Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad
It’s never a good idea to start with bad news, but I want to get this out of the way to make room for the good stuff. Due to diminishing attendance and overall lack of interest, the Chiller Diller Theatre at the Orinda Theatre will go on an indefinite hiatus, leaving me with that much less to write about, and everyone else with an empty hole where cheesy horror/science fiction used to live.
I wish Lord Blood-Rah and crew the best of luck and hope for their return sometime soon.
The good news is we still have the International Film Showcase and the free monthly movie night to talk about – so allow me to elucidate.
Actually, the International Film Showcase will show a film that opened the California Independent Film Festival in November. Then I described Driving Madeleine as a frank, “no punches pulled” film about a life well lived, though not without controversy. I was also quick to point out that if you’re expecting a Parisian Driving Miss Daisy, you might find yourself surprised.
Upon thinking about it, this film more resembles – thematically at least – Michael Mann’s actioner Collateral, albeit without the violence, gunplay and Tom Cruise. In its place though is a gentle, kindly film about the difficulty life hands us and how best we can learn, regardless of the source, to accept and continue on. As we go to press, no date has been set for this film, but make sure to keep checking with internationalshowcase.org for previews and showtimes.
Next, we have the free film classics movie night. This month presents what I call a template film, which means a movie that sets the tone for countless other films to emulate. The film is Bullitt with Steve McQueen.
If you haven’t yet seen this film, especially on the big screen, it would be easy to think you have, mainly because it introduced many of the elements such as car chase scenes and hard-boiled cops we now take for granted.
Indeed, would there even be a Dirty Harry were it not for Bullitt? (Speaking of which, as exciting as the car chase is, if you know the Bay Area well enough, you might notice how geographically impossible that sequence is.) Bullitt also boasts a large number of actors you swear you’ve seen elsewhere. It will screen at the Orinda Theatre on Jan. 18 at 6:30 p.m. Free admission.
In closing, I would like to remind everyone that the Orinda Theatre is far more than just a movie theater. Derek Zemrak has also transformed it into a concert hall with top name artists performing – Donna McKechnie and Ute Lemper to name a few. There may be one or two tickets available, so please go to orindamovies.com and click on the concert series tag to find out more.
And, as ever, remember to always go toward those wonderful images made out of sound and light, for that’s where the reel magic lies.