The Screening Room

Today on Quick's Nightlife blog, we have reviews of Say My Name, 500 Days of Summer, Hellcats and more. We talk to Tony Wann, one of the editors of the insanely compelling documentary about 1968, One Nation. And the main event? A fascinating Q&A with Doug Pray, the director of Art & Copy (which screens tonight and tomorrow). Join us!

The must-see film today is Valentino: The Last Emperor. The documentary about the fashior designer legend is a fascinating study for reasons that go way beyond fashion. There's the beautiful love story between Valentino Garavani and his lifelong partner. But most of all, there is the chronicling of a life and world that will be gone once the people in it have passed. You see this group of older women who have been with Valentino from the beginning, hand stitching his creations. Their art and craft will die with them. Valentino, meanwhile, lives like some renaissance king. You can't believe this is the 21st century.

Great stuff and this is likely your only chance to see it on the big screen in a theater full of people.

Valentino: The Last Emperor, 7:30 pm NorthPark

The must-see film today is Valentino: The Last Emperor. The documentary about the fashior designer legend is a fascinating study for reasons that go way beyond fashion. There's the beautiful love story between Valentino Garavani and his lifelong partner. But most of all, there is the chronicling of a life and world that will be gone once the people in it have passed. You see this group of older women who have been with Valentino from the beginning, hand stitching his creations. Their art and craft will die with them. Valentino, meanwhile, lives like some renaissance king. You can't believe this is the 21st century.

Great stuff and this is likely your only chance to see it on the big screen in a theater full of people.

Valentino: The Last Emperor, 7:30 pm NorthPark

The daily coverage of AFI Dallas continues at Quick's Nightlife blog. Today we have a Q&A with Food, Inc. director Robert Kenner, as well as reviews of Rudo y Cursi and Zombie Girl: The Movie. More to come throughout the day: Join us!

Did you and your kids see Monsters vs. Aliens this weekend? Did the female empowerment theme register? Or was it enough that it was funny with terrific 3D special effects? Talk parent to parent about it on the Dallas Moms blog.

I really want to make the 4 pm screening of Kassim: The Dream at the Magnolia. Exec produced by Forrest Whittaker, this doc tells the story of Kassim "The Dream" Ouma is the 2004 IBF Junior Middleweight champion of the world. A Ugandan native, he was kidnapped and forced into the army at the age of 6. He eventually broke free and fled his home country, but is trying to find a way back.

At 7, there's a NorthPark screening of Soul Power, another (sort of boxing-related) doc, this one capturing the 12 hour concert that took place in accordance with the 1974 "Rumble in the Jungle" fight between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. It features James Brown, and B.B. King.

At 10:15 I want to see Lymelife at the Magnolia. The cast is the draw here -- Alec Baldwin, Jill Hennessy, Kieran Culkin, Timothy Hutton, Cynthia Nixon. It's classic festival fare -- quirky movie about eccentric family and suburban ennui. That description notwithstanding, I've heard good things.

Then again, I may go for another kind of classic festival fare and see the 10:15 show of Lightbulb at NorthPark, about a "wacky" inventor and his salesman friend who are deterimined to hit it big with some world-changing invention. Small movie made by and starring people you've never heard of -- how can it miss?

The last few days have been a blur of films so I thought I'd start Sunday with one of the festival's panels at the Nasher. I must admit that the Nasher location provided the swing vote on my decision, since it was one of those riotously beautiful North Texas spring days -- what better place to enjoy the break in the weather than the Nasher Sculpture Garden. Unless, of course, the event you're going to is held in the Nasher's basement (lower level), then you're trapped indoors with a wall of glass looking out on the beautiful outdoors to torment you.

Over at Quick's Nightlife blog, we've got today's best trailers, snap judgment reviews (Hurt Locker, Alien Trespass, Grace and more) and a Q&A with the directors of the documentary short Push Button House (showing tonight and tomorrow at the Magnolia). Join us!

The only screening of 500 Days of Summer is at 3:30 at the Magnolia. It's one of two movies at the festival starring Zooey Deschanel (the other is Gigantic). It's a romantic comedy. I've heard good things about this movie about romantic uncertainty (don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you got till it's gone, or something like that), so I think I'll risk the 90 minutes.

That is, unless I decide to go to Pearl, the film based on the life of Eula "Pearl" Carter Scott, a Chickasaw American Indian and aviation pioneer who got her pilot's license at 13. It screens at NorthPark at 3:15.

I'm definitely seeing Say My Name, the documentary about young women rappers and r&b singers featuring MC Lyte, Eryka Badu, Estelle, Big Manda, Chocolate Thai and Monie Love. It screens at 10:30 at the Magnolia.

Unless I end up going to Peter and Vandy, a film about a Manhattan couple whose relationship has become one continuous argument. The film goes back to the beginning and shows how love can curdle into something very much like contempt. Sounds hilarious. There was a long line for today's screening and an older woman spoke very persuasively about it. So who knows. Maybe I'll flip a coin, since it's also screening at 10:30, but at NorthPark.

The only screening of 500 Days of Summer is at 3:30 at the Magnolia. It's one of two movies at the festival starring Zooey Deschanel (the other is Gigantic). It's a romantic comedy. I've heard good things about this movie about romantic uncertainty (don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you got till it's gone, or something like that), so I think I'll risk the 90 minutes.

That is, unless I decide to go to Pearl, the film based on the life of Eula "Pearl" Carter Scott, a Chickasaw American Indian and aviation pioneer who got her pilot's license at 13. It screens at NorthPark at 3:15.

I'm definitely seeing Say My Name, the documentary about young women rappers and r&b singers featuring MC Lyte, Eryka Badu, Estelle, Big Manda, Chocolate Thai and Monie Love. It screens at 10:30 at the Magnolia.

Unless I end up going to Peter and Vandy, a film about a Manhattan couple whose relationship has become one continuous argument. The film goes back to the beginning and shows how love can curdle into something very much like contempt. Sounds hilarious. There was a long line for today's screening and an older woman spoke very persuasively about it. So who knows. Maybe I'll flip a coin, since it's also screening at 10:30, but at NorthPark.

Maybe it was just my uncanny knack for picking the hot screenings (given my track record, that seems unlikely) or maybe it's just that this year's festival is a hot ticket. But every screening -- 3 -- I went to today was sold out with people sitting on the aisle stairs and peering in from the doorways.

Head over to Quick's Nightlife blog daily throughout the AFI fest for reviews, previews and interviews. Today we've got a short Q&A with Gigantic director Matt Aselton, as well as capsule reviews of Rock Prophecies, At the Edge of the World, The Missing Person, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead and Gigantic. Join us.

Some films to see today:

The Eyes of Me, 12:30, Magnolia
Moving documentary following four students at the Texas School for the Blind. They're kids with dreams, kids with problems and kids who happen to be blind. Smart, imaginative and inspiring.

Another chance to see Haze screening at 3:15 at the Magnolia

The Missing Person, 4 pm, NorthPark
Friday night's 10:30 screening was sold out and there was a line of people trailing through the lobby of people hoping to get in. You can see it this afternoon and watch a great private eye story starring Michael Shannon and Amy Adams.

This is the third year for the festival, but the first year I've really immersed myself in it. While the festival actually kicked off yesterday, this was the first full day of screenings and events and I'll confess I was feeling a bit ...skeptical.

You'll want to check in with our Nightlife blog throughout the festival for daily picks, reviews and interviews with filmmakers. Today you'll find a review of last night's opening-night festivities (featuring Adrien Brody, right), Q&As with actor Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker, Lightbulb) and director Jordan Galland (Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Undead), and several other AFI-related features. Join us!

Sure, you've probably got the Twilight DVD by now, but just in case you haven't, or it would be more fun to see it with a whole bunch of other fans, Parr Library in Plano is offering a free screaming -- I mean screening -- of your favorite vampires April 1 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Parr Library, 6200 Windhaven Parkway, Plano. 972-769-4300.

So, people are now getting off their sofas and headed to the places depicted in movies. Case in point: The family who lives in the house depicted in The Haunting in Connecticut is complaining of obtrusive, and sometimes scary, visitors.

I get it. You've done the research, or you've watched the special on the Discovery Channel. You figure, "What harm can it do if I just drive by the house? Maybe I'll see a curtain move and get a chilly thrill?" Um, no. Real people trying to carry on real lives now live in the house.

So, if you must, ride by. But don't knock on the door and frighten the children that now live there.

(Photo by Jessica Hill/The Associated Press)

Just heard that it was director Catherine Hardwicke who made a surprise appearance at the Borders in Allen for the store's Twilight release party. Anyone see her there? How amazing was that?

Evidently the Borders bookstore in Allen and the Blockbuster in Frisco were on an official list for a visit from Twilight cast members according to Access Hollywood. Can't wait to find out if it all happened as planned and who came...Any details anyone?

There was a crazy rumor going around at the party at the Borders in Plano that the cast from Twilight was going to pop into the Borders in Allen for the midnight release of the DVD. Don't know if there's any truth to that -- seems kind of out there -- but some teens were so convinced that they left Plano to head to Allen, with a patient parent in tow. Well, it's 9 minutes to midnight, so I guess we'll know soon enough!

Just got back from the Twilight DVD release party at the Borders at Park and Preston in Plano and it was fun. It wasn't packed like the Harry Potter parties, but the fans -- about fifty in all -- were fervent and having a blast.

I saw a LOT of Team Edwards shirts along with an Alice and a Twilight Mom shirt (no Bella shirts, although there were shirts with Edward and Bella together). They had a vampire baseball game in which they had to say which things happened in the book vs. the movie (they knew it). Then there was the scavenger hunt where they had to hunt for books like the book on the science class that Bella and Edward had together. (They found it.)

My favorite part was the Twilight Movie Awards (along with the warm cookies and the red drinks -- blood, get it?), where the winners will vary from store to store. Somehow it seemed as if the winner in most categories was Edward or something to do with Edward (as in best quote: "Your mood swings are kinda giving me whiplash," as Bella says to Edward). About the only category Edward DIDN'T win was Best Baseball Player. That was Alice. But Edward did score for Best Vampire and Best Hair.

Did you go? Did you vote? What did you pick?

From the folks over yonder at KRLD:

A movie poster that was purchased for $10 in California is being auctioned off by the Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas. The poster is a relic of one of the MGM movie Freaks and may be worth 5,000 times more the initial purchase price. You can place your own bid here.

It looks like a promising weekend for new movies. Romance! Action! Comedy! Drama! Or as I like to call it: I good time to enjoy a movie away from the kids. Don't worry, little ones. You'll get your chance next week with Monsters vs. Aliens.

• Duplicity (A-)
• I Love You, Man (B-)
• Knowing (D)
• Sunshine Cleaning (B)

Edge of Love, which we were expecting to open this week, was pushed back to April 3.

The death of Natasha Richardson from a skiing head injury is so sad. She was amazingly accomplished on the stage, screen and, by all accounts, the home front.

She's firmly in my mind for a lesser role than the one that won her a Tony and other honors. I'll always remember her as the very cool mom in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap. She charmed as the wedding dress designer who reunited with her hunky divorced husband (Dennis Quaid) in the "parent trap" set by the scheming of twin daughters (Lindsay Lohan, in her first big role).

The bookstores aren't the only places to party Friday when the Twilight DVD is released just after midnight on Saturday. In addition to any Borders and Hastings in Denton, you can find more sites here.

And here's a fun one that just came our way: The Blockbuster at 5649 Lebanon Road in Frisco is promising a pint of Dreyer's ice cream to the first 50 people that volunteer to give blood to CarterBloodCare. The blood drive starts at 7 p.m. and continues until 11 p.m. The party activities run from 10 p.m. Friday to 1 a.m. Saturday.

South by Southwest Film festival had its closing ceremonies Tuesday, right before the hordes descended for the music portion of the fest. While the music festival is the loudest, the film festival has quietly become a place for innovative filmmakers to gather. Here are the prizes:

Film prizes go to eclectic set
By Susan King
(c) 2009, Los Angeles Times

HOLLYWOOD - Award winners for the South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival were announced Tuesday evening at the Austin est's closing ceremonies. The prizes were divided into jury awards and audience awards.

Judi Krant's "Made in China," about an inventor lost in Shanghai, won the jury award for best narrative feature and also took home the SXSW / Chicken & Egg Emergent Woman Award.

The Hollywood Reporter reports that MacGyver is in the works to become a feature film for New Line Cinema. Maybe this is another sign of the apocalypse, or maybe it's just a sign that Hollywood is only betting on bankable projects.

Richard Dean Anderson, lately of Stargate SG-1, starred as a jack-of-all-trades secret agent that you wouldn't want to leave tied up next to some peanut butter, a paper clip and a headache powder - you'd be in for one big bomb.

(1994 Photo by Peter Kernot)

• The Last House on the Left (B)
• Race to Witch Mountain (B-)
• Miss March (D)
• Crossing Over (D)
• Phoebe in Wonderland (B+)
• The Secrets (B)

Craving a Cullen-ary fix? You can wait until midnight on March 20 for the release of the Twilight DVD. OR you can start partying at 10 p.m. at a Vampire Ball at Hastings in Denton or at 10 p.m. at any Borders bookstore with the wild and wacky variety of vampire-themed activities they've cooked up. OR you can start voting now for the Borders Twilight Movie Awards to determine the "Best Bella-Edward Moment," "Best Vampire" and Best OME" (Oh My Edward) moment. Download ballots at www.bordersmedia.com/twilight, complete them and bring them to Borders, where fans can also view a videotaped message from the Twilight cast.

Just note: if you want the exclusive two-disc, limited-edition copy of the DVD for $29.99 with cast interviews, red-carpet footage and photo cards, you'd better make your reservations now. Some stories have sold out and are taking reservations for a second release that will be available in April. Of course you can always get the single disc version, available everywhere, for $22.99.

Read on for party details. And tell us, which party are you going to and why?

This is an especially strong release date, with several films in the buy-right-now category:

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - Mark Herman (Little Voice) adapts the novel by John Boyne. An 8-year-old unwittingly makes friends with a man in a Nazi work camp.
Cadillac Records - Jeffrey Wright, Mos Def and Beyonce try on the clothes of music pioneers Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry and Etta James in this biopic of Chess Records. The film, which plays fast and loose with the facts, also stars Adrien Brody as Leonard Chess.
New editions of Escape to Witch Mountain and Return from Witch Mountain - Twins Tony and Tia race to Witch Mountain in this Disney classic (and its sequel) released just in time for moviegoers to relish the original before going off to see the reimagining, Race to Witch Mountain, which will be released Friday.
Family Ties: Season 5 - All together now: "Sha-la-la-laaa." Michael J. Fox became a household name as Alex P. Keaton in this sitcom.
Happy-Go-Lucky - Sally Hawkins won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of an eternally optimistic teacher in this Mike Leigh film.
Howard the Duck - I know, I know. But this was a childhood favorite of mine, this sci-fi tale of an extraterrestrial duck. And, besides, it's from George Lucas. And, look, it's Lea Thompson and Tim Robbins!
Let the Right One In - A young boy befriends the new girl next door, and discovers she's the vampire responsible for several murders in this Swedish film.
Milk - Sean Penn turned in an Oscar-winning performance as trailblazing San Francisco politician Harvey Milk. Co-star Josh Brolin also received an Oscar nomination.
Pinocchio - It's the 70th anniversary edition of Pinocchio learning lessons that lead him to become a real boy. Also on Blu-ray
Rachel Getting Married - Oscar nominee Anne Hathaway was a revelation in Jonathan Demme's family drama as Kym, the troubled sister of the bride-to-be.
Role Models - Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott become court-ordered mentors to a group of kids, including whip-fast Bobb'e J. Thompson.
South Park: Season 12 - Three discs include fourteen uncensored episodes of the sometimes foul-mouthed tykes.
Transporter 3 - Jason Statham has to transport, natch, a kidnapped, feisty young thing while her father's men come at them from all sides in the lastest in Luc Besson's series. In Blu-Ray.

For more releases, see our DVD page.

It's been buzzed about for a while now, but Dakota Fanning has signed on to The Twilight Saga: New Moon, the fast-tracked sequel to Twilight.

The Hollywood Reporter, People.com, MTV.com and various other sources says it's now official that she'll play the vampire Jane, who is "sweet but sneaky" and "sinister." Really, are there any other kind of vampires?

Back in January, when the scuttlebutt was at full scuttle, Fanning told MTV News that "I'm glad that people are excited about me possibly being in it. That's so nice! We're both pale. ... I don't think they'd have to put a lot of makeup on me if it works out. I'm pretty pale as it is."

It'll be interesting to see Dakota take on a character such as this one. Her acting chops are undeniable. But are her fans ready to see her vamp out?

(Photo by MARIO ANZUONI/Reuters)

So no big surprise here, but Watchmen scored big at the box office this weekend, bringing in $55.7 million. It's no $700 million that Zack Snyder's 300 scored, but still. Definitely respectable.

What is shocking, at least to me, is how fast the mighty Jonas Bros. have fallen. Opening weekend, they couldn't edge out Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail, which was in its second week. Okay, no big deal. Perry's got a huge following. But week 2? Nick and Co. are #9?

Hannah Montana's 3D concert film raked in $31 million on its opening weekend and ran for 15 weeks. Jonas? Opened with $12 million. How long can they hold out?

• Watchmen (C+)
• Gomorrah (B)
• Familiar Strangers (C)

Familiar Strangers, which opens Friday at the Angelika Dallas, was honored at last year's Method Fest film festival for best ensemble cast. The quirky film asks the question: "Is it really possible to relate to one's parents and siblings after being replaced by the family dog? ... Perhaps as friends -- weird friends?"

As a bonus during opening weekend, producer Barry Sisson will be on hand for Q-and-A sessions after several of the screenings. If you've got questions about the film, attend one of these four screenings and hang out afterward: 7:40 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

AFI announced The Brothers Bloom as the opening-night gala presentation. The film, directed by Rian Johnson and starring Adrien Brody (right) and Rachel Weisz, will kick off the Dallas film festival, which is scheduled to run from March 26-April 2.

(Find the complete schedule here.)

Brody will be honored with the AFI Dallas Star Award before the opening-night screening of Bloom. Other honorees include Kathryn Bigelow, Robert Towne and a posthumous award to Rita Hayworth. Hayworth's daughter, Princess Aga Khan, will receive her mother's award before a special screening of Gilda.

Henry Selick, the director behind The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline, will receive the Texas Avery Animation Award.

The opening-night screening will be at AMC NorthPark 15 on Thursday, March 26. The festival will feature 173 films and shorts with 150 screenings.

(Photo by Lucas Jackson)

Australia - Aussies Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman romance each other in what amounts to a postcard from their home country.
Beverly Hills Chihuahua - Pampered pooch voiced by Drew Barrymore has to curb her appetite for bling. To quote Forrest Gump: "And that's all I have to say about that."
East of Eden - John Steinbeck's novel became a miniseries in 1981 starring Jane Seymour, Timothy Bottoms and Bruce Boxleitner.
ER: Season 10 - Father-to-be Dr. John Carter (Noah Wyle) returns to Chicago after a stint with Doctors Without Borders in Africa; Reports of Luka's (Goran Visnjic) death in Africa have been greatly exaggerated; Dr. Romano (Paul McCrane, aka Montgomery from Fame) has a run-in with another helicopter, this time fatal; Parminder Nagra joins the cast; and Weaver and her partner, Sandy, give birth to little Henry. Unfortunately, Sandy dies, leaving Weaver in a bitter custody battle. There's more, but who has the room?
In the Electric Mist - Tommy Lee Jones (natch) plays a lawman investigating the dirty dealings of John Goodman's bayou mobster.
I've Loved You So Long - Two sisters rediscover each other after one of them is released after serving 15 years in prison.
My Two Dads: The Complete First Season - Odd-couple friends Greg Evigan and Paul Reiser find themselves the parents of Staci Keanan in this '80s sitcom.
Nash Bridges: The Second Season - Don Johnson plays another police detective, this time in San Francisco. This time, he partners with Cheech Marin in five discs.
Spongebob vs. the Big One - Johnny Depp voices Jack Kahuna Laguna. The DVD features seven episodes, including a new one.
Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic - The graphic novel gets the digital treatment: The DVD adds motion, voices and sound effects to all twelve chapters of the very necessary comic book, and it lets illustrator Dave Gibbons talk about the faithfulness of the film to the source material. This isn't recommended for children. Please believe me.
Wonder Woman - The latest in the line of DC Comics' animated movies, Wonder Woman follows one of the comics giants' big three as Diana leaves the Amazonian island of Themyscira to join the outside world.

Okay, this? Is cool. My geeky little fangirl heart just went all a'flutter.

The cool kids at UTA's Planetarium are showing science fiction movies on their big screen, er, dome. And? It's only $2! Of course, you'll probably make up for that cheapness with the long haul from whatever parking lot you can find. (Seriously, it's been a while since I was a UTA student, but parking was a nightmare even then.)

Wednesday and Friday screenings are at 6 p.m. Saturday show is at 2:30 p.m.

The Fifth Element! Hitchhiker's Guide! (Can I cast my vote now for Flash Gordon and Sunshine? Seriously - how cool would Sunshine be at the planetarium?)

The Fifth Element
Wednesday, March 4
Friday, March 6
Saturday, March 7

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Wednesday, March 11
Friday, March 13
Saturday, March 14

Men in Black
Wednesday, March 18
Friday, March 20
Saturday, March 21 - No show due to a scheduled private event

Official site is here.

There's no rest for those Jonas Brothers. It seems that after they visited with local fans outside the Main Event in Grapevine in the wee hours of Sunday morning (watch our video and read about it here), they went on to the home of Jayla Cooper, a nine-year-old from Grapevine who is battling leukemia. Jayla came to national attention as a "child bride" when she married 7-year-old Jose Griggs, who is also battling cancer.

Watch the "Early Show" video of the Jonas Brothers visiting Jayla.

It wasn't quite Waiting for Godot, but it sure felt that way as 10:30 p.m., the announced arrival time, morphed into 1:16 a.m., and the temperature kept dropping into the low 30s. But there we were, on the red carpet, in front of the sprawling Main Event entertainment center near the Cinemark Grapevine, waiting for the Jonas Brothers to jet in from Atlanta Saturday night (er, Sunday morning) and talk to the news media and, of course, a horde of screaming fans about their new movie, Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience. (Please click below to read on!)

Photo: Fans in Atlanta scream for the Jonas Brothers, who then flew to Dallas, where they would not arrive until after 1 a.m. Sunday