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 25th
Action Pack: Starship Troopers
Alamo Ritz 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.
Pop Princess Sing-Along
Alamo Lake Creek 7:00pm
“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
Pop Princess Sing-Along
Alamo Ritz 10:15pm
Friday August 26th
Master Pancake: The Breakfast Club
Alamo Ritz (thru 8/27) 7:00pm; 10:00pm
“This August, as the world goes back to school, Master Pancake heads to the classroom to throw spitballs at The Breakfast Club. Starring puffy-lipped princess Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez and most of the rest of the Brat Pack as a quintet of misfits stuck in detention one fateful afternoon. As always, the Master Pancakers will artfully ridicule the 80's fashion, sentimentality, and general preposterousness of the film, but nevertheless, many will still leave convinced that if we just talk to each other we can overcome all social barriers and that a Jock can fall in love with a Cure fan. Come out this August and laugh derisively on the outside while your spirit is uplifted on the inside as Master Pancake rips up The Breakfast Club.”—OriginalAlamo.com
Saturday August 27th
Free Kid’s Club: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Alamo South Lamar 11:00am
“Walt Disney Studios’ very first live action spectacular is also widely regarded as one of the most beloved Technicolor masterpieces, ranking beside The Wizard of Oz in the pantheon of great family films. One of the most thunderous epics to ever thrill a kid, and an inspiration to budding imaginations across seven decades! This truly raging adaptation of the classic Jules Verne novel follows the exploits of slightly mad aquatic scientist Captain Nemo (James Mason), whose mighty super-submarine, The Nautilus, allows him to scale uncharted depths and battle impossible creatures. Along for the ride are a bevy of heroes including a young Kirk Douglas, but even his mighty jaw is no match for the wild surprises of the deep sea, like a gargantuan squid that amazes viewers of all ages to this very day! Come see the film that inspired every oceanic adventure – including the Pirates of the Carribean movies – and STILL blows them all out of the dang water!”—OriginalAlamo.com
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.
Alamo Survivor’s Tip: This week’s Kid’s Club is the perfect opportunity to show your children a true classic. Fantastic Mr. Fox, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and The Goonies are great films, but Disney’s early, live-action adventure films are a special breed of cinematic magic and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is among the best.
Sunday August 28th
It w/Live Piano Accompaniment by Reese Gray
Alamo Ritz 7:00pm
“[It is a] magnificent sex farce about that indefinable quality that separates the lovers from the losers. IT features mega-starlet Clara Bow (yes, the Clara Bow from that football team rumor) as a shopgirl who has “It” all over her. It’s a classic silent comedy brought to life by the undeniable charisma of Bow, who was known as the quintessential flapper and the leading sex symbol of the late 1920s. Playing along with the film is accomplished stride pianist Reese Gray. Gray is a member of The White Ghost Shivers and the East Side Dandies, and his technique harkens back to the New York style of the ‘20s and ‘30s.”—Daniel Metz via OriginalAlamo
Asian Invasion: Shaolin Invincibles
Alamo Ritz 9:30pm
“This ridiculous old school kung fu jam features some of the craziest fight scenes ever. Anybody want to see some kung fu gorillas? How about evil wizards with two-foot-long protruding tongues? Judy Lee (Queen Boxer) and Doris Chen play two young women who learn Shaolin kung fu to avenge their families and overthrow a corrupt king. The plot is nothing to write home about, but the movie is fast paced and unintentionally funny. The voice actors who provided the dubbing may have been drunk and the whole movie feels slightly delirious, like the studio was pumped full of nitrous oxide. From the director of Kung Fu Halloween. Dumb! Fun!”—Lars Nilsen via OriginalAlamo.com
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: I am a major proponent of the Alamo’s Asian Invasion series, but this week’s film is a cut above the rest. It’s one thing to feature a film with stunning martial arts and wild characters, but kung fu gorillas? WHERE DO I SIGN?!
Monday August 29th
Music Monday: Austin City Limits: Tom Waits 1979
Alamo Ritz 9:30pm
“One of the most legendary Austin City Limits episodes of all time is the one that features Tom Waits, in a transitional period (isn’t he always, though?), tearing through his early repertoire with all the coolness and barfly charm we’ve come to love him for. Except for the occasional repeat, this episode has only become available on mostly terrible bootlegs, but thanks to our friends at KLRU and Austin City Limits, we are bringing it back, newly remastered from the original source tapes. In addition to this the complete screening of this essential performance of Tom Waits at his peak, we will also show a program of some other great performances from the ACL archives.”—OriginalAlamo.com
The Big Lebowski Quote-Along
Alamo South Lamar 10:00pm
If you love the Cohen Brothers’ tribute to shiftless losers with mad bowling skills and penchants for Creedence Clearwater Revival, this is the place to be. All your favorite one-liners from The Dude will flash across the screen to prompt your collective vocal worship of this masterful comedy. Comedian Tig Notaro will be releasing her debut album, Good One, with prestigious indie music label Secretly Canadian on August 2, 2011. She is the first and only comedian signed to the label. Good One contains well crafted, ridiculous material touching on subjects such as Tig’s family tree, Mexican hotel door signs, birthing a dinosaur, and how 90’s pop singer Taylor Dayne is the easiest person in the world to run into, amongst other things. A deluxe version of the album contains the long anticipated DVD of Have Tig At Your Party, the human equivalent to the “burning log” DVDs.”—OriginalAlamo.com
TIG Notaro Live at the Alamo
Alamo Ritz 10:00pm
“Tig Notaro has had recurring roles on several TV Shows. Most notably, she played Officer Tig on Comedy Central’s The Sarah Silverman Program and was a Series Regular on ABC’s In the Motherhood, opposite Cheryl Hines and Megan Mullally. Most recently, Tig Guest Starred on NBC’s Community and is slated to appear on HBO’s animated series, The Life and Times of Tim. She is currently working with Sarah Silverman on a TV adaptation of her popular regular live show at LA’s Largo Theater, Tig Has Friends. Tig’s weekly podcast Professor Blastoff, through The Earwolf Network, premiered at #1 on iTunes on May 2nd 2011. Comedian Tig Notaro will be releasing her debut album, Good One, with prestigious indie music label Secretly Canadian on August 2, 2011. She is the first and only comedian signed to the label. Good One contains well crafted, ridiculous material touching on subjects such as Tig’s family tree, Mexican hotel door signs, birthing a dinosaur, and how 90’s pop singer Taylor Dayne is the easiest person in the world to run into, amongst other things. A deluxe version of the album contains the long anticipated DVD of Have Tig At Your Party, the human equivalent to the “burning log” DVDs.”—Original Alamo.com
Tuesday August 30th
Girlie Night: She’s All That
Alamo Ritz 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
Terror Tuesday: The Exterminator
Alamo Ritz 10:45pm
“Yeah, yeah. I know. It’s a vigilante movie. No vampires, no sasquatches, no alien fiends. But I hereby declare that The Exterminator is filthier...grittier...more brilliantly base and degrading that any horror feature you can name. From the film’s very first minute, this 50-fisted suicide bomb of street justice is celluloid rabies. The plot: a Vietnam vet is pushed over the edge by the atrocities of war and urban American living and decides to take matters into his own hands. What follows is a solid barrage of highly concentrated freelance law enforcement, as the most amoral cancres of the New York underworld find retribution tearing through their every organ. Shotguns, blowtorches, sedans and man-sized industrial meat grinders are just a few of the tools used by one-man army Robert Ginty to rid America of its pimps, pushers and pedophiles. If crime-fighting is really this explosively satisfying, I’m gonna go find an underage smoker and beat him to death with a table leg.”—Zack Carlson via OriginalALamo.com
Wednesday August 31st
Hecklevision: Cyber Seduction
Alamo Village 7:00pm
“On its surface, HeckleVision is simply another way we can all interact with the screen by having any and all texts we send in appear on the screen along with the movie. But that technology with this Lifetime movie about a mother struggling with her son’s “addiction to Internet porn” will be Horrible Movie Heaven.—Henri Mazza via OriginalAlamo.com
Celluloid Handbag: Clue
Alamo Ritz 8:00pm
“There’s gunna be some bloody murderin’ goin on at tha’ Alamo and ya’ll are invited to get on over and take a good hard stab right into it! CELLULOID HANDBAG is pullin out tha’ lead pipe, rope, dagger, wrench, pistol, candlestick and messed up hostess Rebecca Havemeyer for the much anticipated return of the movie that spawned a million one liners…Clue! Grab a weapon, get ya’self dressed up as ya’ most beloved dip-shit from the film, and make tha’ room a livin’ masterpiece for a pre-show that will leave no one unharmed! There will be flames….flames…from the side of ya’ head…heaving…. Oh you know tha’ rest! And remember, you can never have too many Mrs. Peacocks in one room! Brang It!”—Rebecca Havemeyer via OriginalAlamo.com
Pop Princess Sing-Along
Alamo Village 10:00pm
Horror Remix: Baked
Alamo Lake Creek 10:00pm
Let’s run down the types activities one could engage in that would secure their demise in a horror film; premarital sex, drinking copious amounts of alcohol, and of course—everyone’s favorite—taking drugs. This week, the chopped and screwed clip show Horror Remix brings us several examples of how drugs have both sealed the doom of a plethora of young victims, but also highly inspired the filmmakers who create the world in which they are slain. Just say no…to anything that would cause you to miss this trip.
Weird Wednesday: Choose Your Own
Alamo Ritz 10:30pm
“YOU MUST CHOOSE! Since its inception, the Weird Wednesday Choose Your Own Adventure Night has been a virtual guarantor of cinematic strangeness far beyond even our own Wildest Dreams. Here's how it works: we pull three movies from the vaults, I'll fill you in a bit on the details, then you, the audience, will choose the movie by applauding. As always, we have some awesome movies set aside for just such an occasion. Choose Your Own Weird Wednesday is one of the great, though irregularly scheduled, traditions of this series. Some of the best, wrongest and just plain awkward moments in my life (Anybody remember the chugging magenta meat of Country Hooker?) have been at Choose Your Own Weird Wednesday nights. This year make your voice heard! And don't come sniffing around looking for hints about which movies will be in the mix 'cause I'll just make some shit up.”—Lars Nilsen via OriginalAlamo.com
Alamo Survivor’s Tip: Clue is one of the greatest comedies of all time and still largely unseen. If you’ve never been to a Celluloid Handbag event before, this is definitely the one on which to cut your heels.
Houston
Celebrity Guests: Hollywood Babble-On 8/27 7:00pm
“Ralph Garman is the guy you never listen to on morning radio. Kevin Smith the guy who makes movies you never go see. And yet every week, they have the balls to make fun of their TinselTown bettes. Their show may be the funniest thing you see LIVE at Alamo Drafthouse....unless you spot Kev steering with his knees because he's eating two Cinnabons while pulling out of the West Oaks Mall parking lot.”—OrigialAlamo.com
Red State w/ Kevin Smith
8/27 10:00pm
“Set in Middle America, a group of teens receive an online invitation for sex, though they soon encounter fundamentalists with a much more sinister agenda. With a live introduction and Q+A by our *very* special guest Kevin Smith! This brilliant horror film is currently slated to be released late October but we are bringing it to you early for what is sure to be a super-memorable presentation!”—OriginalAlamo.com
Only at the Alamo: Anime
8/30 7:30pm
The Alamo Drafthouse provides a welcome haven for fans of Japanese animation. Samurai swords must unfortunately be checked at the door.
Action Pack: Starship Troopers
8/31 7:30pm
Horror Remix: Baked
8/31 10:00pm
Pop Princess Sing-Along
8/25 7:30pm
San Antonio
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
8/25 10:30pm
Action Pack: Starship Troopers
8/28 7:00pm; 10:30pm
Only at the Alamo: Anime
8/29 7:30pm
Grease Sing-Along
8/30 7:00pm
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.
Horror Remix: Baked
8/30 10:30pm
Talladega Nights Quote-Along
8/25 7:00pm; 10:00pm
“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
Girlie Night: Some Kind of Wonderful
8/29 7:00pm
“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
Horror Remix: Baked
8/29 10:00pm
Pop Princess Sing-Along
8/25 7:00pm; 10:00pm
Celebrity Guests: Hollywood Babble-On
8/26 7:00pm
Red State w/Kevin Smith
8/26 10:30pm
Grease Sing-Along
8/28 4:30pm; 7:30pm
Only at the Alamo: African Queen
8/25 5:00pm (8/26 11:00am)
“After religious spinster's (Katharine Hepburn) missionary brother is killed in WWI Africa, dissolute steamer captain (Humphrey Bogart) offers her safe passage. She's not satisfied so she persuades him to destroy a German gunboat. The two spend most of their time fighting with each other rather than the Germans. Time alone on the river leads to love.”—OriginalAlamo.com
Big Screen Classics: Repo Man
8/25 9:00pm
“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
Only at the Alamo: Fangoria Presents Horror Shorts w/The Deadneks
8/27 9:30pm
“Fangoria presents a night of horror shorts. Fangoria will be in the theater with free goodies, and several actors and directors from the films will take questions from the audience after the films. To top off the evening, we will have a live set from The Deadneks, a psychobilly band featured prominently in both A Trilogy of Blood and on the soundtrack of Feather.”—OriginalAlamo.com
Maxwell Stein (Local Film)
8/28 8:30pm
“See a movie and be in a movie! Come to a screening of the locally-made film Maxwell Stein. Stay afterwards to be in a scene being filmed for a locally-produced independent movie titled Your Last Six Inches, which is being directed by Joseph Durbin, one of the stars of Maxwell Stein. If you have a ticket for Maxwell Stein and sign a waiver, your name will be included in the credits of the movie being filmed. We plan to show the film Your Last Six Inches at the Alamo when it is completed so you can come back and see yourself on the big screen!”—OriginalAlamo.com
Horror Remix: Baked
8/31 9:00pm
Only at the Alamo: The Worst Movie Ever!
8/31 11:10pm
“A robot alien. Angst-ridden teens. Cleavage-wielding soul takers. A dark overlord. A pregnant 14-year-old cougar. Macho scientists. Santa Claus. Yeah, this movie has it all”—OriginalAlamo.com
