Hey folks, Harry here... Make no mistake about it. I love getting to host advance screenings of cool films. Last night's HOSTEL 2 screening was an absolute blast - with an audience that just ate it all up. That said - to be able to present a PIXAR film by Brad Bird two weeks early... that's a friggin awesome thing to get to do. In addition to have the lead character's voice there in person to host it with? Cool. That it is Patton Oswalt, one of the few people on the planet Earth that can pretty much out-geek me. FUCKING AWESOME! OOps... the "f" word. This screening of RATATOUILLE is going to be family friendly - so don't worry about spiraling "f" words flying out of mine or Patton's maws... We'll be on our best behavior. So this screening is exactly ONE WEEK from tonight! AWESOME! Here's Tim League with the details...
Ain't It Cool News and Fantastic Fest present Patton Oswalt Live in Person Alamo Drafthouse Cinema: June 11 No hyperbole here- Patton Oswalt is my favorite comedian working today. He's smart, shocking and is able to get a crowd excited just as easily by riffing on the news of the day as he can by busting out with his classic jokes. The most important reason he resonates for me though is that he is truly one of us. Obsessed with comics, metaphysically changed in 1977 by the raw power of the original Star Wars, and able to riff on the nuanced distinctions between Autobots and Decepticons, Patton would fit right in to the hardcore Alamo Downtown audience were he to live in our town. Unfortunately, we only get to see him when he is coming through town: for the Comedians of Comedy at SXSW, the Onion launch party or one of his stand-up comedy tours. When the call went out to our all-time favorite guests to come back to the Alamo Downtown for one final farewell, the stars aligned and Patton happened to be coming through Austin on the Ratatouille Comedy Tour. With the help of Harry Knowles' Ain't It Cool News, Disney and Paramount Vantage, he was able put together not one but two "Farewell to the Alamo Downtown" special events. Show #1: Patton Oswalt presents Ratatouille Alamo Drafthouse Downtown 7:00 PM If you aren't super excited about Ratatouille, then you simply are not informed. Ratatouille is Brad Bird's long awaited follow-up to THE INCREDIBLES, without a doubt the peak performance of Pixar to date. RATATOUILLE follows the adventures of a rat named Remy who dreams of becoming a great chef despite his family's wishes and the obvious problem of being a rat in a decidedly rodent-phobic profession. It's a fun premise (especially fun for us, given the robust food tie-ins), and Brad Bird in my book can do no wrong. However, coupling Patton as the LEAD ACTOR voice with a supporting cast of Will Arnet, Janeane Garofalo, Ian Holm and Peter O'Toole to name just a few, my expectations have flown wildly off the charts. Just so everyone knows, this show will feature the "family friendly Patton," all ages are welcome to this show, and from what I can tell, all ages will have a great time with this film. Show #2: Patton Oswalt presents The Foot Fist Way Alamo Drafthouse Lamar 10:00 PM The Foot Fist Way doesn't star Patton, nor did he have a hand in writing it. Why then is he hosting a sneak preview screening of it? Because, as I mentioned before, not all that deep down inside, he's a fanboy and he wants this awesome movie to succeed and find an audience. I'll let him sell it in his own words (note: I have changed the words in the following quote, because there may be young, impressionable Ratatouille fans reading. You lot are NOT invited to THE FOOT FIST WAY): "another film to look out for is THE FOOT FIST WAY. Holy (poo poo), I watched this yesterday morning and nearly laughed myself into a kidney stone. I'm not sure how that works, but the film's (freakin') funny. Danny R. McBride, Ben Best and Jody Hill have crafted a low-budget, Southern flavored THE OFFICE, if Ricky Gervais' character taught tae kwon do -- badly. I don't want to spoil the surprises, the cringe-inducing moments of hilarity, and spot-on dialogue ("I hope your hair literally turns into (poo poo), so when you pull your comb through it, there's bits of (poo poo) stuck to the comb")'" Just so everyone knows, this show will NOT feature the "family friendly Patton," all ages are NOT welcome to this show. Both of these sneak preview screenings are free. We are offering them first to Fantastic Fest Badge Holders and Heroes of the Alamo members beginning at 5:00 PM on Tuesday, June 5, and if any are left, they will be opened up to the general public at 5:00 PM on Thursday, June 7. You can reserve your seat to either show by purchasing a pre-paid food/drink voucher. Follow the links below: Reservation for Ratatouille at the Alamo Drafthouse Downtown, 7:00 PM, June 11 Reservation for The Foot Fist Way at the Alamo South Lamar, 10:00 PM, June 11
