The Alamo Drafthouse has quickly garnered a reputation as one of the greatest movie theaters in the history of mankind…or at least the history of movie theaters. With their signature events, ample food and drink selection, and strict no-talking policy, they make obsolete all tawdry multiplexes and completely redefine the movie-going experience. Here’s what they’re up to this week!
Thursday August 11th
Summer Kids Camp Corpse Bride
Alamo South Lamar 11:30am
“When an arranged marriage between Victor Van Dort and Victoria Everglot reaches the rehearsals, Victor starts to worry. Spending time alone in the forest, Victor decides to practice on his own. Everything seems to go well, until he accidentally puts the ring upon the hand of a corpse. Before he knows it, Victor is in the land of dead and now has a corpse bride. Whilst everyone worries about who Victoria will marry in the land of the living, Victor desperately finds a way to get back.”—OriginalAlamo.com
Talladega Nights Quote-Along
Alamo Ritz 7:00pm
“If you're only going to watch one movie this year...it should probably be The Highlander. It's just a great movie... it won the Academy Award for ‘Best Movie Ever Made’ if I'm not mistaken. But if you're going to watch two movies this year, you should probably race on down to your local Alamo Drafthouse and catch a screening of The Action Pack's Talladega Nights Quote-Along. Why you ask? Because if you don't I'm going to come at you like a spider-monkey and scissor kick you to the back of that head, that's why! This movie is pure excellence and it's got three of my most favoritest things in it: Nascar, sexy lady parts, and American Pride. So grab a checkered flag and some other celebratory materials on your way in as we Shake N' Bake our way to one of the best nights ever. Buy tickets fast because, "If you're not first, you're last" and you will not want to miss out on this.”—OriginalAlamo.com
Talladega Nights Quote-Along
Alamo Lake Creek 7:00pm
Pop Princess Sing-Along
Alamo Ritz 9:45pm
“The first time we built a Pop Princess party it was all about Britney, Christina, and some British girls named after random spices. Nowadays, when you think "Pop Princess" you think Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, or Rihanna... and you wouldn't be wrong. While we're still going to have those classic pop princesses represented (I know the '90s don't seem that long ago, right?!), we're gonna move closer to today's heroines of pop.”—Greg MacLennan via OriginalAlamo.com
Big Screen Classics: Blue Velvet 25th Anniversary w/PBR
Alamo Ritz 10:30pm
“Frank Booth, the coolest person ever to grace a movie screen, had a lot of things going for him. He was a criminal. He was played by legendary madman Dennis Hopper. He really knew how to make love (here’s a tip: it involves gas masks and violent dry-humping). And he didn’t drink Heineken; the only thing that touched his lips (aside from poorly applied lipstick) was PABST BLUE RIBBON. In honor of the 25th anniversary of Blue Velvet, we’re bringing back one of our favorite film and drink pairings, where we show the classic David Lynch film and let the PBR flow freely. The film is one of the greatest bizarre, seedy-under-the-surface stories ever told, directed masterfully by Lynch at his absolute peak. Starring Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, and Laura Dern.”—OriginalAlamo.com
Friday August 12th
Summer Kids Camp: Corpse Bride
Alamo Lake Creek 10:30am
Saturday August 13th
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Alamo Village 11:55pm
Thrill to all the cheap laughs, cheap women, and cheap production values of one of the world’s premier bad movies. Watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show in-and-of-itself is an event, but it takes on a whole new life when witnessed within the walls of The Alamo Village with loads of audience participation, dressed-up patrons, and general wickedness that has become a vital component to the film’s meteoritic rise to cult film legend.
Sunday August 14th
Summer Kids Camp: Corpse Bride
Alamo Lake Creek (thru 8/18) 11:00am
Celebrity Guests: Kati with an I w/Robert Greene Live
Alamo Ritz 7:00pm
“This New York Times Critics Pick and recent nominee of the highly prestigious Gotham Award for Best Film Not Playing at a Theatre Near You is a miracle of documentary filmmaking. Greene, a documentarian whose style brings together the best of the Maysles Brothers and Frederick Wiseman, works with the sensitivity of a poet. He identifies the subtle tensions and inspirations that drive his subjects and he brings them to life with his camera. In Kati with an I, Greene follows eighteen-year old Kati, a naïve and headstrong girl with the heart of an artist, on the three days leading up to her high school graduation. Her life is changing, and she fights vigorously to hold onto any semblance of her past, and her youth, as it slips away.
Throughout this often heart-breaking tale, Greene is somehow able to capture moments of hope and beauty; as a filmmaker he has an uncanny ability to find intimacy within the spaces other filmmakers turn off their cameras. He takes a seemingly minor section of an unknown teenager’s life and makes it feel devastatingly important. A truly beautiful film.”—Daniel Metz via OriginalAlamo.com
Master Pancake: Choose Your Own Pancake
Alamo South Lamar 7:00pm
If you thought the Master Pancake troupe had a tough job before, mocking movies they’d seen a million times with pitch-perfect comedic timing, wait until you see them mock films they may never have even heard of! Bring your favorite DVD and the Master Pancake gents will narrow them down by audience vote. They will then adlib quips throughout the whole film and even make up a skit on the fly. Holy Whose Line!
Big Screen Classics: Blue Velvet 25th Anniversary w/PBR
Alamo Ritz 10:00pm
TV at the Alamo: Breaking Bad
Alamo South Lamar & Lake Creek 10:00pm
“This six-time Emmy Award winning drama from AMC is probably the best show about meth cookers since I Love Lucy. Bryan Cranston, who has won the Best Lead Actor award three years in a row, stars as Walter White, a science teacher turned crystal meth kingpin in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Every week, we will be watching last week's episode followed by the new episode, recorded on DVR so we can fastforward through commercials. For the premiere episode, we will watch the Season 3 finale first!”—OriginalAlamo.com
Alamo Survivor’s Tip: Few things on this planet are funnier than the Master Pancake guys improving. The Choose Your Own Pancake event is always a big draw so don’t wait, get your tickets today!
Monday August 15th
Summer Kids Camp: Fantastic Mr. Fox
Alamo South Lamar (thru 8/18) 11:00am
George Clooney lends his voice to the dashing, debonair Mr. Fox whose unflappable self-estimation is both his most charming attribute and potentially represents the downfall of he and all his forest friends. Wes Anderson directs this quirky, captivating, and exquisitely animated fairy tale to life.
Summer Kids Camp: Cloudy with a Chance of MeatballsAlamo Village (thru 8/18) 11:00am
Aspiring inventor Flint Lockwood creates a machine that turns water into food. This machine ends up accidentally launched into the atmosphere, which causes some very usual weather over his tiny island town of Swallow Falls. Quite simply one of the best animated films ever made. The artwork is gorgeous, the voicework is pitch-perfect and impressively varied, and both kids and adults alike will find themselves laughing heartily.
Celebrity Guests: Fake It So Real w/Robert Greene Live
Alamo Ritz 7:00pm
“Greene’s follow-up to Kati with an I has been playing the festival circuit the past few months and making serious waves. Here he displays the same attention to the casual moments in everyday life and crafts them into epic narratives of comedy, tragedy and triumph. In a stroke of brilliance, Greene may have found his quintessential subject in Fake It So Real, where he chronicles a troupe of amateur “professional” wrestlers in rural North Carolina. The performative qualities of the fighters and the stories of good vs. evil they enact in the ring feel almost classical in their structure. This level of professional wrestling is itself a bloated world of theatrics and bravado, and Greene is able to reproduce this spirit while also turning the less glamorous moments (training, building the ring, paying the rental fees, etc.) into fits of heroicism. The filmmaker follows this troupe for a week leading up to one of their matches, and it plays as a tight narrative that will resonate for anyone who has ever thrown themselves completely into something they love. With its depths of sadness and moments of heart-swelling hopefulness, this is like a documentary version of The Wrestler.”—Daniel Metz via OriginalAlamo.com
Music Monday: Repo Man
Alamo Ritz 10:00pm
“Repo Man is considered to be The Ultimate Punk Film. But in fact, Repo Man should be called The Ultimate ‘80s Film, with its shipwrecked characters living low beneath the shadows of the crummy Reagan era. Otto (Emilio Estevez) is a go-nowhere L.A. punk whose life takes a turn for the crazy when he’s enlisted by a crew of self-destructive, nihilistic repo men (including Sy Richardson and Harry Dean Stanton). Meanwhile, a mysterious cop-evaporating force threatens to change the laws of science as we know it. Featuring a hilarious script and a soundtrack from Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Iggy Pop and Fear, plus enough zoned out new wave maniacs to fill a
mental ward. There is no movie experience like this one, and Cox is considered one of the reigning kings of cult film for a thousand reasons, all of which are on fearless display in this blue-collar masterpiece. ‘Let’s go do some crimes…’”—OriginalAlamo.com
mental ward. There is no movie experience like this one, and Cox is considered one of the reigning kings of cult film for a thousand reasons, all of which are on fearless display in this blue-collar masterpiece. ‘Let’s go do some crimes…’”—OriginalAlamo.com
Alamo Survivor’s Tip: If you’ve never seen Repo Man before, you owe it to yourself to attend Music Monday this week. Even if you don’t particularly like the movie, you will be infinitely bettered, and assuredly more confused, by the end.
Tuesday August 16th
Celebrity Guests: Fake It So Real w/Robert Greene Live
Alamo Ritz 7:00pm
Terror Tuesday: The Hitcher
Alamo Ritz 10:00pm
“Before Rutger Hauer was a shotgun-wielding vagrant…before Michael Bay was a remake-wielding dumbshit…there was The Hitcher. A crucial component to slasher cinema history, this sand-choked high desert hellride remains unmatched. Largely to blame for its perfection is Hauer as John Ryder, a carefree drifter who delights in the extermination of everyone he encounters, including a pre-blackface C. Thomas Howell as the only man to meet Ryder and survive. What begins as an effective cat-and-mouse epic quickly escalates to a massively explosive, action-laden adventure pitting an innocent young man against evil incarnate. Lethal automotive stuntwork, deeply chilling atmosphere and Oscar-level performances make The Hitcher one of the best movies you’ll ever see, horror or otherwise. The only known 35mm print of this film is stored in England but we’re bringing it all the way over for this very special one-time screening, so either you hate everything that’s good or we’ll see you at this show.”—Zack Carlson via OriginalAlamo.com
Alamo Survivor’s Tip: The Hitcher is an amazing film and the 35mm print is incredibly rare. Do not miss Terror Tuesday this week; you will regret it.
Wednesday August 17th
Only at the Alamo: Slacker
Alamo Ritz 7:00pm
“By now, you’ve probably heard about this huge SLACKER 2011 project we’ve concocted with our friends at Austin Film Society. If not, here’s the idea in a nutshell: we’ve commissioned twenty-four of Austin’s best filmmakers to remake the scenes from the iconic film, and we’re combining it all together to create a remake that shows the changing face of Austin and celebrates its diverse filmmaking community. The finished film premieres on August 31st at the Paramount, and all proceeds go towards the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund. In anticipation of that, we’re showing the original film for anyone interested in revisiting that before they catch the remake. At both of the screenings, we’ll be premiering new remade scenes, and the filmmakers will be live to present their work. Part of the proceeds for this event will go toward TFPF.”—OriginalAlamo.com
Girlie Night: She’s All That
Alamo Village 7:00pm
She’s All That is not something you would classify as visionary cinema. The plot, ugly duckling turns beautiful swan, has been used a billion times before, as has the storyline of guy pursues girl in order to win a bet and surprise, he falls in love with her. I don't love this movie because it's original. I love it because it takes all of my favorite teen movie cliches and flaunts the shizz out of them. She’s All That reads like a laundry list of why teen film is my favorite genre. It's got a girl who's ugly because she wears glasses, a "spontaneous" choreographed dance at the prom, a wise-cracking kid brother, a miraculous makeover, a beach volleyball montage, a tender father-daughter moment and a sappy pop song to tie it all together (Sixpence None the Richer's "Kiss Me"). As if that wasn't enough, it's also full of late 90s teen royalty like Freddie Prinze Jr, Rachel Leigh Cook, Matthew Lillard, Gabrielle Union, Clea DuVall and even Usher as the school DJ (that's right, the school has a DJ). It's the ultimate guilty pleasure movie, and we'll celebrate it, minus the guilt, at Girlie Night with themed cocktails and plenty of 90s nostalgia. Falafel hats are encouraged!”—OriginalAlamo.com
Talladega Nights Quote-Along
Alamo Lake Creek 7:00pm
Pop Princess Sing-Along
Alamo Village 9:45pm
Weird Wednesday: The Outfit
Alamo Ritz 10:00pm
“One of the greatest crime films ever made, The Outfit has lingered in a sort of semi-obscure twilight for far too long. Like John Flynn's other great movie Rolling Thunder, The Outfit is built on great performances. Robert Duvall shows why he's an actor's actor as he plays a man avenging his brother's death at the hands of the mob. He teams up with his former partner Joe Don Baker to rob the mob at their card games and collection points until he collects an amount of money he deems sufficient for his loss, or until they pay him off. It may sound like a simple enough plot, and it is, but Duvall's character study of a tough con detached from his moorings and doing what he has to do is masterful. He's like a walking suit of armor with no man inside it. The supporting cast includes many noir stalwarts such as Robert Ryan, Elisha Cook, Marie Windsor, and in fact most of the cast of Stanley Kubrick's The Killing. The great cinematic madman Timothy Carey is memorable as a low-level mob enforcer who gets dealt with by Duvall in a very personal way.”—Lars Nilsen via OriginalAlamo.com
Houston
Graveyard Shift: American Werewolf & Fright Night
8/13 8:00pm
West Oaks’ recurring horror feature this week brings us a monster of a double feature. First, we have John Landis’ seminal horror/comedy An American Werewolf in London with all the magnificent practical effects and tongue-in-cheek song choices in tow. Then, we are treated to one of the greatest of the 80s vampire films: Fright Night. This is the kind of one-two punch that makes horrorphiles like us exceedingly happy…and our mothers very nervous.
Sentai Anime
8/15 7:30pm
Only at the Alamo: Anime
8/16 7:30pm
The Alamo Drafthouse provides a welcome haven for fans of Japanese animation. Samurai swords must unfortunately be checked at the door.
Pop Princess Sing-Along
8/17 7:30pm
Free Family Fun: ET
8/11-8/14 11:00am
“Director Steven Spielberg's heartwarming masterpiece is one of the brightest stars in motion picture history. Filled with unparalleled magic and imagination, E.T. follows the moving story of a lost little alien who befriends 10-year-old, Elliot. Experience all the mystery and fun of their unforgettable adventure in the beloved movie that captivated audiences around the world.”—OriginalAlamo.com
Grease Sing-Along
8/13 7:30pm
If you love the 50s, if the idea of poodle skirts and jukeboxes really revs your engine, then why not come together like rama lama lama and ding a de dinga a dong and sing along with your favorite moments from this musical smash hit? Complimentary combs and candy cigarettes will complete the illusion that you’ve traveled back in time to the 50’s…as represented in the 70s.
Free Family Fun: The Goonies
8/15-8/19 11:00am
Bring the whole family out to enjoy a true classic. Mikey and his brother Brand are being forced to move when a greedy land developer begins snatching up property with the intent of building a golf course. Their only hope is an old treasure map and the swells of pirate riches it promises. Written by Steven Spielberg and Chris Columbus and directed by Richard Donner, few “kids” movies retain their ability to resonate even within their now-grown fanbase as does The Goonies.
San Antonio
Big Screen Classics: Repo Man
8/11 7:30pm; 10:15pm
Talladega Nights Quote-Along
8/14 7:00pm; 10:00pm
Only at the Alamo: Anime
8/15 7:30pm
TV at the Alamo: Doctor Who
8/17 7:30pm
“Join us for another fun filled evening with the 11th Doctor. We will be screening: The Rebel Flesh & The Almost People. As always admission is free, just stop by the box office to pick up your ticket to secure your spot.”—OriginalAlamo.com
Rolling Road Show: Cloak and Dagger
8/12 Pearl Brewery 8:30pm
“Juvenile actor Henry Thomas, late of E.T., is the star of Cloak and Dagger. Given to telling whoppers, Thomas finds himself in a boy-who-cried-wolf dilemma when he overhears two spies plotting to smuggle valuable info out of the US. When he can't get his own father Dabney Coleman to believe him, Thomas turns disconsolately to a computer game called "Cloak and Dagger" and begins to fantasize, imagining that he is in cahoots with secret agent Jack Flack, also played by Coleman. Finally coming to grips with the fact that the mythical Jack Flack cannot help him this time, Thomas takes on the spies with the help of his schoolmates, who are also "Cloak and Dagger" addicts. Cloak and Dagger is a heavily disguised remake of 1949's The Window; both are based on the Cornell Woolrich story The Boy Cried Murder. This Rolling Roadshow event is the third in our four-week series of films themed "On The Riverwalk" that pay tribute to San Antonio. Each film will feature interactive elements such as sing-alongs, quote-alongs, scavenger hunts and more that go beyond the traditional movie watching experience.”—OriginalAlamo.com
Grease Sing-Along
8/14 7:00pm
Big Screen Classics: Blue Velvet 25th Anniversary w/PBR
8/17 7:00pm
Action Pack: Starship Troopers
8/13 7:00pm
You know what’s great about Starship Troopers? Everything is great about Starship Troopers. It’s got giant bugs, it’s got amazing effects, it’s got Paul Verhoeven’s witty social satire, and it’s got a cast of “what-ever-happened-to-them” all stars. The action pack’s signature cap guns and live explosions will be on hand to help ensure that you kill bugs good.
Girlie Night: She’s All That
8/15 7:00pm; 9:45pm
“Forget Samantha Baker! Who cares about Andie Walsh? If I could be one John Hughes heroine, it would without a doubt be Watts. Watts, who plays the shizz out of the drums and totally rocks her red leather fringed fingerless gloves! Watts, who isn't afraid to be herself! Watts, who is totally and completely in love with her best friend, Keith Nelson, a.k.a. Eric Stoltz back when he was amazingly, incredibly, mind-blowingly beautiful. If you're a fan of 80s teen films, then you already know that Some Kind of Wonderful aces pretty much all of the important categories. Excruciating love triangle? Check. Cheesy villain with huge hair? Check. Excellent soundtrack? Check. Epic kissing scene? CH-CH-CHECK. Throw in Lea Thompson, Elias Koteas (I never knew I could love a skinhead so much) and a little Candace Cameron, and you've got yourself a gem of a film that is, indeed, some kind of wonderful.”—OriginalAlamo.com
Winchester, VA
Only at the Alamo: FOREVERISFOREVER
8/11 9:00pm
“Winchester pop/rock band foreverisforever will play live at the Alamo Drafthouse on August 11th to celebrate the release of their new EP. The band is gearing up for a late-August show at the world-famous 9:30 Club in Washington, DC, but you can catch them on their home turf with this special performance. The new EP will be available for sale, and the band will be available to meet and sign your CD copy. “—OriginalAlamo.com
Girlie Night: Some Kind of Wonderful
8/16 8:30pm
Goodfellas
8/17 7:00pm
“Help us celebrate Robert De Niro's birthday with a one-night-only screening of the Martin Scorsese classic Goodfellas, complete with all-you-can-eat spaghetti! (spaghetti is not included in ticket, and will be available to order from your server). Martin Scorsese explores the life of organized crime with his gritty, kinetic adaptation of Nicolas Pileggi's best-selling Wiseguy, the true-life account of mobster and FBI informant Henry Hill. Set to a true-to-period rock soundtrack, the story details the rise and fall of Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian New York kid who grows up idolizing the "wise guys" in his impoverished Brooklyn neighborhood and his rise through the mafia ranks. Goodfellas was rewarded with six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture; Pesci would walk away with Best Supporting Actor for his work.”—OriginalAlamo.com
