Fall is here and there’s a lot going on! Here is your #movienerdreport!
Nothing like a community screening and for the second time this year there will be an outdoor screening this Wednesday on the doors of the old Variety Theater (11817 Lorain Avenue, Cleveland 44111) of Joe Dante’s 1984 classic “Gremlins.” The event is free and it is highly encouraged to bring your own lawn chair but there will be some seating available. The screening, which was organized by artist Richard Rodriguez, will start at 8 p.m.
Thursday at the Great Lakes Science Center (601 Erieside Ave, Cleveland 44114) will be the latest in their Dome Series After Dark with Robert Zemeckis’ “Contact.” I attended last month’s screening in the Dome of “One Battle After Another” and it is truly a unique way to see a film on one of the largest screens in our area. “Contact” stars Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey and the late John Hurt, and it tells the story of a doctor who finds conclusive radio proof of extraterrestrial intelligence, sending plans for a mysterious machine.
The film generating the most buzz that is opening widely this weekend is “Primetime,” which is a fictionalized telling of “To Catch A Predator” host Chris Hansen’s creation of the television show. It is the narrative feature debut of filmmaker Lance Oppenheim (who has previously made several acclaimed documentaries) and stars Robert Pattinson as Hansen.
Brad Pitt and a German Shepherd named Uber star in the survival thriller “Heart of the Beast.” It follows a retired Army Special Forces veteran and his combat dog Odin who are stranded in the freezing Alaskan wilderness after a plane crash.
Somewhat similar in theme though much more for families, the animated “Forgotten Island” also will open. It follows two friends who become stranded on the mystical world of Nakali, where their only escape might cost them their shared lifetime of memories.
Also opening at a few theaters is “Ha-Chan Shake Your Booty!” It follows a grieving Tokyo woman who finds her way back to life and dance after her husband dies. It stars Oscar-nominee Rinko Kikuchi and was a hit at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
If that wasn’t enough to get you ready for this December’s “Avengers: Doomsday,” they will be bringing back “Avengers Endgame: Encore.” Here is your chance to see the mega hit 2019 film with some additional footage sprinkled in as well as an extended preview for “Doomsday.”
Over at the Cedar Lee Theatre (2163 Lee Rd, Cleveland Heights, 44118):
You have two chances on Saturday at 10 p.m. and Sunday at 7:30 p.m. to see the late Tim Curry in one of his most memorable roles in “Clue”. Curry plays Wadsworth the butler in the sly adaptation of the game. It also stars Michael McKeaon, Martin Mull, Madeline Khan, and Christopher Lloyd.
Over at the Cleveland Cinematheque (11610 Euclid Ave, Cleveland 44106):
Thursday at 6:45 p.m. and Saturday at 5:30 p.m. they will present the latest from Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda in “Sheep In The Box.” The film tells the story of a grieving couple who have lost their son, and how they take into their lives a humanoid robot that is identical to their late child.
Thursday at 9:10 p.m. in honor of Sam Neill, they will present John Carpenter’s “In The Mouth of Madness.” Neill plays an insurance investigator hired to find a horror writer that has gone missing, discovering more than he could ever imagine.
Friday at 5 p.m. you have the chance to see Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda in “9 to 5,” in honor of the recently departed Parton. The film has those three iconic actresses banding together to teach their sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical boss a lesson. Plus, one of the catchiest theme songs you will likely ever hear.
It is rare when a director adapts their own work but this time it is Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa adapting his own film from 1998, “Serpent’s Path,” to make it into a French language film. You can catch that on Friday at 7 p.m.
Friday at 9:10 p.m. and Saturday at 8 p.m. they will screen the new film “Chronovisor,” which tells the story of a reclusive academic who collides with the story of a clandestine technology that can photograph the past.
Saturday at 3 p.m. they will show a 25th anniversary screening of the Korean comedy “My Sassy Girl.” It tells the story of a young man whose world is turned upside down when a female force of nature takes his life by storm.
Saturday at 10 p.m. shown in honor of the late Tim Curry is Ridley Scott’s “Legend.” The film, which also stars Tom Cruise and Mia Sara, is about a young man who must stop the Lord of Darkness from destroying daylight and marrying the woman he loves.
On Sunday they will kick off a new series Sundays with Shearer, which explores films by 1930’s star Norma Shearer. The first of this series is one of her silent films from 1924 in “He Who Gets Slapped.” It will feature live piano accompaniment by Dr. Philip Carli, which is presented in conjunction with the Cleveland Silent Film Festival!
Sunday at 4:20 p.m. they will continue to show the works of director John Boorman with one of his most known films “Excalibur.” The film, which is a telling of King Arthur and his search for the Holy Grail, features Nicol Williamson, Helen Mirren and a young Liam Neeson.
Sunday at 7 p.m. they will show the documentary “Barbara Forever,” which tells the story of pioneering lesbian filmmaker Barbara Hammer.
Over at The Nightlight Cinema (30 N High Street, Akron 44308):
In addition to “Primetime” and “Ha-Chan Shake Your Booty!” on Thursday evening they will present the documentary/concert film hybrid “Pulp: What Do You Do for an Encore” as it chronicles the band as they go on tour for their first album in 24 years. Two showings only at 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
They also will be playing the latest documentary from Alex Gibney in “Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie.” The film details author Salman Rushdie’s survival and recovery following a brutal 2022 assassination attempt against him.
They also will be opening “Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day” which is a comedic romance set in the early 1900’s that follows a passionate astronomer as she tries to avoid the patriarchal attitudes of the time. It stars Haley Bennett, Timothy Spall and Lily Allen.
On Tuesday in honor of Silent Movie Day, they will present the 1926 F.W. Murnau film “Faust” which tells the story of the demon Mephisto who wagers with God that he can corrupt a mortal man’s soul.
Over at the Capitol Theatre (1390 W.65th Street, Cleveland 44102):
They continue their retrospective on the works of Jim Jarmusch by presenting his 1999 film “Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai” which stars Forest Whitaker as a hitman who finds himself targeted by the mob. It will play Saturday-Monday.
Over at the Case Western Reserve’s Film Society (Strosacker Auditorium on the Case Campus):
On Friday at 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m., and 11:59 p.m. you can see one of the most talked about films of the year in “Backrooms: Everything Must Go Edition.” This version includes approx. 15 minutes of additional creepy footage.
Saturday at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. they will show one of the late great Rob Reiner’s masterpieces in the hilarious “This Is Spinal Tap” with Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer.
A number of theaters will be showing Hayao Miyazaki’s (his films have def been getting a lot of re-release love this year) beautifully animated “Princess Mononoke.”
So there you have it, until next time, we’ll see you at the movies!
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