Coronavirus in Austin: Get Paramount, Alamo Drafthouse experience at home
Joe Gross
jgross@statesman.com
Now that it looks like we will be staying at home and out of movie theaters for the foreseeable future, different Austin movie institutions are engaging with at-home viewers in different ways.
For example: Every Friday for as long as the COVID-19 distancing orders last, the Paramount Theatre will reveal a curated week of double features (and where to stream them) from their Summer Classic Film Series film programmer, Stephen Jannise. The program is called the "Quaranscreen Film Series."
For the first round of films, Family Week, the Paramount selected 14 kid-friendly movies for and often about families and children. A streaming subscription service is listed where you can find each film (if applicable), but most are also available for rent on FandangoNow, Amazon Prime Video and other services.
"Babe" (1995) and "Whale Rider" (2002)
"Babe" is available on HBO. "Whale Rider" is available for rent.
"Hugo" (2011) and "A Trip to the Moon" (1902)
"Hugo' is available on Netflix. "A Trip to the Moon" is available on YouTube.
"A Little Princess" (1995) and "The Secret Garden" (1993)
"A Little Princess" is available on Netflix. "The Secret Garden" is available for rent.
"Little Women" (1994) and "Little Women" (2019)
"Little Women" (1994) is available for rent. "Little Women" (2019) is available for purchase or rent starting April 7.
"Mary Poppins" (1964) and "Saving Mr. Banks" (2013)
"Mary Poppins" and "Saving Mr. Banks" are both available on Disney+.
"Pete's Dragon" (2016) and "Christopher Robin" (2018)
"Pete's Dragon" is available on Disney+. "Christopher Robin" is available on Netflix.
"The Red Balloon" (1956) and "Up" (2009)
"The Red Balloon" is available on the Criterion Channel. "Up" is available on Disney+.
Find each week's list of films at austintheatre.org/quaranscreen-film-series.
» Related:Think you know Texas movies? Try this quiz
The Alamo Drafthouse is taking a slightly different tack. The chain has launched an "Alamo-At-Home" initiative, including a "Virtual Cinema" version of its longest-running programming series, Terror Tuesday and Weird Wednesday.
Last week, Alamo Drafthouse announced it would begin offering "Virtual Cinema" options to fans, an initiative led by distributors such as Kino Lorber, Film Movement and Magnolia Pictures to allow independent theaters to digitally offer new films to their guests.
Terror Tuesday and Weird Wednesday are entering the Virtual Cinema space with online screenings that feature pre-show content, introductions and discussions conducted on Alamo Drafthouse's editorial website, BirthMoviesDeath.com.
The first title chosen: Terror Tuesday's "Centipede Horror," the 1982 Hong Kong horror classic by director Keith Li. Never released legitimately on home video in the U.S., the Virtual Cinema screening uses a recent 2K preservation drawn from the only 35mm film print in existence. The screening goes live at 7 p.m. March 31 at vimeo.com/ondemand/ttcentipede. Tickets are on sale now for $7.75 and support AGFA, the company's film preservation arm, and Drafthouse.
Weird Wednesday's first Virtual Cinema title is a 4K restoration of "Godmonster of Indian Flats," the story of an 8-foot toxic sheep monster that blows up gas stations, smashes crooked politicians and terrorizes stoners. The screening is scheduled for April 8.
Alamo-at-Home programming for Terror Tuesday and Weird Wednesday will continue weekly, alternating between the two series. Follow Alamo Drafthouse on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for updates on film titles.
Additional Virtual Cinema titles are also available now at drafthouse.com.