Playing with Dolls
It all started when I said something about wanting to play Barbie, and owner/booker Ryan said he wanted to play Mad God. Then we got to talking about how both movies have dolls in them, and wouldn’t it be funny if we played a week of doll movies. Then we decided that, even though it sounded like fun, it would be difficult to promote and was probably a bad idea.
I don’t remember exactly how the conversation went from there, but here’s a week of doll films.
BARBIE
Barbie was one of our favorites from 2023, but none of us got to see it in theaters. That’s a shame, because it’s an absolute crowd pleaser with a visual inventiveness that begs for the big screen.
Barbie plays Saturday (9/17) at 7:00, and Sunday (9/18) at 4:30. Tickets
Dollman
Actor Tim Thomerson (Trancers 1 through 5, Near Dark) and director Albert Pyun (Brainsmasher, Nemesis) are VHS Night staples, but we’ve never shown one of their films in any other format… until now. For one night only we’re playing a pristine restoration of their absurd sci-fi/action/comedy Dollman.
Dollman, plays Friday (2/16) at 9:00. Tickets
Mad God
MAD GOD is a fully practical animated film 30-years in the making. It’s a nightmare world on the edge of apocalypse, populated by monsters locked in perpetual war. It’s nearly free of dialogue, lacks conventional plotting, and it’s brilliant.
MAD GOD plays Friday (2/16), Sunday (2/18) and Monday (2/19) at 7:00. Tickets
Lars and the Real Girl
Despite a seemingly lowbrow premise, Lars and the Real Girl is a comedy with uncommon compassion. Nancy Oliver’s script deftly avoids cheap jokes, and the cast brings humanity to each and every character (sex doll included).
Lars and the Real Girl plays Saturday (2/17) at 4:30, and Tuesday (2/20) at 7:00. Tickets
God of Gamblers
For our next trip to the golden age of Hong Kong cinema, we’ve got Wong Jing’s 1992 buddy-comedy/action/romance/crime/drama/thriller God of Gamblers. For those unfamiliar with Wong Jing’s films, they can be… a lot. Just let go and enjoy the ride. They’re a blast, and this one features Chow Yun-fat chewing scenery while playing very much against type (at least for part of the film).
God of Gamblers plays Thursday (2/22) at 7:00 as part of the Cinema City series. Tickets
