QT Fest Tagged Articles at Cinematical

For me, one of the unexpected high points during this year's Best of QT Fest in Austin was the 1974 movie The Dion Brothers, also known as The Gravy Train. The movie was directed by the late Jack Starrett, whose birthday is today (along with my own). Starrett's other films include Hollywood Man, which also screened at Best of QT Fest, and Cleopatra Jones. You might have spotted him as a supporting character in a Sixties or Seventies film: Gabby Johnson in Blazing Saddles is probably his most recognizable role.

My favorite part of The Dion Brothers is the first scene, pictured above, in which Calvin Dion (Stacey Keach) decides he's had enough of his factory job and rants in a manner that rivals Howard Beale in Network. Beale never bellowed "I'm f---in' Kirk Douglas!" in that memorable way, either. However, the rest of The Dion Brothers is also lively and hilarious. Calvin recruits his little brother Rut (Frederic Forrest) to join him in organizing a number of profitable crime sprees, which will raise money for them to open the fanciest seafood restaurant ever (with a list of incredibly awful-sounding menu items). Their first attempt at robbery doesn't go quite the way they intended, and they end up entangled with one of those flaky females that are sadly popular in Seventies films, played by Margot Kidder. The climactic sequence, in a building that's being demolished, is truly intense. And did I mention that the script was co-written by Terrence Malick? I wonder if he's responsible for the movie's quantity of quotable one-liners.

Sadly, The Dion Brothers isn't available on DVD at this time, although I've heard that you can find some clips from the film on YouTube. Otherwise, you'll just have to hope that Quentin Tarantino shows up in your town with his print of the film.

[Special thanks to Blake of Rare Movie Images, who found this photo for me at my special request.]

The 1984 film Silent Night, Deadly Night is a typical Eighties horror movie, considered controversial upon release because the killer dressed up as Santa Claus. The first 10 minutes of the film are truly the best part, and this is due almost entirely to character actor Will Hare, today's featured scene stealer.

It's Christmas Eve, and little Billy is accompanying his parents to visit Grandpa (Hare), who is in a nursing home and never speaks or seems to move. Grandpa is so harmless that the parents leave Billy alone in the room with him while they discuss matters with the doctor. Suddenly Grandpa springs to life. He warns the boy that Santa Claus doesn't just bring presents to good children -- he punishes the naughty ones. "You see Santa Claus tonight, you better run for your life, boy!" Little Billy is terrified ... and by the time the parents return, Grandpa has reverted to his catatonic state.

Since 1998, Quentin Tarantino has hosted QT Fest in Austin every year or so. For a week each time, he shows films from his personal collection, grouping them loosely by subject matter: biker-film night, Italian crime film night, sexploitation night, and the traditional all-night horror-film marathon. Last week, Tarantino returned to Austin for Best of QT Fest, in which he showed his favorite films from the series. Despite being an Austinite, I had never attended a QT Fest movie before, and wasn't sure I wanted to watch a bunch of grindhouse and horror and martial-arts films. But I decided that I needed to broaden my filmgoing horizons and see movies in different genres -- plus, many QT Fest films are not available on DVD and are rarely screened. And happily, Best of QT Fest turned out to be a blast. I was a little sorry I didn't go every night, although seven consecutive nights of double and triple-features, including an all-nighter, would have been a little punishing.

For the past several years, Quentin Tarantino has brought his own brand of film mania to Austin, screening films just because he loves them -- and the masses go crazy for it, usually selling each fest out without hours of passes going on sale. This year's QT Fest (badges for which went on sale this morning and are surely already gone) is slightly different: instead of bringing more unknown/little-seen/unusual flicks to the Austin film community, Tarantino is bringing back the (totally arbitrary, which is the whole point of the festival) best movies from the past six events, and the eagerly-anticipated list was just revealed.

Included on this year's slate will be an incredibly wide variety of films, from Sam Peckinpah's wonderful, rarely seen Junior Bonner to Pretty Maids all in a Row, which AICN's Quint describes as "a sexploitation flick... Starring Johnny Carson's son, Telly Savalas...Angie Dickinson, Rock Hudson and Roddy McDowell... directed by Roger Vadim." (I think I speak for all of us when I say "Holy crap!" to that summary. Damn, I wish I were in Austin.)

The full list of films for the fest, which runs April 24-30, is up at AICN, and Jette's News from Slackerwood pieces will keep us jealously well-informed as we get closer to the first screening.

[via Matt Dentler]