The dog days of summer are once more upon us, and what better way to
beat the heat than the Cinematheque’s 6th Annual Festival of all things
macabre and malevolent, murderous and mysterious!!
The series at the Egyptian kicks off with the Los Angeles premiere
of one of bad boy Takashi Miike's most recent opuses, the gory, stream-of-consciousness
samurai-time-warp fantasy, IZO!This year’s Fest also features L.A. premieres
of brand-new films from around the globe: Hong Kong master Fruit Chan's transgressive
feature-length version of his portion of the THREE...EXTREME horror anthology, DUMPLINGS;
the sequels to two popular Asian supernatural thrillers, EYE 2 and JU-ON 2; and
last but not least Alex de la Iglesia's pitch black comedy PERFECT CRIME, which
will kick off a mini-tribute to the Spanish maverick (including vintage gems ACCION
MUTANTE and DAY OF THE BEAST), with de la Iglesia appearing in-person! There's
also a program of exciting new shorts, with most of the filmmakers in attendance.
Of course the Fest also features a number of older treasures,
including a 20th Anniversary cast & crew screening of RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD; screenings
of COLOSSUS, THE FORBIN PROJECT, RE-ANIMATOR and David Lynch's DUNE; plus
a mini-tribute to pantheon monster maestro, Boris Karloff, featuring masterpieces FRANKENSTEIN
and BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN as well as his harder to see MASK OF FU MANCHU,
THE RAVEN (1935 version), THE INVISIBLE RAY and BEDLAM!
Also don't miss our wild Italian pulp showcase with the best of
1960’s and 1970’s Italian pop cinema on display, replete with giallo chillers (a
30th Anniversary screening of Dario Argento's DEEP RED and Lucio Fulci's rare ONE
ON TOP OF THE OTHER), Italian crime thrillers (Umberto Lenzi's gonzo ALMOST HUMAN and
Fernando di Leo's THE ITALIAN CONNECTION) and ultra-violent spaghetti westerns
(Giulio Petroni's DEATH RIDES A HORSE and Giuseppe Colizzi's GOD FORGIVES, I
DON'T)!!
And if that wasn't enough -- !! Over at the Aero Theatre we'll be
showing a compilation of some of our most popular past shows, including Stanley Kubrick's 2001:
A SPACE ODYSSEY (in 70mm!!), THE SHINING and A CLOCK WORK ORANGE; Steven
Spielberg's JAWS; Tobe Hooper's TEXAS CHAINSAW MASACRE and Nicholas Meyer's STAR
TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN! Plus a special double feature tribute to Ray Harryhausen
with FIRST MEN IN THE MOON and THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS!
We’re very pleased to welcome as
in-person guests for this year’s series: Special Effects legend Ray Harryhausen,
directors Curtis Harrington (reminiscing about his friendship with BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN
director, James Whale), Stuart Gordon (RE-ANIMATOR), Alex de la Iglesia (PERFECT CRIM);
Nicholas Meyer (STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN)); actor Eric Braeden (COLOSSUS, THE
FORBIN PROJECT) and cast & crew from RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD (including
writer/director Dan O’Bannon & actor James Karen, among many others).
Saturday, July 30 – 4:00 PM
Ray Harryhausen In Person Tribute:
Family Matinee
THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD, 1958,
Columbia, 88 min. Director Nathan Juran’s marvelous fantasy follows the
adventures of Sinbad (Kerwin Matthews) as he battles a phenomenal gallery of Ray
Harryhausen-created monsters including the giant cyclops, two-headed birds, dragons
and sword-fighting skeletons, all to save beautiful princess Kathryn Grant. Featuring one
of composer Bernard Herrmann’s most memorable scores. Discussion
following with Ray Harryhausen.
An Aero Theatre Exclusive!
Saturday, July 30 – 7:00 PM
Double feature:
Ray Harryhausen in Person Tribute:
FIRST MEN IN THE MOON, 1964,
Columbia, 103 min. Dir. Nathan Juran. In Juran’s extremely entertaining adaptation of
H.G. Wells’ novel, turn-of the century British inventor Lionel Jeffries enlists
Edward Judd and fiancee Martha Hyer in his scheme to reach the moon using anti-gravity
paint. Once the trio hits the lunar landscape, they’re captured by a weird
subterranean insect race, the Selenites, and we’re treated to some of Ray
Harryhausen’s most enjoyable special effects. An infectious blend of Victorian
sci-fi, sweet humor and high adventure.
THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS,
1953, Warner Bros., 80 min. Dir. Eugene Lourie. A giant prehistoric creature called a
rhedosaurus is awakened from his icy slumber by nuclear testing and travels to New York
City, where he takes his bad temper out on the stunned population. Based on a short story
by longtime Harryhausen pal Ray Bradbury (they met years earlier as members of the
Los Angeles Science Fiction Society, along with Forrest Ackerman!) Starring Paul
Christian, Paula Raymond, Kenneth Tobey, Steve Brodie. Ray
Harryhausen to introduce screening.
An Aero Theatre Exclusive!
Sunday, July 31 – 5:00 PM
Boris Karloff Double feature:
FRANKENSTEIN, 1931, Universal, 70
min. Dir. James Whale. "A Monster Science Created – But Could Not
Destroy!" Boris Karloff had appeared in over 75 films before FRANKENSTEIN
turned him almost-overnight into a screen legend. His performance here – anguished,
eloquent, wordless – remains one of the most hauntingly powerful in all cinema. With
Colin Clive, Edward Van Sloan, Dwight Frye. >>Also showing at the Egyptian on
August 5.
BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN,
1935, Universal, 75 min. Dir. James Whale. "Warning! The Monster Demands a
Mate!" Widely considered the high point of the 1930’s Universal Horror cycle,
BRIDE is a brilliant blend of black humor and Gothic style. Boris Karloff reprises
his greatest role as The Monster, with Colin Clive as his reluctant "father,"
the hilariously creepy Ernest Thesiger as Dr. Pretorius, and Elsa Lanchester
as the screaming-mimi Bride. Introduction
to screening by director Curtis Harrington, who will share memories of his friendship with
director James Whale.
>>Also showing at the Egyptian on August 6.
Thursday, August 4 – 7:30 PM
Kubrick Mini Tribute!
70 MM! 2001: A SPACE
ODYSSEY, 1968, Warner Bros. Classics, 139 min. "I’m sorry, Dave,
I’m afraid I can’t do that," murmurs supercomputer HAL 9000 as
it attempts to eliminate bothersome human astronaut Keir Dullea in master filmmaker
Stanley Kubrick’s literally mind-blowing meditation on the inherent dangers
(and wonders) of technology, the limitless vistas of space, and the future of the human
race itself. Based on a 1948 short story "The Sentinel" by Arthur C. Clarke,
"2001" was reconceived by Kubrick himself, working with author Clarke to create
the ultimate Journey into the Unknown. But if you think you’ve seen "2001,"
think again – until recently, the film was only available in a 35 mm. version that
reduced Kubrick’s legendary visuals (and the spectacular 6-track stereo sound) to a
pale shadow of their true glory. Before his death, Kubrick oversaw a painstaking,
frame-by-frame restoration of the film in 70 mm. – resulting in a version that looks
and sounds as good (if not better) than the original 1968 release!! An Aero Theatre
Exclusive!
Friday, August 5 – 7:30 PM
Kubrick Mini Tribute! 25th
Anniversary Screening!!
THE SHINING, 1980, Warner Bros., 142
min. Dir. Stanley Kubrick. A brilliant exercise in pure supernatural terror, THE SHINING
stars Jack Nicholson as a frustrated writer who takes the job of winter caretaker
(along with wife Shelley Duvall and son Danny Lloyd) at an enormous mountain hotel, in the
hope that snow and solitude will give him peace of mind. He finds just the opposite, as
the hotel’s own horrific past quickly overtakes him in this soul-chilling adaptation
of Stephen King’s novel. >> Also showing at The Egyptian on August 4.
Saturday, August 6 – 7:30 PM
Kubrick Mini Tribute!
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, 1971, Warner
Bros., 137 min. Kubrick was so stunned by Malcolm McDowell's debut in IF... that he
was reportedly unwilling to begin his film of Anthony Burgess' savagely brutal, futuristic
satire until he could be assured of McDowell's participation. This benchmark cinematic
prophecy proved to be more foresighted than anyone dreamed, as the punk explosion and
skinhead-fomented race riots demonstrated in the later ‘70s. In the role he is most
identified with, McDowell is both frightening and funny, and in the process gives sinister
new meaning to beloved tune Singin' In The Rain. (The film contains sexual
and violent images that could not be suitable for children.) Actor
Malcolm McDowell will appear for discussion following the film. An
Aero Theatre Exclusive!
Sunday, August 7 – 5: 00 PM
Kubrick Mini Tribute!
70 MM! 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY,
1968, Warner Bros. Classics, 139 min. "I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I
can’t do that," murmurs supercomputer HAL 9000 as it attempts to
eliminate bothersome human astronaut Keir Dullea in master filmmaker Stanley
Kubrick’s literally mind-blowing meditation on the inherent dangers (and wonders)
of technology, the limitless vistas of space, and the future of the human race itself.
Based on a 1948 short story "The Sentinel" by Arthur C. Clarke,
"2001" was reconceived by Kubrick himself, working with author Clarke to create
the ultimate Journey into the Unknown. But if you think you’ve seen "2001,"
think again – until recently, the film was only available in a 35 mm. version that
reduced Kubrick’s legendary visuals (and the spectacular 6-track stereo sound) to a
pale shadow of their true glory. Before his death, Kubrick oversaw a painstaking,
frame-by-frame restoration of the film in 70 mm. – resulting in a version that looks
and sounds as good (if not better) than the original 1968 release!! An Aero Theatre
Exclusive!
Thursday, August 11 – 7:30 PM
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, 1974,
WPA, 83 min. One of the best American horror films from the 1970’s and certainly one
of the scariest movies ever made, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE works so well because the
unknown actors and real-life locations burn themselves into your memory, assuming a
nightmarishly twisted reality that lingers long after you’ve left the theatre. After
hearing of a cemetery desecration, Marilyn Burns and friends go on a jaunt in the broiling
Texas countryside to make sure her grandparents’ graves are okay, only to become
stranded at the rural home of a family of inbred cannibals. Director Tobe Hooper
expertly escalates the horror until you can’t stand it anymore…then goes one
step further. With Gunnar Hansen, Ed Neal. Discussion
following with director Tobe Hooper (schedule permitting). An Aero Theatre
Exclusive! (The film contains violent images and references and is not suitable for
childeren.)
Friday, August 12 – 7:30 PM
DUNE, 1984, Universal, 140 min. Genius
director David Lynch's psychedelic sci-fi masterpiece is finally back on the big
screen. More then twenty years old, it still holds up as one of the most intense
depictions of a galactic cosmology. Rumors say Lynch turned down the project, RETURN OF
THE JEDI, to direct DUNE and that the part of the emperor was originally offered to
Salvador Dalì. Young aristocrat Paul Usul Muad'Dib Atreides (Kyle MacLachlan) is
sent to planet Dune in order to find the only species that can save space travel and the
future of the Universe. Also starring Virginia Madsen (SIDEWAYS), Silvana
Mangano (DEATH IN VENICE), Brad Dourif (THE LORD OF THE RINGS), Max Von
Sydow (THE EXORCIST), Patrick Stewart (STAR TREK) and Sting.
>>Also showing at the Egyptian on August 20.
Saturday, August 13 – 7:30 PM
JAWS, 1975, Universal, 124 min. Director Steven
Spielberg rocketed to the front of the class with this terrific mixture of suspense,
humor and modern Americana, based on the Peter Benchley best-seller. Roy Scheider
is excellent as a New England sheriff confronting crowds of sunbathers, self-serving local
politicians and – most importantly – a monstrous Great White Shark over a July 4th
weekend. With Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss. An Aero Theatre Exclusive!
Sunday August 14 – 5:00 PM
New 35 MM Print! STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN, 1982,
Paramount, 114 min. Dir. Nicholas Meyer. Widely hailed as the best of the STAR TREK
films, THE WRATH OF KHAN is also one of the finest science-fiction films of the past
twenty years, period. Beloved favorites William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelly,
George Takei, Walter Koenig and the other crewmembers of the Starship Enterprise
were never better, matched by the grand, ferocious energy of Ricardo Montalban as
the vengeful Khan. Discussion following with director
Nicholas Meyer. An Aero Theatre Exclusive!
