The Grand Illusion

In the heart of a bustling Times Square kitchen, dreams and desperation collide as the back-of-house staff each chase the elusive American dream. When money goes missing from the till, the spotlight falls on Pedro (Raúl Briones), a passionate dreamer entangled in a tumultuous love affair with Julia (Rooney Mara), a waitress grappling with her own commitments. As tensions rise and shocking revelations unfold, the relentless pace of the kitchen threatens to shatter the hopes and aspirations of those who keep it running. It's a high-stakes drama that explores the intersection of the personal ambition and systemic exploitation of undocumented immigrant workers within the pressure-cooker environment of a Times Square New York restaurant.

In English and Spanish (with English subtitles).

“A monumental work of righteous anger… a wonder to see, feel, and take in.” Robert Daniels, RogerEbert.com

“A chaotic symphony [that] mixes biting social critique with stylistic bravura… If the United States is a melting pot, this is the furnace.” Peter Debruge, Variety

PLAYLAND conjures a time-bending night in Boston’s oldest and most notorious gay bar. Featuring an eclectic ensemble of queer performers, including drag icon Lady Bunny and POSE’s Danielle Cooper, this transdisciplinary film sees music, dance, archival footage, tableaux, opera, and performance art layered into an ethereal piece subverting all boundaries. The work of queer fantasy and history takes place inside the empty husk of the Playland Café. Although the cafe shut down in the late ’90s, PLAYLAND stages one last bawdy night on the town for the ghosts of their LGBTQ+ ancestors.

“West’s film is a haunted house, a tribute to these ghosts and the living queers most deliciously possessed.” Drew Gregory, Autostraddle

“Ambitious, nearly uncategorizable… uncanny.” Filmmaker Magazine

An up-close cinematic walkabout through the life of Gary Young, the original (and highly unlikely) drummer of indie rock royalty Pavement. His booze and drugs-fueled antics (on-stage handstands, gifting vegetables to fans) and haphazard production methods (accidentally helping launch the lo-fi aesthetic) were both a driving force of the band's early rise and the cause of his eventual crash landing. Leaving a wake of joy and/or destruction at every turn, Gary teeters the thin line between free-form self-expression and chaotic self-destruction. Thirty years on with scoliosis, blood clots, and a shriveled liver, Gary continued drumming with no regrets.

Starring Gary Young and featuring Pavement members Stephen Malkmus, Scott Kannberg, Bob Nastanovich, and Mark Ibold.

“As unique and wide-ranging as its subject’s venerated drum skills.” Mike DeAngelo, The Playlist

“A must-watch film for any Pavement fan, especially those wanting to know more about the indie rockers’ formative days.” David Roy, The Irish News

“Not only a film about Pavement percussionist Gary Young, but also a shattering exploration of destiny, creativity, and existence.” Alyssa Miller, No Film School

Free screening in honor of Native American Heritage Month!

Buddy Red Bow (A Martinez) is struggling, in the face of greedy developers, to keep his nation on a Montana Cheyenne Reservation financially solvent and independent. Philbert (Gary Farmer), his easygoing friend, pursues Native wisdom and lore wherever he can find it—even on “Bonanza.” As the two set off on a journey to bail out Buddy’s imprisoned sister, Philbert’s gentle faith challenges Buddy’s hard-edged view of the world, and together they face the realities and dreams of being Cheyenne in the modern-day U.S. Native American spirituality abounds in this bittersweet portrait of two Cheyenne men on a journey through the American West and their own identities.

Screenings are co-presented with Mother Nation and we ask that you support them with a donation this month. You can donate directly to them at their website or in-person at these screenings.

Free ticket reservations will begin one week prior to the film’s showtime. They will help us manage demand and guarantee you a seat, but it is not required.

Part of our Native American Heritage Month series of free screenings. Funding for this screening provided by 4Culture’s Sustained Support grant.

“One of the reasons we go to movies is to meet people we have not met before. It will be a long time before I forget Farmer, who disappears into the Philbert role so completely we almost think he is this simple, openhearted man – until we learn he’s an actor and teacher from near Toronto. It’s one of the most wholly convincing performances I’ve seen.” Roger Ebert

These days, there’s a lot of talk about outsiders in politics, but very few people can claim outsider status like Joe Keithley, punk legend turned a dedicated environmentalist and city councilor. SOMETHING BETTER CHANGE follows Keithley’s absolutely fascinating life and career, showing us both his time as the front man of the formative hardcore punk band D.O.A., as well as his campaigns for city council as a Green Party candidate in his hometown of Burnaby, British Columbia. Featuring interviews with other punk luminaries like Jello Biafra and Ian MacKaye, as well as an appearance from Beto O’Rourke, whether you’re a hardcore punk fan or just a civically engaged citizen, Creem: America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine director Scott Crawford’s latest film has a little something for everyone. – Daniel Abelow

Featuring an in-person Q&A with Joe Keithley and filmmaker Scott Crawford!

10th anniversary director's cut! Q&A with filmmaker Scott Crawford.

SALAD DAYS examines the early DIY punk scene in the Nation's Capital. It was a decade when seminal bands like Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Government Issue, Scream, Void, Faith, Rites of Spring, Marginal Man, Fugazi, and others released their own records and booked their own shows - without major record label constraints or mainstream media scrutiny. Contextually, it was a cultural watershed that predated the alternative music explosion of the 1990s (and the industry's subsequent implosion). Thirty years later, DC's original DIY punk spirit serves as a reminder of the hopefulness of youth, the power of community and the strength of conviction.

This director’s cut will only be available in cinemas and not available on physical media or streaming (at least anytime soon).

30th anniversary! New 35mm print of Quentin Tarantino's groundbreaking crime classic!

Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) are hitmen with a penchant for philosophical discussions, whose story is interwoven with those of their boss, gangster Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames), his wife Mia (Uma Thurman), struggling boxer Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis), and a nervous pair of armed robbers, "Pumpkin" (Tim Roth) and "Honey Bunny" (Amanda Plummer).

Part of our 20th Anniversary Celebration Series!

“A spectacularly entertaining piece of pop culture.” Todd McCarthy, Variety

“It’s a film that still satisfies like a ‘quarter-pounder with cheese’ – then hits like a bullet to the gut.” Geoffrey Macnab, The Independent

A new restoration of one of the great cult classics of the 1980s, starring character actors Kevin J O’Conner and Harris Yulin, with a supporting cast featuring real-life music legends Tom Waits, Leon Redbone, Joe Strummer, Dr. John, David Johansen and more. CANDY MOUNTAIN combines the keen eye of legendary photographer Robert Frank with novelist/screenwriter Rudy Wurlitzer’s mythic American prose to produce the quintessential road movie.

New York City, 1980s. A struggling, deadbeat musician named Julius has fallen on hard times. With no guitar, band or paying gigs, he cooks up a get-rich-quick scheme – to find the legendary, yet elusive guitar-maker Elmore Silk. Considered one of the greatest luthiers in the business, Silk’s disappearance from the scene has only made his work more coveted by musicians and executives looking to make a buck off his name. Julius agrees to track the man down and sets out on the road. Meant to be a simple journey upstate, Julius stumbles down a long, winding road full of dead-ends and wrong turns towards an eventual revelatory conclusion in the Canadian wilderness.

“Ambling along like a wry, laid-back Heart of Darkness, this likable and touching film makes good use of Frank’s remarkable photographic eye and Wurlitzer’s witty, acerbic, and quasi-mystical handling of myth that has served him well in his novels.” Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

“Watching Candy Mountain, we’re lulled into a mood of uncertain but pleasurable anticipation. It’s the kind of sensation that comes from not quite knowing where you are, or where you’ll wind up next, like driving through unfamiliar territory without a map. This isn’t an experience that we encounter much at the movies these days, and that’s not meant as a criticism; it’s high praise.” Hal Hinson, Washington Post

BOOM chronicles one of rock ‘n’ roll’s wildest and most influential bands: The Sonics. For the first time ever, all five original members explore how a relatively unknown band from the Pacific Northwest became a worldwide phenomenon 50 years later, shaping music for decades to come. Featuring interviews with homegrown heroes and breakthrough artists alike, including Pearl Jam, The Sex Pistols, Heart, Mudhoney, and many, many more.

Filmmaker Jordan Albertsen scheduled to be in attendance for a live Q&A at the Nov 23rd showing!

“Brilliantly displays why The Sonics are so important. It’s clear that this film will further cement the legacy of one of the greatest rock and roll bands of all time.” Glen Casebeer, Northwest Music Scene

“The spirit of BOOM is as righteous and undeniable as Gerry Roslie’s howl.” Dave Segal, The Stranger

THIS SEARCH FOR MEANING charts Placebo’s ongoing impact and legacy through a visual meditation on contemporary themes such as surveillance culture & scrutiny, sexuality & gender identity, addiction & trauma, as well as the climate crisis. These significant and weighty themes are explored in both an informal and personally authored manner through brand new interviews with band members Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal.

The film’s overall narrative is structured around incredible and completely new performances of Placebo’s latest songs, captured at Britain’s legendary Twickenham Film Studios. The documentary also features rare archive interviews with David Bowie, along with exclusive interviews with Yungblud, Shirley Manson, Joe Talbot of Idles, Robbie Williams and others.

A ragged band of survivors of a nuclear holocaust (led by the awesomely-named DACK RAMBO) fights for survival against evil villain Bishop who is imprisoning radiation scarred survivors (“muties”) from fallout in his zirconium mines. Or Something Like That? A true Corman-copia holiday feast, this movie blends together extensive stock footage, endless scraps of other movies, and then sprinkles on probably 10 minutes of original footage shot in Peru to bake-off the most epic SciFi Post-Apocalyptic Action-Adventure movie you’ve never seen!

“A mix between George Miller’s The Road Warrior and countless other sci-fi B-movies, with a heaping helping of stock footage.” ScreenAnarchy.com

“I don’t remember how many films I borrowed footage from … maybe 25? It was a lot. And for all my hard work and sins against cinema, I was awarded a co-directing credit.” Kevin Tent

Never released on DVD! Only on VHS! Only $3!

Free screening in honor of Native American Heritage Month!

Conceived by Navajo Nation Museum director Manuelito Wheeler and his wife Jennifer, this version of STAR WARS: EPISODE IV – A NEW HOPE is dubbed in the Navajo language and voiced by nearly 70 Navajo voice actors. It is the first major motion picture ever dubbed into a Native language. In Navajo with English subtitles (obviously!).

PLEASE NOTE: it is based on the "Special Edition" of STAR WARS with the added scenes and CGI.

Screenings are co-presented with Mother Nation and we ask that you support them with a donation this month. You can donate directly to them at their website or in-person at these screenings.

Free ticket reservations will begin one week prior to the film’s showtime. They will help us manage demand and guarantee you a seat, but it is not required.

Part of our Native American Heritage Month series of free screenings. Funding for this screening provided by 4Culture’s Sustained Support grant.

HIPPO examines the coming-of-age of two step-siblings: Hippo (Kimball Farley), a video-game addicted teenager, and Buttercup (Lilla Kizlinger), a Hungarian Catholic immigrant with a love of classical music and Jesus. Like the Ancient Greek Aphrodite, Buttercup’s love is unrequited by a brother who prefers to indulge the art of war and chaos. The result is a hormone-fueled, tragicomic waking nightmare that must be seen to be believed. Executive produced by David Gordon Green, Danny McBride, and Jody Hill.

“[Director] Rapaport plays with topics that would make even the most hardened film fan blush… It’s a mind f**k of a movie, filled with uncomfortable laughs, ludicrous characters, and if that wasn’t enough, it is topped off with a soupçon of narration from the one and only Eric Roberts. Hippo is America’s answer to Dogtooth, and it’s wonderful.” J Hurtado, ScreenAnarchy

“A transfixing oddity… not afraid to push buttons of weirdness.” Nick Allen, RogerEbert.com

“Hippo’s strange and dark humor is quintessential viewing and a wonderful reminder of why we all got into indie filmmaking in the first place… a brilliant feature debut.” David Gordon Green

50th anniversary!

Glamour has never been more grotesque than in FEMALE TROUBLE, which injects the Hollywood melodrama with anarchic decadence. Divine, director John Waters’ larger-than-life muse, engulfs the screen with charisma as Dawn Davenport, the living embodiment of the film’s lurid mantra, “Crime is beauty,” who progresses from a teenage nightmare hell-bent on getting cha-cha heels for Christmas to a fame monster whose egomaniacal impulses land her in the electric chair. Shot in Waters’ native Baltimore on 16 mm, with a cast drawn from his beloved troupe of regulars, the Dreamlanders (including Mink Stole, David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce, Edith Massey, and Cookie Mueller), this film­—the director’s favorite of his work with Divine—comes to life through the tinsel-toned vision of production designer Vincent Peranio and costume designer/makeup artist Van Smith. An endlessly quotable fan favorite, FEMALE TROUBLE offers up perverse pleasures that never fail to satisfy.

Part of our 20th Anniversary Celebration Series!

“Waters smashes the bowdlerizing codes of Hollywood morality with self-consciously delirious parodies of classic Hollywood genres and tropes; the resulting feast of sex, violence, cruelty, and frivolity mocks sentimental notions of family, work, and love, and turns the egomaniacal furies of pop culture inside out.” Richard Brody, The New Yorker

“John Waters’ trashterpiece is just as hilarious today as it was 50 years ago. Just bring your pearls with you in case you need to clutch them.” Trace Thurman, Horror Queens Podcast

In the offbeat comedy from Finland, HEAVY TRIP, Turo is stuck in a small village where the best thing in his life is being the lead vocalist for the amateur metal band Impaled Rektum. The only problem? He and his bandmates have practiced for 12 years without playing a single gig. But when the guys get a surprise visitor from Norway—the promoter for a huge heavy metal music festival—they decide it’s now or never, so they steal a van, a corpse, and even a new drummer in order to make their dreams a reality.

Then, in HEAVIER TRIP, the world’s most ferocious death metal band, Impaled Rektum, is back and ready to unleash hell! Shackled by fate and locked up in a Norwegian prison, the band discovers their lead guitarist’s family reindeer slaughterhouse faces a financial storm. Turo, Lotvonen, Xytrax, and Oula hatch a daring escape plan to help. Desperate for the money, and the chance to perform at the ultimate battleground for metal warriors, Impaled Rektum takes a journey through northern Europe to the legendary Wacken music festival. But hot on their trail is a vengeful prison guard, thirsting for revenge, and a sketchy record label executive, weaving lies that could shatter their dreams and worse, compromise the integrity of the band. Amidst the chaos, the band must forge a bond stronger than the darkest riffs – forging alliances with the most unexpected compatriots, including an epic cameo from the Japanese Kawaii-metal band, BABYMETAL. Only the raw power of metal can determine their fate!

In English and Finnish with English subtitles.

“[Heavy Trip] achieves the status of bonafide crowd-pleaser, for a crowd that isn’t normally acknowledged with such detail and warmth.” Nick Allen, RogerEbert.com

“Audiences returning for another tour with Impaled Rektum won’t be disappointed… Heavier Trip is another gift to metalheads that has me hungry for a third.” Matthew Donato, Collider

Santa Claus is coming to town... and this time he’s got an axe! Community leaders tried to stop it. The P.T.A. fought to ban it. Now, one of the most controversial slasher films of all time is back for its 40th anniversary, restored from the original camera negative. SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT is the demented story of little Billy Chapman, traumatized by his parents’ Christmas Eve murder and then brutalized by sadistic nuns in an orphanage. When Billy grows up and dresses as Santa, he goes on a yuletide rampage to punish the naughty with extreme prejudice. Robert Brian Wilson and Linnea Quigley (NIGHT OF THE DEMONS) star in this harrowing horror classic that continues to ruffle the feathers of angry parents and stuffy critics forty years later.

Part of our 20th Anniversary Celebration Series!

“Buried beneath the blood-soaked Santa suit, Silent Night, Deadly Night has something a lot of slasher films lack – a unique identity, and thus cult film status.” Matthew Rozsa, Salon.com

“I would like to hear the filmmakers explain to their children and their grandchildren that it’s only a movie.” Roger Ebert

75th anniversary! Join us for this special fundraiser screening of Carol Reed's THE THIRD MAN. We need your help to build an even grander Grand Illusion and the proceeds from your $25 ticket purchase will go towards our relocation. Plus you get to see one of the greatest films of all time restored in 4K!

Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten), a writer of pulp Westerns, arrives in a bombed-out, post-war Vienna at the invitation of his childhood friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles) only to find him dead. Martins develops the ultimate conspiracy theory after learning of a “third man” present at the time of Harry’s death, butting up against interference from British police officer Major Calloway (Trevor Howard), and falling head-over-heels for Harry’s grief-stricken lover Anna (Alida Valli).

Part of our 20th Anniversary Celebration Series!

“The best revelation in all of cinema.” Martin Scorsese

“Exquisite! Encapsulates all the reasons we go to the movies!” Stephanie Zacharek, The Village Voice

“I’ve seen it 50 times and it’s still magic.” Roger Ebert

50th anniversary!

Years before he crafted the ultimate comedic yuletime experience, A CHRISTMAS STORY, genre pioneer Bob Clark gave us one of the most influential Hitchcockian slashers of all time. When sorority sisters Olivia Hussey (ROMEO & JULIET), Margot Kidder (SUPERMAN) and Andrea Martin (SCTV) are under attack from a vicious, obscene killer, it’s up to police chief John Saxon (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET) to even the odds. But what about Keir Dullea (2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY), the brooding art-school pianist? Could he have something to do with the Christmas rampage? One part frosty Christmas atmosphere, one part stalk ‘n’ slash magnificence, and all parts awesome, BLACK CHRISTMAS is a timeless, terrifying, and demented holiday tradition that gets everything right.

Part of our 20th Anniversary Celebration Series!

“Bob Clark’s Black Christmas is a masterful exercise in tension. That it happens to be one of the most progressive horror films of the ’70s is just an added bonus.” Trace Thurman, Horror Queers Podcast

“There’s no doubting that Black Christmas had all the advantages of being first of its kind. The film stands as the mother of the modern slasher. It was able to make its own rules, and subsequently created a template for the films that came after.” Jourdain Searles, Thrillist

Anime Expo Cinema Nights (AXCN) presents a special concert film of the band BABYMETAL with their worldwide tour Legend - 43. In April 2023, SU-METAL (Vocal, Dance), MOAMETAL (Scream, Dance), and MOMOMETAL (Scream, Dance) entered a new stage as the newly born BABYMETAL. Since then, they have embarked on their largest world tour, "BABYMETAL WORLD TOUR 2023 - 2024," which took them to 25 countries, including Japan. The headline tour, excluding festivals and guest acts, drew a cumulative audience of more than 280,000 people for a total of 98 performances. The final chapter of the world tour, the first Okinawa performance "TOUR FINAL IN JAPAN LEGEND - 43", has been fully filmed. The film is BABYMETAL's first live film that allows viewers to experience all of the diverse music, unique worldview, and production that only a tour finale can offer, and the overwhelming performance of BABYMETAL, which has evolved even further during their world tour.

“With just over 80 minutes onstage, the band fly through each song with a sense of unstoppable energy and infectious joy that leaves no question as to how they’ve managed to take pride of place as one of the biggest success stories of 21st Century metal.” Rich Hobson, Metal Hammer