Pete's Weekend Movie Roundup: Where to watch Watchmen, cheerful classics, Spinal Tap live in the East Bay

Long-awaited movie version of the comic classic hits cinemas, Singin' in the Rain and Spinal Tap get the royal treatment in East Bay theaters

It’s Friday and I just got back from a killer trip to Bali. Between SCUBA dives and rice plates, I found time to read the graphic novel, Watchmen, which stands at the top of the its medium’s mountain. Author Alan Moore deconstructs superhero mythology and 20th century Cold War America with in incredibly complex, densely plotted crime story about a group of self appointed vigilante masked crimefighters. It’s a pretty amazing piece of work, and I could not put it down.

So today, the long awaited movie version of Watchmen hits theaters. Director Zack Snyder is the guy who made the mega smash 300 a few years back and he seems like a good choice to direct the movie version. My only hesitation is the same question I usually have for most comic book adaptations: they seem to work better on the page than the big screen, with Dark Knight and Spiderman 2 exceptions, of course. My favorite comic book adaptation, by the way, is kind of unexpected and has an East Bay connection. Ghost World, based on Oakland author Daniel Clowes, is pure genius, Clowes got an Oscar nomination for his screenplay. Check it out.

The Orinda Theater has Watchmen in its main auditorium, and so will the Dublin IMAX, but I’m going to hit the ground running and go to the first matinee of Watchmen at the spectacular Alameda Theatre, on its massive screen. The Alameda Theatre is a real treasure and I hope to go see as many movies as possible there. Lately, they have been showing Hollywood classics on the big screen on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, and this week they have my all time favorite: Singin' in the Rain. In these tought economic times, movies remain a pretty good entertainment value, and Singin’ in the Rain is guaranteed to cheer up even the gloomiest of moviegoers.

I’m also psyched to get over to Berkeley’s Pacific Film Archive this Sunday, March 8. The Film on Film foundation is presenting a double feature of Ida Lupino-directed noirs. Lupino was in a league of her own as an actor, writer, and director of hard boiled crime films.

More cheer on the big screen: Tonight, head to Oakland's Paramount Theatre and you can check out Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dance up a storm in The Gay Divorcee. Good stuff, especially for the $5 admission price. Also, tickets go on sale today for the Paramount’s April 22 concert of England’s loudest band, Spinal Tap. The 1984 documentary, This Is Spinal Tap, pulls a close second to Singin’ in the Rain for my all time fave, so I can’t wait to see these guys rock the house next month.
 

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