Dear New Parkway Lover:
There seems to be some debate about the quality of our features this week—come see for yourself—but there is no debate about our selection of local beers nor about the awesomeness of our Mystery Meal, our new Hot Meat of the Day, and our Deep-Fried Rice Balls. Ignore them at your own risk. Here’s what else is hot and meaty at the New Parkway:
· We’ve got the kick-off of the Oakland Poetry Slam tonight at 9:30. Actually, not the kick-off, but they’ll be doing their thing for the first time here at the New Parkway, including an open mic. Where’s CJ?
· We’ve got the 16th Anniversary of Thrillville on Sunday night which is quite a feat for a theater that’s only been open four months. But they’ll be yucking it up with their funny hats and cultish (movie) grins as they celebrate a generation of offbeat film.
· The return of Feelmore Fresh is tomorrow night with Hysteria. Don’t miss our night of erotica.
· The New Parkway will have a whole mess of folks trapped in the closet on Saturday night, and singing along. This will sell-out so we encourage you to get your tickets in advance. There’s only so much room in that closet, after all.
· Movies AND music on Sunday night. Like some high quality stuff!
· Beer-tasting and music on Mondays, Trivia Tuesdays, art on Wednesdays, and board games on Thursdays.
And a few other things to mark on your calendars…more info to follow:
· We’re going to do two Mother’s Day brunches (or join us for a Joan Crawford double feature) on May 12th. The theme this year is Good Mom, Bad Mom, and we’ll be showing Mildred Pierce followed by Mommie Dearest. Each movie will be accompanied by yummy food and drink, and we’ll be sending out more info about these shortly.
· We’re ready to announce our second Movie Marathon, May 19th, as we show the Godfather trilogy. So mark your calendars for an 11am start time and a whole bunch of pasta and chianti, along with a whole bunch of Brando. Again, more info to follow.
Here’s what Adam has to say about our movies this week:
Hi All,
Now that March Madness is over (except for those that are deeply disturbed) you can settle down and catch up on movies you have been ignoring at the New Parkway (no excuse for not seeing Side Effects now), other movies you have not had a chance to see (On the Road) and movies that had questionable trailers and made you not want to see them (Jack the Giant Slayer). Or you can go about your everyday life. Doing laundry. Washing dishes. Waking up with nothing to look forward to. Day after day. Just one more day before the inevitable end.
Side Effects
Have you ever taken prescription drugs and noticed the label says they should not be combined with grape-fruit juice? And after drinking a few Greyhounds to see what would happen, woken up in Tijuana with no clothes. Most people actually follow the advice of the label and don't encounter these problems. But even the label readers can encounter some issues with the side effects of some drugs. You have seen the ads. A happy older woman frolicking around with her grandchildren. After promising renewed health, vigor and life changing remedies, the ad is legally obliged to list some of the side effects. May cause insomnia, bleeding from the ear, rage and high blood pressure.
The movie Side Effects deals with the creepy underbelly of the pharmaceuticals industry. By taking certain drugs what are we leaving ourselves open to? Given it's a Steven Soderbergh movie, it is done in an entertaining and highly believable way. Featuring Jude Law and Rooney Mara (heiress to the NY Giants NFL franchise) in superb form, this Hitchcockian (not sure if this is a term) thriller pulls no punches and is a riveting thriller.
On the Road
Jack the Giant Slayer
Yes, the trailers looked decidedly dodgy. Too scary for kids. Too childish for grownups. But sometimes you need a good old-fashioned adventure. And Bryan Singer delivers. Avoiding the fact that they need to stop making these modern updates of fairy tales (Hansel and Gretel- Witch hunters and Red Riding Hood being two atrocious examples) Jack the Giant Slayer (Killer was apparently too scary for kids) is consistently amusing, fun and well acted. In the hands of Peter Jackson, there is an excellent chance this would have turned into a 9 hour trilogy delving into the history of giants with a new update released every year. But 'Jack the Giant Slayer' is action packed and squeezes a lot into it's less than 2 hours running time.
Part of the problem is when you spend $200M on a movie (and $100M marketing it) if it does not do exceedingly well, it is tagged as a failure. As a result, no-one goes to see it. But this is one of those movies that is surprisingly fun and wonderful to see on the big screen.
On the Road
Based on Jack Kerouc's beloved American novel, On The Road is the story of Sal Paradise, an aspiring New York writer, and Dean Moriarty, a charming ex-con, married to the very liberated and seductive Marylou. Sal and Dean bond instantly upon meeting. Determined not to get locked into a constricted life, the two friends cut their ties and take to the road with Marylou. Thirsting for freedom, the three young people head off in search of the world, of other encounters, and of themselves
Following up the excellent 'Motorcycle Diaries', Walter Salles road movie has been in the making for a long time. Francis Ford Coppolla bought the rights in 1979 and has tried to make this movie multiple times over the years. Featuring an all-star cast including Garrett Hedlund (widely praised for his role), Amy Adams, Steve Buscemi, Kirsten Dunst, Viggo Mortensen and Kristen Stewart, this is an excellent ensemble period piece that is thoroughly enjoyable.
Adam
And now for more information about our repertory and special events programming:
New Parkway Family Classics—This week we’re showing AN AMERICAN TAIL on both Friday afternoon (pre-First Friday) and Saturday at 12:30. It’s our most family-friendly showing (meaning G-rated) and we’re co-presenting with www.510families.com, so if you’re a family in the 510, there’s no reason for you not to attend.
Spectrum Queer Cinema—SPECTRUM Queer Media.com presents The Watermelon Woman. The first film by and about an African-American lesbian, writer-director Cheryl Dunye's fantasy is a "mockumentary," focusing on recapturing the life and times of a fictionalized 1930s Hollywood actress. Dunye plays herself as a video store employee who yearns to be a director. She decides to make a documentary about Fae Richards (Lisa Marie Bronson), a forgotten African-American actress from the 1930s. Dunye discovers the woman, who often played degrading roles as a "mammy" in Hollywood films, was the secret lover of a white director, Martha Paige. Dunye interviews feminist historian Camille Paglia (playing herself), who explains Richards' career and its importance. While researching the project, Dunye falls in love with Diana (Guinevere Turner), a white customer. But her unceasing work on the film project interferes with her relationships with Diana and also with her friend and fellow video store employee Tamara (Valarie Walker). ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi
Thrillville—THRILLVILLE'S 16TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW featuring THIS ISLAND EARTH (1955), hosted by Will the Thrill! Come celebrate 16 years of B movies - brains, blood, beasts, breasts, bikers, blaxploitation, beatniks and more - in swingin' style as original Parkway programmer and longtime host/producer of the cult movie cabaret Thrillville (now "franchised" at TNP), Will "the Thrill" Viharo presents this vintage sci-fi classic direct from Metaluna, plus a few surprise Space Age shorts, with prizes and signed copies of his latest novel, the sci-fi pulp epic "It Came From Hangar 18," for sale. Cheers!
Baby Brigade—We’ve got Side Effects and On The Road for you this Monday, at 4:30 and 6:30 respectively. Co-sponsored by www.510families.com, so you know that it’s good, clean, fun, or so we believe. Even the dirty scenes in each movie have the stamp of approval to show to babies under 1 year of age, so go on out and watch a movie, you parents.
Foreign Cinema—Oakland Oppa Style is back, and this Monday, we’re showing THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE WEIRD, the story of two outlaws and a bounty hunter in 1940s Manchuria and their rivalry to possess a treasure map while being pursued by the Japanese army and Chinese bandits.
Doc Night—Michael Orange’s Brooklyn Reconstructed series has its finale on Tuesday night with The Battle for Brooklyn. Battle for Brooklyn (2012), by Michael Galinsky and Suki Hawley, follows the story of reluctant activist Daniel Goldstein as he struggles to save his home and community from being demolished to make way for a professional basketball arena and the densest real estate development in U.S. history. Along the way, he falls in love, gets married and starts a family while living in a vacated building located at the heart of the project site. Over the course of seven years, Daniel spearheads the movement against the development plan as he and the community fight tenaciously in the courts, the streets, and the media to stop the abuse of eminent domain and reveal the corruption at the heart of the plan.
2 for 1 Wednesdays—All day Wednesday, 2 for 1 admission prices with movies starting at 3:30. And now with Happy Hour drinks from 5-7PM followed by arts and crafts projects in the café that you can do with your buzz on.
Parkway Classics—Will the Thrill's Parkway Classics presents Alex Cox's punk sci-fi cult classic REPO MAN (1984), starring Emilio Estevez and Harry Dean Stanton. Killer soundtrack featuring Iggy Pop and many others. "Plate of shrimp." Come on out on Thursday!
Thanks for your continued and growing support of the New Parkway Theater. We hope to see you soon!
Moses
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