Tonight the ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood launches their September Cinerama Showcase with screenings of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, Stanley Kubrick’s monumental science-fiction epic. The film will at 8:00 and 11:40pm in the Cinerama Dome theatre in the 70mm Cinerama format with six channel sound, as it was screeened there when originally released in 1968. 100 copies of the Special Edition Blu-ray disc of the film will be given to the first 100 ticket holders in line for the 8:00pm show.

Unfortunately, the 8pm show is already sold out. There are still tickets for 11:40, available here.

Just to get pedantic for a moment, the use of the term “Cinerama” in reference to SPACE ODYSSEY has always struck me as a bit of a misnomer. The original Cinerama process created a triple-widescreen effect by filming with three camera - left, right, and center - and projecting the imags in sync. The aspect ratio was three times as wide as a standard format film (approximately four feet wide for every one foot of height).

SPACE ODYSSEY was filmed in anamorphic 70mm, a combination of two different widescreen processes. 70 mm is twice as wide as standard 35mm film, creating a project image approximately twice as wide (it comes up a bit short because some of the width is used to accomodate six separate soundtrack stripes). Anamorphic uses special lenses to stretch the image even wider, resulting in an aspect ratio of 2.75. The result is a spectacular image that captures the vast vistas of both “The Dawn of Man” and “Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite.” But it’s not really Cinerama. In truth, it is probably a little better, as Cinerama was frought with troubles (e.g., the three projectors going out of sync).

If that’s not enough great science-fiction on the big screen, the Arclight Hollywood will presente BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUTon September 10, with director Ridley Scott in person for a Q&A after the screening. This show, too, seems to be sold out, but there is always a chance you can get a ticket on the night of the event if some of the pre-sales turn out to be no-shows.

THE RETURN OF JACK AND SALLY IN 3-D

It just wouldn’t be Halloween with Tim Burton’s THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS playing at the Disney-owned El Capitan Theater in Hollywood. This year, as for the last two years, the film will be presented in Disney Digital 3-D for an even more eye-popping experience.

The film will screen for one week from October 17 to October 23, with showings at 12:15pm, 2:30pm, 4:45pm, 7:00pm, 9:15pm, and 11:15pm. On Halloween weekend, Thursday, October 30 through Saturday, November 1, there will be 12:30am late shows.

At the 7:00pm showing on Friday the 17th, there will be a filmmaker discussion panel.

Call 1-800-DISNEY6 for tickets or visit the El Capitan’s website.

Other films at El Capitan:

• SLEEPING BEAUTY, Disney’s animated classic, through September 18.
• TINKERBELL (the computer-animated sequel to PETER PAN, which is scheduled for DVD release on October 28) from September 19 through October 2.
• BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA from October 3 through 16.

CINEFAMILY’S HALLOWEEN HORROR

There can be no doubt about it: CineFamily’s Silent Movie Theatre in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles absolutely owns Halloween this year. Sure, there will be two or three horror film festivals in Hollywood, and lots of other theatres and venues are scheduling special events for the season, but the Silent Movie Theatre is so loaded with horror titles that you could spend nearly the entire month of October there - if your endurance can stand it.

There are literally dozens of titles listed on their October schedule, divided into some pretty cool programs:

• Silent Wednesdays offers The Man of 1,000 Faces: Lon Chaney. The silent actor, known for his use of makeup to create deformed characters, was the world’s first horror star. Titles include PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME
• Thursdays: It’s Zombies! Zombies! Zombies!Everything from RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD to TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD, culminating in an awesome Lucio Fulci triple-header: ZOMBIE, GATES OF HELL, and THE BEYOND
• Early Fridays offers a series Japanese ghost stories, including the classics UGETSU and KURONEKO (which is not available on Region 1 DVD), plus the more recent RETRIBUTION from Kiyoshi Kurosawa (PULSE).
• Late Fridays: Notice something missing from the Thursday night zombiefest - namely NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD? That’s because on Friday evenings there will be a George Romero fest, including his 1968 classic, plus DAY OF THE DEAD (1985) and several others.
• Early Saturdays gives classic horror fans a chance to enjoy the subtle atmosphere of fine 1940s black-and-white horror, thanks to a series of films from producer Val Lewton.
• Late Saturdayswill be loaded with Evil Children.

But wait - there’s more! Scattered throughout the month will be screenings of FREAKS (the 1932 Tod Browning production with real circus freaks), Roger Corman’s masterpiece MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH, Spooky animated shorts, THE BLOB (1988), THE HIDDEN, TV Halloween specials, a Wes Craven double bill, and the whole thing culminates on Halloween night with a screening of THE TINGLER, followed by a dance party in the theatre. (Appropriately, a subplot of William Castle’s gimmicky 1959 thriller, starring Vincent Price, involves the Silent Movie Theatre.)

All I can say is, the CineFamily should offer a contest - the winner being anyone who can sit through every item on this marathon agenda.

NOTE: For those of you wondering about the name “Silent Movie Theatre,” it is a bit of a vestige from the theatre’s previous incarnation. Silent films are still programmed on Wednesdays, but the rest of the week is given over to cult and classic titls of various shapes and sizes.

As always, you can keep abreast of Fantasy Films, Mystery Movies, Halloween Horror and Sci-Fi Cinema Events in Los Angeles by checking out our affiliate website, Hollywood Gothique. Lots of smaller local events are listed there that do not make it into Cinefantastique Online. At the moment, we are deeply immersed in preparing for the upcoming Halloween season. Come on and check it out!

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Fantasy author and sometimes screenwriter Ray Bradbury will be appearing at the American Cinematheque on October 10 and 11 for screenings of SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES (which he adapted from his own novel) and MOBY DICK (which he adapted from Herman Melville’s classic). dapting MOBY DICK for director John Huston.

Also just around the corner: the Cinematheque promises to run a great marathon of classic creepy films from October 30 through November 2, including HORROR OF DRACULA, BRIDES OF DRACULA, CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF, THE GORGON, and two versions of DR. JEKYLL AND MR HYDE (the 1932 version with Frederic March and the 1941 version with Spencer Tracy).  Specific dates and times have yet to be announced, but you can check out their website for updates.

All screenings will take place at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

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THE FLY just keeps on buzzing. A couple days ago, I mentioned that David Cronenberg and Howard Shore, in town for the opera version of The Fly, could be appearing before a screening of their 1986 film, which inspired the opera. Now, the American Cinematheque jumps into the act, scheduling a double bill screening of THE FLY (1958) and RETURN OF THE FLY (1959). The ‘58 film, based on the short story be George Langelaan, is the classic that launched the franchise; I wrote an in-depth retrospective on it for Cinefantastique magazine back in ‘86, when the Cronenberg remake was coming out.

The screening will feature special guests, specifically the actors who played the title role in each film: David (then Al) Hedison played the ill-fated scientist Andre Delambre, whose experiments in matter transmission give him the head of an insect in THE FLY, and Brett Halsey played the Andre’s son who undergoes similar misfortune in the sequel.

THE FLY and RETURN OF THE FLY screen on Tuesday, September 9, starting at 7:30pm.

Also on the Cinematheque’s agenda for September is a Roman Polanski double bill of ROSEMARY’S BABY (commonly regarded as one of the great horror films) and the Oscar-winning mystery-thriller CHINATOWN. The screenings will be preceded by a book signing with Christopher Sandford, author of Polanski: A Biography.

ROSEMARY’S BABY and CHINATOWN screen on Saturday, September 20 at 7:30pm.

Both screenings are at the Egyptian Theatre - 6712 Hollywood Blvd in Hollywood.

RELATED ARTICLES:

• Retrospective: The Fly

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Howard Shore’s opera The Fly, based on the 1986 film directed by David Cronenberg (itself a remake of the 1958 film starring Vincent Price and Al Hedison), will open in Los Angeles next month. In honor of the event, the American Film Institue is hosting a screening of the film in Hollywood’s Cinerama Dome on Wednesday, September 3 at 8:00pm. This will be a brand new print of the film, and Cronenberg and Shore (who are in town for the opera) will be on hand to answer questions before the screening.

The film is part of the AFI’s Director’s Screenings. The AFI’s page aptly describes this film:

THE FLY is an extraordinary example of Cronenberg’s particular brand of “body horror”; flesh transformed by disease. Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) is an eccentric scientist, whose experiments with teleportation go awry, leading to one of the horror genre’s most disgusting and gory physical transformations. Ultimately, David Cronenberg’s version of THE FLY - based on a short story by George Langelaan and the 1958 film that starred Vincent Price — is a dark romantic tragedy about the wasting away of a brilliant man who mutates into an insect as his loved one looks on helplessly.

The ArcLight Cinema’s Cinerama Dome is located at 6360 Sunset Blvd, Hollywood CA. You can purchase tickets for the screening at the ArcLight’s website.

Other upcoming events around Hollywood include:

• Live, in-theatre audio commentaries by directors Nicolas Meyer and Jon Favreau on their films TIME AFTER TIME and IRON MAN, respectively. Both film screen at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica: TIME AFTER TIME on Friday, September 5 at 7:30pm; IRON MAN on Saturday, September 6 at 7:30pm. Read more here.
• A Grindhouse Film Festival tribute to actor Clu Gulager, featuring a double bill of FEAST and RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD. The double bill screens on Wednesday and Thursday, August 27 and 28 at the New Beverly Cinema. The festival continues on Friday and Saturday with a double bill of THE KILLERS and THE LAST PICTURE SHOW. Gulager will be in attendance at all screenings to discuss the film. Read more here.

You can keep up on the latest Fantasy Films, Mystery Movies, Halloween Horror & Sci-Fi Cinema Events in Los Angeles by checking out the Hollywood Gothique website.

RELATED ARTICLE:

• Hollywood Gothique: Fly to open at L.A. opera in September

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George Pal produced and sometimes directed some of the great science fiction films of the 1950 and 1960s - films that defined the genre and inspired later filmmakers like George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Joe Dante. On Wednesday August 27 at 7:30pm in Samuel L. Goldwyn theatre in Beverly Hills, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences will offer a tribute entitled “George Pal: Discovering the Fantastic,” which will include a panel discussion featuring several people who worked with Pal, including actros Barbara Eden (THE SEVEN FACES OF DR. LAO), Ann Robinson (WAR OF THE WORLDS), Russ Tamblyn, and Alan Young (THE TIME MACHINE).

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS will be screened, along with several of Pal’s short stop-motion “Puppetoons.”

Tickets are $5 for general audiences, $3 for Academy members.  The theatre is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California 90211. Telephone: (310) 247-3000.

The Los Angeles Times has an article about the event, including interviews from some of the people who will be involved.

RELATED ARTICLES:

• Review: War of the Worlds (1953)

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Universal Studios Hollywood has issued a press release that is showing up around the web, trumpeting the terrors that await visitors to this year’s edition of Halloween Horror Nights, the annual celebration that begins on October 3.

Like last year, Horror Nights 2008 will feature mazes based on Freddy Kruger, Jason Voorhees, and Leatherface, but Universal promises that the Kruger maze will be brand new, featuring a recreation of the infamous house on Elm Street. (Last year was more like a trip through an Asylum - not surprising when you know that it located in a maze that had been called “The Asylum” the year before.)

New for this year will be a Scare Zone inspired by THE STRANGERS, the sleeper hit horror film from earlier this year. (For those unfamiliar with the terminology, Scare Zones are simply areas of the park haunted by ghouls, so you get the Halloween experience even before you stand in line for an hour to walk through a maze.)

In addition, the back lot tram tour will be significantly upgraded to double its length, for the first time incorporating mazes.

Universal’s usual rides and attractions will be open, although revamped for Halloween: the Jurassic Park Ride becomes Jurassic Park in the Dark; the Waterworld show becomes Slaughterworld, etc.

Halloween Horror nights will be open on weekends, beginning October 3. Dates are October 3-4, 10-11, 17-19, 24-26, 30-31 and November 1. Doors opening nightly as 7:00pm; closing hours vary.

Tickets are available for $54 onlin at Universal Studios Hollywood’s official website; they are also sold in advance at Ralph’s, Food 4 Less, and Hot Topic, where you can save $20 a ticket by buying a Coke-related product.

RELATED ARTICLES:

• Halloween Horror Hollywood - Opening Night 2007
• Interview: Horror Nights Creative Director John Murder, 2007

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Halloween is just around the corner apparently. Sure, you may think it’s not till the end of October - over two months away - but Halloween superstores are already setting up, and the big-name attractions like Knott’s scary farms will open their tombs at the end of September.

So, it should be no surprise that Universal Studios is already sponsoring a contest to promote their 2008 Halloween Horror Nights. Follow this link to enter, for a chance to win a round-trip to Universal Studios Florida this Halloween.

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Howard Shore’s opera The Fly, adapted from David Cronenberg’s 1986 horror film (itself a remake of the 1958 film starring Vincent Price and Al Hedison) will open at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles on September 7. There will be six performances only, running through the 27th. The Fly made its debut on at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris. Cronenberg himself is directing the Paris stage production, with Placido Domingo conducting the orchestra. David Henry Hwang (whose M. Butterfly was turned into a film by Cronenberg) supplied the libretto. Shore, of course, scored the film version, from which he sampled a couple of themes. Other veterans from the film on board for the opera include creature effects designer Stephan Dupuis and costume designer Denise Cronenberg. Sets are by Dante Ferretti (SWEENEY TODD), lighting by A.J. Weisbard.

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You can say what you like about Los Angeles, but we have Hollywood, which means we have the movies - and lots of movie-lovers to go with it; consequently, there are actually a handful of theatres, even in this era of home video, that continue to offer repertory and revival programming. This results in wonderful opportunities to re-experience movies on the big screen, where they were meant to be seen. A recent example of this is the “Final Cut” of BLADE RUNNER, which I recently saw at the New Beverly Cinema in L.A. Of course it was interesting to note how this (presumably last) version of the film stacked up against its predecessors, but I could have done that on DVD (or even, heaven forbid, on Netflix Instant Viewing). The real joy of the experience was once again seeing the sights of 2019 Los Angeles splayed out larger than life before my eyes, filling not only the screen but also my brain with an overwhelming rush of visual input that few films ever match. Continue Reading »

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FORBIDDEN ZONE, the 1980 black-and-white cult film written and directed by Richard Elfman, is getting a new lease on life, courtesy of digital colorization by Legend films (the company responsible for recently releasing such neglected titles on DVD as THE MAN WHO COULD CHEAT DEATH and THE SKULL). To promote the July 29 release of the colorized FORBIDDEN ZONE on DVD, Elfman will attend an American Cinematheque screening of the film on Wednesday, July 30 at 8:00pm in the Egyptian Theatre, Hollywood, along with other guests to be announced. Cult movie fans and fans of Oingo-Boingo will certainly want to pick up a copy of the DVD (the director’s brother, Oingo-Boingo front-man Danny Elfman, provided the music and appears in a small role), but the movie is such a wild ride that a cinema screening, along with a theatre full of like-minded fans, adds an extra layer to the entertainment.

Click below the fold to read the press release. Continue Reading »

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Great news for fans of Ridley Scott: Starting Sunday, July 6, the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles will be screening a double bill of BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT and ALIEN: THE DIRECTOR’S CUT. Although both are out on DVD, these are films that really deserve to be seen on the big screen; this is an especially important chance to see the final cut of BLADE RUNNER in a theatre, since this version received only a token theatrical release last year before arriving on home video.

As an extra, added inducement, former Cinefantastique writer Paul M. Sammon will be in attendance at the 7:00pm Sunday screening of BLADE RUNNER. The author of Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner (Harper) will discuss the film and answer questions from the audience. He will also bring along some behind-the-scene photos of the making of the film.

Showtimes:

• BLADE RUNNER: Sun: 2:20 & 7:00; Mon-Thu: 7:30 only
  ALIEN: Sun: 4:40 only; Mon-Thu: 9:50

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Actress Adrienne Barbeau is known to fans of cinefantastique for her roles in such films as THE FOG, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, CREEPSHOW, and TWO EVIL EYES. She is also, now, a novelist, with a book coming out on July 8. (She published her autobiography last year, There Are Worse Things I Could Do.) Written in collaboration with Michael Scott, the novel is title Vampyres of Hollywood. In support of the publication, Barbeau will be doing a book tour, with stops around the country but mostly in Southern California. The premise is that vampires - excuse me, vampyres - work in the Hollywood film industry, churning out disinformation that misleads humans as to the true strengths and weaknesses of the undead (for example, the novel’s vampires are immune to sunlight). The official description from Publishers Weekly goes on:

One of the biggest bamboozlers is Ovsanna Moore, a seductive centuries-old vampire currently producing and acting in B-movies with titles like Vatican Vampyres. When humans and vampires in her studio entourage begin dying spectacularly gruesome deaths, Ovsanna knows that someone is specifically targeting her. Since it’s just a matter of time before investigating detective Peter King uncovers Ovsanna’s vampire pedigree, she must solve the mystery or “die” and resurface somewhere else. Alternate chapters from Peter and Ovsanna’s limited points of view build narrative tension. Briskly paced and full of fang-in-cheek humor, this novel is one of the more entertaining recent works of supernatural noir.

Barbeau’s ex-husband, writer-director John Carpenter, apparently enjoyed the book enough to provide a funny, favorable quote: “Sexy, funny and gory - and that’s just the first chapter. If I’d known she could write like this, I would’ve stuck around a little longer.”

Read a list of Bareau’s Southern California book tour appearances below the fold. Continue Reading »

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The Hollywood Film Festival will be returning to the ArcLight Cinemas on October 22. Unlike many major mainstream festivals, this one shows a certain respect for fantasy, horror and science fiction. The festival, a joint venture between STARZ and Film Threat, has announced its Call for Entries for these often neglected genres:

• “Film festivals have always been very supportive of independents. Unfortunately, indie sci-fi, fantasy and horror genres often get left out of typical festival programs. How will we discover the next Peter Jackson if festivals do not support young filmmakers who create fantastic visions? I’m ecstatic to team up again with the Hollywood Film Festival to showcase cutting-edge new work from indie genre filmmakers. I’m proud that Film Threat’s editor-in-chief Mark Bell as well as the Film Threat staff, will be involved in the selection process with the goal to feature the best of the next generation of filmmakers,” said Film Threat founder Chris Gore.

Read the full press release here. For more information on submissions, go here.

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 The Los Angeles Film Festival revs up this week, starting on June 19 and running through June 29. A combination of independent films and Hollywood blockbusters, the fest includes numerous science fiction, fantasy, and horror titles, such as JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH and HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY.

Events include conversations with director Guillermo del Toro (HELLBOY 2), cinematographer Guillermo Navarro (PAN’S LABYRINTH), and director Edgar Wright, who will celebrate the U.S. DVD debut of the British cult comedy SPACED by screening two complete episodes. Continue Reading »

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The American Cinematheque will be presenting a tribute to filmmaker John Carpenter this month, showcasing some of his best horror and science fiction films: THE THING, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, the original HALLOWEEN, and more. Carpenter will be in person at several of the screenings to answer questions, so here’s a chance to meet your hero in person!

Below is the schedule:

• THE THING/THE FOG - Friday, June 13 @ 7:30pm (Discussion with Carpenter between films)
• ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK/ESCAPE FROM L.A. - Saturday, June 14 @ 7:30pm (Discussion with Carpenter between films)
• HALLOWEEN/CHRISTINE - Sunday June 15 @ 7:30pm
• BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA/ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 - Wednesday, June 18 @ 7:30pm (Discussion with actor Austin Stoker between films)

All screenings will be held at the Aero Theatre. Get more information at the theatre’s official website.

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