Slackerwood Podcasts

Filmmakers Chris Metzler and Lev Anderson were in town recently to bring the culture that shaped the personal stories of the black genre-breaking band Fishbone in the compelling film, Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone -- read my review here. Narrated by Laurence Fishburne, viewers are taken through a musical and intimate journey of Fishbone as they face the challenges of a band democracy, fiercely independent artists, and the music industry machine.Personal interviews include musical artists and actors Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Gwen Stefani (No Doubt), Ice-T, and many others, including the dynamic and determined frontmen Angelo Moore and Norwood Fisher. I joined the pair on their tour bus for an interview while they were in town last month for a special Austin Film Society screening and show at Emo's Austin.Hear what Angelo Moore had to say about the impact of digital technology and his ode to Wall Street, as well as Norwood Fisher's greatest musical desire: to write more musical scores for movies.Everyday Sunshine screens at Alamo Drafthouse Ritz tonight at 10 pm as part of Music Monday.

Character actor Beth Grant, who has appeared in everything from Rain Man to Crazy Heart, was in Austin last fall for the world premiere at Austin Film Festival of Herpes Boy, a film she both co-produced and starred in. Herpes Boy returns to town as an AFF special screening this week at Alamo Lake Creek. You can read our Herpes Boy review -- better yet, listen to this interview for Grant's perspective of this quirky comedy. She also discusses what it was like to work with Mike Judge in Extract and with "Sandy" (Bullock), Donnie Darko and the role of myths in film, and offers advice to women who want to get into filmmaking. Listen to Slackerwood's interview with Beth Grant now.

Last fall, I had the opportunity to interview the writer-director team of Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig for their Fantastic Fest premiere of the vampire film Daybreakers. We talked about casting, creature effects and the cost of contact lenses.  You can listen to the interview here, but be warned, a few plot points are touched on, so there may be spoilers. For brevity, I had to cut out part of the conversation, including a Emily Hagins love fest. Apparently the Spierig brothers are well aware of Austin's youngest auteur, and they did spend some time talking with her at the Fantastic Fest closing-night party.  Daybreakers opens in Austin theaters on Friday, January 8. Keep an eye out for Debbie's review later today.

In podcast #15, Jette giggles helplessly from the sidelines while Chris Holland -- in his triumphant return to Slackerwood podcasts -- and AFF Film Program Director Kelly Williams go crazy discussing/debating their picks for can't-miss movies and events during Austin Film Festival 2009. There may also be some heckling. I do manage to sneak a couple of questions in there. Kelly gives us the inside scoop on big-name stars at marquee screenings, as well as interesting details about some lesser-known films playing AFF. He also shares a few tips for anyone who just wants to buy tickets to a movie or two during AFF.If you're planning to attend Austin Film Festival this year, if you're on the fence about buying a film pass, or if you just need a good laugh, you won't want to miss this podcast. Disclaimer: Despite what we may have said in the podcast, Oprah Winfrey is not scheduled to attend the AFF screening of Precious: Based on the Novel Push By Sapphire. However, those double-features at Alamo Lake Creek really are on the schedule.Oh, yeah, and I suppose you'll find out quickly that we're back to using the seven words you can't say on television.Listen to podcast #15 now. [Photo credit: "AFF Tote Bags" by Chris Holland]

We met so many great filmmakers at Fantastic Fest and had so many fun interviews that we're publishing some bonus mini-podcasts apart from our regularly scheduled Slackerwood podcast. In podcast #14.2, Debbie Cerda interviews writer/director Tracie Laymon, whose short Inside was a suspenseful part of the fest's Short Fuse lineup. Tracie talks about how she started her filmmaking career here in Austin in the late 1990s, and shares her hope of returning to shoot a feature here soon.Listen to podcast #14.2 now.[Photo credit: "Tracie Laymon Interview at Progress Coffee" by Debbie Cerda.]

In podcast #14.1, Debbie Cerda interviews writer/director Kerry Prior, whose film The Revenant played Fantastic Fest this year -- Prior won the Best Horror Director award at the fest. They talk about Kerry's Fantastic Fest experience (surprise: he liked it), challenges that he thinks The Revenant may face with distributors, deleted scenes, and some inspirations for the story. And yes, he's looking forward to the Twilight sequel, New Moon, as shown in the photo above.Listen to podcast #14.1 now.[Photo credit: "Kerry Prior" by Debbie Cerda]

In podcast #14, Jenn, Jette and Debbie discuss the most memorable parts of Fantastic Fest. Jenn may have caught the Fantastic Flu, but that doesn't stop us from talking about our favorite movies, the fest's gala screenings and red-carpet events, and other fun moments at the festival.The podcast also includes Zombieland red-carpet interview clips: Woody Harrelson talks about how he managed eating Hostess products while on a raw-food diet, Emma Stone reveals the truth about the heavy-duty machine guns she wielded in the film, director Ruben Fleischer talks about visual effects ... and Jesse Eisenberg loves the name "Slackerwood," earning a special place in our hearts. Hope to see you on Twitter and Facebook soon, Jesse.Listen to podcast #14 now.

Even if you aren't a podcast kind of person, even if you aren't going to Fantastic Fest, you want to listen to Slackerwood Podcast #13. It's our funniest, most entertaining podcast to date, thanks to Alamo Drafthouse programmer Zack Carlson. Zack -- pictured above before being shot with a gore cannon at Fantastic Fest 2007 -- sits down with Jette, Jenn and Debbie to discuss festival events, the "giant man-Smurf" in Avatar, why he Twitters about Hitler, and other completely random and hilarious stuff.Helpful hint: When the end-credit music starts, don't leave the theater -- I mean, don't leave the podcast. You'll miss Samuel L. Jackson -- okay, not him, but something very amusing, thanks to our audio engineer Chip Rosenthal. Let me just say I had no idea that would be in there until I heard the finished podcast myself.Listen to podcast #13 now.

That's right, let the festivals begin! Jenn Brown, Debbie Cerda and Jette Kernion can't wait to spend long hours in theaters watching lots of as-yet-unreleased films ... not to mention the fun of creating schedules and picking movies and spotting filmmakers at screenings or in the crowds.In podcast #12, we discuss Austin Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (aGLIFF) films that look interesting to us, discuss the best ways to organize your film festival schedules, and wonder how we're going to get through aGLIFF, Fantastic Fest, Austin Film Festival and possibly even the Seguin Film Festival all in the next couple of months. In addition, Jenn Brown interviews aGLIFF Programs Director Jake Gonzales and Executive Director David Sweeney about this year's fest and some plans for year-round programming.Listen to podcast #12 now.[Photo credit: "fantastic fest-6062" on Alamo Drafthouse Flickr page. No photographer credited -- I'm guessing it was taken by Mary Sledd. Used under standing agreement with Alamo.]