Noir City Austin 2016 - Schedule is Up - Come join us for a show!

Noir City returns to Austin at The Alamo Drafthouse Ritz on Austin's famed 6th Street!  Dates are May 20, 21 and 22.

I'm going to a bunch of the shows, but I fully expect to be worn out only attending a portion of the full program as each showing is a double-bill.

To see which shows are available, check out the calendar at The Alamo Ritz website.

Right now I have tickets to a whole bunch of the showings, which you can see in the calendar on this site.

I'd spend more time coordinating with you fine people to see who wants to go, but I'm flying out for Atlanta for a conference tomorrow.

I have tickets for Row 3, Seat 20 (and 19 for some screenings so I don't leave Jamie alone all weekend).    

I don't know too many of these movies, which is something I'm pretty excited about.  Always fun to see new things.

Come on down and join us/ me!

Klaatu Barada Nikto! Paramount Austin Sci-Fi Week is Coming

Hey, Austinites!

It's about to be Sci-Fi Week at Austin's own Paramount Theater, August 14-19!

There's a great bunch of films coming, and I am up for any and/ or all of them.

Let me know if any of this looks like fun, and we can join up downtown.

"Gort.  You stay here and watch the car."

• Day the Earth Stood Still
• Forbidden Planet
• Metropolis
• The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
• Planet of the Apes
• Invasion of the Body Snatchers
• The Terminator
• A Clockwork Orange

A lot of these movies are showing three days, so we have lots of options.

in case you couldn't guess, I'm pretty keen on seeing "Beast from 20,000 Fathoms".  And hearing Jamie surely describe the monster as "really cute!".

Avengers: Meet-Up, Saluting the Creators

So, not too many of you live in Austin, but if anyone is interested in seeing the movie of Avengers on May 6th, I guess (I just realized we have a graduation party to attend on Saturday, so its got to be Sunday), let me know.

We'll hit one of the Alamo locations to ensure the bestest experience for seeing the movie.  And if you're Aaron, I think I promised you a ticket.

Am I excited for Avengers?  No, not really.  I am probably more excited for this than, say, Tintin, but less excited than I was for...  lots of other stuff.  I mostly get excited at about the 30 minute mark if a movie hasn't let me down yet.  That's how, these days, I deal with the crippling disappointment that comes with trying to enjoy superhero movies.  People, I saw both Fantastic Four movies, a Ghost Rider and Daredevil in the theater.  This is the only sane reaction.

If you want to join me and the missus (who is revealing herself to be more into all this than you'd think), contact me anyway you like, and we'll sort it out.

Leading up to the movie, I think its only fair I do something in honor of the men and women who paved the way for Avengers to become a huge, tent-pole type movie.  So do not think I will diss Jack and the gang as we head towards big summer fun.

If you'd like to join in by writing about Jack Kirby, Walt Simonson, Joe Simon, Stan Lee, etc...  just let me know!  I'd welcome the participation.

Birdemic Returns to the Alamo!!!! - Cinema Series?

Austinites have two more opportunities to see Birdemic on the big screen (where it truly belongs!). The film is coming back to The Alamo!

June 16 at 10:30 pm
July 7 at 7:00 pm

Signal Corps, I am proposing a July 7, 7:00 pm screening.



You now have a full month to prepare yourself (if one can truly prepare) for BIRDEMIC!!!! Bring a coathanger, a check for one million dollars and a gun.

Cinema Series: GIANT at the Paramount

come back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean.

I have never seen the classic film "Giant", but if I'm going to watch it, what say you join me on Sunday, June 20th for four hours of epic Texas awesomeness? And a young Elizabeth Taylor, when that was a good idea.

Giant is showing at the Paramount Theatre on June 20th at 2:00 PM. Be there, or be square.

Adam West at the Paramount: 2pm on Sunday!

hey Signal Watchers!

Adam West will be in Austin at the Paramount Theater hosting a screening of the classic "Batman" movie starring he, Burt Ward, a rubber shark, a bomb, and more villains than you can shake a stick at.

If you want to join us, pick up your tickets now!

We'll announce pre-show meals, etc... before end of the week!

Psycho: Dinner and a Movie?

UPDATE: Meet-up is CANCELED.

Apparently, Lucy the Dog has taken ill.


One of the most influential films of all time, Psycho, will be showing at the Paramount Theatre in Austin at 7:00 on Tuesday.

Jamie and I will be joining Heather "Mad Dog" Wagner at the Hickory Street Bar and Grill at 5:45ish, prior to the show.

If you've got the time and want to meet up prior to the show or at the show, we'd love to see you.


Come join us. It'll be a scream.

"Night Nurse" at The Ritz

On Sunday, May 2nd, I'm headed down to The Ritz on 6th in Austin for a screening of "Night Nurse", a pre-code film starring a young Barbara Stanwyck. I know Stanwyck primarily from photos and "Christmas in Connecticut" (I admit to having never seen "Double Indemnity", of which I am a bit ashamed), but she's one of the classic screen sirens, and this flick came out during one of those periods that happens in Hollywood when things seem to be really cooking.

"Pre-Code" refers to the "Hays Code" that Hollywood self-imposed in order to avoid any official regulation after the moving pictures began to take heat from moral watchdog groups like The Catholic League. While a lot of what was considered risque then would make the average 2010 episode of CSI look like hard-core pornography, the public became concerned that movies were including material about promiscuity, drinking, drug use, etc... And it would still be decades before anyone thought about an actual ratings system.


no idea what's happening here, but it looks pretty awesome

Anyway, we can thank "Night Nurse" for helping anyone dream up the Hays Code, so I'll be honest when I say I'm a bit curious about what's in this thing. Plus, you know, Stanwyck.

There will be discussion before and after the movie by film historian, Kim Morgan.

The Alamo's Cinema Club describes itself thusly:

Cinema Club is an interactive new series that highlights the sophisticated appreciation and discussion of classic films from cinema history. At each screening a prominent film historian will introduce an essential film classic. Following the film, the speaker and members of our programming team will lead a discussion of the film, offering insight into the film's production, history, and artistic qualities. This is a venue for film appreciation, to discover or revisit the outstanding achievements of yesterday. Each screening will be accompanied by program notes written by our on-staff film historians. This is your premiere opportunity to relax and bask in the glorious silver screen.

So come on down. 7:00 on Sunday!

A Little Housekeeping

Vote In Our Poll!

Do you like democracy? Love self-determination? Dig the hell out of clicking buttons?

Well, have we got a deal for you.

Back at the old URL, we called folks who came in and started hanging out regularly our "Leaguers". Calling you guys "Leaguers" seems likely to cause confusion at the new URL.

So... It's time to employ Blogger's poll feature.

If you look around to your left in the menu bar, for the next few days we're going to have a poll available, and anyone can vote. You people are going to decide what I'll call you. I've got four ideas. If you have a killer idea, go ahead and send it in.

This direction is left:

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Visitors from Facebook and Twitter will need to visit us at the actual site.

Posting Schedule

Folks who visited the last blog probably got used to seeing posts pop up about 6-10 times per week. That's a pretty hectic schedule, what with my day job, my busy touring schedule, and my moonlighting as one of those doctors who performs plastic surgery on criminals building a phony ID.

We're still in early days, but right now my goal is to have material up 4 times per week. I figure that's a fairly regular schedule, and I can still do other things like: read. Go to movies. Walk the dog. Enjoy a sunset. Work on my time machine.

Free Comic Book Day meetup?

If anyone wants to meet up at Austin Books and Comics on Lamar in Austin, Texas for Free Comic Book Day, let me know. I plan to go down to Austin Books before mid-day, so maybe comics and then lunch?

I'm not super picky about my FCBD offerings, so I don't need to be down there at 8:00 AM when Austin Books is opening, but last year it got a little warm standing in the sunshine. I just need to grab "War of the Superman #0" and I'll be happy. But, really, I want to be there when the people show up dressed as X-Men or whatever... That's always kind of awesome.