Is there a more impactful form of writing than pop music? Where books take thousands of words and movies unspool over hours, pop songs are tasked with telling their stories in just a few minutes. It doesn’t hurt that they are catchy, too—very few can recite a full Shakespeare text, but almost everyone can sing along to “Born in the USA.”
The hard work of bringing a song to life—and the toll it takes on its authors—fuels two films coming to The Triplex this week: “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” and “Blue Moon” (a third, “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues,” takes a slightly sillier look at the process).
Scott Cooper’s “Springsteen” follows its titular rock star (played by Jeremy Allen White of “The Bear”) as he processes the lingering trauma of his childhood through the creation of his “Nebraska” album; Richard Linklater’s “Blue Moon” centers on lyricist Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke), the legendary writer behind songs like “My Funny Valentine” and “The Lady is a Tramp,” as he quips his way through the night his former collaborator Richard Rodgers premieres “Oklahoma!,” marking the end of their 20-year partnership.
Both films celebrate the painstaking craft of writing the perfect lyric—assembling just the right combination of syllables to elicit emotion. But they also make it clear that the act of creation alone cannot cure their protagonists of what haunts them: Springsteen battles a depression he cannot sing away, while Hart wrestles with the alcoholism that cost him his career—and later, his life.
Early in “Blue Moon,” Hart bemoans the inevitable success and longevity of “Oklahoma!,” asking his sympathetic bartender (Bobby Cannavale), “Who wants inoffensive art?” Both films are realistic enough to know that plenty of people do, yet they stand as rallying cries for music that challenges the listener, immersing us into all of the life—the pain, the love, the loss—that goes into a perfect three-minute song.
Now Playing
“Spinal Tap II: The End Continues”
We are turning things up to 11 on October 24 when “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues” comes to The Triplex! Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer are back as Nigel Tufnel, David St. Hubbins, and Derek Smalls, members of the legendary rock band who are forced to reunite for one last show—all while being filmed by documentarian Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner).
Part of our Limited Engagement series, “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues” plays for one week starting on October 24.
Gorecore: “Re-Animator”
Herbert West has a good head on his shoulders… and another one on his desk! Our “Gorecore” series ends with Stuart Gordon’s H.P. Lovecraft adaptation “Re-Animator,” the story of a medical student West (Jeffrey Combs) who creates a formula to bring the dead back to life. When his discovery is dismissed, West sets out to prove that it works—and creates more trouble than he could ever imagine.
Friday, October 24, at 8:30 p.m.
The New Hard-Boiled: “Point Blank”
Our series “The New Hard-Boiled: The Birth of American Neo-Noir” kicks off with the Lee Marvin classic “Point Blank”! Director John Boorman made his Hollywood debut with this tale of revenge that sees professional criminal Walker (Marvin) left for dead by his partner after robbing a major criminal syndicate. Back on his feet, Walker sets out to get revenge and claim his take, working his way up the chain of the people who stabbed him in the back.
Saturday, October 25, at 5 p.m.
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show”
Give yourself over to absolute pleasure on October 25 when we screen “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” presented with BIFF and No Comply Foods! Celebrate the ultimate midnight movie with this interactive screening that marries live theater and the movies together during this story of a wayward couple (Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick) who stumble upon the estate of the liberated mad-scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry) on the night his grand invention comes to life.
Preshow costume contest! Prop bags provided by No Comply!
October 25, at 9 p.m.
“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”
Our “1975 at 50” series continues with that year’s runaway Oscar winner, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”! Jack Nicholson stars in this adaptation of Ken Kesey’s beloved novel as R.P. McMurphy, a convict who feigns mental illness in an attempt to avoid a prison sentence, only to end up in the care of stern authoritarian Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher). As McMurphy attempts to liberate his fellow patients, he and Ratched engage in a battle of wills that consumes them both.
Sunday, October 26, at 4:30 p.m.
The New Hard-Boiled: “Klute”
“The New Hard Boiled: The Birth of American Neo-Noir” continues on October 29 and November 1 with “Klute,” Alan J. Pakula’s atmospheric thriller about a private detective (Donald Sutherland) who turns to Bree, a high-priced call girl (Jane Fonda, in an Oscar-winning role), to help find a missing person who may also be her stalker. Swirling with the Watergate-era paranoia that became Pakula’s trademark with movies like “The Parallax View” and “All the President’s Men,” don’t miss your chance to see this classic noir on the big screen!
October 29, at 7 p.m. and November 1, at 5 p.m.
“The Night of the Hunter” with Live Score
We are thrilled to have Vaguely Pagan join us to perform a new live musical score to “The Night of the Hunter” on October 30! Robert Mitchum stars as a serial killer posing as a preacher who seduces a widow and terrorizes her children in pursuit of money hidden by their father. A stylish and evocative thriller that has influenced generations of filmmakers, this is a one-of-a-kind screening with new music from Vaguely Pagan designed to complement the stark orchestration and hymns of the film.
Thursday, October 30, at 8 p.m.
“Eleanor the Great”
A funny examination of grief, truth, and connection that marks the directorial debut of Scarlett Johansson, “Eleanor the Great” follows Eleanor (Academy Award nominee June Squibb), a 94-year-old woman who relocates to live with her daughter in New York City. Struggling to make new friends, Eleanor accidentally claims her deceased friend’s story of surviving the Holocaust as her own—a lie that brings her closer to her new community while quickly spinning out of control.
Ends Thursday!
Coming Soon
“Bugonia”
Emma Stone and director Yórgos Lánthimos reunite for the fourth time in “Bugonia,” an out-of-this-world satire made for the age of misinformation. When two conspiracy-obsessed young men (Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis) kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company (Stone), they set out to prove that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth in this oddball environmental thriller.
Starts Friday, October 31.
The New Hard-Boiled: “The Long Goodbye”
Robert Altman brought Raymond Chandler’s iconic detective Philip Marlowe into the murky morality of the ’70s in “The Long Goodbye,” playing November 5 and 8 as part of our series “The New Hard-Boiled: The Birth of American Neo-Noir.” After helping his friend Terry (Jim Bouton) cross the border to Mexico, Marlowe returns to Los Angeles only to learn that Terry’s wife has been murdered—and that Terry has taken his own life while on the run. When Marlowe takes a new case from a beautiful blond (Nina van Pallandt) who has a past with Terry, he soon realizes things are not as simple as they seem.
Wednesday, November 5, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, November 8, at 5 p.m.
“The History of Sound”
Two young men (Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor) set out to create audio recordings of their fellow countrymen in the aftermath of WWI—and end up developing a love that spans ages in “The History of Sound.” Director Oliver Hermanus (“Living”) crafts a beautiful period romance framed around staggering performances from rising stars Mescal and O’Connor in this moving story of love, loss, and the music that binds us together.
Part of our Limited Engagement series, “The History of Sound” plays for one week starting on November 7.
The New Hard-Boiled: “Chinatown”
Set in the 1940s but filled with the cynicism of the ’70s, “Chinatown” continues our series “The New Hard-Boiled: The Birth of American Neo-Noir” on November 12 and 15. When Los Angeles private eye J.J. Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) is hired by Evelyn Mulwray to investigate her husband’s activities, he believes it is a routine infidelity case. Jake’s investigation soon becomes anything but routine when he meets the real Mrs. Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) and realizes he was hired by an imposter. Mr. Mulwray’s sudden death sets Gittes on a tangled trail of corruption, deceit, and sinister family secrets as Evelyn’s father (John Huston) becomes a suspect in the case.
Wednesday, November 12, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, November 15, at 5 p.m.
