Movies This Week: Stingray Sam is Not a Hero ...

Hope everyone has had a wonderful Christmas, whether it's a holiday you celebrated or not. Or at least a better one than me, I had the flu. Movies were watched, just not in the theater. I still need to see The Road. I couldn't even muster up the concentration to watch my new District 9 Blu-ray.

Hollywood has no movies opening this week. The only films that aren't simply switching theaters or times are two special engagements at the Alamo Ritz.

Stingray Sam opens for a special three-night run. This crowd pleaser is an episodic space musical about Stingray and his friend the Quasar Kid, who are compelled to rescue a little girl from a planet with a surprisingly twist on genetics. This homage to old-school sci-fi serials as well as musicals has catchy music you'll be singing to yourself for days after. The twinkle in director/writer/star Cory McAbee's eye will win just about everyone over.

The Big Lebowski is also getting a special run at Alamo Ritz, with several screenings over the next week. This cult hit is likely to be popular, so I recommend checking the Alamo site for show times and get your tickets online as well. Screening at the Alamo means no one is likely to look at you twice should you choose to wear a bathrobe like The Dude. And screening at the Ritz means White Russian drink specials.

Check our event calendar for special film events, and our personal picks below. Don't forget you can always alert us to special screenings, new film series, etc.

And now, our picks of the week:

Jenn: "Stingray Sam is not a hero... But he does do the things that folks don't do that need to be done..."

Jette: aGLIFF is hosting a brunchtime screening of Auntie Mame on Sunday at Alamo Ritz. I simply can't resist. "Why, Agnes! You have a bust. Where are on earth have you been keeping it all these years?"

Debbie: I'd like to see Avatar again, this time at the Bob Bullock IMAX theatre if tickets aren't completely sold out. I may have to join Jette for the beloved Auntie Mame. Rosalind Russell is amazing, and this film is currently in my Netflix Watch Instantly queue. "Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death."