Dear New Parkway Lover:
Had a good last week and now we’re heading into what could be a real biggie at the New Parkway. Here are some of the highlights:
· It’s the first Friday of April, and that means Art Murmur at the New Parkway. We’ve got two theaters of free programming from 6-9PM, art up on the walls, live music, and great food and drink. And then we’ll have Argo and Side Effects after that.
· We’ve got the Oakland International Film Festival all day Saturday and Sunday.
· Spectrum Queer Cinema is presenting the pilot of Dyke Central featuring our very own Mercedes Gibson. Yay, Mercedes!
· We’re showing the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship game on Monday night at 6PM. AND, if the Cal women make it into the championship game, we’ll show that as well on Tuesday night, bumping Side Effects. Sorry, Side Effects, but this is Bear Country if they’re in the final.
We’re keeping two of our features from last week, but we’re going to let Adam say something about them anyways:
Hi All,
This week we have a combination of new and old movies. Well, they are both old in that we showed them last week. But Side Effects came out pretty recently and Argo came out in limited release before the election. Why on earth would you go and see a movie at the Parkway when you could just stream it in the comfort of your own home? Well, a couple of reasons actually:
1) It's about the same price. Even if there are two of you, just come on Wednesday 2 for 1.
2) Not everyone has a Roku/Apple TV/PS3 to stream a movie. Then you have to go to a grocery store to rent it and it's a hassle to bring it back.
3) No pizza/delicious snacks or beer that will be hand delivered to you during the movie
4) Some people don't have comfortable homes. They are cool and hip (probably live in SOMA in San Francisco) and have a designer couch that looks cool but gives you a back ache.
5) Being able to pause a movie to answer your phone kind of takes away the immersion effect movies can offer. There is no easier way to remove tension in a thriller than chatting to your friend about Bob's affair, during a crucial scene.
Argo
What do you get when you combine Ben Affleck, George Clooney and one of the support actors of True Lies (a hacker on Arnold's special ops team)? A producing team who have made one of the best movies of the year. I remember last year arriving in to San Francisco Airport with a suitcase full of Irish sausages and bacon and feeling slightly nervous when confronted by a sniffer dog and an AK-47 wielding police officer. Having to sneak through an Iranian airport during the hostage crisis must have been even more terrifying (one would think). Especially if you were an American who had escaped the embassy attack and were pretending to be a Canadian movie crew.
Expertly plotted with tension you could cut with a knife (not literally). This is excellent movie making. It also has the added bonus of Alan Arkin's best role in years, even if he is only in it for 20 minutes. Plus, who does not like movies where the Canadians are the heroes (probably the Iranians).
Side Effects
Have you ever taken prescription drugs and noticed the label says they should not be combined with grapefruit 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.
Adam
And now for more information about our repertory and special events programming:
New Parkway Family Classics—This week we’re showing THE NEVERENDING STORY on both Friday afternoon (pre-First Friday) and Saturday at 12:30. So come on out with the family.
Spectrum Queer Cinema—SPECTRUM Queer Media.com presents a double feature, "Dyke Central" Pilot and "Fiona's Script", including a post screening Q&A with Filmmaker Florencia Manóvil and several cast members! And one of them works at the New Parkway. That alone is worth the price of admission!
Thrillville—THRILLVILLE THEATER and JOHNNY LEGEND present THE BIG TNT SHOW (1966, Directed by Larry Peerce, 93 min., Black & White). This amazing time capsule has had almost no theatrical exposure in the past several decades, and we have the best digital transfer available (and our host Johnny Legend was there for the entire filming and is listed as a cast member on IMDB!). Originally billed as "The T.A.M.I. Show II," this legendary musical documentary perfectly captures the entire pop music scene of the mid-1960s. Where else can you see Joan Baez, The Ronettes, Bo Didley, Ray Charles, Ike & Tina Turner, The Lovin' Spoonful, Roger Miller, The Byrds, and on and on and on on the same bill. Phil Spector produced and directed, which explains the eclectic mix and incredible production values. Songs include "She's Alright", "Downtown", "magic", "500 Miles", "Georgia", "Lost That Lovin' Feeling", "Be My Baby", "King of the Road", "Turn, Turn, Turn", "Mr. Tambourine Man", "Writing on the Wall", "Sweet Joy", etc....
Baby Brigade—Due to NCAA basketball, we’re back to only one Baby Brigade this week but we’re showing Argo and what’s not to like about that?
Doc Night—We’re hosting the Game Changers Project and their screening of We Got Next. Movie, presentation, & discussion. This is the way we like to do things!
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 EVIL DEAD 2 (1986)
Sam Raimi's legendary supernatural slapstick spook show—the more popular sequel to/remake of his 1981 horror hit "The Evil Dead"—made a genre superstar out of Bruce Campbell as chainsaw-armed, demon-fighting, zombie-killing Ash. Made to be experienced with an audience full of fellow shrieking, beer-guzzling, pizza-munching fans of this gory all-time cult favorite, never to be duplicated. WARNING: Whenever your mouth is wide open—whether eating, drinking, laughing out loud or screaming—watch out for flying eyeballs…"Groovy!"
Thanks for your continued and growing support of the New Parkway Theater. We hope to see you soon!
Moses
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