Screenings in the Bay (Friday to Sunday): Stereo Argento: Complex!, The Conductor, Blood Fest

Don't waste any time this weekend and kick Friday night off with a giallo drag show at the Stud! 

Yes that's right, Stereo Argento returns for its seventh installment, COMPLEX!, and there will definitely be blood! This night is Murder Mystery themed, so leave you black gloves at home, lest you be accused of treachery. 

Also this week, BLOOD FEST opens in limited theatres and on VOD. I really enjoyed this movie, but not as much as some of the other Overlook creatures who joined the audience for our review screening. And if you just don't want to rent this one, you can catch it at Son Of Monsterpalooza in two weeks.

The Roxie will be hosting a one night only screening of THE CONDUCTOR, Jeremy Mann's first feature film, and he will be at the screening as well. He will be giving one lucky audience member a poster for the film, which has been signed by the entire cast and crew!

Opening This Week

Blood Fest (2018)

Limited Theatres/VOD Friday 31st (1hr 32min)

Comedy/ Horror (IMDB)

Fans flock to a festival celebrating the most iconic horror movies, only to discover that the charismatic showman behind the event has a diabolical agenda. As festival attendees start dying off, three teenagers more schooled in horror-film clichés than practical knowledge about neutralizing psycho killers must band together and battle through various madmen and monstrosities to survive.

Boarding School (2018)

Limited Theatres/VOD Fiday 31st (1hr 41min)

Horror/ Mystery/ Suspense (Rotten Tomatoes)

When troubled 12-year-old Jacob Felsen is sent away to boarding school, he enters every kid's worst nightmare: A creepy old mansion, deserted except for six other teenage misfits and two menacing and mysterious teachers. As events become increasingly horrific, Jacob must conquer his fears to find the strength to survive.

Searching (2018)

Wide release starts Friday 31st (1hr 42min)

Drama/ Mystery/ Thriller (IMDB)

After David Kim (John Cho)'s 16-year-old daughter goes missing, a local investigation is opened and a detective is assigned to the case. But 37 hours later and without a single lead, David decides to search the one place no one has looked yet, where all secrets are kept today: his daughter's laptop. In a hyper-modern thriller told via the technology devices we use every day to communicate, David must trace his daughter's digital footprints before she disappears forever.

Landmark Clay Theatre

Midnight Madness

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)

Friday 31st @ 11:55pm (1hr 52min)

Saturday 1st @ 11:55pm

Action/ Comedy/ Romance (IMDB)

Based on Bryan Lee O'Malley's Oni Press comic book of the same name, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World follows the eponymous slacker rocker on his colorful quest to defeat his dream girl's seven evil ex-boyfriends. Twenty-two-year-old Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) may not have a job, but rocking the bass for his band, Sex Bob-omb, is a tough job unto itself. When Scott locks eyes with Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), he knows she's the girl he wants to grow old with. But Ramona has some serious baggage; her supercharged exes rue the thought of her being with another man, and they'll crush any guy who gives her a second glance. Now, in order to win Ramona's heart, Scott will do battle with everyone from vegan-powered rock gods to sinister skateboarders, never losing sight of his gorgeous goal as he pummels his way to victory.

Roxie Theatre

The Conductor (2018)

Saturday 1st @ 4:30pm (1hr 18min)

Fantasy (IMDB)

The Conductor is the first feature length film created entirely by the artist Jeremy Mann. It is a story told through a dreamscape metaphor of the eternal artistic struggle. 

Director Jeremy Mann will be at the screening

and will be giving away one signed poster!

Madeline's Madeline (2018)

Saturday 1st @ 4:40pm (1hr 33min)

Sunday 2nd @ 5pm

Drama/ Mystery/ Thriller (IMDB)

Madeline (newcomer Helena Howard) has become an integral part of a prestigious physical theater troupe. When the workshop's ambitious director (Molly Parker) pushes the teenager to weave her rich interior world and troubled history with her mother (Miranda July) into their collective art, the lines between performance and reality begin to blur. The resulting battle between imagination and appropriation rips out of the rehearsal space and through all three women's lives.

-Huntress

The Overlook Theatre Reviews: Blood Fest

Fans flock to a festival celebrating the most iconic horror movies, only to discover that the charismatic showman behind the event has a diabolical agenda.

6 of 6 viewers "Liked" "Blood Fest" (2018, USA)

Creature reviews have been minimally altered in an attempt to maintain their voice:

The Impostor - "One of my favorite films this year, hands down. It's a freakin' "Blood Fest" and I loved it! Every character was fun to watch and either root for or pray die soon. Blood Fest plays out perfectly catering to the horror nerd in us without coming off cringe worthy, which is hard to do. The main character and his friends are perfectly cast. Their acting felt natural, and these were people I wanted to be friends with. The gore and kills aren't especially unique but are super fun to watch. I love horror conventions and going to events like this, so seeing how crazy it would be if the monsters and villains we love were to come to life in different situations and attack us. With me, the only way to make it out is to use the rules and tropes we see in the films to survive. Overall Blood Fest is an exciting, silly fun time. I can't wait to see it again. Day one purchase for sure!" - 6 Stars (Default to 5)

Lord Battle - "A young cast that "knows the rules" of horror movies and comes charmingly close to breaking the 4th wall (over and over) bugs the hell out of me. Blood Fest is totally that kind of film. It even has children lamenting about how they're poorly judged for liking horror films... but some clever self-aware writing transcends being a self-aware horror movie and subtly subverts the cringe trope of the self-aware horror sub-genre... In other words, Blood Fest made me laugh 30% of the time, which I call a huge success." - 3.5 Stars

Huntress - "The beginning of this movie worried me... although I have enjoyed several genre deconstructing movies in the past, this one seemed to have almost no finesse or subtlety to it. But once the story hit its stride and we were exploring the Blood Fest grounds, I was very into it. The narrative settled into Cabin in the Woods style conversation on genre tropes, interspersed with self-aware jokes that didn't make me roll my eyes. It was not obvious where this movie was going and that made the journey so much more fun." - 4 Stars

Matte Black Cat - "A fun subversion on "the rules of horror movies" theme. Goes a touch further into the genre than say Scream or Zombieland do, which I really enjoyed! Though the emotional points felt a bit contrived and the father/son dynamic truly bizarre, Blood Fest manages to keep your attention from start to finish with plenty of gore, one-liners, and loads of nods to the genre. Best if watched in a room filled with snarky horror fans." - 4.5 Stars

Wandering Panda - "Incredible!! I genuinely enjoyed Blood Fest and its self-awareness. I found myself playing along with the rest of the Overlook Creatures on the "rules of horror". It captured the ambiance of horror conventions and I love it!! I would recommend Blood Fest to everybody from casual to hardcore horror fans. Perfect for group screening." - 5 Stars

Math Mage - "I feel like I like this film but I have nothing but mean things to say about it. The main character was particularly irritating, his defining characteristics being "obnoxious horror trivia geek" and "feeling sorry for himself". His arc consisted of learning to stand up to his dad and nothing else. I would complain that he took screen time away from more interesting characters but there weren't any (the supporting cast consisted of ethnic girlfriend/action girl, even lamer best friend/tech support, dumb blonde, and 3 versions of the asshole who dies.). Also annoying: several times a question presented itself (Where did you get people to do this? How zombies?) and it was immediately answered in far too much detail, despite there being more than enough info organically in the dialogue. I laughed out loud at many cool moments but cringed through most of the film due to terrible acting." - 3.5 Stars

The Overlook Theatre Final Rating*

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

I try to approach every film with an open mind. I've learned that sometimes this is simply impossible. I strongly dislike comedies. I extra strongly dislike comedies that crutch on short form pop-culture jokes (i.e. Family Guy, Deadpool). After reading the synopsis for Blood Fest provided on IMDB, I pretty much disliked the film already.

The Math Mage's quote I pulled for the poster is important because it's honest. Combine that with what Matte Black Cat said about enjoying this film in a group and you sum up both my and Math Mage's experience. Blood Fest was a lot of fun to screen. The film seems to carelessly do everything you thought it would... except it actually does none of those things. The opening of the film could have lead us anywhere (which I loved) but we end up at a video rental place (or a comic book store?) where our misfit crew of modern, not so nerdy nerds meets up. From this point on the horror trivia starts flying and since we've seemingly fallen back in line with the setting/tropes you were expecting from the beginning, a solo viewer may check out here, which would be terrible.

The charm of Blood Fest lies within the rubble of the broken fourth wall. The plot and characters are given this touch of genius wit that managed to entertain the four quadrant crowd and also read the (as Matte Black Cat called it) "Snarky Horror Fans" in attendance and answer 90% of the questions yelled out. Math Mage's mention of "several times a question presented itself (Where did you get people to do this? How zombies?) and it was immediately answered in far too much detailed, despite there being more than enough info organically in the dialogue" surprised me, since he is a huge fan of MST3K and a practitioner of their form of movie viewing. So he basically sounds upset that every time he yelled out a question (meant to be an insult in the form of pointing out what he thought were obvious oversights) they immediately and literally had a character deliver an answer. Or just ask the question themselves. I personally thought this was genius and felt it was a kinda "fuck you" to the snarky, cynical, and closed minded horror fan that I was in the beginning of this feature. I cringe at boner comedies, Psyched, and anything Judd Apatow, but call me stupid for thinking I know-it-all in subtext and you win me over instantly.

- Lord Battle

The Overlook Theatre materialized in a residence for a special screening on 8/9/2018
*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.

Bluray Tuesday Featuring: Upgrade, Brainscan & Mary Shelley

August 28th 2018

The last Bluray Tuesday of August has arrived. This month had lots of cool releases, and this week continues the trend with some solid pickups as well. My number one pick up of today goes to Upgrade. I've heard nothing but great things from Leigh Whannell's new film. Scream Factory this week releases 90's film Brainscan for the first time on Bluray. Next up is from IFC Films  that releases biography film Mary Shelley. This one I haven't heard too much about but do eventually want to check it out. Vinegar Syndrome brings us Wonder Women with a new scan and features. And in you didn't grab the Chucky boxset, Universal is releasing the rest of the Child's Play series in stand alone Blurays with original cover art for each. Rounding out this week is a new DC animated movie The Ray, comedy film Tag and Bram Stoker's Shadowbuilder. What will you guys buy, rent or skip this week? Let us know in the comments. Until next week!

Upgrade: Amazon - $19.99

Set in the near-future, technology controls nearly all aspects of life but when Grey, a self-identified technophobe has his world turned upside down his only hope for revenge is an experimental computer chip implant called Stem.

 

Brainscan: Amazon - $26.99

A teenager is part of an interactive video game where he kills innocent victims. Later, the murders become real.

 

Mary Shelley: Amazon - $22.99

The love affair between poet Percy Shelley and 18 year old Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, which resulted in Mary Shelley writing Frankenstein.

 

Wonder Women: Amazon - $25.99

An evil woman makes a good living by kidnapping famous athletes, chopping them up and selling their remaining viable parts to the elderly rich until an insurance detective catches on and saves the day.

 

Bram Stoker's Shadowbuilder: Amazon - $19.99

A demon is summoned to take the soul of a young boy, who has the potential to become a saint. If the demon succeeds, it will open a doorway to Hell, blazing a terrifying trail of destruction, possession and mayhem and destroy humanity. Now the fate of the world hinges on the final outcome of a renegade priest's battle with the soul eating SHADOWBUILDER.

 

Drop Dead Delilah: Amazon - $25.99

The matriarch of a family living in an old Southern mansion finds that a killer is loose in the house, searching for a $50,000 fortune rumored to be hidden there, and murdering anyone getting in the way.

 

The Horror of Party Beach: Amazon - $26.99

Sea creatures created from radioactive sludge terrorize a beach community.

 

American Animals: Amazon - $19.99

Four young men mistake their lives for a movie and attempt one of the most audacious heists in U.S. history.

 

Tag: Amazon - $22.99

A small group of former classmates organize an elaborate, annual game of tag that requires some to travel all over the country.

 

Freedom Fighters The Ray: Amazon - $18.99

All his life, Ray Terrill has fought injustice, dreaming of making a real difference like his older brother, a Marine who was killed in Afghanistan. One day, he stumbles upon a dying Super Hero from another Earth and is stunned to find that this Super Hero looks just like him—because it is! The dying Ray Terrill of Earth-X transfers photokinetic energy to this Earth’s Ray, making him a Super Hero – The Ray. However, Ray quickly learns being a Super Hero isn’t all hanging muggers from streetlamps and fighting giant robots. As the evil Nazi New Reichsman of Earth-X, led by Overgirl, close in, The Ray must learn to harness his powers by coming to terms with his true self, even if that means also finally coming out of the closet to his parents.

 

Lucifer (Season 3): Amazon - $41.99

Entering its third season, the story of the original fallen angel continues. As Season Two came to a close, Lucifer took care of a little problem called Mom, aka Charlotte. But now he’s facing an even greater challenge – finding out who kidnapped him, and why his angel wings are back. There is also a new commanding officer, Marcus Pierce, an accomplished police lieutenant who is everything Lucifer is not – strategic, reserved and well-respected. When Pierce develops a connection with Decker, Lucifer's devilish traits are inflamed.

 

Book Club: Amazon - $19.99

Four lifelong friends have their lives forever changed after reading 50 Shades of Grey in their monthly book club.

 

Mind Game: Amazon - $16.99

The film follows Nishi, a loser who has a crush on his childhood girlfriend. After an encounter with the Japanese mafia, the film follows Nishi as he journeys to heaven and back, and ends up trapped in an even more unlikely place. Nishi (and some friends) attempt to break out of their trap, and discover what it truly means to be alive along the way. This is a mind-bending trip that uses some of the most innovative animation ever created. 

 

Woman Walks Ahead: Amazon - $15.99

The story follows Catherine Weldon, who moved from Brooklyn to the Standing Rock Reservation in Dakota Territory to help Sioux chieftain Sitting Bull keep the land for his people. Weldon wrote letters to the federal government on behalf of Sitting Bull and lived on the land for several years with her son.

 

Once Upon A Time (Season 7): Amazon - $49.99

In the town of Storybrooke, Maine, not everything is as it seems. When Henry, the adopted son of the town's mayor, goes searching for his birth mother, he begins to unravel a web of secrets connected to his adoptive mother and her relationship to the strange amnesia afflicting the town's residents. While all of the people in Storybrooke are actually fairytale characters, only the mayor remembers the magical past. As Henry's quest progresses, however, the real stories of the town's residents come to light. Together with Emma, his birth mother, and their friends, including Jiminy Cricket, Snow White, Prince Charming and other fairytale legends, Henry fights to restore love and magic to the town. This often puts him at odds with his adoptive mother, the evil queen who cursed the town's residents.

 

Child's Play 2: Amazon - $13.99

 Child's Play 3: Amazon - $13.99

Bride of Chucky: Amazon - $13.99

 Seed of Chucky: Amazon - $13.99

Chuckie's back as the doll possessed by the soul of a serial killer, butchering all who stand in his way of possessing the body of a boy. Chucky hooks up with another murderous doll, the bridal gown-clad Tiffany, for a Route 66 murder spree with their unwitting hosts, two eloping high-school graduates. Glen is the orphan doll offspring of the irrepressible devilish-doll-come- to-life Chucky and his equally twisted bride Tiffany. When production starts on a movie detailing the urban legend of his parents' lethal exploits, Glen heads for Hollywood where he brings his bloodthirsty parents back from the dead. The family dynamics are far from perfect as Chucky and Tiffany go Hollywood and get rolling on a new spree of murderous mayhem--much to gentle Glen's horror. Chucky can't believe that his child doesn't want to walk in his murdering footsteps, and star-struck Tiffany can't believe that the movie will star her favorite actress, Jennifer Tilly, who soon becomes an unwitting hostess to this new family in more ways than one.

 

 

 

 

Bound: Amazon - $29.99

Violet is the sexy mistress of Ceasar, a money launderer for the Mob. The comfortable Family lifestyle has become drudgery--until Violet meets Corky. Corky, a convicted thief out on parole, is hired as the maintenance person in the exclusive apartment complex where Violet and Ceasar reside. After forming a strong friendship with Corky, Violet wants out of the Mob lifestyle and sees Corky's theft expertise as her ticket to a fresh start. If Corky is willing to steal the two million dollars in cash stashed in the apartment that Ceasar must deliver to Marzzone the next day, together the women can escape the Mafia. However, when Ceasar discovers the money missing, he reacts differently than they anticipated... to say the least. Bound together against the wrath of Ceasar, Violet and Corky must rely on their instincts to survive.

 

The Flash ( Season 4): Amazon - $36.99

After witnessing his mother's strange murder and his father's wrongful conviction for the crime, Barry Allen becomes a brilliant but socially awkward crime scene investigator for the Central City Police Department. An advanced particle accelerator malfunctions during its public unveiling, bathing the city center with a previously unknown form of radiation. Awakening after a nine-month coma, Allen discovers he has the ability to move at superhuman speeds and vows to use his gifts to protect Central City from the escalating violence of “metahuman” criminals.

 

-The Impostor

Screenings in the Bay (Monday to Friday): Blood Fest, Boarding School, Stereo Argento: Complex!

Hey guys! Hope everyone had a painless Monday and that we're all in the mood for movies this week, because there are definitely some noteworthy titles coming our way.

First thing's first... Terror Tuesday this week is a movie that I have seen an almost embarrassing number of times, but one that I have yet to see in a proper theatre. It's that very 90's sequel starring teen Edward Furlong, Pet Sematary II! And it'll be screening in 35mm, which is just the cherry on top of a nostalgic sundae for me. Weird Wednesday, featuring Jack and Jill is also screening in 35mm, but it just doesn't feel the same, ya' know?

We have two new titles coming out this week, but the only one I ca actually speak to is Blood Fest, which we saw a screener of earlier this month. This is worth a watch regardless of how you feel about comedy, because it works. And although I have not seen this year's Boarding School, it's something I would not be opposed to renting. Also this week, Searching gets a wide release, so get to your local theatre and check it out! I know I will.

And if you just don't feel like sitting still this Friday night but are craving something in the horror realm, check out the seventh installment of Stereo Argento  at the Stud! The theme this month will be Murder Mystery Drag. Get the details HERE!

Opening This Week

Blood Fest (2018)

Limited Theatres/VOD Friday 31st (1hr 32min)

Comedy/ Horror (IMDB)

Fans flock to a festival celebrating the most iconic horror movies, only to discover that the charismatic showman behind the event has a diabolical agenda. As festival attendees start dying off, three teenagers more schooled in horror-film clichés than practical knowledge about neutralizing psycho killers must band together and battle through various madmen and monstrosities to survive.

Boarding School (2018)

Limited Theatres/VOD Fiday 31st (1hr 41min)

Horror/ Mystery/ Suspense (Rotten Tomatoes)

When troubled 12-year-old Jacob Felsen is sent away to boarding school, he enters every kid's worst nightmare: A creepy old mansion, deserted except for six other teenage misfits and two menacing and mysterious teachers. As events become increasingly horrific, Jacob must conquer his fears to find the strength to survive.

Searching (2018)

Wide release starts Friday 31st (1hr 42min)

Drama/ Mystery/ Thriller (IMDB)

After David Kim (John Cho)'s 16-year-old daughter goes missing, a local investigation is opened and a detective is assigned to the case. But 37 hours later and without a single lead, David decides to search the one place no one has looked yet, where all secrets are kept today: his daughter's laptop. In a hyper-modern thriller told via the technology devices we use every day to communicate, David must trace his daughter's digital footprints before she disappears forever.

Alamo Drafthouse

Terror Tuesday

Pet Sematary II (1992)

Tuesday 28th @ 9:55pm (1hr 40min)

Horror/ Fantasy (IMDB)

This follow-up to the sizable horror hit concerns a Maine teenager who discovers the eerie power of a legendary local haunt. Edward Furlong stars as Jeff Matthews, who, with his veterinarian father Chase (Anthony Edwards), moves to latter's small hometown of Ludlow, Maine, in order to escape unhappy memories. Jeff's divorced mother, low-budget horror movie actress Renee (Darlanne Fluegel), was recently electrocuted and killed in a freak accident -- the entire incident was witnessed by Jeff. In his new community, Jeff hears stories of an ancient Indian burial ground nearby where dead pets that are interred come back to life. Jeff also becomes friends with pudgy Drew (Jason McGuire), whose abusive, bullying dad Gus (Clancy Brown) is Ludlow's sheriff. When Gus kills his son's dog, Drew and Jeff bury the animal, which returns from the dead. When the vengeful dog kills Gus, Drew and Jeff bury the lawman in the cemetery and he comes back significantly the worse for wear, wreaking evil havoc that temporarily puts several of Ludlow's residents six feet under.

Weird Wednesday

Jack and Jill (2011)

Wednesday 29th @ 9:55pm (1hr 31min)

Comedy (IMDB)

Jack and Jill is a comedy focusing on Jack Sadelstein (Adam Sandler), a successful advertising executive in Los Angeles with a beautiful wife and kids, who dreads one event each year: the Thanksgiving visit of his twin sister, Jill (also Adam Sandler). Jill's neediness and passive-aggressiveness is maddening to Jack, turning his normally tranquil life upside down.

Married to the Mob (1988)

Tuesday 28th @ 7pm (1hr 44min)

Comedy/ Crime/ Romance (IMDB)

An undercover FBI agent falls in love with a recently widowed mafia wife, who is trying to restart her life following her husband's murder while being pursued by a libidinous mafia kingpin seeking to claim her for himself.

Balboa Theatre

Kung Fu Double Feature

Enter the Dragon (1973)

Tuesday 28th @ 7pm (1hr 42min)

Action/ Crime/ Drama (IMDB)

One of the most popular kung fu films ever, and perhaps the peak of the famed Bruce Lee's career, Enter the Dragon achieved success by presenting a series of superbly staged fighting sequences with a minimum of distractions. The story finds Lee as a martial-arts expert determined to help capture the narcotics dealer whose gang was responsible for his sister's death. This evil villain operates from a fortified island manned by a team of crack martial artists, who also host a kung fu competition. Lee uses his skills to enter the contest and then tries to chop, kick, and otherwise fight his way into the dealer's headquarter. The story is, of course, merely an excuse for showdown after showdown, featuring masterly fighting by Lee in a wide variety of martial arts styles.

-with-

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)

Tuesday 28th @ 9pm (1hr 55min)

Action/ Adventure/ Drama (IMDB)

Lau Kar-leung directs this revenge thriller, widely considered to be the greatest kung-fu flick of all time. Liu Yu-te (Gordon Lau Kar-fai) is a gentle ethics scholar until his family and friends are brutally slaughtered by a band of Manchu troops. Vowing revenge, he ventures to the fabled Shaolin temple hoping to become a one-man martial arts killing machine. Rechristened San Te, his first year at the temple is spent largely doing menial chores. His begins training during his second year, which involves passing through 35 chambers where he learns the finer points of kung-fu through grueling and excruciating tests. After a year of training, he moves on to learn about weapons. He soon proves to be the finest student in the history of the temple, mastering the entirety of the training in mere five years. He is cast out of the temple, however, for wanting to teach his skills to the masses.

Landmark Clay Theatre

Midnight Madness

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)

Friday 31st @ 11:55pm (1hr 52min)

Action/ Comedy/ Romance (IMDB)

Based on Bryan Lee O'Malley's Oni Press comic book of the same name, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World follows the eponymous slacker rocker on his colorful quest to defeat his dream girl's seven evil ex-boyfriends. Twenty-two-year-old Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) may not have a job, but rocking the bass for his band, Sex Bob-omb, is a tough job unto itself. When Scott locks eyes with Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), he knows she's the girl he wants to grow old with. But Ramona has some serious baggage; her supercharged exes rue the thought of her being with another man, and they'll crush any guy who gives her a second glance. Now, in order to win Ramona's heart, Scott will do battle with everyone from vegan-powered rock gods to sinister skateboarders, never losing sight of his gorgeous goal as he pummels his way to victory.

Roxie Theatre

Madeline's Madeline (2018)

Monday 27th, Wednesday 29th & Thursday 30th @ 7pm & 9pm (1hr 33min)

Tuesday 28th @ 4:30pm & 9pm

Drama/ Mystery/ Thriller (IMDB)

Madeline (newcomer Helena Howard) has become an integral part of a prestigious physical theater troupe. When the workshop's ambitious director (Molly Parker) pushes the teenager to weave her rich interior world and troubled history with her mother (Miranda July) into their collective art, the lines between performance and reality begin to blur. The resulting battle between imagination and appropriation rips out of the rehearsal space and through all three women's lives.

-Huntress

Screenings in the Bay (Friday to Sunday): Searching, What Keeps You Alive, Tearful Surrender, Godzilla Night #7

This weekend includes, but is not limited to, a Godzilla festival, the launch party for the next Dreams for Dead Cats Productions feature, a tribute to Joss Whedon, and a brand new addition to the world of internet "pretty girl ghost story" films! I have been super curious about this last item on the list for months, and it's out in limited theatres as of yesterday. If you can't make it out to one of these limited screens this week, Searching will have a wider release next week as well. But that also means a wide release film audience...

Tonight Craig and Cassandra from Dreams for Dead Cats Productions are celebrating the launch of their Kickstrter campaign, which you can find HERE, at the ATA on Valencia Street! The night will be full of their short films, prizes, sangria, and 3D glasses. You know that sounds awesome!

Tomorrow, Jesse Hawthorne Ficks will be hosting the double feature tribute to Joss Whedon at the Roxie theatre and screening two of his well known classics. And this entire weekend will be Godzilla themed at the Balboa Theatre. Read on for details and have a great weekend!

Opening This Week

Searching (2018)

Opens Friday 24th (1hr 42min)

Drama/ Mystery/ Thriller (IMDB)

After David Kim (John Cho)'s 16-year-old daughter goes missing, a local investigation is opened and a detective is assigned to the case. But 37 hours later and without a single lead, David decides to search the one place no one has looked yet, where all secrets are kept today: his daughter's laptop. In a hyper-modern thriller told via the technology devices we use every day to communicate, David must trace his daughter's digital footprints before she disappears forever.

What Keeps You Alive (2018)

Limited Theatres/VOD Friday 24th (1hr 38min)

Mystery/ Suspense (Rotten Tomatoes)

How much can you really know about another person? The unsettling truth that even those closest to us can harbor hidden dimensions drives this thrillingly unpredictable, blood-stained fear trip. Jackie (Hannah Emily Anderson) and Jules (Brittany Allen) are a couple celebrating their one year anniversary at a secluded cabin in the woods belonging to Jackie's family. From the moment they arrive, something changes in Jules' normally loving wife, as Jackie (if that even is her real name) begins to reveal a previously unknown dark side-all building up to a shocking revelation that will pit Jules against the woman she loves most in a terrifying fight to survive. Defying expectations at every turn, Director Colin Minihan delivers a nerve-twisting cat and mouse thriller built around a shattering tale of heartbreak and betrayal.

Alamo Drafthouse

Summer of '84 (2018)

Friday 24th @ 8:50pm (1hr 45min)

Saturday 25th @ 8:45pm 

Sunday 26th @ 8:55pm 

Drama/ Horror/ Mystery (IMDB)

Summer, 1984: The perfect time to be 15 years old and free. But when neighborhood conspiracy theorist Davey Armstrong begins to suspect his police officer neighbor might be the serial killer all over the local news, he and his three best friends begin an investigation that soon turns dangerous.

Artist's Television Access

Tearful Surrender Launch Party

Friday 24th @ 8pm

Horror/ Sci-Fi/ Experimental

In celebration of launching the fundraising campaign for the upcoming feature film “Tearful Surrender,” the second feature film from San Francisco based production team Dreams For Dead Cats Productions, Craig Jacobson & Cassandra Sechler host a special screening of the premiere of their new short “Lovesick” accompanied by some of their most popular shorts, including “Wireboy,” “Alligator Bitch” and more. Also, enjoy a special 3D experience with a montage from their cyber horror film “ELLIOT” with complimentary Chromadepth 3D glasses!

Balboa Theatre

Godzilla Night #7

Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th

Two big days with 3 classic Toho films; Shin Godzilla (2016), Mothra (1964) and the battle of the century, King Kong vs Godzilla (1962)!

Castro Theatre

60th Anniversary

Vertigo (1958)

Friday 24th @ 7pm (2hrs 9min)

Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th @ 2:30pm, 5:15pm, & 8pm

Mystery/ Romance/ Thriller (IMDB)

A San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.

Screened in 70mm

Landmark Clay Theatre

Midnight Madness

Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Saturday 25th @ 11:55pm (1hr 41 min)

Comedy/ Scifi/ Horror/ Musical (Rotten Tomatoes)

This low-budget freak show/cult classic/cultural institution concerns the misadventures of Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon) inside a strange mansion that they come across on a rainy night. After the wholesome pair profess their love through an opening song, their car breaks down in the woods, and they seek refuge in a towering castle nearby. Greeting them at the door is a ghoulish butler named Riff Raff (Richard O'Brien), who introduces them to a bacchanalian collection of partygoers dressed in outfits from some sort of interplanetary thrift shop. The host of this gathering is a transvestite clad in lingerie, Dr. Frank N. Furter (Tim Curry), a mad scientist who claims to be from another planet.

Roxie Theatre

Midnites for Maniacs 

& 

Spoke Art Present

Serenity (2005)

Saturday 25th @ 7pm (1hr 59min)

Action/ Adventure/ Sci-Fi (IMDB)

Joss Whedon’s Sci-Fi Western is now a cult classic in many circles and hasn’t screened in 35mm since it’s release over a dozen years ago! Pertinent politics, social satire and cowboys vs. space zombies make for a rockin’ good time! This feature length conclusion to Whedon’s FiREFLY TV series, works as the perfect enticement to the original series and a stand alone in the tradition of David Lynch’s TWiN PEAKS: FiRE WALK WiTH ME (1992) and Chris Carter’s X-FiLES: FiGHT THE FUTURE (1998). Don’t miss this rare 35mm screening! 119 minutes. Rated PG-13.

-with-

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)

Saturday 25th @ 9:30pm (1hr 26min)

Fantasy/ Action (Google)

This “Valley Girl victimizing Vampires” extravaganza was made a full five years before it was adapted into the decade defining TV series and stars Kristy Swanson, as the OG Buffy. Scripted by Joss Whedon and directed with pill-popping pizazz by Fran Rubel Kazui, this unstoppably hilarious teen comedy features totally awesome performances by Luke Perry, Donald Sutherland, Rutger Hauer, Hilary Swank and perhaps the greatest theatrical role of Paul Reubens’ career. While fans of BUFFY often overlook this 1990s gem, it’s time to give the movie the celebration that it deserves. Come dressed up and get a special BUFFY surprise! DCP. 86 minutes. Rated PG-13.

-Huntress