Little Women
Thursday 19, Hyperreal Film Club
Let’s not pit women against each other; we have room in our hearts to love all the cinematic adaptations of Louisa May Alcott’s novel. But – if we have to give one the edge – only one of these films about the four March sisters boasts the trembling chin of Claire Danes. In Gillian Armstrong’s 1994 charmer, that chin wobbles majestically, every time poor, sweet, doomed Beth is on the precipice of tears, and it will destroy you. The Nineties-era all-star cast extends to Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst, Samantha Mathis, Susan Sarandon, Eric Stoltz, and Christian Bale as the hot, angsty boy next door. – Kimberley Jones
Ballet Afrique’s The Nutcracker Suite
Thursday 19, Bass Concert Hall
There’s a lot to recommend Tchaikovsky’s composition for the Nutcracker ballet, but irrefutably – the thing doesn’t swing. Enter Duke Ellington, who in 1960 reimagined The Nutcracker Suite with a jazz bent, and so “Waltz of the Flowers” becomes the driving “Dance of the Floreadores” and “Dance of the Reed-Pipes” saunters anew as “Toot Toot Tootie Toot.” Combining ballet, modern dance, and African traditional movement, Ballet Afrique fuses Ellington’s score and a modernized American setting for a new spin on The Nutcracker that’s become its own annual holiday tradition for Austin dance fans. – Kimberley Jones
CineClub Mexico Presents: Allá, cartas al corazón
Thursday 19, We Luv Video
Mail is in the news right now, although for not so culturally exciting reasons, aka continued attempts to privatize all public goods by certain capitalist… well, let’s not insult the majestic pig by comparing them to whatever the Trump government’s made up of. Dig into a more satisfying postal picture by attending a screening hosted by local nonprofit Latine/Indigenous cinephile org Cine Las Americas. Last year’s Allá, cartas al corazón, or Over There, follows post officer Oscar as he returns to Mexico, at first stuck in a town with no internet or telephones but gradually settling in as the de facto mail chief who may or may not be developing a paternal relationship with the town’s only other male – a young boy whose mother Oscar has feelings for. Screened in Spanish with English subs, the event also features a virtual Q&A with director Montserrat Larqué. – James Scott
Holiday Mall Blood Drives
Through January 5, Arboretum/Barton Creek Square/Lakeline Mall
It can be increasingly difficult to avoid the mall during the holidays, but if you need a selfless reason to help you swallow the capitalistic excesses that creep up this time of year, Central Texas’ nonprofit blood center has your back. They’re running multiple blood drives over the next few weeks, a time when donations often slow down. Give a pint and wear that little bandage with a sense of superiority while you blow some cash on crap for that cousin you barely tolerate. [Editor’s Note: We Are Blood also offers a free branded long-sleeve shirt and Alamo Drafthouse movie ticket to all donors – so maybe donate a li’l blood and catch one of our many Drafthouse Calendar picks for freesies.Tis’ the sanguine season, and all that goodwill to all humans business.] – James Renovitch
The Mutt-Cracker (SWEET!)
Through January 4, The VORTEX
I didn’t know I was a dog person until two years ago, when I got my sweet snugglebug of a rescue lab and learned oh, I am such a dog person. I can’t pass a canine without making the stupidest “aw, puppers!” face. So an event where I can bring my kids and watch rescue pups perform sounds pretty much perfect. I mean sure, Circus Chickendog’s acrobatics, unicyclist Darren Peterson’s juggling skills, and composer Tyler Mabry’s original take on Tchaikovsky’s indelible score will most certainly be a good time. But also, DOGS. – Cat McCarrey
(More) Ghost Stories for Christmas
Friday 20, Alienated Majesty Books
Hear the cacophonous chant rise in volume: “More! More! MORE Ghost stories!” Sheesh: Say please, why don’t you? Alienated Majesty answers the call regardless, hosting authors and literary organizers Ashley Robin Franklin, Aurora Mattia, Shaina Frazier, and Richard Santos reading frightening tales to give you a seasonal shiver. Dungeon synth spun by Goblet Grotto sets the mood, with refreshments provided – but the option to bring your own left open. Be there or be haunted by pervasive FOMO. – James Scott
Krampusnacht
Friday 20, the Tiny Minotaur
Everyone (re: ME!) loves an evil twin, but the hooven other half to St. Nicholas is more than just the holly-jolly man’s inverted reflection. Krampus represents what comes for the naughty – birch rod beatings and perhaps a ride in his stinky sack. All in all, live-action fantasy tavern Tiny Minotaur’s celebration of this GOAT of Christmas comeuppance promises to be much, MUCH nicer than the “man” himself. Join them either for free (members) or for the price of a day pass ($15) to engage in a Krampus mini quest, a pastry potluck, and delicious drink specials found nowhere else in the realm. Minotaur notes, however, “You are not REQUIRED to bring treats for Krampus, but if you don’t: we cannot guarantee your safety.” – James Scott
Cinema Paradiso
Friday 20 & Monday 23, AFS Cinema
Among many other losses, in 2020 the world became bereft of movie score sensation Ennio Morricone. His music is synonymous with Italian cinema, perhaps best captured here in his first collaboration with director Giuseppe Tornatore. Set to Morricone and his son Andrea’s romantic score, a story of how cinema can save unfolds in postwar Italy as a young boy befriends the projectionist at the titular movie house. There’s love, laughter, and movie quotes – all spun together for a nitrate narrative that’s earned its place in every “people watching movies in movies” montage. – James Scott
Subculture Swap & Drag Show
Friday 20, Double Trouble
You’ve still got five days to shop holiday gifts, but maybe you’re just looking to find an edgy addition to your own collection. Look no further than the market literally titled after its outsider status: Subcultural treasures abound this Friday, from vintage clothes to handmade jewelry, housewares, and the ambiguous “oddities.” Top off your shop with a drag show, hosted by Embry Officially and starring local queens Harlot, Lawrie Bird, and Venus Rising. Oh yeah, and you can always grab a hot choc from Dub Trub – or a cold one, since it’s supposed to be 66 degrees. – James Scott
ScholaDEATH Book Fair
Friday 20, Elysium
Get zapped back to the Nineties/Aughts by host Munster Mash’s drag show Shock Therapy and their tribute to ye olde Scholastic Book Fair. Performances from riotous readers Ethel Institution, Sticky Gold, MK Ultra, Bat Widow, Kino Kino, and Atlas Mars take childhood favorite characters to new nerve-rackingly weird places. Whether you used to grab the newest Captain Underpants or just a fur-wrapped gel pen, this bizarre book-fair bazaar – because, yes, there’ll be a vendor market – provides the perfect nostalgia trip. – James Scott
Mariah Careyoke
Friday 20, Captain Quack’s Soundspace
It’s ti-ime! While she says she doesn’t want much for Christmas, diva of all time Mariah Carey has been gifted the entire season. Celebrate her reign as holiday highness at this karaoke night hosted by the one and only Eileen Dover. Since there’s no age limit on good taste, the young and old may attend to sing in honor of the longest-running Hot 100 No. 1 spot holder – which is great considering Quack’s has NA and spirited bevs to please everyone. All songs are on the table, but sign up to sing a Carey classic and you get to the front immediately. – James Scott
Your Old Fashioned Die Hard Radio Cast
Friday 20, Penfold Theatre & Sunday 22, Driskill Hotel
Either you’re a believer or you ain’t, but no one can deny the snappy success that is John McTiernan’s tower-heist story. With action and characters that catch even the least cinematically literate among us, Penfold Theatre goes all audio by translating the movie into radio. This’ll be the only weekend Penfold performs what they call a “Prairie Home Companion-style radio Christmas special” so if you like sound effects, fake explosions, and hearing an earnest “Yippee-ki-yay!” then get thee to the theatre. – James Scott
CFP First Round: Texas vs. Clemson
Saturday 21, Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
The fifth-seeded Longhorns host a postseason game in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff as they welcome the 12th-seeded Tigers. This first-time football matchup between Texas and Clemson contains a Hollywood-esque plotline as Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik returns home to face Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers. Klubnik’s Westlake squad defeated Ewers’ Southlake Carroll team in the 2020 6A Division 1 high school state championship game. Cornerback Jahdae Barron, fresh off winning the Jim Thorpe Award, will look to ensure there’s a different outcome this go-around for a Ewers-led team. Resale tickets on various sites are steadily dropping further under $140. – Derek Udensi
The Princess Bride: An Inconceivable Evening With Cary Elwes
Saturday 21, Paramount Theatre
Despite a long and eclectic career, Cary Elwes is still probably best known for starring in this beloved fairy-tale comedy as Westley, the farm boy turned swashbuckling pirate with a Clark Gable mustache. The role is just that iconic – and Elwes cannily burnished his legacy even further when he published in 2014 a fond, chatty book about the making of the film. Post-screening, Elwes will share stories from the set of The Princess Bride – a nearly 40-year-old film that can still warm the stoniest of hearts. After all, what did Miracle Max say? “Mostly dead is slightly alive.” – Kimberley Jones
Minor Mishap’s Winter Solstice Lantern Parade
Saturday 21, Pease Park
It’s the longest night of the year, so why not tell the night to take a break with copious lights and a 25-piece brass band. Get the kids, bring a non-flame lantern (this is a flame-free event), and gather at the treehouse for a parade of lights and sounds at 6pm. Minor Mishap will offer its usual brand of unusual performance while attendees light the way and maybe make a new friend to celebrate longer days ahead. Parking at Pease is limited so explore transportation alternatives before heading out. – James Renovitch
Tokyo Godfathers
Saturday 21, Monday 23 & Thursday 26, AFS Cinema
Anime dislikers melt whenever faced with the high-powered talent ray that is director Satoshi Kon’s sadly short film canon. His ability to blend live-action camera work, fantastical yet grounded narratives, and gorgeous animation makes all who enter his movies true anime believers by the end. Just in time for the holiday season, AFS screens his Christmastime classic as part of their Home for the Holidays series. It sits perfectly among fellow offbeat seasonal options: a story of familial struggles like Fanny and Alexander; a story of particular, isolated people like Phantom Thread; a seasonal mystery(ish) like The Thin Man; and as for Eyes Wide Shut similarities, well, Kon’s film also takes place in a major metropolitan city. – James Scott
Emo Twilight Night
Saturday 21, the Tiny Minotaur
And so, the lion fell in love with the bat – Bat City, that is! Come in costume as either a shiny vamp or a lovable lycanthrope at live-action fantasy tavern the Tiny Minotaur’s Twilight screening. Perhaps to complement their new quest campaign – the Wayward Vampire, which runs Mondays and Sundays at $45 per person – Minotaur offers fangtastic special features to this Aughts-era romantic schlock such as special drinks and optional glitter body spray. They only ask that any millennia-old vampires attending “please refrain from problematic age-gap relationships while on tavern property.” So keep it in your robe, Nosferatu! – James Scott
13th Annual Festivus Celebration Texas
Saturday 21, Captain Quack’s
If the word “festivus” raises your heart rate through the mere suggestion of Jerry Stiller screaming about a “FESTIVUS FOR THE REST OF US,” don’t panic. While there will be an airing of grievances, the main feat of strength in Captain Quack’s Festivus celebration will be the strength to hold back your joy from music and celebration with a great crowd. Paul Klemperer & The Festivians (plus special guests) are running the show, filling the air with visions of Latin/jazz/soul sounds aplenty. This year’s event tagline, “Fighting the ennui within,” promises respite from any holiday woes. Forget the stress of gifts and fancy parties. Settle in for treats and tunes at Quack’s. Happy Festivus, one and all. – Cat McCarrey
India Song/My Cinema by Marguerite Duras
Saturday 21, AFS Cinema
I recently read a great essay on author Lincoln Michel’s Counter Craft Substack that went into detail about trying to separate the consumption of visual media – which I reference here in regard to movies – with the prose-writing process. Switching one’s thoughts from the cinematic medium to the literary requires engagement with both art forms, not an imbalanced tilt toward silver screen stuff. Consider the Paper Cuts series a wonderful harmony, where this month’s selection puts director Marguerite Duras’ engrossing film India Song together with her book My Cinema. Then exercise your brain by sticking around for the post-film discussion, as well as a pop-up from event co-producer Alienated Majesty. – James Scott
Sad Girl Cinema Club: Anna Karenina (2012)
Sunday 22, Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar
One of literature’s great sad girls is transposed to screen in an inventive (if not entirely successful) screen adaptation. Keira Knightley, at least, is perfection as the titular Russian aristocrat, a wife and mother whose life is derailed when she meets the cad Vronsky. Alas, he’s far less effectively cast: Star of last weekend’s D.O.A. Kraven the Hunter and the head-scratching favorite to play the next Bond, Aaron Taylor-Johnson is lethally bland as Anna’s lover. In the plus column: Matthew Macfadyen – first paired with director Joe Wright as an unforgettable Mr. Darcy – provides comic relief as Anna’s jovial, philandering brother. – Kimberley Jones
Fanny and Alexander
Sunday 22, Wednesday 25 & Friday 27, AFS Cinema
Family, a famously easy subject to approach during the holidays, features heavily in this soft semiautobiographical piece from director Ingmar Bergman. Based on his sister and himself, the titular Fanny and Alexander navigate Bergman’s emotional tale of childhood abuse, stories as coping mechanisms, and escapes both literal and metaphorical. At first a television series that clocked in at five hours, a cinematic cut puts the holiday film at a more approachable three hours and change. Catch it in beautiful 35mm as part of AFS’s Home for the Holidays series – and hey! How about you grab an AFS gift membership for someone you love while you’re there? Just a thought… – James Scott
Brunch With Santa
Sunday 22, the Tradition at Hyatt Centric
Not everyone wants a hypermasculine Santa buddy when imagining the impish old fellow. Some of us (re: ME!) like to picture Kris Kringle as a chill guy who knows when to enjoy life’s pleasures – for example, turkey pot pie and cinnamon-apple French toast. The Hyatt’s American-fare-fronting kitchen the Tradition plays venue to Santa and a delicious brunch featuring said smackerels, plus photo ops for the kiddos. He may not have rippling muscles like Red One’s Santa does, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find more Christmas spirit in a jolly ol’ Saint Nick. – James Scott
Phantom Thread
Sunday 22, Tuesday 24, Thursday 26 & Friday 27, AFS Cinema
Hypothetical: Beautiful actor Vicky Krieps puts asparagus in front of you that has been sautéed in oil and also might be poisoned. Also, in this scenario, you are a mercurial fashion designer who until now has refused to be married and you also hate anything cooked in oil, as well as breakfast pastries, American women, and being challenged – except maybe you actually enjoy being matched in your stubbornness? And you are played by Daniel Day-Lewis in his “last” role that everyone’s pretty sure is feint except, uh-oh, Danny hasn’t really been in anything since 2017 so maybe he told the truth? Oh wait, wait: He’s gonna be in his son’s new movie. Okay, that makes sense. Anyway, do you eat the asparagus? Send in your answer to jscott@austinchronicle.com, or just whisper it into your popcorn while you watch this selection from AFS’s Home for the Holidays series. – 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 December 20 • 2024.