Alamo Shafthouse

[The Narrator Returns]

Birth Movies Death's Devin Faraci has been hit with multiple accounts of sexual assault.

[mfunk9786]

Totally unsurprised re: Faraci. The worst of the worst.

[beamish13]

Devin Faraci is an abhorrent human being; a petty, disgusting man-child who protects himself with sycophants so he can threaten people who disagree with him
and has encouraged strangers to kill themselves like every other common internet troll. I have no reason to doubt the veracity of the charges being leveled against him,
and I'm glad Tim League of the Alamo Drafthouse seems to be proactively dealing with this.

[cdnchris]

I think a friend on Facebook follows him or his friends with him so I only became aware of him through that. Some of the stuff I've come across is "questionable" (in regards to reactions to others) but I don't know much about him outside of that.

[The Narrator Returns]

Faraci has stepped down

[mfunk9786]

Karma is a heck of a thing.

[tarpilot]

I think a friend on Facebook follows him or his friends with him so I only became aware of him through that. Some of the stuff I've come across is "questionable" (in regards to reactions to others) but I don't know much about him outside of that.

I was familiar enough to get an embarrassing kick out of seeing a super-pissed Swanberg beat him down in an event that was certainly embarrassing for all, but after this maybe not so much

[domino harvey]

Never heard of this guy, what was he known for before these allegations?

[mfunk9786]

Encouraging dissenting commenters in his former film blog, CHUD, to commit suicide; a notoriously insufferable and horrible temper with colleagues; a generally baffling attitude (which seemed to have softened, if only on the surface, in recent years) of "nerd culture" above all else (which isn't tremendously embarrassing until it involves scorched earth "rage mode" on social media from time to time over incredibly inconsequential qualms of his). And now, of course, these revelations. He's like Jeff Wells' persona intermingled with actual real life implications for other people.

"Devin Faraci used his power to punish people who challenged or upset him. His pettiness undermined his good work. Good riddance, I hope." - Matt Zoller Seitz

This exchange is a good example of the sorts of everyday issues that other critics had (have) with Faraci

[cdnchris]

So judging by how my Twitter feed exploded all over the same topic, it appears Tim League has re-hired Devin Faraci for Drafthouse programming and a sister site of Birth.Movies.Death. (or something).

Found this Hollywood Reporter article.

[matrixschmatrix]

God, as though you couldn't find literally hundreds of more interesting people who didn't have nasty skeletons in the closet for that kind of position

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

Word around Twitter is that he was never actually fired and had continued to be on the Drafthouse payroll since stepping away. Yes, he is a creep and should be kept off the net, but let us also not forget he's also a really shitty writer. I have many problems with Drafthouse and have dealt with them in the past, and would not be surprised if they did this at all. They are all corporate goons disguised as archetypal "cool" movie geeks who have no problem stealing people's work and not paying them for it on top of viewing non-profit cinematheques and art houses as the enemy when they move into town. It's corporate America disguised as an artist.

[med]

Joe Swanberg knocking out Faraci remains the highlight of either person's career.

[mfunk9786]

Yeah, most of my frustration with this lies with how horrible of a writer Faraci is - not sure what he brings to anything that couldn't be achieved or improved upon without him, but I guess I am not the target audience for shitty populist film sites like his.

[Perkins Cobb]

Seems to be broadening into another Cinefamily-esque rape culture scandal.

[Perkins Cobb]

Aaaaaaaand they canned Faraci for real this time. Another 24-hour Film Twitter casualty.

[Ribs]

In addition to more reports of different people having things just as bad if not worse being covered up by the Alamo bosses, in an almost comically bad call one of this year's secret Fantastic Fest screenings was a near-lost Ed Wood softcore porn film, and the staff refused to answer questions about why they'd perpetuate violence against women in that way considering everything happening in the public eye right now. And they apparently had one of the actors from the Square re-enact scenes from the movie by being openly violent and throwing chairs at members of the audience.

[Grand Wazoo]

In addition to more reports of different people having things just as bad if not worse being covered up by the Alamo bosses, in an almost comically bad call one of this year's secret Fantastic Fest screenings was a near-lost Ed Wood softcore porn film, and the staff refused to answer questions about why they'd perpetuate violence against women in that way considering everything happening in the public eye right now. And they apparently had one of the actors from the Square re-enact scenes from the movie by being openly violent and throwing chairs at members of the audience.

The entire Faraci/Knowles debacle has been disgusting and I hope everyone gets their comeuppance in relation to it, but this film and its reactions has been baffling considering the fest openly promoted and screened Bat Pussy. Most people seem to assume the audience was unknowingly subjected to something like Martyrs. I have three friends who attended this one (two men and a woman) who claimed that it was just the silliest, most tame film that works for those who are into those often dull nudie cuties and, uh, the Ed Wood style.

Also from Annie Choi's Twitter:

TAKE IT OUT IN TRADE has NO sexual violence & explores same-sex relationships and drag like it's NBD-in 1970. It was Ed Wood's last movie.

People SEE THE FILM BEFORE SAYING IT'S "A VIOLENT PORNO". Don't spread lies. If you haven't seen it, then STFU and let those who have speak.

Same friends also said the program, while not saying exactly what this was (it was a secret screening), claimed something along the lines of "only gutter dwelling perverts need attend". Plus it was an AGFA secret screening, which pretty much guarantees the 'style' of what one will see. It feel like attendees justifiably were looking for an outlet for their anger at all the legitimate problems with the festival management/Alamo Drafthouse, but that it all came out at Ed Wood seems extremely bizarre. Clearly it's indicative of larger resentment.

[Perkins Cobb]

Just to back up a step, this is the groping accusation against Knowles that broke over the weekend. It was quickly followed by more accusations on Twitter, so I imagine this will be another ongoing scandal as those get reported.

[Professor Wagstaff]

Plus it was an AGFA secret screening, which pretty much guarantees the 'style' of what one will see. It feel like attendees justifiably were looking for an outlet for their anger at all the legitimate problems with the festival management/Alamo Drafthouse, but that it all came out at Ed Wood seems extremely bizarre. Clearly it's indicative of larger resentment.

I attend regular AGFA secret screenings at the Alamo Drafthouse in the Dallas area and I never get a sense that people are walking in blind to the weird stuff screened. Even when they've programmed films like Teenage Mother or Sweet Sugar that may rustle some feathers, the programmer gives the audience a fair warning.

[Perkins Cobb]

Hey, anybody want to guess where Jeff Wells comes down on all of this?

[matrixschmatrix]

Haha he phrases everything as just asking questions and then in the comments ignores the actual answers to his questions and cheerleaders the dullards who reflexively defend every dude everywhere who is accused of sexual impropriety. In Welles' case, it's not hard to imagine that he's trying to create a line between people like Cosby and 'mere' sexual harassers for self interested reasons

[Perkins Cobb]

More (probably more than you want to know) about Hairy Knowles and his Vienna sausage.

[hearthesilence]

Jesus man, you had to phrase it that way, and I had to read that sentence as I was about to eat a brat for lunch.

[beamish13]

How much longer until Tim League resigns, too? I wasn't that excited about the Los Angeles Drafthouse to begin with (even with the Cinefamily likely gone, we still have UCLA, the New Beverly, two American Cinematheques, and the in-process AMPAS museum), but these scandals have soured me on ever patronizing it.