Experience a Horrifying Weekend at the Texas Frightmare Festival In Irving
Texas Frightmare Weekend 2010 runs from April 30th – May 2nd and features movie screenings, autograph signings, and leading players in the thriller film industry. Visitors have the opportunity to meet horror movie stars, writers, directors and producers.
Attendees to this Irving convention can celebrate their love of fright and interact with other fans and cinema celebrities throughout the weekend. Texas Frightmare 2010, features over 100 celebrity appearances including John Carpenter (Halloween & Christine), George Romero (Night of the Living Dead & Dawn of the Dead), Doug Bradley (Hellraiser), James Hampton (Teen Wolf & Slingblad)e, Derek Mears (Friday the 13th), and Elvira.
Moving screenings at Texas Frightmare will take place Wednesday through Saturday at various venues throughout the Dallas/Irving/Lewisville area. Titles include: Frozen, Long Pigs, Survival of the Dead, Shadow, Ghoultown and many more. Several behind-the-scenes opportunities exist, as well, with acting lessons, a special effects session and horror film production workshops.
A movie prop auction will take place Saturday May 1st at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Irving, Texas. Items for auction during Texas Frightmare include Freddy Krueger’s red and green wool sweater, the wood chest from Raiders of the Lost Ark, an original script from Christine, and Michael Meyers’ knife from Halloween II.
For those who don’t want to participate in the auction, there are opportunities for Texas Frightmare fans to purchase games, collectibles, posters, rare memorabilia, movies, toys, art, and t-shirts offered at this unique Irving convention.
The 40th USA Film Festival kicks off today(editors note: yesterday) at the Angelika Film Center. So you’re probably wondering: “What should I see? If only someone could offer a little guidance.”
Thursday-
8: The Mormon Proposition
This documentary looks at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints’ support of California’s Proposition 8 in 2008. The law ultimately overturned the rights of same-sex couples in the state to marry. The film is narrated by Dustin Lance Black, who won an Oscar for writing the screenplay for Milk, and is directed by Reed Cowan, who came to Dallas as a Mormon missionary in the early ’90s. (7 p.m.)
Friday-
His Name is Bob
Filmmakers Lisa Johnson, J. Sebastian Lee and Heather Lee followed an East Dallas homeless man for six years to make this film. Along the way, he tells them about life on the street and the horrible upbringing that put him there. (7 p.m.)
Saturday-
Letters to Juliet
This is Amanda Seyfried’s third movie to open this year and it’s only April! In Letters to Juliet, Seyfried, who also stars in HBO’s Big Love, plays an American on vacation in Verona. While there, she joins a group of amateur Dear Abbys who reply to letters written to Shakespeare’s Juliet seeking advice in the ways of love. (7 p.m.)
The documentary by Harlock and Thomas is a captivating cinematic ride as it provides audiences with a mix of laughter, tears, and heart-warming resilience
“I loved when Bush came out and said, ‘We are losing the war against drugs.’ You know what that implies? There’s a war being fought, and the people on drugs are winning it.” Only one comic could deliver this line and have his audience keel over in mass hysteria.
Born in Valdosta, Georgia, comedian Bill Hicks held two things in high esteem: his passion for music and making people laugh. While his sardonic wit, charm, and exuberance on stage as a comic never changed, Directors Matt Harlock and Paul Thomas’ new film, American: The Bill Hicks Story, depicts Hicks as a complicated man who frequently battled his inner demons as a stand-up comic.
This raw, emotive documentary reveals that Hicks development as a comedian was an evolutionary process. In the picture, the comedian is depicted struggling for global acceptance of his unique brand of comedic farce and he resorted to unorthodox methods that nearly killed him. During the mid-80s, the comedian experimented with drugs including LSD, psychedelic mushrooms, and marijuana.
The documentary by Harlock and Thomas is a captivating cinematic ride as it provides audiences with a mix of laughter, tears, and heart-warming resilience. Hicks achieved most of his acclaim overseas where he played before giant ballrooms and concert halls. He frequently chastised his own country on its political policies in the U.S. Despite being heralded by Leno & Rodney Dangerfield, Hicks became frequently frustrated that he didn’t garner the same respect stateside.
In 1994, one of the more heartbreaking moments of the film is when his last televised performance on the David Letterman Show is abruptly pulled. While his life was cut short at the age of 33, he died as an iconic comedian, with friends and family by his side. Harlock and Thomas’s film is a stellar close-up and intimate look at a very complex man that splices in poignant stories from friends, fellow comedians, and family members.
