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Megan Murphy's BNAT 9!
Well, it's not really BNAT without the Stunt Rock trailer, and this year things got started off right as Tim League, in full wizard regalia, mounted the Alamo stage as the final frames of the trailer spooled and with his mighty staff caused red flares to fly and confetti to explode all over the audience. The staff was shattered, though, which perhaps was an omen of evil things to come... but not quite yet.
The first film, The Great McGinty (Preston Sturges, 1940), is a just a solid classy film. A man starts as a hobo and ends up riding a wave of corruption right into the governor's mansion. Then he gets a conscience, and it all goes to hell. Brian Donlevy is the perfect lunk as McGinty. Plus, that guy must have had some of the widest shoulders in all of Hollywood. Dude was like a brick wall in a suit.
Next up was Charlie Wilson's War (Mike Nichols, 2007), the first new movie of the night. Within the first ten minutes you see Tom Hank's bare ass, but don't worry fellas, there is an unexpectedly high amount of lovingly framed female behinds throughout the film to which you can look forward. Oh yeah, there is a story too -- and it is pretty damn good. Following The Great McGinty's theme of political corruption, Charlie Wilson's War is a fascinating(and rather scary) history lesson about how it only takes a few people(whether their intentions were well-meaning or not) to fuck up an entire country, and yet as a viewer you don't feel like you are being forced to listen to a speech (which considering Aaron Sorkin wrote the screenplay is a pretty neat trick). Hanks does absolute wonders as the title character, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman is just damn brilliant here (but isn't he always?)
Pickup on South Street (Samuel Fuller, 1953) was next on the bill, and it is one tough noir-flavored goodie. You got Richard Widmark as a tough-ass pick-pocket who lifts the wrong wallet from the wrong woman on the wrong subway train(isn't that always the way?) Before he knows it he is up to his armpits in police investigations, FBI agents and communist traitors. And then you have Thelma Ritter giving her all in the tough-as-nails, yet ultimately heart-breaking, role of Moe the professional stoolie. Wonderful.
We got to see a couple upcoming movie previews/presentations next, starting with some exclusive footage from the next Chronicles of Narnia film, Prince Caspian. Honestly it's not really a film I'm dying to see, but I did get a kick out of seeing some of the unfinished effects shots (it's like taking apart a VCR to see how it works. Not that I've ever done anything like that myself, at least not that you can prove). Right after we were shown a rather tense and compelling clip from the new Rambo movie that made me extra bummed that we weren't going to get to see the whole thing yet. But a taste is better than nothing... I think.
The next movie was an epic re-telling of Genghis Khan's youth and rise to power called Mongol (Sergei Bodrov, 2007). Who knew the Mongolian warlord was such a pudgy-faced cutie when he was a kid? We get to see the softer, gentler side of Genghis Khan here, including the powerful relationship between him and his bride Borte (who is one kick-ass woman). But there are also some blood-spattered battle scenes too for anyone not down with passion-filled glances and tender love on llama skin rugs.
The Wall-E sneak peeks were next, and as if I wasn't excited enough about this film already, the clips Pixar sent made me completely crazy-nuts in anticipation. God, I want to see this film right now. I want to see this film ten times in a row right now.
This next film felt like a personal gift to me, because The Abominable Dr. Phibes (Robert Fuest, 1971) is one of my absolute favorite films. Ever. To be able to see that candy-colored mayhem on the big screen made me indescribably happy. I don't know what else to say. It was pure bliss.
And you couldn't have chose a better film to lead right into Sweeney Todd (Tim Burton, 2007). Both Phibes and Todd share the same dry humor, and the same stylized bloodletting that is more poetry than horror. Look, if the equation of Burton+Depp+bright red spurts of arterial blood splashing in time to a lush musical score doesn't make your heart beat faster, then I just can't help you.
Oh yes, and thank you Alamo theater for the mini meat pie that appeared before me during this film. Holy crap.
Lonely Are the Brave (David Miller, 1962) is a sad(but in that good way) movie about the “old west” mythos rubbing up against the hard edge of a rapidly modernizing world, a world of fences and roads instead of unbroken plains. Kirk Douglas gives a heart-breaking performance as a man who will not, or maybe just cannot, change to fit in with this new future, and the inevitable chain of events that follows. I'm not ashamed to admit I was tearing up at the end.
Okay, so this is the deal with The Poughkeepsie Tapes (John Erick Dowdle, 2007) – it sucked all the goodwill and positive energy out of the theater, and I'm not sure we ever truly got it all back. I made it through about 20 minutes of it before I sought refuge in the lobby for the rest of the running time. Bottom line, I wasn't having fun anymore. I really wish there hadn't been a “travel mix-up”, or whatever the hell really happened that prevented the filmmakers from taking part in the scheduled after-movie Q&A, because I really wanted to understand what the point of all that was. I still do.
I was happy to see the Fanboys clips that came afterward, though I was disappointed we once again wouldn't be seeing it in its entirety. I still maintain that there is not a better audience on the face of the planet for this film.
Now don't get me wrong, Teen Lust (James Hong, 1979) does suck. It has no discernible plot, no competent actors, and not even enough actual T&A to work as anything but the softest of soft-core porn. However, for about a half hour of this film I couldn't stop laughing. I think it had something to do with severe lack of sleep and an overdose of Diet Coke.
A presentation of a re-mastered, high-definition copy of the Star Trek episode City on the Edge of Forever was next in line, and even though it is one of my favorite episodes of all time and looked gorgeous on the screen, I have to admit to dozing a bit since I has seen it several times before.
For about a minute the short film that followed, Feels So Good, was pretty funny, with its graphic scenes of an actual urethroplasty procedure overlaid with the mellow sounds of Chuck Mangione music, but I really don't think it needed to continue for another 10 or 15 minutes. I got the joke already. But of course my attention span was getting pretty short at this point...
...which was unfortunate, because the gonzo exploitation flick Farewell Uncle Tom/Addio zio Tom (Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi, 1971) was about to be inflicted upon the audience. Oh god. Who is the intended audience for this? Well at least I can say I've seen it now, that's something I guess.
Thank god for Trick'R Treat (Michael Dougherty, 2008)! First off, the director stayed for the whole BNAT, so kudos to you sir. But let me tell you, this is just a wonderfully creepy little film, and if that button-eyed little bastard Sam (I don't think he is named in the movie, but that is the name with which the director referred to him) doesn't become a Halloween icon, I will be sad. If you like your horror all EC comics/Tales for the Darkside/Creepshow dark, with nasty people getting nasty surprises and a sprinkling of gallows humor – then this is for you, my friend.
Thanks for the fun, Harry!
--Meghan Murphy
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Love my TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE, CREEPSHOW, EC Comics, etc. Heck, I even loved TALES FROM THE HOOD. So, I'm definitely in for TRICK 'R TREAT. Can't get enough good old-fashioned horror these days. THE POUGHKEEPSIE TAPES, on the other hand, is sounding more and more like a real downer.
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Only sounded like 2 movies were fun *Sweeney Todd and Trick R Treat* plus they couldnt get Rambo,isnt that coming out within a month or so?
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...am I guessing right?
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David E. Kelley knew about this movie 10 years ago?
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is Moriarty the only person on the planet that liked THE POUGHKEEPSIE TAPES? I've heard that it sucked from independent sources who've seen it too, but it's shocking to see not a single person willing to defend it. I'll be VERY interested to see what Mori has to say in the eventual "Fuck this year's BNATers" post from him and what possible reasons he could have had for bringing this. Other than he liked it, of course.
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First of all. It's all jibber jabber. I can't go to whatever this bnat thing is and what's with all these obscure explotation movies nobody care about? I guess that makes ya cooler because you know about them, right? Next time I come to AICN. All I wanna see as the top headline is - KINGDOM OF THE FUCKING CRYSTAL SKULL TEASER TRAILER NOW ONLINE!!! and second LOOK OUT MANNN!!!
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...Some of them are outright classics that you'll catch on TV from time to time, and some of them, like Uncle Tom, are exploitation classics that freaks like me have hunted down over the years. It sounds alright. If I had something like this in my town, I would most likely go down for sure. Unless it was retard level expensive. But it beats most of the marathons they show here. Jesus, I think the best they ever offered was a Star Wars and PT Anderson marathon, outside of the festivals. Even then, the censors jump in and yank shit like In A Glass Cage, Salo or Ken Park. But damn, poor old poughkeepsie tapes. Pretty soon it looks like it will be taking the fall for Iraq, Katrina and AIDS.
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Dec 12, 2007 5:56:03 AM CST
"The Pookee tapes" or "The Dookie tapes" for a new title please.
by mike_d
you'll get more audience.
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Dec 12, 2007 6:19:32 AM CST
So is TRICK 'R TREAT coming out in the next 5 years?
by queentylerdarden
Seriously, what's the hold-up on this movie? I saw previews for Trick 'R Treat 18 months ago. It's the first trailer on my 300 DVD I got last July. I thought it was supposed to come out last October for Halloween. Is there an chance I'll be able to see this movie before I start recieving my Social Security checks?
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You are still a douche du jour, but I think you are right on this one. Did I just say that?
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Why can't you geeks just focus on what we want? I mean, the majority of people that log on to this site ARE NOT from Austin-Fucking-Texas. We don't care that you watch new-old-new-old-new-old movies for 16 hours at a time. What we do care about are new movies, television shows and news and notes about all sorts of things 'geek'…comic books, video games, etc. Get this weird pseudo-celebrity status out of your heads...you are not famous. We don't care. Your BNAT's suck.
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I love it when women post reviews here. Its like what it would be like if the hosts of Sportscenter paused to review highlights of that week's Grey's Anatomy episode.
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Then why do thousands of people compete for the slightly over 200 seats available every year? I've been fortunate enough to attend every one except the first, and I look forward to it every year. My girlfriend and I spend about $1,000 to fly to Austin from Minneapolis, get a hotel room, rental car, and food while we're there, but we wouldn't miss it for the world.
What these people seem to miss is that BNAT is not about premieres, industry people, or the swag bags. It's about the love of film, and the collective joy of watching movies with an audience where nobody is talking, text messaging their friends, etc. -- they're there to experience the history of film: the good, the bad, and THE POUGHKEEPSIE TAPES.
Feel free to not apply in the future. It will give people that really care about film the chance to attend. -
That - right there - is a reason to discourage some folks not to apply to the festival. If you can get in repeatedly, while folks that try year-in and year-out, get routinely shut out - then what exactly is the point? Strangely, a side effect of reading AICN over the years has been this creeping urge NEVER to go to Austin, Texas. If you're not on this inside by now, you'll never be - so don't bother trying to crash the party. At least, that's my sense of it.
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Not from Austin? Not even Texas? Well dont ya know we act like its the center of the universe? Thanks for several weeks now off shoddy coverage of a great season of films, while concentrating on something most of your sites viewers will never attend.
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Better luck next time.
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Dec 12, 2007 10:23:57 AM CST
gruntybear - pefect view of BNAT to those that aren't 'chosen on
by bgdawes
My two cents I truly do love movies and definitely wanted to attend at least one BNAT. However, after being shot down I can't help but feel comforted by reading the lineup and realizing that there wasn't anything I missed at BNAT that couldn't be enjoyed in the comforts of my own home watching AMC. Additionally, while BNAT may certainly be about "the love of film, and the collective joy of watching movies with an audience where nobody is talking, text messaging their friends" a more fair and accurate statement would be to substitue 'audience' with 'Austin/Harry's Regulars'.
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While there are indeed people that get in every year (including some contingents from Minneapolis, Atlanta, and LA), every year I meet tons of new people there for their first year. It's awesome to see it through their eyes.
The bottom line is that it's Harry's party. Rather than having people over to his house or out at a bar, he decides to throw a film festival and donate the profits to allow kids to see classic movies for free. He then invites people that he thinks would have a great time based on their applications. Wow, what a horrible person he must be.
Listen, I'm not Harry's best friend. I live 1000 miles from Austin and see him once a year. If, some year, I don't get in, I'll be sad, but I'll get by. It's Harry's party, it's Harry's choice. I'd probably still go to Austin that weekend to see the friends I've made at BNATs over the years at the pre- and post-BNAT parties, and hang out at one of the other Alamo Drafthouses and make my own BNAT.
I'll never understand people who constantly visit this website and participate in the Talkbacks if they hate the guy who runs it and have nothing but bad things to say about him, the site, and his birthday party. It's such a waste of time, don't you think? Have you been outside recently? -
No one said anything about "hating Harry" or his site, and I would ask that you not make such ridiculously sweeping generalizations in the future. As someone who's apparently "on the list," you probably wouldn't understand how big a turn-off the constant stumping of Austin and the Alamo Drafthouse is to people who have never, and most likely, will never attend one of the "hallowed" screenings there. We get it: it's exclusive, we'll never know the joy and wonderment of sitting down to an exploitation-fest with "the chosen" Texas "geekeratti." That's why to a sizeable segment of the TalkBackers, the BNAT is completely written off and mercileslly slagged. It's unobtainable and "not for us." And that's perfectly understandable, given the unavoidable inequalities of the situation. But can you show even a sliver of empathy for the folks on the other side of the golden rope? The non-attendees are not some cabal of drooling, slavering plebes. Don't pretend that the reason you attend year-in and year-out is because your particular love of film vastly exceeds that of others who participate here. Personally, as I think I've commented before, I really believe the site would benefit from losing a bit of its provincial Austin-centricity. But then, filmmaking and film festival-throwing have always, always been rooted to a certain Studio 54 mentality. And expecting it change, here, of all places, isn't even remotely realistic.
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A lot of us on the site try getting into BNAT every year and don't make it. Do what I did, buy a ticket to Fantastic Fest and make the trek to Austin and the Drafthouse. It really is worth it, and is the BEST theater in the world to watch movies. I will keep trying to get into BNAT, but I will also make sure and buy a VIP pass to Fantastic Fest every year so I know I will at least have one week where I get to experience the Alamo.
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Sounds like my family reunion.
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Sounds way cooler anyway.
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...I've just read so much in the "Harry sucks, AICN sucks" crap over the past few days (which always seems to increase after BNAT), I lumped your complaints about BNAT into that. Sorry about that, it just gets old after a while. As for the Austin-centricity of the site, it is what it is. Austin is a huge film town, and it adds to the flavor of the site, as far as I'm concerned. If you're a movie buff, you should visit -- you'll have a great time!
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No harm, no foul - something I'd hope more of the TalkBacks could experience.
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(.Y.) sorry, I made a typo while being completely immature ruining this moment by drawing an ASCII based pair of titties
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I have been to some BNAT's. I don't think it's a snobby place. It's just kind of 'exclusive' due to lack of space for the 10,000 people that apply each year. And, really, would you want to watch a movie with thousands of people? I am really grateful that I have been able to go, and save for months and months to be able to do so. I work in a non-profit theatre, so really, it is MONTHS of going without some stuff, like new release dvds or cds when they're on sale... But, I get to see my brother who lives in Dallas when it's not xmas and we're all cracked out with family obligations in Florida, and I get to see the McDonalds' from Houston (I even cram in the car w/ them for the 3+ hour drive back to Houston, so I can fly from there and spend just a few more hours with them) and I get to see Harry and his dad Jay and now Patricia (who i did get a bit time to talk to at the Starlight drive-in in atlanta) for a few minutes, and I get to see new pals 433 and Sithlet and those MN peeps. Hell, I even managed to see John C. Reilly on accident when I went to use the john at Stubbs' friday afternoon. He was there doing a sound check w/ the Dewy cox band. I just thing people out not to hate of stuff. Be envious, sure, but don't hate those who do get to go. And it is a privilege, believe me. Not in a snobby way, again. Just in a 'wow, what an experience' way. I actually slept only about 15 minutes this year, a record. And I find that actually made it easier to remember stuff.
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