“Then wolves will live in peace with lambs. And leopards will lie down to rest with goats. Calves, lions and young bulls will eat together. And Reverends will profess their love for leather culture.”

The above spin on a few verses from the Book of Isaiah pretty much sums up the Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival’s stellar opening festivities. As expected, there was a strong sense of community that only increased throughout the night. Call Me Troy—the moving documentary on gay activist extraordinaire Rev. Troy Perry—received its world premiere before the Austin City Hall party on Friday, reminding us of how far we’ve come in the struggle for gay rights and what it took to get here. As the film illustrates, the wolves weren’t always living in peace with the lambs…

While much of the success of the opening night can be attributed to the folks behind aGLIFF, credit must be given to the presence of the phenomenal personality that is Rev. Perry. He won the entire audience over within seconds of the film’s introduction. Whether he's recounting the ways in which he stood up for equal rights or unabashedly informing audiences that he's a "polar teddy bear" into leather, Rev. Perry is unique, inspiring, and refreshing.

After a long string of applause following the screening, director Scott Bloom and co-producer Larry Diamond joined Rev. Perry for a short Q&A. When asked how he chooses to respond to people who cite the Bible in order to inform him that gays will burn in hell, Rev. Perry yelled at the top of his lungs in his trademark Southern accent, “I don’t believe God is a bar-b-quer!” Really, can anyone say it better?

We rushed to City Hall to witness Mayor Will Wynn address aGLIFF afterparty dwellers, but only managed to catch Rev. Perry’s reaction to his speech (maybe you guys can fill us in). Rev. Perry was not only impressed with the Mayor, he also told us all to be grateful for having such a beautiful City Hall. Indeed, if you have yet to set foot on the grounds, we concur -- the place is highly aesthetically pleasing.

Immediately following the speeches, the DJ got to work and the party was officially on. As for the music, Queer as Folk put it best when it described the “gay thumpa-thumpa” of the clubbing world. We admit, we were a little too excited when we met Rev. Perry to the sounds of an intriguing remix of CeCe Peniston’s “Finally.” That couldn't happen anywhere else. Kudos to aGLIFF for making it possible for all attendees to meet the guest of honor -- he was as captivating and down-to-earth in person as he was on screen.

The beats continued as pretty people mingled, Oilcan Harry’s bartenders served up drinks, and melt-in-your-mouth hors d’oeuvres from ACC’s Culinary Arts Department were passed around. The entire night echoed one of Perry’s sermons in the film in that it was a completely “first class” experience. Amen!

Don’t forget, you have an incredible number of GLBT screenings at your fingertips until Saturday. Also, don’t miss out on your chance to party with aGLIFF, Foodies. Arthouse at the Jones Center, and Austin Museum of Art later this week!

[aGLIFF Official Site]
[aGLIFF on MySpace]

Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival (aGLIFF)
Sept. 28th – Oct. 6th

The Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival (aGLIFF) is all grown up in its 20th year and it shows in tonight’s kickoff festivities. Not only is the inaugural film—Call Me Troy—a world premiere, it is also the first documentary in the festival’s history to serve as an opening night film. The schedule continues to entice with another noteworthy first: the Sapphire MojitoMartini. You can down this “aGLIFF 20 Signature Cocktail” and chat up daring activist Rev. Troy Perry himself at the Austin City Hall afterparty.

The festival's week-long lineup rivals GLBT cable haven Logo’s year-round programming in its diversity -- there are dramas, comedies, documentaries, classics, foreign picks, animated films, short films, stand-up, and music videos.

The all-inclusive material is a direct result of aGLIFF 20’s goal of appealing to a wider audience that includes more heterosexual attendees. Programming director Lisa Kaselak elaborates: “This year's theme, ‘WE SPEAK FILM’, is intended to speak to the universal power of film as a transcendent communication medium – as an art form, as a means of political participation, as a way to underscore the fact that, despite our myriad differences, our common experiences connect us far more than they separate us.”

What better way to start a transcendence than screening a film that focuses on one of the first people bold enough to mix the terms "evangelical" and "gay power"? aGLIFF has managed to be the first to acquire the only documentary that centers on Rev. Troy Perry. While other gay revolutionaries have already been immortalized in narrative features (The Times of Harvey Milk, Before Stonewall), Rev. Perry had yet to serve as a central subject until Call Me Troy this year. A man of many firsts -- he started the Metropolitan Church to recognize the gay community and he performed the first same-sex marriage in the U.S. in 1969 -- it is only right that Rev. Perry will be in attendance to usher in an opening night genre exclusive with aGLIFF.

Check back here for highlights from opening night.

Related:
At 20, aGLIFF in Fine Form

[aGLIFF Official Site]
[aGLIFF on MySpace]

Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival (aGLIFF)
Sept. 28th – Oct. 6th

aGLIFF Opening Night Party
Sept. 28th
Austin City Hall, 301 W. 2nd St.
9pm-Midnight
[More Info]

The Austin Museum of Digital Art (AMODA) is bringing back its monthly Digital Showcase tomorrow night at Club DeVille, and, as usual, they've managed to assemble an impressive roster of electronic musicians and visual artists.

Saturday's headliner is New York City's DJ /rupture, aka Jace Clayton. A gifted musician and producer, Rupture has enjoyed a prolific career that's run the gamut from releasing mix albums and performing with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra (as a turntable soloist, no joke) to hosting a local radio show that's re-broadcast around the world (Belgium, Croatia, France) and running his own indie label. Live, he employs three turntables simultaneously — one for vocals, another for beats, and the last for ambient effects. A veritable bouillabaisse of electronic music, Rupture incorporates hip-hop, baile funk, breakcore, reggae, and just about everything else into his average DJ set.

Others included in the lineup are IHeartComix's OCELOT (who had to cancel their DJ set at Austinist's Local Music is Sexy IV due to a conflicting UK tour), Magic Surprise, Frogboy (from Dallas), and two curiously named Austin DJs going by Cal Cutta and Sriracha.

And then there's the visual art, of which there's so much that we'll let the AMODA folks describe it:

There will be a special live video performance by Daniel Perlin (from New York), who is a frequent collaborator with DJ /rupture and whose work has been shown at the Postmaster’s Gallery, TN Probe Tokyo, Temporary Contemporary London, Guggenheim Film, the Centre Pompidou, and the Whitney Biennial 2006. There will also be screenings of the spastic, new-rave fashion videos of CassettePlaya (London), the tightly synced audio/video work of Beeple (Wisconson), the confessional TV-informercial video of Sean Ripple (Austin), the morphing everyday objects of Robert Seidel (Berlin), the quick-cut energetic motion graphics of D-Fuse, the graffiti-influenced Flash animations of Screenvader (Paris), and the found internet video clips of Corkey Sinks (Austin).

[AMODA Digital Showcase Info Page]

AMODA Digital Showcase
Saturday, September 29th, 2007
Club DeVille
$7 general / $4 for AMODA members
18 and up, 9pm-2am

Another Friday means another round of fresh outta the box movies. With summer's end possibly mere weeks away, these are our last days to indulge in the pastime of escaping Austin's scorching good vibes to sit in distracted air-conditioned comfort. And in some parts of the country it's already fall, which means there's a bumper crop of new movies out!

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford: On one hand, this period drama (um, the title sort of gives away the plot) will probably be as long-winded and self-conscious as its title, but on the other hand, it features Brad Pitt and current "It" Affleck brother Casey in waistcoats--and if Legends of the Fall or A River Runs Through It are any indication, a Brad Pitt period piece can be watchable, especially if, as a viewer, you have ovaries.

Eastern Promises: Director David Cronenberg reunites with Viggo Mortensen (last seen in Cronenberg's A History of Violence) for a brutal tale of shifting allegiances in London's eastern-European mob underworld, co-starring Naomi Watts and a sinister Armin Mueller-Stahl.

Good Luck Chuck: In the newest raunchfest for the College Humor set, gimlet-eyed comedian Dane Cook plays a dentist struggling to break a curse in which all his exes find true love only after breaking up with him. Wait, surely that happens to Dane Cook in real life too? Jessica Alba does her best to channel Cameron Diaz as the clumsy babe of his dreams.

The Hottest State: Erstwhile squirrelly dreamboat Ethan Hawke directs this adaptation of his 1997 novel, chronicling the obsessive breakup between an actor from Texas (Mark Weber) and a Latina singer from...Connecticut?! (Co-starring the eminently crushworthy Catalina Sandino Moreno from Maria Full of Grace.)

In the Shadow of the Moon: This doc, which won Best Documentary at Sundance, mixes interviews with the aging Apollo astronauts who walked on the moon with awesome, newly remastered footage from the Apollo program.

In the Valley of Elah: The grizzled-to-perfection Tommy Lee Jones stars as a patriotic retired Army police officer on a grim mission to find out what happened to his AWOL Iraq-veteran son in this super-promising thriller by director Paul Haggis (Crash).

Lady Chatterly - This latest celluloid version of D.H. Lawrence's novel about an aristocratic woman who steps out on her invalid husband with the groundskeeper has won five Césars (the French equivalent of the Oscar) and it's the first to be directed by a woman (Pascale Ferran.) So you can feel validated in seeing it, even if you're only there for the endless, quiveringly graphic outdoor sex scenes.

Resident Evil: Extinction: Milla Jovovich in artfully shredded postapocalyptic zombie-hunting lingerie is always easy on the eyes, but will another phoned-in installment in the Resident Evil series convince anybody but hardcore fanboys to watch?

Sydney White: The latest slice of tweenager cheese presents crazy-eyed Amanda Bynes as a college-freshman "tomboy" who is too "real" for the sorority she joins. So she commences to try and fix the social system through Student Government, and it all sort of confusedly follows the arc of Snow White--the sorority girls are Evil Sisters, there are Seven Dorks, the fabled mirror is a Myspace page...Please, take the tween in your life to In the Shadow of the Moon, and not this.

[Showtimes]

Today is the day! Fantastic Fest--North America's coolest, fastest growing genre film festival--officially kicks off this afternoon at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. With around 100 feature films, shorts and special events, Fantastic Fest is a horror / sci-fi / fantasy / action film lover's dream come true. As of yesterday, badges are all sold out. But don't despair, badgeless film lovers--you can still buy individual tickets to certain screenings.

We got an early look at some of this year's films, so we thought we'd give you a quick rundown of the highlights. Enjoy!

Diary of the Dead (w/ George A. Romero in attendance!)
Thurs, Sep 20, 6:45 PM | Alamo S. Lamar 2

Diary of the Dead is a new zombie film by Night of the Living Dead director George A. Romero--and, really, you shouldn't need any more reason than that to go see it.

You'll be excited to know that Diary is a kind of return to form for Romero, in that he's abandoned the "action movie" feel that Land of the Dead had in favor of a stripped-down, no-frills indie film. The entire movie is shot on handheld cameras from the perspective of a gang of college students who are shooting an independent horror film when the zombie outbreak occurs. And while this might sound like a "Blair Witch with zombies", it really doesn't come off that way.

In spite of the (intentionally) low-budget feel, there is still a lot of gore, some truly funny moments, and a wide variety of flesh-eating monsters, all wrapped around a surprisingly relevant social commentary. --Matt Smith

Princess
Sat, Sep 22, 4:15 PM | Alamo S. Lamar 3
Thu, Sep 27, 12:45 PM | Alamo S. Lamar 1

Anders Morgenthaler's feature debut Princess left us slackjawed. Not only is the film a surprising tale of vengeance and redemption, but it is also indescribably beautiful, melding live action flashbacks with creamy dreamlike animation. Following the death of his sister Christina, who is also known as the porn queen "The Princess", August, a missionary priest, leaves his work in the field to tend to his orphaned niece Mia. He quickly realizes that Mia has been emotionally and physically scarred by her mother's drug-riddled porn star lifestyle, and sets about to destroy all evidence that may remind Mia or himself of Christina's involvement with the grimy world that led to her untimely death. What begins as a request to the propagators, urging them to eradicate all "Princess" themed materials (including a tomb erected in her honor, encircled by giant concrete phalluses), spirals into a blood filled destruction spree when the money-makers refuse to give up their meal-ticket kingdom.

We don't claim to be experts on animation, especially that of the European comicbook family, but we can say that this film almost makes you forget that it is animated, and only jerks you back into reality with the bits of home-video like archival footage, which fill in the back story before "The Princess" was a household brand, so to speak. Princess even includes a cute and fuzzy bunny reminiscent of a Picachu, which comes alive from time to time to comfort Mia and August, and also plays a pivotal role in the story's denouement, which left us yelling in tandem with the characters, begging for last minute salvation. Recommended. --Steph Beasley

As Fantastic Fest kicks off tonight, Austinist will be bringing you previews of films playing at the festival. We begin today with Wendigo director Larry Fessenden's latest, The Last Winter. An interesting yet practical genre mash-up, the film is an eco-horror piece concerning the fate of an oil crew who are damaging the environment in rural Alaska. There's no serial killer here: the antagonist(?) is actually the planet, which begins to fight back when threatened by those callous enough to try and destroy it.

Having seen the first hour of the film, we can reveal a few tiny details. The camerawork alternates between static character shots and frenetic, sweeping landscape panoramas that make the viewer feel that something is about to go terribly, terribly wrong. And the Alaskan locale doesn't need much emphasis to make the viewer feel instantly isolated and claustrophobic.The Last Winter also features quite an interesting cast, with Ron Perlman in the scene-chewing, OTT lead role as a cocky crew foreman trying to keep everyone calm. Friday Night Lights favorites Connie Britton (Tami Taylor) and Zach Gilford (Matt Saracen) are also in prime supporting roles, as is James LeGros as a researcher and journalist providing an (often unheeded) voice of reason.

In sum, if Al Gore ditched his slide show and Current TV to write a genre pic, this might be the result. So hop in your hybrid or walk over in your Simple Shoes and check it out.

[Fantastic Fest Official Site]

The Last Winter
Thursday, September 20th
Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar [map]
9:30pm
Free for Fantastic Fest badgeholders, and door tickets may be available (call ahead.)

Image via TheLastWinter.net.

Tomorrow night, Cine Las Americas presents Víctimas del Pecado (Victims of Sin), an over-the-top slice of Mexican melodrama from 1951 and the second installment in Cine's Sin, Scandal and Song series.

There's sin aplenty here (and also really great outfits and hairstyles), courtesy of its setting in postwar Mexico City's red-light district (romanticized in lush black and white cinematography by the legendary Gabriel Figueroa). Amidst all the picturesque seaminess, beautiful cabaret dancer Violeta (Ninón Sevilla) adopts an abandoned baby she finds in a trash can. Meanwhile, she's being stalked by a creepy pimp, but when she falls in love with cabaret owner Santiago (Tito Junco) he promises to protect her and the bebé. Tragedy ensues multiple times over, of course, as befitting a melodrama, as do numerous musical numbers featuring mambo king Pérez Prado and venerable crooner Pedro Vargas (whose casket-sharp slicked-back hair shines almost as brightly as his voice) and Ninón Sevilla dancing in some truly impressive breakaway outfits.

Director Emilio "El Indio" Fernandez was one of the great masters of Mexican cinema; what better place to screen one of his (rarely shown) films than the ginormous, freshly opened Mexican-American Culture Center? Did we mention admission is free? ¡Dése prisa!

Victimas del Pecado | Victims of Sin
Thursday, September 20th
Mexican-American Cultural Center
7:30 pm, Free Admission
[More Info]

Fat Man and Little Boy seem like innocuous pejorative phrases, possibly used to tease other kids on the monkey bars, but when associated with a date, specifically August 6th and 9th, 1945, those words become something else altogether. No longer mere verbal darts, those words evoke images of pillars of fire and shredded skin, of a war certainly ended, but possibly not won. Wednesday night, Academy Award winning director Steven Okazaki will take you on a journey to revisit the places where "the bomb" was dropped, allowing you to hear the stories of the few that survived as the Austin Film Society presents White Light/Black Rain.

There are approximately 200,000 "hibakusha" &ndash people exposed to the bomb &ndash still alive today. However, after the bombs were dropped, images of the destruction and stories of the survivors were not permitted in the U.S. media for 25 years. Furthermore, it is Japanese custom to never speak of anything that may draw attention to an individual or illicit pity, so the 14 survivors that are chronicled in White Light/Black Rain, may have never spoken to anyone besides other survivors about what happened to them. The survivors, in effect, became social lepers, not even receiving health benefits from the Japanese government right away. One of the most heartbreaking aspects of this doc is that some of them are not even physically scarred (although those who were, the damage is almost unbearable to behold), but instead carry emotional and psychological wounds from the horror that they experienced on those days so long ago, which has affected every day of their lives since.

On Thursday, a scholar named Randolph Lewis, of the University of Oklahoma, comes to the Harry Ransom Center to speak. Resolved: The recent explosion of documentary film has not helped the genre at all, instead causing it to conform to televisual norms, and pushing its filmmakers to use less "literary imagination" in their creative processes.

We guess that means that in order to get on board with this argument, you kind of have to believe that books are inherently better than TV. If you don't agree, if you love recent documentary work and want to defend it, or if you do agree and want to shake Mr. Lewis' hand, show up at the HRC at seven, and bring your debatin' shoes.

Documentary Film and the Literary Imagination
Thursday, September 20th
Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, UT [directions]
7pm, Free
[Info]

* Image from Dziga Vertov's "Man with a Movie Camera", 1929

One truly is the loneliest number. We prefer things in multiples: beers, potato chips, orgasms (was that taking it too far? Eh, fugetaboutit.) And we definitely enjoy the chance to experience two landmark films in one compact bundle. Tonight, the Austin Film Society presents not one, but two sensational films as part of their gritty Essential series Blokes 'n' Birds: British Realist Cinema (1958-1965).

In the past several years, you may have noticed that a ton of Austin's older, dilapidated, yet charming buildings, have been bulldozed, making way for antiseptic, gleaming towers of glass and concrete. Muted tones abound, lacking any sense of community or history. Well, history certainly repeats itself, as foreshadowed by director Joan Littlewood's only feature film, Sparrows Can't Sing. Sailor Charlie Gooding (James Booth) returns to London's landlubber East End after a two year voyage to find his home demolished and his wife AWOL. Friends and family are reluctant to disclose his love Maggie's (Barbara Windsor) whereabouts, as she has been cavorting with bus driver Bert, strolling about with a child who may or may not be Charlie's own and living in one of the sterile flats that have replaced his former residence.

A leftist to the bone and founder of London's Theater Workshop, Littlewood knows the language, customs and entertainment of the English workers class, including their deep character texture and self-assuredness. She bemoans the soulless modernism of middle-classists, and trumpets the communal richness of East End working-class life. So much so that the film was almost released with subtitles in the U.S. because distributors feared that the cockney speech patterns and slang would render the film unintelligible to Americans.

Today, the film is still the comedic romp that is was back then, including a pub fight reminiscent of Laurel and Hardy, physical antics and Charlie's unending quest to win back the woman who is rightfully his own. A rare gem of British realist film directed by a woman, and Booth and Windsor certainly aren't bad to look at.

AFS Essentials: Sparrows Can't Sing
Tuesday, September 18th
Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar
7pm, $4 / Free to AFS members
[Tickets / Info]

Technically, Fantastic Fest doesn't start until Thursday. But for badgeholders who get into town early (or, you know, live here), the fun will begin on Wednesday night as Casey Affleck hosts a free sneak screening of his new film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

We've been huge Affleck fans since his criminally under appreciated role in Good Will Hunting. And with The Assassination and Gone Baby Gone (both of which have him in starring roles) on the immediate horizon, it looks like this might finally be Casey's year to shine.

The Assassination--which also stars Brad Pitt, Sam Rockwell, Sam Shepard and Mary-Louise Parker--is about the 1881 assassination of notorious outlaw Jesse James by some guy named Robert Ford. Based on Ron Hansen's novel of the same name, the film delves into the private lives of America's most notorious outlaw and his unlikely assassin. Plus, it features a cameo by Nick Cave, which instantly earns it extra cred in our book.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford w/ Casey Affleck Live
Wednesday, September 19th
Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar
8:30pm, Free, Fantastic Fest Badgeholders Only
[Info / RSVP]
[Buy a Fantastic Fest Badge]

Don't forget to submit your entry for our Fantastic Fest Bruce Lee Lookalike Contest! The festival starts this Thursday, so get your entry in ASAP for a chance to WIN TWO FESTIVAL BADGES!

Fantastic Fest is our favorite eight days of the year. No lie. In fact, last year's fest was quite possibly the best eight days of our entire lives. And though we didn't think it was possible, this year is shaping up to be even better!

To celebrate the festival's opening night, we cordially invite you--nay, we challenge you--to compete in the Finishing the Game: Bruce Lee Lookalike Contest!

Here's how it works:

• Dress up like Bruce Lee or recreate a scene from one of his films.
  
• Record yourself doing it, then post your photo or video to Flickr or YouTube.
  
• Tag your entry "austinist" and email the link to us at film@austinist.com so that we know you've entered
  
• Keep an eye on this site for updates and new entries.

Easy!

What's in it for you? The grand prize winner (as chosen by our readers) will receive two badges to Fantastic Fest! That means full access to all eight days of the fest, which includes the best new science-fiction, fantasy, horror, animation, crime, Asian, and all around badass cinema--plus a whole bunch of kickass guests. The next ten top vote getters will receive passes to the September 20th, 9:45 showing of Justin Lin's new comedy Finishing the Game, where they can compete for even more fabulous prizes.

At the showing of Finishing the Game, the grand finale live Bruce throwdown will commence. Anyone with a ticket to the screening or a Fantastic Fest badge can show up dressed as their best Bruce and compete. The grand prize for the live contest is one month of genuine kung fu classes at Austin Kung Fu Academy! Other prizes include an original Enter the Dragon poster, an antique Yung Kung Fu Automatic Push-Button Chop-Action action figure, an original 1973 Hanna-Barbera Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan coloring book (all courtesy of Hog Wild), and an Enter the Dragon vinyl soundtrack LP (courtesy of Backspin Records).

Fantastic Fest is right around the corner, so get those cameras rolling, and submit your entry ASAP!

Maybe it’s an aftereffect of the heat and shoulder-to-shoulder swaying at ACL, but we’re feeling particularly groovy today. The Austin Cinematheque understands, as it’s all peace, love, and Brigitte Bardot in tonight’s screening of Contempt at the Texas Union Theatre.

Okay, so not so much with the peace. Director Jean-Luc Godard takes on the shady world of filmmaking and the lengths one must go through to see an artistic vision through to the bitter end in this French film shot entirely in Italy. Writer Paul Javal (Michel Piccoli) is hard at work on a script based on Homer’s Odyssey when his soulless producer (Jack Palance) attempts to strip his material of all its originality by hiring a pompous, controlling director (Fritz Lang as himself). While Javal fights to save the integrity of his piece, he is too distracted to keep his wife, Camille (Bardot), safe from the advances of his sleazy director. Camille is, in turn, pissed and their marriage suffers.

Contempt gets major points for realism. Martin Scorsese calls it “brilliant, romantic, and genuinely tragic.” He adds, “It’s also one of the greatest films ever made about the actual process of filmmaking.” Literary references abound in the film (including obvious parallels with characters from the Odyssey, Camille = Penelope, etc.). It also contains a magnificent, foreboding score by Georges Delerue. You can hear a track titled “Camille” at Austin Cinematheque’s MySpace page. We won’t lie—we’ve just reloaded the page about ten times and now we are filled with wonder and woe. Woe, we tell you!

Take advantage of this rare opportunity to witness one of the 1960s more unique, sensual screen presences with this restored 35mm print. If the '60s had the likes of such captivating leading ladies as Bardot and Mia Farrow, who do we have now? Angelina Jolie?

The Austin Cinematheque Presents: Contempt
Monday, September 17th
Texas Union Theatre, 2247 Guadalupe St.
7:30pm, FREE
[More Info]

The Brave One
Jodie Foster's pool-table (or was it pinball machine?) scene in The Accused was burned into our early middle-school brains, so will that make it harder or easier to watch her get brutalized again in this new movie? At least her character is totally different - this time she's an upscale New Yorker who gets beaten by unknown assailants in Central Park (and the movie is directed by Neil Jordan, of The Crying Game fame). A question more to the point may be, why are there all these movies now about people getting vengeance on the dark forces of the underworld which threaten their pretty lives? [Website] [Trailer]

Dragon Wars (D-War)
AN ANCIENT EVIL WILL AWAKE in this Korean film about a girl who has the power to save Los Angeles from dragons (with the help of an intrepid reporter). How often do ancient evils actually awake? Aren't now-evils actually permutations of ancient evils? We're not sure the film will answer these questions, but we can promise you awesome dragons.
[Website] [Trailer]

The 11th Hour
Another documentary about global warming and the way we have convinced ourselves it ain't happening. Will Leo DiCaprio be able to break through the giant icebergs of denial and self-indulgence Americans seem to built up around themselves when it comes to this issue? Well, he is a movie star, so he knows something about denial and self-indulgence...we have hope, of the cautious variety. [Website] [Trailer]

Descent
Don't worry - there are no blinded, devolved, cannibalistic cave-men in this movie. Rosario Dawson plays a college student who is raped (apparently brutally - the movie's rated NC-17) and then spirals downward into revenge-land. Again with the revenge! This plot synopsis reminds us of Alice Sebold's excellent first book Lucky, though, so we're willing to give it a try. [Website] [Trailer]

Mr. Woodcock
Billy Bob Thornton plays a sadistic buttmunch of a small-town gym teacher who terrorizes Seann William Scott as a child, and then tries to marry his mom (Susan Sarandon! Why?). We want Dodgeball back. Don't pull a hammy! [Website] [Trailer]

The Devil Came on Horseback
Another documentary, this one about the US failure to do much of anything in Darfur. Like a lot of movies about African troubles, this one follows a Westerner who witnesses everything unfold, so you're supposed to be able to have somebody to identify with (because Africans are hard to understand? or something?) But far be it from us to criticize any film which tries to get this issue into the spotlight. [Website]

Movie Showtimes

No plans for tonight? No need to call in for backup--the Austin Film Festival has you covered with a screening of revered cop documentary Sheriff at the Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek.

Filmmaker Daniel Kraus gets up close and personal with Sheriff Ronald E. Hewett as he brings about justice in Brunswick County, North Carolina. Critics rave about the intimate portrait the film manages to capture in little over an hour; according to the event site, Kraus masters the art of documenting poignant, revealing glances into the lives of others by taking on a style akin to Frederick Wiseman’s "pure cinéma vérité.” There are no staples of the documentary genre here—out with the talking heads and the hold-your-hand voiceovers! It’s just the bare, crime-fighting bones.

The New York Post states, “Commendable filmmaking—an admirably realistic portrait of police life, pointedly different from the sensationalism of TV’s COPS…despite all the human drama going on around Hewett—including a brutal murder—Kraus refuses to be distracted from his portrait of Hewett’s life.”

As for the subject himself, the man just might be the real Nick Angel (Simon Pegg) from Hot Fuzz. Hewett is an incredibly skilled cop that patrols in a “rural community” where he deals with ruthless murderers, escaped robbers, and missing ceramic bunnies? The tone sounds familiar (and kind of awesome).

Austin Film Festival presents: Sheriff
Thursday, September 13th
Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek, 13729 Research Blvd.
7:30pm, $4 / Free for AFF members
[More Info/Tickets]

There will always be chatter about Austin's changing landscape, much as there will always be supporters for both developers and the environment. We want the privilege of taking a dip in a glistening spring-fed pool, but we also want to have a robust economy that allows us to continue working and living in this city. Some would argue that the two desires aren't mutually exclusive, but we all know that it's a sticky subject.

In the documentary The Unforeseen, Austin-based director Laura Dunn chronicles both sides of the growth war here in our fair city, and outlines how the last 20 to 30 years of our local history mirrors those of communities across our nation. We had the chance to speak with Dunn before SXSW this year; tonight's your chance to speak with her yourself, as the Paramount Theater will host a screening of The Unforeseen to benefit the S.O.S. Alliance. A special Q&A session with Dunn, cinematographer Lee Daniel, and SOS executive director Bill Bunch will follow the film.

Unlike Michael Moore and the other I'm-so-much-smarter-than-you documentarians of today, Dunn takes a more journalistic approach, allowing her subjects to speak for themselves. Her most controversial chronicle is that of Gary Bradley, the West Texas farm boy who traveled to Austin and became one of the largest real estate developers in the state. He knew that people wanted to realize their white-picket fence fantasies, and made plans to carpet the pristine hill country with subdivisions that would directly contribute to the destruction of the delicate ecosystem stemming from the Edwards Aquifer. Of course, that notion did not sit well with many locals, who would eventually band together to form the Save Our Spring Legal Defense Fund—now called the S.O.S Alliance.

S.O.S. was able to hold off the whirling dervish of development with help from Governor Ann Richards, but when George W. Bush took the state's executive reins in 1995, development patterns changed. The water quality at Barton Springs, as well as the surrounding landscape of Austin, was irreversibly transformed.

At its core, The Unforeseen is a meditation on the endless struggle between preservation and destruction, and how the dreams of every American conflict with the notion that we can have it both ways. Dunn's film begs the question of how we, as a development-minded society, can refurbish our relationship between the natural world that sustains our very lives, and the modern day trappings that we so desire to possess.

Laura Dunn Presents The Unforeseen - a benefit for the Save Our Springs Alliance
Wednesday, September 12
Doors/Bar @ 6 pm | Show @ 7 pm
The Paramount Theater
$10/$20, tickets available at the door

Fantastic Fest is our favorite eight days of the year. No lie. In fact, last year's fest was quite possibly the best eight days of our entire lives. And though we didn't think it was possible, this year is shaping up to be even better!

To celebrate the festival's opening night, we cordially invite you--nay, we challenge you--to compete in the Finishing the Game: Bruce Lee Lookalike Contest!

Here's how it works:

• Dress up like Bruce Lee or recreate a scene from one of his films.
  
• Record yourself doing it, then post your photo or video to Flickr or YouTube.
  
• Tag your entry "austinist" and email the link to us at film@austinist.com so that we know you've entered
  
• Keep an eye on this site for updates and new entries.

Easy!

What's in it for you? The grand prize winner (as chosen by our readers) will receive two badges to Fantastic Fest! That means full access to all eight days of the fest, which includes the best new science-fiction, fantasy, horror, animation, crime, Asian, and all around badass cinema--plus a whole bunch of kickass guests. The next ten top vote getters will receive passes to the September 20th, 9:45 showing of Justin Lin's new comedy Finishing the Game, where they can compete for even more fabulous prizes.

At the showing of Finishing the Game, the grand finale live Bruce throwdown will commence. Anyone with a ticket to the screening or a Fantastic Fest badge can show up dressed as their best Bruce and compete. The grand prize for the live contest is one month of genuine kung fu classes at Austin Kung Fu Academy! Other prizes include an original Enter the Dragon poster, an antique Yung Kung Fu Automatic Push-Button Chop-Action action figure, an original 1973 Hanna-Barbera Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan coloring book (all courtesy of Hog Wild), and an Enter the Dragon vinyl soundtrack LP (courtesy of Backspin Records).

Fantastic Fest is right around the corner, so get those cameras rolling, and submit your entry ASAP!

Tuesday night, the Austin Film Society presents Girl with Green Eyes, a tale of the naive-girl-in-the-big-city and the second offering in their Essential Cinema Series "Blokes 'n Birds: British Realist Cinema, 1958-1965."

Rita Tushingham plays Kate, a quiet, wide-eyed rural Irish girl thrust into the hustle and bustle of metropolitan Dublin and into the bombastic presence of the worldly Baba, played by Lynn Redgrave. While Baba may have plenty of verve, she is brushed aside as Kate becomes the desire of Eugene, played by Peter Finch, the emotionally bruised older gentleman who is intrigued by this gentle little fawn.

While Eugene may be dashing—he does, after all own land in the city and is a successful writer—he is also twice Kate's age and not officially divorced from his first wife. Will this relationship last like a backwards, modern day Ashton and Demi, or will it succumb to the too often true saying that "they are just in different places in their lives"?

AFS Essentials: Girl with Green Eyes
Tuesday, September 11th
Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar
7pm, $4 / Free to AFS members
[Tickets]

Are you a master of Jeet Kune Do? Do you possess fists of fury? Well, friends, even if you don't, you can still strive to match in visage alone the badassitude of the all-time greatest martial artist by participating in our Bruce Lee Impersonation Contest.

You heard us! In conjunction with our friends at Fantastic Fest, we're looking for a sweaty-chested action hero (or heroine) to call our own, but we prefer that said sweaty-chested action hero (or heroine) look just like Bruce Lee.

So start practicing your kicking, punching, trapping, and grappling because we are going to require photo/cinematic proof that you are truly the embodiment of the great Bruce Lee. You may even want to consider pulling a Tarantino and fashion your sparring gear after that of Game of Death.

"What's in it for me?", you ask. Well, besides getting to look like Bruce for even a short period of time—with all of the male/female worship that it entails—we'll also be giving away some "fantastic" prizes ... if you catch our drift.

Check back in tomorrow for more details!

Round Up! Round Up! Hey! Hey! Hey! Sorry, we got really excited there for a second, but there are just sooooo many great movies out right now that it makes our little heads want to explode. Do you like satirical gun fights? Gotcha covered. Re-vamped S’ghetti Westerns? Check. Tales of hate-mongering Neo-Nazi Brits? You know it! For lovers of brutal, bloody, balls-out storytelling, unto you we dedicate this week in film.

3:10 to Yuma
We never really understood the whole Russell Crowe panty-dropping posse, but perhaps this film shall change our minds? He and hot hot hot Christian Bale (that one, we understand) star as post-Civil War birds-of-a-feather in that both of them want, and more likely need, money. However, while Bale's character is that of the upstanding, dutiful wage-earning type, Crowe's is that of the stage-coach bandit, which is what leads to their acquaintance as Bale escorts Crowe to catch his one way ticket to prison town. Apparently there are some man feelings shared towards the end, making the story more mushy than gritty, but we're kinda suckers for a good western, so we'll overlook its flaws. [Website] [Trailer]

The Brothers Solomon
Definitely the lightest film in the bunch this week, Will Arnett and Will Forte play brothers who were raised on the arctic ice pack by The Six Million Dollar Man Lee Majors, whose health has taken a turn for the worse (i.e. he is dying.) All he ever wanted was a grandchild, but as with most home schooled children, Will and Will are socially awkward and therefore must find a willing lady to carry their artificially inseminated non-love child. Wackiness ensues (yay wackiness!) as their surrogate womb begins feeling maternal and as the boys wish to explore these new and confusing feelings that they are having towards the opposite sex. Let's just say that "Almost Paradise" is used during the film, and not in the same way that it is used in Footloose. I swear that I could see forever in your eyes, indeed. [Website] [Trailer]

From his beginnings in youth flicks like Explorers and Dead Poets Society to his modern-day gigs with Rick Linklater and Sidney Lumet, Austin native Ethan Hawke has done his fair share of acting. Now he's jumped behind the camera to direct an adaptation of his novel The Hottest State, a story most believe is based on Hawke's 90's fling with singer Lisa Loeb. Regardless of the truth of that rumor, the story centers around a young Texan actor's relationship with a folk singer in New York City. Hawke has called it "semi-autobiographical," so one can at least assume that he's said young actor. Since Hawke is in his mid-30's, he decided against casting himself in the lead, and is instead seen in a supporting role in the film.

The Austin Film Society and THINKfilm will host the film's regional premiere at the Paramount Theater on September 19th. Ethan Hawke will be in attendance to introduce the screening and host the afterparty. This post-film bash will take place at the Speakeasy, and will feature musical performances by both the soundtrack's creator Jesse Harris (who's also the songwriter of Norah Jones megahit "Don't Know Why") and other "special guest" artists from the soundtrack. Since the album features Willie Nelson, Norah Jones, M. Ward, Emmylou Harris, The Black Keys, and Feist, that special guest teaser is pretty enticing.

For a chance to win both an Ethan Hawke-autographed copy of The Hottest State novel and the CD soundtrack autographed by Jesse Harris, enter your details below:

UPDATE: The winner of this contest will also receive two passes to the film screening courtesy of the Austin Film Society. So enter already - it's a triple threat of a giveaway!

This contest is now closed. Thanks to all who entered.

[The Hottest State MySpace]
[Stream Willie Nelson's soundtrack contribution "Always Seem To Get Things Wrong"]

The Hottest State Premiere and Afterparty
Wednesday, September 19th
Paramount Theatre [map]
7:00pm
$75 VIP tickets, $25 regular admission [tickets]

Image via The Hottest State's MySpace page.

Donald Trump and The Apprentice have nothing on screenwriter Mateo Gil (Vanilla Sky, The Sea Inside). Gil zeroes in on the paranoia of office politics and brutal selection processes that force contestants to adhere to strict, snazzy dress codes in El Metodo, a critically acclaimed film that was released in Spain two years ago. The New York Times apparently labeled the movie as a comedy-laced suspense drama. For those of us that were not in Spain in 2005 and didn’t see this genre-bending movie appear anywhere else, Cine Las Americas will be hosting a screening tomorrow night at Regal Metropolitan 14.

Cine Las Americas just celebrated the 10th anniversary of its multicultural film festival back in April; fortunately, the non-profit organization’s goal of exposing audiences to a diverse range of Latino films is a year-round gig.

If you find yourself stuck in the confines of a cubicle eight hours a day and you haven’t been able to find an outlet for your deep-seated, workplace stress, this film could prove to be therapeutic for you. Disgruntled employees around the world can find solace in the trailer alone, where sound bites such as “if you get closer, I swear to God I’ll pull your head off” are uttered. Did anyone ever ask Donald how long they had to compete before they "gouged their eyes out" on The Apprentice? If they did, it still sounds much better in Spanish.

Cine Las Americas presents: El Metodo
Thursday, September 6th
Regal Metropolitan 14, 901 Little Texas Ln.
7:30pm, $8.00, Tickets available at the theater
[More Info]

It’s time to channel the patio-dwelling, agua fresca-drinking short film lover inside of you, for Nueva Onda restaurant will be serving up some Purely Austin Shorts tomorrow night free of charge. All you have to do is show up, sit down, and stuff your face.

The synopses of all four films sound promising and the line up is eclectic enough to suit a variety of tastes. The night begins with Room of Ghosts -- a haunting tale of loss, amnesia, and…ghosts. In Anatomy of a Frog, a young girl dissects amphibians (literally) before dissecting her family (figuratively, we think). Blue Suede Wings showcases the tooth fairy-capturing abilities of an 8-year-old. The last film, Lord of the Weins, is a 25-minute documentary revolving around the Wiener Dog Races in Buda, TX. Multiple sites describe the short documentary as Best in Show meets Hands on a Hard Body.

Dinner and a few wholly Austin-infused short movies are a day away. Nueva Onda accepts no weather-based excuses -- the (covered) outdoor screenings go down rain or shine.

Nueva Onda movie Night: Purely Austin Shorts
Thursday, September 6th
Nueva Onda Restaurant, 2218 College Ave.
8pm, FREE
[More Info]

Photo from Lord of the Wiens Official Site

Just a short time before George W. announced his intentions to run for King of Amurca, the New Haven-born hopeful bought a ranch in tiny Crawford, Texas. From this suitably folksy pulpit, he engineered that down-home, aw-shucks presidential campaign persona that captivated/divided the nation, and then there were those hanging chads and...well, you know the rest.

Who Is Crawford Texas follows, through the eyes of the Crawford citizenry themselves, the crazy arc that accompanied two subsequent presidential terms of Bush-dwelling in their bitty town: the press corps filming the same appropriately rural hay bale over and over again, the proliferation of Bush souvenir shops, flocks of tourists, and, later, the arrival of Cindy Sheehan and 20,000 riled-up protesters. It's an examination of what happens when a town of 705 is forced to accommodate a Halliburton-sized PR machine, and the irrevocable growing pains that linger in town long after the fuss has died down.

Who Is Crawford Texas is part of the Austin Film Society's Docs in Progress series, which previews rough cuts of documentaries before they're officially released, usually with the filmmakers on hand so you can pick their brains in a hot Q & A sesh. Tickets are free, but limited to filmmaker-level AFS members. (If you don't have an AFS membership but you heart film-going: Twenty to forty bucks' worth of a yearlong AFS membership will very quickly pay for itself in perks, discounts and free stuff.)

Who Is Crawford Texas
Thursday, September 6th, 7-10 pm
Austin Studios Screening Room
Free; attendance limited to AFS Filmmaker-level members and above
[More Info]
[Who is Crawford Website]

We hate it when things end. Seriously. We cry at funerals (end of life), weddings (end of freedom), heck we even cried at the end of the last Harry Potter book for no other reason that that it was all over. Needless to say, we are all sadfaced at the moment because our favorite excuse to sit on our rear ends all summer is coming to a close this week. Yep, that's right, the Paramount is presenting it's final four films of the Summer Classic Film Series, with then end beginning tonight, and as always, the price of admission is only $7.

Raise the Red Lantern
Tuesday, September 4 @ 7:30 pm
Wednesday, September 5 @ 7:30 pm

We probably weren't allowed to watch this movie when it came out because of the whole multiple-wife-concubine thing (we were, however, allowed to watch Fast Times at Ridgemont High. WTF Mom and Dad?!), but we will definitely be making up for lost time tonight. Gong Li plays the fourth wife/third concubine/fourth mistress of the wealthy Master Chen, and soon realizes that she is more of an attention whore hound than she thought. Ladies, faking a pregnancy to trap a man is never the best course of action. Lesson learned.

We missed Hatchet at last year's fest, and we're still kicking ourselves over it. By all accounts, this thing is the most fun, original, kickass American horror film in years. And with old-school genre heavyweights like Kane Hodder (Jason!), Robert Englund (Freddy!) and Tony Todd (Candyman!) on the cast, it's gotta be pretty awesome.

Tomorrow night, the Alamo will host a special advance screening of Hatchet with director Adam Green on hand to introduce the film and answer questions. We're definitely going to be there, and we'd like you to come along and hold our hand during the scary parts.

Want to WIN Tickets? Fill out the form, and run for your life!
This contest is now closed. Thanks to all who entered!

Hatchet Advance Screening w/ Director Adam Green
Wednesday, September 5th
Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar
10pm, $8.25, Awesome
[Tickets]

Tomorrow, as part of the new AFS Essential Cinema series "Blokes 'n Birds: British Realist Cinema, 1958-1965", Look Back in Anger will bring its critique of postwar British identity to Alamo South Lamar.

Richard Burton stars as a disaffected, angry, undirected young man stuck in a flat and bullying his wife for an outlet--as clearly shown in the above still. (Too bad he didn't happen to live in America...the Beats had an excellent road-n-drugs cure for that sort of male malaise.) The AFS' Chale Nafus writes that this is a performance in which you can clearly see Burton's talent, "when he still cared for acting".

AFS Essentials: Look Back in Anger
Tuesday, September 4th
Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar
7pm, $4 / Free to AFS members
[Tickets]

There’s a way to fundraise, that is. Established painter, photographer, and filmmaker William Wegman has a series of short works that will screen this Thursday, September 6th at The Design Center of Austin to benefit EmanciPET. It’s a collaboration made in doggy heaven, given that Wegman’s subjects are most often his own Weimaraners – a German breed of dogs known for their beautiful coats and haunting, gray eyes.

On the subject of his medium-crossing work and his reoccurring models, Wegman says, “They’re never just dogs. They’re furniture. They're landscapes. They're people. They’re kind of ghost-like and that’s why I think that I’ve been able to adapt so many guises for them.” Wegman goes on to say that he was first inspired to document the dogs after discovering how they reflect light in such a “unique” way. His paintings and photographs have been featured around the world and have even made their way into a series of children’s books. Wegman’s film and video work has previously appeared on Saturday Night Live, Nickelodeon, and Sesame Street.

Tickets can be purchased for $50 at the event site. If you’re gasping at the price, just concentrate on the canine cause. EmanciPET’s mission is to provide "very-low-cost spay and neuter services to prevent animal homelessness and euthanasia.”

Be warned, Wegman doesn’t lie about the enchanting way that light reflects off the dogs. You may find yourself making a quick stop to pick up your own Weimaraner on your way home.

Short Film Works by William Wegman
Thursday, September 6th
The Design Center of Austin at Penn Field – 3601 S. Congress, Building C
7-10pm
[Tickets/More Info]

Photo from EmanciPET’s Event Site