Before starting my post, I want to add a disclaimer. In no way does Alamo Drafthouse sponsor my blog. Nobody does. I have a few loyal readers, but not nearly enough to warrant a sponsor. I just wanted to get that out of the way. The Alamo does not sponsor my blog. I’m just a big fan of the theater. With that out of the way, let’s get started. As always, there may be potential spoilers.
I’ve loved films all my life. Watching movies at the theater has been my favorite pastime for as long as I can remember. Once I could drive and had a job to purchase the tickets on my own, it was like a dog becoming unleashed. I could go whenever I fancied. If the Alamo opened in 2015, why did it take until the end of 2023 to get serious about going? The answer would probably be summed up to the word: familiarity. I was used to going to a local Marcus Theatre. I am a rewards member, I liked their reclining seats, and I could purchase tickets without a fee from the comfort of the app. I would say that I frequented one of the Marcus Theatres for the better part of the decade. Before that, growing up I would go to the local AMC. I only started going to Marcus when the AMC went downhill (it eventually closed during the pandemic). As a film lover, you think I would have started going to the Alamo sooner than 2023, but you would be wrong. My first experience at the Alamo was seeing The Flash with a coworker. That same summer, my brother and I saw Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and I decided I liked that theater enough to consider seeing movies there more frequently.
The turning point came in December when my brother and I saw Die Hard for its 35th anniversary. Die Hard is among my favorite films and seeing it on a big screen was life-altering. I was just in awe the entire time. I had to rewatch the movie at home before Christmas because I was distracted, thinking to myself when I was at the Alamo, “Oh my God, I’m seeing Die Hard on the big screen.” The final catalyst came on my holiday break. I wanted to see some movies and the Alamo was the only theater that still had $5 tickets. The other theaters were now at $6 or $7. With the $5 tickets, I saw two movies that day: The devastating The Iron Claw and the disappointing Ferrari. During the previews, I saw an ad for the “Time Capsule” series they were doing in 2024. Starting in 2024, they will be showing classic movies from six iconic years in film, starting with 1999. I also saw they offered what they called a “Season Pass.” The pass allows the user to see up to one movie a day for a flat fee of $20/month plus tax (plus a $2 ticketing fee). After my positive experience with Die Hard, I knew I wanted to see more re-releases. Once I learned these counted for admission with the Season Pass, I subscribed.
All in all, I saw 21 new-release films and 41 re-released films. For those keeping track, that’s 62 movies I saw in a year. That’s either impressive or sad, depending on how you look at it. This post is going to be a look back on the re-released films I saw in 2024 at the Alamo. I won’t include new releases. I did keep a running list of those films as I saw them. Some films I will spend more time on than others. Let’s see what I can remember as I look back on these titles. Let’s begin.
For January and February, the featured year was 1999. The first re-release of 2024 was Alexander Payne’s Election. Because it was shot in the Omaha area and I recognized a lot of filming locations, I felt a deep connection to this film. More than that, the film has stood the test of time. When I was younger, I didn’t pick up on all of the satire. Needless to say, I picked it up this time. The next film was Dick starring Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams as teens in the 1970s who befriend the titular Dick (Richard Nixon). This was one I hadn’t seen before but immediately fell in love with. It was a fun satire with a lot of heart. Plus, it was a stacked cast. Aside from Dunst and Williams, you had comedic actors Dan Hedaya, Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Teri Garr, and Harry Shearer. Additionally, you had pre-movie stars, Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell, with the latter playing Bob Woodward of all people. American Pie was the next film I saw. I had seen it before, but it was cool to see it on the big screen. Finally, in 1999, I saw Man on the Moon. It’s not my favorite Jim Carrey performance, but it was worth a watch. Looking back, the film I regret missing the most was Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia. I had tickets, but the weather was already questionable and I had a cold, so I decided that driving to a theater to sit next to a stranger for over three hours probably wasn’t the best idea.
Between 1999 and 1994, I saw both Once Upon a Time in the West and No Country For Old Men for their Western Wednesday series. West was a case study in minimal dialogue. It was a stylish western epic from Sergio Leone that cast Henry Fonda as the bad guy, and both Jason Robards and Charles Bronson as the “slightly less bad guys.” No Country came out in 2007. Not to date myself, but that would have put me around third grade. I see why the film won Best Picture. It was suspenseful and thrilling, yet managed to be a character study of the film’s three protagonists. There’s one thing you should know about my theater-going habits. I go to most movies solo and I always reserve an aisle seat. 75% of the time, I end up sitting by myself. Sometimes, I do end up sitting next to a stranger. As was the case with No Country. I ended up sitting next to a mom, dad, and son. The mom made a comment that made me feel old instantly. She said, “This movie came out the year you were born.” I then realized that kid was 16 and it had been nearly 17 years since it came out. Wow.
I can’t remember what the themes were but during this period, I ended up seeing two movies by Brian De Palma, Blow Out and The Untouchables. Blow Out was one I hadn’t seen before. It reminded me in some ways of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation. I didn’t think it was great, but I didn’t think it was bad either. It is fun to look at the cultural impact of the film. It bombed, unable to recoup its budget. This was also the beginning of a decline in Travolta’s film career. His comeback would be in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction a decade-plus later. Ironically, it was Travolta’s performance in Blow Out that put Travolta on Tarantino’s radar. I also think it’s funny that the book I’m listening to as of this writing is about the making of De Palma’s notorious 1990 misfire, The Bonfire of the Vanities. As for the Untouchables, I had seen it before. It still held up. I believe that Sean Connery’s Oscar win in the Supporting Actor category is one of the very best.
The featured year for March and April was 1994. I only saw two films: Forrest Gump and Reality Bites. Gump was one of those movies that was fun to watch on the big screen, especially with its Oscar wins. Reality Bites was one that while nice to see on the big screen, wasn’t all that special. I would describe the film as “subpar.” It’s a slice of life from the mid-90s told from the perspective of Winona Ryder’s character as she enters a love triangle with Ethan Hawke and Ben Stiller (also the film’s director). It was very much a film of its time; a time I was not alive for. Maybe that explains my disconnect. Luckily Ben Stiller would grow as both a filmmaker and actor. Bonus points for the catchy soundtrack.
We enter the summer months (May and June) with films from the year 1989. The first film from this year I saw was Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. I enjoy Keanu Reeves, especially John Wick, but I had never seen this one before. It was an enjoyable, silly little film. Next was Steven Soderbergh’s first film Sex, Lies, and Videotape. That was certainly an interesting and unique film. I was looking at the accolades the film received. I was glad it was nominated for Best Original Screenplay, but I’m surprised the performances were shut out completely. I believe James Spader, Andie MacDowell, and Laura San Giacomo were worthy of a nomination. Perhaps the film was too taboo for the 1990 Academy voters that awarded Driving Miss Daisy Best Picture. More on that later.
The next big event was the Back to the Future trilogy. Despite only Part II being released in 1989, the theater showed all three films on three consecutive Sunday nights. They were all amazing to see on the big screen and I was riveted by each one. The first film, however, may just be one of the best film-going experiences I’ve ever had. I go more in-depth on my experiences for each of my posts on the trilogy. Lethal Weapon 2 was a lot of fun. It’s not my favorite film series by any means, but it was a late-night show and I decided it would be fun to stay out later than usual. It’s not a great film, but the dynamic between Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, and Joe Pesci, along with the action scenes, make it a fun ride. Up next was Gus Van Sant’s sophomore film, Drugstore Cowboy starring Matt Dillon. I didn’t care for this one too much, but it was odd to see Heather Graham in this movie, given how young she was. She was only 19 when the film was released, but I do think her baby face helped the audience realize just how young she was, which makes her fate more heartbreaking.
The end of June brought with it two of the biggest movies of 1989. On Father’s Day, the theater showed Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which I found to be appropriate given the father-son dynamic in the film. This is my favorite Indy film. If you asked fans which was their favorite, I imagine most would say either this film or Raiders of the Lost Ark, with more leaning towards Raiders. Raiders is a classic. I have no problem with that. I just enjoy the third installment best due mainly to the dynamic between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery, as well as its humor. On Juneteenth, the theater showed Spike Lee’s masterpiece, Do the Right Thing. It was a beautiful film to see in the theater. I had seen it before, but seeing it on the big screen brought a greater depth for me. It’s unfortunate how some things depicted in that movie are still relevant 35 years later. I mentioned the 1990 Oscars earlier, Driving Miss Daisy’s win did not age well, given that this film was underrepresented all around. Like Soderbergh’s film, Lee’s film was nominated only in the Original Screenplay category and Best Supporting Actor for Danny Aiello (which was well deserved).
I kicked off July with a screening of 1984’s Red Dawn, before Independence Day. I’ll be blunt. I wasn’t a fan. It felt like pure 80s propaganda. Aside from that, there were some logistical challenges I took issue with. First and foremost, it seems improbable that a group of high school students can form a well-regimented militia to fight against Cuban invaders. Most importantly, the thing that drove me crazy was having to suspend my disbelief enough to pretend that Charlie Sheen and Patrick Swayze were playing brothers with a few-year age gap. At the time of filming, Sheen was 18 and Swayze was 31. Nice try, Hollywood.
Jumping from a movie that was unintentionally funny to an intentionally funny movie, we landed on Top Secret! The film stars Val Kilmer (in his film debut) as an American musician caught up in a web of espionage while on tour in the Soviet Union. It was directed by the comedy trio of Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker (RIP Abrahams) between their films Airplane and The Naked Gun. I had seen the latter two films, but never Top Secret! While it had funny moments, such as skeet surfing, I found it lackluster compared to their other comedic masterpieces. Audiences must have agreed, because the film was considered a bomb, despite the film making its money back. I will say, and maybe I’m biased because my name is Nick, but my favorite joke in the entire movie is when Val Kilmer’s character introduces himself as “Nick.” The person compliments his name and Val retorts. “Thanks. My father thought of it. It came to him while shaving.” It’s silly but it makes me laugh.
Next was John Carpenter’s Starman. I’m not a huge science fiction fan, but I knew I wanted to see a film where Jeff Bridges was Oscar-nominated for playing an alien. That being said, I was taken aback by how deeply I felt for this alien and the widow who accompanies him to his crash sight. The Coen brothers’ first movie Blood Simple came next. Coen Brothers movies are usually hit or miss with me. As far as the story goes, this was not my favorite. From a technical standpoint, however, I was impressed by how much they pulled off with the budget they had. From their first film, you can tell that these are two gifted filmmakers with a unique point of view.
August brought Best Picture winner Amadeus in a new 4K cut. I hadn’t seen the film before that evening, but I had only heard positive things about it. While there was a lot to admire, particularly F. Murray Abraham’s Oscar-winning performance, I found the pace to be quite slow. I knew the film was already two hours and forty minutes long, but I freaked out internally when I realized that this was the director’s cut. It ended up running twenty minutes longer than the theatrical cut. Repo Man was a bizarre movie. I’m still processing it all these months later. After seeing a re-release of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, I received the distinction of being able to say that I’ve seen each Indy movie in the theater. It sounds more impressive when you realize three out of the five films came out a decade or more before I was born.
The end of August brought Point Break. I can’t remember why they were showing it, but it was a great time. I think it maybe had something to do with a series on Kathryn Bigelow. Don’t quote me on that. I do remember the description under the poster reading something like, “Before she was making movies about the war in Iraq and the hunt for Osama Bin Laden, Kathryn Bigelow was making serious movies. Movies about surfers turned bank robbers.” It made me chuckle. September began with a 40th anniversary 4K restoration of The Terminator. Much like Blood Simple, it was astonishing to think about how much James Cameron and the filmmaking team pulled off with their limited resources. Unlike Blood Simple, however, The Terminator became a cultural phenomenon and launched a franchise. That Labor Day, I had to go back and watch T2. I would put that movie in the pantheon of sequels. It would be hard to say which is better because they are similar, yet different in style and theme.
Going into September, the year in question was 1979, and I was facing perhaps three of the longest films I’ve sat through this year. The first of those was Apocalypse Now. Francis Ford Coppola, always the perfectionist, has released three versions over time: the theatrical cut (153 minutes), Redux in 2001 (202 minutes), and The Final Cut in 2019 (182 minutes). The version I saw was The Final Cut. I’ll be honest, maybe even brutally honest, I hate this movie. Other than the visuals, I find nothing to like about this film. I find the plot to be convoluted at times and the characters unlikable. The only reason I saw it was for the aforementioned visuals (cinematography) and because of its well-regarded status in the film industry. I wanted to say that I saw it on the big screen. I was just thankful I didn’t have to sit through the Redux cut.
Another Vietnam epic was up next. Clocking it at the same length is The Deer Hunter. Though it was slow at times, particularly the wedding sequence, I enjoyed this film more. Except for the over-the-top character of Kilgore (played by an Oscar-nominated Robert Duvall), The Deer Hunter is much more of an actor’s film. Yes, I care about the story and how compelling it is, but I care far more about these characters than the ones in Apocalypse. The performances of Robert De Niro, John Savage, and John Cazale deserve praise. The film also has the distinction of being Meryl Streep’s first Oscar-nominated role. In this film, Vietnam is more than a location. It’s a mindset. To see the characters pre-, during, and post-Vietnam and how the jungle affects each of them is mesmerizing. It’s a tragic American epic and I can see why it took home each Oscar it did, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor (Christopher Walken). That being said, this isn’t one I’m just going to throw on TV one day. I have to be in the mood for it because it is heavy. I feel like I should note, that despite my preference for The Deer Hunter over Apocalypse Now, my favorite movie to depict not only Vietnam, but any war, is Oliver Stone’s Platoon.
Leaving 1979 behind, the end of September brought two modern Westerns. The first was 2016’s Hell or High Water, a movie I slept on when it was released. It was only after it was nominated at the Academy Awards that I watched this film on DVD. It’s such a simple film, but it’s well directed, well written (by a pre-Yellowstone Taylor Sheridan), and masterfully acted by Chris Pine, Jeff Bridges, and Ben Foster. I think the film deserved its nods for Best Picture, Original Screenplay, and Supporting Actor (Bridges). The next movie I saw was The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, where the only thing longer than the title is the film’s run time. At 160 minutes, it is a slow-burn movie. I kept thinking it would get more exciting, but it didn’t. It was a much more internal and philosophical Western than I was used to. Casey Affleck was good. I’m glad he got his first Oscar nomination, but it’s debatable whether or not he was a supporting part. The photography by Roger Deakins is breathtaking. So much so that the textbook I used for my cinematography class had a still from the film on the cover. It speaks volumes about the reverence for Robert Elswit’s work on There Will Be Blood that he beat Deakins for Best Cinematography that year, despite Deakins receiving a second nomination for his work on No Country for Old Men.
I wondered why during their promotion of 1979 films, it seemed to me that they were advertising fewer films than in previous years. I discovered it was because The Alamo takes Halloween very seriously and dedicates the month of October to horror films, which are not my jam. Aside from a couple of new releases, I didn’t frequent the theater quite as often. I came back on the first day of November to see All the President’s Men. I’m not sure what the reason was for the showing because it came out in 1976, not 1979. My best guess is maybe because of the election being a few days away. I don’t know for sure, but I enjoyed the experience. The film itself was compelling and engaging and although the film isn’t a “spectacle,” it was still visually appealing. It made me mourn the fact that so many of the rousing dramas produced nowadays are commonly watched on phone and TV screens instead of the big screen. It made me think of something my dad told me. He once told me that it was a shame that I never got to visit Indian Hills Theatre before it was torn down. I’ve seen pictures online and read articles about actors and filmmakers petitioning to save it but to no avail. Maybe this could have been a glimpse into what it would have been like to see a movie in the 60s or 70s when going out was an event.
We’re nearing the end of the list. We’re talking 1974 films and the infamous Blazing Saddles was next. I wasn’t a fan. I can see why most of the humor could be controversial, but that wasn’t my problem. My problem was the juvenile humor. Except The Naked Gun, I’m not a fan of juvenile humor. I like my humor to have a little bit of thought into it. I was completely shocked to learn Madeline Khan was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as an old-time burlesque dancer. I saw Saving Private Ryan on Veteran’s Day. Solid film. Made to be seen on the big screen. No notes. This Spielberg guy knows what he’s doing.
Finally, we’ve hit December and the final four. The Godfather Part II was first up. It was a bit difficult to sit still, but after surviving Apocalypse Now and The Deer Hunter, I was able to manage. It did help that the film had an intermission. My home media copies have a spot where an intermission title appears, but then immediately fades back into the film. I was unsure if the theater was going to have an intermission. It was only five minutes, but it reinvigorated me for the second part. At the 1975 Academy Awards, The Godfather Part II’s biggest competition was Roman Polanski’s Chinatown. I saw that next. Its screenplay is consistently listed among the best original screenplays of all time. I found it a little confusing and hard to follow, but the performances were great, especially Jack Nicholson and the creepy John Huston. While those films were dominating the Oscars, a young filmmaker made his directorial debut with The Sugarland Express. I am, of course, talking about Steven Spielberg. Starring Goldie Hawn and Ben Johnson, the film is about an escaped convict and his wife, who go on a cross-country crime spree to make it to Sugarland, where their young son is in foster care. I wasn’t a huge fan of this one, but you could tell, much like the Coens, that Spielberg was a natural. A superstar in the making. I think it is worth noting that this was the first collaboration between Spielberg and longtime collaborator John Williams.
Well, I started this list with an “E” movie from 1999 and I’m ending it with an “E” movie from 1999. I’m talking about the classic Christmas movie, Eyes Wide Shut. I’m making a joke, but the film does take place at Christmas time, so you could make an argument for the film being a Christmas movie. That’s the argument I use for Die Hard, so I have to accept that. It was advertised as sort of an alternate Christmas movie. They were showing Carol the next evening. This was an odd experience. I normally sit by myself, but was dismayed to learn that someone bought the seat next to me. The auditorium opens 30 minutes before the movie starts, so I thought I would get there ASAP and claim my spot. I showed up five minutes after doors opened and the seat was already taken by a group of three. It was two middle-aged women and a middle-aged man. I sat by the guy and he was friendly enough. We spoke about Kubrick movies while we waited for the preview. He told me this was one of his favorite films and had the best cinematography of any movie he had seen. I know one of the ladies next to him was his wife, because after the preview for the steamy Nicole Kidman movie, Babygirl, he leaned over and whispered to his wife, “We are so seeing that.” I’m not quite sure what their relationship dynamic is and I’m not sure I want to know.
I’ve never been much of a Kubrick fan, so I didn’t have high expectations. Because it’s talked about so often, I thought the film would have more nudity in it. Don’t get me wrong, it had a ton, but it still wasn’t as much as I thought. People talk about the orgy house, for lack of a better term, but only about 20 minutes of screen time takes place in that house. It’s a lot more introspective than I imagined it would be. I can see why that film’s shoot more than likely wrecked Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman’s marriage. Maybe it speaks to Kubrick’s perfectionism, but the film holds the record for the longest continuous film shoot at 400 days. This sounds horrible, but no wonder Kubrick dropped dead of a heart attack just six days after showing Cruise, Kidman, and the studio his final cut. That’s a lot of pressure.
With that final “fuck,” uttered by Nicole Kidman before the credits rolled on Eyes Wide Shut, my year at the Alamo was over. This being my first year, I assumed that the time capsule was a regular tradition. I was upset to learn that it was only for 2024 but my spirits were lifted when I saw some of the upcoming titles. As we start 2025 off strong, I already have tickets to classics like Groundhog Day, a couple of David Fincher films, and The Lonely Island trifecta (Hot Rod, Popstar, and MacGruber). Don’t worry readers. In a year, I’ll fill you in on my 2025 at The Alamo. In the meantime, I encourage you to keep reading, and appreciate your support!