Now Playing - John Turturro's ROMANCE & CIGARETTES

"John Turturro's ROMANCE AND CIGARETTES is the real thing, a film that breaks out of Hollywood jail with audacious originality, startling sexuality, heartfelt emotions, and an anarchic liberty." - Roger Ebert

"There is more raw vitality pumping through ROMANCE AND CIGARETTES, John Turturro’s passionate ode to the sensual pulse of life in a working-class neighborhood of Queens, than in a dozen perky high school musicals." - NEW YORK TIMES

Part comedy, part romance, part drama, part musical, John Turturro’s ROMANCE & CIGARETTES teeters on the brink of collapse at every single moment, just like the filmfragile characters that inhibit the film’s frantic, manic world. The result is an unsettling, exhilarating, and thrillingly alive spectacle of a motion picture.

Nick Murder (James Gandolfini) is a blue-collar worker who falls under the spell of the gorgeous redhead Tula (Kate Winslet). But when his frustrated wife, Kitty (Susan Sarandon), finds out, the Murder family begins to short circuit. Of the three daughters--Constance (Mary-Louise Parker), Rosebud (Aida Turturro), and Baby (Mandy Moore)--Baby appears to be next in line for love, though no one approves of her choice of mate, the goofy Fryburg (Bobby Cannavale). Kitty’s absurd Cousin Bo (a hilarious Christopher Walken) helps her to track down Tula, but that proves to be a futile exercise as well. Along the way, there are crude coworkers (Steve Buscemi), annoying neighbors (Amy Sedaris), and brash in-laws (Elaine Stritch) to add even more zaniness to the proceedings. To make matters more bizarre, characters break out into song-and-dance routines whenever the fancy strikes them.

ROMANCE AND CIGARETTES blew audiences away at the Toronto Film Festival, but the studio has had a hard time figuring out what to do with this quirky, unclassifiable little gem. You may not yet be familiar with this movie, but take it from us, John Turturro has delivered a welcome breath of fresh air with ROMANCE AND CIGARETTES, now playing at the Alamo Downtown

Thursday: THE ARMY OF DARKNESS Quote-Along!

Recently, we've heard a few mumblings and mutterings of questions about our new Quote-Along series. "How do those work?" people ask. "Do you just yell? Are there subtitles? What else?" We figured that with this Thursday's ARMY OF DARKNESS Quote-Along being right around the corner, now was probably as good a time as any to answer some of those questions.

First off, yes, there are subtitles for some of the biggest quotes so that we can make sure that we all yell out the right phrase at the right time. But we generally let people yell out whatever quotes are they're favorites, whether they're titled or not, because we know that even though *we* think "Gimme some sugar, baby" is one of the greatest lines in cinematic history, other people might prefer "It's a trick, get an axe," and we don't want those people to be silenced.

But just as yelling out lines is an important part of a Quote-Along, there are still moments when Silence reigns supreme. That's because a Quote-Along is *not* a Heckle-Along, or a chance for that one jerk to ruin the movie for the rest of us by yelling out answers to all the lines. The Quote-Alongs are for the serious fanboys in all of us, those of us who think of the movie theater as our church, and so we yell out "Amen!" when the time is right, but we do not chit chat throughout the sermon that is the film.

Most of the Quote-Alongs also get jazzed up with some props. The first 96 people to this Thursday's ARMY OF DARKNESS Quote-Along, for instance, will be rewarded with their very own Boomstick to shoot throughout the show. We'll also be handing out sugar and unveiling a whole new line of props and toys that we can't talk about for fear of ruining some awesome surprises, but trust us when we say that we will be bringing the action from the screen right out into the theater.

Of course, reading about a new type of show is one thing, but the best thing to do is to come out and experience it for yourself. There is just no way for us to put into words the feelings of absolute joy and communion that can come from yelling out, "This... is my... BOOMSTICK!" in a darkened room full of other people who love every second of the same films you do. You will believe in love again. You will never fear death. The colors in the world around you will be a little bit brighter, and the food you taste will all be sweeter. Grab your tickets to the show either this Thursday or next, and we'll prove it to you.

Advance tickets to the Army of Darkness Quote-Along are available here.

THANKSGIVING WEEKEND AT THE ALAMO

Thanksgiving week is always a huge week for new release movies, and this year is no different. You can come out this weekend to get ENCHANTED, you can catch THE MIST, or you can see the new Todd Hayne's Bob Dylan biopic, I'M NOT THERE. But I've already talked about ENCHANTED in a video blog entry in the "Alamo News" section of this website. And THE MIST is the first pairing of Stephen King and Frank Darabont since THE GREEN MILE and SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, so if you don't already know that you should go see that then you're probably suffering from some sort of tumor. So I'm going to use the rest of this space to tell you why you should see I'M NOT THERE this holiday weekend as well.

Reason #1 - Haynes's decision to cast multiple actors as Bob Dylan in various periods of his life. That's right, instead of doing the regular movie tradition of casting one talented actor and then putting old guy make up on him for scenes from his later years, I'M NOT THERE casts - count 'em - SIX different actors to portray Dylan as the story moves from his early folk beginnings to his electric period and beyond.

Reason #2 - The actors cast as Dylan aren't just a bunch of ho-hum TV stars. Instead, you get Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Richard Gere, and in the most talked about turn, Cate Blanchett.

Reason #3 - Sorry, but I'm still on the cast here, because maybe even more exciting than seeing Blanchett as Dylan, you also get to see David Cross (from MR. SHOW if you're a comedy nerd like me, or the Never Nude from ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT if you were late to the awesomeness of Cross) as Allen Ginsberg. Yes!

Reason #4 - Todd Haynes actually managed to get Dylan's permission for the film, and his permission to get song rights.

Reason #5 - Stop listening to my reasons, and check out NPR's interview with Todd Haynes instead.

So there you have it. ENCHANTED, I'M NOT THERE, and THE MIST. A cornucopia of new movies that will be a feast for your eyes and ears and every bit as filling as the turkey or ham or cranberry sauce that will soon be oozing out of your pores.

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN - Now Playing at the Ritz!

The best movie you will see all year is playing at the Alamo Ritz Theatre. This is no exaggeration, because this Friday we're opening NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, the newest film from the Coen Brothers, and the one that all of the critics are saying hearkens back to their glory days of BLOOD SIMPLE and FARGO and delivers the Coen Brothers movie we've wanted to see for years. But don't take my word for it, watch the trailer posted above, and check out some of the reviews that have come in from advance screenings:

"A return to glory for the Coen Brothers, a revisiting of the formula that worked so well for them in Fargo, but with a darker, more cynical twist." (Cinemablend.com)

"An intense, nihilistic thriller as well as a model of implacable storytelling, this is a film you can't stop watching even though you very much wish you could." (Los Angeles Times)

"For formalists -- those moviegoers sent into raptures by tight editing, nimble camera work and faultless sound design -- No Country for Old Men is pure heaven." (New York Times)

"A brilliant example of how plot devices as simple as murder and money can be used to explore larger sweeping themes of mortality, morality and more -- while still delivering rousing, intelligent pure entertainment." (Cinematical)

This was the first new release film we screened at the Ritz, and for good reason - this is the Real Deal. Not only that, but it's one of those films that you NEED to see as soon as possible, because if you overhear people talking about it there are all sorts of spoilers that will start creeping into your subconscious no matter how much you try to keep yourself protected.

As always, it's more than just movies at the Alamo, and NCFOM is no exception. We'll have onscreen Coen Brothers trivia before the show, a barrage of vintage 35mm Coen Brothers trailers and there's even a rumor of a NCFOM inspired skull-crushing piston, courtesy of DorkBot. We'll also be the only theater in the country featuring a new 35mm trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson's THERE WILL BE BLOOD. Unlike the other trailer, this one was cut by the director himself and is only available at the Alamo.

If you've never been there before, check out the info section of the website for more details about parking at the Ritz.

Grab your tickets online here and head down to the Ritz this weekend. You'll thank me. You'll thank yourself. You'll thank the Coen Brothers. Tickets are already starting to go fast and seating is limited at the Ritz, so we highly encourage you to get tickets early.

Don't Miss the BLAZING SADDLES QUOTE-ALONG!

If you aren't offended by Mel Brooks' 1974 masterpiece of racist anti-racist comedy gold, then you probably haven't been paying attention. Blacks, whites, Jews, Native Americans, gibberish-spouting frontiersman - they all get what's coming to them in one of the greatest Westerns ever made. Featuring a black sheriff who teams up with the town drunk to win the heart of the German songstress who was supposed to use him and abuse him, BLAZING SADDLES goes beyond the definition of a classic.

Join us this Thursday and Saturday nights for the premiere of the brand new BLAZING SADDLES QUOTE-ALONG, which besides offering you the chance to yell out your favorite non-PC movie lines of all time will also be completing the package by giving you a whoopee cushion so you can fart along with the fart jokes, a big pot of beans that may make the whoopee cushions unnecessary, and a fully-functional cap gun so you can shoot at the screen like the cowboys did in the early days of the Ritz.

Plus, if you feel like really getting into the spirit and living your Western life to the fullest, you will NOT want to miss the BLAZING SADDLES BBQ RUN. We've rented a bus from Fluid Party Bus and will be filling it with two kegs of beer and driving all over the Central Texas area to fill up on the best BBQ in the world. Featuring stops at Smitty's in Lockhart, City Market in Luling, Gonzales Food Market in gonzales, and Big Oak Barbecue in Buda. The bus will depart from the theater at noon and we'll spend the next five hours drinking and watching special meat movies on the DVD players on the bus while we get chauffeured around to the best meat you'll ever eat in your life. This trip is sure to be the epitome of Texas Living.

Get tickets to just the Quote-Along here, or grab your tickets to the Quote-Along plus the BBQ Run here, and we'll see you at the Ritz!

Weds - The Upright Citizens Brigade TourCo!

The first weekend at the Alamo Ritz Theatre was a resounding success, and now we're in full swing with a full schedule of original programming you can't find anywhere else. This week we're stepping the insanity up even more with live improv on the stage, so we'll get to see how well that theatre can handle the likes of Coldtowne and the Upright Citizens Brigade.

On Tuesday night, Coldtowne will make their return to the Alamo with another performance of 3, 2, 1 Kill!, an improv comedy show that blends scenes on the stage with movies that are made instantly by comedians running around town with video cameras, dropping a tape off with the projection booth, then running around to film more. It's all written, directed, and edited on the spot, and it's all based around one audience suggestion. Tickets for Tuesday night's show can be found right here.

On Wednesday night we welcome our first touring comedians to the theatre when we bring in the UPRIGHT CITIZENS BRIGADE TOURING COMPANY. As a long time comedy nerd who used to sneak back downstairs after my parents were asleep so I could watch The Kids In the Hall and early Letterman, I'm incredibly excited about this show. Over the past ten years, the UCB Theatre has started to move up the ranks and has gotten to a point where, in my mind, they're on equal footing with Second City and the Groundlings. Their programs have trained all sorts of nationally famous comedians and a whole bevy of Daily Show reporters, and I can't wait to see what their long-form improv shows are like. If you've seen any of the local improv groups and been amazed at what they were capable of, don't miss this first chance to see what the national groups are like and how they stack up. Tickets for Wednesday night's UCB shows are available here.

Saturday - Confessions of a Superhero

After a rocking radical opening night, the Alamo Ritz Theatre is now officially open for a business. Our first official special guest was Quentin Tarantino, who stopped by to introduce WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS as the very first Terror Thursday at the new theatre.

Our next live guest comes in this Saturday night, as we present the amazing and stupendous documentary about ordinary people dressing as people with extraordinary powers, CONFESSIONS OF A SUPERHERO. The film follows the dreams and adventures of four struggling actors who find themselves spending most of their days outside of Mann's Chinese Theater instead of on the screen inside. They don't just wander around in a daze looking for agents or producers, though; instead they earn their living by dressing up a superheroes and taking pictures with tourists. More than just scenery, though, these are method actors who take their roles seriously.

And none of them take their role more seriously than Superman, aka Christopher Dennis. Dennis lives and breathes Superman, with a home full of collectibles and an attitude that is determined to take his status as a role model seriously. How does he feel about the dichotomy of earning his living on the streets while still managing to feel super? Ask him yourself this Saturday night, when he and the producer/director of photography will be live in person at the 10:30 showing.

Tickets are available to all shows of CONFESSIONS right here.