Opportunities for the Week of 4/23-4/29

Posted by Austin Cinephile

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.

Sunday 4/25, 12:00pm
Alamo Ritz – Jazz Brunch: Woody Allen’s SLEEPER
We’ve already been pretty clear about our adoration for this futuristic comedy from Woody Allen. If you haven’t seen any Woody Allen films, or if you’ve seen one or two and were only lukewarm about them, may I suggest you give this one a try? The gags in this film have not aged a bit, and the jazz tunes used in the film are some of my favorites that Woody has ever chosen. Speaking of jazz tunes, be sure to get there at noon because the Alamo has commissioned local jazz band Stanley Smith and the Jazz Pharaohs to play a few songs before the film. Free concert everybody!

Sunday 4/25, 7:00pm, PICK OF THE WEEK
Alamo Ritz – F.W. Murnau’s SUNRISE
We here at Austin Cinephile cannot recommend this event enough! First of all, you have Sunrise, one of the all-time greatest arguments for silent cinema. In a year when talking pictures were becoming all the rage, this film served as a reminder of how far filmmakers had come in crafting deeply emotional and thoughtful stories entirely through the visual art of the cinema. Though that would be enough to get down to the Ritz, we’re also getting the band My Education performing their score live right along with the film! That makes this an event you won’t likely be offered again. Don’t miss it!

Tuesday 4/27, 10:00pm,
Alamo Ritz – Terror Tuesday: ALONE IN THE DARK
Rarely will you recognize a single actor in the films of the Terror Tuesday. This week, you’ll likely recognize three. Three! There’s Jack Palance, who you’ll probably remember from City Slickers or, more importantly, the short lived crime boss from Tim Burton’s Batman. There’s Martin Landau, great as Bela Lugosi in Burton’s Ed Wood and as the tortured lead character in Woody Allen’s Crimes and Misdemeanors. And there’s Donald Pleasance, who…well, if you don’t know him, you probably skipped this entry.

Wednesday 4/28, 11:55pm
Alamo Ritz – Weird Wednesday: THE CHEERLEADERS
Did you read the title?

Friday 4/23-Thursday 4/29
Alamo South Lamar – BEST WORST MOVIE
If you’ve been lucky enough to see Troll 2, accurately hailed as one of the worst films ever made, then you’ll want to catch this documentary that recounts the making of that film and catches up with the lives of those involved. If Troll 2 was a representation of the stark, raving failure that can befall any artistic endeavor, Best Worst Movie is the hopeful portrayal of perseverance, reminding that, at the very least, you can still go back to being a dentist. O