The Cinemark Classics series will screen six digitally restored classics at 150 theaters nationwide over the next several weeks.
Jaws, August 23rd
High Noon, August 30
Dr Zhivago, September 6
Chinatown, September 13
The Bridge on the River Kwai, September 20
The African Queen, September 27
On each day there will be one matinee at 2 p.m. and an evening show at 7 p.m. You can purchase tickets individually or bundle all 6 for $30.
I don’t know that I “adore” modern cinema so much as it’s simply the era of films I’ve grown up…and it’s only in the past couple years that I discovered how great some of the “classics” are; particularly those directed by Hitchcock, Wilder, Hawks, and Capra. Since that time I’ve seen at least a couple hundred pre-birth titles. While yes, I have not seen as much from the 70’s I’ve seen about all that I care to see. One of these days I might get around to watching Apocolypse Now, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, and perhaps Cabaret…but these would be the last few chances for the decade to redeem itself.
For someone who adores modern cinema so much (2000’s, yuck), it is hard for me to understand why he hates the beginning of it. Actually, Tarantino said the new era already began with Bonnie & Clyde, but that that was ahead of its time. Ebert calls 70’s the Golden Age of Hollywood, surely he’s not the only critic to do so.
I have no problem with “classical era”, on the contrary. I own many of them films and continue collecting them.
In Europe, the more serious, realistic films were generally made earlier than in Hollywood, but I was referring to American films here – seeing as Scott would be lost with foreign names.
I have no problem with your assessment of the films, after all, this is what you got out of them.
I can’t make you like some of those films more, because your reaction is the right one. You have seen very little though from this decade. You’ve not seen Cabaret or All that Jazz?
Roger Ebert wrote a roadmap on ‘what films should I see’ in response to a reader question. I’m not sure if this is for everybody, but it is pretty much what I did.
In fact, I don’t think there’s even 5 films from the 2000’s (which I’ve obviously seen far more of) which I score a D or less so yeah…
Here’s my honest assessment of the 70’s films I’ve seen…
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest- B+
Jaws- B
Chinatown- B+
Frenzy- B
Star Wars- B
Halloween- B
Escape from Alcatraz- B
Animal House- B
Sleuth- A
Blazing Saddles- B
Harold and Maude- B-
Days of Heaven- B
The Godfather Part II- A-
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory- B
The Sting- B
Rocky- B
Young Frankenstein- B-
Barry Lyndon- B-
The Godfather- A-
Tora! Tora! Tora!- B-
Grease- B-
Network- C
The Conversation- C
Dog Day Afternoon- D+
The French Connection- D-
Monty Python and the Holy Grail- D
Picnic at Hanging Rock- D
Badlands- C
Taxi Driver- F
Sure, there’s a lot of decent films, but there’s also no single decade in which I’ve nearly hated more…
Agreed.
But you need to look at the 2nd and 3rd tier of the 70s, along with the decades that preceded them.
Everybody knows that Renoir, Eisenstein, Hitchcock, Murnau, Bunuel etc al adorned the happy trail
There’s a reason the Golden Age of Hollywood doesn’t include the 70’s :p
It also trails in # of film mentions in the Flickchart Top 100 and only ties for AFI’s list.
Oh really? Is that why it trails both the 50’s and 60’s in # of films in the Top 250? Honestly I’ve only noticed it held up as the best decade on this site…
Good movie-making is linked to pubic hair, or more specifically, having an abundance of it.
That’s why the 70s is considered the best, and for good reason. You would have to look to early man to get a direct comparison to the 70s, but alas, they didn’t have good cameras back then.
The 90s & 000s is proof in the pudding to the greater extent, with only a handful of exceptions. These exceptions obviously fur-up.
“Chinatown is probably the best, even though it is a 70′s film…”
The way you dislike the 70’s never ceases to amaze us. What happened there, half your family was massacred? This must be very personal to you. Because you DO know that MOST people think it is the BEST decade in film. Or… I think… you are just deliberately trying to sail against the winds so that people will notice you. We would notice you anyway, but I do believe that you are not being honest to yourself here.
Ha, nvm…there’s no theatre in my area doing this. I have seen ’em all before though and of those being shown, Chinatown is probably the best, even though it is a 70’s film…
Hmm, none of these are particularly favorites, but I might participate. How ’bout they do this with some Hitchcock films. Or Hawks, Capra, or Wilder. I’d love to see It Happened One Night, Some Like It Hot, The Big Sleep, and just about any Hitchcock film on the big screen…
If you have never seen River Kwai, Zhivago or Chinatown of the big screen, run – don’t walk – to these showings.
Wonderful! I’ll be seeing Bridge on the River Kwai in San Francisco on the 20th of September! Cannot wait!
What a great opportunity to see these films on the large screen.
I have never seen “High Noon” (I know, I know – too little time), but have it marked on my calendar as I would like to experience this film on the big screen.
“Chinatown” and “Dr. Zhivago” are really must-be-seen films on the large screen.
I love it when these festivals happen for vintage classic movies.
keith
P.S.
a great opportunity indeed to re-experience these timeless classics.
Trailer for SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS has been out for few days, it’s from Martin McDonagh (IN BRUGES) and it looks good. Starring a huge ensemble of Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Christopher Walken, Abbie Cornish, Gabourey Sidibe and Olga Kurylenko.
thanks murtaza. We posted that Seven Psychopaths trailer last week.
Fantastic opportunity to revisit them as nature intended. Top marks to Cinemark.