As Eric and I enter the domain known as KLBJ, we found a rather small recording studio,


without much decorating anything. They show me to one of those high directing chairs,


and then push a strange alien riding microphone in front of my face. The whole time


Debra and Dudley(or maybe it's Bob) are talking, doing there morning show bits, then the


traffic, then they start my segment which went fast, and was over in about 10 minutes, and


then bam! I'm outta there.

Then when I sit in Eric's car my zipper busts on my pants, exposing my gigantic pair of


tenderhearts underwear. (Hey, no smartass remarks) I kinda pull my shirt down, and tell


Eric to get me home, cause I forgot something. Once there I change and it was off to the


festival!!!

The first seminar of the day was the DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS: HOW TO BRING


A SCREENPLAY TO LIFE. With screenwriters: Andrew Marlowe (Air Force One), Joe


Tropiano (The Big Night), Polly Platt (Pretty Baby). Pretty much a panel on exhamples of


well thought out details in screenwriting, and how far is too far. For technical details you


basically reduce it to the absolute most simple description or you cut it. Or if the technical


detail is somehow instrumental, ie. to set up tension, anxiety, etc. Then it's cool. Andrew


complimented Joe on the Timpani Preparation detailing in THE BIG NIGHT. Actually


this panel wasn't that fantastic.

Then I had a panel on DON'T USE SO MUCH DIALOGUE: WRITING VISUALLY.


With screenwriters: Ted Tally (Silence of the Lambs), Andrew Kevin Walker (Seven),


Christopher McQuarrie (Usual Suspects) and Polly Platt (who has also been an amazing


production designer, go look her up in www.imdb.com) Here they stressed the visual


aspect of film making and story telling. Favorite bit was McQuarrie firing of on


VOLCANO as an example of orally repeating visual details we are already aware of, and


that serve no purpose in the moving along of the story. McQuarrie then got into talking


about how the rules can be bent. That ultimately it's quality and good story telling suits


and film makers want, not always format.

After this panel I went to the Awards Banquet and found myself eating artichoke heart


salad (DELICIOUS) and a double order of delicious Red Snapper. I was eating with


actual live film makers. It was amazing. Colin Fitz won Best Feature of the fest, along


with an award for photography. This movie should be playing in the LA area around the


end of OCTOBER, look for it, I'll try to have some details for ya. You don't wanna miss


it, but more on Colin in his review.

After that Robert Bella, the film maker of Colin Fitz came over and wanted to shoot a bit


of improv for the latest edit of Colin Fitz. He set me up on the balcony of the beautiful


Driskill Hotel, wired me for sound, and we shot. He sent questions at me, and I


responded. Bella (that's what his friends call him) seemed a little taken back by my instant


creativity (which I have no idea how it'll play to a crowd) and will have this in the LA


showing of the film. So you'll be able to see me, Harry Knowles, Head Geek, Fat Ass, on


a screen in the city of angels. Coool.

After this, it was time to go do the Governor's Mansion to do the big schmooze fest and


bar b que. I humped it over, to get there early so that I could eat in a relaxed fashion then


schmooze if I wanted to. First off it was a grueling hike, I was wearing silk, so I was


sweating like a square pig. Then I show up at the gates to the Governor's Mansion, the


home of GEORGE BUSH JR. I began to feel like I was showing up at Montgomery


Burn's house. I flash my invitation, and walk past security, who never checked my bag. I


then deftly avoid schmoozers and made a B-line for the Bar-B-Que. I piled up sausage,


brisket, turkey, beans, mashed potatoes, bread, more sausage, brisket, turkey and sausage


and brisket. Did I mention Sausage. Yummmmmmmm. Governors' sure know how to


get food cooked good.

I look around, and the crowd is still sparse, all the tables are exposed for massive amounts


of interuptions while stuffing my face, so I head into the Rose Garden, and sit in the cast


iron chair with a table in the shade. Protected by a hedge, I happily begin scarffing down


my food. Then Paul Dini (God-like writer of the Batman Animated Series and Superman


too) sits down to eat with me. Groovy.

Paul is an incredibly nice guy, makes me wish he lived in Austin, we could become good


friends. We both share that same quasi-religious geek love for life. We end up talking


endlessly about Star Wars, Singing Cowboys, Batman Animated Stuff and other very cool


subjects. No, real scoops, just great conversing. Then Bud Shrake, famous writer guy,


comes up complimenting me on the site. I'm a bit taken back, then this pair of schmoozers


come up doing the real deep ass kissing as they try to talk me into seeing their film, while


alternatingly talking up my site like it was the second coming of Christ. Paul has this


really funny grin on his face as he sees my angst of dealing with these two.

Then Paul had to leave to do some sort of online chat thing in his Hotel Room, and I had


to go meet the Beautiful Taline to go see Gattaca. Then on my way out I bump into


Dennis Hopper. Hopper then begins talking about how great my site is, and so on. At


this point my head pops. Now I know the site is read by alot of people, but come on man,


this is the Man. The guy who told Walken he was part nigger in True Romance, the guy


who planted the bomb on the bus in Speed, the guy in Rebel Without A Cause, the guy in


about a billion movies including Blue Velvet, Easy Rider. This guy knew John Wayne for


crissakes, he smoked pot with Jack Nicholson and Peter Fonda and talked about Martians


and stuff. And he was telling me how cool my site is? We live in strange times. Well I


immediately begin geeking big time. And manage to calmly get my True Romance CD out


and have him sign it for me. YES!!!! Coooooooooooooooool!!!!

I had to cut the conversation short and get my rear over to the Paramount to hook up with


a groupie of mine, Taline. I manage to avoid 6 schmoozers that tried to attack with


verbose discussions about this and that, and then hiked triple time over to my meeting


place. Along the way, I'm trailed by a guy wanting to know about the SUPERMAN


movies. So I tell him all I know as I continue to try to hook up with Taline. Sweat is


once again pouring forth on this hot day. Finally the Superman guy goes away as I near


the Paramount.

Taline arrives and we are off to see GATTACA. Now she is physically vibrating in a very


very cute way. You see she is dying to see this film because she is determined to steal


Ethan away from Uma. It's not a dream of hers, it's an inevitable reality that she will bring


forth even if guns, knives, bombs, and other weapons are needed. She really really wants


him. We strike a deal that she gets Ethan, if I get Uma. A fair bargain. As we arrive at


the Austin Music Hall, and as I get out of the Taline love mobile, these two loyal geeks


come over like Elvis has arrived. They have their camera and they want to take pictures


with me. They are genuinely happy as hell to meet me. This is pretty cool. I haven't done


too much of the pose for pictures bit with people, although this was the fifth of the day.


So I decide to look as stuipid as possible, so they have something to know the true Harry


by.

Then we enter the building. We grab our seats and sit back and wait. Taline is still


vibrating, man she is really pumped to see Ethan. I begin internal giggling at her, and


begin cutting down Ethan. She elbows me, ahhhhhhhh physical contact.

Finally the movie starts and well:

GATTACA

I thought the script was brilliant, a fantastic read, but the film was lackluster in my


opinion. You know Fahrenheit 451, the movie? Well that is a slowly paced compelling


film that involves you the viewer into their world. Gattaca is a slowly paced uncompelling


film that does not involve you into their world. No in all fairness I hadn't slept in 54 hours


when I saw this film, so the pacing might of been magnified.

There is some lovely photography in this, but I must say the green lit scenes are a disaister


in my eyes. They are ugly and remind me of a set of ugly 1938 reissue lobby cards for


FRANKENSTIEN that were an ugly green sepiatone. This film has problems. First off


the performances are not compelling, could be this was on purpose to show how


dysfunctional this future world was, but I just didn't care. There was a bed somewhere in


the world and I wanted it. That nice soft mattress, with down pillows and


sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeppppp.

Gattaca has striking production design at times, and sometimes its just so cheap looking


that it's a destraction. The blurred eye seen was horrible in my opinion. Not a great film,


not a good film, but a mediocre film. That's how I saw it. However, the more awake and


Ethan-aroused Taline loved it, and thought her Ethan was fantastic. I was so tired and the


folding chairs were so uncomfortable that I just didn't really care.

Since writing this, a mysterious letterboxed video print arrived on my doorstep. I enjoyed the movie


much better the second time. This is a film that you have to PAY ATTENTION during. It is not a great


movie, but it is one that you will sit around and talk about afterwards. It's worth the trip to the theater, but


only if you are awake and attentive. My statement above about their performances being rather sedate, on second


viewing I believe this to absolutely be the case. This future is very screwed up from a social point of view. See the


film, you'll see what I mean, I foresee long Forum arguements about this future. Intellectual Sci-fi is few and far between, but personally it can be better


than this.

After the movie did Harry go home and get sleep. OH NOOOOOOOO, there was a


Dennis Hopper movie to see. Taline and I drove into the Taline Building around the block


from the Paramount theater. We had entrance cards and pass codes. Strange Vertical


Lifts that enclose and move you to a higher or lower plane of existence. We then came


upon the street and finally to the Paramount. I'm exhausted at this point. Dragging myself


to see this film, KID BLUE.

Kid Blue is an old western that was FUNNY AS HELL. A lost gem about a free spirited


Hopper, who decides to give up the outlaw bit and become a regular guy. I know I know


you think you know the story. Nope. This is really a hippie in a "straight" community


movie. Very very odd. Actually I've decided there is no way on earth I can adequately


describe the quirkiness of this film. I just can't do it. Maybe it was the 50 some odd hours


without rest or maybe it was the fact that Hopper was in the building watching it with us,


but I laughed my ass off. Put this one on with Cat Ballou or Blazing Saddles, both of


those are better movies, but I really LIKED this one. Really I did. Well I'm headed home


to bed, I'm tired...