1 BR - That new theater smell

While there is a lot of activity everywhere in the theater, the lobby is where the most notable changes are taking place. More tile work has been done, carpets are going in, and Tim has been installing some of the finer touches: poster cases, a lobby clock and molding around the lobby video screen.

Theater one is seeing a fair amount of attention as well. In there workers have finished installing the back and final row of seats. They were also putting down carpet.

If you aren't able to join the festivities tomorrow night, check my Alamo Flickr set as I plan to post pictures as the night goes on. In the meantime, check out 1 BR.

Dell Lounge makes Fantastic Fest live FOREVER!

You only thought that Fantastic Fest 2007 was gone, buried
deep within the stacks of your happy memories. Maybe you still have
that photo of you and George Romero on the fridge, but your Richard
Kelly-signed SOUTHLAND TALES poster has already been packed away for
two weeks…presumably appreciating.

Now, like an elevator opening at the Overlook Hotel, all those
memories can come flooding back!

The good people at Dell have immortalized your happy memories (or at
least they're ready give you a happy time) at the Dell Lounge, where
you can watch exclusive video and interviews from the incredible,
irrevocable Fantastic Fest 2007.

Watch George Romero wax zombie-philosophical! Watch Richard Kelly
expound on the nature and future of time travel! Watch Uwe Boll &
Zack Ward…be Uwe Boll & Zack Ward! Watch Patton Oswalt & Daniel
Waters lay it bare about Sex & Death! Watch Adam Green, Joe Lynch,
Maurice Devereaux & Nacho Vigalondo before they are wigs too big for you!
Watch Drafthouse founder Tim League shooting shotguns! You.
Are. There.

Watch it all HERE!

2 BR - Words escape me

I don't even know where to start anymore. Everything is so close, it is crazy. The kitchen is really coming together and today folks were in there preparing the place to really start cooking and serving. I haven't seen food come through the doors yet, but that may be because I just haven't been there at the right time. But we've got beer, soda and water and all sorts of staff were getting cooking, serving and eating gear all squared away.

The lobby is also coming along quite nicely with the addition of a couple of Davey Crockett busts "guarding" the entrance to the theaters. I neglected to walk into the restrooms. But folks were working quite diligently in theater one putting the finishing touches on the tables.

In other big news, the screen will be going up in theater one tonight. I'm going to be heading back there to help out in a little while. Hopefully I'll be able to catch the screen going up.

Check out the 2 BR photos for more.

UPDATE: If you're into moving images (and something tells me you are), check out the Alamo Ritz's own Barkeep Mike Lucas' blog for video footage of the place. Point your browsers to http://blog.301films.com/ to satisfy your desire. He succeeded in getting footage of the screen installation in theater one which I failed to get.

The Ritz' rich countercultural legacy...A.K.A. Marc Savlov's mohawk!

As we hit the 48-hours-to-opening mark, we'd like to once again bask in the glory of The Ritz' various incarnations. For me personally, none is more intriguing than the theater's early-'80s stint as one of Austin's premiere punk venues.

Though its heyday as such was short-lived, The Ritz nonetheless provided Austin's spikiest residents with entertainment from local legends like The Nervebreakers, Scratch Acid, The Dicks, Butthole Surfers, Culturecide and the mighty Big Boys, as well as internationally renowned out-of-towners including The Misfits, Black Flag and Dead Kennedys.

Along for this page of Ritz history were several faces that we look forward to seeing again at the new Alamo, including one young man (below, center) who at the time would never imagine he'd be entering the same building 23 years later on missions of film journalism for the Austin Chronicle.


If you've got photos of any of the Ritz classic eras, feel free to pass 'em our way. We can't wait to see you there in the meantime.

Hey! Watch that finger, Savlov!

3 BR - Down to the wire

There is a real sense of urgency at the Ritz right now. And exhaustion. Everyone is pushing themselves to get the place ready for Thursday night, and it is really coming together. No doubt work will probably be taking place around the clock until then.

While there is activity everywhere, a real hotbed is the projection booth. When I was there, power had just been wired to the projectors. And the projectors are in place, though not completely assembled. Also, sound racks were being filled with nice, new equipment. I also noticed that the speakers for theater one are installed, but still no screen.

Check the newest picture sets: 6 BR and 3 BR.

Now Playing with DARJEELING LIMITED: Wes Anderson's short: HOTEL CHEVALIER

If you were beguiled by DARJEELING LIMITED as I was and you've been contemplating a second viewing, now's the time. We now have Wes Anderson's "short-story" prologue HOTEL CHEVALIER starring Jason Schwartzman and Natalie Portman (naked for art). It was teased in the first release of the film, now you can see it on the big screen at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar and Village. Don't miss.

Whoa! Fantastic Fest favorite TIMECRIMES goes to Magnolia Pictures!

We're very, very pleased to announce that the top-honored feature of Fantastic Fest 2007, Nacho Vigalondo's TIMECRIMES, has found distribution through leading American independent Magnolia Pictures!



The film had its world premiere at FF and it was pretty much unanimous...TIMECRIMES is a massive force of entertainment. Intelligent, perfectly paced, funny, well-acted, beautifully shot; there's nothing bad to say about the film. And equally enjoyable was writer/director/co-star Nacho Vigalondo, who joined us for Fantastic Fest and was one of the most good-natured and hilarious people you could ever meet. Plus he's one major karaoke maniac!

Visit the film's official site HERE!

See the Fantastic Fest listing -- including countless audience raves and a five star rating -- HERE!

Fantastic Fest is a celebration of all things fun and exciting about "genre movies," but one of its primary missions is to create a strong forum for films -- like TIMECRIMES -- that might not already be stirring up a huge international fervor via industry hype and countless internet blogs. It's very important to us that not-yet-well-known productions and filmmakers be equally represented alongside lauded veteran auteurs. The fact that the film has now found a home with one of the best film companies in the US proves that creativity and hard work can still be very much rewarded despite this age of bonehead remakes and self-indulgent Hollywood money-burners!

So we hope you'll join us in giving a huge heap of congratulations to Nacho Vigalondo and company for their accomplishments with TIMECRIMES, and wish them and Magnolia Pictures the best with what is sure to be a great run together. We look forward to having Nacho back here (hopefully with new features) for many more Fantastic Fests to come!

Free Saturday Morning Kids Club: SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES!

Hey everybody! Halloween is fast approaching, and with it comes every creature and heart-stopping jolt imaginable. But who's to say that monsters and terror are strictly reserved for those of us old enough for R-rated midnight movies? The truth is, some of the greatest (and scariest) Halloween movies ever made are made to shock both young and old! The Alamo's Free Saturday Morning Kids Club recognizes this, and hereby swears to present the finest in family fright every October from now 'til eternity.

And this Saturday at Alamo South Lamar, we've got a real humdinger for you:

Ray Bradbury's SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES





This is the most deeply eerie Disney film you will ever see: SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES!! When the mysterious Mr. Dark rolls into town with his oddball assortment of clowns, acrobats, impossibilities and enigmas, secrets are revealed and wishes are granted...at a terrible price. Based on the children's story by the great Ray Bradbury (Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man), this bone-chilling tale of a nightmare circus invasion is a non-stop thrill ride that just might make your hair turn white and stand on end!

Also...KIDS!! It's almost Halloween for Pete's sake, so come to this show dressed in an outrageous costume, and prizes will be awarded to the 5 best!

Showtime details and more can be found HERE!

So we'll see you there, and prepare for a scare!!

- Zack

NOTE: Now, this is the "Kids Club," but that doesn't mean that you need to have (or be) a kid to attend. However, it does mean that you have to be able to have as much fun as a kid, and get rid of all that grownupitude that makes you worry about taxes and oil changes. So shake off the adult world and join us!

George Romero immortalized in human flesh!!

Here at the Alamo Drafthouse, we acknowledge and embrace our severe movie-nerdism. But every so often, one Alamoid will step forward with an act of celluloid obsession so impressive that it must be documented for the ages.

Case in point: recent Drafthouse inductee Katie Beavers, who kindly approached Fantastic Fest special guest/zombie legend George Romero and asked him if he'd autograph her arm. By the time the ink had dried, Katie was already halfway to the tattoo parlor to make her appreciation of fine horror filmmaking known to the world forever!





We are extremely proud to count Katie and her arm among the Alamo family.






PS: Stay tuned for more tattoo news. I think I've convinced Alamo founder Tim League to get a Chucky doll on his neck.

Free Outdoor Event! Luke Savisky, Graham Reynolds, Tosca String Quartet and Stars of the Lid!

Hey all! We're lucky enough to usher in the calmer, cooler months with a mind-altering multi-media presentation from some of Austin's finest creative forces!

FILM ACTIONS VI: CHORES AND JOYS OF THE URBAN LIFE
by LUKE SAVISKY
featuring GRAHAM REYNOLDS and THE TOSCA STRING QUARTET
with music by STARS OF THE LID
8 PM - FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26th
Woolridge Square - 10th & Guadalupe
Bring your own blankets and/or chairs!

It's free and here's the nitty-gritty in a fine poster format:



In addition to all the artists involved, big thanks to the City of Austin, First Night, Austin Film Society and Downtown Austin Alliance for getting this together!

See you there!

He Didn't Call Them Zombies

During Fantastic Fest, the good people of Super!Alright! were contracted by Dell to come out and shoot all of the special events, set up special interviews, and get exclusive access to the guests. We ran a couple of short excerpts from their videos during the festival, but those quickie edits were NOTHING compared to the genius that Erik Horn and his Super!Alright! team was able to put together. If you were at the festival, check out the link below to relive it. If you couldn't make it out, check out the link below to get some access to the single greatest genre event the U.S. has ever seen. So far. We'll outdo ourselves next year.

But yeah, we got a special Fantastic Fest channel at the Dell Lounge. Check it out. Start at the Fest Overview, go on to the George Romero Interview, and look for more content on Wednesday.

Here's the link.

Upright Citizens Brigade TourCo Tickets

Tickets are now on sale for the upcoming UPRIGHT CITIZENS BRIGADE TOURING COMPANY shows scheduled for November 7th at the Ritz. Tickets are $15 a pop and are expected to go quick as there are only two shows scheduled. And of course because this is improv, the two shows will be completely different from each other so you can check them both out if you like.

I'm excited for these shows for a few reasons, firstly because I've loved the UCB Theater in all their incarnations, from the old Comedy Central show to the live improv and specialty shows I catch every time I'm in New York City. Secondly because they've done a lot of college shows in the past but this is one of their first in a movie theater, so that's exciting to be part of. And thirdly because I've been checking out a lot of the building Austin improv scene and I'm curious to see how the best of the best from the other coasts do it.

You can grab your tickets now at this link, or you can wait and be sold by some of these words of glowing praise from people who've seen past shows:

“The Juggernaut of American Comedy… the new millennium’s comedy equivalent of Motown in the ‘60’s. You could see some big stars-in-the-making, and you’ll definitely see some cutting-edge work.”
Bill Davis – Charleston City Paper

"It was the funniest comedy show I’ve ever seen here on campus."
Natasha Pantelides – Syracuse University “

"It was inspiring... Just seeing how fast their minds worked blew my mind. "
Jon Van Luling – St. Michael’s College

"UCB TourCo is non-stop entertainment. On the surface, their sketches provide the audience with endless laughter, and their improv contains a sophisticated humor that tickles you pink in just the right places."
Sydney Chaffee – Programming Board Chair, Sarah Lawrence College

"The UCB TourCo is a semesterly favorite at the University of Delaware, packing our venue with students and overflowing with laughter. There is no reason to hesitate when you see the letters U-C-B."
Alex Keen – Program Coordinator, University of Delaware

“The UCB TourCo's sketch comedy portion of the show was downright hilarious, laced with both dark and slapstick humor.”
Eddie Beeby – the Daily Orange

“Leaving the building, I realized that the sides of my mouth ached from smiling throughout the whole show. There was never a dull moment.”
Marissa Petrarca – St. Michael’s College

10 BR

Let's see. Oh yeah, we open in 10 days.

The lobby and stair walls and ceilings have been textured and painted. I saw today that they were doing the texturing in the bathrooms. The kitchen looks like all the equipment is where it needs to be. There's still work going on in there, though I'm not sure exactly what they're doing as it seems to be taking place above the ceiling tiles.

Theater two is done except for carpet (1/2 walls and steps), motors for the masking and the back row of seats/tables. Everything else in there is done! Theater one still has a ways to go. Most of the prep work for wall material is done, but the bigger stuff (chairs/screen) still needs to be done. In the booth, the pedestals for the projectors for theater 2 have been built and the sound racks are in place. According to Andrew, most of the booth is going to be last minute. One reason for this is because of the dusty conditions of the work area. By tomorrow the booth should be pretty much sealed off from the rest of the theater. That will make for more favorable conditions for sensitive electronic equipment.

Check the sets for more photos!

13 BR - You gotta see it to believe it

Remember when I said there was a lot going on at the Ritz, but you couldn't really tell because it wasn't major construction? Well, things are VERY different now. Pretty much all of the work going on inside the theater is big, big, big news and the kind of stuff you can see. How about gear in the kitchen? How about three rows of seats in Theater 2? How about a SCREEN in theater 2? That sound wall? It's done. Tim, Karrie, Andrew and Daniel seem to have gone into overdrive with a cadre of Alamo staffers pitching in during the final countdown (you did hear the song in your head, right?).



Keep checking back frequently as I'm visiting the theater daily. I'm trying to update the Alamo Flickr set daily as well. And over there, I am creating countdown sets. You'll recognize them when you see them. Here's the link to my Alamo collection.

It's official: Alamo Ritz Grand Opening Nov. 1

After months of hard work, we are finally ready to launch the new ship. With the Alamo Ritz, we have attempted to preserve all of the good things about the original flagship Alamo location, but solve a lot of the issues that came with building the place on a frayed-shoestring budget. Check out the Ritz show listings that will be updated this week and you will find that we have brought back all of our signature shows and events, replete with celebrity appearances, goofy gimmickery, and potentially dangerous stunts. We’ve also got quite a few surprises in store for you as well, not the least of which is a screen dedicated to first-run films. We’ll be showcasing small boutique films such as KING CORN and CONFESSIONS OF A SUPERHERO, as well as big Hollywood films such as I AM LEGEND and NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. We look forward to reuniting with our seemingly exiled audience at the Ritz in November and December, and if everything goes well, for decades to come.

Similar to the closing night of the original Drafthouse on Colorado Street, we are kicking things off on November 1 with a diverse triple feature of signature Alamo fun and excitement.

Show #1: Matango: Attack of the Mushroom Feast 7:00 PM
Matango is a little slice of guilty pleasure for us in the programming office. King of the Kaiju (Japanese rubber-suit monster movies) and creator of Godzilla and Mothra, Ishirô Honda crafted this story of a seven passangers out on a liesure cruise who end up shipwrecked on an island that was used for nuclear testing. Running out of canned food and emergency rations, the castaways are eventually forced to eat the strange mushrooms that have overrun the island. This, it turns out, is a really bad idea. AIP released MATANGO as Attack of the Mushroom People direct to TV during the peak of Gilligan’s Island fever and it was a late-night TV staple for years in the seventies. To present this film in true Alamo style, executive chef Trish Eichelberger has crafted 5 course mushroom menu complete with wine pairings (none of which should turn you into a flesh-eating anthropomorphic fungus).

The Matango Menu
I
White Miso and Oyster Mushroom Consommé with Seared Diver Scallop

II
Maitake Gyoza with Petite Enoki and Toasted Sesame Salad

III
Shitake and Pork Harumaki with Clementine Ponzu

IV
Beef Tenderloin Stuffed with Spicy Five Mushroom Duxelle, Soy-Mirin Beurre Noir, Truffled Japanesse Sweet Potato and Sake Seared Japanese Eggplant

V
Ginger Chocolate Truffle with Pomelo Meringue Mushrooms

Each course will have a wine pairing.

Show #2: Sneak Preview of NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN 9:45 PM
Everything we have heard about the new film by the Coen Brothers has been fabulous. Without a doubt, among the Alamo programmers, this is the most anticipated movie of the year and we will be celebrating our opening night at the new space right along side you all watching this one in giddy excitement. We'll have vintage Coen Brothers trailers before the film and more surprises TBA. (note: this advance screening is free, if we do not sell out of the grand opening tickets, seats will be opened up to this show on a first come, first serve).


Show #3: The very first Terror Thursday at the Ritz: Midnight
We can't yet announce the special midnight screening for grand opening, but I guarantee that it will jump start this signature series with an 80,000 volt electric shock. Check back soon to the website for more details on this title and more details about the "First Night at the Ritz".

Tickets for the opening night go on sale at 5:00 PM Sunday, October 21 at the Ritz. The remainder of tickets will go on sale at 6:00 PM online. We expect to sell out quickly, so if you want to go, we encourage you to come on down to the Ritz on Sunday.

Complete pricing information will be posted to the website on Friday, October 19.

Thanks everyone, and we'll see you soon at the Ritz!

15 BR - New lens, new Flickr set

I got a new wide angle lens and went through the Ritz and took a bunch of pictures today. So check out Set 5 for some fresh shots and fresh updates! There is a serious momentum going on inside the walls of that theater and a lot is slated to happen very quickly. And I know Tim said he was going to announce an opening date yesterday, I'm sure it is forthcoming. But, honestly, I'm still savoring what he said about changeover in the comment he left in 18 BR. So I'm going to cut him quite a bit of slack on making the announcement.

Only a few days left to get into BUTT-NUMB-A-THON 9 !!!

Hello, fellow movie maniacs! Aint It Cool's main mogul Harry Knowles is on the verge of another birthday celebration, but rather than keep all the goodies for himself, he's once more preparing to unleash the movie event of the year when he presents an enormous array of both unearthed gems and unreleased features at the amazing, stupendous BUTT-NUMB-A-THON 9, also known as:



Now, as much as Harry and The Alamo would love to squeeze everyone in the movie geek universe into the theater for this 24-hour cinemeltdown, there is an application process that needs to be carried out so all can be done on the up-and-up. Don't worry...you won't have to sign away your firstborn. Harry Just needs to see if you're a rabid enough theatergoer to survive the onslaught.

Information on applying is available on the Ain't It Cool site HERE, and will require you to squeeze out a healthy helping of excitement about your lifetime of movie nerdism, so get ready. Those of us that make it are in for a treat unlike anything in any other theater in the world. So don't drag your heels...read through the guidelines and get that application in!

We'll see you in December!!

Buffy Gets Slayed

In case you haven't already heard, Fox pulled the theatrical rights to all of their television shows because they were unhappy with how the licensing had been done for the Once More With Feeling Musical screenings of the Buffy Sing-Along. The AP picked up stories about it and everything, which you can read a version of here, but the long and short of it is that for the foreseeable future, there will be no more Buffy Sing-Alongs at the Alamo or any other public place.

Here's an interview with Clinton McClung, a film programmer who used to work at the Coolidge Corner Theater in Boston and began taking the Buffy show on the road last year. Clinton started the whole Buffy Sing-Along phenomenon when he was at the Coolidge, and after he left Boston to pursue new opportunities in New York that was the one show he couldn't let go of. The two of us began talking about the different props and activities we'd each added to our versions of the show, and after collaborating on building up the best possible version of the show, last summer he asked me to come along with him to actually host on some of his touring gigs.

Happier times: Henri and Clinton Went To White Castle

He traveled all over the country over the past year, bringing Buffy to the big cities like L.A. (where Joss himself came out to see it) as well as the small towns like Bangor, Maine (although I haven't heard confirmation or denial that Stephen King came out to a show there). I got to accompany him on his geeky-TV-fanboy-turned-rock-star lifestyle twice over the summer, once to Minneapolis where we took a day excursion to the Mall of America, and once to Seattle, where I got to hang out with my little brother and his friends from Digipen. Both of those trips were an absolute blast, partially just for the joy of traveling, and partially just because you guys here in Austin are spoiled now, aren't you? You're used to these shows, and you know that I'm going to describe every single Buffy show that you come out to as the "single greatest night of your life." But other cities? Other cities don't have Alamo Drafthouses, and so other audiences hadn't been able to attend events like this ever before. I love you guys bunches and bunches, but being able to share that excitement with scores of new people felt really special, and it's sad to think that there are people in St. Louis and other cities now who might not ever get a chance to experience singing along with Buffy and Tara and Giles.

But be that as it may, it's even sadder to think that those of us here in Austin might never be able to do it again, too. Sorry St. Louis, but home is where the heart is, and personally I like being able to drive a stake through the heart of evil's home whenever I can. Now you're saying we can't do that anymore just because the lawyers can't figure out who we should pay for the right to do it?

Because that's the thing that's really frustrating about this shutdown: Clinton was never trying to go behind anyone's back. As I understand it, he called the Fox booking agents and he talked to lawyers, and he was told that Criterion Pictures had the rights to book the Fox TV catalog. So he contacted Criterion, they said that they did in fact have the rights, and he paid them to rent those rights so we could continue doing shows. But apparently it turned out that there was some weird contractual stuff going on that he didn't know about, and maybe there were some loopholes that either were or were not being utilized correctly, and so Fox actually needed to retain the rights because they had people that had worked on the show that weren't getting all their residuals or something like that. Of course, no one wants the gaffers on Buffy to get paid as much as possible more than me and Clinton, so we're both just hoping that there can be some resolution to this dilemma as soon as possible.

In the meantime, Clinton's set up a petition at his website for the touring show, and while I have no idea if it will actually help sway Fox to do what's necessary to let us acquire proper theatrical rights for their catalog of TV on DVD, at least it's a start. If we can get enough people to just ask Fox to tell us who to make our checks out to, maybe we can get past this silly little legal snafu and get Buffy out to the people once again. Then we'd all have something to sing about.

For the time being, however, all of our future planned Buffy events have been canceled. Here's hoping that after the writer's strike some of these "new media" issues are settled and we can get things going again in the spring.

Hush!

18 BR- Seats in the house.

I've got a couple of big events to mention this week. For one, the chairs arrived. It is mostly symbolic, yes, as these chairs will be among the last things to be installed into the theaters. But they are there, close to 300 of 'em, in boxes, stacked neatly at the mezzanine level in theater one.

Tim also told me some news that is a little unsettling. Apparently one of our neighbors, the Shakespeare Pub, has a back yard of some sort where they have live music. According to Tim, this music makes its way into the theater rather easily. When I asked him how bad it was, he said, "Pretty bad." The plan now is to build a sound wall along the entire west wall of the theater. Nobody, least of all Tim, wants a repeat of the sound bleed problems we had back at the old downtown theater. Let's hope that one, solidly built wall is enough to insulate us from the world outside.

As for other smaller, but no less important, updates: While I was at the theater on Friday, workers were moving in the gear for screen masking. The Alamo's very own tech guru Andrew was hanging around the place waiting for Cliff, the gentleman responsible for much of the maintenance of our downtown projection equipment. When I left, the both of them were all over the theater talking about this and that (I didn't hear what they were talking about, but it was projection related, I can assure you). Also, we pretty much have permanent lighting throughout the theater, which is nice for photo taking. Also, the ceiling in theater one is very nice and black, painted completely from screen to projection booth. And construction workers were up to something in theater two that was creating a hell of a lot of dust. I never did get a clear look at what it was they were up to in there.

On my way out of the Ritz I ran into Mike, Alamo Drafthouse COO. We chatted a bit about how close we are getting to being done. Which reminds me: In that post below, Tim said that on Monday we should "expect an official announcement" concerning the opening of the Ritz.

More pics: Alamo @ The Ritz set 4

UPDATE: I just talked to Andrew and he said that projection booth installation will be starting this week, with pre-installation prep work commencing tomorrow (Monday). Since, in all honesty, that is the part of this whole process I've been looking forward to, I will be visiting the theater multiple times a week to take photos of the progress (lately I've only been going there once, maybe twice a week). So check my Flickr set frequently for updates (assuming you are as much a tech geek as I am).

Vintage Ritz Photo Show Closing Party

I am remiss in reporting about this so late, but there is a really cool exhibit of photographs from the Jim Franklin era of the Ritz Theater on 6th Street. The exhibit is up for just 2 more days at the South Austin Museum of Popular Culture, with a closing party tomorrow with music by Dino Lee. The legendary Jim Franklin will be in attendance as well as the mysterious photographer Bozo Texino.

A select few of these photos will be on display at the Ritz when it opens, which is just around the corner! Expect an official announcement on that subject on Monday!

26 BR - Opening day Nov 2?

I just got an email from Karen, the Ritz's general manager. It was concerning server staffing schedules, but in it she says, "We are slated for November 2nd being the grand opening with October 30th and November 1 being our two practice runs for friends and families." Now, this didn't come from Tim and so hasn't been verified. But he's coming over to my place for dinner tonight and I'm going to refuse to feed him until I get some sort of confirmation on this info. So check back soon.

I also went to the Ritz yesterday and took a few more pictures. It is really difficult right now because many of the worker lights have been taken out and many of the permanent lights have still yet to be activated. Also, with the stuff going on right now, it is hard to get pictures of progress. Almost every photo I take looks like the one I took last week. So I'm constantly trying to take photos of new things, hence the small number of them. Don't worry, you aren't missing out on anything. If I don't have a photo of it, it's because it still looks the same. I know it sounds like I'm just making excuses. But imagine where we'd be if I was saying there's still so much to take pictures of because there's so much to be done.


Notable notables on this recent trip: there are door frames installed everywhere. There were also some doors sitting in the lobby, waiting to go up. Manager's office is completely walled in and more sound insulation is going up in Theater 2. There is also the beginning of tile work in the area right outside of the bathrooms and the elevator just needs buttons and power to be complete. Also, there were a couple of guys working on the ceiling of Theater 1, it looked like they were texturing it.

UPDATE: I talked to Tim on Saturday night and he said that while the 2nd is not definite, they are shooting for that date. Actually, he said they are shooting for the 1st. He was also thoroughly soaked with sweat, having just come from sealing the floor of Theater 2. He also confirmed that the ceiling in Theater 1 is being painted and that seats will probably be installed in two weeks.

Fantastic Fest fave Weirdsville opens Alamo tonight!

If you were lucky enough to check out this flick during Fantastic Fest, you will be happy to know that Magnolia is doing a limited theatrical release and it's happening this weekend at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. There's not much word out on this title, and selling it on the strength of "from the director of PUMP UP THE VOLUME" only gets you so far... Anyhow, I thought the movie was a ball, and if you think so too, please tell your friends to come and check it out at the Alamo South Lamar.

Here's a few quotes from the Fantastic Fest attendee reviews:

"Upon Leaving: Cheeks ached and twitched, stomach felt like i did 1000 situps, and could finally catch my breathe and wipe the tears away(from both laughter and nostalgia, not from drugs, good friends). Drive Home: In Reflection, thoughts sparked, invigorated. Thanks."

"This is some of the best and funniest dialogue that I've seen in a long time. This is a rare plot where you can summarize it with loony details like "inept satanists" and "medieval midgets" and yet the movie itself doesn't devolve into mindless silliness."

"When watching this movie you're thinking to yourself...this is a cult classic unfolding before my eyes. The laughs are played out with pinpoint accuracy. The characters are straightforward in their zaniness and this only helps to enhance the insanity of this drug addled night. Little people gangs in Medieval costumes going after Yuppie-dressed Satanists while two junkies try and made some money they owe their dealer. It's that crazy and that fun."

Read the Austin Chronicle review.

Tickets for this show are on sale now at the Alamo South Lamar page.

Description from the Fantastic Fest guide:
Director Allan Moyle (TIMES SQUARE, PUMP UP THE VOLUME) returns to his Canadian roots with this year's Slamdance sleeper, which unfolds during a long winter night in a small Northern Ontario city called Weedsville, whose nickname supplies the pic's title.Two slackerish heroin addicts -- Dexter (Scott Speedman), a wry ironist who's trying to kick the habit, and Royce (Wes Bentley), a manic mood-swinger who overestimates his smarts -- make the mistake of indebting themselves to drug kingpin Omar (Raoul Bhaneja). Recklessly, they agree to settle accounts by dealing drugs for Omar.

When Royce's sweetie, Matilda (Taryn Manning), a part-time hooker, appears to fatally O.D. on the kingpin's product, Dexter and Royce reluctantly agree they should bury the luckless cutie in the boiler room of a drive-in where Dexter was fleetingly employed. Fortunately, they determine Matilda is still alive before they plant her in the ground. Unfortunately, they don't make this discovery until after they've interrupted some novice Satanists in the act of carrying out their first human sacrifice.

Moyle slyly grabs attention while establishing a sense of controlled chaos -- and an expectation that anything might happen -- with flashy cutting, accelerated action and drug-fueled fantasy sequences. But even as the style veers toward visual hyperbole, the substance of Willem Wennekers' ingenious script remains governed by its own internal logic.

WEIRDSVILLE lurches from one outrageous plot twist to the next, careening along a circuitous path that threads through the mansion of a brain-injured millionaire (Matt "Max Headroom" Frewer), a shopping mall and a back alley where a band of medieval re-enactors get medieval on the Satanists.

Deconstructionists will delight in divining the influences that inform WEIRDSVILLE, a cleverly constructed, capably crafted and often uproarious shaggy-dog black comedy that riffs on everything from TRAINSPOTTING and Quentin Tarantino to RACE WITH THE DEVIL and Elmore Leonard. (Joe Leydon, Variety)

New menu tasting party

With the end of the hectic movie season and Fantastic Fest we usually take a little time to make some adjustments to our menu and try some new dishes.

Today our excellent chefs John Bullington, Trish Eichelberger and Elijah Horgan prepared several new dishes for consideration in the new menus. All of us here have radically different dietary preferences. For example, I am the only vegetarian, Zack refuses to eat vegetables, Henri only eats foods that glow in the dark and Tim and Karrie are obsessed with good food. They will drive hundreds of miles out of their way to check out a good home-cooking joint. So I think together with all the managers, many from restaurant backgrounds, and kitchen support staff we constituted a decent sample of our audience at large.

The first thing I tasted was Trish's macaroni and cheese. I hadn't had macaroni and cheese in a while and of course it was that stuff from the box so it was like a revelation. Baked in a casserole with real cheese and a breadcrumb crust that was just perfectly toasted and flaky. It hit the spot like an astronaut.

Then there was John's Vegetarian Lasagna. I was expecting it to be a lot like the manicotti dishes we have offered before but it is a much more vegetable intensive lasagna than I've ever had before. The vegetables were all fresh and they weren't baked to a gooey mess at all. Chalk up another one for vegetable goodness.

I wasn't all that into the spinach and black bean egg-roll looking things. I'm not a black beans kind of guy though.

There were some amazing tofu vegetable wraps that are kind of like the wraps at Baby Greens but the tofu is baked or fried or something with this delicate crust that gives it just a slightly crunchy texture. It was the top winner for me. I'm not on a diet or anything I just like the convenience of a sandwich and the saladness of a salad. I promise I am a rough, tough manly man. I just like wraps OK?!

The heartless meat-loving bastards also ate something called a shepherd's pie, which looked like kind of a mess but was apparently beyond delicious and very good with a stout or porter, or so they say.

Pretty likely we'll see a few of these items on the upcoming theater menus within a month or so. I know I'll eat the hell out of that tofu thingy if it makes the cut.