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Pet Snake Reggie slithers and coils about BUTT-NUMB-A-THON 3!!! 433 Checks In Too!!!!

Hey folks, Harry here... Just got this report from the vilest, most loathsome, scaley belly slinker this side of this bastard I met in the land of a thousand lakes a long time ago. However, you have to sort of give these folks their due... Specially when they... well it was fun watching the various geek women recoil in horror at the visage that was this Pet Snake Reggie... Better than he deserved though! I'll tell ya that much! Enjoy...

Hi Harry-

Pet Snake Reggie here with my report from Butt-Numb-a-thon III - The Epicenter of Film Geekdom.

Oh, I know you thought you could keep me away but when Jacque and Indy are away, reptiles must play. Arriving early, I planned to scope out the Alamo Drafthouse early so I took in a showing of Peter Jackson's "The Frighteners." A good film, not a great film, but I needed to see something by Jackson in anticipation of seeing "Fellowship of the Rings."

On Friday, I should have slept, but since I had ditched the frozen wasteland of Minnesota to watch movies, I was going to spend my entire damn weekend watching movies. So I went to the Alamo North with Ms. Reggie, Obongo the Pygmy and a couple others for an opening day viewing of "Oceans 11." I love heist flicks and this is one of the better ones I've seen. George Clooney kicks ass.

After what felt like years, Saturday morning arrived and I made my way to the theatre. Of course I knew you didn't want me there so I slithered in through the....no I won't tell. I want to be able to get back in that way next year.

I found myself a warm little spot right next to the video projector in the Alamo Drafthouse and settled in for 24 hours of movies that would warm my cold blood.

As I coiled up in my new home, my weekend was ruined when you told us that you hadn't been able to score "Fellowship of the Rings." I nearly left. But I had faith Harry. Faith that even without my Lord of the Rings fix this would be the best Butt-numb-a-thon ever.

Then the video projector grow warm and "The Return of my Blue McWeenie" danced across the screen. Harry, one day you much provide a place for we BNAT-ers to download these wonderful shorts. I would gladly shed my skin for a copy of last year's "Santa Claus' Story." Screw everyone else.

Then Harry, you were given a birthday present. I was not given the secret decoder glasses that were yours alone. Oh that I was cool enough to experience the forbidden visions that you saw. Alas, I can only imagine.

It has become a tradition that the BNAT begins with a classic horror film and this year we were given "The Fiend Without a Face." Now let's not avoid the fact that this film is really pretty much crap. With that out of the way, it's damned entertaining crap. The sperm shaped brain monsters are creatures that must find their way back to the screen some time soon.

Moriarty introduced the next film as your birthday present from him. For an evil retard, he sure does seem to like you. Why else would he have scored a copy of "The Majestic?"

Prior to the film we saw a couple freakin' hysterical shorts - "Hubert's Brain" and "Runaway Brain." I liked "Hubert's Brain" better but who the fuck at Disney got Eisner to OK "Runaway Brain???" That was the sickest ass Disney short I've seen in a long time.

"The Majestic" was.....god. I loved it. Darabont is the most Capraesque director I've seen in a long time. He somehow takes what could easily have been a cliched piece of schmaltz and turn it in to something beautiful. This is a film for film lovers and there was no better place to show it than the BNAT. Jim Carrey pulled off something I never thought he would do. He made me forget he was Jim Carrey. He was great in "Man on the Moon" but he was so fucking real in this movie. Loved the movie. Thanks Moriarty.

Seems to me that you spent a lot of time telling us what we weren't going to see, Harry. Next thing we hear is that we won't be seeing "Bubba Ho-Tep." Christ, I thought, what the hell are we going to see?

"Rock all Night" was what we were going to see. I'll bet that those of us in the theatre just about doubled the number of people in this country that know about this film but hopefully that will change. What a wonderfully quirky little overlooked film! Dick Miller was a god. OK, I forgave you for "Bubba Ho-Tep."

If I had to pick a favorite film from BNAT III, it'd be what we saw next. See, I'd never seen "King Kong." I know, my film geek cred has dropped almost to nothing with that admission but there you have it. And film geek cred or not, how many of you wouldn't give your nuts to have seen "King Kong" on the big screen the first time you ever saw it? Well I did. I saw a pristine print with a room full of film lovers. Nothing is better than that.

Then it was time for "Vanilla Sky." Jesus Christ! I'd had no interest in this film. I was going to go see it but I wasn't in a hurry. What a fool I was. I thought the film was kick ass brilliant. It was such a rich mix of emotional highs and lows that just fucked with your mind in ways that ought to be illegal but thank god they're not. Cruise was brilliant. Just totally knocked it out of the park. Cameran Diaz, too. Damn. The film left me incapable of speaking in complete sentences for over 15 minutes. Everybody reading this site has GOT to see this fucking movie. I'm sure you can find time in between viewings of Lord of the Rings to sneak this one in.

As for a least favorite film, I would have to say it came next. "Cabin in the Sky" is a classic musical. Once you get past the racial stereotyping that is a mainstay of films made in that time period, it's not a bad film. But for me right then, right there, the movie was pretty long and pretty dull. Maybe it was because I had to wait almost the entire movie to see Lena Horne sing (I mean shit - it's Lena fucking Horne) or maybe it's because when it comes to musicals, I'm more of a "Singin' in the Rain" reptile. As with every film I've ever seen - good and bad - I'm glad I saw it. I don't think I'll have any need to see it again.

Now let me preface my comments on our next feature - the gore-porn feature "Blood Feast II" - I have to point out that I pretty much hate splatter films. I've never much seen the point. But "Blood Feast II" was filled with a sort of childish glee that it managed to transcend the genre. Now I'm not saying it was great film making. Instead, it was the way this film embraced it's badness that made it so much fun. I can only congratulate the people who made this strangely entertaining film for finding a way to make me enjoy a splatter film.

I tried to enjoy the next film - "Terror of Tiny Town," but a snake has got to sleep sometime and the hours were beginning to weigh heavily on my eyelids. I remember short people with guns. I think they did some moseying. I think they fired six shooters and I'm pretty sure they did some cattle ruslin'. The rest is a blank. I enjoyed meeting Clarence Swinton, one of the little people from the film.

Peter Jackson sent a video tape introducing the final film as a way of apologizing for the noted lack of "Fellowship of the Ring." We instead watched a classic silent film from New Zealand called "Salome." It was a little long, but about 2/3 of the way through the film is this absolutely incredible tracking shot. It was worth it for that shot alone. What a great way to close out another great Butt-numb-a-thon!

This year kicked some pretty serious ass over last year, Harry. That was a tough trick since last year kicked such serious ass in it's own right. I was so jazzed after seeing "The Majestic" and "Vanilla Sky." You can bet that given half a chance, I will slither back to my warm little spot by the video projector to enjoy Butt-Numb-a-Thon IV next year.

Pet Snake Reggie signing off!

Well thank god that rambling is over with... Now we can finally settle down for a glorious look at BNAT from the vastly superior, far more handsome, incredibly debonair... 433. 433 is everything that Pet Snake Reggie wants to be, but just isn't genetically developed enough to cease his slithering ways... Enjoy 433...

Hi, Harry - 433 from The Minnesota Contingent here with my review of BNaT 3.

Having attended BNaT 2, and having read the program for BNaT 1, I can easily say that BNat 3 was the best of the bunch. You take away one or two of the films, any of the films, and it would still be amazing.

We flew into Austin on Thursday night at about 11pm, and headed directly for the Alamo Drafthouse, like the good little film geeks we are - we caught the end of a three-hour trailer festival, then the midnight show of The Frighteners, which was pretty sparsely attended, even for it being a midnight show on a Thursday. Then it was over to the hotel, and to sleep.

Friday began with Pet Snake Reggie hijacking my rent-a-car for a trip to his favorite fine dining experience, Long John Silvers (we don't have them up here in Minnesota), and I must say that I have been converted. Ah...hush puppies...

Then half of our folks went up to the Alamo North to see Ocean's 11, which they loved. I couldn't go, as Lovely Girlfriend Hippolyta's plane had gotten in and I had to go pick her up. Not before, however, I stopped by Hog Wild, a collectoble toyshop. Then I fought Austin Traffic to meet Hippolyta at The Austin Motel (future BNaT attendees, you must stay here!).

After the other group had returned from their movie (with glowing reviews), we were invited over to Quint's houseboat screening room, where he was sorting through his chum. He treated us to a classic 16mm black & white Bugs Bunny vs. Tasmanian Devil cartoon, then Harry's birthday present - the feature version of a Flash Gordon serial. Wiped out, we went to bed.

Saturday morning we picked up some of our other folks, then looked for free parking. We got in line outside of the Alamo, and headed on in.

I don't want to go into too much detail about the movies themselves, as you should see them yourself and make up your own mind, but a short intro to each is neccessary.

The films:

1) FIEND WITHOUT A FACE

Classic '50s sci-fi film (like last year's DESTINATION MARS) about atomic power, alien brains, and just how stupid Canadians are. Nice and gory for a Hays-era film. A great start to the festival

2) THE MAJESTIC

Frank Darabont's new movie has nothing to do with prisons. It does, however, have Bruce Campbell and the idol from RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. A great film where Jim Carrey, pursued by the House Un-American Activities Committee, gets amnesia, opens a movie theater, and finds courage to be an American. Time for another Oscar for Martin Landau.

3) ROCK ALL NIGHT

Roger Corman. Dick Miller. Russell Johnson. I can't believe I've never seen this before, but now I love it. A film about a guy who takes no shit. The Professor as you've never seen him before. A little guy standing up to everything that comes his way. Fun fun fun.

4) KING KONG

One of the great films of all time, I had never seen it on the big screen, nor had I ever seen a print this complete. This print is being used to strike a new DVD, which I will purchase the day it opens.

5) VANILLA SKY

I'm not a Tom Cruise fan, but I do like Cameron Crowe. What can I say, other than SEE THIS MOVIE? It's deeper and more complex than the trailer gives it credit for, and who knew it was a sci-fi film? A nice surprise.

6) CABIN IN THE SKY

This year's musical, a straightforward morality tale about the evils of gamblin' and womanizin'. The lovely Lena Horne is The Other Woman and Louie Armstrong is an idea man for the Devil.

7) BLOOD FEAST 2

Not having seen the first BLOOD FEAST, I thought I'd be lost (like I was when I went to AMERICAN KICKBOXER 4), but the masterful filmmaker was able to make it open to newcomers as well as oldschool BLOOD FEAST fans. The ennui, the pathos, the raging fires of Sappho...

8) TERROR OF TINY TOWN

A fun western that I've loved for years, with a cast of midgets. A fun romp that was needed at 8am.

9) SALOME

What can be said about the epic SALOME that Peter Jackson didn't say in FORGOTTEN SILVER? An amazing film, a film that changed filmmaking forever. Three hours in, the tracking shot is invented.

All that and some 3-D porn without the glasses, a dozen short subjects (including a creepy Shirley Temple one and some pre-LSD Betty Boop stuff), 49 trailers, and a lot of talks with a lot of film fans from all over the world.

A blast and a half.

Monday was spent at Chez Knowles after a final trip to Long John Silvers. Three hours of a bunch of film geeks chatting. Then back to Minneapolis, flirting with the flight attendants for extra peanuts all the way.

Thanks, Harry - it was amazing.

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Reader Talkback

Harry's been to Finland?
by Jussi
Dec 11th, 2001
10:05:10 AM
SECOND and BETTER!:)
by thx777b
Dec 11th, 2001
10:06:16 AM
Salome...
by gurglesnap
Dec 11th, 2001
10:15:44 AM
Hold on... Salome?!?!
by Morbid Spice
Dec 11th, 2001
10:23:10 AM
Salome--that's hilarious
by Z-Man
Dec 11th, 2001
11:33:46 AM
My hat's off to Peter Jackson
by ArchDiver
Dec 11th, 2001
04:02:06 PM
TB goes Geographical
by Silvio Dante
Dec 11th, 2001
04:08:50 PM
Thanks for the kind words, Harry...
by 433
Dec 11th, 2001
06:58:04 PM

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