The Screening Room

According to The Hollywood Reporter, FX, with its R- and Eww-rated dramas and its superhero-movie marathons, will start showing Twilight in 2011 after nabbing the rights in a deal with Summit Entertainment.

In the deal, the net also will show The Hurt Locker, Knowing and Push. So, I know what you thinking: "Of course they're going to show Twilight and Underworld in an all-day marathon." And I feel you (remember the Buffy the Vampire "Slay-a-Thon" that FX used to show on Thanksgiving Day? I do, and I miss it). This is one network that knows its packaging. They'll be able to show the films after the pay-cable deal is complete with Showtime.

Stay tuned. I hear they're working on that fourth Underworld movie. A conflicted Michael Sheen (he's a smarmy vamp in one franchise and a heartache-y werewolf in the other, and if you haven't seen him in The Queen, you oughta run out and buy the DVD) will be all over the place!

(Photo of Michael Sheen as Underworld's Lucian from michaelsheen.net)

Our panel of bloggers discussed more than just Team Edward vs. Team Jacob (although it appears Jacob is the hot new crush). We talked about how Bella's actions affect young girls, what guys are thinking of the tween craze, what worked and what didn't in the film and book, and more. Just click Play to revisit the conversation.

A lot can change in a week's time.

In preparation for my New Moon coverage I saw the first Twilight movie on Sunday and was not that impressed. Still, I dove head first into the Twilight pandemonium Thursday night thanks to a fan meet-and-greet with actor Charlie Bewley at the AT&T store off of Park Lane and Central Expressway.

Of course I've heard about and covered the Twilight madness for nearly a year now, but with the new movie I figured it was time to investigate more into what's surely a moment in pop culture history. Thankfully, Bewley's sort of new to it all as well, and the fans weren't hesitant to let me know what they loved about it.

I have a vampire story running this Sunday. That means I've been doing a lot of research. Which, in this case, means watching lots of vampire stuff.

Here's a partial sampling of my intake, with short responses.

Twilight/New Moon - OMG, she, like, touched his chest. I think Joy Tipping actually liked it more than I did.

True Blood, Season One - Hot sex on a vampire platter.

Nosferatru (1922, silent) - Max Shrek: scary dude. Could be a serviceable back-up center in the NBA.

Nosferatu (1979, sound) - More rats than Ben's basement.

Near Dark (1987) - The PBR of vampire movies. And we mean that in a good way.

The Lost Boys (1987) - What happened to all the great vampire hair metal bands?

And don't forget Richard Pryor's Wino meets Dracula routine. "You wanna suck what?

New Moon actor Charlie Bewley was at a Dallas screening last night, and we got video!

Also, in case you haven't read it yet, read the movie review.

Full disclosure: I've read every Twilight book. And though the general story is annoyingly familiar but vaguely interesting, the writing is terrible. Having given up on the franchise after the abominable fourth book, Breaking Dawn, I succumbed and watched the first Twilight film a few weeks ago. It was pretty bad but not unwatchable. New Moon is slightly better, so I've seized the opportunity to see how the movie stacks up against the book.

The Black Academy of Arts and Letters is hosting a 24-hour FilmFeast, starting at 10:30 Saturday morning at the Dallas Convention Center Theatre Complex. The festival features black and white films that showcase the parts of the African-American experience overlooked by Hollywood.

The schedule:

The Devil's Daughter - Muse Café Theatre, 10:30 a.m.
Made in 1939, this film dips into voodoo.
The Big Timers - Room T-314, 10:30
In 1945, a rich man dates a woman that he thinks is as well off as he is. She's not.
Boarding House Blues - Muse Café Theatre, 12:30 p.m.
Landlord, eviction issues in 1948 with "Moms Mabley."
The Black King - Room T-314, 12:30
A shady preacher brings corruption in the church in Mississippi in this film released in 1932.
Warrington Hudlin (House Party, Boomerang) - 2:30
The Girl in Room 20 - Muse Café Theatre, 4
A small-town Texas girl moves to NYC to pursue her (hard) dreams. 1946.
Mark of the Hawk - Room T-314, 4
No, not Avery Brooks, silly. Sidney Poitier is on trial for murder.

Tickets ($5 plus service fees) can be bought at the TBAAL box office or by phone at 214-743-2400.

Texas Frightmare Weekend has steadily announced additions to its appearance roster for their fifth anniversary celebration April 30-May 2.

This week, it's Terry Alexander (right) of Day of the Dead. You remember him: He's the one that's the helicopter pilot.

Earlier, the organizers had announced that George Romero who masterminded The Night of the Living Dead; William Katt (yes, he was the greatest American hero, but he felt bad about duping Carrie a little too late in the game); and Keir Dullea (who will help commemorate the 1974 release of Black Christmas.)

The headliner is John Carpenter, the man, the composer, the filmmaker. Another legend (see Romero above). He's a legend-maker, too, with Halloween's Michael Myers and Escape from New York's Snake Plissken to his credit. Tickets are $20-$65, with a "5th Anniversary Celebration VIP Pass" on sale for $199.

I was watching trailers on IMDB the other day and found Mary & Max. Gotta love the claymation, the charming music, and the innocent dialogue from familiar voices (Toni Collette, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Eric Bana). And ohmygod the Web site is just beautiful. Directed and written by Adam Elliot, the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. You can now watch it on demand via cable. Thinking I might go home and check it out tonight. Time Warner Cable's IFC Theatre On Demand for the win!
Enjoy.

Paramount Pictures is searching North Texas for a young actress to fill the lead role in the upcoming Coen brothers film True Grit, which begins shooting in spring 2010. The open casting call is this Saturday, Nov. 14, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth (2520 Rodeo Plaza, Fort Worth, TX 76164). The release says no experience is necessary and that girls ages 12 to 16 should bring a current photo to leave with the casting directors, and one family member. Parking is available on site for $5. "We are looking for a Caucasian girl who's tough, strong and tells it like it is. We are open to all looks!"

About the role of Mattie Ross:

14 year old Mattie is a simple, tough as nails young woman. Her steely nerves and straightforward manner are a shocking contrast to the way women behaved in the early century. She's possessed of true grit and plenty of determination. Enough so, that she insists on going with 2 marshals to hunt down the killer of her father.

If you make it out there, let us know how it goes!

Following up on last week's Paste list of the decade's 50 best films, here's another tasty one: the decade's 25 best documentaries. As with last week I quibble with the very top but am very impressed with the overall tally, esepecially the inclusion of The Devil and Daniel Johnston, Dig, The Gleaners and I, No Direction Home and Murderball. Well played.

This is pretty cool. Classical Music Critic Scott Cantrell reports on the Arts blog:

Movie music will be featured in a new series of Dallas Symphony Orchestra pops concerts for the next two seasons.

Starting in 2010-11, the concerts will feature music from some of the most popular films of recent years. Each of the six programs, presented with film clips on a big screen, will be devoted to a single composer.

Each composer also will be commissioned by the DSO to create a new concert work for the occasion. In most cases, the composers will also conduct their own music.

For a list of the composers, click here.

Once again The Couch Potato has french-fried the limits of our paper product with too much verbiage. We're thinking about moving our digs from Tuesdays to Fridays to avoid such real estate issues. In the mean time, here's a brief rundown of this week's releases. The reviews of Up and Heat (love one-word titles) Blu-rays will be online soon at http://www.dallasnews.com/entertainment/movies/ .

The Ugly Truth -- Katherine Heigel and Gerard Butler butt heads in this romantic comedy.

Spread -- Ashton Kutcher takes enough time off from Twittering to bed lots of ladies.

Sesame Street: 40 years of Sunny Days -- Two discs of Sesame gold. Get your Snuffleupagus on.

Death in the Garden -- Luis Bunuel gets jungle fever with Simone Signoret.

Logan's Run (Blu-ray) -- '70s sci-fi gets 21st-century treatment.

Near Dark (Blu-ray): Twiwhat? Kathryn Bigelow's 1987 down-home vampire drama is still a keeper.

Coming next week

Star Trek

Blu-ray: Gone With the Wind

Herewith the award winners for this year's VideoFest, with comments from the judges. Congrats, and spoils, to the victors.

Best feature documentary
Glass House
Hamid Rahmanian
With a virtually invisible camera, The Glass House takes us on a never-before-seen tour of the underclass of Iran. This groundbreaking documentary reflects a side of Iran few have access to. It introduces us to a group of courageous women working to instill a sense of empowerment and hope into the lives of otherwise discarded teenage girls.

Best Narrative short
Sleet Snow
Daniel Laabs
Casual acquaintances, Robert and Marian, travel to Odessa, TX to pick up a painting and along the way develop a unique relationship.

Best Comedy short
Start a Band
Daniel Laabs
Charlie and Becca have a boring relationship, so they decide to start a band.
Best Narrative feature
The Toe Tactic

Best experimental film
Dropping Furniture
Paul Horn, Harald Hund
What remains when nothing more remains and life is literally turned upside down? In this film, the furniture of an obviously old-fashioned, middle-class living room is disposed of, smashing on the floor, orchestrated by an echoing sound track synchronized with the decelerated image. Finally, the wreckage fills the room with the spreading waste of its own history.

Meta Media Award
Anders Østergaard
Burma VJ
Armed with video cameras, Burmese reporters expose the repressive regime controlling their country. In 2007, after decades of silence, Burma became headline news when peaceful Buddhist monks led a massive rebellion. Foreign news crews were banned, the Internet was shut down, and Burma was closed to the outside world. So how did we witness these events? Enter the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), aka the Burma VJs.

No, video is not dead. You may have your swank DVD's and Blu-rays piled high around your TV, but the art of video-making continues strong. VideoFest (that Bart Weiss-driven thing known as the Dallas Video Festival for the past 21 years) is going on right now at the Angelika Film Center.

With screenings through Sunday, you have plenty of time to make it down to Mockingbird Station and check out some of the local and international films. Scope it out before you go with these details from movie critic Chris Vognar.

Program schedule (.pdf)

Tell us, which videos did you see? Any low-key artists from the festival we should watch out for?

I dig Paste magazine. It's hip without being hipper than thou, and the staff tends to have good tatse (meaning their interests coincide with mine). So peep Paste's tally of the Top 50 films of the decade (yeah it's about that time). No. 1: City of God. The rest? Keep reading.

The Couch Potato got so excited about this week's DVD releases that he wrote way over his allotted space. (Cursed newshole). Here's what got cut. Enjoy.

Gone but not forgotten

The best impressionists don't turn into carbon copies of their subjects; they take a trait or two and accentuate to hilarious proportions. That's what Will Ferrell does in You're Welcome America, his Tony-nominated one-man George W. Bush show captured for posterity by HBO.

Ferrell's Bush is the swaggering, eager-to-please frat boy more comfortable with bestowing jocular nicknames than conducting foreign policy. The anger of You're Welcome America -- and it's there if you look deep enough -- is wrapped snugly inside the comedian's art. And if you want a little bit of inexplicable full-frontal nudity, they got that, too. This is, after all, Will Ferrell.

Also this week

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 -- Underrated Tony Scott remake in standard and Blu-ray.

G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra -- The cobra rises. Filmmaking falls.

The Watchmen: Ultimate Blu-Ray -- Apparently even more ultimate than the previous Blu-ray.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Season One -- Love me some General Grievous.

Bela Fleck: Throw Down Your Heart -- Acclaimed documentary on the banjo maestro and the instrument's African folk traditions.

Twilight fans are getting another addition to the empire with news out today that a "family restaurant" called Volterra will open in Forks, Wash., where the vampire book and movie series is set.

So, now there's a TV show, a lounge, several homes on the Web and so on and so forth.

Turns out the folks in charge of opening this restaurant didn't check with another place called Volterra in Seattle. But owners Annette and Tim Root say that "Volterra" is just a working name.

Stay tuned.

(Photo of Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen and Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan by Kimberley French for Summit Entertainment)

Movie critic Chris Vognar is at the Austin Film Festival through Oct. 29. Follow him for updates at twitter.com/guidelivemovies.

Michael Jackson's This Is It opens at 11 p.m. Tuesday in area theaters, though the movie's official opening date is Wednesday. Tickets are widely available, including at www.thisisittickets.com and at individual theaters and movie Web sites such as Fandango.

The movie's running time is 1 hour and 51 minutes, for those of you wondering just how much of the reported 120 hours of footage made it onto the screen.

I'm sure the DVD will be ready for purchase during the holiday season. Aren't you?