Nitehawk’s MUSIC DRIVEN presents special midnite screenings of I AM THOR. Pre-show Q&A with Jon Mikl Thor moderated by Richard Christy on Saturday, November 21!
Jon Mikl Thor was a bodybuilding, steel bending, brick smashing rock star in the 70’s & 80’s whose theatrical band THOR hit the scene alongside Metallica and Kiss, but never achieved the gold record status of its contemporaries.
After a brief but memorable film career saw him starring in the cult classics Rock ‘n’ Roll Nightmare and Zombie Nightmare, Thor all but disappeared from the entertainment map. But ten years into retirement, and incapable of living like a normal mortal human being, Thor attempts a comeback to achieve the level of success that had eluded him his entire career – a comeback that nearly kills him.
Tracing the rise, fall, and rebirth of a determined performer over the course of a career that has seen more than its fair share of highs and lows, I AM THOR paints a fascinating and sometimes unbelievable portrait of this larger-than-life icon.
Part of Nitehawk’s MUSIC DRIVEN signature series.
A documentary on THE DAMNED, the first English punk artist to release a single and album.
From Lemmy filmmaker Wes Orshoski comes the story of the long-ignored pioneers of punk: The Damned, the first U.K. punks on wax and the first to cross the Atlantic. This authorized film includes appearances from Chrissie Hynde, Mick Jones (The Clash), Lemmy and members of Pink Floyd, Black Flag, GNR, the Sex Pistols, Blondie, Buzzcocks, and more. Shot around the globe over three years, the film charts the band’s complex history and infighting, as it celebrated its 35th anniversary and found its estranged former members striking out on their own anniversary tour, while still others battle cancer.
Nitehawk Cinema’s LOCAL COLOR and Tribeca Film Festival’s series on New York filmmakers continues with a special screening of AVA’S POSSESSIONS. Q&A after the screening with director Jordan Galland and cast member Wass Stevens!
Ava is recovering from demonic possession. With no memory of the past month, she is forced to attend a Spirit Possessions Anonymous support group. As Ava struggles to reconnect with her friends, get her job back, and figure out where the huge blood stain in her apartment came from, she is plagued by nightmarish visions–the demon is trying to come back.
Part of Nitehawk’s LOCAL COLOR monthly series with the Tribeca Film Festival that features independent New York filmmakers.
After two sell out screenings, it’s back! Heavy Metal Splatterfest DEATHGASM shreds again at midnite.
After his mother is institutionalized, misfit Brodie is sent to live with his Uncle Albert and Aunt Mary, whose son David torments him. A heavy metal fan, Brodie forms a band called DEATHGASM with his friends Zakk, Dion, and Giles. When bandmates break into a local house, they discover that one of their idols, reclusive musician Rikki Daggers, lives there. Daggers gives the band magical sheet music, which a cult later murders him to find. Skeptical of the sheet music’s power, the band plays it, only to summon a demon. With the help of his crush, Medina, and his bandmates, Brodie must find a way to defeat the demon.
Exploitation pioneer Doris Wishman makes the move from nudies to slasher with A NIGHT TO DISMEMBER.
A mondo splatterfest from cult director Doris Wishman, A Night to Dismember chronicles a single bloody night in the life of the only remaining member of a cursed family. Production began for the film after Wishman witnessed the runaway success of Halloween and its imitators – smelling money in the air, the seasoned director hopped on the slasher bandwagon, casting porn actress Samantha Fox in the lead. Troubled from the get go, bankruptcy caused the project’s film lab to shut down and over half of the film ended up in the dumpster. Ever vigilant, Wishman finished her frankenfilm with reshoots and overdubs, amounting in a bizarro slasher mess for the ages.
Part of Nitehawk’s September SHE MADE IT brunch, midnite, and special event series.
Nitehawk and Nerd York City celebrate the 30th anniversary of cult horror anime VAMPIRE HUNTER D with a freshly remastered HD presentation from Sentai Filmworks and giveaways courtesy of Dark Horse Comics.
Humans have a rough run in the 10,000 year gap between our time and the blighted future of Vampire Hunter D. It’s the year 12,090 A.D., and humans live as serfs under the fierce rule of ancient aristocratic vampires and their personal cadre of ghouls, bandits and beasties. When one such lord falls for a young farm girl, she hires a wandering stranger as a bodyguard. Fortunately for her, this wandering loner is D, a legendary vampire hunter and the only person capable of standing up to the powerful vampire lord.
Directed by Toyoo Ashida of Fist of the North Star fame and based on a popular series of horror novels by Hideyuki Kikuchi, Vampire Hunter D is one of anime’s first blood-and-guts fantasies, blending elements of American westerns with classic European horror and cyber punk. The film garnered an international cult following thanks to the import-friendly home video market.
Part of Nitehawk’s September ANIME AFTER DARK midnite series.
Starring: Kôichi Yamadera, Emi Shinohara, Takeshi Aono, Daisuke Gôri
A dark fantasy set in feudal Japan, Ninja Scroll spins a wild yarn about a wandering samurai, Jubei Kibagami, who’s hired to thwart a lesser lord’s plot to smuggle a boatload of gold from under the Shogun’s nose. Protecting the shipment are The Eight Devils of Kimon, a nasty gang of super-powered toughs with the likes of a blood-drinking golem, a blind swordsman, and an insect-controlling dwarf in their ranks, all led by a psychotic immortal from Jubei’s past.
An imaginative and lurid sex-and-violence action flick, Ninja Scroll has had more success in the U.S. market than it ever had in Japan. The movie helped usher in a wave of interest in Japanese animation in the 1990s when it became a video store staple alongside titles like Akira and Ghost in the Shell.
Nitehawk Cinema’s LOCAL COLOR and Tribeca Film Festival series highlighting New York filmmakers launches with a special presentation of YOUNG BODIES HEAL QUICKLY. Q&A after the screening with director Andrew T. Betzer!
At the age twenty, Older (Gabriel Croft, Fake It So Real) escapes incarceration and seeks out his ten year old little brother, Younger. Clearly the bad influence, Older gets the boys mixed up in the “accidental” killing of a young girl and they are forced to go into hiding as they wait for their mother to rescue them. Thanks to their mother, the brothers now have a car and enough money to begin their bizarre road trip. Along the way, they encounter a host of people ranging from their unwelcoming sister (Kate Lyn Sheil, Sun Don’t Shine and House of Cards) to a troubled maid and her violent lover. Eventually, they wind up on the doorstep of their father’s compound, wherein the three of them are quickly reminded why they are estranged in the first place. Just as the walls are about to close in, their father packs up his brood and takes them on a road trip of his own. They join several militaria enthusiasts in a remote forest where they re-enact actual Vietnam War battles. Once in the “jungle,” the three of them revert to hostile tendencies building up to a final confrontation between father and sons, leaving the audience to decide what is real and what is make believe.
Part of Nitehawk’s LOCAL COLOR monthly series with the Tribeca Film Festival that features independent New York filmmakers.
Nitehawk Cinema & Tribeca Film Institute Summer Documentary Series begins with a presentation of LIVE FROM NEW YORK, the film that opened the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival.
Q&A following the screening with Director Bao Nguyen and Producers JL Pomeroy and Tom Broecker, moderated by Alex Hannibal (Manager of Documentary Programming, Tribeca Film Institute). Introduction by Caryn Coleman, Senior Film Programmer, Nitehawk Cinema.
A New York institution and comedy powerhouse, “Saturday Night Live” has been reflecting and influencing life in the United States for 40 years. “Live From New York!” Saturday Night Live has been reflecting and influencing the American Story for 40 years. Live From New York! explores the show’s early years, an experiment from a young Lorne Michaels and his cast of unknowns, and follows its evolution into a comedy institution. The film looks at SNL as a living time capsule, encompassing decades of American politics, media, tragedy, and popular culture with an irreverent edge. goes deep inside this cultural phenomenon exploring the laughter that pulses through American politics, tragedy and popular culture. Archival footage is interwoven with stolen moments and exclusive commentary from SNL legends, journalists, hosts, musical guests, crew and others influenced by the comedy giant.
Live From New York! captures what has enabled SNL to continually refresh itself over nearly 800 episodes and keep America laughing for 40 years.
Part of the 2015 Nitehawk Cinema and Tribeca Film Institute Summer Documentary Series. Visit the film page for LIVE FROM NEW YORK.
Nitehawk Cinema & Tribeca Film Institute Summer Documentary Series presents VERY SEMI-SERIOUS, an offbeat meditation on humor, art and the genius of the single panel.
Q&A following the screening with Executive Producer Deborah Shaffer and graphic novelist Liana Finck, moderated by Jose Rodriguez (Director of Documentary Programming, Tribeca Film Institute). Introduction by Caryn Coleman, Senior Film Programmer, Nitehawk Cinema.
The New Yorker is the undisputed standard bearer of the single panel cartoon. Whether they leave us amused, inspired, or even a little baffled, the iconic cartoons have become an instantly recognizable cultural touchstone over the past 90 years.
With Very Semi-Serious, viewers get an unprecedented glimpse into the process behind the cartoons. Legends Roz Chast and Mort Gerberg submit their work alongside hopefuls like graphic novelist Liana Finck. While on the other side of the desk, Cartoon Editor Bob Mankoff sifts through hundreds of submissions every week to bring readers a carefully curated selection of insightful and humorous work, striving to nurture new talent and represent the magazine’s old guard, while also considering how his industry must evolve to stay relevant. Leah Wolchok’s light-hearted and sometimes poignant debut film offers a window into The New Yorker’s signature brand of subtle, contemplative humor, and perhaps also onto what it means to laugh at ourselves. – Cara Cusumano
Part of the 2015 Nitehawk Cinema and Tribeca Film Institute Summer Documentary Series. Visit the film page for VERY SEMI-SERIOUS.
