COMING ATTRACTIONS - AUG 3 - THE LAST PICTURE SHOW (& SHOWS) & THE ODYSSEY

MON AUG 3 - THE LAST PICTURE SHOW @ 4:30 & 7
TUE AUG 4 - THE LAST PICTURE SHOW @ 4:30 & THE LAST PICTURE SHOWS @ 7
WED AUG 5 - THE LAST PICTURE SHOWS @ 4:30 & THE ODYSSEY @ 6:30
THU AUG 6 - THE ODYSSEY @ 3:40 & 7
FRI AUG 7 - THE ODYSSEY @ 3:40 & 7
SAT AUG 8 - THE ODYSSEY @ 12:25, 3:40 & 7
SUN AUG 9 - THE ODYSSEY @ 12:25, 3:40 & 7
MON AUG 10 - THE ODYSSEY @ 3:40 & 7
TUE AUG 11 -THE ODYSSEY @ 3:40 & 7 (OCAP)
WED AUG 12 - THE ODYSSEY @ 3:40 & 7
THU AUG 13 - THE ODYSSEY @ 3:40 & 7
FRI AUG 14 - THE ODYSSEY @ 3:40 & MELTDOWN @ 7
SAT AUG 15 - THE ODYSSEY @ 12:25 & 3:40 & MELTDOWN @ 7
SUN AUG 16 - MELTDOWN @ NOON & RISING WATERS COLLECTIVE @ 4, THE ODYSSEY @ & 7
MON AUG 17 - GHOST IN THE MACHINE @ 7

COMMENTARY.

THE LAST PICTURE SHOW. Oh, the painful loss of innocence in small town America. 1950. “There ought to be a law against gossiping. Gossip does a lot more damage than drugs.” This film is, and rightly so, on the list of first quarter syllabus for every Film School this side of the Big River. A black and white, mono, coming of age spellbinder from the book by Larry McMurtry as Directed by Peter Bogdanovich in 1971. The controversy over then 20 year-old Cybill Shepherd skinny-dipping almost says it all. Almost. A bittersweet must see for all students of cinema - and no need to take out a student loan for tuition.

THE LAST PICTURE SHOWS. PLEASE note the plural. As in many. Many are the shuttered theaters of the American West who, faced with modern technology and dwindling audiences, made, what I am sure was a pain-filled and traumatic decision to close up shop and go dark. I get misty just thinking about it. Seattle Filmmaker RUSTIN THOMPSON spent the better part of three years, in ten states, visiting 123 theaters crafting this elegy for small-town cinemas. Rus will be on-hand to host our Tuesday night screening at 7. A continuation of the HLT Film School. Serious bonus credits for those partaking in this once-in-a-lifetime double bill.

THE ODYSSEY. Tell me about a complicated man. Sure, it opened at Bainbridge Cinemas over two weeks ago, with a good percentage of our regulars unable to resist the lure of Christopher Nolan’s IMAX charm, but I think this is as safe a programming gamble as we’re going to get. I am willing to take the chance that this one has the legs to go the distance. For those of you who held out waiting for it to screen here, please allow my candid expressions of total and complete love to flow forth everlastingly in your direction. And WTG Devyn Dalton. Trivia is all but impossible these days as a result of Mr Google’s residency on Jeopardy! Production costs for 250 million please, Alex.

MELTDOWN. This is COLTON VAN TIL’S (another Loyola/Marymount alum) latest effort, an trippy tale of a 50’s family ascension into madness, resulting from spiked LSD at a dinner party. I am hosting CVT on the podcast this week, so stand by for additional details shortly.

RISING WATERS COLLECTIVE presents THE PRICE OF PLACE, The latest multi-media extravaganza from Islander JULIA BENZINGER, she our favorite Mezzo Soprano, director, organizer, advocate and storyteller.

GHOST IN THE MACHINE. Former Islander VALERIE VEATCH, now living in London, is credited with four films at IMDB, GITM being her latest. The AI debate has two sides: The Tech Bro’s capitalistic dream of world domination and the Peoples hope of it somehow improving their lives. As of this moment on the time line of that drama, we (the people) are getting creamed. Hoping to have Val on board for intro and Q&A. Stand by.

NOTES: We have what we all hope to be the final meeting with counsel on Tuesday in the transition to 501(c)(3) status. This cannot happen too soon. We have reached critical mass in the already grossly over-extended life expectancy of almost all our utilities, functional, structural and practical. After 90 years of (mostly) 7 days a week performances, the bones begin to creak with the wear and tear of a thousand shows manifesting in rust, decay and mechanical failure. Add Hollywood’s latest self-invention, a desperate dystopian nightmare of monopolies and gorilla style marketing, and it’s hardly surprising that we are one of the last remaining historic one-screens still standing. Heck, take a look at the titles above, two of them spell it out: THE LAST PICTURE SHOWS. Still, we persevere, keeping the duct tape, bailing wire and Bazooka Bubble Gum at the ready. Until the day arrives where we can, again, go boldly forth to the inner sanctum of our community and…ask…for…ideas…content… and support. And you thought it was all about money, ha!

All for today my friends, hope you take advantage of this robust programming we’ve lucked into and head out for a visit. The streets of Lynwood Center, that might be called The Strip this time of year, beckon you and yours. Whether it’s NOLAN, CAMERON OR BAGDANOVICH, one thing is certain in our view, when it comes to movies, bigger is definitely better. And thank you Norah.

Ciao,

Kevin

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