Recommended Events for This Week’s Cooling Temps

Queer Film Theory 101: Back to School

Thursday 29, the Highball

Pack your pencils, papers, and cute animal-themed folders because this month's live Queer Film Theory 101 is all about those linoleum-lined school halls. With four queer film "professors" – aka people who like movies and signed up for stage time – explore the queer awakenings baked into classroom-set media. Hosts Mike Graupmann and Lesley Clayton promise no pop quiz, but you will be enrolled in "a one-night crash course curriculum covering some of the best (and queerest) films from yesteryear." Oh, also, yours truly will be there presenting my own childhood fave: Teacher’s Pet The Movie. Be there or earn a failing grade in having fun!   – James Scott

American Pie Emo Night

Thursday 29, the Parish

It’s all Kevin’s fault, really. If he hadn’t convinced the guys to enter into a sex pact in the first movie, then we never would have got the nine films (and counting) of the American Pie franchise. Join Thomas Nicholas, the actor who unleashed all that horny humor, for a special 25th anniversary screening and Q&A celebrating the original in all its dessert-penetrating glory. Plus, Nicholas was clearly at band camp, because the night will also feature a performance from his band, with support from NYC’s finest Blink-182 cover band, Dude Ranch.   – Richard Whittaker

Sunny Days

Through Sept. 15, the Vortex

Making puppets “mature” is no new phenomenon (see: Avenue Q, or that terrible Melissa McCarthy movie, The Happytime Murders – sorry for reminding you of that film’s existence). But most content struggles to move beyond “Hey, isn’t it sooo funny that puppets are having sex and swearing?” It takes a special work to make the puppets an essential part of the theme, but with Sunny Days, Reina Hardy moves past novelty and toward intense introspection. Named for the iconic Sesame Street theme song, Hardy takes the gentle, educational approach of that classic property to explain her not-so-fictional world ravaged by political unrest and climate change. The puppets are an integral part of the story. They’re needed for this unmissable call to action told with hilarity, heartbreak, and hand puppets.   – Cat McCarrey

Fae Ball Austin

Friday 30 - Sunday 1, Hilton Austin

There’s increasingly popular all the time fairy smut, and then there’s fairy strutting your stuff at a Fae Ball. For fellow fans of Sarah J. Maas’ massive Maasiverse and the like, this ball offers a taste of your bookish daydreams in the waking world. Attendees are to dress in their high fantasy best, and partake in High Tea and supper alongside romantasy authors including Amber V. Nicole (The Book of Azrael), Tracy Wolff (Crave), and Hannah Nicole Maehrer (Assistant to the Villain). Over the weekend, there will be discussion of romance tropes, karaoke, fantasy trivia, and many hours of dancing.   – Maggie Quinlan

Twister

Thursday 29, Saturday 31 & Thursday 5, Blue Starlite North Central

Before there was Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones, there was Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt. Twister, one of the original man vs. nature monster movies, is perfect fodder for the drive-in – a spooky open-air setting where a tornado could come and blow you away at any moment. Immersive! Jan de Bont’s 1996 classic film doesn’t have any direct crossover with the recent sequel Twisters, but it set the vibe for a sniping couple working together to save people from the wrath of the tornado. A bit campier, but weirdly also a bit scarier.   – Lina Fisher

The Big Bend

Through Sept. 12, Blue Starlite North Central

To quote that philosopher of American cinema Joe Bob Briggs, the drive-in will never die. No act of outdoor exhibition valor shows that more than the way the Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive-In has kept the lights on after not one but two break-ins this summer. So there’s no more suitable movie to watch there than Brett Wagner’s The Big Bend, a gutsy indie road trip to far, far West Texas.   – Richard Whittaker

Bat Babes of Austin Market

Friday 30, Buzz Mill

If you’re a bit of a goth babe with an appreciation for weird and wild stuff, upcycled and recycled art and wearables, and of course, the bodacious bat, come on down to Buzz Mill for the Bat Babes market’s birthday party for August babies. Learn about bats and find unique handmade jewelry from Clown Couture, “cuddly toys for feral children” by Art From Hell, potions from Natural Magick Co-op, and tons more. Cool 24/7 hang zone Buzz Mill offers solid food trailer options as well as local beers, coffee drinks, and creative infused libations to keep you fueled up for shopping, 6-10pm.   – Kat McNevins

Lone Star Le Mans

Friday 30 - Sunday 1, Circuit of the Americas

The FIA World Endurance Championship returns to COTA for the first time since 2020. This round, the lone stateside affair in 2024, runs for six hours on Sunday after qualifying takes place on Saturday. WEC races feature two distinct classes of cars, with sports prototypes making up the high-octane Hypercar class and souped-up vehicles closer resembling what you’d see on the road contesting LMGT3. Toyota has won the past three Hypercar manufacturers’ championships, but Porsche is slightly ahead in the current standings with only three rounds remaining. Three-day, general admission tickets are just $69.   – Derek Udensi

Kids Camp: Quest for Camelot

Friday 30 & Monday 2, Alamo Slaughter Lane, Lakeline, Mueller

One of the many non-Disney animated features that gained traction in the Aughts due to it being, well, not Disney. Quest for Camelot takes Arthurian legend and certainly does Something to it. Here you won’t find the traditional young Arthur finding his way or Merlin casting spells. Instead, the viewpoint swings to the daughter of a round table knight, who vows to take his place once her pops dies in battle. Usual animated movie shenanigans ensue, including throwing big-name actors into the voice cast like Gary Oldman playing bad guy Lord Ruber, Eric Idle and Don Rickles as an occasionally funny two-headed dragon, and Cary Elwes in the love interest role. Special mention to the singing voice cast, which boasts Celine Dion and Journey’s Steve Perry.   – James Scott

Streets of Fire

Saturday 31, Paramount Theatre

Walter Hill was once asked, “Why wasn’t Streets of Fire a blockbuster?” He simply replied, “Because nobody went to see it.” Well, now’s the time to fix that failure and watch the recently rediscovered 70mm print of Hill’s rock & roll fable and cult masterpiece. The story is Fifties Americana refined, as the Leader of the Pack (Willem Dafoe) kidnaps the Queen of the Hop (Diane Lane) and Soldier Boy (Michael Paré) comes to her rescue. But the look and the sound is the epitome of the neon-drenched Eighties, pure style with a soundtrack by Jim Steinman and Ry Cooder. Remember, tonight is what it means to be young.   – Richard Whittaker

Rhinestone Roots

Saturday 31, the Museum of Human Achievement

Kit yourself out in cowpoke finery for this evening celebrating queer Southern folks of color. Hosted by local stage and art legends Gothess Jasmine and Bobby Pudrido, attendees can expect drag, country dancing, a vendor market, delectable vegetarian dishes by Fork Fantasies, and a fashion show curated by SwankKi. DJs Lavender Thug and Cysum set the groove mood. “Our mission,” the event organizers write, “is to create a joyful, safe space where Black and brown queer communities can honor their Southern roots, enjoy themselves, and feel represented.” Important note: Masks are required indoors, so bring your KN95!   – James Scott

Austin Cactus & Succulent Society 2024 Fall Show

Saturday 31 - Sunday 1, Zilker Botanical Garden

They say cactus and succulents are the hardest plants to kill. Well, “they” haven’t met my intensely black thumb. But even avowed plant-murderers like myself can enjoy the beauty in these spiky survivalist seedlings. And luckily, Austin Cactus & Succulent Society has all the tips and tricks to help turn the most cursed gardener into Mother Nature herself. At their Fall Show there will be heaps of advice for cultivation, along with gorgeous specimens and handcrafted pottery for sale. Short on funds? Try your hand at the hourly raffles for plant prizes. Admission also comes with entrance into the Zilker Botanical Garden, so make a horticultural holiday out of this annual event.   – Cat McCarrey

Back to School Safety Fair

Saturday 31, Barton Creek Square

Back in my day, we had Smokey Bear and McGruff the Crime Dog to explain safety to us. At this safety fair, the Chick-fil-A cow will be present – maybe to explain how to keep cows safe by exclusively patronizing chicken restaurants, maybe just for fun. Kiddos will also get to climb aboard and explore first responder vehicles and meet reps from Austin Police Department, Austin Fire Department, and Austin-Travis County EMS. Start the school year by letting them meet the folks who aim to keep them safe, plus get a chance at the scooter/skateboard giveaway while supplies last, along with refreshments. Stop by from 10am to 2pm.   – Kat McNevins

Fangoria Horror Trivia + Phantom of the Mall: Eric’s Revenge

Saturday 31, We Luv Video

Test your horror & thriller cinema knowledge with a mag that's "First in Fright." Fangoria offers tempting prizes for those who know their scary stuff – like official Fangoria merch and other creepy tchotchkes. Follow that up with a screening of cult classic Phantom of the Mall: Eric’s Revenge. This Richard Friedman-directed feature stands within a holy catalog, aka horror movies that take place in malls. Not a terribly long catalog, TBH, which is probably why this movie and Chopping Mall were shot in the same shopping mega-center. The more you know!   – James Scott

Kiki’s Delivery Service

Saturday 31, Paramount Theatre

Before you ask: Yes, this is going to be a screening of the Disney dub. But Ghibli features often deliver pretty good English casts, and Kiki’s is no exception. A young Kirsten Dunst glows in her portrayal of a witch coming of age in her new seaside home – out on her own for the first time ever. As Ursula, the older artist who eventually becomes Kiki's friend and confidante, Janeane Garofalo cements the character as both a lifelong crush and role model for many a generation. I mean, who wouldn't want to be a painter in denim cut-offs and tank top who lives in a forest cabin with crows? The standout is, of course, SNL alum Phil Hartman as Jiji, the black cat who serves as both Kiki's familiar and her best friend. His voice work conveys a world weariness funneled through quips: never frustrated with his young owner, only gently concerned. A perfect movie for parents and kids that'll leave everyone feeling a little seen.   – James Scott

Austin Lowriding Car Show & Culture Festival

Sunday 1, Palmer Events Center

My secret shame? I can’t hear the words “low rider” without the sax/harmonica riff from War’s hit song reverberating through my mind. Sorry-not-sorry if that’s stuck in your head now, too. But you have to admit, it’s a pretty good soundtrack for an event spotlighting the magnificent machines in Austin – which, by the way, is known as the “Lowriding Capital of the World.” Come gaze upon these beauties, all shiny and chrome. Connect with the vibrant community who keeps the car low, slow, and bumping supremely sick tunes. It’s more than a motor: It’s a celebration of lifestyle, culture, and the art of the auto.   – Cat McCarrey

Ocaña: An Intermittent Portrait

Sunday 1, AFS Cinema

Dissidence is dangerous. That’s the message of the life and art of José Pérez Ocaña, better known simply as Ocaña, the queer painter, drag performer, and conceptual provocateur. In 1978’s Ocaña, retrat intermitent, documentarian Ventura Pons creates a portrait of a passionate and unstoppably transgressive force of nature who fled the small-town repression of rural Andalusia to take on the institutional oppression of post-Franco Barcelona. Ocaña’s paintings hang in galleries around the globe – in part due to how this film has allowed their reappraisal – but nowhere else can you drink in the glory of Ocaña’s drag walks down his adopted city’s most well-known promenade, La Rambla, events that were by turns lewd and joyful, clownish and glamorous, but always drew a captivated crowd.   – Richard Whittaker

Robert Rodriguez Presents: What’s Up, Doc?

Sunday 1, Paramount Theatre

Paramount's fabulous summer programming continues with this Seventies screwball comedy starring the inimitable Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal. "What’s Up, Doc? joyously recaptures the bubbly style of 1930s screwball comedies," writes the theatre, teasing a “daffy luggage mixup plot, dippy dialogue exchanges, a marvelous example of the art of hotel-room demolition and one of the funniest chase sequences ever, all over San Francisco." Dippy and daffy? Marvelous! Peter Bogdanovich, whose other masterworks include Paper Moon and Larry McMurtry adaptation The Last Picture Show, directs. Also: Look out for the film debut of powerhouse Madeline Kahn.   – Lina Fisher

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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.