We remember the Alamo. Now, the Alamo Drafthouse is going to remember for you.
The movie chain is undertaking a year-long “Time Capsules” program, featuring curated films from 1974 to 1999.
Alamo Time Capsules is “a yearlong trek back through time that revisits both beloved blockbusters and forgotten favorites spanning six landmark cinema years — 1999, 1994, 1989, 1984, 1979, and 1974. Title collections will span six to eight weeks and, rather than act as a ‘top ten list’ of films, instead will tell their part of the story of that year in cinema, culture, and history,” the chain said in its announcement.
The retrospective runs all year and will include nearly 150 different selections. Time Capsule collections will include special merchandise, custom Alamo Drafthouse menus, and special events.
First up: the year 1999 begins with films like Being John Malkovich, The Iron Giant, Cruel Intentions, Pretty Woman, Jawbreaker, The Matrix, and Run Lola Run.
“My first job was making popcorn and tearing tickets at a second-run movie theater in 1999, and I was lucky enough to get to see everything from that wild year of cinema, from ‘Blair Witch’ to ‘Magnolia’ to ‘She’s All That’ again and again and again,” senior film programmer John Smith said in a press statement. “Twenty-five years later, I’m proud that the Alamo Drafthouse team is able to bring these films back to the big screen to share with new generations all over the country.”
Alamo Drafthouse programmer Jake Isgar adds, “With all of the tireless work put into restoring and unearthing all types of cinema, it’s vital for us, and to film culture as a whole, to exhibit them.”
March and April 2024 will showcase films from 1994, including Pulp Fiction and Clerks.
May and June 2024 will screen films from 1989, including Do the Right Thing, Road House and Batman,
Films from 1984 will screen in July and August 2024, with Purple Rain and The Neverending Story among titles.
September through November 2024 marks movies from 1979, with Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter, and Stalker.
The program closes with films from 1974, including The Godfather Part II and Texas Chainsaw Massacre from October through December.
The Alamo Time Capsules program was developed by John Smith, Jake Isgar, and Jenny Nulf from the company’s Alternative Content department. Distribution partners for Alamo Time Capsules include the American Genre Film Archive, Janus Films, Kino Lorber, Lionsgate, Paramount, Park Circus, Rialto Pictures, Sony Pictures Classics, Sony Pictures Repertory, and Warner Bros. Classics.