Opportunities for the Week of 5/14-5/20

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.

Saturday 5/15, 7:00pm and 11:00pm, MINK STOLE WEEKEND, PART ONE
Alamo Ritz – ALL ABOUT EVIL
Daniel could not be happier that Mink Stole, member of the John Waters troupe, will be in town this weekend to promote not one but two films. First up, on Saturday, she is here with repeat visitor Elvira and director Peaches Christ to promote Christ’s new film, All About Evil. It’s a tribute to old movie houses and classic horror films, so you’ll want to check this movie out before the Paramount Summer Film Series so you can pretend there is a serial killer on the loose in our own local movie house. Maybe it’s you. Or Daniel.

Sunday 5/16, 6:45pm, MINK STOLE WEEKEND, PART TWO
Alamo Ritz – Hey Homo: PINK FLAMINGOS
This is one of the more well-known films of one of Daniel’s favorite filmmakers, John Waters. I can’t say much about it because I don’t know much about it, and I’m certainly not going to spoil any of the fun now. Just do a Google Image search of Pink Flamingos, and I’ll see you at the Ritz on Sunday.

Monday 5/17, 10:00pm,
Alamo South Lamar – F.W. MURNAU’S SUNRISE w/ live score by MY EDUCATION
We didn’t get a chance to write a rave review for this event when it first happened a couple weeks ago at the Ritz, but let us just tell you now that this is a not-to-be-missed pairing of film and band. My Education has crafted a fine score for Murnau’s classic melodrama, which is one of the top two or three greatest silent films ever made. Don’t miss it.

Tuesday 5/18, 10:15pm,
Alamo Ritz – Terror Tuesday: THE BURBS
Very rarely will you see Tom Hanks appearing in a Terror Tuesday film. By rarely, I mean this will surely be the only time. So there must be something pretty special about this movie. We saw the trailer before last week’s film, and it seemed like it might be funny.

Wednesday 5/19, 11:55pm, CLASSIC PICK OF THE WEEK
Alamo Ritz – Weird Wednesday: THE LONG GOODBYE
We can’t often wholeheartedly recommend a Weird Wednesday movie because, usually, we’ve never seen them before ourselves. But you don’t need us to tell you that this 1970s revision of Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe character is the best thing going this week. It’s got Elliott Gould as Marlowe, who was really not that cool before this movie and never really cool again after this movie, so you won’t want to miss these two hours when Gould was the coolest man alive. And it’s directed by Robert Altman, who was also responsible for Gould being pretty close to cool in M*A*S*H. Every week at Weird Wednesday, we are subjected to 1970s men who are desperately lame, but not this week.

Thursday 5/20, 6:00pm, PARAMOUNT SUMMER FILM SERIES KICKOFF
The Paramount – CASABLANCA and THE MALTESE FALCON
The one event that Austin Cinephiles live for every summer, the Paramount Theatre’s Summer Film Series, is back, starting Thursday with an exclusive Film Fan party screening of what just might be the perfect movie: Casablanca. Now you may be thinking, “Why tell me about this? I’m not a Film Fan member.” I’m telling you because you should be a Film Fan member. Membership is cheap, it supports our wonderful old movie house, and it gets you great stuff like discounted tickets and free popcorn. So even though it may be a club that has Daniel and Stephen as members, you’re still going to want to be a part of it before Thursday. The party offers free soda, popcorn, cocktails, etc., and Casablanca will be followed by another classic, The Maltese Falcon. So put on your “They don’t make ‘em like they used to” frown and head on over to the Paramount!

Friday 5/14-Thursday 5/20, NEW RELEASE PICK OF THE WEEK
Alamo South Lamar – EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP
If you follow guerrilla street art (and after all, who doesn’t?), then you probably already know all about this film, which is purportedly by Banksy, the world’s most well-known/mysterious vandal aesthete. Let’s join Banksy in mocking both the system and the poor filmmaker who tried to make a movie about him.

Friday 5/14-Thursday 5/20
The Dobie – THE EXPLODING GIRL
This little-seen film got decent reviews from the few critics who bothered to take a look at it, and it stars Zoe Kazan, granddaughter of legendary filmmaker Elia Kazan (who will receive a four film tribute during the Paramount Summer Film Series (go to the Paramount Summer Film Series is what I’m trying to tell you)). You may remember her as that girl that kept running into Zac Efron in Me and Orson Welles. I think she has more to do here.

Friday 5/14-Thursday 5/20
Regal Arbor – THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES
This film just won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, beating out favorites like A Prophet and The White Ribbon. Considering the track record of this award in recent years, this does not mean the movie is any good, but it might be.

Friday 5/14-Thursday 5/20
wide – ROBIN HOOD
Ok, so Austin Cinephile doesn’t hold out much hope for this latest Ridley Scott-Russell Crowe effort, but Stephen certainly remembers thinking Gladiator was pretty fucking rad when he was 15. This would seem to be that film in a different time period, with Cate Blanchett instead of…whoever that lady was in Gladiator. This might be the perfect opportunity for you to try out the new Gold Class Cinemas: at 2 and a half hours, you’ll certainly get your money’s worth on that high-priced movie ticket, and, at the hour and a half mark, when you’re hit with the realization that this movie still has an hour left to go (known as the “Ridley Scott Mid-Point Reversal”), you can call for the pillows and blankets and dream of a better movie.

Friday 5/14-Thursday 5/20
The Dobie – THE SECRET OF KELLS
If you’re a fan of animation like Stephen, you’ve probably been wondering when this Academy Award-nominated film would be coming to Austin, if ever. Well, the Dobie has finally made itself useful for a change, bringing a movie to our city that hasn’t already been playing here for over a month (like their other “new” arrival this weekend, Greenberg). I have no idea what it’s about, but it looks bright and colorful and French (it’s from the producers of The Triplets of Belleville, another fine animated feature). Maybe it will remove the icky taste left in our mouths by Ponyo. Remember how disgustingly cute and childish that was? Let’s hope for something else with this one.

Friday 5/14-Thursday 5/20
Alamo South Lamar – THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE
This is one of those moments when we are really lucky to have the Alamo in our town, because if the Arbor or the Dobie tried to screen this aberration of a film, several of our fine city’s senior citizens would end up either angry or dead. I can’t wait. This movie appears to be about a man who sews people together ass to mouth. They’re still alive by the way. I saw the trailer for this film with the Weird Wednesday crowd last week, and it was blowing our minds. There’s going to be some fainting and probably some gagging during this movie. And that’s just the audience.