Oscar weekend is finally here. You still have a chance to catch most of the best picture nominees playing around town. You can also still buy tickets for Three Dollar Bill Cinema and Gay City’s huge Oscar Party. Hope to see you there!
New Releases
Nic Cage: Drivin' Angry is illegal in this county
Drive Angry 3D, dir. Patrick Lussier, starring Nicolas Cage. Another blow-em-up action flick starring Nic Cage, and it might actually be fun. Maybe. Cage plays a murdered renegade, who’s escaped from hell to save his baby granddaughter from the bad guys who killed him. Along the way he does a lot of driving—angrily. Okay. What gives me hope is director Patrick Lussier, who did the deliciously fun My Bloody Valentine remake in 3D. Any movie with 3D naked boobies is worth my money. Considering this flick has an R rating, there’s a chance we might get them in this one too. (Regal Meridian, 1501 7th Ave, 12:10, 1:30, 2:40, 4, 5:10, 6:30, 7:40, 9:00, and 10:10 p.m.)
Hall Pass, dir. Bobby and Peter Farrelly, starring Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, and Christina Applegate. The Farrelly Brothers are back with another comedy based almost exclusively on gross-out gags. What else is there to put on screen to shock the audience into laughter? I don’t even want to ask. Their new one is about two married dudes, Wilson and Sudeikis, who are given permission to have extra-marital affairs by their wives. But uh oh watch out, the tables turn when the wives want to get some action on the side too. This just sounds dumb. (Pacific Place, 600 Pine St, 11:15 a.m., 12:25 1:50, 3:00, 4:25, 5:40, 7:10, 8:25, 9:50 and 11 p.m.; Landmark Metro, 4500 9th Avenue NE, 1:10, 4:30, 7:15 and 9:45 p.m.)
Seattle Screenings
Nuremberg: the 1948 documentary
Nuremberg (1948), dir. Pare Lorentz, narrated by Liev Scheiber. (Varsity Theater 4329 University Way NE, 12:45, 2:45, 4:45, 7 and 9:20 p.m.) This documentary, not to be confused with the 1961 drama Judgment at Nuremberg, was shot during the first Nazi war criminal trials. It splices in footage from the war, concentration camps and the aftermath in Germany. The roughness of the intercutting creates a disorienting and disturbing look at one of the darkest periods in human history. Also at the Varisty—Oscar Nominated Shorts 2011: Animation (1:15pm, 3:15 and 7:20 p.m.) and Live Action (5:10 and 9:20). These are a must see if you want to correctly guess the winners at the Oscar party on Sunday. There are big prizes for the audience member who gets the most categories correct.
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) dir. Stanley Kubrick, starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, and Sterling Hayden. The silliest movie ever made about Nuclear Armageddon (A close second is the short lived Fox series Whoops!) Here is the trailer, which succinctly demonstrates how deftly the film balances comedy and innovative film making.
(Central Cinema, 1411 21st Ave, Friday-Saturday, 7 and 9:30 p.m., Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. only)
Teen Witch (1989), dir. Dorian Walker, starring Robyn Lively, Dan Gauthier, Mandy Ingber and Joshua John Miller. This Monday is Central Cinema’s Pajama Party, a night for teenage girls at heart. Wearing pajamas, hair curlers and nail polish are highly encouraged. The film, Teen Witch, was a mainstay of early 90s slumber parties when it was on heavy rotation at HBO. Louise Miller finds out she has magical powers on her 16th birthday. The clip below demonstrates her most important spell—becoming the most popular girl in high school.
(Central Cinema, 1411 21st Ave Monday, 7 p.m.)
Ryan Hicks is Development Manager for Three Dollar Bill Cinema, a film fan and contributor to Seattle Gay Scene.
