Los Angeles: Come See Brian Collins Host SILVER BULLET At The New Bev!
Being the slasher nut that I am, I'm always more interested in werewolf movies that have a "whodunit" mystery as to the identity of the werewolf, as opposed to something like The Wolfman, where you know that it's (not-spoiler!) Larry Talbot. Of course, this isn't a surefire way to success - ask anyone who has suffered through Cursed - but for my personal tastes, it's better than the usual "Man struggles with the beast within" thing. The only real loss is a big transformation scene, but it's not like anyone's ever going to top American Werewolf anyway.
Thus I couldn't be more excited about hosting a 35mm screening of Stephen King's Silver Bullet at the glorious New Beverly Cinema, this Saturday (the 25th) at 11:59pm. If you haven't seen it yet, it should be even more fun now trying to guess the identity of the wolf, because so many cast members have gone on to be bad/shady guy actors in the genre: Stepfather's Terry O'Quinn, People Under The Stairs' Everett McGill, Prison Break main heavy Leon Rossum, etc. Plus, Gary Busey, long before he became a joke (and before the near-fatal motorcycle accident that led to his "Busey-ness"). There are some other red herrings as well, and while it doesn't take a genius to figure it out, at least it's not as obvious as the bullshit that passes for movie mysteries nowadays (Safe House is a good example - anyone surprised at the reveal of the "mole" should probably stick to Spy Kids movies).
Interestingly, King adapted his own short novel "Cycle Of The Werewolf" for the film, something that became increasingly uncommon over the years (I believe Pet Sematary was the last book he adapted himself for a theatrical feature). Sadly, that did nothing to help the movie's box office success (star Corey Haim was not yet a teen idol), and to date it ranks as one of the lower-grossing King features in the US (it did well on video and overseas, however).
Thus, you probably haven't seen it on 35mm, so if you're a fan (or haven't seen it) in the Los Angeles area, you should definitely join me! This is a "Horror Movie A Day Presents" screening, which means I come up and do an intro and hand out some DVDs (I tried getting Mr. Busey to come, but alas, he wanted an appearance fee). But unlike some of the others that I've hosted, this truly fits the name (and original plan) behind the screenings, as I saw Silver Bullet for the first time when it became one of my HMAD entries. Part of the point of doing the site was to find or finally get around to seeing movies that I would really dig, and part of the point of starting the screening series was to highlight those movies that made it all worthwhile, such as this. Thus, for you newcomers, I'd love to pay it forward in a way. And for you fans, well, come on, you gotta be tired of your DVD copy, right?
The New Beverly is located at 7165 Beverly Blvd in Los Angeles (90036), two blocks west of La Brea. Street parking is ample and free, and the concessions are the cheapest in town. Tickets are 8 bucks (cash only) at the door or you can reserve a ticket online at BrownPaperTickets. The previous movie (Journey Into Fear) is pretty short, so we should be starting pretty close to on time at 11:59 pm (again, this Saturday night the 25th). Also, Edgar Wright's beloved Scott Pilgrim vs The World shows at the Bev this FRIDAY night at 11:59 pm, so insomniacs and night owls have plenty of alt-Oscar programming to enjoy at the Bev this weekend!
See you there!
