HALLLOOOWWWWEEEEEEENNN!!!

It’s the greatest holiday of the year, and we’re celebrating all through the weekend! If you try to celebrate Halloween without checking out at least one of these events, you’re missing the entire point of the holiday, and you may as well just dress up like a Sexy Mustard Bottle and call it a night. For those of you with a frightening amount of awesome, check out all of your options for Halloween Weekend Fun:

MASTER PANCAKE: FRIDAY THE 13TH
Thursday, Oct 30 through Saturday, Nov 1, at the Ritz, Village and South Lamar
Advance Tickets available here

The Pancake boys ambush the slasher classic! The dark entry in the summer-camp boomlet of the late '70s that included MEATBALLS and LITTLE DARLINGS, F13 tells the story of the murders at Camp Crystal Lake and one mother who really made a difference: Pamela Voorhes, founder of M.A.P.C.C. (Mothers against Promiscuous Camp Counselors). This low-budget gem boasts a cast of no-name actors and one future A-lister: everyone's favorite pug-nosed golden-boy and erstwhile horror star Kevin Bacon!

ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO
Opens Friday, Oct 31, at the Ritz and Village
Advance Tickets for the Ritz are here, Village Tickets are here

Porno doesn’t initially sound scary, but when Kevin Smith gets involved with Judd Apatow regulars like Seth Rogen, the end result is scary funny. Okay, that’s a bit of a reach, but there is a scene involving some poop going somewhere that poop is not supposed to go that will definitely send chills down your spine.

THRILL THE WORLD: On Sixth Street
Saturday, Nov 1 in front of the Ritz, 6pm

Last weekend, we set the world record for having the most people dance Michael Jackson’s Thriller dance at the same time by having 881 amazingly dedicated dancers show up at the Long Center to shuffle ha slide. This weekend, we’re joining in with Mexic-Arte’s Day of the Dead processional down Sixth Street and unleashing our dancing zombies again. Even if you haven’t learned the dance, come down to watch the parade go by and join us at the block party afterward!

UT FOOTBALL
Saturday, Nov 1, outside at South Lamar

Nothing to be afraid of for us this year, but Texas Tech should be TERRIFIED of the beating they’re about to receive. Join us as we watch the slaughter from the parking lot at the Alamo South Lamar, where we’ll have the Rolling Roadshow screen set up outside for a beautiful fall evening of football.

But seriously, even if you don’t come out to any of these events, please please please don’t go out dressed as Sexy Mustard. And if you’re planning on doing the Sarah Palin/McCain/Obama costume this year, you might want to rethink that one, too. Unless you literally combined all of the candidates into one crazy conglomerate costume that looked like Prince’s half-Batman/half-Joker outfit from the Batdance video. That would be pretty rad.

THE WIZ at the Ritz

Hey Homo! Halloween Presents
THE WIZ
Tuesday, October 28, 9:40pm
Ritz

Come one come all to a show unlike any other on earth. We are your sick and twisted, your strange and creepy. We will make you scream for mercy and pray for death.....No, wait, that was my last relationship! Anyway, HEY HOMO! is coming at you with a show that will start your Halloween week off right: the skull-popping WIZARD OF OZ-inpired disco breakdance magi-musical THE WIZ, starring Diana Ross as Dorothy, Michael Jackson as The Scarecrow and the late, great Nell Carter as The Wicked Witch on her toilet throne! We cordially invite you to the first HEY HOMO HALLOWEEN, with hostess Rebecca Havemeyer waiting to suck the life out of all of you!!! (Rebecca Havemeyer)

Get your tickets here.

Tonight: TRICK OR TREAT and MC CHRIS!

Tonight at the Alamo Ritz, check out the deliciously absurd Heavy Metal Horror TRICK OR TREAT at 9:30 for only $2 and then at midnight MC CHRIS (the dean of nerdcore rap (and voice of MC Peepants) will be here to present HONEY I SHRUNK THE KIDS in his own inimitable, interactive way - kind of a cross between Master Pancake and a quotealong with a hyper-rapping nerd ticking your funnybone! It's like a magic carpet of Moranis!

Buy your tickets now for the $2 Music Monday Presentation of TRICK OR TREAT at 9:30 and the MC CHRIS Presents show of HONEY I SHRUNK THE KIDS at Midnight.

Austin Shatters Thriller Dance World Record!

On October 25, 881 people gathered at the Long Center in Austin, Texas to attempt to break the Guinness World record for the largest synchronized Thriller dance. The old record was 140 people. Consider that record to be... shattered.



The record was witnessed by Mayor Will Wynn and Austin City Council Member Sheryl Cole.

Thrill the World Austin was executed by Alamo Drafthouse, Rude Mechanicals, Flash Mob Austin and sponsored by Mosaic | 5619, Mexic-Arte Museum, Ballet Austin, 6th Street Austin, the Long Center and the Capital Area Food Bank.

Check out the encore performace of Austin's Thrill the World Team in the Day of the Dead procession down Sixth Street on November 1st. Complete details on Thrill the World can be found on the official website, www.thrilltheworld.com

THRILL THE WORLD with us!

THRILL THE WORLD
A Worldwide Guinness Record Breaking Attempt
Learn the Dance Friday night in the parking lot at the Alamo South Lamar!
Perform the dance Saturday afternoon at The Long Center!

For the past few months, we've been gearing up for one of the most exciting events this Halloween season has to offer - Thrill the World, Austin. On Saturday afternoon at 1pm, we're going to gather hundreds, possibly thousands, of Austinites on the City Terrace at the Long Center, and then we're all going to do the Thriller dance.

While we're dancing here, there will be simultaneous dancers all over the world - in 92 other cities, to be exact - doing the exact same dance at the exact same time.

There are two records we're going to try to break this year. One of them will be for the most dancers worldwide, and we're pretty sure we'll beat last year's score by a lot. But the other record, the one we really want to smash, is for the most people doing the Thriller dance in one location. All of the other cities will be trying to be part of that record, and we need to make sure it comes home to the Undead Music Capital of the World.

To help us do that, you'll need to learn the official Thrill the World choreography, but it's not too late to do that! You can start by just finding Ines' instructional videos on YouTube. Even better, though, you can come to the Alamo South Lamar Friday night, where we'll be leading a full dance lesson in the parking lot by the theater from 7:30pm to around 10pm. By the end of that one lesson, you'll know the dance well enough to participate on Saturday!

Even if you can't come out and dance with us on Saturday, though, you can still come down to the Long Center and watch!

And because that's not nearly enough Zombie Dancing fun for Austin, we're going to reprise the dance again on Saturday, November 1, as part of Mexic-Arte's Day of the Dead processional down Sixth Street!

You can find all the information at ThrillTheWorldAustin.com.

WE'RE ON A MISSION FROM GOD

THE BLUES BROTHERS FEAST-ALONG
Thurs, 7pm, Alamo Ritz
Tickets Including Feast available here!

Not only will you enjoy all the amenities of an Alamo Quote-Along and Sing-Along, you will also Feast Alongside the Blues Bros with a soul food spread!

In the past few weeks, Tina Fey has made Saturday Night Live relevant and awesome again. But in the very beginning, SNL didn't need anyone to bring it back, because it had never been lame. When John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd were still regulars, the world was perfect and even the feature films based on skits were nothing short of genius. And none of the genius was better than THE BLUES BROTHERS.

The original theatrical release was a little bit before my time, but when I was watching TV late at night and witnessed the genius of THE BLUES BROTHERS for the first time, I knew immediately that adding a room full of singing, dancing, quoting AND EATING people would be awesome. So get ready to follow Jake & Elwood through Chicago as they embark on their "mission from God" to save their old Catholic orphanage, dodge the Illinois Nazis, and avoid every form of the law as they put their old band back together. And with performances by James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles -you'll find it absolutely impossible not to sing and dance! I don't know if we'll have dry white toast and four fried chickens, but we'll suit the crowd up with some shades and drink everytime someone crashes a car (maybe - that might kill someone). So bring somebody to hold, to kiss, to miss, to squeeze, and please, and join us for THE BLUES BROTHERS Sing-Along/Quote-Along/Feast-Along. And remember, they're on a mission from God.
- (Caitlin)

Check out the food and beverages you'll be able to get at this special screening!
Start things off with an orange whip – a cocktail of orange juice, vodka, rum and cream

I
Black eyed pea fritters on baby greens with smoked sausage remoulade

II
Fried chicken, mashed sweet potatoes with café du monde butter, turnip greens, white toast

III “Orange Whip”
Vanilla ice cream with warm orange- spiced rum sauce

A Special Note about Ticket pricing: The movie ticket is $5. By purchasing this ticket, you agree to also purchase the $40 meal which includes all of the above items. You will be charged for this portion of the event in the theater. So grab your ticket here, and enjoy the show!

Maureen McCormick (Marcia Brady) live in person tonight at the Ritz

BookPeople Presents: Maureen McCormick Live
Wednesday, October 22, 9:45p
Ritz

There's no denying that Marcia Brady is a true, near universally recognized icon. Her honey-blonde, All-American beauty has made her one of the most referenced totems of twentieth century disposable culture. But she's not a real person. And Maureen McCormick, the actress who played her for five seasons, is not Marcia Brady. She's a talented singer and actress who has now written a book about the harrowing, joyful experience of having enacted such a familiar character. Advance word is that the book, HERE'S THE STORY: SURVIVING MARCIA BRADY AND FINDING MY TRUE VOICE is a terrific, page-turner filled with the inside dirt on a family so omnipresent on television over the past 35 years that they've been granted honorary reality status in American life. For one night only, Marcia Brady, excuse me - Maureen McCormick will join us to tell us a little bit about herself and introduce a program of some of her most famous moments. Books will be for sale at the event and Maureen will gladly sign. Maureen will also greet and sign at BookPeople earlier in the evening.

There are two tickets available to this show: General Admission and one that includes a copy of Maureen McCormick's new book! Get 'em here.

STARCRASH tonight at the Ritz

Stephen Romano's Shock Festival: STARCRASH
Tuesday, October 21, 9:30pm
Ritz

Acclaimed author/screenwriter Stephen Romano (MASTERS OF HORROR) invites you to the world premiere of his brand new book Shock Festival, a tribute to exploitation film, featuring ONE HUNDRED AND ONE of the most awesome drive-in/grindhouse flicks YOU'VE NEVER SEEN! Why haven't you seen them? Because Stephen made 'em all up! Shock Festival is a wild ride through the twisted back alleys of a Hollywood Babylon that never was (think SPINAL TAP meets GRINDHOUSE), and tonight we're celebrating its arrival with a rare screening of the most awesome outer space drive-in classic of the seventies: STARCRASH! Laser battles! Intergalactic cavemen! A space fortress that looks like a big blue hand! The most beautiful leather babe that ever kicked ass in thigh-high boots! The worst special effects ever seen! All this- and David Hasselhoff!? Yep, you heard us right! DAVID HASSELHOFF. And he's got a lightsaber, too! This Italian schlock classic was the inspiration for Romano's book, and we got our hands on a widescreen 35mm Dolby Stereo print just for the occasion! And to do it up right, we're also presenting TONS of swell drive-in movie trailers from just about every genre of "psychotronic"� film! It's a celebration of fringe exploitation cinema like no other, so come ready to be "blasted beyond the blackness of a hundred million nights!"

Get your ticket here.

WHAT WE DO IS SECRET exclusively at Alamo South Lamar!

WHAT WE DO IS SECRET
Monday, October 20 - Thursday, October 23
Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar

Darby Crash is resurrected in all of his furious glory.
-Eric Campos, Film Threat

Only at the Alamo South Lamar!

A chronicle of the rise of The Germs and their charismatic leader Darby Crash, whose image- the contorted, screaming face and death grip on the microphone- has become an icon of the U.S. punk movement and a rapt influence on bands since. Darby's cultivated punk attitude, resplendent with the hardcore, infamous onstage self-mutilation antics and volatile energy that inspired the band's mesmerized followers to riot, ultimately banned The Germs from playing every venue in the greater Los Angeles area.

Get your ticket here.

Master Pancake: FRIDAY THE 13TH this weekend at Lamar

Master Pancake Presents: The Original FRIDAY THE 13TH
Friday, October 17, 7:20pm & 10:20pm
Saturday, October 18, 7:15pm & 10:15pm
Lamar

Just in time for Halloween, Master Pancake Theater ambush the slasher classic, FRIDAY THE 13th (1980). The dark entry in the summer-camp boomlet of the late '70s that included MEATBALLS and LITTLE DARLINGS, F13 tells the story of the murders at Camp Crystal Lake and one mother who really made a difference: Pamela Voorhes, founder of M.A.P.C.C. (Mothers against Promiscuous Camp Counselors). This low-budget gem boasts a cast of no-name actors and one future A-lister: everyone's favorite pug-nosed golden-boy and erstwhile horror star Kevin Bacon (TREMORS, HOLLOW MAN). Come join the fun as Master Pancake Theater pays its own mocking brand of tribute to this iconic genre classic.

Get your ticket here.

THE OFFICE tonight at Village!

TV at the Alamo: THE OFFICE
Thursday, October 16, 7:15pm
Alamo Village

Another show that it’s just impossible not to love, no matter what you think of Steve Carrell’s recent decisions in film roles. Everyone else in America will be watching with baited breath to see what happens with Jim and Pam - will they get together? Will their relationship ruin the show by becoming the Ross and Rachel plot that never makes any real sense? Will they ruin the show by going all MOONLIGHTING? Or can the writers somehow keep us interested in the romantic entanglements without breaking any of that tension? Personally, I don’t care. I’m in it to find out what happens to Ryan this season. Will he crawl back to Kelly? Will his facial hair stop being so stubbly?

The show is free, but you can reserve a seat by purchasing a $5 Food & Beverage voucher here.

THE LOST BOYS Tonight at the Ritz

Big Screen Horror Classics: THE LOST BOYS
Wednesday, October 15, 9:15pm
The Ritz

Enjoy this 80's Horror classic the way it was meant to be- with BLOODY MARY Cocktail specials and a heaping bowl of Fried Rice or Noodles!

David: How are those maggots?
Michael: Huh?
David: Maggots, Michael. You're eating maggots. How do they taste?

No horror movie captured the excitement, humor and plain weirdness of the '80s like THE LOST BOYS, and its bloodthirsty legacy is still undead and kicking over two decades later! Teen brothers Michael and Sam (Jason Patric and Corey Haim) move in with their grandpa in Santa Carla, 'The Murder Capital of the World.'

Turns out that a pack of leatherclad bad boy vampires led by Kiefer Sutherland is responsible for the body count, and Michael finds himself drawn into a terrifying, nightcrawling transformation. Luckily, local comic shop clerks/monster hunters The Frog Brothers (Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander) are up to the task of taking down the venomous threat once and for all! Packed with shocks, laughs, unbelievable '80s fashion and a soundtrack that includes the most ripping sax-rock jam in the history of earholes!

"Come on, be one of us"

Girlie Night Presents:

Girlie Night:
CLUELESS
Tues, 7pm, Alamo Ritz
Tickets available here

The first two nights of Girlie Night were a huge success, and we're all sorts of excited to have the second film in this new series debuting at the Ritz tonight - CLUELESS. There are some people in our society today who try to belittle this film, people who don't recognize the sheer brilliance that Amy Heckerling brought to the screen years before any of us knew that Tina Fey even existed, but those people are so, like, way harsh. As if! The rest of us know that CLUELESS is a total Betty.

To bring the world of Cher's fashion, matchmaking, and overall fabulouslness off of the silver screen and out into the theater, we're not only going to be bringing this classic high school opus back onto the big screen, but we've created a special drink that will only be offered during this movie - the Chertini. It's a blonde and dangerous mix of passion fruit and vanilla vodkas, finished off with passion fruit juice and served with a shot of champagne on the side. If that doesn't get you rollin' with the homies, I don't know what will.

TV at the ALAMO

TV at the Alamo presents
GOSSIP GIRL
Monday at 7

HEROES
Monday at 9:30

I'm not going to take sides in this big crazy KXAN versus Time Warner fight. I've got DirecTV at home, a good Internet connection at the office, and I can pretty much watch NBC shows from wherever I am. But that doesn't change the fact that I love heading up to the Village every week to catch a double header of GOSSIP GIRL and HEROES.

Both shows have been absolutely NUTS so far this season. Will Dan and Serena stay broken up? Will Serena keep being a beeyotch, or will she remember that she wanted to be good friends with Blaire, so she out to stop taking her queen bee status from her?

Why is Noah going along with all this Sylar crap? Will unscarred Peter get scarred this season? Why does the tribal man who paints the future also paint in a comic book style?

Sooooo many questions, and we'll get another dose of answers tonight at the Village. Admission to each show is free, but you can reserve your seat ahead of time by purchasing a $5 food and beverage voucher online. Click here for a GOSSIP GIRL voucher, and here for a HEROES voucher.

WEST SIDE STORY Brunch this Sunday only!

You heard it right! WEST SIDE STORY in magnificent Technicolor with food to match! Buy those tickets here now!

This world-class musical is unarguably among the great classics of the screen, and Alamo chef John Bullington has been preparing for months to match its greatness with his own monumental culinary talents. Get ready to experience the maximum benefits of all your senses when this multicultural melting pot of a movie and menu are presented, all to their greatest effect on our big big screen at the Alamo Ritz! There has never been a feast like this, and like WEST SIDE STORY, it's destined to go down in history as one of the greatest experiences of its kind!

Here's that menu:

I West Side Bagel
Toasted onion bagel with whipped cream cheese and mojito isleno (Puerto Rican olive sauce)

II Shark's Escebeche
Lightly fried and marinated overnight atop baby spinach with grilled chayote

III Egg Riff and Egg Nardo
Fried Egg with irish lamb sausage on a black pepper biscuit with roast garlic gravy topped with fried onions Poached egg on carnival cornbread with pernil al horno (roast pork shoulder) and papaya tarragon sauce

IV Officer Crumpet
Crumpets torn between two rivals, guava-lime jam and strawberry jelly

Plus spice up your brunch with these optional drink specials:

Bloody Maria
Tomato juice livened up with annatto, tamarind and sofrito puree of pickled plantain and fried cilantro

Bloody Antone
Prosecco with blood orange juice and passion fruit

Chaplin's CITY LIGHTS Tonight at the Ritz

Cinema Cocktails: CITY LIGHTS
Tuesday, 10/7, 10:10p
Wednesday, 10/8, 10:30p
Alamo Ritz

Since the Ritz started serving liquor, we've had a the opportunity to highlight some of the great drinkers of the silver screen. And now we celebrate the most lovable souse of them all: Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp! At one time the most recognizable figure on earth, he still opens the door to our heart for blitzed hobos to stumble through. He was the original rambler. The misfit. The vanguard vagabond of the open road, with a bindle on his back, dancing (and sipping) his way through the great depression. But from the very first scene in CITY LIGHTS - which reveals the homeless Tramp passed out in the arms of a 'Prosperity' statue - you know you're in for something even more powerful than gettin' hammered. In the bright lights of his big city, no one has the time or the patience for the little guy. Alcohol, on some pure and perfect level, was Chaplin's great equalizer. Were it not for intoxicating spirits, the penniless Tramp would never have spent the night cavorting about town with a gin-goggled millionaire. But the next morning, sobriety puts the two back in their place, with hilarious and deeply affecting consequences. A timeless masterpiece that has grown even more intoxicating with age, CITY LIGHTS swizzles together the perfect cocktail of love, life and libations.

Drink alongside the Little Tramp with our Charlie Chaplin Martini special!
1oz sloe gin
1oz apricot brandy
lemon juice

Something sweet to wash away the bitter taste of the debate. See you there!

RELIGULOUS - Opens Friday at the Ritz!

RELIGULOUS
Opens Friday, Oct 3 at the Ritz!
Advance tickets available here


Three and a half stars from the Austin Chronicle!

"A film that's destined to make a lot of people mad, but Maher, for all his showy atheistic 'doubt,' isn't just trying to crucify religion -- he truly wants to know what makes it tick. He leaves no stone tablet unturned." - Owen Glieberman, Entertainment Weekly

"Religulous is often brilliant. It's definitely hilarious, sometimes to the point of leaving me wheezing and giggling...9 out of 10..." - Devin Farachi, CHUD.com

Behind all the controversy that has kept RELIGULOUS out of most theaters nationwide there lies a really, really funny movie. It might not be for everyone, but for those of you who don't mind a little doubt, we're certain that a lot of you will enjoy it as much as we intend to. Check out the trailer and see what we're excited by.

No religion is safe from the sharp aim--and still sharper wit--of Bill Maher in this comic look at organized belief systems around the world. This controversial documentary is directed by Larry Charles, who previously made both fans and foes with BORAT.

Local eco-doc THE UNFORESEEN at Barton Springs!

Presented by The City of Austin and The Austin Film Society.

Join the Alamo Rolling Roadshow for a special outdoor screening of Laura Dunn's award-winning, gripping eco-doc THE UNFORESEEN at Barton Springs! This is a must-attend film/event for anyone who considers themselves to be a true Austinite!

The American Dream of owning a house with a white picket fence goes head to head with environmental sustainability in Laura Dunn's lyrical and beautifully crafted documentary THE UNFORESEEN.

Dunn tracks the career of Gary Bradley, a west Texan farm boy who went to Austin and became one of the largest real estate developers in the state. In the '80s, Bradley had plans to transform miles of pristine hill country into large-scale subdivisions. But the development jeopardized Barton Springs, a swimming hole treasured by locals, and served as a lightning rod for mobilizing environmental activism that flourished under Governor Ann Richards. When George W. Bush took the state's executive reins, however, development patterns changed, and the water quality at Barton Springs, as well as the surrounding landscape of Austin, was irreversibly transformed.

Following the screening, stay for an incredible projection installation by artist Luke Savisky, funded by City of Austin and sponsored by the Austin Film Society.


Admission is $3 (in cash) at the door.

Winner: Independent Spirit Truer than Fiction Award

"The kind of transformative viewing experience that has made the current period a golden age for nonfiction film." - VARIETY

"A beautiful, soulful work about real estate development and sprawl, focused on Austin's beloved Barton Springs, and if you think that's impossible you haven't seen it." - SALON

More information on Barton Springs can be found here:

CITY OF AUSTIN : BARTON SPRINGS