Welcome to the Fandango Alamo Guide, a weekly guide to all the coolest screenings and events being held at all Alamo Drafthouse theater locations. Read on to find out what’s happening in your neck of the woods …
Thursday June 16th
Summer Kids Camp: Ponyo
Alamo Village 11:00am
All throughout the summer, the Alamo is offering kids, and parents, the chance to catch quality family fare on the big screen just as they were intended. Based on The Little Mermaid, Ponyo is a wild, beautiful fantasy directed by the celebrated Hayao Miyazaki.
Summer Kids Camp: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Alamo South Lamar 11:00am
One of the best cartoon-to-live-action adaptations ever conceived. Thrill as the four heroes on the half shell struggle to fight the forces of evil and especially their well-sharpened nemesis Shredder. Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo, along with their rodent sensei Splinter, practice the art of ninjutsu and eating as much pizza as possible.
Dumb & Dumber Quote-Along
Alamo Ritz 7:00pm
There are silly comedies, there are stupid comedies, and then there is Dumb & Dumber. I’m fairly certain the script for this Jim Carrey/Jeff Daniels vehicle was written on a drunken dare and the success of the subsequent film still a complete shock to everyone involved. But whether you love this mid-90s romp or find it incredibly insipid, the one thing that cannot be denied is its quote-ability. Enter the Drafthouse to provide a forum for celebrating the best, possibly only, redeeming quality of Dumb & Dumber.
Sing-Alongs: Totally 80s New Wave
Alamo Lake Creek 7:00pm
Can we all finally agree that the 80s trumps every other decade past, present, or future? Among its many, many accomplishments, the 80s gave us some of the best music in the history of human existence. Time to dust off the keyboard and come Depeche your Mode, Flock your Seagulls, and Talk to your…Heads.
Sing-Alongs: Totally 80s New Wave
Alamo Ritz 10:00pm
Friday June 17th
Summer Kids Camp: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Alamo Lake Creek (Thru 6/23) 10:30am
Only At the Alamo: Cute Night
Alamo Ritz 7:15pm
Besides a cornucopia of videos that would make your mother very disappointed if she caught you watching, the internet provides a non-stop parade of the most disgustingly cute images known to man. Come celebrate adorability as the Alamo subjects you relentlessly to the most nauseatingly heart-warming fare from all over the interwebs. Play ‘em off Keyboard Cat.
Rolling Roadshow: Red RiverFort Worth Stockyard Exchange, Fort Worth, TX 8:00pm
“Before the establishment of a railway system throughout the state, Texas cattle drivers made the treacherous journey up the Chisholm Trail to sell their livestock in Abilene, Kansas. Howard Hawks dramatizes the history of the trail in this 1948 Academy Award nominee starring John Wayne as the pioneering rancher who makes the first journey. Fort Worth’s historic stockyard exchange was the final junction for real-life drovers ON THE CHISHOLM TRAIL before crossing the Red River into Native American territories. The Fort Worth Stockyards are the last surviving stockyards in the United States and are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.”—OriginalAlamo.com
Michael Jackson Sing-Along
Alamo Ritz 10:00pm
The late King of Pop has his entire repertoire celebrated by a room full of loquacious fans. One of the first music video sing-alongs the Drafthouse ever was an ode to Mr. Jackson, and it continues to draw the crowds.
Alamo Survivor’s Tip: While I have, and will continue to, repeatedly espouse the greatness of the Texas-themed Rolling Roadshow events this month, the Red River screening carries special weight. The film itself is so ensconced in the rich history of the state of Texas that the idea of screening it at a location integral to that same history seems entirely ideal.
Saturday June 18th
Big Screen Classics: Taxi Driver
Alamo Ritz 5:15pm
Are you talkin’ to me? Are you talkin’ to me?! Well as long as you aren’t talking inside the theater, you’re welcome to enjoy one of Martin Scorsese’s best and most unusual films.
Michael Jackson Sing-Along
Alamo Ritz 8:00pm
Rolling Roadshow: Bonnie and ClydeFarmers and Merchants Art Gallery, Pilot Point, TX 9:10pm
As dysfunctional couples go, Bonnie and Clyde may be the only two lovebirds to instill us with a sense of hope for Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston. In honor of these crazy-in-love, as well as just plain crazy, bank-robbin’ kids, come see Bonnie and Clyde right alongside the former bank, now an art gallery, where the first heist scene was filmed.
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 June 19th
Fantastic Fest: Love Exposure
Alamo Ritz 1:45pm
“SionSono'sLove Exposure, [is] a picture that could quite possibly become the reigning film classic of 2009. This is a picture with a hell of a lot going on, and a lot on both its heart and mind, that it packs in so damn much and does it with admirable heart and drive that you just want to set up your own distribution company just to make sure this puppy gets seen by as many people as possible.”—Matt Kiernan via OriginalAlamo.com
Zzang!!!:The Last American Virgin
Alamo Ritz 6:45pm
“This enormously underrated high school masterpiece ricochets between goofball rump chasing and breathtaking, sincere realism. Monoson’s lead performance really should have earned the 18-year-old a stronger career, if not a goddamn Oscar. The closing 15 minutes is unquestionably the most pure and powerful in any teen movie, and should be viewed as a cautionary lesson by each tortured soul on the precipice of adulthood. The soundtrack is provided by the top new music acts of the day including OingoBoingo, Gleaming Spires and The Waitresses. Don’t miss this cinematic anvil to the chest and knee to the groin!”—Zack Carlson via OriginalAlamo.com
Big Screen Classics: Taxi Driver
Alamo Ritz 9:30pm
Rolling Roadshow: Tender MerciesEllis County Courthouse, Waxahachie, TX 9:05pm
“Robert Duvall’s understated performance as a faded country music star and recovering alcoholic earned him an Academy Award for best actor in 1983. To prepare for his role as Mac Sledge, Duvall used to practice playing guitar with local Waxahachie musician Mike O’Daniel on the steps of the Ellis County Courthouse in the town square. Join us before the screening for a free Reception and Concert at the Texas Music Theater featuring live musical performances by Texas singer songwriters Jason Crabtree, Kevin Sordiski and Scott Fant, followed by a forum on the making of Tender Mercies with Jake Jenkins, grandson of local music legend Mike O'Daniel.”—OriginalAlamo.com
Monday June 20th
Summer Kids Camp: Iron Giant
Alamo Village (Thru 6/23) 11:00am
The movie that proves that a boy’s best friend is an enormous extraterrestrial robot. The first feature film by Brad Bird, who would later hit home runs with The Incredibles and Ratatouille, directs a cast of voice actors that includes Jennifer Aniston, Harry Connick Jr., and Vin Diesel as the voice of the gigantic, metallic pile of brawn; fitting.
Summer Kids Camp: Ponyo
Alamo South Lamar (Thru 6/23) 11:00am
Big Screen Classics: Taxi Driver
Alamo Ritz 7:00pm
Music Monday: The Scott & Gary Show
Alamo Ritz 10:00pm
“The most unbelievable public access hysteria your eyes can stand!! In the mid-’80s, Scott Lewis and Gary Winter produced a variety show that defied explanation with its corny skits, Hullaballoo-style dancers and punk bands who were definitely NOT lip-synching. Part vaudeville, part kids' show, and part musical extravaganza, The Scott & Gary Show unique in the annals of television history. It was the first (and only) show on the block to feature such unforgettable music performances as The Butthole Surfers on their first "trip" to New York, The Beastie Boys when they were still a hardcore band, a performance by Half Japanese that could almost be described as "tight"...and even an all-out brawl between the hosts and their guests, The Velvet Monkeys.”—OriginalAlamo.com
The Big Lebowski Quote-Along
Alamo South Lamar 10:15pm
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.
Tuesday June 21st
Girlie Night: The Cutting Edge
Alamo Ritz 7:00pm
“It's high time for the world to embrace the magic of The Cutting Edge, and Girlie Night is here to prove it. This film takes the classic romantic formula of opposites attract, throws in some 90stastic casting (this is definitely the climax of D.B. and Moira Kelly's careers) and then puts it all...ON ICE! And not just any ice, nay, but potential Olympic ice! The stakes are incredibly high, which only increases the tension between our skating hero and heroine, resulting in enough fiery chemistry to generate about a hundred bad "melting ice" jokes. I'll spare you those, but I won't spare you the awesomeness of the film's tagline: ‘The Ultimate Love/Skate Relationship.’”—Sarah Pitre via OriginalAlamo.com
AFS: Farewell (L’Affaire Farewell)
Alamo South Lamar 7:00pm
“KGB analyst Sergei Gregoriev is disgusted with the Soviet state and begins passing vitally important secret papers to French agents, including a naïve French businessman unaccustomed to secrecy and espionage. Soon the lives of Pierre Froment and Sergei are inextricably bound together, and as the dangers of discovery and family dissent increase, so do the tensions mount.”—OriginalAlamo.com
Terror Tuesday: The Baby
Alamo Ritz 10:00pm
“There’s only one thing in this world more disgusting than a baby, and that’s a grown-ass man acting like a baby. Crying, drooling, laying on his back in a giant crib and kicking at the air. Goddamn. It’s horrible. And when his entire family is comprised of schizophrenic, murderous shut-ins, any visitor is destined for a wild time. Like, say, that young, attractive female social worker for instance. And anyone else who gets too close to Baby. The same year that director Ted Post made Dirty Harry installment MAGNUM FORCE, he somehow decided to unleash his Adult Infant fetish on an unsuspecting public.”—Zack Carlson via OriginalAlamo.com
Wednesday June 22nd
Tough Guy Cinema: The Rock
Alamo Ritz 7:00pm
If you don’t like The Rock, your man card is forfeit. As if it weren’t enough of a thrill to see Dr. Stanley Goodspeed chase an elderly, but still badass, Sean Conery as he makes a mess of San Francisco in a gigantic Hummer on the big screen, there will be cap gun fire and live explosions to set the appropriate ambiance. Arrive hungry, as there will be a VX gas-eating contest to kick things off.
Sing-Alongs: Totally 80s New Wave
Alamo Lake Creek 7:00pm
Rolling Roadshow: SlackerAustin Studios 8:00pm
Richard Linklater’s landmark film not only gave voice to the causeless angst and woeful youth attention spans of the 1990s, but also put Austin on the independent film map. It is therefore only fitting that a newly-struck 35mm print of Linklater’s film be shown at the prestigious Austin Studios. The film is to be preceded by the premiere of the trailer for the 2011 remake.
Only At The Alamo: Cute Night
Alamo Village 9:45pm
Embodiment of Evil
Alamo Ritz 10:25pm
“The triumphant return of Brazilian horror icon Coffin Joe after decades underground! Let’s be frank, sometimes comebacks are pretty grim. Not so in this case! Embodiment of Evil feels new and old at the same time, in a good way. It’s a worthy successor to such psychotic masterpieces as At Midnight I Will Take Your Soul, This Night I Will Possess Your Corpse and Hallucinations in a Deranged Mind.”—OriginalAlamo.com
Weird Wednesday: Deliver Us From Evil
Alamo Ritz Midnight
“Part of the joy of Weird Wednesday is the thrill of uncovering little known exploitation auteurs. A good example of a director who developed his own unusual style in the golden age of the ‘70s is Horace Jackson, whose movies are bitter, declamatory social tracts about life in the ghetto. They’re all essential viewing for fans of yelling. This film has the guts to take a stand against the kind of dope-pushers who stand around outside elementary schools and hook 7-year-olds on dangerous drugs. The hero is a recovering psychotic who teams up with a committed teacher and a cute kid in a wheelchair to take on the neighborhood menace. It’s all played very seriously and earnestly but inevitably the ridiculousness seeps in around the edges and reaches critical mass before you know it.”—Lars Nilsen via OriginalAlamo.com
Houston
West Oaks
Girlie Night: Cutting Edge
6/16 7:30pm
Graveyard Shift: Creepshow
6/18 10:00pm
Much like Terror Tuesday, Graveyard Shift is a celebration of all things horror. This month, their grisly spotlight is aimed at George Romero’s seminal anthology horror film Creepshow. Not content to merely show a great movie, Graveyard Shift will also offer games, giveaways, and other frighteningly cool surprises.
Big Screen Classics: The Godfather I & II
6/19 4:00pm
I can think of few events more perfect for Father’s Day than a mini-marathon of the greatest film saga that didn’t take place in a galaxy far far away. See the first two chapters of the Corleone family story and remind yourself of what fatherly love really means...tommyguns and horse heads
Only At The Alamo: Anime
6/21 7:30pm
The Alamo Drafthouse provides a welcome haven for fans of Japanese animation. Samurai swords must unfortunately be checked at the door.
Sing-Alongs: Grease
6/22 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.
Mason Park
Free Family Fun: The Muppets Take Manhattan
6/16-6/17 11:00am
Free Family Fun: James And The Giant Peach
6/20-6/24 11:00am
San Antonio
Westlakes
Big Screen Classics: The Godfather I & II
6/19 6:00pm
Only At The Alamo: Anime
6/20 7:30pm
Tough Guy Cinema: The Rock
6/21 7:00pm; 10:30pm
Park North
Food & Film: The Godfather Double Feature Feast
6/19 6:00pm
Seeing two of the greatest films of all time on the big screen is treat enough, but leave it to the tireless perfectionists at the Alamo Drafthouse to devise not one, but two separate four-course feasts that would cause your local Olive Garden to burst into flames in utter shame. For those among you who believe the cuisine at the Drafthouse is limited to “bar food,” I suggest you attend this event and sample the Sicilian swordfish ceviche.
Sing-Alongs: Totally 80s New Wave
6/21 7:00pm; 9:45pm
Stone Oak
Free Family Fun: James And The Giant Peach
6/18 11:30am
Big Screen Classics: The Godfather I & II
6/19 6:00pm
Big Screen Classics: Roman Holiday
6/21 7:00pm; 10:00pm
“What a perfect title for our Big Screen Classics series! Audrey Hepburn delivers a performance that secured her a place in the pantheon of silver screen icons (alongside the wonderful Gregory Peck no less) in this warmly remembered classic romance. Both performances are standouts of not only their careers, but of film history overall. Come enjoy this delicious romantic comedy that is impossible to not be delighted by. It is also impossible to not look up flight information for Rome after the screening and seriously consider taking a quick trip overseas to ride a scooter around the coliseum!”—OriginalAlamo.com
Winchester, VA
Big Screen Classics: Roman Holiday
6/16 5:45pm
Big Screen Classics: Roman Holiday
6/17 11:00am
The Notebook
6/22 8:30pm
Sometimes good movies need no special excuse, no pomp nor circumstance, to warrant a screening. If you’re in charge of date night and you know your girl enjoys a good, cathartic cry, or if that’s merely a ruse for your never having to admit that you do in fact love romantic movies, I’d say it’s time to revisit The Notebook.
