Alamo Shafthouse

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The Narrator Returns
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:35 pm

Alamo Shafthouse

#1 Post by The Narrator Returns » Sun Oct 09, 2016 6:40 pm

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

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mfunk9786
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Re: Film Criticism

#2 Post by mfunk9786 » Mon Oct 10, 2016 2:48 pm

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

beamish13
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Re: Film Criticism

#3 Post by beamish13 » Tue Oct 11, 2016 10:45 am

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.

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cdnchris
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Re: Film Criticism

#4 Post by cdnchris » Tue Oct 11, 2016 11:30 am

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.

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The Narrator Returns
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Re: Film Criticism

#5 Post by The Narrator Returns » Tue Oct 11, 2016 11:38 am


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mfunk9786
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Re: Film Criticism

#6 Post by mfunk9786 » Tue Oct 11, 2016 12:02 pm

Karma is a heck of a thing.

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tarpilot
Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2011 10:48 am

Re: Film Criticism

#7 Post by tarpilot » Tue Oct 11, 2016 12:10 pm

cdnchris wrote: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
Last edited by tarpilot on Tue Oct 11, 2016 12:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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domino harvey
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Re: Film Criticism

#8 Post by domino harvey » Tue Oct 11, 2016 12:15 pm

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

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mfunk9786
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Re: Film Criticism

#9 Post by mfunk9786 » Tue Oct 11, 2016 12:26 pm

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

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cdnchris
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Re: Film Criticism

#10 Post by cdnchris » Tue Sep 12, 2017 9:10 pm

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.

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matrixschmatrix
Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 11:26 pm

Re: Film Criticism

#11 Post by matrixschmatrix » Tue Sep 12, 2017 9:17 pm

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

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The Elegant Dandy Fop
Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 3:25 am
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Re: Film Criticism

#12 Post by The Elegant Dandy Fop » Tue Sep 12, 2017 9:37 pm

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.

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med
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Re: Film Criticism

#13 Post by med » Wed Sep 13, 2017 12:27 pm

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

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mfunk9786
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Re: Film Criticism

#14 Post by mfunk9786 » Wed Sep 13, 2017 12:32 pm

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.


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Re: Film Criticism

#16 Post by Perkins Cobb » Wed Sep 13, 2017 11:03 pm

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

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Ribs
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Re: Film Criticism

#17 Post by Ribs » Sun Sep 24, 2017 8:46 pm

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.

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Grand Wazoo
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Re: Film Criticism

#18 Post by Grand Wazoo » Mon Sep 25, 2017 10:35 am

Ribs wrote: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.

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Re: Film Criticism

#19 Post by Perkins Cobb » Mon Sep 25, 2017 12:15 pm

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.

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Professor Wagstaff
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Re: Film Criticism

#20 Post by Professor Wagstaff » Mon Sep 25, 2017 2:57 pm

Grand Wazoo wrote: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
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Re: Film Criticism

#21 Post by Perkins Cobb » Tue Sep 26, 2017 1:35 am

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

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matrixschmatrix
Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 11:26 pm

Re: Film Criticism

#22 Post by matrixschmatrix » Tue Sep 26, 2017 1:40 am

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


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hearthesilence
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Re: Film Criticism

#24 Post by hearthesilence » Tue Sep 26, 2017 1:39 pm

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
Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2007 5:31 am

Re: Film Criticism

#25 Post by beamish13 » Tue Sep 26, 2017 1:53 pm

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.

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