Fantastic Fest has come to a close. Despite my heavy work load this week, I was able to catch some high quality sci-fi, horror, biker, and crime films. First up was Ek Hasina Thi, part of the Ram Gopal Varma retrospective. Varma is being called India’s Scorcese and the comparison is well earned. You can watch clips from his newest film here!

Next up was a film very close to my heart, Northville Cemetary Massacre. NCM was shot in Detroit City the year I was born. Seeing exteriors of D-Town and the Livonia country side made me a bit homesick. And so did the hardcore violence. The good fellows in the Detroit Scorpions motorcycle club were crazy enough to attach Black Cat firecracker-triggered squibs to their heads for the didactic climax between Biker and Lawman. This directors cut of the film, under the title of Wheels of Death has only been screened 3 times since 1974. Director William Dear was on hand to introduce the film and to tell varioius stories of the films production.

Finally, I didn’t get to see the interview with DARREN ARONOFSKY tonight, but I would have asked him a lot of questions about his new film The Fountain, which I screened last night. Since the film has not yet opened, I don’t want to plot spoil. I’ll just say that I liked the film very much and still believe Aronofsky to be one America’s most skilled filmmakers.

Oh yeah, I went to go get Pork out of the back freezer on Saturday afternoon, the freezer behind the screen. When I opened the door a bunch of people looked my way. I had disrupted Mel Gibsons Q&A after the super-advanced screening of APOCALYPTO. Later that night QT screened the uncut Kill Bill downtown. It is really hard to watch a 4 hour movie that starts at 1am, but I managed. QT yelled out, “This is one of the best things I’ve ever done,” before the big GoGo fight scene. He also yelled out, “See Sally, it works” during the all-black hammering-nail-in-the-coffin scene. I guess Sally Menke didn’t think it would work.

Other than that, Austin is cooling off, so Sunny Love is happy. This weekend promises some lame-ass music movies. There is a very special employee screening of one of the 80’s hardest to find stereo mixed 35mm prints, Eddie and the Cruisers, and Sunday is The Doors in 70mm at the Paramount.

Is Trade Center still playing? I smell a Stone Cold Double Feature.

It used to be about the music. Apparently, it no longer is.

So my co-worker Dante told me about a song called “How Can I Miss You When You Won’t Go Away?” For the last 24 hours I have been chuckling over the thought of the title. I had no idea it is a real song by Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks. I am listening to it now for the first time and love it.

A few years back an old lady friend of mine went to the movies on her own. She didn’t take me cause she didn’t want me to see the soda fly out of her nose. That movie was called Jackass. I didn’t see it until it came out on DVD. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake with Jackass Number Two. I took the earliest opportunity to see it and it is hilarious. QT got a print to the Alamo downtown for a Grindhouse crew screening. The scenario’s fly by faster than they do on the show. My personal favorites include the Switch-A-Roo and Human Fishing.
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My oldest/newest video up. Click here. If it don’t work, get the new quicktime!

I am a lazy sack of poo. For four days now I’ve done nothing but sit on my ever growing ass and watch movies. Sunny needed some QT and I needed a rest.

Just finished watching Cache. Watch it so we can talk about it. Please. This is a movie not unlike The Candy Snatchers and would probably not play well while drinking Bloody Mary’s at the Reservoir on a Sunday afternoon. But nevertheless, in the opinion of this humble, Oasis of Freedom, cinema loving man, it is outstanding.

Next up, the Limited Edition, double disc, directors cut of one of cinemas greatest all time adventures. Howard the Duck. Bought my copy tonight at the midnight $ale at Walmart for 40 dollars. Only Two copies in each store nation wide. Now that’s a Limited Edition! But how limited is it? If you can tell me how many copies were pressed worldwide I’ll be able to justify the hefty purchase. Looks like I’ll be eating noodles until payday again. Wow, I feel the overwhelming satisfaction of being an American hero for my sacrifices. I am so happy that I live in a Desert of Democracy.

The Paramount Theaters has closed its summer movie calendar with the Indiana Jones Trilogy. This was convenient since I really wanted to see a movie where an Indian Cult leader pulls a beating heart out of sacrificial chest. Considering my needs, I caught the only game in town. Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom. Later, at the store, I saw that Star Wars was coming out on DVD Tuesday. Plain ol’ regular Star Wars. Are the good people at the Paramount Theater in cahoots with LucasFilm? Hmm…

Speaking of $$$, last week I finished my Freshman year at the Austin Hollywood High School. Four days of sitting on my ass for up to 15 hours at $6.25 an hour and being treated like SHIT. Last Friday we endured 6 hours of sitting in 100 degree heat to be “closer to the set in case they needed us.” Heat Stroke aside, this was all for a good cause. I’m going down in history. My shoulder is going to be in a major Hollywood release!

Well, maybe. Did I just get violated?

Come see me shock the monkey in 70mm Saturday night at the Paramount.

It is now day four on the film. Yesterday I turned over a new leaf by actually gracing the set. Let me tell you, not only are the 14 hour days running together, the Schmidt-Jones Family Life Center is a bangin’ place to be. I learned all sorts of new stuff there from the other artists.

We all know the Cleveland Steamer, the Dirty Sanchez, the Donkey Punch, and so on. But how about the Boston Meat-Hook or the Strawberry Shortcake? Then there’s my personal favorite, the Gorilla Mask. Google them so I don’t have to put NSFW on the top of this post.

So I made it on set today and was privy to over 4 hours of observation. Watching the Director work was quite awesome. And despite my previous Shushing and “don’t ash on the floor” comments, I’m starting to be reminded of why the director is such a badass in the first place. This Director knows how to talk to the actors, joke with the crew…including yours truly…and keep a set lively for 14 hours. I had a brief conversation with one of the “Talents” about my Crocs. And then at 4:20am I got to tell one of the producers why everyone was laughing when she called out the time.

All of us BG Artists are quickly becoming some bastardized version of a family, having now shared so much concentrated time together. Have made some good friends. At about six this morning I took to cutting and snorting lines of sugar as my background action. Not snorting, ACTING! To my surprise other BGA’s came over to my table for a key bump of the Peruvian Flake.

My “costume” hasn’t been washed all week. I’ve been spraying it with Febreeze every other day. But I’m starting to smell like (in the words of Patton Oswalt) dirt that’s been fucked by a bum.