#19

Casino el Camino

Hell on Earth (aka straight people)

Thanksgiving Blues

"Dinosaur"

Rich Calls Up

Bruce La Bruce on Harmony Korine

"Pearl Harbour"

Rich's 21st Birthday Party

I (heart) Video

Timmy and I make "Monster Piss"

"Deliverance" at Alamo Draft House

Harry Knowles "Butt-Numb-a-Thon" at the Alamo Draft House

One thing I forgot to mention last week, in Notes #18, was about leaving Casino on Wednesday night, after I parted company with Anna-Mari and Xanna. I was walking to my car and somehow I struck up a conversation with this cute girl named Alex who was more inhibriated and more coarse than me! She was funny. I hope I see her again although I don't, for the life of me, recall exactly what she looked like.

Much is expunged from these next remarks to protect the innocent... mainly myself! Are we ever gonna live in a fucking world where it's not a big fucked up mess everytime your gay and you have to co-exist with straight people? Sheesh. It's nauseating.

I don't think he's ever met a gay person in his life. It's mind-boggling. I'm just so done with it. I am so over it. I am tired of feeling like there is something defective with me because I have to put up with stupid, ridiculous, idiotic straight people!

Whew. There. I feel better... Sometimes you just have to vent. In fact, he's nice and we really seem to like each other. But he does not know how to deal with me. It's irritating. It's silly and archaic really. And I am getting to a point in my life where I'm just too tired to deal with this sort of silly bullshit. C'mon people. It's 1999. Grow up!

Also, you know, I didn't get any turkey or dressing for Thanksgiving and I miss my mommy. So...

Friday, I went to Threadgrills and got some turkey and dressing. That made me feel better. But they didn't have an Austin Chronicle. Is there one out this week or did they not print because of the holiday?

On "Toy Story 2," there is a 5 minute "preview" of Disney's May 2000 release, "Dinosaurs." It looks awesome. Computer animated and on an epic scale, it seems to be a whole movie made up of the best special effects parts of "Jurassic Park." Kind of like "Jurassic Park" only if it had no humans and seemed more of a documentary. Really, even better than that. It has no dialogue and no narration. Sort of looks like a "day in the life" of being a dinosaur. It might be a little scary for very small children. But it looks astounding. I cannot wait. Sure, the segment in the preview seems a little like the opening segment in "Prince of Egypt..." but the epic scale of the work makes it highly intriguing and I suspect it will be immensely popular with adults and kids.

The 7th Annual New York Underground Film Festival is in March 2000 but the deadline entry isn't until 1/1/2000. For more info go to www.nyuff.com

Saturday after work I was taking a nap. Rich called and we talked for almost 2 hours about film. Our discussion revolved around films of the 90's with "The Sixth Sense," "Barton Fink," Dogma 95, "Blair Witch" and much more included. We also talked about the coming of 2000 and what that implies and what we hope for. While Rich wants to see total chaos and anarchy on New Yars Eve, I think it will be the stepping over the threshold into a new, more "kind" state of existence. I think it will erase racism, bigotry, hatred, gender bias, hate based on sexual orientation... I'm just a big optimistic hopeful homo I guess. I agree, however, that it may take the total breakdown and destruction of society as we know it to achieve this new nirvava. Anyway, it was a great conversation. I wish I had it tape recorded. Of course, this is just mainly laziness and egotistical megalomania. I said some pretty interesting and compelling stuff. Of course, so did Rich... when he could get a word in edgewise.

Afterwards, I went out and bummed around 4th street. I went in Oilcan Harry's and it was packed. I just don't like it there. I walked down to Congress but didn't go into the Forum, the last time was too magical to hope for a good time there so quickly afterwards again. I walked to Brazos to the Splash Video Bar. I was just too chicken to go in. What the fuck is a gay video bar anyway? It just sounds so seedy. I wasn't in a very good spirit, so I decided to go get dinner and rent a vid. Went to I (heart) Video and looked around for a bit before I settled on Bruce La Bruce's "No Skin Off My Ass." Let me tell you. It's a great freaking film. La Bruce is my new hero!

I was browsing the web and found his official website (www.brucelabruce.com) so I dropped a note in his guestbook asking him to check out filethirteen.

He did and responded with a lot of cool info on Harmony Korine!

"hi: interesting review of Julien. you're right, it's so obvious his camera loves his subjects, a fact which some clunky reviewers totally miss. a little while ago i went to Kentucky to visit the set of the new Harmony omnibus movie "Jokes". it's a three-parter, with the segments, all written by Harmful, being directed by himself, Gus Van Sant, and possibly Clair Denis. I am a contributing editor/writer for a new york based magazine called Index, and one thing i do is visit sets and write about it and take pictures. I've done it for GSV's "Psycho", H's "Julien", John Waters' latest, "Cecil B. Demented", and now this one, which Gus is directing. it was pretty cool, about a white albino couple living in an all black community. so anyhow, thanks for the entry and all.

bruce"

Cool stuff, huh! Bruce's new film is called "Skin Flick" and he is calling it his first hardcore porno, although "No Skin Off My Ass" seems pretty hardcore to me as well. "Skin Flick" will be released in two versions, the porn, and a more softcore version with most of the sex expunged, I presume. I don't really want to know to much about it until I get to see it. Bruce also told me he would be in South Africa with the film in the early part of 2000.

Gossip, Gossip Gossip: Disney has green-lighted the $145 million budget for Michael Bay's "Pearl Harbor" film. Bay and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have agreed not to take a salary until the film makes money. The cast will all be paid scale and they are willing to use unknowns if necessary to make the picture.

I'm falling for a guy aboard my starship. I know I shouldn't. It's against the prime directive, but I can't help it. He's so cute and languid. He has longish brown hair, an adorable bottom lip and a gorgeous smile. When he stands there, just so slank, I almost cannot take it. He's very sweet and affectionate. Today he put his arm around me in a brotherly fashion and I almost melted.

Monday night, went to Rich's 21st Birthday Party. met Paige, who is in a few of the scenes in "The Paul Collection," Rich and Kelly's collection of short videos. Also on hand was a guy named Matt who goes to UT film school with Rich. Matt was involved in some sort of campus comedy TV program and it went big with Lorne Michaels somehow becoming involved and so, in rebellion to the corporatizing of the thing, he quit. This story immediately endeared him to me. Tim and his gf showed up and so did some guy who works at I (heart) video with his gf. A guy who works with Rich at his day job showed up as well. And some little cute groover named Jeff.

We drank a lot, watched some videos with sound down including an abysmal Troma DVD called "Redneck Zombies." It was below garbage. "Wild at Heart" was playing too and I was reminded of how unlikable a film it was when we had to watch the scene where Willem DaFoe psuedo rapes Laura Dern. It was pretty distasetful. Later there were more films and more conversation but I got pretty toasty so I don't really remember much. I had to be careful cause early in the evening I felt a "mean drunk" coming on, that guy I become sometimes when I want to test how much my friends really like me, and Rich's 21st Bday was no place for him to show up.

Tuesday I slept late and then went to see "American Movie." Afterwards, I wanted to go to the other I (heart) Video, on Airport, to see if they had Bruce LaBruce's "8 1/2." They did. Also rented a vid with the Judys and a collection of Lynch's early shorts. Went next door to ABCD (Austins Best CD's) and bought the Primitive Radio Gods CD with "Outside a Phone Booth" for, like, $3. It's weird, I love that song, just like I loved Talk Talk's "It's My Life" because I only heard them occassionally, here and there. Now that I own them, I'm afraid I'll wear them out and they'll lose their luster and charm... Familiarity breeds contempt...

Tim came over on Wednesday and we listened to his tape of the songs he has made using his friend Blue's 4-track and drum machine and stuff. Blue works with him on some of them. They're the germs of some interesting and great music. We watched the Lynch shorts and then decided to try and shoot a quickie short ourselves. We ended up making it up as we went along and came out with a pretty funny little short called "Monster Piss." We have learned a lot about how to make shorts from our friends Rich and Kelly, so we were pretty hyped about showing it to them.

News and Updates from the folks at the Alamo Draft House: DELIVERANCE ENJOY HOT BUTTERED PIG SANDWICHES, ON SPECIAL DURING THE RUN OF DELIVERANCE! THURS-FRI, DEC 9 & 10, MIDNITE (d. John Boorman, 1972, 109 min)

BUTT-NUMB-A-THON UPDATE You would think it would be hard to sell out a 24 hour movie marathon wherein you have to pay massive bucks to throw in the towel and leave the theater. Think again - Harry Knowles BUTT NUMB A THON was 2/3 sold out after only a few hours on sale, with attendees coming from all over the US: California, Minnesota, Arkansas, Pittsburgh, Louisiana, Georgia, Oklahoma, and all parts of Texas; all to take part in an extraordinary 24 hours of film geek mania. A select 200 or so folks will be converging on the Alamo at noon on December 11 to celebrate the birthday of local internet guru Harry Knowles. You can check out all the latest hints and taunts regarding the 24 hours of movie programming at www.aint-it-cool-news.com.

For those of you joining us on December 11, here are the rules one more time:

1. BRING YOUR ID; WE ARE 21 AND UP

2. BRING A CREDIT CARD OR $200 CASH IN CASE YOU LEAVE EARLY. YOU MUST HAVE PROOF YOU CAN AFFORD TO LEAVE BEFORE WE LET YOU IN. -LEAVING THE FIRST HOUR WILL COST YOU $200 -THE COST TO GET OUT DECREASES BY THE HOUR -BY HOUR 12 IT'S DOWN TO ABOUT $50 BUCKS -IF YOU MAKE IT ALL THE WAY, YOU LEAVE FOR FREE AND GET A SOUVENIR NOVELTY T-SHIRT. -BUT... THE LAST MOVIE WILL BE SO PAINFUL, SO AWFUL, THE PRICE TO LEAVE IN HOUR 23 GOES BACK UP TO $200

3. YOU MUST ARRIVE BY 12:00 NOON ON DEC 11, OR YOU WILL LOSE YOUR SEAT DOORS OPEN AT 11:15

4. NO OUTSIDE FOOD OR DRINK IS PERMITTED.

5. YOUR PLEDGE CARD IS LOCATED ON THE BACK OF THE TICKET. YOU MUST HAVE PLEDGES TOTALING AT LEAST $1 PER HOUR IN ORDER TO GET YOUR 24 HOUR SUPPLY OF PENGUINS CAFFEINATED PEPPERMINTS.

6. PILLOWS AND CUSHIONS.................... ARE ALLOWED, BUT IF HARRY CATCHES YOU SLEEPING, HE MAY ZAP YOU WITH AN ELECTRIC FLYSWATTER, SO SLEEPERS BEWARE. THE ALAMO ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR TRAUMA OR DEATH DUE TO ELECTRIC SHOCK.

Late Breaking Butt-Numb-A-Thon update!!! After intense negotiations, the kind folks at PREPARATION H have agreed to sponsor BUTT-NUMB-A-THON, and are graciously donating a year's supply of their fine butt-soothing product to one lucky attendee.

My big plans for the coming week: Work, Xanna Friday night at Gaby and Mo's, Rock Opera CD release party Saturday night at Red Eye Fly, "Tiny Prophecies," from Cinemaker Co-Op folks at the Ritz either Sunday or Monday night. And any other trouble I can get into!