This weekend, not one but two –– count ’em, two –– underground festivals are happening, and while they mostly draw from different demographics, Lolaspalooza III and 1919 Hemphill’s 10th anniversary bash will be competing for the same slice of festival-going pie. Especially on Sunday. On Friday and Saturday, most local music fans will probably find themselves at Lola’s Saloon (2736 W. 6th St., 817-877-0666) for the esteemed venue’s third annual festival. A bunch of bands we all know and love are playing. On Friday, Quaker City Night Hawks, Fungi Girls, Calhoun, The Hanna Barbarians, and national headliners Meat Puppets will perform. On Saturday, the lineup boasts Holy Moly, The Me-Thinks, Spoonfed Tribe, Oil Boom, and national headliners (all the way from Denton) a temporarily reunited Brutal Juice. Except for Best Fwends, The Shortest Distance, and Star Commander, I can’t say I’ve ever seen (or heard of) any of the bands playing 1919 (817-920-9665) on those same two days. But North Texas’ oldest DIY venue has a stout Sunday lineup. Fort Worth death-opera duo Pinkish Black, blistering hardcore stylists Wild//Tribe, and unhyphenated punks Raging Boner will join Grand Prairie’s Electric Vengeance in opening up for Akkolyte, the noise-grindcore duo of Dallas’ Gonzalez brothers: Aaron (bass, vocals) and Stefan (drums, vocals). (The brothers might be better known as two-thirds of Yells at Eels, a post-jazz outfit led by their father, trumpeter Dennis Gonzalez.) I’m not saying Lola’s Sunday bill is chump change. The Longshots, Gunga Galunga, We’rewolves, Mailman, and Big Mike’s Box of Rock are just a few of the bands on the docket. So what I’m saying is, Sunday is going to present a tough choice for local music lovers. Tickets to both festivals are dirt cheap: $10 per day or $20 per weekend at Lola’s and $5 per day at 1919. … In a little over a month, Whiskey Girl Saloon (2413 Ellis Ave.) will open its doors –– Josh Weathers will headline the opening-night festivities. As you read first in the Weekly (“Whiskey Girl Saloon Opening Soon,” Sep. 24), the Stockyards venue will specialize in mostly local, mostly original indie-rock, though touring acts and country bands will figure prominently in the mix. Whiskey Girl is now hiring experienced bartenders. E-mail whiskeygirlsaloon@yahoo.com.
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In Gotham City, Batman stops a hostage situation in a bank caused by Two-Face, the alter ego of the disfigured former district attorney, Harvey Dent. Unfortunately, Two-Face escapes. Edward Nygma, a researcher at Wayne Enterprises, develops a device to beam television directly to a person’s brain; Bruce Wayne (with whom Nygma is obsessed) rejects the invention, noting that it “raises too many questions”, and Edward angrily resigns from his position. After meeting psychiatrist Dr. Chase Meridian, Bruce invites her to a charity circus event. There, Two-Face and his henchmen storm the event in an attempt to discover Batman’s secret identity, and in the process murder The Flying Graysons, a family of acrobats. The youngest member, Dick, survives and throws Two-Face’s bomb into the river. Bruce assumes responsibility for Dick and allows him to stay at Wayne Manor. Dick then declares his intention to kill Two-Face and avenge his family’s murder, and when he discovers Bruce’s secret identity as Batman, he insists on becoming his sidekick, “Robin”.
Meanwhile, Nygma becomes a criminal known as the “Riddler”, the master of puzzles and quizzes and forms an alliance with Two-Face. Using his invention that Bruce had rejected earlier, Nygma can read and control people’s minds, and steal their intelligence quotient. At a business party, Edward discovers Bruce’s secret identity. Two-Face then attacks the party and nearly kills Batman, but Robin arrives just in time to save his life. However, Two-Face and the Riddler later converge into Wayne Manor. The Riddler enters the Batcave and destroys most of the equipment, and he and Two-Face kidnap Chase, while leaving Bruce another riddle.
After solving the last riddle, Batman and Robin locate the Riddler’s lair, Claw Island, where both are separated upon reaching the island. Robin then encounters Two-Face and manages to beat him to the ground; realizing that he does not have it in him to commit murder, Robin helps the villain back up. Two-Face gets the upper hand and captures Robin. Meanwhile, Batman manages to make his way into the Riddler’s lair, where Robin and Chase are revealed as hostages, giving Batman a choice of saving just one hostage. Batman finds a way to save both hostages, and manages to destroy the brainwave-collecting device, driving the Riddler into a mental breakdown in the process. During the battle, Two-Face falls to his death. The Riddler is finally sent to Arkham Asylum, and Chase is asked to consult on his case. Riddler offers to reveal the identity of Batman to her, but he thinks himself Batman. Chase then meets Bruce Wayne outside and tells him his secret is safe.