The post is very long and contains NO Modest Mouse Content.
So I've been out of touch for reasons much less lame than normal.
I'm doing my semi-annual rubbing of elbows with THE STARS. It's
because Quentin Tarantino has come back to Austin for the 4th
year in a row to hold his own little movie festival at the Alamo
Theater. I had originally planned to outwrite Harry Knowels in my
covereage of this little festival just to see if I could, but then I
realized he doesn't have a job or life, so that probably wasn't likely
to happen. I also didn't realize how grueling going to all 10 nights
would be. The shows start at 8 and he shows 4-5 trailers between
each movie and introduces each one for 5-10 minutes. Actually,
he talked like 20 minutes on how much he loved Japanese monster
films especially the model work and how he was CGI'ed out
watching films now days. Saturday was the all nighter -
alternating Japanese Monsters (The Mysterions, Mothra, Destroy
All Monsters, Godzilla VS. The Smog Monster) and Italian Horror
(Fulci's the Psychic, and Dario Argento's Super Duper All-Time
Masterpiece, Suspiria). Then he threw in a Mexican vampire movie
to finish it off. It went from 8 until 10 in the morning, yikes. I slept
through most of the Godzilla movies until the music and fighting at
the end would wake me up as it was getting good again. The
theater got ahold of some Japanese industrial strength Red Bull.. it
comes in a little brown bottle like rat poison or aspirin and tastes
like kool aid and niquel. Seems to work but makes you pee real
fast. Sunday night was a good triple feature.. Gambit with Michael
Cain and Shirley McClain.. if you like well written movies like Usual
Suspects or 6th Sense you have to dig this movie up and check it
out.. highly entertaining stuff. Followed by an Italian heist film with
Kirk Douglas, the Master's Touch and then finishing up with The
Muthers, a women in prison blaxploitation flick from the Philipines.
Tonight's sex night was somewhat of a bust, "Succubus" didn't
have any sucking at all! It was an artsy Italian film by Jesse
Franco (Vampyros Lesbos) but it wasn't too sexy. I think it was an
adaption of Faust, but I never read Faust, so not sure. It left
everyone scratching their heads, like the original Eyes Wide Shut
or something. Then was the trailer for Behind The Green Door.
Gross.. porno in front of a live audience and I was sitting next to 4
girls not old enough to drink. Sex on the Run was better..Tony
Curtis in a goofy sex romp but I'd actually seen most of it on
Cinemax a long time ago.
So anyways, reguardless of what you think of Tarantino, he loves
movies and knows more about them then perhaps 99.5% of the
population. You take him and Scorsese and Peter Bogdonavich
and put them in a room and that's like 95% of film history locked
inside 3 brains. Tarantino goes on about each significant person
in the movies and what else they did and then points out the good
things and bad things in the movie and things to look out for. He
broke down Godzilla saying how Godzila was a God in the series..
hence God-Zilla.. you fear him but pray to him to save you
whenever Guidra or Rodan attacks. He had a lot of good things to
say about Mothra too concerning empowerment of females as
Mothra kicked Godzillas ass like 3 out of 4 times they fought.
There was other royalty in the house, but mostly the Texas variety.
Rich Linklater and Robert Rodriguez and Mike Judge all sat in the
first night. We sat close by but didn't hear anything good coming
from them save for a lot of chip crunching from Mike Judges
general direction. I don't really praise them as filmakers (linklater,
rodriguez), but having seen them around, esp Linklater, they are
really good people and involved in helping out the local film society
so who really cares if their movies have gone downhill. I kept
thinking I saw Amanda Plummer there, and finally figured out it
was. I talked to her in the lobby and she was really nice. She was
hanging out with Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and
said they were old friends. She really got in to the monster movies
and all the movies in general.. judging from her squeals and kid-like
giggles throughout.
So I guess that's my little update. It's a never ending cycle of
sleeping and watching movies, and now adding work to the cycle. I
took the week off though so I can come in as late or leave as early
as I want. If you want the REALLY long winded account, check
aintitcoolnews.com and Harry Knowels and his band of dwarves will
be telling about the fest with much gorey detail.
Anyone have any questions for the man? I'm only planning on
asking him one question.. if he saw MI2 and what he thinks of his
buddy John Woo making the WORST MOVIE EVER. Should be
interesting to hear what he has to say about that. He may smack
me in the mouth but I'm ready for anything. Just give me another
can of Japanese Red Bull.
Love and Godzilla body slamming the shit out of the Smog Monster.
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