Matilda, The Matrix, and Mixers in This Week’s Recommended Events

Erick Rowan slams Chad Gable during WWE Monday Night Raw (Courtesy of WWE)

WWE Monday Night Raw

Monday 12, Moody Center

Fallout from a wild SummerSlam continues as WWE makes its second appearance at Moody Center. Pro wrestlers scheduled to appear include new World Heavyweight Champion Gunther and Jey Uso, whose electric entrance alone makes attending worthwhile. Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley, formerly of the Judgment Day, seek revenge after they were both betrayed by ex-stablemates at SummerSlam. Then there’s CM Punk, who finds himself in the middle of an engrossing feud with bitter rival Drew McIntyre. Punk shockingly returned last November and looks set to make his first local WWE appearance since December 2013.   – Derek Udensi

Courtesy of AFS Cinema

Time Masters

Monday 12, AFS Cinema

There are many reasons you should become a member at Austin Film Society, but one of the best is the perk of Member Monday, a free screening every month. AFS’ fire programming ensures even the most avid film buff will be introduced to some hidden gem; for example, this Monday, they show 1982 sci-fi animated epic Time Masters. AFS sets the bait: “On the desert planet of Perdide, Piel, a small boy and the lone survivor of a giant hornet attack, awaits rescue by a motley crew of space voyagers led by the pilot adventurer Jaffar. But will the renegade team arrive before the boy succumbs to the dangers of this strange world?” Fans of psychedelic masterpiece Fantastic Planet might want to pull up, because this is directed by the same guy, René Laloux.   – Lina Fisher

Kids Camp: Matilda

Monday 12 - Wednesday 14, Alamo Drafthouse Slaughter Lane, Lakeline, and Mueller

Matilda: an important work for all nerdy kids who felt on the outside because they could read at an eighth grade level in fifth grade; a testament to Danny DeVito’s talents both behind and in front of a camera; and a very American adaptation of the very British Roald Dahl classic. Just as relevant today as it was in 1996, Matilda argues for the important interior life of children and their right to exist outside of their parents. Imagine if the Wormwoods showed up to an AISD meeting upset over the Genderbread Person, or if Trunchbull was throwing kids around at one of Greg Abbott’s beloved charter schools ... what a world. Thankfully, there’s still plenty of Miss Honeys in the world – some of whom I’m sure are taking their kiddos to see this wonderful picture.   – James Scott

The Matrix

Tuesday 13, Paramount Theatre

The Matrix came out in 1999 and changed film forever. The Wachowski Sisters feature made subculture style mainstream, bringing out the black leather and belts of underground BDSM so it could really shine. Look, maybe you found the newest Matrix a difficult swallow – in which case, my condolences for your bad taste as that movie rules – but who can deny the propulsion punching through this seismic shift in sci-fi cinema? Trans people continue to rip, shred, and suckerpunch culture into the next century.   – James Scott

Book Lovers Social/Singles Mixer: Straight Night

Tuesday 13, Cosmic Coffee + Beer Garden Pickle

Lovers of books seeking same, hie thee to this speed dating night hosted by Austin Indie Book Fair. You’ll want to get your ticket in advance ($25, or about the price of a brand-new hardback), and you’ll want to do it fast: Only 15 tickets for women and 15 tickets for men are available for this intimate mixer. (Note: The Eventbrite page puts the age range at “21-40ish”.) If straight doesn’t tick your box, hold tight: Austin Indie Book Fair also hosts an LGBTQ mixer Aug. 20 and a trans & non-binary social Aug. 27, both at Radio/East.   – Kimberley Jones

Hitchcock Week

Wednesday 14 - Sunday 18, Paramount Theatre

The Paramount Summer Classic Film Series kicks off its annual tribute to cinema’s master of suspense with the lesser-seen 1934 version of The Man Who Knew Too Much, made before Hitch had decamped for Hollywood. It’s got a terrific Peter Lorre performance (his first English-language role) and a first draft of the climactic Royal Albert Hall assasination. Compare and contrast it with the 1956 version starring Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day, which bookends Hitchcock Week; sandwiched in between are crowd pleasers Notorious, Dial M for Murder, and North by Northwest, plus single-take curio Rope.   – Kimberley Jones

Adobe for All: Vinyl Stickers on Illustrator

Wednesday 14, Central Library

Stickers! Stickers for all! For ages 13 and up, Austin Public Library provides access to a computer and Adobe Illustrator for absolute free. Guiding you through the graphic design process is an instructor, giving you beginner-friendly tips that’ll make your sticker designs look spiffy. This runs as part of APL’s wider Adobe for All series, which “teach the basics of various Creative Cloud applications through short tutorials.” First come, first served, so arrive at 6pm sharp to guarantee your spot.   – James Scott

Photo by Petr Sidorov via Unspash

Tarot Meetup

Wednesday 14, Yarrow & Sage

This year has already been a shitshow. Wouldn’t you love some clarity for the next few months? Something to cut through the noise and help you focus intentions? Enter Linda O’Neal of Austin Tarot Therapy. She uses tarot as a guiding force. Using tarot’s revelations and principles of anchoring mindfulness, her tarot sessions can give you a sense of direction as we face a new season. She also assists your own pulls, offering assistance in any interpretations or practices necessary. Plus, you can refresh all your mystical apothecary needs at host shop Yarrow and Sage. Reset and recharge.   – Cat McCarrey

Pan African Film Festival

Thursday 15 - Sunday 18, AFS Cinema

This year, the Pan African Film Festival – established in 1992 by three of the most formidable titans of Black cinema: Danny Glover, Ja’Net DuBois of Good Times fame, and executive producer Ayuko Babu – offers a solid lineup. The highly anticipated Luther Vandross documentary, Luther: Never Too Much, makes its Austin debut. Films Following Harry – a doc focused on the then 84-year-old Harry Belafonte building next-gen activists – and A Wu-Tang Experience: Live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre – a deep dive into one of hip-hop’s most historic concerts – set the tone for an emotional weekend at the movies.   – Cy White

One Man’s Trash: Howard the Duck

Thursday 15, Eastside Cinema

There are those that argue that the modern era of Marvel movies began in 2008 with Iron Man. Some say, no, it happened in 2000 with the first X-Men movie. Self-proclaimed purists will glower over their Oakley Fours and make cutting comments about 1998’s Blade. But real ones know that it all started 12 years earlier with a cigar-puffing, hard-drinking, suit-wearing duck. Let’s be generous and say that Hollywood struggled to turn the four-color misadventures of the sardonic waterfowl – more Seinfeld than Fantastic Four – into a summer blockbuster, and almost killed Lea Thompson’s career. So let Eric Samaniego and Wright Sulek, hosts of the Trash in the Can podcast, convince you of the bizarre joys of this landmark in furry fiction.   – Richard Whittaker

Building Austin Information Session

Thursday 15, Permitting and Development Center

Good citizens report for duty! The city’s Capital Delivery Services division requires your attendance, real or virtual, for its first-ever Building Austin information session. City build-it-alls will hold forth on the projects reshaping our beloved hometown on Airport Boulevard, East MLK, Little Walnut Creek, and elsewhere, including new fire stations, parks, libraries, trails, and you get the picture.   – Brant Bingamon

Pass Over

Through August 31, Ground Floor Theatre

Two young men, trapped in the treadmill of life, waiting for something destined to come. Such is the seemingly uneventful plot of Pass Over. But unlike frequent comparison point Waiting for Godot, the companion Pass Over’s men are waiting for is Death itself. Main characters Moses and Kitch spend the play on a street corner. The days are long, slow, and full of yearning. Surreal while all too real. Set in the current day, but mixed with ancient yet ever-present histories of slavery and violence, Pass Over reminds the viewer that for some, a peaceful day can be a gift. First show’s on Aug. 15.   – Cat McCarrey

Want to see all of our listings broken down by day? Go to austinchronicle.com/calendar and see what's happening now or in the coming week.