Movies for May at The Castro Theatre

May is turning out to be a great month for going to the movies! Here are some of the titles and events I'm especially excited about:

 Midnites for Maniacs: Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame Triple Bill with Director Penelope Spheeris

The director of all three of these films will be interviewed by Jesse Hawthorn, maybe even take some questions for the audience, but I'm not sure how long she will be there. So make sure you're on time!

"The Seminal Metal Classic features performances by Lizzy Borden, Faster Pussycat, Seduce, London, Odin and legendary Motörhead. This time around the brutally honest interviews with the young head-bangers of Los Angeles circa late-1980s are even more complicated especially when aligned with some extremely memorable conversations with Metal legends like Alice Cooper, Lemmy of Motörhead, Gene Simmons & Paul Stanley of KiSS, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and Chris Holmes of W.A.S.P. Spheeris' again captures a moment-in-time better than any film from the era and it's time to celebrate it in all of its hair-sprayed glory. Digitally restored picture and sound presented in a brand new DCP restoration courtesy of Spheeris Films. Preceded by a fistful of meatl themed 35mm trailers. 100 minutes. Rated R." Starts at 7PM

I've only heard about this movie, but have yet to see it, so I'm really looking forward to this.

""We're not worthy!" Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Saturday Night Live with Spheeris' ode to Heavy Metal that slyly subverts the music industry as it follows two maniacs who host a cable access show in their downstairs basement. This side-splitting, four star comedy finds a perfect balance between stoopid and profound, yet again proving Spheeris' unique understanding towards adolescent youths. Come out and celebrate (with a Special Guest!) Wayne & Garth's magical journey that proves that even Saturday Night Live skit-inspired-flicks can change the world. Preceded by trailers made by Penelope Shpeeris. Rated PG-13. Original 35mm print from Paramount. 94 minutes." Starts at 9:15 pm

Not that this movie needs any kind of introduction, but how many people can say they've seen it on 35mm?? This constantly quoted movie is celebrating its 23rd anniversary and do it in style at the Castro Theatre. 

"The Seminal Metal Classic features performances by Lizzy Borden, Faster Pussycat, Seduce, London, Odin and legendary Motörhead. This time around the brutally honest interviews with the young head-bangers of Los Angeles circa late-1980s are even more complicated especially when aligned with some extremely memorable conversations with Metal legends like Alice Cooper, Lemmy of Motörhead, Gene Simmons & Paul Stanley of KISS, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and Chris Holmes of W.A.S.P. Spheeris' again captures a moment-in-time better than any film from the era and it's time to celebrate it in all of its hair-sprayed glory. Digitally restored picture and sound presented in a brand new DCP restoration courtesy of Spheeris Films. Preceded by a fistful of metal themed 35mm trailers. 100 minutes. Rated R."  Starts at 11:30 pm

Everything about this movie sounds amazing, and the added bonus of a conversation between Jesse Hawthorn and the the woman responsible for making it definitely makes this an unmissable event. You can get tickets early through TicketWeb. 

The Castro Theatre has a handful of great double features all month. Here are some highlights:

May 14th at 7:30pm

"Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo is one of the great visions of the cinema, and one of the great follies. One would not have been possible without the other. This is a movie about an opera-loving madman [Klaus Kinski] who is determined to drag a boat overland from one river system to another. In making the film, Herzog was determined to actually do that…[it] opens on the note of madness, which it will sustain. –Roger Ebert. Claudia Cardinale co-stars; music by Popol Vuh. (1982, 158 min)" 

I've never seen this but the combination of Werner Herzog's directing, the strange plot, and the star's unforgettable face tells me I need to. 

I've been seeing the cover of Q the Winged Serpent forever now, and I even own a copy, but I have yet to actually watch it. The Castro must have read my mind.

Just for the sake of Swayze!

Of course, there is a whole month of movies that you should check out at the Castro's site. This month's calendar is up and ready. Find it here

The theatre is ending this month, and staring June, with its annual Silent Film Festival, and there are some interesting films screening. Since I don't know about the majority of them, I'll have to borrow the descriptions from the festival's site. 

Friday May 29th at 1 pm

"Since so much of early Chinese cinema has been lost, the recent discovery of a nitrate 35mm print of Cave of the Spider Women in the archives of the National Library of Norway was cause for worldwide celebration.

Cave of the Spider Women is a rare example of the magic-spirit film, a popular genre in ’20s Shanghai, and its story comes from a classic masterpiece of Chinese literature involving a pilgrim monk and the search for Buddhist texts. The monk and his followers—monkey, pig, and shark spirit—ward off the Spider Queen who tries to seduce the pilgrim. The film set Chinese box-office records in 1927 but was considered lost until the discovery in Norway."

Friday 29th at 9:30 pm

"Based on the hugely successful stage play by Arnold Ridley, The Ghost Trainemploys a variety of techniques, from animation to superimposition, that highlight Hungarian director Géza von Bolváry’s visual approach to storytelling.

But for all its foreign influence, The Ghost Train remains singularly British in its humor and eccentric characters as it tells the story of travelers stranded overnight at a dubiously haunted train station. The extant print of the film comes from the British Film Institute but has French intertitles!"

Friday May 29th at 7 pm

"In this, his greatest role, Emil Jannings plays the chief porter at a prestigious hotel, a position affording him respect and dignity. His military-style uniform is the emblem of his stature­—especially among his poor neighbors—and a source of great personal pride, so his subsequent demotion to washroom attendant and the loss of the uniform is devastating.

The film’s emotional depth is bolstered by its technical innovation—Murnau’s “unchained” camera is as beautifully expressive as Jannings’s breathtaking performance and allows the story to flow without the need for intertitles."

This is a gorgeous film! I've seen it multiple times and can't wait to see it with a live orchestra providing the music. 

Monday June 1 at 3 pm

"After her father’s death, Mary Willard (Blanche Sweet) takes over his business interest. Willard Sr.’s right hand man Harvey Judson (Mahlon Hamilton) has more cutthroat business practices in mind, and Mary has him kidnapped to protect her shareholders (and teach him a lesson). In the end of this gentle comedy, Mary and Harvey propose another merger that has little to do with business. Boris Karloff has a small role as an unspecified foreigner.

Preserved by the Academy Film Archive from the only known surviving film element, a 35mm tinted nitrate print from the Archive’s Lobster Film Collection. Funding for the restoration was provided by The Louis B. Mayer Foundation."

All of the movies presented by the Silent Film Festival are accompanied by a live orchestra, which will change the viewings completely. You can find more info and the rest of the movies being screened at the festival's site. 

Let's support this historic theatre and enjoy some great movies!

-Huntress