Hosted by the American Cinematheque
The American Cinematheque in Los Angeles has announced the films of this year’s 8th Annual Festival of Fantasy, Horror and Science Fiction. Below you’ll find the full lineup of genre offerings playing the Egyptian and Aero Theaters. For ticket prices and more info, visit AmericanCinematheque.com.
Thursday, July 31 â 7:30 PM
Sneak Preview!
HELL RIDE, 2008, Dimension Films, 83 min. Director Larry Bishop (MAD DOG TIME), veteran of scores of AIP biker and delinquent flicks including the masterpieces THE SAVAGE SEVEN and WILD IN THE STREETS, returns to the saddle as Pistolero, the head of the Victors biker gang, roaring along with his pal The Gent (Michael Madsen) and cronies as they scour the wasteland for the 666s, the bikers responsible for killing Pistoleroâs old lady in the mid-1970s and another comrade more recently. Pistolero also hopes to locate the long-lost teenage son of his old flame. With Dennis Hopper, Eric Balfour, Vinnie Jones and a cameo by David Carradine. Executive produced by Quentin Tarantino. âIf you were one of those people who were in line for the release of GRINDHOUSE last yearâ¦then HELL RIDE is right up your alley…every bit a film Quentin Tarantino would have in his personal collection.â â Neil Miller, FilmSchoolRejects.com Presented with Screamfest LA, the nation’s largest horror film festival. The 2008 festival will take place October. Discussion following with director/star Larry Bishop and other cast and crew members (tba). NOT ON DVD
Friday, August 1 â 7:30 PM
Jack the Ripper Double Feature:
Ultra-Rare! JACK THE RIPPER, 1959, 84 min. Producers/directors Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman, those master showmen who brought you THE CRAWLING EYE and THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS, take a crack at the Jack the Ripper legend, with hackles-raising results. Inspector OâNeill (Eddie Byrne) and American detective Sam Lowry (Lee Patterson) do their best to track the maniac who is dispatching prostitutes in poverty-stricken Whitechapel. They narrow the hunt to a charity clinic, but are confounded by many suspects. Ewen Solon and John Le Mesurier play two doctors at the top of their list. Producer Joseph E. Levine (HERCULES) picked up this shocker for American distribution and spent a fortune on promoting its initial release. With a famous theme by jazz composer Pete Rugolo. âGruesome account of the mysteries surrounding the most infamous serial killer of them allâ¦manages to effectively re-create period London in an atmospheric and suspenseful dramatization.â â Britmovie
NOT ON DVD
Rare! A STUDY IN TERROR, 1965, Sony Repertory, 95 min. James Hillâs fast-moving direction steers John Neville (THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN) as Sherlock Holmes, on a collision course with Jack the Ripper in this unpretentious, well-paced thriller â more violent and pulpy than most earlier Holmes films, in keeping with the grisly Ripper crimes. The cast includes the incomparable Robert Morley as Holmesâ petulant brother, Mycroft, Donald Houston as Dr. Watson and Frank Finlay as Inspector Lestrade. (Coincidentally, Finlay would reprise the Lestrade role in the later MURDER BY DECREE, a Holmes film with similar subject matter.) NOT ON DVD
Friday, August 1 — 12:00 MIDNIGHT
New Release! RE-CYCLE, 2008, Walking Shadows-Image Home Entertainment, 109 min. Dir. Danny & Oxide Pang (THE EYE). Suffering from writerâs block after three successful romance novels, author Ting-Yin (Lee Sinje) undertakes a new subject: ghosts. As she begins to write, the creepy things sheâs writing about begin to manifest in her life â and continue to appear even after sheâs deleted the drafts from her computer. As the veils between the worlds grow thinner and thinner, she is transported into a surreal wasteland where she is confronted with everything she has ever discarded. Like a post-apocalyptic Alice in Wonderland, RE-CYCLE is a horror-fantasy thriller that leaves you reeling long after the credits roll. NOT ON DVD
Saturday, August 2 â 7:30 PM
Euro Horror Triple Feature!
New 35mm Print! Uncut and Uncensored Version!THE VAMPIRE LOVERS, 1970, MGM Repertory, 91 min. Roy Ward Baker (QUATERMASS AND THE PIT, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER) directed the first in Hammerâs infamous lesbian vampire trilogy based on J. Sheridan Le Fanuâs classic Carmilla. Ingrid Pitt is the sexy bloodsucker planted to roost in the homes of upper-class citizens with nubile teenage daughters. Shortly after General von Spielsdorf (Peter Cushing) loses his offspring, he is consulted by friend Roger Morton (George Cole) when his wide-eyed daughter (Pippa Steele) becomes severely anemic. Steeleâs suitor, debonair Carl (Jon Finch), is also concerned. But infatuated governess Kate OâMara is in thrall to vampiric house guest Pitt. Rip-roaringly fast-paced horror action in Hammerâs usual well-done period setting.
Ultra-Rare! New 35mm Print! THE VAMPIRE AND THE BALLERINA (LâAMANTE DEL VAMPIRO), 1960, MGM Repertory, 85 min. Dir. Renato Polselli. A troupe of ballerinas (dressed more like showgirls) are stranded in an abandoned castle. Nobleman Walter Brandi and countess Maria Luisa Rolando, who look like theyâve been caught in a time warp, live in a neighboring palaceâs ruins. Soon dancer Louisa (Helene Remy) falls prey to smitten Brandi when he periodically transforms into a crusty-faced vampire. Beautifully photographed and creepy, this is a fun, low budget classic of Italian Gothic horror. NOT ON DVD
Rare! THE TELL-TALE HEART, 1960, 78 min. Dir. Ernest Morris, A strikingly moody period rendition of the Poe tale. Handsome but shy Laurence Payne (THE CRAWLING EYE, VAMPIRE CIRCUS) becomes enamored of his bewitching neighbor (Adrienne Corri) across the street. However, she falls for Payneâs best friend (Dermot Walsh), causing Payne to murder his comrade and bury him under the floorboards. Then comes âthe beating of that hideous heart.â The expertly paced screenplay was co-written by Brian Clemens (âThe Avengers,â DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE).
Sunday, August 3 â 7:30 PM
Giant Monster Night!
World Premiere! BRINGING GODZILLA DOWN TO SIZE, 2008, Classic Media, 68 min. Dir. Norman England. Featuring Akira Takarada, Haruo Nakajima, Hiroshi Koizumi, others. For more than 50 years, Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah and other monsters have been created with traditional, handmade F/X techniques. Through interviews with actors, filmmakers, special-effects artists, and monster stuntmen from the golden age of Japanese sci-fi, this documentary goes behind the scenes of this unique and outlandish genre. Narrated by Alex Cox (director of REPO MAN, SID & NANCY). In English and Japanese with English subtitles. WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS, RODAN, and BRINGING GODZILLA DOWN TO SIZE will be released as a DVD boxed set by Classic Media on September 9, 2008.
WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS, 1966, Toho Studios, 92 min. Dir. Ishiro Honda (the original GODZILLA). A hairy green giant terrorizes Japan, sinking ships, eating fishermen and attacking an airport. Using a space-age ray cannon, the military nearly kills the monster before it is rescued by its even bigger, brown-haired brother. But the evil green gargantua and the good-hearted brown gargantua don’t see eye-to-eye, and their monster-sized sibling rivalry leads to a death match in the streets of Tokyo, with civilization hanging in the balance. Russ Tamblyn (WEST SIDE STORY) is the American scientist and Kumi Mizuno (INVASION OF ASTRO-MONSTER) is his beautiful assistant, plus American starlet Kipp Hamilton as an ill-fated nightclub singer performing the kitschy classic “The Words Get Stuck in My Throat.” English dubbed version. NOT ON DVD
MOTHRA, 1961, Sony Repertory, 100 min. Giant caterpillar-turned-avenging insect Mothra wreaks havoc on Japan when its best friends — two tiny, telepathic, singing sisters (played by real-life siblings Yumi and Emi Ito) — are kidnapped by an unscrupulous promoter and forced to perform in a Tokyo nightclub! Classic oversized bug action from the master of Japanese monster movies, director Ishiro Honda. English dubbed version. NOT ON DVD Discussion in between first two films with BRINGING GODZILLA DOWN TO SIZE producers Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski.
Friday, August 8 â 7:30 PM
Christopher Lee/Hammer Studios Pirates Double Feature:
New 35mm Print! THE PIRATES OF BLOOD RIVER, 1962, Sony Repertory, 87 min. Dir. John Gilling (THE PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES, THE REPTILE). Hammer Studios exhibited their panache for Gothic period ambience in these breakneck-paced pirate adventure thrillers. A Huguenot community living on a Caribbean isle is menaced by pirates because the renegadesâ eyepatch-wearing captain Christopher Lee believes the village has a secret treasure of gold. The community leaderâs son (Kerwin Mathews, of THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD), who has been sentenced to hard labor for adultery (after losing his paramour to a river full of piranha!), may be their only hope for salvation. With Glenn Corbett (âRoute 66â), Marla Landi, Oliver Reed, Andrew Keir (QUATERMASS AND THE PIT).
New 35mm Print! THE DEVIL-SHIP PIRATES, 1964, Sony Repertory, 86 min. Dir. Don Sharp (KISS OF THE VAMPIRE). A pirate ship allied to the Spanish Armada docks at a village on the British coast for repairs and convinces the inhabitants that Spain has won the war. Lording it over the villagers as their new ruler, evil Christopher Lee causes plenty of suffering, and rebellious young John Cairney foments revolt with rumors that their Spanish masters are bluffing. More swashbuckling action with Hammerâs customary excellent period atmosphere. Co-starring Andrew Keir, Suzan Farmer
(DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS). Special 1960s price for this night only! All admissions: $3.00
Saturday, August 9 â 7:30 PM
1950s Sci-Fi Classics Triple Feature:
IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA, 1955, Sony Repertory, 79 min. Robert Gordon directs classic giant monster action. Submarine commander Kenneth Tobey (THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD) finds himself hunting down a giant octopus that has been coaxed from the depths by atomic testing and is now raiding Pacific shipping lanes and the western seacoast. He teams up to find the marauding behemoth with marine biologists Donald Curtis and Faith Domergue (THIS ISLAND EARTH) and is soon romancing the latter. More great stop-motion animation from Ray Harryhausen.
KRONOS, 1957, 78 min. âPlanet Robber Tramples Earthâ¦Stealing Energy for Other Worlds!â Kurt Neumann, director of the original THE FLY, helmed this superb indie sci-fi thriller. Scientists Jeff Morrow, Barbara Lawrence and George OâHanlon go up against a giant robot from outer space that is systematically sucking the planet dry of all energy. Unbeknownst to the trio, the mind of their colleague, head scientist John Emery, is under direct control of the voracious monolith as it cuts a swath toward Los Angeles. ââ¦well-madeâ¦boasts quality special effects that would do credit to a much higher-budgeted film.â â Variety
EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS, 1956, Sony Repertory, 83 min. Dir. Fred F. Sears (THE WEREWOLF, TEENAGE CRIME WAVE). Classic 1950s drive-in stuff: Earthâs scientists canât figure out why all the rockets they shoot into space are disappearing ⦠until a fleet of flying saucers appears over the White House! Husband-and-wife scientist team Hugh Marlowe and Joan Taylor form a vanguard of defense against the invaders. FX man Ray Harryhausen collaborated on the original story for the film with famed sci-fi writer Curt Siodmak (THE WOLF MAN).
Sunday, August 10 â 4:00 PM
U.S. Premiere! Fundraising Benefit for The American CInematheque
STARS WARS: THE CLONE WARS, 2008, Warner Bros., 100 min. Dir. Dave Filoni. Executive produced by George Lucas. Produced by Catherine Winder for LucasAnimation.
As galactic civil war rages, Anakin Skywalker and apprentice Ahsoka Tano are on a mission, but Count Dooku will stop at nothing to ensure that they fail. Meanwhile, on the front lines, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda lead the massive clone army against the dark side. Director Dave Filoni and producer Catherine Winder in person. Free popcorn and soda, trivia contest for prizes, plus fun, family-oriented pre-show activities in the courtyard, at 2pm. Details online. Special prices: General $45; Students/Seniors $40; Children & Cinematheque Members $30.
Sunday, August 10 â 7:30 PM
Hammer Studios Double Feature:
New 35mm Print! TERROR OF THE TONGS, 1961, Sony Repertory, 80 min. âDeadliest, Diabolical Brotherhood of Terror!â Dir. Anthony Bushell. Christopher Lee warms up for his later Fu Manchu films as the Red Dragon Tong leader in 1910 Hong Kong. When merchant ship captain Geoffrey Tooneâs home is ransacked and his daughter ruthlessly murdered, he goes on the warpath, searching high and low for the ceremonial crime cult responsible. Featuring one of Leeâs most famous lines: âHave you ever had your bones scraped?â With Burt Kwouk (the PINK PANTHER series), Marne Maitland (THE STRANGLERS OF BOMBAY) and Yvonne Monlaur (BRIDES OF DRACULA) as an Eurasian femme fatale.
Ultra-Rare! New 35mm Print! THE CAMP ON BLOOD ISLAND, 1958, Sony Repertory, 81 min. Director Val Guest (THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT) helmed this relentlessly fast-paced chronicle of Japanese POW camp atrocities that had a notorious reputation on its initial release for its â for the time â graphic violence. British POW Andre Morell (THE PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES) has to make sure that their sadistic Japanese camp commandment doesnât find out Japan has surrendered or the whole POW population will be massacred. With a whoâs who of great Hammer Studios supporting players, including Barbara Shelley (THE GORGON), Richard Wordsworth (THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT), Michael Gwynn (REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN), Marne Maitland and Carl Mohner. NOT ON DVD
Wednesday, August 13 â 7:30 PM
FANTASY. HORROR AND SCI-FI SHORTS, 90 min. Robert Cosnahan’s “Psycho Hillbilly Cabin Massacre” (19 min, USA). A spoof on all initiations in order to be part of any “in” group. Mike Williamson’s “In the Wall” (22 min, USA). On the eve of the hottest New Year on record, a young pregnant wife happily prepares for the birth of her child, but her secretive husband may have darker plans for the family. Paul Bickel’s “Hollow” (9 min, USA). A young boy has more to be afraid of than in your standard scary movies. Floris Kaayk’s “Metalosis Maligna” (8 min, Netherlands). In this “documentary” you will learn about a disease from the future that is spectacular and chronically debilitating. Ray Griggsâ “Lucifer” (8 min, USA). Gorgeously shot high-budget fantasy short starring Jason Lewis (SEX AND THE CITY) that begs to be seen on the Egyptianâs big screen. Nick Brandestini & Steve Ellington’s “H.R. Giger’s Sanctuary” (19 min, Switzerland) Fascinating look into the fears, nightmares and visions of the inventor of the “biomechanics” and the creator of the creature for ALIEN. Andrew Huang’s “The Gloaming” (4 min, USA). While working in his office, a man has an unsettling vision both outside the office and inside his computer. Aideen McCarthy’s “The Formorian” (6 min, Ireland). A tale about a long-forgotten demon race that, according to Irish myth, threatened to wipe out all human life. This is not the order the films will play in. Presented with Screamfest LA, the nation’s largest horror film festival. The 2008 festival will take place October.
Discussion following with Robert Cosnahan (“Psycho Hillbilly…”), Mike Williamson (“In the Wall”), Paul Biggs (“Hollow”) and Andrew Huang (“The Gloaming”).
Friday, August 15 â 7:30 PM
Peter Cushing Sci-Fi Triple Feature:
THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN OF THE HIMALAYAS, 1957, 85 min. Researcher Peter Cushing butts heads with ruthlessly unprincipled carnival impresario Forrest Tucker, when the pair join forces to capture the elusive Yeti of the Himalayas. Director Val Guest and screenwriter Nigel Kneale (the QUATERMASS films) balance tight, Hawksian action against an eerie, insistent sense of the supernatural. With evocative B&W photography by veteran Hammer cameraman Arthur Grant (PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES).
Rare! ISLAND OF TERROR, 1966, Universal, 89 min. Director Terence Fisher took a vacation from Hammer Studios to do two indie sci-fi films with Peter Cushing. Scientists Cushing and Edward Judd (THE DAY THE EARTH CAUGHT FIRE) trek to a remote British isle to find out why villagers are turning up dead â and boneless. They discover a private cancer-research facility has unwittingly mutated microscopic organisms into deadly, crawling, man-sized amoebas. With Carole Gray, Eddie Byrne. Richard Gordon (FIEND WITHOUT A FACE) was one of the executive producers. Great, scary drive-in fare. (Screened from a digital video source.) NOT ON DVD
Ultra-Rare! ISLAND OF THE BURNING DAMNED, 1967, 94 min. The second mid-â60s sci-fi melodrama Terence Fisher did with Peter Cushing focuses on a brutal mid-winter heat wave that suddenly transforms a British isle into a community of frayed tempers, heat strokes and histrionic love triangles. Mysterious investigator Christopher Lee and local doctor Cushing learn that protoplasmic aliens are causing the problem and soon will incinerate the area. Best-selling author Patrick Allen and wife Sarah Lawson own the pub where everyone congregates, and the temperature is raised higher when sexy secretary Jane Merrow arrives to take dictation. (Screened from a digital video source.) NOT ON DVD
Saturday, August 16 â 7:30 PM
Triple Shock Feature:
DEMENTIA 13, 1963, MGM Repertory, 75 min. Director Francis Ford Coppolaâs low-budget feature debut was one of the few pictures to effectively meld a contemporary PSYCHO-type scenario with Gothic horror motifs. When Louiseâs (Luana Anders) husband, John, dies of a heart attack, she knows she wonât get any part of his motherâs inheritance if the family finds out heâs dead. She travels to the family castle in Ireland to finagle her way into a fortune, but must deal with Johnâs siblings, artist William Campbell, his new wife (Mary Mitchel), younger brother Billy (Bart Patton) and a still-alive matriarch. Then someone starts chopping people up with an axe! Fast-moving with a memorably great score by Ronald Stein and an uncredited Les Baxter. Produced by Roger Corman. âFrancis Ford Coppola’s first mainstream featureâ¦is a little gem of Gothic horror, stylishly helmed on a shoestring budget.â â TV Guide
Ultra-Rare! CURSE OF THE FACELESS MAN, 1958, MGM Repertory, 67 min. Edward L. Cahn (IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE) directed this low-budget scarefest about a petrified man dug out of a Pompeii archeological site who comes back to life, pining for the reincarnation of his lost love, artist Elaine Edwards. Archeologists Richard Anderson and Luis Van Rooten investigate as the stone monster leaves a trail of bodies in his wake. With another great, underrated score by maestro Gerald Fried (THE KILLING). NOT ON DVD
FRANKENSTEINâS DAUGHTER, 1958, 85 min. Dir. Richard E. Cunha. Good girl teen Sandra Knight is turned into a bucktoothed, pockmarked creature in a negligee by her scientist uncleâs sleazeball assistant, Oliver Frank (Donald Murphy). Boyfriend John Ashley is bewildered by the mysterious goings-on. Of course, Frank is really short for Frankenstein, and Oliver also has plans for the snooty blond bombshell (Sally Todd) who spurned his advances. Two monsters for the price of one! With the ultra-square musical stylings of the Page Cavanaugh Trio. âWith lovable horror clichés, gooey monsters, and funny dialogue, this is a classic of its type from director Richard Cunha⦠one of the best teenage monster movies of them all.â â Joe Lozowsky, DVD Drive-In
Sunday, August 17 â 7:30 PM
Vintage Sci-Fi Double Feature:
IB Technicolor Print! ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS, 1964, Paramount, 110 min. Paul Mantee stars as an astronaut abandoned on the Red Planet, dealing with simple necessities like finding drinkable water and avoiding marauding aliens, in this wonderfully human 1960s sci-fi flick. Directed with surefire confidence by WAR OF THE WORLDS and âOuter Limitsâ veteran Byron Haskin, from an excellent script by Ib Melchior and John C. Higgins. Co-starring Adam West (TVâs âBatmanâ) and Vic Lundin. Donât miss this chance to see the rarely revived ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS in a beautiful CinemaScope Technicolor print!
Ultra-Rare: MUTINY IN OUTER SPACE, 1965, 80 min. Dir. Hugo Grimaldi. A slimy, slithering fungus permeates a spaceship returning from the Moon, threatening to annihilate the crew. William Leslie, Dolores Faith and Richard Garland (ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS) are just a few of those menaced by the unstoppable mold. To make matters worse, the paranoid, autocratic head officer on board engenders rebellious feelings from those in his command. A virtually lost drive-in classic, not screened in decades. NOT ON DVD
Wednesday, August 20 â7:30 PM
Pre-Code Hollywood Horror Double Feature:
Rare! New 35mm Print! ISLAND OF LOST SOULS, 1932, Universal, 70 min. Director Erle C. Kenton adapted H.G. Wellsâ Island of Dr. Moreau into one of the classic Pre-Code horror shockers. Originally released by Paramount to compete with Universalâs monster menagerie, Universal ironically now owns the rights. Seaman Richard Arlen gets marooned on vivisectionist Charles Laughtonâs private isle, where he has developed a race of subhumans from various wild animals in his âHouse of Pain.â An old school chiller that remains scary to this day. Bela Lugosi is the ringleader of the beast-men. With Kathleen Burke as Lota, the Panther Woman. ââ¦a remarkably powerful film.â â Time Out (London) NOT ON DVD
Rare! KONGO, 1932, Warner Bros., 86 min. William J. Cowen helmed this sound remake of the silent Lon Chaney thriller WEST OF ZANZIBAR. Walter Huston is a crippled renegade in darkest Africa who drags himself around on his powerful arms. He lords it over local tribesmen, intimidating them with âvoodooâ and parlor tricks. He also enjoys torturing and driving mad any whites who fall into his clutches, especially Virginia Bruce, whom he believes to be his arch-enemyâs daughter. Tragic legend Lupe Velez stars as Tula, a woman under cruel Hustonâs thumb.ââ¦a horror show that is both frightening and disturbing.â â TV Guide NOT ON DVD
Thursday, August 21 â 7:30 PM
Egyptian Theatre 85th Anniversary Double Feature:
ALIEN, 1979, 20th Century Fox, 117 min. From its cool, sinister textures to its (literally) stomach-churning special effects, director Ridley Scottâs ALIEN reinvented the monster-from-space movie as something mesmerizing, inescapable and strangely beautiful. It also introduced the American action heroine in Sigourney Weaverâs tough-as-nails Ripley, going head-to-head with the nightmarish, H.R. Giger-designed insectoid Alien. Influenced by previous sci-fi films such as IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE, PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES and FORBIDDEN PLANET as well as literary giant Joseph Conrad! With Tom Skerritt, Yaphet Kotto, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Veronica Cartwright. Original version.
ALIENS, 1986, 20th Century Fox, 137 min. Seven years after Ridley Scottâs original ALIEN, James Cameron directed this sinister, explosive WWII-movie-in-space, about a platoon of U.S. Marines stranded on planet LV-426. Sigourney Weaverâs Ripley is darker and richer here — haunted by alien nightmares, confronting her deepest fears. Watch for Cameronâs flawless feel for detail and pacing, the way he builds suspense scene-by-scene (the creatures donât even appear until almost 50 minutes into the movie!). With Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen and Paul Reiser. For added realism, Cameron hired Marine Corps vet Al Matthews as platoon sergeant — “If one of the actors dropped their rifle, heâd run over and scream in their face, âYour rifle is your life, soldier! Give me 50!â” â James Cameron. Original version. Both films originally premiered at the Egyptian Theatre!
AERO PROGRAMMING
1328 Montana Avenue Santa Monica, CA
Saturday, August 2 â 5:00 PM
Fantasy, Horror & Sci-Fi Series — Special Marathon!
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, 2001, Warner Bros., 208 min. Dir. Peter Jackson.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS, 2002, Warner Bros., 223 min. Dir. Peter Jackson.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING, 2003, Warner Bros., 251 min. Dir. Peter Jackson.
Director Peter Jackson and a brilliantly talented cast and crew have brought to cinematic life J.R.R. Tolkienâs epic adventure of good against evil. The future of civilization rests on the fate of the One Ring, which has been lost for centuries. Powerful forces are unrelenting in their search for it. Fate has placed it in the hands of a young Hobbit named Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood), who inherits the Ring and undertakes a heroic quest through Middle Earth revealing how, through courage, commitment, and determination, even the smallest of us can change the world. With Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellen. The Extended version will be shown. Illustrator artist Greg Hildebrandt – who became internationally known for the original STAR WARS movie poster and beautiful J.R.R. Tolkien LORD OF THE RINGS artwork – will introduce the marathon. Discover the Hilderbrandt brothersâ work at Every Picture Tells a Story. Special price for this event: All admissions – $3.00.
THE 8TH ANNUAL FEST OF FANTASY, HORROR AND SCI-FI â A TRIBUTE TO STAN WINSTON
August 15 â 16 at the Aero Theatre
Few visual effects artists have influenced the American cinema as much as the late Stan Winston, who, before his death this summer at the age of 62, worked on the TERMINATOR films, JURASSIC PARK, and countless other special effects landmarks. The American Cinematheque at the Aero Theatre pays tribute to an American master with a selection of his most popular films, including ALIENS and Winstonâs directorial debut, PUMPKINHEAD.
Series compiled by Gwen Deglise and Grant Moninger.
Friday, August 15 – 7:30 PM
Double Feature:
ALIENS, 1986, 20th Century Fox, 137 min. Seven years after Ridley Scottâs original ALIEN, James Cameron directed this sinister, explosive WWII-movie-in-space, about a platoon of U.S. Marines stranded on planet LV-426. Sigourney Weaverâs Ripley is darker and richer here â haunted by alien nightmares, confronting her deepest fears. Special effects by Stan Winston. With Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Paul Reiser.
PUMPKINHEAD, 1988, MGM Repertory, 86 min. Effects wizard Stan Winston made his directorial debut with this macabre modern folk tale. Lance Henriksen stars as a grief-stricken father who goes to an old witch in the swamp to bring forth a demon from hell to wreak vengeance on teen dirtbike riders who accidentally ran down and killed his tiny son.
Saturday, August 16 â 7:30 PM
Double Feature:
PREDATOR, 1987, 20th Century Fox, 107 min. ALIEN meets RAMBO when an elite military squad heads into the jungle only to be confronted by an unstoppable extraterrestrial killer. Director John McTiernan shows signs of the expert action technique he would later refine in DIE HARD, while Arnold Schwarzenegger provides rooting interest as the tough-as-nails hero. More great special effects from Stan Winston.
PREDATOR 2, 1990, 20th Century Fox, 108 min. Director Stephen Hopkins takes the PREDATOR mythology from the jungle to urban Los Angeles, where cop Danny Glover discovers that something far more dangerous than Colombian street gangs lurks in his city. Bill Paxton and Gary Busey provide solid character actor support in this unusually distinctive sequel.
Source: American Cinemtheque
