Final Night at the Alamo Downtown
Okay, okay—so it's not that big a deal that the Alamo Downtown is relocating. All it really means is that we have to walk a few extra blocks to get there, which, quite frankly, will be good for our waistline. Plus, there'll be more seating and bigger screens, so we guess we'll learn to cope. But we're definitely sad to see the old theatre go; we've spent a lot of nights eating, drinking, laughing, cheering and sometimes even sleeping in that strange little space. *single tear*
Anyway, as the final day at the Colorado Street location (June 27th) creeps up, the folks at the Alamo have been announcing some exciting events, including a fun-filled closing night triple feature. Here are the details:
BIG NIGHT FEAST, 7 PM
First up is Big Night, Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott's film about two Italian immigrants who try to save their failing restaurant by preparing the "feast of a lifetime" for all of their favorite customers. And though the Alamo isn't going out of business, this still seems like the perfect film to kick off the evening's celebration.
We don't have word on the menu yet, but we're guessing that it'll include Big Night's famed "timpano" dish. Oh, and ridiculous amounts of wine.
The Alamo folks are actually referring to Big Night as "hands down [the] best food-film movie of all time", so expect the themed feast to be wicked good.
EARTHQUAKE in Sensurround, 9:45 PMYou may have already seen this 1974 disaster classic starring Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, Lorne Greene, Richard Roundtree, Victoria Principal and Walter Matthau (among others), but odds are you haven't seen it like this.
See, when Earthquake was originally released, Universal came up with a gimmick called "Sensurround"—super-low frequency sounds pumped into the theatre to give audiences the feeling that the ground was shaking. And, of course, the Alamo folks will try to recreate that experience, promising "50,000 watts of subwoofer power" to all who dare attend.
Will the ceiling fall in? Will the cops show up? Will the ultra-low frequencies cause the complete and simultaneous release of 200 risotto-stuffed bowels? Only one way to find out!
NIGHT WARNING with Susan Tyrrell Live!, MidnightAdmittedly, we don't know much about this 1984 horror flick. It's been out of print on VHS for a long while, and we haven't seen it. All we know is that it's about a boy who's terrorized by his insane aunt. And that it's jam-packed with violence and political incorrectness.
But by all accounts, Night Warning is the kind of film that will rip out your lungs and slap you in the face with them. Repeatedly. And we have no doubt that it'll be a fantastic film to close out the Weird Wednesdays' run at the Colorado St. theatre. And to make things extra fun, the film's psychopathic star Susan Tyrrell will be there live in person!
And yes, it's true: patrons will be allowed to take their seats home with them after the show (but since the seats are grouped in twos, only half the attendees will actually get a pair, which is explained further in the ticket rundown below).
Ticket Rundown
Tickets for "Last Night at the Alamo" will go on sale in chunks, starting on May 27. The first round will be "Triple Feature Tickets", which will include a wrench (for seat loosening) and a special commemorative poster. Once those are gone, Triple Feature Tickets that don't include a take-home seat will go on sale. Once those are gone, tickets to individual shows will go on sale (space permitting).
Tickets will be available through the Alamo website starting at 1pm on Sunday May 27th, but if you wanna get a jump on the competition, they'll also be available at the Downtown box office starting at noon that morning. See you in line.
Oh, one more thing! Keep an eye out for an announcement about a Harry Knowles-curated fest, tentatively titled HALF-ASSED-A-THON, which will be happening on June 24th at the Alamo Downtown. We'll give you the details as soon as we know more.
Last Night at the Alamo feat. Big Night, Earthquake and Night Warning
Wednesday, June 27th
7pm, 9:45pm, Midnight
[Alamo Website]
