The Incredibles
(widescreen) PG–2004–121 min.
dir. Brad Bird w/Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson
Quite possibly the top geek film of the last year, Pixar did their take on the superhero genre and knocked it right out of the park. Yeah, Rex knows you all saw it. He also knows you want to see it again and again. And remember: no capes!
The Mark of Zorro
NR–1940–94 min.
dir. Rouben Mamoulian w/Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Basil Rathbone
A wealthy aristocrat, a black cape, a black mask, and a secret cave lair, does this sound familiar? Batman, move over! Gotham City has got nothing on 19th century Mexico. Although this caped-crusader may not have a Bat-A-Rang, he does have a Bad-Ass whip.
Escape From New York
(widescreen) R–1981–99 min.
dir. John Carpenter w/Kurt Russell
The year is 1997 but it looks like the early 80s as Snake Plissken heads deep into the prison city of New York to kick some ass. The film is loaded with lots of character actors and cheeeeeeeze. Stop by and maybe Rex will add some of his own.
Trailer Park w/Vincent Truitner
2004 Guest of Honor Vincent Truitner returns to Cinema Rex to talk about his work on Spider-man 2 (which he couldn’t discuss at the time of last year’s convention do to contractual obligations) as well as other films, with behind-the-scenes footage.
Medusa Touch
PG–1978–105 min.
dir. Jack Gold w/Richard Burton, Lee Remick
A tormented man driven mad by his abilities takes the audience down a road that could be the origin of a supervillian. As mentioned in our introduction, we tried to tie in all of this year’s films to the theme of the convention, and in doing so go beyond the “conventional” idea of the superhero film. Rex thinks this seldom seen, classy British film embodies this concept.
Volcano High
(widescreen) PG-13–2001–120 min.
dir. Tae-gyun Kim w/Hyuk Jang, Min-a Shin, Su-ro Kim
Korean high school students battle each other and their super powerful teachers with martial arts, magic spells, and farts in this wacked-out film that pays homage to the Matrix and seems to laugh at Revolutions before it was even made!
Flash Gordon
(widescreen) PG–1980–111 min.
dir. Mike Hodges w/Sam Jones, Max von Sydow, Topol, Timothy Dalton, Brian Blessed
How did serious actors even consent to do this film? Fun and embarrassingly bad, this will be your only chance to see full grown men wearing big stupid fake wings in Cinema Rex this year. That is unless someone is wearing them in the audience.
Batman
(widescreen) PG–1966–105 min.
dir. Leslie H. Martinson w/Adam West, Burt Ward, Lee Meriwether, Cesar Romero, Burgess Meredith, Frank Gorshin
Come and see the film started the long tradition of Batman on the screen. Intentionally cheesy, this camp classic is a must see, because “some days you just can’t get rid of a bomb!”
Superman
(director’s cut–widescreen) PG–1978–143 min.
dir. Richard Donner w/Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Margo Kidder
Rex would like to dedicate this showing to Christopher Reeve, the man who so well portrayed the Man of Steel. This film and Superman II were for the longest time the only traditional superhero films produced of substantial quality. Now beautifully restored and with additional scenes, what better way to enjoy this classic than in Cinema Rex?
Tarzan the Ape Man
NR–1932–99 min.
dir. W.S. Van Dyke w/Johnny Weissmuller, Maureen O’Sullivan, Cheetah
Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of the jungle? Only Rex knows. He also knows that this film had to be on his schedule this year. And he knows you’ll never find a better example of what a high level ape-man can do.
Unbreakable
(widescreen) PG-13–2000–106 min.
dir. M. Night Shyamalan w/Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Robin Wright Penn
Pushed aside by the mainstream, this quiet, restrained and thoughtful film is Shyamalan’s ode to the superhero and the supervillian. Be there! ‘Nuff said.
Hero
(widescreen) PG-13–2002–99 min.
dir. Yimou Zhang w/Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang
By far the best cinematography in Cinema Rex this year, you won’t want to miss the beautiful and vibrant scenery, costumes, and sets. But the action will leave you speechless as the tastefully done martial ballet tells a classic story of heroism and self-sacrifice. If you go to the Masquerade, make sure to catch this feature’s encore showing on Sunday.
Trailer Park
See what the future holds as Rex dishes out trailers for hot upcoming releases, as well as some independent shorts and random neat stuff. There’s never a dull moment at the Trailer Park!
The Dead Zone
(widescreen) R–1983-103 min.
dir. David Cronenberg w/Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt, Herbert Lom, Martin Sheen
Rex has been itching to show this film for years. Quite probably the best film adaptation of a Stephen King novel! We thought it would be a perfect candidate for yet another take on what a superhero really is. Do you think Martin Sheen put this film on his resume when he auditioned for The West Wing?
The Butterfly Effect
(director’s cut–widescreen) PG-13–2004-120 min.
dir. Eric Bress, J. Mackye Gruber w/Ashton Kutcher, Melora Walters, Amy Smart, Eric Stoltz
Here is the below the geek radar feature for Cinema Rex this year. Did this film slip past you in the theaters? Did you know it was a genre film? Did you know it was a superhero film? Maybe some people would disagree with Rex on that one . . . but they’d be wrong. This amazing film has been made even better by the director’s cut, which has additional footage and a different, more provocative ending than the theatrical release.
The Crow
(widescreen) R–1994–97 min.
dir. Alex Proyas w/Brandon Lee, Ernie Hudson
How often have you said to yourself, “Gosh, self, I wish there was a 2:00 AM showing of The Crow somewhere; wouldn’t that be awesome?” Well, now there is. FIRE IT UP! FIRE IT UP!
The Rocketeer
(widescreen) PG–1991–108 min.
dir. Joe Johnston w/Bill Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Timothy Dalton
Mmmmmmmmm . . . Jennifer Connelly.
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