Starring: Samantha Morton, Michael Shannon, Natasha Calis, Charlie Tahan, Peter Fonda

In his first film in nearly 15 years, John McNaughton harks back to the depravity that made his 1986 debut a horror milestone. But less based in reality, The Harvest is closer to a fairy tale from Grimm’s darkest corners. Maryann (an impressive Natasha Calis) moves in with her grandparents after she’s orphaned. Desperately lonely, the preteen sets out to befriend a neighboring deathly ill, bed-ridden boy (Charlie Tahan), despite the outright disapproval of his mother (Samantha Morton). Maryann’s persistence pays off, however, and during a series of secret visits she gradually uncovers some seriously sinister goings-on in the house… Morton as the boy’s overprotective surgeon mom is the stuff of great screen villainy—at once utterly monstrous and tragically desperate.

Starring: Rae Dawn Chong, Don Gordon, Tom Towles, Antonio Fargas

Just as Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer was slowly finding distribution, John McNaughton was eager for his next project when the script for The Borrower stood out among otherwise uninspiring stories. A playful mix of genres, The Borrower has a remarkable cast of character actors who embody an alien transitioning between human forms, with frequent McNaughton player Tom Towles stealing the show. This is a movie that deserves higher cult status, replete with exploding heads and a demented sense of humor.

Starring: Robert De Niro, Uma Thurman, Bill Murray, David Caruso

Martin Scorsese sought John McNaughton to direct this Richard Price scripted film that stars Robert DeNiro playing against type as Wayne, a crime scene photographer who reluctantly accepts Glory (Uma Thurman), gifted to him as a show of gratitude after he saves the life of Frank (Bill Murray), a mob boss that nobody wants to let down. After Wayne and Glory fall in love, he has to contend with the rough side of Frank, who doesn’t want to let her go.

Another tough to categorize movie from McNaughton, Mad Dog and Glory strikes a balance between subtle humor and heartfelt character study, with richly textured performances from its leads.

Starring: Ashley Judd, Luke Perry, Bruce A. Young, Jim True-Frost

In the midst of a familiar suburban landscape full of big box stores and abandoned strip malls, Chris (Luke Perry) struggles as a cop, not willing to play along with dishonest colleagues. When he first encounters Pam (Ashley Judd), he is drawn to her chaotic energy, and the two quickly fall in love. But Pam bristles at any expectation that she be a dutiful wife, drawn as she is to the mysteries of far away galaxies and black holes, seeking the extraordinary. Only when she discovers Chris has started to rob banks to elevate their lifestyle does she emerge from the malaise, invigorated by the danger.

Based on a real life couple from the Chicago area, Normal Life puts the talents of its two stars on display. Director John McNaughton empathetically portrays how people struggling to stay afloat could opt for a life of crime.

An outlier in John McNaughton’s filmography, Condo Painting is his sole documentary, focusing on the work of painter George Condo. Focusing on the creation of one particular work, the film provides Condo with a platform to express his obsessions, and includes interviews with his friends William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsburg.

This screening is a true rarity, with an archival 35mm print.

To celebrate the release of Vinnie Stigma’s new book The Most Interesting Man in the World, we’re screening the Agnostic Front doc The Godfathers of Hardcore, followed by a Q&A with Vinnie Stigma and a special acoustic performance.

Roger Miret and Vinnie Stigma are lynchpins of New York Hardcore (NYHC), and their band Agnostic Front played a key role in defining, shaping and establishing the sound and cultural code of conduct for the still-thriving movement. Unlike the dozens of bands that have come and gone, leaving their indelible footprint along the way, Agnostic Front are still going strong, 11 studio albums into their 30-plus year career.

In a landscape of increasing apathy and complacency, the messages Agnostic Front presents are as relevant today as they were in the ‘80s when the band members were impoverished, scrappy and ambitious, often fighting for their very survival as well as the perseverance of their volatile but highly inspirational band.

Roger and Vinnie remain the very embodiment of hardcore, representing endurance, perseverance, brotherhood, strength against oppression and the will to keep going, obstacles be damned. Agnostic Front exist on a level all their own. . . a level of their own creation.

Starring: Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern, Carrie Fisher, Corey Feldman, Rick Ducommun, Wendy Schaal, Henry Gibson, Theodore Gottlieb, Dick Miller

Settling in for some time off in his suburban home, Ray Peterson’s (Tom Hanks) vacation becomes a horror when the Klopeks, a suspiciously odd family, move in down the block. Enlisting the aid of his paranoid buddy, Art (Rick Ducommun), and his militia-man neighbor, Rumsfield (Bruce Dern), Ray sends his son and wife (Carrie Fisher) away on a trip while he investigates the Klopeks. When a neighbor disappears, Ray and his cohorts risk their lives to save their cul-de-sac from the clutches of evil.

Warning: Images are not from the movies we’re showing. Trust us, you can’t imagine what we’re showing!

This Seventies flick is a chill hang on the beach with some pals having BBQ, snorkeling, chilling by the fire…and then a motorcycle gang shows up! At first they’re just obnoxious gorks but things escalate quickly and before you know it we’re in a remake of Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs only with more motorcycles. Raw, ruthless, and made by one of the angriest directors in Hong Kong (who reportedly forced injured stuntmen to finish their shots before sending them to the hospital) this is a 60mph wheelie smack in the middle of your face. Dubbed in English to travel the American drive-in circuit, this print has taken a beating but that just imbues it with those authentic grindhouse vibes.

Starring: Ben Loftus, Noah Brockman, Isabel Zaia

A trio of soon-to-be college graduates are snapped out of their ennui when a professor’s mayoral run (with promises to purge the town of “low art”) imperils their beloved karaoke bar. Shot entirely on 16mm film, this freewheeling low-fi comedy is packed with absurdity, sophistication, and razor-sharp wit.

Preceded by two short films:
Ain’t No Cure for Love: America (7 min) d. Matthew Danger Lippman
Chicago, IL. Happy hour. Andrew’s friendship with his colleague Rich nearly unravels when he clues him in to his secret obsession.

Land of Lincoln (17 min) d. Jack Dunphy
A newly sober actress endures a Thanksgiving from Hell with her aunt’s self destructive partner, and his son, a wannabe playwright.

Starring: Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East

Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.