Nestled beneath Video Vérité, the Bargain Basement Screening Room offers free screenings, open to the public. Come check out a flick anytime; candy's for sale and refreshments may be brought in. Show up early for pre-film intros by our dedicated programmers.

 

If you'd like to become a volunteer programmer for the Bargain Basement Screening Room, or sign up for e-mail updates to the schedule, write us here.

 

May 2006:

THEME NIGHTS: 

Thursday=Westerns
Friday=Science Fiction
Saturday=Director's Spotlight on David Cronenberg.

Films start at 8pm sharp so don't be late!  Dig It!

May 3 (Wed.):  The Chocolate War (1988)—Excellent, dark-tinged teen drama about the vicious hierarchy and secret societies at a private Catholic school.  Based on the Robert Cormier novel.

May 4 (Thur.):  Seven Men from Now (1956)—Gripping revenge story has Randolph Scott as an ex-sheriff hunting down the guys who killed his wife, one of whom is Lee Marvin.  From cult fave director Budd Boetticher (that's pronounced Bediker, last I heard.)

May 5 (Fri.):  Dark City (1998)—Our new, ongoing attempt to prove that science fiction movies can be smart starts off slowly.  This film noir-influenced "Twilight Zone"-type story stars Rufus Sewell running all over a sunless metropolis looking for his wife.  Well, she is Jennifer Connelly…

May 6 (Sat.):  Videodrome (1983)—David Cronenberg has finally achieved real mainstream critical acceptance with "A History of Violence" (which is a great film).  But it's important to remember what a twisted S.O.B. he's always been.  So come see "Videodrome."  James Woods puts a VHS tape (what's that?) in his tummy.  It's twisted.

May 10 (Wed.):  The Sorrow and the Pity (Part 1) (1969)—Marcel Ophuls' epic documentary explores French collaboration with Nazi occupiers under the Vichy Government, focusing on one small provincial town.  Part 2 on May 24.

May 11 (Thur.):  The Shooting (1967)—This low-budget counter-culture Western was produced by Roger Corman and directed by Monte Hellman (later the producer of "Reservoir Dogs").  Jack Nicholson co-stars as one of two cowboys hired by a mysterious woman to help her in a revenge scheme.

May 12 (Fri.):  Pitch Black (2000)—It seems like only yesterday that Vin Diesel seemed to have real promise as an offbeat action hero; in fact, it was six years ago when he starred as the convict Riddick in this well-done space opera about a crash landing on a planet with three suns—and what happens when all of them set.

May 13 (Sat.):  Naked Lunch (1991)--The Cronenberg canon continues with the Canadian's brilliant adaptation of the unfilmable William Burroughs novel.  Peter Weller is "Bill Lee," and Judy Davis is his wife.  Plus lots of Mugwumps and a great score by Ornette Coleman.

May 17 (Wed.):  The Devils (1971)—Madman Ken Russell brings you his scandalous, outrageous, blasphemous rendition of events in the 17th century town of Loudon, where the nuns (including Glenda Jackson) are possessed by Satan and the Inquisition (in the form of Oliver Reed) is coming to root them out.

May 18 (Thur.):  The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)--…he was the greatest of them all!  Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne are the good guys; Lee Marvin is the bad guy.  What more do you need to know?

May 19 (Fri.):  Robocop (1987)—Hmmmm….Two Peter Weller movies in less than a week.  Coincidence?  Memo to self:  Show "Buckaroo Banzai" next month.  Anyway, I fondly remember seeing Paul Verhoeven's dark, violent satire as a 17-year-old geek and spouting bits of its dialogue for weeks.  "I'd buy THAT for a dollar!"  That sort of thing.

May 20 (Sat.):  FAMILY MOVIE MARATHON!  Come one, come all, and show your children what life was like way back in the 1980s.  Back then, kids got to watch movies like D.A.R.Y.L. (1985), where Michael McKean tries to help a lost, amnesiac robot kid.  Then there's The Neverending Story (1984), which does in fact end, from the director of the new Poseidon Adventure.  Next is a couple episodes of Fraggle Rock, which ain't exactly the Muppet Show, but it'll do.  But that's not all!  The Monster Squad (1987) pits the classic Universal monsters (Dracula, Wolfman, Frankenstein's monster, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon—aka Gillman) against a bunch of loser kids.  And wrapping up the evening is the all-time classic Labyrinth (1986), in which David Bowie leads Jennifer Connelly on a wild goblin chase.  Ah, the Reagan era was a great time to be young!
            2:00:  D.A.R.Y.L.
            4:00:  The Neverending Story
            6:00:  Fraggle Rock
            7:00:  The Monster Squad
            8:30:  Labyrinth

May 24 (Wed.):  The Sorrow and the Pity (Part 2) (1969)—See May 10 for description.

May 25 (Thur.):  Forty Guns (1957)—Barbara Stanwyck stars as the super-tough, super-sexy ranch owner who rules an Arizona county with her private army, at least until some square law-and-order type shows up and ruins everything.  Writer-director Sam Fuller incorporates his usual bag of bizarre Freudian tricks on this one.

May 26 (Fri.):  Cube (1997)—Claustrophobic Canadian sci-fi thriller has seven total strangers awaken in a deadly three-dimensional maze with no idea how they got there or how to get out.  Movie's spawned two sequels, although I thought the most recent should have been called "Cube Cubed" instead of just "Cube 3."

May 27 (Sat.):  Crash (1996)—I was so shocked when this won the Academy Award for Best Picture!  I never in a million years thought the fuddy-duddies at the Oscars would dare to recognize a movie that features James Spader having sex with Rosanna Arquette's open wound!  Oops, spoiler alert!  Anyway, if you want to see what all the hubbub's about, check it.  By the way, Ted Turner HATED this movie; there, you've been warned.

May 31 (Wed.):  The Holy Mountain (1973):  Alejandro Jodorowsky's second cult classic (after "El Topo") is a trippy religious allegory about a truth-seeker who meets seven mystical guides, or something like that.  Anyway, it's Aliye's last presentation before he heads off to the Big Apple for the summer, so let's give him a big send-off!  Hoo-ahh!