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  Written on the Wind (1956)

  If you’re predisposed to thinking a film from 1956 must be all kinds of buttoned-up, then you haven’t met Douglas Sirk, arguably Hollywood’s greatest melodramatist. The Texas-set Written on the Wind brings Real Housewives-levels of dysfunction to its tale of an alcoholic oil scion (Robert Stack) and his slutty sister (Dorothy Malone), who’s in love with his best friend (Rock Hudson, Sirk’s most defining leading man), who’s in love with his wife (Lauren Bacall). That they’re all heading for tragedy is preordained; it’s the getting there that’s the good stuff – Kimberley Jones Read a full review of Written on the Wind.

  Mon., May 26

  Alamo Drafthouse Mueller

• Film

  Special Screenings

  

  Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

  The greatest question ever asked in an interview was during an episode of Inside the Actors Studio, when host James Lipton asked of Steven Spielberg about CE3K, “Your father was a computer scientist. Your mother was a musician. When the spaceship lands, how do they communicate?” It was at that moment that the director himself realized how much of his family life he had poured into this jaw-dropping science-fiction epic. If you’ve seen The Fabelmans (and, if you haven’t, correct your life now), you’ll know how long it took him to process those emotions of parental obsession, of bridging impossible distances through music. But if you’ve never seen arguably the greatest alien movie ever made, see how he handled it metaphorically, visually, and with a sense of awe. We are truly not alone. – Richard Whittaker

  May 21, 26 & 31

  AFS Cinema

• Film

  Special Screenings

  

  Ran (1985)

  In the last 30 years, The Austin Chronicle has only given two films a five-star rating: The 1997 re-release of Fritz Lang’s German Expressionist masterpiece M, and the 2000 re-release of Akira Kurosawa’s bushido King Lear adaptation, Ran. What does five stars mean around here? That a movie is as perfect as a film can be. That’s Ran, now remastered in 4K. – Richard Whittaker Read a full review of Ran.

  May 24-29

  AFS Cinema

• Film

  Special Screenings

  

  Valley Girl (1983)

  Way back in 1983, Nicolas Cage had only one prior film credit in Fast Times at Ridgemont High – as Nicolas Coppola. A bold statement by AFS Cinema, then, that by his first starring role he “had achieved his final form already.” His Cage-ness is undeniable in this engaging Romeo & Juliet tale of a city punk enamored with a Valley girl (Deborah Foreman of Real Genius, April Fool’s Day), but was his final form really achieved four decades ago? See if you agree. – Kat McNevins Read a full review of Valley Girl.

  May 26, 30-31 & June 1

  AFS Cinema