December 23, 2014 // The Good, the Bad, the Weird // Ben

A pleasant December to all Trillsters (I find 'happy holidays' too sectarian for my tastes). Next Tuesday, please join me at House Garry for The Good, the Bad, the Weird, a 2008 South Korean western film.  I'm doing this 'Rory Style' having never seen it before, but I am led to believe that it is right up my alley being a combination of weird Asian stuff and gunfights (apologies in advance to Bjorn).

Key Takeaways

• 12/23
• 7:30
• House Garry
• Pizza
• Dawsons
• Potential Special Guest Lindsey Knott!

-bg

December 9, 2014 // Lone Star // Springer

December 9, 2014
7:30
Springer's House


A little whodunit, a little forbidden romance, a little history, a great soundtrack, a little slice of life along the Texas/Mexico border - Lone Star.

And maybe some DC.

Bring beer and an appetite for pizza.

PS - RC, your friend that is in town is welcome to join us.

December 4, 2014 // ??? // Caroline

Trillsters,

Looking forward to this week! A quick poll. Have any of you seen the following? I feel like there may be a few (though hopefully not all) that some have seen. Any vote on which to watch?

1. Fish Tank (aw it a few years ago and liked it)
2. A Serious Man (I haven't seen it, but want to...)
3. Incendies (I haven't seen it, but want to...)
4. Vera Drake (I haven't seen it, but want to...)

A bit about each:

Fish Tank is a dark British coming-of-age story from 2009. A Serious Man (as you probably already know) is a dark, 2009 Coen Brothers comedy that I regret to say I've never watched. It's about faith/the questioning of faith. Incendies is a Canadian mystery/drama adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's play (of the same name) – it's about uncovering the mystery and details of the main characters' (who are twins) mother's life. Vera Drake is a British drama about the story of a working-class woman in London in 1950 who performs illegal abortions.

Let me know what sounds good to you, if any. I have a lot more on the list if none of these make the cut.

Otherwise, details as follows:Thursday, December 4

7:30pm at House Garry

Pizza will be served; bring booze

November 12, 2014 // La Dolce Vita // Bjorn

This Wednesday, November 12 I am taking Trill Movie Night to Rome for a glimpse into the empty, decadent lives of jaded celebrities and aristocrats as seen through the eyes of a tabloid journalist. This movie, often considered to be Fellini's finest, predicted the cult of celebrity and the obsession with fame that persists to this day.

7:30pm, Casa de Springer

222 Drennan Street, 77003

November 4, 2014 // Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) // Rory

On Election Day 2014 we took a field trip to the Sundance Institute downtown to attend a screening of Birdman, the new film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu.

October 29 // Ben // Central Park Five

Wow,

Can you believe its been over a month?  Where has the time gone?  Lets get our grove back this Wednesday where I will be showing a documentary about the Central Park Five.

I thought of doing something light-hearted for our return, but I really wanted to see this, and its an important issue, and Netflix thought I would give it five stars, and its election season, so through a confluence of factors, I decided to makes us watch a two hour documentary about the racism of the criminal justice system in America.  Plus, since we seem to being doing this less frequently these days, I figure I should make each one count.

A refreshing pallet cleanser of Dawson's Creek will be served following the main course (if Bjorn would be so lovely as to bring the DVD and a player).  If you can't wait, I suggest you watch this in the meantime (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OXMnRH-VmU).  Pizza will also be served.

House Garry, 7:30, Wednesday.  We Ride.

-bg

September 25 / Springer / Eve's Bayou

When: 7:00 pm, Thursday, September 25, 2014

Where:  The all new Casa de Springer - 222 Drennan Street, 77003.  Don't trust Google Maps if it tries to send you to "North" Drennan.  I am on the corner of Menard and Drennan (driveway is off Menard).  The first person here can pull into the garage and then there should be room for two other cars in the driveway.  You can also park on the street on Menard or Drennan.

What:  Pizza and Eve's Bayou (1997) and a Dawson's!

"Memory is a selection of images, some elusive, other printed indelibly on the brain. The summer I killed my father, I was 10 years old."

Please speak up if you have seen this one.  If several of you have, I can pick something else.

September 10 // The Silence // Caroline

I thought I might take a little hiatus from our “Summer of Love” series by showing this German film from 2010 called The Silence (or “Das letzte Schweigen”). I do still plan to show Stranger by the Lake but I thought I’d give our senses a break (that movie is freaking intense). The Silence is fictional; a slower-paced, melodramatic crime/thriller set in the German countryside. I think it’s got some really lovely character development and cinematography. I particularly liked some of the camera angles (tons of shots would be stunning stills).

Has anyone seen it yet?

I’m not really familiar with the director Baran Bo Odar — he’s a younger guy and I believe originally Swiss. I do know it’s an adaptation from a book and won an award as such. Don’t read about it online (there are spoilers everywhere).

If possible, let’s start at 7:30pm again if that works. High potential for Dawson’s Creek afterward.

Wednesday, September 10
House Garry @ 7:30pm
Pizza will be served; bring beer
Feel free to park in the driveway

September 3, 2014 // A Movie // Bjorn

On Wednesday, September 3 I will be showing a movie. It will be trill. There will be pizza. You will bring beer. There will be Dawson's.

7:30 House Garry.

That is all for now.

August 28, 2014 // Nymphomaniac: Volume 1 // Rory

Trillsters,

Imma hit y'all with (Volume 1 of) Lars von Trier's latest film.  It is allegedly part III of von Trier's "Depression Trilogy" preceded by Antichrist and Melancholia.  I really wanted to see this in theaters but Houston only had it for like 1 week.  It got mixed reviews but I feel like even von Trier's failures are entertaining.  I thought I would push the boundaries with TMN even more after Blue is the Warmest Color in my attempt to gradually change TMN to a hardcore porn-watching movie night group.  Just kidding (maybe).  But, for real, the raunchy scenes apparently used some kind of special effect where the actors' faces were digitally grafted onto other people's bodies who are having unsimulated sex.  Or maybe other people's genitals were digitally grafted onto the actors' bodies.  Either way, people will be doin' it.

7:00 PM @ House Garry

118 minutes

DC afterwards for those who are so inclined.

Austin Checking In

This was posted on Facebook today from the show I've literally been waiting a year to screen for y'all:

"The final episode of THE VAULT is 98% shot and we're quite deep into the post-production process. Clocking in at over 20 minutes long (and counting), it will be our longest episode ever.
We'll update with a premiere date as it gets closer, but rest assured, it's on its way."

So I went back and totaled the time of the existing videos and it hits approximately 170 minutes, which is almost 3 hours. If you add the 20+ minutes of finale to that we're getting pretty long for one movie night.

I don't want to step on Rory or Bjorn's toes since their turns are coming up, but whenever we can find a time to slither me back into rotation, I'd like to have y'all over at our new place to watch what we'll call PART ONE: ENTER THE VAULT and watch about half of the programming. This would also herald my (and maybe sometimes Brittany's) ability to attend more movie nights.

Then, when they finally put out the last episode and it comes back around to me, we'll finish the second half of the series.

Thoughts?

July 24 // [a critically acclaimed violent crime drama] // Ben

People of Trill Nation,

Ok, so there are two movies I have wanted to see for a long time and they are both on netflix and they are both in the same genre and they are both critically acclaimed and they are both very intense and they are both about kids and crime and poverty and violence.  Basically the only difference between them (other than completely different plot, settings, actors, languages, etc.) is that maybe you have seen one but not the other.

So let this serve as a poll.  Let me know which of these you have seen (if any) and we'll watch the movie with the smallest previous viewership.

When: This Thursday (the 24th)
Where: House Garry
Pizza: Yes.

-bg

July 17 // 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days // Caroline

This is still such a controversial topic even today, regardless of the film being set in Romania in the late 80s. There have been some major events the past year or so: last June, a pro-choice filibuster right here in Texas by Wendy Davis to preserve a woman's right/access to a safe abortion procedure, and most recently the 4-5 decision by the Supreme Court regarding Hobby Lobby and whether or not employers are mandated to cover contraception through ObamaCare based on an argument of religious freedom.

I digress. Regardless of political leanings (I know you know mine), this is a film that primarily focuses on the difficult (and secretive) decision-making process women are still faced with, to many degrees, today. It’s a bit dark but true as it explores what happens when options and time are limited, judgement high and resources scarce.

I’ve watched it previously and found myself flashing back to college when you’re too young in many ways to face some of life’s challenges alone, but you do anyway as to not let those around you down (and not get into trouble!). I feel grateful and lucky to have never been in this situation as a woman.

I feel like we'll need some Dawson's as a pick-me-up afterwards...

House Garry
Thursday, July 17
7:00pm

July 9, 2014 / The Matador / Springer

Wednesday, July 9, 2014
7:00 pm (we won't start without you, Caroline, and we'll miss you, Rory)
Springer's Apartment (for the last time)

There will be pizza.  There will be relatively comfy seating.  There will be A/C.  There will be assassinations. There will be bullfights (no animals were harmed in the drafting of this blog post).  There will be an existential crisis. There will be laughs.  There will be explosions.   There will be Pierce Brosnan drinking in his underwear. According to the reviews, there will be one liners and/or sight gags to offend just about every demographic.  There will be beer (if you bring it).  There will be random boxes scattered about.  There will be packing paper if you want to pack dishes while you watch the movie.  Basically, everything you could hope for on a Wednesday.

The Matador

June 19 // Caligula // Bjorn

Quite. 

So join me as we watch the movie that needs no introduction (except for the one our friend Ebert so generously provided). 

The Wikipedia entry categorizes it as an "Italo–American erotic biographical drama film". It stars Malcolm McDowell, of "Clockwork Orange" fame, and Helen Mirren, of Helen Mirren fame. It has been called the most controversial film of all time, and the worst film of all time, and that is exactly why we're watching it. 

7pm, House Garry. Pizza, beer, and gratuitous, unsimulated sex scenes will be provided! 

June 12 // Blue Is The Warmest Color // Rory

Rory showed this movie, which was awesome, but didn't make a blog post about it.  I am adding one after the fact so that we have a record of all the awesome movies we saw even though some of us (cough) are not very good at blogging.

- Mr. Trill

May 29, 2014 // Machete Kills // Ben

Take all of the celebrities (Mel Gibson, Charlie Sheen, Lady GaGa, Sophia Vergara) (hey, I didn't say they were good celebrities), add all of the weapons (guns, boob guns, hand cannons, and, of course machetes), a dash of titties, and a bucket of blood and you have the sequel to last year's surprise movie night hit, Machete Kills.

Come to house Garry at 7:00 pm this Thursday to see the film that Adam Graham of the Detroit News called an "inside joke wrapped in a fanboy fantasy, pieced together through a haze of ironic detachment" (and also "barely a movie").  Is it as good as the first one?  I doubt it. Is it good at all?  Hey, did you hear what I said earlier?  There are boob guns!  Who are you anyway, A.O Scott?  Chill out.

As always, there will be complementary pizza and teen angst provided.  BYOB and sense of irony.

Machete don't text, but he does do movie night.

May 22, 2014 // Dogtooth // Caroline

Trillsters,

House Garry (OMG it's GOT season!) is looking forward to hosting you this Thursday, May 22nd for a showing of Dogtooth. I'd heard of it before, but never watched it until this past week. I was initially intrigued by the satirical premise and my love of dark/black comedy. It's a little raw, a little surreal and a lot bizarre. From a purely visual standpoint, I think it's stunning; particularly the restraint in what's captured in the frame (as well as when it cuts away). It was premiered in 2009 by Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos at the Cannes Film Festival.

Dinner: "Parachutes" (pizza)
Drinks: "Fly Swatters" (bring your own beers)
Time: "Truck" (dusk: 7pm)

See you there!
Caroline

The Fountain (changed to The Friends of Eddie Coyle) - May 8, 2014 - Springer

Thursday, May 8, 2014 - Springer's Apartment - 7:00 pm
Pizza will be provided.

The Fountain is a 2006 film directed by Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan).  I came across it on a list of "25 Films You Should See" or something like that.  The reviews are sort of all over the place.  The list contained lots of movies I really liked, so I thought I'd trust the list maker and try this one. From IMDB: "The Fountain is a story of love, death, spirituality, and the fragility of our existence in this world."  So it's pretty much a movie version of Dawson's Creek, except that it has conquistadors, brilliant scientists and futuristic astronauts and it's not set in Capeside as far as I know.
I am updating so we have our records straight - at the last minute I decided instead to show The Friends of Eddie Coyle, a 1973 crime drama starring Robert Mitchum.

See you Thursday!

Thursday May 1, 2014 // The Day of the Locust // Bjorn

Trill movie goers:

This week I will be showing the 1975 cult classic "The Day of the Locust" directed by John Schlesinger and starring Donald Sutherland and Karen Black. It's a story set in the so-called "Golden Age of Hollywood", and is a scathing indictment of the all-consuming L.A. movie machine, and is based on a novel by Nathanael West that was published in 1939, at the peak of Hollywood's golden era. 

The film follows the empty and desperate lives of some of Hollywood's not-so-gifted residents, all held up to the mirror of the glamour and epic scale of the major successes of the time period, films such as The Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind. 

Watch in horror as you witness the grotesque and delusional self-destruction of such characters as an aging dwarf, an androgynous tap-dancing child star, and a sexually repressed accountant named Homer Simpson. 

This Thursday, 7pm, Springer's place. Be there and watch as any and all dreams come to a violent, crashing end. Also, pizza and beer!

April 24, 2014 // Sin Nombre // Rory

PEOPLE,

This time around I have selected the 2009 U.S./Mexican film, Sin Nombre.  The English translation is "Without a Name" or "Nameless" for all you gringos/gringas.  I'm picking Sin Nombre because of the director, Cary Joji Fukunaga.  I was so impressed with his direction in True Detective (he actually directed every episode of season 1, which is a rarity in a television series) that it made me want to go back and check out some of his earlier work.  Sin Nombre is Mr. Fukunaga's feature film debut (he also has a 2011 adaptation of Jane Eyre on his resume) and he both wrote and directed it.  Sin Nombre won awards for both directing and cinematography at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.  Although you may not be familiar with Mr. Fukunaga now, I am sure that we will be seeing more good things from him in the future.

Rotten Tomatoes gives this blurb about Sin Nombre: "Part harrowing immigration tale, part gangster story, this debut by writer/director Cary Fukunaga is sensitive, insightful, and deeply authentic".

7:00 PM @ House Garry
The running time is 96 minutes, so the option for DC is there afterwards.
As always, all your pizza needs will be provided for by yours truly.  The beverages are up to you.  Burping is encouraged.  Please don't let me be the only one.

April 9, 2014 // The Sound of Noise // Ben

UPDATE: We'll be watching "The Sound of Noise" instead since I was the last person on Earth to see "The Cabin in the Woods" (a situation now remedied).  See you tomorrow!

I hate horror movies.

I mean it.  Being scarred is not a good feeling, so why would anyone want to watch a movie whose primary purpose is making them physically feel bad.  It's like a reverse porno or something.  It makes no sense.

On the other hand, Netflix thinks I will give this five stars, and I have heard a lot of good things about it, and I would be watching it in a room full of people who would probably protect me if a monster tried to eat me while we were watching this movie.  Also, when I was little I thought I hated roller coasters, like for years.  I refused to even think about getting on one.  Until one day someone tricked me into going on a roller coaster, and you know what?  I loved it.

So who knows, maybe I don't even know what I like, and by then end of this I'll be watching back-to-back Saw marathons every TMN.  Or maybe you will all get to see me cry.  I guess we'll find out next Wednesday at 7:00 PM (House Garry).

-bg

p.s.  I know this was a big popular movie, so I don't know if most people have already seen this.  If you have, please note so in the comments.  If most of us have already seen it, I have a backup pick (not scary) that we'll watch instead.

March 27, 2014 // The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover // Caroline

Trillsters,

Get ready for a mouthful (try saying The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover five times fast). This is a British-French film from 1989 that is a bizarrely dramatic piece of art. Everything about it is really intense and over-the-top... the characters, their wardrobe, the camera angles, the relationships, THE NUDITY (prepare to blush). Let's just say Helen Mirren leaves it all on the stage (AND THEN SOME, amirite?!). The story is that of romance and crime, though there have been critics and articles that attempt to link it to 1980s British domestic politics/Thatcherism.

It was premiered at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival and shocked audiences. Due to the controversy of its content, it opted out of the rating system rather than receive an X rating from MPAA. It was directed by Peter Greenaway and is one of his most famous (infamous?) films.

Run time is right at 2 hours (so maybe not time for Dawsons, but that will really just leave us wanting more for the next time, right?).

House Garry
Thursday, March 27
7:00pm
Pizza will be served (if you don't lose your appetite first)

Return From the Ashes (1965) and more! - Springer

March 13, 2014
7:00 PM
Casa de Springer - Apt 2903
Pizza will be provided

Post World War II Paris, a sexy x-ray technician, an affair with a stepdaughter, insurance fraud, plastic surgery, chess, a guy named "Stanislaus"....basically Return From the Ashes seems to have everything!






I found this on a list of "50 Amazing Films You've Probably Never Seen" and it sounded cool. I haven't seen it, so we'll take this "journey into the diabolical" together! It stars Maximilian Schell and was directed by J. Lee Thompson, who also directed "The Guns of Navarone" and the original "Cape Fear."

Something has been gnawing at me since the last get together.  Was anyone else pretty sure that last week's DC episode was building toward a steamy lesbian scene between Tamara and Dawson's mom? We should have time to watch an episode this week and see if I was right!

See you Thursday.

Thursday, March 6 // The Killers // Rory

Dear Trillsters,

As previously discussed, we'll be taking a break this week but we'll be back at it the following week. On Thursday, March 6 Caroline & Ben will be hosting.

In an effort to dig a little deeper into one of my favorite styles / genres of film, I was looking at a list of the classic era (1940-1958) film noirs included in the National Film Registry and noticed that The Killers (1946) is one of the few that I haven't seen yet. So let's go on this ride together. 

 The Killers was directed by the German-born Robert Siodmak. It was Burt Lancaster's debut film and, although it was not Ava Gardner's debut, it was her first major role. The Killers was adapted from a short story by Ernest Hemingway. It was a critical and commercial success and received Oscar nominations for Best Director and Best Screenplay. The opening sequence is supposed to be especially noteworthy. After getting a "very long wait" message for The Killers on Netflix, I tried Weirdo Video and they got it for me in about a week. It's 105 minutes so perhaps we can sneak in a DC episode (or two) afterwards.

7:00 start time. Pizza provided. Bring your own beverages.

February 20, 2014 // Peeping Tom // Bjorn

This Thursday night at 7pm I will be showing the 1960 British thriller "Peeping Tom". It is a thriller in every sense of the word-- it is the first mainstream movie about snuff films, and features a serial killer, psychological experiments on fear and its effect on the nervous system, pornography, prostitution and a killer camera. 

It was an extremely controversial film upon its release and most British film critics found it disgusting and perverted (which to me is a glowing recommendation). Incidentally, the also said much the same about "Psycho" which was released in the same year. This movie literally ended the career of director Michael Powell, and was later rediscovered by critics and is now considered "a classic work of voyeuristic cinema" 
So join me at Springer's place at 7pm for pizza, beer, and a killer camera!

February 11, 2014 // Mutant Girl Squad // Ben

!!!NOTE THE DAY CHANGE (AGAIN)!!!

Two Words:
Ass Chainsaw

Two More Words:
Nose Gun

Three Words This Time:
Acid Breast Milk

Back To Two Words
Be There

7pm @ House Garry

Pizza provided, but if you barf it up you have to clean it up.

bg

60's Space, or 70's Race?

What's happenin' jive turkeys?
I'm having a really hard time making up my mind about what movie to watch this Thursday (since The Vault STILL ISN'T FUCKING FINISHED), so I thought I'd check and see if anyone has already seen either of these:
"For All Mankind" is widely considered the best space documentary ever made. It follows the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon. It's really well done, not cheesy, and tells the story of human spaceflight in a pretty straightforward way. On a selfish level, I've kind of been wanting to show this so that when I talk about space or my job or whatever, you'll have a frame of reference for what I'm talking about.
On the other hand, the instant cult-classic "Black Dynamite" is really fucking awesome. Essentially a spoof of 70s era blacksploitation films (made in 2009), I think of it as the black Big Lebowski. The music fucking rules, it's hilarious and very self-aware, and uses a lot of famous black actors and porn stars. It's way better than I'm describing and a lot of fun to watch. Tons of subtle nods and homage.
/ /
So, have any of you seen either? What are you in the mood for?
Either way, I'm drinking a 40 with my pizza.
House Havican Thursday at 7.

Movie Night, 1/23/14

Brittany and I have plans this Thursday, so we will be hosting movie night at our house the following week, on January 23.  I am sorry for the late notice. (Actually, this is Brittany typing, pretending to be Austin, because he is still at work and I keep bugging him about posting for the past few days and he has been too busy and can't remember.) He is still deciding on what movie to play.

I apologize for my husband. ; )

He will post details about next week's movie night very soon so please check back.

January 9, 2014 // Hands on a Hard Body // Caroline

Flash back to 1995. Girls were watching Clueless in their pink and green plaid Burberry jammies while gossiping with friends about latest “crushes” and boys were watching Batman Forever while calling every neighbor to ask if their “refrigerator was running.”


It was a great year. We were all awkward. But not as awkward as grown-ass men and women in Longview, Texas who put themselves up for the physical AND mental task of putting their hands on a hard, waxed body (pickup truck, get your minds out of the gutter) for as long as they possibly could in order to win said truck. You know they must have gotten tired. Their knees must have locked up. What if they had to scratch their…

As they say in East Texas, “This is when the big dogs hunt. If you can’t hunt with the big dogs, get up on the porch with the pups.”

Please join me at 7:00pm this Thursday (January 9) as we watch Hands on a Hard Body, a documentary about the struggles and triumphs of the 72-hour-long contest.

House Garry.
Pizza provided.

-c