Drafthouse, that is. And this is really an arts review masquerading as a food review. So let me cover the food first, and get it out of the way. The Downtown Alamo Drafthouse has a menu that consists of mostly burgers, pizzas and sides, in addition to a wide variety of beer and wine. The quality ranges from acceptable to decent. No, that’s not much range. The chicken sandwiches are good, the fries, not so much. The pizzas are okay, and the occasional specials can be quite nice. The spinach quesadilla is actually quite good and filling, I recommend it. For dessert, you can’t go wrong with Amy’s Cookies and Cream ice cream covered in chocolate sauce.
What I really want to plug is one of the ongoing signature events at the Alamo Downtown, The Sinus Show. Formerly known as Mr. Sinus Theater, The Sinus Show is loosely based on the Mystery Science Theater model – play bad movies and make fun of them. The three founders, Germ, Owen, and John do this live, almost every weekend. The Sinus Show concept has morphed somewhat over time – they rarely show obscure B-movies anymore, having found their especial niche in iconic 80s flicks. And what a special niche it is. You will never see Footloose, Pretty in Pink, Point Break, Red Dawn, Speed, Showgirls, Xanadu, and a slew of other former blockbusters in the same way again. The Sinus boys have instituted several of their very own traditions, including a drinking game – yelling a response at the screen when a character does or says something repetitive, and “stop the movie” – a point halfway through the movie where they stop rolling and perform a skit based on the film itself and whatever theme has emerged in the commentary. You’ve never truly seen The Terminator, until you’ve seen the penultimate scene re-enacted as a ballet to Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
Mr. Sinus is reviving my favorite piece in its repertoire, Dirty Dancing, in November. If you’re a Sinus fan already, and you’ve never seen it, you must. If you’ve never been to a Sinus Show, this is the perfect opportunity to see the Sinus boys at their most obscure, sophomoric, intellectual, political and hysterical. Be warned, the Sinus Show can be raunchy, and the language risque, so you might want to see it for yourself before you bring your parents for a family night. Another Sinus tip – if they’re premiering a new movie, wait for late in the run to see it, as they’ve usually ironed out the kinks by then. When it’s a revival of a show they’ve done before, any night is a safe bet.
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