Austin is a unique and exciting city for cinema, and as such there’s lots of films and cinema-related events to choose from. These weekly posts will cut through the mainstream releases to highlight the Top 5 cinematic events to check out each week
Action Pack: Anchorman Quote-a-long
Do you love scotch? I love scotch. Ron Burgandy loves scotch. Need I say more? Get yourself to the Anchorman quote-a-long this weekend if you love funny movies, or just fun in general. Also scotch. There will be lots of scotch. Because it is Achor-MAN, not Achor-LADY, and that is a scien-tific fact!
Alamo Drafthouse Ritz, May 9
Star Trek Into Darkness opens in IMAX 3D
If you’re anything like me, you probably agree that J.J. Abrams’ 2009 reboot of the Star Trek film series was a huge breath of fresh air. For me, barring The Dark Knight, it set the standard for all summer blockbusters to come, and still holds up four years later as one of the most fun, exciting, and thrilling pieces of genre-fare in a while. The long-awaited sequel finally hits theatres this week, a day early in IMAX screens. 30 minutes of the film were shot in the IMAX format, and the idea alone of Abrams making this universe even BIGGER is exciting, to say the least. It will also be the premiere of 3D 70mm, so it’s at least worth your curiosity.
Bob Bullock Museum IMAX theatre, May 15
Badass Digest Presents: Galaxy Quest
Few films marry hilarious satire with affection quite so perfectly as Galaxy Quest. A parody and love letter to Star Trek fandom gone horribly wrong, the film was, in a lot of ways, ahead of its time. As it stands, it remains a truly funny and heartfelt film that cuts right through the bullshit of how fandom can be both a good and bad thing. Seek it out if you’ve never had the chance, or if you just want to revisit a cult classic.
Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek & Slaughter Lane, May 9
Big Screen Classics: Charade
Often cited as the best Hitchcock film Hitchcock never made, Charade is a thrilling, funny, and romantic mystery starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn that deserves to have a new generation discover it. Recently given a major overhaul Blu-Ray treatment by Criterion, it’s a film that has been in the public domain for some time, but has recently been rediscovered as a lost classic of sorts, and not without merit. Seek this one out.
Alamo Drafthouse Ritz, May 11
The Great Gatsby opening weekend
Love him or hate him, Baz Luhrmann is, at the very least, an interesting filmmaker. As Jon Stewart recently put it “If anyone is the King of Audacious, it’s Baz Luhrmann.” His films are his and his alone, stuffed to the brim with visual and stylistic excess and an ongoing fetish for the idea of romance. His latest looks no different, and is at the every least worth seeing to be part of the discussion. Has Luhrmann finally cracked Fitzgerald’s literary masterpiece? I guess we’ll just have to find out.
Opens wide May 10, some 10 p.m. engagements May 9
What are you seeing this week?
