Classic Films
Our Classics on Sundays Series runs year-round at 2pm on Sunday afternoons. Each month is programmed around a theme. Our upcoming themes are: Mar- 1950s Oscar Contenders; April – Baseball; May – Bette vs. Joan; June – Breakout Roles.
On the Waterfront
Directed by Elia Kazan. US. 1954. NR. Running time: 108 min.
- Sun, Mar 28, 2:00 pm
Director Elia Kazan and star Marlon Brando received well-deserved Academy Awards for this no-holds-barred drama about corruption, brutality and justice on the docks of New York City. In addition, the film received Oscars for Cinematography, Editing, Art Direction, Screenplay, and Supporting Actress (Eva Marie Saint). Many feel that this was Brando’s ultimate role, as a washed-up fighter who “coulda been a contender,” but who ultimately finds his conscience and his salvation. More »
Bull Durham
Directed by Ron Shelton. US. 1988. R. Running time: 108 min.
- Sun, Apr 4, 2:00 pm
“The best movie ever made about baseball, and it’s not even really that close… Major League was funny, but Bull Durham is funny, literate, romantic, and overwhelmingly adherent to the idiosyncrasies of the game.” (Brad Laidman, Film Threat) More »
Eight Men Out
Directed by John Sayles. US. 1988. PG. Running time: 119 min.
- Sun, Apr 11, 2:00 pm
“John Sayles’ Eight Men Out is rich in specificity and purpose, sorting through the murky backroom deals, mixed motivations, and emotional tumult behind the blackest mark in pre-Steroids Era baseball history. More »
Mr. Movie Film Fest: Forbidden Planet
$20 adv / $25 door.
- Fri, Apr 16, 7:30 pm
For 25 years, Steve Friedman a.k.a. Mr. Movie, did the only All-Movie Talk Radio show out of Philadelphia, lectured at colleges, universities and at the Smithsonian Institution, wrote endless articles for newspapers, magazines and websites. More »
Field of Dreams
Directed by Phil Alden Robinson. US. 1989. PG. Running time: 107 min.
- Sun, Apr 18, 2:00 pm
“Movies are often so timid these days, so afraid to take flights of the imagination, that there is something grand and brave about a movie where a voice tells a farmer to build a baseball diamond so that Shoeless Joe Jackson can materialize out of the cornfield and hit a few fly balls. This is the kind of movie Frank Capra might have directed, and James Stewart might have starred in — a movie about dreams.” (Roger Ebert)
Click here to read Ebert’s full review.
The Wizard of Oz
Directed by Victor Fleming. US. 1939. Ages 6+. Running time: 101 min.
Sponsored by Feet First
- Sat, Apr 24, 2:00 pm
Winner of two Academy Awards, The Wizard of Oz is an American classic. Starring Judy Garland, Bert Lahr, Ray Bolger and Jack Haley. A perfect score by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg, highly imaginative sets and brilliant characterizations make this adaptation of the Frank Baum story a musical fantasy of the highest caliber. Audiences of all ages have been enchanted with The Wizard of Oz since it’s first release and, undoubtedly, always will be!
The Natural
Directed by Barry Levinson. US. 1984. PG. Running time: 134 min.
- Sun, Apr 25, 2:00 pm
“Easily one of the finest movies made about baseball, Barry Levinson’s touching tale of a 35-year-old rookie’s redemption is smart, symbolic and eminently entertaining.” More »
Mildred Pierce
Directed by Michael Curtiz. US. 1945. NR. Running time: 111 min.
- Sun, May 2, 2:00 pm
“A masterful weepie adapted from a James M. Cain novel. The inner strength that lets Crawford sacrifice marriage and leisure for her daughter’s security clashes visibly with the pain her daughter’s ingratitude causes. More »
Dark Victory
Directed by Edmund Goulding. US. 1939. NR. Running time: 104 min.
- Sun, May 9, 2:00 pm
“Davis in Dark Victory is a saucer-eyed female Christ, resolved by movie’s end to face death with the utmost sense of peace (while being photographed through the most gauzy and flattering of filters). More »
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Directed by Robert Aldrich. US. 1962. NR. Running time: 134 min.
- Sun, May 16, 2:00 pm
“Bette Davis’ career had been in decline for some time before this chilling psycho-thriller came along and gave her the type of role that she could really get her teeth into. Her performance as the vengeful sister of Joan Crawford is without mercy and both creates and sustains the tension. More »
Johnny Guitar
Directed by Nicholas Ray. US. 1954. NR. Running time: 110 min.
- Sun, May 23, 2:00 pm
“Called everything from a feminist statement to a gay camp-classic to an anti-McCarthyism allegory. While it certainly is all of these–and more–it’s about time it was acclaimed for it what it really is: a genuine western film classic.” (TV Guide) We are pleased to be showing Paramount’s archive print! More »
The Letter
Directed by William Wyler. US. 1940. NR. Running time: 95 min.
- Sun, May 30, 2:00 pm
“Are movies all about great endings? The magnificent final scene of The Letter follows self-possessed Bette Davis into the Malaysian tropics, lured by intoxicating shadows formed by clouds eclipsing the moon. It’s a scene fraught with suspense, the kind that Warner Bros. would hype as “Her Date With Destiny.” And her date culminates with an uncompromised moment of cruel justice at the end of a knife.” More »
The Graduate
Directed by Mike Nichols. US. 1967. PG. Running time: 105 min.
- Sun, Jun 6, 2:00 pm
“An unexpected smash in 1967, The Graduate found a receptive audience among Baby Boomers for its depiction of generations divided more by a gulf than a gap.” More »
Funny Girl
Directed by William Wyler. US. 1968. G. Running time: 151 min.
- Sun, Jun 13, 2:00 pm
“Although not all great singers make great actors, it sometimes happens that people who know how to interpret songs also have a knack for drama, knowing how to layer strata of emotional complexity even when they’re not singing. Streisand is that kind of actor: Her singing and her acting seem to spring from the same place, although there’s nothing monotonous or predictable about either of them. More »
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Directed by George Roy Hill. US. 1969. PG. Running time: 110 min.
- Sun, Jun 20, 2:00 pm
“Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid might not have invented the modern buddy comedy, but it may as well have. ” More »
The Deer Hunter
Directed by Michael Cimino. US. 1978. R. Running time: 182 min.
- Sun, Jun 27, 2:00 pm
“What distinguishes The Deer Hunter most is its many rich characters and the size of its vision. This is a big film, dealing with big issues, made on a grand scale. Much of it, including some casting decisions, suggest inspiration by “The Godfather.” (Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune)