Fantastic Fest 2008

DONKEY PUNCH is a movie about a group of European party kids who "borrow" a yacht for a private party and take things much, much too far. We're going to do our best to emulate the spirit of that party, but we're going to replace all the blood, gore, killing, and mistrust with one of the THE best dance parties of the summer, right before it officially becomes autumn. We're joining forces with TheFamousish.com to bring a crew of Austin's "coolest" DJs out onto a floating dance floor right in the heart of downtown, on Lady Bird Johnson Lake. We've had dance parties on water before, but as awesome as our dance parties on Lake Travis have been in the past, this time we want to make sure everyone who lives downtown can see us and be jealous. Basically we're going OVERBOARD. Get it..? Hipsters Overboard! We want everyone to go completely "overboard" in their very finest hipster outfits. So, if you're already part of Austin's Red River set, you know what I'm talking about. For those of you who are Alamo Drafthouse fans and don't hang our at Beauty Bar every night or own a pair of those unbearably skinny jeans, here's your chance to have a go at it. American Apparel Deep V necks go without saying. Dunks (google it) are a must. But why stop with the outfit? Accessorize it, people! Add on some chains. Wear sunglasses at night (but make sure they're Supers). Add a silk scarf, and wear it loose around your neck. Don't wash your hair for two days, and grow a beard. Then go buy a moped (not a scooter), and ride that to the party. Go overboard in your enthusiasm, get it? Yeah. Now you've got the spirit. The DONKEY PUNCH Boat Party is sponsored by Envy Magazine.

Full Description: Two strangers (Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan) become the pawns of a mysterious woman they have never met, but who seems to know their every move. Realizing they are being used to further her evil plans, they must work together to outwit the woman before she either has them killed or executes her dastardly plan. I've only seen 20 minutes of the beginning of EAGLE EYE, but from that glimpse, packed full of innovative action sequences, I'm hooked. When you've got an apparently omniscient villainess monitoring the every move of a couple of ordinary schlubs who have been coerced and terrorized into following every sexy-voiced command, each of which leads them deeper and deeper into what can only be a very dangerous anarchic plot, it's a very good start. It's going to be a game of explosive battle-chess, played at 100 miles an hour. (Karrie League) EAGLE EYE SCAVENGER HUNT: Shia Lebeouf and Michelle Monaghan are pawns in a deadly game in the new Paramount film EAGLE EYE. Fantastic Fest invites you to be our pawns in a far less-deadly game, the EAGLE EYE SCAVENGER HUNT. Teams can sign up at www.fantasticfest.com in groups of 1 to 6. You will need a text-enabled cell phone, a map of Austin, a vehicle, a phone book, a notepad, a pen and about $20 cash per team. It's free to sign up, but space is limited, so don't wait until the last minute! At 2:00PM on Friday, September 19, a member of your team will receive a text message that will set the game in motion. you will find your way around town, solving problems and picking up clues. Teams will meet back at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar at 6:00PM. All teams will be treated to a free screening of EAGLE EYE with director D.J. Caruso live in person, and one lucky team will win the grand prize (to be announced, check website for details). Director D.J. Caruso (DISTURBIA) live in person!

A scientist with unusual taste in women learns that it's probably best to date outside the workplace. A funny and shocking short that whacks you across the skull before you know what happened. Appearing as part of the skull-boiling SHORT FUSE program. CLICK HERE for details.

A nebbish bachelor loses his penis in an incident involving an epileptic hooker and experiences newfound sexual urges with his freshly transplanted member. Appearing as part of the skull-boiling SHORT FUSE program. CLICK HERE for details.

A lonesome, elderly ventriloquist is plagued by his ugly reality and his lil' wooden friend in this unexpectedly comic view of people at the very last rung of society's ladder.

Brief Description: Love, sex, jealousy, food and murder in the streets and prisons of Brazil. Full Description: Fantastic Fest co-founder Tim League is fond of saying that the fantastic part of this festival doesn't simply apply to films with fantastic elements, but also to films that are simply fantastic, films that are as cool as hell and that you want to show off to everyone to help spread the word about a movie that's going to impress the hell out of everyone. And have we got one of those films this year in ESTÔMAGO. Remember that scene in GOODFELLAS where we see that even prison can't stop a group of mobsters from enjoying a great meal? ESTÔMAGO takes this even further, recounting how Nonato (Joao Miguel), a simple-minded prisoner with a talent for cooking, moves his way up the jail cell ranks (and bunk beds) through his culinary gifts. But just how Nonato ended up there, and how he got to hone his skills in the kitchen, is the real meat (as it were) of this sensational new film from writer/director Marcos Jorge. ESTÔMAGO is a recipe of all of the primal elements of life - love, sex, jealousy, food and death - that deftly juxtaposes alternate story lines of Nonato's life in and out of prison to show that no matter who or where you are, these basic needs are essential ingredients to everyone's existence. Added to the mix is some wicked black humor, a touch of tragedy, a nice, big juicy helping of murder, and a lot of great food, even if it is found in Brazil's toughest prison. It simply wouldn't be Fantastic Fest without good food and murder, now would it? ESTÔMAGO might not be on your movie radar, but once Fantastic Fest is over, everybody's going to want some. Make your reservations for this one ASAP and don't forget to tip your hard-working wait staff. (Matt Kiernan) Fantastic Fest is also offering an opportunity to enjoy the Estômago Feast, a four-course meal with wine pairings prepared by Alamo executive chef John Bullington. The feast is inspired by the actual dishes from the film and will be delivered to your seat as they appear on screen. This feast is available for an additional charge, but if you plan to order it, we recommend purchasing in advance HERE , as quantities will be prepped and we expect this option to sell out. Badgeholders please note: select the Badgeholder ticket option when you make your advance purchase. Here's Chef John Bullington's menu: Amuse Gorgonzola on ciabatta with rosemary oil First Coxinhas Traditional Brazilian dish of savory sautéed chicken and spices breaded and fried with chile sauce and garlic ants! Second Spagetti Puttanesca Spaghetti tossed in a blend of heirloom tomatoes, anchovies, garlic and capers Third Pork Butt braised in white wine and rosemary with appaloosa beans Fourth Romeo and Juliet Layers of gorgonzola and guava All courses paired with fine Italian wine This film is sponsored by Dark Sky Films.

Brief Summary: Part of the Alamo Drafthouse’s patented signature show series, Quote-Alongs heighten the experience of watching your favorite films with props, subtitling of iconic lines of dialogue, pyrotechnics and confetti, always confetti. Full Description: "Groovy." The first time you saw EVIL DEAD II, your life was changed forever. Whether you were 14 or 40 on that fateful day, something inside you would never be the same, and from that moment on you had no choice but to be a fanboy. Since that day, of course, you've seen EVIL DEAD II dozens, perhaps hundreds of times. With each repeat viewing, you find some new thrill, some fun new detail, but haven't quite been able to capture that life-changing glee that came from the first time you realized that Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell are gods. Well, never fear. The Mondo Quote-Along presentation of EVIL DEAD II will recapture that glee for you, bottle it up, and let you take a whiff of it any time you need to remember what it's like to believe in awesomeness again. We'll start with a Blu-Ray presentation of this titan of genre films, then we add in some karaoke-style subtitles for the really big lines (obviously a lot of us don't need them, but still, it helps). You'll know exactly when to yell out "Swallow this," to be timed with Ash and everyone else in the crowd, and I guarantee that you'll get goosebumps down your spine when your voice joins everyone else in the crowd for a low and rumbling, "Jooiin usss." To top everything off, we'll have props for added audience interaction, confetti cannons, and more. Think of it as ROCKY HORROR for the true horror set, and prepare yourself for a fully religious experience. (Henri Mazza)

Brief Description: Three low-life handicapped losers recruit an arrogant and abusive author to play drums in their punk band. Layered with brutality, surrealism and bloody violence, Ex Drummer is like no music film you’ve ever seen. Full Description: A blast of pure adrenaline and a hard kick to the nuts, EX DRUMMER is the most exhilarating and most grueling debut film released in recent memory, a film that immediately establishes Belgium’s Koen Mortier as a fierce, visionary talent with the potential to become one of the world’s true greats. Do we love this film around here? Hell, yes. But your mother will probably hate it.” (Todd Brown, Twitchfilm) Koen Mortier's EX-DRUMMER introduces the audience to a deaf guitar player, a stiff-armed bassist and a psychopath guitarist-vocalist with a lisp, all of whom form a rock band for a one-off performance. The trio lacks a drummer so they seek the services of a celebrity author, who also has a reputation as a drummer, to fill the role. The author joins the band so he can exploit the band for source material and his own sadistic pleasure. Out of this mess is born The Feminists, a quasi-disabled punk rock band (Flemish band Millionaire provide the music) whose journey towards its only gig drags almost everybody involved down a black hole of abuse, exploitation and death. EX-DRUMMER is adapted from a novel of the same name by Herman Brusselmans, and the film has drawn comparisons to TRAINSPOTTING. Such analogies do not really capture what is going on in EX-DRUMMER. The film's non-stop barrage of clever visuals, vulgar humor, random violence, and high energy music (The Feminists tackle a solid cover of Devo's Mongoloid and tracks from Lightning Bolt, Isis, Mogwai and others also appear on the soundtrack) places EX-DRUMMER in an entirely different cultural and aesthetic space than any possibly comparable film. EX-DRUMMER seems to take a stab at offending every possible segment of society: men, women, majorities, minorities, homosexuals, kids, punks, politicians, the abused, the aged and the infirm are all the subjects of the film's ridicule. EX-DRUMMER is angry, funny and entertainingly foul from beginning to end. (Rodney Perkins)

A simple photograph becomes increasingly sinister upon closer scrutiny, until nearly every evil that lives in mankind's heart is unleashed upon the viewer. From the fiends at Rue Morgue! Appearing as part of the ANIMATED SHORTS program. CLICK HERE for details. Director Rodrigo Gudino and producer Marco Pecota will be in attendance.