The Ken Cinema tested a week of classic cinema last year that drew praise and crowds. Now they serve up another week of film classics to kick off the New Year.
Just a quick reminder that Landmark's Ken Cinema kicks off another week of film classics Friday night with Billy Wilder's darkly delicious "Sunset Boulevard," starring Gloria Swanson as an aging silent movie queen and William Holden as an unsuccessful screenwriter.
On Saturday, during the day and at a midnight screening, you can catch "The Final Cut" of Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner," a much needed reminded of Scott's filmmaking after his recent debacle in the desert with "Exodus: Gods and Kings." This seminal sci-fi film stars Harrison Ford, Sean Young, and a memorably human performance by Rutger Hauer as a replicant.
Next up is the Sergio Leone western epic, "Once Upon a Time in the West," starring Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, Charles Bronson and Claudia Cardinale.
On Monday, it's the Oscar-winning screwball comedy that caused men's undershirt sales to plummet and gave a newfound sexiness to hitchhiking, Frank Capra's "It Happened One Night." The film stars Clark Gable at his charming best and Claudette Colbert at her wittiest.
Tuesday night takes us to Japan for Akira Kurosawa's samurai epic, "Yojimbo" with the magnificent Toshiro Mifune.
Then, on Wednesday, it's a complete change of pace with the Busby Berkeley's musical, "The Gang's All Here."
And the week-long series closes out with Terence Malick's "Days of Heaven," a gorgeous visual treat on the big screen and with stellar performances by Sam Shepherd, Richard Gere and Brooke Adams.
The wonderful thing about bringing these classics back to the big screen — and the thing that has given me such delight at each of these screenings — is seeing parents bringing their young kids and introducing them to the films they love. I can't tell you how great it is to hear a parent explain to their kid when they saw a film or what's special about it or some piece of trivia.
This is what keeps cinema alive and keeps classics moving from one generation to the next.
Thank you Ken Cinema!
