Screenings in the Bay (Friday to Sunday): The Houses October Built, Dogtooth, Time Crimes

Friday is here again and it's about to kick off a packed weekend! Not only is the sequel to The Houses October Built now out on VOD (and hopefully in theatres around here soon), and two concurrent midnight screenings in Eraserhead, but the New Parkway Theatre is killing it with cool screenings all weekend; A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, Dogtooth, and Time Crimes to name a few. Check out their lineup along with everyone else's and I hope you guys all have a great weekend!

Opening Today

The Houses October Built 2 (2017)

Limited Theatres/ VOD Friday 22nd (1hr 41min)

Horror (IMDB)

Recovering from the trauma of being kidnapped last Halloween by the Blue Skeleton - a group who take "extreme haunt" to another level - five friends decide they must face their fears in order to move on. Heading back out on the road to visit more haunted house attractions, signs of the Blue Skeleton start appearing again and a new terror begins...

Friend Request (2017)

Opens Friday 22nd (1hr 32min)

Horror / Thriller (IMDB)

Laura, a popular college girl, is very active on social media and shares almost everything in her life with her 800+ friends on Facebook. However after accepting a friend request from an unknown girl named Marina, Laura becomes obsessed with Marina's profile, and soon her friends begin to die violently one by one.

Landmark Clay Theatre

Midnight Madness

Eraserhead (1977)

Friday 22nd @ 11:55pm (1hr 29min)

Saturday 23rd @ 11:55pm

Fantasy/ Horror (IMDB)

This surreal nightmare examines male paranoia. Our hero and title character, Henry, faces a number of horrifying obstacles in meeting someone of the opposite sex, meeting her parents, and procreating. Produced during a one-and-a-half-year period while director David Lynch was a student at the American Film Institute, the film launched him as a major new talent admired by cinephiles and filmmakers all over the world. It stands today as a milestone in personal, independent filmmaking.

New Parkway Theatre

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (2014)

Friday 22nd @ 8:05pm (1hr 41min)

Horror/ Suspense/ Romance (Rotten Tomatoes)

The first Iranian Vampire Western ever made, Ana Lily Amirpour's debut basks in the sheer pleasure of pulp. A joyful mash-up of genre, archetype, and iconography, its prolific influences span spaghetti westerns, graphic novels, horror films, and the Iranian New Wave. (C) Kino

Santa Sangre (1989)

Friday 22nd @ 10:25pm (2hrs 3min)

Drama/ Horror/ Fantasy (IMDB)

Santa Sangre is the surreal horror story about a young man, Fenix (Axel Jodorowsky) who has grown up in a circus with his mother Concha (Blanca Guerra) and his philandering father. Fenix witnesses a brutal fight between his mother and father, at the end of which his mother loses both of her arms and his father commits suicide. Fenix spends years in an insane asylum, before his mother persuades him to act as her hands in her bizarre nightclub act. Soon, Concha is having Fenix perform a variety of murders, where he is killing every female in sight. Though the film has some of the hallucinatory qualities of Jodorowsky's earlier films, Santa Sangre doesn't quite have the same punch, particularly in terms of cerebral and emotional impact, despite its fine visuals.

Dogtooth (2009)

Saturday 23rd @ 4:15pm (1hr 34min)

Drama/ Thrille (IMDB)

The father, the mother and their three kids live at the outskirts of a city. There is a tall fence surrounding the house. The kids have never been outside that fence. They are being reared in the manner that their parents deem appropriate, without any influence from the outside world. The only person allowed to enter the house is Christina. She works as a security guard at the father's business. The father arranges her visits to the house in order to appease the sexual urges of the son. The whole family is fond of her, especially the eldest daughter. One day Christina gives her as a present a headband that has stones that glow in the dark and asks for something in return.

Lady Snowblood (1973)

Sunday 23rd @ 9pm (1hr 37min)

Action/ Drama/ Thriller (IMDB)

A woman seeks the revenge that was her birthright in this action thriller from Japan. A gang of ruthless thieves break into the home of a rural couple, and after taking their valuables, they murder the husband and rape the wife once they've beaten her senseless. When the ravaged wife tracks down one of the thieves and attacks him, she is arrested by police; she was left pregnant by the rape, and gives birth to a daughter months later, dying shortly after delivery. The daughter, Yuki (Meiko Kaji), is raised by a priest who teaches her how to use a sword and trains her to show no mercy to the men who brutalized her family. When she turns 20, Yuki sets out to seek revenge, looking beautiful and tranquil on the outside but possessing a powerful taste for vengeance against those who wronged her and her mother. Lady Snowblood was written by Kazuo Koike, who also scripted several of the most memorable films in the Lone Wolf and Cub series. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Time Crimes (2009)

Saturday 23rd @ 10pm (1hr 32min)

Horror/ Mystery/ Sci-Fi (IMDB)

An ordinary guy takes an extraordinary step through time in this science fiction thriller. Hector (Karra Elejalde) is spending a few days in the countryside with his girlfriend, Clara (Candela Fernández), when he sees something that catches his attention while playing with his binoculars. Looking at a nearby house near a wooded area, Hector spies a beautiful woman taking her clothes off, and decides to take a stroll and give her a closer look. However, when he arrives at the house several minutes later, the woman is lying in the grass and appears to either be dead or passed out. As Hector examines her, he's attacked by a strange man and flees on foot. Hector seeks refuge in a building that turns out to be a research facility owned by a mysterious scientist (Nacho Vigalondo), who gives him a place to hide inside a futuristic closet. However, Hector realizes it was actually a time-travel machine when he emerges a few minutes later and looks out the window to see himself standing over the unconscious woman in the distance. Los Cronocrimenes (aka Timecrimes) was the first feature film from writer and director Nacho Vigalondo, who also appears as the scientist.

Lady Vengeance (2005)

Sunday 24th @ 8:55pm (1hr 55min)

Crime/ Drama/ Thriller (IMDB)

A woman looks for both revenge and redemption after spending 13 years in prison in this offbeat thriller from South Korea. Lee Geum-ja (Lee Yeong-ae) was in her early twenties when she was found guilty of kidnapping and killing a young boy, and though she confessed to the crime under duress, while behind bars she dreamed of one day being able to clear her name -- and even the score with the people who railroaded her, including the police officer who brought her in (Nam Il-woo) and Mr. Baek (Choi Min-Sik), a teacher who wronged her in a number of ways. Lee Geun-ja teams up with a number of friends she made during her time in lock-up, including Woo So-yeong (Kim Bu-seon), a thief with a gunsmith for a husband; Oh Su-heui (Ra Mi-ran), who was saved from assault at the hands fellow inmates by Lee; and Preacher Jeon (Kim Byeong-ok), an eccentric man of the cloth who was struck by her gentle nature in jail. As Preacher Jeon helps Lee seek salvation for all she had to do while in prison, her other friends stand by her side as she gets even with her rivals and searches for the daughter she was forced to leave behind when she was convicted. Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (aka Chinjeolhan Geum-ja-ssi) was the third film in a series, preceded by Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and Old Boy. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Eyes Without A Face (1960)

Sunday 24th @ 9:15pm (1hr 30min)

Drama/ Horror (IMDB)

A surgeon causes an accident which leaves his daughter disfigured, and goes to extremes to give her a new face.

-Huntress

The Overlook Theatre Reviews: Mother, Darren Aronofsky's

7 of 8 viewers "Liked" "Mother" (2017, USA)

Here's what the creatures had to say:

Randy the Reverberator - "Mother! takes a Bunuelian premise, a la The Exterminating Angel, and plays it for horror. For me, Mother! is a lot of things…it’s a film about the anxieties of being in a relationship, a marriage, of having a child…a film about ego, about writers' block and the search for inspiration as told through the perspective of a woman living with a writer. Apparently, Darren Aronofsky wrote this script in 5 days and it definitely feels like a well-tuned vomit draft of these anxieties, which end up manifesting themselves inside this house occupied by Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem’s characters. It’s a film that operates on dream logic, and it’s best to not over think it. The pacing is great, and time passes strangely here thanks in part to the editing by Andrew Weisblum. Jennifer Lawrence is our surrogate as an audience, we know as little as she does as to what’s going on. We’re with her in extreme close-up for a lot of the film. The absurdity of unexpected guests entering their house and not being able to leave builds tension, you can see and feel it in Jennifer Lawrence's performance. And then we get a finale, that will be a very polarizing one. It’s a cliche, but I do believe that good art should be challenging, and the last 30 or so minutes of Mother! is just that." - 4 Stars

Huntress - "Mother! was one hell of an invasive and aggravating watch. It starts off exploring obsessive compulsive host anxiety but descends into an introvert’s fever dream. Jennifer Lawrence portrays one of the loneliest characters I can think of from recent film, combining the residential protectiveness found in Of Unknown Origin with the delusional paranoia of Repulsion. I couldn't help but feel empathy for her; watching her notice everything that was out of place or being touched despite her restriction stressed me out, because we all think we know why she was so sentimental about everything. There are so many layers to this film, potentially countless interpretations, and an endless stream of details that will speak to you personally, however, in order to get the whole picture, Mother! will beat you down and take everything you have emotionally. And now that I've let it sit with me, I'm ready for another beating!" - 5 Stars

Trash - "I want to give this an impulsive 5 stars for completely surprising me and giving me so much to think about. It's a movie I want to watch, then sit down at a bar with friends and just dissect it. I understand the comparisons people are making to other films, but this is a real Aronofsky experience that's using examples from his cinematic influences without becoming too much like them. It's foremost a fantasy film, a relationship with touches of magical realism and connections to the earth, that starts rotting inside, and goes very, very bad. Mother! is daring enough to ask you to go through something upsetting and strange, and when you get out on the other side, you'll have a lot to wrap your head around. I only wish I could have seen it projected how it was shot, on 16mm film, because it was gorgeous." - 5 Stars

Lord Battle - "Last week, theatres were packed with people going to see IT, a movie that will be remembered as America's escape from the horrors of reality. A week later, horror aficionado Darren Aronofsky releases a film that has more mood in its opening 10 minutes than anything IT could achieve in its 2+ hour runtime and the only thing the headlines will mention is about its "F" cinemascore... This does selfishly make me happy because I don't like to share the things I love with everyone but it also drives me insane because people are missing out on a beautiful visual narrative that a group can experience together and follow up with a conversation that attempts to find clarity in the confusion, and they're missing it! IT may be screening for months, but Mother! will be remembered for years." - 4.5 Stars

The Ascendant - "Similar to the work of (Danish) Director Lars von Trier, Darren Aronofsky’s films have always been met with as much controversy as praise. In 1998, Aronofsky captured the attention of viewers worldwide with his debut feature film Pi. Two-years after, Aronofsky adapted Hubert Selby Jr.’s 1978 novel Requiem For A Dream, in what can be only described as a cinematic haymaker, riffled with drug abuse & sweaty sex parties. In the years following, Aronofsky dialed back a bit on (immediately) disturbing images in favor of brooding surrealism, evident in his films such as The Fountain (2006), Black Swan (2010) and The Wrestler (2008). It only made sense that Aronofsky’s most polarizing film comes in the form of 2017’s Mother!, an amalgamation of his previous cinematic brushstrokes, both whimsical and visceral. Even while audiences are (still) up in arms over the film’s overall meaning, there are a few things the film does right. First off, Matthew Libatique’s cinematography is both breathtaking and (immediately) eerie. This is no surprise as Libatique has been Aronofsky’s Cinematographer through all six of his feature-length films. Here, Libatique shows an incredible eye for soft lighting as well as highlighting changes in texture & contrast. I found myself falling in love with the film’s environment before any of its characters. Another highlight is Aronofsky’s mastery of tension in the first quarter of the film. Aronofsky’s script shows no fear and immediately places the viewer in a sense of distress, starting us on wobbly knees as we gnaw on our fingernails, attempting to right our stances. In that, is the film’s greatest fault and the reason why (I believe) so many audiences are upset with the film, that it requires so much previous understanding of its reference material to get a coherent narrative. There is a lot of religious allegory in this film, much of which would be lost on most audiences (other than who Jennifer Lawrence (Mother) & Javier Bardem (Him) directly represent). With that said, I have spoken to many who have seen the film (including The Overlook Theater’s Randy The Reverberator) who viewed the film differently than I did, showcasing some incredibly valid points for the film’s meaning. An audience should not be required to study base references for a film for it to have emotional resonance but it’s worth noting that here, it makes for a much stronger viewing. It’s clear that Mother! (2017) is Aronofsky’s most personal film to-date but one has to wonder, did Aronofsky make this film solely for himself? Regardless of what its Theatrical Distribution will tell you, audiences will tell you he did not make it for them." - 2.5 Stars

Midnight Bloom - "It was a fun experience watching Mother!, after watching the trailers I didn't know what to expect. And, damn, what a disturbing film. Jennifer Lawrence was phenomenal! Her acting was spot on.. I was on the edge of my seat, the movie was a huge nightmare. At the end of the movie I had a headache from trying to put the pieces together but in the end I finally got it! It's really a great film, I'd see it again." - 4 Stars

Wandering Panda - "Mother, HIM, publisher, male guest 1, female guest 1, everyone else, and House. This is a movie about Mother (Mother nature) Him (God/creator) publisher (The herald) male guest 1 (Adam) female guest 1 (Eve) everyone else (humanity) and house (Garden of Eden). I saw this movie 2 times, the first time with the Overlook family and the second time the very next night by myself. Twice I heard people say it sucked/ was boring and twice I saw people walk out the movie completely but don't let that fool you. I love this movie. Other people will take other things away from this movie but this is what I took away. The script is simple but powerful. The setting (the house) is simple yet symbolic, the cast is simple yet complex. As much as I wanna spoil this movie and analyse everything, I can't. There would be way too much and most of it would be my assumptions. Go see this move. It's a must watch and oh my god the cinematography is so intense and captivating. All in all Mother! is intense, gripping, and one hell of a movie!" - 5 Stars

The Berkeley Blazer - "Anyone who knows me knows I love the thoughts of others. Words. I love hearing what they think of things. Except when it comes to the films of Darren Aronofsky. See, I could give a floating ark what you or anyone else thinks about Mother!, because his movies are a special friend that I meet up with, one on one, every few years or so. Our conversations are personal. So personal. Uninvited guests are not welcome. When Mother! came over I greeted her warmly and saw that she had become even more seasoned in her travels, and that her big ideas were now distinct and had aged beautifully, intricately, delicately.  Dear reader, she was a seductive, beguiling houseguest; so in control she seemed at times to disappear into her own conversation. I knew the visit would be special, even when she upset me.  After all, she made me think about personal failings I had with people I like and love. She made me think old stories half forgotten and gave them new power to structure our reality, to reimagine what I wanted myself and ourselves to be.  And honestly, at times I was a little afraid because I wasn't always sure what she was doing and was also afraid (I never learn) that she might have lost her mind. But my crazy friend is wise even when wrong. So please understand I mean no malice when I say I want you to leave us the fuck alone.  This is our time together." - 5 Stars

The Overlook Theatre Final Rating*

(Below is for after you've seen the film)

Last week we reviewed IT and for the wrap-up I shared a post IT screening "BONUS!" episode of The Overlook Hour, where we attempted to capture the energy and ideas that follow a theatrical screening. Well we've done it again and with a film that couldn't be farther from IT... So if you enjoyed last week's "BONUS!" episode you'll love hearing people stumble over what Aronofsky's Mother! could be about. Be warned, the free flow of conversation and ideas we're aiming for can only be achieved with SPOILERS but if you're reading the warp-up you've already seen the film... right?

- Lord Battle

The Overlook Theatre materialized in the New Mission theatre for a screening on 9/7/2017
*Based on the star ratings turned in by character reviewers, others viewed and got to "Dislike" or "Like" but that does not affect the rating.

Son of Monsterpalooza's Haunted Dollhouse

This past weekend, Lord Battle, The Impostor, and I went on a road trip that I look forward to for months prior and wound up at Son of Monsterpalooza at the Marriott Hotel in Burbank. Years ago, Son of Monsterpalooza and its bi-annual brother Monsterpalooza, became my favorite horror conventions; they were small, premiered new horror movies, and gave you the opportunity to meet and speak to the people you’ve been watching in various roles for years. Our weekend was filled with horror icons and crazy monsters, as you might have seen on the various social media, but I’d like to talk about the lesser appreciated aspect of the weekend, especially since it was my first time actually getting to partake in it. The haunt.

Presented by the Scary Closet, which makes some bad ass horror replicas and sets, The Haunted Dollhouse was barely getting any recognition from the people we spoke to at the convention. One person went so far as to say this was the first time they didn’t get startled a single time. That’s just not what you want to hear when you’re standing in a 40 minute long line. Nevertheless, us being curious and also not wanting to spend any more money in the vendor hall, the three of us continued to wait along the wall, right across from where Samara Lee (Annabelle: Creation) was signing in full costume. Until she was lead away, I figured to check out the rest of the con. I was wrong. Turns out, she and Taylor Buck (Annabelle: Creation) were put into ghostly garb and were acting as the ominous guides through the winding dollhouse. And they were both amazing! Regardless of how you felt about the movie, these girls were incredible. At ages nine and thirteen, they both stayed completely in character, composed even as they watched grown patrons (myself 200% included) get reduced to a shrieking mess. 

Valak made several appearances throughout the Haunted Dollhouse, and I can't think of a single time I didn't jump and scream. The last of these scares, however, was a moment that will stay with me for a long time. After leaving us standing in a bible page coated closet to marinate in the growing tension, the door was pulled open and a Pennywise toothed Valak crawled at us, hissing. And when I say I screamed bloody murder, you'd better believe I'm not exaggerating.

My only regret is not going through the haunt again on Sunday!

-Huntress

Bluray Tuesday: Featuring The Bad Batch, Innocent Blood, and Wonder Woman

September 19th 2017

Bluray Tuesday returns once again! This week is filled will steelbooks (thanks to Best Buy), indie horror, and thrillers to add to our growing collections. The director of A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Ana Lily Amirpour's newest film The Bad Batch is first up today. Overall a pretty solid film for me, I'd only say it's a tad longer than it needed to be but it is definitely one to check out. 90's indie horror comedy Innocent Blood hits Warner Archive today for the first time on Bluray. I haven't seen this film since I was a kid and look forward to refreshing my memory in the near future. The 40th anniversary of The Close Encounters of the Third Kind is upon us and a 4K remaster is now released. Best Buy will be the only place carrying an exclusive steelbook release. The next anniversary releases today is Starship Troopers which hits 20 years this year and Best Buy will carry an exclusive steelbook packaging for this too. Sony did a CGI animated Starship Troopers sequel-ish film that also releases today that coincides with the original release called Starship Troopers: Traitors of Mars. Best Buy has an exclusive steelbook for this to match the original. The biggest release today is hands down Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman had an over whelming amount of praise and made lots of money during its theater run; many have said it brought DC films back. I am definitely excited to pick this up today and add to my collection. Target will carry a digi-book packaging for the film and Best Buy a cool steelbook edition. So what will you buy rent or just skip this week? Let us know in the comments. Until next week!

The Bad Batch: Amazon - $17.99

Arlen is abandoned in a Texas wasteland that is fenced off from civilization. While trying to navigate the unforgiving landscape, Arlen is captured by a savage band of cannibals led by the mysterious Miami Man. With her life on the line, she makes her way to The Dream. As she adjusts to life in the bad batch, Arlen discovers that being good or bad mostly depends on who's standing next to you.

 

 Innocent Blood: Amazon - $19.99

Marie has two appetites, sex and blood. Her career as a vampire is going along fine until two problems come up, she is interrupted while feeding on Sal (the shark) Macelli and she begins to develope a relationship with the policeman who has been trying to put Sal away. Sal wakes up in the morgue very confused and very thirsty. He goes back to his old haunts and begins to create an organized crime family of vampires while Marie and her policeman lover hunt him.

 

Close Encounters of The Third Kind (40th Anniversary): Amazon - $13.49

4K: Amazon - $20.99

Science fiction adventure about a group of people who attempt to contact alien intelligence. Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) witnesses an unidentified flying object, and even has a "sunburn" from its bright lights to prove it. Roy refuses to accept an explanation for what he saw and is prepared to give up his life to pursue the truth about UFOs.

 

 

Steelbook: Best Buy - $24.99

  

Wonder Woman: Amazon - $24.99

4K: Amazon - $29.99

3D: Amazon - $24.99

Before she was Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, Diana meets an American pilot (Chris Pine) who tells her about the massive conflict that's raging in the outside world. Convinced that she can stop the threat, Diana leaves her home for the first time. Fighting alongside men in a war to end all wars, she finally discovers her full powers and true destiny.

 

 

 

Digi-Book: Amazon - $27.99

 

Steelbook: Best Buy - $34.99

 

The Big Sick: Amazon - $17.99

Kumail is a Pakistani comic who meets an American graduate student named Emily at one of his stand-up shows. As their relationship blossoms, he soon becomes worried about what his traditional Muslim parents will think of her. When Emily suddenly comes down with an illness that leaves her in a coma, Kumail finds himself developing a bond with her deeply concerned mother and father.

 

Starship Troopers (20th Anniversary) : Amazon - $20.99

In the distant future, the Earth is at war with a race of giant alien insects. Little is known about the Bugs except that they are intent on the eradication of all human life. But there was a time before the war... A Mobile Infantry travels to distant alien planets to take the war to the Bugs. They are a ruthless enemy with only one mission: Survival of their species no matter what the cost.

 

Steelbook: Best Buy - $24.99

 

Firefly (15th Anniversary): Amazon - $20.59

Five hundred years in the future there's a whole new frontier, and the crew of the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity is eager to stake a claim on the action. They'll take any job, legal or illegal, to keep fuel in the tanks and food on the table. But things get a bit more complicated after they take on a passenger wanted by the new totalitarian Alliance regime. Now they find themselves on the run, desperate to steer clear of Alliance ships and the flesh-eating Reavers who live on the fringes of space.

 

Starship Troopers: Traitors of Mars: Amazon - $16.99

Federation trooper Johnny Rico is ordered to work with a group of new recruits on a satellite station on Mars, where giant bugs have decided to target their next attack.

 

Steelbook: Best Buy - $29.99

 

Bates Motel (Season 5): Amazon - $33.99  

"Bates Motel," inspired by Hitchcock's genre-defining film, "Psycho," is a contemporary exploration of the formative years of Norman Bates' relationship with his mother, Norma, and the world they inhabit. Viewers will have access to the dark, twisted backstory and learn firsthand how Norma helped forge the most famous serial killer of them all.

 

  - The Impostor

Screenings in the Bay (Monday to Friday): The Houses October Built 2, Friend Request, Akira

So once again we find ourselves at the top of a new week, looking for movies to escape to throughout the next couple of days. But what's different about this week? For one thing, we've passed the half way point of September and we're that much closer to the most horror centric and festive month. And that means we're closer the the George Romero Terror Tuesday Tribute month at the Alamo Drafthouse!

But that's still a way off, so let's take a look at what's in store for us this week. I just completed my first haunt of the season over the weekend, so I'm particularly ready for the first release on this list...

Opening This Week

The Houses October Built 2 (2017)

Limited Theatres/ VOD Friday 22nd (1hr 41min)

Horror (IMDB)

Recovering from the trauma of being kidnapped last Halloween by the Blue Skeleton - a group who take "extreme haunt" to another level - five friends decide they must face their fears in order to move on. Heading back out on the road to visit more haunted house attractions, signs of the Blue Skeleton start appearing again and a new terror begins...

Friend Request (2017)

Early Screenings Thursday 21st(1hr 32min)

Opens Friday 22nd

Horror / Thriller (IMDB)

Laura, a popular college girl, is very active on social media and shares almost everything in her life with her 800+ friends on Facebook. However after accepting a friend request from an unknown girl named Marina, Laura becomes obsessed with Marina's profile, and soon her friends begin to die violently one by one.

Alamo Drafthouse

Akira (1988)

Monday 18th @ 7pm (Subtitled)

Monday 18th @ 10:05 (Dubbed) (2hrs 4min)

Animation/ Action/ Scifi (IMDB)

"A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath that only one kid and a group of psychics can stop."

Also Screening at the Balboa Theatre Tuesday 19th @ 7:30pm

Terror Tuesday

Disturbing Behavior (1998)

Tuesday 19th @ 10:20pm (1hr 24min)

Horror/ Suspense/ Sci-Fi (IMDB)

In this fantasy thriller, when teen-ager Steve Clark moves to Cradle Bay, Steve is immediately cautioned by Gavin Strick about the separating factions at the high school, where a club of robotic perfect students rule. Gavin claims a conspiracy is afoot, and sure enough, he turns into an ultra-perfect himself.

Weird Wednesday

Prayer of the Rollerboys (1990)

Wednesday 20th @ 9:40pm (1hr 35min)

Action/ Drama/ Sci-Fi (IMDB)

Corey Haim takes on white supremacist rollerbladers in Prayer of the Rollerboys, the futuristic tale of teen angst and sweet love on skates. Haim stars as Chris Griffin, a pizza delivery boy whose younger brother Miltie (Devin Clark) gets caught up with the local drug-pusher gang, the Rollerboys. With the help of Casey (Patricia Arquette), a female cop out for revenge for her own brother's death, they help bring down the dreaded 'boys for good. But the deeper Chris and Miltie get into the crew, the scarier their racist attitudes become, especially when its revealed that repeated use of their drug will sterilize the entire population of L.A. outside of the Rollerboys' inner circle.

Landmark Clay Theatre

Midnight Madness

Eraserhead (1977)

Friday 22nd @ 11:55pm (1hr 29min)

Fantasy/ Horror (IMDB)

This surreal nightmare examines male paranoia. Our hero and title character, Henry, faces a number of horrifying obstacles in meeting someone of the opposite sex, meeting her parents, and procreating. Produced during a one-and-a-half-year period while director David Lynch was a student at the American Film Institute, the film launched him as a major new talent admired by cinephiles and filmmakers all over the world. It stands today as a milestone in personal, independent filmmaking.

Also Screening Saturday  23rd

New Parkway Theatre

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (2014)

Friday 22nd @ 8:05pm (1hr 41min)

Horror/ Suspense/ Romance (Rotten Tomatoes)

The first Iranian Vampire Western ever made, Ana Lily Amirpour's debut basks in the sheer pleasure of pulp. A joyful mash-up of genre, archetype, and iconography, its prolific influences span spaghetti westerns, graphic novels, horror films, and the Iranian New Wave. (C) Kino

Santa Sangre (1989)

Friday 22nd @ 10:25pm (2hrs 3min)

Drama/ Horror/ Fantasy (IMDB)

Santa Sangre is the surreal horror story about a young man, Fenix (Axel Jodorowsky) who has grown up in a circus with his mother Concha (Blanca Guerra) and his philandering father. Fenix witnesses a brutal fight between his mother and father, at the end of which his mother loses both of her arms and his father commits suicide. Fenix spends years in an insane asylum, before his mother persuades him to act as her hands in her bizarre nightclub act. Soon, Concha is having Fenix perform a variety of murders, where he is killing every female in sight. Though the film has some of the hallucinatory qualities of Jodorowsky's earlier films, Santa Sangre doesn't quite have the same punch, particularly in terms of cerebral and emotional impact, despite its fine visuals. 

Roxie Theatre

The Girl Without Hands (2017)

Monday 18th to Thursday 21st @7pm (1hr 16min)

Art House/ International/ Drama (Rotten Tomatoes)

In hard times, a miller sells his daughter to the Devil. Protected by her purity, she escapes from the Devil who, in revenge, deprives her of her hands. So begins a long journey towards the light... The Girl Without Hands is the audacious feature debut from acclaimed short filmmaker Sébastien Laudenbach, whose beautiful and dreamlike take on the Brothers Grimm story has created an adult fairytale destined to become a classic.

-Huntress

Screenings in the Bay (Friday to Sunday): Mother!, Future War, The Bride Wore Black

Happy Friday guys! This is a pretty brief list of weekend highlights but there are some awesome things on it! Today Mother! gets a wide release all over the country. We checked this out on Thursday during an early screening at the San Francisco Alamo Drafthouse and recorded a second #BONUS! episode with all the Overlook creatures who attended. It's a difficult film to process but one that I definitely enjoyed. And Sunday is a busy day with a double feature at the Castro Theatre as well as Video Vortex at the Alamo, as always hosted by our pal Trash. Check it out!

Opening Today

Mother! (2017)

Opens Friday 15th (2hrs)

Drama/ Horror/ Suspense (Rotten Tomatoes)

A couple's relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence. From filmmaker Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream), mother! stars Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer in this riveting psychological thriller about love, devotion and sacrifice.

Alamo Drafthouse

VideoVortex

Future War (1997)

Sunday 17th @ 8:55pm (1hr 30min)

Action/ Fantasy/ Sci-Fi (IMDB)

A run-away human slave from Earth's future escapes to the present

Castro Theatre

Double Feature

North by Northwest (1959)

Sunday 17th @ 2:30pm & 7pm(2hrs 16min)

Thriller/ Drama (Google)

"This classic suspense film finds New York City ad executive Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) pursued by ruthless spy Phillip Vandamm (James Mason) after Thornhill is mistaken for a government agent. Hunted relentlessly by Vandamm's associates, the harried Thornhill ends up on a cross-country journey, meeting the beautiful and mysterious Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) along the way. Soon Vandamm's henchmen close in on Thornhill, resulting in a number of iconic action sequences."

-with-

The Bride Wore Black (1968)

Sunday 17th @ 4:55pm & 9:25pm (1hr 47min)

Crime/ Drama/ Mystery (IMDB)

Julie Kohler is prevented from suicide by her mother. She leaves the town. She will track down, charm and kill five men who do not know her. What is her goal? What is her purpose?

Roxie Theatre

Ladrones De Almas (Soul Robbers) (2016)

Screening All Week (1hr 28min)

Horror (IMDB)

During the battles between insurgents and the Realist Spanish Army in the Independnce of Mexico some outlaws try to find a treasure guarded by zombies and few women.

-Huntress