‘Pink Floyd The Wall’ comes to town

Don’t ask me how or where they got it, but Asheville Pizza and Brewing has come up with a 35mm print of Alan Parker’s Pink Floyd The Wall (1982), which they’re showing at 10 p.m. starting on Friday. Finding a usable 35mm print — that isn’t in an archival holding — of a 26-year-old movie doesn’t happen every day, so fans of the film ought to take advantage of this. If you question the seasonal quality of the presentation … well, does anything really say Christmas like the sight of Bob Geldoff cutting off his nipples?

I’ll freely admit that while I like most Alan Parker films and I sometimes like Pink Floyd, I’m pretty resistant to this particular opus. It’s always seemed to me a rather ugly movie and grounded too much in Roger Waters lolling about in self-pity over how f**ked up he is and how it’s everybody’s fault but his own. No matter, the film is blessed with some stunning visuals and some worthwhile music — and there’s no denying it has a following. It’s equally impossible to deny that if you’re going to see it, seeing it on a movie screen is clearly the way to go, so here’s your chance to do just that.

If The Wall isn’t quite your cup of Lapsang Souchong, Asheville Pizza and Brewing is offering some slightly more traditional fare with special free screenings of Home Alone (7 p.m. Dec. 22), Scrooged (7 p.m. Dec. 23) and Elf (7 p.m. Dec. 24). The first of those makes me truly appreciate what a fine, festive film The Wall is, come to think of it.

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About Ken Hanke
Head film critic for Mountain Xpress from December 2000 until his death in June 2016. Author of books "Ken Russell's Films," "Charlie Chan at the Movies," "A Critical Guide to Horror Film Series," "Tim Burton: An Unauthorized Biography of the Filmmaker."

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4 thoughts on “‘Pink Floyd The Wall’ comes to town

  1. Danielle

    “grounded too much in Roger Waters lolling about in self-pity over how f**ked up he is and how it’s everybody’s fault but his own.”

    Haha! Ain’t that the truth. Makes me all nostalgic just thinking about it, though.

  2. Ken Hanke

    Makes me all nostalgic just thinking about it, though.

    The more I think about that, the more I agree with it. This alarms me.

  3. gt

    pretty cool! now Jason… bahhh humbug! $3 dude… that’s all I’ve got to say… $3. Oh, and get yourself a beer to ease your mind about those horrible tattered screens. Or… maybe “Cry Me A River” will be playing on their not so spectacular screens just for you in the near future. You won’t even notice the crappiness through all of your tears and a good Ninja Porter buzz. Sorry. I just couldn’t help myself. Crappy screens… ugh. Always a critic.

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