Pete's weekend movie roundup: '50s noir, '70s remakes, Michael Pollan, and Pee Wee Herman

Check out the Phil Karlson mini-fest at Pacific Film Archive and you won't be sorry.

Lot's of cool stuff to see at the movies this weekend. I don't know if any of it is as wild and crazy as the Sarah Palin vs. David Letterman uproar that I can't stop reading about, but probably much more worthwhile of my time. Here's my top five:

Tight Spot: Phil Karlson 1950s crime films retrospective at the Pacific Film Archive: This mini-film fest at Berkeley's PFA is number one, because it rules. These killer crime pics from the 1950s are showing every Friday night in June, and tonight's double feature is a doozy. Scandal Sheet features Broderick Crawford as a newspaper editor whose investigative reporters are tracking down a killer who happens to be Broderick Crawford. Awesome! The second film Tight Spot, I have not seen. AWESOME!

The original Taking of Pelham 1,2,3 on TV: There's a remake of Taking of Pelham 1,2,3 hitting multiplexes today that's a by-the-numbers summer action pic with car chases and two big stars (Denzel/Travolta). But the 1974 original is a gem, from that perfect period in Hollywood history when movies got grittier and smarter than ever before and guys like Walter Matthau got to play the hero. The classic Pelham 1,2,3 is going to be on Chanel 44 this Sunday night at 8 p.m., so check it out. If you're going to Netflix it, make sure to add Charlie Varrick (also with Matthau) and The Friends of Eddie Coyle (just released on dvd, starring the great Bob Mitchum) to your queue. '70s crime movies just don't get any better than those three. Unless you're counting Chinatown and The Godfather Part II.

Free (!) family movies at the Vine Cinema in Livermore: Support your neighborhood cinema! The Vine on First is showing Hotel For Dogs for free every day this week at noon! Take your kids and buy them a large popcorn!

Food, Inc. documentary, featuring Berkeley's Michael Pollan: Haven't seen this documentary about how mass-produced food will make you want to grow your own, but its getting great reviews. And, one of the stars of the film is the great Berkeley food writer Michael Pollan. So I will see it, and you should to, if you know what's good for you.

Pee Wee's Big Adventure matinees at the Elmwood: Berkeley's Elmwood Theater is one of the East Bay's real charmers. It's an old-fashioned neighborhood cinema that shows smart films, rotates the movies regulalry, and frequently books Saturday and Sunday family matinees. This weekend they are showing Tim Burton's first feature, Pee Wee's Big Adventure, a movie that gets better and better with time.

Posted at 11:23 AM in Pete's Popcorn Picks | Permalink