Opportunities for the week of 2/3-2/9

Posted by Daniel Metz

Time for the weekly roundup of Weird Wednesday, Terror Tuesday, special events and outstanding new releases that you will not want to miss this week. Only the best selections here, aiming to ensure you see at least one great film every day.

Wednesday, 2/3
11:59pm, Alamo Drafthouse Ritz, WW: BLACK CAESAR
I’m not crazy for blacksploitation films, but it is, after all, Black History Month. What better way to spend it than in Weird Wednesday, with a trip to one of the canonical texts in the genre? In his blurb, Lars suggests that the blending of black culture and the gangster genre in this film is in part responsible for gangster rap. Cool.

Wednesday 2/3-Thursday, 2/4
Alamo Drafthouse Ritz, MY SON, MY SON WHAT HAVE YE DONE
It is not really a secret that we love this movie. It is beautiful, crazy, and a great journey full of weirdness. Daniel had a hand in getting the film to play here, and if you come out to support him for just two things this year, let this be the second one. He wrote about the film on the Alamo Blog.

Wednesday, 2/3-Thursday, 2/11
Alamo Drafthouse Lamar, A TOWN CALLED PANIC
The gem from Belgium is still having about one screening a day at the Lamar theatre. If you haven’t seen it yet, do so. Stephen didn’t like it that much, but since he hasn’t yet posted a review he can’t be dissuading you from buying a ticket to the best animated film of the year.

Thursday, 2/4
7:00pm, Regal Metropolitan and Cinemark Southpark Meadows, A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor – LIVE in HD!
So what, I love A Prairie Home Companion and I love Garrison Keillor. In 2007 I went to see the show live at Tanglewood and I loved every second of the live show. Now, the whole world can watch the News from Lake Wobegon through Fathom Events’ live digi-simulcast techno-presentation. This is quite an experiment, actually; if successful, it will be the first folksy event to ever be broadcast digitally.

Friday 2/5-Thursday, 2/11
Alamo Drafthouse Ritz, THE YES MEN FIX THE WORLD
This seems like some liberal-minded documentary about a gang of merry pranksters out to embarrass the right wing political/corporate establishment. So Michael Moore meets that doomed show on Comedy Central, UCB. Could be good for a laugh.

Friday 2/5-Thursday, 2/11 (and beyond?)
Regal Arbor and the Dobie, AN EDUCATION
An Education is coming back to Austin, just in time for your nostalgia to be sinking in over this fine little film. Do you remember when Carey Mulligan comes back into her house, waiting for Peter Skaarsgard to return from his car? I am kinda excited to see it again. It ages very well.

Saturday, 2/6
1:45pm, Alamo Drafthouse Ritz, Cinema Club Brunch: NINOTCHKA
The Ninotchka screening last Sunday was a great success. Apparently twitter was abuzz in good words for the series and for the whole experience Cinema Club offers. Well, we’ve got the print, so we’re doing a smaller version of the cinema club on Saturday. Ramberg probably won’t be there, but Lars and I will be. If you missed last Sunday, come over for brunch.

Sunday, 2/7
9:45pm, Alamo Drafthouse Ritz, COOL AS ICE in Hecklevision!
Looking for something to do after you didn’t watch the Superbowl? Look no further than this bizarre oddity from 1991. The tagline for this film says it all: “When a girl has a heart of stone, there’s only one way to melt it. Just add ice.” Yes, Vanilla Ice’s movie, unedited and uncensored, will be available to view this Sunday. There will be heckled texts, too, which none of us have experienced yet but this may be movie to try it. Be warned, though: This is probably going to be on video.

Tuesday, 2/9
10:00pm, Alamo Drafthouse Ritz, TT: DEVIL FETUS
There are very few words in the English language that go together as sweetly as “devil” and “fetus.” “Whipped” and “cream” is one. I’m getting distracted. This film promises to be a raging good time, an early 1980s exploitation film from Hong Kong. I suspect, as Terror Tuesday has been fooling around with for the last few months, that this film may not be a horror movie. For that I am disappointed. Nevertheless, listen to what the film does offer: Incestuous transvestism, countless beheadings, featherweight bestiality, white-knuckle black magic showdowns and hardline electrofunk-powered rumpshaking. Horror movie or not, I like the sound of that.