In any case, on Friday April 9th the folks at the Alamo Drafthouse will screen the film at the decommissioned Seaholm Power plant. In itself a work of industrial art-deco beauty, the Seaholm just might be the perfect setting for this 1927 dystopian sci-fi masterpiece (and this could be a good chance to visit the plant while it still has some genuine charm–it’s currently being developed into a Domain-like yuppie mall). To sweeten the deal, a live score will be performed by Austin’s Golden Hornet Project.

The screening isn’t until April, so there is no word on tickets yet. But I’ll keep you posted. Note that the event page doesn’t specify “newly restored version”, I’m just assuming that’s what it’ll be.

“His methods are visceral and harsh, yet his violence is surgical and ultimately aimed, he imagines, at healing both himself and his city: in order for the larger urban organism to survive, the parasites destroying it must be exterminated. In this Paul is less like [renowned urban theorist] Jane Jacobs and much more like another New York builder, another man of action and practical violence: Robert Moses.”

Besides a formal comparison of these two (in)famous chaps, author Keith Eggener makes some direct connections between architecture and violence, and modern culture’s hunger for quick fixes to complex problems. It’s a good read, and it’s really made me want to rewatch Death Wish.

While reading the 50th anniversary edition of William Burroughs’ landmark beat novel “Naked Lunch”, I was struck by a similar thought. Even by today’s standards, the book is ugly, violent, and shocking–so it must have seemed exceptionally perverted in the late 1950’s, when it was written and originally published. Of course, people did consider it perverse and dangerous and it was effectively banned in America and you were probably a total weirdo if you owned it. And so it seems even more amazing that the book not only survived legal exile, but went on to become highly influential and culturally important.

From the first few pages, “Naked Lunch” is gritty and subversive and amazing. The prose practically assaults you–it’s vivid and energetic, packed with drugs and violence, and utterly baffling in terms of plot. Burroughs didn’t want it to be considered a “novel”, and it’s easy to see why. The writing was fueled by his real-life drug binges, and it reads like a particularly horrific fever dream. One with a lot of bugs and blood.

But besides being extremely challenging, the book is also really goddamn funny. There are some obvious similarities to writers like Leonard Cohen and Charles Bukowski, but there are also passages that conjure Douglas Adams, of all people. Those first scenes with Benway are so downright hilarious and unexpected that I almost forgot who I was reading. And in a few places I actually laughed out loud, which I did not picture myself doing when I first cracked the spine.

Kerouac said that he’d suffered terrible nightmares while compiling and editing the thing, and I’m not at all surprised (I had awful dreams nearly every night while reading it). Some of the most terrifying scenes (the ones deemed “pornographic”) are actually rails against capitol punishment–but that doesn’t make them any easier to swallow, or to forget. Which, I guess, is the point.

At any rate, the book has made a real impression on me. And I’m now thoroughly interested in reading Burroughs’ other big books, “Queer” and “Junkie”. Though for the sake of my sanity, I’ll probably move on to something lighter first.

Personally, I think it’s their best record (and I like Palo Santo a lot, so that’s saying something). It’s sprawling, detailed and gorgeous–and it somehow feels even more ambitious and interesting with every listen. It’s definitely a record that deserves a dedicated listening session, possibly through headphones.

If you’ve never heard Shearwater, or if you just don’t like streaming for some reason, try this MP3 of the track “Castaways” on for size.

If you live in or near Toronto, you should definitely go check them out at Lee’s on April 1st. If you live in Austin, you’ll have two chances to see them in the coming months: at Antone’s during SXSW, and at the Parish on May 7th.

Though the film contains almost none of Cohen’s music (he didn’t release his first record until two years after the film was released), it’s a thoroughly interesting and surprisingly intimate portrait of the now 75 year-old artist as a young man. Shot on one of Cohen’s visits to his hometown of Montreal (he was living in Greece at the time), the film follows him to pubs, poetry readings and hotel rooms, where he candidly discusses life, friendship and art. It’s a great way to spend an hour–but if you’re anything like me, it’ll leave you with a strong urge to visit Montreal, and to re-read Beautiful Losers.

If you hate Pitchfork (or if you miss their one-week window), you can also stream Ladies and Gentlemen from the National Film Board of Canada’s site. If you want to own it, you can buy a DVD copy, which apparently contains some extra material.

If you haven’t heard much about the film, there’s a good, long interview with Linklater over on the POV site. In it, he talks about how Christian McKay has been mistaken for Welles in real life. Which, considering that Welles died 24 years ago, seems a compliment to McKay’s abilities.

Oh–and if you’re free during the day this Wednesday (November 4th), Linklater will be at KLRU’s studio taping an upcoming episode of Texas Monthly Talks. If you’ve never been to a taping, it’s free and fun.

[Trailer]

[More info]

With a long list of genuine, certified classics (um… Halloween, Christine, The Thing, Assault on Precinct 13), as well as a solid roster of cult faves (Escape from New York, They Live, Big Trouble in Little China), Carpenter is pretty much a living legend. His synth-powered fright flicks and gritty action comedies are usually brilliant, and always fun. And the prospect of having him autograph a They Live poster makes my inner fanboy smile. I even loved Vampires, his roundly panned bloodsucker flick starring James Woods.

I visited the TFW convention in 08, and it was pretty good. The venue was a little bit odd, and the film screening setup was lackluster, but everything else was good, and they’ve moved since then, so who knows. A bit of advice though…if you’ve got the extra money and you love autographs, get a fancy VIP badge. Not having to wait in line could literally save you hours.

Other guests for 2010 include George Romero, William Katt (House and House IV), Lance Henriksen (Pumpkinhead, Near Dark, Aliens), Kane Hodder (Friday the 13th), Sid Haig and Bill Moseley (those Rob Zombie movies and whatnot), Margot Kidder (Superman) and Doug Bradley (Hellraiser). The convention runs from April 30 to May 2.

When the film played at SXSW 07, Bronstein described it to me as “a miserablist sort of comedy about an excruciatingly irritating and inarticulate young man, chronicling several days in his life as he pingpongs from one damaged rapport to the next”. Which is as perfect a description as can be offered about a film as, um, complicated as Frownland. What it leaves out is that the lead performance is absolutely stellar, and that the film is one of the most raw, original works to come from an American indie filmmaker in years.

I can’t guarantee you’ll like this movie. But even in hating it, you may cement its substantial reputation as a singular howl against the indie establishment (which sounds like an oxymoron but really isn’t). One word of advice though: if you want to get a sense of the flick, try watching the individual clips like this one rather than the trailer.