This week's Alamo Trailers

Did you miss your chance to get to your neighborhood Alamo this weekend? Then you didn't have the chance to see this week's reel of trailers for upcoming Alamo events. Well, turn the lights down in your office, crack open a beer, and click on this YouTube movie. It'll be just like being in the theater. But smaller. And in crappy resolution.

Big Roadshow News: Nilbog Invasion: June 27-29

Cinematical's resident horror hound Scott Weinberg broke the news today about the most important film happening of the summer months. It's not Speed Racer and it sure as hell is more pressing than the Love Guru. The news: the ENTIRE cast and crew and everyone associated with the best worst movie of all time, Troll 2, will be returning to Nilbog (Morgan, UT) this summer to revel in all things green and goblin-y.

Here's what Scott Weinberg has to say:

"OK, this has gone waaaay out of control, but in a hilariously awesomely geeky way. It started with a sold-out midnight screening of the undeniably (hysterically) awful Troll 2 -- which led to an as-yet-unfinished documentary feature called Best Worst Movie -- which led to ... man oh man is this crazy. Turns out that Morgan, Utah is where "Nilbog" was created for Troll 2 ... so it only stands to reason that the Best Worst Movie crew and the Alamo Drafthouse Rolling Roadshow lunatics would join forces and bring Nilbog back to life.

here's a quick recap of the impending festivities: Screenings of Troll (1986), Troll 2 (1990), The Crawlers (1990, aka Troll 3), Quest for the Mighty Sword (1990, aka The Hobgoblin, aka Troll 3), Beyond Darkness (1990, aka House 5) -- some of which have NEVER been seen before! Oh, and there will be panel discussions and meals with the cast and crew members, fan flick contests, dances, parties, eating competitions, and approximately 214 additional insane activities. All in the name of wonderfully inept filmmaking that's so much fun to watch it almost feels dirty.

The date: June 27 - 29. The place: Nilbog (aka Morgan, Utah). The expense: Event packages start at a mere $40. For a whole LOT more information, check out the full press release below. And remember: You don't wee-wee on hospitality like this!"

Click here to read the entire post. Tickets go on sale on April 6, and believe it or not, we expect a feeding frenzy. Complete details on the event and tickets can be found at www.bestworstmovie.com

Videostore clerk trivia throw-down results here!

Last night at the Ritz 180 maniacal trivia buffs watched a showdown between Austin's top two video-stores: I Luv Video and Vulcan Video.

Zack and I wrote the questions and hosted. Categories ranged from APES APES APES to WAYANS BROTHERS and to all points in between, though the MUSICALS ABOUT NEWSBOYS category was probably a bad idea.

The score was tight throughout and it came down to a 50 to 49 point win for I Luv Video. Everyone had a blast and a few beers were consumed (we actually ran out of Lone Star). It was the most fun I've ever had with a burgundy polyester suit on.

Feel free to go congratulate the I Luv crew or razz the Vulcan guys but both teams have asked that they not be exposed to any bright light or loud noises for at least the next two days.

Letterman's Top 10 Reasons to watch Battlestar Galactica

Special thanks to Freddie Avalos for pointing us to this Youtube link from the Late Show with David Letterman. Each reason is delivered by a different member of the Battlestar Galactica cast. Damn I love that show. I was on a hiatus from Television for almost 8 years until THE WIRE and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA brought me back. For a moment I was fearful about the movie industry with the competition of fabulous TV programming. Then we realized we have the biggest TVs in town.

Beginning on Monday, March 24th at the Alamo Village, we're going to show 2 episodes a night to get you primed and powered-up for the most hotly anticipated Season 4 in TV history! Then, on April 4th, we will show the last season finale (episodes 19 & 20) and this season's premiere! If you're a true fan of the show, you already know that this is going to be a lazer-fueled viewing adventure beyond mortal comprehension! Get more info here.

Master Pancake punches E.T. in the face!

This weekend the Master Pancake boys tackle one of the most beloved movies of all time: E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL. Some people have asked us how heartless we'd have to be to make fun of this amazing children's classic. To them I say: how heartless is director STEVEN SPIELBERG for making us cry, not once, but at least THREE times when we first watched this movie -- in front of our parents no less. If somebody made my child cry, I'd punch them in the face. So that's what we're doing -- on a metaphysical level -- for anybody who's ever just lost it in front of God and the world while watching E.T. We're figuratively punching this movie in the face with jokes to defend your honor!

We're very excited about the crew for this run. In addition to regulars John Erler and Joe Parsons, we've got special guest comedians Mac Blake and David Jara whose work you're familiar with from previous Master Pancake shows ("Conan the Barbarian" and "Roadhouse") as well as several Alamo-sponsored Filmmaking Frenzies. Most recently they took second place at the "Rewind Kindly" filmmaking frenzy with their amazing 5-minute version of "Die Hard". Check out the video here (and look for cameos by John and Joe):

We've taken a very homemade approach to costumes for our E.T. skit in the middle of the movie. Master Pancake costume designer Joe Parsons has crafted an amazing yet simple E.T. mask out of common household objects. Check out this video of John (and Henri) explaining on KXAN News how to make your own:



Tickets are still available for this weekend's shows, and you can grab yours right here.
(John)

Gypsies, Buscemis and Corts, oh my.

As Lars posted a couple days back, it's been a crazy, CRAZY time around the Alamo Drafthouse.

As soon as the SXSW cyclone ended, we immediately jumped headfirst into a bunch of fancy shows. I wish I coulda been at the PIED PIPER OF HUTZOVINA show to witness Gogol Bordello frontman's Eugene Hutz' charming banter and antics, but I was at the MILLER'S CROSSING feast over at South Lamar instead. Superhuman local film enthusiast/professor John Pierson was the man responsible for getting Steve Buscemi to come out to surprise the audience as the film's final credits rolled. There really was a thunderous outburst from the crowd, which kinda seemed to overwhelm Buscemi: "Come on, I was only in one scene...don't get excited." Anyway, he was incredibly gracious and seemed like a great fella even though they'd suffered the humiliation of receiving a ticket from a bike cop on the way to the theater.

Tuesday was officially Bud Cort Night at The Ritz, as the star of HAROLD AND MAUDE graced us with not only his presence, but vaudevillian stage bits, several clothing changes and even sing-a-longs with the entire audience! He was here to present his romance classic as well as Robert Altman's BREWSTER McCLOUD and his own directorial debut, TED & VENUS. People were overjoyed to meet the iconic Cort, and he was presented with flowers and gifts from fans like he was the winner of a Mr. Universe pageant!

But there'll be no rest anytime soon, as the Alamo soldiers on! Coming up on Saturday, we have a special daytime benefit for the Austin Girls Rock Camp being MC'ed by country/punk legend Rosie Flores with live performances by local girl-rock luminaries like CODE RAINBOW! and JENNY WOLFE & THE PACK, followed by a screening of the excellent documentary GIRLS ROCK! Proceeds will go to Girls Rock Camp Austin, so have fun, support the camp and get your tickets HERE!

Then on Sunday, we're going to experience the ultimate movie nerd blowout between the forces of I LUV VIDEO and VULCAN VIDEO at the first-ever (and totally free) ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE TRIVIA CHALLENGE, presented by Weird Wednesday and Terror Thursday! Specially selected teams of six soldiers from both warring stores will convene for a Family Feud style face-off where the winners take the golden crown of Film Obsession Superiority! So come for free, get drunk, root for your favorite store or buy beer for your enemies so they slur their answers! Lars and I will be hosting this twenty-fisted knock-down drag-out battlezone with no survivors, and I truly cannot wait.

R.I.P. Arthur C. Clarke...but 2001 is FOREVER!!!

Before his recent passing on March 19 at the age of 90, we were already scheduled to celebrate science fiction legend Arthur C. Clarke with screenings of his and Stanley Kubrick's magnum space opera 2001, as part of our Big Screen Sci-Fi Classics series in April at the Alamo Ritz.

Clarke was an eerily accurate seer of the future and a relentlessly creative scientific mind who started off in a very real-world career of aeronautics and propulsion technology that later catapulted him into endless worlds of new concepts and brilliant, innovative fiction. Over the years, he became a contemporary/rival of fellow universal thinker Isaac Asimov, instituted several "Laws of Science and Magic", had a gravity belt named after him and much more. But it's fair to say that most people know him as the powerful mind behind 2001, and we're proud to pay tribute to him at the upcoming April 12 - 14 2001 screenings.

BPM Filmmaking Frenzy Winners Announced!

We had an amazing time at the Red Bull Moontower party this SXSW, and nothing was better than kicking off the whole shebang with the BPM: Beats Per Minute Frenzy awards ceremony. After a special Quote-Along screening of DAZED & CONFUSED, Wiley Wiggins, the star who plays freshman Mitch Taylor in the film, came out from behind the screen and announced his picks for the winners. The final choice was all his, and so he distributed the prizes like this:

In third place, and receiving a beautiful Gibson guitar: Wet Gold by Potato Media.

In second place, and receiving an AMD-powered Dell laptop: I Wanna Have Your Baby by Dial Z For Zombie.

And in first place, receiving an AMD-powered Dell laptop loaded with Gibson music software: Moon Boil by Team Bullet Time.

Congratulations to all the winners, and we hope to see each of you back again for the SON OF RAMBOW Filmmaking Frenzy, currently ongoing!

We're having a GREAT WEEK... thanks to Steve Buscemi, Eugene Hutz, Bud Cort and Slashfilm!

It's been a good week so far. We're all pretty worn out from SXSW and we came to work yesterday knowing we have a giant slate of events to look forward to. Yesterday was a pretty auspicious start.

The great Steve Buscemi stopped by to say hi to the crowd after our MILLER'S CROSSING feast. Steve Buscemi walking into the Alamo is like Shatner and Nimoy walking into a Star Trek convention. The audience went INSANE, yelling BOOOOO-SHIMMY!!! And according to Zack, he hung around to talk to everyone in the lobby afterwards, so - Steve Buscemi - nice guy. Watch this space for more about the surprise Buscemi appearance from Tim and Zack.

I wasn't there because I was down at the Ritz for the Music Monday presentation of the great doc PIED PIPER OF HUTZOVINA. Gogol Bordello leader Eugene Hutz was kind enough to stop by and introduce the film. He was very friendly, a great introducer, and an all-around good guy. He freaked out when he saw the Heavy Metal style Herzog shirt at Mondo Tees and he had to have it right away. On our way back to Stubbs we talked about Spaghetti Westerns a lot. He's a huge fan of Sergio Corbucci and DJANGO in particular! Thanks to Graham Williams of Transmission entertainment for putting us in touch with his folks.

Today, we are super excited about having Bud Cort in for three shows. HAROLD AND MAUDE is all sold out but there are a few seats left for the 7pm BREWSTER MCCLOUD (My favorite) and at midnight we'll be screening Bud's directorial debut, TED AND VENUS. Please join us if you can.

The icing on the cake today has been this slashfilm post that Matt Dentler sent us. Apparently Peter Sciretta likes our theaters. Thanks for all the kind words. We'll keep working hard at it.

Tim's recommendations for the last two days...

The mighty blur of SXSW is drawing to a close. I for one have had a fantastic time again this year in particular, with all of the ancillary tendrils. The vast depth and diversity of content has impressed me this year more so than in any previous year. I've read some fairly negative editorials online though, regarding commercialism/greed/crowds/whatever-else-people-want-to-bitch-about, and I have to say, that really pisses me off. SXSW is unparalleled in my experience, and we're pretty damn lucky that we live in the host city and can soak it all in.

Anyhow, that said, there's only 2 days left of movies, which is the real reason I am writing.

Here's what I would recommend based on what I have personally seen/heard:

Friday, March 14:
6:00 PM Humboldt County, Alamo Ritz
9:00 PM The Upsetter: The Life & Music of Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Alamo Ritz
11:00 PM Midnight Shorts, Alamo Ritz

Saturday, March 15:
4:00 PM Cook County, Alamo Lamar
4:30 PM The Night James Brown Saved Boston, Alamo Ritz
8:00 PM Heavy Metal in Baghdad, Alamo Ritz


Crowds have tapered off, so you should be able to get into these screenings without a badge. If you are going to the Ritz, I recommend parking north of the district and walking down into the fray. It's not so bad as long as you don't drive right down into the heart of it.

Upright Citizens Brigade Live Show: More seats added! Get them while you can!

To everyone who was disappointed that the Upright Citizens show at the Alamo Drafthouse South was sold out: we have bumped it up to a larger auditorium and we have more tickets on sale here.

It will be a busy as hell weekend but don't don't DON'T miss this one.

Three of the founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh, will be joining us live in person to share clips from some seriously fucked up videos in their personal collections, plus shows and extra UCB footage that have never been seen before. Every episode begins with the audience saying the pledge of allegiance to video footage of GG Allin taking a dump, and then it gets going from there.

We welcomed the UCB TourCo to the Ritz theatre in the fall, and after seeing what those non-famous people were capable of, we're super excited to see the actual famous members of UCB here in the theater as well. Since their Comedy Central sketch comedy show has been off the air, the UCB members have appeared in several of your favorite movies, all while still maintaining the improv theaters in New York and L.A. Will their fucked up videos be enough to satisfy our already deranged tastes? We can't be sure about that, but we're looking forward to finding out.

Zack VS. SXSW pt. 2

All right. I'm back in the sleep-destruction seat and have been properly immersing myself in the SXSW movie stewpot. I've seen films that are great and I've seen other ones, too. Here are the recent highlights:

OF ALL THE THINGS - This was an initially "small"-feeling documentary on defused '70s songwriting wizard Dennis Lambert and his sudden and unexpected tour of the Philippines. While his career had languished stateside following the unheralded release of his only solo album, Lambert's AM radio cheese romance anthem "Of All The Things" had quietly become the national jam for South Seas lovemakers. The documentary starts off with a Filipino promoter finally convincing a skeptical Lambert to play a handful of shows in the adoring country, and the forgotten songwriter's experience overseas is nothing short of life-altering, both for him and those he loves. I know this sounds like I'm trying to get a job at Hallmark, but it's no joke...this is an emotionally stirring doc made by Lambert's son, which makes its poignant summation all the more powerful. And I don't use the word "poignant" EVER, so know that I mean this. And if the human heart isn't your thing, there's plenty of entertainment value in watching a 60-year-old man say the F-word while trying to get his drum machine started in front of an arena full of middle-aged fans. You don't have to be a fan of 8-track yacht rock to love the film, either; like KING OF KONG, this is a story that plays waaay outside of its niche audience and relates to the viewer at a much greater level. Recommended to the max.
Plays again Thursday, March 13, 7:30 PM at Alamo South Lamar

HEAVY LOAD - This is a documentary on "The UK's only punk band"; a group called Heavy Load which happens to boast three developmentally disabled members. The boys have been together for a decade at the start of the film, and have apparently maintained the same level of talent for the entire duration. But what makes Heavy Load important is that their only commitment is to have as much fun as possible at their shows. If the audience doesn't enjoy their ear-splitting buzzsaw jams, to hell with them. Though the members are middle-aged and disabled, this deeply punk ethic places them miles ahead of any mohawked youths I've encountered in...forever. The film is also the story of the band's co-founder, a special services social worker named Paul who acts as the lead coordinator and backbone of the group, booking their shows, writing their songs and generally keeping the peace when things get difficult. The entire picture really works as a whole and the audience was completely won over, especially when it turned out that Paul was personally on hand for the screening. He came up and assured us that Heavy Load would be flying out to the US to play shows in support of the film if at all possible, so please do go check it out at 11 AM on Saturday at the Convention Center and help bring the hardest rockin' band in Europe to Austin. If we don't, then we've clearly proven our whole "Best Music City in the World" title to be utter bullshit. Without a gig from Heavy Load under our belt, we are NOTHING.

ONE MINUTE TO NINE - This is the best film I've seen this year so far. Again, a documentary, but this tackles the difficult subject of domestic abuse (and consequent murder) in a shockingly respectful and genuine light. Loosely constructed, casual yet still extremely potent, there is no affected drama in the story of a family in the days that follow a terrible event and precede years of imprisonment. There's much that I'd hate to give away, but I recommend the film above all else and really want to congratulate young ex-Austinite filmmaker Tommy Davis for kicking me in the gut with his strong and unpretentious work here. Really, really impressive all around.
Plays again at 9:30 on March 12 and 4:30 on March 15.


DANCE OF THE DEAD - The crowd went wild for this unusually tender teen zombie comedy. I don't know about you, but I've been fairly zombie-saturated over the last few years. If we saw one third as many movies about magic serpents or evil genies as we did about zombies, that'd be a whole lot of serpents and genies. That being said, DANCE OF THE DEAD is a loving homage to the better undead films of the last couple decades (most obviously RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD and NIGHT OF THE CREEPS) and features a refreshingly miniscule amount of easy-teen-appeal panderings like farts, boobs and marijuanas. The leads are actually likeable (rare where teen actors are concerned) and my personal tip-of-the-hat is to the effects team who primarily opted for actual latex-and-goop over CGI crummery...especially in the shit-startin' graveyard scene where hyperactive cadavers are bursting out of their not-so-eternal resting places and hitting the ground at a full run.
Plays again at 11:00 on Friday at the Alamo Ritz.

...That's it for now. I'm about to go watch something about something and we'll all be back with further reports shortly. I'm personally hoping that the documentary on flamboyant grump/film critic Rex Reed is the movie of the year.

Free screening: THE WACKNESS, Thursday 6 PM

We had a secret screening of THE WACKNESS last Saturday at midnight. This was one of the hottest films of Sundance and was picked up by Sony Classics for distribution this summer. It's a combination coming-of-age drama and pot comedy featuring standout performances by Ben Kingsley and Josh Peck all set to a 1994 hip hop soundtrack. Response was so good to the first secret screening, that they want to roll it again, for free! Avoid the crowds of the music fest, and come down to the Alamo South Lamar on Thursday at 6 PM for what I can stand behind as a really great movie! Admission is first come, first serve and feel free to share this invitation to your friends. This screening is sponsored by Fantastic Fest, SXSW and Ain't It Cool News.

If you want to be the first to hear about free screenings and special offers, join the Alamo Drafthouse Fanatics Facebook Group!

Further SXSW updates from Mr. League

I still have seen very few films at SXSW, instead I've been focusing my energies on some of the fringe areas of parties, meetings and more parties. I've become intimately familiar with the catering services over at Pangaea, which has been commandeered by Facebook for the week as their mission control. In the past 3 days, I've been to 3 events there, the Facebook Film Garage, the Facebook Developers Garage and the Motion party. As some of you may have noticed, I've gone backflippy over Facebook in the past couple of months and through the development conferences, we've picked up some new tricks that we should be unleashing soon. Speaking of Facebook, if you are not already, you should join our various Facebook groups. In particular, we have been offering a lot of special deals to the Fantastic Fest community and the Alamo Drafthouse Fanatics group. We have another Free screening offer to the Fanatics that just went live today!

I also managed to swing by the BSide/Film Threat party at their offices. In addition to shredding Rock-Band-style with Film Threat editor Mark Bell, I caught wind of a cool tool you can utilize during SXSW. BSide runs the back-end of the Fantastic Fest website and we've been very happy with their services thusfar. For SXSW they have launched the new version of their interface with an updated look and feel and some new toys. The great thing about BSide is their user reviews and ratings and their calendar interface. You can browse the entire SXSW catalogue on the BSide site and write and read peer reviews for all of the films. There's a section on BSide where you can check out the Buzz films. Sign up for a free BSide account and take it for a spin. You'll be seeing this same engine resurface when we begin posting our Fantastic Fest 2008 line-up.

Another tip for buzz is to check in with Team Cinematical. They are doing a lot of posting/reviews from the fest. I ran into Scott Weinberg at the Sarah Marshall preparty and he couldn't stop raving about The Promotion. He also really enjoyed Dance of the Dead, a teen zombie comedy with really strong stuntwork and a zippy pace. It also got a strong review over at Firstshowing.net Dance of the Dead plays again at the Alamo Ritz tonight and Friday at midnight.

More updates to come!

SXSW: YEAST and Yacht Rock

Another good day. And two directorial debuts. That's what a festival should be. Good and new.

I was brought way up by Jodi Lambert's documentary OF ALL THE THINGS about his legendary yacht-rocking hit-making father's Great American Songwriter tour of The Philippines. And then I was brought back down to reality by actor-turned-director Mary Bronstein's passively brutal YEAST. Both films are well worth your time, but whatever, it's your time...

I can not imagine a worse thing than standing up after a film I directed or acted in or was the jib op or whatever and field questions. The Q & A is a nightmare... The budget? Slightly less than $37. What'd you shoot it on? A Motorola Razr. Where'd you get the idea? A poem I read about Paul Riser. Your average special guest forces out a word or two they've chiseled down from the last time someone asked that question, maybe attempts a joke, we hmmm or laugh and I miss the bus home. But I am happy I kept it cool through Mary Bronstein's (and everyone else that had anything at all to do with YEAST apparently) Q & A. She was genuinely excited to share her thoughts and her purposes, and her answers left me liking the film even more. An addendum to the experience you only ever get at a festival. Why I liked it more was because she was able to successfully justify why there doesn't seem to be a shot in the whole film pulled further back than extreme close up (an exaggeration, but not much of one). No performances happened off camera, not even in rehearsal. They had two cameras for shot/reverse shot, they got the face they wanted and moved on. A truth brought home by the freeze-frame final shot of...Mary Bronstein's face. The concept does leave the film feeling slightly claustrophobic and disorienting, but it's small price to pay for a this-is-happening effect. For better or worse, not much in the film felt planned out. And I have to admit, I felt shame playing voyeur to that action. No plot really. Just three once-best friends coming to terms with the fact they can no longer stand one another.

OF ALL THE THINGS, on the opposite end of the spectrum, was a charming love letter from a son to his father. Dennis Lambert made it big as a songwriter in the 60's and 70's but never as a singer. He put out one album- it died in the US but hit gold in the Philippines. Thirty years later, he's a real estate agent in Boca Raton suddenly invited to go on tour in the Philippines. His son, Jodi, documents the trip. Best line: When Blender magazine called his song WE BUILT THIS CITY ON ROCK AND ROLL the worst song in history, Dennis responds with- it's just good to back on the top of the charts. The film has a amateur quality, but it only reinforces the theme of making something good out of what you got. A happy accident, but happy nonetheless.

I want a permanent film festival in Austin, something to bring these films out all year round.

Lars' Big SXSW Post

I have 7 minutes to write this post. Get out of my way.

I have seen more films so far than any of my colleagues here, most of whom take the sensible approach of seeing films in the second half of the festival, when it's easier to get in to the theaters, lines are shorter, the legroom situation is improved. I get it. It makes sense.

I've seen a few films I haven't liked but why go into that? The ones I've liked the most and think you should see are:

GONZO: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF HUNTER S. THOMPSON (Plays again Thursday): which presents the great (and then not so great) journalist in the contaxt of his times. It doesn't mythologize or engage in easy worship. He was a complex man and a total pain in the ass. And his decline was grim and final. I have to admit, I was sick to death of Thompson and I almost didn't watch this but I'm glad I did because it is huge, it is epic and it is excellent.

WESLEY WILLIS' JOYRIDES (Plays again Wednesday and Saturday): Another big, very smart doc. There's a lot that you don't know about Wesley Willis. His music career, for instance, was kind of a jokey, grafted on appendage to his real love - drawing. He drew a lot - huge cityscapes, perspective drawings of Chicago and it's skyscrapers, with a heavy concentration on buses and trains. He was a complex man who eventually died because the people who were closest to him didn't want to give the impression of exploitating him, which left the door open for vampires. Really good doc. And one of the few "musicians with mental health issues" movies this year. Come on South By step it up!

'BAMA GIRL (Plays again Tuesday and Thursday): Not in a league with the aforementioned but pretty interesting all the same. The story of an African American student who seeks to become an Alabama homecoming queen and the highly organized resistance to it. I have to commend the filmmakers for not making the film a Michael Moore good guys vs. bad guys movie, which would have been really easy. Instead, the issues are complex and deeply rooted and the heroine is generous and thoughtful rather than combative. Unfortunately this fair-handed approach leeches a lot of the potential dramatic tension from the film, which may hurt it's prospects. Still, it's interesting as hell and I only wish I could somehow say yes and vote for Jess.

Zack VS. SXSW pt. 1

So far, I'm losing the battle.

Tim League and I spent the first couple days of SXSW at another festival altogether: The Texas Fear Fest in Dallas. Not quite sated with the sweat-inducing horror barrage I endured there, I made it home to my first SXSW experience at the midnight screening of SHUTTLE, a relentless claustrophobic thriller that largely takes place on a madman-helmed airport transport vehicle. This was the directorial debut from Edward Anderson, who manages to pull off some genuine shocks and get a very strong performance from big-time Hollywood Irish character actor Tony Curran. By the time I got home, I was overdestroyed from the weekend and ended up sleeping through several films I should've been at.

But rather than wallow in misery over all the movies I wish I had seen, I'm just gonna get watching as soon as stuff gets caught up here at HQ. At that point, expect massive waves of emotional ranting from all of us.

Still, I can't believe I missed Neil Patrick Harris unbuckling his belt at the HAROLD AND KUMAR screening...Goddamn.

SXSW: A Bat, Hat, Bag and Head

At the Animated Shorts Program this afternoon, Bill Plympton's SHUT EYE HOTEL made me sad. I don't think it was the film's fault. But I had such high expectations and...it was handsome, I'll give it that, but only in the face. It just let the body go.

That disappointment reminded why I should do everything in my power to avoid expecting anything at all. When it comes to the art of film, I think I prefer ignorance.

In the same program, I was completely ignorant about a young filmmaker named Becky James and her film I HATE YOU DON'T TOUCH ME- OR, BAT AND HAT. Despite crude drawing and garage-studio sound, James' film had more sincerity and complexity than even the Oscar nodded MADAME TULTI PULTI which was also in competition. I won't get into the details of it because the program plays again on Wednesday and Thursday and I think everyone should go see it, but just know that BAT AND HAT is about a bat (see picture) that has a little green hat, but then the bat loses the hat and then makes a new hat. The film also made me realize I'm living my life all wrong and that self-destruction is not equal to self-sacrifice. Seriously, see it. But none of the films were mistakes on behalf of the programmers, and the variety of animation styles was remarkable. Jesse Rosensweet's PARADISE was particularly inventive, creating a sterile and repressed 1950's America out of mechanically operated tin-toy characters and sets.

A shorts program, for me, is more bang for the buck. You watch a short, you know the filmmaker had no budget, little help and boundless love for the project. You get more variety, more creativity and a better shot at walking away with something new. A feature film usually has too much money, too many hands on the story and some slick cigar-smoking asshole in the shadows making sure no one could possibly find anything objectionable (or entertaining) in the investment...

Which thankfully didn't seem to be the case with BAGHEAD. This new lo fi film from the Duplass Bros (THE PUFFY CHAIR) had no money, a clear vision and (seemingly) no asshole. It blended white-knuckled suspense and horror with one of the most truly endearing and tragic romantic comedies I've seen since SWEET AND LOWDOWN. The camera shakes and goes in and out of focus in a borderline mockumentary style, but it only adds to the charm. It's not a slick film, just a good one. Highly recommended.

Tim League's first day of SXSW

I personally had to miss the first day of SXSW due to a commitment to be at Texas Fearfest in Dallas. I made it back in to town about an hour before the OF ALL THE THINGS after party at the Austin Beast House. I watched OF ALL THE THINGS about two months ago and was immediately charmed by the film. It's the story of Dennis Lambert, 1970's Yacht Rock era hit-machine songwriter. His one album tanked in the states but went platinum in the Philippines. 25 years after leaving the business, Dennis is convinced by a Filipino promoter to do his first ever tour... of the Philippines. Dennis performed a 6 song set at the party, a sampling of various periods of his career and it was really magical. Each song was preceeded by a story about how the song came to be and the entire crowd of 150 stood enraptured by each tune, sung by Dennis with simple piano accompaniment. It's a very sweet film, I definitely recommend it. It plays two more times: 5:00 PM, Monday March 10th - Alamo Lamar 2, 7:30 PM, Thursday March 13th - Alamo Lamar 2.

Next up, my first actual movie of the fest, Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay. So, maybe this isn't a high-brow "festival" type movie, but I was really charmed by the first film. I remember it seriously taking me off guard the first time I saw it. I thought "this movie shouldn't be this snappy and so full of weirdly off-kilter humor." And Neil Patrick Harris... good god, this movie completely reinvigorated his career and made me consider him in a whole new light. So the good news is that the sequel is every bit as solid as the first. It has very much the same rhythm and feel as the first installment. The writing team of Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg is back for this one not only with a screenwriting credit, but with their co-directing debut as well. Neil Patrick Harris is back with a furious vengeance, even more loopy and hedonistic than in the first. Rob Corddry is about as funny and dementedly patriotic as I've ever seen him. The sold-out crowd at the Paramount was SO into the movie that I felt like I missed every other joke in the aftermath of laughter from the joke before. With the Judd Apatow universe and now the Harold and Kumar franchise, I am really excited about what is shaping up to be a new golden age of comedy; smart, snappy, and irreverent comedy. Harold and Kumar doesn't have any more festival screenings, but we're opening it up at the Alamo Drafthouse on April 25.

Next up was the secret screening presented by Fantastic Fest, AICN and SXSW which ended up being THE WACKNESS, one of the hot buzz films out of Sundance 2008. By the sales pitch from the studio, I was expecting a wacky pot comedy, but this was way more of a disfunctional family drama mixed with a Holden-Caulfiled-esque coming of age drama. It was funny and made me smile and laugh quite a bit, but set your expectations more for a drama than something along the lines of Harold and Kumar. That said, I really liked the film, in particular the friendship between Josh Peck, the story's drug-dealing, awkward protagonist, and Ben Kingsley, his client who pays for his weed with somewhat erratic psycho-analysis. Again, a charmer of a film, I definitely recommend.

I'm only 2 films in but personally feel I am batting 1000. I'll check back in Monday with by Sunday wrap-up.

Dale Rice dines at the Alamo

We got a teaser story annoucement as a google alert this morning that Dale Rice was going to be posting food review on statesman.com about the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Ritz, Village and Lamar. We've been waiting with bated breath all morning for the story to be posted, and I'm happy to report that he enjoyed his meal with us.

Of particular note was the burger, we've done some work on our burger build, new bun, new patties and we're quite happy with it. If you haven't had one in a while, give it a whirl. If you want to check out Dale's review of Alamo Drafthouse, the restaurant, the full article is linked here.

Secret (stash) midnight sneak preview!

Before it rolls into theaters this summer, be one of the first to see the huge (bong) hit from this year's Sundance Film Festival. Where were you in '94? Find out what you missed at this secret (stash) midnight screening Saturday night at the Alamo South Lamar. Snacks not provided, but strongly encouraged.

Admission is free, first come first serve! If you are interested in coming, please RSVP to the Alamo Drafthouse Fanatics Facebook page. This screening is sponsored in part by Fantastic Fest, SXSW and Ain't It Cool News.

See you there!

You must watch... the FOOT FIST WAY

Last year Patton Oswalt came to town with an advance screening of Ratatouille. What REALLY got him stoked though, was to introduce a new film by comic genius Danny McBride, THE FOOT FIST WAY. Patton has no involvement whatsoever with the film, he's just a fan and wanted to show off the movie. He's not alone. Will Ferrell and Adam McKay were slipped a copy early last year. Now the film has theatrical distribution and they are serving as shepherds for the film, you'll note the inclusion of their names in the trailer on this post. Watch it, and we'll see you on opening night (May 23) for a beer-soaked, taekwondo-fuelled party, Alamo style.

If the Flint Tropics score 125 points in the big game, everyone gets a free corndog!

Some people say this is like betting against the Globetrotters- and to those people we say 'Go Generals!' Their day in the sun will come!

Every Tuesday 10PM (or later) show of SEMI PRO, cross your fingers, because if the underdog Flint Tropics defy the naysayers with a score of 125 points, you get a free corndog!

Corndog? Free? Free corndog? It's a risky bet, but think of how good a corn-battered hotdog on a stick will taste when Will Ferrell leads the Tropics to sweet victory.

If they don't score 125 points...the movie is still really funny. And they sell corndogs at many fine local eateries.