So the film Grind House is alive and kicking after all. For those of you who haven’t been following this film, Grind House is the brainchild of filmmakers Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, both big fans of the grindhouse genre (think Sixties/Seventies exploitation drive-in flicks). The movie will be made up of two short films, one by each director, that will be bundled back-to-back for release along with some fun fake trailers.
Rodriguez was shooting his portion of the movie in Austin this April when rumors started flying that production had ceased abruptly. (I read a lot of “ground to a halt” cracks.) It didn’t help that Rodriguez and his wife (and producer on many of his films) Elizabeth Avellan announced their separation around the same time. Some people alleged that Rodriguez had fired his entire crew, that Tarantino was going to take over the entire film, or that the film would never be completed. And those are just the non-libelous rumors.
V for Vendetta (2006)
V for Vendetta: 2006, dir. James McTeague. Seen May 13, 2006 (Alamo South Lamar).
V for Vendetta is an entertaining movie while you’re watching it, although afterwards, it hardly seems memorable. It is a lesser, almost forgettable entry in the dystopian-future genre of films, but then it’s up against classics like Brazil. It’s difficult not to think of 1984 or Brazil while watching this movie, and the movie suffers in comparison. Still, it was more enjoyable than I would have predicted, and didn’t drag much even with the long running time.
V for Vendetta, adapted from the graphic novel by Alan Moore, takes place in a grim future in which the government has infringed on citizens’ rights in the name of safety against terrorism, and added some religious oppression to boot. (You can imagine that many people might feel that this day is not far off in real life.) A gang of secret police known as the Fingermen have the power to break into any building and arrest, or assault, whomever they like. So when our heroine, Evey (Natalie Portman), is out after curfew and encounters a group of these guys, she knows she’s doomed … until a mysterious stranger in a Guy Fawkes mask, known only as V (Hugo Weaving) rescues her and involves her in his scheme to blow up the Old Bailey. Next year, he warns, he’ll blow up the Houses of Parliament on Nov. 5, tres Guy Fawkes. Evie is unable to extricate herself from accusations of terrorism and from V, the mysterious masked man.
Upcoming Austin reading/signing
Good news: BookWoman in Austin is hosting a reading/signing event for the book Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans on Saturday, May 27, at 8 pm. Ray Shea and David Rutledge and I will be reading excerpts from our essays included in the book. My essay is about New Orleans-area movie theaters and the experiences I had there when I was growing up.
If you’re living in Austin and you’re reading this, you’re going to be there, right? And if you don’t already own the book, this is a fine chance to buy a copy from an independent bookstore and get it signed by some of the authors right then and there. It’s a lovely little book, beautifully designed and put together, and well worth owning. The writing ranges from poignant to hilarious. Ray’s essay on working as a Mardi Gras float grunt is truly funny and you shouldn’t miss a chance to hear him read parts of it.
Quick update on 20 gaps on DVD
It’s not far from two years since I wrote my Twenty Gaps on DVD series of entries about movies I wanted to see that weren’t available on DVD. After I posted the essays, I followed up with a continually updated list of the movies to track their DVD status. If you look at the top of the right sidebar, you can see a link to that article along with the date it was most recently updated.
I updated the list this morning with the news about Double Indemnity, which finally seems to have resolved its rights issues and will be available on DVD in August. (This movie has been announced for DVD before, though, so I am a little skeptical.) After I updated the list, I noticed something gratifying: there are more movies in the “Now Available” section than there are in the “Still Unavailable” section. In almost two years, nearly three dozen of these older, obscure, or culty movies (more if you count every film in the Harold Lloyd collection) have been released on DVD. Some of the remaining films may never see DVD (like the 1930 Holiday, sadly) and some are simply waiting in a queue for release in the next year or so.
Anyway, it’s high time for a new and updated list of gaps in the DVD market, whenever I can find time to pull one together. I have an informal list to start with, but films on that list keep getting DVD releases (such as The Loved One and Next Stop, Greenwich Village), so I may have to dig to find another 20 films or categories of film. If you have any suggestions, feel free to comment.
Monarch of the Moon (2006)
Monarch of the Moon: 2006, dir. Richard Lowry. Seen on April 20, 2006 (Alamo South Lamar).
Monarch of the Moon was promoted earlier this year as a “lost” science-fiction serial from the 1940s, originally intended as covert WWII propaganda, that had recently been unearthed … but the film was actually shot in 2005. The hoax promotion was similar to that for The Blair Witch Project, but perhaps less successful. The movie is now being touted as a spoof of sci-fi serials from the 1940s. However, it seems to me that Monarch of the Moon doesn’t know what it wants to be. Is it meant to be hilarious, or to invoke a gentle nostalgia for the films of that time? Is it supposed to be a faithful re-creation of the old serials? The film veers between a number of tones and as a result, drags and lags at times. Perhaps it would have worked more effectively as a shorter film.
The film focuses on the adventures of Yellow Jacket (Blane Wheatley), his secretary Sally and later her twin sister Maxine (Monica Himmelheber), and sidekick Benny (Brent Moss) as they fight Japanese invaders led by the mysterious Dragonfly (Kimberly Page). The characters encounter the usual serial-chapter perils: out-of-control airplanes, secret mountain lairs, and even outer-space creatures.
hangin’ out at QT Fest
I spent several nights this week at Best of QT Fest. Quentin Tarantino brings prints of films from his personal film library and shows them to crowds at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown … and this time, for one night at The Glenn, the outdoor venue adjacent to The Backyard. He introduces the films himself. Usually each night has a theme: Tuesday was biker-film night, tonight is horror-film night (all night long), and so forth.
I’m planning to write a feature on QT Fest for Cinematical next week, but in the meantime I thought I’d share some of the photos I’ve taken during the festival. I took some photos on Thursday night of Tarantino, and of Tim League (Alamo owner) apologizing for his negative comments about one of the Wednesday films, but even my spiffy new little camera doesn’t take good pictures in the low light of Alamo Drafthouse. The photos were too blurry and grainy. I’m going to try messing around with the camera settings to see if I can get anything better (although part of the problem is that Tarantino just doesn’t stand still).
In the meantime, if you want to read more about the festival, I’d recommend the following sites: Cinema Strikes Back, Dumb Distraction, and Ain’t It Cool News. These people have been to the QT Fest screenings every single night (unlike me) and they have better photos, and images of posters from the films, and lots of fun details. In addition, Matt Dentler caught a photo of Elvis Mitchell at the Tuesday night screening, and I am quite envious. I’ve spotted Mike Judge, Gus Van Sant, and Eli Roth so far this week … but as a film writer, naturally I would have jumped at any opportunity to meet Mitchell.
Thank You for Smoking (2006)
Thank You for Smoking: 2006, dir. Jason Reitman. Seen April 16 (Alamo South Lamar).
Thank You for Smoking isn’t as satirical and biting as one might imagine from the publicity; it didn’t make me stop and think about politics, the advertising industry, or American culture. It’s a lightweight smart comedy with sharp dialogue and a capable cast. And I am a total sucker for a smart comedy film, even if it’s shallow and obvious at times.
Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) is a top lobbyist for the tobacco industry — he’s able to spin any situation into his favor. His latest venture is a campaign to convince Hollywood that cigarettes could be a lucrative source of product placement. He wants to bond more with his son Joey, so he takes him along on the trip to Hollywood. It turns out that not everyone falls for his charismatic act, however, and he ends up facing trouble from a number of different fronts, including an anti-smoking politician and an ambitious reporter.
weekend in Baton Rouge
I travel to the New Orleans area a couple-few times a year to see family, but I hadn’t spent a significant time in Baton Rouge in years — probably not since I left LSU in 1991, to be honest. I would drive through on the way from/to Austin and notice changes, and sometimes I would even stop to visit friends. I drove through campus once or twice, and when Beau and I visited New Orleans last November, we had lunch at The Caterie. But I hadn’t seen much of Baton Rouge.
We drove to Baton Rouge last weekend for a couple of reasons, and I still didn’t see much of the city. But that was all right, we had a good time at two rather different events: a ballet and a book signing/reading. My little brother was in the ballet, and I was part of the event for the book Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans, because it includes an essay I wrote about NO-area movie theaters.
The drive is 420-plus long and boring miles. The first part down Hwy 71 was more charming than usual because it’s currently wildflower season in Texas. Sections of grassy medians were tinted blue, pink, yellow or orange from all the bluebonnets, primroses, firewheels, Texas paintbrushes, and other flowers that I have no idea what they’re called. Whole fields were blanketed with wildflowers. I must never have driven down the highway at this time of year before because I don’t remember such startling masses of flowers. The first time I drove to Austin was in May of 1991, and I remember seeing lots of wildflowers, but not like this.
Wedding Crashers (2005) vs. Midnight (1939)
We finally got around to seeing Wedding Crashers. I wasn’t much interested in the film when it opened in theaters last summer, but people keep telling me how clever it is and how it’s not just another dumb comedy and how the writing is much better than you would expect. Hell, my little brother thinks it should have won an Oscar for Best Screenplay, but then he also seems to have a fixation with Rachel McAdams.
What struck me about Wedding Crashers was how much it reminded me, in structure, of romantic comedies from the 1930s. I was expecting something more like Anchorman, but Wedding Crashers is an old-fashioned romantic comedy that appeals to modern moviegoers with up-to-date humorous dialogue and physical comedy. Not grossly physical, most of the time — it doesn’t resort to Farrelly brothers-style humor. But underneath all the Vince Vaughn/Owen Wilson banter is a storyline closely related to It Happened One Night (1934) or even more apt, Midnight (1939).
Continue reading Wedding Crashers (2005) vs. Midnight (1939)
mmmm. beer and film writers.
I’m meeting Karina Longworth, the editor emeritus of Cinematical, at 5 pm today (Tuesday) at Gingerman to have a drink and to chat about SXSW and film and where to get good steaks in Austin and whatever else we can think of. If you’re in town for SXSW or if you live in Austin and want to join us, we’d love to see you there. You don’t have to be a film writer or even a film geek, although we will probably talk a lot about movies and related stuff. It’ll be fun, and Gingerman (at 304 W. 4th Street, an easy walk from Alamo Drafthouse) has lots of yummy beer. Mmmmm. Beer. So drop by! I am wearing my Cinematical shirt so hopefully that will make me easier to spot.