Troublemaker Studios, the Austin Film Society and The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema are excited to announce an explosive sneak preview of MACHETE directed by Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis, with Danny Trejo and Michelle Rodriguez leading an all-star cast, on Thursday, September 2 at 8 PM at The Paramount Theater (713 Congress Avenue). All tickets include admission to the official explosion-filled after-party at Austin Studios (1901 E 51st Street).

About the film:

He looked like just another day laborer from the streets, and the perfect fall guy for a crooked political assassination. But he turned out to be Machete (Danny Trejo), a legendary ex-federale with a deadly attitude and the skills to match. Left for dead after clashing with notorious Mexican drug kingpin Torrez (Steven Seagal), Machete has escaped to Texas, looking to disappear and forget his tragic past. But what he finds is a web of corruption and deceit that leaves a bullet in a senator and Machete a wanted man.

Machete sets out to clear his name and expose a deep conspiracy. Helping Machete even the odds are Luz (Michelle Rodriguez)—a sexy taco-truck lady with a rebellious spirit and revolutionary heart, and Padre (Cheech Marin)—a priest who’s good with blessings, but better with guns. Carving a path of bullets, blood, and broken hearts, Machete’s quest ultimately leads him back to Torrez for an epic battle of revenge and redemption.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public on at 12 PM Saturday, August 21 through (866) 9PROTIX, protixonline.com or the Paramount Theatre box office. Visit HERE for a direct link to tickets!

All tickets include Q&A with the filmmakers and entrance to the official after-party at Austin Studios.

Special thanks to Troublemaker Studios, The Paramount Theater and The Austin Chronicle.

Proceeds from this event benefit the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund and the Texas Motion Picture Alliance (TXMPA).

*%$#LOADS OF VIDEOS with JEFF KRULIK Live!
Sun at Ritz

POP AND NOT-SO-POP CLIPS with CHUCK STATLER Live!
Mon at Ritz

This Sunday and Monday, we’ll be showcasing the work of two of the secretly perfect men of American entertainment!

About JEFF KRULIK: Many consider HEAVY METAL PARKING LOT to be one of the defining works of the ’80s. And it is. Hilarious, unbelievable and 100% REAL, it’s persevered as a truly classic mini doc. But creator Krulik has never stopped chronicling amazing, gut-busting and truly unusual people across the globe. From raging pro wrestlers to Jew-obsessed shut-ins to all-chimpanzee rock bands, Krulik has fearlessly delved into the strangest chasms of the world.

On Sunday, he joins us in person to present selections from his skull-rattling filmography, including monkey manifesto I CREATED LANCELOT LINK, oddball celebrity travelogue ERNEST BORGNINE ON THE BUS, the unstoppable, aforementioned HEAVY METAL PARKING LOT and many more. Buckle in your brainpan for 90 minutes of truer-than-life impossibility!!

About CHUCK STATLER: Devo!! Elvis Costello!! Pere Ubu!! James Chance!! Tiny Tim?? A/V pioneer Chuck Statler has worked with them all, creating the template for music videos before MTV even existed. Beginning with his ambitious work in the ’70s and ’80s, Statler’s vicious dedication to new ideas shines through like a white hot laser, and even his work from 3+ decades ago is STILL ahead of its time. Tonight, he personally brings us a top shelf selection of his most legendary and/or unusual videos. Running the gamut from the beginnings of new wave to the brave new world, Statler is a relentless source of inhuman creativity. You’ll be shocked, amused and completely detonated.

Both shows are cheaper than hell and funner than anything else in the world!
Get your tickets HERE and HERE!!

GARGANTUAN NEWS!

Just announced: The Alamo Drafthouse and Levi’s® have partnered to champion stories of our most celebrated celluloid workers. Throughout Augusts’ hazy summer nights, the Alamo and Levi’s will be taking the Rolling Roadshow to the people under the unified banner of ‘We Are All Workers.’

Rooted by one of the nation’s founding principles, We Are All Workers hits the road with nine seminal screenings proving that everybody’s work is equally important. True to form, each screening will be in the location where the film was shot or set.

Inspired by the spirit of the American worker, the Alamo and Levi’s have curated an eclectic line up that ranges from the the birth of the oil nation in Paul Thomas Anderson’s THERE WILL BE BLOOD to the futuristic corporate nightmare of Paul Verhoven’s ROBOCOP. Championship contenders are crowned and humbled as Sylvester Stallone embarks on an an epic ROCKY-THON on the Liberty Steps, while Marlon Brando is washed-up ON THE WATERFRONT of the New Jersey docks. Law breakers are saluted as DIRTY HARRY takes to San Francisco’s Washington Square Park, Quentin Tarantino with JACKIE BROWN (schedule permitting), and Chicago’s finest, THE BLUES BROTHERS tear their musical mission from God across the country. Closing out the Roadshow is the the defining immigrant worker story of THE GODFATHER PART II which will screen from the rooftops and chimney stacks of New York’s Little Italy.

All Rolling Roadshow ‘We Are All Workers’ screenings are free, open to the public and will be accompanied by related events at each location. For more information and updates on individual shows and their related events, check back on the Alamo’s Rolling Roadshow page or the Levi’s® Facebook group!

In the meantime, here’s the line-up:

Aug. 6 – JACKIE BROWN at Los Angeles’ Del Amo Fashion Mall

Aug. 7 – DIRTY HARRY at San Francisco’s Washington Square Park

Aug. 8 – THERE WILL BE BLOOD at California’s Kern County Museum

Aug. 8 – CONVOY & RED DAWN Double Feature at the Ft. Union Drive-In in Las Vegas, NM

Aug. 13 – THE BLUES BROTHERS at Chicago’s Joliet Prison

Aug. 14 – ROBOCOP at Detroit’s Russell Industrial Center

Aug. 19 – ROCKYTHON! (ROCKY I-III) at the Philadelphia Art Museum

Aug. 20 – ON THE WATERFRONT at Hoboken’s Pier A Park

Aug. 27 – THE GODFATHER Part II on a Manhattan rooftop near Little Italy

As you’ve guessed, these shows will be epic, incredible and 100% unforgettable. See you there!

CROPSEY – Mon thru Wed at The Ritz!

Smash hit of Fantastic Fest 2009!

“On several levels, this film is a real-life horror story that puts most Hollywood movies to shame.” – Lou Lumenick, New York Post

“Perched at the intersection of psychological survey and serial-killer exposé, CROPSEY loosens the girdle of the documentary form to accommodate much more than facts.” – Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times

CROPSEY is a creepy documentary that explores how fact and fiction intersect in a real-life murder case in Staten Island, New York. Like many kids that grew up in the area, directors Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio were told the story of Cropsey, a lunatic child-killer that escaped from the Willowbrook Mental Institution. Cropsey was treated as just another urban myth until Jennifer Schweiger, a young girl with Down’s syndrome, disappeared from her Staten Island home in 1987.

After Jennifer’s disappearance, three more kids — all of whom suffered from a mental or physical disability — also turned up missing. Jennifer’s corpse was eventually found near the site of the abandoned Willowbrook campus. Andre Rand, a disturbed transient who worked at Willowbrook until it was shut down, was quickly identified as the main suspect. The evidence against Rand was circumstantial at best, but he was convicted and locked away. Twenty-two years after his initial conviction, Rand was convicted of the murder of one of the three remaining missing kids despite the fact that her body was never found.

CROPSEY is built around Zeman and Brancaccio’s detailed investigation of the Rand case. The film presents interviews with family and friends of the victims, police officers who investigated the case, Rand’s associates, and people who claimed to have been witnesses or potential victims to his crimes. The filmmakers also weave the Andre Rand case into the weird, secret underbelly of Staten Island. Through newsreels and new footage, the filmmakers examine the history of Willowbrook, which was famously exposed by Geraldo Rivera as New York City’s dumping ground for the mentally ill. The weed-covered Willowbrook campus was once rumored to be the stomping grounds for transient child-abusing cultists led by Andre Rand. Now, teenagers enticed by rumors of satanic sacrifices visit Willowbrook at night for scary thrills.

The film also details the unsolved disappearances of dozens of kids all over Staten Island, and many people believe that Andre Rand was somehow involved. Cropsey asks a lot of questions, and the answers (or lack of thereof) are very disturbing. (Rodney Perkins)

Don’t miss it! Get your tickets HERE!

Last Sunday, a theater full of deeply devoted nostalgists/adventurers hunkered down for one of the greatest film trilogies of our lifetimes: the BACK TO THE FUTURE saga, presented by Fantastic Fest.

We had gorgeous new 35mm prints…we had a delicious 6-course feast…we had three (!!) Deloreans parked out in front of the Ritz…

It was beautiful.

But, in the tradition of the great scientific pioneers of yesteryear, we were compelled to reach out further into unexplored territory. We needed something spectacular to make the event absolutely unforgettable.

Then, at 11:31 AM, a fourth Delorean pulled up by the curb. The passenger door opened — vertically, of course — and out stepped Doc Brown himself, Christopher Lloyd. Here’s the News 8 Live footage of that incredible moment!

Mr. Lloyd introduced the event and followed Part 1 with a Q&A, where he casually expanded on the BTTF universe and made everyone wish he was a member of their family. People were genuinely overwhelmed, giving him a standing ovation.

But, oddly enough, he wasn’t in the room during the following segment from BACK TO THE FUTURE III, where his on-screen son “Vern” does something very unusual when he thinks no one is watching:

Anyway, it was a perfect journey through time for everyone in attendance. View our Flickr photo set HERE (all pics by Mary Sledd), and watch for the upcoming Alamo Don’t Talk message from Christopher Lloyd, soon to grace our screens. In the meantime, keep an eye on FantasticFest.com for additional outrageousness!

JAWS!!! on Lake Travis!
Fri, July 2 – Tickets HERE!

The most legendary Rolling Roadshow event in history is BACK!

We’ve been doing Rolling Roadshows for years now, showcasing the finest films under the night sky in glorious 35mm, and Austin has been home to many of our very greatest events. But when people reminisce about Roadshow history, one show comes up without fail: The Ultimate JAWS Experience!

Well, we’re fearlessly returning to the depths with a full-scale white-knuckle no-babies FLOATING JAWS SCREENING where YOU can watch the most terrifying aquatic horror film in history while adrift on an inner tube (supplied by us) in beautiful, deep, dark Lake Travis. We hereby guarantee the most heart-stopping screening on Earth, with a few added surprises to make sure you’re awake and alert.

This event is limited, and considering the 2004 screening was the movie event of the year, we recommend you nab those spots quick! Tickets go on sale Wednesday June 16 at noon HERE!

Zzang!!!! presents ZAPPED!
Rare 35mm screening! Only 5 bucks!
Sunday at Ritz!

About ZZANG!!!: There is absolutely no disputing that the ’80s were The Decade of FUN. Neon-streaked good times exploded worldwide in the form of celebrities (Pee-Wee, Mr. T, Max Headroom), music (punk, new wave, metal) and — in an epic lightning bolt of unrelenting wildness — MOVIES! Well, local spazzmatics Zack Carlson and Bryan Connolly demand that YOU join us in hailing the Power of the ’80s in the Alamo’s newest monthly 35mm screening series: ZZANG!!!

Now…about ZAPPED!: Truly the most zzangin’ scifi boner comedy of the ’80s!!! Some would say ZAPPED! is simply the story of a high school chemist who gains the power to unhook bras with his brain. BUT!…they’d be neglecting to mention that it’s a NUCLEAR DETONATION OF PURE ENTERTAINMENT!

That winning Charles in Charge combination of Scott Baio and Willie Aames first found its footing in this unjustly disregarded send-up of Brian DePalma’s CARRIE. Baio plays Barney, a junior genius who inadvertently creates a serum that allows him to perform any act he wishes. His newfound skills result in ripped blouses, flying ventriloquist dummies and more ripped blouses. Later, two bullies are given a mind-powered liftoff midway through a mooning, causing them to float through the air with their bare asses aimed at heaven.

But the film’s most inspired moment comes courtesy of the great Scatman Crothers as the gym coach. After accidentally inhaling some chemically engineered SuperMarijuana, he hallucinates that he’s riding a bicycle with Albert Einstein. Suddenly, the Scatman’s wife appears on a Roman chariot, firing at them with a bazooka full of salami.

If this doesn’t sound like fun to you, get the hell off my planet!! ZZANG!!!

Tickets HERE, for low ’80s prices!

THE REINACTORS
Wed 9:30 at The Ritz!

This incredible, critically acclaimed doc interweaves the disparate lives of film character impersonators and celebrity look-a-likes on Hollywood Boulevard over the span of a year. Recognizable characters and stars of movies are portrayed by anyone who chooses to buy the costume and brave the mean streets of Hollywood.

These self-employed rogues forge a living one dollar at a time, posing for photos with tourists in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theater. These street characters have big dreams of breaking into the big-time as they struggle to make ends meet. Freddy Krueger works alongside Superman, Marilyn Monroe, Shrek, Batman, Borat and Lucy Ricardo. Competing Chewbaccas, Spidermen and Captain Jack Sparrows vie for a spot on the limited real estate of The Walk Of Fame.

The story unfolds through their colorful day-to-day lives and incredibly dramatic back-stories. Director Markey says, “The doc plays like a great depression era Hollywood classic retold for the new millennium. It’s also a film about the cutthroat nature backstage and behind the scenes of show business. A statement on where we’re at culturally. An American Idol on crack, if you will.”

Get your tickets here…cheap!

Japanese brain-mangler HAUSU!
Brand new 35mm print! Opens this Fri at Ritz!

Fantastic Fest 2009 Favorite! Mental Meltdown Classic! Possibly the Most Brilliant and Bizarre Film of the 20th Century!!

No one can deny that Japan has established a staggering legacy of skull-bursting cinematic hysteria. Since the post-atomic rumblings that spawned Godzilla, the greatest genre thunder hails from the East. And in 1977, every last goddamn ounce of Japan’s unleashed insanity was distilled into one single film.

The story follows teenage girl Oshare, a doomed fantasist living in a garish, neon-pastel world of dancing rainbows and eternal sunsets, where two-dimensional subway trains take her away from the miseries of life and — eventually — to the remote home of her twisted, gnarled aunt. There, Oshare is joined by her friends, each named after her particular obsession; Melody plays music, Kung-Fu practices her high kicks, and so on.

Of course, things aren’t as they seem. Auntie is actually a restless, manic demonoid and even her fluffy cat is in on the super-unnatural hijinks. But that’s only the beginning…it doesn’t take long for the house itself to reveal its true nature as a living, breathing, virgin-devouring reality-annihilator. This ain’t your mama’s haunted house, either…anyone unlucky enough to pass through the doors is confronted with man-eating pianos, villainous mirrors and even a flying, ass-biting human head. All known rules of the universe slip away as the girls are transformed and/or decimated one by one in flat-out bizarre sequences that could only be described as the waking nightmares of an alien drowning in a vat of narcotics.

Every aspect of this movie — from the eye-defying color palate to the lazer-occult effects work — is calculated to boil your organs. Obayashi’s debut feature remains a crushing, 300-fisted assault on the senses, so viciously paced and perfectly presented that watching it would actually kill the average moviegoer. This is your chance to prove that you’ve got what it takes to stand up to the most vibrant and compelling theatrical oddity to hit the screen. Ladies and gentlemen…HAUSU!!!

Get tickets HERE!

ALL ABOUT EVIL with Special Guests LIVE!
Saturday, May 15, 7 & 11 PM at The Ritz!
!!! PLUS !!!
PINK FLAMINGOS with Mink Stole LIVE!
Sunday, May 16, 6:45 PM at The Ritz!

About ALL ABOUT EVIL (as written by the reigning queen of Austin TX, Rebecca Havemeyer!):

San Francisco has offered this world some pretty messed up hoo-haa, chickens. There’s that exotic island paradise named Alcatraz, there’s that street that’s got more curves built into it than Mae West’s backside, and there’s that exciting time it offered during the 70’s where trippin’ drugs flowed like a heavy month from an angry young woman!

Ahh, San Fran…. keeper of the cray cray, indeed! Well this ol’ goat of a lady has gone and brought some’uh that wildcat bay area shit here ta’ Austin, TX for a weekend of enough heavy flowin’ gore and camp to keep ya’ pie-holes burnin’ for days!!

For all of you out there who get a tingle when ya’ see the globular bust of Elvira in MISTRESS OF THE DARK, the pearly white ass of Mink Stole in DESPERATE LIVING, or the gloved claws of Peaches Christ at a Midnight Mass in the Castro, the Alamo Ritz has got a treat for you that’s aimed ta’ cut ya quick.

ALL ABOUT EVIL is makin’ its hot mess of a premiere here in Austin, fresh from the gore and praise of the San Francisco International Film Festival! It’s made by Joshua Grannell, aka Peaches Christ (peacheschrist.com)…a mad piece of mixed-up ladyman with a brain full of enough film facts and camp history to make John Waters do tha’ tango! Grannell has been runnin’ his night of film and fame called Midnight Mass in San Fran for 11 seasons, and he’s gone and put his mad energy into this hefty film debut that he’s written and directed with a cast ta’ kill!

Here’s a lil’ taste of what’s in store for ya’, kids:

“ALL ABOUT EVIL pays tribute to ’80s teen flicks and slasher films with tongue firmly in cheek and murderous instincts given free rein. Deborah Tennis (Natasha Lyonne) is a meek librarian under the domineering supervision of Evelyn (Mink Stole). She’s also recently inherited the Victoria Theatre from her father, and is trying to keep its doors open despite dwindling ticket sales. When a violent encounter with her wicked mother accidentally screens before an audience awaiting the horror classic Blood Feast, Deborah’s career as a filmmaker is born. She premieres a new work each week, upping the Grand Guignol quotient each time. Various employees assist, including a creepy set of taciturn twins and a gung-ho elderly projectionist. As cinematic success begins to go to Deborah’s head—“I’m not a concessionaire,” she shrieks at one unfortunate patron, “I’m an actress!”—some in her audience begin to doubt she’s just using stage blood to make her sanguinary shorts.”

Tha’ films stars Natasha Lyonne, who we ALL know can be a treat, Mink Stole (need I say more), Cassandra Peterson (the one and only Elvira), Thomas Dekker (who just graced us with his presence in the new NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET), and Peaches Christ herself…with hair bigger than several Dallas women at a mega church convention!

We’ve gone and busted our booya to get this group a’ hooligans to grace tha’ stage of tha’ Ritz for a night of sheer terror n’ elegance! Yes indeed, we’ll be puttin’ the one and only MINK STOLE, CASSANDRA PETERSON, and PEACHES CHRIST on a platform for all of ya’ ta drool over for a pre-show bonanza that’ll quench ya’ thirst for years ta’ come, people, and an after show signin’ that’ll make ya squeeze ya’ thighs with glee!!

Join ya’ hard-cooked curator REBECCA HAVEMEYER as I attempt ta’ roll these piggies out like the red carpet they are for a night hosting TWO SCREENINGS of blood an’ guts for all freaks to enjoy!

These moments rarely come so close ta’ home, my lil’ film fanatics, and I’m hopin’ y’all can make it to this most special affair. Tickets are sellin’ like newborn babies, so tha’ sooner ya’ sign on, tha’ better! Don’t hesitate, just dive in people. It only gets bloodier from here on out. Make it a heavy flowin’ May at the Alamo Ritz for ALL ABOUT EVIL. I guarantee a night ya’ won’t forget. Booya!! (Rebecca Havemeyer)

* * * * * *

Now, noted cinema scholar Daniel Metz on gutter classic PINK FLAMINGOS with Mink Stole LIVE!

An Exercise in Bad Taste and Good Art:

PINK FLAMINGOS is quite possibly the most disturbing art film in history. In 1972, John Waters created a transgressive motion picture unlike anything before it. It’s truly a unique example of cinema made at the boundaries of taste, convention, budget and aesthetics. The story of two rival factions in down-and-dirty Baltimore who are both vying for the title of “filthiest person alive” is outrageous enough to relegate it to the scariest depths of American film legend. But the truly impressive thing about PINK FLAMINGOS — and what enters it into the pantheon of truly excellent cinema achievements — is the way that Waters captures the freakshow that was Baltimore circa 1972. From the deranged lunatics and maniacs he got to play the principal and supporting characters we get chicken rapists, steak thieves, incestual cursers, toe suckers, meat flashers and cannibals. And also a brown eye that opens and closes for all the world to see.

With all this hoity-toity stuff, we must not forget how goddamned funny this movie is. Anyone with a twisted sense of humor will love and laugh through every moment of this film. It’s a party of excess, disregard for humanity, and hatred for morality. This is the campiest, craziest, freaky-deakiest movie you’ll ever see.

And that’s not all! Screen icon and star Mink Stole, one of the “Filthiest People Alive,” will be in attendance! This Sunday night is a trash-lover’s fantasy!

TICKETS TICKETS TICKETS!!!