Pete's weekend round-up: Free movies and the first look at Quentin Tarantino's newest

Head to Danville to see Coraline, Pleasanton to see Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Jack London Square to see Splash.

Hanks, Hannah, and the WTC towers from 1984's Splash.

First off, I'm still abuzz from the early screening I took in yesterday of Inglourious Basterds (sic), Quentin Tarantino's long-awaited WW2 epic. If you're a Tarantino fan, as I am, it helps to go in with low expectations, as I did, so that way you can relish the experience of seeing the greatest movie ever made. Well, maybe its not as good as Pulp Fiction or Jackie Brown, but its certainly a return to top-shelf Tarantino after the overly gimmicky Death Proof chapter of Grindhouse. I'll write more next week, when Basterds hits theaters.

Looking to save a few bucks on your movie outing? There are some great free movies showing in East Bay communities this week. Tonight, head to the Danville library, for an outdoor screening of Coraline. This spooky-but-wonderful animated film from Bay Area director Henry Selick is one of the year's most creative films. On Thursday, August 20, the city of Pleasanton is showing Steven Spielberg's classic Raiders of the Lost Ark at DeLucci Park, while over at Jack London Square, the outdoor Oakland series wraps it water-themed summer series with Splash, the 1984 mermaid comedy that made East Bay native Tom Hanks into a movie star.

In Martinez, the camp horror classic The Tingler will show on Friday at August 14 at John Muir Amphitheater. The movie will begin around 8:20 p.m., then the Muppet Treasure Island will show on Wednesday, August 19 at Nancy Boyd Park, beginning around 8:15 p.m.

Over at the always-awesome Pacific Film Archive at UC Berkeley, there's a killer double feature tonight. At 6:30 p.m., they're showing Raw Deal, one of the best crime movies from underappreciated director Anthony Mann. It's showing with No Man of Her Own, starring Barbara Stanwyck, whcih starts at 8:10 p.m. The films are part of PFA's fascinating Into the Vortex: Female Voice on Film series, celebrating women's roles fron 1940s Hollywood.

Posted at 11:21 AM in Pete's Popcorn Picks | Permalink