Side effects of the BACK TO THE FUTURE TRILOGY (1985, 1989, 1990) may include frequent deja vu
Dir. Robert Zemeckis
Alamo Ritz, 6/13/10, 11:30am
On Sunday at the Alamo Ritz, Christopher Lloyd arrived in a DeLorean to kick off a day-long marathon of the Back to the Future trilogy. Like most aging, disinterested guests, Lloyd did not have much to contribute to the experience beyond an interesting anecdote or two, but it was [...]
Let me tell you ALL ABOUT EVIL (2010)
Dir. Joshua Grannell
Alamo Drafthouse Ritz, 5/15/10, 7:00pm
This weekend was surely a moment to remember in the Austin Texas film scene. We were visited not by one but by two screen legends: Cassandra “Elvira” Peterson, of Movie Macabre fame, and Mink Stole, the Dreamland doll who played Connie Marble, Taffy Davenport, and Peggy Gravel, among [...]
Madames are made in MOONLIGHTING WIVES (1966)
Dir. Joseph W. Sarno
Alamo Drafthouse Ritz, 5/12/10, 11:59pm
As I noted a few weeks ago, famed sexploitation filmmaker Joe Sarno passed away on April 26. The Alamo and Weird Wednesday hosted a memorial screening for the director this week, showcasing one of his best loved films, Moonlighting Wives. Unfortunately, the mechanical and proletarian Iron [...]
Stephanie Rothman double post: STUDENT NURSES (1970) and GROUP MARRIAGE (1973)
This past week, we were very fortunate indeed to have exploitation auteur Stephanie Rothman visiting our fair cinema for a double feature of her two films, Student Nurses and Group Marriage. Rothman was witty, charming, and, pardon me for saying this, a stone cold fox. She was one of the most gracious guests [...]
BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935), goood
Dir. James Whale
Alamo Ritz, 3/28/10, 6:30pm
In this month’s edition of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Club, Lars, Daniel and Dr. Tom Schatz brought us the Universal horror classic, Bride of Frankenstein. Having grown up loving the Universal monster movies of the 1930s, it is surprising that this was only my second viewing of the film, [...]
Klaus Kinski may be creeping in your CRAWLSPACE (1986)
Dir. David Schmoeller
Alamo Ritz, 02/16/10, 10:15pm
If you are not familiar with the renowned German actor Klaus Kinski, I think I can introduce you to him in a fairly succinct way. In this week’s Terror Tuesday film, Crawlspace, Kinski plays a sexually confused ex-Nazi landlord who spies on his female tenants and sets elaborate traps [...]
THE WOLFMAN (2010) is cursed, lycanthropically and cinematically
Dir. Joe Johnston
Alamo Ritz, 02/16/10, 7:20pm
When The Wolfman was first announced, I allowed my hopes to soar. As a big fan of Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which had been produced by Columbia Pictures and Coppola’s American Zoetrope, I was excited that Universal was going to stage an expensive tribute of its own [...]
Like The Godfather but want something a little less epic? Look no further than QUELLI CHE CONTANO (1974)
Dir. Andelchi and Andrea Bianchi
Alamo Ritz, 2/10/10, 11:59pm
From what I can tell, there comes a saturation point in the exploitation film fan’s exploration of the market when he develops a love for Italian cheapo films like Quelli che contano, advertised in the U.S. as Cry of a Prostitute. There is a sleazy-but-very-cool quality about [...]
Wear your large lapels tonight, it’s BLACK CAESAR (1973)
Dir. Larry Cohen
Alamo Drafthouse Ritz, 2/3/10, 11:59pm
Another week, another Weird Wednesday review. This go-round, we’ve got blaxploitation classic Black Caesar, a sort of hybrid between Super Fly and Public Enemy. Here, Tommy Gibbs is an aspiring mafioso, getting himself involved with the Italian mafia in order to rule Harlem, the South Bronx, and, [...]
Austin shows its affection for classic cinema and the lovely NINOTCHKA (1939)
Dir. Ernst Lubitsch
Alamo Ritz, 01/31/10, 6:30pm
Congratulations are due to the Alamo Drafthouse and my co-editor pal Daniel Metz for the wildly successful first installment of their new series Cinema Club. I’m not writing to talk about the discussion led by Daniel, Alamo owner Tim League, and University of Texas professor Charles Ramirez- Berg, other [...]
