Austin Sake Week
Thursday 20 – Sunday 23, multiple locations
So you’ve decided to take an interest in this boozy fermented rice bev but don’t want to travel overseas for a sip? Well, well: You’re in luck, Chronicle reader, as this week kicks off Sake Week here in Austin and in Dallas. Apologies to those in DFW who might be picking up a stray paper blown over during last week’s mega winds, but I’ll be focusing on Bat City’s offerings in this blurb. Here we’ll have what the Sake Brewers Association of North America calls “curated sake experiences,” which means special sake flights, pairings, and cocktails served up on local menus. Interested drinkers are advised to check in at participating restaurants across town like Lao’d, Fukumoto, and Texas Sake Co. Word to the well-informed: Many of these places serve cool sake stuff all year round! – James Scott
Just Kidding Variety Hour
Thursday 20, Trinity Street Playhouse
Check your calendar, Reader, and you’ll find we’re smack-dab on the spring equinox. To celebrate this “transition of seasons, rebirth, and renewal,” artist duo/couple jkjk (aka khattieQ and Jenny Larson-Quiñones) throw a variety show featuring multi-medium Austin artists. They’re not “just kidding” around about the talent on the lineup, which includes drag by Gothess Jasmine, composer Graham Reynolds, ballet dancer Alexandra Achieng Ligawa, comedian/actress Lee Eddy, and film pro Lauren Sanders under the moniker Low-Pressure Salesman. Sanders also tags in on a short flick made in collaboration with jkjk and visiting Germany-based artists Ida Daniel and Todor Stoyanov. Score your tix for whatever you can afford – the jkjk’s say no price is too high or low for y’all to spring forward. – James Scott
Electric Dreams
Friday 21, Hyperreal Film Club
The first feature on director Steve Barron’s CV – which would later include frequent child nightmare fuel The Adventures of Pinocchio – this 1984 Rusty Lemorande-penned story gets zapped to life thanks in large part to synth extraordinaire Giorgio Moroder’s score. Of course, that’s not the case in the actual film, where protagonist Miles (Leonard “Harold Smith from Twin Peaks” Von Dohlen) actually spills sentience into his PC via a knocked over champagne bottle. He’s then cucked by his computer, now going by Edgar, after it composes a partner piece to his hot neighbor Madeline’s (Candyman’s Virginia Madsen) cello practice performance. When he takes credit for the composition, a love triangle takes hold between man, machine, and musician that can only end in technological tears. Hyperreal programmer Morgan Hyde recommends the film for “fans of electronic music, weird little dudes, and kissing robots.” – James Scott
Georgia O’Keeffe: The Brightness of Light
Friday 21 – Sunday 23, Violet Crown Cinema
Between this and the ongoing “Exhibition on Screen” series, the Violet Crown is sure making a bid to be the home base for folks who love movies about visual art. Painter and “Mother of American modernism” Georgia O’Keeffe gets her flowers in Paul Wagner’s admiring documentary narrated by Hugh Dancy. (Wife Claire Danes provides the voice of Georgia O’Keeffe.) Chockablock with archival footage and more recent talking head interviews, the film explores the breadth of O’Keeffe’s life – including her marriage to the photographer and gallerist Alfred Stieglitz – and career, culminating in the Southwest work that defines her legacy. The doc will play several times this week at VCC, but Saturday’s 7pm screening includes an introduction and Q&A with the filmmakers. – Kimberley Jones
Se7en
Friday 21, We Luv Video
There really aren’t movies like Se7en anymore – just straight-ahead, taking-themselves-very-seriously Nineties crime thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat and never let up with the dark, oppressive mood. Movies nowadays could never earn the sheer terror and crushing tragedy of watching Brad Pitt scream “What’s in the baaaaxxx” over and over; it’d be buried under layers of winking irony. If you want to be seriously entertained and immersed, David Fincher delivers one of the most satisfying cinematic mysteries ever by following Pitt and Morgan Freeman as they hunt a twisted serial killer who bases his murders on the seven deadly sins. – Lina Fisher
Who Killed Teddy Bear?
Friday 21 & Sunday 23, AFS Cinema
Sal Mineo, sidekick to James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause, stars in his own right in this 1965 crime thriller. He plays a busboy at a disco club who becomes sexually obsessed with a hostess working there before stalking and incessantly calling her. Mineo’s performance elevates what could be considered a sleazefest to something more neo-noir and sophisticated, though expect schlocky thrills as well – a decapitated teddy bear, to name one. Think proto-Scream, Taxi Driver, and Psycho, complete with disturbing family dynamics as well. – Lina Fisher
Lost Highway
Friday 21 – Wednesday 26, All Alamo Drafthouses
“We’ve met before, haven’t we?” David Lynch’s filmography boasts no shortage of disarming, disquieting, and disillusioning imagery, but this scene in 1997’s Lost Highway – when a white-faced Robert Blake terrorizes a saxophone-wielding Bill Pullman with only a few words – might be his most straight-up terrifying. This neo-noir feature isn’t my favorite in Lynch’s oeuvre (though its Trent Reznor-produced soundtrack remains a treasure trove of Nineties industrial), but its ugliness still stirs – the mark of a job well done for anyone interested in the filmmaker’s investigations into time loops, mystery men, and, most importantly, human fallibility. – Carys Anderson
Leopoldstadt
Saturday 22 & Sunday 23, Shalom Austin Jewish Community Center
You’ve heard “Tom Stoppard” and “Shakespeare” in the same breath before; he won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for Shakespeare in Love, and his arguably most celebrated play is his Hamlet detour Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. But this staged reading by Austin Shakespeare tackles a weightier work: Stoppard’s Tony Award winning Leopoldstadt, a five-act play tracking an Austrian Jewish family from 1899 to 1955. While not explicitly autobiographical – Stoppard, for one, was born in Czechoslovakia before emigrating to the UK – his family’s history with the Holocaust informed Leopoldstadt, and he’s called it a “very personal” work, up to including his own stand-in in the last act. – Kimberley Jones
Sydney Yeager: “Unfurled”
Saturday 22, Davis Gallery
Joy comes from the unexpected. And maybe that’s why I never could create great visual art: The lack of control is terrifying. But it can be freeing, as proved by Sydney Yeager’s dynamic paintings. Her work contains swirling worlds birthed by a “wet on wet” process, where paint blends together unpredictably. Will the whirls reveal harmonious marriage of color or muddy twists and turns? What mental connections zap while viewing the undulating swaths of paints? – Cat McCarrey
Matt Kracht: A Dumb Birds Field Guide to the Worst Birds Ever
Saturday 22, BookPeople
Upping if not the stakes then the wingspan of previous books in his “Dumb Birds” series, The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America and The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World, Matt Kracht continues his crusade to eyeroll all things avian with his latest, a sort-of Sibley Guide for Haters, out March 25. (Kracht expressed far more enthusiasm in his similarly humorous 2023 guide, OMFG, BEES! Bees Are So Amazing and You’re About to Find Out Why. It’s true – bees are quite cool.) If you learn something from this self-described “professional birding amateur” it will almost certainly be by accident, not design, but failed birders will appreciate Kracht’s playful snark. – Kimberley Jones
Build-a-Boob Pot
Saturday 22, Blue Owl Brewing
Whether you consider yourself a fan of big naturals or prefer artificial blossoms, a handmade piece of pottery is perfect for your budding plant collection. Oh, wait: Did you think me, a pure innocent Chronicle writer, was talking about a more sensual subject? Just because these pots being made during this hour-and-a-half workshop within Cesar Chavez’s No. 1 sour-beer spot showcase majestic mammaries is no reason to be lewd. This is an opportunity for the ceramically gifted as well as those with underdeveloped clay skills to learn how to make a pinch pot and take home up to two DIY pottery pieces. So don’t be a boob: Bust out your wallet for a workshop ticket via potterywithapurpose.com. – James Scott
The Diabolical Dr. Z & Sex Is Crazy
Saturday 22, AFS Cinema
Jess Franco’s career could be summarized by rearranging the words vampire, Dracula, and sex in endless permutations. Spanish-born and later France-based, Franco’s work veered from more commercial horror projects such as Hammer’s The Brides of Dracula to true genius such as The Diabolical Dr. Z. Considered by screening venue AFS to be the director’s “most digestible film for first-timers,” the plot revolves around the titular doctor Irma Zimmer (Mabel Karr) using her zombie-making machine to do what it does best and make a zombie out of erotic dancer Miss Muerte and her poison-tipped talons. But the Franco fest doesn’t stop there, reader, as AFS also screens sci-fi sexploitation feature Sex Is Crazy. Longtime collaborator Lina Romay is a sex worker abducted by aliens who knock her up in this carnal cabaret. Presenters Severin Films and the Oscarbate Film Collective overtake the lobby for a pop-up shop. – James Scott
Texas Women’s Basketball vs. TBD
Saturday 22, Moody Center
In what’s starting to become an annual tradition under Texas head coach Vic Schaefer, Austin is a host site in the first two rounds of Women’s March Madness for a fourth consecutive season (not including a COVID-related 2021 hosting). The one-seeded Longhorns, led by the SEC Women’s Basketball Player of the Year Madison Booker, hold legitimate national title aspirations after winning the Southeastern Conference regular season championship on debut. Their first-round opponent will be the winner of a First Four matchup between High Point and William & Mary on Thursday. – Derek Udensi
March Madness Swish-Off
Saturday 22, Little Woodrow’s Tech Ridge
What do Cinderellas, sleepers, and dark horses have in common? It’s not a fairy tale: It’s March Madness! Brackets for the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments were revealed Sunday, and now the excitement is underway, going through the first week of April. Put on your game face and celebrate with sponsored drinks and a Pop-A-Shot contest popping off at 8pm, with March Madness vibes going all night. Games will be airing on LW’s screens, to be sure, but teams will depend on winners of the first rounds that are being played at press time. Embrace the madness! – Kat McNevins
The Bloody Mary Festival
Saturday 22, Fair Market
A Bloody Mary is probably the alcoholic drink that’s closest to a food, and if you play your cards right, it can be a meal! A simple combination of tomato juice and vodka can be garnished with anything from olives to cheeseburgers, but those who are serious about Bloodys know it’s all in the mix. See what concoctions the contestants come up with at this fest that pits the best of the best against each other for the coveted People’s Choice Award, which each guest gets to weigh in on through unlimited tastings. Snack and sample your way around Fair Market during a morning or afternoon session, either GA or VIP, and leave satisfied that you’ve done your part to settle the Best Bloody Mary question while contributing to nonprofit Girls Empowerment Network. – Kat McNevins
Tigres UANL vs. Pumas UNAM
Saturday 22, Q2 Stadium
With most leagues observing the upcoming international break as players leave to join their national teams, two of Mexico’s most popular soccer clubs return to Austin for an exhibition. The second edition of the Soccer iD Cup features two 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinalists in a bit of transition. Longtime Tigres midfielder Guido Pizarro surprisingly took over the team’s head coaching role this month just one day after playing in a league match, while former Mexico international Efraín Juárez became the manager of his youth club, Pumas, on March 2. – Derek Udensi
TGQ Social & Clothing Swap
Saturday 22, the Vortex
This month’s edition of Austin’s gender-diverse meetup skips its usual Northside location of Slab BBQ for the Vortex stage. Why? Because they’re throwing a clothing swap! TGQ provides plenty of well-cared-for fashion from all over the style spectrum that also suits many gender presentation. They also specifically mention having a lot of high-quality designer men’s shoes, which are a total find in this humble writer’s opinion. Thanks to their switched venue, interested swapees may use the theatre’s space as well as changing booths to try on their new duds. Local sewing group wesewAustin will provide their services to assist in making simple clothing alterations. Regular socializing follows the swap, where newcomers and longtime friends can admire each other’s sweet style. – James Scott
Shadowrun
Saturday 22, Tiny Minotaur Tavern
Downloading… downloading… yes! I’m in! What is up, fellow denizens of the net? Mainframe’s been looking a little lame lately – a little un-hacked, wouldn’t you say? Well, well: Immersive fantasy tavern Tiny Minotaur invites those willing to go waist-deep in ones and zeros to zip-drive their way onto Cesar Chavez. Inspired by its namesake RPG, this cyberpunk goth costume night envisions a future where technology’s taken over, magic’s in the machines, and “there’s elves and dragons and stuff, but they work at a COMPUTER COMPANY.” Come in your best leather, undercut, or motocross-swimsuit fusion look to dance dystopia-style to the pounding darkwave beats of DJ Vampira. Entry’s free for tavern members and $10 for civilians. – James Scott
Marie Antoinette
Sunday 23 – Wednesday 26, Alamo South Lamar, Slaughter Lane, Lakeline & Mueller
Sofia Coppola’s Kirsten Dunst-headed homage to all things pastel and maximalist is such a visual treat (and auditory, with a soundtrack featuring the Strokes, New Order, Gang of Four, Adam and the Ants, etc.) that one could at first glance categorize it as fluff. But that is never the truth with a director so capable of handling subtlety and nuance as Coppola. At the time of its release in 2006, Roger Ebert put it best when he said she specializes in “the loneliness of being female and surrounded by a world that knows how to use you but not how to value and understand you.” Dunst’s performance as the titular queen moves you as much as it makes you want to eat frothy little cakes. – Lina Fisher
How to Drive Yourself Crazy
Sunday 23, Fallout Theater
After a successful run in 2024, Mimi Meier and Holly Hart Raiborn bring their performance to the stage for a one-off fundraising event. What are they fundraising for? To bring the very same theatrical experience to the epicenter of creative anarchy, aka the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, later this year. What exactly are they bringing overseas? It’s part musical, part Cosmo quiz, part sketch comedy, and part consultation to find the right color palette to match your complexion. So, basically it’s about the complexity of being a woman, and the laughter and tears that come with that. I wouldn’t know. – James Renovitch
Fourth Annual Day of Wellness
Sunday 23, Sunset Valley Community Garden
As we reported last week, the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center is still under construction but on track to reopen this fall. Fortunately they maintain cultural programming at other locations, hosting a day of family-friendly enrichment at this South Austin oasis. Birdwatching with Travis Audubon kicks it off at 8am, followed by gardening with Herbal Action Project at 9:30, yoga and meditation with Aneika Perez at 11, a lentil soup cooking demo with Sana Yoga at 11:30, and a closing seed ceremony at 12:30. From 10:30 to 12:30, they’ll offer arts & crafts, live music by Isai Chacon, paletas from Mom & Pop’s, and live nature painting with Mathilde. – Kat McNevins
Donnie Darko
Sunday 23 & Wednesday 26, Violet Crown Cinema
Let me preface this anecdote by saying it did not feel sad at the time, but as a teenager, I created a personal tradition that every Valentine’s Day I would watch Richard Kelly’s edgelord opus Donnie Darko. Did I do that because I didn’t have any dates planned – and also would not have dates planned for the many following years? Maybe! But guess what? While other high-schoolers wasted precious allowance and afterschool job dollars on crummy teddy bears or cheap chocolates, my cinephile ass was enjoying this Jake Gyllenhaal thriller gratis thanks to the whole film being broken into 10-minute videos on YouTube. Times have changed, though, and if you didn’t buy the Blu-ray at a Hastings closing sale like I did, you can instead enjoy the mindbending magic on the big screen at this Second Street cinema. Listen to your elder, young aspiring emos: This is the freakin’ blueprint. – James Scott
Ranran Fan: “Inhale the Interruption 动弹”
Through May 8, Women & Their Work
Described in their about-the-artist as a “device-maker,” current new media art assistant professor at University of North Texas Ranran Fan digs into time-telling with their latest exhibition. Opening Saturday, March 22, this three-part installation features an ongoing incense burning – recalling the Chinese cultural association of incense with time measurement and memory. Exhibition attendees are invited to share their response to the scents and sensations to a chatbot trained on Fan’s personal writings, which will speak out its own replies. Also on display will be automated time-tracking sculptures, interactive video projections, and an outdoor sundial sculpture – all of which Women & Their Work says “explores the passage of time and the potential for healing.” – James Scott
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.
This article appears in March 21 • 2025.
