“Black Francis’s GOLEM” a Starving Art world premiere art and film event in collaboration with Alamo Drafthouse Rolling Roadshow.

Black Francis, the musical-genius frontman of highly influential alt-rock band The Pixies, has created a new score for the German Expressionist silent masterpiece DER GOLEM. A recording of this new film score will be spun along with the movie at the Starving Art Drive-in. Accompanying the music/film presentation, Francis’s related art work will be on display at the Starving Art Gallery.

“A silent classic and an exemplary specimen of German expressionist cinema, DER GOLEM is set in 16th century Prague. A rabbi fashions a proto–Frankenstein’s monster, sculpted from rough clay and brought to life through sorcery, to protect the Jewish ghetto from a Christian emperor’s decree that it be dissolved. Through means both surprising and charming, the creature manages to stave off the wrath of the emperor and his court. But it eventually goes haywire, as the rabbi’s jealous assistant turns the golem toward evil. A true juggernaut, the golem destroys everything in its path.

The last in a trilogy of films on the golem myth, all cowritten and codirected by Paul Wegener, The Golem depicts the labyrinthine ghetto as a baroque and anxious world of secrets and magic capable of producing amazing discoveries as well as horrific power. Wegener, who had a long career as an actor, plays the title character with odd grace. Photographed by master cinematographer Karl Freund (METROPOLIS, THE LAST LAUGH, DRACULA), the film…remains visually stunning.” (Sean Uyehara, San Francisco Film Festival)

The location: Starving Art and EAT – 2326 East Cesar Chavez, Austin
Starving Art Studios and EAT Park and Eatery. A place where people can see, take part of, purchase and even eat, some of the unique creative aspects of Austin, Texas. We have brought together various aspects of our creative community into one place so that people can come and enjoy.

Check out this great article about STARVING ART in Austin360 this week!

Friday, September 3, Rolling Roadshow Presentation at Starving Art and Eat, 8pm. Be there.

King of the A/V Geeks, Skip Elsheimer, is our hero.  He’s your hero too, maybe you don’t know it yet, but he is.  As far as the entire Alamo crew is concerned, he’s living THE dream: he collects bizarro old films reels, watches them all day long, categorizes and catalogues little cinematic abnormalities and offers them up to weirdos in dire need of stock footage insanity. When he’s not living it up in his sanctuary of celluloid, he’s on the road bringing specially curated shows across the country to share with all of us fellow film geeks.

Well that train’s a-comin’ through, and if you’re not on it when it stops, you made some poor life choices.

He’s bringing his show ALCOHOL IS DYNAMITE! to four, count them FOUR, Alamo Drafthouses, so if you live anywhere within 100 miles of Alamo Park North in San Antonio, Alamo Lake Creek and South Lamar in Austin and/or Alamo Mason in Katy, GO SEE SKIP WORK HIS MAGIC! The educational value of his programs is always only slightly less than the pure entertainment value. So, whether you’re in it to learn or laugh, you are guaranteed satisfaction.

Check it:

8/22 at 7pm: Alamo Drafthouse Park North (San Antonio, TX)
8/23 at 7pm: Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek (Austin, TX)
8/24 at 7pm: Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar (Austin, TX)
8/27 at 7pm: Alamo Drafthouse Mason (Katy, TX)

This show of 16mm films about the drink that makes you crazy is hilarious.  Some of our favorites are:

Curious Habits of Man (1972) – A puzzling film where a Canadian party overlaps with a nature documentary.

A Case for Beer (early 1970s) – A guide for convenience store owners on how to cash in on beer profits while looking out for under-aged customers.

Alcohol is Dynamite (1958) – Tragedy-monger Sid Davis demonstrates to teenagers the slippery slope of alcohol and its ability to destroy lives.

At both of the Austin shows, there’s going to be a special beer bucket option for $25, including:
Satan Red Belgian Ale
Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout
Brooklyn Brown Ale
Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
Anchor Steam
and Blue Moon

And that’s not even all.  On 8/26 at 7pm at The Highball (Austin, TX), the Action Pack and AV GEEKS are partnering to do a special Highball Prom!

Skip will be showing his program YOUR PROM DATE, which includes the hysterically funny films:

As Others See Us – The Dairy Council shows us how to behave when at a social event.

Getting Closer – Will young Greg make it to the dance tonight or will his shyness keep him at home with his lizard?

It’s a Thought – A junior high girl imagines what it would be like to be a popular kid at the school dance.

And after the film show, starting at 8:30 we’ll be dancing the night away in our Highball Prom.  You’re encouraged to dress up in your best fluffy outfit/tuxedo, they’ll be a king and queen crowned by the end of the night, and spiking the punch is encouraged.

So come see some great, weird, funny, and bizarre films from some of the most forgotten corner of history:

ALCOHOL IS DYNAMITE!

8/22 at 7pm: Alamo Drafthouse Park North (San Antonio, TX)
8/23 at 7pm: Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek (Austin, TX)
8/24 at 7pm: Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar (Austin, TX)
8/27 at 7pm: Alamo Drafthouse Mason (Katy, TX)

YOUR PROM NIGHT w/Action Pack Prom

8/26 at 7pm at The Highball (Austin, TX)

We’re very excited about opening THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED this coming Friday at the Alamo South Lamar. This movie is a rock-solid thrill ride. It’s got so many twists that even M. Night Shyamalan felt a little carsick watching it. Alamo Drafthouse/Fantastic Fest founder Tim League has this to say about the film:

“No question, if this British chunk of C-4 weren’t being released next month, you can be damn sure it’d have a spot on the Fantastic Fest 2010 roster come September. Writer/director J Blakeson has managed to distill the suspense-thriller genre down to a 150-proof EverClear-like annihilator, then blend it perfectly with… assorted mixers and twists to create a surprisingly smooth and unsuspecting cinematic cocktail you won’t soon forget. And the super-secret ingredient is bombshell Gemma Arterton (QUANTUM OF SOLACE, PRINCE OF PERSIA), who turns in a career-defining performance as the titular Creed who won’t let a little kidnapping spoil her day.”

He’s not the only one who’s nuts over his picture. Frank Scheck of Hollywood Reporter calls the film “taut, superbly executed and consistently engrossing,” and “thrillingly old-fashioned in the best sense.” Similarly, our very good friend Scott Weinberg from FEARnet sees it as a new approach to a subgenre that we all love but which sometimes comes off as stale, “When someone is able to re-tell the old “hostage” story using only three actors, four locations, and (at least) five nifty twists, then I say that’s a low-budget import that’s worthy of some attention.”

Simon Jablonski fromFilm4 praises up one of the best parts of the film, the gorgeous and intensely simple beginning: “The opening sequence is one of the more impressive in British cinema for a good while. Without any dialogue, save the screams of Alice Creed, the first ten minutes sets out the situation brilliantly. Two men, Danny and Vic, kidnap a girl (Gemma Arterton), tie her naked to a bed and take photos of her. In the silence you’re never sure what the men are thinking or aiming for.” Also addressing this scene, Christopher Kelly from the Victoria Advocate says, “The first-time director, J Blakeson, adopts a methodical, but brisk pace, steadily deepening the sense of dread with the help of the superbly moody music by Marc Canham. It’s an extraordinary feat of visual storytelling, showing us everything, telling us nothing.”

Peter Bradshaw, of the Guardian, gives the film four stars and expresses his excitement for the visual, narrative and performative flourishes of the film: “There’s twist and counter-twist, cross and double-cross, and with each narrative reveal comes a firework display of Big Acting. It’s taut, claustrophobic and very well put together, with nice performances all round” He also singles out the director, saying, “Blakeson is a name to watch.”

All in all, this picture is a great, compact genre film, exactly the kind of thing we program for Fantastic Fest. Marshall Fine of the Huffington Post captures this quality perfectly: “THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED is edgy fun, a kind of miniaturist thriller that keeps its focus tight and its aim high. And it hits the bulls eye every time.”

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED opens this Friday at the Alamo South Lamar.

Hold on, this is going to be a wild ride.

Ever since we first caught wind of THE EXPENDABLES, we’ve been readying ourselves for what is surely going to be the action-movie event of the year.  The cast list reads like a veritable who’s who of kicking ass and taking names.  Seriously, try to read off some of the following names without doing a jumping round-house kick of joy.  Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Jet Li, Jason Statham, the list goes on and on.  Bonus points for Eric Roberts, Terry Crews, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and UFC three-time former heavyweight champion Randy Couture.  If that list doesn’t put hair on your chest, then you weren’t paying attention.

With those names attached and Stallone at the helm writing/directing, THE EXPENDABLES is definitely going to deliver on it’s promise of fast-paced action, bloody violence, and explosions a-plenty.  This is not the kind of movie that you can just step into willy-nilly; you’ve got to prepare first.  You wouldn’t run a marathon without stretching your hamstrings, right?  Don’t worry action-movie fans, The Alamo Drafthouse has you covered as we present THE EXPENDABLES All-Night Action Movie Cinemapocalypse!

Join us for a triple feature of killer action films featuring the stars of THE EXPENDABLES followed by a FREE advance screening of the new film.  We are rolling out some of our favorite movies for an all-night, take no prisoners, bacchanal of violence and revelry.  It all starts at 10pm and will continue until our lust for blood has been satiated.  This is not a night for the faint of heart.  If you’ve never effortlessly snapped the neck of a rival or walked away from an explosion in slow motion (without looking back of course), you better think real hard before committing to THE EXPENDABLES All-Night Action Movie Cinemapocalypse!!  Stay tuned for more details, including full lineup and advance ticketing info.

If you don’t make it, Julia Roberts and the terrorists win.

If the promise of a big budget flick starring pretty much EVERY notable action star of the past 30 years doesn’t appeal to your sense of nostalgia, then don’t even bother reading the rest of this post.  But for those who grew up on a steady stream of RAMBO movies interspersed with games of CONTRA on the Nintendo, you better listen up; drop whatever you are doing and head over to the Facebook page for THE EXPENDABLES movie and click the “I like” button.  Do it now; I’ll wait…..

If you followed my instructions, you are no doubt already transfixed with the awesome 8-bit arcade version of the upcoming movie and therefore unable to read the rest of this post.  It’s cool, I understand…To be quite honest, I’m having a hard time willing myself to finish writing when there are so many pixelated baddies that need killing.   Play as Barney Ross, Lee Christmas or Yin Yang as you head to South America to take out an evil dictator (just like in the movie!).  Beat the game as Yin Yang to unlock the bonus mode and for a chance to check out alternate endings and easter eggs.  Lionsgate is also giving up some movie swag for those who make it onto the Top 10 All-Time High Scores list.  Give it a shot and let us know what your high score is.

While the 8-bit version of the film is no substitute for the real thing, this should at least help to kill time until the August 13th release of THE EXPENDABLES.  And for those who feel like 8/13 is still waaaaay too far off, stay tuned for some exciting news on that front.

It’s around about this time of the year that I start pining for the cooler temperatures of November and December. Here we are at the beginning of July with the dog days of August still ahead of us, although it has to be said that this summer hasn’t been too uncomfortable so far. We’re almost halfway through the hottest part of the year and we still haven’t hit 100°!

Damn, I probably just jinxed it, didn’t I.

During the summer months I also start pining for some of those delicious winter beers. Sure, I love the summer seasonals and the lighter beers that the hot weather puts you in the mood for but I’m ready for a winter warmer or two any time of the year, so with that in mind we’ve decided to take a little break from the wheats and the lagers with the inaugural Christmas in July Beerfest.

Over the next three or four weeks we’ll be featuring a few of the drafts and bottles that we’ve held back since last winter, including (but not limited to):

Avery Old Jubilation (draft)
Old Jubilation isn’t brewed with spices and other flavourings the way that many other Christmas beers are, which is probably why Avery describes it as an English strong ale rather than a winter warmer. They allow the rich blend of malts do the talking, including victory malt which lends a biscuity, nutty flavour to the brew. You should also look for a moderate malt sweetness with a good hop balance and a slightly bitter finish, plus hints of toffee and caramel, dark fruits and maybe a little cognac too.

After tapping this one and trying the first pour from the keg I can tell you that it is without a doubt one of the tastiest beers I’ve had in a long time. The months spent in our room-temperature beer store have done it a power of good. 8.0% ABV

Avec Les Bons Voeux Saison (draft)
Brasserie Dupont in Belgium is known primarily for its year-round Saison Dupont, regarded by beer connoisseurs as one of the world’s best saisons, but there is another, lesser known saison in their portfolio. Although the saison is usually thought of as a summer beer, this particular example of the style was originally brewed in very small quantities as a New Year gift to their best clients. Its full name is Avec Les Bons Voeux de la Brasserie Dupont, which means ‘With the best wishes of the Dupont Brewery’. Although it’s now part of their seasonal lineup, it’s still brewed in very limited quantities. This keg was the very first one we bought specifically for the Badass Tap, way back in January and it’s been sitting in our referigerated walk-in since then.  Seeing it go will almost be like watching your firstborn child flying the nest. 9.5% ABV

St Bernardus Christmas Ale (bottle)
The St Bernardus brewery of Watou, Belgium is held in very high esteem and rightly so, and this is a superb example of a dark Belgian ale. Plenty of malty sweetness up front, heaps of spicy Belgian yeastiness, but a deceptively dry finish with a hint of bitterness. The aftertaste of this beer is very reminiscent of barley sugar twist. This will be the first of the Christmas bottles. 10% ABV

Delirium Noël (bottle)
Another dark Belgian ale, this time from the Brouwerij Huyghe near Gent.These are the folks who put their beer in ceramic bottles with pink elephants on the label. First brewed in 2000, Noël is similar to the St Bernardus but with a slightly tart apple flavour common to the other two Delirium beers (Tremens and Nocturnum).  There’s plenty of malt sweetness and peppery Belgian-ness together with hints of dark fruit. A deliciously complex beer.   10% ABV

As hinted above, there might be a surprise guest or two added to the bill, but we’re still in negotiations. You know it can be sometimes with contract riders – a particular brand of water, no green M+Ms, just the right shade of pink on the walls, that sort of thing. Each new beer (draft or bottle, listed or surprise) will be announced on the Drafthouse Twitter feed.

And since its, er, Christmas, let’s go out with a seasonal song. Merry Christmas everyone, and a happy new beer!

Jim Hughes, Head Beer Nerd, Alamo South Lamar
“If I had all the money I’ve spent on drink… I’d spend it on drink.” ~ Sir Henry Rawlinson

Hey guys, I’ve been working on this deal now for more than a year now, and today is the day that we can finally announce it!  I start a new job today as CEO of the merged Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.  We start work immediately merging the websites, the preshow development and the menu and will start making plans to roll out these changes along with our signature Alamo programming to the other locations shortly after that.  Stay tuned to the blog and Facebook for details as they progress.  The news is so important, I asked Mary Sledd to take a fancy new headshot (left).

Full news post below.

Alamo Drafthouse Founder Returns to Spotlight as New CEO

Cinema-Eatery Concept Creator Tim League Returns to Roots, Looks to Expand Cinema Programming to New Markets

(Austin, Texas)—The creator of what Texas Monthly has dubbed “the most important film festival in America” announces he is returning to his starring role as CEO of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema brand, effective immediately. Tim League, founder of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and mastermind behind the nationally acclaimed Fantastic Fest film festival, will assume brand and creative leadership for the company after a five-year hiatus. He will replace former Alamo Drafthouse CEO John Martin. Martin is transitioning to the role of area developer and plans to continue the expansion of the concept outside of Texas.

Brand expansion has been a key growth strategy for Alamo Drafthouse Cinema since League founded the concept in 1997. Opening as a single-screen theater in downtown Austin, Texas, the company has grown to include nine locations throughout Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Texas and Winchester, Va., for a combined total of 55 screens with an average unit sales volume of $5.8 million per location. Average weekly same-store-sales grew 11.5% in 2009 versus 2008. Named best theater in America by Entertainment Weekly, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema built a reputation not only by combining food and drink service with the movie-going experience, but also introducing unique programming and high-profile, star-studded special events.

And it’s those special events—such as the fantasy, horror and genre-driven film festival Fantastic Fest—that League hopes to give more national play.

“We are looking at expanding some of the signature programming that has been developed over the past few years in Austin and expanding it to our franchised locations,” League says. “There is the possibility of expanding programming opportunities and leveraging those events in new markets.”

League, 39, sold the company in 2004, but retained ownership and operation of three Alamo Drafthouse locations in Austin.

“When I decided to sell the company in 2004, I was more focused on the hands-on development of programming, preshow entertainment and the nuances of the Alamo experience. I have since grown the infrastructure of my creative team, and I feel ready to share the results of our Austin ‘incubator’ with the rest of the country,” he says.

In returning to his role as CEO, he will oversee the programming, creative vision and the next wave of expansion for the company. Currently, Alamo Drafthouse has additional locations under development in San Antonio and Austin and is actively seeking expansion beyond Texas and Virginia.

“The Alamo Drafthouse has a unique operating strategy different from any other exhibitor in the market today,” League says. “We have a direct relationship with our audiences, are intolerant of advertisements before movies, offer fresh food and demand technical excellence. I envision the Alamo Drafthouse making a significant change in what it means to go the movies.”

The new CEO adds that there has never been a more opportune time for his return to the company spotlight—especially since the movie industry clocked a record year of $10.6 billion tickets sales in 2009. His new role will allow him to capitalize on a fresh-styled cinema experience that is fun and, well—fantastic.

“The time is right to expand the Alamo brand and its unique programming to the appropriate markets across the United States,” League says.

The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is currently seeking qualified franchise area-development partners in select markets. For more information about Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, please visit www.drafthouse.com.

If, like me, you’re of a certain age, the word ‘deadlift’ conjures up images of a big Russian bloke called Vasiliy Alekseyev who dominated the sport of weightlifting in the 1970s, although I don’t think the deadlift was one of his specialities. It seemed to me that every time he won a competition he’d come out afterwards, throw a few more kilos on the bar and POOF! There’s another world record lift.

Anyhoo. Let’s talk about beer.

Widmer is yet another Oregon brewery which started shipping to Texas not so very long ago. A few years back, Kurt Widmer… or was it Rob… dropped by South Lamar and introduced himself and some of his beers on a swing through Texas, and I thought they were pretty good. More recently I’ve had a taste of their Pitch Black IPA, an interesting concoction sort of in the style of a schwarzbier (which are usually lagers) and which, unfortunately, we couldn’t fit on the menu in time before it went away.

Here’s another IPA from Widmer – an imperial. Deadlift is brewed with four hop varieties: Alchemy, Cascade, Willamette, and what might be the upcoming new hop du jour – Nelson Sauvin from New Zealand, which I think also goes into Sierra Nevada’s Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale. The Nelson Sauvin imparts a fruity character to the beer, along with the familiar citrus and piney notes of the more familiar American hops. Add a strong backbone of pale and caramel malts to the equation and we have us a very tasty and well-balanced double IPA which, at 70 IBUs, won’t take the enamel off your teeth and, at 8.6% ABV, is only borderline rocket fuel.

And when I think of New Zealand I can’t help but think of the Ka Mate Haka. Brings a tear to my eye every time.

Jim Hughes, Head Beer Nerd, Alamo South Lamar
“If I had all the money I’ve spent on drink… I’d spend it on drink.” ~ Sir Henry Rawlinson

David Lynch, the genius behind MULLHOLLAND DRIVE, BLUE VELVET, ERASERHEAD, and many other head-scratching masterpieces, rarely collaborates in his film art.  In fact, the last two things he produced but did not direct were Terry Zwigoff’s brilliant documentary CRUMB, and “Twin Peaks,” which many people consider to be the greatest television show ever.

Needless to say, when Lynch commits to a project, it’s got to be real good.  And now David Lynch has produced the new film by Werner Herzog, a film titled MY SON, MY SON, WHAT HAVE YE DONE, that we are opening at the Ritz next Friday.  Herzog, as many of you know, is one of the greatest living filmmakers still working today, directing films like AGUIRRE: THE WRATH OF GOD, FITZCARRALDO, GRIZZLY MAN, and, most recently, THE BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL – NEW ORLEANS.

We were pretty excited about BAD LIEUTENANT.  Nearly all of us on the programming team named it one of the five best films of the year, and for good reason: it was artsy but also crazy, the perfect combination for the Alamo Drafthouse.  MY SON, MY SON, WHAT HAVE YE DONE is Herzog’s follow-up film, another crime story but this time with a notably Lynchian dynamic.  This is a true meeting of the minds between Herzog and Lynch, and the result is one of the most provocative and tormented films of the decade.

On a Lynch scale of weirdness, it falls somewhere between “Twin Peaks” and BLUE VELVET.  It has many of the same qualities and themes from both of those works, but it also has the beautiful humanity and interest in nature and madness that Herzog has mastered over the past few decades of filmmaking.

This film only opened in New York and Los Angeles, and we had to really fight to get it to come to Austin.  But for good reason: it is going to blow you away.  It is a challenging film, but it is also haunting, rewarding, and unforgettable.  And that, after all, is what the cinema should be about: seeing daring new work that will make you think.

But you don’t have to take our word for it.  While some critics clearly don’t get the film, here are some that are hip to what’s coming from the minds of David Lynch and Werner Herzog:

“A surreal descent into a twilight zone created by the twisted sensibilities of two cinematic geniuses…an antidote to the Oscar-bait blockbusters clogging theaters.“
V.A. Musetto, New York Post

“Herzog has gone beyond Good and Evil to reinvent himself as a candidate for the wiggiest director of comedy in America today.”
J. Hoberman, The Village Voice

“Viewers will have to decide for themselves whether My Son is a terrible, terrible movie or an uncompromising Herzog experiment in reality-bending. Here’s a suggestion: consider the track record.”
Noel Murray, A/V Club

“A perfect storm of cinematic weirdness…the film’s very oddness achieves a “Twin Peaks” level of artful ingenuity.”
Jeannette Catsoulis, NPR

Be sure to come out for our limited run of one of the most anticipated and talked about films of the year.  Tickets will be available here.