Schedule May 31-June 6, 2013

Hi all,

I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day! I never feel bad honoring veterans by drinking copious amounts of alcohol and eating my weight in chips and guacemole. I find President's Day challenging given the dubious histories of some of our Presidents but I struggle through so it is not a complete write-off. We are almost in June which means we are fully in the summer movie season. Sit back and enjoy the mix of new and old movies. 

Upstream Color

Shane Carruth is well known in indie-film circles (such things do exist- it is the unknown 10th circle of hell) for his incredible debut film 'Primer'. Made for $7,000 (the same as Tom Cruise's barber on Oblivion), it did not over-simplify for the sake of its audience. One reviewer said that "anybody who claims he fully understands what's going on in 'Primer' after seeing it just once is either a savant or a liar. 'Upstream Color' is his long awaited second feature. And it is just as challenging, weird and brilliant as 'Primer'. 

Carruth never talks down to his audience. He presents you with complex, baffling plots and dares you to keep up. The plot synopsis is relatively simple. A man and woman are drawn together, entangled in the life cycle of an ageless organism. It could be under the following genres: sci-fi, thriller, adventure, drama. One thing is a guarantee- you won't see anything like 'Upstream Color' in movie theaters again for a long time. Probably not until he makes his third movie. 

The Sapphires

Chris O' Dowd is kind of a flabby, overnight sensation. Since popping up in 'Bridesmaids' as a loveable Irish cop, he has put in an appearance in nearly every movie and TV show I have been watching. Despite a very dodgy American accent in 'Girls', he is always worth watching and can be frequently hilarious. Disclaimer: I am Irish and it is Irish law that we promote and celebrate the success of Irish actors even if they are in bad movies- I was touting the pros of 'Alexander' for a long time purely based on a man crush on Colin Farrell. 

But this is one movie where you don't need to overlook major flaws to thoroughly enjoy. Inspired by a true story, the film follows four talented Australian Aboriginal girls from a remote mission as they learn about love, friendship and war when their all girl group The Sapphires entertains the U.S. troops in Vietnam in 1968. It is tough to compare it to other movies. The Commitments probably comes close. In that there is soul music. And it's a real crowd-pleaser. And you would have to have no heart or feelings to really embrace it as one of the most enjoyable movies of the year. 93% on Rotten Tomatoes confirms these people exist (7% of people are miserable). Not to be missed. 

Oblivion

Nothing says the start of the summer movie season like a Tom Cruise action flick. But 'Oblivion' is quite different to the typical sci-fi action movie. It is large scale and original, and despite its familiar story, Oblivion dreams up some great ideas. A veteran assigned to extract Earth's remaining resources begins to question what he knows about his mission and himself. The director, Joseph Kosinski, (Tron Legacy) knows how to make a beautiful looking movie and stage some excellent set pieces. 

There is a happy medium between going to a movie and shutting your brain off completely (any movie based on a Hasbro game or toy) and having your mind bended into a pretzel with focus and attention required. This movie is it. You need your brain to be switched on in order to enjoy this for what it is. Patients in long-term comas have similar reactions to Transformers that live audiences have. This requires more. In addition, Tom Cruise is not being paid a percentage of this film's profits. So if you dislike him as a person, you can enjoy the movie knowing you are not buying a gallon of gas for his G5 private jet.

Blancanieves

After every movie hit, there are usually a few movies that gratefully grab coat-tails and catch a piggy-back to success. After Gladiator we had 'Troy',  'Alexander' and '300'. Most of these movies are pale imitations of the original that inspired it. After watching the crazy success of 'The Artist' in 2011 I was just waiting for an onslaught of silent movies claiming to be the next 'Artist'. But 'Blancanieves' IS the next Artist. 

Based on 'Snow White', but set in southern Spain in the 1920s, Blancanieves is a tribute to silent films.Once upon a time there was a little girl who had never known her mother. She learned the art of her father, a famous bullfighter, but was hated by her evil stepmother. One day she ran away with a troupe of dwarves, and became a legend. Clear enough? Widely adored by all critics, 'Blancanieves' is a little classic to be treasured.

 - Adam

SHOWTIMES:

Oblivion (PG-13) 

Fri & Sat: 7:30 PM

Sun: 6:15 PM

Mon: 9:15 PM

Tue & Wed: 6:30 PM

Upstream Color (NR) 

Fri: 9:15 PM

Sat: 2:40, 5:00

Sun: 8:30 PM

Mon: 4:30, 9:45

Tue: 9:45 PM

Wed: 9:30 PM

Thu: 7:00 PM

Free Angela and All Political Prisoners (NR) 

Sun: 3:00 PM

Blancanieves (PG-13) 

Fri: 5:00 PM

Sat: 4:00, 9:15

Sun: 9:15 PM

Mon: 7:00 PM

Tue: 9:30 PM

Wed: 9:45 PM

The Sapphires (PG-13) 

Fri: 6:30 PM

Sat: 1:30, 6:30

Sun: 3:30 PM

Mon: 6:30 PM

Wed: 7:00 PM

Thu: 6:30 PM

Family Classics: Shrek (PG) 

Fri: 4:00 PM

Sat: 12:30 PM

Parkway Classics: The Big Lebowski (R) 

Thu: 9:30 PM

Escape From New York (R) 

Fri & Sat: 10:30 PM

The African Cypher (NR) 

Tue: 7:00 PM

American Drug War 2: Cannabis Destiny (NR) 

Thu: 9:00 PM

Thrillville: Johnny Legend presents The Sadist (NR) Digital Presentation

Sun: 6:00 PM

Schedule May 24-30, 2013

Hi all,

Apologies if you went to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang last Friday. Those sounds you heard were my kids noisily eating handful upon handful of delicious popcorn, slurping milk with reckless abandon and attempting to sit on as many chairs and couches as humanely possible. Taking a 3 year old and 18 month old to a live action Disney classic was a bit of a gamble. It paid off for me in that I sipped an IPA, ate popcorn (in the same noisy manner as my kids) and generally got to enjoy a childhood favorite. But I really only brought them so they could experience the same blood-curdling fear I felt watching the Child-catcher. And they forced me to leave just as we were getting to that part. Oh well. There should be plenty of time for that in years to come. See below for this week's movies. 

The Sapphires

Chris O' Dowd is kind of a flabby, overnight sensation. Since popping up in 'Bridesmaids' as a loveable Irish cop, he has put in an appearance in nearly every movie and TV show I have been watching. Despite a very dodgy American accent in 'Girls', he is always worth watching and can be frequently hilarious. Disclaimer: I am Irish and it is Irish law that we promote and celebrate the success of Irish actors even if they are in bad movies- I was touting the pros of 'Alexander' for a long time purely based on a man crush on Colin Farrell. 

But this is one movie where you don't need to overlook major flaws to thoroughly enjoy. Inspired by a true story, the film follows four talented Australian Aboriginal girls from a remote mission as they learn about love, friendship and war when their all girl group The Sapphires entertains the U.S. troops in Vietnam in 1968. It is tough to compare it to other movies. The Commitments probably comes close. In that there is soul music. And it's a real crowd-pleaser. And you would have to have no heart or feelings to really embrace it as one of the most enjoyable movies of the year. 93% on Rotten Tomatoes confirms these people exist (7% of people are miserable). Not to be missed. 

Oblivion

Nothing says the start of the summer movie season like a Tom Cruise action flick. But 'Oblivion' is quite different to the typical sci-fi action movie. It is large scale and original, and despite its familiar story, Oblivion dreams up some great ideas. A veteran assigned to extract Earth's remaining resources begins to question what he knows about his mission and himself. The director, Joseph Kosinski, (Tron Legacy) knows how to make a beautiful looking movie and stage some excellent set pieces. 

There is a happy medium between going to a movie and shutting your brain off completely (any movie based on a Hasbro game or toy) and having your mind bended into a pretzel with focus and attention required. This movie is it. You need your brain to be switched on in order to enjoy this for what it is. Patients in long-term comas have similar reactions to Transformers that live audiences have. This requires more. In addition, Tom Cruise is not being paid a percentage of this film's profits. So if you dislike him as a person, you can enjoy the movie knowing you are not buying a gallon of gas for his G5 private jet. 

Oz- The Great and Powerful

Another week to experience the glorious Wizard of Oz. For clarity purposes, I should explain this is not the actual Wizard of Oz. Rather, James Franco is the glorious Wizard of Oz. This is very different from the original classic. But Raimi wisely does not try to replicate the original's tone and feel (because it would have been impossible) and instead unleashes a non-stop adventure that is fun for the whole family. Most of the complaints about this movie are directly comparing it to 'The Wizard of Oz'. Let's face it, if you were to compare most dramas to 'Casblanca' they would not come off well. 

James Franco is in fine form (the opposite of his stoned Oscars hosting appearance) and is well supported by a wonderful trio of witches in Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis and Michelle Williams. This movie is a visual wonder and is meant to be seen on a big screen. If you have been patiently waiting for this to hit on DVD in a couple of months, you are making a big mistake. See it on the big screen while you still can. 

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

A young Pakistani man is chasing corporate success on Wall Street. He finds himself embroiled in a conflict between his American Dream, a hostage crisis, and the enduring call of his family's homeland. Ambitious and thought-provoking, The Reluctant Fundamentalist is elevated by an excellent performance from Riz Ahmed. William Wheeler has forged a richly complex, achingly satisfying screenplay from Mohsin Hamid's hugely popular, Booker Prize shortlisted novel and Mira Nair has turned it into a significant and powerful film with something to say (Urban Cinefile). 

Featuring strong support from Kiefer Sutherland and Kate Hudson (in her best role in years- however this is a spectacularly easy feat given her filmography) this is gripping stuff and well worth a watch. 

- Adam

Week of Friday, May 24, 2013 through Thursday, May 30, 2013

The Reluctant Fundamentalist (R) Digital Presentation

Fri & Sat: 7:30 PM

Sun: 4:15 PM

Tue: 9:45 PM

Wed: 9:00 PM

Oblivion (PG-13) Digital Presentation

Fri: 9:00 PM

Sat: 4:40, 8:30

Sun: 10:30 PM

Tue: 8:30 PM

Wed & Thu: 9:30 PM

The Sapphires (PG-13) Digital Presentation

Fri: 6:30 PM

Sat: 2:10, 6:00

Sun: 1:30 PM

Mon: 4:30 PM

Wed: 7:00 PM

Thu: 6:30 PM

Oz The Great and Powerful (PG) Digital Presentation

Fri: 4:30 PM

Sat: 3:00 PM

King Kong (1933) (NR) Digital Presentation

Sun: 6:00 PM

The Institute (NR) Digital Presentation

Tue: 7:00 PM

The Land Before Time (G) Digital Presentation

Fri: 4:00 PM

Sat: 12:30 PM

Monster From Bikini Beach (NR) Digital Presentation

Fri: 10:30 PM

Pink Flamingos (NC-17) Digital Presentation

Thu: 9:00 PM

The Three Amigos (PG) Digital Presentation

Sat: 10:30 PM

Schedule, May 17-23, 2013

Dear New Parkway Lover:

NEW THIS WEEK

Hi All,

There is a heavy Sam Raimi influence on this week's lineup. We have both his latest movie and a re-make of one of his most popular movies. Despite not really loving any of the Spiderman movies (I am coming to the realization that I may hate Tobey Maguire) I am a big Raimi fan. I grew up watching Crimewave once a month (written and later disowned by the Coen brothers) and generally love his mixture of horror and slapstick. Even in his mainstream movies you get some lovely little Raimi moments that are a joy to watch. Let's dive right into this week's eclectic mix of movies. 

Oz- The Great and Powerful 

(Fri: 7:30, Sat: 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, Sun: 12:00, Mon: 4:30, Tue - Thu: 6:30)

I am a big fan of the side-of-the-bus advertising for this movie. Showing Oz on the extreme left it basically shows Disney- The Great and Powerful, on the right. Very fitting somehow. This is very different from the original classic. But Raimi wisely does not try to replicate the original's tone and feel (because it would have been impossible) and instead unleashes a non-stop adventure that is fun for the whole family. Most of the complaints about this movie are directly comparing it to 'The Wizard of Oz'. Let's face it, if you were to compare most dramas to 'Casablanca' they would not come off well. 

James Franco is in fine form (the opposite of his stoned Oscars hosting appearance) and is well supported by a wonderful trio of witches in Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis and Michelle Williams. This movie is a visual wonder and is meant to be seen on a big screen. If you have been patiently waiting for this to hit on DVD in a couple of months, you are making a big mistake. See it on the big screen while you still can. 

Evil Dead

(Fri: 9:55, Sat: 5:45, 8:00, 10:00, Sun: 9:30, Mon: 7:30, 9:45, Tue: 9:30, Wed: 9:45, Thu: 7:00, 9:30)

The original 'Evil Dead' movie is one of the best original low-budget horror movies ever made. It established Sam Raimi as a very talented, young director (he was 20 when filming). Five college students go to the woods. They release demons. Chaos ensues. What's not to like? The re-make has a similar story. But a very different style. It is polished with the advantage of a much bigger budget. So it does not feel like a homemade movie. It is inventive and clever and definitely fits into the same spirit as the original. 

And it is scary. Why else would you go to a horror movie other than to be scared senseless. And this re-make is very effective at scaring the living crap out of you. It is terrifying and intense. And it does not outstay it's welcome. It is a lean 90 minutes and packs a lot of nail-biting tension into that running time. Horror movies are meant to be experienced with a crowd. After nearly wetting yourself, it is delightful fun to look around and see the relieved, tension-filled looks on the rest of the audience. 

Doin' it in The Park

(Fri: 7:00, Sat: 3:30, Mon - Wed: 9:15)

Did you love 'White Men Can't Jump' growing up? Who couldn't? It had a young Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes. Rosie Perez wasn't super annoying in it. 'Doin' it in the Park' is nothing like 'White Men Can't Jump' in terms of style and story. For starters, it is an independent documentary. Really, the only similarity is basketball. The film explores the definition, history, culture, and social impact of New York's outdoor summer basketball scene, the worldwide "Mecca" of the sport.

As I haven't seen this yet, I can only go so far in my effusive praise. But it is guaranteed to have some great basketball action. And when the Warriors complete their glorious comeback (or lose miserably in the next game), you can settle in and discover what you loved about the sport in the first place. If you don't like basketball but are a sucker for documentaries, I am sure there will be something in this movie you will love. There. Two whole paragraphs about a movie I have never seen. 

The Lords of Salem

(Fri & Sat: 10:30)

This is a limited run of only two shows. So I will keep my remarks brief. The Lords of Salem tells the tale of Heidi, a DJ living in Salem, Massachusetts, who receives a strange wooden box containing a record, a "gift from the Lords." Heidi listens, and the bizarre sounds within the grooves immediately trigger flashbacks of the town's violent past. Is Heidi going mad, or are the "Lords of Salem" returning for revenge on modern-day Salem? 

There is only one way of finding out. Well actually there are two ways. You could see it at the Parkway during one of its two screening times or wait until late July when it's out on DVD. The latter is the safe option. Locked away in your house, perfectly safe. Anything can happen out there in the real world. In Oakland. It's the only way to watch a horror movie. For legal reasons I should clarify you should be perfectly safe at the Parkway. We don't have hired people roaming the theater intentionally scaring people during horror movies. Don't have the budget. Yet. 

Adam

SPECIAL EVENTS

·      We’ve got Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Foxy Brown in the same weekend

·      The Godfather 1, 2, and 3 are all in the house on Sunday as we do our second movie marathon on May 19^th.  Only a few hours left to buy special Feast tickets that include movies, food, and drink. Get your tickets today!

·      Mad Men will be on the giant screen as part of our two-hour television time slot, 9-11PM on Sundays, with special cocktails.

·      We’re showing a great film about activism that should fill the house: Bidder 70

·      Cheryl Dunye is back with The Owls

·      The Oakland Poetry Slam will be in the house on Thursday night

·      The Champions League Final is only 9 days away.  It’s sure to sell out, and if we fill one house in advance, we may very well be able to show it on two screens, and make it even grander than the Super Bowl where they play that other football.

·      Nerd Nite East Bay is on Memorial Day.  Good stuff if you’re trying to get smart.

And now for more about our weekly special events programming:

New Parkway Family Classics—This week we’re showing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on Friday afternoon at 4 and Saturday at 12:30.  Can you say Dick Van Dyke?  And I just learned that it’s a Roald Dahl creation and produced by the people that brought us James Bond.  That really makes it for the whole family.  And it’s co-sponsored by 510families.com who would like to see all of your smiling faces in attendance.

Spectrum Queer Cinema—Spectrum is showing Free Angela but it’s totally sold out, so why waste any more breath on something we can’t attend?  Second showing anyone?

Thrillville—Sunday, May 19 at 6pm, THRILLVILLE THEATER presents FOXY BROWN (1974) hosted by MISERY ANN MAYHEM!  Pam Grier literally kicks serious ass in this sexy, violent and outrageous blaxploitation classic, written and directed by Jack Hill ("Coffy"). As co-star Antonio Fargas (AKA Huggy Bear on "Starsky and Hutch") astutely points out: "She's a whole lotta woman!"

Sunday TV Night—Always something that’s being broadcast between 9-11 on Sunday nights.  Mad Men with special drinks and likely Iron Chef this week. 

Baby Brigade—We’ve got Oz for our 4:30 Baby Brigades on Monday.  And we’re partnering with 510families.com, the best frickin’ website in the East Bay for families with  babies and children.   If they say “go see a movie”, you say “yep, Oz”.

Doc Night—We’re showing Bidder 70 this week, a doc that’s got so many awards—not to mention advance purchases—that I think it’s really going to fill the joint on Tuesday.  It’s the story of Tim DeChristopher, a young man who disrupted a controversial BLM Oil and Gas leasing auction in 2008. He posed as a bidder (#70) and bid $1.7 million to win 22,000 acres of land he had no intention of paying for (or drilling on). Tim was federally indicted, convicted and sentenced to two years in prison for his courageous act of civil disobedience. Bidder 70 is a personal story surrounded by a wider context of citizen action, our history of peaceful civil disobedience, and grass roots movements demanding government and industry accountability (IMDB).

Parkway Classics—Will the Thrill's PARKWAY CLASSICS presents HEATHERS (1988).

Our part time cult movie programmer Will Viharo's pal Christian Slater - currently developing a film adaptation of Will's pulp novel "Love Stories Are Too Violent For Me" - made his big initial splash in this searing, satirical and enduringly quotable noir-comedy cult classic, one of the greatest high school movies ever made, co-starring sultry young Winona Ryder in her breakout role. "I love my dead gay son!" "Eskimo!" 

Thanks for your continued and growing support of the New Parkway Theater.  We hope to see you soon!

Moses

Schedule May 10-16, 2013

Dear New Parkway Lover:

In an effort to get some more butts in the seats at the New Parkway, we’re making a few changes with more to come in June.  I think you all know that the goal for this theater is sustainability and we’ve been losing money so far so we’ve got to tweak things here and there to stay afloat.  We’ve found that folks love our special events but we need more people coming out to our regular old features, which we think are pretty good offerings.  Won’t you help spread the word a be a tad more of a regular at what we hope is or will become your favorite East Bay Theater…Here are some of the highlights of the upcoming week or two:

·      Tonight’s Parkway Classic is Wild at Heart and we’ve got the movie and the book’s author, Barry Gifford, here in person.  Here the Q&A, get a book signed, see a classic.

·      We’ve got at least three Warriors’ games as they bounce their way towards the NBA championship.  Scheduled games in the best viewing room in town are Friday at 7:30, Sunday at 12:30, and Tuesday at 6:30.  Come show your love!

·      Shining Alert!  We’ve got the double feature of Room 237 followed by The Shining happening tomorrow night.  Scary good!

·      We’ve got Feelmore Fresh tomorrow night with Adults Only.  Where else can you see porn in a real theater without creepy dudes?  Here, that’s where, and without the creep!  We call it erotica and follow it up with a community dialogue, all brought to you by Feelmore 510.  Starting at 10:30 or so this week.

·      How about Streets of Fire with the Spinning Platters on Saturday night?  Or The Wiz Sing-Along with Spectrum Queer Media on Sunday afternoon?

·      Mother’s Day is Sunday!  And we’ve got the good mother, bad mother double feature brunch.  Or if you prefer your movies to be stranger and more Thrillvilling, you might spend your Mother’s Day evening with us with Mothra, the mother of all moths, or something like that.

·      Due to public demand, we’re starting a Sunday night Live TV segment from 9-11PM.  That means Mad Men live from 10-11PM and then perhaps some rotating shows beforehand.  This week, we’ll likely show the airing of Iron Chef.  And we’ll always have our special drinks to go along with Mad Men and perhaps all of our TV offerings.  $5 gets you a seat in front of the big screen.

·      Oppa Oakland Style is back on Monday with Peepli Live.  Peep that!

·      Wednesday is changing dramatically here at the New Parkway.  We’re ditching our two afternoon showings, swapping out the 2 for 1 ticket special (why didn’t enough people come for that?) for Happy Hour drinks and prices all night long, and we might add some special programming as well.

·      Next Thursday, we’ve got Battle Royale followed by Shaun of the Dead.  Not a double feature, but it would make a doubly good night at the New Parkway.

And yet another plug for some upcoming things, including the brilliant Brando:

·      We’re doing our second movie marathon on May 19^th, this time showing the Godfather trilogy.  That means roughly 10 hours of mostly outstanding moviemaking and some optional movie-inspired food and drink.  Get your tickets today!

·      The Champions League Final is only 3 weeks away.  It’s sure to sell out, and if we fill one house in advance, we may very well be able to show it on two screens, and make it even grander than the Super Bowl where they play that other football.

And here’s what Adam has to say about our features.  So clever…

Hi All:

The weather is starting to pick up. That delicious summer haze has finally started to descend upon us. After months of staying in and catching up on 'House of Cards' and 'Justified', we can finally start to open the curtains and enjoy the glorious sunshine. And you will thoroughly enjoy that sunshine as you walk from your car to the New Parkway. Because there is something uniquely wonderful about going to a movie when it is beautiful outside. The popcorn tastes fresher (we buy old kernels in the Winter), the beer tastes colder (we turn our fridges on in the Summer), and the staff is friendlier (they drink the cold beer and eat the fresh popcorn before work). So embrace the sunshine and sit indoors for a great movie. 

Olympus Has Fallen

I went through a period back from 2005-2007 when I watched an ungodly (God likes moderation) amount of documentaries. They were informative and gripping and brought a number of unknown topics to light. I felt smart and well-informed. But those documentaries didn't have a ridiculously armed war helicopter shooting the living hell out of the White House. And sometimes that's exactly what the doctor ordered. I find perverse joy in stupid, fun action movies that know exactly how silly they are and proceed with their tongue firmly in cheek. 

This movie could have been made by Kim Jong-Un's propaganda department and segments will likely be shown in North Korea in years to come as factual events. Gerard Butler continues where '300' left off with somewhat limited acting skills but impeccable action star skills. Please proceed as follows: Walk in, buy popcorn and beer, leave brain at door (you can collect it later), enjoy the spectacle and then go to see a documentary (to fill up the cotton candy swirling around your head). 

Disconnect

Do you think the Internet is evil? Not evil like a Bond villain, sitting at the bottom of a volcano, stroking a hairless cat, while causing mayhem. Maybe evil is too strong a word. How about inherently dangerous? If so, this movie is right up your alley. If not, just wait. When you drunkenly Facebook message your ex, this movie will be perfect for you. Jason Bateman headlines his first major dramatic role. And he delivers with a strong performance.

Murderball director Henry Alex Rubin explores the destructive potential of the internet in this ensemble drama. Even in the heightened awareness of a post- age, it is naturally gripping (NPR). It is an absorbing analysis of who we are as a people living in an advanced electronic age that is both potentially dangerous and convenient.

Trance
Some rare directors are just so good they never make a bad movie. Danny Boyle is definitely in this category. After taking a time-out to complete the masterful Olympics opening ceremony last year, Boyle is back with an all-star cast in this gripping psychological thriller. Simon (James McAvoy), a fine art auctioneer, teams up with a criminal gang to steal a painting worth millions of dollars, but after suffering a blow to the head during the heist he awakens to discover he has no memory of where he hid the painting. The gang's leader (Vincent Cassel) hires a hypnotherapist (Rosario Dawson) to delve into the darkest recesses of Simon's psyche.

Like any good Hitchcock movie, this movie has plenty of twists and turns and keeps you guessing until the end. The acting is superb. Be warned: it requires some semblance of thought and concentration on your part. Well- more than Iron Man 3 anyway. 

Adam

And now for more information about our repertory and special events programming:

New Parkway Family Classics—This week we’re showing Charlotte’s Web on Friday afternoon at 4 and Saturday at 12:30.  If this is not a family classic, then what is?  And this week, and from this point forward, we are partnering with the lovely and informative 510families.com who demand that every single one of their followers come to this very very cool, very family friendly theater.  Heed their call!

Spectrum Queer Cinema—On Sunday at around 3:30, Spectrum Queer Media presents The Wiz Sing-Along. Bring mom and the entire family out to have fun singing along with one of the most incredible Broadway film song lists EVER! 

Thrillville—on Sunday at 6:15PM or so, join us as THRILLVILLE THEATER presents MOTHRA (1961), hosted by renowned kaiju eigu expert and award-winning author AUGUST RAGONE ("Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters")  What better way to celebrate Mothra's - that is, Mother's Day than with the mother of all Japanese monster movies, the massively maternal masterpiece MOTHRA (1961)! Plus trivia, prizes and surprises from our celebrity guest host. Presented in original Japanese language with English subtitles. Don't worry, you'll pick up the plot easily enough - it's right there in the title.

Sunday TV Night—Always something that’s being broadcast between 9-11 on Sunday nights.  Mad Men with special drinks and likely Iron Chef this week. 

Baby Brigade—We’ve got Trance and Disconnect for our 4:30 and 6:30 Baby Brigades on Monday.  That’s a whole bunch of thrill and mind twists and turns.  But good stuff and worth considering making it your baby’s first double-feature.  Come on, you owe it to yourself.  And for this as well, we are partnering with the energetic and inquisitive 510families.com who demand that every single one of their followers come to this very very cool, very family friendly theater.  Again, heed their call!

Parkway Classics—Will the Thrill's PARKWAY CLASSICS presents SHAUN OF THE DEAD (2004).  Arguably the funniest "zomedy" ever made is best enjoyed in a pub that also serves pizza, surrounded by hungry, drooling….fellow patrons. They'll be laughing, too. Starring Simon Pegg (co-writer) and Edgar Wright (writer/director) as the affable British slackers fighting off hordes of rabid, ravenous zombies (the old school slow but scary kind). The apocalypse has never been so horrifying - or hilarious.

Thanks for your continued and growing support of the New Parkway Theater.  We hope to see you soon!

Moses

Schedule May 3-9, 2013

Dear New Parkway Lover:

Welcome to May at the New Parkway!  Here are the early highlights:

·      Tomorrow night’s Parkway Classic is Pulp Fiction.  If you’ve not seen it, it’s an absolute must, and if you have seen it, it’s an absolute must that you come to quote along your favorite lines.  So between the two groups, it’s sure to sell out, so get your tix early.

·      We’ve got at least two and likely more Warriors games this week.  Tomorrow is the first one, and depending on how that goes, we’ll have more added the schedule.  Because we’ve had raucous full houses for these showings, we’re scheduling these as they are announced, so that sometimes means some last-minute schedule changes.

·      We’re hosting the Rose Foundation’s Action! Film Festival this Saturday night.

·      Our entrée into showing live TV shows on our giant screen—sports aside—will kick off with RuPaul’s Drag Race finale on Monday night.   Join us at 7pm in the Ulterior Illusions Lounge (ie the mezzanine cafe) for encore screenings of two of Season 5's most sickening episodes.  Then, grab your drinks and your squirrel friends, and sashay into the auditorium for a LIVE screening of the Reunion Episode and watch as RuPaul's Drag Race crown its Season 5 Winner!  Treats for anyone who comes in drag!

·      First Friday is two days away.  Cool free offerings from 6-9PM followed by less-free offerings (our feature movies) starting at 9:30.  Parking is tricky so take public transportation and have a great time at the New Parkway.  We promise one of the best beer selections and the most plentiful free bathrooms on the First Friday strip.

·      Next week’s Parkway Classic will be Wild at Heart with author Barry Gifford in attendance.  Come for the movie, stay for the Q & A.

·      Shining Alert!  We’re showing Room 237 for our Doc Night and then have a great double feature three days later: a May 9^th doubleheader of Room 237 followed by The Shining.  Scary good!

We’ve also got some other biggies coming our way, so get your tickets now for the following events, in reverse order:

·      We’re doing our second movie marathon on May 19^th, this time showing the Godfather trilogy.  That means roughly 10 hours of mostly outstanding moviemaking and some optional movie-inspired food and drink.  Get your tickets today!

·      We’re partnering with Tugg to present Battle Royale, as long as there’s enough interest.  It’s a bit like Kickstarter in that it only happens if we get 60 people to advance purchase tickets for the May 16^th show.  Check it out and join us for this special showing.

·      Mother’s Day is right around the corner.  Why not join us at the New Parkway for our first Mother’s Day.  We’re throwing a good mother, bad mother double feature brunch, Joan Crawford style.  We’ll start by delighting you with Mildred Pierce, along with an outstanding brunch, and then horrify you with Mommie Dearest.  How’s that for an unforgettable Mother’s Day?

Hi All:

It's the calm before the summer season storm (well it is as I write this). Before Robert Downey Jr can pummel your weary brain senseless in Iron Man 3 (expect a good review in a month if we manage to get it) you can catch up on a spring hit and Danny Boyle's latest offering. Or watch 'Silver Linings Playbook' again. Or you could wait in line for 'Iron Man 3' on Friday. An over-excited kid will probably puke on your shoes. You will arrive 20 minutes early and see a long winding queue wrapping around the local movie theater. When you eventually make it into the cinema, the solitary remaining seat in the front row to the extreme right will be waiting for you. After you pay $126 to the chiropractor for your permanently damaged neck, you will realize you should have gone to the New Parkway. Where civilized people go. To watch good movies with a hearty ale and delicious pizza. 

Silver Linings Playbook

It's back. For another week. Why? (having a two sided conversation with yourself via email is the first sign of insanity) Because it is that good. If you have heard nothing about this delightful movie, you must not get out much. Or at all. You are probably still living at home with an old Victorian doll named Viola that your mom made for your 6th birthday and every year she knits you a new outfit. 

For everyone else, if you have not seen it yet, you are missing out. A conversation will come up in the next 2-8 years where other people are discussing how good it is. You might mention that you have never seen it and the rest of the group will shake their heads like you are a true fool. Or you might lie and pretend you have seen it and be secretly hoping no-one questions you on it because then you are screwed. Don't let this situation happen. Just go see it. Save yourself the social embarrassment. 

Trance

Some rare directors are just so good they never make a bad movie. Danny Boyle is definitely in this category. After taking a time-out to complete the masterful Olympics opening ceremony last year, Boyle is back with an all star cast in this gripping psychological thriller. Simon (James McAvoy), a fine art auctioneer, teams up with a criminal gang to steal a painting worth millions of dollars, but after suffering a blow to the head during the heist he awakens to discover he has no memory of where he hid the painting. The gang's leader (Vincent Cassel) hires a hypnotherapist (Rosario Dawson) to delve into the darkest recesses of Simon's psyche.

Like any good Hitchcock movie, this movie has plenty of twists and turns and keeps you guessing until the end. The acting is superb. Be warned: it requires some semblance of thought and concentration on your part. Well- more than Iron Man 3 anyway. 

Identity Thief

What would happen if someone stole your identity and racked up thousands of dollars of charges in a few days. And you found that person? It's pretty clear to any sane person that you would inflict severe pain on the identity thief and made sure they never had fingers to steal with again. Fortunately for us, not everyone thinks like a sane person and as a result we have 'Identity Thief'. 

Melissa McCarthy is an acquired taste. I really liked her in 'Bridesmaids'. But I know plenty of people who can't stand her. She shows surprisingly good comedic range here. She is well supported by Jason Bateman who is just a naturally good actor. This movie was a surprise hit. There must be a reason for its unexpected success. There must be. Go see it to find out. 

Adam

And now for more information about our repertory and special events programming:

New Parkway Family Classics—This week we’re showing the Last Unicorn on Friday at 4PM and Sunday at 12:30.  Only one of the mythological creatures escapes the evil King Haggard's plan to eliminate all unicorns from the land in Rankin-Bass's (Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) sophisticated production of The Last Unicorn. In hopes of rescuing her exiled breed, the last unicorn (voice by Mia Farrow) teams up with the kindly, if bumbling wizard Schmendrick the Magician (voice by Alan Arkin), who accompanies her on the far-reaching and treacherous quest to save her kind. 

Spectrum Queer Cinema—SPECTRUM Queer Cinema is happening on Sunday with a queer surprise.  Not necessarily because it’s a surprise but because we don’t know what’s showing so it will be a surprise to everyone.  3PM, and check back on their site for more info.

Thrillville—on Sunday at 6PM, join us for THRILLVILLE THEATER’s Cinco de Mayo Special: Johnny Legend presents NIGHT OF THE BLOODY APES (1969).  Johnny Legend hosts his own special edition of this notoriously sleazy Mexican monster movie classic (not for the faint of heart or immature, contains graphic content!), plus a B movie trailer reel, prizes, and a special guest personal appearance by The Aztec Mummy himself!

Baby Brigade—We’ve got Trance and Identity Thief for our 4:30 and 6:30 Baby Brigades on Monday.  No Academy Awards here but some mediocre to good stuff of different flavors.

Doc Night—as described earlier, we’ve got Room 237 about the making of the Shining on Tuesday night. 

2 for 1 Wednesdays—Final Alert!  Unless attendance picks up, 2 for 1 Wednesday is going to go away and we’re going to do other more expensive things that night.  Here’s the info about our current Wednesday: All day Wednesday, 2 for 1 admission prices with movies starting at 3:30.  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 WILD AT HEART (1990) with author BARRY GIFFORD in person!  Don't miss this special screening of David Lynch's truly bizarre but beautiful road movie/love story chronicling the incredibly strange adventures of Sailor (Nicolas Cage) and Lula (Laura Dern), including a Q&A session with the novel's author and co-scriptwriter, the Bay Area's own literary lion, Barry Gifford!

Thanks for your continued and growing support of the New Parkway Theater.  We hope to see you soon!

Moses