The friendship between a runt pig and a wise spider forever change Zuckerman Farm in CHARLOTTE’S WEB.
E. B. White wrote Charlotte’s Web in 1952.
What’s a children’s story without a little bit of tears? In the classic animated version of E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web, we have a little runt named Wilbur who escapes the dinner table at an early age thanks to the kindness of the farmer’s young daughter. Saved for now, he is shipped off to her uncle’s neighboring farm where he becomes friends with one creature, the wise spider Charlotte, who helps Wilbur hatch a plan to become the prize-winning pig of the county fair to ensure his fate won’t lead him to the dinner table. Charlotte’s Web is full of lessons of friendship, loyalty, and truth showing that friendship comes in all shapes and sizes.
Part of Nitehawk’s February LITTLE BOOKWORMS brunch series.
The legendary Pink Floyd plays in a vacant 2,000 year old amphitheater in the “anti-Woodstock” film from the 70s PINK FLOYD: LIVE AT POMPEII. A 35mm presentation!
The word “live” in the movie title is a bit of a red herring when it comes to Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii, since the only audience in the oldest surviving Roman amphitheater in the world is the film’s crew. But it’s also what makes it all so entrancing. Seeing Floyd bookend a set of late-Sixties space-rock triumphs like “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” and enfant terrible gong-banging freak-outs with Meddle‘s “Echoes” – while watching it all seem to evanesce into the air, amidst the weeds, ancient sculptures and molten lava of Pompeii (with an assist from a barking dog) – seems like the perfect setting for the group. With the addition of some trippy camera effects and studio footage of the group making Dark Side of the Moon, Pompeii became the ultimate document of psych-rock’s transition into prog. – Rolling Stone
Part of Nitehawk’s April TUNE IN, TURN ON midnite series.
Starring: Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, Russ Tamblyn
Robert Wise’s stunningly brilliant filmic adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s book, The Haunting of Hill House, reveals an evil house that has a life all of its own. Immediately after being built by Hugh Crain for his wife, Hill House began its violent history of psychological manipulations and murders. Many years later, when paranormal researcher Dr. Markway invites a group of people to investigate the mysterious home, bizarre occurrences happen almost instantly. One character in particular, Eleanor “Nell” Lance, has a strangely natural connection to Hill House and becomes utterly consumed by its past. Noted as being one of the most frightening films in cinema, Wise’s usage of camera angles, soundscapes and special effects made you believe that the architecture is breathing, tracking, and alive.
Our special screening of Bob Rafelson’s HEAD (starring The Monkees) includes an introduction by Eric Lefcowitz, author of MONKEE BUSINESS, prizes for the first ten audience members and a book signing!
Head is a trippy stream of consciousness film about the nature of free will co-written by Bob Rafelson and Jack Nicholson that stars…the Monkees! The ultimate psychedelic-musical-comedy-adventure in which The Monkees attempt to shed their innocent persona, the film begins with the band suddenly interrupting the dedication of a bridge and, from there, works backwards to show what led up to that moment. There’s go-go dancing, an inescapable black box, and a series of unrelated genre-film inspired vignettes. It’s a cinematic act that challenges reality and confronts the idea of scripted control versus total autonomy. It’s a movie for a “turned on audience.”
A mysterious gift transforms a bored boy’s life into one big mathemagical adventure in THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH! Presented in 35mm!
Norton Juster wrote The Phantom Tollbooth in 1961.
Milo is bored…really bored…until one day after school a tollbooth suddenly appears in his house. So he hops in the pint-sized car, sets course from the map, and heads out of San Francisco into a magical parallel universe of the Kingdom of Wisdom. The Phantom Tollbooth is a mixture of live action with animation (actually the last of the MGM films to combine the two) and is pretty trippy. Milo is accompanied by his watchdog “Tock” who has a last pocket-watch in his body as they travel to places like Mountains of Ignorance, the Doldrums, Dictionopolis, Digitopolis, and the Castle in the Air. The goal? To rescue Princess Rhyme and Reason! The eccentricity in this film is certain to enchant and educate the young ones while blowing the parents’ minds. Plus Chuck Jones (from Looney Tunes fame) co-wrote, co-directed and animated the film!
Part of Nitehawk’s February LITTLE BOOKWORMS brunch series.
Please sir, I want some more…an orphan runs away to hook up with young pickpockets in late 1880s London.
This Best Picture Academy Award winning film is a huge musical production based off the book Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. In Act 1, we see young Oliver loses a bet to ask the cruel headmaster of the orphanage for some more gruel on behalf of the starving kids. Displeased with this gesture, Oliver is sent into labor at a funeral home where really awful acts cause him to escape. Heading into London in Act II, his life becomes more complicated as he falls into a seedy underworld helmed by a murderer and a pickpocket. It all may sound dark but, rest assured, Oliver gets the good life in the end! Although not as heavy as Dickens’ novel, the film retains some of the subtextual meaning for the adults while being more upbeat and entertaining for the kids.
Part of Nitehawk’s CHEEKY MONKEYS May brunch children’s series.
An apprentice witch, three kids and a cynical conman search for the missing component to a magic spell useful to the defense of Britain. Screening in 35mm!
Set in England during World War II, this Disney musical combines live action with lively animated sequences…and Angela Lansbury! The adventure in Bedknobs and Broomsticks starts during the Blitz when the three Rawlings children are sent to the safe Dorset village of Pepperinge Eye. There they are placed in the care of an apprentice witch, Eglantine Price, whose early attempts at magic create hilarious results (like turning young Charlie into a white rabbit). When she successfully casts a traveling spell on an ordinary bedknob something extraordinary happens…they fly to the animated Isle of Naboombu to find a powerful spell that will save England. Kids will be bewitched by the stunning visuals and creative storyline while adults will appreciate subtle nods like the two “ladies of the night” in the Portobello Road scene!
Part of Nitehawk’s CHEEKY MONKEYS May brunch children’s series.
Starring: Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Richard Pryor, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Mabel King
Adapted from a 1975 musical of the same name, The Wiz is an urban retelling of Dorothy’s journey to the wonderful world of Oz. In this re-imagining, Dorothy Gale (Diana Ross) is a young schoolteacher in Harlem who find herself in Oz after becoming swept away in a magical snowstorm. Cue all the familiar characters but on a different bent: graffiti taggers, the Scarecrow played by Michael Jackson, the flying monkeys motorcycle gang. There’s also a lot of New York references here (New York Public Library, The World Trade Center, Harlem) and the songs, well, you’ll be clicking your heels…
Close encounters of a muppet kind!
Muppets From Space is first film following the death of creator Jim Henson to have a Muppets-focused plot and what a fantastic out-of-this-world adventure it is! Our beloved Gonzo tries to find his place in this world only to believe that he’s from another planet. And while his Muppet friends may start to think he’s crazy, after he’s abducted they set out to bring him home. Expect all the humor, songs, movie references and Miss Piggy quips you love in a Muppets movie (and Ray Liotta) only this time in space!
Part of Nitehawk’s March brunch MUPPETS/POST MUPPETS program.
Come to our FREE screenings of the Jim Henson TV movie that’s a musical treat for the whole family! Event includes a live performance by Lloyd H. Miller of the Deedle Deedle Dees!
It’s free but please RSVP…
Saturday, December 21, 2013 | RSVP on Event Brite
JUST ADDED TO THE SCHEDULE!
Sunday, December 22, 2013 | RSVP on Event Brite
Emmet Otter and his Ma are dirt-poor, but very happy and good singers. But as Christmas is around the corner, both of them want to get something special for each other. And the talent show prize is $50! So, Ma gets a song ready, and Emmet forms a jug-band with his friends. But the Riverbottom Gang, a bunch of rich kids with killer electric band equipment are going to be tough competition.
Part of Nitehawk’s Naughty and Nice December program.
