February 2015 Highlights at the New Beverly Cinema

With Quentin Tarantino re-opening the New Beverly Cinema as a celluloid-only picture house, we are taking a closer look at some of the great movies he is programming each month. Every town on the planet should have a New Bev, but since it’s really a one of a kind type of place, here’s another way for you to discover the movies and hunt them down so you can program your own movie nights with friends. NOTE: We are not affiliated with the New Beverly Cinema.

2014 HIGHLIGHTS: OCTOBERNOVEMBERDECEMBER

2015 HIGHLIGHTS: JANUARY

feb22

Jackie Brown (1997, Dir: Quentin Tarantino)

Based on a novel by Elmore Leonard, this sublime crime film stars Pam Grier (Foxy Brown) as a lower class flight attendant who sets up a caper to steal a large stash of cash from a criminal associate. One of QT’s finest efforts boasts a stellar supporting cast including Robert DeNiro, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton and Bridget Fonda.

feb22

The Uninvited (1944, Dir: Lewis Allen)

In this eerie supernatural thriller, Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey play siblings who buy a house on the English coast only to find it holds a dark macabre secret. This film marked the first time a movie portrayed a haunting as a serious supernatural occurence. Up to that time ghosts were used as comedy relief.
feb22

Death Laid An Egg (1968, Dir: Giulio Questi)

A chilling, seedy giallo starring Gina Lollobrigida as Anna and Jean-Louis Trintignant as Marco, a married couple who operate a chicken farm. What Anna doesn’t know is that her dear husband Marco is secretly serial killer that preys on and kills prostitutes. When Anna’s cousin Gabri arrives she and Marco begin a steamy affair only there is an unseen agenda being set in motion.
feb22

The School That Couldn’t Scream (1972, Dir: Massimo Dallamano)

A killer is targeting young women at a catholic school and the authorities are trying to find out who it is. One of the teachers there, Enrico (Fabio Testi) is seeing a student Elizabeth (Cristina Galbo) who thinks she saw one of the murders taking place. As more bodies turn up dead, Enrico races to help the police in the investigation and solve the mystery. When a young girl named Solange (Camille Keaton) appears, it’s the key Enrico needs to unlock the truth. This outstanding giallo classic is widely known as What Have You Done To Solange?
feb22

Barabbas (1961, Dir: Richard Fleischer)

A biblical epic produced by Dino De Laurentiis and starring Anthony Quinn as Barabbas, the prisoner who is chosen to be freed over Jesus Christ. Following the crucifixtion of the Son of God, Barabbas must endure a long painful existance as he toils in the mines. Co-starring Arthur Kennedy, Jack Palance, Silvana Mangano, Ernest Borgnine.
feb22

Face to Face (1967, Dir: Sergio Sollima)

A bookish professor from New England named Brad Fletcher (Gian Maria Volonte) decides to move to Texas due to his deteriorating health. Not long after he arrives in the Southwest he is taken hostage by Bennet, (Tomas Milian) an outlaw that has been wounded. While caught in this predicament, Fletcher helps Bennet recuperate and soon the two become friends. Fletcher then has a change of heart, choosing to try leading the life of crime and joins Bennet’s bandit gang. The second of Sollima’s Western trilogy that included The Big Gundown and Run Man Run.
feb22

Violent City (1970, Dir: Sergio Sollima)

In this Euro-Crime thriller Charles Bronson stars as Jeff Heston, an assassin who is attacked by his colleagues and left for dead. He luckily survives the hit and is thrown in jail on a false murder charge. Following his release, Jeff searches for his lost lady love Vanessa (Jill Ireland) only to find she is with the man that set him up (Telly Savalas) and who now wants him to be a part of his underworld organization.
feb22

The Apartment (1960, Dir: Billy Wilder)

A wonderful romantic comedy about an insurance company worker named C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) who rents out his bachelor pad to office supervisors for their weekly flings is a true gem of its time. Baxter begins to fall in love with Ms Kubilik (Shirley MacLaine) a cute elevator operator that is secretly trying to leave her past relationship with a womanizing CEO (Fred McMurray) who is also Baxter’s boss, behind.
feb22

Massacre Mafia Style (1978, Dir: Duke Mitchell)

Former crooner turned actor/director Duke Mitchell stars as Mimi Miceli, an old school mafia member who travels to Los Angeles to set up a new underworld organization with the aid of his childhood friend Jolly. This movie was made for a very low budget but is extremely entertaining and authentic in its depictions of the Italian mob. A cult classic crime movie we highly recommend!
feb22

Gone With the Pope (1976, Dir: Duke Mitchell)

An uncompleted film that was shot in 1975 under the title Kiss The Ring. In 1995, home video distributors Grindhouse Releasing, owned by the late Sage Stallone and his business partner Bob Murawski found Mitchell’s footage and began working on putting the movie back together. You can now see this long lost cult film about a plan to hold the Pope hostage for ransom at the New Beverly and coming soon on Blu Ray!
feb22

Zulu Dawn (1979, Dir: Douglas Hickox)

In this prequel to Zulu (1964) set in 1879, the story focuses on British officials in the Cape Colony who want to rid the country of the Zulu Empire which could endanger the growing industrial economy. When the Zulu tribesmen refuse to leave their homeland, the British military invades and the massive battle begins. Starring Peter O’Toole, Burt Lancaster, Simon Ward, Denholm Elliot, Bob Hoskins. This follow up to the popular 1964 epic was not as big of a success but still enjoys a cult film status.
feb22

Lenny (1974, Dir: Bob Fosse)

Dustin Hoffman takes on the extremely daring role of the controversial legendary comedian Lenny Bruce in this gem. Fosse chose to shoot the movie in a black and white semi-documentary style to create a mood of intimacy and realism. Hoffman gives a truly brilliant, uninhibited performance as the late embattled, drug addicted comic.
feb22

Vision Quest (1985, Dir: Harold Becker)

In this cult classic coming of age film, high school wrestler Loudon Swain (Matthew Modine) is determined to win in a competition against the league’s toughest champion by pushing himself to his physical limit. Meanwhile, his father takes in a border named Carla (Linda Fiorentino) who is traveling to San Francisco and soon she and Loudon become romantically involved. Madonna makes an early film appearance in a club scene singing “Crazy For You”.
feb22

Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970, Dir: Joseph Sargent)

A supercomputer called “Colossus” is designed to control US defense systems including nuclear weapons. When the computer gains sentience and joins forces with a Russian counterpart called “Guardian”, it leaves the US and Soviet scientists scrambling to try to save the world from their unstoppable creations. If you love sci-fi films featuring evil artificial intelligence (2001, Terminator), this thriller starring Eric Braeden, Susan Clark and Gordon Pinsent will have you on the edge of your seat.
feb22

The Blood Spattered Bride (1972, Dir: Vincent Aranda)

Based on a vampire story “Camilla”, this Spanish cult horror gem stars Simon Andreau as “The Husband” and Maribel Martin as his wife Susan. They are newlyweds who are staying at a family owned estate where Susan discovers paintings of her Husband’s ancestors. One of the paintings is a portrait of Mircalla Karstein (the face missing) who, as the story goes, killed her husband on their honeymoon. When Susan’s Husband begins to show a sexually perverted side, Susan becomes angry and disinterested in him. One day at the nearby beach, her husband finds a woman buried in the sand and saves her. She introduces herself as Carmilla and is brought back to their home to recuperate. During her stay she begins to seduce Susan and the Husband becomes fearful for his life as something’s clearly not right with their new guest. They later find out that Carmilla isn’t what she appears to be.
feb22

Breaking Away (1979, Dir: Peter Yates)

READ OUR FULL REVIEW

feb22

A Bullet For Sandoval (1969, Dir: Julio Buchs)

READ FULL REVIEW AT SWDB

feb22

Cut-throats Nine (1972, Dir: Rafael Marchent)

READ FULL REVIEW AT GCDB

feb22

The Thing (1982, Dir: John Carpenter)

READ OUR FULL REVIEW

feb22

Runaway Train (1985, Dir: Andrei Konchalovsky)

READ OUR FULL REVIEW

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