The future is here.
George Lucas’ THX 1138 depicts a dystopian future light-years from the far-flung, heroic mythologies that the young director would later explore in Star Wars. Stark and austere, the striking visual wasteland of Lucas’ faceless future floundered in its original release at the box office – but later gained traction among cult audiences and critics. The chilling exploration of a soulless future remains a compelling examination of the present, as it follows one man’s harrowing attempt to escape a world where thoughts are controlled, freedom is forbidden and love is the ultimate crime.
Part of Nitehawk’s September FUTURE COPS midnite series.
Starring: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Kurtwood Smith, Ray Wise, Miguel Ferrer, Dan O’Herlihy
In the not-so-distant future, a fatally wounded cop comes back to life as part-robot in a dystopian Detroit to fight crime and find his killers. As with any Paul Verhoeven film, RoboCop has a certain “quality” to it. At once campy yet serious, this film is a mix of science-fiction, crime thriller, action, and black comedy. In this very Nietschean tale of being “more human than human”, Robocop (Peter Weller) struggles with his new role as an indestructible being who still can’t escape the emotional past. I mean, what good is being part robot if your human side (with all the love and revenge involved) keeps getting in the way? The socio-political reach of RoboCop is wide too as it comments on everything from the media, capitalism, gentrification, and gender issues. Plus, it’s a blaaaaaast!
Stop by the New Amsterdam Theatre circa November 20, 1974, for this month’s DEUCE presentation of Ivan Passer’s LAW AND DISORDER – starring Carroll O’Connor and Ernest Borgnine!
Plus: Prizes and surprises, Fernet-Branca cocktails featured at the after-party, and music by Maestro Jeff! Presented by THE DEUCE JOCKEYS: Jeff, Andy, and Joe!
The spotlight isn’t for everyone in Mike Birbiglia’s DON’T THINK TWICE.
New York improv Commune members Miles, Samantha, Jack, Allison, Bill and Lindsay invent comedy without a script and without a net. They’re ingenious, they’re fast, and they build on each others’ ideas like best friends – which they also are. Night after night they kill onstage and wait for their big break. Day after day they work menial jobs to support themselves. Then they get news that their theater is shutting down, and scouts from a hit TV show come to a performance looking for talent. Only two cast members get the nod, upsetting the dynamic of the group and leaving its future in doubt. Relationships begin to crack as six best friends face the truth that not all of them will make it, and for some, it may be time to give up on the dream and move on. Funny, insightful and honest, Don’t Think Twice looks at a common experience that’s an uncommon subject for a film: failure.
Starring: Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, Nora Jane Noone, MyAnna Buring
Once year after a tragic accident, six girlfriends meet in a remote part of the Appalachians as part of their annual extreme outdoor adventure, in this case an exploration of a cave hidden deep within the woods. Far below the surface of the earth, disaster strikes, and there is no way out. The group splinters and each woman pushes on, praying for another exit. But there is something else lurking under the earth. As the friends realize they are now prey, they are forced to unleash their most primal instincts in an all-out war against unspeakable horror.
Starring: Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, Jenette Goldstein, Tim Thomerson
The vampires in Near Dark certainly aren’t your fancy aristocratic elite living in a distant castle. Oh no. Instead they’re a gun-toting gang that roams the American Southwest. This “family” isn’t so into the new guy Caleb who’s been “turned” by the alluring Mae rather than killing him. The fact that Caleb can’t really make a kill or pull his own weight definitely makes matters worse for the group. Still, it’s not easy being undead and so ensues a violent unfolding of action that has made an initially overlooked film into an eternal vampire classic.
A road trip turns into a horrifying fight for survival in Wes Craven’s THE HILLS HAVE EYES.
Nestled between Wes Craven’s rape-revenge Last House on the Left (1972) and his genre-defining A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) is his violently gritty The Hills Have Eyes…and it’s a doozy. Here Craven takes the idealized American road trip and turns it into a nightmare as the Carter family encounters an attack by a mutated cannibal family who survive by preying on travelers. This film shows that danger can lurk in every corner, even in amongst the great American landscape. Women, children, dogs, cannibals…no one is here is ever safe.
Justice isn’t a crime in HELL OR HIGH WATER.
Toby is a divorced father who’s trying to make a better life for his son. His brother Tanner is an ex-convict with a short temper and a loose trigger finger. Together, they plan a series of heists against the bank that’s about to foreclose on their family ranch. Standing in their way is Marcus, a Texas Ranger who’s only weeks away from retirement. As the siblings plot their final robbery, they must also prepare for a showdown with a crafty lawman who’s not ready to ride off into the sunset.
Equipped with platinum blonde hair and a winning smile, NYC college girl Leah (Homeland’s Morgan Saylor) seeks out pleasure in any form. Between getting high with her roommate and snorting lines with her boss, Leah falls for Blue (Brian Marc), a young man dealing drugs on her corner.
Within days, the two are selling dime bags to her boss (The Hangover’s Justin Bartha) and his downtown friends, collecting fast cash, and living the high life.. But summer love crashes to a halt when Blue is arrested and Leah is left with a ton of his coke. Enlisting the aid of an overpriced lawyer (Chris Noth) Leah finds herself deep in debt and over her head as she pushes all limits get Blue back.
Executive produced by Christine Vachon (Boys Don’t Cry, Kids) and deliriously filmed in and around New York City, White Girl thrashes through an increasingly high-stakes game of hedonism. Unspoken socioeconomic tensions – coupled with a blatant disregard for consequence – ignite in a fearless exploration of race, gender and youth, inspired by the director’s own experiences.
