starlite recap: all treats, no tricks

alright, another installment of the starlite cinema series is in the books.

the halloween show was spook-tacular (see what i did there?), to say the least. country willie and the zombie apocalypse started things off with a shambling and ravenous set of living dead rock that is eating my brain even as we speak. from there we delved into the cinematic delights the legend of hell house (1973) and troll 2 (1990). we had to cut misterios de ultratumba (1959) due to time constraints (if you think rock shows never start on time, you should try one with fetid corpses), but the double feature was a scream. and, as if all this wasn't enough, on top of the usual movie madness we had extra treats. the annie street arts collective and friends pulled out all the stops for this one. lindsey made gingerbread zombies. our friend adam drew this bloodsoaked poster especially for the event:

and my friend mary made me this triple-decker peanut butter cup cupcake for my birthday:

i need a glass of milk just looking at the picture. it was incredible. the whole evening was a blast. thanks to everyone for coming and a special thanks to annie street and associates for everything they contributed. again, these screenings wouldn't happen without them.

speaking of being thankful, the november lineup is set and we have an old favorite and a sadly underseen gem for you. we are going to start things off with a charlie brown thanksgiving (1973).

yes, i know technically it's a television show, but for charlie brown i'll bend the rules a little. i make up the rules, anyway. i may even dig up a few dolly madison commercials to complete the experience.

our feature presentation is one of my favorite films about food and family, big night (1996).

it tells the story of two brothers, italian immigrants, struggling to keep their failing restaurant afloat in new jersey in the early fifties. one is a businessman, not a very good one, enamored of this new life in the states and committed to success even if it means compromise. the other is an artist in the kitchen, putting his heart into every dish for americans who want nothing more than spaghetti and meatballs. a rival generously offers to set up an evening where louis prima and his band will come in and put the boys on the map, ending their financial woes. the action centers around the preparation for, execution of and fallout from this titular big night. touching but never maudlin, it looks poignantly at artistic versus commercial success, the loss of self that can take place when trading one culture for another and, most importantly, the depth of fraternal bonds. it's beautiful, funny and redemptive and the food in it is unbelievable.

i'll post an update as soon as we get a date solidified. drop by if you can, it would be nice to see you.

starlite cinema series - halloween spook show

well, we managed to fend off the rain long enough to get tonight's program in. thanks again to annie street arts collective and the folks who came out. it was an evening full of steam-driven, gaslit wonders of the age. we learned some valuable lessons, not the least of which was "when in doubt, listen to gertrude the duck".

next month's installment is going to be something special. halloween is my favorite time of year so we are expanding the film lineup to make it a festival of sorts and we are going to have a musical guest as well. country willie and the zombie apocalypse are going to kick off the evening with a selection of heart-rending and brain-eating tunes about how hard life is, or isn't, as the case may be, for our zombie brethren. the result lies somewhere in between lefty frizzell and george a. romero. willie's songs touch your heart while reminding you to aim for the head. music will start at about 8:30, so make sure you come early. you don't want to miss it. there will be a special dedication to all you zombie mothers.

the films will start soon after, beginning with the legend of hell house (1973), quite possibly my favorite haunted house movie of all time. the haunting (1963) and this one are constantly vying for top honors. it is the story of a group of mediums who take on "the mount everest of haunted houses" haunted by the spirit of an aleister crowley-type who manages to inflict his debauchery from beyond the grave upon a cast headed up by roddy mcdowall. horror stalwart richard matheson adapted the screenplay from his own novel. good pedigree, shivers all around.

next, we have the mexican import misterios de ultratumba (1959), known in the states as the black pit of dr. m. this one sidesteps the atomic age/cold war vibe that was populating american movie screens with giant insects and shrinking men at the time and takes things back to the golden age of universal monsters. it concerns itself with the ramifications, spiritual and corporeal, of men overstepping their bounds and trying to peer behind the veil. fernando méndez cloaks it all in a gorgeous black and white atmosphere that would make karloff proud. it's a far superior product to what was being produced by its contemporaries north of the border, i'll tell you that.

rounding out the evening, at just about midnight, we will be collectively marveling/jeering at troll 2 (1990), the best worst movie ever made. i can't begin to do it justice with my description. it is a milestone of horrendous filmmaking. simply off the scale. i can't think of any better way to see it than with a backyard full of friends as the witching hour tolls. i promise it will be worth your while. madness of the first order.

so come, eat hearty. all this will take place on friday, 10.29.10 starting at 8 p.m. here is the facebook event page for those of you that can use it. as always, if that's not an option and you'd like to attend, please send me a message and i will make sure you get the pertinent information. costumes are absolutely encouraged. we look forward to seeing you there.

starlite cinema series - ¡viva españa!

in honor of spain winning the world cup we are dedicating our next installment of the starlite cinema series to them.

we will kick off the evening with rogue pixar animator rodrigo blaas' alma (2009). it recently won the 2010 goya award (non-spanish speakers can paste that web address into a translator here) for best animated short film.

we will follow that with luis buñuel's simon of the desert (1965).

satan has seldom looked better. surrealism versus the catholic church with a bird's eye view.

next, we move on to our feature presentation, victor erice's the spirit of the beehive (1973). this is truly one of my favorite films. a brilliant mood piece and rumination on the inner lives of children, there is a certain magic in it. ana torrent was a special kid. there is a grace about her that we would all do well to aspire to.

also notable is the fact that the cinematographer, luis cuadrado, was going blind at the time the film was made. it is spectacular to look at even without knowing that. when you watch it knowing that the man photographing it could barely see it becomes nearly miraculous.

as always, i am bringing this to you guys with my dear friends at the annie street arts collective. i couldn't do it without them. things will be getting underway at 9 p.m. on saturday, 8.21.10, so mark your calendars. here is the event page on facebook where you can find more details, RSVP, et cetera. if that's not an option and you would like to attend please feel free to send me a message and i will get you all the pertinent information. it's very casual. the more the merrier. hope to see you there.

starlite cinema series

alright, our second installment of the starlite cinema series is in the books.

we took in the unhinged sincerity of off the charts: the song-poem story (2003) and the somewhat heartbreaking, therapeutic(?) cycle that is monster road (2004).

i just wanted to say thanks again to everyone for coming out. i know a couple of documentaries from off the beaten path aren't everyone's idea of a dream saturday night. i appreciate you coming and i appreciate your trust that i am going to show you something worthwhile. a special thanks, as always, to the annie street arts collective. i could not do this without them.

starlite is taking july off to tend to a lot of band business but we will back for your entertainment and edification sometime in the latter half of august. not sure yet what the program is going to be, but i am leaning towards something with a little international flair. i will keep you posted.

those of you that know me probably aren't surprised to know that i am also already working on the lineup for a mini-festival at the end of october just in time for halloween. keep an eye out for that.

one final note - i just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the kind and encouraging comments lately. sometimes i feel like i am just rambling on and on here, entertaining only myself. it is gratifying to know that you guys are out there, paying attention and that you enjoy it. i certainly appreciate it.

starlite cinema series

well, that was pretty fun. we just had our inaugural installment of the starlite cinema series with the help of our fine friends at the annie street arts collective.

we talked a little film noir, watched a couple of short subjects from the crime does not pay series, circa 1941 followed by edgar g. ulmer's detour (1945) out under the stars on what turned out to be a pretty fine central texas evening.

the world of film noir, especially detour, is kind of a bleak way to kick off a series but it seemed to go over very well. i think i was the only person in attendance who had seen it before so i am grateful to everyone who came for having faith in the notion that i would show them something worth their time. my friend mary's response was the best kind of compliment i could receive - a sincere thanks followed by "i probably would never have seen that if you hadn't shown it to us". that means an awful lot to me. a heartfelt thank you to everyone who came out.

our next installment - starlite cinema series: outside in - is slated for saturday, 6.26.10 at 9 p.m. i will be screening a pair of documentaries that focus on art taking place decidedly outside of the mainstream.

first up is off the charts: the song-poem story (2003). i am sure at one time or another you have all seen ads similar to these in the back of tabloids, comic books, et cetera. these are the pop music equivalent of who's who among american high school students. i cannot do justice to the artists whose submissions include now legendary titles like "do you know the difference between big wood and brush?" and "human breakdown of absurdity". instead, let me introduce you to caglar juan singletary.

i will be following that with monster road (2004), brett ingram's fascinating portrait of legendary underground animator bruce bickford. once a collaborator of frank zappa's, he has continually been laboring away for the last several decades building and rebuilding little universes in a sort of self-imposed commercial exile. here's a trailer so you can get an idea of what he does:

it's going to be a fine evening. come spend it with us if you get the chance.

a preview of coming attractions

starting in late may i am going to be curating/hosting a film series in conjunction with the fine folks of the annie street arts collective.

as an homage to one of the great (and, sadly, disappearing) american communal experiences - the drive-in theater - i'm calling this the starlite cinema series and it will focus on both the established classics and the criminally overlooked, the odd and the interesting, both foreign and domestic. this is all basically a fancy way of saying come sit in the backyard and watch movies with us. the programming will take on a life of its own, i am sure. i may go off on genre tangents now and again, there may be holiday themes (i guarantee this on halloween), you might see oscar winners, you might see something that by all rights should never have seen the light of day. i'll do my best to keep it varied and interesting. the general format will be a brief introduction to each film with notes on what makes the film significant, production details, things to look for that might enhance your enjoyment of the movie, et cetera followed by the screening.

the prospective date for our inaugural show is saturday, 5.22.10. i shall return shortly with the what, where and when. hope to see you there.