROUCHLAND
(ELMO & SESAME STREET FOLKS)
Looks putrid but Mandy Pitankin is in it.
Then again, so is Ruth Buzzi.

DRIVE ME CRAZY (MELISSA JOAN HART)
Why didn't they call it "He's All That?"

PLUNKETT & MACLEANE (LIV TYLER, ROBT CARLYLE)
Robert Carlyle as a 19th century highwayman?
Hey - it's directed by Jake Scott!

THE ACID HOUSE
(3 Short works of "TRAINSPOTTING" Author INVINE WELSH)
At the DOBIE - it stars the guy who played "Spud" in "Trainspotting"

Midnight movies:

ALAMO - MIDNIGHT - Nightmare on Elm Street
Get ready for Halloween, I guess.

DOBIE - MIDNIGHT - BOTTLE ROCKET
Made in Texas. The breakthrough film of Wes Anderson and the Wilson
boys.

DISCOUNT CINEMA - ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
Every damn weekend!

From "The Advocate." (Thanks to my friend Billy for the head's up!)

"Outlandish gay director John Waters, who helmed such seminal
gross-out flicks as Polyester as well as the sweet comedy Hairspray,
will next tackle Cecil B. Demented, an action comedy about a movie
star kidnapped by a group of film buffs. Melanie Griffith is set to
play the star, Stephen Dorf will play the group's leader, Mr.
Demented, and real-life former kidnap victim Patty Hearst, who last
appeared in Waters's Serial Mom, has a cameo."

Saw a trailer for "The Green Mile" today. This is the Tom Hanks Christmas film based on a Stephen King novel. It looks perfect. Hanks will strike huge commercial and critical gold.

Movie news!

"ALLISONS STARTING TO HAPPEN" isn't just a cool song by the
Lemonheads, now it's the name of a new SANDRA BULLOCK movie. She also
has GUN SHY due out this year.

JANET JACKSON has signed to be in NUTTY PROF 2 with Eddie Murphy

RICHARD ROUNDRTREE (the original "Shaft") will play Shaft's uncle in
the JOHN SINGLETON remake starring SAMUEL L JACKSON

MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY may star in RED WHITE BLACK AND BLUE about 3 COPS VS A DRUG CZAR

DAVID FINCHER MAY DO "THE MEXICAN" about a CURSED PISTOL with BRAD
PITT

PREQUEL to KISS THE GIRLS is called ALONG CAME A SPIDER with MORGAN
FREEMAN

SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE, the NICK CAGE PROD FILM about the making of
"NOSFERATU" with JOHN MALCOVICH and WILLEM DEFOE has been picked up
by LIONS GATE

SONY HAS BOUGHT THE RIGHTS TO THE CD-ROM GAME "REDNECK RAMPAGE"

I have seen at least one release calendar that lists the release date
of DOGMA, KEVIN SMITH's new film as 11/12/99

Two films I would like to see during the Austin Film Festival:
Joe the King - directed by Frank Whaley and the new Pedro Almodovar film.

Went to the Village Arts Cinema today and took in two films, "The Ogre"and "Bedrooms and Hallways." They had a sign up saying they were going to get "Julien Donkey Boy", the new Harmony Korine film. There was acute guy working there, a real pimply faced, buzzcut, skinny, adorable guy,who looked really cute in his little purple vest, and we talked briefly
it, and "Gummo." We both agreed that "Gummo" was awesome but one of those films a lot of people think is shit. He said if they get "Julien" it will probably be in November.

At the same time as the Austin Film Festival is something called the Grassroots film and video competition. Wish I knew more about this.

Well - worked my ass off on Thursday - 14 1/2 hour day. so I did not get to get a copy of the Austin Chronicle. Check out the calendar for what's going on around town. I'll update it by Monday for next week too.

peace99
lodg