Pete's weekend movie round-up: theaters drop matinee prices, Coraline/Soylent Green, Oscar shorts

Instant cult classic, dystopian future, and the good news about the effects of the current economic crisis on matinee ticket prices.

Forget Pineapple Express, I want to take Michael Phelps to a midnight show of Coraline in 3-D, man. This hyper-trippy, stop-motion animated feature from director Henry Selick (Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach) opens today in most of the multiplexes, and a few digital 3-D screens (Alameda, Concord, Dublin, Emeryville, Livermore, Martinez, Pleasant Hill, and Walnut Creek). Coraline, a fantasy about a bratty young girl who enters a portal to an alternate dimension (paging John Malkovich) is said to offer mind-blowingly weird visuals—think an extended play version of that phantasmagoric scene in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Wilder, not Depp) where the boat goes through the tunnel. I'll let you know what I think when I see it, but the buzz feels strong on this one, with the caveat that it's warned to be nightmare-inducing for any child whose freakout threshold is Ursula, the octo-villain from The Little Mermaid.

My colleague Martha Ross pointed out an interesting phenomenon the other day, when she told me that she went to see a matinee of Revolutionary Road at the Pleasant Hill Century multiplex. The first show at all Century Theaters multiplexes is now only $6, whereas it used to be $7.50. That's the first time in a long time, if ever, I've seen the cost of admission decrease at the theaters. I realize it's a sign of the times, but it's a sign that I like. Meanwhile, our wonderful neighborhood theaters offer great matinees: Oakland's Grand Lake theater has dropped its matinee price to $6.50, the Orinda's matinee price is just $7, and the Rheem Theater in Moraga now charges $6 for all evening shows, Monday through Friday. That's the best deal of all. But back in the summer of 1988, I saw a matinee of Moonstruck and Good Morning Vietnam for $1 at the Capri Theater in Concord.

Fill in the blank: "Soylent Green is _______!" If you don't know the answer, I won't be a spoiler, but I will let you know that the early '70s cautionary sci-fi classic Soylent Green is showing this Sunday at the Castro Theater. It's a double feature with the Greatest Show on Earth, often mentioned as the worst movie ever to win the Best Picture Oscar.

Finally, for anyone who wants to get some serious respect at their Oscar party this year, here's what to do: Head over to the Shattuck in Berkeley and check out the presentaion of Oscar-nominated short films. Then during the Oscars on February 22, act real cool when the read the short film nominees Lavatory - Lovestory (Russia), Oktapodi (France), Le Maison en Petits Cubes (Pieces of Love, Vol. 1) (Japan), Smith & Foulkes’ This Way Up (UK), and Pixar’s Presto (East Bay!)—and say, "I've seen all those."

Posted at 10:54 AM in Pete's Popcorn Picks | Permalink