• Grail Moviehouse is one of over 200 theaters across the U.S. celebrating the inaugural Art House Theater Day on Saturday, Sept. 24. Special screenings are planned throughout the day, beginning at 11 a.m. with the theatrical premiere of two new stop-motion animated specials — 26 minutes each, suitable for all ages — that continue the adventures of the plasticine toys from A Town Called Panic. Tickets are $5 and available online or at the Grail box office.
The theatrical premiere of Danny Says, a documentary about music industry pioneer Danny Fields (who worked for the Doors, Cream, Lou Reed, Nico, Judy Collins and managed the Stooges, MC5 and the Ramones), screens at 7 p.m. A streaming Q&A with special guests follows the film. Tickets are $9 and available online or at the Grail box office.
The day concludes at 10 p.m. with a screening of Phantasm in a 4K resolution restoration and remaster overseen by J.J. Abrams‘ Bad Robot production company and director Don Coscarelli. A streaming Q&A with Coscarelli and original cast members follows the film. Tickets are $9 and available online or at the Grail box office. avl.mx/2yp
• The Fine Arts Theatre screens Reel in the Closet on Thursday, Sept. 22, at 7:15 p.m. The feature-length documentary combines home movies dating to the 1930s, filmed in closets and attics around the world, with recorded news stories and community productions. The event is a fundraiser for the LGBT Elder Advocates of Western North Carolina, a grassroots organization affiliated with the Blue Ridge Pride Center that seeks to enrich the lives of the older LGBT community. A wine-and-cheese reception with director Stu Maddux takes place at 6 p.m. at Blue Spiral 1. Reception and film tickets are $40 and film-only tickets are $10, both of which are available online and at the Fine Arts box office. fineartstheatre.com
• Flat Rock Cinema is a host for the 19th annual Manhattan Short Film Festival. Daily screenings occur Friday, Sept. 23, through Thursday, Sept. 29, at 3 and 7 p.m., and feature 10 short films representing eight countries from around the world. Attendees will be given a ballot to vote for Best Film and Best Actor, which will then join tallies from over 250 cities spanning six continents.
The 10 finalists are Overtime (Australia), Gorilla (France); I Am A Pencil (Australia); The Last Journey of the Enigmatic Paul WR (France); The Tunnel (Norway); Carousel (England); Kaputt (Germany); Ella Got A Promotion? (USA); Hold On (The Netherlands) and Bravoman (Russia). Tickets are $8.75. Reservations are encouraged; call the cinema’s box office at 697-2463.
” . . .home movies dating to the 1930s, filmed in closets and attics around the world . . .”
Has Mr. Arnaudin missed the point of what this movie is all about?