Nordling here.
My excitement for Guillermo Del Toro and Travis Beacham's PACIFIC RIM grows by the day. Hell, by the hour. I'm trying really hard not to get spoiled, but it's difficult when you read some of the early reactions from screenings - especially the mad ravings/nerdgasms of one Robert Meyer Burnett, who said, "PACIFIC RIM is the GONE WITH WIND of GIANT ROBOT vs. GIANT MONSTER movies. It's not AVENGERS or DARK KNIGHT. But it is PEERLESS." You can't just drop a phrase like that and not get me a bit tingly. Then I heard the WonderCon footage showed a kaiju getting SMACKED IN THE FACE WITH A... well, I won't spoil. But PACIFIC RIM is without a doubt the Movie of the Summer for me.
So I've been working on this event since a little after New Year's, with Alamo Drafthouse Houston and El Paso Programming Director Robert Saucedo. It started, like so many of our screening marathons start, with us saying to each other, "Damn, a giant monster movie marathon would rock." From that came greatness. So, on April 14th, starting at 1:00 PM and ending when we damn well say it ends, the Alamo Drafthouse at Vintage Park will begin DESTROY ALL DRAFTHOUSES: A Kaiju Hullabaloo. A day's worth of giant monster movies from all over the world.
I can't tell you all the stuff we have in store, but we will be starting off with a new digital print of the original KING KONG, and ending with a fantastic new 35MM print of the Japanese version of GODZILLA. In between we'll have prizes, some giveaways, games, and perhaps something really special that I can't talk about yet. I will say this - one of the movies will be on good old-fashioned VHS. And I can't wait to see it.
This event will sell out, but I have one pair of tickets to give away. Just tell me your best giant monster movie story. Send it to aicnhoustonsceenings@gmail.com under the heading DESTROY ALL DRAFTHOUSES! I'll determine the winner and let them know by email. Make it good! And be aware that if you enter and win and do not attend, you will not be allowed to participate in any upcoming event giveaways.
So if you're excited for PACIFIC RIM and need to whet your appetite for kaiju destruction until July 12th, you need to come. Out of all the events I've hosted at the Drafthouse, this is the one I've been the most excited for. In two weeks, we're bringing in the monsters.
Nordling, out.
