David Brisbin stars in Philip Hartman's paean to '80s NYC, No Picnic (Photo: Pioneer Theater)

The 2005 HOWL! Festival of East Village Arts is off and running after last night's opening-night party hosted by Murray Hill and featuring an array of skronk-rock, theater and poetry. HOWL's big-time film events get underway tonight, however, starting at 7 at Anthology Film Archives with "A Night with Robert Downey Sr."

Downey will discuss his 1970 humans-as-dogs parable Pound, of which his restored director's cut is pretty much THE highlight of this year's festival. Downey's film, which screens all week at Anthology Film Archives, bears the dual distinction of Antonio Fargas (aka Starsky & Hutch's Huggybear) as a greyhound and young, innocent Robert Downey Jr. making his screen debut as a puppy; Downey re-cut it especially for HOWL!, a process the filmmaker will be revisiting during tonight's discussion at the Pioneer Theater.

More than a dozen other LES-centric showcases are planned for the week, including a glance back at Kestutis Nakas' 1983 Manhattan cable access show, Your Program of Programs; Chris Flaherty's 2004 GOP-convention review, Counter Convention; and 100 minutes of something called The First Light Series, which filmmaker Alex Harsley describes as a "videographic montage of director's interest in the unified field theory and theory of relativity using natural light found and repletion expound upon director's contention with duality form and content." Howl, indeed.

Later in the week, look for personal appearances by underground icons Luis Guzman, Amos Poe, Gary Ray and others. And if there is a "can't-miss" film moment at this year's fest (besides young Robert Downey Jr.'s Pound inquiry, "Do you have hair on your balls?"), it would probably be the eagerly awaited restoration of No Picnic, Philip Hartman's seminal valentine-noir to pre-gentrification NYC featuring Guzman, Steve Buscemi and punk fixture Richard Hell in all their young, seedy glory. The new black-and-white print is a thing of genuine beauty, and keep your eyes peeled (and fingers crossed) for a Hartman appearance on The Reeler in the days ahead.