THINGS TO CHECK OUT // MOVIES AROUND TOWN (IF YOUR TOWN IS LA)
BY CASSADY DIXON
I thought now would be a good time to run down some nice alternative selections among the various Angeleno movie houses over the coming weeks.
Remember last year when the internet became engulfed in the glorious promise and soul-saving reach of Scott Pilgrim? Yes? Didn’t it suck how that didn’t really pan out like we hoped? Well let’s re-live it all this Friday with a midnight screening at the New Beverly. Who knows, maybe Edgar Wright will show up like he has in the past. Plus, if you’re as psyched for John Carpenter’s new flick, The Ward, as I am you might want to relish one of his oft-forgotten gems of the ‘90s, In the Mouth of Madness, which screens at midnight on Saturday at the same theatre.
Over at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, it’s a James Caan-a-thon with The Godfather this weekend, followed by a slew of his films next week, too. Great selections like The Gambler and Thief are included. The Aero’s sister theatre, the Egyptian in Hollywood, is packing in a good run of lesser known films noir next week. Classics from Nicholas Ray, Max Ophuls, Joan Crawford and William Castle will be highlighted, among others.
I had completely forgotten about the Atlas Shrugged adaptation being planned. Well, it done got planned and made already! The first part (of a planned trilogy!) opens this weekend at the Regent in Westwood. Another part of the Landmark chain, the Nuart in West LA, is always great for midnight screenings (Rocky Horror every Saturday). And tonight, if you avoided the colossal face-melting experience when it was released last year, Gaspar Noe’s Enter the Void can give you nightmares after the 12 AM showing, and possibly a lot longer than that.
Rounding out the herd for now is the Laemmle chain. This weekend brings the releases of some otherwise hard-to-find fare. Among them is Still Scream, a documentary about the making of the three films that came before Wes Craven’s upcoming (hopefully) return-to-form. Expanding are the much-buzzed Bill Cunningham: New York (doc on the Times photographer, reviewed here on BVEW) and the strange but captivating, even Felliniesque, Thai film Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives.
If you weren’t cultured before, you now have your ingredients.