S.O.T.B.

When the alamo announced a Be Kind Rewind inspired film contest, who else thought they should Swede Koyaanisqatsi? If you are moved to vote for it, you can sign up here. To watch the original Godfrey Reggio clip, click here.

Michael Haneke’s Funny Games remake.

Please feel free to check out the trailer for Seth Grossman’s The Elephant King here.

A few weeks before the Alamo shut down, QT came to town for 3 nights of triple features. I missed the sex comedies and the swingin’ triple feature, but Redneck night kicked ass. In particular, a film from North Carolina called Redneck Miller. Geoffrey Land has a great time playing DJ Miller, a country music DJ who’s one of a kind “chopper” gets stolen and used in drug deal. Schlitz drinking, ass kicking, and lines like “Baby, you can take a lot of lovin,’ I can only die once,” round out the rest of the film. Classic. Here’s QT’s introduction.

Big news, people: AICN and the Alamo have arranged a special screening of Ratatouille hosted by Patton Oswalt this coming Monday. If you’ve read this blog in the past, you know I’ve been kissing Patton’s funny ass for years. Last night, at Hostel II, Tim announced that the second film on the bill Monday will be one of Mr. Oswalt’s new favorites, The Foot Fist Way. Screw the family fun stuff…Jody Hill, Danny McBride, and company have been making wonderful films ever since back in the day. You’ll hear about how awesome it is after the fact … and then feel like poop. Be there, people! I’m not asking nicely. I’m telling you…BE THERE! Support young talented filmmakers! Especially the ones that inspired me back in film school. Don’t believe me, check out some scenes here.

But before I can even get excited about seeing Fist/Foot, Jamaa Fanaka will be in town, live and in person, to present two of his classics: Welcome Home Brother Charles, and PENITENTIARY! Lars puts it best: “Director Jamaa Fanaka specializes in the smuggler’s approach to socially relevant film-making. He’ll sneak some serious shit past you like a jailhouse shiv while you’re looking the other way. ” Once again, I’m not asking you nicely to be there. I wish the Alamo turned 10 every month.

Check back soon to see Eli Roth getting his ass spanked with a cookie sheet. It really is something else and it needs to be shared with the world.

Four movies in one day is too much. It started at the Paramount with Spellbound. If you’ve never seen the film, you’ve got to watch the picnic scene with Ingrid and Gregory. “Which do you perfer…Ham or Liverwurst?” Howard Hawks was next. The Big Sleep. Wish my car was working so I could install a secret gun compartment. You know, in case me and some dames get into some trouble, see?

It rained in Austin tonight, so I was able to test the strength of my Porta Brace. Camera was dry as a bone. But, since my big toe bone is still f@#k3d from the Live Oak guy dropping a mini keg on it, it took 15 mintues to walk back to the Alamo where I just caught the tail of of Tab Hunter talking about how great it was to work with John Waters on Polyester. I’d never seen Polyester and god damn it is funny.

Then after the laughter stopped, it began again. Some of the good Ladies down at Sinsations put on a bondage show. In the end, they lit cookie sheets on fire and spanked Eli Roth’s ass numb before the sneak of Hostel II. I can’t review it without quoting my own review of Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth published some years ago in the Screaming Eagle. If you don’t have nothing nice to say, don’t say it at all. So I’ll say that in his Q&A Mr. Roth came off as a nice guy who just wants to make fun movies for the audience. They may not be the best movies ever, but he…much like the audience, and girls…just wants to have fun. Any guy that’ll show a preview of New York Minute and have his ass whipped and spanked in front of the audience is okay with me.

Greetings dear readers. I haven’t made an original post in a spell. Haven’t had access to the inTARweb. But that don’t mean there’s been grass growing under my feet. No-no. There’s been a cadre of odd things happening since I escaped The Basement Of The Alamo. The Obama campaign came to town, then SXSW. The last week of March had Joe Dante, the Grindhouse premiere with QT & RR, and Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost presenting Hot Fuzz. Whew. I love living in Austin. Were else you gonna see all these wonderful filmmakers?

Spring is here and it has unleashed the New York City film beast within me. Ms. 45, Fear City, Street Smart, Art School Confidential, Cruising, and Angel Heart have randomly ended up in the video machine. My system was primed for this thanks to the Radical NY exhibit at MoMA that closed a few months ago. Street Smart, as Shivers promised, was awesome. And Ms. 45 proved that there actually were rapists on every street corner in the Garment District.

Retrospectives. It’s time to take a look at your old friend Michael Haneke again. But this time think of him as a smooth jazz aficionado. Thanks to Chale and the AFS for bringing the new 35mm prints of Haneke’s work to town. I cannot think of a more appropriate director to focus on for the last AFS run at the Alamo Downtown. The Seventh Continent made me fall in love with that song “I’m Your Lady,” all over again. I think I like it more than Sheena Easton’s “For Your Eyes Only.”

This all coming on the heels of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s El Topo & Holy Mountain. Sorry about the imdb link. I must now give myself to the mountain!

Back to New York City…be sure to check out The Budos Band and Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings. I’ve separated their performances in hopes of you being able to download them faster.

I almost forgot…I made the cut. And you get to see me from behind. When you’re watching Grindhouse, be sure to look over Eli Roth’s shoulder when he’s ordering shots at the bar. Don’t blink, because if you do, you’ll miss me walking gingerly though the frame. It’s from behind, but I’ll take what I can get. And for you readers not familiar with the Alamo downtown, right after the opening credits for Death Proof, there is a shot of the exterior. That’s were I’m at every day, even when I don’t have to work.

Thanks badman.

I’m still having problems uploading new movies, so in the meantime, here’s an old post from late February that has been hiding in the “drafts” folder on WordPress.

If you’re at the video store wondering what to watch, I saw a whole mess of wonderful films last week. Anchor Bay (Say Yes to MI!) … I love you. I saw Revenge Of The Cheerleaders at a way late-nite screening thanks to QT, but I have to say the original Cheerleaders is one of my new favorites. Watched that on a triple feature with Little Darlings and Hardcore. If you haven’t revisited the work of Paul Schrader (Say Yes to Michigan!) you should really do yourself a favor and watch both Blue Collar and Hardcore. Blue Collar has a wonderful cast and an On Time Richard Pryor. Hardcore finds George C. Scott trying not to chew the scenery and his restraint is wonderful. Plus you get to see him dressed up as a Porn Director.

If you’ve got some energy left over, check out the recently re-released Vigilante with Robert Forester and Fred “Who made up all that bullshit about black people not being able to swim?” Williamson.

Oh yes! Anchor Bay I love you! Visiting Hours with Shatner. Visiting Hours is the most suspenseful film I have seen in a long time. It’s over-lit and it’s still scary. Remember Michael Ironside from Total Recall? This guy was nuts even back in the day. Don’t ask, just rent and love. Mostly love. Visiting Hours gets my highest marks, thanks Shivers.

If you listen closely, you can hear a sample from Visiting Hours in The Basement Of The Alamo trailer. The doctor who “delivered” me was named Michael, so it seemed appropriate to add the sample of “telephone call for Dr. Michael” to the end of the trailer. It really gave the Josh K. CatSand scene an air of realism.