“And the valley froze over”
Through November 30, Flatbed Gallery
When describing his six-film saga, director George Lucas described the multi-generational history of the Star Wars world as being “like poetry. They rhyme.” Much mocked, I actually find this a nice way to explain the repetition history tends to have – exemplified even better, TBH, in artist Enrique Figueredo’s woodcut pieces on view at Flatbed. These pieces utilize images of historical Spanish missions to convey timeless themes: economic struggles, religious turmoil, war. Figueredo also unveils three new altarpieces from his Federación Venezolana de Bobsleigh. series that takes inspiration from, as the show copy states, “the artist’s childhood fantasy of piloting a make-believe bobsleigh team at the Winter Olympics.” – James Scott
Milwood Monday Night Book Club: How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
Monday 28, Milwood Branch Library
There’s still time this month to enjoy a haunting read, and boy howdy, does horror author Grady Hendrix deliver one in this tome. A meditation not just on grief but processing and actually confronting generational trauma, How to Sell a Haunted House doesn’t earn its scares through mere creaky doors or chairs moving when they shouldn’t. No, no: This book’s got the scariest thing on Earth as its specter – a freaking puppet. Dig into the horror with fellow literary lovers this coming Monday, and watch out for Pupkin. – James Scott
Odd World Presents: Birdemic – Shock and Terror
Tuesday 29, We Luv Video
What do you get when you combine the documentary An Inconvenient Truth with Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds? An epic disaster that rivals only The Room for most hilarious movie misstep. Birdemic, with its weirdly stilted dialogue and the best graphics clipart can offer (seriously, the attacking birds are just pictures where you can practically hear the click of arrow keys moving them up and down to simulate flight), is a film disaster that will forever change your life. Or at least, forever change the way you say “solar panels.” Enjoy the non-romance, the non-tension, and the non-excitement of this oddly endearing passion project. – Cat McCarrey
The Sixth Sense
Wednesday 30, Alamo Drafthouse Village
If you, like me, have a bald dad, you probably know his favorite actor. He’ll either be a Jason Statham stan or a Bruce Willis boy – or, if you’re very lucky like me, he’ll love both these baldies. My dad was rarely as excited to show me a movie as he was when putting on a Willis feature. The Sixth Sense ranks high on both the Dad-Recommendation scale and the Actual Good Movie scale. This M. Night Shyamalan film is more than just its iconic “twist,” with powerful performances from its lead Haley Joel Osment and Toni Collette as the mother to this mini medium. Worth every second of its watch time, especially if your dad is sitting next to you talking about how scary he found the movie on his first watch. – James Scott
Haus of Madnes
Wednesday 30, Spider House Ballroom
Enter the Haus of Madnes, a concert celebrating queer contemporary art. Dance all night to witchy synth pop, darkwave, and bubbly hyperpop. Browse vendors’ handmade clothes and jewelry, or sweeten the show with Icky Kandy. Musician and booker Dani Zen will perform under the moniker UniversalMadnes along with STM, Keltiey, Jupiluxe, and more. Zen curated this lineup to highlight “the next generation of music” while connecting music lovers for a local cause. Two dollars from each ticket goes to the Austin Youth River Watch, which educates kids about river conservation and cleanup. – Eden Shamy
Werewolf Costume Party
Wednesday 30, Meanwhile Brewing
It’s not news that Austin’s animal shelters have an overcrowding problem, and for years now, rescue groups have been helping provide homes for dogs the city doesn’t have space for. One such org, Happy Hearts Dog Rescue, is popping up this Halloween at Meanwhile Brewing to host a Werewolf Costume Contest and Dog Pawty, with plenty of treats for both you and your pet. There’s a raffle to win prizes, as well as local vendors selling treats, leashes, collars, bandannas, and more. Lucky Dog Tarot will even read your dog’s future from 6-8pm, and after they’ve revealed their darkest secrets they can shake it off to DJ Kurt Lammers. The costume contest begins at 8, and there are no categories, so you and your fluffer can get as creative as you want. Importantly, if you’re in the market for a pet, HHDR will have adoptable pups on-site for meet-and-greets. But I’ve buried the lede… perhaps the best reason to attend is the celebrity guest judge – none other than Chupie the Chupacabra, the viral sensation cat who can be seen sampling the hottest new restaurants around Austin, always dressed impeccably, of course. – Lina Fisher
Soundscapes: Amos Cochran
Through November 22, ICOSA Collective
Local gallery ICOSA pulls an Emmy nominated composer for the next edition of their sound work series – played on the stereo system aimed at the Canopy Complex’s open-air breezeway. Amos Cochran, whose work hits at convergence of organic and in-organic instrumentation, brings two pieces for this installation. One, “Color Field Outside/In,” was inspired by the artist’s research into the Color Field movement – which held that color was as important to an art’s emotional resonance as figures. His second piece, “N.I. (Natural Intelligence),” developed as a result of Cochran’s musings on overconsumption. “I see this work as an abstraction of my overall relationship with technology,” the artist relays in his statement, “and how its consumption plays a crucial role in our societal psyche.” – 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 October 25 • 2024.
