Posts Tagged ‘menu’

Tim League to Assume Role as CEO of Merged Alamo Drafthouse

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.

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Springtime Menu Specials

Alice-in-Wonderland-Posters-Mad-HatterOur new spring specials are out and they are tasty! Pared down from eighteen ideas offered by our crack team of chefs from all locations we bring to you five film inspired creations for the next six weeks or so:

The biggest film of the spring looks to be Alice in Wonderland, so add a fourth dimension to your experience by ordering the WHITE RABBIT & TWEEDLE DUMPLINGS, a hot bowl of rabbit and delicious dumplings with our own re-imagining of the classic chicken dish full of fresh vegetables and oyster mushrooms.

Nothing says EAT ME, DRINK ME more than your own mini tea party. The only possible reason you might want to hold off on our exquisite poppy clashseed meyer lemon glazed cake is if you think the seeds might show up on a random drug test, so sorry we can’t offer the real thing. Our warm tea cake is in a sweet meyer lemon glaze with a dollop of sour cream and your choice of hot tea.

Another big hit this spring will be the remake Clash of the Titans. For that we are going to take you to the top of Olympus with our LAMB OF THE GODS. Three lamb chops are grilled and served with thick minted greek yogurt and a fried artichoke heart, chilled orzo salad with grilled zucchini. We also celebrate the Kraken by offering his favorite taste of the sea, oven roasted CRAB CAKES served with lemon caper aioli.

hit girlOur last special is one sure to make the permanent menu. THE KICK-ASS SANDWICH! It is comprised of spicy seared tofu, marinated sweet carrots, daikon, sunflower sprouts, red onions, green peppers, fresh jalapenos, and sambal mayo on a toasted baguette.

Come in and get them while they are here because its going to be summer soon, and on to Iron Man!

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Bear Republic Heritage Scottish Ale

St Andrew

It’s time for a new beer on the Badass Tap and this time we’re heading north… way north to Scotland. Well, Scotland via California as we tap a keg of Bear Republic Heritage Wee Heavy. Some of you might already be familiar with the style having supped on Real Ale’s spring seasonal, Real Heavy, and last year we had cans of Oskar Blues Old Chub on the menu here at Lamar.

Scottish ales are similar in most respects to English bitters and pales but they have a stronger malt character as a result of an extended boil in the brew kettle which also imparts hints of caramel and dark sugar, a rich, dark brown colour and a full body. If the malt was dried over a peat fire there’ll be a smoky element to the beer reminiscent of (but nowhere near as intense as) those delicious malt whiskies from Islay such as Laphraoig and Ardbeg. There might be a slight bitterness in the finish and a hint of hops in the nose, but malt is front and centre here.

The strength of Scottish ales can vary enormously and there exists a curious system of categorisation based on the price per barrel in British shillings. Light (or 60 Shilling) is the least alcoholic at around 3.5% or less, followed by Heavy (70 Shilling), Export (80 Shilling), and Wee Heavy (90 Shilling) at 6% and above. Real Ale’s brew, for instance, comes in at a respectable 9.7% ABV. Bear Republic’s Heritage isn’t far behind at 8.1%.  Walk into any pub in Glasgow and you’ll still hear patrons asking for “a pint of heavy”.

Hopheads need not fret – there’ll be something a bit special for you once the Heritage is done.

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

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The Alamo Guide for January 14th!

YOUTH IN REVOLT opens Friday at the Ritz
THE ALAMO GUIDE
for January 14th, 2010

Hello again, friends. I hope your days are well. I am here, once again, to tell you how your days could be better: with the Alamo! We are packed full of new release films from the past week or two, and still we find time for specialty programming! HOW DO WE DO IT?! Lots and lots of work hours, that’s how…If you haven’t gone out to see CRAZY HEART yet, tomorrow is the perfect opportunity to do so. Local country honky-tonkers THE DERAILERS are playing an after show at THE HIGHBALL and you can get tickets for both events! If you’re one of those over-planner people, you might want to make some Valentine’s Day plans NOW because our VALENTINE’S DAY FEASTS go ON SALE FRIDAY AT NOON! Those sell out super fast and are pretty damn romantic and delicious. Feel like making fun of a bizarro movie this weekend? The Action Pack is showing ROBOT JOX in HECKLEVISION so that you can mock-text to your heart’s content. The 1999 SING-ALONG and the PULP FICTION QUOTE-ALONG are this week, as is the final weekend for MASTER PANCAKE’S FORREST GUMP! Many more things are a foot, dear readers. Read on.

Be sure to keep an eye on the Alamo Drafthouse Blog for up-to-date information and last minute awesomeness, and check out our Twitter feeds (further down on the page) to be updated on our awesome lives.

Thursday, January 14th at S. Lamar
THE DERAILERS after show at The Highball

We’re pleased to announce that Austin’s own rockin’, honky-tonkin’, roots-raging superstars THE DERAILERS will be playing at The Highball LIVE! following a screening of CRAZY HEART.

The film starts at 7 PM, and the band will hit the stage at The Highball around 9:30 PM, giving you plenty of time to knock back a few and lace up your dancing shoes. Tickets are available for both the show & the movie, or you can just go see the band! Either way, it’s the Texan thing to do.

The film: Four-time Academy Award nominee Jeff Bridges stars as the richly comic, semi-tragic romantic anti-hero Bad Blake in the debut feature film CRAZY HEART from writer-director Scott Cooper. Bad Blake is a broken-down, hard-living country music singer
who’s had way too many marriages, far too many years on the road and one too many drinks way too many times. And yet, Bad can’t help but reach for salvation with the help of Jean (Golden Globe nominee Maggie Gyllenhaal), a journalist who discovers the real man behind the musician. As he struggles down the road of redemption, Bad learns the hard way just how tough life can be on one man’s crazy heart.

“It’s a juicy, career-crowning role, and Bridges – a master of subtle brilliance – plays the hell out of it.” - Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Sunday, February 14th at the Ritz!

It’s no secret that we take food and movies very seriously, but occasionally we like to get a little lovey dovey with both of those things. Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to bust out our chefs’ mad skills, tasty foods and romantic movies, so just like every year, we have three Valentine’s Day Feasts for you and your chosen V Day partner to celebrate with.

TICKETS FOR ALL FEASTS GO ON SALE THIS FRIDAY, JANUARY 15TH AT NOON! TICKETS WILL BE $75 FOR ALL COURSES PLUS WINE PAIRINGS.

GONE WITH THE WIND Valentine’s Day Feast at the Alamo Ritz

This is the quintessential American story, and it is portrayed through the most memorable love affair to hit the movies. Bring a loved one and snuggle up as Rhett frankly doesn’t give a damn. Kiss over champagne and eat our fine feast as Scarlett promises, “As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again!” Enjoy the beautiful color cinematography, grand orchestra score, and enthralling love story with us on Valentine’s Day. But be warned: buy your tickets quick, as they will soon be Gone with the Wind.

Menu and wine pairings prepared by Ritz chef Elijah Horgan!

CHARADE Valentine’s Day Feast at Alamo South Lamar

Hepburn is delightful here as a young wife who gets wrapped up in a tale of espionage, deception, mystery and, of course, romance. Cary Grant delivers what very well may be his final great performance as the smooth-talking charmer he perfected in Alfred Hitchcock’s celebrated films (SUSPICION, NOTORIOUS, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, etc). This film is remembered for having an interesting reversal of gender roles. Audrey Hepburn, rather than the handsome Cary Grant, is the pursuer in their relationship. She comes on strong as Grant tries — unsuccessfully of course — to avoid her advances. This is one of the main reasons we are showing it as part of our special Valentine’s Day Feast series. Ladies, come on strong to your sweethearts at this screening, cooing and lash-batting your way to a romantic holiday. Men, come for Cary Grant’s great suits, come for the hilarious repartee between the two leads, or come to get cooed at.

Five-course feast menu and wine pairings prepared by Alamo executive chef John Bullington!

AMELIE Valentine’s Day Feast at the Alamo Village

If not the most charming movie of all time, AMELIE is certainly one of the top 10. The title character (the bashful and impish Audrey Tautou) is a single waitress who decides to help other lonely people fix their lives, but in her own unusual ways. Her widowed father yearns to travel but won’t, so to inspire the old man she sends his garden gnome on a tour of the world. With whispered gossip, she brings together two cranky regulars at her cafe. She reverses the doorknobs of a grocer who’s mean to his assistant. Gradually she realizes her own life needs fixing, and a chance meeting leads to her most elaborate stratagem of
all.

Opens January 22nd at S. Lamar

It’s hard to believe that a stop motion animated Belgian film about
a reckless Cowboy, his best friend the Indian, a super cool horse, and larcenous underwater gill-men could cause all the hard-boiled,
seen-it-all programmers at the Alamo and Fantastic Fest to fall all
over themselves, but that’s exactly the case. We laughed so hard and long at this movie that when it was over, we knew we had to bring it to Austin. The problem was, they weren’t planning on releasing it in Austin. So we have jumped through flaming hoops to bring it to you. Would we do that if this movie were anything less than an ATOMIC BOMB of righteousness?

Series creators Stephane Aubier and Vincent Patar are surely two of the most manic animators of our times, completely and utterly in touch with their inner children. No joke is too silly, no gag too bizarre for this pair. They’ve reined in their stream of consciousness urges slightly for the feature – PANIC started life as a series of five minute shorts for Belgian television – but just barely, oddity heaped upon oddity as though the two were engaged in a non-stop game of one-upmanship throughout the entire production cycle. Juvenile and absurd are perfectly good descriptors when talking about PANIC, though only if accompanied by ‘brilliant’ and ‘hysterical’. It’s time for the cult to cross the ocean. (Todd Brown)

Enter the TOWN CALLED PANIC stop-motion filmmaking contest to be part of the film’s video release next year! Details HERE!

YOUTH IN REVOLT

Now playing at the Ritz

YOUTH IN REVOLT is a coming-of-age comedy that puts a fresh and
outrageous stamp on a tale of adolescent obsession and rebellion.
Starring Michael Cera (JUNO, SUPERBAD) and based on the acclaimed novel by C.D. Payne, YOUTH IN REVOLT is the story of Nick Twisp – a unique, but affable teen with a taste for the finer things in life like Sinatra and Fellini – who falls hopelessly in love with the beautiful, free-spirited Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday) while on a family vacation. But family, geography and jealous ex-lovers conspire to keep these two apart. With Sheeni’s encouragement, Nick abandons his dull, predictable life and develops a rebellious alter ego: Francois. With his ascot, his moustache and his cigarette, Francois will stop at nothing to be with Sheeni, and leads Nick Twisp on a path of destruction with unpredictable and uproarious consequences.

With Zach Galifianakis, Justin Long, Fred Willard, Steve Buscemi, Jean Smart and Ray Liotta.

Friday and Saturday at the Ritz

For a two-week limited run encore, Master Pancake is going to boil,
bake, batter and fry the beloved 90’s classic FORREST GUMP. Featuring
Tom Hanks (THE MONEY PIT, JOE VS. THE VOLCANO) as a good-hearted
shrimp-baron whose hobbies include jogging, playing ping-pong, eating
chocolate and telling long boring stories. Also featuring Sally Field
(THE FLYING NUN, GIDGET GOES HAWAIIAN) as momma Gump, Gary Sinise (CSI,
that kidnapping movie with Mel Gibson) as Gump’s “bosom buddy” Cap’n
Dan and Robin Wright Penn (THE PRINCESS BRIDE) as Gump’s baby momma.
Come join Master Pancake as they give new meaning to “Run,Forrest, Run”
and gleefully pursue this overrated icon. (John)

MASTER PANCAKE IS PROUDLY PRESENTED BY KERBEY LANE CAFE.

Thurs., Jan. 14th at the Ritz & Fri., Jan 15th at Village

Immediately after we finished putting the 1997 Sing-Along together,
Caitlin and I were perusing the hit songs of other years in the ’90s
and realized that as amazing as 1997 was, 1999 was just plain
incredible. Holy crap. Not only did 1999 give birth to almost all of
the pop music of the next ten years by giving us Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time” and Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way,” but the cheese element was in full effect with the Goo Goo Dolls, rap was awesome with “Back That Ass Up” AND Will Smith’s “Wild Wild West” AND Jay-Z’s “Can I Get A…” Plus we got Beck’s “Sexx Laws,” Lauryn Hill, and Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Hot damn. So join us at the Ritz this January while we go back to a time when we weren’t sure if there was ever going to be a 2010 because we still weren’t sure if Y2K would kill us all. Save tonight!

Get tickets to the Thursday Ritz showing HERE!

Get tickets to the Friday MIDNIGHT Village showing HERE!

Win tickets to LE GARAGE SALE at every show!!

Le Garage Sale is a two day shopping event of Austin’s coolest independent boutiques all under one roof  at awesome clearance sale prices!!! “It’s the SXSW of local rocking shopping!” Happy LGS Shopper.

Thurs., Jan. 14th at the Ritz & Weds, Jan. 20th at Village

Most of our Quote-Along shows in the past have been comedies, because saying punchlines out loud with a room full of other fans is just plain fun. But even though PULP FICTION is classified as a crime thriller, it’s some seriously funny shit and obviously full of tons of amazingly quotable lines.

We’re going to subtitle all of our favorite lines karaoke style, then we’re gonna fill the audience with cap guns so after you yell out, “And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee!” we can turn the show into a Shoot-Along as well. And of course we’ll have plenty of Royale With Cheese burgers available all night long, and you can walk into a movie theater in Austin and buy a beer. But if you put mayonnaise on your French fries we’re still gonna make fun of you, because we’re in America.

Our names don’t mean shit, but we might accidentally shoot you in the face anyway. (Henri Mazza)

The Quote-Along series is brought to you in part by THE NEW MOVEMENT. Wanna learn to write your own quotable material? Come out to the show for a chance to win $50 gift certificates for improv and comedy classes with TNM!

Get tickets to the Thursday Ritz showing HERE!

Get tickets to the Wednesday Village showing HERE!

Sunday through Wednesday at the Ritz

Star Emily Hagins in person for Jan 17 show!

“It’s rare that a film can capture both the passions of our youth and the passions of our adult lives. But this heartwarming and nerve racking documentary captures all of the stress of low-budget indie filmmaking and all of the wonder of childhood ambition and excitement.”
– Sam Roberts, Director of Film Competitions, Slamdance

Winner of the Spirit award at the 2009 Slamdance Film Festival, ZOMBIE GIRL is a documentary about the making of the no-budget zombie movie PATHOGEN. What truly makes the subject of this documentary special is the fact that PATHOGEN is directed by Austin-native Emily Hagins, a resourceful, driven and talented 12 year-old filmmaker. Her
story is beautiful and touching, and truly comments on the nature of independent moviemaking as well as what “coming-of-age” means for the YouTube generation.

Sunday, January 17th at the Ritz

In a post-World War III world, war has become outlawed and disputes between the super powers are now settled by genetically enhanced super soldiers known as Robot Jox who operate skyscraper-sized robots that combine to become the ultimate killing machines. Stuart Gordon’s entry into the way-too short-lived subgenre of robot warrior movies of the early 1990s has all the flash and bang of a young Michael Bay on a shoestring budget. Joe Haldeman, whose sole film credit is this movie, creates verbal poetry with lines like “I kill you already… (points to head) in here.,” and “You make my drink taste like blood!” Audio pearls fly at you fast and furiously as the world’s two biggest super powers, The Market (good) and The Confederation (bad), face off in a battle for Alaska. A film about gigantic robots battling it out in exotic locales can’t be bad, and that’s why it makes for a perfect billing for this month’s Hecklevision! Gordon tried to make a live action anime, and I dare say he more than succeeds. Throw in an over the top Texan named “Tex” (duh!) who serves as a glorified one man cheerleading squad, and a menacing evil Russian bad guy named “Alexander”(double duh!) whose robot has a gigantic chainsaw penis, and you got yourself a party. So come on out, arm yourselves with your texting devices, and call yourselves “Techno Jox” as you battle it out for the best Heckle, because in this new age of war, it’s not over until somebody wins.
(Greg MacLennan)

HEY HOMO!: HEAVENLY CREATURES

Tuesday, January 19th at the Ritz

This is Peter Jackson’s masterpiece. Pauline and Juliet, two young New Zealand schoolgirls, share an undeniable bond from the moment they meet. Bored with their families and small town, the girls dream up brilliant fantasies and passionate romances that provide them with a more colorful (and often animated) landscape. Eventually, all the sleepovers and handholding is enough to arouse not only the girls, but the eyebrows of their moralistic parents. Threatened with permanent separation, Pauline and Juliet would do just about anything to keep their love intact. That’s when things get nasty. This movie has everything that Hey Homo! has ever hoped to deliver to our audience: hot schoolgirls (and their burning desire for one another), animation and murder. (Kayla Williams)

Wednesday, January 20th at the Ritz

ALAMO IRON CHEF VI: THE BATTLE FOR SIXTH STREET
TICKETS ARE $80 AND THEY ARE ON SALE NOW RIGHT HERE!

For years, we have been producing food-and-film-themed events at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Probably our favorite yet is the Alamo Iron Chef competitions, in which we have pitted our chefs against each other or against a local fine-dining establishment, with the proceeds going to charity.

The stage is now set for Iron Chef Alamo Round VI, in which the Alamo chefs John Bullington and Elijah Horgan will team up at the Ritz against the acclaimed kitchen of Parkside Austin, located just across the street. Bullington and Horgan are experienced pros at creating movie feasts but Parkside chef Shawn Cirkiel and his staff are no amateurs. It should be a mighty battle. The film will be the classic New Orleans heartbreak gumbo, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE starring Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter and Karl Malden. Alamo founder Tim League will be donning the red kimono of Chairman Kaga.

The premise is similar to the popular TV show but the secret ingredient in this battle is not green peppers or foie gras, it is celluloid. Each contestant will deliver to each of the 100 attendees a series of 4 dishes (that’s 8 dishes in all folks!) themed to a film. 4 wine courses will also be provided. At the end of the show, the audience will decide whose meals were tastier and more cleverly matched and timed to the movie.

Proceeds from this evening will benefit 6ixth Street Austin, a non-profit organization that aims to preserve and enhance the district’s unique historic character and create a vibrant cultural community for today’s and future generations.

Wednesday, January 20th at the Ritz

NERD ALERT!! Normally, we take on full-length movies, but for one night only, Master Pancake will be boldly mocking the greatest sci-fi
Television series of all time: STAR TREK. And because Master Pancake couldn’t agree on which is the best iteration of the TV series (John is a fan of original STAR TREK, Joe loves NEXT GENERATION) we’ll be showing – and mocking – one episode from both eras. John will finally get to satisfy his Shatner boner; Joe will finally get to unleash all his pent-up Tasha Yar jokes; and the audience will reap the rewards of our collective nerd juice. The only losers tonight will be fans of the lame-ass VOYAGER and DEEP SPACE NINE. This will be the most memorable meeting of Enterprise captains since GENERATIONS! ONE NIGHT ONLY!! (John)

MASTER PANCAKE IS PROUDLY PRESENTED BY KERBEY LANE CAFE.

Monday, January 18th at the Ritz

Sponsored by Austin’s greatest music store, End of an Ear Records, and Austin’s most essential vintage furniture and decor store, Room Service.

Less than 24 hours after Martin Luther King’s assassination the city of Boston was in a state of turmoil. When James Brown arrived at the airport to play his already scheduled show he was warned that the mayor, fearing further unrest among the African American community, planned to cancel the show. Brown assured the mayor that the consequences would be much worse if the concert was called off. Not only did the show go on as planned, public television station WGBH broadcast the whole thing. It’s an incredible historical document and a fantastic performance by James Brown, who dedicated the show to Dr. King’s memory and brought the raw emotions within himself and his
community to a searing head. At one point the restless crowd swarms the stage and amidst the mayhem James Brown tells the cops to stay back and calmly talks the crowd back into their seats. “This isn’t how black people should act.” Riveting.

Tuesday, January 19th at the Ritz

Pure pulse-blasting entertainment for only a buck! SPONSORED BY VULCAN VIDEO!!!

A physically fit alien warrior delights in harvesting human victims
until he’s engaged in a major volley of explosive, lethal firepower by
an Eastern European bodybuilder. No, I’m not talking about the movie PREDATOR. This film–from the second unit director of the movie PREDATOR–stars Dolph Lundgren as a narcotics officer who goes chin-to-chin with a ‘roid-raging albino drug dealer from the outer reaches of the universe. This unearthly heroin vampire is armed with a wide assortment of impossible weapons, from his head-splitting fist spike to a series of razor-lazer frisbees that whiz through the night and straight into your jugular. Lundgren is aided in his interplanetary Aryan-vs-Aryan deathmatch by a long-haired alien cop and an FBI goofball who makes wry comic observations while our species teeters on the brink of extermination. Filmed in entirely in Houston, TX, which was unfortunately not actually half-obliterated by the futuristic arsenal of a psychotic space jerk. (Zack)

Wednesday, January 20th at the Ritz

PRESENTED BY I LUV VIDEO!

A quick glance at the marketing materials for LORD LOVE A DUCK would probably give the impression of another teen-appeal 60’s beach party movie, but a closer look at the tagline, “An Act Of Pure Aggression” is sure to leave viewers confused. And sure enough, there’s far more here than meets the eye. I’ll just dive in. Roddy McDowall plays a sort of genie or guardian angel named Mollymauk, after a type of extinct bird. He magically appears to beautiful, mixed up cheerleader Tuesday Weld and offers to grant her wishes. They all come true – for instance she is cast in a movie called BIKINI WIDOW and lands the man of her dreams,
but then they take a bad twist like the fingers on a monkey’s paw. Along the way, every aspect of modern American society circa 1965 is bitterly ridiculed. And while such sitting targets as psychoanalysis, bikini beach movies and car culture weren’t exactly sacred cows even then, the machine-gun quality of the satire and the churning bile underneath the humor is notable. Writer/director George Axelrod described it as “a non-optimistic get well card. LORD LOVE A DUCK is against teenagers, their parents, movies, cars, school and several hundred other things.” The cast is brilliant, with Tuesday Weld in particular giving the performance of a lifetime. Also with Lola Albright and the great Ruth Gordon. (Lars)

Wednesday, January 20th at the Ritz

Director Nancy Schiesari and singer/songwriter James Collette in attendance.

Through an exploration of the tattoos on the bodies of American
soldiers, Nancy Schiesari looks into the psyches of young men and women before they leave for Iraq and/or Afghanistan and after they return from deployment. The tattoos they get after their return are often quite different from the ones they got before going into battle. The images on their bodies tell us so much about their states of mind and the changes in their views, both positive and negative. It is a brilliant film which takes us beyond the evening news, the statistics, and the talking heads. Unfortunately TATTOOED UNDER FIRE has achieved a different kind of relevance from being set at Ft. Hood before a terrorist’s attack made even that refuge not so safe as before.

Tickets are available at www.austinfilm.org or at the door.

Tuesday, January 26th at the Village

Ohhh LORDY! The final season is coming so so soon, so to prep up we’re showing the ridiculously stressful Season 5 Finale at the Village a week before the Season 6 Premiere! We want to get you into the LOST groove ahead of time so you can prepare yourself mentally and physically. Shit’s gonna get stressful, y’all. Get ready.

LOST has become our most popular TV @ the Alamo Presentation. As such we highly advise that you get to the theater 45 minutes before our showtime so you can get a good seat. These shows are all FREE, but you can purchase a $5 food and beverage voucher online to reserve your
seat. If you choose to “walk-up” instead, be advised that you still need to go by the box office to get a ticket, and that it may be full ahead of time.

Thursday, January 28th at the Village

With special prizes and giveaways from VICE Magazine.

A dramatized portrait of West Virginia’s “Dancing Outlaw,” Jesco White (Edward Hogg), who turned his back on a misspent youth to learn an Appalachian tap-dancing style called “mountain dancing” made famous by his father, D. Ray White.

When his dad is murdered, Jesco uses mountain dancing to exorcise his impulse to get revenge, but soon his thirst for justice becomes too strong to dance away.

Carrie Fisher co-stars!

NEW PARKING DISCOUNT FOR ALAMO RITZ!
WOO! EASY DOWNTOWN PARKING!

We all know that parking downtown can be a small hassle. While there’s usually some meter parking a few blocks from the theater, driving around and searching for that can be tiresome, and what if you’re carrying a cinder block with you to the theater cause you want to use it as a booster seat? That block is HEAVY!

Which is why we’ve partnered with the parking garage at 7th and San Jacinto and convinced them to open on days they were previously closed, as well as to provide a $2.00 discount from their regular rates to anyone who returns to their car with an Alamo ticket stub. Just pay the
full price on your way in, then stop by the attendant with stub in hand on your way back to your car, and you’ll get a $2 refund. Easy parking, good deals, and all just a block away from the Ritz.

At this point that discount will unfortunately NOT apply on Friday and Saturday, but if we show them how loyal Alamo customers can be, we might be able to swing a discount on the weekends at some point in the future as well. Look for the Alamo sign on the parking garage in the next week or so, and we’ll see you downtown!

The garage is on 211 E. 7th St, Southwest Tower garage.

Big thanks to HOSPITALITY PARKING for helpin’ us out!

We here at the Alamo love the internet. It’s got all sorts of cool things on it! Sometimes we want to share that stuff with you! Also, we like to let you know when shows are on sale, surprise screenings, and general fun things that we do. Follow us to get up-to-date and instantaneous Alamo news (and general personal information about our fantastic Programming Dept.). All the cool kids are doing it!

Tim League: @TimAlamo (Founder/Owner)
Henri Mazza: @HenriMazza (Creative Director/Programmer)
Lars Nilsen: @LarsAlamo (Programmer/Weird Weds Coordinator)
Brad Parrett: @AlamoBrad (Programmer/Booking)

Zack Carlson: @ZackAlamo (Programmer/Terror Tues Coordinator)

Caitlin Stevens: @CaitlinEStevens (Programmer/Promotions)

Sing-Along/Quote-Along info: @TheActionPack
Alamo Drafthouse information: @Drafthouse
Fantastic Fest information: @FantasticFest
MondoTees information: @MondoNews

SERVICE INDUSTRY NIGHT!

Sunday Nights at the Alamo Village!

UPDATE! While teachers may not be part of the service industry, they work their asses off trying to make kids not stupid and stuff. With that in mind, we think they deserve a break as well! Teachers, you are now welcome to the discounts of Service Industry Night! Take a load off! Have a drink!If you work in the service industry, you deserve a break! Bring your I.D. and current pay stub from your service industry job to any Sunday, post-9:30pm screening at the Alamo Village and get in for just $5! Or purchase your ticket online and bring your pay stub to the box office before the show. We’ll also have the Working Man’s Beer Bucket special available at these shows for just $12!

Ticket rate applicable to any feature that’s accepting passes and special pricing. Some new releases exempt for first two weeks.

Want your own private theater for S.I.N? Contact Ashley Hall for details of special service industry packages available for venue rentals!

That’s what we’ve got for this one. Let us know what you think, and we’ll see you at theater.

SAY WHAT AGAIN! I DARE YOU! I DOUBLE DARE YOU!

Caitlin Stevens
Twitter: @caitlinestevens
Alamo on Facebook

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

Weekly Showtimes:
NEW RELEASES
YOUTH IN REVOLT

Michael Cera as an adorable badass. Now playing at the Ritz. Click Here to get tickets now!
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS

Terry Gilliam directs Johnny Depp, Heath Ledger, Colin Ferrell and Jude Law. Whoa! Now playing at S. Lamar! Click Here for tix!
CRAZY HEART

Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal in a touching, country-style film. Now playing at S. Lamar! Click Here for tix!
DAYBREAKERS

Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe and lotsa vampires! Now playing at the Village! Click Here to get tickets now!
A TOWN CALLED PANIC

Belgian stop-motion animation that made us laugh ’til it hurt at Fantastic Fest! Opens next week at S. Lamar! Click Here to get tickets now!
RENT THE RITZ FOR SPECIAL EVENTS!

Host your next event at our theater! Click Here for more information!
BRUNCH AT THE ALAMO!

All weekend screenings before 2pm now have a brunch menu available! Click Here to see the menu!

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Billy Wilder Rings Twice

Ninotchka PosterWe all had a great time at THE APARTMENT for our New Year’s Eve Feast.  Props should go to chef John Bullington for putting together one of the greatest menus our theatre has every provided.  The film looked pristine and was a great way to ring in the new year in style.

If you enjoyed the show last night, or if you just like THE APARTMENT, than you are in for a real treat at the end of the month.  Billy Wilder, the director of THE APARTMENT, wrote the screenplay for one of the great comedy classics of the 1930s, Ernst Lubitsch’s NINOTCHKA.  Starring the always beautiful Greta Garbo as a Soviet bureaucrat in gay Paris, the film is a delightful comic yarn about the seductive qualities of Europe…and Europeans!  We are actually playing NINOTCHKA at the Ritz on January 31 as part of a new series called Cinema Club.  The film will be introduced by UT film professor Dr. Charles Ramirez Berg and will be followed by a discussion.  It’s a little intellectual, but as far as I’m concerned there ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.

Remember, NINOTCHKA: Don’t pronounce it – - See it!

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Just announced! The Alamo Ritz New Year’s Eve Bash: THE APARTMENT!

apartment webOur second annual New Year’s celebration of classic cinema, cocktails and cuisine at The Ritz!!

2008’s screening of AFTER THE THIN MAN was a true extravaganza, bringing together an incredible drinking/dining experience with one of the greatest film’s of Hollywood’s golden era. This year, we’re stepping it up with the flat-out greatest New Year’s film in the world: Billy Wilder’s 1960 masterpiece THE APARTMENT, a brilliantly written, fast-paced, heartbreakingly hilarious adventure of a poor schlub (a young, bumbling Jack Lemmon) who just can’t steer things right to fall into the good graces of the most wonderful woman in town (a young, unbelievably charming Shirley MacLaine). In his way are an innumerable number of comic obstacles, including the great Fred MacMurray and Ray Walston as self-serving high-rollers content to kick dirt in the face of anyone who crosses them.

It’s a gorgeously shot, perfectly constructed, fun-as-hell monument to filmmaking at its very best (in AFI’s Top 100 films!), and we’re pleased to bring it to you along with a very special menu with drink pairings to ring in the new decade, all prepared by our chefs John Bullington and Elijah Horgan, with accompanying beverages masterminded by bar wizard Amy Patton (drink list pending):

First course:
Club Sandwich (don’t forget to remove the toothpick)
Layers of smoked pheasant, jamon serrano, Pure Luck chevre, arugula, organic plum tomatoes and truffle aioli on ficelle

Second course:
Lobster Rickshaw Boy
Sweet and sour lobster with Maitake dumpling

Third course:
Victim’s Chicken Noodle Soup
Organic chicken with ginger noodles with local organic spring vegetables in saffron consomme

Fourth course:
Garlic and valpolicella braised lamb shank atop spaghetti in a fresh tomato sauce with gremolada

Dessert course:
Strawberry chocolate fruitcake with champagne sabayon and Lemmon cookie crumble

The Alamo New Year’s event of the decade! Tickets on sale HERE on Friday Dec 4 at 3:00 PM! It’ll be the best ticket in town…fun-wise!!

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Talk of the Town Feast, Oct 28!

The TALK OF THE TOWN Feast!

Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar
October 28, 2009, 7:00pm

Hello Food & Film Friends!For one very rare 35mm screening of George Stevens’ last comedy with Cary Grant, the Alamo chefs will prepare an even rarer feast inspired by the golden age of Hollywood!

Check out the menu!

I
House cured bacon wrapped diver scallop, radish-baby poblano relish, daikon greens

II
Borscht, quail egg

III
Wild mushroom risotto, herbed seared t bone, maytag blue cheese butter, grilled asparagus

IV
Lemongrass-sweet potato pie, ginger cream, chocolate nibs

About the film:
Grant stars as Leopold Dilg, a political activist who is wrongly indicted for arson and murder when a factory worker dies in a mill fire in the town of Sweetbrook. Believing that he’ll be executed if he remains in jail, he escapes and breaks into a cottage that schoolteacher Nora Shelley (Jean Arthur) is preparing for Professor Michael Lightcap (Ronald Coleman), the dean of a law school. She allows Grant to stay in the attic, without alerting the professor. The next day, a reporter arrives to question Lightcap about Dilg’s case, along with Sam Yates (Edgar Buchanan), Dilg’s lawyer, who comes at Nora’s behest. Since Yates and Lightcap know each other from law school, Yates asks Lightcap’s help in defending his client, who he claims to have been framed. The professor refuses, intent on writing a legal treatise. Before Yates leaves, he persuades Nora to house Dilg, who she introduces to Lightcap as a gardener. Before long, the professor begins to realize that the gardener is well versed in the intricacies and inequities of the U.S. legal system.

Stevens’ entertaining romantic triangle, in which the atmosphere of legal debate is leavened by wit, and low comedy, is brilliantly played by all, especially an atypically dark and impulsive Grant. The director’s characteristically deft touch with comic business is evident throughout the film.

Hope to see you there!  You can get your tickets here.

Thanks!

John
Executive Chef
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
www.originalalamo.com

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Alamo’s Gluten-Free Menu available at all 3 locations!

Right after movies, food is our favorite thing.

The Alamo strives to make the most delicious possible food available to the most varied diets. That’s why vegetarians and carnivores alike celebrate the Alamo menu. We’ve got eats for every palate.

But some palates need to steer away from wheat. And for those of you who are sensitive to gluten (or just don’t like the word), our chefs have prepared a fine selection to choose from, keeping your stomach wildly satisfied n’ devoid of gluten!!! See for yourself:

…and the best thing is, this menu is available at our South Lamar, Village and Ritz locations!!! Get on it, wheat-avoider!!!

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The TRUFFE Feast! Menu Posted!

truffe-blog1Fantastic Fest is the only festival capable of presenting film in 5 dimensions.  We’ve got length and width of the screen and the theater itself exists in space, plus this year we’re featuring RealD 3D digital cinema- that’s 4 dimenions by our count.  But, defying all modern notions of cinema physics, Fantastic Fest also offers the most delicious dimension of them all- food.  At the forefront of this revolution in moviegoing are Alamo chefs John Bullington and Trish Eichelberger, who have created some of the most exceptional, exquisite and delicious events in the history of the motion picture.

This Fantastic Fest, to accompany a screening of the director’s cut of  Kim Nguyen’s film TRUFFE, John and Trish have concocted a three course truffle feast worthy of monuments.  Behold!

First
Richardson farms pork belly with truffle risotto

Second
Gulf shrimp and ramps in a pepper crepe with truffle cream sauce and grilled asparagus

Third
Truffle-bittersweet chocolate truffle with truffle gelato

This feast will be available to badge holders as well as the general public.

Learn more the film and get your tickets here!

Tickets to this event will go on sale Monday, September 14th, at noon.  The general public may purchase a ticket for $45 with an optional $20 upgrade for paired wine with each course.  Fantastic Fest Badge holders will have a discounted option, check out this showpage to make your selection.

Director Kim Nguyen will in in attendance!

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Menu posted for the JULIE & JULIA Feast!

Meryl Streep as Julia Child

Meryl Streep as Julia Child

Nora Ephron’s new film JULIE & JULIA opens on August 7th at South Lamar and we couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to let Alamo chef Trish Eichelberger do what she does best- create bliss.    The film is an adaptation of two different books- Julie Powell’s bestselling memoir Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen, and Julia Child’s memoir My Life in France. Powell (Amy Adams) embarks on a year-long culinary quest to cook all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  Trish has been on her own quest, preparing the perfect menu to pair with the film, painstakingly sifting through her encyclopedic knowledge of French cuisine for her special JULIE & JULIA Feast.  Well, she just sent the menu over.  How do you say daaaammmmmmn! in French?

Check it out!

I
Amuse Bouche

Oyster on the half shell with aged sherry vinegar mignonette, thinly sliced rye, butter

II
Sole “meuniere”

Seared sole on boggy creek farms arugula with lemon and brown butter vinaigrette, seared heirloom tomato

III
“Hot as a stiff…”

Manicotti stuffed with a spicy lobster “thermidor” filling, petite braised cucumber soup

IV
“Piece de’ la résistance”

Boneless duck breast, stuffed with pate, en croute, potatoes lyonnaisse, endive grilled drizzled with black truffle oil

V
“Raspberry Bavarian cream”

Crepe filled with chevre raspberry cream, fresh raspberries, shaved dark chocolate

And of course, each course will be paired with the perfect wine!

Trish, if you’re reading this, daaaaammmmn!  Alamo Food & Film events are always beautiful, but this one looks ravaging.

Tickets will go on sale tomorrow, July 31, at noon.  This one’s sure to sell out, so get your tickets soon!

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