Alamo Drafthouse Digest
Kickass ladies and a hobbit feast headline top November events at the Alamo Drafthouse
With another music festival and one of the hottest racing events in the United States, November is shaping up to be one of the busiest months for Austin events. It’s another signal for many locals to find some quieter entertainment options that are quieter, so if you would like to have fun while avoiding crowds, here are some of the best Alamo Drafthouse events to keep you occupied until everyone leaves our city again.
Tough Ladies in Cinema
We may be in the midst of Movember, a month devoted to raising awareness of men’s health issues, but the Drafthouse wants to celebrate some of the toughest women to grace the big screen. Nine films will screen at multiple locations, and several cover different genres for different tastes, whether it’s Sigourney Weaver flambéing a couple of xenomorphs or Frances McDormand as a pregnant police chief trying to solve a murder in a classic Coen Brothers black comedy. That should get you ready for Jennifer Lawrence's return to the arena in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
Missed out on the fun of Fantastic Fest 2013? While you probably won’t get the chance to bump into Keanu Reeves or Elijah Wood, the Drafthouse will share some audience favorites from the genre film festival in all Alamo Drafthouse markets. All eight films can blow your mind in their own unique ways, so try not to miss any, especially when it comes to Cheap Thrills, Grand Piano or Why Don’t You Play in Hell?
Bonnie and Clyde Real Ale Beer Dinner
When it was released back in 1967, Arthur Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde played an integral role in revitalizing an aging, bloated Hollywood system with some new blood and some new styles. Penn helped introduce the approach of French New Wave Cinema to a larger American audience, so a film with such importance in film history deserves its own special day of good food and beer, with Real Ale Brewery finding the right pairings to go along with the cinematic mayhem.
Action Pack Presents: Pulp Fiction Quote-Along
Most of the Action Pack’s quote-alongs tend to skew toward more light-hearted, comedic affairs, but Pulp Fiction is easily among the top echelon of quotable films. Quentin Tarantino has always had a knack for writing some of the most engaging dialog to go along with a well-written plot, whether it’s a conversation about $5 milkshakes or a fake quote from the Bible about laying vengeance upon thee.
Just do us all a favor, white people, and refrain from shouting out Tarantino’s own lines about “storage” of a certain dead body. Just don’t.
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Feast
It’s amazing to think that this has become one of those special Alamo Drafthouse traditions. For the uninitiated: You sit with your fellowship of fantasy geeks and watch the extended editions of Peter Jackson’s adaptation of Tolkien’s epic novels. That’s nearly 12 hours of cinematic nerdgasms to sit through, but don’t worry about missing out on your second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, etc. because you’ll be well-fed with seven courses.
This is a gastronomic quest that’s reserved for the most devoted and bravest of fans, but it’s also a good alternative to Thanksgiving dinner. Instead of celebrating the communal spirit between pilgrims and Native Americans, celebrate the unlikely union among elves, dwarves, men and hobbits.