'Tree of Life' gets Oscar noms

Yes, Smithville-shot The Tree of Life got nominated for best picture, best cinematography (Emmanuel Lubezki) and best director Academy Awards. Will director Terrence Malick show up? Did Bridesmaids really get a screenplay nomination and Life didn't? That's another story...

Oh, and Brad Pitt got nominated for best actor--not for Life but for Moneyball.

Oh, and Belgium film Bullhead was nominated for best foreign film. Why should you care? Austin's Alamo Drafthouse's distribution arm snapped up right to the film and will distribute in theaters soon. Party at Tim League's house tonight, right?

Oh, and good to see high-school-football doc Undefeated up for best documentary. I saw it at the South By Southwest Film Festival and loved it.

George Romero Returns to Fantastic Fest!

Here's the skinny from Tim League:

First of all, thanks for taking the time to read this most recent Fantastic Fest update. We've been hard at work for months crafting the feature and shorts lineup as well as the daytrips, outings, panels and special events. We have one more content announcement scheduled for Sept. 7 and already we have some truly AMAZING titles confirmed for that release, so hold tight.

Currently we have announced GENTLEMEN BRONCOS on Opening Night, ZOMBIELAND, George Romero's SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD, and DAYBREAKERS. Most of these shows will be at the Paramount Theater on opening weekend. Hearing 1000 people gasp in unison during the "unclogging" scene in ZACK AND MIRI last year, for example, was priceless. We'll have more gala events coming soon as well as details on those mentioned above.

In 2007, Fantastic Fest was honored by the presence of one of the true masters of horror, George A. Romero. Now, two years later, we are thrilled to welcome back the undisputed champion of all things undead for his latest blood-drenched thrill ride, SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD.

When the idyllic retreat of Plum Island falls victim to the zombie plague, a new breed of clan war breaks out. On one side is the camp who want to exterminate all undead with a wickedly diverse array of brain-splattering headshots. On the other, devoted family members take the stance that "zombie-ism" is a disease, the undead have rights and they must be kept alive until a cure is found. Unable to simply "agree to disagree," the two clans go to war and make their island microcosm a whole hell of a lot bloodier.

Raise a glass of scotch, ladies and gentlemen, and toast the triumphant return to Texas of one of the few working legends of cinema, Mr. George A. Romero. We'll start off the show with a collection of vintage Romero trailers followed by a Q&A after the screening with the master himself.

Tarantino coming back to Austin

I was there for one of Quentin Tarantino's first all-night movie fests in Austin, back when it was at the Dobie Theatre. He's at it again and will premiere his new film. Here's the skinny:

(Austin, TX)--The Austin Film Society and Fantastic Fest are excited to present Quentin Tarantino’s INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, starring Brad Pitt, on August 15 at 9 PM at The Alamo Downtown (320 E 6th Street). Tarantino will be on hand for Q&A after the film.

In the first year of the German occupation of France, Shosanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent) witnesses the execution of her family at the hand of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Shosanna narrowly escapes and flees to Paris where she forges a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema. Elsewhere in Europe, Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) organizes a group of Jewish American soldiers to perform swift, shocking acts of retribution. Later known to their enemy as “the basterds,” Raine's squad joins German actress and undercover agent Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) on a mission to take down the leaders of the Third Reich. Fates converge under a cinema marquis, where Shosanna is poised to carry out a revenge plan of her own...

Employing pulp and propaganda in equal measure, Quentin Tarantino's INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS weaves together the infamous, oppressed, real and larger-than-life stories of WWII.

The screening will kick off Cinemapocalyse, a dusk-til dawn movie marathon. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS will be followed by a double feature of repertory films programmed by Quentin Tarantino. Both films are influences for INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS is the only film that will be announced prior to the event, the "influences" double feature and the rest of the program will be announced just before they hit screen. Tickets for Cinemapocalypse will be available to Austin Film Society members and 2009 Fantastic Fest badge holders on Thursday, July 30 at noon CST and be available through Fantastic Fest.

Tickets for a simultaneous VIP screening of the film will be available to Austin Film Society members on Wednesday, July 29 at 10 AM. The $100 ticket will include dinner, the screening and simulcast of the Q&A. Tickets will be on sale at austinfilm.org and all proceeds benefit the Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund, which received a record number of grant requests for 2009.

Fantastic Fest was founded in 2005 by Tim League (founder of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema) and Harry Knowles (founder of Ain’t It Cool News). The Alamo Drafthouse was named “Best Theater in America” by Entertainment Weekly and Ain’t It Cool News is one of the most popular internet movie sites in the world. Now in its fifth year, Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the U.S., and has hosted a large number of world premieres over the years, including THERE WILL BE BLOOD, APOCAPLYTO, HOSTEL, CITY OF EMBER and many more. Fantastic Fest was named by Variety president Charlie Koones as “one of the 10 festivals we love,” alongside industry heavy-hitters Cannes, Telluride and Toronto and was also named by MovieMaker Magazine this year as "one of the 25 coolest film festivals." For more information, visit www.fantasticfest.com.