We’ve also got three special events this week: Majority Rules, Mission Impossible, and a special sneak peek preview for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. 

Following the story of election reform in Alaska that eliminated traditional primaries and included ranked choice voting, Majority Rules is an urgent and compelling documentary that asks the pressing questions, “How did the American electoral system become so dysfunctional, and is it possible that changing the way we vote might transform our entire system for the better?” Joining us for this special screening are members of FairVote Washington, “a non-partisan, non-profit, volunteer-driven champion of electoral reforms like ranked-choice voting that give voters greater choice, a stronger voice, and a more civil, representative democracy that works for all Americans.” FairVote WA will be leading a discussion following the screening and inviting us to engage with these issues in a deeper way.  

Join us on Sunday, September 1 at 3:45 pm! 

We also have the grand finale in our  Nine from the 90’s series, Mission Impossible, starring Tom Cruise and Ving Rhames, the final link in our degrees of separation movie game. It’s been a delight to have you with us on this 90’s series journey, and we hope to do more interactive movie games and events in the future. For now, enjoy Tom Cruise at his most peak-Tom-Cruise (2024 Olympics stunts not-withstanding!) and a Brian De Palma popcorn film for the ages. 

Join us Thursday at 8:15 pm! 

The Red Shoes and all of Powell and Pressburger's films fundamentally made who Scorsese was as a filmmaker, and I think when you watch Made in England and then watch The Red Shoes on the big screen, you will understand why. 

There are two opportunities to watch The Red Shoes, Saturday at 4:15 pm and Tuesday at 8:15 pm. Should you choose to make it a Made in England/Red Shoesdouble feature, Made in England plays on Saturday at 1:30 (with discounted double feature pricing) and on Tuesday at 5:20.  

And Halloween is starting early this year as this week brings us the new sequel to the 1988 Tim Burton classic, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

I'm generally a bit skeptical about sequels, particularly following such iconic original material, but I had an absolute blast with this. From the opening moments, you get the sense of a singular vision:  there's the wonderfully robust and unapologetic score from Danny Elfman (when's the last time there was a *really* great score in a commercial film??); delightful song and dance sequences; a sense of a tactile world (lots of practical effects); big audacious colors and a distinct visual style; a cast that knows the assignment and seems to be having a wonderful time doing it (Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, Willem Dafoe, Jenna Ortega, Monica Belluci); and a sense of wacky originality that makes the film distinct, and not merely a retread, of the first film.  

It's not as weird as the first film (a weirdness I love), but it's still plenty weird in that uniquely lovable Burton kind of way, and it’s so much fun. 

The sneak-peek preview is on Thursday, September 5 at witching hour, 9:50 pm, and then the film will be with us for a full run, starting Friday, September 6

Finally, I’m off to Toronto for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this next week, September 4-13, so my newsletter will be on hiatus until September 20. The 2023 festival introduced me to films that ultimately became beloved Pickford titles this past year--American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, The Boy and the Heron, Evil Does Not Exist, Dream Scenario, Fallen Leaves, The Holdovers, Perfect Days, Theater Camp, The Zone of Interest, and others--and so I’m all the more eager to see what TIFF 2024 has to offer! 

See you at the movies, friends! 

Melissa