There is no shortage of movie screens in the Pioneer Valley. Off the top of my head, I can come up with several dozen within a 15- or 20-minute drive of my home without pausing to include the smaller screens to be found on college campuses or community media centers.
And yet, finding a movie for a weekend date is one of those perennial problems—for all those dozens of screens, the selection is largely made up of the same collection of blockbusters available nationwide. This week, we look at those special shows—the One Night Only! or Cult Classic Returns!—that help set a theater apart.
It all gets underway at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, when Pothole Pictures teams with the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association’s “Big Read” project to bring This Boy’s Life to Shelburne Falls’ Memorial Hall theater. Based on the memoir by Tobias Wolff—the PVMA has chosen the author’s novel Old School for its reading project—the 1993 film is a harrowing look at family dysfunction. Starring a young Leonardo DiCaprio as stepson to Robert De Niro’s abusive Dwight, the film is a testament to Wolff’s ability to endure.
Not to be outdone, Hadley’s Cinemark is inaugurating a Cult Classics series this week, with midnight movies screening every Friday and Saturday from 35mm prints. They start things off this weekend with the Saturday Night Live-derived Wayne’s World—possibly prepping us for the May release of MacGruber, the latest attempt at expanding an SNL skit to feature length (see It’s Pat for a reminder of how terribly things can go wrong). Coming weeks will bring The Big Lebowski, Pulp Fiction, The Goonies, and more.
Amherst Cinema gets in on the action with a jazzy double bill featuring Jammin’ The Blues, a 1944 short film featuring a group of jazz legends getting together for a rare jam session. Giants like Lester Young, Jo Jones, and Illinois Jacquet are joined by guitarist Barney Kessel. Interesting historical side note: In an attempt to hide the fact that Kessel was white, the studio stained his hands with berry juice and demanded he only be filmed in the shadows. The film screens Tuesday at 7 p.m. with A Great Day in Harlem, the fascinating look at the history of the most famous photograph in jazz.
Amherst also brings in a new print of the Costa-Gavras classic Z as part of its Essential Cinema series. A story of government hubris and a political assassination, it was based in part on the real-life investigation into the death of Greek pacifist Gregoris Lambrakis, which implicated the government in a conspiracy to have him killed.
Also at Amherst this week: A Prophet. This dark tale of jailhouse redemption isn’t exactly a special screening, but is worth a look for its take on the new French gangster.
Jack Brown can be reached at cinemadope@gmail.com.
