Daily - The Austin Chronicle (2024)

Red Carpet Wrangle

August is proving to a pileup of big-time movie premieres in Austin, with Robert Rodriguez' kiddie film Shorts getting a big to-do – including a downtown carnival–on Aug. 16 and Mike Judge's workplace comedy Extract premiering Tuesday, Aug. 18 with Judge and star Jason Bateman in attendance. Beating them both to the punch is the just-announced premiere of Inglourious Basterds on Aug. 15 at the Alamo Ritz. Basterds is, of course, the rabidly anticipated new film from Quentin Tarantino, which stars Brad Pitt as the leader of a Nazi hunting brigade during WWII.There's no word yet on if any of the film's stars will be in attendance (totally crossing our fingers for Michael Fassbender), but Tarantino will be there for the showing and as a guest curator for Fantastic Fest's Cinemapocalyse, a dusk-til dawn movie marathon. Inglourious Basterds will kick off the marathon and will be the only title preannounced to the public;Tarantino's picking the first two films, and the rest of the lineup will presumably be determined by the Alamo Drafthouse's mishmash of mad-genius programmers. (Zack and Lars previously took their Terror Tuesday and Weird Wednesday shows on the road under the moniker of Cinemapocalypse in the spring for a West Coast tour.)Tickets go on sale for Austin Film Society members and 2009 Fantastic Fest badge holders only on Thursday, July 30 at noon; go to fantasticfest.org for more info. A simultaneous VIP screening, including dinner and a simulcast of the next-room-over Q&A, will be offered to AFS members for $100 a ticket; see austinfilm.org for more.

Cherry Bombing Tonight

With the Austin-set (if, tragically, Michigan-filmed) roller derby movie Whip It opening later this year, you're running out of opportunities to watch Austin's other favorite sport before it gets the Hollywood treatment.Well, luckily you get another opportunity tonight when the local banked track league, the TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls, holds its penultimate match-up of the regular season. The Rhinestone Cowgirls are looking to break the Cherry Bombs season-long undefeated streak in the build-up to the October championship bout.As always, the action takes place at the Austin Convention Center. Ticket $15 at the door, $13 advance: Doors 6pm, bout starts 7pm.

West Campus Murder Motivated by Drug Debt

Austin Police Lt. Mark Spangler said 19-year-old James Richard "Ricky" Thompson has told police things that only a killer would know about last week's double homicide at an apartment in West Campus.Thompson has been charged with capital murder for the July 21 killing former UT students John Goosey, 21, and Stacy Barnett, 22, who were found shot inside the apartment the couple shared on W. 21st Street.Spangler said police believe the slayings were motivated by money: Thompson owed Goosey a "substantial sum" for marijuana Goosey had fronted him and was unable to pay it back. Spangler said investigators believe Thompson felt he had no other option that to "kill the person he owed that money to."The "unfortunate" circ*mstance in the double homicide, Spangler said, was that Goosey was dealing pot -- and, it seems a good deal of it. Goosey was a mid-level if not "higher level" dealer, Spangler said, and police believe he'd been involved in a business relationship with Thompson for at least three years.

Gay New York: Jonathan Horowitz at PS1

So I have a new art obsession/boyfriend in Jonathan Horowitz, whose work is politically activated (on U.S. politics, vegetarianism and queer livelihoods) and dead-pan hilarious. His retrospective at PS1, entitled And/Or features video, paintings, and installations. Some of my favorites: A bed dedicated to a rotating cast of characters (it was Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas when I went- how serendipitous considering K8's recent post), a glitter encrusted flag dedicated to Jasper Johns, and a pair of New York Posts commemorating Ronald Reagan rotting in their frames as the internet photograph (printed on archival paper) of an AIDS death was installed below.PS1 also held a Kenneth Anger retrospective, and while I love and admire the work, the exhibition design was totally lacking. A room covered in red and black vinyl… sounds cool but it was a wreck. But, you know, watching Scorpio Rising, Fireworks, Lucifer Rising and Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome never ever gets old!Click for photos after the jump:

Medi-Pot Patients Score Two Wins

This week Oakland, Calif., voters overwhelmingly approved a new business tax on medi-pot dispensaries.The tax -- which earned 80% voter approval -- is the nation's first on retail pot sales. There are currently four dispensaries licensed by the city and the tax ($18 for every $1,000 of gross receipts) is expected to raise at least $300,000 in additional tax revenue, although at least one local official estimates it could raise as much as $1 million per year, reports the Los Angeles Times.Earlier this month the Los Angeles City Council proposed a similar measure, and the Times reports that officials in Berkeley and San Francisco may follow suit.In other news, the Colorado Board of Health on Monday rejected proposed changes to the state's medi-mari law that the Denver Post says would have "effectively shut down medical-marijuana dispensaries" there.The Board rejected a proposal to cap to five the number of patients each medi-pot caregiver could oversee, and to require the caregivers to help patients with other daily care activities. Hundreds of advocates and patients attended the meeting to testify against the proposals. "We're happy the board did the compassionate thing," Brian Vicente director of Sensible Colorado, told the daily. "This is a win for Coloradan sick patients and the voters."

The Lineup

And That's the Way It Was It Was It Was

Cornyn: No on Sotomayor

When it came to Judge Sonia Sotomayor, all Sen. John Cornyn promised was that he would oppose a filibuster of her nomination. Now he's confirmed what was broadly suspected: That he'll vote against her nomination.In his lengthy press release/explanation, the Texas Republican admits that he's taking this action "with the certain knowledge that she will be confirmed despite my vote" and goes on to "congratulate her on her historic achievement."In fact, he goes on to say he "found much to admire about Judge Sotomayor's record" and called her an "experienced judge with an excellent academic background [with] the temperament we expect from members of our highest court."So what's the problem?He steers clear of the "wise Latina" nonsense and instead said that "several of her decisions demonstrated the kind of liberal judicial activism that has steered the court in the wrong direction over the last few years."So Cornyn's issue isn't that she'll make the Supreme Court more liberal (since Sotomayor is on track to replace Justice David Souter, this is one supposed liberal out, one arguable liberal in), but that her nomination won't push it back towards the right.

Turfcats to Play for SIFL Title

The first-year Austin Turfcats of the first-year Southern Indoor Football League have advanced to the league championship game, the Presidents Cup, where they'll face the Louisiana Swashbucklers on Monday, July 27, 6:30pm in Lake Charles. The Turfcats advanced by beating the Acadiana Mudbugs 56-49 in overtime while the Swashbucklers routed the Houma Conquerors 61-19. If you're not able to make the trip to Louisiana, follow the live stream on www.southernifl.com. Go Turfcats!