Movie Hullabaloo Recap!
Sunday I joined Houston Alamo Drafthouse Programming Director Robert Saucedo and Ain't It Cool's Alan Cerny (Nordling) for a surprise five-movie marathon at the Alamo. Robert approached Alan and me and asked us what movie we'd love to program, with the only stipulation that the film can't have screened at any Houston location over the past five years. We supplemented our three picks with two preview screenings of upcoming releases, and together it made for a wonderfully diverse and yet weirdly thematic day.
Our first title was my pick: a 35mm print of Rian Johnson's Brick - and we had Badass Digest's very own Noah Segan join us! Brick is one of my favorite films, and I'd never seen it on the big screen before Sunday. The film is so beautifully arranged that a big, bright, 35mm print was the perfect way to watch it, and Noah of course gave a very charming intro and Q&A, because Noah can't help but be charming. You guys know that better than anyone.
Title #2 was Alan's - a lovely DCP of Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo. I hadn't seen this film since I was a kid, and it's so warm and funny and full of heart, a big shaggy dog of a movie, but like if that shaggy dog were a real badass wearing six-shooters and blowing shit up all the time. Noah stayed onstage after his Q&A to help Alan intro the film, because it's one of his favorites.
Our third film was one of the preview screenings, of Drafthouse Films' upcoming The Final Member. It's a documentary from Jonah Bekhor and Zach Math about Siggi Hjartarson's Icelandic penis museum and his attempts to complete his collection with the only penis he's missing: a human's. The Final Member comes out in April, and I cannot wait for you guys to see it. It's much sweeter and more thoughtful than you're probably imagining, although there are plenty of belly laughs to be found. (Oh Elmo, you rascal.)
Movie #4 was Robert's pick, and the film I probably enjoyed seeing most on the big screen: David Byrne's amazingly weird True Stories! I love this movie so much and seeing it in this way, on 35mm and surrounded by friends, warmed my entire person head to toe. It took everything I had not to belt along to "People Like Us," and there may have been some whisper-singing happening in my chair. Louis Fyne, I'll marry you.
And the last film of the evening was also a preview screening, of Derek Lee and Clif Prowse's Afflicted. This is the only movie of the day I'd never seen before, and I wanted to like it more than I did. And I did like it - it has a great energy and some very good gore, but I'd hoped it would be a bit more surprising.
Still, it was a strong way to finish out a great day of movie-watching. Movie Hullabaloo was just about people who love movies, and we had a terrific turnout of just those types of people. I was happy to spend the day with them, and I can't wait for next year.
