AlamoDrafthouse Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Back at last year's Fantastic Fest, I was privy to a conversation between Scott Weinberg and screenwriter Marcus Dunstan about the latter's latest project (he'd just done some Saw sequels and was in town for his Feast follow-ups). It was called Midnight Man at the time, and if I could remember what it was about, I'd tell you. (Honest!) I just remember being vaguely psyched for it.*

Well, the film's done now, under a new name of The Collector and accompanied by a bunch of solid buzz from genre sites all over and none other than Alamo Drafthouse head honcho Tim League himself. Thusly, Fantastic Fest and our own Horror Squad have teamed up to bring an early screening of the film to Austin before its July 31st theatrical run.

For more details on this free (!) sneak peek, head on over to Horror Squad.

*"Vaguely psyched!" - Go ahead, put that on the poster.

What are your criteria for the "best" movie theaters in your area? Most convenient? Most economical? Best popcorn? Best programming? Least corporate? "The Best Movie Houses in America" is the headline of an article in Paste Magazine, in which they list seven "top-notch" independently-owned movie theaters.

Their criteria focuses on the selection of films available at the local indie movie house: "We look to it as a calm voice of reason in a sea of neon-appointed megaplexes; as a secure place of refuge where we discover talented indie filmmakers who've been flying under the radar." They include two Manhattan theaters among the seven: Film Forum and the IFC Center, plus one each in Austin (Cinematical favorite The Alamo Drafthouse Downtown/Ritz), Boston (The Coolidge Corner Theatre), Chicago (Facets Cinematheque), Minneapolis (Riverview Theater), and Seattle (The Grand Illusion Cinema).

My criteria for "best" revolves around good programming, superior projection / sound, and comfortable seating, with the option of good, varied food and drinks a big bonus. When I lived in New York, I loved Film Forum for its programming and the Ziegfield Theatre (admittedly not an indie house) for projection / sound. I stayed in Chicago one summer and admired the programming at Facets, the Music Box Theatre, and the Gene Siskel Film Center. My Los Angeles faves were the American Cinematheque at the Egyptian, the New Beverly, the UCLA Film and Television Archive, and the Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood (again, not an indie). Now that I live in Texas, the Alamo reigns supreme for me, even though it's 200 miles away.

What are the best movie houses in your area? Is there a great, locally-owned theater (or small chain) that deserves more love?

Welcome to the second episode of The Cinematical Roundtable, our latest podcast here at the site, where we'll speak with writers and readers alike about the latest in film offerings. Joining us this round is James Rocchi, formerly of Cinematical and currently of MSN Movies and countless other outlets, as we tackle several of the more independent titles that graced us with their presence at this year's SXSW Film Festival.

Again, please bear with the overwhelming ambiance of the International House of Pancakes (a South By staple, and not always by choice). In the weeks to come, the podcast will actually be produced in much more conducive conditions, but when in Austin, keeping it weird is the name of the game. With that in mind, your feedback is appreciated, and feel free to spread the word. Preferably the word 'podcast'. And 'Cinematical'. Yeah, that is two words, what of it?

That's what I thought...




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The cult following for the film Troll 2 has always perplexed me. There are lots of lousy movies in the world, after all. What makes this one so special? And doesn't enjoying something ironically get old after a while? (I'm not a fan of that thing hipsters do where something terrible is described as "awesome.")

But I am nothing if not eager to learn, so I took in a double feature Saturday night at South By Southwest. First up was Best Worst Movie, a highly entertaining documentary about the Troll 2 phenomenon, directed by Michael Stephenson, who as a young boy starred in the film. The doc prepared me for a screening of Troll 2 itself, which took place at midnight at the Alamo Drafthouse and was populated mostly -- they asked for a show of hands -- by Troll 2 virgins such as myself. That was nice, actually, because it meant there weren't a lot of people shouting the lines along with the movie, which is always a sure way to prevent newbies from enjoying something.

The verdict? Troll 2 is a singular piece of work. I assumed it would be bad, of course, but it's almost impossible to describe its badness to someone who hasn't seen it. You seldom see a real movie in which none of the actors actually knows how to act, but here it is. Nearly every reading of every line of dialogue is flat-out wrong, and the dialogue itself, as written, is impossibly bad, as if written by non-English-speakers (which it was) and translated by a computer (which it may well have been). There were times when it seemed like a parody of bad movies, like something you'd see on Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job.

(from left to right) Fantastic Fest programmer Zack Carlson, Fantastic Feud co-hosts Devin Steuerwald and Scott Weinberg, and Not Quite Hollywood director Mark Hartley

With the weekend came no sure rest for Fantastic Fest attendees. Saturday kicked off with, among other things: a screening of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes shown from an HD master of a cut unseen in over thirty-five years; initial screenings of the very popular Tiffany stalker doc I Think We're Alone Now and the very anticipated Swedish vampire drama Let the Right One In (which can now fall firmly in the former category); and a boat party held in honor of Donkey Punch, in which several youthful types face some serious consequences after their high behavior on the high seas. Did life end up imitating art on that front...?

I'm just over a week away from experiencing my very first Fantastic Fest at the fairly awesome Alamo Drafthouse in the fairly awesome town of Austin, Texas. Word from attendees of the past couple of years, including our own S. Weinberg, suggests that this year's Fest will itself be -- you guessed it -- fairly awesome.

On the one hand, FF is infamous for selling, and selling out, its badges for the following year during the current year's festivities. On the other, they've teamed up with sponsors AMD and B-Side to offer up five short films and five full features for free upon their website from September 14th through the 20th. You must sign up for the B-Side community in order to partake, but that's easy enough (and similarly free of charge), and then you get to cast a vote for the 'online audience favorite' award to be given out at the formal ceremony come the 22nd.

As far as the features offered go -- Dr. Infierno, I Think We're Alone Now, La Creme, Rule of Three, and South of Heaven -- I've only seen the second one, and when it comes to the shorts, among them is a killer Christmas tree short from the minds behind Hobo with a Shotgun that sounds too tempting to wait a week for. Should any of you indulge in the whole nine well, ten yards, do let us know what you think of which titles.

Once in awhile I come across little stories that are relevant to this column that don't necessarily call for so many words of commentary. But it's a shame to skip over them, so occasionally, I'd like to break The Exhibitionist up a bit and write about a few of them at once.


The first thing that caught my attention this week was a report of a study focused on ambient lighting, such as the kind used in cinemas. According to research conducted by academics at the University of Cumbria in England, and at University College Dublin in Ireland, movies should be viewed in rooms that are as well lit as the movies themselves. So, yes, that means your local multiplex has the lights dimmed way too low.

But, you wonder, isn't it dark in theaters because we can see the movie much better that way? And when we're at home don't we turn out the lights, or, when it's daytime, close the shades for the same reason? Well, yes, but incorrectly so, say Cumbria's Professor David Manning and UCD's Professor Patrick Brennan. Their findings indicate that such darkness actually hinders the eye's ability to see at optimum capability. "Ideally, ambient light should be adapted to the brightness of the screen for the eye to pick up as much detail as it can," Manning said. "However, most people prefer to watch films in a darkened room, but as the eye adapts to the surrounding light these conditions may not be conducive to picking up maximum visual detail."

OK, this has gone waaaay out of control, but in a hilariously awesomely geeky way. It started with a sold-out midnight screening of the undeniably (hysterically) awful Troll 2 -- which led to an as-yet-unfinished documentary feature called Best Worst Movie -- which led to ... man oh man is this crazy. Turns out that Morgan, Utah is where "Nilbog" was created for Troll 2 ... so it only stands to reason that the Best Worst Movie crew and the Alamo Drafthouse Rolling Roadshow lunatics would join forces and bring Nilbog back to life.

I'm including the Alamo's full and complete press release after the jump, but here's a quick recap of the impending festivities: Screenings of Troll (1986), Troll 2 (1990), The Crawlers (1990, aka Troll 3), Quest for the Mighty Sword (1990, aka The Hobgoblin, aka Troll 3), Beyond Darkness (1990, aka House 5) -- some of which have NEVER been seen before! Oh, and there will be panel discussions and meals with the cast and crew members, fan flick contests, dances, parties, eating competitions, and approximately 214 additional insane activities. All in the name of wonderfully inept filmmaking that's so much fun to watch it almost feels dirty.

The date: June 27 - 29. The place: Nilbog (aka Morgan, Utah). The expense: Event packages start at a mere $40. For a whole LOT more information, check out the full press release below. And remember: You don't wee-wee on hospitality like this!

I find it kind of interesting -- no, funny, actually -- that while tons of movie fans were down in Austin for SXSW, enjoying the greatest cinema experience available, at the Alamo Drafthouse (Ritz and South Lamar), exhibitors from all over the country were piling into Las Vegas for ShoWest, the annual convention and trade show, where discussion and conversation often turns to the question, "how can we make moviegoing a better experience and, more importantly, a more lucrative business?"

Maybe some of the suits should have made the trip to SXSW instead, had a beer and a burger (ahem, a Royale with Cheese), and started lobbying their districts, if need be, to begin following the business model of the Alamo. I know that in my state of New York, it's not technically legal to serve alcohol in a cinema, but surely it is part of some antiquated law that needs to be adjusted (like how technically you're not allowed to dance at many bars in NYC).

At last night's raucous midnight world premiere of Dance of the Dead, director Gregg Bishop said in his introduction that he was thrilled to have the film debut at the Alamo Drafthouse. He said it with a certain reverence, like he couldn't believe his luck. Several other filmmakers have echoed those sentiments at past screenings, i.e., that getting your film into the festival is pleasure enough, but having it play at the Alamo is nirvana. And I realized that the Alamo truly sets SXSW apart from most other festivals.

Think about Sundance. They use a dozen or so venues around Park City, Utah. Many of them are perfectly lovely and functional, and one or two even have some local historical or cultural significance. But I can't imagine any filmmaker ever saying, "I'm so glad my movie is having its world premiere at the Eccles Theatre!" None of the venues have any cachet. My impression is that this is the case with most venues at most festivals. Some of them are cool enough, but do you dream of one day premiering your film at that particular place?

But people who make movies -- especially horror flicks and rowdy comedies and other types particularly suited to the Alamo's irreverent attitude -- actually do dream of that. The Alamo really has (and richly deserves) that kind of "cool" status.