A Night in Casablanca
Monday 23, Alamo Mueller
Some people claim that 1949’s Love Happy was the last Marx Brothers film. Groucho Marx argued otherwise, as that was a movie that just happened to have all of the big three in the cast. The underseen A Night in Casablanca was the last time all three were onscreen at the same time and the last time they showed their true magic: Chico’s buffoonery, Harpo’s clowning, and Groucho’s loquacious quick-wittedness. Best of all, it’s employed in the noblest of pursuits, Nazi smashing, as the genius goofballs hunt down a war criminal. – Richard Whittaker
The Hunger
Monday 23, Alamo Village, Slaughter Lane & Lakeline
Stylistically, the only link between Tony Scott’s blockbuster propaganda piece Top Gun and his fanged box-office failure The Hunger is the flowing curtains billowing through both films’ sex scenes. Otherwise, the bisexual plight of Susan Sarandon’s gerontologist as she falls under the blood-soaked seduction of the immaculate and immortal Catherine Deneuve bears little resemblance to the bisexual flight Maverick takes. Toss in David Bowie going absolutely ham as the soon-to-be-shrunken vamp BF Deneuve ditches for Sarandon’s, um, assets, and this flick’s flying a little higher in the eroticism than baby Cruise could ever manage. Drafthouse screens this Eighties ero-horror for their Killer Cuts series, which this month leans right on the Kinsey Scale. – James Scott
Annie May Johnston: “To Glow in the Dark”
through June 29, ICOSA Collective
First off, yes, there are glowing elements to this art. It’s not a “metaphorical” glow inside your heart. Johnston’s got stars here. These shining stars are nestled among tassels of human hair, near silhouettes of hands reaching from primeval gloom, beside white loops that feel childlike and unsettlingly fleshy at the same time. Eyes and reflective teardrops also adorn Johnston’s work, in her collages or necklaces, wearable works that channel twin impulses – to create, and to be consumed. – Cat McCarrey
Saving Face
Tuesday 24, Hyperreal Film Club
You can always count on Hyperreal to serve up some queer classics you might have missed, like this 2004 lesbian rom-com by Alice Wu (director of Netflix hit The Half of It). Produced by Will Smith, the film focuses on successful surgeon Dr. Wilhelmina “Wil” Pang, a closeted lesbian terrified of her traditional mother finding out, as she meets the daughter of a family friend, Vivian, a vivacious dancer also disappointing her family’s expectations. What follows is a heartfelt exploration of the tribulations of family and culture when they butt up against the pursuit of true love, as Wil is caught between her family and proving her love for Vivian. In true Hyperreal fashion, the flick is followed by a Carabiner Club DJ set and mixer from 10pm to midnight. – Lina Fisher
Working Girl
Tuesday 24, Paramount Theatre
Let the river run straight to the Paramount for what’s hands down Melanie Griffith’s best film, and maybe one of the top three hottest Harrison Ford performances. Don’t come for me Han-heads: Watching Ford support a driven, intelligent woman is the stuff of dreams. Working Girl follows Griffith’s Tess, a gorgeous Staten Islander whose business acumen is constantly discredited due to her smokin’ bod. Even working for a fancy professional lady (Sigourney Weaver!) isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Sometimes it takes something drastic – like pretending to be that boss – just to prove your financial chops. It’s a light comedy elevated to Oscar fare thanks to Griffith’s beautifully soft performance, Joan Cusack eternally being the world’s best friend, and a film that dares to celebrate a career-driven woman. – Cat McCarrey
Stephanie Yue Duhem: Cataclysm Moves Me I Regret to Say
Tuesday 24, Alienated Majesty
Stephanie Yue Duhem’s culturo-personal reflections dance between academic dissection and diary, with a knack for twirling intimate artistic expression though a floor of well-trodden topics. Debut poetry collection Cataclysm promises to untangle life’s contemporary calamities – personal, social, and systemic – with signature grace. Her book launch is in apt company with a lineup of poets, essayists, and multimedia artists each bringing their varied backgrounds in art and academia to their writing projects. Synth-driven wordsmith Plum Wooer provides a suitably provocative soundtrack. – Caroline Drew
Bound
Wednesday 25, All Austin-area Alamo Drafthouses
The very definition of a “come for the ___, stay for the ___” type picture, where many have been drawn in by the prospect of actresses Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly making hot, hot lesbian love only to be cinematically coldcocked by a masterfully made mafia thriller. Created as a proof of promise by the then-untested Wachowskis, every cog in this machine turns to generate an intoxicating tale of money, sapphic sensuality, and Joe Pantoliano’s scuzzy mafioso Caesar sweating his slimy ass off. Come for one of the best movies ever, stay for basically the best movie ever. – James Scott
Austin Asian American Film Festival
Wednesday 25 – Sunday 29, AFS Cinema
Fittingly, the Austin Asian American Film Festival opens with the home team, Yen Tan’s All That We Love (co-written with another local, Clay Liford). Margaret Cho stars as a woman grieving after the death of her dog, Hollywood Reporter called it “poignant and lovely,” and we are pumped AAAFF is giving this film its long-overdue Austin premiere. This year’s fest promises five days of documentary and narrative feature and shorts premieres, plus parties and a very cool poster by Kengo Hioki (aka Peelander-Yellow) you’ll want to save for posterity. – Kimberley Jones
Drag Me to Hell
Wednesday 25, Violet Crown Cinema
What’s that old saying about one for the studio, one for you? Sam Raimi had done three for the studio by spending over half a decade on his Spider-Man trilogy but roared back to his comedy-horror roots with Drag Me to Hell. A wickedly mean-spirited morality tale, bank loan officer Christine (Alison Lohman) puts corporate policy ahead of basic morality and ends up on the wrong side of a curse for her sins. Late-night horror host Roxy Midnite introduces this disgustingly insightful mix of political satire and slapstick. – Richard Whittaker
A Court of Thorns and Roses Trivia
Wednesday 25, Pinthouse Pizza South Lamar
Whether human or fae, this night of trivia is sure to reignite some inter-realm tensions. Both Rhysand and Tamlin fans will have the chance to test their ACOTAR knowledge, facing head-to-head in this five-round battle covering the original book series. Bring a fully charged phone and a couple of friends, grab yourselves some slices from venue Pinthouse, and you will be well on your way to winning a prize and, more importantly, proving your status as a true ACOTAR superfan. – Julianna Plewes
mid90s + Nineties Vintage Market
Thursday 26, Keep Looking Shop
Presented both by Austin’s only newsstand Keep Looking as well as artist collective the Good for Nothings Club, attendees can enjoy Jonah Hill’s first directorial effort while munching mega hot dogs from Maxy’s Dogs. There’ll also be on-theme vintage vendors slinging decade-appropriate pieces to accent your Nineties look, plus free beer and jams by DJ Good Morning Jones. Screening starts around 7pm, because even though this is after hours, Keep Looking says it’s “not toooo after-hours because we’re old.” – James Scott
An Evening With Rick Martinez
Thursday 26, BookPeople
According to James Beard Award winner and NYT bestselling author Rick Martinez, salsa is more than a condiment: It’s a way of life. The former Austinite now calls Mexico home, but he returns to celebrate the release of new book Salsa Daddy, just in time for a hot summer. Across eight chapters, the book highlights all the different types of salsa – smashed, chopped, cooked, blended, and more – concluding with a section on everyday meals to showcase them. Hear from the author in conversation with Texas Monthly restaurant critic and food writer Paula Forbes, and pick up a book so you can study before the Chronicle’s Hot Sauce Festival in September. – Kat McNevins
Weekend at Bernie’s
Thursday 26, Swim Club
Erstwhile Austinite Terry Kiser has played dozens upon dozens of roles, and even started an actors studio right here in town. But you probably know him best from his Oscar-deserving performance as the titular dead boss in Eighties black comedy Weekend at Bernie’s, surpassed in absurdity only by Weekend at Bernie’s II, which reanimated the dead boss with voodoo and gave Kiser more to work with. Playing dead has to be one of the hardest things in acting, though, so go appreciate his work while you enjoy a dip and a drink at Swim Club, which is hosting free movie nights on select Thursdays with no pool pass required. – 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 June 20 • 2025.
