HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY RUSHMORE CHRISTMAS WITH A WES ANDERSON HOLIDAY TRIPLE FEATURE

Cinema 21's still in the midst of A Bit of the Old Ultra-Kubrick, their four film Stanley Kubrick series, which comes to a close on Thursday.  I was thrilled to see last night's DCP screening of the digitally restored Dr. Strangelove last night and still hope to make it a 35mm showing of 2001: A Space Odyssey after catching an advance screening of Hyde Park on Hudson tomorrow night.  And while news of their upcoming bookings of the 4K digital restoration of David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia as well as Sergio Corbucci's spaghetti-western classic Django (nicely timed to take advantage of the holiday release of Q.T.'s Nero-indebted latest film, Django Unchained) are bound to thrill film fanatics, it's pretty likely that a whole bunch more excitement is going to be generated when folks hear that there's a Wes Anderson series a comin' to Cinema 21 this holiday season.

The announcement certainly comes at an interesting moment in Anderson's career.  His latest, Moonrise Kingdom, has done much to illustrate a critical and popular divide between those who revile his style and the fans who lap it up.  Personally, I liked Moonrise Kingdom quite a bit and really don't agree with the all-too-often cited issue that some have with Anderson's work--the notion that he's just making the same film over and over again.  Still, I'm not as enamored with some of his films (The Life Aquatic, though it has its fervent defenders, felt pretty flat to me) as I am with what I feel are the true highlights of his career.

The upcoming holiday series at Cinema 21 nicely sidesteps this debate, which mostly seems centered on his post-Tenenbaums work, by programming Anderson's initial three releases.  Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, and The Royal Tenenbaums are, in my opinion, truly solid films that even the most miserly of film goers would have to concede as having sprung from the imagination of a creative and talented original.  There might be plenty of films out there approximating Wes Anderson's moves (Thumbsucker, Rocket Science, Boy, Submarine, etc.), but few sport the authenticity suggested by his considerable influence.

Here's what Cinema 21 owner Tom Ranieri has to say about the Anderson triple feature:

He is the origin of several parodies and even more copy-cats.  He is an oeuvre unto himself.  He is, according to Martin Scorsese, "the Next Martin Scorsese." 

Cinema 21 is exceedingly proud to announce: 

A VERY WES ANDERSON CHRISTMAS His first three feature films on vibrant 35mm prints. 
-Bottle Rocket (1996, 91 mins.) 
-Rushmore (1998, 93 mins.) 
-The Royal Tenenbaums (2001, 110 mins.) 

Starting Christmas Day! Don't take this for granted! In a very dark room, on a big, bright screen. The colors, the music, the charm, the humor, the nostalgia, the dysfunction, the obsession, the outright joy! It will bowl you over. This is the perfect opportunity to re-discover the birth of the most unique voice in American cinema over the last two decades. 

-$6 for one film, $9 for two, or $12 for a triple feature! 
Celebrate the holidays watching relationships even more dysfunctional than your own.


Now on to the trailers:

As a bonus, here's the original 1994 Bottle Rocket short that Anderson made prior to his feature debut:

And here's Anderson in conversation with director Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale, Margot at the Wedding) on the subject of how Bottle Rocket was seen as a failure on its initial release:

A Very Wes Anderson Christmas begins on Tuesday, December 25th and runs through Sunday, December 30th.  Keep an eye on the Cinema 21 webpage for soon to be announced showtimes (TBA) and more.

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BOGEY LIGHTS UP THE SCREEN ONCE MORE AT CINEMA 21

Probably the most iconic American actor of all time, Humphrey Bogart was at his hard-boiled best in the early-to-mid 40s, something that the good folks at Cinema 21 seem bent on calling attention to with their latest 35mm revival series, You'll Take It and Like It!: 3 Bogart Classics in 35mm.  Over the course of seven days, the theater will be running a non-stop tour through three of Bogey's best-loved films, The Big Sleep, The Maltese Falcon, and Casablanca (directed, respectively, by the none too shabby trio of Howard Hawks, John Huston, and Michael Curtiz).

Humphrey may be the main man across this triptych of silver screen classics, but his supporting cast members, including outstanding, career-defining performances by Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Sydney Greenstreet, and (one of my favorites character actors of the golden age) Peter Lorre (who's in 2 of the 3 films!), shine just as brightly as their leading man.

Is it too greedy to hope that, like their recent Hitchcock fest, Cinema 21 will make the Bogey series an annual (or even quarterly) event?  'Cause I'd sure love to see Key Largo (my personal favorite), The Petrified Forest, To Have and Have Not, In a Lonely Place, High Sierra, They Drive By Night, and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre all roll through town in subsequent installments.  But, for now, the three on offer will absolutely do!

Cinema 21's mini-Bogart fest, "You'll Take It and Like It!" begins on Friday, November 30th and runs through Thursday, December 6th.  More info available here.


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HITCH ON 35MM: CINEMA 21 KICKS OFF AN ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF THE MASTER OF SUSPENSE

While I was already patiently awaiting Universal Studios release of their massive Alfred Hitchcock blu-ray box set, an even better bit of Hitchcock related news hit my e-mail account last month.  Tom Ranieri and the top shelf crew at Portland's great Cinema 21 have done it again.  Following in the footsteps of their stellar noir series, they've cobbled together an amazing lineup of ol' Alf's finest films for what's being dubbed the first annual Hitchcock festival.  Best of all, the festival is entirely sourced from 35mm prints!

Now I've seen my fair share of classic films on the big screen , but what this festival has made me realize is that, 1) I've never seen my favorite Hitchcock film, The 39 Steps (or Vertigo, for that matter), projected on film before, and 2) with things progressing as they are, further and further towards an all-digital cinema future, this may be the last chance that most of us have to view these seminal, 20th century works on film.

Which is to say, you can expect to see me sitting in the balcony for as many of these films as I can possibly make it to during the series.  Sure, we'll always have the option to pop in the nice new digital transfers at home, but c'mon, these films deserve a little more respect.  Many props to Cinema 21 for giving 'em (and us) their proper due.  It's completely without hyperbole when I say that this is THE movie event in Portland this coming month.

BTW, if you're in the mood to get a lil' academic with your readings of these films, I can recommend no better text than the late, great film theorist Robin Wood's Hitchcock's Films Revisited.  Magnificent stuff, I tell ya!

The Master of Suspense: The First Annual Hitchcock Festival begins at Cinema 21 on Friday, November 2nd.  More info available here.

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FRANKENSTEIN: A POWER THAT CAN'T BE DENIED

Here it is, the great granddaddy of 'em all (if by "all" you mean monster movies), James Whale's 1931 creature feature Frankenstein.  Based on Mary Shelley's iconic, Gothic horror novel from 1818, the film was quickly green lit by execs at Universal after the wild success of Dracula.  Whale promptly recast the lead; Universal originally wanted Bela Lugosi to play the part, choosing Boris Karloff as his murderous and (in Whale's sympathetic hands) misunderstood monster. 

Let me just say, this is one handsome movie.  Many of the shots are firmly under the spell of German Expressionism and the look of the thing capably resonates a creeping terror throughout.  And though they might seem a little dated, the performances are great across the board.  Karloff is a mountain of decaying flesh here and it's the role for which he'll always be remembered.  Many folks champion Whale's sequel, Bride of Frankenstein, and I can certainly follow (and might even agree with) that argument, but the original film still retains a power that can't be denied.

For two afternoons only, the Hollywood Theatre has a 35mm print of this classic horror film available for Portland film fans to enjoy.  Don't hesitate, 'cause it'll be gone before you know it.  'Tis the season, after all.

Frankenstein plays at the Hollywood Theatre on Saturday, October 13th and Sunday, October 14th at 2pm.  More info available here.


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THE SHINING: SEE, IT'S OKAY. HE SAW IT ON THE TELEVISION

While many cinephiles out there would insist that Jack Nicholson's best performances can be found either within Chinatown or the more naturalistic and off-the-cuff aesthetic of New American Cinema gems like Five Easy Pieces and Easy Rider, the majority of movie fans remember the Jack-man best for his over the top rendition of axe-happy, madman Jack Torrance in Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film adaptation of Stephen King's The Shining.  I saw it for the first time late at night on tv as a kid and Jack (and the film) certainly made an impression, scaring the living bejeezus out of me

Kubrick took King's text as a mere jumping off point for the story he wanted to tell; in his hands, it's a chronicle of a man whose ego and vision of himself are way out of check with the reality of his family and social position.  Cognitive dissonance, ain't it a bitch?  Well, something's gotta give and, in The Shining, it's Jack's mind and soul that takes on most of the damage (even if it's Shelly Duvall, Danny Lloyd, and Scatman Crother's characters who are most directly terrorized by Jack's actions).

Kubrick's intentions seem to go a bit deeper than what resides on the surface of the story, though.  Over time, many interpretations have arisen surrounding the meaning of the film, ranging from The Shining as a Holocaust metaphor, commentary on the genocide of Native American peoples, etc.  When taking a horror genre film course at school, I was drawn to view the film through an ecological feminist lens, one that incorporated the obvious patriarchal aspects promoted within a surface reading and mingled them with issues of race, dominance over natural landscapes, and, truly, the uncontainable desire to exert control over all things (aka Manifest Destiny).  Basically, there's a lot going on here and, if interested, one can spin all kinds of theories that arguably fit within the film's narrative framework.  Or you can just choose to sit back and enjoy a damn fine and frightening film.

But on to the main point at hand: the Hollywood Theatre's got a 35mm print of The Shining to share with the Portland public.  It starts tomorrow.  You should definitely go.

And, yeah, though it's been way overplayed since going viral way back in 2005, this recut trailer still makes me laugh:

The Shining returns to the Hollywood Theatre on Friday, October 5th.  More info available here.


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SEVEN SAMURAI: DON'T OVERTHINK IT, JUST GO

Okay, the general rule of thumb: if a local theater plays a film by legendary Japanese film master Akira Kurosawa, you go.  No overthinking it, no waffling necessary: JUST GO!  Beginning this afternoon, the Hollywood Theatre is offering up an excellent opportunity to practice your adherence to that basic movie going principle.  Once again proving their brilliance at repertory programming, they've wrangled a 35mm print of Seven Samurai.

Yes, Seven Samurai is almost 3 1/2 hours long and it's in Japanese; sure, you could spend that time downing quite a few Hamms while playing Tiddlywinks (or whatever you kids get up to nowadays).  Here's the skinny, though: your life will have far more meaning if you forgo the routine and dive into the deep end with A.K. and Mifune (Toshirô, if you're nasty).  This is some serious top shelf cinema here.  So put down the remote, get off yer duff, and get thee to the Hollywood for what may be the greatest film ever made.  Seriously, this film's got mileage...can I get an amen?

Seven Samurai begins a three day engagement at the Hollywood Theatre beginning on Saturday, September 15th.  More info available here.


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