Charlie Chaplin's MONSIEUR VERDOUX!

Louis Black Presents Charlie Chaplin in:
MONSIEUR VERDOUX
Monday 11/29 & Wednesday 12/1, 7:00 @Ritz
Advance tickets available here

We're very proud to invite Louis Black, founder and editor of the Austin Chronicle and SXSW, to present one of the greatest black comedies of all time, Charlie Chaplin's MONSIEUR VERDOUX. In addition to founding two of the biggest and hippest institutions in Austin Texas, Black is a serious film scholar and enthusiast. While earning a degree in Film studies at the University of Texas, he was one of the key members/programmers of the legendary CinemaTexas series. He also was one of the original board members of the Austin Film Society.

Needless to say, he's a man of great esteem in the Austin film scene. He also happens to love this awesome Charlie Chaplin movie MONSIEUR VERDOUX. This is Chaplin's darkest and most sadistic work, a comedy of murder that, while hitting much of the same comic genius of Chaplin's earlier work, will show you a new side of the great tramp.

MONSIEUR VERDOUX, based on an idea by Orson Welles, tells the morbid story of the titular hero, a gold-digging fop who excels at the art of extermination. He woos wealthy widows and snaps up their fortunes with one hand while snapping their necks with the other. This delightful tale will have you laughing, philosophizing, and cringing along with the great star.

Louis Black will be on hand to give us some insight on the history and context of the film, and why it's so important for us to love it.

We're also presenting MONSIEUR VERDOUX without Louis as a matinee on Sunday 12/5 at 12pm.

Get your tickets for this great show now.

ZZANGG!!!: ROAD HOUSE w/ David Schmader

ZZANGG!!! and David Schmader Present:
ROAD HOUSE
Sunday 11/28, 7:00 @Ritz
Advance tickets available here

Come see the 200-fisted, tough-guy-with-a-heart-of-gold epic that capped off the brawling ‘80s action era! The late, great King Swayze stars as world’s greatest bouncer Dalton, a man that’s just as at home when cracking a man’s skull as when he’s doing tai chi in front of a glassy lake.

Though seemingly unflappable, Dalton is pushed over the max when an evil town patriarch (Ben Gazzara) brings the hammer down on every true-hearted citizen. Sam Elliott, TOP GUN’s Kelly Lynch and X bassist John Doe co-star in this explosion of punching, pugilism and good old-fashioned fisticuffs! All in a movie actually made by a dude named “Rowdy”!! The only major studio release to feature the following line of dialogue between two men during a fight: “I used to f**k guys like you in prison.”

For this very special 35mm screening, we’ll be joined by Seattle cinema expert David Schmader, the man who opened the world’s eyes to the wonders of SHOWGIRLS! ZZANG!!!

Get your tickets for this great show now.

XMAS POPS is back!

The Action Pack brings back
THE XMAS POPS SING-ALONG
because Christmas (pops) comes early this year!
Friday, Nov 26 at the Alamo Ritz
Get your advance tickets right here

Was that the most perfectly timed cold front or what? I woke up on Thanksgiving morning, went outside, and thought, "Geez, it doesn't feel very much like the holidays out here..." Then just a couple of hours later I stepped out again, all confident in my short sleeved shirt - and had to turn right back around, change my shirt, and add a jacket.

YES!

So now that the holidays actually have officially come to central Texas, it is most definitely time to return to one of my favorite holiday traditions - The XMAS POPS SING-ALONG.

Those of you who've been to this show in the past know what it's all about. We take Christmas music videos from all over the place, then assemble them into one collection that manages to blend seamlessly between John Denver & The Muppets singing The Twelve Days of Christmas into Wham's Last Christmas, Run DMC's Christmas In Hollis, and pretty much everything in between.

Throughout the show we'll also be playing several holiday themed games, including a Shoot My Eye out contest and some holiday Videoke, but the real highlight for me doesn't even take place inside the theater.

For me, the entire show is a warm up for the main event - leaving through the back door of the Ritz, gathering in the alley behind the theater, and then heading out as one pack of extremely holiday-spirit-filled carolers to take Sixth Street by storm. We'll be handing out caroling books to everyone in the audience then going up and down the street singing U2 and Mariah Carey and the Peanuts' Christmas Time Is Here to bouncers, drunks, revelers, fancy diners, and anyone else we can come into contact with.

So after you've got your shopping done (and picked up some Alamo Gift Cards, of course), I invite you to come downtown and ring in the holiday season with The Action Pack. As usual, Greg and I will be dressed in silly costumes and wearing yellow tights instead of pants. Yeah, Merry Christmas - you're welcome. (Henri Mazza)

Happy Thanksgiving! Hook 'em!

UT vs A&M - Thanksgiving Day 2010!
Thurs, Nov 25 at Ritz and Lake Creek
Advance tickets for Lake Creek available here
Advance tickets for Ritz here

Orphaned on Thanksgiving? No worries! We've got a traditional homemade Thanksgiving Feast (while supplies last), open lovin' arms and the big game on the big big Alamo screen! Watch the UT Longhorns battle their way toward a Thanksgiving Day victory against our friends and rivals to the East, the Texas A&M Aggies!

Hey and don't let the hook 'em picture fool you- Aggie fans are welcome! After all, Thanksgiving is the day for coming together and celebrating that for which we are thankful...and we are all, as Texans, most thankful for football.

That said, hook 'em.

You can reserve a seat by pre-purchasing your Thanksgiving Feast (sorry, the Thanksgiving Feast option is already sold out at Lake Creek; there are still tickets available for the game though)!

You'll get a heaping plate with all these homemade classics:
Turkey and gravy!
Stuffing!
Cranberry sauce!
Green bean casserole!
Sweet potatoes (yes, the kind with the marshmallows on top!)
Yeast roll!
Then finish it all off with a nice big slice of pecan pie!

An $18 ticket reserves you a seat and the Thanksgiving Feast. Or you may purchase a $5 food and beverage voucher to reserve a seat WITHOUT the turkey dinner but you can then use the $5 voucher against anything else ordered during the game. If there are seats remaining the day of the game, admission will be free at the door.

Grab your tickets for Lake Creek here
Grab your tickets for Ritz here

Sunset Blvd. with live performance by Rebecca Havemeyer

Wednesday, November 24, 7pm at the Ritz
Advance tickets available here!

Rebecca Havemeyer is not only Austin's most fantastic drag personality but an incredible and unpredictable performer who puts on a remarkable show every month at the Ritz for Celluloid Handbag. Every month is special, but this month is exceptionally special because this month Rebecca’s stage antics will be followed by a film so important to the history of American cinema that if you don’t go see it you’re just not grateful.

In SUNSET BOULEVARD, Gloria Swanson stars as Norma Desmond, a washed up star from the silent era who is obsessed with making it big again. For years, she has stayed hidden in her gothic mansion working on some monstrosity of a screenplay with nobody for company but her creepily devoted butler and monkey. Enter William Holden as a handsome young hack of a screenwriter and you’ve got the makings of a twisted plot complete with a murderous cougar. A 35mm print of this stunning piece of film noir by the brilliant Billy Wilder is not the cinematic event to miss.

Ready, Set, Bag!

READY, SET, BAG! with exhibition sack-off
Mon, Nov 22 at Lake Creek
Tues, Nov 23 at Ritz
Advance tickets for Lake Creek available here
Advance tickets for Ritz here

It's high time someone pulled back the veil on the underground sport of competitive grocery bagging. READY, SET, BAG! does just that as it chronicles the lives of eight grocery baggers who are competing for the honor of being named the "Best Bagger" at the annual National Grocers Association convention in Las Vegas.

You may scoff at the thought of a "National Bagging Competition," but the subjects of this documentary are deadly serious about their craft. The film follows these diverse characters as they prepare for the competition and offers a rare glimpse into the lives of the commonly misunderstood grocery bagger.

A portion of ticket proceeds from this will benefit the Capitol Area Food Bank and the screening will include a pre-show exhibition sack-off/grudge match between Whole Foods North vs. Downtown.

Grab your tickets for Lake Creek here
Grab your tickets for Ritz here

Buster Keaton's THE CAMERAMAN with Live Score!

THE CAMERAMAN

Silent Classic with Live Score by Bee Vs. Moth

Monday 11/22, 7pm at the Ritz

Buy Tickets Here

1928's THE CAMERAMAN is one of Buster Keaton's best, most imaginative and entertaining films. And that's saying something. Here the great stone-face plays a young man who tries to impress a girl by becoming a newsreel cameraman. Of course, nothing goes right. He always forgets to load the camera or he does it wrong or he's in the wrong place at the wrong time. In short, everything gets screwed up, and nobody screws everything up more entertainingly than the great Keaton.

And we feel that nobody can do better musical justice to Keaton's wild set pieces than Austin's own Bee Vs. Moth, whose brass-laden "multiple-genre, weirdo instrumental rock" is just right for this anarchic laugh riot. Listen to them today at beevsmoth.com and be here for the live score of the year!

Cinema Club: BEAT THE DEVIL w/ Andrew Bujalski

Cinema Club Presents:
BEAT THE DEVIL w/ Andrew Bujalski
Sunday 11/21, 7:00 @Ritz
Advance tickets available here

The Cinema Club brings together classic films and film scholars/enthusiasts to present sometimes-forgotten treasures and to lead a rousing discussion afterwards in our comfortable Ritz theatre. In the past we've had great guests like UT professors Charles Ramirez Berg and Thomas Schatz and historians Eddie Muller, Kim Morgan, and Joe Bob Briggs. This month, we're joined by filmmaker Andrew Bujalski (MUTUAL APPRECIATION, FUNNY HA HA) to present the underseen Humphrey Bogart classic BEAT THE DEVIL.

BEAT THE DEVIL is a terrific film, somewhat difficult to comprehend but witty to the end. It was written by Truman Capote in a fever dream that was interrupted by his conversations with his raven, and afternoon shoots were often written in the morning by the ailing author. This led to some bizarre scenes and fiendishly funny (and subtle) satire, and a lot of improvisation from the cast of well-trained actors: Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollobrigida, Peter Lorre, Robert Morley and more.

Our guest Andrew Bujalski knows a thing or two about free-wheeling filmmaking and improvisational acting. An undisputed master of directing actors in loose, ultra-realist settings, Bujalski is the perfect guest to discuss this unique Hollywood cult classic.

Get your tickets for this great show now.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY Spaghetti Western Feast

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY Spaghetti Western Feast
Sun, Nov 21 at Lake Creek
Advance tickets available here

SUNDAY (11/21) SCREENING INCLUDES ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT SPAGHETTI and CAESAR SALAD FOR THE LOW PRICE OF $25!! General admission screenings Mon Nov 22-23.

As part of our Digital Classics series, we are presenting a meticulously restored digital print of perhaps the greatest threequel of all time. Now is your chance to experience the rise of Clint Eastwood’s legacy and the culmination of the “Man with No Name Trilogy” on the big screen.

The trifecta of Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood, and composer Ennio Morricone continues as three gunslingers compete to find a fortune in buried confederate gold. We can’t wait to get another chance to experience the sweeping visuals, prolonged tension, wanton violence, and one of the most recognizable musical themes in any movie (it’s playing in your head right now) again on the big screen.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY plays November 21st-23rd at Lake Creek, but for opening night (Sun, 11/21), we have something extra-special planned. In celebration of the Spaghetti Western, the opening night screening of the film will include all-you-can-eat spaghetti and Caesar salad as part of the low low ticket price of only $25. Eat spaghetti while you watch a Spaghetti Western. If that’s not meta enough for you, I don’t what is.

Grab your tickets here

It's HARRY POTTER time, y'all!

HARRY POTTER and the DEATHLY HALLOWS: Part 1
All midnight screenings are sold out, but you can catch Harry Potter all weekend!

TICKETS: Alamo S. Lamar, Alamo Village, Alamo Lake Creek

Hey you guys! The new Harry Potter movie is out! If you're any sort of a Potter fan, you definitely knew this already.

I had the opportunity to see this movie a few days early. Sure most of us have read the book, but that doesn't mean I'm going to spoil the magic of the film for you. All I will say is this: IT IS AWESOME! Really and truely. The three main kiddos are great, the supporting cast is incredible, Bill Nighy is in it for a hot second (love him!), the CGI is lookin' pretty topnotch (which is saying a lot, especially compared to the first few films), and they split the films nicely. My only complaint is that I have to wait to see the conclusion! So yeah, you'll love it. As if you had any doubt... (Caitlin.)

Part 1 begins as Harry, Ron and Hermione set out on their perilous mission to track down and destroy the secret to Voldemort’s immortality and destruction—the Horcruxes. On their own, without the guidance of their professors or the protection of Professor Dumbledore, the three friends must now rely on one another more than ever. But there are Dark Forces in their midst that threaten to tear them apart.

Cinema Cocktails: HORSE FEATHERS

The Marx Brothers in:
HORSE FEATHERS
Monday 11/15 & Wednesday 11/17, 7:00 @Ritz
Advance tickets available here

Groucho, Harpo, Chico, and Zeppo star in the movie that made them famous. Yes, the Marx Brothers come to the Alamo Drafthouse, bringing their unique brand of anarchy and hilarity to unsuspecting and potentially drunken audiences.

No comedy group was ever as funny, as satirical, or as disrespectful as these four brothers, and HORSE FEATHERS is their tour-de-force, demonstrating the uncanny wit of wiseguy Groucho, the trouble-making hustling of Chico, and the mute antics of Harpo (and Zeppo plays the straight man, as usual).

HORSE FEATHERS has Groucho as Professor Quincy Adams Wagstaff, the new president of Huxley College who is interested only in destroying the university and making off with the money and the women. Harpo and Chico, who work in a speakeasy, are mistakenly enlisted to join the college football team as ringers, and the confusion proves overwhelming for the entire student body.

This is a Cinema Cocktails presentation, which means we've got a special cocktail paired with the film: The Bee's Knees, a prohibition-era favorite. Gin, Fresh Lemon Juice, and Honey mixed up and served in a Honey-drizzled cocktail glass - You'll be swept up into a speakeasy circa 1932.

Get your tickets for this great show now.

Frederick Wiseman is Coming to Austin!

Frederick Wiseman brings his new film
BOXING GYM
to South Lamar starting November 12
Advance tickets available here

Acclaimed documentarian Frederick Wiseman, who brought us the Verité masterpieces HIGH SCHOOL, LAW AND ORDER, TITICUT FOLLIES, and, recently, LA DANSE, is coming to open his new film, BOXING GYM, in Austin. BOXING GYM presents a fly-on-the-wall perspective of Lord's Gym, the legendary Austin training room owned by Richard Lord. The film is beautiful and will set you in a trance.

We're opening the film on Friday, and to celebrate we'll be having special guests all weekend long!

On Friday at the 4:05 and 7:00 showings, Richard Lord will be live!
On Saturday at the 4:25 and 7:00 times, Lord will be joined by Frederick Wiseman as well!

And, perhaps most excitingly, on Sunday at 4:00, Wiseman will be presenting one of his most challenging and enduring works, TITICUT FOLLIES. A study of Massachusetts' treatment of criminally insane inmates at the Bridgewater State Hospital, TITICUT FOLLIES was the first American film banned for reasons other than national security or obscenity. It, like much of Wiseman's work in general, forces us to look inside institutions we pay little attention to and make our own judgments about their problems and ultimate worth. This is a truly unique event and one you should not miss!

Get your tickets for BOXING GYM here!
And don't miss TITICUT FOLLIES w/ Wiseman on Sunday at 4!

Austin Comic Con Shows this Saturday!

Austin Comic Con Presents: HUMAN CENTIPEDE and ALIEN vs. NINJA
Sat, Nov 13 at The Ritz
Advance tickets for HUMAN CENTIPEDE available here
Advance tickets for ALIEN vs. NINJA available here

Comic aficionados unite for the 2010 Austin Comic Con November 12-14! As part of the festivities, we are proud to bring you two kick-ass screenings on Saturday Nov 13.

Don't miss an encore presentation of Tom Six's disturbing (and medically accurate) thriller HUMAN CENTIPEDE, featuring a live Q&A with the actors who portrayed the "centipede". That’s right: Ashley C. Williams, Ashlynn Yennie and Akihiro Kitamura, the three performers who form the “human centipede” in Tom Six’s maniacal mad scientist masterpiece will be live in person at the theater to answer your questions! I'm sure everyone can think of a few questions they would like to ask them, myself included.

Also playing as part of the "Con", is the terribly awesome (terrible + awesome) film ALIEN VS. NINJA. Like some kind of ultra-stupid, ultra-gory version of the Mighty Moronic Power Rangers, AvN is the kind of boneheaded movie that does exactly what it says on the box. There are ninjas, and they fight an alien and by the end so many buckets of gore have been emptied, so many prop swords have been soaked in green alien gunk and so many copyright laws have been violated that the entire Dumb Movies Genre needs to go on vacation.

Grab your tickets to HUMAN CENTIPEDE here
Grab your tickets to ALIEN vs. NINJA here

Check out the full lineup of programming happening during Austin Comic Con here

Don't miss the most talked about documentary of SxSw 2010!

SXSW Presents: MARWENCOL
Nov 10, 17, and 24 at The Ritz
Advance tickets available here

If you missed the South by Southwest Grand Jury Award winning documentary MARWENCOL, we’re giving you three more chances to catch this fantastic documentary. MARWENCOL has been garnering great reviews and racking up awards and accolades on the festival circuit. So, don’t miss screenings at The Ritz on Nov 10, 17, and 24, presented by South by Southwest Film Festival.

In April of 2000 Mark Hogancamp was savagely beaten by five men outside of a bar. The attack that almost killed him put Mark in a coma for nine days and left him with little memory of his previous life. Unable to afford traditional therapy, Mark was left to mend his own physical and psychic wounds. To do so, he created an imaginary World War II-era Belgian town called Marwencol and populated it with dolls that represented fictional characters as well as his friends, family, and even his attackers.

After a few years, Mark started taking hyper-realistic photographs of the scenes that played out in his imaginary town. Episodes of violence, lust, and longing featuring his doll doppelganger “Captain Hogan” mirrored aspects of his life and ultimately helped Mark to regain his sanity.

When a prestigious New York art gallery invites Mark to showcase his photos, he must choose whether or not to leave the safety of his imaginary sanctum for the uncertainty of the world at large.

Check out what the press are saying about MARWENCOL:

“I can barely describe the wonders of ‘Marwencol,’ Jeff Malmberg’s documentary about a man, brain-damaged following a near-fatal beating, who has built a fictional WWII-era Belgian town out of tiny props and Barbie-size dolls.” -Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

“…an absorbing portrait of an outsider artist; a fascinating journey from near-death to active life; a meditation on the brain’s ability to forge new pathways when old ones have been destroyed.” -V.A. Musetto, New York Post

“One of the oddest and most moving documentaries since ‘Best Boy’ or ‘Grey Gardens,’ Jeff Malmberg’s debut film is a marvel.” -Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail

“Exactly the sort of mysterious and almost holy experience you hope to get from documentaries and rarely do… like a homegrown slice of Herzog oddness, complete with true-crime backfill and juicy metafictive upshot.” -Michael Atkinson, Village Voice

Click HERE to purchase your tickets.

THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI in 4K Digital All Week!

Amazing 4K Digital Restoration of the Epic:
THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI
Monday 11/8 thru Thursday 11/11 7:00pm @Lamar
Advance tickets available here

Winner of an astonishing 7 Academy Awards! THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI is a riveting tale of war, duty and honor played out among British and American prisoners of war on a work detail for their Japanese captors. The quality of acting, cinematography and direction on display here is nearly unmatched. Directed by master of the epic David Lean(LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO). Starring Alec Guinness (Obi-Wan Kenobi!) and William Holden (SUNSET BLVD).

It's really good. It's also one of the most deeply satisfying nights you'll spend at the movies anytime, anyplace.

When we started looking at adding digital cinema capabilities to our theaters we looked at a number of different systems. All of them used the 2K model except for Sony's highly advanced 4k system. We were blown away by the detail and the density and brightness Sony 4k gave us.

So we are thrilled to present one of our very favorite classics, THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, in an absolute state of the art 4k digital restoration. Unless you watched a virgin 70mm print of this film on opening night, on optimally tuned equipment, you've never seen this movie look this good.

Get your tickets for this great show now.

Chris Morris' FOUR LIONS Now Playing!

An Alamo Drafthouse Release
Chris Morris' FOUR LIONS Now Playing!
Get tickets here!

The very first release from Drafthouse Films!

"FOUR LIONS is a creeping, under-the-skin classic, a comedy that will reward viewing after viewing and might ultimately best last year’s IN THE LOOP for quotability." - Damon Wise, Empire Online

"Painfully funny… Morris pulls off the near-impossible."- Drew McWeeny, HitFix

Chris Morris' FOUR LIONS is a funny, thrilling comedy that illuminates modern jihadism through the prism of farce. What THIS IS SPINAL TAP did for heavy metal and DR. STRANGELOVE did for the Cold War, FOUR LIONS does for the modern face of terrorism.

In a British city, four men have a secret plan. Omar is disillusioned about the treatment of Muslims around the world and is determined to become a soldier. This is the most exciting idea Waj has ever heard -- better still it's a no-brainer because Omar does his thinking for him. Opposed to Omar -- and everyone else on earth -- is the white Islamic convert Barry. He would realize he'd joined the cell to channel his nihilism -- if he had half the self-knowledge of a duck. Faisal is the odd man out. He can make a bomb, but he can't blow himself up just now 'cuz his sick dad has "started eating newspaper." Instead, he's training crows to fly bombs through windows. This is what Omar has to deal with.

They must strike a decisive blow on their own turf but can any of them strike a match without punching himself in the face? Crackling with wit and tension, FOUR LIONS is the essential response to our failure to engage with reality and a high toast to the idea that laughter is better than killing.

Get tickets for opening weekend HERE!