BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON

Tonight we made it up to the Blue Theater on the East side to see this rock musical.  My Improv teacher, Sarah Marie Curry has a substantial role in this and I just loved her performance.  This is a quirky, risk- taking version of a bold President who was either a wack-o or a visionary who spoke for the people.  One thing for sure, he robbed native Americans of their land.  The performers were energetic, vibrant and talented.  Sarah Marie is a perfect musical theater performer: attractive, energetic, great voice, great physical actor.  She was wonderful (I want to say adorable too!)

Back to the set tomorrow for SACRIFICE.

SACRIFICE/Director:Katie Young

I've been cast in an independent film directed by a young filmmaker, Katie Young.  Spent the day with a fine group of actors who drove in from all over Texas to work collaboratively and help make this film. I have a major role in this film, there were many retakes of scenes,  and throughout I was very aware of how much I have learned from my acting coaches.  In addition,  all of the experiences I've been fortunate  to have had working on student films  has really brought me a comfort level with the process and an openness to learn more.  Back on Sunday for more filming on the set.  Happy to have been given this opportunity to work with this young filmmaker.

Met Abe at The STATE to see OUT OF AFRICA.  (First a great Happy Hour at Roaring Fork).  Abe loved this film.  I described it as Ralph Lauren comes to Africa.  Meryl is the superb Meryl and is so believable as this Danish trail blazer.  And Robert Redford is the same Robert Redford leading man as always (cute but boring) no matter what role.  I never do well with National Geographic views of Africa as the background for the stories told of white European owned plantations.  Never trust the polished version presented.    But Meryl as always is a wonder to behold.   LONG day!

VAHO/Austin Film Society

Last night as we continued with Films of Latin America we were presented with an extremely complex story of 3 friends in Mexico City whose lives intersect over three different time periods.  A pivotal event has effected them and their journeys through their difficult lives.  I had a very difficult time following the story line.  And this morning I woke up to read Chale Nafus' program notes and the vaho (vapor) was removed from my eyes.  And I could see why he loves this complex story telling, the photography and the cultural history the filmmaker brings to us.  Chale's notes are like having a sign language interpreter of a language I don't see/hear so easily.  Whoever said appreciating art or film has to be easy?  I would recommend this film only if you have Chale's notes to provide rich in depth history.
The filmmaker is Alejandro Gerber Bicecci.  He commuted to a University on public transportation while editing a film.  He saw and learned so much.  That I can relate to.

STRANGERS ON A TRAIN/Garrido's

How else do you beat this triple digit heat?  You join lots of Austinites at the Paramount to watch old classics.  Yesterday's Hitchcock b&w film (1937) was fabulous.  An ingenious story about a psychotic socialite and a pro tennis player randomly meeting on a train with murder on one's mind.  The casting of the bespectacled murder victim and the young Nancy Drew type sleuth was brilliant.  While I've heard Mr. Hitchcock didn't think much of actors he certainly knew how to pick them, elegantly dress them and for sure he knew how to pick his male actors.  A gorgeous film.  Next came NORTH BY NORTHWEST but alas two films are too much at one sitting.  So we headed over to Garrido's for delicious food and GREAT margaritas.  Summer in Austin.

The Rockies/Robert Frost with Pam and Addie

So we're back in our own hoods and bless my Canon film camera.  We bring back terrific footage from Boulder.  And who could ask for more?  The poetry maiven of CCNY sitting next to Robert Frost!

Leavin' On A Jet Plane

Pam's already NY bound and I still  have a number of hours to get in one more yoga class and a walk up to the best Pedestrian Mall  ever.  Yesterday we walked two hiking trails at the Chattaqua National Park.....YIKES! While we approached the hikes with much enthusiasm and picked 2 easy trails we found the up-hill journey to be far from easy and none of the little kids walking up the trails looked happy either.  Alas the Boulder Creek trail much more scenic and fun.  What can I say?  I'm a city girl and give me those cement paths any day!  With mountains on one side and creeks on the other.  This has been a great trip.  We danced, heard music from Zimbabwe at the high end St. Julien's and decided the best avocado rolls in the world come from The Cheesecake Factory.  Weather has been gorgeous...it's dry heat here.
Headin' home to my Abey and my beloved Austin soon.  Bring on the heat!

We Brought the Hora to Boulder

Last night we joined a group of people in a public park dancing SouthEast European and Middle Eastern folk dancing (think Zorba the Greek line dancing or circle dancing).  When suggestions were asked for we offered up a Hora and the crowd joined us in a raucous Havah Nagilah, then met my match with MAYIM,MAYIM,MAYIM.  What fun!!!!!  And when it was done a young man (like 19y.o. young) asked me to swing dance with him.  What a hoot!  And I learned to swing dance.  Today we were up at U of C...it is gorgeous!!!!  And ate at THE SINK, think Kirbey Lane in Boulder.    More live music tonight, a Farmer's Market, and Happy Hour at St. Julien's, the 4 star fancy shmantzy hotel where everything is half price!  Life is good!

Live From Boulder

Wow, a beautiful city!!  Hiking trails,, gym with yoga, beautiful mountain ranges,  and deeeeelicious food.  A lot lot lot of walking and tonight dinner and folk dancing at the Boulder Dushanbe Tea House.  It seems that Boulder has a sister city in Kazakistan and they have built and sent an original tea house here.  The menu is eclectic, the grounds are gorgeous and tonight is 3 hours of folk dancing.  What a hoot.  Me and Pammy dancing, eating, laughing, yoga-ing, walking up mountain trails and being reminded no matter how far we have traveled  from our early days together reuniting comes so easy and feels so good.  Boulder has some beautiful places, tomorrow is the University with all of it's museums after yoga.  No Christmas lights on houses though, that's an Austin original.  Pam and I speak frequently of our good fortune.  To have the support of loving husbands cannot be beat.  And that they are eating everything we have left them while we're away is so comforting.

GRAND ILLUSION at the Paramount

When a film is introduced as one of the greatest films EVER made and one of the best anti-war films to be seen I am pumped.  It's hot, it's Father's Day and the Paramount is an oasis we both love.  And yes, this film is gorgeous!  To see German and French officers treating each other with regard due to rank and personal shared history, to see the desire to escape over and over again, to see love, loyalty and human emotion against the background of WWI is inspiration.  This French film made in 1937, written and directed by Jean Renoir, celebrates it's 75th Anniversary and has been restored and re-released.  We should be so grateful for these films, they are like no others.

Tonight I pack for 5 days away in Boulder where Pam and I unite, laugh, hug, have fun and kick up our heels.  The weather?  95 degrees!  What a hoot!

Improv at Institution Theater

Can't say enough good things about this class with Sarah Marie at Institution Theater.  An extremely professional teacher, an intelligent diverse group of students supportive and risk taking.  This is a good way to help with the study of acting.  And I learn so much, feel happy, and am delighted to go to class. 

Tonight it's dinner with Abe and Reed at Backspace, brick oven pizza and salad.  Last time we didn't get in, this time I made a reservation.  Oh Austin, don't go Yuppie on me!

DIVIDING THE ESTATE/ZACH Theater

A wonderful production of this Horton Foote slice of Texas life last night.  The year is 1987 in small town Texas and the family is feuding over "the estate."  MJ Vandivier is hilarious as the matriarch.  So exciting to see a former acting teacher from State School demonstrate her enormous talent and skill.  Barbara Chisolm is absolutely wonderful as the daughter begging for the $$$$.  And as always Eugene Lee is just perfect as the Parkinson affected 90+ y.o. servant.  I learn more and more about this part of the country every time I see a Horton Foote play.  And as a footnote I just love remembering this play was first staged at Lincoln Center a few years ago.  Mr. Foote's appeal is universal.  We laughed, laughed, laughed.  Highly recommended.

Georgia Bramhall @ Honeycomb Hair Boutique

So before gym where I huff, puff and get all sweaty I visited Georgia at 501 Studios to get my hair cut.  Always a good way to start my day.  Beautiful loft, intelligent conversation and a chance to catch up.  She tells me that there will be a tribute to her Dad Doyle Bramhall at Antone's July 11 where I am sure the music will pay tribute on up to the heavens.  And what I love about Georgia is when I tell her I'm going to try a major change and stop coloring my hair and see what au natural holds she's supportive, doesn't convince me otherwise and will take this journey with me.  Dang I've been blonde since childhood!

RAISING ARIZONA at the Paramount

When it's hot in Austin those classic films at the Paramount are a perfect way of spending an evening.  We laughed our heads off at this hysterical zany Coen Brothers comedy.  Nicolas Cage and John Goodman carry off their humor impeccably, with their Southern style so realistically portrayed  it reminds me that it's good to revisit old films.  To see them through a different lens and time in your life.  In 1987 I was the much younger mother of a toddler and an infant and this film was creepy to me.  And tonight with a 24 and a 27y.o. under my belt I laughed my head off in the South where I now live.  I  now could experience the zany humor in a couple kidnapping a quintuplet because the wife's infertile  (she's a cop and he's a repeat felon).  And  yet they seriously convey their very loving  feelings for this infant who is kidnapped yet again, left on top of cars and on highways. Jesse Trussell gave a spirited intro with good program notes as well.  He's like a young version of Chale.  Re-visit this film, it will knock your socks off.

DOS HERMANOS/Austin Film Society

Who ever knew that Argentina had their own Woody Allen?  Daniel Burman, an Argentinian/Polish director in his 30's  prefers writing/directing films about aging people more than he does teens and young adults.  He finds their conflicts and struggles much more interesting than adolescents'....how refreshing!  We loved this evening's film about a brother and sister approaching seventy and continuing to live out their early childhood relationship.  The sister is a hustling phony wannabe society woman and her brother is a goldsmith who cares for their mother until her death with sheer enjoyment.  He is a housekeeper, a cook and when his sister banishes him to a home in a backwater town in Uruguay he makes a life for himself: acting, playing chess, furnishing his home.  He even finds love in one of the loveliest scenes I've ever seen in film when two people spend time together over a home cooked meal.  Not only did Chale provide great program notes to us (how else would I know that Burman is Jewish and a lover of Woody Allen?) but once the film began and we all realized that the 35mm copy did not have subtitles Chale ran/drove home and retrieved a DVD for us.  Only in Austin would the Program Director of the Film Society prove over and over again what a mensch he is.

MOONRISE KINGDOM

A Wes Anderson film where the kids win!  End up on top!  Wes Anderson, who makes a parody of  the failing of parents, understands perfectly well that families are nothing like we've been taught to believe, and sometimes adults are utterly ridiculous.  Abe and I loved this film.  Tilda Swinton as "Social Services" (in a uniform no less), being a rigid enforcer of  child protective laws, is hysterical. The child actors are wonderful, the cinematography beautiful, the music lovely.   Wes Anderson's ability to present life with humor even when the back story is upsetting makes him unique.  And a great contributor to a world where there is so much sadness and sorrow.  We need more films like this that show families truthfully.  It takes  a creative filmmaker to pull this off and once again this Texan  from UT does not disappoint!

Improv With Sarah Marie Curry.

I've taken 3 years of acting classes in Austin with some great experiences and some not so great experiences.  And today I can comfortably say I had a GREAT class with Sarah Marie at the Institution Theater.  This group of people I learn with are so open, available, diverse and a pleasure to work with.  A shout out to Institution Theater for offering this wonderful class.  And a shout out to Sarah Marie for appreciating the uniqueness of this group.

SULTRY SUMMER NIGHT/The Blanton

Last night we headed up to The Blanton for a B Scene event.  It was Member Appreciation night and wow what a great event!  I don't know if it has something to do with the new Director being a woman but this event was the best we've ever attended.  We were greeted with a gift bag of goods and local coupons; delicious food from Whole Foods and a bar on a balcony overlooking the atrium, GREAT music from THE BREW;  salsa dancing that would make your eyes pop out; beautiful people watching, (young and older), and a sneak preview of THE HUMAN TOUCH exhibit.  A wonderful evening, beautiful and friendly crowd, and free for members.  Our Blanton membership has been a great treasure since moving to Austin. It's connected us to a creative world that's helped make my love for Austin even greater.

BOYS DON'T CRY at the Paramount

We'd last seen this extraordinary and groundbreaking film in 1999 and were no less moved when we revisited it this evening at the Paramount.  Hilary Swank, Chloe Sevigny, and Peter Sarsgaard offer performances that are phenomenal in authenticity, courageous, bold, and bone chilling.  The story is of a teen (Brandon Teena) who transforms herself into a boy in rural Nebraska and catches hell throughout.  A young adult without a danger sensor, pushing the limits in the most violent and homophobic culture.  The abuse Brandon experiences is harrowing, but an authentic desire to love and live as a male is so pressing you admire his persistence in the face of sheer evil.  This film was directed by a woman, Kimberly Pierce, who wrote the film for her MFA thesis at Columbia.  We're all fortunate that a NY producer (also a woman) took interest and together they made this feature film.  This movie should be required viewing for anyone who works with youth. It is bold, truthful, and reminds us of the violence men choose when they are threatened.

A Food Trailer Called SCHMALTZ

You don't have to be Jewish to love the food that comes out of Julia Hungerford's food trailer.  First of all she's adorable.  A Jew from Tennessee!  Personable, musical, and a joy to spend time with.  And so today I met Liz and her friend Alex and treated them to lunch at this food trailer behind the DOMY bookstore (as cool as it sounds ....think alternative publications and literature).  A Jewish mother's delight..feeding her daughter and a friend no less!!  Liz and I had her grilled falafel..mine on a platter and Liz's in pita.  DEEEElicious!  Everything is vegan so Alex's Reuben came on swirled pumpernickel rye with seitan pastrami and no cheese...but you can get cheese.  The young folks drank coconut milk and I had sparkling water (I call it seltzer).  Of course I will bring Abe back.  Julia, we're on to you!

ZONA SUR/Austin Film Society

Return to Essential Cinema last evening with Cine Sur: Films of Latin America. Last night's film, ZONA SUR, (Bolivia, 2009) brings us the story of an upper class divorcee and her 3 children living in a large private palatial home surrounded by beautiful gardens and hills covered with tiled rooftops. The mother is a privileged childlike (getting older) debutante with absolutely no money.  Not even for bread.  Her youngest son, Andres, about 6 y.o. narrates from his roof or tree house while he talks to his imaginary friend "Spielberg, the richest story teller in the world." Her adolescent son (who spends his days filming his sexual life with his girlfriend)  is doted on by his Mom, and her adolescent daughter, struggling with universal issues facing teens, has a lesbian lover who is frequently called a "half breed."  The film is shot in a circular motion with the camera making the lush environment a character itself. The indigenous Bolivians who wait hand and foot on the "master class" (does this ever change?) are presented as solid, stoic, and bound to their culture.  Except for Wilson, Mom's personal empleado, who we find hysterically using her bathroom, robe, shower and creams to "step into her power."  The winds are changing in Bolivia and the local indigenous people are becoming the mainstream and rightful decision makers (Chale informs us the President of Bolivia has Aymara roots).

What Abe and I both love about these evenings with AFS films (and Chale's notes) is that we are brought an understanding of parts of the world we know nothing about.  We come away better understanding what happens in those other cultures. Most importantly it reduces an intrinsic fear of the different, replaced by an enjoyable informed experience. This Mom and her kids could live anywhere.  The family's dysfunction has no cultural boundaries.  It's what happens when inherited  financial wealth provides a false illusion of power, happiness, and status to a woman who has none. (Her son's heading off to law school..talk about a universal status shared by so many).

New AFS interns (adorable as ever), Chale's notes (4 pages), and Darla Berry joining us made this a great night with AFS.  Looking forward to more Latin America cinema.

Austin Film Meet

Spent the evening at Stompin'Grounds where a group of diverse film people come together to network.  We take a mic for 90 seconds and introduce ourselves.  Everyone is interested in the filmmaking process.  Writers, tech, crew, promoters, directors, producers and actors.  Everyone pitches their project, their desires, hopes and dreams.  I'm usually 30-40 years older than everyone in the room. This is my 3rd time introducing myself as a native New Yorker, social worker, Jewish mother, acting student for 3 years now, lover of film, lover of acting in films for students and indie filmmakers. And am always so well received.  Left my resume and headshot with someone who requested.  Best of all was learning why I wasn't cast as the zany alcoholic sexually  obsessed grandmother.  It's because I'm blonde!  And everyone cast in the family is brunette.  So much better than hearing "because you sucked"  or "I decided to go in a different direction."

Abe tells me I can catch an episode of MAD MEN later.  Addie, stay awake!!!!

BLOOD BROTHERS/Trinity Street Players

This afternoon we ventured up to the Black Box theater at Trinity Baptist Church where we saw an amazing performance of BLOOD BROTHERS directed by Bob Beare.   This musical is the longest running musical in the West End of London (25 years) and for people (like me) who don't love musicals you will be enormously surprised.  The actors are all superbly talented, Bob Beare's direction is impressive, the story is timeless (class difference) and the black box is a perfect venue.  Don't miss this fabulous theater production.  It's FREE and plays until June 24.

IN THE LAND OF BLOOD AND HONEY

I finally managed to catch this film written and directed by Angelina Jolie yesterday in between gym and Improv class.  A  fine screenplay, extremely believable acting and impressive cinematography.  A harrowing story of the unbelievable cruelty Bosnians and Muslims experienced in the 1990's at the hands of the Serbians.  Think Hitler/Nazis and gut wrenching debasement of women.  Public and mortifying rapes.  Rape used as a weapon.  Just finishing up SEEFEST series at Austin Film Society and then seeing this film has sufficiently educated me to the horrors that occurred in this part of the world.  The ultimate response when asked about this film is that it is thoroughly depressing and left me with a cloud of sadness about the world we live in.  Abe passed it up.  He's sufficiently effected by Holocaust events and chooses not to revisit them.

Improv at Institution Theater

Just came from my first class with Sarah Marie and Tom Booker at Institution Theater. A class of 6 students all willing to learn, share and commit.  What fun.  What a good way to learn about being in the moment and being accepting of your creativity and imagination.  And working collaboratively.  This was a great antidote for my last series of acting classes where I was way too critical of myself.  Unhappy as well. 

Tonight we're off to a house blessing party for Sofia and Megan.  Looking forward to a party with Abe.

FIRST POSITION at the Violet Crown

If you love dance then this is a wonderful documentary to see.   It follows the lives of 6 young dancers as they prepare for an international competition that opens a world of scholarship, opportunity and access into a competitive world with little employment opportunity.  And the bios on these kids are very authentic and real.  From Sierra Leone, to Cali Columbia, Israel, suburban and urban U.S. and even the military,  we meet kids who are focused, disciplined and passionate about dance.  Only one Mom made my skin crawl but the documentarian films her realistically and without judgment.  Tears fell when we see the personal sacrifice some youngsters have to make to leave behind impoverished lives, war torn countries, and families in order to follow their dreams.  This is a lively and human film.  Both Ria and I loved it.  Ended the afternoon with large margaritas at Garrido's.