You had me at ‘Wes Anderson.’
Before Moonrise Kingdom, before Life Aquatic and The Royal Tenenbaums, there was Bottle Rocket. The USA Film Festival and the Texas Theatre have teamed up for tonight’s celebration of the filmmaker’s work, which features an appearance by former Dallas Observer film critic Matter Zoller Seitz (who left us long ago for the greener pastures of New York Magazine and various other pursuits, such as editor-in-chief of Roger Ebert.com). That sad part of this is just as Seitz was releasing his new book, The Wes Anderson Collection, Anderson’s unique world lost a legend in the form of Dallas man Kumar Pallana.
Pallana, whose family ran what is now Cosmic Cafe, became an actor late in life. His first role was the safecracker in Bottle Rocket, Anderson’s directorial debut. The evening includes screenings of both the short version of the film as well as the 1996 feature length film, a tribute to Pallana, and a Q&A with Seitz. Seitz will sign books after everything wraps up.
It’s your last weekend to catch Jubilee Theatre’s production of Neat, which means a trip out to Fort Worth might be in order. If you enjoyed Pretty Fire, the theater’s first foray into one-actor entertainment, you’ll enjoy this companion piece written by the same author and performed, once again, by the wonderful actress Ebony Marshall-Oliver. Charlayne Woodard’s personal script is a recollection of growing up black in America in the 1950s and `60s. There’s a Mi Cocina across the street for all your Thursday night mambo taxi needs.
Finally, if you feel like jumping the Christmas gun with a fair-to-middling amount of vengeance, it’s time for DIFFA/Dallas’ annual holiday wreath collection. Drink Champagne and shop for an amazing door adornment designed by Stanley Korshak, Timothy Oulton, Lisa Garza, Design Within Reach, AIDS Arms, AIDS Services of Dallas, and more. The cause could not be better—DIFFA raises money for AIDS organizations that offer preventative education, treatment, and care for people living with HIV and AIDS.
For more to do tonight, go here.
