Sports movies are almost always underdog stories. No one wants to watch a champion rack up endless victories; we are drawn to athletes no one believes in, who defy expectations and claw their way toward success.
That familiar formula takes a beating in Benny Safdie’s “The Smashing Machine,” a surprisingly tender and raw sports drama opening at The Triplex this Friday. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson disappears into the role of MMA legend Mark Kerr, a fighter who put his physical and mental health on the line during the sport’s early days.
But unlike a Rocky or a Rudy, Kerr’s talent is never in doubt. The film opens with his first professional tournament win: a montage of bloody, intimate fighting layered with audio from an interview in which Kerr calmly explains his fighting philosophy. It sets a balance that Safdie maintains throughout, highlighting the humanity at the edges of this brutal sport. After a high-stakes match, the camera lingers on Kerr as he slips away from the spectacle and into the bowels of the arena, weaving through a maze of crowded hallways before he finally allows himself to show some real emotion.
Propelled by a jazz score from Nala Sinephro, whose shifting rhythms mirror the changing tempos of Kerr’s life, Safdie frames Kerr less as a gladiator and more as an artist sacrificing himself for his craft. When Kerr and his girlfriend Dawn (Emily Blunt) watch a demolition derby, the crowd roars for the crashes but Kerr winces as he empathizes with the wrecked cars. It is a painful moment of recognition, but one that does not stop him from getting back to the gym the very next day.
“The Smashing Machine” ends before MMA evolved into the global juggernaut it is today but makes it clear that the sport would have never reached the success it has without the deep sacrifices made by Kerr and his competitors. These fighters were artists ahead of their time, discarded by a burgeoning industry that treated its talents as disposable. Safdie’s film is a testament to the sensitivity and humanity beneath all of that violence and wreckage—urging us to step away from the ring to see the whole picture.
Now Playing
Taylor Swift | The Official Release Party of a Showgirl
Join us for “Taylor Swift | The Official Release Party of a Showgirl” featuring the exclusive premiere of “The Fate of Ophelia” music video, lyric videos, and more.
October 3 through 5 only!
“Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror”
A new look at the ultimate midnight movie.
Director Linus O’Brien captures the story of his father Richard and his enduring creation “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” in the new documentary “Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror,” coming to The Triplex for one night only on October 9! Following the show from its humble origins as a London fringe theater play to its meteoric rise, fall, and resurrection as the biggest cult film of all time, “Strange Journey” features new interviews with cast members including Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, and more!
Original London production cast member James Warwick joins us for a talkback after our screening!
One night only! October 9 at 8:15 p.m.
“One Battle After Another”
The revolution is underway in Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest.
When a former revolutionary’s daughter goes missing, he taps into his network of radicals and outcasts to bring her home in “One Battle After Another,” the latest from acclaimed director Paul Thomas Anderson (“There Will Be Blood,” “Boogie Nights”). Featuring an all-star cast of Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti, and more, “One Battle After Another” is an action-packed ode to the lengths parents will go to protect their kids from their pasts.
Already being hailed as one of the best films of the year (and even this century), do not miss your chance to see Anderson’s latest masterpiece on the big screen!
“Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale”
The Crawleys return for one last fabulous adventure.
The Crawleys enter the 1930s in “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale,” the final installment of the beloved PBS franchise. As Lord Grantham and family face down the prospect of financial ruin and social disgrace, their household staff prepare to take the Abbey into the future with a new generation at its helm.
Coming Soon
“Splitsville”
Modern relationships do not get messier than “Splitsville,” the explosive new comedy from writer-director-star Michael Angelo Covino. When his wife Ashley (Adria Arjona) tells him she wants a divorce, Carey (co-writer Kyle Marvin) seeks advice from his best friend Paul (Covino) and his wife Julie (Dakote Johnson), only to learn they are in an open marriage. When Julie and Carey connect, the foursome are forced to confront what it takes to truly be “open” with each other.
Part of our Limited Engagement series, “Splitsville” comes to The Triplex for one week starting October 10.
“The Baltimorons”
Cliff, a down-on-his-luck comedian, chips a tooth on Christmas Eve and ends up in the care of sharp-witted dentist Didi. What should be a quick procedure quickly unfolds into a holiday misadventure that will melt the coldest of hearts in “The Baltimorons,” the latest from indie auteur Jay Duplass.
Don’t miss this charming lo-fi romcom when it plays as part of our Limited Engagement series starting on October 10!
Gorecore: “Evil Dead II”
Ash Williams was just looking for a romantic weekend in the woods—but instead he got the evil dead! Bruce Campbell stars in director Sam Raimi’s gleefully gore-filled follow-up to his breakout hit that combines slapstick comedy, stop-motion animation, and over-the-top techniques that fully established Raimi’s unique vision for the genre.
October 10, at 8:30 p.m.
“Out Of Plain Sight”
From The Los Angeles Times and Pulitzer Prize finalist Rosanna Xia, “Out Of Plain Sight” is a cinematic exposé of an environmental disaster lurking just off the coast of Southern California.
Not far from Catalina Island, aboard one of the most advanced research ships in the world, David Valentine discovered a corroded barrel on the seafloor that gave him chills. The full environmental horror sharpens into greater clarity once he calls Xia, who pieces together a shocking revelation: In the years after World War II, as many as half a million barrels of toxic waste had been quietly dumped into the ocean—and the consequences continue to haunt the world today.
October 12, at 3 p.m.
“The Uninvited”
An insightful and off-kilter look at the trappings of youth and fame starring Walton Goggins, Elizabeth Reaser, Lois Smith, and Pedro Pascal, we are thrilled to have director Nadia Conners join us for a screening of “The Uninvited” on October 16! When a party in the Hollywood Hills is crashed by a mysterious stranger, the hosts and their A-list guests scramble to keep their secrets from spilling out in this twisty showbiz satire.
Q&A with writer-director Nadia Conners on October 16, at 7 p.m.
“After the Hunt”
A gripping psychological drama about a college professor (Julia Roberts) who finds herself at a personal and professional crossroads when a star student (Ayo Edebiri) levels an accusation against one of her colleagues (Andrew Garfield), Luca Guadagnino’s “After the Hunt” dives into the way personal politics became entwined in the early days of the Me Too movement. A provocative exploration of truth and privacy in the modern age, don’t miss this intelligent drama when it comes to The Triplex!
Starts October 17.
Gorecore: “House”
You have never seen a haunted house story like “House”! When Gorgeous and her friends make a trip to her aunt’s country estate, they have to fight for their lives as the possessed house tries to eat them alive in increasingly bizarre ways. A horror-comedy brimming with surreal special effects designed to make you laugh as much as scream, don’t miss this cult classic when it plays as part of our Gorecore series on October 17!
October 17, at 8:30 p.m.
“Spinal Tap II: The End Continues”
We are turning things up to 11 on October 17 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 17.
