Monday, April 25, 2011

A Samurai Film Destined to Become a Classic



Take Up Your Sword:
13 ASSASSINS
Starts Friday 4/29 @Ritz

Advance tickets available here

Cult director Takashi Miike delivers a bravado period action film set at the end of Japan's feudal era in which a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down a sadistic lord and prevent him from ascending to the throne and plunging the country into a war-torn future.

Get your tickets for this great show now.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Zzang!!! THE DARK CRYSTAL in 35mm this Sunday!



Zzang!!!:
THE DARK CRYSTAL
Sunday 4/24, 7:00 @Ritz

Advance tickets available here

Before computers took over the universe, longtime collaborators (and Muppet-makers) Henson and Oz rolled up their sleeves and created the most beautiful otherworldly film to ever zoom across an '80s audience's eyeballs.

In an unnamed land, a pair of young, elf-like Gelflings must battle the evil Skeksis to bring their world back to the power it once held. Though this may sound like fantasy silliness, the sheer power and ingenuity of THE DARK CRYSTAL is unmatched. It's a pure-hearted, imagination-powered journey into unexplored ideas, with the most memorable characters this side of another dimension. From the graceful Land-Striders to the looming crab-like Garthim to that wily, one-eyed heroic priestess Aulghra, the colorful creatures create an entirely unique experience at the movies. There really hasn't been another movie like it, and it holds up better than any other fantasy film of the last 50 years!

If you watch only one thing during your time on this planet, make it THE DARK CRYSTAL. In fact, I hereby declare it waaaaay better than stupid old STAR WARS.

That's right. I said it.

Get your tickets for this great show now!

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

The Ultimate Bicycle Movie



MS 150 Fundraising Film & Feast:
BICYCLE THIEVES
Saturday 4/23, 8:00 @Ritz

Advance tickets available here

MS150, the branch of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society that challenges riders to bicycle from Houston to Austin to raise money and awareness for MS, is holding a fundraising screening of the most celebrated bicycle film, Vittorio De Sica's BICYCLE THIEVES.

On the lawn of Tim & Karrie League's home, on what is surely to be a beautiful April evening (it's Texas, after all), join your fellow bikers for a journey through this neo-realist classic about a poor man whose future is threatened by the simple act of a bicycle theft.

On hand will be Chief Executive Chef John Bullington, who has prepared a feast of Italian cuisine and will be pairing wines to go with it. Check out the menu:

Primo - Pasta Puttanesca with Seared Scallop

Insalata - Boggy Creek Giardiniera and Greens Salad

Secondo e Contorno - Richardson's Farms Ribeye Milanese with Baby Artichoke and Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Dulce - Grilled Strawberries With Ravioli Di Ricotta And Zabaglione

Support a good cause! For more info, visit ms150.org.

Get your tickets for this great show now!

Monday, April 18, 2011

PAN'S LABYRINTH at the Ritz!



A Lonely Girl Creates A Vivid World in:
PAN'S LABYRINTH
Tuesday 4/19 and Wednesday 4/20 @Ritz

Advance tickets available here

Guillermo del Toro's masterwork is a fanciful and chilling story set against the backdrop of a fascist regime in 1944 rural Spain. The film centers on Ofelia, a lonely and dreamy child living with her mother and adoptive father, a military officer tasked with ridding the area of rebels.

In her loneliness, Ofelia creates a world filled with fantastical creatures and secret destinies. With post-war repression at its height, Ofelia must come to terms with her world through a fable of her own creation.

Get your tickets for this great show now.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Cinema Club Presents RED RIVER with UT Prof Don Graham



The Cinema Club and Don Graham Present:
RED RIVER
Sunday 4/17, 7:00 @Ritz

Advance tickets available here

Next Sunday April 17, join us at the Ritz for a true Texas classic, Howard Hawks’ RED RIVER, on the glorious big screen. After the movie, we’ll talk about the film’s history and meaning with our special guest, Don Graham. If you happened to catch our Texas Show a few years back with Don and Joe Bob Briggs, you know you’re in for an informative and fun evening.

Cinema Club is an interactive series that highlights the appreciation and discussion of classic films from cinema history. At each screening a prominent expert will introduce an essential film classic. Following the film, the speaker and members of our programming team will lead a discussion of the film, offering insight into the film’s production, history, and artistic qualities. This month our guest will be Don Graham, University Of Texas Professor of English and author of “Cowboys And Cadillacs: How Hollywood Looks At Texas” and the new book “State Of Minds: Texas Culture and Its Discontents”, which will be available for sale after the show.

Though RED RIVER was Howard Hawks’ first western, it rides easy in the saddle as one of the great American classics. No less an eminence than John Ford, when erroneously credited with RED RIVER by a fan, responded, “Thank you very much.” As a drama it has real heft, the scale is as vast as the cattle country and the conflict between father (John Wayne, never better) and adopted son (Montgomery Clift) is primal. Along the way there is also lightness and humor (which thankfully is not so Fordian) as well as the most beautiful and iconic cattle drive scenery ever captured.

Get your tickets for this great show now!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Off-Centered Film Fest: STRANGE BREW Beer Party!



Off Center Film Fest Kicks Off With:
STRANGE BREW
Thursday 4/14, 7:00 @Ritz

Advance tickets available here

Join us downtown for a special outdoor Rolling Roadshow screening of STRANGE BREW! We’re taking over Republic Square Park, inflating the giant screen and inviting some of our favorite local breweries to serve up their most badass beers right alongside Dogfish Head.

At this amazing, gigantic beer event, we'll be serving beers from: (512) Brewing Company, Circle Brewing Company, Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales, Independence Brewing Company, Jester King Craft Brewery, Live Oak Brewing Company, Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling, Real Ale Brewing, and Thirsty Planet Brewing.

So, while Bob & Doug McKenzie are chugging LaBatts on screen and wolfing down jelly donuts, you’ll be able to partake in the best possible beers Central Texas has to offer and enjoy the best possible Canadian food specials the Alamo can whip up. After the screening, the owners and brewers from our booming hometown scene will participate in a dynamic discussion with Dogfish Head founder, head brewer and boundary pusher Sam Calagione.

Get your tickets for this great show now! Only $5!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Harry Shearer Comes to South Lamar



Film & TV Legend Legend Harry Shearer Presents:
THE BIG UNEASY
THIS IS SPINAL TAP
Thursday 4/14, 7pm and 10pm @Lamar


When you think Harry Shearer you immediately think of his voice, deep, resonant and authoritative on his NPR program Le Show and shockingly varied in his voice-work on the Simpsons (he voices Mr. Burns, Smithers, Principal Skinner, the Reverend Lovejoy, Dr. Hibbert, and many more characters). It’s a fine instrument and he knows when and how to use it.

With his newest film THE BIG UNEASY, he is using that voice to tell a true story. The catastrophic 2005 flooding of his beloved New Orleans was preventable. The system of levees designed by the Army Corps Of Engineers was badly flawed, and many knew about it. Other disasters are waiting to happen due to the same faulty designs in other cities. Worst of all, the new system created to replace the one that failed colossally in New Orleans incorporates many of the failings of the earlier model.

In THE BIG UNEASY, Shearer conducts his own investigation of where they system went wrong, and why it continues to go wrong. He speaks with the investigators, first responders and whistleblowers who know the story best. This is (literally) muckraking in the cause of good.

Check out these great shows! THE BIG UNEASY and
THIS IS SPINAL TAP. All with Harry Shearer Live!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S Brunch at Lake Creek



Brunch with Audrey Hepburn:
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S
Saturday 4/9 & Sunday 4/10 @Lake Creek

Advance tickets available here

This weekend at Lake Creek, we’re having a special Brunch screening of the classic Audrey Hepburn romance BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S. Presented in glorious 35mm, the screenings are a final send-off to the great writer/director Blake Edwards, whose recent passing left a great cavity in the film.

Chef Chris Kincaid has prepared a menu of sublime treats for your early-afternoon noshing. Each of these items are priced separately and are theoretically optionally, although practically necessary:

Spiced apple danish with whipped cream

Strawberries and cream topped with local honey and pecan granola pieces

Smoked salmon and goat cheese on toasted bagel crisps with lemon, chives, dill and capers

Freshly poached farm egg (over medium) on toasted ciabatta with country ham and hollandaise

Do not skip your chance to see BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S on the big screen. With these brunch specials to tempt you, there’s no choice.

Get your tickets for this great show now.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Sommelier Cinema: JULES AND JIM



Four Glasses of Wine and a Film:
Sommelier Cinema: JULES AND JIM
Tuesday 4/5, 7:00 @Ritz

Advance tickets available here

Sommelier Cinema is a new series that couples films with wine experts who curate a series of wines paired perfectly to the movie of the evening. We are excited to present JULES AND JIM, the French masterpiece that celebrates the bohemian lifestyle and the passion that can corrupt it.

Our guest sommeliers are Rachel Wilson, educator from Wine for the People, and Darcie Fromholz, from the great Austin restaurant Wink. Rachel and Darcie have chosen a selection of European wines that will accompany you on your journey through one of the most lasting torrid romances in cinema history:

Theo Minges Riesling Halbtrocken 2008

Jean-Marc Burgaud Beaujolais 2008

Domaine de L'Ameillaud Vin de Pays de la Principaute d'Orange 2009

Renardat-Fache Cerdon de Bugey N/V

To read more about these wines, please read our blog post.

Get your tickets for this great show now! Only $26!

Friday, April 1, 2011

Fantastic Fest Favorite RUBBER at the Ritz



The Killer Tire Movie:
RUBBER
Friday 4/1-Thursday 4/7 @Ritz

Advance tickets available here

RUBBER is the story of Robert, an inanimate tire that has been abandoned in the desert, and suddenly and inexplicably comes to life. As Robert roams the bleak landscape, he discovers that he possesses terrifying telepathic powers that give him the ability to destroy anything he wishes without having to move.

At first content to prey on small desert creatures and various discarded objects, his attention soon turns to humans, especially a beautiful and mysterious woman who crosses his path. Leaving a swath of destruction across the desert landscape, Robert becomes a chaotic force to be reckoned with, and truly a movie villain for the ages.

Get your tickets for this great show now.