Ever since I moved to Austin 14 years ago, the summer has meant one thing to me (well, besides several months of brutal triple digit temperatures): Paramount’s Summer Classic Film Series. More recently, Cinema East has developed into a staple for my Sunday evenings during the summer months. While I anxiously anticipate announcements from the Paramount and Cinema East regarding their 2012 summer programming, the Alamo Drafthouse is the first out of the gate with a couple of announcements that have pushed my calendar well beyond its cinematic limits for the next few months.
First off, Alamo Drafthouse and Mondo announced their partnership with Martin Scorsese’s film preservation organization, The Film Foundation. Created in 1990 by Scorsese, The Film Foundation is dedicated to protecting and preserving motion picture history. By working in partnership with the leading archives and studios, the foundation raises awareness of the urgent need for preservation and has saved over 560 films.
Mondo is coordinating a new poster series with special screenings of eight beautifully restored 35mm prints of classic films at the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz. Each film has been hand selected by Mondo’s Justin Ishmael, Mitch Putnam & Rob Jones from a list of over 560 films restored by The Film Foundation. Mondo’s posters will be sold individually at each screening with remaining prints sold online at http://www.mondotees.com.
For more information about the Film Foundation screenings at the Alamo Ritz, check out the Alamo Blog.
As excited as I am to see newly restored prints of iconic films such as Rashomon, Paths of Glory and Night of the Hunter on the big screen, I am in totally overjoyed that the Alamo Drafthouse is recreating the Summer of 1982. Not only will this summer mark the the 30th anniversary of the greatest summer of movies ever, but 1982 marked the summer when I first became addicted to movies.
I was nine years old that fateful summer – more precisely I was mere months away from becoming ten years old, which meant that my friends and I were “mature” enough to handle being left in a movie theater with no parental supervision! Of course that depended on the film. If my memory of thirty years ago serves me correctly, I saw The Road Warrior and Blade Runner with my parents; but I saw The Secret of NIMH, Rocky III, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, E.T. and Tron sans adult chaperons. (As for Conan the Barbarian, Poltergeist, The Thing or Fast Times at Ridgemont High – those were deemed too violent, too scary and/or too adult for my 9-year old brain.) Whether the Summer of 1982 was truly the greatest summer of movies ever is definitely debatable (then again, what isn’t?), but I do give that summer a lot of credit for my transformation into a film nerd.
The Alamo’s Summer of 1982 series commences on May 11 with Conan the Barbarian, and goes on to feature Rocky III, Poltergeist, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, E.T., The Thing and Tron. But, most importantly, there is a kick-ass Road Warrior Rolling Roadshow event (sponsored by none other than Film School Rejects) on Friday, May 18 in Kyle, Texas. Check out Kate Erbland’s post for more information.
Get tickets and watch the trailer for the Summer of 1982 sreies at drafthouse.com/1982.
Cinematic Things To Do in Austin This Week:
5/8 – Alamo South Lamar – Austin Film Society’s Essential Cinema Series continues with Artan Minarolli’s Alive!. (More info)
5/9 – Texas Spirit Theater – Austin Film Festival presents the next entry in their Made in Texas: Adaptations series, Toy Soldiers with co-writer and director Daniel Petrie Jr. in attendance for a Q&A. (More info)
5/9 – AMOA/Arthouse – Tim League and Team Alamo host a rooftop screening of Breaking Away paired with a new signature feast prepared by Alamo Executive Chef John Bullington as a benefit for their upcoming BP MS 150 bike ride. (More info)
5/11–12 – Alamo Ritz – The Late Show and Cine Las Americas co-present two late night screenings of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Santa Sangre in celebration of Mother’s Day. (More info)
5/14 – KLRU-TV – Check out Angie Dickinson, Meat Loaf, Barry Corbin, Danny Trejo and Douglas McGrath on KLRU’s presentation of the 2012 Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards presented by AFS. (More info)
