The Movie Nerd Report: Jam-packed movie week for Northeast Ohioans

Quite a few pre-Halloween screening opportunities this week, here is your #movienerdreport! 

Wednesday is the latest edition of “Lenora’s Midnight Rental” at the Grog Shop (2785 Euclid Heights Blvd, Cleveland Heights 44106). For those who have never been, host Lenora shows a secret horror film and vintage commercials and she and her guests provide live commentary with plenty of laughs along the way. This month’s guest is Matt Chrojnacki, owner and founder of 1984 Publishing, who releases some outstanding pop culture books! Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door!

More information and tickets available here: https://grogshop.gs/tm-event/midnight-rental-presents-secret-movie-night-2/

The Cleveland International Film Festival’s Shorts Club has two programs this week! Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Cleveland State University’s (CSU) Screening Room (1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland 44115) CIFF is partnering with CSU for the TEDX presentation of “Untangling Wonder,”  which according to the description is a collection of shorts curated to celebrate creativity, curiosity, wonder and profound achievement. 

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased here: https://clevelandfilm.eventive.org/schedule/6ac409d182fce5565d529361

Thursday evening at the Cedar Lee Theatre (2163 Lee Rd, Cleveland Heights, 44118), and Friday  at CSU’s Screening Room, they will present “Spooky Shorts.” This is, according to the description, a handpicked collection of eerie, funny and pulse-raising shorts films guaranteed to get you in the spirit of the season! 

Tickets are $20 and for the Cedar Lee screening they can be found here: https://clevelandfilm.eventive.org/schedule/6aa6f8fa83cb01da12b1a9c4

For CSU Screening Room they can be found here: https://clevelandfilm.eventive.org/schedule/6aa6faa4a0d9d31f59844e36

Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Great Lakes Science Center (601 Erieside Ave, Cleveland 44114) they will present their latest Dome Movies After Dark with Jordan Peele’s “Nope.” The 2022 release is about a brother and sister who try to capture video evidence of a territorial, predatory UFO that is actually a living creature. Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer and Steven Yuen star. 

Tickets and movie information can be found here: https://greatscience.ticketapp.org/portal/product/96

The Cleveland Silent Film and Colloquium will also be getting into the season with a screening of the 1922 silent classic “Nosferatu” on Sunday at 7 p.m. at  West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church (20401 Hilliard Blvd, Rocky River 44116). The screening will be accompanied by organist David Blazer! Tickets are free but registration is encouraged!

Tickets can be found here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/fw-murnaus-nosferatu-1922-with-david-blazer-organ?fbclid=IwY2xjawVDDh9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mBWJyaWQRMXVwRm1aUXZzZDdMMFZyOEdzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeMGiyBolCj3yT6KVUDg_v31M5lpbxxjf_LXWkzzv8VWRp7LqOGymY6YKgKLQ_aem_KcWQU9e_VFGaRtqOKeSSdg

This weekend’s big film opening is the latest DC Comics adaptation of “Clayface.” The film, which is co-written by horror maestro Mike Flanagan, tells the story of a rising Hollywood star and former Gotham street kid named Matt Hagen who suffers a horrific face disfigurement orchestrated by a local crime boss, which inspires Hagen to seek revenge. Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie and Eddie Marsan star in the rare R-rated comic book film.

Filmmaker Taika Waititi returns with the sci-fi dramedy “Klara and the Sun.” Based on a best-selling book, the film  is set in a dystopian future and features an observant solar-powered android named Klara, who bonds with a gravely ill teenager whom she tries to save. It stars Jenna Ortega, Amy Adams, Natasha Lyonne and Steve Buscemi. 

Also opening is the very unique looking film “Wicker.” It tells the story of an unmarried fisherwoman who is constantly picked on and bullied. To cure her loneliness, she orders a wicker husband for herself. The stacked cast includes Olivia Coleman, Elizabeth Debicki and Alexander Skarsgård. 

From Laika Studios (“Coraline”, “Kubo and the Two Strings”) comes their latest hand animated film in “Wildwood.” It tells the story of a girl’s desperate attempt to save her baby brother. The film unfolds into a high-stakes adventure through a forbidden forest filled with enchanting creatures and formidable adversaries. It features a stellar voice cast in Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett and Awkwafina. 

Over at the Cleveland Cinematheque (11610 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland 44106):

On Thursday at 6:45 p.m. there will be a 10^th anniversary screening of the documentary “Out Of Print.” The film explores the value of revival cinemas such as The New Beverly Theater in Los Angeles and the preservation of 35mm exhibition. The film features many notable filmmakers such as Kevin Smith, Edgar Wright  and Joe Dante! Appropriately, the film will be shown from a 35mm print! 

Thursday at 8:50 p.m. the cult musical series will continue with “The American Astronaut.” It tells the story of an interplanetary trader named Samuel Curtis who navigates a bizarre chain of barter deals across the solar system while being pursued by a murderous rival. It will play from a 35mm print. 

Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 5 p.m. they will present the Spanish-language film “On The Road.” It tells the story of a young male drifter and hustler named Veneno who hitches a ride across the highways of northern Mexico with a reserved, middle-aged truck driver named Muñeco, sparking an unexpected romance that is quickly threatened by Veneno’s dangerous past. 

Friday at 9 p.m. Kitao Sakurai, who directed “Street Fighter” and grew up in Cleveland, has selected the Jackie Chan film “Drunken Master II” to play! It tells the story of a martial artist who uses his signature “drunken boxing” style to stop a corrupt group of British diplomats from smuggling priceless ancient Chinese artifacts out of the country.

Saturday at 2:15 p.m. they will present a film from Rainer Werner Fassbinder in “The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant.” It tells the story of a successful fashion designer who spirals into a destructive, obsessive romance with a young model while mistreating her silent assistant. It will play from a 35mm print. 

Saturday at 7 p.m. they will present a documentary from Cleveland’s own up-and-coming documentarian, Joe Kowalski with “Micronations.” The film follows an eccentric global DIY subculture of self-declared kings, queens and monarchs who invent their own sovereign backyard nations while examining themes of borders, identity and belonging. Kowalski will be in attendance for a post-film Q&A! 

Saturday at 9:15 p.m. they will continue their Speak of the Devil series with the horror-comedy  “Portal to Hell.” It tells the story of a medical debt collector who discovers a flaming portal to hell inside a laundromat and is offered a deal by a demon to trade three souls to save his neighbor’s life. Trey Holland, Keith David and Richard Kind star. 

Sunday at 7:15 p.m. they will present the horror anthology “Tales From the Hood.” It follows a mortician who tells four stories to three drug dealers. The film was produced by Spike Lee and features Clarence Williams III, David Allen Grier and Corbin Bernsen. 

More film information and tickets are available here: https://cinematheque.cia.edu/

Over at The Nightlight Cinema (30 N High Street, Akron 44308):

Thursday evening at 6:15 p.m. they will present the most recent Audience Choice Award Winner for the Cleveland International Film Festival, “A Simple Machine.” The film tells the story of a debt-ridden, indecisive young man in Portland, Oregon, who secretly abandons his career and possessions to go off-grid, fix up an old bicycle, and practice extreme frugality without telling his girlfriend. Producer Alyssa Roehrenbeck (an Ohio native!) will be in attendance for a post-film Q&A! 

In addition to “Wicker,” they will be opening one of the big winners from last weekend in Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s “You Can See Everything,” a documentary that follows Fielder being asked to document Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes’ 34 days before she starts her federal prison sentence. I got to catch the film this past weekend and I will say, without spoiling anything, that description only scratches the surface of this film. 

More film and ticket information are available here: https://nightlightcinema.com/

Over at Case Western Reserve Film Society (Strosacker Auditorium on the Case Western Campus)

Friday at 7 p.m., 9:15 p.m., and 11:30 p.m. they will present Damien Chazelle’s breakthrough feature in “Whiplash.” The film tells the story of a promising young drummer who enrolls at a cutthroat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an intense and deranged instructor determined to realize his students’ potential. It stars Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons in a chilling, Oscar-winning performance.

Saturday at 7 p.m. and 11:59 p.m. they will present “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” which, of course, stars the late Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon. The film society is encouraging people to dress up for the midnight show, and doors for that screening will open at 11 p.m. 

More information and tickets are available here:  https://films.cwru.edu/

Over at the Canton Palace Theatre (605 Market Avenue North, Canton 44702):

Friday and Saturday they will present the Monster Bash Film Festival, which features eight different classic British horror films. On top of showing films, they will also have various vendors for the weekend! Individual films are $5 each or $40 for the whole weekend! The line-up of films and ticket information is available here: https://cantonpalacetheatre.org/monster-bash-film-festival/

So there you have it, another jam packed week! Until next time, we’ll see you at the movies!