Saving the best for last
Old Pas Film Fest ends third year with a three-night sampling of cinematic treasures
By Carl Kozlowski 07/29/2010
Summer usually marks the best time of the year to see movies, a time filled with spectacular films that cause viewers to drop their jaws in wonderment. Here in Pasadena, however, the summer movie season also offers the chance to enjoy older classics in unique outdoor settings when the Old Pasadena Film Festival (OPFF) — presented by the Old Pasadena Management Association — sets up screens up to offer free showings at 8:30 p.m. the next three nights.
This weekend marks the close of the third annual OPFF, with four movies offering distinctly different experiences for movie buffs. On Thursday night, the 1986 fantasy cult classic “Labyrinth” — directed by Muppet master Jim Henson and produced by “Star Wars” creator George Lucas — will be screened in the One Colorado courtyard. The film features David Bowie as the Goblin King, who sings rock songs while a young Jennifer Connelly races through a mystical maze to save her brother from being turned into a goblin at midnight.
On Friday, the superb 2004 indie film “Before Sunset” — co-starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, who shared an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay with their director, Richard Linklater — will screen inside the Distant Lands travel bookstore. The film follows two former lovers as they share an afternoon in Paris together, with the unspoken question being whether Hawke’s character will cheat on his wife or not.
A Mae West double feature — two 1933 comedies in which she stars with Cary Grant — will be screened Friday in the One Colorado Courtyard. The first offering, “She Done Him Wrong,” is on the American Film Institute’s prestigious list of the 100 greatest comedies of all time, and is packed with many of West’s sauciest, censor-baiting lines, which isn’t surprising, considering she wrote the script. In “I’m No Angel,” West plays a carnival dancer whose shocking act gets her the attention of New York City’s top young male socialites.
Things come to a close Saturday night with two films that couldn’t be more different in style. Those preferring a classy, relaxing viewing experience can enjoy the One Colorado courtyard’s screening of 1950’s “All About Eve,” which won six Oscars, including Best Picture, and has also been named one of AFI’s 100 greatest movies.
Those who want a night to remember, however, are welcome to test their fears by entering Pasadena’s Central Park after dark for a screening of George Romero’s groundbreaking 1968 zombie horror classic “Night of the Living Dead.” The darkness alone can add an extra element of horror to the experience.
“[OPMA] President Steve Mulheim is a film buff and chose many of the films,” says the association’s Director of Events Kershona Mayo. “It’s a nice mix of classics, new films, travel films, horror and musical. This year’s theme is ‘Leading Ladies,’ and attendance has been phenomenal. Over the course of the month, we’ve had 8,000 viewers.”
All screenings start at 8:30 p.m. and admission is free. One Colorado Courtyard is at 41 Hugus Alley, Distant Lands bookstore is at 56 S. Raymond Ave., and Central Park is at 120 S. Raymond Ave., all in Old Pasadena. Call (626) 564-1066 or visit onecolorado.com.
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