HIGH FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Sometimes you need a break from the holidays, so gather your "Christmas trees" and join us for a blazin' good time!
SCHOOL IN THE CROSSHAIRS 1981
This early "idol" movie by genre master Nobuhiko Obayashi (HOUSE) stars Hiroko Yakushimaru, then the heart-throb of millions of Japanese fans. Yuko (Yakushimaru) is a high school girl with telekinetic powers who must defend her school from an extraterrestrial attack. A new student is using her own psychic abilities to transform the school into a fascistic staging area for an alien takeover of the Earth. Offering powerful political commentary with plenty of sci-fi thrills, SCHOOL IN THE CROSSHAIRS is a stylish crowd-pleaser from one of Japan’s most electric auteurs.
Thursday, December 4
Director: Nobuhiko Obayashi
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Starring: Hiroko Yakushimaru, Ryôichi Takayanagi, Masami Hasegawa
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Runtime: 90 min., Japan
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Language: Japanese w/ English subtitles
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THE VISITOR 1979
The sci-fi/horror epic that 1979 couldn't handle. An intergalactic warrior joins a cosmic Christ figure in battle against a demonic eight-year-old girl and her pet hawk, while the fate of the universe hangs in the balance!
One of the holiest of all Holyfuckingshits, THE VISITOR is a wonderful mishmash of THE OMEN, THE BIRDS, ROSEMARY’S BABY, STAR WARS and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS -- but even that barely hints at the fervor with which director Giulio Paradisi hurls his cast (John Huston, Glenn Ford, Shelley Winters, Franco Nero, Lance Henriksen and, yes, even Sam Peckinpah) into the cinematic void.
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Just when you think you've nailed down which direction the film’s heading in, THE VISITOR shatters your notion of the time-space continuum with a blackhearted blowout of interplanetary possession, telekinetic avian assault, exploding basketballs and ecclesiastical laserstorms. If you miss out on this one, then you have as much regard for cinema as you do for a discarded toenail clipping.
Thursday, December 11
Director: Giulio Paradisi
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Starring: John Huston, Shelley Winters, Lance Henriksen
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Runtime: 108 min., USA
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Language: English
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NUTCRACKER FANTASY 1976
From Japan, NUTCRACKER FANTASY is a 1979 stop motion epic in the mold of the classic Rankin-Bass Christmas specials—which included SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN’ TO TOWN (1970), upon which NUTCRACKER FANTASY’s director Takeo Nakamura worked as an animator. The major difference between them and NUTCRACKER FANTASY (KURUMI-WARI NINGYOU) is that the latter film is deeply, thoroughly and profoundly weird. It’s loosely based on the 1816 story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by E.T.A. Hoffmann and the 1892 ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (electronically reworked snatches from which are played on the soundtrack), although the Christmas setting so integral to both has been largely, though not entirely, expunged. (The Bedlam Files)
Tuesday, December 16
Director: Takeo Nakamura
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Starring: Christopher Lee, Melissa Gilbert, Roddy McDowell
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Runtime: 95 min., Japan
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Language: English
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THE HOLY MOUNTAIN 1973
Pack your bags for the head-trip of a lifetime with Alejandro Jodorowsky’s dazzling masterpiece and one of the most mind-bending feature films of all time. The Alchemist assembles together a group of people from all walks of life to represent the planets in the solar system. The occult adept’s intention is to put his recruits through strange mystical rites and divest them of their worldly baggage before embarking on a trip to Lotus Island. There they ascend the Holy Mountain to displace the immortal gods who secretly rule the universe. You’ll want to hold onto your eyeballs as you witness this psychedelic treasure on the big screen! (Vidiots)
Friday, December 26
Sunday, December 28
Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky
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Starring: Alejandro Jodorowsky, Horacio Salinas, Zamira Saunders
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Runtime: 113 min., Mexico
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Language: English & Spanish w/ English subtitles
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