Civics & Cheese!
Monday 16, Antonelli’s South Lamar
WiseUp TX gets us. This org dedicated to “empowering and educating TX South Asians to be informed voters and partake in civic engagement” knows that the best way to engage us is through food – especially fine cheeses and pairings expertly curated by the best in the biz! Multiple Best of Austin award-winner Antonelli’s expanded from its Hyde Park digs this year to open a cheese tasting room on South Lamar near the Drafthouse, and opens its doors for a civic-minded exploration of seven cheeses with food pairings and additional goodies like bread, olives, and corn nuts, with part of the proceeds going to WiseUp. Can’t think of a cheddar way to spend a Monday evening! – Kat McNevins
Been There Presents Home Free
Through October 11, Eastside Cinema
It’s always special when a movie comes home, but home means something really special for this Austin-made bittersweet comedy from UT grads Aaron Brown and Lenny Barszap. Home Free is inspired by their real experiences as undergrads when they became friends with the Professor, a charming man of intellect, kindness, and wisdom who was experiencing homelessness. That friendship was a quick education in how people can drop out of society so fast and yet retain their value as human beings – and now they’ve retold that story as a touching college comedy that’s equal parts Animal House and The Lady in the Van. Join post-screening Q&As with the cast and crew, who are putting their money where their mouths are, as part of the proceeds go to The Other Ones Foundation, organizers of the Been There music festival, to help people experiencing homelessness and unemployment. – Richard Whittaker
Arcadia
Through October 6, Austin Playhouse
There was a time, not so long ago, when science was seen as entertainment. No, not Ancient Greece when philosophers would turn experiments into public spectacle, or the Victorian era when lectures on new theories would fill auditoriums. It was the 1990s, when everyone owned a copy of A Brief History of Time on their nightstand, quarks were cool, and Tom Stoppard could write a play about chaos theory and the heat death of the universe, and it would be universally regarded as one of the greatest works of 20th century drama. Eros and Thanatos push and pull in this poetic tale of love and research. – Richard Whittaker
Gilmore Girls Trivia
Monday 16, Captain Quack’s and Love Supreme
No one understands my love for Gilmore Girls, a show made infamous for its titular selfish Connecticut women. Indeed, not much happens to the undoubtedly insufferable Lorelai and Rory, who don’t seem to encounter more than two Black people in the series’ seven-year run. And yet, each year, when the air gets crisp, I giddily settle in for a Netflix marathon of bad boyfriends, family drama, and alternative rock needle drops. With South and Central Austin trivia hosts, no local can claim location as an excuse to avoid the idyllic fall fun. If it was good enough for Sonic Youth to guest on, it’s good enough for us. – Carys Anderson
We Love the ’90s: Jurassic Park & Batman & Robin
Monday 16, High Noon Austin
As a product of the Nineties, I am extremely biased about the media from said decade. Yet you simply can’t deny the filmic excellence produced during those years between 1990 and 1999! Smokeables-slingers High Noon know the score, which is why every Monday in September they’re playing two Nineties classics. This week’s got two excellent vintages: Jurassic Park, which came out the year I was born (1993), and Batman & Robin, which gave the B-man nipples at long last (1997). First 10 attendees get a free preroll, so hurry in and light it up. This screening’s gonna be totally tubular. – James Scott
Coffee Talk Series With Desnudo
Tuesday 17, Southeast Branch Library
Despite coffee fueling most of the working world’s waking hours, the farmers that make it are often paid a fraction of its global sales – 6-10% to be exact. This is mainly due to the intermediaries along the supply chain, but climate change is also playing a role in the volatility of the crop as rain patterns are disrupted in the particular regions where coffee is grown. Luckily, farmers are employing climate-resilient methods like regenerative agriculture that make the industry more sustainable, and local brands like Desnudo Coffee make that financially possible by working directly with coffee growers employing sustainable practices. And they’ll be discussing their mission and methods at the Southeast Branch Library this Tuesday! – Lina Fisher
Freaked
Tuesday 17, Hyperreal Film Club
Before he was a respected and respectable documentarian analyzing the intersection of politics and technology, and even before he made those fun Ben 10 live action movies, Alex Winter made a bonkers PG-13 romp about a scientist creating his own sideshow freaks. His original pitch was basically Beach Blanket Bingo meets The Evil Dead, with a family stopping at a circus that turns out to be a front for a cannibal butchery run by the Butthole Surfers. He’s said that version was going to be “very, very rock & roll, hard-R,” but it’s hard to imagine it would be any less crazy than his foam rubber monster underground masterpiece. – Richard Whittaker
Jung Kook: I Am Still
Wednesday 18, Various theatres
As a K-pop fan from an ancient line, it’s been my pleasure to watch the expansion of the genre on a global scale. While not jump-started by BTS – that distinction goes to acts like Wonder Girls, Rain, DBSK, and, of course, PSY – the septet certainly brought the decades-long work of their sunbaes to unprecedented heights. Currently their most visible member, Jung Kook has had his turn at domination with his solo debut LP, Golden. Label BIGHIT has taken cues from the success of Taylor Swift’s Eras and Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour documentaries and offers I Am Still, a BTS look at the global star’s boldest solo endeavor yet. – Cy White
Joey Fauerso: You Destroy Every Special Thing I Make
Wednesday 18, First Light Books
San Antonio artist and 2022 Guggenheim Fellow Joey Fauerso joins fellow poet Jenny Browne for a talk at First Light Books releasing Joey Fauerso: You Destroy Every Special Thing I Make, a collection spanning nearly a decade of her career as a multidisciplinary artist. The collection presents a series of essays by Jenny Browne, Veronica Roberts, Betsy Huete, Neil Fauerso, Aurvi Sharma, Hilary Leichter, and Claire Hoffman recontextualizing and commenting on Fauerso’s “ongoing commitment to addressing themes of family, gender, and humor in her artwork,” writes First Light. – Lina Fisher
Seinfeld Trivia
Wednesday 18, the Long Goodbye
Get It Games is back with another tempting trivia night, this time covering the beloved and wildly successful sitcom that made its namesake a billionaire – although co-creator Larry David does pretty, pretty, pretty good himself. Are you the master of your domain? Have you ever yada-yada’d sex? Do the words “big salad” mean anything to you? Come show off your knowledge of the Nineties show about nothing with your team of up to six, with costumes welcome (Morning Mist might be fun) and prizes for winning teams. Make sure somebody brings a fully charged phone for the contactless mobile scoring, and keep an eye on the forecast; it’s held outdoors and will be rescheduled in case of inclement weather. – Kat McNevins
Mario Kart Tournament
Wednesday 18, Double Trouble
Double Trouble is a North Loop hang zone with some of the best dang tacos you’ll ever shove in your piehole, along with an all-day, all-night happy hour on Wednesdays and enormous outdoor patio to enjoy the falling temps. They also happen to offer a biweekly tournament in the best racing video game of all time, Mario Kart. First out in 1992 on the Super Nintendo system, the game lets players choose their racer from a selection of Mario characters like Toad (undoubtedly the cutest), Koopa Troopa, or Princess Peach. Racers can sabotage other players with strategically placed banana peels or turtle shells that wreak havoc on the track, so the ultimate winner will have a blend of racing skills, sabotage strategy, and a little luck. Is that you? Find out and win prizes at this free tourney! – Kat McNevins
Weird Wednesday: Heavenly Bodies
Wednesday 18, Alamo South Lamar
Making a movie about a dancercise studio (yes, part dance, part exercise) that’s meant to be seen in cinemas seems like a stupid idea – and if the box office and reviews for this 1984 Canadian high-stepper are anything to go by, then it was a worse idea than trying to high kick in tight jeans. But over the last 40 years, the uplifting and only slightly softcore story of three underdog aerobics instructors fighting off a Planet Fitness-style gym chain became a cable favorite. So put on your leg warmers and tie your hair up in a side ponytail with a scrunchie for this return to the big screen, courtesy of this restoration from Fun City Editions. – Richard Whittaker
Fantastic Fest
Thursday 19 – Thursday 26, Alamo South Lamar
IT’S TIME! The most wonderful time of the year, at least for fans of fringe films. Fantastic Fest is a haven for film lovers, featuring the freaky, the frightening, and the far-out. This is the single best place to be ahead of the curve with that strange little movie everyone will be buzzing about next year. It’s a delicious mix of whimsical weirdness, offbeat oldies, and the truly terrifying (literally, they’re showing Terrifier 3). Whether you’re a card-carrying cult member with access to the whole week, or just perusing for a screening of something memorable, there’s a part of the fest for you. It’s a true Austin treasure. – Cat McCarrey
A Fish Called Wanda
Thursday 19 – Sunday 22, AFS Cinema
You either had your Jamie Lee Curtis-is-hot awakening in True Lies or in this genius caper of a movie. Because in the end, we are all just like the film’s hapless protagonist John Cleese – smitten by the inimitable allure of Curtis’ Wanda. When her attempted robbery goes awry, she enlists an unwitting Cleese (playing solicitor Archie Leach, no relation to Cary Grant I swear) to help recover her loot. Add in a smidgen of fellow Monty Python alum Michael Palin being as affable as ever, plus the bonus of Kevin Kline simply being his wonderful self, and baby, you’ve got a good time going. – Cat McCarrey
Get Ready Central Texas Emergency Preparedness Fair
Thursday 19, ACC Rio Grande
If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that an ounce of preparation is worth a pound of cure. Besides the pandemic, we’ve had significant weather events that revealed weaknesses in our infrastructure and reminded us that we can all do more to be ready for emergencies. City officials are trying to stay on top of it, offering emergency prep pop-ups throughout the year at various locations and kicking off fall with this fair to help Austinites get ready for anything. Stop by from 3 to 7pm for refreshments, games, fellowship, and information from the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management on how to make a plan and build a supply kit. – Kat McNevins
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 September 13 • 2024.
