Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, John Amos, James Earl Jones, Shari Headley, Madge Sinclair, Eriq La Salle, Louie Anderson
Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) is the prince of a wealthy African country and wants for nothing, except a wife who will love him in spite of his title. To escape an arranged marriage, Akeem flees to America accompanied by his persnickety sidekick, Semmi (Arsenio Hall), to find his queen. Disguised as a foreign student working in fast food, he romances Lisa (Shari Headley), but struggles with revealing his true identity to her and his marital intentions to his king father (James Earl Jones).
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Noémie Merlant, Nina Hoss
From writer-producer-director Todd Field comes TÁR, starring Cate Blanchett as Lydia Tár, the groundbreaking conductor of a major German Orchestra. We meet Tár at the height of her career, as she’s preparing both a book launch and much-anticipated live performance of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony. Over the ensuing weeks her life begins to unravel in a singularly modern way. The result is a searing examination of power, and its impact and durability in today’s society.
Starring: John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker, Alex Esmail, Franz Drameh, Leeon Jones, Simon Howard, Luke Treadaway, Jumayn Hunter, Nick Frost
Presented as part of The FOFIF double-feature celebrating the release of Robin Means Coleman and Mark H. Harris’ new book, The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar. Recorded introduction by the authors.
“Probably the best received of the modern wave of Black-led horror, this cult classic launched the career of John Boyega as the leader of a group of mostly Black London teenz ‘n the hood defending their turf against an alien invasion.”
In this expertly paced genre debut by Joe Cornish, a gang of resourceful South London teens experience some “28 Days Later shit” and defend their council estate after ape-like aliens descend on Guy Fawkes day. Using motor bikes, samurai swords, fireworks, and a whole lot of gumption, they bravely fight the unknowable horror with the help of an NHS nurse (future Doctor Who Jody Whittaker). Attack the Block has heart and humor, dives into the politics of policing, and amplifies the meaning of finishing what you start. It also gives horror the Black heroes it needed. The kids are alright, innit.
Want the book? Choose the book + ticket option and have it waiting at your seat! Books will also be available at the screening.
Also be sure to see the other film, Spider Baby, at Nitehawk Williamsburg on 2/27.
Starring: Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, Williams Ostrander, Robert Prosky, Harry Dean Stanton
Unpopular nerd Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon) buys a 1958 Plymouth Fury, which he names Christine. Arnie develops an unhealthy obsession with the car, to the alarm of his jock friend, Dennis Guilder (John Stockwell). After bully Buddy Repperton (William Ostrander) defaces Christine, the auto restores itself to perfect condition and begins killing off Buddy and his friends. Determined to stop the deaths, Dennis and Arnie’s girlfriend, Leigh Cabot (Alexandra Paul), decide to destroy Christine.
Starring: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, Meg Tilly, Robert Loggia, Dennis Franz
Two decades after the original murders at the Bates Motel, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) completes his treatment at a mental institution and returns home to find his hotel run down under the management of Warren Toomey (Dennis Franz). Despite a new friendship with a waitress (Meg Tilly) and a job busing tables at a diner, Norman begins to hear voices once again. No matter how hard he tries, Norman cannot keep “Mother” from returning and coaxing him to unleash the homicidal maniac within.
Starring: Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, Teri Garr, Verna Bloom, Linda Fiorentino, John Heard, Catherine O’Hara, Dick Miller, Bronson Pinchot, Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong
4K restoration
In a Manhattan cafe, word processor Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) meets and talks literature with Marcy (Rosanna Arquette). Later that night, Paul takes a cab to Marcy’s downtown apartment. His $20 bill flying out the window during the ride portends the unexpected night he has. He cannot pay for the ride and finds himself in a series of awkward, surreal and life-threatening situations with a colorful cast of characters. He spends the rest of the night trying to return uptown.
Starring: Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, Deborah Kara Unger, James Rebhorn
Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) is a successful banker who keeps mostly to himself. When his estranged brother Conrad (Sean Penn) returns on his birthday with an odd gift — participation in a personalized, real-life game — Nicholas reluctantly accepts. Initially harmless, the game grows increasingly personal, and Orton begins to fear for his life as he eludes agents from the mysterious game’s organizers. With no one left to trust and his money gone, Orton must find answers for himself.
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Thomas Jane, Jason Lee, Damian Lewis, Timothy Olyphant, Tom Sizemore
One of the most confounding cinematic experiences ever, Dreamcatcher is most baffling as it was born of the minds Stephen King and Lawrence Kasdan, two men who had before successfully captured the imagination of hoards. A book dreamt up when King was supposedly high on pain killers following a car accident, Dreamcatcher had a major budget and lofty aspirations – King himself saying it “would do for the toilet what Psycho did for the shower.” A disaster at the box office and celebrated by no critic, it nevertheless remains a marvel of human creation, complete with scatalogical flourishes, questionable accents and crude CGI. Not even the gravitas of Morgan Freeman could elevate the material, but you know what? We applaud such bold swings-and-misses.
Starring: Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Briana White, Jean Louisa Kelly, Susanna Thompson
Paralyzed by fear from shocking visions, a woman’s torment worsens as she discovers her waking dreams are terrifying realities.
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, Parker Posey, Patti LuPone, Stephen Henderson
A paranoid man embarks on an epic odyssey to get home to his mother in this bold and ingeniously depraved new film from writer/director Ari Aster.
