Best in Film & TV: April 6-8, 2018
April 5, 2018 |
By Dani Dudek
Austin Film

Looking for the best Austin film events happening this weekend? Well, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve got ’em. And TV events too!

These are the best screenings and events the entertainment world has to offer this weekend.

Movies Opening This Weekend

Blockers
The comedy, which premiered at SXSW, focuses on three high school seniors who make a pact to lose their virginity on prom night. Their overprotective parents flip out when they find out about their daughters’ plans and soon join forces for a wild and chaotic quest to stop the girls from sealing the deal — no matter what the cost.
Stars: Jon Cena, Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz

Chappaquiddick 
The closing night film at the Austin Film Festival finally hits theaters. Among the most morally murky episodes in late-20th-century US politics was the drowning of campaign specialist Mary Jo Kopechne in what would become known as the Chappaquiddick Incident. Kopechne was trapped in a car that Senator Ted Kennedy drove off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts, following a night of festivities. This sombre, suspenseful recreation of the accident and its aftermath invites you to speculate on how this shameful scandal came to be.
Stars: Jim Gaffigan, Kate Mara, Jason Clark, Ed Helms

A Quiet Place
The SXSW opening night film written and directed John Krasinski, who also stars in the film with real life wife Emily Blunt, follows a family of four who must live life in silence while hiding from creatures that hunt by sound.

New TV Episodes and Specials

6 Balloons
Netflix | Friday
The Netflix film, which screened at SXSW, goes a little something like this: Over the course of one night, a woman drives across LA with her heroin addict brother in search of a detox center, with his two year old daughter in tow. Stars:  Abbi Jacobson, Dave Franco, Tim Matheson, Jane Kaczmarek

Killing Eve
BBC America | Sunday | 7 p.m.
Killing Eve is a tense, twisted, action-filled thriller pitting a normally desk-bound MI5 agent (Sandra Oh, in her first regular role since leaving Grey’s Anatomy), who is bored with her job, against a female assassin (Jodie Comer, The White Princess). The eight-episode series is based on the books by Luke Jennings.

Film Events in Austin

JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE Free Outdoor Screening
Friday | 7:30 – 10:30 p.m. | Community Cinema & Amphitheater
Mobile Loaves & Fishes invites you to a free movie night at the Community First! Village. Event is free but a $5 donation is appreciated. More info here.

Master Pancake Braveheart
Friday & Saturday | at 7 & 10 p.m. | Alamo Drafthouse Ritz
Master Pancake quells everyone’s favorite tale of Scottish rebellion: Braveheart. Featuring an egregiously be-mulleted Mel Gibson as Scottish blowhard/face-painter William Wallace, a warrior and Jesus-figure that Mel can really sink his nails into. More info here.

The Sandlot Movie Party
Sunday | 1 p.m. | Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline and Slaughter Lane
Celebrate the start of baseball season and the 25th anniversary of this supremely watchable, completely quotable, love letter to the sport. With specials on hot dogs, pre-movie shenanigans, themed props, and surprises. You can even score yourself a keepsake baseball hat along with your ticket, slugger (just add it to your advance ticket purchase at checkout). Buy tickets here.

Flashback Brunch: The Breakfast Club
Sunday  | 3:30 p.m. | Alamo Drafthouse Ritz
A cocktail-fueled, totally tubular throwback brunch series featuring the absolute best films of the 1980s. Flashback to the greatest decade for cinema about teen angst, the suckage of early adulthood and, of course, heartbreak. More info on this installment here.

In Brunch We Trust: John Tucker Must Die
Sunday  | 12:30 p.m. | Alamo Drafthouse Ritz
Brunch isn’t just a meal, it’s a lifestyle. If done right, it can be a downright religious experience. Worship with the Drafthouse once a month at the altars of film and food as you watch movies that deserve a big screen revisit mixed with their exclusive In Brunch We Trust Mimosa Menu! More info on this installment here.

TV Events in Austin

Chrissy Metz: This Is Me Tour
Saturday | at 8 p.m. | Paramount Theatre
The This is Us star takes part in a conversation with Project Runway‘s Tim Gunn at the Paramount Austin. Enjoy an evening of honest conversation about life and its lessons – featuring real advice, tough love, and shared moments of are-you-kidding-me, I-wish-I-was laughter. Chrissy will share the struggles and triumphs of her life, and invites you to join her on a journey not just of self-acceptance, but of embracing the lives we want and deserve. More info here.

Bob’s Burgers Trivia
Sunday | 6 – 8 p.m. | Stay Gold
Celebrate all of the Belcher family values with Bob’s Burgers Trivia! From the Thundergirls to the Three Beets to the Wind Burger, they’ll trivialize it all. Free to play. Boozy prizes for top notch teammates. Early arrival is strongly encouraged. More info here.

The Walking Dead Viewing Party
Sunday | 8 – 10 p.m. | Hot Box Diner (805 Start St.)
Outdoor venue, BYOB, pet friendly and totally free. Enjoy complimentary popcorn under the stars for each new episode of The Walking Dead. (Weather permitting)


Looking for a recap of the TV and Film events that happened at SXSW? Read about our top 10 favorite things from SXSW here.

And, go inside SXSWestworld here.