Notes From Austin

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Volume 2 #3

Featuring:

Lube TV

More Park City (Sundance/SlamDance etc) notes

This weekend at the theaters.

The Golden (yawn) Globes

"Rowdy Round-Up/Night of the Killer Piñatas"

"The (Linda) Blair Witch Project"

Patti Smith at SXSW?

The Alamo Drafthouse goes Psychedelic and Savini from Puffenstuff

The (not so) Superbowl

Casino el Camino

Top ten grossing films of Xmas 1999

February Video Releases

"Dreamers" in LA

If you haven't checked out our coverage of Sundance/Slamdance etc... please do. It's got pictures and video and cool writing and stuff. And if you checked it out a few days ago - check it out again. We are adding new video and audio and stuff all the time.

Massive weird feelings and strangeness: I just read an article about Gregg Araki that says he's dating the girl who was in "Splendor." Isn't he gay? That's just weird to me. Perhaps he's bi. I don't need confusion like this.

John Christensen, of the Austin Film Festival among other projects, has a TV show on Wednesday nights called "Lube TV" (11pm on Channel 10). He sent me these two links which I have not had time to check out yet.

http://austinactors.homepage.com

http://lubetv.homepage.com

Coming to Austin theaters this Friday 2/4

Topsy Turvy - not sure where yet. (Film by Mike Leigh about Gilbert and Sullivan).

Natural Selection - at the Dobie (this one was a big hit at Austin Film Festival). A local band named Punchy have a song on the soundtrack. Try http://www.naturalselectionmovie.com

Also major Hollywood releases like "Scream 3" will be hanging around.

The film "Gun Shy" starring Sandra Bullock and Liam Neesom is coming out too. But it's not coming to Austin. At least, not yet.

"Lost Souls," starring Winona Ryder, also scheduled to come out this weekend has been moved back, yet again. Now the distributor is hinting at a September release.

Well, was anyone surprised by the Golden Globe winners? Not much. I think there are some sure bets for Oscar winners here too. I was at Sundance when the Globes were announced and no one I was around even ever mentioned them.

"American Beauty" picked up a lot of wins.

Denzel Washington's win for acting in "Hurricane" was a bit of a surprise.

Likewise Angelina Jolie for Supporting Actress in "Girl, Interrupted." This one should have been Chloe Sevigny all the way. Lets hope the Hollywood insiders are smarter than the foreign press on this one... What am I saying?...

No surprises here: "Toy Story 2" for best comedy film, "All About My Mother" for best foreign film, Hilary Swank for best actress in "Boys Don't Cry," Jim Carrey for actor in a comedy, Janet McTeer (of "Tumbleweeds") for actress in a comedy, Tom Cruise for acting in "Magnolia," And "Sex in the City" and "The Sopranos" winning a plethora of TV categories.

Anna-Mari Lilja, co-scripter of Kevin West's forthcoming "Rowdy Round-Up, Night of the Killer Piñatas" (starring Miss Xanna Dont) tells me the film should be ready for summer festivals. There should also be a trailer making the rounds by March (just in time for SXSW).

Lilja continues to work on the novelization based on the "Rowdy" script as well as a new script for a West film to shoot in the fall of 2000 and her artwork.

One of the funniest films I have seen all year is the short spoof of "Blair Witch" by Scoot LaRose. Starring the lovely and talented Linda Blair of "The Exorcist," the film is called "The Blair Bitch Project."

Check out the website at http://www.blairbitch.com

LaRose wanted to call the film "The Linda Blair Witch Project" but Linda nixed the idea. Seems she doesn't like her name associated with a witch. She seemed, as LaRose pointed out, to have no problem with being associated with a bitch, however.

BTW - Blair's classic 70's film "The Exorcist" will be re-released within the next few months with additional footage added.

A friend of mine told me that some teenage boy burnt his dick trying to imitate the scene from "American Pie." He couldn't wait for the bakery good to cool down to the "proper" temperature before violating it. This is an urban myth, right...

I understand the DVD of "Pie" has some pretty randy outtakes of that already classic scene.

I met Chris Garcia (of the Austin American Statesman) in Park City at the party for "What I Like About You." He seems like a pretty nice guy, even though I think his reviews, generally, stink. He had an article the other day about some of the films he saw at Sundance, and how he hung out there, apparently with a more industry crowd than I. He said, in his article, that one of the Sundance films picked up was "Chuck and Buck," some sort of outrageous comedy bought by Artisan for 1.5 mill.

I heard some juicy gossip that Jeff Stohland, Austin based director of "What I Like About You," had already had a new film greenlighted, but that may just be talk.

Speaking of the Statesman, Michael Cohcohran, or however you spell it, had a blurb about the Program Director at KGSR trying to woo Patti Smith to play a gig in Waterloo park for SXSW. Apparently Patti has a new CD due in March called "Gung Ho." Patti's son Jackson, made famous in "The Jackson Song" on the "Dream of Life" CD, is apparently a big SRV fan. Patti hasn't been to Austin, according to MC, since the late 70's, when she stopped by Raul's after a gig and sang "You Light Up My Life." (That is just insane). MC also said Patti bought the white dress she wears on the cover of "Wave" in Austin that day. After reading this, I listened to the "Horses" CD about 100 times in hopeful, celebratory anticipation.

Are you a student filmmaker? Have you made a short? Check out

http://www.oscars.org/saa

"Yellow Submarine," the classic Beatles animated acid trip on celluloid is being re-released with revamped sound (and, of course, a new print). The Paramount has the film from 2/2-2/6, then it moves over to The Alamo Drafthouse on 2/17 for a few days.

Also coming to the Alamo:

2/20 - A salute to Sid and Marty Kroft, creators of "H.R. Puffenstuff" and other Saturday morning kid's fare that was probably before your time. Maybe Johnny Whitaker will stop by for a visit.

3/25 - Tom SaviniFest 2000. The special effects maven, actor and filmmaker will be doing a live appearance and showing some films and rare footage and stuff.

Tim, the Wonder Horse, who went with us to Park city to cover the festival scene, saw "Eye of the Beholder" the other day. The film stars Ashley Judd and Ewan MacGregor. Tim said it's absolute shit. It's so bad he refuses to waste his time writing about it.

Sunday night I watched the Superbowl but fell asleep during the 3rd quarter. I was still knocked out from last weeks festivities. Monday at work, in addition to the game, the talk was all about the commercials. I didn't see any that i liked. And that half-time show, what a yawn. I caught a "Simpsons" episode I hadn't seen instead.

I had wanted to go to Emo's as The Titz and Sons of Hercules were playing with some other band but I was just to zonked.

Monday night, I went to Casino el Camino. DJ Sue had a beehive working and was spinning the hits. I like Sue but some of her music just isn't for me. She plays a lot of old 50's JD tunes like Eddie Cochran and stuff like that. So, you feel like your stuck in a 50's flashback, It's okay but not what I really like. Sue plays a little bit more "modern" stuff as the night progresses. She played "Andy Warhol" by Bowie, which was pretty cool.

I didn't see any real Austin celebs. The guitar player for the Titz was there but I didn't really say hi. I wanted to ask him how Sunday night went but after the week of schmoozing in Utah, it seemed like a phony move on my part. I just sort of wafted back into the anonymity I enjoy in Austin. It's laid back and cool. Casino is finally off his crutches and hobbling around. I waved but didn't talk to him. I don't know if he played with S.O.H. on Sunday or not.

February Video Releases

2/1 Chill Factor, Stir of Echoes, Tarzan

2/8 The Astronaut's Wife, Blue Streak

2/15 Brokedown Palace, In Too Deep, Joe the King,The Muse, The Story of Us

2/22 Bats, Double Jeopardy

2/29 The Best Man, Dog Park, Random Hearts, Stigmata

Top Ten Xmas Movies of 99

1. Stuart Little (100 mil)

2. The Green Mile (95 mil)

3. Any Given Sunday (63 mil)

4. The Talented Mr. Ripley (58 mil)

5. Deuce Bigalow (56 mil)