Screen scene: Local film news

Ryan Oslance, right, pictured here with his Ahleuchatistas bandmate Shane Parish, is part of a team of local improvisers who will create a new soundtrack to David Lynch's Eraserhead on Sunday, July 12, at The Mothlight. Photo by Courtney Chappell

• On Sunday, July 12, at The Mothlight, a group of local improvisers will create a new soundtrack to David Lynch’s Eraserhead. Ryan Oslance (Ahleuchatistas), Frank Meadows (Oulipo), Michael Flanagan and Carmelo Pampillonio (Holy Holy Vine) and Adam McDaniel make up the quintet of experimental musicians. Oslance and Flanagan were also part of the team that provided similar on-the-spot accompaniment for Fritz Lang’s Metropolis in  April.

Last September, Lynch’s fever-dream debut feature was given a release by the revered Criterion Collection, which describes the film as “both a lasting cult sensation and a work of extraordinary craft and beauty. With its mesmerizing black-and-white photography by Frederick Elmes and Herbert Cardwell, evocative sound design and unforgettably enigmatic performance by Jack Nance, this visionary nocturnal odyssey continues to haunt American cinema like no other film.” The event starts at 9 p.m. and is free. avl.mx/19v

• The North Asheville Library opens its Throwback Theatre series with a free Saturday, July 11, matinee of The Swiss Family Robinson. The beloved 1960 Walt Disney adaptation of the Johann David Wyss novel stars John Mills and Dorothy McGuire as the parents of the eponymous collective who are forced to survive after being shipwrecked on a deserted tropical island surrounded by pirates. The film gets underway at 2 p.m. in the library’s meeting room and is open to all ages.

• Excuse me, are you saying meow? No? Either way, The Orange Peel hosts a free screening of Super Troopers on Monday, July 13, at 8 p.m. The cult hit from the Broken Lizard comedy troupe is part of the concert venue’s summer film series. Couches for sitting and popcorn for munching will be provided, but attendees are welcome to bring their own food and seating. Snacks and drinks will be available at the bar, including specials on buckets of beer from Oskar Blues Brewery.

• Missed Chip Kaufmann’s recent silent film program at the Leicester Library and Pack Memorial Library? The film historian will give an encore presentation Tuesday, July 14, at the Weaverville Library, from 7-9 p.m.

The evening begins with Willful Peggy, a 1910 comedy (15 minutes) starring a then 17-year-old Mary Pickford, followed by her 1917 showcase, A Little Princess (62 minutes). The slate concludes with The Butcher Boy (1917, 25 minutes), a parody of A Little Princess starring Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle and Buster Keaton. Kaufmann will provide commentary on each of the films. Admission is free, all ages are welcome and complimentary popcorn will be provided.

Send your local film news to ae@mountainx.com

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About Edwin Arnaudin
Edwin Arnaudin is a staff writer for Mountain Xpress. He also reviews films for ashevillemovies.com and is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA) and North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA). Follow me @EdwinArnaudin

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