Party Like It’s 1999 and Kubrick Christmas closes with Eyes Wide Shut, the director’s subversive, sexual holiday mystery.
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman star as William and Alice, a wealthy New York couple trying to get in the holiday spirit. After Alice admits to William that she once almost — key word being almost — cheated on him, William is suddenly inspired to partake in a nightlong sexual odyssey, finding himself in one strange entanglement after another as the possible indiscretion plays out on a loop in his head. His late night sojourn eventually brings him to a secretive occult group that may offer him more excitement than he’s looking for…
Read More
A Kubrick Christmas continues with Barry Lyndon, a visually stunning period drama that chronicles the rise and fall of an ambitious Irish rogue in 18th-century Europe.
The film follows Redmond Barry (Ryan O’Neal), a charming but unscrupulous young man who climbs the social ladder through duels, deception, and a strategic marriage to a wealthy widow, Lady Lyndon (Marisa Berenson). As he ascends to aristocratic privilege, Barry’s greed, vanity, and lack of foresight ultimately lead to his downfall, exposing the fragile nature of wealth and power.
Read More
Walk on the wild side with Hardcore, Paul Schrader’s 1979 drama that delves into the seedy world of the adult film industry.
The film follows Jake Van Dorn (George C. Scott), a conservative Midwestern businessman whose world is upended when his teenage daughter, Kristen, goes missing during a church trip. After discovering that she has been drawn into the world of pornography, Jake hires a private investigator (Peter Boyle) to track her down, ultimately taking the investigation into his own hands. His relentless search leads him deep into a dark and dangerous subculture, forcing him to confront his own values and vulnerabilities.
Read More
Film Club Members are invited to a special screening of Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind in honor of the late Terri Garr!
During a mysterious blackout, Indiana family man Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) has a strange encounter with loud, colorfully-lit UFOs. Shaken by the experience, he finds himself unable to return to normal life and becomes obsessed with a recurring mental image of a flat tower-shaped object. All the while, authorities scramble to document similar incidents across the world and determine what message – if any – is being relayed to humanity.
Read More
We are partnering with our friends at OC Pride to present a one-off encore screening of Queer, a romantic period drama from director Luca Guadagnino (Challengers, Call Me By Your Name) set in Mexico City.
The film follows William Lee, portrayed by Daniel Craig, an American expatriate who leads a solitary existence among a small American community. His life takes a turn upon meeting Eugene Allerton, a young student played by Drew Starkey, igniting an intense and complex relationship. As Lee becomes infatuated with Allerton, the narrative delves into themes of desire, obsession, and the search for connection in a foreign land.
Adapted from William S. Burroughs’ semi-autobiographical novella, Queer explores the intricacies of human emotion and the longing for companionship against the backdrop of post-war Mexico.
Read More
Up next in our Kubrick Christmas series is Full Metal Jacket, the director’s 1987 Vietnam War film!
The movie is divided into two distinct parts: the harrowing boot camp experience, where the recruits endure relentless psychological and physical abuse under the brutal drill instructor Gunnery Sergeant Hartman (R. Lee Ermey), and their subsequent deployment to the chaos of Vietnam. At the center is Private Joker (Matthew Modine), whose transformation from a sardonic recruit to a hardened war correspondent reflects the moral ambiguity and psychological toll of combat.
Read More
See It On 16mm returns for the holiday season to unspool It’s a Wonderful Life, Frank Capra’s timeless Christmas classic!
The film follows George Bailey, played by James Stewart, a selfless man from the small town of Bedford Falls who sacrifices his personal dreams to support his family and community. When a financial crisis pushes him to the brink of despair, George contemplates ending his life, believing he has failed everyone. Enter Clarence, a bumbling yet endearing guardian angel, who shows George an alternate reality where he never existed, revealing how deeply he has touched the lives of others.
It’s a Wonderful Life has become a beloved holiday classic that has somehow far surpassed sterling reputation. It now stands as an enduring symbol of optimism and humanity annually for those of us looking for a little bit of Christmas melancholy.
Read More
Our Kubrick Christmas series marches along with Paths of Glory, the director’s 1957 anti-war drama!
The story follows Colonel Dax, portrayed by Kirk Douglas, a principled French officer who is ordered to lead his men in a suicidal assault on an impregnable German position known as the “Anthill.” When the attack fails, the enraged generals scapegoat three soldiers, putting them on trial for cowardice to cover up their own incompetence. As Dax defends the men in a farcical court-martial, the film exposes the callous indifference of the military hierarchy and the brutal realities of war.
Read More
Our December Volunteer of the Month is Sydney Torrence, who has chosen Paul Schrader’s visually stunning biopic Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters as her VOTM pick.
The film weaves together three distinct narrative threads: a dramatized account of Yukio Mishima’s final day leading up to his shocking ritual suicide in 1970, flashbacks to key moments in his personal life, and stylized adaptations of his literary works. Through these interwoven segments, Schrader delves into Mishima’s internal struggles with identity, beauty, nationalism, and the tension between art and action.
Read More
A girl with a great following. Every cop in the state was after her. Everybody else was behind her.
Read More
