Fests and events, 5/14.

Chicagoist Rob Christopher has admired the work of William E Jones for some time. "The uncanny feeling that comes from peering into a vanished world is in full force in Jones's newest video, Tearoom, which screens on Sunday at White Light Cinema." Jones will be on hand - with his accompanying book.

"Rarely screened, Rome 78 - part of this week's James Nares retro at Anthology Film Archives - has nevertheless built up its own aura over the years, no doubt due to its subcultural provenance," writes Ed Halter. "Seen now, Rome 78 collapses three layers of dead civilization: The script conveys the waning days of the Roman imperium; the sets evoke the Empire State's 19th-century robber-baron capitalism; and the cast memorializes the last days of urban bohemia's counter-kingdom."

Also in the Voice: "Before Hollywood snatches David Gordon Green away in a cloud of pot smoke, BAM will host a series of the auteur's downbeat, down-home dramas (from his debut, George Washington, to the recent Snow Angels), along with a sneak preview of his first potential blockbuster, the stoner action-comedy, Pineapple Express." Aaron Hillis chats with him a bit - and then notes the highlights of Summer 08 in NYC.

The L Magazine's Mark Asch rounds up a few more NYC goings on.

"The film series I'll Be Your Mirror: Rare Films by Philippe Garrel cuts a swath through Nico's and Garrel's enduring dual magnetism, a connection that endured long after her 1988 death from a cerebral hemorrhage," writes Dennis Harvey in the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Tomorrow through Sunday.

"San Francisco's Fifth Annual Another Hole in the Head Film Festival ('Holehead08') had its press conference this morning where the line-up was announced and Noboru Iguchi's The Machine Girl was screened." And Michael Guillén was there. "Is it really true that revenge is a dish best served cold? Not when there's a wok with bubbling oil around!"

Brian Darr was there, too: "Few of the films announced for this year's program have been 'done to death' on the festival circuit, and nearly all of them have never screened in Frisco before. It seems unlikely that many will screen again here anytime soon, so if this sounds like your thing, mark your calendars for June 5 - 21."

"If you live anywhere near Austin, TX, you have to go see the new stage production by filmmaker Mike Z called The Strip Cult, which is a musical about Charles Manson," insists Mike Everleth. "It's being performed this Friday, May 16 at 9 pm at the Parish Room."

"This month's Bath International music festival is running a series of events to raise awareness of homelessness in the city." Francesca Martin reports for the Guardian.

Joanne Laurier has WSWS's second San Francisco roundup.

For SF360, Michael Guillén's talked with Alex Rivera about Sleep Dealer, picked up at SFIFF for a run in the US next February.

A Tribeca pick-up from Keith Uhlich at Zoom In Online: The Universe of Keith Haring.

Posted by dwhudson at May 14, 2008 12:25 PM