Screening Report: Uncle Sam at Alamo Drafthouse, Yonkers (4/17/18) w/ Bill Lustig

It must have been a year or so ago that I attended a screening at the Alamo, in Yonkers, that was hosted by Bill Lustig. I forget what movie it was, but I want to say Vigilante or Maniac Cop 2. Wait a minute, you don’t know who Bill Lustig is? For shame. He is a director and producer who has been in and around the industry for decades, and he is responsible for bringing us such classics as Maniac and Maniac Cop. Well, in any case, after the screening, there was some discussion about any possible interest in seeing his last directed film, Uncle Sam. I was the first one to say that I would be there. It is not that it is a great movie, but it is a fun one that I thought would be fun to see with an audience. Now, here we are basking in the afterglow of a screening of said movie.

Screening Report: We Are Twisted F*cking Sister

As I have said many times in the past, I was really late getting into movies and music and it took a very long time for my taste to emerge. What this means is that I missed a lot of what should have been my glory years. I am left playing catch up with old school music and movies and exploring genres and styles and whatnot. While I have made up some good ground, I will never be able to get to everything, it is just impossible. With all that said, I am thankful for movies like We are Twisted F*cking Sister and events like the one held at the Alamo Drafthouse. I mean that will all sincerity.

Event Recap: Hudson Horror Show XXII - Slasher Sequels, Killer Hands, Heavy Metal, and Gang Warfare

I am so sad that it is over. You honestly have no idea. For a day the whole world just disappears and all I have are the movies. Well, not just the movies, I have the friends. I probably sound like a broken record, but I am sure some of you can attest, the two annual Hudson Horror Show marathons are among my favorite days of the year. Nothing else matters. I get to sit in a theater, watch movies, get some cool stuff from cool vendors, and hang out with friends. There really is nothing quite like it. Even if the movie is a bit lackluster, there is always something special about seeing it projected from 35mm with a crowd.

Screening Report: Brain Damage w/ Frank Henenlotter (Alamo Drafthouse, Yonkers, NY, 10/29/15)

So, this past week I made one of my frequent trips down to the Alamo Drafthouse in Yonkers, NY. It should really go without saying that I attend this theater pretty frequently. You can thank the selection of classic and cult films, with many screened from 35mm prints. There is no other theater remotely like this in my area. Sure, i wish they were a bit closer, but you can’t have everything. On top of the movie being screened, it had the bonus of having the writer/director in attendance. That is another cool thing about this theater, the bonuses like this.

Screening Report: Demon Knight (10/8/15, Alamo Drafthouse, Yonkers, NY)

The other night I made another of my seemingly weekly trips to the Alamo Drafthouse theater, seems like I am in there all the time. As a matter of fact, I think the servers are starting to recognize me. Anyway, I was there for a 20th anniversary screening of the glorious 1995 film Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight, or as I like to call it, Demon Knight. Expecting something more creative? sorry to disappoint. At the same time, don’t tell me you always use the longer version. I won’t believe you. In any case, I have always loved this movie ever since I first saw it (on film) during its original release.

Screening Report: Hudson Horror Invades the Alamo III (Alamo Drafthouse, 9/19/15)

If you did not know, the Hudson Horror Show is a pretty big deal. You go somewhere and mention them, people know what you are talking about, their eyes light up with excitement. There is a growing camaraderie amongst the horror marathon that is amazing. Go to these shows and you instantly become a member of the family. Anyway, this past weekend the Hudson Horror crew spearheaded their third invasion of the Alamo Drafthouse, and it was a sold out affair. This double feature played to a lively crowd and went over extraordinarily well.

Screening Report: Tremors (9/10/15 Alamo Drafthouse, Yonkers, NY)

A month or so back it was announced that Tremors would be screening at the Alamo Drafthouse in Yonkers, NY, as part of their Prints of Darkness screening series, hosted by Fangoria magazine's Michael Gingold. On the side I had been told that they had reached out to Kevin Bacon to possibly make an appearance for a Q and A live in the theater. The theater had recently done a live Skype broadcast with him following a screening of Cop Car, plus he lives in New York City, so it was not outside the realm of possibility. Needless to say, a week score the screening, it was announced they would, indeed, have Kevin Bacon in the theater.

Screening Report: Exhumed Films Guilty Pleasures II (8/22/15, Alamo Drafthouse, Yonkers, NY)

Exhumed Films is a group based out of the Philadelphia area that put on genre film marathons and other special events on an annual basis. Last year they started a new tradition, the Guilty Pleasures Marathon. They take five films that had positive play at one of their prior shows and put them together in a marathon of their own. Last year's event included such films as 1990: The Bronx Warriors, No Mercy Man, and Night of a Thousand Cats. It is all held within the friendly confines of the Alamo Drafthouse in Yonkers, NY. Having such a good time last year, it was a given that I was going to be at this year's event!

Movie Review: Marta (1971)

Once again, I made the trek to the Alamo Drafthouse in Yonkers, NY, to bear witness to a screening of a rare old movie projected from 35mm elements. The movie is Marta and it is one that I knew absolutely nothing about before sitting down in the theater. Now, having seen the entire movie, I still know absolutely nothing about it. It is the sort of film that when it is over, you look at the person next to you and say: What the hell was that?. It was a bizarre experience of watching a movie I can say I like but am not sure exactly why. It is not particularly good, but it has these strange qualities that make it eminently watchable.

Screening Report: The Jaws of Death (7/19/15 Alamo Drafthouse, Yonkers, NY)

Here I am again with another one of those “for the love of 35mm and the horror community” opens that you have all come to love from me. All right, perhaps not, but that does not make it any less accurate. There really is something special about getting to see some of these crazy old movies in a theater from these scratched up prints. There is history there, these are not movies that had thousands of prints struck. It was mentioned during the introduction that this might have had 50 prints that were played regionally and traveled around. I doubt there were any new ones made, so this is very likely one of those original traveling prints. How's that for history?

Screening Report: Terminator 2 - Shocking Dark (7/15/15 Alamo Drafthouse, Yonkers, NY)

I am sure you are getting tired of me talking about how great it is to find 35mm screenings of cult, classic, and forgotten films. Please, do not hold it against me, but there is a good possibility you will be hearing it from me again, and likely many more times beyond that. There is just something about discovering these movies or revisiting old favorites that just gets the blood pumping. Now, this screening was just as much fun, but it was not a film screening, oh no, this was something altogether different. This was a projection of a VHS tape. Yes, you read that correctly. VHS.

Screening Report: Nurses for Sale (6/28/15 Alamo Drafthouse, Yonkers, NY)

If there is one thing to be thankful for, it is discovering screenings of old, cult, classic, obscure, and forgotten films. Over the past five or six years I have been able to see some great and some not so great movies in a theater projected from original, or at least older 35mm sources. There is just something about seeing these things on the big screen, there is history to these prints and that adds to an experience that cannot be replaced. The latest film I had the opportunity to see was a little known film called Nurses for Sale, better known in its original form as Käpt'n Rauhbein aus St. Pauli and then as Captain Typhoon.

Screening Report: The Beyond (6/16/15 Alamo Drafthouse, NY)

Comparatively speaking, I have not been a horror aficionado for very long. I have covered a lot of ground, but always feel like I am playing catch up. Still, in that time I have come to love a fellow named Lucio Fulci. I may have only seen a handful of his movies to this point, but there is no denying that he has risen through the ranks of favorite directors. Among that handful, one has become one of my all time favorites, The Beyond. A masterpiece of surrealistic, gory horror, so any chance to see it on the big screen must be taken, of this there is no question.

Screening Report: Cannibal Holocaust with guest Robert Kerman (Alamo Drafthouse 2/28/15)

Last night I went to a screening of Cannibal Holocaust, one of the most infamous of notorious movies. It has previously been banned in a large number of countries, although I am unsure if any of those still actually stand. In any case, it is a movie I have had something of a contentious relationship with over the years (evidenced by this review I wrote upon my first viewing back in 2006). In the years since, my disgust has softened and I have become something of a fan of it, even if I have some issues with the animal violence. On a happier note, how could I pass up a screening with an audience?