Alamo Guide - Sept Oct 2009

TUE SEPT 1

Terror Tuesday: MOTEL HELL (Ritz) pg.18

WED SEPT 2

Master Pancake: TITANIC (Ritz) pg.24 DIONYSIUM (Lamar) pg.38 Weird Wednesday: TEEN LUST (Ritz) pg.20

THU SEPT 3

OLD SCHOOL Quote-Along (Ritz) pg.22 Monster Rock Sing-Along (Ritz) pg.22

FRI SEPT 4

EXTRACT opens (Ritz) pg.9 Master Pancake: THE BREAKFAST CLUB (Lamar) pg.24

SAT SEPT 5

Master Pancake: THE BREAKFAST CLUB (Lamar) pg.24 ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (Village) pg.38

SUN SEPT 6

HANDMADE NATION + Austin Craft Art Bazaar! (Lamar) pg.32 Big Screen Classics: DEAD MAN (Ritz) pg.12

MON SEPT 7 TUE SEPT 8

DADLABS! (Ritz) pg.10 Music Monday: TRUE STORIES (Ritz) pg.16 aGLIFF starts (Lamar) pg.32 Big Screen Classics: DEEP RED (Ritz) pg.12 AFS Essential: ONE, TWO, THREE (Lamar) pg.36 Terror Tuesday: BLOOD BEACH (Ritz) pg.18

WED SEPT 9

TUE SEPT 22

WED SEPT 23

THU SEPT 24

FRI SEPT 11 SAT SEPT 12

SUN SEPT 13 MON SEPT 14

TUE SEPT 15

WED SEPT 16

FRI SEPT 18

sat SEPT 19 sun SEPT 20

MON

SEPT 21

OLD SCHOOL Quote-Along (Ritz) pg.22 Monster Rock Sing-Along (Ritz) pg.22 BE HERE TO LOVE ME w/ Margaret Brown (Ritz)

STAG! LIVE SKETCH COMEDY w/ Joe Parsons (Ritz) pg.10 Heckler’s Paradise: INVISIBLE CHILD (Ritz) pg.22 THE HORSE BOY Premiere w/ Special Guests (Ritz) pg.32 SUPERFLY w/ David Parks (Ritz) pg.13 Music Monday: OF ALL THE THINGS (Ritz) pg.16

THU

OCT 15

ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL (Ritz) pg.33 Weird Wed: EUGENIE, THE STORY OF HER JOURNEY (Ritz) pg.21

FRI

OCT 16

Fantastic Fest starts! (Lamar) pg.29 OFFICE SPACE Quote-Along (Ritz) pg.23 Monster Rock Sing-Along (Ritz) pg.22

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE opens pg.9 Master Pancake: NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (Ritz) pg.24

SAT

OCT 17

Master Pancake: NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (Ritz) pg.24 Air Sex World Championships! (The Highball) pg.38

OCT 25

GHOSTBUSTERS Quote-Along (Ritz) pg.23 Found Footage Fest (Lamar) pg.11

MON

OCT 26

DUNGEON MASTERS (Ritz) pg.34 Music Monday: YOU WEREN’T THERE (Ritz) pg.17

TUE

OCT 27

AFS Essential: SMALL CRIME (Lamar) pg.37 DUNGEON MASTERS (Ritz) pg.34 Terror Tuesday: HALLOWEEN III (Ritz) pg.19

SAT

SEPT 26

Kids’ Club: CLASH OF THE TITANS (Lamar) pg.41 ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (Village) pg.38

Ritz’ 80th Birthday! PICCADDILLY w/ Live Score (Ritz) pg.11 Heckler’s Paradise: HACKERS (Ritz) pg.23

MON

OCT 19

Music Monday: WANDA JACKSON Doc (Ritz) pg.17

WED

OCT 28

SUN

SEPT 27

TUE

OCT 20

MON

SEPT 28 Music Monday: WONDERSHOWZEN’S DEVIN FLYNN LIVE! (Ritz) pg.17

AFS Essential: TALE 52 (Lamar) pg.37 Hey Homo! presents WITCHES OF EASTWICK (Ritz) pg.14 Bloodshots Screening (Lamar) pg.38 Terror Tuesday: NIGHT OF THE DEMONS (Ritz) pg.19

Master Pancake: HALLOWEEN (Ritz) pg.24 DUNGEON MASTERS (Ritz) pg.34 Weired Wednesday: THE VELVET VAMPIRE (Ritz) pg.21

THU

OCT 29

GHOSTBUSTERS Quote-Along (Ritz) pg.23 Michael Jackson Sing-Along (Ritz) pg.23 DUNGEON MASTERS (Ritz) pg.34

TUE

SEPT 29

AIGA Design Series: BEAUTIFUL LOSERS (Ritz) pg.33 AFS Essential: THE FORTUNE COOKIE (Lamar) pg.36 Terror Tuesday: HAUSU (Ritz) pg.19

FRI

OCT 30

Master Pancake: NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (Ritz) pg.24 Renegade Karaoke: Halloween Edition! (Roadshow)

WED

SEPT 30

SAT

Weird Wednesday: S&M HUNTER (Ritz) pg.21

OCT 31

OCT 1

OFFICE SPACE Quote-Along (Ritz) pg.23 Beastie Boys Sing-Along (Ritz) pg.23

Master Pancake: NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (Ritz) pg.24 DANCE OF THE DEAD w/ Zombie Prom (Lamar) pg.39 Kids Club: WATCHER IN THE WOODS (Lamar) pg.41 PHANTOM OF THE OPERA w/ Live Score (Lamar) pg.11 THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (Village) pg.38

ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL (Ritz) pg.33 Gogol Bordello NONSTOP (Ritz) pg.33 Gogol Bordello NONSTOP (Ritz) pg.33

OCT 2

Master Pancake: TOTAL RECALL (Ritz) pg.24 A SERIOUS MAN opens pg.9 CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY opens pg.9 SHUTTER ISLAND opens pg.9

SAT

OCT 3

Master Pancake: TOTAL RECALL (Ritz) pg.24 ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (Village) pg.38

SUN

OCT 4

Big Screen Classics: THE WARRIORS (Ritz) pg.14 42nd Street Trailer-a-thon: Alamo Drafthouse Edition! (Ritz) pg.33

MON

OCT 5

Big Screen Classics: THE WARRIORS (Ritz) pg.14 Music Monday: HARD DAY’S NIGHT (Ritz) pg.17 NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD (Village) pg.33

TUE

OCT 6

AFS Essential: AVANTI! (Lamar) pg.37 NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD (Village) pg.33 Big Screen Classics: HARD DAY’S NIGHT (Ritz) pg.17 Terror Tuesday: THE BLOB (Ritz) pg.19

WED OCT 7

DIONYSIUM (Lamar) pg.38 NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD (Village) pg.33 Big Screen Classics: HARD DAY’S NIGHT (Ritz) pg.17 Weird Wednesday: UNHOLY ROLLERS (Ritz) pg.21

OCT 8

BEETLEJUICE Quote-Along (Ritz) pg.23 Beastie Boys Sing-Along (Ritz) pg.23 NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD (Village) pg.33

SUPERFLY w/ David Parks (Ritz) pg.13 AFS Doc Tour: THE WINDMILL MOVIE (Ritz) pg.37 Weird Wednesday: TEXAS LIGHTNING (Ritz) pg.20

FRI

OCT 9

WHIP IT opens pg.9 Master Pancake: TOTAL RECALL (Ritz) pg.24

sat

OCT 10

ROCK OPERA 10 Year Reunion (Lamar) pg.11 Master Pancake: TOTAL RECALL (Ritz) pg.24 ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (Village) pg.38

sun

OCT 11

Brad Neely Animation Showcase (Ritz) pg.11 Hey Homo! Brunch: SUSPIRIA (Rita) pg.14 Mitch Hedberg Tribute (Ritz) pg.34

mon

OCT 12

Mitch Hedberg Tribute (Ritz) pg.34 Music Monday: Indie Music Video Fest 2009 (Ritz) pg.17

TUE

OCT 13

Girlie Night: DIRTY DANCING (Ritz) pg.14 AFS Essential: THE HOMECOMING (Lamar) pg.37 Terror Tuesday: TORSO (Ritz) pg.19

Master Pancake: TOTAL RECALL (Ritz) pg.24

Gogol Bordello NONSTOP (Ritz) pg.33 Music Monday: RANCHO NO TENGO (Ritz) pg.16

SUN

BEETLEJUICE Quote-Along (Ritz) pg.23 Michael Jackson Sing-Along (Ritz) pg.23

OCT 18

THU

Master Pancake: TOTAL RECALL (Ritz) pg.24 ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (Village) pg.38 The Accidental Arts Ensemble presents TOMMY (Ritz) pg.10 ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL (Ritz) pg.33

Master Pancake: NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (Ritz) pg.24 Cartoon Cereal Party: Halloween Edition! (Ritz) pg.41 THRILLERFEST 2009! Michael Jackson Dance Party (Ritz) pg.34 THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (Village) pg.38

SUN

AFS Essential: IRMA LA DOUCE (Lamar) pg.36 Girlie Night: DIRTY DANCING (Ritz) pg.13 Terror Tuesday: BEYOND THE DOOR (Ritz) pg.18

OFFICE SPACE Quote-Along (Ritz) pg.23 Monster Rock Sing-Along (Ritz) pg.22 Kung Fu: REVENGE OF THE SHOGUN WOMEN in 3D (Lamar) pg.13

OCT 24

Master Pancake: TOTAL RECALL (Ritz) pg.24

Master Pancake: THE BREAKFAST CLUB (Ritz) pg.24 Master Pancake: THE BREAKFAST CLUB (Ritz) pg.24 Hey Homo! Brunch: A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN (Ritz) pg.12 ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (Village) pg.38

OCT 14

SEPT 25

FRI

THU SEPT 10

SAT

Brad Neely Animation Showcase (Ritz) pg.11 Weird Wednesday: WILD PUSSYCAT (Ritz) pg.21

WED

FRI

THU

9 opens pg.9 TRUE STORIES (Ritz) pg.16 Master Pancake Workshop: TITANIC (Ritz) pg.24 Weird Wednesday: HELLS BLOODY DEVILS (Ritz) pg.20

ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL (Ritz) pg.33 Hey Homo!: BOUND (Ritz) pg.13 AFS Essential: KISS ME, STUPID (Lamar) pg.36 Terror Tuesday: VAMPIRE HOOKERS (Ritz) pg.19

OCT 21

GHOSTBUSTERS Quote-Along (Ritz) pg.23 Bloodshots Screening (Lamar) pg.38 Weird Wednesday: MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH (Ritz) pg.21

THU

OCT 22

Austin Film Festival starts (Ritz) pg.40 GHOSTBUSTERS Quote-Along (Ritz) pg.23 Michael Jackson Sing-Along (Ritz) pg.23

FRI

OCT 23

Master Pancake: NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (Ritz) pg.24 Kung Fu Theater: KUNG FU HALLOWEEN (Village) pg.14

WED

BODY BUSINESS PRESENTS: Parents’ AFTERNOON OUT

THE 3RD SATURDAY OF EVERY MONTH AT THE ALAMO VILLAGE

There’s no denying it...you deserve some quality mom and/or pop time. And a day at the movies without the rigors of child-handling is just the ticket! The 3rd Saturday of each month, parents can purchase an extremely affordable voucher for child care service at Body Business - located just across from the front doors of the theater - to last between 2:30 and 6:30 so they can watch a Saturday matinee and not worry about getting a babysitter. Now you can entertain your kids, love movies and give yourself a much-needed break all at once. Whew!

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE : Opens Oct 16

FIRST RUN FILMS

NEW RELEASES YOU WON’T WANNA MISS

EXTRACT

Opens Sep 4, Dir. Mike Judge

Austin’s most hilarious filmmaker returns to the screen for more working man’s hijinks! The owner of a flower-extract plant (Jason Bateman), tries to contend with myriad personal and professional problems, such as his potentially unfaithful wife (Kristen Wiig), an attractive new temp (Mila Kunis) and employees who want to take advantage of him. Judge is back in his element: championing the failures of the blue-collar world.

BIG FAN

Opens Sep 25, Dir. Robert D. Siegel

Our favorite human Patton Oswalt takes the lead in this darkly comic drama from the writer of THE WRESTLER. Oswalt plays Paul, an obsessive Chicago football fan who’s hospitalized after a near-fatal beatdown from his favorite sports celebrity. Everyone around him is furious, either at the player or at Paul himself for screwing up an important season by getting the athlete jailed. This film destroyed everyone at Sundance and -- like Siegel’s last film -- will be one of the best made films of the year.

CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY

Opens Oct 2, Dir. Michael Moore

Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore sets out to uncover the truth behind the current economic crisis with interviews from Wall Street and government insiders. Moore is a man who’s been pissed off for decades, but no matter what your political leanings, you can see that the country’s pocketbook has fallen in the toilet. Moore reaches his hand in there to find out what happened, and what we can do about it.

SHUTTER ISLAND

Opens Oct 2, Dir. Martin Scorsese

When a psychotic killer (Emily Mortimer) disappears from a mental institution on Shutter Island, a pair of U.S. Marshals (Mark Ruffalo and Leonardo DiCaprio) race against the clock in order to track her down. Judging from the trailer, Scorsese’s first post-Oscar picture is going to be a grand-scale, unspeakably intense thriller. Look for chilling performances from screen greats Ben Kingsley and Max von Sydow, plus more psychoticism from Texas’ own Jackie Earl Haley, who impressed the hell out of everyone as Rorschach in WATCHMEN.

WE LIVE IN PUBLIC

Opens Oct 9, Dir. Ondi Timoner

The story of the effect the web is having on our society as seen through the eyes of “the greatest Internet pioneer you’ve never heard of”, visionary Josh Harris. Harris, often called the “Warhol of the Web” through the infamous dot.com boom of the 1990’s, created his vision of the future, an underground bunker in NYC where 100 people lived together on camera for 30 days over the millennium. He proved how in the not-so-distant future of life online, we will willingly trade our privacy for the connection and recognition we all deeply desire. Through his experiments, including a six-month stint living under 24-hour live surveillance online which led him to mental collapse, he demonstrated the price we will all pay for living in public.

WHIP IT

Opens Oct 9, Dir. Drew Barrymore

In Bodeen, Texas, indie-rock loving misfit Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page) finds a way of dealing with her small-town misery after she discovers a roller derby league in nearby Austin. Yep, this one takes place right here in our home town, and even features a scene at the Alamo Ritz! Not to mention the very tangible link to our favorite sport: ROLLERDERBY. If you’re a proud Austinite and you’re not planning on seeing this film, you better pack your things and head on outta town by sunset.

THE ROAD

Opens Oct 16, Dir. John Hillcoat

A father (Viggo Mortensen) and son walk for months across a ravaged, postapocalyptic landscape in search of civilization. Now, if that doesn’t sound like a bag o’ fun upon first glance, note that this is based on the gripping, Pulitzer prizewinning novel by Cormac “No Country for Old Men” McCarthy, and Mortensen says it’s “the best film he’s ever been part of.” That’s no surprise considering director Hillcoat was responsible for the heart-stoppingly incredible Australian western THE PROPOSITION back in 2006. Oh just go see it already.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

Opens Oct 16, Dir. Spike Jonze

Young, mischievous Max is sent to bed without his supper. When his bedroom turns into a magical jungle landscape filled with strange creatures, he embarks on a wild imaginary (?) adventure. We’re not sure what makes us want to see this more: our nostalgic affection for writer/illustrator Maurice Sendak’s nightmarish creatures or Jonze’s twisted take on his illustrated, ten-sentence classic. Either way, this looks like the Movie of the Year for smart kids and/or adults who still remember what matters.

Sept - Oct 2009 Schedule of Special Events - for complete calendar and tickets visit www.originalalamo.com

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PHANTOM OF THE OPERA with Graham Reynolds live at the organ Halloween night at South Lamar

ROCK OPERA Reunion w/ Voltage Live!

Oct 10, DIR BOB RAY, LAMAR & THE HIGHBALL

Austin-based filmmaker Bob Ray is bringing the old crew back together for a night of punk rock debauchery to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of his cult-legendary Austin stoner-caper flick ROCK OPERA! The tale of Austin musician Toe’s struggle to put together a tour for his struggling band PigPoke. Through selling dirt weed, stabbing people in the back and double-crossing half a dozen of the meanest sons of bitches in Texas, Toe weasels himself into a position to get his band on the road. Half stoner comedy, half suspense thriller and 100% dope ass flick. Including performances by Nashville Pussy, Fuckemos, Witchbanger, and PigPoke as well as the music of Butthole Surfers, Ed Hall, El Flaco, Pong, Cherubs, Honky, The Crack Pipes, Titz, Pocket FishRmen, Phantom Creeps, Antebellum, Squat Thrust, El Insecto, Tallboy, and Voltage. After the screening, head over the The Highball for live performances by the newly reunion’d Voltage, Pocket FishRmen and Tia Carrera!

THE SECOND BRAD NEELY ANIMATION SHOWCASE

OCT 11 & 14, RITZ

With Brad Neely in person. Back in 2001, Brad Neely became a local celebrity when the Daily Texan began running his self-published “Creased Comics” without realizing he was never actually a student. His irreverent, crudely drawn single-panel gems were always good for a quick mindgasm, but it wasn’t until he put his pen to internet-based animated cartoons that Neely would attract the whole Nation to his charmingly disfigured approach. Case in point: COX AND COMBES’ WASHINGTON, which became the most viewed video of all time, ever. But Neely was no one hit wonder, his recurring series PROFESSOR BROTHERS and BABY CAKES hit new highs in (seriously) artistic expression. When we had him out at the theater last year to show his movies and talk about them there was a groundswell of response. Fans who normally sat in small cubicles, watching the videos on a tiny screen sat in a large cubicle and watched them on a huge screen. And then Neely assumed the stage and took questions. The result was like nothing that has been seen before or since. If you missed those epochal shows - don’t miss these. And if you were there, come see Neely’s new work, and the videos we thought would be too controversial to show the first time.

SPECIAL GUESTS - LIVE IN PERSON!

FROM BATTLING BASTARDS TO girlie night... ALL loud & proud on the bigGEST screen DOWNTOWN!

DADLABS!

Sep 7, Ritz

This Labor Day celebrate the ones who never go through Labor... Dads! Join the four dads of Dadlabs.com (Brad Powell, Clay Nichols, Troy Lanier and Owen Egerton) as they present their award winning, side-splitting, occasionally insightful videos on being a father in the 21st century. The night will also include live interaction including the Male Breast Pump Challenge! Wikipooia! And Favorite Fathering Drinking Games! Dadlabs.com broadcasts irreverent advice and entertainment to fathers and has garnered a growing national following. With videos featuring Kevin Nealon, Sara Hickman, a slew of Austin’s best comics and, of course, the four dads, you’ll learn about breastfeeding, foreskins, inappropriate playground interaction, pregnant men and all the joy of being a dad, having a dad or knowing someone who has a dad.

JOE PARSONS OF MASTER PANCAKE THEATER PRESENTS: STAG! LIVE SKETCH COMEDY

Sep 13, Ritz

You like to laugh, right? Of your course you do. Unless you’re a robot or my stepdad. Everyone else can prepare for a veritable LOL-ercoaster this September 13th with the debut of STAG!, a brand new sketch comedy show at the Ritz. Stag members Joe Parsons (Master Pancake Theater), Scott Chester (Comedy Sportz, MPT: Sixth Sense) and Ben Bartley (Comedy Sportz, MPT: Jurassic Park, MPT: the Matrix) are teaming up with the kids from Mascot Wedding Productions (MPT: Lord of the Rings, winners of multiple Filmmaking Frenzies) to bring you a seamless mix of live sketches and video. This all-new show is something you’ll be telling your kids about long after they’re in jail. So this September 13th, order some drinks, sit back, and get ready to laugh so hard you’ll travel back in time and meet yourself. Wait, what? (Joe Parsons)

THE ACCIDENTAL ARTS ENSEMBLE PRESENTS TOMMY SEPT 20, RITZ

A couple of years back we showed the movie TOMMY and had Austin’s own Accidental Arts Ensemble out to play a few songs beforehand. With all due respect to the Ken Russell film, when it started the energy in the room took a nosedive - because the band destroyed. We’ve always wanted to have them out to perform the rest of TOMMY. Well, now’s the time. This September the AAE will shred on the original and best Rock Opera of all time. No movie, just music. See you there. The Accidental Arts Ensemble consists of current and former members of The Palm School Choir, Lions, the Rockland Eagles, Michael Clay Band, The Polyphonic Spree, Low Line Caller, and more.

10

Sept - Oct 2009 Schedule of Special Events - for complete calendar and tickets visit www.originalalamo.com

THE RITZ 80th ANNIVERSARY BASH

FEATURING 1929’S PICCADILLY WITH LIVE SCORE BY ERIK HOKKANEN OCT 18, RITZ

This October, the Ritz theater will be 80 years old. It’s been through some changes but for most of that time it has been open for business and showing movies. We’re honored to carry on the Ritz tradition. And for this momentous anniversary, we’re going to party like it’s 1929. We’ll be showing the amazing late-silent classic PICCADILLY, starring beauteous Anna May Wong as a dishwasher who rises to star dancing attraction at a posh London club. It’s an astonishing film that few will ever have a chance to see on the big screen. But that’s not all. Accompanying the film will be Erik Hokkanen and his band. Hokkanen is a master of jazz and gypsy music and his stylings will take you back to the roaring ‘20s. In addition we will have a number of short films and news reels from the era and a special price-fixe menu of luxurious, ritzy food. Don’t worry though, our recreation of the era will be incorrect in one small regard: there will be no alcohol prohibition.

FOUND FOOTAGE FEST

OCT 25, LAMAR, TWO SHOWS

The Found Footage Festival is a one-of-a-kind event that showcases footage from videos that were found at garage sales and thrift stores and in warehouses and dumpsters throughout the country. Curators Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher host each screening in-person and provide their unique observations and commentary on these found video obscurities. From the curiously-produced industrial training video to the forsaken home movie donated to Goodwill, the Found Footage Festival resurrects these forgotten treasures and serves them up in a lively celebration of all things found.

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA WITH GRAHAM REYNOLDS LIVE AT THE ORGAN

OCT 31, LAMAR, DIR. RUPERT JULIEN, 1925, 35MM, 92 MIN

If there’s a better movie for a Halloween live score than the original Lon Chaney PHANTOM OF THE OPERA we haven’t seen it. And if there’s anyone we’d rather have behind the Alamo monstrous Wurlitzer organ console at South Lamar than maestro Graham Reynolds, we haven’t met him. Reynolds, known for his work as a film composer and mastermind behing the Golden Arm Trio, is eager to chill the marrow of audiences as they watch the man of a thousand faces, Lon Chaney, in his most terrifying role. Surely you know the story by now, but this is the primal version of it, and auddiences today are still terrified by the atmospheric setting and, especially Chaney’s climactic unmasking. Don’t miss this special Halloween treat.

Sept - Oct 2009 Schedule of Special Events - for complete calendar and tickets visit www.originalalamo.com

11

GIRLIE NIGHT: SIXTEEN CANDLES

THE WARRIORS : Oct 4 & 5 at The Ritz

TUES sept 15, RITZ, dir. JOHN HUGHES, 1984 with special prizes from birds barbershop!

The recent passing of John Hughes made me realize how much I owe him for helping me to survive high school. Beneath the comic exaggerations and sweet romanticism, the ordinary geeks in his films all gave me the same life-changing advice: “Prepare for the worst, but don’t stop hoping for the best.” And no character exemplifies this wisdom better than Samantha Baker in SIXTEEN CANDLES. In fact, over 25 years have passed since Samantha got her first kiss from Jake Ryan, and yet she still serves as a beacon of hope for girls everywhere (and I still sigh every time I hear the opening strains of “If You Were Here”). Whenever I had a particularly rough day in school, or an extremely awkward encounter with my unrequited crush, I always reminded myself that Samantha had it worse. Like, did a freshman guy ever try to dance with me while spastically yelling, “Very hot! Very hot!” Um, no. Did my entire family ever forget my birthday? No way! Did my grandmother ever feel me up? HECK NO. Samantha, on the other hand, endured all of that crap (and more!) and she STILL got to kiss the hottest senior over a tasty birthday cake in a super posh house (while wearing a totally awesome poofy gown). In celebration of those tiny (yet monumental) teenage triumphs over adversity and awkardness, I invite you to join me for Girlie Night, where we’ll pass sex test notes, stare obsessively at Jake Ryan and toast to the wonderful legacy of John Hughes. P.S. I promise not to cut off anyone’s hair (or ask for your underpants). (Sarah Pitre)

SUPER FLY

SEPT 14 & 16, RITZ, D. GORDON PARKS JR., 1972, 35MM

BIG SCREEN CLASSICS

FROM NO CRYING IN BASEBALL TO PUTTING BABY IN THE CORNER

DEAD MAN

Sep 6, Ritz, D. Jim Jarmusch, 1995, 35mm, 121 min, R

Jarmusch’s unforgettable dark Western comes back to the big screen!! After losing his parents and fiancée, a Cleveland accountant named William Blake (a remarkable Johnny Depp) spends all his money and takes a train to the frontier town of Machine in order to work at a factory. Upon arriving in Machine, he is denied his expected job and finds himself a fugitive after murdering a man in self-defense. Wounded and helpless, Blake is befriended by Nobody (Gary Farmer), a wandering Native American who considers him to be a ghostly manifestation of the famous poet. Also features roles by Iggy Pop, Robert Mitchum, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Henriksen and the Butthole Surfers’ Gibby Haynes, plus a score by Neil Young!

With a very special guest, crew member and brother of the director David Parks, to share some of his memories of the making of this film. For years Hollywood gave little thought to black audiences. Theaters in African American neighborhoods mainly played second run action and western films. But when Melvin Van Peebles hit the jackpot with SWEET SWEETBACK’S BAADASSSSS SONG, and particularly when MGM was saved from imminent bankruptcy by SHAFT, producers took notice. SUPERFLY was made by indie producer Sig Shore and director Gordon Parks Jr. Unlike a lot of the blaxploitation product coming from the studios, SUPERFLY worked and truly spoke the language of the streets. A lot of the credit goes to star Ron O’Neal, who really gives it his all as Cadillac-driving, womanizing, fur-coat clad coke dealer Priest. He’s determined to get ahead and live the high life even though the cards are stacked against him. Priest’s story arc is like a classical tragedy set in the penthouses and back alleys of New York. Like few other soundtracks before or since, Curtis Mayfield’s brilliant songs set the tone and provide a kind of funky Greek chorus - a sort of counterpoint to Super Fly’s deeds. This is a film you must see with an audience to truly appreciate. Be there.

FREE KUNG FU THEATER: REVENGE OF THE SHOGUN WOMEN in 3D

SEPT 17, LAMAR, D. MEI CHUN CHANG, 1977, 35MM

Please note: while the movie is free, the 3D glasses will cost you $1. We recommend them highly. Also, due to the technical requirements of showing 3D in 35mm, this screening will be at Lamar. REVENGE OF THE SHOGUN WOMEN is one of the few 3D kung fu movies. Like most films of the 3D mini-boom in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, it really goes all out to throw things at you. The mind boggles. That means you can be sitting comfortably in your theater chair and at the same time beseiged by flying hands, feet, knees, forarms, nunchakus, throwing stars, swords, staffs, garden implements, hammers, fans, flails, whips, needles, spears, hooks, arrows, tridents and more. Do you think you can handle all that? If not, better stay home!

DEEP RED

SEPT 8, RITZ, D. DARIO ARGENTO, 1975, 35MM, 98 MIN, R

Dario Argento’s PROFONDO ROSSO (DEEP RED) is a touchstone among giallo thrillers. It took the somewhat hokey Edgar Wallace inspired mechanical thriller plotline and wired it into the BLOW UP Style metacinema. The resulting explosion is still raining blood down upon us to this day. But despite its name, DEEP RED is much more than blood and gore, it’s Argento’s most ingenious film. It is engineered to shock viewers out of their seats, and it will. But it’s also well paced, with an appealing male/female investigating team played by David Hemmings and Daria Nicolodi. When DEEP RED emerged as a hit in the ‘70s there was no shortage of gushing blood on screen. It became a hit and a classic because of its subtlety and timing. Featuring a classic musical score by the Italian electro-prog masters Goblin.

Hey Homo!: A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN Brunch

Sep 12, Ritz, D. P. Marshall, 1992, 35mm, 128 min, PG

In 1992, Penny Marshall put together an all-star lineup to bring us the most fantastic movie ever made about America’s favorite pastime. In this slightly embellished history of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, Bill Pullman and Madonna are just a few of the names on the roster. And let’s not forget Rosie O’Donnell, looking like a professional softball player ten years before she shocked the world with her declaration of lesbianism. A chance to show all you homos and homo fans out there a bunch of butches in skirts is something we at Hey Homo just couldn’t pass up. Don’t miss your chance to enjoy beer and baseball Hey Homo!-style and then join us for a real life kickball game following the show. (Kayla Williams)

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Sept - Oct 2009 Schedule of Special Events - for complete calendar and tickets visit www.originalalamo.com

Hey Homo!: BOUND

Sep 22, Ritz, Dirs. The Wachowski Bros., 1996, 35mm, 108 min, R

I desire and love strong women. From the moment my mind could form independent thoughts, I began to realize that this feeling was real. My first crush came at age 4...she had golden skin, dark hair and light eyes, and her name was Fay. In the year to follow, my mom pulled me aside due to a fairytale I had written, where I was a prince on a mission to save Princess Fay by killing Talia, the evil dragon (and my sister). Then we would surely live happily ever after. Even at the age of 5, I was convinced that in order for me to live in bliss, all I needed was to find my princess. It’s innate. A simple concept that took me 15 years to tell my parents. Then came BOUND. It hit the theaters that next year, I watched it six times at the cinema and scooped it off the shelves, VHS style. Gina Gershon is so smokin’ hot in this movie. Let’s just say, anyone who can have an orgasm on a the big screen deserves some credibility. Jennifer Tilly follows in a strong second. The rest is undisclosed and waiting to be undressed...all eyes peeled on BOUND! (Chivonn)

MORE BIG SCREEN CLASSICS ON THE FOLLOWING PAGE!

Sept - Oct 2009 Schedule of Special Events - for complete calendar and tickets visit www.originalalamo.com

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THE WARRIORS

Oct 4 & 5, Ritz, Dir. Walter Hill, 1979, 35mm, 92 min, R

There is ONLY ONE MOVIE that captures the sweaty, gravel-n’-blood desperation of late ‘70s New York street gangs, blasting open the seedier side of youth culture with a rampaging action adventure like nothing else you’ll ever see. And that American goddamn classic is clearly THE WARRIORS. I don’t even need to tell you the plot of the movie, but I will anyway because just writing about it gets me PUMPED. A powerful underworld leader calls a summit of every gang in New York, but is brutally assassinated before he can bring them together against the police. The blame is wrongly placed on iron-willed, pure-hearted Coney Island rumblers The Warriors, and they’ve got to run for their lives to make it home by daybreak. On their way through subway tunnels and darkened alleys, they’ll face an impossible gauntlet of cops, face-painted maniacs, rollerskating switchblade slashers, spastic skinheads and countless other urban terrors. Dress up as your favorite gang, wrap a chain around your knuckles and come out and play-ee-yay with the cold-blooded gutter soldiers of the Alamo Drafthouse at this big-screen presentation of Hollywood’s greatest action film of the ‘70s: THE WARRIORS!

Hey Homo!: SUSPIRIA brunch

Oct 11, Ritz, Dir. Dario Argento, 1977, 92 min

It’s time to tuck in tight to ya’ seat and witness a wretched and sublime horror movie from the one and only master of macabre, lil chickens! If ya’ aint seen this movie, then ya’ might as well be one of the corpses you’ll find hanging from a rope bein’ bled to death in this film that makes my panties smoke! HEY HOMO! presents the one and only film by the Italian genius of the craft....it’s SUSPIRIA directed by the king of horror, DARIO ARGENTO! Follow poor little Suzy Banyon as she attends a prestigious European ballet academy only to find what Entertainment Weekly called “the most vicious murder scene ever filmed”...amongst a whole mess a’ demonic crap! You ain’t NEVER seen one like this lil’ lambs! Join ya’ ever lovin’ hostess REBECCA HAVEMEYER for a Halloween that’s gonna blow ya’ diaper out! Booya! (Rebecca)

GIRLIE NIGHT: dirty dancing

TUES oct 13, RITZ, dir. emile ardolino, 1987 with special prizes from birds barbershop!

When DIRTY DANCING came out in 1987, it changed my life. Partly because I realized that my parents would never take me to a family summer camp, which meant that I would never be able to fall in love with Patrick Swayze in a “Hungry Eyes” montage, which obviously meant that my life was basically ruined. While that was sort of a short-term impact (Sorry, Patrick, but I’ve, um, moved on), the film’s more permanent legacy is its role as the mother of all dance movies. As I breathlessly watched Baby and Johnny stun the country club set to the soaring notes of “Time of Your Life,” I realized that dance had the power to CHANGE things! Dance could overcome social and racial barriers; it could break down prejudice; it could even transform a really annoying person like Baby into someone awesome! Thanks to DIRTY DANCING, I came to understand the power of dance, and consequently discovered my favorite genre of film: the dance movie. Baby and Johnny paved the way for future silver screen amalgamations of love on the dance floor; in other words, without DIRTY DANCING, there would be no STEP UP 2 TO THE STREETS (a horrifying thought, I know). With such a monumental legacy, DIRTY DANCING deserves our utmost respect, as well as a high amount of romantic mega-sighs. Obviously, there’s no better place to celebrate it than Girlie Night, where chair dancing is encouraged and absolutely no one will be put in a corner. (Sarah Pitre)

Hey Homo!: THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK

Oct 20, Ritz, Dir. George Miller, 1987, 35mm, 118 min, R

The first time I saw this movie I was 15 years old, drunk and unsure what side I wanted to be on. On the one hand, you have three hot ladies: a blonde, a brunette and a redhead. Then you have the devil. I mean, its the devil...who doesn’t want to party with that guy? So if you’re like me and aren’t sure if you want to hang with Jack Nicholson or if you want to get down with Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer (and who doesn’t?), you should join us for a brunch that you will tell your grandkids about...or dogs. Whatever. Alex, Jane and Sukie are three bored New England women left to live without their husbands. They innocently describe a mystery man who could satisfy all their desires. A new man moves into town - and he fits the bill perfectly. Daryl Van Horne is filthy rich and wild-eyed, and within days the three women have all discovered almighty power within themselves. Will good triumph over evil, or will Daryl continue to have his evil way with his witches ? (Chivonn)

FREE KUNG FU THEATER: KUNG FU HALLOWEEN

OCT 22, VILLAGE, DIR. YEN YUNG TSU, 1972, 35MM, 80 MIN

The nerve of some movie promoters... before we saw this movie we assumed it would be about nunchaku wielding Draculas and back-flipping werewolves. Instead it’s about Hong Kong drug dealers, though there’s one scene with a bunch of women in outrageous Halloween costumes. But here’s the good news: it’s still an awesome movie. But a better title would be: THE TWO REALLY PRETTY KUNG FU LADIES. Judy Lee (QUEEN BOXER) and Nancy Lau star as two female undercover agents who try to take down a crime syndicate. Lo Lieh (FIVE FINGERS OF DEATH) is the mob’s brutal pimp-enforcer. This movie positively drips SEVENTIES from the bell-bottoms to the politically incorrect ideas about gender roles. About an hour in, this film takes some hard left turns and becomes one of the strangest things ever printed on celluloid. Be warned - and warn others! Fight coordination by Sammo Hung.

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Sept - Oct 2009 Schedule of Special Events - for complete calendar and tickets visit www.originalalamo.com

OF ALL THE THINGS - Sept 14

WONDERSHOWZEN’S DEVIN FLYNN LIVE: Y’ALL SO STUPID

Sep 28, Dir. Devin Flynn, 90 min

After building a strong foundation in DIY art and music-making while living in Providence, R.I. during the Fort Thunder music/art era, Devin Flynn then moved to Brooklyn where these ethics were challenged by the reality of economics. He created his own market by doing animated music videos for friends in up and coming bands like Providence’s own Lightning Bolt, which got the attention of many like-minded individuals. These included a regular spot on MTV’s Wondershowzen, a video in the Liverpool Biennial, animating the title sequence for Adult Swim’s AQUATEEN HUNGER FORCE MOVIE, and culminating all of these experiences in a stream of consciousness web series on Adultswim.com called Y’ALL SO STUPID. Flynn will host as his greatest output is represented in a series of shorts and videos that will detonate your cortex to the max.

A HARD DAY’S NIGHT

Oct 5, Dir. Richard Lester, 1964, 35mm, 87 min

This acting debut by the Fab 4 immortalizes the “innocent” moptop era of the Beatles. Featuring their British invasion pop songs Hard Day’s Night, Can’t Buy Me Love, and She Loves You, among others, this bubbly little movie also showcases the irreverent and contagious Liverpudlian humor that also defined the group. It’s a peek into the crazy whirlwind center of Beatlemania, and will transport you to the slightly ridiculous charm of the early 60’s. As if that’s not enough, we’ll be presenting this rock & roll classic in a gorgeous newly struck print, making the film as flawlessly fun as it was when it first hit screens. A perfect way to celebrate The Beatles’ 52nd anniversary!

INDIE MUSIC VIDEO FEST 2009

Oct 12, Dir. Various, 90 min.

A one-night festival featuring a fresh crop of 20 independent music videos from all over the world, showcasing brilliant cinematography, astonishing animation and the most precise and artful editing that is sure to rock each of your senses. Rarely seen, never seen and must be seen - an eye-popping, ear-blasting, heart-pounding audio/ video extravaganza! Featured artists include Bend Sinister, punk legends D.O.A., Hayden, Neko Case, Roots Manuva, Van Cougar, Winston Ackland and many, many more. It’s like a twenty story art gallery for all your favorite senses!

MUSIC MONDAYS

ONLY $2. EVERY MONDAY NIGHT AT THE RITZ! brought to you in part by end of an ear records and room service vintage!

TRUE STORIES

Sep 7, Dir. David Byrne, 1986, 35mm, 90 min

At the height of the Talking Heads’ fame, David Byrne confused and delighted their fans by donning a cowboy hat and creating the best movie ever made by a rock band. The entire film is a surreal tour through the otherworldly, mythical town known as Virgil, Texas, where the locals live in a musical dream while setting up for the mammoth local talent show. All the songs are from the Talking Heads album of the same name, but here are sung by an incredible cast that includes Spalding Gray, Swoozie Kurtz and the ‘Heads themselves. John Goodman is warm and wonderful as a lonely singer/songwriter looking for love. Watch him try to sing to a date, forgetting the words to the song and just meowing the missing part. More entertaining than any movie has the right to be.

OF ALL THE THINGS

Sep 14, Dir. Jody Lambert, 2008, 85 min

A SXSW CO-PRESENTATION. The most unique comeback story in years! Dennis Lambert was one of the more successful and diverse songwriter/producers of the ‘70s and ‘80s, with hits like “Ain’t No Woman (Like The One I’ve Got)”, “Baby Come Back” and “Nightshift”. He had chart-toppers in almost every genre of music -- at one point four of his songs were simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a feat previously accomplished only by The Beatles. That was then. Today, he’s a 60-year-old family man selling real estate in Florida. But it turns out his obscure 1972 solo album is huge… in the Philippines. A Filipino concert promoter has been begging Dennis to tour for decades, and in 2007 he finally agreed. This is a hilarious and touching pop/rock/country/R&B documentary that follows Dennis on his whirlwind tour as he rediscovers his passion for music and the importance of family (his son shot the film!). Some lives deserve an encore. “A hilarious, hugely moving film.” -- LA WEEKLY

RANCHO NO TENGO

SEPT 21, DIR. JOE KING CARRASCO, 2009, 96 MIN

With Joe King Carrasco Live In Person! “’I’m the king of hillbilly crank!’ declares methed-up madman dealer Poodie Rodriguez (Joe King Carrasco) just before the sheriff’s car comes crashing through his speed lab’s walls and all hell breaks loose. Naturally, dreadlocked Poodie’s aspirations are dashed when he’s sent to the big house. Once freed, girlfriend Tiffany is there to greet him with her own hopes and aspirations, which include cell phones, hot tubs, and buying a doublewide trailer from slippery Mariachi Johnny (Steamboat captain Crooks, as one of the highlight characters) and his horny daughter, Blanca. When Poodie and Blanca “break in” the trailer – named Rancho No Tengo, Spanish for “ranch I don’t have” – Tiffany turns into Delilah, shearing the hapless fuckup of his vaunted dreads while he’s passed out, then parking his van in front of an oncoming train. Ah, but all’s well that ends reasonably well in this no-budget indie film written, directed, and starring Carrasco. Shot in real speed lab turf around Llano and San Angelo, Rancho No Tengo’s shortcomings include muddy sound and continuity problems that don’t take away from its scruffy, rebel-on-a-rampage awesomeness.

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Sept - Oct 2009 Schedule of Special Events - for complete calendar and tickets visit www.originalalamo.com

WANDA JACKSON - THE SWEET LADY WITH THE NASTY VOICE

Oct 19, Dir. Vincent Kralyevich, 90 min, 2008

A SXSW CO-PRESENTATION. Get personal on tour with the decades-long reigning Queen of Rockabilly, Wanda Jackson. This riveting documentary follows the history, abilities and general power of one of the greatest talents and/or personalities to hit a stage! Jackson has been an unstoppable force in American music since the ‘50s, and this film shows that she refuses to slow down! SWEET LADY... spans her incredible career, with archive footage of her flanked by contemporaries like Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins. Also, fellow legends from all over the industry praise her on camera, including Elvis Costello, Austin’s Rosie Flores, Motorhead’s Lemmy, Bruce Springsteen and many more. Leave your pompadour at home...Wanda Jackson’s music ain’t just for fancypants!

YOU WEREN’T THERE: A HISTORY OF CHICAGO PUNK 1977-84

Oct 26, Dirs. Joe Losurdo & Christina Tillman, 2009

This major rager looks back on the impact that the punk movement had on the Windy City. Though overlooked in the annals of rock history when compared to media-centric Los Angeles, New York, and London, Chicago served as an important early supporter of this burgeoning and controversial scene. From what is now considered to be the first Punk dance club in America (La Mere Vipere), to proto-hardcore clubs (Oz, O’Banions), and All Ages DIY scene (Centro-Am Hall), Chicagoans made sure that there were outlets for the genre that was often blacklisted by the mainstream local live music scene. This small, but dedicated scene had to endure harassment from the police, City Hall, neo-Nazis, and even the audience, as well as making uneasy alliances with the ever-present Chicago criminal underworld. It was a scene that could be violent and unsavory at times, but always tempered with large doses of humor, art, and intelligence. You Weren’t There talks to the DJ’s, musicians, promoters, artists, and fans who were pivotal in creating the Chicago Punk scene. The film also features classic archival footage of such great Chicago bands as Naked Raygun, the Effigies, Strike Under, Big Black, Articles Of Faith as well as lesser known greats Silver Abuse, the Mentally Ill, the Subverts, Negative Element, and many more. This is a rare glimpse into a truly one-of-a-kind American underground music scene.

VAMPIRE HOOKERS

MOTEL HELL with FREE SAUSAGE for everyone! : Sept 1

Sep 22, $1, Dir. Cirio Santiago, 1978, 35mm, 88 min, R

Prolific (and recently departed) Filipino exploitationeer Santiago had the alchemical ability to turn shit into gold. This film could very well be the finest example of his superpowers, as -- on paper -- it just doesn’t sound like much. An elderly Dracula sends underdressed bloodsuckers and a farting hunchback from their mausoleum bunker to harvest some neckjuice. These true Ladies of the Night target a couple of drunk American sailors, who end up battling the Lord of the Undead for their lives. But here, ol’ Dracula is century-spanning screen legend John Carradine, and every moment of the film is infused with that certain oddball awkwardness that holds sway over the theatrical output of the Philippines. So with Santiago’s unique magic, VAMPIRE HOOKERS becomes something special. Truly, deeply, powerfully stupid, but special. (Zack)

HAUSU - NEWLY RESTORED VERSION!

Sep 29, $1, Dir. Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1977, 94 min, R

No one can deny that Japan has established a legacy of skull-bursting cinematic hysteria. And in 1977, every last goddamn ounce of the nation’s unleashed insanity was distilled into one single film. The story follows teenage girl Oshare, a doomed fantasist living in a garish, neon-pastel world. She brings her friends to the remote home of her twisted, gnarled aunt, who is actually a restless, manic demonbeast. Even her fluffy cat is in on some super-unnatural hijinks. And that’s only the beginning...it doesn’t take long for the house itself to reveal its true nature as a living, breathing, virgin-devouring reality-annihilator. This ain’t your mama’s haunted house...anyone unlucky enough to pass through its doors is faced with man-eating pianos, villainous mirrors and even a flying, assbiting human head. The craziest movie ever made by the country that does crazy best. (Zack) sponsored by

THE BLOB ‘88

Oct 6, $1, Dir. Chuck Russell, 1988, 35mm, 95 min, R

LATE-NIGHT horror movies everY TUESDAY at the riTz FOR JUST A BUCK!

vulcanvideo.com

I don’t like horror movies...I love love LOVE ‘em!! And so do you, so hunker down to the Alamo Drafthouse downtown every Tuesday (check online for showtimes) for that gooood slash, smash, trash and thrash, all for one dollar cash!! We’ve scavenged the bowels of the earth for the most shocking and seldom-seen 35mm terrortreasures, guaranteed to leave you gasping for air, thirsting for blood or - at the very least - scratching your head. No foolin’, junior...The Ritz is Ground Zero for evisceration, degradation and mutilation!!! Eeaaauuugghhhh!!!! - Zack Carlson, Terror Tuesday host

A HUGE SALUTE TO OUR SPONSOR - THE MIGHTY VULCAN VIDEO - FOR MAKING THESE SHOWS HAPPEN! VISIT THEM DAILY FOR PURE ENTERTAINMENT! MOTEL HELL

Sep 1, $1, Dir. Kevin Connor, 1980, 35mm, 102 min, R

In the ‘70s and ‘80s, lovable real-life serial killer Ed Gein made cannibalism and human-flesh wardrobes into youth culture sensations. When not blaring Journey or learning macrame, the era’s teens could often be found enjoying the latest Gein-inspired cinematic masterpiece, from TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE to the incredible DERANGED. The list goes on, but MOTEL HELL takes the crown as the most deeply pleasurable, fun-powered man-as-meat tale ever set loose on the public. Affable aging country boy Farmer Vincent (the great Rory Calhoun) and his sister run a backwoods “resort,” where road-weary visitors can enjoy a night’s rest and a slit throat. The most honored of these guests end up ground into Farmer Vincent’s Fritters, a popular local delicacy. Besides boarders, other sausage ingredients include snoops, bikers and even a heavy metal band whose tour van sports a giant moustache on its front bumper. Look, if you don’t want to see a man wearing a giant pig’s head have a chainsaw war with a cop, you’re just an idiot. (Zack)

BLOOD BEACH

Sep 8, $1, Dir. Jeffrey Bloom, 1980, 35mm, 92 min, R

“Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water – you can’t get to it!” Desperately aping the seaside setting of JAWS, this 1981 drive-in cheapie works better than even its coattail-riding creators could have expected. Writer/director Bloom boldly abandoned the standard shark-attack formula entirely and opted to move inland for his carnivorous scares. A mysterious force is pulling beachgoers under the sand, leaving behind sundry human giblets. Everyone from hobos to lifeguards to irritating lapdogs are at maximum risk. Some downright ingenious casting resulted in the on-screen pairing of His Royal Toughness John Saxon with iconic shrimp Burt Young as luckless investigators in shame-faced pursuit of an elusive dirtbeast. Meanwhile, tourists continue to sacrifice life and limb, including a sex fiend who loses his rapin’ stick in the films most gruesomely inspired moment. (Zack)

BEYOND THE DOOR - In POSESSSOUND!

Even my grandma has noticed the staggering number of rotten horror remakes Hollywood has squeezed out in its post-1990 quest for Supreme Worthlessness. But there was a short time when a monster movie “re-imagining” meant a bigger, bloodier and -- in this case -- blobbier version of a beloved favorite, upping the ante for vomitous wildness in ways unthinkable during the golden age of silver screen homicide. Flesh-ripping, oozing renovations of THE THING and THE FLY brought new life to old horrors, but the goopiest and most whiplashing update of all was unsung masterpiece THE BLOB. In fact, I’m just gonna say it: it’s better than the original, and you’ll be forced to agree when you see this ‘80s-fied descendant of Steve McQueen’s bag-o’-jelly nemesis in action. We’re talking a veiny, acidic, unstoppable ingestion machine, capable of crushing vehicles, pulling chubby Italians into tiny drainpipes and performing the ultimate act of heroism: killing children. (Zack)

TORSO a.k.a. BODIES BEAR TRACES OF CARNAL VIOLENCE

Oct 13, $1, Dir. Sergio Martino, 1973, 35mm, 92 min, R SPECIAL PRE-SHOW PERFORMANCE BY DOLLS FROM THE CRYPT

The slasher genre didn’t exist until this savage thunderblast of Pure Hate. All components of the post-FRIDAY THE 13th template are here: a silent masked killer roaming the woods, sharpened blade in hand, effortlessly annihilating his schoolgirl victims until the final confrontation with the lone survivor. If this sounds familiar now, it’s because a willennium of films have lifted what was brand new when this heartattack-maker first hit screens, forever altering the face of gore films and plumbing new lows of violent depravity. A black sheep classic of the Italian giallo genre, TORSO trumped its contemporaries via voracious displays of severed limbs and other, even more unspeakable acts. Ladies, bring your boyfriend...if he enjoys the film, get a restraining order. (Zack)

THE ORIGINAL NIGHT OF THE DEMONS

Oct 20, $1, Dir. Kevin Tenney, 1988, 35mm, 90 min, R

A high school gothling plans a no-rules party at the local haunted house, but her fellow thrill-seeking teenagers encounter something more vile than the anticipated naked butts when a restless hellcreature arrives to get busy. Every well-established human stereotype is turned into monster meat, including a bizarre punk/metal/trailertrash hybrid named Stooge (pictured left). Those that aren’t supernaturally massacred outright are transformed into brimstone-breathing manhunters ruled by a merciless she-beast of the Netherworld. Featuring unrivaled scream queen Linnea Quigley in a career-defining role as a young woman who shrieks and cries while wearing very little clothing. A significant chapter in ‘80s low-budget horror history, this film is remembered by many as “the one where the possessed girl shoves a whole tube of lipstick into her nipple.” Face-shredding demonoids do the darndest things. (Zack)

HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH - with free candy!

Oct 27, $1, Dir. Tommy Lee Wallace, 1982, 35mm, 99 min, R

Brown vomit collides with green vomit in an Italian-American sleazefountain of devil-powered pregnancy/possession hijinks. This screening features one of the prints released in “Posesssound,” an epically boneheaded theatrical gimmick that just means a lot of hissy, gurgly monster noises fill the room whenever the demonism kicks in. BEYOND THE DOOR was an unstoppable contribution to the Hell-borne cinematic wave of the ‘70s that spawned THE EXORCIST, THE OMEN and ROSEMARY’S BABY, and the only movie to rip off all three. It seems that these films all stand as proof that Satan’s plan to destroy the world via an infant is weak and ineffective. Evil Incarnate or not, who’d even notice the lil’ spud? I mean, even God doesn’t care about babies. That’s why he invented abortion. (Zack)

Sep 15, $1, DirS. O. Assonitis & R. Barrett, 1974, 35mm, 99 min, R

A week before October 31, a mysterious corporation unveils a series of adorable monster masks that are secretly devised to transform children’s faces into a mass of gore and crawling insects. The one man sworn to stop the massacre is none other than Tom “Thrill Me” Atkins of NIGHT OF THE CREEPS and MANIAC COP. There are people who hate this brilliant movie. There are also people who enjoy vegan cuisine, listen to Radiohead or think Jack Black is funny. None of those things can be blamed on HALLOWEEN III. So what if it has nothing to do with the masked maniac that founded the famous series? Now that Rob Zombie has made Michael Meyers about as scary as Austin Powers, join us in enjoying some true HALLOWEEN excitement. I’d rather see a million beautifully crippled ‘80s goonrides like this than watch dreadlocked rock ‘n’ roll turd Zombie take another bite out of horror’s corpse. (Zack)

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Sept - Oct 2009 Schedule of Special Events - for complete calendar and tickets visit www.originalalamo.com

Sept - Oct 2009 Schedule of Special Events - for complete calendar and tickets visit www.originalalamo.com

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UNHOLY ROLLERS, OCT 7

EUGENIE, THE STORY OF HER JOURNEY INTO PERVERSION

SEPT 23, MIDNIGHT, $1, DIR. JESS FRANCO, 1970, dv, 87 MIN, R

This year Fantastic Fest welcomes hugely prolific auteur Jess Franco, a man who has carved out a special place in film history with his wholly uniqueoeuvre of sex films.We will show a selection of Mr. Franco’s films during Fantastic Fest and present him with our first Lifetime Achievement Award. This special pre-Fantastic Fest presentation was made possible by the generous cooperation of Blue Underground. The works of the Marquis De Sade have provided the spark of inspiration for some of Jess Franco’s most memorable works. This film, made during his fruitful association with English producer Harry Alan Towers, is among Franco’s best, and one of his own favorites. It’s the story of a teenage girl, played by the lovely Marie Liljedahl, who enters the cruel and corrupting orbit of her father’s mistress and her slightly insane half-brother when she visits their secluded island retreat for a weekend. The adventurously shot film, full of lugubrious set pieces, is a joy to behold. The gorgeous psychedelic dream world Franco creates makes the viewer feel the blood-racing excitement of sexual abandon, an uncommon achievement in sex films, as anyone who has laughed and yawned through a number of them will assent. Featuring Franco regulars Maria Rohm, Paul Muller, Jack Taylor and Christopher Lee, who later claimed he didn’t know it was an adult film. (Lars)

S&M HUNTER

SEPT 30, MIDNIGHT, $1, DIR. SHUJI KATAOKA, 1986, 35MM, 61 MIN, NR

An encore Fantastic Fest presentation. Since its inception, Fantastic Fest has provided a forum for screenings of the most outrageous Japanese “pink films.” In the world of the ”pinku eiga”, filmmakers are essentially turned loose with a small budget. As long as the resulting film contains the requisite amount of sex and nudity (i.e. a LOT), the creators can seemingly get away with just about anything. Last year, S&M HUNTER shocked and awed a Fantastic Fest audience of jaded international sophisticates, who thought they’d seen it all before. S&M HUNTER is an exercise in manga-style outrageousness guaranteed to offend everybody. The black-clad S&M Roper is a kind of bondage super hero who has a supernatural genius for tying women up in configurations that leave them helplessly aroused. When the all-girl gang The Bombers, kidnap a man for their personal sex toy, S&M Hunter accepts a mission to infiltrate The Bombers’ hideout and show them the ropes. It should be noted that S&M HUNTER is a hugely politically incorrect film, loaded with swastikas, delirious patriarchal anxiety, Catholica used for sexual purposes and worse, but few will be able to resist its spiraling craziness for long. The climax, in which the rope-mad antihero employs a 200 foot tall construction crane to execute his bondage masterpiece has to be seen to be believed. Not for the weak! (Lars)

PRESENTED BY

midnight EXPLOITATION CLASSICS everY WEDNESDAY AT THE RITZ ONLY $1 Since the fall of 2001, we’ve been hosting a weekly program of exploitation classics. From Cheerleaders Gone Bad to Blaxploitation to ‘70s Action Cheese and even to Women In Prison, it’s all there - scratches, splices and all. Many of these films are so obscure that little is known or has been written about them. Some of them are bad, most of them are enjoyable, and a rare few are mind-blowingly amazing. Weird Wednesdays is the vanguard of cinema exploration in Austin. Escape the crushing lameness of the real world with us every week. For only a dollar! - Lars Nilsen, Weird Wednesday Programmer and Host Special thanks to I Luv Video for helping to make this series possible. Check out their amazing stores for the best selection of cinematic rarities in town. And see www.iluvvideo.com for news and reviews.

TEEN LUST

SEPT 2, MIDNIGHT, $1, DIR. JAMES HONG, 1979, 35MM, 89 MIN, R

Holy shit! This outrageous farce, directed (and possibly written) by longtime character actor James Hong, is like a wholly American distillation of late-period Luis Bunuel. Good taste is roughly elbowed aside and black-humored perversity reigns inside as we are introduced to lovely young Carol (Kristen Baker), a police academy cadet who has family problems. Her gross father is always on the make for her, her mother drinks like a sailor on a three day shore leave, and her model-airplane obsessed retarded brother wants to marry her. Fortunately she has her police work, which largely consists of dressing like a hooker and being groped by perps, that is when she’s not being groped by the other cops. Her problems aren’t confined to home and work though, even when she tries to spend a little quiet time with her hot-rodding boyfriend, she’s dragged from the car by a gang of amorous 8 year olds (while the theme from THE PEOPLE’S COURT blasts on the soundtrack). When she seeks religious counsel, the family priest tells her he’s gay, and that “all Hitler needed was a hug”, which only serves to confuse her. But the confusion is just beginning as things really get strange. (Lars)

HELLS BLOODY DEVILS

SEPT 9, MIDNIGHT, $1, DIR. AL ADAMSON, 1970, 35MM, 92 MIN, PG

Al Adamson is at it again. The man who brought us CARNIVAL MAGIC, DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN and THE DYNAMITE BROTHERS is back. This time it’s with a movie advertised as a biker movie. But, truth be told, the bikers are just tacked-on set dressing for an otherwise difficult-to-market movie about Nazi counterfeiters. If you can figure out what’s going on in this movie you should go to Washington and get shit straightened out because you’re a genius. Fortunately there are a lot of unintentional laughs and one absolute skull-mashing cameo appearance. As a couple of the characters enjoy a little Kentucky Fried Chicken, an uncomfortable looking Colonel Sanders shows up and makes small talk about chicken for a minute or so and then disappears! It’s that kind of a movie. The biker action was filmed at the Spahn Ranch, home of the Manson Family. With Broderick Crawford, John Carradine, Jack Starrett and Adamson favorite Vicki Volante. (Lars)

TEXAS LIGHTNING

SEPT 16, MIDNIGHT, $1, DIR. GARY GRAVER, 1981, 35MM, 91 MIN, R

As the theme song says: “Rodeo and cattle herding, cheating on your wife - free-for-alls and barroom brawls, they’re all part of life... Time for you to grab a gun and put away your toys. The game that you’re about to play just ain’t for little boys.” The poster for TEXAS LIGHTNING promises a souped-up, fast paced action movie along the lines of SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT. That’s what the producers wanted, anyway. What they got from wild man director Gary Graver, was a story of generational discord along the lines of classical tragedy, with fine performances from Cameron Mitchell and Maureen “Marcia Brady” McCormick. So to appease the drive-in crowd they added some bad gags, a wet T-shirt contest and turned the film into one of the most mind-scrapingly inappropriate things imaginable. Somehow, it works. Graver, a talented cinematographer who worked with everyone from Orson Welles to Al Adamson, was a party maniac. When McCormick was at the theater last year she recalled waking up naked in bed with Graver, actress Claudia Jennings and a massive pile of blow. That’s the life! (Lars)

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Sept - Oct 2009 Schedule of Special Events - for complete calendar and tickets visit www.originalalamo.com

UNHOLY ROLLERS

OCT 7, MIDNIGHT, $1, DIR. VERNON ZIMMERMAN, 1972, 35MM, 88 MIN, R

Gorgeous Claudia Jennings lit up our screen a few months ago as the revenge-obsessed Cajun wildcat Desiree in GATOR BAIT. Her nearly wordless portrayal of a quasimythic swamp wraith is memorable, but audiences could be forgiven for thinking her a limited actress. However, in the rollerderby classic UNHOLY ROLLERS she turns in what a very impressed Roger Ebert called the “hardest, most vicious female performance in a long time.” She plays the kind of Barbara Stanwyck/Joan Blondell gumchewing working class heroine that Hollywood excelled at depicting before the Production Code stepped in and made screen women all soft and wifey. Here Jennings rises from a dreary life working in a cat food factory to become a rollerderby queen who skates to win, no matter what the script says. She drinks cheap beer, curses like a sailor and generally doesn’t give a fuck. Sadly, Jennings, who died in a 1979 car crash, didn’t get any other parts this good. Written and directed by Vernon Zimmerman, who later made the excellent FADE TO BLACK and provided the screenplay for TEEN WITCH. Edited by Martin Scorsese. (Lars)

WILD PUSSYCAT

OCT 14, MIDNIGHT, $1, DIR. DIMIS DADIRAS, 1968, 35MM, 88 MIN, R

From Greece comes this amazing, kinky, violent psychosexual soap opera. When good girl Nadia investigates her sister’s death she finds out that sadistic pimp Nick is behind it all so she straps on the leather and whips and beats him at his own game. Full of unspeakable perversions, dark secrets, two-way mirrors, orgies and 40-weight sleaze. There’s even an adorable pussycat, who purrs and licks her paws as the worst kinds of depravity unfold in front of her. Sounds great, huh? But for me the best part of this movie is the CONSTANT cigarette smoking. A rare treat that you won’t find anywhere else. Who else is bringing you Greek S&M revenge movies? It seems like a good opportunity to formally beat our chests and announce that when it comes to providing high quality sexploitation cinema we are the alpha gorillas. Other theaters around the country may chew the bamboo and act tough but they know that if they try to come near our females they will be beaten senseless with a thighbone. (Lars)

MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH

OCT 21, MIDNIGHT, $1, DIR. ROGER CORMAN, 1964, 35MM, 89 MIN, NR

The best of Roger Corman’s seminal Edgar Allan Poe adaptations. This is the biggest, most lavish of all the American International Poe pictures, and all the pretty colors and extravagant sets certainly enhance the entertainment value, but it could have been filmed on black and white super 8 film and it would still be a joy to behold, thanks to the great Vincent Price. He is at his eye-rolling, emotive best here as a feudal count, who throws huge, depraved parties for the local debauched nobility. When the plague arrives, in the form of a Bergmanesque hooded figure dressed all in red, the count throws the biggest masquerade ball of all with the stipulation that no one wear red, and raises the drawbridge to keep the contagion at bay. Will a red-clad emissary of death find his way into the party? What do you think? Filmed in England as a tax dodge, with many fine English actors including Patrick Magee, Hazel Court and Jane Asher. The spectacular art direction is by longtime Corman cohort Daniel Haller and the excellent cinematography is by Nicolas Roeg. (Lars)

THE VELVET VAMPIRE

OCT 28, MIDNIGHT, $1, DIR. STEPHANIE ROTHMAN, 1971, 35MM, 80 MIN, R

Stephanie Rothman has provided some of the most memorable Weird Wednesday movies: THE STUDENT NURSES and TERMINAL ISLAND, and this is possibly her weirdest - a one-of-a-kind aquarian sex-vampire epic. Though made in America, the film incorporates a lot of the techniques we associate with artsy European horror movies - an emphasis on storytelling through color, slow psychedelic dissolves, and that old standby: abundant nudity. There’s a school of thought that horror movies need a strong sexual component, whether explicit or sublimated, or they just don’t have the desired impact. Clearly Rothman has attended a few classes herself as this movie is all about vampirism as a sexual dynamic. And Celeste Yarnall as the bloodsucker of the title provides a clear sexual focus for this movie about a vapid bleached blonde California couple who find themselves ensnared in a vampire’s desert lair. Better than you’d expect and possibly the only vampire movie to successfully incorporate dune buggies. Featuring a completely unexpected cameo appearance by legendary Delta bluesman Johnny Shines, who performs “Evil Hearted Woman”. (Lars)

Sept - Oct 2009 Schedule of Special Events - for complete calendar and tickets visit www.originalalamo.com

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OFFICE SPACE: the QUOTE-ALONG

GHOSTBUSTERS Quote-Along Oct 21, 22, 25 & 29 at the Ritz

thursdays, sept 17, 24 & oct 1, ritz, blu-ray

Watching OFFICE SPACE at the Paramount last winter was an amazing experience, just to hear everyone in the crowd laughing at their favorite moments again and again. But watching it with that crowd did nothing but get me excited for the idea of an OFFICE SPACE Quote-Along so we can all say, “Looks like somebody’s got a case of the Mondays!” and “Fuckin’ A” and not have to fight that urge anymore. The film is a classic and a constant best seller for our private events department, but for some reason we’d never done a Quote-Along of it before. I jumped to conclusions, though, and now we’re fixing that situation. We’ll have special drinks, Swingline staplers, and after the movie we’ll be going out back to smash a printer. I only wish it was the one I’ve got in my office... (Henri)

THE BEASTIE BOYS SING-ALONG

thursdays, oct 1 & 8, Ritz, DVD

I typically side with SXSW over ACL, for sooo many reasons. Most of those reasons are the dust and heat at ACL and how miserable that makes me, but this year I almost bought a one-day ticket for Friday night. And then the Beastie Boys had to cancel due to Adam’s (treatable, fortunately) illness. The reason was understandable, but the disappointment was palpable, and so on the eve of when they were set to perform here live, the Action Pack is going to throw a Beastie Boys Sing-Along party. Because we can’t, we won’t, and we don’t stop, so come out and get Intergalactic with us and don’t worry about that silly dustbowl party the next day. (Henri)

BEETLEJUICE: QUOTE-ALONG

The ACTION PACK

Thursdays, oct 8 & 15, Ritz, blu-ray, d. tim burton

If you were following me on Twitter back in August (and it’s a simple @HenriMazza for anyone who isn’t following yet - what’re you waiting for?), you would have seen a vigorous debate over which QuoteAlong movies to do in October. My initial question was between BEETLEJUICE and HEATHERS, and as you can probably see from the title of the show I’m writing about, the winner for this month is “Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetle-” HEATHERS fans need fear not, though - we’re going to fit that show into the November calendar, because loving your dead gay son fits in in any month. To start us on the Hallowed Month, though, the ghost with the most is coming to the Alamo this October for the Action Pack’s special Quote-Along screenings of BEETLEJUICE, and we’re so excited that we’re already practicing our “Day! Me say day me say day me say daaaaayyyyoooo” singing. It’s showtime! (Henri)

SING-ALONGS, QUOTE-ALONGS, AND MORE INTERACTIVE BIG SCREEN EXPERIENCES Hosted by Henri Mazza, CAITLIN STEVENS, AND GREG MACLENNAN I’ve been producing different series of interactive shows for the Alamo for four or five years now - Sing-Alongs, Quote-Alongs, and any other sort of -Along that I could come up with. A couple of years ago I brought Caitlin Stevens in to help out with production and running the shows, and about six months ago I brought in Greg MacLennan as another co-host. It struck me, once I had this team that was creating a whole variety of different and yet very similar shows, that we needed a name, because otherwise people will start calling us The -Along Gang or something. But our shows have interaction from the crowd. They have exploding confetti and ocassionally fireballs. These are all action-packed shows, and so from now on, we’re The Action Pack! - Henri Mazza

OLD SCHOOL: THE QUOTE-ALONG AND THEATRICAL KEG PARTY

thurs, aug 27, sept 3 & sept 10, ritz, blu-ray, d. todd phillips

“You’re my boy, Blue!” OLD SCHOOL is one of those movies that’s so freaking hilarious that every time anyone associated with the movie makes another movie, their credit as part of the team that brought you OLD SCHOOL is put on the poster and trailer for the later project. And there’s good reason for that. Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, and Luke Wilson’s trio of aging suburbanites reclaiming the glory of their college days (with none of the hassle of skipping class) was an instant classic, and all these years later quotes from the film still fly around every frat party and parties where people are hanging out and making fun of frat guys. It’s fitting, then that not only will we bring out our usual Quote-Along tricks of subtitling our favorite lines and inviting everyone in the theater to yell them out with us. For this show, we’re also going to be throwing a full on Keg Party, and we’ll be selling wristbands good for multiple drinks from a keg right in the theater. Sure, you could also just order by the pitcher from your server, but you can’t do a pitcher stand like you can with a keg stand, and what’s the point of drinking if you can’t do it upside down? (Henri)

HECKLER’S PARADISE: HACKERS

sun oct 18, Ritz, DVD, d. Lain softley

So yeah, the main reason I wanted to do these text-based Heckler’s Paradise shows (see the INVISIBLE CHILD description for more on that) is because I have a soft spot in my heart for a lot of really and truly terrible movies. And because we’re using new movie-theater technology to pull off this series, it made sense to bring in HACKERS, the terrible movie about Angelina Jolie being hot and computer hackers who hang out in skate park/arcade rooms that get in over their head, because it’s depictions of then-new technologies are amazingly off. So come in armed with your best heckles, text them to the number we provide at the show, and we’ll all laugh-along with HACKERS together. (Henri)

the MICHAEL JACKSON sing-along

thursdays, oct 15, 22 & 29, Ritz, DVD

Shit. By this time I thought I’d be able to write about how awesome it was that the Gloved One totally fooled us all by faking his own death, but somehow the impossible happened and he really is gone. Fortunately, he left us with the keys to his Pop Kingdom, and so we’re going to celebrate his Moonwalking awesomeness yet again for three glorious nights at the Alamo Ritz. But that’s not all! Last year, as you may recall, we had 880 people all doing the Thriller dance at the same time on the patio at the Long Center. We’re going to try to break that record - and break 1,000 - once again this year, and so in addition to the MJ Sing-Alongs at the Ritz, we’ll be having special Thriller Dance Lessons every week at the Highball. Come out, learn the full dance, and thrill the world with us on October 24! (Henri)

THE MONSTER ROCK SING-ALONG

thursdays, sept 3, 10, 17 & 24, ritz, dvd

We celebrate hair metal every February in our annual LOVE BITES Power Ballad Sing- Alongs, but sometimes you want to do more than slow dance. Sometimes, you want to ROCK. And this fall, that’s exactly what we’re fucking gonna do. We’re not gonna take it anymore, because god gave rock and roll to us and now we’re going to shake you all night long. So yeah, we’ve got the big hair and bigger make up of Twisted Sister and KISS. We’ve got the spandex of Van Halen and Poison. And we’ll bring back more favorites from the Love Bites show, too, because “November Rain” isn’t the only song by Guns ‘N Roses. Oh, and AC/ DC. Lots and lots of AC/DC. And you KNOW we’ll be giving everyone their very own inflatable guitar when they sit down, just so we can all have something to smash against the stage when we’re too overcome by the power of our own mystical rocking.

HECKLER’S PARADISE: INVISIBLE CHILD

sun, sept 13, Ritz, DVD, d. joan silver

We tried this Heckler’s Paradise idea once before, and we did it with this movie. Back then, the idea was that we’d let people just yell out whatever they wanted during the movie. That was an experiment, and holy god did it ever fail. But now, through the miracle of cellphone technology, we’re going to be able to have Heckler’s Paradise that will let you make any joke you want, but the theater will still be silent so everyone can hear the movie. How are we going to do that? With onscreen texts! We’ve partnered with MuVChat to create a show where you can text in your thoughts on the movie and they’ll run on the screen in a little ticker that won’t go over the film. Think of it like the old Pop Up Video show, but with facts and comments provided by all the people in the theater. It’s kind of crazy, and it might not work yet again, but with the awesomeness that is INVISIBLE CHILD on the screen, you’ll be overcome with the need to comment to someone. INVISIBLE CHILD, see, is a made-for-TV Lifetime about a mom who believes that she has a non-existent third child. But when her family hires a new nanny and ask her to play along, too, how long can the Invisible Child stay non-existent??? The movie makes NO sense, and we can’t wait to watch it on the big screen again. (Henri)

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Sept - Oct 2009 Schedule of Special Events - for complete calendar and tickets visit www.originalalamo.com

GHOSTBUSTERS QUOTE-ALONG

oct 21, 22, 25 & 29, Ritz, blu-ray, d. ivan reitman

Who you gonna call? GHOSTBUSTERS! At looooooonng last, we’re finally giving this classic film the Quote-Along treatment it deserves. Strap on your proton pack and join us at the Ritz as we sing-along to one of the most amazing movie theme songs of all time, quote-along to amazing lines of dialogue like, “Somebody blows their nose, and you want to keep it?” and try to talk in a super creepy low demonic voice when we say, “There is no Dana, only Zuul!” We’ll also have plenty of marshmallows on hand, so we can all StayPuft through the entire screening. (Henri)

Sept - Oct 2009 Schedule of Special Events - for complete calendar and tickets visit www.originalalamo.com

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MASTER PANCAKE slashes through NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET

MASTER PANCAKE THEATER

austin’s movie mocking maestros

MASTER PANCAKE PRESENTS: THE BREAKFAST CLUB

Special John Hughes Memorial Encores This September

Perhaps the quintessential John Hughes movie, THE BREAKFAST CLUB features poutylipped fireball Molly Ringwald and fellow brat-packers Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, and Ally Sheedy as a quintet of misfits trapped in detention for one fateful afternoon. While there, these five Jungian archetypes of high school life (the geek, the jock, the princess, the thug, and the Cure fan) learn that they are not in fact so very different after all. Originally titled LIBRARY REVOLUTION, THE BREAKFAST CLUB shows that by banding together you CAN overthrow ‘the man’ -- or at least your douchebag principal -- played perfectly here by the master of assoholitude, Paul Gleason (TRADING PLACES, DIE HARD). Be our guest for some ‘Simple Minded’ fun as Master Pancake’s John, Joe and company give a unique twist to one of the best/ worst teen revolution.

MASTER PANCAKE PRESENTS: TOTAL RECALL

WEEKENDS STARTING SEPTEMBER 18

In honor of Fantastic Fest, the Master Pancake boys suck the air out of one of sci-fi’s most dated hits, TOTAL RECALL (1990). Directed by inscrutable Dutchman Paul Verhoeven (SHOWGIRLS, BASIC INSTINCT), based on a story by master mind-fuck artist Philip K. Dick, and starring lumpy Austrian politico Arnold Schwarzenegger (HERCULES IN NEW YORK, PUMPING IRON) as the world’s leastplausible “average Joe”: Douglas Quaid, a man who really really needs a vacation. The complex plot – involving cover-ups, conspiracies and false memories -- is made even more opaque by Ahnold’s thick accent and his tendency to add extra syllables to words: “air” become “eeyaher.” “Mars” becomes “Mee-ah-er-zah.” And two-boobed ladies become three-boobed ladies in this over-the-top feast for the eyes. Join Master Pancake as they “Dick” around with one of the bestworst sci-fi movies of the 90’s.

MASTER PANCAKE PRESENTS: NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET

WEEKENDS STARTING OCTOBER 16

To celebrate the Halloween season, Master Pancake dreams up fun ways to eviscerate the Wes Craven classic A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984), or as we like to call it “Scissorhands vs. Razorgloves”. Featuring a baby-faced Johnny Depp (21 JUMP STREET, EDWARD SCISSORHANDS) as a preppy horn-dog who just wants to get with Heather Langenkamp (NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3, GROWING PAINS) the girl next door with a fantastic set of lungs. Of course it’s Robert Englund (C.H.U.D. II: BUD THE CHUD, THE ADVENTURES OF FORD FAIRLANE) who steals the show as the well-clawed Freddy Krueger, who, like most 80’s horror villains, only seems to stalk teenagers who are in danger of copulating. Join Master Pancake as they riff apart this creepy nail biter.

also don’t miss SPECIAL PANCAKE POTLUCK Wednesdays this calendar featuring TITANIC on SEPTember 9, and Halloween on OCT. 28) - and big surprises at both shows! 24

Sept - Oct 2009 Schedule of Special Events - for complete calendar and tickets visit www.originalalamo.com

Fantastic Fest September 24-October 1

A film festival with the boring parts cut out • www.fantasticfest.com

120 badass FILMS

September 24-October 1

A film festival with the boring parts cut out • www.fantasticfest.com

Gentlemen Broncos

Daybreakers

Zombieland

Doghouse

Vampire Girl Vs. Frankenstein Girl

Yatterman

Toy Story 1 and 2 3D

Survival of the Dead

District 13: Ultimatum

Trick ‘r Treat

Love Exposure

Crazy Racer

Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) stars along with Mike White and Sam Rockwell in the new film by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite). Following the movie, badgeholders are invited to the Highball for futuristic cocktails and food, supplies to make your own popcorn sculptures, a photo diorama where you can get your picture taken on an actual Brutus and Balzaak Battle Stag, DJs spinning spacey music as well as art from the film on display.

The return of Disney’s Pixar’s Toy Story and TOY STORY 2 to the big screen kicks off a Disney Digital 3D Toy Story celebration, which culminates in a brand new adventure starring Buzz and Woody: Toy Story 3— in theaters June 18, 2010. Fantastic Fest attendees get a special sneak-peak at the remastered originals in 3D.

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The year is 2019. A mysterious plague has swept over the earth, transforming the majority of the world’s population into vampires. Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke), a vampire researcher who refuses to feed on human blood, struggles to create a blood substitute that might sustain vampires and spare the few remaining humans.

George Romero returns to the Alamo Drafthouse cinema for the U.S. premiere of his latest zombie opus. The action centers on two warring clans of Plum Island; one wants to kill every zombie on the island, the other tries to protect their undead family members until a cure for “zombieism” is found.

Two men have found a way to survive a world overrun by zombies. Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is a big wuss – but when you’re afraid of being eaten by zombies, fear can keep you alive. Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) is an AK-totin’, zombie-slayin’ badass whose single determination is to get the last Twinkie on earth. They will have to determine which is worse: relying on each other or succumbing to the zombies.

With the wealthy and powerful once again looking to eliminate District 13 – and turn a tidy profit while doing so – it is up to supercop Damien (Cyril Rafelli) and vigilante Leto (David Belle) to save the district and the residents, a task they can only complete with the help of five rival gang leaders.

Sept - Oct 2009 Schedule of Special Events - for complete calendar and tickets visit www.originalalamo.com

Kicked out of the house and recently served with divorce papers, Vince (Stephen Graham, Snatch) is at a low point in his life. In an effort to rally their best mate’s spirits, his crew rents a charter bus for a country retreat of heavy drinking and womanizing. The only problem is that the women in their idyllic country hideaway have been infested with the zombie plague, eaten every man in town and are now hungry for seconds.

Four interwoven stories that occur on Halloween: An everyday high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer; a college virgin might have just met the one guy for her; a group of teenagers pull a mean prank; a woman who loathes the night has to contend with her holiday-obsessed husband.

Fantastic Fest 2008 winner Yoshi Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police) is back with the craziest, bloodiest spin on the high school love triangle ever, bursting with mad scientists, dismemberment, black-face comedy, hallucinations and lots and lots of arterial blood spray.

A devoutly religious young man masters the art of upskirt photography in an effort to save his father’s soul, and meets his true love in the process in this new four hour long epic from Sion Sono, director of Suicide Club and Exte: Killer Hair Extensions.

A reimagining of the long-running Anime TV show, Miike’s Yatterman is a massive dayglo blast that hits your rain like a bullet train and kickstarts your pleasure centers. Watching Yatterman is like getting Candyland poured in your eyes.

Singing and dancing Chinese Supermen, bumbling police investigators, even more bumbling apprentice criminals, double and triple-cross assassination attempts, muay thai gymnastics, triad gangster shootouts, explosions and car chases all collide to form a deliriously intoxicating celluloid cocktail.

Sept - Oct 2009 Schedule of Special Events - for complete calendar and tickets visit www.originalalamo.com

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ANVIL!: THE STORY OF ANVIl

ANVIL: THE STORY OF ANVIL Opens Sept 20 at the Ritz

Opens Sept 20, Ritz, Dir. Sacha Gervasi, 2008, 90 min

Metal never dies. At fourteen years old, best friends Lips and Robb Reiner made a pact to rock together forever. Their band Anvil, hailed as the ‘demi-gods of Canadian metal,’ influenced a musical generation including Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax. Though Anvil never exactly made it, they never stopped playing or believing. Following a calamitous European tour, Lips and Robb, now in their fifties, set off to record their thirteenth album in one last attempt to fulfill their boyhood dream. This is the music doc to end them all. DO. NOT. MISS. “ Lips and Reiner endear because they operate in a bubble in which time and good sense have stopped. Passion, perseverance, rejection, humiliation, frustration — these are the age-old themes of the struggling artist, and the movie explores them with unflinching honesty.” - Chris Garcia, Austin-American Statesman

GOGOL BORDELLO NONSTOP

SEPT 21,27,28, RITZ, DIR. MARGARITA JIMENO, 2008

“Gogol Bordello is a collective, musically and politically. We create an insane party atmosphere to deliver messages of social and political commentary.” –Eugene Hütz. From New York City’s sensational Russo-disco scene to a non-stop touring marathon with his band Gogol Bordello, Eugene Hütz takes us deep into his artistic life and influences. The story unfolds over five years, beginning in 2001, and follows Eugene and Gogol Bordello’s progress from underground legend to international phenomenon. Ranging in age from 25 to 50 years old, and hailing from five different countries, Gogol Bordello’s members share their tales of immigration, of how they became part of the band, and how they quit their day jobs to go on tour. Through music, the film delivers messages of social and political commentary, and captures Gogol Bordello in the act of performing. But GOGOL BORDELLO also goes beyond music, beyond the political, opening hearts and ears to an artistic revolution in a globalized era.

alamo grab bag

surprise treats from our friends and partners

HANDMADE NATION + Austin Handmade Craft Bazaar!

Sept 6, DIR FAYTHE LEVINE, 90 MIN, LAMAR

Filmmaker Faythe Levine in attendance! HANDMADE NATION documents the movement of artists, crafters and designers that recognize a marriage between historical techniques, punk and DIY ethos while being influenced by traditional handiwork, modern aesthetics, politics, feminism and art. Fueled by the common thread of creating, the film explores a burgeoning art community that is based on creativity, determination and networking. Filmmaker Levine travels all over the country, seeking out the the most vibrant and varied characters from the burgeoning indie-craft scene, and, as you might expect, quite a few of them are from right here in Austin! To accompany these screenings, we’re having a craft bazaar outside Alamo South Lamar to showcase Austin’s best, most exquisite craft artists! Come for a great film, leave with your very own one-of-a-kind piece of local craft art!

agliff 2009

Sept 8-13, LAMAR

Celebrating 22 years! The Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival (aGLIFF) is the oldest and largest gay and lesbian film festival in the Southwest. In its first year, the festival included only five films screened over seven evenings at the Dobie Theater. By 2000, the festival had grown to include 150 films and videos from 14 countries. In 2003, attendance reached a record-breaking 16,000! The Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival is THE largest gay and lesbian cultural event in Austin. Become a Member Today! Support the festival, cinema and the community Get discount tickets, comp tickets, early tickets and early seating. Whatever your reason, don’t let this year go by without joining one of the Top Queer Film Festivals in the nation.

A film that celebrates the spirit behind one of the most influential cultural moments of a generation. In the early 1990s, a loose-knit group of like-minded outsiders found common ground at a little NYC storefront gallery. Rooted in the DIY (do-it-yourself) subcultures of skateboarding, surf, punk, hip hop & graffiti, they made art that reflected the lifestyles they led. Developing their craft with almost no influence from the “establishment” art world, this group, and the subcultures they sprang from, have now become a movement that has transformed pop culture. Starring a selection of artists who are considered leaders within this culture, Beautiful Losers focuses on the telling of personal stories. It speaks to themes of what happens when the outside becomes “in” as it explores the creative ethos connecting these artists and today’s youth.nFor more information about AIGA Austin, visit www. aigaaustin.org.

NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD: THE WILD, UNTOLD STORY OF OZPLOITATION

OCT 5-8, VILLAGE, DIR. MARK HARTLEY, 2008, 35MM, 103 MIN

Finally, the definitive documentary about the go-for-broke, fuck-it-all Aussie renaissance of the ‘70s and ‘80s. The national character of Australia is marked by a certain raucous non-conformity, and the country’s fast and furious exploitation film output during this golden age is notable for its extreme audacity - rudeness even. As exiled subjects of the British Empire they might have been expected to copy the staid, overly mannered films of their ancestral homeland but HELL no, their films are loaded with more boobs, reckless car chases, explosions and killer fauna than anyone’s. They’re cheap, filthy, loud and proud. And like a cool rain in the middle of the outback, this very welcome and unexpected doc gives you the “Easy Riders Raging Bulls” style lowdown on all the best ozploitation films you’ve never seen, including unheralded masterpieces like THE LONG WEEKEND and ROAD GAMES, exercises in stylistic excess like RAZORBACK and NEXT OF KIN, downright full-blooded smut like THE NAKED BUNYIP and STORK, bloody horrors like NIGHT OF FEAR and THIRST and the spectacular action mayhem of Brian Trenchard-Smith, whose films MAN FROM HONG KONG and TURKEY SHOOT break off the violence knob altogether. Fans of genre cinema will be scribbling notes furiously to keep up with the lightning fast pace of NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD. In addition to the astonishing assortment of clips from the movies themselves, this film features dozens of interviews with Australian luminaries and imported American talent like Stacy Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis. Megafan Quentin Tarantino provides insightful commentary and characteristic enthusiasm throughout, as do directors James Wan (SAW) and Greg McLean (WOLF CREEK). (Lars)

THE HORSE BOY PREMIERE

42nd STREET TRAILERTHON

Director Michel O. Scott & writer/producer Rupert Isaacson in attendance! Winner of the Audience Award at SXSW 2009. This intensely personal documentary chronicles parents Rupert Isaacson and Kristin Neff’s struggle to make sense of their child’s autism and find healing for him and themselves with the shamans of Mongolia. But it is also the story of the special bond between father and son, one of the greatest gifts life can offer, as society enters an era of direct, hands-on parenting by fathers. This odyssey gives insight into how, in life’s darkest moments, a gateway to joy and wonder can be found. Part travel adventure, part insight into shamanic tradition and part intimate look at the autistic mind, THE HORSE BOY tells one family’s extraordinary story, giving voice to the thousands who display amazing courage and creativity every day in the battle against the mysterious and heartbreaking epidemic.

In the heart of Tim and Karrie League’s Alamo Drafthouse Headquarters there is a small climate-controlled room. It is the unassuming home of one of the best trailer collections in the world. It is lined with filing drawers, labelled alphabetically, housing over 2000 trailers, ranging from ...And Sartana Killed Them All to Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain. Regular patrons of the Alamo theaters get a chance to see some of these on a regular basis, but if you’re like us, it just makes you hungry for more! Now you’ll have your chance. Synapse DVD has partnered with the Alamo Drafthouse staff to put together a fifth installment of their hugely popular 42nd Street Forever DVD series, this time focusing entirely on our archive. And as a very special treat, we are going to string up the actual film trailers and run them for you as a TRAILERTHON. Some of these trailers are for films you know and love, some are for movies that no one has seen in thirty or more years. And since these are the actual trailer elements you’ll be seeing, you’ll get all the grime, all the splices, and all the magic you can handle. From kung fu to insane kids’ movies to softcore porn: do not miss this orgy of fun! (Lars)

Sept 14, DIR MICHEL O. SCOTT, 93 MIN, LAMAR

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AIGA Design Series: BEAUTIFUL LOSERS

Sep. 29, Ritz Dirs. Aaron Rose & Joshua Leonard, 2008, 90 min

Sept - Oct 2009 Schedule of Special Events - for complete calendar and tickets visit www.originalalamo.com

OCT 4, RITZ, DIR. FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA, 1972, NEW 35MM PRINT!, 175 MIN

Sept - Oct 2009 Schedule of Special Events - for complete calendar and tickets visit www.originalalamo.com

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aGLIFF Brunch: OTTO; or, UP WITH DEAD PEOPLE

Oct 4, Dir. Bruce LaBruce, 95 min, RITZ

Join aGLIFF for a queer spin on the Halloween genre. OTTO is cult-favorite director Bruce LaBruce’s take on the always-popular zombie movies. Otto, a young zombie, appears on a remote highway having no idea who he is or where he came from. He hitches a ride to Berlin and is discovered by underground filmmaker Medea Yar, who is trying to finish UP WITH DEAD PEOPLE, an epic political-porno-zombie movie. A perfect fit for the film, Medea casts Otto as in the film, and rooms him with its star Fritze. But when Otto discovers a wallet in his back pocket, he begins to remember his past life, including his boyfriend, Rudolf. Screens with I AM NOT A WEREWOLF by local filmmaker and October’s special guest, J. Anthony Hernandez! Join For more information, visit www.agliff.org.

Lynn Shawcroft Presents Mitch Hedberg Tribute

LOS ENCHILADAS! & never-before-seen TV Pilot! OCT 11 & 12, RITZ

When comedian Mitch Hedberg passed away in 2005, a Mitch Hedberg-sized hole was left in the hearts of millions of fans. The brilliant-if-odd comedian will forever be imitated by new generations of slacker-suave one-line wannabes, but his unique style and blistering wit will never be replicated. So you might as well just get used to that hole in your heart and come out to celebrate the work of a comedy legend. Hedberg’s widow, comedian Lynn Shawcroft, will be coming to the Ritz to share an incredibly rare tribute to her late husband. We’ll finally get a peak at Mitch’s 1999 directorial debut LOS ENCHILADAS!, which premiered at Sundance but never saw a theatrical release. Plus, she’ll bring along other neverbefore-seen Hedberg laugh-inducers, including an unseen TV pilot and other gems that have been selfishly kept behind the locked doors of suits who never got the joke. LOS ENCHILADAS! is loosely based on Mitch’s life growing up in Minnesota and his experience working in restaurants, featuring performances by Hedberg himself, Todd Barry, Dave Attel and Marc Maron. We miss you, Mitch.

the action pack presents THrillerfest 2009

OCT 24, location tbd

Last October, more than 800 zombies joined us on the patio at the Long Center to help us thrill the world with our Thriller dance. That was fun, and we shattered some world records, but this year we want to do... more. We NEED to get over 1,000 people to come out and dance with us, so we can shatter our own record and show the world that Austin is the biggest Michael Jackson city anywhere. We’ll have 8 scheduled dance lessons with Henri and Bianca Taulman at the Highball throughout the month of October, and then on the 24th we’ll all be dressing as zombies and gathering in a large park for one final lesson and rehearal, then we’ll do the dance at the same time as people in other cities around the world are all participating in Thrill the World. After the performance, we’ll have our huge Rolling Roadshow screen set up and have a full on OUTDOOR Michael Jackson Sing-Along party, featuring all of his greatest short films subtitled and a dance party like this city has never seen. Forget ACL, THIS is the only event this fall that matters.

THE DUNGEON MASTERS

OCT 26-29, RITZ, DIR. KEVEN MACALESTER, 2008, 93 MIN

The new documentary from YOU’RE GONNA MISS ME director Keven MacAlester. An evil elf is displaced by Hurricane Katrina. A sanitation worker lures friends into a “Sphere of Annihilation.” A failed super-villain starts a cable-access show involving ninjas, puppets and a cooking segment.These are the subjects of THE DUNGEON MASTERS. Against the backdrop of crumbling middle-class America, two men and one woman devote their lives to Dungeons and Dragons, the storied role playing game, and its various descendants. As their baroque fantasies clash with mundane real lives, the characters find it increasingly difficult to allay their fear, loneliness, and disappointment with the game’s imaginary triumphs. Soon the true heroic act of each character’s real life emerges, and the film follows each as he or she summons the courage to face it. Along the way, THE DUNGEON MASTERS re-imagines the tropes of classic heroic cinema, creating an intimate portrait of minor struggles and triumphs writ large. Official selection of SXSW and Toronto International Film Festival.

OWEN & ZACK’S HALLOWEEN EVE EXTRAVAGANZA

Oct 30, South Lamar

This Halloween, come experience an Alamo tradition: the fifth annual showing of the overwhelmingly cool HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS. And in honor of this fifth anniversary some one will actually die in the theater! Why, you ask, should you see the 4th one? 1) It rocks! HALLOWEEN 4 in some ways -- dare I say -- improves on the original classic. More rantings of Donald Pleasance (he is sooo good in this), more pure action, more drunk vigilante yokels, more outright fun. Michael at his best! Donald Pleasance as the ranting wild Dr. Loomis! Pure 80’s horror candy! Don’t worry if this is you’re first Halloween movie ever.... we’ll get you to speed real quick. 2) A kick-ass costume contest with sexy prizes supplied by Sinsations Adult Boutique! 3) Owen Egerton and the Alamo’s own Zack Carlson will host the event, keep you thoroughly entertained and prepare you for the glory of the film! There’s hidden gems in this one. 4) Games like Bobbing for beer! Pumpkin carving! Irresponsible trick-o-treating! 5) Live stalker. 6) Someone dying in the theater! There will be blood! Yes!...So come celebrate Halloween with an Austin tradition! Beer, blood, erotic gifts! It’s not just a movie, it’s a pure Halloween experience! (Owen Egerton)

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Sept - Oct 2009 Schedule of Special Events - for complete calendar and tickets visit www.originalalamo.com

THE FORTUNE COOKIE

SMALL CRIME - Oct 27

Sept 29, Dir Billy Wilder, 1966, 125 min, 35mm

Harry Hinkle, a nebbishy CBS sports cameraman, is inadvertently knocked flat by a popular Cleveland Browns football player, “Boom Boom” Jackson. Smelling big money, Hinkle’s unsavory ambulance-chasing brother-in-law Willie Gingrich determines they can sue the TV network, the stadium, and the football team owners. Even though Harry is not really hurt at all – just a bit shaken up after being knocked unconscious – Willie convinces him to complain of back pain and a numb arm and leg, all of which can be convincing to doctors through lying, acting, and the fortuitous presence of compressed vertebrae from a childhood injury, the age of which x-rays can’t detect. Hinkle reluctantly goes along with the ruse, not because of the possibility of grabbing a cool million, but because his ex-wife suddenly reappears in his life, despite having run off with a drummer to further her singing career. But there is a nagging tug on Hinkle’s conscience as “Boom Boom” keeps coming around to the apartment to see his “old buddy” and cook delicious meals, keep the house straight, and lead Harry through rehabilitating exercises. The football player is obviously the one suffering most painfully by having caused “the injury,” but hopes of getting Sandy back make Hinkle keep on pretending. When the prestigious insurance company hires detectives to bug Hinkle’s apartment and spy on him night and day from an apartment across the street, the lies and pretense become even more complex and darkly humorous.

TALE 52

Oct 20, Dir Alexis Alexiou, 2008, 97 min, 35mm

With resonant Greek names, Jason falls in love with dinner guest Penelope and a seemingly mutual love affair begins. But something begins to bother Jason – headaches and then the disappearance of Penelope. With disconcerting echoes of David Lynch’s LOST HIGHWAY, time and place seem far more fluid than normal. Jason keeps retracing his mental steps in attempts to “get it right” each time, but in the process horrible realizations surface.

SMALL CRIME

Oct 27, Dir Christos Georgiou, 2008, 85 min, 35mm

This delightful romantic comedy focuses on an eager young cop relegated to a beautiful but remote Greek island. Instead of solving major crimes in a big city, Leonidas deals with traffic problems and naked tourists. When the local wino is found dead, the cop treats it as a homicide, much to the chagrin of his easygoing boss. Surprisingly clues seem to lead Leonidas to Angeliki, a beautiful and famous TV star, who has mysteriously returned to the island. Like RASHOMON or even Hitchcock’s THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY, Georgiou’s film considers multiple pointsof-view while trying to uncover “the truth.” (Chale Nafus)

AVANTI!

Oct 6, Dir Billy Wilder, 1972, 140 min, 35mm

AUSTIN FILM SOCIETY

essential cinema and MORE

AFS Essential Cinema Presents hey Censors, Drop Your Scissors! Billy Wilder’s Later Comedies

Tuesdays in September, LAMAR, 7PM Tickets available at www.austinfilm.org

After fleeing Hitler’s Germany and doing a bit of film work in France, Billy Wilder became famous in America for directing stylish films noir (DOUBLE INDEMNITY and SUNSET BLVD.), a trail blazing study of alcoholism (THE LOST WEEKEND), tough-minded war films (FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO and STALAG 17), an expose of an unscrupulous journalist (ACE IN THE HOLE), and a devastating courtroom drama (WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION). But Wilder, along with co-writers Charles Brackett and I.A.L. Diamond, also wrote and directed some of America’s finest film comedies over a four-decade period, during which time he was steadily able to cast off the flesh-biting shackles of Hollywood’s onerous Production Code (a euphemism for censorship). In Wilder’s hands, finding clever ways for characters to indicate what they wanted was far funnier than a full frontal attack. (Chale Nafus)

ONE, TWO, THREE

Sept 8, Dir Billy Wilder, 1961, 115 min, 35mm

In this fast-paced, Cagney-fueled political satire, Billy Wilder skewers Soviet Communism, post-Nazi Nazism, and a fair share of American capitalism. As head of the West Berlin Coca Cola Corporation, C.R. MacNamara is suddenly put in charge of his boss’s ditzy daughter, who promptly proceeds to fall in love with a strident young Marxist from East Berlin months before the city-dividing Wall goes up. When Scarlett’s parents decide to visit their very spoiled daughter, she suddenly marries Otto Ludwig Piffl and becomes determined to move to Moscow with him. Imagine the political scandal of the daughter of the head of Coca Cola residing in Soviet Russia during the Cold War! MacNamara and his large staff, which includes some partially-unreconstructed Nazis, have less than two days in which to turn the unkempt Commie into a smooth-talking Capitalist. But first they have to get him out of an East Berlin jail where he is being interrogated as “an American spy,” all because of an incriminating cuckoo clock and a balloon.

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IRMA LA DOUCE

Sept 15, Dir Billy Wilder, 1963, 147 min, 35mm

Over-eager rookie cops are often a source of problems in both dramas and comedies. Here, Nestor Patou, fresh from his medal-winning service on a children’s playground, is horrified to discover that all the flashily dressed women on one street of his new assignment are prostitutes. He certainly knows what to do about that! He calls headquarters for a raid on the hotel and a dozen hookers are jammed into a paddy wagon. Result of his total adherence to the penal code? Dismissal from the force. Inevitably finding warmth and kindness in the eyes, voice, and embrace of the best hooker of them all – Irma La Douce – Nestor finds himself inadvertently turning into a pimp and moving into her sunny garret. Only problem is he doesn’t want Irma to continue in her chosen profession. Solution – a mysterious “Lord X” appears to save the day with his extravagant tips for Irma, now freed from customers and ready to spend more time with Nestor, who unavoidably has to start sneaking out of the apartment to work in the markets in order to “fund” Lord X’s extravagance and is therefore too tired to spend the days with Irma, who unilaterally decides to run off with the “wealthy” English gentleman. Nestor can think of only one solution for this convoluted tangle of lies, deceit, and disguises he has gotten into – all because of love.

KISS ME, STUPID

Sept 22, Dir Billy Wilder, 1964, 125 min, 35mm

Dean Martin glides through his role as a smooth-talking, drunken, charming, womanizing club singer/movie star named Dino. On his way from Las Vegas to Hollywood, he has to take a detour which heads through Warm Springs to Paradise Valley with a final stop in Climax, Nevada, a sequence of geographical names which echo the hundreds of sexual innuendoes bursting forth in this often hilarious and strangely overlooked comedy. Kim Novak plays a New Jersey hooker with a head cold and an almost forgotten dream of moving on beyond working at the Belly Button, where she has a professionally convenient trailer out back. It seems inevitable that Polly the Pistol and Dino will hook up, but that will require convoluted fumbling on the part of Orville J. Spooner, a piano teacher with fantasies of writing songs to be sung by the likes of the Rat Pack, his mechanic/gas jockey friend Barney, who can set one’s teeth on edge with his rhyme-scratching lyrics, and Orville’s lovely wife Zelda. Much of the comedy is driven by Orville’s dreams of success countered by his maniacal jealousy. This is Boccaccio, Chaucer, French bedroom farce, and traveling salesmen jokes all rolled into one gigantic sexual concoction.

Sept - Oct 2009 Schedule of Special Events - for complete calendar and tickets visit www.originalalamo.com

Uptight, impatient, finger-snapping American business executive Wendell Armbruster Jr goes to Italy to retrieve his father’s body for transport back to America for an executive funeral to be viewed by thousands of employees. In his mad rush to get things done quickly and efficiently, Armbruster runs into the labyrinth of Italian bureaucracy and long lunches. He also runs into Pamela Piggott, who has come to make funeral arrangements for her mother. Slowly it dawns on the American that his father and Ms. Piggott’s mother died together in the car accident, which ended their decade-long romance in a gorgeous Italian setting. Armbruster is aghast at his father’s infidelity and disturbed by Pamela’s very romantic notions of how her mother and his father were truly in love. At their age! She thinks they should be buried together in the place they loved. He insists that his father be returned to America for proper burial in the family plot. But then both bodies disappear! Armbruster can think only that Ms. Piggott is plotting to keep the bodies in Italy for a more romantic burial. To find out the truth, the American executive begins courting Pamela with dining and dancing and even an early morning swim in the bay, just as his father had courted her mother. Italy then begins to work its sweet magic on human hearts.

Independent Greek Cinema

Tuesdays in October, LAMAR, 7PM

Progenitor of the formal conventions of drama, variations of democracy, approaches to scientific analysis, the range and depth of philosophical questioning, and enduring mythical archetypes, classic Greek civilization has had an unparalleled impact on Western civilization. So, with over two millennia of cultural treasure and baggage, what are contemporary Greek filmmakers up to? This AFS series provides a sampling of concerns and artistry of a handful of emerging Greek directors. Their subjects cover memory, forgetting, paranoia, immigration, love (illicit and otherwise), job aspirations, TV stardom, drug use, youthful follies and joys, and life in a new but difficult century. All films are excitingly stylish and provocative and have garnered film festival accolades. They are all Austin premieres.

THE HOMECOMING

Oct 13, Dir Vassilis Douvlis, 2007, 97 min, 35mm

A middle-aged, successful Greek emigrant returns from Germany and sets up a roadside business with his younger wife. When a young, handsome Albanian immigrant is given a much-needed job, the marriage begins to unravel. Douvlis’s debut film successfully weds classic Greek tragedy with the very American story of THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE while simultaneously focusing on an immigrant’s loneliness and loyalties.

AFS Documentary Tour: THE WINDMILL MOVIE

Sept 16, Dir Alexander Olch, 2008, 82 min, 35mm, RITZ

Born into a WASP world of wealth and privilege, Harvard film professor Richard Pendleton Rogers seems to have been cursed with incurable jealousy – a desire to be someone other than himself. Finally realizing that he couldn’t be Spielberg or some other successful person, he set out to find his own “self” – the perfect one or even just the bearable one. He accumulated over 200 hours of footage over 20 years, trying in vain to complete “that movie” – the autobiographical, self-revelatory, narcissistic, existential, documentary about “Richard Pendleton Rogers” and his true identity. But he never finished it. That task would become the labor of love of one of Richard P. Rogers’ students, Alexander Olch, who came to think of the older man as his mentor and friend. This is that movie- a uniquely fascinating and ultimately tragic picture of a man who never really found himself. (Chale Nafus)

AFS Documentary Tour: HARVARD BEATS YALE 29-29 Filmmaker Kevin Rafferty in attendance! Oct 14, Dir Kevin Rafferty, 2008, 105 min, RITZ

Austin Premiere! OK, I’ve already spoiled the surprise ending by telling you the title of the film. But like the best suspense/detective writers, veteran filmmaker Kevin Rafferty is more interested in letting us know how and why rather than what happened. This historic football game took place on 23 November 1968. Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King had been assassinated earlier in the year, Nixon had just won the presidency, and the Vietnam War was raging. In the best American tradition, the games had to go on even if the empire was on the brink of chaos. For this “first meeting of undefeated Harvard and Yale teams since 1909,” a lot of passion and frat house bets were riding on the outcome. Video footage of the amazing game itself is intercut with interviews of surviving players and even I, not exactly a sports fan (except for boxing and soccer, sometimes), fell under the excitement of the final minutes of the game when Yale led Harvard, 29-13. As if a magical cloud had descended over the field, Harvard shocked the socks off everybody with demonic plays that tied it all up at 29-29. It was the 1960s after all and magical realism reigned supreme on the streets, in the minds, and, now we realize, on the gridiron.

Sept - Oct 2009 Schedule of Special Events - for complete calendar and tickets visit www.originalalamo.com

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THE AIR SEX WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Oct 17 at the Highball

interactive entertainment

debates, sexin’ the air around you, live improv, and your movies on our screens! salvage vanguard theater presents

THE NEW MOVEMENT presents

THE FIRST WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH, SOUTH LAMAR

Sept 23, Ritz

THE dionySIum

The Dionysium offers a unique, innovative program of debate, lecture, declamation, theatrical presentation and music in a salon-like atmosphere on the first Wednesday of every month at the Alamo South Lamar. Audiences enjoy offerings not to be found elsewhere in Austin, including the recitation of famous speeches, participatory discussion in a formal, moderated context, and the opportunity to participate in the recreation of Ancient rituals. A typical Dionysium show will feature a lecture, a declamation, a drinking song, a film or live musical performance, an appeal to Dionysus, a fiction-writing contest, and plenty of strong drink. But the heart of every Dionysium is the debate, pitting two experts against each other in toe-to-toe parliamentary combat. Dionysium debate resolutions have covered everything from Social Security reform to the future threat of genocidal robots.

Filmmaking frenzy presents

BLOODSHOTS: THE 48 HOUR HORROR FILMMAKING COMPETITION

shooting weekend - oct 9 through 11

The 2009 edition of BLOODSHOTS will be taking place in October, not September (as it has for the past couple of years). Registration should open up shortly after the FANTASTIC FEST 2009 Bumper Competition has wrapped, so check back in early October to get your team signed up! If you’re new to the mayhem that is BLOODSHOTS, check out last year’s videos online at FilmmakingFrenzy.com. And start making your gallons of fake blood now, or just go in knowing that you’re gonna have to rely on the real stuff.

THE AIR SEX WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

SAT OCT 17 AT THE HIGHBALL

We took the fine art of humping the air on the road this summer for a 15 city quest to find the greatest Air Sex performers in America. The winners from New York, San Francisco, and every in between will all descend on Austin this October for a take-no-prisoners World Championship showdown on the brand new Highball stage. You can get a taste of what to expect by checking out the videos online at AirSexWorldChampionships.com, but we’re betting that the champions have honed their craft in the months since their first performance. This show should be the air sexiest event of all time!

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AUSTIN PUBLIC ACCESS

You remember Open Screen Night? You remember how good it felt not knowing exactly what you were getting yourself into but feeling pretty good about your chances? Think of that same feeling but with a little bit of guaranteed quality stuck in there for good measure and you get Alamo Public Access. Part Open Screen Night, featuring a random collections of clips the audience will bring in for a chance to win some prizes. Part currated comedy from Austin comedy scene workhorse Chris Trew (from The New Movement comedy training center and Studio8.net). We’ll be featuring clips from our friends at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater and Funny or Die as well as choice selections from some of Austin’s best comedy groups. The funniest videos win prizes, including guaranteed air time at the next Alamo Public Access. If you’re interested in participating, email Chris Trew (ceo@ studio8.net) with a link to your video. If your video is chosen we’ll need a hard copy for the show. (Chris Trew)

START TREKKIN

Mon, oct 19, ritz

We brought the Hideout Theater’s kids of Start Trekkin over to the Ritz for the first time on opening weekend of J.J. Abrams’ STAR TREK this summer. Their five minute improvised Star Trek scenario was so good that we couldn’t wait to invite them back to the Ritz to do a full on 100% improvised “episode” of classic Trek. Whether you’ve been a Trekkie for life, just became a convert with the new movie, or simply love having a good time, we guarantee that this show is for you.

the rocky horror picture show

every saturday night at midnight, village

All-American couple Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and fianceé Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon) decide to visit their old professor. Unfortunately, their car breaks down outside a sinister house, and they are forced to stay the night. Inside the house Brad and Janet find a world filled with subversive sexuality. The film itself is filled with great tunes and a slightly loopy plot. So it’s just like your common-or-garden musical in that way. Where the film really takes off is in its subversion of sexual mores as Brad and Janet break free from their normality. And if you’ve seen it so many times that you’re tired of singing along, you can gain new thrills by seeing it at the cinema and entering the world of audience participation. Dress up! Shout at the screen and enter conversations with the characters in the film! Many claim that audience participation is the essence of the Rocky Horror experience, and the film itself merely an excuse for this mayhem.

Sept - Oct 2009 Schedule of Special Events - for complete calendar and tickets visit www.originalalamo.com

THE ABSENT-MINDED PROFESSOR: July 25

ALAMO KIDS CLUB

FREE FUN FAMILY FILMS done right! Ain’t it Cool News & The Austin Chronicle present Free Saturday Morning Kids Club

CLASH OF THE TITANS

Sep 26, Lamar, Dir. Desmond Davis, 1981, PG

Kids today are assaulted with clanging computer-generated robot movies and time-wasting internet distractions. But back in ancient Greece, an average day could include snake-headed she-gods, wind-up metal owls, thunderous battles and even a hundred-foot-tall sea monster who devours humans like potato chips! When CLASH OF THE TITANS came out, it dazzled audiences with power-packed, action-blammin’ adventures that turned ancient mythology into a rampagingly wild epic. Follow heroic Perseus as he wars against unbelievable creatures, rescues beautiful ladies and bears witness to the finest special effects that mortal eyes will ever see! And the whole time, he’s just wearing a white sheet and a belt...Dang, that dude’s tough.

Free Saturday Morning Kids Club

THE WATCHER IN THE WOODS

Oct 31, Lamar, Dir. John Hough, 1980, PG

COME TO THE SHOW IN YOUR HALLOWEEN COSTUME FOR EXTRA CANDY! Just cuz we’re kids (and former kids) doesn’t mean we can’t stand up to a good Spooky Ghost Story. And even though this movie was released by the folks at Walt Disney Pictures, it’s just about as spooky as ghost stories get! A young girl named Jan moves with her family to a massive, rickety mansion in the forest, and it’s not long before she’s visited by the phantom apparition of a girl who’d disappeared there decades before. In her search for answers, Jan will run across supernatural forces beyond all human understanding, some of which cause great disasters and terrifying mysteries. A genuinely hairraising experience for young and old, starring the haunting Bette Davis and a whole lotta ghostly mayhem! You better hold your parents’ hands during the scary parts...they’re wimps!

SATURDAY MORNING CARTOON ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT CEREAL PARTY!

Special HALLOWEEN Edition! - Oct. 24, Ritz

Summer is over and it’s time to put the pajamas back ON! And for the triumphant return of our Cartoon Cereal Party pursuits, we’ll be putting on a special ALL-SPOOKY MOSTERS edition just for you!! Your eyes will devour spectral superstars like GHOSTBUSTERS, BEETLEJUICE and DUCKULA, plus you’ll get your bones rattled by special Halloween episodes of shows like HE-MAN, REN & STIMPY and more! Forget that you grew up and got a job and started sleeping through Saturday mornings...The glory days are BACK! Because we’re gonna bring you a 2.5 hour attack from the wildest cartoons in the TV Netherworld! Just bring yourselves, and if you have a special spoon or stuffed animal you can bring that too. Pajamas are optional. Let me rephrase that: please wear clothes, even if you choose not to wear pajamas. Regardless, both the cartoons and the endless supply of cereal will unleash your powers of monster-fighting, sugar-eating and FUN-HAVING until you reach a new level of superhuman powertimes!!!

Sept - Oct 2009 Schedule of Special Events - for complete calendar and tickets visit www.originalalamo.com

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October 2009

www.thehighball.com