Esther’s Follies: January Revue
Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays in January, Esther’s Follies on Sixth
Just in time for the political storm kicking up from Washington to our own Capitol, the talented comic crew at Esther’s have cooked up a topical tiramisu – delicious and sort of hard to make on your own so just let the experts do it, you know? From their rat-a-tat hot takes on Hunter Biden’s pardon – Breaking! A father loves his son! – to satirical skits on AI in health care where “R.F.K. Jr. even makes an appearance to weigh in,” there’s a little ha-ha here for all stars and stripes. Plus the spectacular Ray Anderson stuns once again with a new illusion, “In Love With a Monster,” that stands next to old standards like magic mirrors, explosive cannons, and disappearing assistants. Did they maybe disappear with the enchanting monster? – James Scott
Best Day Brew-Thru
Through January 17, Magic Isle Records
Dry January has already started for all those nursing holiday hangovers – a time when spiritless spirits really get to shine. Into the mocktail mix comes Best Day Brewing, crafters of nonalcoholic beer, and their several-weekends-long Brew-Thru event. In partnership with vinyl-slinging venue Magic Isle Records, Best Day offers complimentary six-packs bearing their sober sippables like West Coast IPA, Kölsch, Electro-Lime, and Galaxy Ripple Imperial IPA. Of course, a single nonalcoholic six-pack does not a party make. That’s why rotating craft and sporting activities pair with myriad live music DJs to keep this dry month from sapping your spirit. Swing by Jan. 10-11, 13-14, or 16-17 to claim your free beer, and enjoy a little fun while you’re there. – James Scott
Queer Film Theory 201: Burlesque
Thursday 9, the Highball
Do you have a taste for the Tucci? Among queer cinema scholars, few revelations are more devastating than learning Mr. Stanley “Aldo Cardinal Bellini” Tucci is heterosexual. Yet his real-life orientation doesn’t make his onscreen queer vibes any less entertaining, as hosts Michael Graupmann and Lesley Clayton emphasize in their dissection of this Aughts fever dream. A rags-to-less-ugly-rags tale sung and danced by Xtina Aguilera, Cher in a massive hat, and a faaaaabulous Tucci among many other 2000s icons, this musical encourages all to reach for their dreams – and learn about air rights. Fun will be had and jokes will be made on the Highball stage this night! – James Scott
Birds in the Landscape
Thursday 9, Lady bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Once upon a time, I stopped for barbecue at Cooper’s and ended up sitting across from a delightful older gentleman. Two hours later, I knew more about birdwatching than I ever anticipated learning in life. He made sure I left with the Cornell ID app on my phone and an eBird account to track my bird-spotting life lists. But I know not everyone’s lucky enough to stumble upon someone like Don over brisket. Good thing Travis Audubon and the Wildflower Center teamed up to create a monthly birding exploration, guided by their own experts. Start your morning and your own life lists right in a beautiful space with talented birders. – Cat McCarrey
Body Melt
Friday 10, We Luv Video
There’s nothing like the whiplash moment of seeing an actor that you know for, oh, soap operas and they suddenly turn up in a gross-out horror film. Australians got that when Ian Smith – best known as adorable know-it-all goof Harold Bishop in long-running soap Neighbours – turns up in antipodean splatterpunk masterpiece Body Melt. Basically, imagine Jack Deveraux from Days of Our Lives cameoing in Street Trash. Smith is clearly having endless fun as mad scientist Dr. Carrera, whose experimental diet pills turn the residents of Pebbles Court in suburban Melbourne into monsters before they dissolve into piles of goo all courtesy of special effects legend Bob McCarron, making for the kind of movie that needs it a splash zone. – Richard Whittaker
It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This
Friday 10 & Sunday 12, Alamo South Lamar
Last February, the Chron’s Kat McNevins interviewed filmmakers Nick Toti and Rachel Kempf about their low-budget local picture when it premiered at comedy venue Fallout Theater. Their plan for the found footage feature – which follows a couple dealing with the haunted duplex they’ve purchased – was to never drop it to streaming. Live screenings only, which they’ve continued to keep tight to as the film goes to Sony Entertainment’s Cinerama, aka Alamo Drafthouse, this week. Compiled by Kempf, Toti, and their friend and co-star Christian’s real-life film archives, there’s an eerie reality to this fictional fright. “I don’t even think of this as being fiction,” Toti told McNevins. “I think of it as being a documentary about an alternate dimension version of us.” – James Scott
Mind Game
Saturday 11 & Monday 13, Alamo Lakeline, Mueller & Slaughter Lane
Considering that Masaaki Yuasa has become one of the most important anime feature directors of the last decade, it seems insane that there was a 13-year gap between his debut film, Mind Game, and his international breakout sophomore feature, The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl. Well, until you see it, of course. Yuasa had been a go-to animator for multiple studios throughout the 1990s and early 2000s because they wanted some of his skull-shattering visual unpredictability. Yet it took another iconoclast and groundbreaker – Eiko Tanaka, Studio Ghibli original, co-founder of Studio 4°C, and one of the first women producers in anime – to unleash him on a full feature. A free and wild adaptation of Robin Nishi’s autobiographically inspired manga, it’s a precursor to Yuasa’s wild cinematic oeuvre, focusing the going-nowhere lives of Japanese twentysomethings through fantasy, yakuza thugs, nonlinear storytelling, wrestling, sardonic deities, sea monsters, psychedelia, social realism, reincarnation, and Pinocchio. – Richard Whittaker
Dog Man: The Musical
Saturday 11 – Sunday 12, Paramount Theatre
Kiddos could use a little fun now that school’s weighin’ ’em down again, so why not cruise on down Congress for this silly stageplay? Based on Captain Underpants author Dav Pilkey’s newest series, this romp has classic characters George and Harold writing up a musical based on their character Dog Man. Up against ferocious foes like Flippy the cyborg fish and Petey (aka the world’s most evil cat), Dog Man races to save the day as George and Harold race to finish their work before recess. Suggested for ages 6 and up by the Paramount, this’ll be just the non-screen entertainment you and your youngings need … at least until Dog Man the movie arrives on Jan. 31. – James Scott
Labyrinth Bowie Bash
Saturday 11 – Sunday 12, Flix Brewhouse
We live in a world without David Bowie, but we’ll never be a Bowieless world – not as long as there’s a chance to listen to his music or watch his movies. There’s no way better to do both than in Labyrinth, his greatest performance and the final film from Jim Henson. (OK, no, so we live without David Bowie and Jim Henson? Hold it together, hold it together…) After all, Labyrinth is secretly a movie about change and the passage of time, as Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) navigates the realm of the Goblin King and the end of her own childhood. Luckily, there are Muppets in hand, and Bowie at his most absurdly stylish as Jareth, the Goblin King. So celebrate this wild wonder with a slice of complimentary birthday cake. – Richard Whittaker
Cynthia Levinson: Who Owns the Moon?
Saturday 11, BookPeople
Nobody breaks down complex ideas for young minds like Cynthia Levinson. From exploring the legal framework of the USA (Fault Lines in the Constitution) to celebrating circuses as a place for societal change (Watch Out for Flying Kids!), she’s shown teen and tween readers the joys, complexities, and possibilities of the real world. Her new book with Jennifer Swanson, Who Owns the Moon? And Other Conundrums of Exploring and Using Space, takes that same excitement out beyond the atmosphere. And hey, maybe some, a-hem, more advanced readers would benefit from taking that same trip, too. You’re never too old to learn! – Richard Whittaker
Drag Me Down: A One Direction Drag Brunch
Saturday 11, the ABGB
What do the youth even know about One Direction now? Do they know 1D were one of the bestselling boy bands of all time? Are they aware of the controversies – Harry Styles’ first May-December romance, Zayn’s big-deal departure, Liam’s spoon phobia? Whatever. For those who lived during One Direction mania (2011-16), the boys’ PR-trained grins loom large but more importantly: They made pretty good music! I’m partial to “Stockholm Syndrome,” though many call earlier singles like “Story of My Life” or “Kiss You” more indicative of 1D’s sugar-sweet song brand. To tribute these tunes and those talented boys, host Tara Cotta brings aptly named guest performer Larry Stylinson along with cast members Yvonne D’Amour and Venus Rising to the stage. – James Scott
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Saturday 11 – Monday 13, Alamo Village, South Lamar & Slaughter Lane
For everything I’m about to say, let’s just imagine Ezra Miller tucked into a little corner, far away from everything. Is he put away? Hidden in the shadows? Great! Excluding Miller – who does give a great performance if we can mentally separate things – it’s easy to talk about Perks as essential coming-of-age cinema. Based on Stephen Chbosky’s YA novel, and adapted by Chbosky himself, this flick has everything: loner befriending cool alt-kids; experimenting with sexual orientation; confronting long-buried trauma; yearning; and post-Harry Potter Emma Watson. It’s guaranteed to inspire late-night tunnel drives, with requisite David Bowie blasting from the stereo. – Cat McCarrey
Seven Samurai
Saturday 11 – Wednesday 15, Alamo Lakeline, South Lamar & Village
The Magnificent Seven. Battle Beyond the Stars. A Bug’s Life. Why has Seven Samurai been ripped off so many times? Because the simplicity and universality of its story begs for it to be transferred to multiple environments: Besieged by bandits and thieves, a remote community hires rogues of their own to save their lives and crops, only for the warriors to find a measure of redemption after a life of violence. This new 4K restoration from Janus Films not only highlights the cinematography of Asakazu Nakai, but also the final score for director Akira Kurosawa from his old friend, composer Fumio Hayasaka. – Richard Whittaker
“Unbecoming”: A Collaborative Performance
Saturday 11, Ivester Contemporary
Before movies took over the term, to see a moving picture was to watch a “moving panorama.” These were extended panoramic paintings depicting various scenes and landscapes, moved by a crank system so as to guide the viewer through a story visually. As a celebration of video/photo exhibition Vestal Virgin Vengeance from artist Virginia L. Montgomery, Ivester presents ye olde storytelling device as reimagined by performers Angel Rafael Blanco Colón, Ananyaa Ravi, Rajinee Buquing, Gabriela Torres, Terri M, Román Corfas, Nora Predey, and producer Leah Danze. Together they create a narrative that “explores themes of decomposition and transformation through [an] other-worldly encounter.” – James Scott
Blanton All Day: New Year, New Groove
Saturday 11, Blanton Museum
In numerology, January 11 is known as a “portal day,” meaning it holds powerful potential to help people manifest their dreams. So it’s a perfect day to be surrounded by the inspiration the Blanton holds. From 10am to 8pm, explore the modern art collections on view and take part in hourly interactive art activities for all ages like origami or “Drawing to See.” Assistant curator Sarah Bane leads a lively discussion at 2pm on 1930s New York life based on Chatham Square by Reginald Marsh, and Dr. Francisco Mamani-Fuentes talks about stunning, intricate wooden vaults from 16th-18th century Peru. From 4 to 8pm, a pop-up print exhibit reflects on the seasons of the year, and a silent disco and DJ set from Peligrosa Collective add music to the mix. Bring a picnic and make the most of your portal day! – Kat McNevins
Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same
Sunday 12, We Luv Video
In a 2021 Chronicle interview, Director Madeleine Olnek discussed this offbeat story of an emotionally repressed alien attempting to woo Earth dykes’ stageplay origins. Because it centered queer jokes instead of suffering, the blue-hair audience wasn’t impressed. Luckily, Olnek stumbled on Sundance and cinema. “I read this article where this guy was like, ‘I can’t believe my movie got into Sundance, because it doesn’t even have a lesbian in it,’” she recalled, “and I was like, ‘Wait a minute. There’s a place that likes lesbian characters?’” Now this sapphic sci-fi kitsch screens at We Luv to a welcoming audience. A happy ending! – James Scott
Lust for Life
Sunday 12, Violet Crown Cinema
When thinking about Kirk Douglas, many words come to mind: rugged, lantern-jawed, hypermacho. While “haunted” isn’t among them, it’s an unexpected quality Vincente Minnelli saw in the future Spartacus star when he cast him as Vincent van Gogh for this adaptation of Irving Stone’s 1934 biographical novel of the impressionist master. Much like van Gogh himself, the film was a commercial failure. But at least the Academy and the Golden Globes voters recognized its artistic power during Douglas’ lifetime, awarding him a Best Actor nomination and win respectively for his performance of a man driven by vision and madness in equal measures. – Richard Whittaker
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 January 10 • 2025.
