March 22-28
Tarantino
And inspirations
Quentin Tarantino’s films have never been set anywhere as mundane as reality. His is the world of pulp serials and auteur cinema, where everyday conversations are flamboyant monologues, and wild violence is only a moment away. These are films written purely in the language of cinema. This week we’re playing three favorites from the auteur, alongside three companion films that trace that language back a little further.
[Band of Outsiders]
Pulp Fiction draws from a catalogue of pulp art so broad that it’s hard to pin down any one inspiration. We opted for Jean Luc Goddard’s unbearably cool Band of Outsiders (aka Bande á Part). Band of Outsiders is often cited by Tarantino (he even named his production company after it), and its particular brand of cool undeniably influenced the film maker.
Pulp Fiction
Friday (3/22) - 9:15
Saturday (3/23) - 6:30
Band of outsiders
Saturday (3/23) - 4:20
Thursday (3/28) - 7:00
There’s no shortage of man-on-mission WWII films to pair with Inglourious Basterds, but how could we pass up the opportunity to play The Dirty Dozen? With Ernest Borgnine (The Wild Bunch), Lee Marvin (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance), Charles Bronson (Death Wish), Jim Brown (The Running Man), Donald Sutherland (Invasion of the Body Snatchers), Telly Savalas (Kojak), and more, it may have the most cartoonishly awesome tough-guy cast ever put on film.
Inglourious Basterds
Sunday (3/24) - 3:50
Monday (3/15) - 7:00
The Dirty Dozen
Sunday (3/24) - 7:00
Reservoir Dogs plays out like a mash-up of Stanley Kubrick’s heist thriller The Killing, and Ringo Lam’s undercover-cop-with-conflicted-loyalty masterpiece City on Fire. We opted for City on Fire (as part of the Cinema City series). Accusations have often been made that Reservoir Dogs lifted a little too much inspiration from City on Fire, but as fans of both, we think Tarantinos film does more than enough to stand on its own. Still, we thought this would be a great way to revisit both films and let everyone decide for themselves.