|
Have this article read to you, listen to it like a podcast
|
Spend your 2023 with 21st Century Cult, a series highlighting modern cult favorites! While the 20th century gave us countless enduring cult classics (Rocky Horror, anyone?), the 2000s and 2010s have offered their fair share of offbeat movies that may or may not have been successful when they first came out but have since become repeat viewing for devoted fans. So what are you waiting for: come join the cult and catch some this year!
Josie and the Pussycats – Jan 6 & 7
Directed by Harry Elfont & Deborah Kaplan | 2001
Based on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series, Josie and the Pussycats follows Josie, Melody, and Val, three friends who dream of making it big as The Pussycats but struggle to book even local shows. When they are approached by charismatic promoter Wyatt (an endearingly snarky Alan Cumming) to sign up with the very prestigious MegaRecords, the girls pounce at the opportunity. Success, however, comes with strings attached, and The Pussycats eventually realize that MegaRecords is selling a lot more than music through their records…
Ichi the Killer – Jan 20 & 21
Directed by Takashi Miike | 2001
Based on Hideo Yamamoto’s cult manga of the same name, Ichi the Killer follows Ichi, a demented costumed assassin who becomes violent when sexually aroused. When a local yakuza boss is found dead, the victim’s associates finger Ichi as the murderer. Determined to avenge his boss’s death, enforcer Kakihara searches high and low for Ichi, who finds himself manipulated into more killings by rival yakuza factions.
The Raid: Redemption + The Raid 2 – Jan 27 & 28
Directed by Gareth Evans | 2011 & 2014
In The Raid: Redemption, a 20-man S.W.A.T. team, led by Sergeant Jaka, raids an apartment block in pursuit of a ruthless mobster and encounters a veritable army of killers. Having bid his father and pregnant wife goodbye, rookie officer Rama plunges into the fray in search of his estranged brother as his team members are picked off one by one. The Raid 2 finds Rama undercover, tasked with a mission to help topple crime syndicates and a crooked police chief by ingratiating himself with vicious mobster heir Uco.
Donnie Darko – Feb 3 – 5
Directed by Richard Kelly | 2001
Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Donnie, a somewhat unhappy young man who finds himself at ideological odds with his family, and even most of the town he calls home. When Donnie finds himself lost in recurring visions of a mysterious, manipulative giant bunny, he finds himself committing increasingly violent acts as commanded by his furry new friend – all while handling the pressures of high school, teenage love, and some strange metaphysical goings-on…
Suspiria (2018) – Feb 17 – 19
Directed by Luca Guadagnino | 2018
West Berlin, 1977. As Germany is riven by strife and radical left-wing terrorism, a young student from a world-renowned dance academy goes missing. As a grieving psychotherapist investigates the matter, an ambitious young dancer (Dakota Johnson) arrives in the city, seeking a spot in the company. The two dig deeper into the mystery and uncover a sinister secret lurking at the heart of the academy.
Brick – Mar 3 – 5
Directed by Rian Johnson | 2005
Brendan Frye (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a teenage loner, but when his ex-girlfriend Emily (Emilie de Ravin) turns up murdered, Brendan uses the few clues he has to investigate, leading him deeper into the seedy underbelly of his high school than he ever intended.
Climax – Mar 10 & 11
Directed by Gaspar Noe | 2018
In 1996, a professional French dance troupe isolates to rehearse within an abandoned school in the midst of a harsh winter night. Afterwards, their sole plan is to simply party and drink until the sun rises. That is, until their sangria is unknowingly spiked with LSD, causing a nightmarish chain reaction of danger, violence and irrevocable states of psychosis amongst the dancers inside.
Drive – Mar 24 & 26
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn | 2011
The Driver (Ryan Gosling) is a Hollywood stunt driver by day, who moonlights as a top-notch getaway driver-for-hire in the criminal underworld by night. A loner by nature, he finds himself a target for some of LA’s most dangerous men after agreeing to aid the husband (Oscar Isaac) of his beautiful neighbour, Irene (Carey Mulligan). When the job goes dangerously awry, he takes it upon himself to keep Irene and her son alive.
The Lighthouse – Apr 21 – 23
Directed by Robert Eggers | 2019
While living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s, two lighthouse keepers (Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe) try to maintain their sanity as tensions rise during an endless storm.
Southland Tales – Apr 28 – 30
Directed by Richard Kelly | 2006
With the United States under the threat of nuclear attack, the lives of several people converge in a dystopian Los Angeles. Movie star Boxer Santaros (Dwayne Johnson) plans his next film with the help of ambitious porn actress Krysta Now (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and troubled policeman Roland Taverner (Seann William Scott). Meanwhile, Marxist revolutionaries, greedy corporations and secretive government agencies pursue their separate agendas among a paranoid populace.
Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi – May 4 – 7
Directed by Rian Johnson | 2019
Luke Skywalker’s peaceful and solitary existence gets upended when he encounters Rey, a young woman who shows strong signs of the Force. Her desire to learn the ways of the Jedi forces Luke to make a decision that changes their lives forever. Meanwhile, Kylo Ren and General Hux lead the First Order in an all-out assault against Leia and the Resistance for supremacy of the galaxy.
Good Time – May 12 – 14
Directed by Josh and Benny Safdie | 2017
After a botched bank robbery lands his younger brother Nick (Benny Safdie) in prison, Connie Nikas (Robert Pattinson) embarks on a twisted odyssey through New York City’s underworld to get his brother out of jail.
Charlie’s Angels – May 19 – 21
Directed by McG | 2003
The Angels (Lucy Liu, Drew Barrymore, and Cameron Diaz) are ready to go undercover to retrieve two missing silver wedding bands containing valuable encrypted information — the new identities of every person in the Federal Witness Protection Program. When witnesses start to turn up dead, only the Angels can stop the perpetrator by using their expertise as masters of disguise, espionage, and martial arts.
Scream 3 + A Secret Movie – June 8 & 10
Directed by Wes Craven | 2000
While Sidney lives in safely guarded seclusion, bodies begin dropping around the Hollywood set of STAB 3, the latest movie based on the gruesome Woodsboro killings. New and familiar faces converge within the latest blood-soaked path of Ghostface.
May – June 19, 20 & 22
Directed by Lucky McKee | 2002
May Dove Canady (Angela Bettis) is a socially awkward veterinary assistant with a lazy eye and obsession with perfection. Attempting to break from her trauma and isolation, she descends into depravity after developing a crush on a boy with perfect hands.
Knife + Heart – June 23 – 25
Directed by Yann Gonzalez | 2018
Paris, 1979: Gay porn producer Anne sets out to film her most ambitious film as payback for being abandoned by her partner/editor Lois. But once her actors become picked off, one by one, by a mysterious killer, Anne struggles to find answers whilst attempting to survive a gradually killer production.
Jennifer’s Body – June 29 – July 1
Directed by Karyn Kusama | 2009
Jennifer (Megan Fox), a gorgeous, seductive cheerleader, takes evil to a whole new level after she’s possessed by a sinister demon. Left with the desire to feast on the bodies of boys, it’s up to her best friend (Amanda Seyfried) to stop Jennifer’s reign of terror before it’s too late.
Wet Hot American Summer – August 4 & 5
Directed by David Wain & Michael Showalter | 2001
On August 18th, 1981, it’s the last day of Camp Firewood before everyone goes back to the real world, but there’s still a summer’s worth of unfinished business to resolve. At the center of the action is camp director Beth (Janeane Garofalo), who struggles to keep order while she falls in love with the local astrophysics professor (David Hyde Pierce). He is busy trying to save the camp from a deadly piece of NASA’s Skylab which is hurtling toward earth. All that, plus: a dangerous waterfall rescue, love triangles, misfits, cool kids, and a talking vegetable can (H. Jon Benjamin). The questions will all be resolved, of course, at the big talent show at the end of the day.
Mamma-Mia! Double Feature – August 14 & 15
Directed by Phyllida Lloyd & Ol Parker | 2008 & 2018
Mamma Mia!: Donna (Meryl Streep), an independent hotelier in the Greek islands, is preparing for her daughter’s wedding with the help of two old friends. Meanwhile Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), the spirited bride, has a plan. She secretly invites three men from her mother’s past (Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgård) in hope of meeting her real father and having him escort her down the aisle on her big day.
Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again: In 1979, young Donna (Lily James) graduates from Oxford University, leaving her free to embark on a series of adventures throughout Europe. On her journeys, she makes the acquaintances of Harry (Hugh Skinner), Bill (Josh Dylan) and Sam (Jeremy Irvine) — the latter whom she falls in love with, but he’s also the man who breaks her heart. In the present day, Donna’s (Meryl Streep) pregnant daughter, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), dreams of renovating a taverna while reuniting with her mother’s old friends and boyfriends on the Greek island of Kalokairi.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch – August 18
Directed by John Cameron Mitchell | 2001
Raised a boy in East Berlin, Hedwig (John Cameron Mitchell) undergoes a personal transformation in order to emigrate to the U.S., where she reinvents herself as an “internationally ignored” but divinely talented rock diva, inhabiting a “beautiful gender of one.” As she navigates her new world, she finds herself shadowed by her own apprentice, Tommy (Michael Pitt), who threatens to steal everything that Hedwig has established herself with.
Tenet – September 1, 2, 3 & 4
Directed by Christopher Nolan| 2020
Armed with only one word – Tenet – and fighting for the survival of the entire world, the Protagonist (John David Washington) journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.
The Spongebob Squarepants Movie – September 8, 9, & 10
Directed by Stephen Hillenberg | 2004
There’s trouble brewing in Bikini Bottom. Someone has stolen King Neptune’s crown, and it looks like Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown) is the culprit. Though he’s just been passed over for the promotion of his dreams, SpongeBob SquarePants (Tom Kenny) stands by his boss, and along with his best pal Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke), sets out on a treacherous mission to Shell City to reclaim the crown and save Mr. Krabs’ life.
Titane – September 22, 23, & 24
Directed by Julia Ducournau | 2021
A woman named Alexia (Agathe Rousselle), with a metal plate in her head from a childhood car accident, embarks on a bizarre journey that brings her into contact with a firefighter named Vincent (Vincent Lindon), who’s reunited with his missing son after 10 years. Or so he thinks.
