HALLOWEEN at The Alamo !!!

There is a whole damn lot of Halloween electricity coursing through our veins, and 2009 has somehow exploded as the most Halloween-fueled weekend in Alamo history!

At Alamo South Lamar, Friday kicks off with the opening of the incredible new Satan-powered feature HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, one of the best new American horror films in years/decades. At 10 PM, South Lamar will also be ground zero for OWEN & ZACK'S HALLOWEEN EVE EXTRAVAGANZA, an outrageous celebration of the most underrated horror sequel of the '80s, hosted by Professor of HALLOWEEN 4-ology Owen Egerton and Terror Tuesday goofball Zack Carlson. Expect games, treats, murder and true entertainment.

Saturday at Alamo South Lamar pulls no punches either. Our Free Saturday Morning Kids Club show will be the heartstopper THE WATCHER IN THE WOODS, featuring ghosts, mystery and enough trauma to wipe out a kindergarten. Our most respectable (but still wildly entertaining) Halloween offering will be a screening of the 1929 classic PHANTOM OF THE OPERA with a live score from the Golden Arm Trio's Graham Reynolds! This is an unmissable event pairing one of the finest silent films with one of Austin's most talented musicians. Later that night, we'll be allying with The Highball to present The DANCE OF THE DEAD Zombie Prom, which will have you laughing, screaming and dancing until the sunrise melts the flesh from your bones.

But it's not over yet...the Alamo Ritz downtown will be home to Master Pancake Theater's brutal(ly hilarious) slaughtering of the original A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. After years of vicious assaults, Freddy's about to get a taste of his own medicine from Austin's most venerable yuksters.

At Alamo Village, we're continuing our run of THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS in 3D with our new 4K Digital Projection system!

Plus surprise 2009 horror faves ZOMBIELAND and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY rage onward through the weekend!!

As you can see, Austin is experiencing a proud and glorious time for beasts, creatures, bloodsuckers and maniacs. Join us for the CHAOS!!!

THIS IS IT!!!

Michael Jackson's THIS IS IT!
Opens tonight at the Alamo Ritz!
Advance tickets available here

Michael Jackson takes a final bow in this theatrical concert film featuring rehearsal footage of the late megastar as he practiced for the 100 shows in London that never came to be. HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL's Kenny Ortega handles direction duties as well as choreography chores for the HD-shot film.

We've seen some of this rehearsal footage before, of course, but this film promises to go more in depth and make us all regret the King of Pop's passing even more. I already hate that I can't go see this performance live, but I'm happy that at least we have this film as a final, fitting way to say goodbye. I glove MJ forever!

Get your tickets here

THE DUNGEON MASTERS @ The Ritz

THE DUNGEON MASTERS
Now playing Alamo Ritz
Advance tickets available here

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.

Get your tickets here

The Found Footage Festival 2009

The Found Footage Festival 2009!
Sunday @ Alamo South Lamar
Advance tickets available here

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.

For more info, visit foundfootagefest.com

Get your tickets here

THRILLERFEST 2009!

THRILLERFEST 2009
THRILL THE WORLD at Seaholm Power Plant
Saturday, Oct 24, 5pm
Full dance lesson, performance, and Michael Jackson dance party
Tickets just $15, with proceeds benefiting Scare for a Cure and their efforts to support breast cancer recovery
Advance tix available right here




Last year, we had 881 zombies join us on the plaza at the Long Center to help set a World Record for the most people dancing the Thriller choreography at the same time and place. This year, Mexico City took the same place record from us with over 13,000 dancers, but we’re going to help take the same time record back on October 24 when we’ll join dancers all over the world and do the same dance at the same time and bring the planet together in one brief moment of shining Roar Turns.

We’re making this year’s event bigger and more bad ass than last year as well, and instead of just dancing once and then calling it a day, we’re going to have a full-fledged party.

It’s all going down on Saturday, October 24th at Seaholm Power Plant. We’ll have a dance lesson for anyone who hasn’t learned it yet starting at 5pm, we’ll join the world in Thriller at 8pm sharp, and then after that we’ll be using our Rolling Roadshow rig to bring Austin the first outdoor screening of our ever-popular Michael Jackson Sing-Along! It will be a full on dance party with props, lighting, and everything you’ll need to not stop until you get enough.

Now, all of this exciting news does come with a little bit of a catch - last year’s dance event was free, but this year with it being on a Saturday night and all of the added expenses at Seaholm we’re going to have to charge an entry fee. It will be worth every cent, of course, and at $15 it’s only a few dollars more expensive than a general Michael Jackson Sing-Along, but I wanted to let you know that upfront. You can secure your spot at this epic historic moment by purchasing your ticket now at our show page for the event, right here.

There are also several other lessons happening before the big day, because we want to make sure that Austin is the BEST performance in the world. Those lessons are all 100% free, and you can choose to learn at either The Highball (1142 South Lamar Blvd) or BodyBusiness (2700 W Anderson Lane).

The schedule of Thriller dance lessons at The Highball is as follows:
Monday, October 12 - 7pm
Tuesday, October 13 - 7pm
Saturday, October 17 - 2pm
Sunday, October 18 - 2pm
Tuesday, October 20 - 7pm
Wednesday, October 21 - 7pm
Saturday, October 24 - 11am

Feel free to come out to just one lesson or come back to each and every one and keep rehearsing with us. All of the lessons will be absolutely free, but you should expect to have it down after one or two full lessons. Each lesson will last between two to three hours.

You can start learning up north if you join up with the class at BodyBusiness, which is on Anderson Lane facing the Alamo Village across the parking lot. Their schedule is as follows:
October 16th & 23rd @ 5:30pm
October 9th & 23rd @ 10:30am
You don’t need to be a member of the gym to participate, and you can sign up at the front desk or by calling 459-9424.

Once you know the dance, you can come out and rehearse with us at Seaholm on the 24th, then enjoy the full on party! Again, tickets for all this insanity are available now, right here.

Art House Attack!

WE LIVE IN PUBLIC & BEESWAX
Now Playing at Alamo South Lamar!
WE LIVE IN PUBLIC tickets available here
BEESWAX tickets available here

Two incredible films open today at the Alamo South Lamar- two films which, despite unanimous critical praise, will enjoy only a limited theatrical release due to their lack of zombies or a Jolie. So listen up Enjoyers of masterful filmmaking and help spread the word! You will love these movies, plus you'll be doing your part to stave off the inevitable Nationwide pithing from the likes of the TRANSFORMERS prequel and Rob Zombie's THE GODFATHER.

WE LIVE IN PUBLIC
With Director Ondi Timoner live in person for Friday 10/9 and Saturday 10/10 night shows! On the 40th anniversary of the Internet, WE LIVE IN PUBLIC tells 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. Award-winning director, Ondi Timoner (DIG!), documented his tumultuous life for more than a decade, to create a riveting, cautionary tale of what to expect as the virtual world inevitably takes control of our lives. Read Manohla Dargis' New York Times review.

Tickets available here

BEESWAX
Director Andrew Bujalski will be live in person on Friday evening, October 9, and also at the Sunday 4:15 and 7:05 screenings! Set & filmed in Austin, TX by local director Andrew Bujalski (FUNNY HA HA, MUTUAL APPRECIATION), BEESWAX centers around twin sisters Jeannie & Lauren (played by real life twins Tilly & Maggie Hatcher, luminous in their first starring roles) living/loving/working & struggling with decisions that will shape the rest of their lives. Jeannie runs a vintage clothing store with an increasingly estranged partner, and a brewing confrontation between them sets the story in motion as Jeannie turns to an ex-boyfriend, Merrill (Alex Karpovsky), who is recently graduated from law school and all too eager to try to fix her problems as a way of ignoring his own.

Tickets available here

Action Pack Thursday! BEETLEJUICE QUOTE-ALONG and BEASTIE BOYS RAP-ALONG

Action Pack presents THE BEETLEJUICE QUOTE-ALONG and THE BEASTIE BOYS RAP-ALONG
Thursday, October 8th at 7pm & 9:45pm at the Ritz

Thursdays have always been our haven for movies that we know all the lines to, and songs we know all the words to, and we would like to bring this particular Thursday to your attention. Firstly because we're showing one of my favorite movies of all time: BEETLEJUICE! We'll all be singing DAAAAAAY-O and doing the calypso and putting eyeballs on our fingers and brag about our outrageous sculptures right before we shake, shake, shake señora! Oh god I'm excited just thinking about it!

After that we have the BEASTIE BOYS RAP-ALONG! We've done this show before and you will be AMAZED at how fast those boys can drop bombs! They can't, they won't, and they don't stop so come hang out with us and our favorite Intergalactic Planetarians. We're only doing this one show so don't miss it!

Get tickets to The BEETLEJUICE Quote-Along HERE. Thursday, October 8th at 7:00pm!

Get tickets to the BEASTIE BOYS Rap-Along HERE. Thursday, October 8th at 9:45pm!

Both of these shows are produced and hosted by The Action Pack. Follow us on Twitter @theactionpack and have a chance to win free tickets to future Action Packed shows, tell us about other Sing-Alongs and Quote-Alongs we should put together, and be the first to comment publicly about something stupid we do on stage!

The Beatles' A HARD DAY'S NIGHT

A HARD DAY'S NIGHT
10/6 & 10/7 at the Alamo Ritz

Yes, we've recaught Beatlemania with the release of Beatles Rock Band (AWESOME!) and the remastered album releases (also awesome!) and we want to share this new strain of Beatlesmania with you. We already did this show once last night for our Music Monday series and it completely sold out! We also made it a Big Screen Classics show, though, so that you, dear viewers, do not have to feel sadness for getting to miss the charm and with that is this movie. I HIGHLY recommend that you snatch up some tickets to the show tonight (Tuesday, October 6th) and tomorrow night (Wednesday, October 7th) so that you can join in the fun!

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!

Get your tickets here!

Drew Barrymore teaches us to WHIP IT!

WHIP IT!
Now Playing at the Alamo Ritz
Advance tickets available here

Directorial debut from 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.

Get those tickets here