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  Midnight Run (1988)

  Knowing this Drafthouse guest select comes via Ben Affleck doesn’t surprise me a bit. As one part of a famous filmic duo – I see you, Afflection stans – this butting-heads buddy comedy totally fits as an Affleck pick. Robert De Niro is a down-on-his-luck skip tracer, which is possibly the coolest job title for a relatively scummy profession. After getting assigned by his boss (played by the great Joey Pants) to deliver former mob accountant “the Duke” (Charles freakin’ Grodin), what was supposed to be easy cash turns into a hijinks-filled chase from the East to West Coast. Fans of Martin Brest’s work in previous police comedy Beverly Hills Cop are advised to catch this train to the other side of the law. – James Scott

  Mon., June 2

  Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar

• Film

  Special Screenings

  

  Saving Face (2005)

  I’m a sucker for intergenerational stories, particularly if they’re about parents and kids dealing with romance. There’s a real fun chaos to the idea: parents having to commiserate with their kid over dating troubles, forcing a new equality of situation into a historically uneven power dynamic. In director Alice Wu’s debut feature, protag Wil (Michelle Krusiec, Duplex) must take in her pregnant mother (Joan Chen, Twin Peaks), whose unwed status has her on the outs with her father. While Wil’s in the closet with her mom, she becomes enamored with her boss’ daughter (Lynn Chen, a five-episode recurring doctor on Grey’s Anatomy), who butts heads with her own father over choosing modern dance over ballet. Social expectations get broken; love comes from unexpected places; and hearts do change, even if it takes a little while. – James Scott Read a full review of Saving Face.

  June 2 & 4

  AFS Cinema

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  Special Screenings

  

  Sunset Boulevard (1950)

  One of the best-loved Billy Wilder productions, Sunset Boulevard is a timeless tale of the greed and desperation Hollywood wreaks on its young acolytes as they age. It also set off a long practice of – to varying degrees performative and genuine – self-criticism among its elites. Gloria Swanson is glorious and tragic as the washed-up silent star Norma Desmond, atrophying in her mansion with her former director/husband and now faithful butler Max (Erich von Stroheim). Her quasi-exploitative relationship with young writer Joe (William Holden) lays bare the extent of her delusions, as crackling dialogue carries the viewer through the muck with Wilder and longtime collaborator Charles Brackett’s signature lightness. At the Paramount, it’s only fitting to see Norma the way she sees herself: “I am big. It’s the pictures that got small.” – Lina Fisher Read a full review of Sunset Boulevard.

  Mon., June 2

  Paramount Theatre

• Film

  Special Screenings

  

  The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014)

  Feeling a bit dystopian in the current political climate? Check out the first half of the original Hunger Games series finale for all the inspiration you need for your counterrevolutionary activities. While Katniss Everdeen fights President Snow’s dictatorial regime in Panem, we, too, fight the establishment – one map labeled the Gulf of Mexico at a time. Whether a member of the revolution, a fan of dystopian science fiction, or complicated love triangles, this movie has it all. – Julianna Plewes Read a full review of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1.

  June 2 & 4

  Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline, Alamo Drafthouse Mueller, Alamo Drafthouse Slaughter Lane, Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar, Alamo Drafthouse Village

• Film

  Special Screenings

  

  Seed of Chucky (2004)

  Fifth in the Child’s Play series yet the first to be helmed by its creator Don Mancini, this Aughts nightmare makes for fun viewing – if you’re a freak! That’s why Hyperreal’s screening it in their new series, Freaks Only, which focuses on works “by, for, and about freaks.” Fans of this doll-ightfully dark franchise will recall that fourth installment Bride of Chucky ends with a hideous baby birthed from titular bride Tiffany’s rubber downstairs parts. Seed picks up the thread posthaste, with Chuck and Tiff’s progeny escaping their circus cage to find Mom & Dad. But there’s no hope for the kid being normal when their DNA’s laced with New Jersey serial killer blood. Also features Jennifer Tilly playing Jennifer Tilly, which is how you know the gays finally took over this slasher series. – James Scott Read a full review of Seed of Chucky.

  Mon., June 2

  Hyperreal Film Club