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Sunday, August 1, 2010 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA An Evening of Animated Shorts by Ladislaw Starewicz
Ladislaw Starewicz was born in Moscow in 1882, and at an early age became fascinated with both entomology and filmmaking. He initially wanted to film stag beetles fighting, but the beetles wouldn't comply under lights. This led Starewicz to begin creating short stop motion animated films ("puppet films," as he called them), utilizing dead insects. He later moved on to realistic animal puppets and other subjects, sometimes incorporating rear-projected real actors. His works range from grotesque, beautiful, strange and technically impressive, even by today's standards. We'll present a sampling of this "father of stop motion animation," including "The Cameraman's Revenge" and a number of others!
Sunday, August 8, 2010 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA Zombie Girl: The Movie
Emily Hagins is making a zombie movie. It's feature-length, it's bloody, and the zombies don't run. Just like it should be. But there's one difference between her film and every other zombie movie you've ever seen: Emily is twelve.
"Zombie Girl: The Movie" documents the exhilarating and heartbreaking two years it took her to make it. With the help of her mother as agent, crew, and biggest fan, Emily launches an epic adventure in genre filmmaking, battling everything from budget shortfalls to self-doubt, all while coming of age as a teenager. Emily has the vision and her mom has the driver's license. Together, their journey is an enlightening look at a growing world of young moviemakers and the bloodiest mother/daughter story you've ever seen. And don't misunderstand - this IS ultimately a mother/daughter story. Saturday, August 14, 2010 Doors open around 6:00 PM Show starts around 7:00 PM Admission: $7.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA Cinema Insomnia Live! On Saturday, August 14, 2010, be a part of history and attend this first ever live broadcast taping of late night horror show, "Cinema Insomnia" with host Mr. Lobo! CI is now syndicated across the country, but ironically, can only be viewed via the internet in Sacramento. Join Mr. Lobo as he hosts the 1960's mess, "The Undertaker and His Pals" - "a macabre story of two motorcycle-riding, knife-wielding, shiv-shaving, eye-gouging, arm-twisting, chain-lashing, scalpel-flashing, acid-throwing, gun-shooting, bone-breaking, pathological nuts and their pal the Undertaker!" OK, that last bit was actually the tagline for the movie. In reality, it's short on plot, but packed with horrible puns, blood, and some scantily-clad gals just to keep it somewhat interesting. Somewhat. This event will be filmed. Please review the "Public Notice of Filming and Consent" which will be posted at all entrances on August 14. Advance tickets are no longer available for sale, but will be for sale at the door. Doors open at or around 6:00 PM. Public Notice of Fillming and Consent Please note: no passes or discounts for Cinema Insomnia Live. Sunday, August 15, 2010 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA Mr. Lobo's Movie Pick!
Didn't get enough of Mr. Lobo on August 14? As it turns out, it's a Lobo weekend! We asked Mr. Lobo to choose a movie and present it, and he agreed! Please note, this evening will NOT involve filming of any kind.
And Mr. Lobo picked... Virginia Creepers! A full length feature documentary chronicling the rich history of Virginia and DC area horror hosts, featuring, well, Mr. Lobo!! And presented by, Mr. Lobo! It's like getting double the Lobo for one money!! SEE! An array of horrifying ghouls and goblins haunting the Virginia airwaves for over 50 years in rare clips and photos! HEAR! The bloodcurdling sounds of long lost shows! THRILL! To see past and present hosts in a macabre tableau (whatever that is . . .) and witness interviews unseen anywhere else! Rumor has it, Mr. Lobo *might* be bringing along some shorts and other fun stuff for this screening, too! Sunday, August 22, 2010 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA Back to School Night at MOBS: The Sex & Drugs Edition!
Have you been wondering what menstruation is all about but been too uncomfortable to ask anyone? What about Venereal Disease? Thinking about trying marijuana or LSD and wondering if it's good for you? Well Movies on a Big Screen is here to help you out, with the Sex & Drugs Edition of our annual Back to School Night! We'll provide you with all of the latest, most accurate, and up-to-date information available... from the 1950s, 60s and 70s! And all in a non-judgmental environment! So come on out to MOBS at The Guild and get learned by these rather uncomfortable and hilarious films!!
Sunday, August 29, 2010 7:00 PM Admission: $7.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA Strongman
PLEASE NOTE START TIME OF 7:00 PM, rather than 7:30. Please also note that admission for this is $7.00 (we should be back to all $5 admissions next month).
A cinema verité documentary about Stanless Steel, The Strongest Man in the World at Bending Steel and Metal. Told with the kind of intimacy that can only be achieved with years of filming, "Strongman" follows the dreams and heartbreaking humanity of Stanless Steel—the only man alive who can bend a penny with his fingers—as he struggles to gain control of a world that seems constantly out of his grasp. "Strongman" is a film about faith, about believing in yourself and a film about never giving up. A film about weakness and a film about strength. "An affectionate glimpse of a truly American dreamer." - Seattle Times "A sad, affecting love story" - Boston Globe "A strange and strangely beautiful film..." - Variety Update- Chip Conrad, founder of Sacramento's BodyTribe Fitness (at 920 21st St), will be present to briefly discuss the history of strongmen and their shows, and the subsequent demise of the phenomenon to a modern small subculture. Sunday, July 4. 2010 NO SCREENINGTwo years ago, we tried to do movies on the 4th of July, and no one showed up at all. So we're throwing in the towel and taking a weekend off. Our first weekend off in a couple of years, actually. Sunday, July 11, 2010 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA The Romantic
An independent animated feature!
Deep within a mythological world of autumn landscapes and wondrous creatures, a heartbroken young Romantic swears an oath to free his race from the omnipotent control of the otherworldly gods. But as he ventures forth on his long and lascivious path, other forces conspire with their own agendas. For when all the gods are dead, who will sit upon their empty thrones? A fantastical satire on religion, responsibility and romance, "The Romantic" bends genres into a haunting tale filled with humor and horror. Sunday, July 18, 2010 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA The Nature of Existence
Filmmaker Roger Nygard ("Trekkies" and "Trekkies II" - the latter of which had a section filmed in Sacramento) made a list of 85 of the toughest questions he could think of, including "Why do we exist" and "Where was God during the holocaust?" and posed these to a vast number of varied people including Indian holy man Sri Sri Ravi Shankar; Irvin Kershner, director of "The Empire Strikes Back;" Italian Catholic Archbishop D’Ambrosio; Leonard Susskind (co-discovered string theory); Rob Adonis (founder of Ultimate Christian Wrestling); 24th Generation Taoist Master Zhang Chengda of China’s Azure Cloud Temple on Taishan; evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, author of "The God Delusion;" scifi authors Larry Niven and Orson Scott Card; Stonehenge Druids Rollo Maughfling & King Arthur Pendragon; SNL cast member and atheist Julia Sweeney; confrontational evangelist Brother Jed Smock and many, many more! "The Nature of Existence" documents the insights from this massive and varied line-up of interviewees!
“…a witty, thought provoking and often surprising study in the greatest mysteries of life.” - Mark Deming, All Movie Guide “’Nature’ is defined by its hopeful juxtaposition of clashing ideas on humanity and the cosmos…With co-producer/editor Paul Tarantino, [Roger Nygard] has shaped the well-shot material into a quick-moving piece that abounds in energy.” - Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter “[It's] a film that is constantly entertaining and thought provoking… ironic, sad, and amazing, but most of all funny. … This is the best documentary I have seen this year.” - Mark R. Leeper, Online Film Critics Society Sunday, July 25, 2010 7:30 PM Admission: Free Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA Act Your Age: The Kids of Widney High Story If you don't already know, The Kids of Widney High are a rock band from Southern California made up of singer/songwriters who have developmental disabilities. The band grew out of a song-writing class taught by Michael Monagan at the special education J.P. Widney High in Los Angeles. From there, they've gone on to cultivate a sizable underground following, and have opened for Mr. Bungle and The Melvins, in addition to being featured on the Vans Warped Tour. Musicians as varied as Smokey Robinson, Jackson Browne and Marilyn Manson have all cited themselves as fans of the band. They were also featured in the film, "The Ringer," starring Johnny Knoxville, in which they performed their cover of the 60s classic "Respect," re-written to be an anthem for those with disabilities. This very low-budget documentary primarily focuses on The Kids' Los Angeles to Seattle tour and features a number of their most popular songs, including "Insects," "Life Without a Cow," "Respect," "Pretty Girls," and so many more! Both hilarious and moving, you really won't want to miss this! And since admission is free, you really have no excuse at all! Sunday, June 6. 2010 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA Mellodrama
"Mellodrama" explores the rising and falling fortunes of the Mellotron - the first musical keyboard to "sample" the sounds of other instruments - from its birth in a California garage in the 1950s, through its dominance on concert stages in the 1970s, through its almost religious cult of followers in the 2000s. From the Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever" to Black Sabbath to Kanye West, Mellodrama is a 50-year odyssey of musical invention, revolution, betrayal, and rediscovery.
The Mellotron is a keyboard instrument that plays prerecorded strips of magnetic tape. It was invented as the Chamberlin organ in Harry Chamberlin's Southern California backyard in the late 1940s. Harry wanted to sell his "orchestra at your fingertips" to every Aunt Mable in America, and drove his motor home across America doing so. But his trusted salesman Bill Franson took two instruments to England, and found manufacturers to replicate the Chamberlin. Under this dubious pretense, the Mellotron was born. Soon, through the music of the Beatles, the Zombies, and the Moody Blues, the Mellotron became the "instant magic sound." In the 1970s, the Mellotron defined the sound of progressive rock bands like King Crimson, Roxy Music, and Genesis. Though forgotten during the 1980s, when digital synthesizers hijacked pop music, the Mellotron is today again a highly desired and sought-after device, a connection for artists like Radiohead and Kanye West to the mystical lost world of invention and possibility. "Mellodrama" chronicles this fascinating fifty-year history using interviews with Brian Wilson (Beach Boys), Mike Pinder (Moody Blues), Rod Argent (The Zombies), Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick), Ian McDonald (King Crimson), Brian Kehew (Author "Recording the Beatles"), Jon Brion [Producer--Kanye West, Fiona Apple, Aimee Mann], Patrick Moraz (Yes), Jesse Carmichael (Maroon 5), Matthew Sweet (Recording Artist), Michael Penn (Recording Artist), Richard Chamberlin (The Chamberlin Company), David Kean (Mellotron Archives) Markus Retch (Mellotron Archives), and many more. Sunday, June 13, 2010 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA Captain Milkshake
Filmed in 1969, a distribution rights dispute locked "Captain Milkshake" in litigation for years, but can finally be seen again! An "authentic 60's flashback" anti-Vietnam War film: a story of free love, cheap grass, and anti-war protests.
About the film: A young Marine (played by Geoff Gage) has two weeks leave from Vietnam to return home to Pacific Beach after his stepfather dies. He meets a young flower child, Melissa, (played by Andrea Cagan) who turns him on to marijuana, the hippie lifestyle, and the anti-war movement. Torn between his right-wing family and the hippies surrounding Melissa, Paul begins to question his reasons for being in Vietnam. Filmed in San Diego, the movie includes scenes of Crystal Pier, Balboa Park, Vacation Village, La Jolla Cove, and Pacific Beach. Featuring a soundtrack by Country Joe and the Fish, Steve Miller Band, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Kaleidoscope! "More than being a pioneer Vietnam film, 'Captain Milkshake' is a progenitor of counter-culture films. The open drug use, "free love," and motorcycle scenes anticipated those of Dennis Hopper's 'Easy Rider' by months" - Cashiers du Cinemart Sunday, June 20, 2010 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA Roll Out Cowboy
Chris “Sandman” Sand is a rappin’ cowboy from Dunn Center, North Dakota (population: 120 and shrinking). He drives a semi, plays the guitar and raps. He looks like Woody Guthrie but sings like no one else. "Roll Out, Cowboy" follows the 39-year-old country/hip-hop musician as he tours the American West during the 2008 Presidential election. Small town America isn’t as conservative as we think.
His tour bus is broken, he bought his house for a thousand bucks, and the small farming town in which he lives is disappearing faster with each passing year. "Roll Out, Cowboy’s" Chris Sand is the face of the dying American West. Except for one thing: He raps. The Woody Guthrie protégé looks like a cowboy, talks like a cowboy, but writes songs like Dr. Dre. When hip hop music hit the airwaves of the North Dakota badlands, where Sand grew up, he learned to rap and rhyme to the pulse of baling machines and irrigation pumps. The result? A music fusion in the raw—country/hip hop/folk/rap/cowboy. Whatever you call it, it’s unique, fresh, sexy, and distinctly western. "Roll Out, Cowboy" follows Sandman the rappin’ cowboy as he embarks on a national tour during the 2008 U.S. Presidential election. He travels from red state to blue and back again; blending discordant music genres into a style uniquely his own. Through him we see a part of America that remains immune to marketing campaigns, record labels, and consumerist politicking; as if it were the truth. We witness band break-ups, small town groupies—even a brief flirtation with commercial truck-driving, when a particularly impoverished Sand needs to make ends meet. This is not the romanticized, Roy Rogers version of the American frontier. This is Sandman. The cowboy who raps. Sunday, June 27, 2010 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA The Legend of the Snow Buddies
A night of zero-budget amateurish fun for fans of Sacto bands like The Four-Eyes and The Bananas!
The Legend of the Snow Buddies with a live musical performance by artists on the soundtrack (we're not sure if they have a band name that's being used or not...) When a young man named Johnny (actor Johnny Diamonds, who bears a "striking" resemblance to the drummer of The Four-Eyes) heads north to find some "yukon soul," he lands right in the middle of a conflict involving a whaling company, a native tribe, and the local miners and trappers. Blessed with the voice of an angel, Johnny wins hearts and friends wherever he goes with the power of his songs, but the greedy whale baron uses every dirty trick in the book to try to rid himself of the young man who "walks with song." When Johhny hears tale of a Skookum (a hairy manlike creature) haunting the forest and the snow, the adventure kicks into high gear, and an exciting climax ensues. A musical action comedy in the tradition of the "Elvis movie," "The Legend of the Snow Buddies " is sure to leave you humming a tune, and grinning from ear to ear. Sunday May 2, 2010 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA East of Euclid
A twisted comic film noir set in 1972 in the North End of Winnipeg. A newspaper reporter breaks a story that involves a strange love triangle between a Russian gambler, a perogie factory girl and a daring news photographer. Mix in gambling, money-laundering, murder and a kidnapped Finnish hockey player and you have a plot that is as thick as homemade borscht, with characters as colourful, and sometimes as fragile, as Ukrainian Easter eggs.
Somewhat of a Guy Maddin alumni reunion, "East of Euclid," written and directed by Jeff Solylo (Art Director on "Tales from Gimli Hospital," "Archangel," and "Careful") stars Michael O'Sullivan ("Archangel" and "Careful"), Brent Neale ("Tales from the Gimili Hopsital," "Archangel," "Careful," "Dracula, Pages From a Virgin's Diary"), and Maria Lamont who has had leading roles in theatre across Canada. Also features Miles Boisselle and Jeff Skinner, both with roles in "The Saddest Music in the World," as well as Mark Yuill ("Archangel," "Careful," and John Paizs' "Crimewave"). "(A) cinematic magnum opus... call it Dostoyevsky meets Monty Python." - Randall King, The Winnipeg Free Press Sunday, May 9, 2010 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA 1000 Journals
1000 Journals are traveling from hand to hand throughout the world. One came back. Where are the other 999?
"1000 Journals" is a film about people whose lives are touched by 1000 traveling journals. These blank journals were released into the world in the summer of 2000, by Someguy, a San Francisco based artist. Some people found a journal, or got it from a friend or stranger. Some signed up on the web and received it in the mail. Some wrote in them, others doodled, pasted in photographs, or added artworks. Some kept them. Some passed them on. There are no rules, and no one really monitors these journals and their movements. And yet, they are connecting tens of thousands of people worldwide, provoking and inspiring them. In September 2003, one of the 1000, number 526, returned to Someguy, filled. What happened to the other 999? This film tells their stories. 1000 Journals shares the experience of their worldwide journeys, and chronicles the self-governed collaboration of thousands of random people who have added to this global "message in a bottle." Sunday, May 16 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA The Rock-afire Explosion
In the early eighties, kids all over the US flocked to Showbiz Pizza for the rides, games, and animatronic rock band, The Rock-afire Explosion. Created by 23-year-old prodigy Aaron Fechter, The Rock-afire Explosion amazed children and adults alike before being mysteriously pulled from showrooms and replaced by the now popular Chuck-E-Cheese in the early nineties.
Nearly twenty years later, still profoundly affected by his experience at Showbiz Pizza, small-town disc-jockey Chris Thrash sought out Fechter and purchased a Rock-afire band of his own. Some clever programming on Chris' part, and the band was once again performing for millions, this time on YouTube. The Rock-afire Explosion reveals how Chris came to revive this fallen 80's gem, explores his and a number of other fan's obsessions with the animatronic band, and chronicles the rise and fall of Showbiz Pizza and what was once a 20 million dollar per-year venture for inventor Aaron Fechter. More than this, the film is a look at the importance of nostalgia, ever-changing media culture, and the eternal quest to stay young. "The greatest rock doc of all time" - VH1 Best Week Ever "In 'The Rock-afire Explosion,' director Brett Whitcomb chronicles the rise and fall of Rock-afire and, I'm telling you, it's utterly fascinating." - USA Today "A tale of strange obsession, squandered wealth, uncertain love and animatronic, guitar-playing bears, ‘The Rock-afire Explosion’ is something of a minor miracle, packed with heart-on-sleeve pathos and moments of unexpected, heartwrenching beauty." - Time Out London Sunday, May 23 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA Of All the Things
The most unlikely comeback of the year. Dennis Lambert was one of the most successful and diverse songwriter/producers of the '70s and '80s, with hits like "Ain't No Woman Like The One I've Got", "Rhinestone Cowboy", "Don't Pull Your Love", "Baby Come Back" and "Nightshift". He had chart-toppers in almost every genre of music, and at one point four of his songs were simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a feat previously accomplished only by The Beatles. That was then. Today, he's a 60-year-old family man selling real estate in Florida. But it turns out his obscure 1972 solo album is still huge... in the Philippines. A Filipino concert promoter has been begging Dennis to tour for decades, and in 2007 - thirty-five years after the release of his album - he finally agreed. "Of All The Things" is a hilarious and touching pop/rock/country/R&B documentary that follows Dennis on his whirlwind tour as he rediscovers his passion for music -- a two-week adventure that takes him from the comforts of Boca Raton, through the remote outer islands of the Philippines, to a sold-out show at Manila's famous Araneta Coliseum for thousands of fans he never knew he had. Some lives deserve an encore.
"With intimacy and a gentle sense of irony… ‘Of All The Things’ has an irresistible, down-to-earth charm." – The Hollywood Reporter "A thoroughly engaging doc… a celebration of contributions by an unsung hero of pop culture." – Variety A hilarious, hugely moving film. – L.A. Weekly Sunday, May 30 7:00 PM (please note special start time) Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA Stage Door Canteen
This star-studded World War II musical drama was largely financed by Theatre Guild, with proceeds going to various wartime fundraising concerns. Most of the story takes place at the Stage Door Canteen, a Manhattan-based home away from home for soldiers, sailors and marines. Within the walls of this non-profit establishment, servicemen are entertained by top musical, comedy and dramatic acts, and waited on by celebrities.
In "Stage Door Canteen," one of the Canteen servers, Eileen (Cheryl Walker) falls in love with one of the visiting soldiers Private Ed "Dakota" Smith (William Terry), despite the establishment's strict "no dating" rules. There's more to the plot than that, which is superbly directed by Frank Borzage ("A Farewell to Arms"), but the plot is mainly a device to link together a spectacular series of specialty acts and depict the life of servicemen on leave. Stars abound in both cameos and more lengthy roles in this, including Katherine Hepburn, Tallulah Bankhead, Harpo Marx, Edger Bergen (with Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd), Jack Benny, Freddy Martin, George Raft, Kay Kyser, Gypsy Rose Lee, Ethel Merman, Xavier Cugat, Count Basie and his Orchestra, Ed Wynn, Benny Goodman, Ray Bolger, Guy Lombardo, and dozens upon dozens more! Easter Sunday, April 4 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter
The first testament says "an eye for an eye."
The second testament says "love thy neighbour." The third testament… KICKS ASS! The second coming is upon us, and Jesus has returned to earth. But before he can get down to the serious business of judging the living and the dead, he has to contend with an army of vampires that can walk in the daylight. Combining kung-fu action with biblical prophecy and a liberal dose of humor, the film teams the Savior with Mexican wrestling hero El Santos against mythological horrors and science gone mad, and also manages to address contemporary sexual politics. Oh - and it's a musical. Sunday, April 11, 2010 4:00 PM Admission: $12.00 ($10.00, students through 12th grade) Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA Race to NowhereDirector Vicki Abeles will be in attendance for a discussion and Q&A following the film. Advance tickets can be purchased at www.rtnsacramento.eventbrite.com. Tickets will also be available for sale at the door (cash only). 
Director Vicki Abeles turns the personal political, igniting a national conversation in her new documentary about the pressures faced by American schoolchildren and their teachers in our achievement obsessed public and private education system and culture. Featuring the heartbreaking stories of young people across the country who have been pushed to the brink, educators who are burned out and worried students aren't developing the skills they need, and parents who are trying to do what's best for their kids, "Race to Nowhere" points to the silent epidemic in our schools: cheating has become commonplace, students have become disengaged, stress-related illness, depression and burnout are rampant, and young people arrive at college and the workplace unprepared and uninspired.
"Race to Nowhere" is a call to mobilize families, educators, and policy makers to challenge current assumptions on how to best prepare the youth of America to become healthy, bright, contributing and leading citizens. Sunday, April 11 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA The Intruder
This 1962 Roger Corman film deals with integration in the South, and was one of the few films at the time to do so. It stars William Shatner, in one of his best on-camera performances, as a racist provocateur who comes into town to stir up hatred just as the local high school is to be integrated. Written by noted Twilight Zone author Charles Beaumont and shot in the South, this low-budget indie production, as well as Shatner himself, received a number of threats from the KKK (along with much hostility from local authorities) and few theaters were willing to run it in its initial release because of the incendiary nature of it.
Please note that this film does contain use of racial epithets, which should be expected given the subject matter. Sunday, April 18 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA The Man Who Would Be Polka King
Pump up the Oompah! The Man Who Would Be Polka King is an irreverent look at the rise and fall of Grammy-nominated polka music superstar Jan Lewan, whose defection from Poland to Pennsylvania led to fame, fortune and an international Polka Empire. But when Lewan's empire collapsed under a cloud of scandal, the polka world was stunned to learn of the greatest polka-related financial crime in history.
A heady, complex examination of the American dream gone wrong. Deliriously entertaining. takes a bunch of truly bizarre twists and turns. While some . . . are hilarious, others are exceptionally tragic. - Bad Lit Sunday, April 25 7:00 PM (please note special start time) Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA Artois the Goat
Lab technician Virgil Gurdies embarks on an epic quest to create the greatest goat cheese the world has ever known, and reclaim the heart of his beloved Angie. She has taken a new job in Detroit and to follow her means signing his life over to his soul-sapping career in artificial flavor additives. To stay behind and pursue his newfound passion for fine artisanal goat cheese, is to risk losing her forever. Despite his lack of resources, experience, or basic competency in the field of agriculture, Virgil heads for the hills (literally) with a felonious German baker, a grave-digging hermit, and a tiny white goat named Artois. With Angie awaiting his imminent return and a conference of the International Cheese Consortium just a few months away, he has no choice but to go for broke. Throw away everything he has on a gamble: That, before it is too late, he can craft a cheese that will change the world. A cheese that will buy him a new life. A cheese of destiny.
" fragrant blend of comedy, romance, and...goat cheese. Really." - Austin 360 "Charming, slightly surreal, and hilarious..." - Austin Chronicle Sunday, March 7 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA Scarlet Street
We had a different title lined up for this date, but it's been moved to April or May, so we'll be showing this lesser-known disturbing Fritz Lang film noir classic from 1945 with Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennet and Dan Duryea. Plot concerns a quiet cashier, Christopher, who dreams of being a great artist. Upon meeting the beautiful but manipulative Kelly, he falls in love, yet she is really in love with small-time crook Johnny. In an effort to impress, he overstates the money he makes from his paintings, which later drives him to embezzle from his employer to keep Kelly, all the while not realizing that Kelly and Johnny are making money off of his paintings. As deceptions are uncovered, Chris is driven to a particularly violent act. We can't say much beyond this without giving away the ending, but as one internet reviewer said, it's "unrelenting in its gloom until the very last second."
Sunday, March 14 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA In conjunction with the Sacramento County Historical Society! 
Filmmaker Susheel Bibbs is planned to be in attendance at this special Sacramento screening. Meet Mary Pleasant
A unique, historical, performance documentary, unfolds the saga of Mary Ellen Pleasant the daring, unsung, 19th-century African-American activist and entrepreneur now called the Mother of Civil Rights in California. Narrated by the acclaimed actress Ruby Dee (SAG Best Supporting Actress, 2007), the film allows Pleasant to speak in live performance, using song, montage, re-enactment, commentary, and narration to enliven a backdrop of achievement, love, scandal, and American history. Pleasant's story is inspiring and important internationally. As entrepreneur, she amassed $30,000,000, and as activist, she changed modern-day civil rights law and affected civil rights throughout the US and in Canada.
Sunday, March 21 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA Edgar Ortega, president of the largest statewide reptile organization, the California Reptile and Invertebrate Society, will be in attendance to speak following the film! 
Herpers
It is estimated that there are 13 million pet reptiles in the United States alone. That means that approximately 4% of households in the country houses a least one reptile, some have even more. In fact, there are even a few who have achieved quite a wealth with their reptile breeding programs. These people are known as "Herpers" stemming from the word Herpetology: the study of reptiles and amphibians. Still, the fact remains that there are two kinds of people in the world: those who are reptile fanatics, and those who have no idea that there are people in the world who are, in fact, reptile fanatics. Herpers is a feature-length documentary for them both, produced by the multiple award-winning filmmaker, Dav Kaufman who fits proudly in the former category. Herpers takes us from coast-to-coast from the forests of Virginia to the skyscrapers of Chicago to the hills of Hollywood and all points in between in search of this unique reptile culture. We visit with Reptile Breeders, Enthusiasts, and Celebrity Herpers alike in this entertaining, funny, and sometimes peculiar investigation into not only one of the most misunderstood creatures on our planet, but the "Herper": the most misunderstood people on our planet as well.
Sunday, March 28 7:00 PM - Please note special start time for this screening. Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA Metropolis
Fritz Lang's silent science fiction classic from 1927. Mixing workers' rights with science fiction, this masterpiece had some of the most amazing sets of the time and remains breathtaking to this day. It also influenced countless later films including Dr. Strangelove, 2001, Star Wars and many, many others.
Sunday, Feb 7 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA I Think We're Alone Now
Yes, this is the documentary we showed previously, and one of the stalkers featured in the film was in attendance for a Q&A. As far as we know, that will not be happening this time, so if that kept you away, here's a good chance to catch this! Every celebrity deals with his or her share of obsessed fans. 'I Think We're Alone Now' is a documentary that focuses on two individuals, Jeff and Kelly, who claim to be in love with the 80's pop singer Tiffany. Jeff Turner, a 50-year-old man from Santa Cruz, California has attended Tiffany concerts since 1988. Diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, he never had a girlfriend. Jeff spends his days hanging out on the streets of Santa Cruz, striking up conversations with anyone who has a moment to spare. Kelly McCormick is a 35-year-old intersex person from Denver, Colorado, who claims to have been friends with Tiffany as a teenager. She credits Tiffany as the shining star who has motivated her to do everything in her life. Both Jeff and Kelly have been labeled stalkers by the media and other Tiffany fans. This film takes you inside the lonely lives these two characters, revealing the source of their clinging obsessions. This age-old story of unrequited love takes a comedic and emotional trip through themes of desperation, isolation, and hope, in the end showing that having something, or someone, to believe in can be more powerful than anything reality has to offer. "...more disturbing than "Blindness," "The Happening," and "Doomsday" put together. Never before have you gotten this close to stalkers -- and you'll never want to get this close again." - AMC, who also ranked it #5 in their list of Top 10 Horror Movies of 2008! Yeah, and it's not a horror movie - but it's that disturbing! "I Think We're Alone Now" provides a fascinating window into a nebulous zone where fan fever uncomfortably hovers between harmless obsession and dangerous lunacy... anyone with even the slightest interest in challenging documentaries or the cult of celebrity should seek it out. - TwitchFilm Sunday, Feb 14 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA Our second Valentine's Day show - this one on Valentine's Day! Show up for this 1920's silent classic, and maybe make your date a little bit nervous about your concept of "romance". The Phantom of the Opera
We're not too sure a synopsis of this is really necessary, but here's one anyway: Erik (Lon Chaney) is a much-feared fiend who haunts the Paris Opera House. Lurking around the damp, dank passages deep in the cellars of the theater, he secretly coaches understudy Christine Daae (Mary Philbin) to be an opera star. Through a startling sequence of terrors, including sending a giant chandelier crashing down on the opera patrons, the Phantom forces the lead soprano to withdraw from the opera, permitting Christine to step in. Luring Christine into his subterranean lair below the opera house, the Phantom confesses his love. But Christine is in love with Raoul de Chagny (Norman Kerry). The Phantom demands that Christine break off her relationship with Raoul before he'll allow her to return to the opera house stage. She agrees, but immediately upon her release from the Phantom's lair, she runs into the arms of Raoul and they plan to flee to England after her performance that night. The Phantom overhears their conversation and, during her performance, the Phantom kidnaps Christine, taking her to the depths of his dungeon. It is left to Raoul and Simon Buquet (Gibson Gowland), a secret service agent, to track down the Phantom and rescue Christine.
Sunday, Feb 21 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA Independents: A Guide for the Creative Spirit
Filmmaker Chris Brandt is currently scheduled to be in appearance. Additionally, we've got some local independent comic book artists coming out with some of their work. See the end of this listing for the full line-up of who's currently scheduled!
Why does one choose to become an "artist?" What makes an artist "independent?" Where do they get their ideas? Twenty-four respected creators unveil the secrets of the artistic mind, by talking about their favorite medium, the lowest of the low-brow arts: comic books. From cave paintings dating back 35,000 years to the graphic novels of today, sequential images have been used to tell magically influential stories. In examining an art form that has, until recently, not been accepted as "art", and discovering what it is these passionate creators find appealing about comic books, a bright light is shed on ALL independent creators, whether they work in graphic novels, film, music, or basket weaving. And look at this list of who's featured in the film: Jessica Abel (ArtBabe; Life Sucks); Trevor Alixopulos (Quagga); Scott Allie (Sr Managing Editor, Dark Horse Comics); Kevin Eastman (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; Heavy Metal); Gary Groth (co-founder, Fantagraphics; Editor-in-Chief, Comics Journal); Eric Jones (Super Scary Monster Stories); Keith Knight (K Chronicles; (Th)ink); Erik Larsen (co-founder, Image Comics; Savage Dragon); Batton Lash (Supernatural Law); Scott McCloud (Zot!; Understanding Comics); Carla Speed McNeil (Finder); Linda Medley (Castle Waiting); Tony Millionaire (Maakies); Scott Mills (Space Devil); Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise; Echo); Wendy Pini (ElfQuest); Eric Powell (The Goon); Johnny Ryan (Angry Youth Comics); James Sime (Isotope Comics in San Francisco); Craig Thompson (Blankets); Dan Vado (Slave Labor Graphics); Landry Walker (Super Scary Monster Stories; Batman: Brave and the Bold); Brett Warnock (Top Shelf Productions); Mike Wellman (Z-Blade; Gone South; Mac Afro); Shannon Wheeler (Too Much Coffee Man); Robert Williams (Zap!; Juxtapoz); and Jim Woodring (Jim; Frank). Whew! We also are planning on showing the short music video, "Hell Dream," featuring the art of local artist Skinner, whose work has been shown around the US! Check out Skinner's art at http://www.theartofskinner.com Here's who's currently scheduled to be there, in addition to filmmaker Chris Brandt: Skinner: Take fantasies of pop culture, cartoon & comic book land, twist them into a subconscious horror-surrealism of lurking wizards, evil unicorns, horror films, Dungeons & Dragons and other wild and hallucinatory visions and you get the art of Skinner. Ben Schwartz - Founder of ECV press, a Sacramento based comic book company who produces the comic books "The Continuum," "The Hunters," "Relic & Ego," "Triad," and "Little Kori in Komaland." http://www.ecvpress.com Paul Allen - Artist & Co-Writer of the horror/comedy comic book "BrAiNs". He's also available for commissions of disturbing images. http://www.myspace.com/brainscomic Anthony Leano - Co-writer of "BrAiNs" and founder of the From The Land Beyond, Horror & Sci Fi Show and Indy Euphoria- Indy Comix, DIY & Vinyl Toy Convention. http://www.sacramentocomics.com/indy Stephen R. Buell - Buell is currently working on the sci-fi thriller comic titled "Alien Echo," a punk rock homage to "They Live" comic titled "American Juice" and a comic about a virus that effects super-humans titled "Elephant Cage." He previously illustrated the graphic novel, "Fragile Prophet," which was named Best Independent Comic of 2006 by Ain't It Cool News. http://www.stephenrbuell.com Mike Hampton - Artist/writer of Hot Zombie Chicks, Captain A-Hole, and Zodiac Killers. Mike is known to draw caricatures of attendees as zombies for commission. http://www.916halo.com Sunday, Feb 28 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA Population: 1
We've been working on showing this for over three years now, and it all finally came together! Rarely seen or screened!
A film by Rene Daalder, who previously made "Massacre at Central High" and was an original collaborator on a Sex Pistols film which later became "The Great Rock-n-Roll Swindle," when Russ Meyer and Roger Ebert were involved early on. Daalder's house in L.A. ended up becoming the Sex Pistols' US "headquarters" for a period of time. It's also been said he was key to the creation of the "My Way" scene in that film. About Population: 1 When there's only one person left, America becomes a one-man band. From the depths of a bunker comes one man’s musical send off to the world’s last empire. A twisted history lesson from punk favorite Tomata du Plenty (The Screamers) featuring members of Los Lobos, Vampira, Penelope Houston (The Avengers), the notorious El Duce, Fluxus artist Al Hansen and his Grammy-winning grandson Beck, among many others. 
Tomata becomes the sole survivor of a disaster that has wiped out America. Hidden in a bomb shelter below the devastation, Tomata’s character decides to piece together a revisionist history of the United States. Using whatever memorabilia he can get his hands on, he recounts his own warped memoirs as the last citizen of what once was the greatest country on Earth.
Filmed over a period of years, this was initially finished in 1985. We will be featuring a newly created director's cut of the film! 
Deliriously cramming 200 years of American mayhem into one punk rock musical, Daalder’s anarchic vision unfolds "as if Frank Zappa and Hieronymus Bosch took angel dust together and created a nightmare.” —Michael Dare, LA Weekly Sunday, Jan 3 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA Light and the Sufferer
Realism and fantasy collide in best-selling author Jonathan Lethem's genre-bending coming-of-age story, which follows two estranged brothers as they try to leave New York City for a new life in California only to find their plans--and lives--being forever changed by the appearance of a mysterious alien.
We follow Paul--fresh from dropping out of college and living unhappily at home with his parents--as he arrives in New York City's Washington Square Park in search of his wayward brother Don (aka "Light" - Paul Dano, "Little Miss Sunshine"), who was kicked out of their parents' home a year earlier with neither Paul or their parents hearing from him since. Realizing their lives are at a dead end and looking to forge a new future together, Paul suggests that the two hop a plane for California and "leave all the bullshit behind." After a robbery intended to raise money for their trip goes awry, the brothers find themselves being pursued not only by the drug dealers they ripped off, but by a sufferer: one of the sphinx-like alien creatures that roam the city, trailing after people in trouble. The brothers' interaction with this fantastical creature turns the story on its head with both hilarious and heart-wrenching results. What does the sufferer want and why is it following them? Has it come to help or hurt them? Is it a guardian angel or death angel? Sunday, Jan 10 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA Hell on Wheels - with members of the Sacred City Derby Girls in attendance. Details tba.
"Hell on Wheels" tells the story of a group of Texas women who banded together in 2001 to resurrect roller derby for the 21st century. Emerging from the Austin music and arts scene, these women created a rock and roll fueled version of all-girl roller derby that spawned the derby craze that's sweeping the nation.
This doc chronicles the birth of the rollergirl revolution, filmed as it was happening, and follows the creation of the first modern-era rollergirl league Bad Girl, Good Woman Productions (BGGW, later renamed as Texas Roller Derby / Lonestar Rollergirls) and the breakaway league the Texas Rollergirls. Filmed from the trenches, it delivers the struggles and eventual success of the rollergirls as they construct a new sport and set forth to conquer the globe. 
"...the kind of twists, drama, cat fights and compound fractures that only happen in real life. ...the story is extremely compelling, sometimes laugh-out-loud outrageous and above all inspiring." - Ain't It Cool News
"...a story of triumph over adversity and seemingly insurmountable odds. It's one of those documentaries that doesn't really feel like its imposing an agenda or actively spewing various facts at you, but simply telling you a true-life story in an organic fashion... a good story well told.." - Real Movie News "Hell on Wheels is full of adrenaline-fueled highs, heartbreaking lows, and lots of chicks in short skirts kicking the shit out of each other." - The Onion A.V. Club "Bone-crunching collisions, behind-the-scenes drama and roller skates are all part of the outrageous documentary... a smashingly entertaining feature!" - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Sunday, Jan 17 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA Slide Guitar Ride
"Slide Guitar Ride" is a rock and roll journey with Bob Log III, the surreal and infamous one-man band from Tucson, Arizona -- "The only band in the world you can sit on." Costumed in a human cannonball suit and a bubble-mask motorcycle helmet with a phone receiver glued to the visor as a microphone, Log plays manic, delta blues slide guitar -- while singing and stomping on a bass drum pedal. The film, directed by Bernd Schoch of Germany, is a loving portrait of this incredible one man band which follows this manic Delta Blues slide guitar player on tour - as he wows crowds in backyards, laundry-mats and big concert halls around the globe. Oh - and if you've ever wondered what a boob scotch is, your questions will be answered!
Sunday, Jan 24 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA Trust Us, This is All Made Up Some foolishly believe that "improvising" is simply "making things up." To a degree, that's true. To be able to do that and have the New York Times describe you as, "…masters of long form improv" means you're going a little further than simply making a few off the cuff jokes. Second City alumni TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi ("Strangers With Candy," "Employee of the Month," "Groundhog Day") have become living legends in their field. Their performances of entirely improvised, character-driven, often hilarious and wholly original one-hour plays have mesmerized audiences worldwide. Exploring the folds of faith that underline their relationship and the transcendental forces that govern their improvisation, "Trust Us This is All Made Up" features an unforgettable live performance recorded at New York's Barrow Street Theater. Students and appreciators of improvisational performance will be astounded. Those less experienced with improvised theater will find this to be the perfect primer. Regardless, you'll be left in awe of what these two can do.
Sunday, Jan 31 7:30 PM Admission: $5.00 Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild 2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA Jandek on Corwood
Even by the standards of underground and avant-garde music, Jandek is a man who has pushed the notion of deliberate obscurity to the outer limits. Yet Jandek has recorded 62 albums since 1978, self-released on his label, Corwood Industries. Prior to 2004, he did not reveal himself, then suddenly started to do a series of live performances, billed simply as "a representative of Corwood." He sold records via ads in music magazines, yet even the ads were mysterious: a white box with black text stating simply "Jandek on Corwood" with the PO Box. His music borders on being indescribable, but terms like "spooky" and "haunting" and "out-of-tune" frequently show up in reviews. The film's press kit refers to it as "cacophonous rock and suicide-note blues." This film, from 2003, provides an enthralling look at this extremely outsider artist who only ever granted a couple of interviews via phone (one of which is presented in the film), unraveling some of the mystery around him, yet not once featuring Jandek on camera. Features a plethora of music journalists and critics including Douglas Wolk, along with Dr. Demento, and plenty of strange Jandek music and album covers.
About Jandek's music: "How to describe the music of Jandek? Like most amateur rock critics, start by comparing him to the Beatles. Then strip away melody, catchy hooks, rhythm, and harmony. Next toss out vocal and instrumental ability, along with any trace of human feeling other than dull, lingering pain. Aside from these deficiencies, he's exactly like the Fab Four." - Irwin Chusid, "Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music" About the film: "A huge success, proof that even this far into the game there are certain semi-desolate corners of the underground that remain impregnable to colonisation by the ever-encroaching monoculture and its accompanying pressures and payoffs." - Wire "[has] a surrealistic aesthetic that would make David Lynch proud." - Magnet "Shrewd, moody direction. A canny look at both sides of a musical experiment. Jandek plucks out his atonal efforts, and the record-store obsessives speculate about every subtlety. Theories abound about his love life, his mental stability, his reasons for reclusiveness. Is he friendless? Is he on the lam? Is he bipolar?" - New York Times "A smart cohesive film" - LA Weekly |
