USA Film Fest Unspools New Titles, Rare Favorites, Worthy Tributes, Starck Club Doc

By Robert Wilonsky Tue., Apr. 14 2009 at 6:41 PM

Categories: Film

Good Lord, was Blood Simple really 25 years ago, USA Film Festival honoree M. Emmet Walsh?

A little late in the day, but the USA Film Festival just sent out the schedule for this year's shindig, which runs April 29 through May 3 at the Angelika Film Center in Mockingbird Station. To save us all the trouble of running down this year's highlights, I've posted after the jump the entire eight-page program, where you'll find dates and times for screenings for such titles as Jean-Luc Godard's 1967 noir, the rarely seen-in-the-U.S.A. Made in U.S.A., and, no foolin', 1974's rock-operatic Phantom of the Paradise, the Brian DePalma cult fave screening for the Paul Williams tribute. Another curious offering on the slate is Warriors of the Discotheque: The Starck Club Documentary, which should appeal to anyone who fondly recalls the days of doing coke in a unisex bathroom to the strains of Grace Jones and Stevie Nicks (not me, not me).

The USA Film Festival may seem like an afterthought to some still suffering from AFI Dallas International Film Festival hangovers, but the lineup's actually quite intriguing this year -- a smart mishmash of old (a 50th-anniversary screening of Douglas Sirk's Imitation of Life, with Born to Be Hurt: The Untold Story of Imitation of Life writer Sam Staggs in attendance) and new (after seeing the trailer for Must Read After My Death, try staying away). And the list of those being feted at the fest is impressive: Brian Cox (accompanied by a screening of The Escapist), the great M. Emmet Walsh (with a screening of Don McKay, starring Walsh alongside Thomas Haden Church and Elisabeth Shue), Ray Liotta, Oscar-nominated Juanita Moore, ad man and filmmaker Joe Sedelmaier and, yes, Paul Williams. So jump and get ready to buy tickets starting Thursday. Right now, I'd suggest calling (214) 631-8278 for ducats, as the Web site isn't quite there yet.
USAFF Schedule