Film News

Rodriguez Tries On 'Shorts,' Aims for Space

The unusually idle – but secretive as ever – Robert Rodriguez is getting busy again with production commencing at his local Troublemaker Studios on Shorts from Warner Bros. and independent studio Media Rights Capital, which describes the family film as about what happens when "a mysterious object that falls into the hands of a group of misfit kids and their dysfunctional families who unleash its powers on an unsuspecting community, setting off a series of mythical misadventures." Meanwhile, Rose McGowan tells MTV that she's still set to star in Barbarella, and the remake/re-envisioning of the spacey space epic that originally starred Jane Fonda is still on track, with costumes done, some sets constructed, and a few chunks of spaceship waiting to blast off. But don't expect filming to commence until after the potential of an actors' strike in June passes (my prediction is for a very peaceful resolution, unlike the writers' strike).

They Shoot Movies Here, Don't They?

We're ever-hopeful Mike Judge's next film, Extract, will shoot hereabouts. According to Variety, it will star Jason Bateman as the embattled boss of an extract company that sounds a whole lot like Adams Extract, which used to call South Austin home... Meanwhile Tim McCanlies' The Two Bobs needs volunteer extras of all shapes and sizes for shooting of the film's Porkapalooza Festival scenes at Waterloo Park on May 18. RSVP to [email protected]... Rowdy Stovall's Austin-shot Mexican Sunrise premieres during the Cannes Film Festival on May 16, but it will look a lot different than the movie shown around the country at festivals. Armand Assante now offers narration to the story as "the angel of death," following some additional shooting in Florida that tracks Stovall's original vision for his first feature.

And the Rest ...

Villa Muse has officially thrown in the towel. In a statement released on May 5, CEO Jay Podolnick stated that his proposed studio complex "is committed to breaking ground somewhere in Texas this year" – just not in Austin. For more, see "Villa Muse Rolls the Credits," News, ... The annual Cinemakids workshop – which began as a sidebar to the now-defunct Cinematexas film festival – has announced a hiatus for 2008 due to "scheduling conflicts" and pledges to be back in 2009... South by Southwest's fifth SXSWclick is seeking your digital shorts; winners in five categories will be screened at SXSW next March. More info is at www.sxswclick.com... May 15 is the first deadline for the Austin Film Festival's screenplay/teleplay competition. More at www.austinfilmfestival.com... The Austin Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival is accepting submissions for its My Gay Movie Competition. Novice Texas filmmakers, hand over your shorts (no more than 10 minutes long). More at www.agliff.org... Reel Women again is the local sponsor of the 48 Hour Film Project, in which teams write, shoot, and edit a short film over the June 20 weekend. More at www.48hourfilm.com/austin... Former Austinite Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars) is stepping back from the CW's Beverly Hills, 90210 spin-off because he has not one but two pilots with ABC: a remake of his own former show Cupid and something called Good Behavior... Yes, I do know they serve mixed drinks at the Paramount Theatre.

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