Top Drafthouse Picks
This April at the Alamo Drafthouse, take a few journeys through worlds of pureimagination
Thanks to a few heavy showers in March, it appears that the May flowers decided to get an early start and be April flowers for this year. Austin is looking plenty verdant already, and it serves as the perfect scenery to accompany the imaginative cinematic fare on display this month at the Drafthouse.
This month, marvel at Japanese masters of animation, attend the out of kilter Off-Centered Film Festival and sail the high seas with a crew of Argonauts.
The Drafthouse kicked off this series in February and audiences in Austin have been enamored with it, so far. Featuring newly struck, subtitled 35mm prints of Studio Ghibli’s extensive collection, the retrospective has so far focused on the works of Hayao Miyazaki, the more well known auteur of the studio.
This month will feature some films from directors that may not have the same stateside name recognition of Miyazaki. Isao Takahata’s My Neighbors the Yamadas and Only Yesterday are more grounded affairs when compared to Miyazaki, but are no less whimsical and touching. Combined with Hiroyuki Morita’s The Cat Returns, you’ll have no problem impressing your friends with your inclusive knowledge of the animation powerhouse.
It might attract the big premieres like Fantastic Fest or AFF, but the Off-Centered Film Festival stays fun and unique by focusing on craft-brewed beer, short film competitions and beloved cinema classics.
For their fifth year together, the Drafthouse and Dogfish Head Craft Brewery are riding out into the sunset for some cattle-wranglin’, gun-slingin’ good times with a Western theme. The short film competition will also follow suit with the Western motif and special local brews will accompany all screenings during the weekend.
A special downtown Rolling Roadshow will host a screening of a Blazing Saddles Quote-Along (complete with a complementary big pot of beans) while Sergio Leone’s masterpiece Once Upon a Time In the West will be paired with quality Italian cuisine in homage to the pinnacle of the Spaghetti Western.
Free Kids Club: Jason and the Argonauts
Presented by Ain’t It Cool News, the Austin Chronicle, and Toy Joy, the Free Kids Club is a monthly series of screenings meant to introduce the new generation with the classic adventure films of the past. And they’re all for free!
This month, dive into the world of Greek mythology through the magic of special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen. Screened in classic Technicolor 35mm, the young ones should easily be enraptured by iconic Harryhausen creations such as the army of swashbuckling skeletons and the towering bronze warrior, Talos.
Action Pack: The Willy Wonka Quote-Along with Mike TeeVee and Veruca Salt
They don’t really make kids movies like Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory these days, what with some underlying creepiness and the unsettling demises of spoiled children, but it still sticks with generations of sentimental film fans like an Everlasting Gobstopper.
Not only will you be promised bubbles and candy during the show, but expect a special visit from Paris Themmen and Julie Dawn Cole, two of the original cast members who somehow survived the treacherous factory tour and lived to tell the tale. And the Drafthouse may have a golden opportunity to send in some singing Oompa Loompas to teach some lessons in case any attendees decide to talk or text during the film.
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For more information of Alamo Drafthouse screenings and events, check out their online guide and calendar of events.
