Six months ago tonight was the most memorable time I've ever had at the movies. It was Weird Wednesday at the Alamo Drafthouse, and Lars Nilsen was showing Carnival Magic, which I will attempt to summarize: a wise-but-creepy magician and his English-speaking chimpanzee achieve stardom in a small-time circus, only to become the prey of a girlfriend-beating lion tamer and a doctor who specializes in vivisection. more ›

Let's admit something to each other right now--we love seeing heads explode. Don't fight it... it's a perfectly natural, healthy feeling. Probably an inherited vestige of our violent, primal past when bloody cranium blow-outs were necessary to ensure our collective survival. Or something. Anyhoo, this past weekend, audiences attending screenings of No Country For Old Men at the Alamo Ritz got a satisfying dose of messy 'splosions as the crew from Dorkbot Austin demonstrated... more ›

Programmer Lars Nilsen and owner Tim League raise one final toast to the original Alamo. Alamo patrons don hardhats in preparation for the Earthquake screening.... more ›

Though it’s still a full eight months away, the third annual Fantastic Fest is already gearing up, and badges officially went on sale today at noon. If you missed our coverage of last year’s fest, here’s a quick primer: Fantastic Fest is an eight-day festival showcasing the very best in new horror, sci-fi, fantasy, Asian and cult films (supplemented by various genre retrospectives and classic horror). The festival is curated by AICN's Harry Knowles, Big... more ›

It's like attending a film festival in your pajamas. And the popcorn is free. “SXSW Presents” premieres tonight on KLRU. The purpose of the show is to “share festival-circuit gems with television audiences.” Produced by SXSW, in conjunction with Austin-based company, Beef & Pie Productions, the show endeavors to bring the film festival to you. Tonight’s first installment will feature Robert Brinkmann’s film, Stephen Tobolowsky’s Birthday Party. The film is a performance-based documentary that... more ›

Remember Choose Your Own Adventure? The series of books that nearly tricked you into thinking reading was fun? Well, tonight the Alamo Drafthouse is giving you the chance to relive the CYOA experience, minus the boring reading. more ›