Apologies for the late write up on the last two days of TCMFF! But here we go.
Day three for me started with my first visit to the Egyptian Theatre. It hadn’t been a venue the last few years because it was undergoing a massive refurbishment. But it was worth the wait! The first film on my agenda was Night Has A Thousand Eyes. As the president of the unofficial Edward G. Robinson fan club, this was a screening I was really excited about. I had been trying to track it down for years with no luck. So my first screening at the Egyptian was a hidden gem and was a rare nitrate print. Robinson plays a man who claims to be a psychic and attempts by the police and others to debunk his abilities. Definitely would recommend.
After making a new noir discovery it was on to an old favorite: The Big Heat. It was a treat having it introduced by Czar of Noir Eddie Muller and Gloria Grahame super fan Dana Delany. Another great noir screening.
Next up was some Hitchcock. I missed Rear Window on day two because it was playing opposite Close Encounters being introduced by Steven Spielberg. So I had to go to the screening of North By Northwest. There’s nothing like seeing a classic Hitchcock thriller in the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre with an audience that fully appreciates every second of it.
After that I got back in line for the next movie in the same theatre: The Shawshank Redemption. Shawshank was my late father’s favorite movie and it quickly became a favorite of mine too. As a special treat, Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman were on hand to introduce it with Dave Karger. Shawshank is a great reminder that the best movies don’t always have to have loud explosions and fancy effects. What matters are characters and relationships. It’s a moving story of friendship and survival that is just as great 30 years later.
From there it was a power walk back to the Egyptian. I’m a big fan of director Sidney Lumet. So I had to at least see most of Dog Day Afternoon before booking it back to the Chinese multiplex for the midnight movie.
The final midnight movie of the festival was Heavenly Bodies. I’ll say a few things for it. The movie was shot in focus, in color, and had a dope 80s soundtrack. It was delightfully cheesy and vapid. A perfect midnight cult film.
Stay tuned for my recap of the final day!