Looking for the best in film and TV events happening this weekend in Austin?
These are the best screenings and events the entertainment world has to offer this weekend.
Movies Opening This Weekend
Winchester: The House that Ghosts Built
The most haunted house in the world sits on an isolated stretch of land that’s 50 miles outside of San Francisco. Built by Sarah Winchester, heiress to the Winchester fortune, it stands seven stories tall and contains hundreds of rooms. To an outsider, it looks like a monstrous monument to a disturbed woman’s madness. But Sarah’s actually building a prison, an asylum for hundreds of vengeful ghosts — and the most terrifying among them have a score to settle with the Winchesters.
Stars: Helen Mirren, Jason Clarke
New TV Episodes and Specials
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSh9go26awE
The Trade
Showtime | Friday | 8 p.m.
This five-part documentary series looks at the opioid crisis in America.
Strike Back
Cinemax | Friday | 9 p.m.
The action series returns after a two-year absence with an entirely new cast that includes Warren Brown, Daniel MacPherson, and Roxanne McKee.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMp7iGHtMso
2 Dope Queens
HBO | Friday | 10:30 p.m.
The popular stand-up comedy/storytelling podcast hosted by Jessica Williams and Phoebe Robinson comes to television in the form of four hour-long episodes. Each hour will revolve around a particular theme and, like the audio version, each will feature a special interview guest and stand-up performances.
Absentia
Amazon | Friday
Castle‘s Stana Katic stars in this 10-episode series as an FBI agent who is declared dead after vanishing while investigating a serial killer. She is discovered in a cabin six years later with no memories of the missing time. She then learns that her husband has remarried and that she herself is a suspect in another series of murders.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhFM8akm9a4
Altered Carbon
Netflix | Friday
Netflix’s 10-episode adaptation of Richard Morgan’s 2002 sci-fi novel is set in the 25th century, when the entire human mind can be digitized, allowing people to transfer from one body to another and effectively live forever.
Coach Snoop
Netflix | Friday
Netflix’s eight-episode series follows rapper Snoop Dogg as he coaches a youth football team.
The Simone Biles Story
Lifetime | Saturday | 7 p.m.
Lifetime continues its series of made-for-TV movies that dramatize the lives of public figures with this story focused on the rise of Olympic gymnast Simone Biles.
Kitten Bowl V
Hallmark | Sunday | 11 a.m.
Beth Stern hosts and Boomer Esiason calls the play-by-play.
Puppy Bowl XIV
Animal Planet | Sunday | 2 p.m.
Television’s original adoption extravaganza is back and furrier than ever as the world’s cutest sporting event.
The Super Bowl
NBC | Sunday | 5 p.m.
Though coverage is happening all day, the Big Game officially kicks off at 5:30 when the New England Patriots take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII. An all-new highly anticipated episode of This Is Us follows.
Film Events in Austin
Groundhog Day
Friday | 6:30 – 9:30 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.
Groundhog Day
Friday | 7 p.m. | Flix Brewhouse
Celebrate 25 years of the Bill Murray classic. Buy tickets here.
Groundhog Day
Friday | 7 p.m. | Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline
Celebrate 25 years of the Bill Murray classic. Buy tickets here.
Groundhog Day
Friday | 7 p.m. | Alamo Drafthouse Mueller
Celebrate 25 years of the Bill Murray classic. Buy tickets here.
Groundhog Day
Friday | 7 p.m. | Alamo Drafthouse Slaughter Lane
Celebrate 25 years of the Bill Murray classic. Buy tickets here.
Justin TImberlake Video Dance Party
Friday | 9:45 p.m. | Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline
He brought sexy back. He took back the night. He was a legend of the summer. And he totally destroyed the VMAs with awesomeness and the most talked about reunion of all time. Buy tickets here.
Master Pancake She’s All That
Friday & Saturday | at 7 & 10 p.m. | Alamo Drafthouse Ritz
She’s All That tells the story of Laney Boggs, a bespectacled outcast who is transformed into the most beautiful and popular girl in school by taking her glasses off. Pretty in Pink meets Pygmalion in a movie that should’ve been called My Fair Laney. Buy tickets here.
The Alley Cat Players Present 9 to 5 The Musical
Friday & Saturday | 7 p.m. | The Liberal Arts and Science Academy
Featuring endless female empowerment, tons of singing and dancing, some sweet romance, and the lovely Dolly Parton- this is a show you do not want to miss. Tickets can be bought online or at the door, all performances start at 7. Mature advisory content, tickets are $7 for students and $10 for adults. More info here.
MacTheatre presents West Side Story
Friday, Saturday & Sunday | 7, 7 & 2 p.m. | MacTheatre
From the first notes to the final breath, West Side Story is one of the most memorable musicals and greatest love stories of all time. Arthur Laurents’ book remains as powerful, poignant and timely as ever. The score by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim is widely regarded as one of the best ever written. More info here.
Flashback Brunch: Top Gun
Saturday & Sunday | 12: 45 & 12:30 p.m. | Alamo Drafthouse Ritz
A cocktail-fueled, totally tubular throwback brunch series featuring the absolute best films of the 1980s. Flashback with the Ritz to the greatest decade for cinema about teen angst, the suckage of early adulthood and, of course, heartbreak. The brunch series kicks off with Top Gun. If you’re feeling the need… the need for speed, you can buy tickets here.
In Brunch We Trust: Bring It On
Saturday & Sunday | 3:55 & 3:30 p.m. | Alamo Drafthouse Ritz
Everyone grab your pom-poms and spirit sticks because the Ritz is screening Bring It On. A champion high school cheerleading squad discovers its previous captain stole all their best routines from an inner-city school and must scramble to compete at this year’s championships. But all we really should have to say is Kirsten Dunst and cheerleading and you should want to go. Basically it’s the best sports film ever made! Buy tickets here.
Moulin Rouge Movie Party
Sunday | 7 p.m. | Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline
Bring a date, or else make sure you choose your seat carefully, because you WILL end up falling in love with the person sitting next to you. As always, they’ll have props for some special interaction, including blinking rings for “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” and green glow sticks for the Green Fairy. Buy tickets here.
Hot Dog Cinema Club: Bill Murray Double Feature
Sunday | 7 – 11 p.m. | Kitty Cohen’s
Get ready to enjoy a winter of Kitty’s favorite flicks and *FREE HOTDOGS* on the patio (equipped with heaters & chimineas for you pretty lil’ wimps). This Sunday, Groundhog Day screens at 7, followed by Stripes at 9. More info here.
AFS Classic Chemistry: ‘A Place In The Sun’, Clift & Taylor
Sunday | 4 – 6 p.m. | AFS Cinema
In George Stevens’ adaptation of Theodore Dreiser’s “An American Tragedy,” young stars Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor display an almost metaphysical connection in their scenes together as star-crossed lovers. The Classic Chemistry series is programmed by Caroline Frick, Associate Professor in the Radio-Television-Film department of the University of Texas and Executive Director of the Texas Archive of the Moving Image. Professor Frick will join for a special audience discussion after the first screening of each film. More info here.
TV Events in Austin
Trevor Noah
Friday & Saturday | 7:30 p.m. on Friday, 7:30 & 10 p.m. on Saturday | Bass Concert Hall
The host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show performs three shows at the Texas Performing Arts venue. Buy tickets and get more info here.
ESPN College Game Day
Saturday | 8:30 & 11 a.m. | Frank Erwin Center
Doors open at 8:30 a.m. Pre-show events including a $18K half-court shot. Live show is from 10 – 11 a.m. Admission is FREE, as is doughnuts, coffee, breakfast tacos, BOOM AJ1 t-shirts, and MORE. Fans will be allowed to stay, free of charge, for the Texas – TCU Women’s Basketball game which begins at 12 p.m. Full schedule of events here.
